At this bold speech some of the Councillors started up with threatening gestures.  Cetewayo waved them back and answered quietly, “Perhaps it was the Queen of Heaven who stood on yonder rock who made me mad.  Or perhaps she made me wise, as being the Spirit of our people she should surely do.  That is a question which the future will decide, and if ever we should meet after it is decided, we will talk it over.  Now, hamba gachle! (go in peace).”

“I hear the king and I will go, but first I would speak with Zikali.”

“Then, White Man, you must wait till this war is finished or till you meet him in the Land of Spirits.  Goza, lead Macumazahn back to his hut and set a guard about it.  At the dawn a company of soldiers will be waiting with orders to take him to the border.  You will go with him and answer for his safety with your life.  Let him be well treated on the road as my messenger.”

Then Cetewayo rose and stood while all present gave him the royal salute, after which he walked away down the kloof.  I remained for a moment, making pretence to examine the blade of the little assegai that had been thrown by the figure on the rock, which I had picked from the ground.  This historical piece of iron which I have no doubt is the same that Chaka always carried, wherewith, too, he is said to have killed his mother, Nandie, by the way I still possess, for I slipped it into my pocket and none tried to take it from me.

Really, however, I was wondering whether I could in any way gain access to Zikali, a problem that was settled for me by a sharp request to move on, uttered in a tone which admitted of no further argument.

Well, I trudged back to my hut in the company of Goza, who was so overcome by all the wonders he had seen that he could scarcely speak.  Indeed, when I asked him what he thought of the figure that had appeared upon the rock, he replied petulantly that it was not given to him to know whence spirits came or of what stuff they were made, which showed me that he at any rate believed in its supernatural origin and that it had appeared to direct the Zulus to make war.  This was all I wanted to find out, so I said nothing more, but gave up my mind to thought of my own position and difficulties.

Here I was, ordered on pain of death to depart from Ulundi at the dawn.  And yet how could I obey without seeing Zikali and learning from him what had happened to Anscombe and Heda, or at any rate without communicating with him?  Once more only did I break silence, offering to give Goza a gun if he would take a message from me to the great wizard.  But with a shake of his big head, he answered that to do so would mean death, and guns were of no good to a dead man since, as I had shown myself that night, they had no power to shoot a spirit.

This closed the business on which I need not have troubled to enter, since an answer to all my questionings was at hand.