The Triumph of Hilary Blachland

by Bertram Mitford

  CHAPTER ONE.

  "WOZ'UBONE, KITI KWAZULU."

  Lo Bengula sat within the _esibayaneni_--the sacred enclosure whereinnone dare intrude--at his great kraal, Bulawayo.

  The occupation on which the King was then engaged, was the homely andprosaic one of eating his breakfast. This consisted of a huge dish of_bubende_, being certain ingredients of the internal mechanism of thebullock, all boiled up with the blood, to the civilised palate anappalling article of diet, but highly favoured by the Matabele. Yet,while devouring this delicacy with vast appetite, the royal countenancewas overcast and gloomy in the extreme.

  Lo Bengula sat alone. From without a continuous roar of many voicesreached him. It was never hushed, the night through it had hardly beenhushed, and this was early morning. Song after song, some improvised,others the old war-songs of the nation, interluded with long _paeans_ ofhis own praises, rising from the untiring throats of thousands of hiswarriors--yet the King, in his heart of hearts, was tired of the lot.

  He looked around upon his sheep and goats--for the sacred enclosureincluded the kraal which contained his private and particular flock--andhe loved them, for he was by nature a born farmer, called by accident,and even then, reluctantly, to rule this nation of fierce and turbulentfighters. He looked upon the flocks surrounding him and wondered howmuch longer they would be his--how much longer anything would be his--for war was not merely in the air but was actually at his gates; warwith the whites, with whom he had ever striven to live on friendly andpeaceful terms. But, as had long been foreseen, his people had forcedhis hand at last.

  Unwillingly he had bowed to the inevitable, he the despot, he, beforewhose frown those ferocious and bloodthirsty human beasts trembled, hethe dark-skinned savage, whose word was law, whose ire conveyed terrorover a region as wide-spreading and vast as that under the sway of anyone of the greater Powers in Europe. But as long as the nation was anation and he was alive, he intended to remain its King, howeverreluctant he had been to assume the supreme reins of government, andconsistently with this it had been out of his power to check theaggressive ebullitions of his fiery adherents. And now war was withinthe land, and hourly, runners were bringing in tidings of the advance--straight, fell, unswerving of purpose--of a strong and compactexpedition of whites--their goal his capital.

  Yes, day by day these were drawing nearer. The intelligence brought byinnumerable spies and runners was unvarying. The approaching force innumbers was such that a couple of his best regiments should be able toeat it up at a mouthful. But it was splendidly armed, and itsorganisation and discipline were perfect. Its leaders seemed to take norisks, and at the smallest alarm all those waggons could be turned intoa complete and defensive fort almost as quickly as a man might clap hishands twice. And then, from each corner, from every face of thisunscaleable wall, peeped forth a small, insignificant thing, a littleshining tube that could be placed on the back of a horse--yet thiscontemptible-looking toy could rain down bullets into the ranks of hiswarriors at a rate which would leave none to return to him with thetale. Nay more, even the cover of rocks and bushes would not help them,for other deadly machines had these whites, which could throw great bagsof bullets into the air to fall and scatter wherever they chose, andthat at well-nigh any distance. All of this Lo Bengula knew andappreciated, but his people did not, and now from without, ever andincreasing upon his ears, fell the din and thunder of their boastingsongs of war.

  "_Au_! They are poor, lean dogs!" he growled to himself. "They will beeven as dogs who snarl and run away, when they get up to these whites.They bark loudly now and show their teeth. Will they be able to bite?"

  Personally, too, he liked the English. He had been on very friendlyterms with several of them. They were always bringing him presents,things that it was good to have, and of which now he owned considerablestore. He liked conversing with them too, for these were men who hadtravelled far and had seen things--and could tell him wonders aboutother lands, inhabited by other whites, away beyond the great sea. Theywere not fools, these English. And their bravery! Who among dark raceswould go and place themselves in the power of a mighty and warrior raceas these did? What three or four men of such would dare to stand beforehim here--at this very place, calm, smiling, unmoved, while thousands ofhis warriors were standing around, howling and clamouring for theirblood? Not one. Then, too, their knowledge was wonderful. Had notseveral of them, from time to time, done that which had eased him of hisgout, and of the shooting pains which afflicted his eyes, and threatenedto deprive him of his sight? No, of a truth he desired not to quarrelwith such. Well, it might be, that when these dogs of his had beenwhipped back--when they had thought to hunt bucks and found that theyhad assailed instead, a herd of fierce and fearless buffalo bulls--thatthen he might order them to lie down, and that peace between himself andthe whites might again prevail.

