never ran dry; and the rolling plains and dark forest belts were
swarming with game. The river, too, was plentiful with sea-cows and
alligators, which last the King would not allow any man to kill; so that
they soon increased in numbers and boldness to an alarming extent;
indeed, from this it was that our new kraal took its name, for it was
called Kwa'zingwenya, "the Place of Alligators." And when it was
completed there was great dancing and singing, and the slaughter of
cattle and general feasting, for here we intended to make our home, at
any rate for a long time to come.

Now there was another reason why the place should have been named as it
was. It happened one day that the King was strolling along the river
bank, I being in attendance on him, when we came upon the high brow of a
cliff falling sheer down into a deep, still pool. As we looked over we
beheld several small dark objects floating upon the surface of the
water. They were the heads and noses of alligators.

"Ha!" cried the King. "I have an idea, Untuswa, and I think it is not a
bad one." Then, turning round, he called to a boy who was herding
calves not far off. The lad drew near, and, seeing who had called him,
his knees began to tremble and his eyes to start from his head in his
terror and awe of the Great Great One. He prostrated himself to the
ground, and his tongue nearly clove to his mouth as he stuttered the
_Bayete_.

"Rise up, child," said the King, "and go quickly and bring hither yonder
calves. Delay not--yet stay; call those within sight to help thee."

The lad sped away, and soon, in obedience to his calls, about a dozen
other boys came up, and, making a half-circle, drove the entire herd, to
the number of about twenty well-grown calves, up to where we were
standing, the King and I, leaning upon our sticks.

"Make them leap," said Umzilikazi. "Make them leap."

But this was not so easy, for the calves were big, and, their instincts
of danger warning them, they all bunched together, nor would they suffer
themselves to be driven to the edge of the cliff, notwithstanding the
yells and sticks of the boys who strove to drive them; and, indeed, I
myself had to seize two of them and drag them to the brink, and even
then I only pushed them over at the greatest risk of falling after them
myself. Then the whole herd followed with a mighty splash, which echoed
like thunder from the face of the rock.

The splash subsided, the surface