UC-NRI 
 
 H. RIDER HAGGARD 
 
FROM -THE -LIBRARY- OF- 
 A. W. Ryder 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 CETYWAYO AND HIS WHITE NEIGHBOURS. 
 
 DAWN. 
 
 THE WITCH'S HEAD. 
 
 KING SOLOMON'S MINES. 
 
 SHE. 
 
 JESS. 
 
 ALLAN QUATERMAIN. 
 
 MAIWA'S REVENGE. 
 
 MR. MEESON'S WILL. 
 
 COLONEL QUARITCH, V.C. 
 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ALLAN'S WIFE. 
 
 BEATRICE. 
 
 ERIC BRIGHTEYES. 
 
 NADA THE LILY. 
 
 MONTEZUMA'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 THE PEOPLE OF THE MIST. 
 
 JOAN HASTE. 
 
 HEART OF THE WORLD. 
 
 (In collaboration with Andrew Lang) 
 THE WORLD'S DESIRE. 
 
THE WIZARD 
 
THE WIZARD 
 
 BY 
 
 H. RIDER HAGGARD 
 
 / 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 "SHE," "ALLAN QUATERMAIN," "KING SOLOMON'S MINES" 
 
 BRISTOL 
 
 J. W. ARROWSMITH LTD., QUAY STREET 
 
 LONDON 
 SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & COMPANY 'LIMITED 
 
All rights reserved 
 
 First published in 1896, 
 
SJebfcatfon. 
 
 To the Memory of the Child 
 
 * 
 
 NADA BURNHAM, 
 
 who " bound all to her " and, while her 
 father cut his way through the hordes 
 of the Ingobo Regiment, perished of 
 the hardships of war at Buluwayo on 
 May igth, 1896, / dedicate this tale 
 of faith triumphant over savagery and 
 death. 
 
 H. RIDER HAGGARD. 
 
 DlTCHINGHAM, 
 
 6th July, 1896. 
 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Chap. Page 
 
 I. THE DEPUTATION .... 9 
 
 II. THOMAS OWEN ..... 17 
 
 III. THE TEMPTATION . . . . 23 
 
 IV. THE VISION ..... 34 
 V. THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS . 48 
 
 VI. THE DRINKING OF THE CUP . . 6 1 
 
 VII. THE RECOVERY OF THE KING . . 70 
 
 VIII. THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE ... 82 
 
 IX. THE CRISIS. . . . . -94 
 
 X. THE SECOND TRIAL BY FIRE . . 105 
 
 XI. THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD . . Il6 
 
 XII. THE MESSAGE OF HOKOSA . . .134 
 
 XIII. THE BASKET OF FRUIT . . . 143 
 
 XIV. THE EATING OF THE FRUIT . . . 155 
 XV. NOMA COMES TO HAFELA . . . l66 
 
 XVI. THE REPENTANCE OF HOKOSA . . 176 
 
 XVII. THE LOOSING OF NOMA . . . 185 
 
 XVIII. THE PASSING OF OWEN . . . 196 
 
 XIX. THE FALL OF THE GREAT PLACE . . 206 
 
 XX. NOMA SETS A SNARE .... 2l6 
 
 XXI. HOKOSA IS LIFTED UP . . 227 
 
 XXII. THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS , , 239 
 
THE WIZARD 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE DEPUTATION 
 
 the age of miracle gone by, or is it still possible 
 to the Voice of Faith calling aloud upon the earth 
 to wring from the dumb heavens an audible answer 
 to its prayer ? Does the promise uttered by the 
 Master of mankind upon the eve of the end " Whoso 
 that believeth on Me, the works that I do he shall 
 do also . . . and whatsoever ye shall ask in My 
 name, that will I do " still hold good to such as 
 do ask and do believe ? 
 
 Let those who study the history of the Rev. 
 Thomas Owen, and of that strange man who carried 
 on and completed, his work, answer this question 
 according to their judgment. 
 
 ,The time was a Sunday afternoon in summer, 
 
 and the place a church in the Midland counties. 
 
 It was a beautiful church, ancient and spacious ; 
 
 moreover, it had recently been restored at great 
 
 9 
 
10 THE WIZARD 
 
 cost. Seven or eight hundred -people could have 
 found sittings in it, and doubtless they had done 
 so when Busscombe was a large manufacturing 
 town, before the failure of the coal supply and 
 other causes drove away its trade. Now it was 
 much what it had been in the time of the Normans, 
 a little agricultural village with a population of 
 three hundred souls. Out of this population, 
 including the choir boys, exactly thirty-nine had 
 elected to attend church on this particular Sunday ; 
 and of these, three were fast asleep and four were 
 dozing. The Rev. Thomas Owen counted them 
 from his seat in the chancel, for another clergyman 
 was preaching; and, as he counted, bitterness and 
 disappointment took hold of him. The preacher was 
 a " Deputation," sent by one of the large missionary 
 societies to arouse the indifferent to a sense 
 of their duty tQwards * their unconverted black 
 brethren in Africa, and incidentally to collect cash 
 to be spent in the conversion of the said brethren. 
 The Rev. Thomas Owen had himself suggested 
 the visit of the Deputation and laboured hard to 
 secure him a good audience. But the beauty of the 
 weather, or the terror of the inevitable subscription, 
 had prevailed against him. Hence his disappoint- 
 ment. 
 
 " Well," he thought, with a sigh, " I have done 
 my best, and I must make it up out of my own 
 pocket." 
 
 Then he settled himself to listen to the sermon. 
 
 The preacher was a battered-looking individual 
 
THE DEPUTATION 11 
 
 of between fifty and sixty years of age, gaunt with 
 recent sickness, patient and unimaginative in aspect. 
 He preached extemporarily, with the aid of notes ; 
 and it cannot be said that his discourse was re- 
 markable for interest, at any rate in its beginning. 
 Doubtless the sparse congregation, so prone t 
 slumber, discouraged him ; for offering exhortations 
 to "empty benches is but weary work. Indeed, 
 he was meditating the advisability of bringing 
 his argument to an abrupt conclusion when, chancing 
 to glance round, he became aware that he had 
 at least one sympathetic listener, his host, the 
 Rev. Thomas Owen. From that moment the 
 sermon improved by degrees, till at length it reached 
 a really high level of excellence. Ceasing from 
 rhetoric, the preacher began to tell of his own 
 experiences and sufferings in the Cause amongst 
 savage tribes ; for he himself was a missionary of 
 many years' standing. He told how once he and 
 a companion had been sent to a nation, who named 
 themselves the Sons of Fire because their god 
 was the lightning, if indeed they could be said to 
 boast any gods other than the spear and the 
 King. In simple language he narrated his terrible 
 adventures among these savages, the murder of his 
 companion by command of the Council of Wizards, 
 and his own flight for his life, a tale so interesting 
 and vivid that even the bucolic sleepers awakened 
 and listened open-mouthed., 
 
 " But this is by the way," he went on ; " for my 
 Society does not ask you to subscribe towards the 
 
12 THE WIZARD 
 
 conversion of the Children of Fire. Until that 
 people is conquered, which very likely will not be 
 for generations, seeing that they live in .Central 
 Africa, occupying a territory that white men do 
 not desire, no missionary will dare again to visit 
 them." 
 
