“Then we nodded to each other in my breast, Macumazahn, and I waited for what should happen who knew that my Spirit would not lie.  Yes, I waited for a chance to kill you both, forgetting, as the wicked forget in their madness, that even if I were not found out, soon or late Heddana would guess the truth and then, even if she had learned to love me a thousand times more than she ever could, would come to hate me as a mother hates a snake that has slain her child.  Or even if she never learned or guessed in life, after death she would learn and hunt me and spit on me from world to world as a traitoress and a murderer, one who has sinned past pardon.”

Here she seemed to grow faint and I turned to seek for help.  But she caught hold of my coat and said—­

“Hear me out, Macumazahn, or I will run after you till I fall and die.”

So thinking it best, I stayed and she went on—­

“My Spirit, which must be an evil one since Zikali gave it me when I was made a doctoress, dealt truly with me, for presently the king and his people came.  Moreover, my Spirit brought it about that the king would have no other guide but me to lead him to the kraal where he slept last night, and I went as though unwillingly.  At the kraal the king sent for me and questioned me in a dark hut, pretending to be alone, but I who am a doctoress knew that two other men were in that hut, taking note of all my words.  He asked me of the Inkosazana-y-Zulu who appeared in the Vale of Bones and of the little assegai she held in her hand, and of the magic of the Opener of Roads, and many other things.  I said that I knew nothing of the Inkosazana, but that without doubt my Master was a great magician.  He did not believe me.  He threatened that I should be tortured very horribly and was about to call his servants to torment me till I told the truth.  Then my Spirit spoke in my heart saying, ’Now the door is open to you, as I promised.  Tell the king of the two white men whom the Master hides, and he will send to kill them, leaving the lady Heddana and you alone together.’  So I pretended to be afraid and told him, whereon he laughed and answered—­

“’For your sake I am glad, girl, that you have spoken the truth; besides it is useless to torture a witch, since then the spirit in her only vomits lies.’

“Next he called aloud and a man came, who it was I could not see in the dark.  The king commanded him to take me to one of the other huts and tie me up there to the roof-pole.  The man obeyed, but he did not tie me up; he only blocked the hut with the door-board, and sat with me there in the dark alone.

“Now I grew cunning and began to talk with him, spreading a net of sweet words, as the fowler spreads a net for cranes from which he would tear the crests.  Soon by his talk I found out that the king and his people knew more than I guessed.  Macumazahn, they had seen the cart which still stands under the overhanging rock by the mouth of the cave.  I asked him if that were all, pretending that the cart belonged to my Master, to whom it had been brought from the field of Isandhlwana, that he might be drawn about in it, who was too weak to walk.