The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-08-02
CHAPTER TX.
TuK COUNSEL OF BALEKA.


49, -fe-@z-@
whispered her name
praised the king with a loud voice
and L went from the Intunkulu, the
house of the king. | walked slowly,
but when l was without the gates the
anguish that came upon me because of
my burned hand was more than could
bear. 1 ran TO and fro groaning till
came to the hut of one whom [ knew.
There l found fat, and having plunged
my hand in the fat wrapped it round
with n skin and passed out again, for 1
might not stay still. went to and fro,
till at length came to the spot where
my huts had been. l walked in among
the ashes; my feet struck upon things
that were sharp. The moon was bright
and looked They We're the blackened
bones of my wives and children. flung
myself down; covered myself over
with the ashes of my kraal and with the
bones Of my wives and children.
All! my father, there as l lay among
the ashes prayed to the Amatongo, to
the ghosts of my ancestors. prayed
to my Ehlose, to the spirit that watches
me-aye, and even dared to pray to the
Umkulukulu, the great soul of the
world, who moves through the world
unseen and unheard. And thus prayed
that might yet live to kill Chaka as he
had killed those who were dear to me-
And while lay thus there came a vision
to me, vision that was sent in answer
to my prayer. or perchance it was a
madness born of my SORROWS. For, my
father, it seemed to me that stood upon
the bank of a river great and wide. 1t
was gloomy there, the light lay low
upon the face of the river, but far away
on the farther side was a glow like the
glow of a stormy dawn, and in the glow
| saw a mighty bed of reeds that swayed
about in the breath of the dawn, and
out of the reeds came men and women
and children, by hundreds and tens of
hundreds, and plunged into the waters
of the river and were buffeted about by
the waters.
Now, my father, all the people that
saw in the water were black people, and
all those who were torn out of the reeds
were black-there were none Of them
white like your people, my father, for
this vision WAS vision of the Zulu race,
Now. saw that of those who swan in
the river some passed over very quickly
and some stood, as it were, still in the
water-as in life, my father, some die
soon and some live for many years. And
l saw the countless faces of those in the
water, among them were many that
knew. There, my father, saw the face
of Chaka, and near him was my own
face. There, too, ! saw the face OF
Dingaan, the prince, his brother, and
the face of the boy UmslopOgaas, and
the face of NADIA. my daughter, and
then it was for the first time that l knew
that Umslopogaas was not dead, but
only lost.
Now, turned in my vision and looked
at that bank of the river on which l
stood Then 1 saw that behind the bank
was a cliff, mighty and black, and III the
cliff were doors of ivory, and through
the doors came light and the sound of
laughter Other doors there were also,
black as though fashioned of coal, and
through them came darkness ana the
sounds of groans. saw this also, that
in front of the doors was set q seat, and
on the seat was the figure of woman
glorious to see. She was tall, and she
alone was white, and clad in robes Of
white, and her hair was like gold which
was molten is the fire, and her face
shone like the midday sun. Then saw
that those who came up out OF the river
stood before the woman, the water yet
running from them. and cried aloud to
her:
Hail. Inkosazana-y-Zulu!H Hail, Queen
of the Heavens!''
Now, the figure of the glorious woman
held a rod in either hand, and the rod
in her right hand was white and of
ivory, and the rod in her left hand was
black and of ebony. And as those who
came up before her throne greeted her,
so she pointed now with the wand of
ivory in her right hand and now with
the wand of ebony in her left hand.
And with the wand Of ivory she pointed
to the gates of ivory, through which
came hight and laughter, and with the
wand of ebony she pointed to the gates
of coal, through which came blackness
and groans. And as she pointed so those
who greeted her turned and went, some
through the gates of light and some
through the gates of blackness.
Presently, as ! stood, there came up
a handful of people from the bank OF
the river. looked on them and knew
them. There was Unandi. the mother
of Chaka; there was Anadi, my wife,
and Moosa, my son. and all my other
wives and children, and those who had
persisted with them.
They stood before the figure Of the
woman, the Princess of the Heavens, to
whom the Umkulukulu has given it to
watch over the people of the Zulu, and
cried aloud, Hail, Inkosazana-y-Zulu!
Hailr'
Then she, the Inkosazana, pointed
with rod of ivory to the gates of ivory;