 At this moment something caused him to look a 
 second time at Thomas Owen. He was leaning 
 foVward in his place listening eagerly, and a strange 
 light filled the large, dark eyes that shone in the 
 pallor of his delicate and nervous face. 
 
 " There is a man who would dare, if he were put 
 to it," thought the Deputation to himself. Then 
 he ended his sermon. 
 
 That evening the two men sat at dinner in the 
 Rectory. It was a very fine Rectory, beautifully 
 furnished ; for Owen was a man of taste, and had 
 the means to gratify it. Also, although they were 
 alone, the dinner was good so good that the poor 
 broken-down missionary, sipping his unaccustomed 
 port, a vintage wine, sighed aloud in admiration 
 and involuntary envy. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " asked Owen. 
 
 " Nothing, Mr. Owen ; " then, of a sudden thawing 
 into candour, he added : " that is, everything. 
 Heaven forgive me ; but I, who am enjoying your 
 hospitality, am envious of you. Don't think too 
 hardly of me ; but I have a large family to support, 
 and if only you knew what a struggle my life is, 
 and has been for the last twenty years, you would 
 not, I am sure. But you have never experienced 
 
THE DEPUTATION 13 
 
 it, and could not understand. ' The labourer 
 is worthy of his hire/ Well, my hire is under 
 two hundred a year, and eight of us must live or 
 starve on it. And I have worked, ay, until my 
 health is broken. A labourer indeed ! I am a 
 very hodman, a spiritual Sisyphus. And now I 
 must go back to carry my load and roll my stone 
 again and again among those hopeless savages till 
 I die of it till I die of it ! " 
 
 " At least it is a noble life and death ! " exclaimed 
 Owen, a sudden fire of enthusiasm lighting up his 
 dark eyes. 
 
 " Yes, viewed from a distance. Were you asked 
 to leave this living of two thousand a year, I see 
 that is what they put it at in Crockford, with its 
 English comforts and easy work, that you might 
 lead that life and attain that death, then you would 
 think differently. But why should I bore you 
 with such talk ? Thank Heaven that your lines 
 are cast in pleasant places. - Yes, please, I will take 
 one more glass ; it does me good." 
 
 " Tell me some more about that tribe you were 
 speaking of in your sermon, the ', Sons of Fire ' I 
 think you called them," said Owen, as he pushed 
 him the decanter. 
 
 So, with an eloquence induced by the generous 
 wine and a quickened imagination, the Deputation 
 told him, told him many strange things and 
 terrible. For this people was an awful people : 
 vigorous in mind and body, and warriors from 
 generation to generation, but superstition -ridden 
 
14 THE WIZARD 
 
 and cruel. They lived in the far interior, some 
 months' journey by boat and ox-wagon from the 
 coast, and of white men and their ways they knew 
 but little. 
 
 " How many of them are there ? " asked Owen. 
 
 " Who can say ? " he answered. " Nearly half a 
 million, perhaps ; at least they pretend that they 
 can put sixty thousand men under arms." 
 
 " And did they treat you badly when you visited 
 them ? " 
 
 " Not at first. They received us civilly enough ; 
 and on a given day we were requested to explain 
 to the King and the Council of Wizards the religion 
 that we came to teach. All that day we explained 
 and. air the next, or rather my friend did, for 
 I knew very little of the language, and they 
 listened with great interest. At last the chief 
 of the wizards and the first prophet to the King 
 rose to question us. He was named Hokosa, a 
 tall, thin man, with a spiritual face and terrible 
 calm eyes. 
 
 " ' You speak well, son of a white man/ he said ; 
 ' but let us pass from words to deeds. You tell 
 us that this God of yours, whom you desire that 
 we should take as 'our God, so that you may become 
 His chief prophets in the land, was a wizard such 
 as we are, though greater than we are ; for not 
 only did He know the past and the future as we 
 do, but also He could cure those who were smitten 
 with hopeless sickness, and raise those who were 
 dead, which we cannot do. You tell us, moreover, 
 
THE DEPUTATION 15 
 
 that by faith those who believe on Him can do works 
 as great as He did, and that you do believe on Him. 
 Therefore we will put you to the proof. Ho ! there, 
 lead forth that evil one/ 
 
 " As he spoke a man was placed before us, one 
 who had been convicted of witchcraft or some 
 other crime. 
 
 " ' Kill him ! ' said Hokosa. 
 
 " There was a faint cry, a scuffle, a flashing of 
 spears, and the man lay still before us. 
 
 ' Now, followers of the new God/ said Hokosa, 
 ' raise him from the dead as your Master did ! ' 
 
 " In vain did we offer explanations. 
 
 ' Peace ! ' said Hokosa, at length, ' your words 
 weary us. Look now, either you have preached 
 to us a false God and are liars, or you are traitors 
 to the King you preach, since, lacking faith in Him, 
 you cannot do such works as He gives power to 
 do to those who have faith in Him. Out of your 
 own mouths are you judged, White Men. Choose 
 which horn of the bull you will, you hang to one 
 of them and it shall pierce you. This is the sentence 
 of the King, I speak it who am the King's Mouth : 
 That you, White Man, who have spoken to us these 
 two weary days, be put to death, and that you, his 
 companion, be driven from the land/ 
 
 " I can hardly bear to tell the rest of it, Mr. Owen. 
 
 They gave my poor friend ten minutes * to talk to 
 
 his Spirit/ then they speared him before my face. 
 
 After it was over, Hokosa spoke to me, saying : 
 
 ' Go back, White Man, to those who sent you, 
 
16 THE WIZARD 
 
 and tell them the words of the Sons of Fire : That 
 they have listened to the message of peace, and 
 though they be a people of warriors, yet they thank 
 them for that message, for in itself it sounds good 
 and beautiful in their ears, if it be true. Tell 
 them that having proved you to be liars, they 
 dealt with you as all honest men seek that liars 
 should be dealt with. Tell them that they desire 
 to hear more of this matter, and if one can be sent 
 to them who has no false tongue, who in all things 
 fulfils the promise of his lips, that they will hearken 
 to him and treat him well, but that for such as you 
 they keep a spear/ " 
 
 " And who went after you got back ? " asked 
 Owen, who was listening with the deepest interest. 
 
