I glanced at the king, and, as I did so, I thought that I heard him mutter: "Near the mark, not in it." Then he held up his spear, and all was silence.

The slayers stopped in their stride, the witch-doctors stood with outstretched arms, the world of men was as though it had been frozen into sleep.
"Hold!" he said.

"Stand aside, son of Makedama, who art named an evildoer! Stand aside, thou, Nobela, and those with thee who have named him evildoer! What?
Shall I be satisfied with the life of one dog?
Smell on, ye vultures, company by company, smell on! For the day the labour, at night the feast!" I rose, astonished, and stood on one side.

The witch-doctresses also stood on one side, wonderstruck, since no such smelling out as this had been seen in the land.

For till this hour, when a man was swept with the gnu's tail of the Isanusi that was the instant of his death.