ere Scowl and I sat upon our horses.

"Ah! I see that you are ready, Macumazahn," he said in a cheerful voice.
"I told you that you should not go away hungry, did I not?"

"Maputa," I said in remonstrance, "what is the use of this? Umbelazi is
defeated, you are not of his impi, why send all these"--and I waved my
hand--"down into the darkness? Why not go to the river and try to save
the women and children?"

"Because we shall take many of those down into the darkness with us,
Macumazahn," and he pointed to the dense masses of the Usutu. "Yet," he
added, with a touch of compunction, "this is not your quarrel. You and
your servant have horses. Slip out, if you will, and gallop hard to the
lower drift. You may get away with your lives."

Then my white man's pride came to my aid.

"Nay," I answered, "I will not run while others stay to fight."

"I never thought you would, Macumazahn, who, I am sure, do not wish to
earn a new and ugly name. Well, neither will the Amawombe run to become
a mock among their people. The King's orders were that we should try to
help Umbelazi, if the battle went against him. We obey the King's orders
by dying where we stand. Macumazahn, do you think that you could hit
that big fellow who is shouting insults at us there? If so, I should be
obliged to you, as I dislike him very much," and he showed me a captain
who was swaggering about in front of the lines of the first of the Usutu
regiments, about six hundred yards away.

"I will try," I answered, "but it's a long shot." Dismounting, I climbed
a pile of stones and, resting my rifle on the topmost of them, took
a very full sight, aimed, held my breath, and pressed the trigger. A
second afterwards the shouter of insults threw his arms wide, letting
fall his spear, and pitched forward on to his face.

A roar of delight rose from the watching Amawombe, while old Maputa
clapped his thin brown hands and grinned from ear to ear.

"Thank you, Macumazahn. A very good omen! Now I am sure that, whatever
those Isigqosa dogs of Umbelazi's may do, we King's men shall make an
excellent end, which is all that we can hope. Oh, what a beautiful shot!
It will be something to think of when I am an idhlozi, a spirit-snake,
crawling about my own kraal. Farewell, Macumazahn," and he took my
hand and pressed it. "The time has come. I go to lead the charge. The
Amawombe have orders to defend you to the last, for I wish you to see
the finish of this fight. Farewel