 " Who went ! Do you suppose that there are 
 many mad clergymen in Africa, Mr. Owen ? Nobody 
 went." 
 
 " And yet," said Owen, speaking more tor himself 
 than to his guest, " the man Hokosa was right; 
 and the Christian, who of a truth believes the 
 promises of our religion, should trust to them and 
 
 go." 
 
 " Then perhaps you would like to undertake 
 the mission, Mr. Owen," said the Deputation briskly ; 
 for the reflection stung him, unintentional as it 
 was. 
 
 Owen started. 
 
 " That is a new idea," he said. " And now perhaps 
 you wish to go to bed ; it is past eleven o'clock." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THOMAS OWEN 
 
 THOMAS OWEN went to his room, but not to bed. 
 Taking a Bible from the table, he consulted reference 
 after reference. 
 
 " The promise is clear," he said aloud, presen tly , 
 as he shut the book, " clear and often repeated. 
 There is no escape from it, and no possibility of a 
 double meaning. If it is not true, then it would 
 seem that nothing is true, and that every Christian 
 in the world is tricked and deluded. But if it is 
 true, why do we never hear of miracles ? The 
 answer is easy : Because we have not faith enough 
 to work them. The Apostles worked miracles ; 
 for they had seen, therefore their faith was perfect. 
 Since their day nobody's faith has been quite perfect ; 
 at least I think not. Ttie physical part of our nature 
 prevents it. Or perhaps the miracles still happen, 
 but they are spiritual miracles." 
 
 Then he sat down by the open window, and 
 gazing at the dreamy- beauty of the summer night 
 he thought, for his soul was troubled. Once before 
 it had been troubled thus ; that was nine years 
 ago, for now he was but little over thirty. Then 
 17 
 
18 THE WIZARD 
 
 '-*'*. 
 
 a call had come to him, a voice had seemed to 
 speak in his ears bidding him to lay down great 
 possessions to follow whither Heaven should lead 
 him. Thomas Owen had obeyed the voice, though, 
 owing to circumstances which need not be detailed, 
 to do so he was obliged to renounce his succession 
 to a very large estate, and to content himself with 
 a younger son's portion of thirty thousand pounds 
 and the reversion to the living which he had now 
 held for some five years. Then, and there, with 
 singular unanimity and despatch, his relations came 
 to the conclusion that he was mad. To this hour, 
 indeed, those who stand in his place and enjoy the 
 wealth and position that were* his by right, speak of 
 him as " poor Thomas," and mark their dis- 
 approbation of his peculiar conduct by refusing 
 with an unvarying steadiness to subscribe even a 
 single shilling to a missionary society. How " poor 
 Thomas " speaks of them in the place where he is we 
 may wonder, but as yet w r e cannot know probably 
 with the gentle love and charity that marked 
 his every action upon earth. But this is by the 
 way. ^ 
 
 He had entered the Church, but what had he 
 done in it ? That was the question that he asked 
 himself as he sat this night by the open window, 
 arraigning his past before the judgment-seat of 
 conscience. For three years fie had worked hard 
 somewhere in the slums ; .then this living had 
 fallen to him. He had taken it, and from that 
 day forward his record was very much of a blank. 
 
THOMAS OWEN 19 
 
 The parish was small and well ordered ; there 
 ,was little to do in it, and the Salvation Army had 
 seized upon and reclaimed the three confirmed 
 drunkards it could boast. His guest's saying 
 echoed in his brain like the catch of a tune " that 
 you might lead that life and attain that death." 
 Supposing that he were bidden so to do now, this 
 very night, would he indeed " think differently " ? 
 He had entered the Church to serve his Maker. 
 How would it be were that Maker to command that 
 he should serve Him in this extreme and heroic 
 fashion ? Would he flinch from the steel, or would 
 he meet it as the martyrs met it of old ? 
 
 Physically he was little suited to such an enterprise, 
 for in appearance he was slight and pale, and in 
 constitution delicate. Also, there was another 
 reason against it. High Church and somewhat 
 ascetic in his principles, in the beginning he had 
 admired celibacy, and in secret dedicated himself to* 
 that state. But in his heart Thomas was very much 
 a man, and of late he had come to see that that which 
 is against nature is presumably not right, though 
 fanatics may not hesitate to pror;ounce it wrong. 
 Possibly this conversion to these more genial views 
 of life was quickened by the presence in the neigh- 
 bourhood of a young lady whom he chanced to 
 admire ; at least it is certain that the mere thought 
 of seeing her no more for ever smote him like a 
 sword of sudden pain. 
 
 That very night or so it seemed to him, and 
 
20 THE WIZARD 
 
 so he believed the Angel of the Lord stood before 
 him as he was wont to stand before the men of old, 
 and spoke a summons in his ear. How or in what 
 seeming that summons came Owen never told, and 
 we need not inquire. At the least he heard it, and 
 like the Apostles, he arose and girded his loins to 
 obey. For now, in the hour of trial, it proved that 
 this man's faith partook of the nature of their faith ; 
 it was utter and virgin ; it was not clogged with 
 nineteenth-century qualifications ; it had never 
 dallied with strange doctrines, or kissed the feet of 
 pinchbeck substitutes for God. In his heart he 
 believed that the Almighty, without intermediary, 
 but face to face, had bidden him to go forth into the 
 wilderness there to perish, and he bowed his head 
 and went. 
 
 On the following morning at breakfast Owen 
 fed some talk with his friend the Deputation. 
 
 ".You asked me last night," he said, quietly, 
 " whether I would undertake a mission to that 
 people of whom you were telling me, the Sons of 
 Fire. Well, I have been thinking it over, and come 
 to the conclusion that I will do so 
 
 At this point the Deputation, concluding that 
 his host must be mad, moved quietly but decidedly 
 towards the door. 
 
 " Wait a moment," went on Owen, in a matter- 
 of-fact voice, " the dog-cart will not be round for 
 another three-quarters of an hour. Tell me, if it 
 were offered to you, and on investigation you 
 
THOMAS OWEN 21 
 
 proved suitable, would you care to take over this 
 living ? " 
 
 " Would I care to take over this living ? " gasped 
 the astonished Deputation. " Would I care to walk 
 into that garden and find myself in Heaven ? But 
 why are you making fun of me ? " 
 
 " I am not making fun of you. If I go to Africa 
 I must give up the living, of which I own the 
 advowson, ard it occurred to me that it might suit 
 you, that is all. You have done your share ; your 
 health is broken, and you have many dependent 
 upon you. It seems right, therefore, that you 
 should rest and that I should work. If I do no good 
 yonder, at the least you and yours will be a little 
 benefited." 
 
