hen, by my father's spirit, I
will find a way to kill you!"

"Certainly I will do it, my uncle," I answered. "Why did you not trust
me before? Had I known that you wanted to keep the cattle, I would never
have smelt them out. I only did so fearing lest you should lose the
presents."

"You are not so wicked as I thought," he growled. "Get up, then, and do
my bidding. You can be back here two hours after dawn."

So I got up, thinking all the while whether I should try to spring on
him. But I was without arms, and he had the knife; also if, by chance, I
prevailed and killed him, it would have been thought that I had murdered
him, and I should have tasted the assegai. So I made another plan. I
would go and find the cattle in the valley where I had smelt them out,
but I would not bring them to the secret hiding-place. No; I would
drive them straight to the kraal, and denounce Noma before the chief, my
father, and all the people. But I was young in those days, and did not
know the heart of Noma. He had not been a witch-doctor till he grew old
for nothing. Oh! he was evil!--he was cunning as a jackal, and fierce
like a lion.. He had planted me by him like a tree, but he meant to
keep me clipped like a bush. Now I had grown tall and overshadowed him;
therefore he would root me up.

I went to the corner of my hut, Noma watching me all the while, and took
a kerrie and my small shield. Then I started through the moonlight. Till
I was past the kraal I glided along quietly as a shadow. After that, I
began to run, singing to myself as I went, to frighten away the ghosts,
my father.

For an hour I travelled swiftly over the plain, till I came to the
hillside where the bush began. Here it was very dark under the shade
of the trees, and I sang louder than ever. At last I found the little
buffalo path I sought, and turned along it. Presently I came to an open
place, where the moonlight crept in between the trees. I knelt down and
looked. Yes! my snake had not lied to me; there was the spoor of the
cattle. Then I went on gladly till I reached a dell through which the
water ran softly, sometimes whispering and sometimes talking out loud.
Here the trail of the cattle was broad: they had broken down the ferns
with their feet and trampled the grass. Presently I came to a pool. I
knew it--it was the pool my snake had shown me. And there at the edge of
the pool floated the drowned ox, its foot caught in a forked root. All
was just as I ha