“Is it thus!” he cried in Zulu.  “Well, all wizards have some door by which their Spirit enters and departs.  I must find the door, I must find the door!”

So he spoke and with springing movements tried to get past Rezu, first to the right and then to the left, all the while keeping out of reach.  But Rezu ever turned and faced him, as he did so retreating step by step down the slope of the little hill and striking whenever he found a chance, but without avail, for always Umslopogaas was beyond his reach.  Also the sunlight which now grew strong, dazzled him, or so I thought.  Moreover he seemed to tire somewhat—­or so I thought also.

At any rate he determined to make an end of the play, for with a swift motion, as Umslopogaas had done, he threw away his shield and grasping the iron handle of his axe with both hands, charged the Zulu like a bull.  Umslopogaas leapt back out of reach.  Then suddenly he turned and ran up the rise.  Yes, Bulalio the Slaughterer ran!

A roar of mockery went up from the sun-worshippers behind, while our Amahagger laughed and Goroko and the two Zulus stared astonished and ashamed.  Only I read his mind aright and wondered what guile he had conceived.

He ran, and Rezu ran after him, but never could he catch the swiftest-footed man in Zululand.  To and fro he followed him, for Umslopogaas was taking a zig-zag path towards the crest of the slope, till at length Rezu stopped breathless.  But Umslopogaas still ran another twenty yards or so until he reached the top of the slope and there halted and wheeled round.

For ten seconds or more he stood drawing his breath in great gasps, and, looking at his face, I saw that it had become as the face of a wolf.  His lips were drawn up into a terrible grin, showing the white teeth between; his cheeks seemed to have fallen in and his eyes glared, while the skin over the hole in his forehead beat up and down.

There he stood, gathering himself together for some mighty effort.

“Run on!” shouted the spectators.  “Run back to Kor, black dog!”

Umslopogaas knew that they were mocking him, but he took no heed, only bent down and rubbed his sweating hand in the grit of the dry earth.  Then he straightened himself and charged down on Rezu.

I, Allan Quatermain, have seen many things in battle, but never before or since did I see aught like to this charge.  It was swift as that of a lioness, so swift that the Zulu’s feet scarcely seemed to touch the ground.  On he sped like a thrown spear, till, when within about a dozen feet of Rezu who stood staring at him, he bent his frame almost double and leapt into the air.

Oh! what a leap was that.  Surely he must have learnt it from the lion, or the spring-buck.  High he rose and now I saw his purpose; it was to clear the tall shape of Rezu.  Aye, and he cleared him with half a foot to spare, and as he passed above, smote downwards with the axe so that the blow fell upon the back of Rezu’s head.  Moreover it went home this time, for I saw the red blood stream and Rezu fell forward on his face.  Umslopogaas landed far beyond him, ran a little way because he must, then wheeled round and charged again.