CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
THE REFUGEES OF THE NGOME.
At first I liked it not, for strange _tagati_ beings are about in thedarkness--half-man, half-beast--who rend those that wander alone atnight. But even of such I felt no fear then, wherefore I went straightto the spot whence the sound came; and, ready to use my spear if needbe, called out to know who it was that spoke.
The answer came almost beneath my feet, and in the darkness I could makeout a form lying there. I bent down and touched it. It was the form ofa woman.
"Remain by me till dawn," gasped a voice hoarse with pain and fear."Those horrible beasts. They will rend me again. Oh, kill me, for Isuffer agonies!"
"Who art thou?" I said, not liking this encounter.
"Nomshasa, the wife of Untuswa," came the feeble answer.
_Whau, Nkose_! Then, indeed, did I well-nigh leap for amazement. Forthe name was that of one of my Swazi wives--that one who hadmysteriously disappeared, and whom I had never expected to behold again.Bending over her, I strove, to raise her head; but as I moved her,though ever so gently, she shrieked.
"Ah--touch me not! I am torn in pieces. Those horrible beasts! Put meout of my pain. One blow at the back of the head will do it."
Now the first streak of dawn had begun to lighten the earth, and by it Icould see that what she said was so indeed. The hyenas which I haddisturbed had indeed begun to devour her, and her body was hideouslytorn. But how had she come into that helpless plight? Then, by thefast increasing light, she knew me, and called me by name.
And I, _Nkose_, gazing at her, I was filled with horror. The whole ofher scalp was one mass of blood, and it seemed as though her skull hadbeen battered in. Her elbow joints were smashed and swollen; so too,were her wrists, and there were marks of frightful burns upon her body.The marvel was she was alive at all. I was full of pity for her, forshe had been a handsome and pleasing girl, and during the short timesince the King had given her to me to wife she had always done well byme.
Now, making a great effort, she told me her tale. During my absenceagainst, the Amabuna she had been seized by order of Umhlela, andquestioned as to my doings, but could tell nothing that would go againstme in an accusation of witchcraft. She was kept a close prisoner in ahut until the return of Tambusa, when she had been put to the torture toforce her to confess. They had burned her with fire, had broken herjoints with heavy knob-sticks, and that not on one day, but on many; butshe would say nothing, till at last, losing patience, Tambusa hadordered her to be thrown outside and knobkerried. But the slayers haddone their work in bungling fashion, and so she had waited until nightand dragged herself away in the darkness to die alone. Then, when faintand too weak to move, the hyenas had fallen upon her.
No, the King could not have known, for it was in order to condemn mebefore him that they had tortured her, she said. But when I asked whythey should have selected her rather than the other two, then, _Nkose_,came in the old, old tale, the mischief that can be wrought by a woman'stongue. That vision which Nomshasa had beheld while asleep at my sideshe could not keep to herself. She had chattered about it, and thiscoming to the ears of the two principal indunas who, in their jealoushatred, were watching my every movement, had put it into their minds touse her as a means of substantiating a charge of witchcraft against me,such a charge as Dingane himself would hardly venture to shield me fromthe penalty of. But the poor girl had been heavily punished indeed forgiving way to the weakness of women--the wagging of too long a tongue;though in her constancy under the torments they heaped upon her she hadshown no weakness at all, but rather the strength and bravery of themost valiant of warriors; and this I told her.
She was greatly pleased, and a drawn smile came over her face in themidst of her pain.
"I loved thee, Untuswa," she said, "and I rejoiced when the King gaveme, a captive girl who might have been made a slave, to wife to such anoted warrior as thou. And I think thou didst prefer me a little to theother two, but thou wert ever kind to me, and the torturers might havetorn me into small pieces before I would have let fall one word to harmthee. And now I think I were better dead, for there might in time beothers whom thou might prefer to me; yet for a little while I have beenfirst."
