ome afoot, come a great number of Kafirs. On
they come: those who are mounted kicking their shaggy little ponies into
a headlong gallop; those who are not, starting into a run, leaping into
the air, singing, or now and again venting a shrill and ear-splitting
whistle. From far and near--from every direction converging upon the
kraal, on they come. _And they are all armed_.

The excitement in the kraal itself intensifies. All rise to their feet
to receive the newcomers, each group of whom is greeted with boisterous
shouts of welcome. Snatches of war-songs rise upon the air, and the
rattle of assegai hafts blends with the barbaric melody. Still, pouring
in from all sides, come fresh arrivals, and by the time the sun has shot
his last fading ray upon the stirring scene, the kraal cannot have
contained far short of a thousand men.

Near the principal group of huts stands a circular inclosure about fifty
yards in diameter. Above the thorn fence bristle the great branching
horns of oxen. To this point all eyes are now turned, and the deafening
clamour of voices is hushed in expectation of a new diversion.

A narrow opening is made in the fence and half a dozen Kafirs enter. An
ox is turned out. No sooner is the poor beast clear of the fence than
it is suddenly seen to plunge and fall forward in a heap, stabbed to the
heart by a broad-bladed assegai. The slaughterer steps back to his
lurking position and stands with arm upraised. Quickly another ox
follows upon the first. The weapon, now dimmed and reddened with blood,
flashes in the air. The second animal plunges forward dead. A third
follows, with like result.

Then, scenting danger, and terrified moreover by the crowd which is
gathering outside, the beasts stubbornly refuse to move. They huddle
together with lowered heads, backing away from the opening and emitting
the muffled, moaning noise evoked in cattle by the scent of blood. In
vain their would-be drivers shout and goad them with assegais. Move
they will not.

Another opening is made on the opposite side to that of the first.
After some trouble two oxen are driven through. They rush out together,
one falling by the hand of the lurking slaughterer, the other meeting a
speedy death at the assegais of the spectators.

There still remain upwards of a dozen within the kraal, but of these not
one can be induced to pass out. Panic-stricken they huddle together
closer still, until at last, their terr