  Having arrived at this conclusion, and also at that of his repast, theKing gave utterance to a call, and immediately there appeared two_izinceku_, or personal attendants of the royal household. These ranforward in a crouching attitude, with bodies bent low, and while oneremoved the utensils and traces of the feast, the other produced a greatbowl of baked clay, nearly filled with fresh water. Into this the Kingplunged his hands, throwing the cold water over his face and head withgreat apparent enjoyment, then, having dried himself with a towel ofgenuine civilisation, he rose, strode over to his waggon--the twoattendants lying prostrate in the dust before him as he moved--andlifting the canvas flap, disappeared from mortal ken: for this waggonwas the place of his most sacred seclusion, and woe indeed to theluckless wight who should presume to disturb him in that retreat.

  Without, the aspect of the mighty circle was stirring and tumultuous tothe last degree. The huge radius of grass roofs lay yellow and shiningin the fierce sunlight, alive too, with dark forms ever on the move,these however, being those of innumerable women, and glistening, rotundbrats, chattering in wide-eyed excitement; for the more important spot,the great open space in front of the King's enclosure, was given over tothe warriors.

  With these it was nearly filled. Regiment upon regiment was musteredthere: each drafted according to the standing of those who composed itsranks, from the Ingubu, which enjoyed the high privilege of attending asbodyguard upon the King, hence its name--the Blanket, i.e. the King's--ever around the royal person--the fighting Imbizo, and the Induba--downto the slave regiments such as the Umcityu, composed of slaves and thedescendants of conquered and therefore inferior races. All these werein full war array. The higher of them wore the _intye_, a combinationof cape and headpiece made of the jetty plumage of the male ostrich,others were crowned with the _isiqoba_, a ball of feathers nodding overthe forehead, and supporting the tall, pointed wing feather of thevulture, or the blue crane. Mutyas of monkey-skin and cat-tails, insome few instances leopard's skin, fantastic bunches of white cowhair atelbow and knee and ankle, with bead necklaces, varying in shape andcolour, completed the adornment. But all were fully armed. Thenational weapon, the traditional implement of Zulu intrepidity andconquest, the broad-bladed, short-handled, close-quarter assegai--ofsuch each warrior carried two or three: a murderous-looking battle-axewith its sickle-like blade: a heavy-headed, short-handled knob-kerrie,and the great war-shield, black, with its facings of white, a proportionwhite entirely--others red--others again, streaked, variegated, andsurmounted by its tuft of fur or jackal's tail, or cowhair--this array,chanting in fierce strophes, stamping in unison, and clashing time withweapon-haft upon hard hide shield, amid the streaming dust, made up apicture--as terrific as it was formidable--of the ferocious and pent-upsavagery of a hitherto unconquered, and in its own estimation,unconquerable race.

  A musky, foetid effluvium hung in the air, the mingled result of allthis gathering of perspiring, moving humanity, and vast heaps ofdecaying bones, already decomposing in the fierce sunlight there on thekilling place just outside the huge kraal at its eastern end, where agreat number of the King's c
attle had been slaughtered on the previousday in order to feast the regiments mustered for war--while myriads ofbuzzing flies combined to render the surcharged atmosphere doublypestilential. Seated together, in a group apart, the principal indunasof the nation were gathered in earnest conference, while, further on,the whole company of _izanusi_, or war-doctors, arrayed in the hideousand disgusting trappings of their order, were giving a final eye to theremoval of huge _mutt_ bowls, containing some concoction equally hideousand disgusting, from the secluded and mysterious precincts wherein suchhad been brewed: for the whole army was about to be doctored for war.

  Now a fresh stir arose among the excited armed multitude gathered there,and all eyes were turned to the eastward. Away over the rolling plain,from the direction of the flat-topped Intaba-'Zinduna, a moving mass wasapproaching, and as it drew nearer the gleam of spears and the sheen ofhide shields flickered above the dark cloud. It was the Insukaminiregiment, for whose presence those here had been waiting in order torender the master complete. As it swung up the slope, an old war-songof Umalikazi came volleying through the air to those here gathered:

  "Yaingahlabi Leyo'mkonzi! Yai ukufa!"

  [Note: "That Bull did not gore (merely). It was death!"]

  With full-throated roar the vast gathering took it up, re-echoing thefell chorus until it became indescribable in its strength of volume, andsoon, the newly arrived regiment, over a thousand strong, filed in, andfell into line, amid the thunder of its vociferous welcome.

  Then the company of _ixanuri_ came forward, and for some time these werebusy as they went along the lines, administering to each warrior amorsel of the horrible hotch-potch they had been concocting, and whichwas designed to render him, if not quite impervious to the enemy'smissiles, at any rate to lessen his chances of being struck, and to makehim a very lion of strength and courage in the day of battle.