All this was said, not as I have told it to you, _Nkose_, but slowly andin gasps, and I, well, thinking of Lalusini, it seemed that her wordswere those of wisdom, for I had known experience of the jealousy ofwomen. Yet I said:
"Thou wouldst ever have lived in great honour, Nomshasa, and have beencounted great among my wives."
"But not greatest--" she said, attempting to smile. "Yet hearken,Untuswa, and be warned. Return not to Nkunkundhlovu, for death awaitsthee there. There is another great bull of the House of Senzangakonawho would fain roar in this kraal. Mpande would welcome such a fighteras thee."
The dawn had now spread, and soon the sun would come forth from behindthe rim of the world. And now, in the full daylight, the terribleinjuries that poor Nomshasa had received, both from the torturers andthe teeth and claws of the beasts, looked so awful that every livingmoment must be to her a moment of intense agony. She could not live.She must have seen into my thoughts, for she said:
"It is time to give me rest, Untuswa. Yet return not to Dingane. Theywho were appointed to slay me jeered me beneath their blows, saying thatbefore another sun or two set thy shade should join mine. Wherefore,flee. And now--Strike!"
I looked at her, and my heart was heavy with pity and wrath. Then Isaid:
"I will strike indeed, Nomshasa, for thy pain is too great. Yet letthis lighten it. When the day of my power comes, be assured that thepangs of Tambusa and all who bore part in this matter shall be greaterthan thine. Now--art thou ready?"
"I am. No death could I have preferred to death at thy hand, Untuswa.Yet, hold my hand in thine unarmed one as the blow falls."
I turned her gently over upon her side, but she groaned with the agonyof it. Then with my left hand I held hers. For a moment I looked ather. Her eyes were closed, and something like a smile was upon herface. I raised my right arm aloft, then with one quick crashing blowbrought the heavy knob-stick down. It fell, fair--just where the baseof the skull joins the back of the neck. Her agony was over. Noshudder even ran through her, so completely, so suddenly had deathovertaken her.
Notwithstanding the warning of Nomshasa, I still took my way in thedirection of Nkunkundhlovu, for I thought I might perhaps gather fromthose I should meet whether the danger threatening was very near or not;whereas by taking a contrary direction it might overtake me suddenly andunawares, as peril springs out upon one who is blind. Yet I proceededwith great caution, so that presently, seeing several men approach,armed with spears and shields, I dropped out of sight to let them pass.
But soon after them came another--a tall man and ringed. Him I surveyeda moment, and recognised Silwane. But, to my surprise, when I wouldhave accosted him he turned away, as though not aware of my presence.This looked strange, but while I was pondering as to what it could mean,I heard Silwane begin to sing softly to himself. I listened as thewords grew louder and louder, yet not so as they could have been heardfrom afar. And the words were strange, for he sang of a buffalo-bullfor whom hunters lay in wait, whom their circle had well-nigh closedaround; that the Ngome mountains were wild and broken, full of greatforests and impenetrable hiding-places; and that there, and there only,had the hunted buffalo fled, that there, and there only, might he besafe. So he kept on singing. To any who heard, he might have beenmuttering an ordinary hunting-song, but to me, listening, ah! I saw hismeaning. He had not really failed to observe me, but the last thing hedesired was to do so in fact; and now he raised that song in urgentwarning. Ah! he was a man, indeed, _Nkose_, was that same Silwane; avaliant fighter when we met in battle in opposite ranks; a true andfaithful brother of the spear now that we had fought side by side.
So I saw through his warning and the advice it conveyed, yet beforeacting upon it I would take
counsel with Lalusini. To this end I turnedback, and travelling with great caution, at length I gained the strangeearth cave where she dwelt.
She was surprised when she saw me, and somewhat disturbed. I told herall that had occurred--the death of poor Nomshasa and her warning; themeeting and warning of Silwane. But when I came to Nomshasa's idea thatI should join in the plots of Mpande she shook her head.
