CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
THE STROKE OF SOPUZA.
"_Bayete, Nkulu-nkulu_! Father! we thy children have found thee at last! Lo! long have we wandered weeping, but now we are comforted. Come forth and show us the brightness of thy head-ring."
Thus sang a great half circle of armed warriors, mustered on the slopebeneath Dingane's place of concealment.
Thus again and again they sang, but still Dingane did not appear.
For I had fulfilled my errand, _Nkose_, and this was the result--anarray of warriors nearly as large as the original strength of theAmandebeli what time we followed Umzilikazi over the mountains. I hadgone hither and thither, had turned night into day, had not sparedmyself, or feared danger. I had found out and rallied all the scatteredbands which at heart had remained faithful to Dingane. I had drawn menfrom the kraals of Mpande himself, and from beneath the very shadow ofthe camps of the Amabuna. But one moon had died since I took leave ofthe King--I alone. Yet here I was, returning at the head of a splendidarmy--an army nearly as large as that with which Umzilikazi had foundeda new nation. In truth, Dingane had not trusted me in vain.
Here were Silwane and Nomapela, and others of the old war-captains.Here was a remnant of the old Imbele-bele regiment--the Bapongqolo, too,my staunch refugees--and as much of the army as had survived the defeatby Nongalaza. All had in truth thought Dingane to be dead, but as Ipassed through their midst carrying word to the contrary, they hadsprung to arms, and mustering swiftly and secretly, had returned to do_konza_ to their rightful King. And here they were.
Now they redoubled their entreaties, singing louder and louder theirsongs of praise.
Sun of suns, come forth in thy brightness; We thy children sit in darkest night. If thou wilt not show us thy face. Lion of Zulu--thy cubs still have teeth, Teeth that are sharpened for war.
This time the King appeared. But before the great burst of _sibonga_which greeted his presence had died away he turned his back and retired,for by this means he chose to mark his displeasure over their seemingdesertion.
Again and again they howled forth their songs of praise and entreaty.The King appeared again. This time he did not go back. He surveyedthem a few moments in silence, then he called:
"Come hither, Untuswa."
I disarmed, and crept up to where he stood.
"Sit here, Untuswa," he said, pointing to the ground at his feet. "Thisis thy place. For the rest they can still remain at a distance."
So I sat, _Nkose_, thinking how strange it was that I, who had begun mylife as the son of an induna, should live to become the principalfighting chief of Umzilikazi's army, and then come to earn theconfidence of the Great Great One, the King of the mighty Zulu nation--should be bidden to sit near him while all others were kept at adistance--should live to become the most trusted councillor of twomighty Kings; for such I saw was the honour before me now.
Then Dingane, lifting up his voice, addressed the warriors. For thebattle against Mpande's force he commended them greatly. Their braverywas worthy of all praise, and not for lack of it on their part hadNongalaza won the day, having done so by a mere trick--a clever trick,it was true. But when they fled their terror had been too great. Theyhad forgotten their King. One man alone had cleaved to the King, andthat man was Untuswa--a wanderer--not even one of themselves. Still,remembering how valiantly they had fought, remembering how speedily theyhad returned to their rightful place, he would forget that.
The groans wherewith the listeners had heard his reproaches now turnedto murmurs of delight. Dingane went on:
The nation was divided, but it must be reunited once more. With such asthey whom he saw before him this might soon be done. Men of the pureblood of Zulu could not sit down for long beneath the sway of one whowas a mere slave of the Amabuna. They would return--return to thestrength and root of the great Zulu power, their rightful King. Butthose who had remained faithful would ever be held in the highesthonour.
As the Great One finished speaking, a mighty roar went up from theassembled warriors. They hailed him as their guide, their father, theirdeliverer, and by every title of _bonga_. Then much time was given upto songs and dances, for all rejoiced that they were no longer a brokenremnant, and that the King was at their head once more.
The plan which Dingane now decided on was a waiting one. He relied ondesertions from Mpande, whom we now learned by means of our spies hadbeen 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 conquerorsof the world, holding his seat by favour of white people--and such whitepeople! But it could not last--no, it could not last. The heavensmight well fell.
We moved down to a more accessible site in the Ngome wilds, and therekraals were erected, and time was bestowed upon gathering together suchof the nation as remained faithful, and encouraging others to come in.Meanwhile a careful look-out was kept upon a possible invasion; butMpande, who seemed not to care about venturing beyond the Tugela, madeno hostile movement, neither did the Amabuna, and for a time we enjoyedrest and a breathing-space while our plans were maturing.