 That same day Owen chanced to meet the lady 
 who has been spoken of as having caught his heart. 
 He had meant to go away without seeing her, 
 but fortune brought them together. Hitherto, 
 whilst in reality leading him on, she had seemed 
 to keep him at a distance, with the result that he 
 did not know that- it was her fixed intention to 
 marry him. To her, with some hesitation, he told 
 his plans. Surprised, and frightened into candour, 
 the lady reasoned with him warmly, and when 
 reason failed to move him she did more. By some 
 subtle movement, with some sudden word, she lifted 
 the veil of her reserve and suffered "him to see her 
 heart. " If you will not stay for aught else," said 
 her troubled eyes, " then, love, stay for me." 
 
22 THE WIZARD 
 
 For a moment he was shaken. Then he answered 
 the look straight out, as was his nature. 
 
 " I never guessed," he said. " I did not presume 
 to hope now it is too late ! Listen, I will tell 
 you what I have told no living soul, though thereafter 
 you may think me mad. Weak and humble as I am, 
 I believe myself to have received a Divine mission. 
 I believe that I shall execute it, or bring about its 
 execution, but at the ultimate cost of my own life. 
 Still, in such a service two are better than one. 
 If you can care enough, if you 
 
 But the lady had already turned away, and was 
 murmuring her farewells in accents that sounded 
 like a sob. Love and faith after this sort were 
 not given to her. 
 
 Of all Owen's trials this was the sharpest. Of 
 all his sacrifices this was the most complete. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE TEMPTATION 
 
 Two years had gone by, and from the Rectory 
 in a quiet English village we pass to a scene in 
 Central, or South Central, Africa. 
 
 On the brow of a grassy slope dotted over with 
 mimosa thorns, and close to a gushing stream of 
 water, stands a house, or rather a hut, built of 
 green brick and thatched with grass. Behind 
 this hut is a fence of thorns, rough but strong, 
 designed to protect all within it from the attacks of 
 lions and other beasts of prey. At present, save 
 for a solitary mule eating its provender by the 
 wheel of a tented ox- wagon, it is untenanted, for 
 the cattle have not yet been kraaled for the night. 
 Presently Thomas Owen enters this enclosure by 
 the back-door of the hut, and having attended to 
 the mule, which whinnies at the sight of him, goes 
 to the gate and watches there till he sees- the native 
 boys driving the cattle up the slope of the hill. 
 At length they arrive, and when he has counted 
 them to make sure that none are missing, and in 
 a few kind words commended the herds for their 
 watchfulness, he walks to the front of the house, and 
 
 23 
 
24 THE WIZARD 
 
 seating himself upon a wooden stool set under a 
 mimosa tree that grows near the door, he looks 
 earnestly towards the west. 
 
 The man has changed somewhat since last we 
 saw him. To begin with, he has grown a beard, 
 and although the hot African sun has bronzed it 
 into an appearance of health, his face is even thinner 
 than it was, and the great spiritual eyes shine still 
 more strangely in it. 
 
 At the foot of the slope runs a wide river, just 
 here broken into rapids where the waters make 
 an angry music. Beyond the river stretches a 
 vast plain bounded on the horizon by mountain 
 ranges, each line of them rising higher than the 
 other till the topmost and more distant peaks 
 melt imperceptibly into the tender blue of the 
 heavens. This is the land of the Sons of Fire, 
 and yonder amid the slopes of the nearest hills 
 is the great kraal of their king, Umsuka, whose 
 name, being interpreted, means The Thunderbolt. 
 
 In the very midst of the foaming rapids and 
 about a thousand yards from the house lies a space 
 of rippling shallow water, where, unless it chances 
 to be in flood, the river can be forded. It is this 
 ford that Owen watches so intently. 
 
 " John should have been back twelve hours^ago," 
 he mutters to himself. " I pray that no harm has 
 befallen him at the Great Place yonder." 
 
 Just then a tiny black speck appears far-away 
 on the plain. It is a man travelling towards the 
 water at a swinging trot. Going into the hut, Owen 
 
TEMPTATION 25 
 
 returns with a pair of field glasses, and through them 
 scrutinizes the figure of the man. 
 
 " Heaven be praised ! it is John," he mutters, with 
 a sigh of relief. " Now, I wonder what answer he 
 brings ? " 
 
 Half an hour later John stands before him, a 
 stalwart native of the tribe of the Amasuka, the 
 People of Fire, and with uplifted hand salutes him, 
 giving him titles of honour. . 
 
 " Praise me not, John," said Owen ; " praise God 
 only, as I have taught you to do. Tell me, have you 
 seen the King, and what is his word ? " 
 
 " Father," he answered, " I journeyed to the great 
 town, as you bade me, and I was admitted before the 
 majesty of the King ; yes, he received me in the 
 courtyard of the House o? Women. With his guards, 
 who stood at a distance out of hearing, there were 
 present three only ; but oh ! those three were great, 
 the greatest in all the land after the King. They 
 were Hafela, the King that is to come, the Prince 
 Nodwengo, his brother, and Hokosa the terrible, the 
 chief of the wizards ; and I tell you, father, that my 
 blood dried up and my heart shrivelled when they 
 turned their eyes upon me, reading the thoughts of 
 my heart." 
 
 " Have I not told you, John, to trust in God and 
 fear nothing at the hands of man ? " 
 
 " You have told me, father, but still I feared," 
 answered the messenger, humbly ; " yet, being 
 bidden to it, I lifted my forehead from the dust and 
 stood upon my feet before the King and delivered 
 
26 THE WIZARD 
 
 to him the message which you set between my 
 lips." 
 
 " Repeat the message, John." 
 
 " ' O King/ I said, ' beneath whose footfall the 
 whole earth shakes, whose arms stretch round the 
 world and whose breath is the storm, I, whose name 
 is John, am sent by the white man whose name is 
 Messenger/ for by that title you bade me make you 
 known ' who for a year has dwelt in the land that 
 your spears have wasted beyond the banks of the 
 river. These are the words that he spoke to me, 
 
 King, and that I pass on to you with my tongue : 
 " To the King, Umsuka, lord of the Amasuka, the 
 Sons of Fire, I, Messenger, who am the servant and 
 the ambassador of the King: of Heaven, give greeting. 
 A year ago, King, I sent to you saying that the 
 message which was brought by that white man whom 
 you drove from your land had reached the ears of 
 Him whom I serve, the High and Holy One, and that, 
 speaking in my heart, He had commanded me to 
 take up the challenge of your message. Here am I, 
 therefore, ready to abide by the law which you have 
 laid down ; for if guile or lies be found in me, then 
 let me travel from your land across the bridge of 
 spears. Still, I would dwell a little while here where 
 
 1 am before I pass into the shadow of your rule and 
 speak in the ears of your people as I have been 
 bidden. Know, King, that first I would learn your 
 tongue, and therefore I demand that one of your 
 people may be sent to dwell with me and to teach me 
 that tongue. King, you heard my words and you 
 
THE TEMPTATION 27 
 
 sent me a man to dwell with me, and that man has 
 taught me your tongue, and I also have taught him, 
 converting him to my faith, and giving him a new 
 name, the name of John. King, now I seek your 
 leave to visit you, and to deliver into your ears the 
 words with which I, Messenger, am charged. I have 
 spoken." 
 
