une gives us and be thankful. Come,
march."

This he said about eight o'clock in the morning.

We strolled through the gates of the Great Kraal, most of the Boers,
who, as usual, had piled their arms under the two milk trees, lounging
along in knots of four or five, laughing and chatting as they went. I
have often thought since, that although every one of them there, except
myself, was doomed within an hour to have taken the dreadful step from
time into eternity, it seems strange that advancing fate should have
thrown no shadow on their hearts. On the contrary, they were quite gay,
being extremely pleased at the successful issue of their mission and the
prospect of an immediate return to their wives and children. Even Retief
was gay, for I heard him joking with his companions about myself and my
"white-bread-week," or honeymoon, which, he said, was drawing very near.

As we went, I noticed that most of the regiments who had performed the
great military dances before us on the previous day were gone. Two,
however, remained--the Ischlangu Inhlope, that is the "White Shields,"
who were a corps of veterans wearing the ring on their heads, and the
Ischlangu Umnyama, that is the "Black Shields," who were all of them
young men without rings. The "White Shields" were ranged along the
fence of the great open place to our left, and the "Black Shields" were
similarly placed to our right, each regiment numbering about fifteen
hundred men. Except for their kerries and dancing-sticks they were
unarmed.

Presently we reached the head of the dancing ground, and found Dingaan
seated in his chair with two of his great indunas, Umhlela and Tambusa,
squatting on either side of him. Behind him, standing in and about the
entrance to the labyrinth through which the king had come, were other
indunas and captains. On arriving in front of Dingaan we saluted him,
and he acknowledged the salutation with pleasant words and smiles. Then
Retief, two or three of the other Boers, Thomas Halstead and I went
forward, whereon the treaty was produced again and identified as the
same document that we had seen on the previous day.

At the foot of it someone--I forget who--wrote in Dutch, "De merk van
Koning Dingaan" [that is, The mark of King Dingaan.] In the space left
between the words "merk" and "van" Dingaan made a cross with a pen that
was given to him, Thomas Halstead holding his hand and showing him what
to do.

After this, three of his indunas