As anatomists tell us, that never again,
Shall life revisit the foully slain
When once they've been cut through the jugular vein."

In my circumstances at that moment this statement seemed altogether too
suggestive, so I shut up the book and remarked,

"If you are wanderers who want food, as I judge by your being so thin,
I am sorry that I have little meat, but my servants will give you what
they can."

"_Ow!_" said the spokesman, "he calls us wanderers! Either he must be a
very great man or he is mad."

"You are right. I _am_ a great man," I answered, yawning, "and if you
trouble me too much you will see that I can be mad also. Now what do you
want?"

"We are messengers from the great Chief Umslopogaas, Captain of the
People of the Axe, and we want tribute," answered the man in a somewhat
changed tone.

"Do you? Then you won't get it. I thought that only the King of Zululand
had a right to tribute, and your Captain's name is not Cetywayo, is it?"

"Our Captain is King here," said the man still more uncertainly.

"Is he indeed? Then away with you back to him and tell this King of whom
I have never heard, though I have a message for a certain Umslopogaas,
that Macumazahn, Watcher-by-Night, intends to visit him to-morrow, if