 " Thus I, John, addressed' the great ones, my 
 father, and they listened in silence. When I had 
 done they spoke together, a \^rd here and a word 
 there. Then Hokosa, the King's Mouth, answered 
 me, telling the thought of the King : ' You are a 
 bold man, you whose name is John, but who once 
 had another name you, who dare to appear before 
 me and to make it known to me that you have been 
 turned to a new faith and serve another King than I. 
 Yet because you are bold, I forgive you. Go back 
 now to that white man who is named Messenger, and 
 who comes upon an embassy to me from the Lord of 
 Heaven, and bid him come in peace. Yet warn him 
 once again that here also we know something of the 
 powers that are not seen, here also we have our 
 wizards who draw wisdom from the air, who tame 
 the thunderbolt and compel the rain, and that he 
 must show himself greater than all of these if he 
 would not pass hence by the bridge of spears. Let 
 him, therefore, take counsel with his heart and with 
 Him he serves, if such a One there is, and let him 
 come or let him sta^ away as it shall -please 
 him/" 
 
 " So be it," said Owen ; " the words of the King 
 
28 THE WIZARD 
 
 are good, and to-morrow we will start for the Great 
 Place." 
 
 John heard and assented, but without eagerness. 
 
 " My father," he said, in a doubtful and tentative 
 voice, " would it not perhaps be better to bide here 
 first ? " 
 
 " Why ? " asked Owen. " We have sown, and 
 now is the hour to reap." 
 
 " Quite so, my father, but as I ran hither, full of 
 the King's words, it came into my mind that now is 
 not the time to convert the Sons of Fire. There is 
 trouble brewing at the Great Place, father. Listen, 
 and I will tell you ; as I have heard, so I will tell 
 you. You know well that our King Umsuka has 
 two sons, Hafela and Nodwengo ; and of these 
 Hafela is the heir-apparent, the fruit of the chief 
 wife of the King, and Nodwengo is sprung from 
 another wife. Now Hafela is proud and cruel, a 
 warrior of warriors, a terrible man, and Nodwengo 
 is gentle and mild, like to his mother whom the King 
 loves. Of late it has been discovered that Hafela, 
 weary of waiting for power, has made a plot to depose 
 his father and to kill Nodwengo, his brother, so that 
 the land and those who dwell in it may become his 
 without question. This plot the King knows I 
 had it from one of his women, who is my sister and 
 he is very wrath, yet he dare do little, for he grows 
 old and timid, and seeks rest, not war. Yet he is 
 minded, if he can find the heart, to go back upon 
 the law and to name Nodwengo as his heir before 
 all the army at the Feast of the First-fruits, which 
 
THE TEMPTATION 29 
 
 shall be held on the third day from to-night. This 
 Hafela knows, and Nodwengo knows it also, and each 
 of them has summoned his following, numbering 
 thousands and tens of thousands of spears, to attend 
 the Feast of the First-fruits. That feast may well be 
 a feast of vultures, my father, and when the brothers 
 and their regiments rush together fighting for the 
 throne, what will chance to the white man who 
 comes at such a moment to preach a faith of peace, 
 and to his servant, one John, who led him there ? " 
 " I do not know," answered Owen, " and it troubles 
 me not at all. I go to carry out my mission, and in 
 this way or in that it will be carried out. John, 
 if you are fearful or unbelieving, leave me to go 
 alone." 
 
 " Nay, father, I am not fearful ; yet, father, I 
 would have you understand. Yonder there are men 
 who can work wizardry. Wow ! I know, for I have 
 seen it, and they will demand from you magic greater 
 than their magic." 
 " What of it, John ? " 
 
 " Only this, my father, that if they ask and you 
 fail to give, they will kill you. You teach beautiful 
 things, but say, are you a wizard ? When the child 
 of a woman yonder lay dead, you could not raise it 
 as did the Christ ; when the oxen were sick, you 
 could not cure them ; or at least, my father, you 
 did not, although you wept for the child and were 
 sorry at the loss of the oxen. Now, my father, if 
 perchance they ask you to do such things as these 
 yonder, or die, say, what will happen ? " 
 
 3' 
 
30 THE WIZARD 
 
 
 
 " One of two things, John : either I shall die or 
 I shall do the things." 
 
 " But " hesitated John " surely you do not 
 believe that -" and he broke off. 
 
 Owen turned round and looked at his disciple 
 with kindling eyes. " I do believe, oh you of little 
 faith ! " he said, " I do believe that yonder I have a 
 mission, and that He Whom I serve will give me 
 power to carry out that mission. You are right, I 
 can work no miracles ; but He can work miracles 
 Whom everything in Heaven and earth obeys, and 
 if there is need He will work them through me, His 
 instrument. Or perhaps He will not work them, 
 and I shall die, because thus His ends will best be 
 forwarded. At the least I go in faith, fearing 
 nothing, for what has he to fear who knows the will 
 of God and does it ? But to you who doubt, I say 
 leave me ! " 
 
 The man spread out his hands in deprecation ; his 
 thick lips trembled a little, and something like a 
 tear appeared at the corners of his eyes. 
 
 " Father," he said, " am I a coward that you should 
 talk to me thus ? I, who for twenty years have been 
 a soldier of my king and for ten a captain in my 
 regiment ? These scars show whether or no I am 
 a coward," and he pointed to his breast, " but of 
 them I will not speak. I am no coward, else I had 
 not gone upon that errand of yours. Why, then, 
 would you reproach me because my ears are not so 
 open as yours, and my heart has not understanding ? 
 I worship that God of Whom you have taught me, 
 
THE TEMPTATION 31 
 
 but He never speaks to me as He does to you. I 
 r meet Him as I walk at night ; He leaves me 
 quite alone. Therefore it is that I fear that when the 
 hour of trial comes He may desert you ; and unless 
 He covers you with His shield, of this I am sure, 
 that the spear is forged that shall blush red in your 
 heart, my father. It is for you that I fear, who are 
 so gentle and tender ; not for myself, who am well 
 accustomed to look in the eyes of Death, and who 
 expect no more than death." 
 
 " Forgive me," said Owen, hastily, for he was 
 moved, " and be sure that the shield will be over us 
 till the time comes for us to pass whither we shall 
 
 need none." 
 