I, for my part, was now advanced to a position of great honour, not lessindeed than that formerly held by Tambusa himself. That induna was nowdead; so too was Umhlela, as I have told you, _Nkose_; and such of myenemies who survived had but one fear now, and that was lest I mightturn my greatness to account in compassing their destruction. But ofthis I had no thought, so completely was my mind full of how to restorethe ascendency of Dingane and the might of the nation.
All this while I saw nothing of Lalusini, nor by the most deftly veiledquestionings could I obtain tidings of her from any. Whither had shegone? Would she not reappear as she had done before? And for all mygreatness my heart was sore--very sore, as I thought of her and longedfor her; yet never for a moment did I repent me that I had not slain theKing at her bidding.
Now Dingane had built for himself a great kraal on one of the wildestslopes of the Ngome hills. It was surrounded by dense forests and rocksand precipices, and the ways of approach being but few, and alwayssecurely guarded, the King felt safe from all possibility of attack.But shortly an alarm was given. _Impis_ from Mpande were reportednear--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, ifpossible, so that, finding themselves surrounded, they would accept theoffer of their lives, and return to their allegiance. I, however, wasnot sent out.
_Whau, Nkose_! Well do I remember that evening. The sun had gone downin a mass of heavy cloud, and in the red glow that remained an awful andbrooding silence rested upon the surrounding forests. Then it grewdark, and, after we had eaten, the King and I sat long into the nightconversing, and upon him seemed to lie that gloom which had darkened hismind when he and I together had been fugitives and in hiding. But Istrove to cheer him, and our conversation being ended he dismissed me,and retired within the _isigodhlo_.
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 backat Kwa'zingwenya. Once more, my heart full of rage over thedisappearance of Lalusini, I was creeping stealthily to slay Umzilikaziin his sleep. Once more I sprang upon him, spear uplifted. Once more Iheard the shouts of his bodyguard, as they swarmed to his aid. Then Iawoke--awoke suddenly, and with a start. Ha! the shouts were real--Iwas not dreaming now--and with them I heard the hurried tramp of rushingfeet go by my hut.
Those were times for quick thought--for quick action. In a moment I wasoutside the hut, fully armed, listening. Ha! The tumult, the shoutingand tramp of feet! It came from the _isigodhlo_.
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 whiteshields. Several dark bodies lay upon the ground, and at these theywere stabbing and hacking. Just as I came up another was dragged forthby the heels and cut to pieces there a
nd then.
The King had been stabbed. Such was the news now spoken in awedwhispers. But, who were these? Emissaries of Mpande? No. By theirhead-rings and ornaments they were not of us. They were Amaswazi.
Quickly I took in what had happened. There was the hole in the fencethrough which these had crept. Even as I had stolen upon Umzilikazi sohad these stolen upon Dingane, but with better effect.
Howls of horror over the deed went up from all. By this time the wholekraal 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 Ihad already observed, "and struck the Great Great One in his sleep. Butnow 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 orfour."
With this number I crept through the hole, and as we did so, theresprang 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 deadwith the blade of my assegai driven right through his back. The otherwas attacked by my followers, and from the sounds of the struggle Ijudged that he was fighting well and desperately. But they could takecare of him. I had another matter to attend to.
For in the gloom just in front of me I could hear a faint and stealthyrustle, and towards it I moved, silently and swiftly, listening thewhile lest I might be drawn into a trap. No! It was but one man. Icould see a form, dark and tall, moving from tree to tree, but it seemedas though I would never come within striking distance. I was now farbeyond my followers, but I felt somehow that the capture of this onefugitive was to be desired more than the deaths of all the others puttogether.
Still this figure eluded me, now showing for a moment in the moonlight,now vanishing in the shade. Here at last was an open space and therunaway could not diverge. One final effort, a mighty rush, and I wasupon him.
"Yield now," I roared, raising my bloodstained spear. "Yield or Icleave thee to the heart."
"As thou wouldst have done Tola," said a soft voice; and then I stoodstaring. The tall figure of the fugitive had halted, and, turnedtowards me, under the full light of the moon, I beheld the face ofLalusini.
"What hast thou done, woman?" I stammered, feeling bewitched.
