The White Shield Part 27

"Ha! I think they who come against us would not so have received thee, my father," replied Umzilikazi, somewhat impatiently. "Yet practice, I pray thee, thy mystic rites on our behalf, for with this foe at our gates we need all the aids we can get--whether of sorcery or not."

"That I will gladly do, O King," replied the white priest. And as he saluted and turned away, I noticed that he looked ill and tired--perhaps through over-much journeying. But soon we saw certain of the slaves entering the dwelling which he kept for his sacred rites, and heard the tinkle of the little bell, and now and again the soft murmur of the white sorcerer's voice.

"Now, Untuswa, I think we have enough _muti_ of one kind or another,"

said the King. "Go, therefore, and muster the fighters who wait without."

It must not be supposed all this time, _Nkose_, that nothing was being done. I had sent forth, ordering every regiment to repair immediately to headquarters, and every man who had been enrolled, or who was capable of bearing arms, to a.s.semble without a moment's waste of time. Further, I had ordered the establishment of chains of scouts and runners to watch and swiftly report any movement on the part of the foe, whom as yet none had seen excepting myself. From all sides now, people were pouring--men mostly--armed men in groups and bands streaming over the plain, all converging on the great kraal, and among these, a compact cloud, huge and dark, marched the splendid regiment of The Scorpions, nearly two thousand strong, young men mostly, and strangers to fear, of which I was the chief commander. On they came, singing the war-song of Umzilikazi, and, filing into Kwa'zingwenya, took up a position in a huge half-circle within the great central s.p.a.ce. These, occupying as they did a military kraal of their own, were already fully armed, but others from without were not, and as the latter swarmed in a rush was made upon the places where the s.h.i.+elds were kept. But a strong guard had been placed over this, and soon the distribution was finished, and the s.h.i.+eld-houses were nearly emptied. Then all were doctored for war and proceeded to the great plain outside to dance the war-dance.

The while, _Nkose_, I had my hands very full, for in the absence of Kalipe I was the general in command, and, indeed, so great was my pride in that position that I would rather risk disaster and defeat than be once more put down to second again. But almost every moment my runners were coming and going, yet not noisily and with fuss, but as though seen by hardly any among us. So far everything had gone well. Mgwali and his scouts had surprised and slain Mhlangana's outposts, so that none had escaped, and had dragged the bodies far down the mountain on our side, lest the vultures gathering in clouds should be visible to the enemy and convey a warning. Of our men two had been killed and several wounded, nor did this astonish me. No further move had been made by the foe, who still lurked behind the forest belts of the flat country beyond Ink.u.me, little dreaming of the reception we were preparing for him.

Now, as I looked round upon the muster, I felt pride and joy in the host I was to lead forth. The war spirit gleamed in every eye, and in the restless twitching of the limbs of the warriors was a fiery impatience to behold the enemy. None was a stranger to it. Even Ngubazana the Gaza, coming out from helping the white _isa.n.u.si_ to perform his rites, looked wistfully at the mustered legions, and upon his face came a warrior light there was no mistaking.

"How now, son of a kindred race?" I said, for I was pa.s.sing him at the time. "I think this is not the first day thou hast seen warriors mustered for battle."

"That is so, _induna_ of the regiment of Scorpions," he answered, with a longing glance at my own especial fighting rank.

"I think, on such a day, thy place is among these, rather than acting as _induna_ to a king of peace, Ngubazana," I said, somewhat mockingly.

"_Whau_! You are my father, Untuswa!" cried the Gaza, in a quick, eager, suppressed voice, as though fearful of being overheard by some one. "Give me a s.h.i.+eld--give me a broad spear, that I may join them."

A great shout of laughter, of delight, broke from the warriors; and, at a sign from me, some ran to the s.h.i.+eld-house, so that in a moment Ngubazana was fully armed.

"Thy follower is going to help us against Dingane, father," I cried aloud to the white _isa.n.u.si_, who had just appeared. "_Whau_! This is no time for thoughts of peace, but for deeds of war!"

"_Yeh-bo! Yeh-bo_!" chorused the regiment.

"Well, let him go," said the white priest, quite tranquilly, noting his follower's hesitation. "Go, now, Ngubazana, and fight like a brave soldier for the King who has sheltered and favoured us. Yet, shed no more blood than is necessary, and slay none when already defenceless.

Show mercy, and spare. So, take my blessing with thee."

Now the first words filled all with great delight, but for the last, _au_! We, who when we "see red" spare nothing that has life, how should such words commend themselves to us? But we remembered that this was a man whose business was peace.

So Ngubazana bent before the white _isa.n.u.si_, who blessed him with one of his strange signs. Then he leaped with joy into the ranks of The Scorpions, clutching his weapons, and humming to himself the war-song.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

THE SONG OF THE s.h.i.+ELD.

