I lingered to watch the funeral and heard Goroko, the witch-doctor, make a little speech.

“O Father and Chief of the Axe,” he said, addressing Umslopogaas, who stood silent leaning on his weapon and watching all, a portentous figure in the morning mist, “O Father, O Son of the Heavens” (this was an allusion to the royal blood of Umslopogaas of which the secret was well known, although it would never have been spoken aloud in Zululand), “O Slaughterer (Bulalio), O Woodpecker who picks at the hearts of men; O King-Slayer; O Conqueror of the Halakazi; O Victor in a hundred fights; O Gatherer of the Lily-bloom that faded in the hand; O Wolf-man, Captain of the Wolves that ravened; O Slayer of Faku; O Great One whom it pleases to seem small, because he must follow his blood to the end appointed——­”

This was the opening of the speech, the “bonga-ing” or giving of Titles of Praise to the person addressed, of which I have quoted but a sample, for there were many more of them that I have forgotten.  Then the speaker went on,

“It was told to me, though of it I remember nothing, that when my Spirit was in me a while ago I prophesied that this place would flow with blood, and lo! the blood has flowed, and with it that of these our brothers,” and he gave the names of the two dead Zulus, also those of their forefathers for several generations.

“It seems, Father, that they died well, as you would have wished them to die, and as doubtless they desired to die themselves, leaving a tale behind them, though it is true that they might have died better, killing more of the men-eaters, as it is certain they would have done, had they not been sick inside.  They are finished; they have gone beyond to await us in the Under-world among the ghosts.  Their story is told and soon to their children they will be but names whispered in honour after the sun has set.  Enough of them who have showed us how to die as our fathers did before them.”

Goroko paused a while, then added with a waving of his hands,

“My Spirit comes to me again and I know that these our brothers shall not pass unavenged.  Chief of the Axe, great glory awaits the Axe, for it shall feed full.  I have spoken.”

“Good words!” grunted Umslopogaas.  Then he saluted the dead by raising Inkosikaas and came to me to consult about our journey.

CHAPTER VIII

PURSUIT

After all we did not get away much before noon, because first there was a great deal to be done.  To begin with the loads had to be arranged.  These consisted largely of ammunition, everything else being cut down to an irreducible minimum.  To carry them we took two donkeys there were on the place, also half a dozen pack oxen, all of which animals were supposed to be “salted”—­that is, to have suffered and recovered from every kind of sickness, including the bite of the deadly tsetse fly.  I suspected, it is true, that they would not be proof against further attacks, still, I hoped that they would last for some time, as indeed proved to be the case.