 % 
 
 That night Owen rose from the task at which he 
 was labouring slowly and painfully, a translation of 
 passages from St. John's Gospel into the language 
 of the Amasuka, and going to the open window- 
 place of the hut, he rested his elbows upon it and 
 thought. Now it was as he sat thus that a great 
 agony of doubt took possession of his soul. The 
 .th that hitherto had supported him seemed to 
 be withdrawn, and he was left, as John had said, 
 " quite alone." Strange voices seemed to whisper' 
 in his ears, reproaching and reviling him ; temp- 
 tations long ago trampled under foot rose again in 
 might, alluring him. 
 
 " Fool ! " said the voices, " get you hence before 
 it is too late. You have been mad, you who dreamed 
 that for your sake, to satisfy your pride, the Almighty 
 
3.2 THE WIZARD 
 
 would break His silence and strain His law. Are you 
 then better, or greater, or purer than millions who 
 have gone before you, that for you and you alone 
 this thing should be done ? Why, were it not that 
 you are mad, you would be among the chief of sinners; 
 you, who dare to ask that the powers of Heaven 
 should be set within your feeble hand, that the Angels 
 of Heaven should wait upon your mortal breath. 
 Worm that you are, has God need of such as you ? 
 If it is His will to turn the heart of yonder people 
 He will do it, but not by means of you. You and 
 the servant whom you are deluding to his death 
 will perish miserably, and this alone shaft be the 
 fruit of your presumptuous sin. Get you back out 
 of this wilderness before this madness takes you 
 afresh. You are young, you have wealth ; look 
 where She stands yonder whom you desire. Get 
 you back, and forget your folly in her arms." 
 
 These thoughts, and many others of like nature, 
 tore Owen's soul in that hour of strange and terrible 
 temptation. Hp 'seemed to see himself standing 
 before the thousands of the savage nation he went 
 to save, and to hear the mocking voices of their 
 witch-finders commanding him, if he were a true 
 man and the servant of that God of Whom he prated, 
 to give them a sign, only a little sign, perchance to 
 move a stone without touching it with his hand, 
 or to cause a dead bough to blossom. Then he 
 would beseech Heaven with frantic prayers, and in 
 vain, till at length, amidst a roar of laughter, he, 
 the false prophet and the liar, was led out to his 
 
THE TEMPTATION 33 
 
 doom. He saw the piteous, wondering look of the 
 believer whom he had betrayed to death ; he saw 
 the fierce faces and the spears on high, and seeing all 
 this his spirit broke, and, just as the little clock in 
 the room behind him struck the first stroke of 
 midnight, with a great and bitter cry to God to give 
 him back the faith and strength that he had lost, 
 Owen's head fell forward, and he sank into a swoon 
 tli ere upon the window-place. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE VISION 
 
 WAS it swoon or sleep ? At least it seemed to 
 Owen that presently oncfe again he was gazing 
 into the dense, intolerable blackness of the night. 
 Then a marvel came to pass ; for the blackness 
 opened, or rather 'on it, framed and surrounded by 
 it, there appeared a vision. It was the vision of 
 a native town, having a great bare space in the 
 centre of it encircled by hundreds or thousands of 
 huts. But there was no one stirring about the huts, 
 for it was night not this his night of trial indeed, 
 since now the sky was strewn with innumerable stars. 
 Everything was silent about that town, save that 
 now and again a dog barked or a fretful child wailed 
 within a hut, or the sentries as they passed, saluted 
 each other in the name of the king. 
 
 Among all those hundreds of huts, to Owen it 
 seemed that his attention was directed to one which 
 stood apart with a fence about it. Now the interior 
 of the hut opened itself to him. It was not lighted, 
 yet with his spirit sense he could see its every detail : 
 the polished floor, the skin rugs, the beer gourds, 
 the shields and spears, the roof tree of red wood, 
 
 34 
 
THE VISION 35 
 
 and the^dried lizard hanging from the thatch, a 
 charm to ward off evil. In this hut, seated face to 
 face half-way between the centre-post and the door- 
 hole, were two men. The darkness was deep about 
 them and they whispered to each other through it ; 
 but in his dream it was no bar to Owen's sight. He 
 could discern their faces clearly. One was that of 
 a man of about thirty-five years of age. In stature 
 he was almost a giant. He wore a kaross of leopard- 
 skins, and on his wrists and ankles were rings of 
 ivory, the royal ornaments. His face was fierce and 
 powerful ; his eyes, which were set far apart, rolled 
 so much that at times they seemed all white ; and 
 liis lingers played nervously with the handle of a 
 spear that he carried in his right hand. His com- 
 panion was of a different stamp ; a man of not less 
 than fifty years, he was tall and spare in figure, with 
 delicately-shaped hands and feet. His hair and 
 little beard were tinged with grey, his face was 
 strikingly handsome, nervous and expressive, and his 
 forehead both broad and high. But more remarkable 
 still were his eyes, which were of a piercing brightness, 
 almost grey in colour, steady as the flame of a 
 well-trimmed lamp, and so cold that they might 
 have been precious stones set in the head of a 
 statue. 
 
 " Must I then put your thoughts in words ? " 
 said this man in a clear, quick whisper. " Well, so 
 be it ; for I weary of sitting here in the dark waiting 
 for water that will not flow. Listen, Prince ; you 
 come to talk to me of the death of a king is it not 
 
36 THE WIZARD 
 
 so ? Nay, do not start. Why are you affrighted 
 when you hear the plot upon the lips of another, 
 that these many months has been familiar to your 
 breast ? " 
 
 " Truly, Hokosa,* you are the best of wizards, 
 or the worst," answered the great man huskily. 
 " Yet this once you are mistaken," he added with 
 a change of voice. " I came but to ask you for a 
 charm to turn my father's heart 
 
 " To dust ? Prince, if I am mistaken, why am 
 I the best of wizards, or the worst, and .why did 
 your jaw drop and your face change at my words, 
 and why do you even now touch your dry lips with 
 your tongue ? Yes, I know that it is dark here, yet 
 some can see in it, and I am one of them. Ay, 
 Prince, and I can see your thoughts also. You 
 would be rid of your father : he has lived too long. 
 Moreover, his love turns to Nodwengo, the good and 
 gentle ; and perhaps who can say ? it is even in 
 his mind, when all his regiments are about him two 
 days hence, to declare that you, Prince, are deposed, 
 and that your brother, Nodwengo, shall be king in 
 your stead. Now, Nodwengo you cannot kill, he 
 is too well loved and too .well guarded. If he died 
 suddenly, his dead lips would call out ' Murder ! ' 
 in the ears of all men ; and, Prince, all eyes would 
 turn to you, who alone could profit by his end. 
 But if the King should chance to die why, he is 
 old, is he not ? and such things happen to the old ; 
 also he grows feeble, and will not suffer the regiments 
 to be doctored for war, though day by day they 
 
THE VISION 37 
 
 clamour to be led to battle ; for he seeks to end his 
 years in peace." 
 
