ng the ghosts. Their story is told and soon to
their children they will be but names whispered in honour after the sun
has set. Enough of them who have showed us how to die as our fathers did
before them."

Goroko paused a while, then added with a waving of his hands,

"My Spirit comes to me again and I know that these our brothers shall
not pass unavenged. Chief of the Axe, great glory awaits the Axe, for it
shall feed full. I have spoken."

"Good words!" grunted Umslopogaas. Then he saluted the dead by raising
_Inkosikaas_ and came to me to consult about our journey.

CHAPTER VIII

PURSUIT

After all we did not get away much before noon, because first there was
a great deal to be done. To begin with the loads had to be arranged.
These consisted largely of ammunition, everything else being cut down to
an irreducible minimum. To carry them we took two donkeys there were
on the place, also half a dozen pack oxen, all of which animals were
supposed to be "salted"--that is, to have suffered and recovered from
every kind of sickness, including the bite of the deadly tsetse fly.
I suspected, it is true, that they would not be proof against further
attacks, still, I hoped that they would last for some time, as indeed
proved to be the case.

In the event of the beasts failing us, we took also ten of the best
of those Strathmuir men who had accompanied us on the sea-cow trip, to
serve as bearers when it became necessary. It cannot be said that these
snuff-and-butter fellows--for most, if not all of them had some dash of
white blood in their veins--were exactly willing volunteers. Indeed, if
a choice had been left to them, they would, I think, have declined this
adventure.

But there was no choice. Their master, Robertson, ordered them to come
and after a glance at the Zulus they concluded that the command was one
which would be enforced and that if they stopped behind, it would not
be as living men. Also some of them had lost wives or children in the
slaughter, which, if they were not very brave, filled them with a desire
for revenge. Lastly, they could all shoot after a fashion and had good
rifles; moreover if I may say so, I think that they put confidence in my
leadership. So they made the best of a bad business and got themselves
ready.

Then arrangements must be made about the carrying on of the farm and
store during our absence. These, together with my waggon and oxen, were
put in the charge of Thomaso, sin