"That will not do, Untuswa. That will not further my plans at all._Au_! It seems that our places are reversed," she went on, with alaugh; "but it will not be always so. I know this people better thanthou dost, and am in a better position to watch and wait, and, if needbe, act. Now the only way by which Mpande can sit in the seat ofDingane is with the aid of the Amabuna, and we have no need of thesewhite invaders. Here is my counsel, Untuswa. Flee hence to the Ngomeforests beyond the Black Umfolosi, and lie hidden awhile. There dwell anumber of men who have sought refuge, and who will welcome thee amongthem."
"A wanderer again! Well, if it must be. But how is it that thesepeople, if refugees, are allowed to dwell in the heart of the landunsought for?"
"Because the King does not really desire their death. They are made upof men who have been smelt out by the _izanusi_, and have managed toescape; others whom the King has doomed, not really meaning that theyshould be slain, or the _izinduna_ have plotted to destroy, and whohaving been warned in time, fled; also the relatives of these men,dreading lest the doom should fall upon them also. Now these men are sonumerous as almost to constitute a tribe in themselves; they are wildand fierce, but will welcome such another fighter. That is the onlyplan, Untuswa; thou must flee to the Bapongqolo. Did not even thewarning of Silwane convey that? Was it not about a hunted buffalo whofound safety in the Ngome forests?"
"That is so, Lalusini," I answered. "Yet it seems that I have foundthee after all this time of sorrow, only that we must lose sight of eachother immediately." And I looked at her sadly.
"Patience, Untuswa," she said. "I am planning to make thee great, thatthou and I together may rule the world. Say, are we not of the sort whoare born to that end?" And, coming over to me, she placed both handsupon my shoulders, looking up into my face; nor had she to look _up_very much, for, tall as I was, she, for a woman, was of splendidstature.
"I think, indeed, we are well fitted to rule it," I answered, withpride.
"Then go now, a wanderer once more, Untuswa, but only for a short while.Besides, it may be that I will find thee but, even among the fierceBapongqolo, from time to time," she added.
"Why, then, go I forth with joy," I answered. "Farewell, Lalusini.Delay not to find me out."
She gave me a few things which I might need, food, and a casting-spearor two, and a large new war-shield--I having come forth with but a smalldancing shield--and thus once more fared I forth a wanderer, a fugitivefrom the parent nation, even as from its offshoot. Verily it seemed asthough I were to find no rest.
Now the undertaking before me was, to a man of my experience andfamiliarity with peril, no very great one, for by using ordinary cautionI could always travel unobserved. I avoided the kraals of men, movingmostly at night. Twice I saw in the distance bodies of armed warriorswho might or might not have been in search of me; but these I easilyeluded, though delayed thereby; and the third evening after parting withLalusini I was well in among the wildest solitudes of the Ngome forest.
And they were solitudes, _Nkose_. The great slopes and spurs of themountains were covered with dense forest surging up in seas of foliageagainst the immense rock walls of the Lebombo mountains. Below, chasmsand deep ravines through which the mountain streams whimpered, halfhidden beneath the decaying vegetation and rotting tree-trunks of ages.And of animal life, of bird life, of insect life--_whau_! the air wasnever still. By day the black chasms boomed with the hoarse bark of thedog-snouted baboons, and at night thundered from cliff to cliff the roarof the lion. Birds chattered and piped, and the buzz of insects hungever upon the air, but of man and his habitations never a sign.
"Now," thought I, "where are these people of whom Lalusini spoke? forthese solitudes are not altogether to my mind. I like better not todwell alone," But still I wandered through unpeopled forests, seeing nosign of man, I grew uneasy. There was abundance of game, easily slain,too. Still I desired converse.
This, however, came my way at last, and in right startling manner did itcome. I had turned the corner of a great rock, where the track I hadbeen following opened into a grassy glade. Suddenly there sprang upright at my feet several men fully armed, who, with a loud shout, calledon me to halt.