The regiments, organised and armed, and decorated for war, filed through the great entrance of the kraal Kwa'zingwenya, and formed up in a vast half-circle upon the plain outside, whither the King had already proceeded, and the _Bayete_ was roared forth in tremendous volume as the Great Great One stalked majestically into the open formation thus left.

His words were few:

"Warriors," he said, "yonder is a nation's death or a nation's life."

Then he gave the signal for the war-dance to begin.

This was short, for we had no time to spare for ornamental ceremonies.

When the dance and the song were at their height, they ceased suddenly, and there was dead silence.

Umzilikazi was standing in the midst, clad in his full war costume of white flowing hair and leopard-skin and beadwork, his head crowned with nodding ostrich plumes of black and white. In his left hand he held his lion-skin s.h.i.+eld, tufted with the tail of the beast, and a light casting spear.

Now, as we waited, breathless, he took the little a.s.segai in his right hand, and, poising it for a moment with a quivering motion, he hurled it from him--hurled it fast and far--in the direction of the Pa.s.s of the Ink.u.me, in the direction of Dingane's _impi_, and, as it fell to earth, he p.r.o.nounced in a loud voice--

"Go, children of Matyobane!"

A great and mighty shout rent the air, and, falling into marching rank, my own company of The Scorpions leading, our _impi_ set forth. In strength we numbered about seven thousand, of whom between two or three thousand were those who had been enrolled from among conquered peoples, and, of course, not equal to those of pure Zulu blood. The strength of Mhlangana's _impi_ I could only guess, but estimated it to be about ten thousand strong. Wherefore, you see, _Nkose_, our chances were not great, and depended almost entirely upon our being able to strike the enemy unexpectedly, and roll up his battle rank in the panic of surprise.

While these preparations were going forward, the white _isa.n.u.si_, sad and troubled at heart, in the course of his wanderings ran against Lalusini, who gave him greeting.

"Will your _muti_ avail to bring victory to yon host, my father?" she said, with her sweet smile.

"I know not. If it is the will of the Great Great One who sent me, I have no fear," he answered.

"Is your power, then, so doubtful, O maker of strange ceremonies?" she went on.

"I pretend to no magic; on the contrary, I reprobate such," said the white priest, shaking his head, for he distrusted and disliked the beautiful sorceress. "It is not given to us to pry into the future, which is in the sight of One alone."

"Why, then is my _muti_ greater than yours, white stranger," she replied. "For I _can_ look into the future, and I foresee that this nation shall win the battle. Yea, I know this."

"I hope it may be so, Lalusini," said the white man, still sadly. But the other women who stood by, hearing this presage, cried aloud in astonishment and delight, repeating Lalusini's words again and again, till they had turned them into something of a song.

As we marched forth thus to war the sky was by degrees blackening up for rain, and a deep, distant roll of thunder was heard from time to time creeping over the ridge of the world. The old women, whose furrowed faces and ragged top-knots stuck over the kraal palisades as they watched us deploy into rank, were dumb and shaking with apathy and fear, for in them still lived an ingrained terror of the might of Tshaka, whereas we young people had almost forgotten it, and with us it was a mere tradition. Of young women and girls there seemed to be none in the kraal, or if there were they were keeping in hiding. And though my thoughts now were all of war, I could not refrain from looking backward to try and obtain a glimpse of Lalusini. But in vain.

Not backward should I have looked, however, but forward; for now, as we turned the corner of a hill, a sound as of singing was heard in front.

_Whau_! There on a little rise stood Lalusini herself. She was arrayed in her beautiful beaded dress, and wore her heavy golden ornaments.

Behind her came a great number of girls, all carrying green boughs in their hands and singing songs of war and of victory, as was their wont to hearten us when we set out upon any expedition of weight and importance.

As we came near, Lalusini drew a little apart from the rest, and standing thus upon the summit of the rise, in full view of the whole army, her proudly-reared head and splendid form thrown out by the livid thundercloud behind the hill, she lifted up her voice and sang, this time not in the dark tongue of the Bakoni, but in pure Zulu. And the wild sweetness of her voice was of the sort which renders warriors mad.

"A song of the s.h.i.+eld, In the battle's ring!

A droop of the s.h.i.+eld Guards the life of a King.

"Proud tuft, proud hide, Which the White Bull gave!

Now the White Bull's pride Shall a nation save.

"Burnt kraal, stamped field-- Thick the vultures soar, And laugh o'er the s.h.i.+eld In the van of war.

"Rolls the battle song On the war-wave's crest, Bringing might to the strong, To the weak ones--rest.

"Great is small, Little is great.

Who may fall In the coming Fate.

"Who may fear On the death-soaked field?

None who hear The Song of The s.h.i.+eld!"

Now the last words were taken up by her band of attendant girls, but the voices of these were soon lost in the great rolling volume of the warriors' chorus, which was caught up and tossed along the ranks as the roaring of a mighty ocean--

"Who may fear On the death-soaked field?

None who hear The Song of The s.h.i.+eld."