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

the evil Oh tue ASSAluSAS-
One morning thereafter a new thing
came to pass in the royal kraal, for the
king himself ran out, crying aloud to all
people to come and see the evil that had
been worked upon him by wizard
They came together and saw this. On
the doCrposts of the gateway Of the In
tunkulu, the house of the king, were
great smears Of blood. The knees Of
men strong in battle trembled when they
saw it. Women walled aloud as they
wall over the dead; they walled because
of the horror of the omen.
who has done this thingT cried
Chaka in a terrible voice. "Who has
dared to bewitch the king and to strike
blood upon his house?"
There was no answer, and Chaka
spoke again. ''This is no 1T matter"
he said, Ito be washed away with the
blood of one or two to be forgotten
The man who wrought it shall not die
alone or travel with a few to the world /
of spirits. All his tribe shall go with |
him, down to the baby in his hut and |
the cattle in his kraall Let messengers |
90 out east and west, and north and
south, and summon the witch doctors !
from every quarter! Let them summon
the captains from every regiment, and
the headmen from every kraal! On the
tenth day from now the circle Of the In
gomboco shall be set, and there shall be
such a smelling ont of wizards and OF
witches as has not been known in Zulu
landP'
On the last night before the forming
of the Ingomboco the witch doctors, male
and female, entered the kraal. There
were hundred and half hundred OF
them, and they were made hideous and
terrible with the white bones of meII,
with bladders of fish and of oxen, With
fat of lizards and with skins of snakes
The morning dawned heavily, and be-
fore it was well light the ~heralds were
out summoning all to the kings Ingom-
boco. Men came by hundreds, carrying
short stick onIyzTor to be seen armed
was death-and seated themselves in the
great circle bsfore the gates of the royal
house. They seated themselves; then
around them on the outside of the circle
gathered knots of warriors-chOsen men.
gTSat and fierce-armed with kerrles
only These were the slayers.
When all was ready the king came
forth, followed by his indunas and by
kaross of tiger skins and towering
head higher than any man there, all the
multitude cast themselves to earth, and
from every lip sharp and sudden went
ND the royal salute of Bayete. But
Chaka took no note. His brow was
cloudy as a mountain top. He cast one
glance at the people and one at the
| slayers, and wherever his eye fell men
turned gray with fear. Then he stalked
on, and sat himself upon stool to the
north of the great ring, looking toward
the open space.
For awhile there was silence; then
| from the gates of the women's quarter
came band Of maidens, arrayed in their
beaded dancing dresses and carrying
| green branches in their hands. As they
came they clapped their hands and sang
softly:
We are the heralds OF the kings feast All All
| Vultures shall eat it. Ali All!
| 1t is good-it il good to die for the kingi
They ceased and ranged themselves in
a body behind us. Then Chaka held up
his hand, and there was a patter of rum
ming feet Presently from behind the
royal huts appeared the great company
of the Abangoma, the witch doctors
men to the right and women to the left.
In the left hand of each was the tail of
a vilderbeeste, in the right u bundle of
assegais and little shield. They were
awful to see, and the bones about them
ratified as they ran, the bladders and
the snakeskins floated in the air behind
them, their faces shone with the fat of
amounting, their eyes started like the
| eyes of fishes, and their lips twitched
| olara6 around the
death ring.
On they came till they stood in long
ranks before the Black One. Awhile
they stood thus, then suddenly every
one of them thrust forward the little
shield in his hand, and with a single
voice they cried, Hail, fatherr
Hail, my children!" answered Chaka.
What seekest thou, father" they
cried again. "Blood?
The blood of the guilty" he an
swered.
They turned and spoke each to each
the company of the men spoke to the
company of the women.
1.-THE Lion of the Zulu seeks blood"
He shall be fedr' screamed the wo
men.
THE Lion of the Zulu smells blood"
IlC snail bCO Az OSASstL4SA viz w
men.
His eyes search out the wizards"
, He shall count their deadp screamed
the women.
"Peacep cried Chaka. Waste no
the hours in talkl Wizards have dared
to smite blood upon the gateways of the
king. Dig in the burrows of the earth
and find them, We ratsl Fly through the
paths of the air and find them, We vul
turesl Smell at the gates of the people
and name them, We jackalsl Drag them
from the caves if they be hidden, from
the distance if they be fled, from the
graves if they be dead. To the work
to the work! Show them to me truly
and your gifts shall be great; and fol
them, if they be nation, they shall bt
slain. Now begin. Begin by companies
of ten, for you are many, and all mus
be finished ere the sun sink"
at shall be finished, father" they an
swered.
Then ten of the women stood forward
and at their head was the most famous
witch doctress of that day-an aget
woman named Nobela, q woman Il
whose eyes the darkness was no veil
whose scent was keen as a dogs, VIII
heard the voices of the dead as they crieC
!. in the night, and spoke truly of what sh
heard. All the other Isanusis, male ant
female, sat down in a half moon facing
the king, but this woman drew forward
and with her came nine of her sister
: hood. They turned east and west, nortl
and south, searching the heavens; the.
turned east and west, north and south
searching the earth; they turned cas-
and west, north and south, searching tn
! hearts of men. Then they crept roun'
: and round the great ring like cats, the
they threw themselves upon the cart
and smelled it. And all the time Their
was silence, silence deep as midnight
aid in it men hearkened to the beatin
of their hearts; only now and again tn
vultures shrieked in the trees.
; At length Nobela spoke:
"Do you smell him, sisters?"
1--WE smell him." they answered.
Docs he sit in the east, sistersT
asIJa ai%, IN tho cast - fhaxy