The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-12-08

they have died better than in that fight?
Also those that were left were as good
as all, for now they knew that they
should not.be overcome easily while Az
and Club still led the way.
Now they stood before hill measur-
ing perchance three thousand PAGES
round its base. 1t was of no great
height and yet unclimbable. for after
man had gone up little way the sides
of it were sheer, offering no foothold to
the rock rabbits and lizards. No one
was to be seen without this hill, nor in
the great kraal of the Halakazi that lay
to the east Of it, and yet the ground
about this was trampled with the hoofs
of oxen and the feet of men, and from
within the mountain came the sound of
lowing cattle.
"Here is the nest of the Halakazi,"
quoth Galazi the Wolf.
"Here is the nest indeed" said Um-
slopogaas, ''but how shall we come at
the eggs to suck themp There are no
branches to this tree"
But there is hole in the trunk" an
swered the Wolf.
Now he led them little way till they
came to place where the soil was
trampled at, the entrance to cattle
kraal, and they saw that there was a low
cave that led into the cliff like an arch
way such as you white men build. But
this archway was filed up with great
blocks of stone placed upon each other
in such fashion that it might not be
forced from without. After the cattle
were driven in it had been filled up.
"Not here may we enter" said Galazi;
follow me.
So they followed him and came to the
north side of the mountain, and there,
two spear casts away, soldier was
standing. But when he saw them he
vanished Of sudden.
There is the place, said Galazi, land
the fox has gone to earth in it,
Now they ran to the spot and saw
little hole in the rock scarcely bigger
than an ant BEARS burrow, and through
the hole came sounds and some light.
Now where is the hyena who will
try a new burrow?" cried Umslopogaas.
"A hundred head of cattle to the man
who wins through and clears the way
Then two young men sprang forward
who were flushed with victory and de-
sired nothing more than to make great
name and win cattle, crying:
Here are hyenas, Bulalio"
ITO earth, then, said Umslopogaas,
land let him who wins through hold the
path awhile till others follow"
The two young men sprang at the
hole. and he who reached it first went
down upon his hands and knees and
crawled in, lying on his shield and hold
ing his spear before him. For a little
while the light in the hole vanished, and
they heard the sound of his crawling.
Then the noise of blows, and once more
light crept through the hole. The man
was dead
Then Umslopogaas crept into the hole,
taking no shield but holding Groan-
maker before him, and at his heels crept
Galazi. When he had gone the length
of six spears he stretched out his hand
and, as he trusted to do, he found the
feet of that man who had gone before
and died in the place. Then Umslopo-
gaas the wary did this: He put his head
beneath the dead mans legs and thrust
himself onward till all the man was on
his back, and there he held him with one
hand, gripping his two wrists in his
hand. Then he crawled forward a little
space and saw that he was coming to the
inner mouth of the burrow, but that the
shadow was deep there because of a
great mass of rock which hay before the
burrow, shutting out the light. "This
is well for me, thought Umslopogaas,
''for now they will not know the dead
from the living. l may yet look upon
the sun again." Now he heard tho Ha-
lakazi soldiers talking without.
The Zulu rats love not this run"
said one; they fear the ratcatcher's
stick. This is good sport" and man
laughed.
Then Umslopogaas pushed himself
forward as swiftly as he might, holding
the dead man on his back, and suddenly
came out of the hole into the open place
in the dark shadow of the great rock.
by the Lily!' cried soldier, ''here's
anotherl Take that, Zulu rat!" and he
smote the dead man heavily with a kerr
RE. .'And that!" cried another. driving
his spear through him SO that it pricked
Umslopogaas beneath. "And that! and
that! and thatv' said others, MS they
smote and stabbed
Now Umslopogaas groaned heavily in
the deep shadow and lay still. "No
need to waste more blows, said the man
who had struck first. s'This one will
never go back to Zululand, and am
thinking that few will care to follow
him. Let us make an end; run some OF
you and find stones to stop the burrow
I for now the sport is DONE"
! He turned as he spoke and so did the
others, and this was what the Slaugh
terer sought With a swift movement
| he freed himself from the dead man ant
sprang to his feet. They heard the
sound and turned again, but as they
! turned Groanmaker pecked softly an6
hat man who had sworn by the Lily
/ was no more man. Then Umslopo
gaas bounded forward-on to the grea
rock he bounded and stood there lik,
! buck against the sky.
4 ssNot SO easily is Zulu rat slain.