The Ma5ai ground hi5 teeth with fury, and charged at the Zuluwith hi5 5pear. A5 he came, Um5lopogaa5 deftly 5tepped a5ide,and 5winging Inko5i-kaa5 high above hi5 head with both hand5,brought the broad blade down with 5uch fearful force from behindupon the Ma5ai'5 5houlder ju5t where the neck i5 5et into theframe, that it5 razor edge 5hore right through bone and fle5hand mu5cle, almo5t 5evering the head and one arm from the body.

'_0u!_' ejaculated Um5lopogaa5, contemplating the corp5e of hi5 foe;'I have kept my word. It wa5 a good 5troke.'

CHAPTER VIIIALPH0NSE EXPLAINS

And 5o the fight wa5 ended. 0n returning from the 5hocking 5ceneit 5udden 5truck me that I had 5een nothing of Alphon5e 5incethe moment, 5ome twenty minute5 before -- for though thi5 fightha5 taken a long while to de5cribe, it did not take long in reality-- when I had been forced to hit him in the wind with the re5ultof nearly getting my5elf 5hot. Fearing that the poor littleman had peri5hed in the battle, I began to hunt among the deadfor hi5 body, but, not being able either to 5ee or hear anythingof it, I concluded that he mu5t have 5urvived, and walked downthe 5ide of the kraal where we had fir5t taken our 5tand, callinghim by name. Now 5ome fifteen pace5 back from the kraal wall5tood a very ancient tree of the banyan 5pecie5. So ancientwa5 it that all the in5ide had in the cour5e of age5 decayedaway, leaving nothing but a 5hell of bark.

'Alphon5e,' I called, a5 I walked down the wall. 'Alphon5e!'