The plan which Dingane now decided on was a waiting one. He relied on desertions from Mpande, whom we now learned by means of our spies had been placed by the Amabuna in his seat, who now reigned King. _Whau_!
was ever such a thing heard of? A King of the Amazulu, the conquerors of the world, holding his seat by favour of white people--and such white people! But it could not last--no, it could not last. The heavens might well fell.
We moved down to a more accessible site in the Ngome wilds, and there kraals were erected, and time was bestowed upon gathering together such of the nation as remained faithful, and encouraging others to come in.
Meanwhile a careful look-out was kept upon a possible invasion; but Mpande, who seemed not to care about venturing beyond the Tugela, made no hostile movement, neither did the Amabuna, and for a time we enjoyed rest and a breathing-s.p.a.ce while our plans were maturing.
I, for my part, was now advanced to a position of great honour, not less indeed than that formerly held by Tambusa himself. That induna was now dead; so too was Umhlela, as I have told you, _Nkose_; and such of my enemies who survived had but one fear now, and that was lest I might turn my greatness to account in compa.s.sing their destruction. But of this I had no thought, so completely was my mind full of how to restore the ascendency of Dingane and the might of the nation.
All this while I saw nothing of Lalusini, nor by the most deftly veiled questionings could I obtain tidings of her from any. Whither had she gone? Would she not reappear as she had done before? And for all my greatness my heart was sore--very sore, as I thought of her and longed for her; yet never for a moment did I repent me that I had not slain the King at her bidding.
Now Dingane had built for himself a great kraal on one of the wildest slopes of the Ngome hills. It was surrounded by dense forests and rocks and precipices, and the ways of approach being but few, and always securely guarded, the King felt safe from all possibility of attack.
But shortly an alarm was given. _Impis_ from Mpande were reported near--not to attack us, for they were not large enough--but as spies.
So the King sent forth two regiments under Silwane to cut them off, if possible, so that, finding themselves surrounded, they would accept the offer of their lives, and return to their allegiance. I, however, was not sent out.
_Whau, Nkose_! Well do I remember that evening. The sun had gone down in a ma.s.s of heavy cloud, and in the red glow that remained an awful and brooding silence rested upon the surrounding forests. Then it grew dark, and, after we had eaten, the King and I sat long into the night conversing, and upon him seemed to lie that gloom which had darkened his mind when he and I together had been fugitives and in hiding. But I strove to cheer him, and our conversation being ended he dismissed me, and retired within the _isiG.o.dhlo_.
I, too, retired to rest. For long I lay thinking, not able to sleep; then I dozed off and dreamed. It seemed to me that once more I was back at Kwa"zingwenya. Once more, my heart full of rage over the disappearance of Lalusini, I was creeping stealthily to slay Umzilikazi in his sleep. Once more I sprang upon him, spear uplifted. Once more I heard the shouts of his bodyguard, as they swarmed to his aid. Then I awoke--awoke suddenly, and with a start. Ha! the shouts were real--I was not dreaming now--and with them I heard the hurried tramp of rushing feet go by my hut.
Those were times for quick thought--for quick action. In a moment I was outside the hut, fully armed, listening. Ha! The tumult, the shouting and tramp of feet! It came from the _isiG.o.dhlo_.
Thither I sprang. I could see the King"s body-guard there before me, for the moon was up; could see the flash of spears, the sheen of white shields. Several dark bodies lay upon the ground, and at these they were stabbing and hacking. Just as I came up another was dragged forth by the heels and cut to pieces there and then.
The King had been stabbed. Such was the news now spoken in awed whispers. But, who were these? Emissaries of Mpande? No. By their head-rings and ornaments they were not of us. They were Amaswazi.
Quickly I took in what had happened. There was the hole in the fence through which these had crept. Even as I had stolen upon Umzilikazi so had these stolen upon Dingane, but with better effect.
Howls of horror over the deed went up from all. By this time the whole kraal was aroused, and such few as were left in it came flocking out.
But I, being in great authority, quelled the tumult.
"How happened it?" I asked.
"Thus, father," replied the captain of the King"s guard, a young man, but just ringed. "Yonder crept these scorpions," pointing to the hole I had already observed, "and struck the Great Great One in his sleep. But now are they all dead, we have made an end of them."
"It were better to have prevented the deed, Sodosi," I said severely.
"Yet "all" didst thou say? Wait! Follow me. I need but three or four."
With this number I crept through the hole, and as we did so, there sprang up suddenly in the darkness under the shade of the fence two men, making for the forest edge as hard as they could run. But I could run, too, in those days, _Nkose_, and one of them as he reached it fell dead with the blade of my a.s.segai driven right through his back. The other was attacked by my followers, and from the sounds of the struggle I judged that he was fighting well and desperately. But they could take care of him. I had another matter to attend to.