  This over, yet one ceremony remained, to sing the war-song in thepresence of the King, and depart. A silence had fallen upon all afterthe doctoring was concluded. Soon, however, it was broken by the"praisers" shouting the King's titles.

  As Lo Bengula appeared in front of his warriors, the whole immensecrescent fell forward like mown corn, and from every throat went up inone single, deep-voiced, booming roar, the royal greeting:

  Kumalo!

  The King did not seat himself. With head erect and kindling eyes, hepaced up and down slowly, surveying the whole martial might of hisnation. He, too, was arrayed in full war costume, crowned with thetowering _intye_, and wearing a mutya of splendid leopard skin. He wasattended by his shield-bearer, holding aloft the great white shield ofstate, but in his hand he carried another and a smaller shield, alsowhite, and a long-hafted, slender, casting assegai.

  Long and loud were the shouts of _sibonga_ which rent the air as thewarriors fell back into a squatting posture, their shields lying flat infront of them. They hailed him by every imaginable title of power andof might--as their father, as their divinity, as the source of all thatwas good and beneficial which they possessed. They called thelightnings of the clouds, the thunders of the air--everything--intorequisition to testify as to his immensity--till at last, as though inobedience to some sudden and mysterious signal, they subsided intosilence. Then Lo Bengula spoke:

  "Children of Matyobane, the enemy is already in your land. TheseAmakiwa, who came to me few and poor, and begging, are now many andrich, and proud. They begged for a little land wherein to dig gold, andI gave it them, but, lo, they want more. Like devouring locusts, thesefew whites who came begging, and sat down here so humbly before me, werebut the advance-guard of a swarm. I gave them meat, and now theyrequire a whole ox. I gave them an ox, and now they require the wholeherd. I gave them the little land they craved for, and now, nothingwill satisfy them but to devour the whole land. Soon they will be here.

  "There are dogs who bark and turn away, and there are dogs who bite.There are dogs who are brave when it is a matter of pulling down anantelope, but who put down their tails and slink away when it is a lionwho fronts them. Of which are ye?

  "Lo, the spirit of the Great Great One who founded this nation is stillalive. His serpent still watches over those whom he made great in theart of war. Shall you shame his name, his memory? Of a truth, no.

  "Yonder comes the white army--nearer, nearer day by day. Soon it willbe here. But first it will have to pass over the bodies of the lions ofMatyobane. Shall it do so? Of a truth, no!"

  The King ceased. And upon the silence arose mighty shouts. To thedeath they would oppose this invasion. The King, their father, mightsit safe, since his children, his fighting dogs were at large. Theywould eat up these whites--ha--ha! a mere mouthful, and the race ofMatyobane should be greater than ever among the great nations of theworld.

  Then again a silence fell suddenly, and immediately from a score ofpoints along the lines, voices began to lead off the war-song:

  "Woz'ubone! Woz'ubone, kiti kwazulu! Woz'ubone! Nantz'indaba. Indaba yemkonto. Jji-jji! Jji-jji!

  "Nantz'indaba? Indaba yezizwe? Akwasimuntu. Jji-jji! Jji-jji!

  "Woz'ubone! Nantz'indaba. Indaba ka Matyobane."

  [See Note 1.]

  Louder and louder, in its full-throated cadence, the national war-songrolled forth, thundrous in its wild weird strophes, to the accompanimentof stamping feet and clashing of shields--the effect of the deep humminghiss of the death chorus alone appalling in its fiendlike intensity.The vast crescent of bedizened warriors swayed and waved in itsuncontrollable excitement, and the dust clouds streamed overhead as anearnest of the smoke of burning and pillage, which was wont to mark thefiery path of this terrible race in its conquering progress. Louder,louder, the song roared forth, and then, when excitement had reached itshighest pitch, silence fell with a suddenness as startling as the mightyoutburst which had preceded it.

  For the King had advanced from where he had been standing. Facingeastward he now stood. Poising the long, slender, casting assegai inhis hand with a nervous quiver, he hurled it far out over the stockade.

  "Go now, children of Matyobane!" he cried in tones of thunder.

  It was the signal. Rank upon rank the armed legions filed forth fromthe gates of the great kraal. In perfect silence now they marched,their faces set eastward--a fell, vast, unsparing host upon destructionbent. Woe to the invading force if it should fail to repel the might ofthese!

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  Note 1.

  "Come behold come behold at the High Place! That is the tale--the tale of the spears. That is the tale? The tale of the nations? Nobody knows. Come behold. That is the tale. The tale of Matyobane."

  "Jji-jji!" is the cry uttered on closing in battle.