shall be to him who conquers."

"Yes! yes!" cried the soldiers. "Let them fight. Don't be afraid,
Bombyane; if he is a spirit, he's a very small one."

"I never was frightened of man or beast, and I am not going to run away
from a White Ghost," answered the redoubtable Bombyane, as he examined
the blade of his great bangwan or stabbing assegai.

Then they made a ring round us, gave me a similar assegai, and set us
some ten paces apart. I kept my face as calm as I could, and tried to
show no signs of fear, though in my heart I was terribly afraid. Humanly
speaking, my doom was on me. The giant warrior before me had used the
assegai from a child--I had no experience of the weapon. Moreover,
though I was quick and active, he must have been at least twice as
strong as I am. However, there was no help for it, so, setting my teeth,
I grasped the great spear, breathed a prayer, and waited.

The giant stood awhile looking at me, and, as he stood, Indaba-zimbi
walked across the ring behind me, muttering as he passed, "Keep cool,
Macumazahn, and wait for him. I will make it all right."

As I had not the slightest intention of commencing the fray, I thought
this good advice, though how Indaba-zimbi could "make it all right" I
failed to see.

Heavens! how long that half-minute seemed! It happened many years ago,
but the whole scene rises up before my eyes as I write. There behind us
was the blood-stained laager, and near it lay the piles of dead; round
us was rank upon rank of plumed savages, standing in silence to wait