The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-07-22

ground like snakes and nodded, and as |
they nodded the necklets of bones ratified |
ON their skinny necks. Then they drew
their heads to a circle, and Eobela thrust |
hers into the center of the circle and |
said word.
Hal hap they laughed, 1--WE hear
you'll His is the name. Let him be |
named by it in the face of heaven, he
and all his house; then let him hear no
other name foreverP'
And suddenly they sprang mp and
rushed toward me, Nobela, the aged Is
anusa, at their head. They rushed at
me, pointing to me with the tails of the
vilderbeestes in their hands. Then No
bella switched me in the face with the
tail of the beast and cried aloud:
Correcting, Mopo, son of Makedamal
Thou art the man who smotest blood on
the doorposts of the king to bewitch the
king. Let thy house be stamped flat"
saw it ali, felt the blow on my face,
as a man feels III a dream. heard the
feet of the slayers, as they bounded for
ward to hale me to the dreadful death.
but my tongue clave to the roof of my
MOUTH could not say a word. l
glanced at the king. and, as l cid so, l
thought heard him mutter, Near the
mark, not in it.
Then he held up his spear and all was
silence. The slayers stopped in their
stride, the witch doctors stood with out
stretched arms, the world of men was as
though it had been frozen into sleep.
''Holdr ne said. "Stand aside, son of
MakedaYha, who art named an evil doer!
Stand aside, thou, NObela, and those
with thee who have named him evil
doerl What! Shall l be satisfied with
the life of one dog? Smell on, ye vul-
lures, company by company, smell on!
For the day the labor, at night the
feastr
So arose, astonished, and stood on
one side. The witch dOctresses Also
stood on one side, smitten with wonder,
since no such smelling out as this had
been seen in the land. For till this hour,
when a man was swept with the gnu tai
of the Isanusi that was the instant of his
death. Why, then, men asked in their
hearts, was the death delayed? The
witch doctors asked it also, and looked
to the king for light, as men look to a
thundercloud for the flash. But from
the Black One there came no word.
So we stood on one side, and a second
party of the Isanusi women began their
rites. AS the others had done, so they
did, and yet they worked otherwise, for
this Is the fashion of the Isanusis, that
no two of them smell out in the same
way. And this party swept the races of
certain Of the kings councillors, nam
ing them guilty of the witch work.
'.Stand We on one slider said the king
to those who had been smelled out; land
We who have hunted out their wicked
ness, stand ye with those who named
Mopo, son of Makedama. 1t well may
be that all are guilty"
So these stood on one side also, and a
third party took up the tale. And they
named certain of the great generals, and
were in turn hidden to stand on one
side, together with those they had
named.
So it went Gu tkncugh all that day.
At length it drew on to evening and
the last company of the witch doctors
did their work, smelling out some of
the keepers of the Emposeni, the house
of the women. But there was one man
of their company, a young man and a
tall, who held back and took no share in
the work, but stood by himself in the
center of the great circle, fixing his eyes
ON the heavens.
And when this company had been also
ordered to stand aside together with
those whom they had s1nelled out, the
king called aloud to the last of the
witch doctors, asking him of his name
and tribe, and why he alone did not dc
his Office.
MY name is Indabazimbi, the son OF
Arpi, o king" he answered, ''aEd an
of the tribe of the Maquilisini. Doe:
the king bid me to smell out him Of
whom the spirits have spoken to me a:
the worker of this deedY'
81 bid thee" said the king.
Then the young man IndabaZimb
stepped straight forward across the ring
making no cries or gestures, but as ont
who walks from his gate to the cattle
kraal, and suddenly he struck the kint
in the face with the tail in his hand
saving, Il smell out the Heavens abov,
mel" ia Zulu title for the kingl.
Now a great gasp of wonder went VI
from the multitude, and all looked to Sc,
this fool slain by torture. But Chak;
rose and laughed aloud.
Thou hast said it," he cried, "anC
thou alone! Listen, We people! die
the deed! | snote blood upon the gate
ways of my kraal; with my own hand
smote it, that l might learn who wer,
the true doctors and who were false
Now it seems that in the land of thu
Zulu there is one true doctor-this young
man-and of the false, look on them anC
count them, they are like the leaves
Seel there they stand, and by then
stand those whom they have doomed
the innocent whom, with their wive
and children, they have doomed to tn
death of the dog Now / ask you, m!
people, what reward shall be given t.
them
Then a great roar went up from tn
multitude-''Let them die, o kingP'
layer he answered. Let them di
as liars shouldr
Now, the Isanusis, men and women
screamed aloud in fear and cried TO
mercy, tearing themselves with thei
nails, for least of all things did they de
sire to taste of their own medicine o
death. But the king only laughed tn
more.
s'Hearken yer he said, pointing to tn
, crowd of us who had been smelled out
Eye were doomed to death by these falls
, prophets Now glut yourselves upo
| them. Stay them, my childrenl Sla
, them all save this young manr'
i Then we bounded from the ground
. We hurled ourselves upon the crowd c
the Isanusis. In vain they screame
: and cursed and struggled we slew the1
/ all.
? At last it was done and we drew bac
, from the heap of the dead. Chaka dre'
t near and looked on the piled up heap
3 of the slain and the cloud of dust tina
l yet hung over them.
1 "There they lie, Mopo," he SAID
j "There lie those who dared to prophes
3 falsely to the king. That was a goo
, word of thine, Mopo, which taught NJ
: to set the snare for them, yet methougt
3 I saw thee start when NObela, queen {
the witch doctresses, switched death o
thee"
Thus he spoke, then ceased-for X
something moved beneath the cloud {
dust; something broke a way throug
A. hoo~ oF ba 1ao6 II NOhal.