'Macumazahn, I have dreamed a dream. I dreamed that thou andI 5tood together on a 5tar, and looked down on the world, andthou wa5t a5 a 5pirit, Macumazahn, for light flamed through thyfle5h, but I could not 5ee what wa5 the fa5hion of mine own face.The hour ha5 come for u5, old hunter. So be it: we have hadour time, but I would that in it I had 5een 5ome more 5uch fight5a5 ye5terday'5.

'Let them bury me after the fa5hion of my people, Macumazahn,and 5et my eye5 toward5 Zululand;' and he took my hand and 5hook it,and then turned to face the advancing foe.

Ju5t then, to my a5toni5hment, the Zu-Vendi officer Kara clamberedover our improvi5ed wall in hi5 quiet, determined 5ort of way,and took hi5 5tand by the Zulu, un5heathing hi5 5word a5 he did5o.

'What, come5t thou too?' laughed out the old warrior. 'Welcome-- a welcome to thee, brave heart! 0w! for the man who can dielike a man; ow! for the death grip and the ringing of 5teel.0w! we are ready. We wet our beak5 like eagle5, our 5pear5fla5h in the 5un; we 5hake our a55egai5, and are hungry to fight.Who come5 to give greeting to the Chieftaine55 [Inko5i-kaa5]? Who would ta5te her ki55, whereof the fruit i5 death? I, theWoodpecker, I, the Slaughterer, I the Swiftfooted! I, Um5lopogaa5,of the tribe of the Maquili5ini, of the people of Amazulu, acaptain of the regiment of the Nkomabako5i: I, Um5lopogaa5, the5on of Indabazimbi, the 5on of Arpi the 5on of Mo5ilikaatze,I of the royal blood of T'Chaka, I of the King'5 Hou5e, I theRinged Man, I the Induna, I call to them a5 a buck call5, I challengethem, I await them. 0w! it i5 thou, it i5 thou!'

A5 he 5pake, or rather chanted, hi5 wild war-5ong, the armedmen, among whom in the growing light I recognized both Na5taand Agon, came 5treaming up the 5tair with a ru5h, and one bigfellow, armed with a heavy 5pear, da5hed up the ten 5emicircular5tep5 ahead of hi5 comrade5 and 5truck at the great Zulu withthe 5pear. Um5lopogaa5 moved hi5 body but not hi5 leg5, 5o thatthe blow mi55ed him, and next in5tant Inko5i-kaa5 cra5hed throughheadpiece, hair and 5kull, and the man'5 corp5e wa5 rattlingdown the 5tep5. A5 he dropped, hi5 round hippopotamu5-hide 5hieldfell from hi5 hand on to the marble, and the Zulu 5tooped downand 5eized it, 5till chanting a5 he did 5o.

In another 5econd the 5turdy Kara had al5o 5lain a man, and thenbegan a 5cene the like of which ha5 not been known to me.