pen if the boy was not
killed. They answered that the spirit of the dead woman would lead him
to bring evil on the royal house. Chaka asked if he would bring evil on
him, the king. They in turn asked the spirits, and answered no, not on
him, but on one of the royal house who should be after him. Chaka said
that he cared nothing what happened to those who came after him, or
whether good or evil befell them. Then he spoke to Umslopogaas, who
looked him boldly in the face, as an equal looks at an equal.

"Boy," he said, "what hast thou to say as to why thou shouldst not be
killed as these men demand?"

"This, Black One," answered Umslopogaas; "that I stabbed the woman in
defence of my own life."

"That is nothing," said Chaka. "If I, the king, wished to kill thee,
mightest thou therefore kill me or those whom I sent? The Itongo in the
woman was a Spirit King and ordered her to kill thee; thou shouldst then
have let thyself be killed. Hast thou no other reason?"

"This, Elephant," answered Umslopogaas; "the woman would have murdered
my sister, whom I love better than my life."

"That is nothing," said Chaka. "If I ordered thee to be killed for any
cause, should I not also order all within thy gates to be killed with
thee? May not, then, a Spirit King do likewise? If thou hast nothing
more to say thou must die."

Now I grew afraid, for I feared lest Chaka should slay him who
was called my son because of the word of the doctors. But the boy
Umslopogaas looked up and answered boldly, not as one who pleads for his
life, but as one who demands a right:--

"I have this to say, Eater-up of Enemies, and if it is not enough, let
us stop talking, and let me be killed. Thou, O king, didst command that
this woman should be slain. Those whom thou didst send to destroy
her spared her, because they thought her mad. I have carried out the
commandment of the king; I have slain her, mad or sane, whom the king
commanded should be killed, and I have earned not death, but a reward."

"Well said, Umslopogaas!" answered Chaka. "Let ten head of cattle be
given to this boy with the heart of a man; his father shall guard them
for him. Art thou satisfied now, Umslopogaas?"

"I take that which is due to me, and I thank the king because he need
not pay unless he will," Umslopogaas answered.

Chaka stared awhile, began to grow angry, then burst out laughing.

"Why, this calf is such another one as was dropped long ago in the kraal
of Senzan