Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-23

proud to ask your life OF me, but YOU are
dog. and. dog remember that YOU
have children, among them a daughter OF
my own age, whom | saw come out 10
greet you. For her sake. then, take your
life. and with it this new name that
give you-'Soldier- who strkes-g
So the man ROSE. and weak with shame
and the agony of suspense. crept swiftly
from the place. fearing lest the Inkosa-
Zana or her servant might change her
mind and Kill him after all. But Noies
name chung to him closely that Al
length. unable to bear the ridicuc o. it,
he and his family fed from Zuluiand.
So this matter ended
Now the king spoke. saying:
White one. thy magic is great, ana
thine eyes could pierce the darkness ami
see thy servant hidden, and call her forth
to thee. Yet know. she is mine. not
thine. for when she fled i had already
chosen her to be my wife, and afterward
] sent and killed the wizard Seyap, and
all his house
But this girl thou ddst not kill .
king. for / saved her
1T is so. white one. | have heard late
ly how thou didst call down the lightning
and burn up my soldier who followed
after her, that nothing of him re-
NAMED"
Yes said Rachel quietly. "as. were 1t
to please me, / could burn thee up also.
o king" saying at which Dingaan
looked afraid.
Yet" he went on. waving his hand as
though to put aside this unpleasant sug-
gestion. the maid is mine, not thine, and
therefore I took her.
How didst thou learn that she dwelt
at my kraal?" asked Rachel
The king hesitated.
The white man. Ishmael, he whom
thou callest Ibubesi, told thee, did he
not
Dingaan bowed his head
And he told thee that thou .couldst
make what promises thou wouldst TO me
as to the girls life. but that afterward
when thou hadst called me here to claim
it. thou highest kill her or keep her as
wife, as it pleased thee?'
II can hide nought from thee; 1T Is
So" said Dingaan.
rs that still in thy mind o King"
asked Rachel again. beginning to play
with the little wand.
Not so. not So" he answered hurried
ly. Hadst thou not come the girl
would have died, as she deserved TO
do according to our law. But thou
hast come and claimed her. o Holder Of
the Spirit of NomkubuIwana. and she
sits in thy shadow and is clothed with
thy garment. Take her then, for hence
forth she is holy, as thou art holy"
Rachel heard and without any change
of countenance waved her hand to show
that this question was finished. Then
she asked. suddenly:
What is this great matter whereof thou
wouldst speak with me. o King"
ouItly my NlSuOH has ltlu lItt
White One" he answered uneasly.
"Perchance, yet L would have it from
thy lips. and now
Now Dingaan consulted little with his
council
White One," he said. presently "the
thing is grave and We need guidance.
Therefore, as the circle of the witch
doctors have declared must be done, we
ask it of thee who art named with the
name of the spirit of our people and hast
Nf hnr r-fC1< ito
One. of the fights in past years between
the white people of Natal and the Zulus,
in which many were slain on either side.
But now, when we are at peace with the
English, we hear of another white people.
the Amaboona de, the Dutch BoersD
who are marching toward us from the
Cape. and have already fought with
MoSelikatZe-the traitor who was once
my captain-and killed thousands of his
men. These Amaboona threaten us also,
and say aloud that they will eat us up.
for they are brave and armed with the
white mans weapons that spit out light
ming. Now, White One, what shall
do? Shall I send out my impis and fall
on them while they are unprepared, and
make end of them, as seems wisest
and is the wish of my indunas? Or.
shall / sit at home and watch. trying to
be at peace with them, and only strik.s
back IL they strike at me? Answer not
lightly, Zoola. for much may hang upon
thy words. Remember. also, that he
whose name may not be spoken, the Lion
who ruled before me and is gone. with
his last breath uttered a certain prophecy
concerning the white people and this
land
Let me hear that prophecy, o King
Come forth" said Dingaan, pointing
TO councillor who sat in the circle.
come forth, thou who knoweSt, and tell
the tale in the ears of this White One.
A figure rose, a draped figure. whose
face was hidden in a hood of blanket. It
came forward and rs 1t came il drew the
blanket tighter about it. Rachel. watch
ing all things, saw, or thought that she
saw. that one of its hands was white, as
though it had been burned with fire. Sure
ly she had seen such a hand before.
Speak" she said.
Name me by name and tell me who l am
and l will obey thee" answered the man.
Then she sure, for she remembered
the voice. She looked at him indiffer-
emily and asked:
by what name shall / name you,
Slayer of king? Will you be called
Mopo or Umbopa, who have borne them
BOTH"
Now Dingaan stared. and the shrouded
form before her started, as though i'm sur
prise.
why do you seek to mock me?' she
went on. Can d blanket of bark hide
that face of yours from these eyes of
mine which saw Ii awhile ago at Ramah,
when you came thither TO judge of me,
o Mouth of the King"
Now the man let the blanket slip from
his head and looked at her.
1T seems that it cannot he answered
Then | told thee that / had dreamed OF
the spirit of our people. and that thou.
White One. vast like TO her of whom L
had dreamed. CanSt thou tell me what
was the fashion of that dream of mine?
Now Rachel understood that notwith-
standing his words at Ramah this man
still doubted her and was set up to prove
her. and all that Mole had told her about
him and the secret history of the Zuiue
cane back into her mind.
Surely Mopo or Umbopa," she replied.
you dreamed three dreams, not one. Is
the kraal Duguza when the InkosaZana
rode past you on the storm clothed in
lightning and shaking in her hand d spear
of fire?''
Yes, / speak of it, he replied, in an
awed voice. but if thou art but a
woman, as thou hast said, how knoWest
thou these things"
''Perchance / am both woman and
spirit and perchance the past tells them
to me-" Rachel answered; but the pas
has many voices and now that i dwell
in the flesh | cannot hear them all. Let
me search you out. Let me read your
heart and she bent forward and fixed
her eyes upon him, holding him with her
eyes
..Ah. now | see and | hear" she said,
presently. Had you not a sister, MopO.
certain Baleka. who afterward entered
the house of the Black One and bore a
son and died in the Tatiyana Cleft? Shall
| tell you how she died?
Tell it not, Tell it not,' exclaimed
the old man, quaEerlngly.