"The stroke of Sopuza has fallen," she answered simply. "The spirit ofTshaka 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 theLion 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 backwardthrough the forest, and there was that in them which I liked. No, intruth I could not deliver her over to vengeance; any other person--butLalusini--ah, no! I could not do it.
"The stroke of Sopuza" had indeed fallen, and these, _Nkose_, were thewords of a prophecy uttered long before by an old magician as to themanner in which death should one day find out Dingane, and for thisreason fierce war had been waged upon the tribe which owned Sopuza forchief, and whose dwelling was upon the Swazi border. But, secure in itsmountain 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 hadbeen inquiring for me; and when I entered the royal house, he spokedrowsily, calling me by name. I found that he had received severalstabs, one of them cleaving his entrails in a frightful manner. Hewould hardly see the rising of another sun.
"Hither, Untuswa," he murmured. "Didst thou make an end of thosescorpions?"
"An end, indeed, Black Elephant," I answered.
"All of them?"
"That is yet to be done, father. There will shortly be howlingthroughout the Swazi nation, for of that race are those who struck theGreat Great One."
"Yet I thought--or dreamed--that the hand of a woman was in it," saidthe King.
"Ha! the women of the Amaswazi shall help to pay the penalty, then," Ianswered, fearful lest the Great Great One should have recognisedLalusini, whom I would fain save.
"No matter, the stroke of Sopuza has fallen--ah, yes, it has fallen atlast," he murmured. "And now, Untuswa, send and gather together all thewarriors. Bid that they come in full array of war; for I desire tofeast 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. "Hastthou gathered in all?"
"All, father. I have sent swift runners to Silwane's _impi_ and to allour outlying kraals."
"That is well."
Now the _izanusi_ craved leave to enter, but Dingane would have none ofthem. There was but one in whose magic he had any faith, he said, andthat was Mahlula; and since the battle Mahlula had been seen or heard ofby none. Ha! I could have revealed a strange tale, _Nkose_, but thatwas furthest of all from my mind. Then the _izanusi_, thus refusedadmittance, 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; allthrough the night bands of warriors were arriving at the kraal, and thetramp of their feet and the renewed wailings of the King's women intheir 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 chairto be brought, and thus he was borne forth, I supporting him; butalthough four stalwart warriors bent to the task, it was a hard one, forthe men of the House of Senzangakona are large beyond the ordinary, asyou know, _Nkose_.
Outside the kraal the warriors were mustered, squatting behind theirgreat war-shields, forming a huge half circle even as on the day whenthey hailed the fugitive King in his place of concealment, only nowtheir number had nearly doubled. There they sat, rank upon rank,motionless. As the King's chair was lowered to the ground the whole ofthis dense mass of armed men threw their war-shields to the earth andfell prostrate upon them, and in the roar of the "_Bayete_" whichthundered forth was a subdued growl of grief and wrath. Then theyarose, and squatted crouching as before.
The eyes of the dying King kindled, as he swept his glance over thissplendid army, and his form seemed to gather renewed life as he satupright in his chair, his shield-bearer holding on high the great whiteshield behind him. Then he spoke:
"My children, I have called you here because I desire that the lastsight my eyes shall rest on shall be the sight which they have alwaysloved the most to behold, the sight of warriors under arms, of warriorsof Zulu.
"What prouder name has the world ever known? Warriors of Zulu! Andyou--you, my children, have well deserved it and worthily won it. Notin you was it to place your necks beneath the foot of any base slave ofthe Amabuna, any cur who seeks to roar like the lion, any calf who wouldfain stamp with the rumble of the elephant, any changeling bastard whowould drag the House of Senzangakona into the dust beneath the shoes ofthe Amabuna. Not in you was it to do this. But you have faithfullycleaved to your real King in shadow as in sunshine, and see now theresult. Look around on your own ranks. Very soon now should we havegone forth, f
or not always was it my intention to sit down here andrest. Then we would have swept the traitors of our own race and theAmabuna into one common pit, and covered them up and stamped them inthere for ever.
"I cannot talk many more words to you, my children. But if you havebeen loyal and faithful to me, your well-being has ever been my care asyour father, your brave deeds have ever been my pride as your King. Thenation has been divided, but I would have knit it together again. Iwould have restored it through you, faithful ones, to all its formergreatness. But now I have to leave you. The base hand of evil wizardryhas found me in my sleep, has struck me down in the night, and now I gointo the Dark Unknown."
