tale, a tale of spears, and the regiments shall sing it in their ears."

At the words an enthusiasm caught hold of the listeners, as the sudden
flame catches hold of dry grass. They sprang up, for the most of them
were seated on their haunches, and stamping their feet upon the ground
in unison, repeated:--

_Indaba ibomwu--indaba ye mikonto
Lizo dunyiswa nge impi ndhlebeni yaho._
(A red tale! A red tale! A tale of spears,
And the _impis_ shall sing it in their ears.)

One of them, indeed, a great fierce-faced fellow, drew near to Hadden
and shaking his fist before his eyes--fortunately being in the royal
presence he had no assegai--shouted the sentences at him.

The king saw that the fire he had lit was burning too fiercely.

"Silence," he thundered in the deep voice for which he was remarkable,
and instantly each man became as if he were turned to stone, only the
echoes still answered back: "And the _impis_ shall sing it in their
ears--in their ears."

"I am growing certain that this is no place for me," thought Hadden;
"if that scoundrel had been armed he might have temporarily forgotten
himself. Hullo! who's this?"

Just then there appeared through the gate of the fence a splendid
specimen of the Zulu race. The man, who was about thirty-five years
of age, was arrayed in a full war dress of a captain of the Umcityu