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his eyes so that he was as one dead。
At length his mind came back to him; and with it his memory; and he
remembered the lioness and looked up to find her。 But he did not find
her; and he saw that he lay in a cave upon a bed of grass; while all
about him were the skins of beasts; and at his side was a pot filled
with water。 He put out his hand and; taking the pot; drank of the
water; and then he saw that his arm was wasted as with sickness; and
that his breast was thick with scars scarcely skinned over。
Now while he lay and wondered; the mouth of the cave was darkened; and
through it entered that same lad who had done battle with the lioness
and been overthrown by her; bearing a dead buck upon his shoulders。 He
put down the buck upon the ground; and; walking to where Umslopogaas
lay; looked at him。
〃Ou!〃 he said; 〃your eyes are opendo you; then; live; stranger?〃
〃I live;〃 answered Umslopogaas; 〃and I am hungry。〃
〃It is time;〃 said the other; 〃since with toil I bore you here through
the forest; for twelve days you have lain without sense; drinking
water only。 So deeply had the lion clawed you that I thought of you as
dead。 Twice I was near to killing you; that you might cease to suffer
and I to be troubled; but I held my hand; because of a word which came
to me from one who is dead。 Now eat; that your strength may return to
you。 Afterwards; we will talk。〃
So Umslopogaas ate; and little by little his health returned to him
every day a little。 And afterwards; as they sat at night by the fire
in the cave they spoke together。
〃How are you named?〃 asked Umslopogaas of the other。
〃I am named Galazi the Wolf;〃 he answered; 〃and I am of Zulu blood
ay; of the blood of Chaka the king; for the father of Senzangacona;
the father of Chaka; was my great…grandfather。〃
〃Whence came you; Galazi?〃
〃I came from Swazilandfrom the tribe of the Halakazi; which I should
rule。 This is the story: Siguyana; my grandfather; was a younger
brother of Senzangacona; the father of Chaka。 But he quarrelled with
Senzangacona; and became a wanderer。 With certain of the people of the
Umtetwa he wandered into Swaziland; and sojourned with the Halakazi
tribe in their great caves; and the end of it was that he killed the
chief of the tribe and took his place。 After he was dead; my father
ruled in his place; but there was a great party in the tribe that
hated his rule because he was of the Zulu race; and it would have set
up a chief of the old Swazi blood in his place。 Still; they could not
do this; for my father's hand was heavy on the people。 Now I was the
only son of my father by his head wife; and born to be chief after
him; and therefore those of the Swazi party; and they were many and
great; hated me also。 So matters stood till last year in the winter;
and then my father set his heart on killing twenty of the headmen;
with their wives and children; because he knew that they plotted
against him。 But the headmen learned what was to come; and they
prevailed upon a wife of my father; a woman of their own blood; to
poison him。 So she poisoned him in the night and in the morning it was
told me that my father lay sick and summoned me; and I went to him。 In
his hut I found him; and he was writhing with pain。
〃'What is it; my father?' I said。 'Who has done this evil?'
〃'It is this; my son;' he gasped; 'that I am poisoned; and she stands
yonder who has done the deed。' And he pointed to the woman; who stood
at the side of the hut near the door; her chin upon her breast;
trembling as she looked upon the fruit of her wickedness。
〃Now the girl was young and fair; and we had been friends; yet I say
that I did not pause; for my heart was mad within me。 I did not pause;
but; seizing my spear; I ran at her; and; though she cried for mercy;
I killed her with the spear。
〃'That was well done; Galazi!' said my father。 'But when I am gone;
look to yourself; my son; for these Swazi dogs will drive you out and
rob you of your place! But if they drive you out and you still live;
swear this to methat you will not rest till you have avenged me。'
〃'I swear it; my father;' I answered。 'I swear that I will stamp out
the men of the tribe of Halakazi; every one of them; except those of
my own blood; and bring their women to slavery and their children to
bonds!'
〃'Big words for a young mouth;' said my father。 'Yet shall you live to
bring these things about; Galazi。 This I know of you now in my hour of
death: you shall be a wanderer for a few years of your life; child of
Siguyana; and wandering in another land you shall die a man's death;
and not such a death as yonder witch has given to me。' Then; having
spoken thus; he lifted up his head; looked at me; and with a great
groan he died。
〃Now I passed out of the hut dragging the body of the dead girl after
me。 In front of the hut were gathered many headmen waiting for the
end; and I saw that their looks were sullen。
〃'The chief; my father; is dead!' I cried in a loud voice; 'and I;
Galazi; who am the chief; have slain her who murdered him!' And I
rolled the body of the girl over on to her back so that they might
look upon her face。
〃Now the father of the girl was among those who stood before me; he
who had persuaded her to the deed; and he was maddened at the sight。
〃'What; my brothers?' he cried。 'Shall we suffer that this young Zulu
dog; this murderer of a girl; be chief over us? Never! The old lion is
dead; now for the cub!' And he ran at me with spear aloft。
〃'Never!' shouted the others; and they; too; ran towards me; shaking
their spears。
〃I waited; I did not hasten; for I knew well that I should not die
then; I knew it from my father's last words。 I waited till the man was
near me; he thrust; I sprang aside and drove my spear through him; and
on the daughter's body the father fell dead。 Then I shouted aloud and
rushed through them。 None touched me; none could catch me; the man
does not live who can overtake me when my feet are on the ground and I
am away。〃
〃Yet I might try;〃 said Umslopogaas; smiling; for of all lads among
the Zulus he was the swiftest of foot。
〃First walk again; then run;〃 answered Galazi。
〃Take up the tale;〃 quoth Umslopogaas; 〃it is a merry one。〃
〃Something is left to tell; stranger。 I fled from the country of the
Halakazi; nor did I linger at all in the land of the Swazis; but came
on swiftly into the Zulu。 Now; it was in my mind to go to Chaka and
tell him of my wrongs; asking that he would send an impi to make an
end of the Halakazi。 But while I journeyed; finding food and shelter
as I might; I came one night to the kraal of an old man who knew
Chaka; and had known Siguyana; my grandfather; and to him; when I had
stayed there two days; I told my tale。 But the old man counselled me
against my plan; saying that Chaka; the king; did not love to welcome
new shoots sprung from the royal stock; and would ki