Evening star., 1909-03-14
CHAPTER XIX-Continued.

At length all the ZuluS were passed, and
they entered into the territories of other
tribes. wild, wandering tribes. But even
these knew of the ghost-kings. and at
tempted nothing against them. as they
had attempted nothing against Noie and
her escort when she travelled through this
land on her embassy to the People of the
Trees. Indeed, some of their doctors
would visit them at their camps and ask
an oracle. or an Interpretation of dreams,
or a charm against their enemies. or a
deadly poison. offering great gifts in re-
turn. At times Eddo and his fellow
priests would listen. and the giants would
bring tiny bowl filled with dew into
which they gazed. telling them the pic
lures they saw there. though this they did
but seldom. as the supply Of dew which
they had brought with them from their
own country ran low. and since it could
not be used twice they kept 1t for their
own purposes.
Next they came 10 country of vast
swamps, where dwelt few men and many
wild beasts. a country fun of fevers and
reeds and pools. in which lived snakes and
crocodiles. Yet no harm came to them
rom these things. for the ghost-priests
had medicines that warded off sickness.
and charms that protected them from all
read what road to take and how dangers
could he avoided. So they passed the
swamps safely: only here that Save
whom Eddo had cursed at the kraal of
Dingaan. and who from that day onward
had wasted till he seemed to be nothing
but skeleton, sickened and died.
Did l not tell you that It should he
So" said Eddo to the other slave. who
trenbled before him as reeds tremble in
the wind. BE warned. yc fools. who
think that the strength of men lies in
their bodies and their spears Then he
kicked the corpse of the dead giant gently
with his sandaled foot. and bade his
brothers throw him into a pool for the
crocodiles to eat
Having passed the swamps and manv
rivers. at length they turned westward
travelling for days over grassy uplands
like TO those of Natal. among which
wandered pastoral tribes with their herds
OF cattle. On these plains were multitudes
OF game and many lions. especially I'm the
bushclad slopes Of great isolated noun
tainS that rose up here and there. These
lions roared around them at night but
the priests did not seem to he afraid. for
when the brutes became over-bold they
placed deadly poison in the carcases of
buck that the nomad tribes brought them
as offerings, OF which the lions ate and
died i'm numbers. Also they sold some of
the poison to the tribe for q great price in
cattle. as TO the delivery of which cattle
they gave minute directions for they
of the Trees and her prophets.
After the plains We're left behind, they
reached n vast. fertile and low-lying coun-
try that sloped upwards for miles and
miles. which. az Noie explained to Rachel.
when she would listen. was the outer ter
ritory of the ghost-people. for here dwelt
Tie race OF the Tmkulus. Or Great Ones,
who were their slaves. that folk to which
the soldiers of their escort belonged. OF
these there were thousands and tens of
Thousands who earned their living by
agriculture. since although they We're SO
huge and tierce-loOking, they did not fight
unless they were attacked. The chiefs of
this people had their dwellings in vast
caves in the sides OF cliffs which If need
be could be turned into impregnable
fortresses. but their real ruler was the
Mother of the Trees. and their office was
10 protect the country of the Trees and
furnish 1t with food, since the Tree people
Wee dreamers who did little work.
While they travelled through this land
all the headmen OF the Cmkuus accom-
panied them. and every morning a council
was held at which these made report to
the priests of all that had CHANGED OF