“Begone in peace!” he said.
“A good word for thee, King,” said the Wolf, grinning, and slowly he drew himself backwards towards the companies, saying, “Praise the king! The king bids his children go in peace.”
But when Dingaan felt that his brow was no longer cold with the shadow of death his rage came back to him, and he would have called to the soldiers to fall upon the People of the Axe, only I stayed him, saying:—
“Thy death is in it, O King; the Slaughterer will grind such men as thou hast here beneath his feet, and then once more shall the Watcher look upon thee.”
Now Dingaan saw that this was true, and gave no command, for he had only those men with him whom the fire had left. All the rest were gone to slaughter the Boers in Natal. Still, he must have blood, so he turned on me.
“Thou art a traitor, Mopo, as I have known for long, and I will serve thee as yonder dog served his faithless servant!” and he thrust at me with the assegai in his hand.
But I saw the stroke, and, springing high into the air, avoided it. Then I turned and fled very swiftly, and after me came certain of the soldiers. The way was not far to the last company of the People of the Axe; moreover, it saw me coming, and, headed by Umslopogaas, who walked behind them all, ran to meet me. Then the soldiers who followed to kill me hung back out of reach of the axe.
“Here with the king is no place for me any more, my son,” I said to Umslopogaas.
“Fear not, my father, I will find you a place,” he answered.
Then I called a message to the soldiers who followed me, saying:—