ck of the cave. Umslopogaas
had told her that she must not do this, and she had forgotten his words
in her foolishness. Perhaps she could move the stone; no, not by the
breadth of a grain of corn. She was shut in, without food or water, and
here she must bide till Umslopogaas came. And if he did not come? Then
she must surely die.

Now she shrieked aloud in her fear, calling on the name of Umslopogaas.
The walls of the cave answered "Umslopogaas! Umslopogaas!" and that was
all.

Afterwards madness fell upon Nada, my daughter, and she lay in the
cave for days and nights, nor knew ever how long she lay. And with her
madness came visions, for she dreamed that the dead One whom Galazi had
told her of sat once more aloft in his niche at the end of the cave and
spoke to her, saying:--

"Galazi is dead! The fate of him who bears the Watcher has fallen on
him. Dead are the ghost-wolves; I also am of hunger in this cave, and as
I died so shall you die, Nada the Lily! Nada, Star of Death! because of
whose beauty and foolishness all this death has come about."

This is seemed to Nada, in her madness, that the shadow of him who had
sat in the niche spoke to her from hour to hour.

It seemed to Nada, in her madness, that twice the light shone through
the hole by the rock, and that was day, and twice it went out, and that
was night. A third time the ray shone and died away, and lo! her madness
left her, and she awoke to know that she was dying, and that a voice she
loved spoke without the hole, saying in hollow accents:--

"Nada? Do you still live, Nada?"

"Yea," she answered hoarsely. "Water! give me water!"

Next she heard a sound as of a great snake dragging itself along
painfully. A while passed, then a trembling hand thrust a little gourd
of water through the hole. She drank, and now she could speak, though
the water seemed to flow through her veins like fire.

"Is it indeed you, Umslopogaas?" she said, "or are you dead, and do I
dream of you?"

"It is I, Nada," said the voice. "Hearken! have you drawn the rock
home?"

"Alas! yes," she answered. "Perhaps, if the two of us strive at it, it
will move."

"Ay, if our strength were what it was--but now! Still, let us try."

So they strove with a rock, but the two of them together had not the
strength of a girl, and it would not stir.

"Give over, Umslopogaas," said Nada; "we do but waste the time that is
left to me. Let us talk!"

For awhile there was no answer, f