eat apparent enjoyment, then, having dried himself with a towel of
genuine civilisation, he rose, strode over to his waggon--the two
attendants lying prostrate in the dust before him as he moved--and
lifting the canvas flap, disappeared from mortal ken: for this waggon
was the place of his most sacred seclusion, and woe indeed to the
luckless wight who should presume to disturb him in that retreat.

Without, the aspect of the mighty circle was stirring and tumultuous to
the last degree. The huge radius of grass roofs lay yellow and shining
in the fierce sunlight, alive too, with dark forms ever on the move,
these however, being those of innumerable women, and glistening, rotund
brats, chattering in wide-eyed excitement; for the more important spot,
the great open space in front of the King's enclosure, was given over to
the warriors.

With these it was nearly filled. Regiment upon regiment was mustered
there: each drafted according to the standing of those who composed its
ranks, from the Ingubu, which enjoyed the high privilege of attending as
bodyguard upon the King, hence its name--the Blanket, i.e. the King's--
ever around the royal person--the fighting Imbizo, and the Induba--down
to the slave regiments such as the Umcityu, composed of slaves and the
descendants of conquered and therefore inferior races. All these were
in full war array. The higher of them wore the _intye_, a combination
of cape and headpiece made of the jetty plumage of the male ostrich,
others were crowned with the _isiqoba_, a ball of feathers nodding over
the forehead, and supporting the tall, pointed wing feather of the
vulture, or the blue crane. Mutyas of monkey-skin and cat-tails, in
some few instances leopard's skin, fantastic bunches of white cowhair at
elbow and knee and ankle, with bead necklaces, varying in shape and
colour, completed the adornment. But all were fully armed. The
national weapon, the traditional implement of Zulu intrepidity and
conquest, the broad-bladed, short-handled, close-quarter assegai--of
such each warrior carried two or three: a murderous-looking battle-axe
with its sickle-like blade: a heavy-headed, short-handled knob-kerrie,
and the great war-shield, black, with its facings of white, a proportion
white entirely--others red--others again, streaked, variegated, and
surmounted by its tuft of fur or jackal's tail, or cowhair--this array,
chanting in fierce strophes, stamping in unison, and clashing time wi