"_Ma-ye_!" moaned the warriors, their heads bowed in grief as Dinganepaused. Then, gathering once more fresh strength, with an effort thedying King went on, and his voice rolled clear and strong like a call tobattle:
"Lo! I see not the end. I know not who shall reunite this people, whoshall deliver it from slavery and disgrace--extinction; for now I mustleave it. My eyes are dim and the Dark Unknown is closing in around me.Yet still my last gaze is upon that sight which is the grandest theworld ever saw--the warriors of Zulu under arms. Farewell, warriors ofZulu!"
The voice ceased. The head drooped forward on the chest. The greatform would have fallen prone from the chair but for those who stood by.The King was dead.
Through the dense ranks there shivered forth one deep moan, and for longno man stirred. All sat in silence, mourning thus the loss of theirfather and King.
So died Dingane, the second of the mighty Kings of Zulu. Even as thegreat Tshaka had died the death of the spear at his hand, so died he thedeath of the spear, being struck in his sleep. But he died as he hadlived, and his was the death of a true warrior-king--his last gaze uponthe ranks of his assembled army--face to face with it--his last words toit, words of commendation and loving farewell--and who shall say,_Nkose_, that such was not a great and glorious death?
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
CONCLUSION.
We buried the King with great ceremony and the sacrifice of beasts; andthe whole army sat around in deep silence, the silence of grief andmourning for that the nation was now left without a head; but it was asilence that was rendered more awesome by the death-rites of the_izanusi_ and the wailings of the women. Only for a short while,however, was the Great Great One to sit upon that seat, for he was takenup again in the dead of night and removed to a secret grave, known tobut very few, as the custom is to keep secret the burial-places ofkings.
Yes, with the passing away of Dingane the army was as a body without ahead. At such a time the thought would often be in my mind how Lalusiniwould have me seize the opportunity of putting myself in Dingane'splace; for I too was of a royal tree--that of Dingiswayo, of the tribeof Umtetwa, whose place had been seized by Tshaka--yet not near enoughwas I to the stem of that tree, being but a branch. But I could clearlysee that if opportunity there had been it was now no more. The loyaltyof the army to the House of Senzangakona was too great; and now, beingwithout a head, the warriors began to talk among themselves of theexpediency of doing _konza_ to the other Great One of that House. So weconsulted together--I and Silwane and some of the principal war-chiefs--and in a short time we sent messengers to Mpande, who was the rightfulKing now, however he might owe his seat to the Amabuna. But with thearmy that had followed the Great One who was dead turned into his ownarmy, Mpande might perhaps remedy even that.
Our messengers returned accompanied by others, including an induna ofnote, assuring us of the royal favour. That decided us.
It was a great day, the day that saw the nation reunited once more.Mpande sat in state, as our army filed in to his kraal near the Tugela--for Nodwengu had not then been erected--singing songs of war and praisesto the new King; and when as one man the whole number of those blackones threw down their weapons and shields and shouted aloud the"_Bayete_," bending low before him, the look upon the face of the Kingwas one of gladness and great pride. Then he spoke to us. We hadfought hard and valiantly for that Great One who was no more. We hadbeen faithful to our rightful King, and had cleaved to him through hisreverses. The stroke of some evil wizard had laid that Great One low inthe dark hours of the night, but the House of Senzangakona was not deadyet, and we, quick to see this, had hastened to cry the "_Bayete_" tothe head of that house, and the head of the Zulu nation. By reason ofthe fidelity we had shown he assured us of his favour, for upon such hefelt he could rely.
Then the principal indunas of the returning army were called up, one byone, and "named," and thus were continued in the commands they had heldup till now; some indeed being advanced to even greater honour--amongthem myself. And Mpande's word stood, for he ever regarded those whohad adhered to Dingane with greater favour than those who had dividedthe nation with him. But that day was passed in great rejoicing, andmany cattle were slaughtered, and the feasting went on far into thenight.
Towards its close I retired to my hut, thinking perhaps to find there mySwazi wives, who had been given me by that Great One who was gone. Butthey were not there, nor was any--and while I was thinking what hadbecome of them the door was pushed softly open, and a voice said:
"Now, Untuswa, do I return. Am I welcome?"
