ugh the leaves, and joyous with the song and whistle of birds and
the chatter of monkeys. We were drawing near a pile of rocks, overhung
with forest trees and trailers. Suddenly, my brother, who was walking
behind me, touched my elbow.

"Do you hear nothing, son of my father?" he whispered.

I listened long and hard. I was about to reply, "Nothing," when I heard
the sound as of a voice--the voice of a man murmuring--even as the voice
of one of our _izanusi_ engaged in making _muti_. Now, there were caves
in those rocks, _Nkose_, caves which were not unassociated among
ourselves with _tagati_; wherefore, with the instinct of a warrior in
the presence of evil, I gripped my broad assegai, and stole silently
forward, eager to see through this mystery--if mystery there was--Mgwali
pressing close behind me. The murmuring of the voice sounded plainer
now; then we heard a low musical tinkling, as of the ringing of a bell.

_Whau_! Here was a strange thing. What could such sounds mean, here
among the rocks and caves? The voice, too, was murmuring in a strange
language; soft, though not so soft as ours, yet immeasurably softer than
the croaking tongues of those inferior peoples which we had destroyed or
enslaved. Stealthily we drew nearer, and, peering out through the
trees, this is what we saw.

A great slab of rock out-hung from the cliff, forming a shallow cave.
In the mouth of this a man was standing, his back towards us. He was
clothed in a great cloak, red in colour, and bearing a broad crossed bar
down its entire length, while showing below it was a long white garment
which seemed to cover him from neck to foot. His movements called to
our mind those of our own _izanusi_ when sacrificing cattle to the
ghosts of our fathers on solemn occasions; yet not. But this could be
no _isanusi_, for he was a white man! Still he must be an _isanusi_ of
some sort, for he was undoubtedly engaged in offering sacrifice. In
front of him and further in the cave was a great block of stone or a
ledge in the rock formation--we could not determine which--and upon it
were two little pillars tipped with flame. Moreover, upon this the
man's words and actions seemed centred, for upon it was something else,
which from there we could not see. But here, if possible, was a more
surprising thing. Behind him, bending low, knelt another man--a dark
man, one of ourselves, and of the same race, for he wore the ring upon
his head, and his