 " I say that you speak folly," answered the Prince 
 with vehemence. 
 
 "Then, Son of the Great One, why should you 
 waste time in listening to me ? Farewell, Hafela, 
 the Prince, firstborn of the King, who in a day to 
 come shall carry the shield of Nodwengo ; for he 
 is good and gentle, and will spare your life, if I 
 beg it of him." 
 
 Hafela stretched out his hand through the darkness 
 and caught Hokosa by the wrist. 
 
 " Stay," he whispered, " it is true. The King 
 must die ; for if he does not die within three days, I 
 shall cease to be his heir. I know it through my 
 spies. He is angry with me ; he hates me, and he 
 loves Nodwengo and the mother of Nodwengo. But 
 dies before the last day of the festival, then that 
 decree will never pass his lips, and the regiments will 
 never roar out the name of Nodwengo as the name 
 of the King to come. He must die, I tell you, 
 Hokosa, and by your hand." 
 
 " By my hand, Prince ! Nay ; what have you to 
 offer me in return for such a deed as this ? Have I 
 not grown up in Umsuka's shadow, and shall I cut 
 down the tree that shades me ? " 
 
 " What have I to offer you ? This : that next 
 to myself you shall be the greatest in the land, 
 Hokosa." 
 
 " That I am already, and whoever rules it, that I 
 must always be. I, who am the chief of wizards ; I, 
 
38 THE WIZARD 
 
 the reader of men's hearts ; I, the hearer of men's 
 thoughts ; I, the lord of the air and the lightning ; 
 I, the invulnerable ! If you would murder, Prince, 
 then do the deed ; do it knowing that I have your 
 secret, and that henceforth you who rule shall be 
 my servant. Nay, you forget that I can see in 
 the dark ; lay down that assegai, or, by my spirit, 
 Prince as you are, I will blast you with a spell, and 
 your body shall be thrown to the kites, as that of 
 one who would murder his king and father ! " 
 
 The Prince heard and shook, his cheeks sank in, 
 the muscles of his great form seemed to collapse, 
 and he grovelled on the floor of the hut. 
 
 " I know your magic," he groaned : " use it for 
 me, not against me ! What is there that I can 
 offer you, who have everything except the throne, 
 whereon you cannot sit, seeing that you are not of 
 the blood-royal ? " 
 
 " Think," said Hokosa. 
 
 For a while the Prince thought, till presently his 
 form straightened itself, and with a quick movement 
 he lifted up his head. 
 
 " Is it, perchance, my affianced wife ? " he whis- 
 pered : " the lady Noma, whom I love, and who, 
 according to our custom, I shall wed as the queen 
 to be after the Feast of First-fruits ? Oh ! say it 
 not, Hoifosa." 
 
 " I say it," answered the wizard. " Listen, Prince. 
 The lady Noma is the only child of my blood-brother, 
 my friend, with whom I was brought up, he who was 
 slain at my side in the great war with the tribes of 
 
THE VISION 39 
 
 the nor tli. She was my ward : she was more ; for 
 through her, ah ! you know not how I held my 
 converse with the things of earth and air, the spirits 
 that watch us now in this darkness, Hafela. Thus 
 it happened that before ever she was a woman, her 
 mind grew greater than the mind of any other 
 woman, and .her thought became my thought, and 
 my thought became her thought, for I and no other 
 am her master. Still I waited to wed her till she 
 was fully grown ; and while I waited I went upon 
 an embassy to the northern tribes. Then it was 
 that you saw the maid in visiting at my kraal, and 
 her beauty and her wit took -hold of you ; and in the 
 Council of the King, as yon have a right to do, you 
 .d her as your head wife, the queen that is to be. 
 King heard and bowed his head; he sent and 
 , and placed her in the House of the Royal 
 Women, theiv to a.bidr till this J vast of the First-fruits, 
 when site shall be given to you in marriage. Yes, he 
 sent her to that house wherein not even I may set 
 All hough 1 was arfar, her spirit warned me, 
 and 1 returned, but too ia!e ; for she was sealed to 
 you of the blood md that is a law which may 
 
 iloi 
 
 d yon to return her to me, and 
 Von mocked me. i would have brought you to 
 yon but it could not have availed me ; for 
 
 then, by that same law which may not be broken, 
 she who ii-d to you must die with you ; and 
 
 though 'in I si 1011 Id sit with me till 
 
 I also died, it was not enough, since I who have 
 
40 THE WIZARD 
 
 conquered all, yet cannot conquer the fire that wastes 
 my heart, nor cease to long by night and day for a 
 woman who is lost to me. Then it was, Hafela, that 
 I plotted vengeance against you. I threw my spell 
 over the mind of the King, till he learned to hate 
 you and your evil deeds ; and I, even I, have brought 
 it about that your brother should be preferred before 
 you, and that you shall be the servant in his house. 
 This is the price that you must pay for her of whom 
 you have robbed me ; and by my spirit and her 
 'spirit you shall pay it ! Yet listen. Hand back the 
 girl, as you may do for she is not yet your wife 
 and choose another for your queen, and I will undo 
 all that I have done, and I will find you a means, 
 Hafela, to carry out your will. Ay, before six suns 
 have set, the regiments rushing past you shall hail 
 you King of the Nation of the Amasuka, Lord of the 
 House of Fire ! " 
 
 " I cannot," groaned the Prince ; " death were 
 better than this ! " 
 
 " Ay, death were better ; but you shall not die, 
 you shall live a servant, and your name shall become 
 a mockery, a name for women to make rhymes on." 
 
 Now the Prince sprang up. 
 
 " Take her ! " he hissed " take her ! you, who are 
 an evil spirit ; you, beneath whose eyes children 
 wail, and at whose passing the hair on the backs of 
 hounds stands up ! Take her, priest of death and 
 evil ; but take my curse with her ! Ah ! I also can 
 prophecy ; and I tell you that this woman whom you 
 have taught, this witch of many spells whose glance 
 
THE VISION 4i 
 
 can shrivel the hearts of men, shall give you to drink 
 of your own medicine ; ay, she shall dog you to the 
 death, and mock you while you perish by an end of 
 shame ! " 
 
 " What," laughed the-wizard, " have I a rival in my 
 own arts ? Nay, Hafela, if you would learn the 
 trade, pay me well and I will give you lessons. Yet 
 I counsel you not ; for you are flesh, nothing but 
 flesh, and he who would rule the air must cultivate 
 the spirit. Why, I tell you, Prince, that even the 
 love for her who is my heart, the lady whom we both 
 would wed, partaking of the flesh as, alas ! it does, 
 * has cost me half my powers. Now let us cease from 
 empty words, and strike our bargain. 
 