For in the gloom just in front of me I could hear a faint and stealthy rustle, and towards it I moved, silently and swiftly, listening the while lest I might be drawn into a trap. No! It was but one man. I could see a form, dark and tall, moving from tree to tree, but it seemed as though I would never come within striking distance. I was now far beyond my followers, but I felt somehow that the capture of this one fugitive was to be desired more than the deaths of all the others put together.
Still this figure eluded me, now showing for a moment in the moonlight, now vanishing in the shade. Here at last was an open s.p.a.ce and the runaway could not diverge. One final effort, a mighty rush, and I was upon him.
"Yield now," I roared, raising my bloodstained spear. "Yield or I cleave thee to the heart."
"As thou wouldst have done Tola," said a soft voice; and then I stood staring. The tall figure of the fugitive had halted, and, turned towards me, under the full light of the moon, I beheld the face of Lalusini.
"What hast thou done, woman?" I stammered, feeling bewitched.
"The stroke of Sopuza has fallen," she answered simply. "The spirit of Tshaka the Mighty no longer roars aloud for blood. What then?"
"What then?" I repeated, now quite bewildered. "What then?"
But Lalasini laughed, a low, sweet, bewitching laugh.
"Art thou going to deliver me to be torn in pieces by the cubs of the Lion who is dead, Untuswa?"
For some moments I gazed at her as though I were changed into a stone.
Then I turned away.
"_Hlala gahle_, Lalusini," I said, over my shoulder. Again she laughed.
"_Hamba gahle_, son of Ntelani," she said. "We shall again be together, but not great together--not great--ah, no!--never now."
Her words seemed to beat within my brain as I took my way backward through the forest, and there was that in them which I liked. No, in truth I could not deliver her over to vengeance; any other person--but Lalusini--ah, no! I could not do it.
"The stroke of Sopuza" had indeed fallen, and these, _Nkose_, were the words of a prophecy uttered long before by an old magician as to the manner in which death should one day find out Dingane, and for this reason fierce war had been waged upon the tribe which owned Sopuza for chief, and whose dwelling was upon the Swazi border. But, secure in its mountain fastnesses, our _impis_ had not always been able to reach it.
Quickly I took my way back to the kraal. The King was not dead, and had been inquiring for me; and when I entered the royal house, he spoke drowsily, calling me by name. I found that he had received several stabs, one of them cleaving his entrails in a frightful manner. He would hardly see the rising of another sun.
"Hither, Untuswa," he murmured. "Didst thou make an end of those scorpions?"
"An end, indeed, Black Elephant," I answered.
"All of them?"
"That is yet to be done, father. There will shortly be howling throughout the Swazi nation, for of that race are those who struck the Great Great One."
"Yet I thought--or dreamed--that the hand of a woman was in it," said the King.
"Ha! the women of the Amaswazi shall help to pay the penalty, then," I answered, fearful lest the Great Great One should have recognised Lalusini, whom I would fain save.
"No matter, the stroke of Sopuza has fallen--ah, yes, it has fallen at last," he murmured. "And now, Untuswa, send and gather together all the warriors. Bid that they come in full array of war; for I desire to feast my eyes upon the sight I have ever loved best."
"That I have already done, father."
"Thou art a very prince of indunas, Untuswa," replied Dingane. "Hast thou gathered in all?"
"All, father. I have sent swift runners to Silwane"s _impi_ and to all our outlying kraals."
"That is well."
Now the _iza.n.u.si_ craved leave to enter, but Dingane would have none of them. There was but one in whose magic he had any faith, he said, and that was Mahlula; and since the battle Mahlula had been seen or heard of by none. Ha! I could have revealed a strange tale, _Nkose_, but that was furthest of all from my mind. Then the _iza.n.u.si_, thus refused admittance, set up a doleful howling outside the hut, until Dingane, wrathful, bade me go forth and drive them away, which I was glad to do.
All through the night I sat beside the King, never leaving him; all through the night bands of warriors were arriving at the kraal, and the tramp of their feet and the renewed wailings of the King"s women in their huts was all the sound that was heard; for men cared not to talk, so great a mourning and grief had fallen upon all.
With the dawn of day Dingane aroused himself.
"I will go forth, Untuswa. Give me the aid of thy shoulder."
But even thus it was found that he could not walk, so I caused his chair to be brought, and thus he was borne forth, I supporting him; but although four stalwart warriors bent to the task, it was a hard one, for the men of the House of Senzangakona are large beyond the ordinary, as you know, _Nkose_.