hn, I understand not. Yet I will do your bidding because
you are wiser than I and utter no empty words. Now be still."

Then Umslopogaas threw the axe into the air and caught it as it fell,
and as he did so began to chant his own praises Zulu fashion.

"Oho!" he said, "I am the child of the Lion, the Black-maned Lion, whose
claws never loosened of their prey. I am the Wolf-king, he who hunted
with the wolves upon the Witch-mountain with my brother, Bearer of
the Club named Watcher-of-the-Fords, I am he who slew him called the
Unconquered, Chief of the People of the Axe, he who bore the ancient Axe
before me; I am he who smote the Halakazi tribe in their caves and won
me Nada the Lily to wife. I am he who took to the King Dingaan a gift
that he loved little, and afterward with Mopo, my foster-sire, hurled
this Dingaan down to death. I am the Royal One, named Bulalio the
Slaughterer, named Woodpecker, named Umhlopekazi the Captain, before
whom never yet man has stood in fair and open fight. Now, thou Wizard
Rezu, now thou Giant, now thou Ghost-man, come on against me and before
the sun has risen by a hand's breadth, all those who watch shall see
which of us is better at the game of war. Come on, then! Come on, for
I say that my blood boils over and my feet grow cold. Come on, thou
grinning dog, thou monster grown fat with eating the flesh of men, thou
hook-beaked vulture, thou old, grey-whiskered wolf!"

Thus he changed in his fierce, boastful way, while his two remaining
Zulus clapped their hands and sentence by sentence echoed his words, and
Goroko, the witch-doctor, muttered incantations behind him.

While he sang thus Umslopogaas began to stir. First only his head and
shoulders moved gently, swaying from side to side like a reed shaken in
the wind or a snake about to strike. Then slowly he put out first one
foot and next the other and drew them back again, as a dancer might do,
tempting Rezu to attack.

But the giant would not, his shield held before him, he stood still and
waited to see what this black warrior would do.

The snake struck. Umslopogaas darted in and let drive with the long
axe. Rezu raised his shield above his head and caught the blow. From the
clank it made I knew that this shield which seemed to be of hide, was
lined with iron. Rezu smote back, but before the blow could fall the
Zulu was out of his reach. This taught me how great was the giant's
strength, for though the stroke was heavy, like th