_Whau, Nkose_! Then did I leap to my feet in amazement and joy. Forthe voice was that of Lalusini.
She had entered, and was standing upright within the hut.
"Welcome indeed, Lalusini," I replied. "Art thou then tired of thysorcery?"
"I think that is so, Untuswa. There is much that is weariful in it. Iwould have made thee great, and myself with thee--then whispering--Iwould have reigned with thee Queen over this nation, but now I think Imust live and die the wife of an induna only. Well, `the stroke ofSopuza' has fallen, that is something."
I looked at her strangely in the firelight, for well I knew whose wasthe hand that directed "the stroke of Sopuza." She went on:
"Ah, ah, Untuswa! The greatness I had destined for thee can never bethine. Thou art too faithful. I would have had thee do it--yet myheart went forth to thee, thou great, brave, honest fighter, whose spearrefused to strike the sleeping one--who chose to serve a King in hisdownfall rather than be served as King thyself. Thou wilt never begreater than an induna thyself, and I--well, I think I shall never begreater than an induna's wife."
And with these words she began to spread the mats in the hut, and heapedmore wood upon the fire, and saw that things were in their places. Thenshe came and sat beside me.
Well, what mattered further greatness? I was great enough, being highin the councils of those who, under the King, ruled the nation, and forlong I sat thus in a high place, and the favour of Mpande was alwaysover me. But I had indeed passed through strange things, even as oldGasitye had predicted I should when speaking from the ghost-cliff in theValley of the Red Death. Yes, and even more was I destined to see, forsoon the Amabuna were driven out in their turn, and the land they hadseized from us was reft from them by the English. Howbeit on these wemade no war, for they entered into a treaty with Mpande that the Zulupeople should dwell on this side of the Tugela, and the English on theother; and this agreement they kept faithfully for a long space of timeuntil they began to fear Cetywayo, and then--but, _Nkose_, about thatyou know, and I have already told far too long a tale for one night.Yet, it is strange that the sight of the horns of your oxen, branchingthrough the mist, should have drawn forth not only the tale of theghost-bull and the Valley of the Red Death, but a greater one still--even that of the downfall and death of Dingane, and the dividing of thegreat Zulu nation; but so it ever is with the lives of men, one thingleads on to another. And now, _Nkose_, I think the time has come forsleep. Sleep well, _Nkose. Whau_! I know not whether you will returnto this country again to hear tales of its old doings of battle and ofblood, of warrior-kings and sorcerers, and beasts that have the life ofthe ghosts of magicians within them, for I am old now, and my time is athand for a longer sleep than that which
now awaits me underneath yourwaggon. _Nkose! Hlala gahle_!
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But though old Untuswa could thus turn in, and with his blanket over hishead could snooze away snugly beneath the shelter of the waggon, to meslumber refused to come. The graphic tale I had just heard, the tale ofthe first downfall of the Zulu power told in the dead of night on thevery spot whereon had been contested the fierce and determined strugglewhich had in effect decided the second--for it was the British successat Kambula that rendered that at Ulundi assured--this tale, told, too,by a living actor in those stirring events of the bygone annals of amartial race, seemed to people all the surrounding waste; and lookingforth, it needed no great tax on the imagination to conjure up theshades of slain warriors rising in hundreds from their common grave downyonder on the slope; and, shield and spear-armed, re-forming in wild andfantastic array of war.
And over and above such fanciful flights it was a tale to set onethinking--if one had never thought before--of the senselessness ofdeciding offhand the morality of this or that deed which helpeth to makehistory from one hard-and-fast point of view, and that point of view theBritish; or of stigmatising even a savage potentate as a treacherous andcruel monster, because he is not particular as to his methods when itbecomes a question of preserving his nation's rights and his nation'sgreatness, what time such are threatened and invaded by Christians, whomsubsequent events show to be the reverse of models of uprightness orfair dealing themselves. And it was even as old Untuswa had said: "Youwhite people and ourselves see things differently, and I suppose it willalways be so."
Yes, it was a fitting episode in the annals of a warrior nation, thattale of fierce wars, and intrigue, and sturdy loyalty, and even of achivalry, not exactly describable by the term "rude"; most of all, too,was it a tale essentially human, showing how the same desires andmotives enkindle the same actions and their results in the heart thatbeats beneath a brown skin as in that which beats beneath a white one.And therein, perhaps, lay its greatest charm.
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