Ai! Ai! Vultures shall eat it.

Ah! Ah! It is good--it is good to die for the king! They ceased, and ranged themselves in a body behind us.

Then Chaka held up his hand, and there was a patter of running 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 a bundle of assegais and a little shield.