 " Listen. On the last day of the feast, when all 
 the regiments are gathered to salute the King there 
 in his Great Place according to custom, you shall 
 stand forth before the King and renounce Noma, 
 and she shall pass back to the care of my household. 
 You yourself shall bring her to where I stand, and as 
 I take her from you I will put into your hand a 
 certain powder. Then you shall return to the side 
 of the King, and after our fashion shall give him 
 to drink the bowl of the first-fruits ; but as you stir 
 the beer, you will let fall into it that powder which 
 I have given you. The King will drink, and what he 
 leaves undrunk you will throw out upon the dust. 
 Now he will rise to give out to the people his royal 
 decree, whereby, Prince, you are to be deposed from 
 your place as heir, and your brother, Nodwengo, 
 is to be set in your place. But of that decree never 
 
42 THE WIZARD 
 
 a word shall pass his lips ; if it does, recall your 
 saying*and take back the la.dy Noma from where she 
 stands beside me. I tell you that never a word shall 
 pass his lips ; for even as he rises a stroke shall take 
 him, such a stroke as often 4alls upon the fat and 
 aged, and he shall sink to the ground snoring through 
 his nostrils. For a while thereafter it may be six 
 hours, it may be twelve he shall lie insensible, and 
 then a cry will arise that the King is dead ! " 
 
 " Ay," said Hafela, " and that I have poisoned 
 him!" 
 
 " Why, Prince ? Few know what is in your 
 father's mind, and with those, being king, you will 
 be able to deal. Also this is the virtue of the poison 
 which I choose, that it is swift, yet the symptoms of 
 it are the symptoms of a natural sickness. But that 
 your safety and mine may be assured, I have made 
 yet another plan, though there will be little need of 
 it. You were present two days since when a runner 
 came from the white man who sojourns beyond our 
 border, he who seeks to teach, us, the Children of 
 Fire, a new faith, and gives out that he is the messen- 
 ger of the King of Heaven; This runner asked leave 
 for the white man to visit the Great Place, and, 
 speaking in the King's name, I gave him leave. 
 But I warned his servant that if his master came, 
 a sign should be required of him to show that he 
 was a true man and had of the wisdom of the King 
 of Heaven^; and that if he failed therein, then that 
 he should die as that white liar died who visited us 
 in bygone years. Now I have so ordered that this 
 
THE VISION 43 
 
 white man, passing through the Valley of Death 
 yonder, shall reach the Great Place not long before 
 the King drinks of the cup of the first-fruits. Then if 
 any think that something out of nature has happened 
 to the King, they will surely think also that this 
 strange prayer-doctor has wrought it. Then also I 
 will call for a sign from the white man, praying of 
 him to recover the King of his sickness ; and when 
 he fails he shall be slain as a worker of spells and the 
 false prophet of a false God, and so we shall be rid 
 of him and his new faith, and you shall be cleared 
 of daubt. I not the plan good, Prince ? " 
 
 " It is very good, Hokosa save for one thing 
 only." 
 
 " For what thing ? " 
 
 " This : the white man who is named Messenger 
 might chance to be a true prophet of a true God, and 
 to recover the King." 
 
 " Oho, let him do it, if he can ; but to do it, first 
 he must know the poison and its antidote. There 
 is but one, and it is known to me only of all men 
 in this land. When he has done that, then I, yes, 
 even I, Hokosa, will begin to inquire concerning 
 this God of his, who shows Himself so mighty in 
 the person of His messenger." And he laughed low 
 and scornfully. "Prince, farewell! I go * forth 
 alone, whither you dare not follow at this hour, to 
 seek that which we shall need. One word think 
 not to play me false,, or to cheat me of my price ; 
 for whatever betides, be sure of this, that hour shall 
 be the hour of your dooming. Hail to you, Son of 
 
44 THE WIZARD 
 
 the King ! Hail ! and farewell." And, removing 
 the doorboard, the wizard passed from the hut and 
 was gone. 
 
 . The vision changed. Now there appeared a valley 
 walled in on either side with sloping cliffs of granite ; 
 a desolate place, sandy and, save for a single spring, 
 without water, strewn with boulders of rock, some 
 of them piled fantastically one upon the other. At 
 a certain spot this valley widened out, and in the 
 mouth of the space thus formed, midway between the 
 curved lines of the receding cliffs stood a little hill 
 or koppie, also built up of boulders. It was a place 
 of death ; for all around the hill, and piled in hun- 
 dreds between the crevices of its stones, lay the white 
 bones of men. Nor was this all. Its summit was 
 flat, and in the midst of it stood a huge tree. Even 
 had it not been for the fruit that hung from its 
 branches, the aspect of that tree must have struck 
 the beholder as uncanny, even as horrible. The bark 
 on its great bole was leprous white ; and from its 
 gaunt and spreading rungs rose branches that sub- 
 divided themselves again and again, till at last they 
 terminated in round green fingers, springing from 
 grey, flat slabs of bark, in shape not unlike that of a 
 human palm. Indeed, from a little distance this 
 tree, especially if seen by moonlight, had the appear- 
 ance of bearing on it hundreds or thousands of the 
 arms and hands of men, all of them stretched im- 
 ploringly to Heaven. Well might they seem so to do, 
 seeing that to its naked limbs hung the bodies of at 
 
THE VISION 45 
 
 least twenty human beings who had suffered death 
 by order of the King or his captains, or by the decree 
 of the company of wizards, whereof Hokosa was the 
 chief. There on the Hill of Death stood the Tree of 
 Death ; and there in its dank shade, or piled upon 
 the ground beneath it, hung and lay the pitiful 
 remnants of the multitudes who for generations had 
 been led thither to their doom. 
 
 Now in the vision a man was seen approaching 
 by the little pathway that ran up the side of the 
 mount the Road of Lost Footsteps it was called. 
 It was Hokosa the wizard. Outside the circle of 
 the tree he halted, and drawing a tanned skin from 
 a bundle of medicines which he carried, he tied it 
 about his mouth ; for the very smell of that tree is 
 poisonous and must not be suffered to reach the lungs. 
 
 Presently he was under the branches? where once 
 again he halted ; this time it was to gaze at the body 
 of an old man which swung to and fro in the night 
 breeze. 
 
 " All ! friend," he muttered, " we strove for many 
 years, but it seems that I have conquered at the last. 
 Well, it is just ; for if you could have had your way 
 your end would have been my end." 
 
 Then very leisurely, as one who is sure that he 
 will not be interrupted, he began to climb the tree, 
 till at length some of the green fingers were within 
 his reach. Resting his back against a bough, one 
 by one he broke off several of them, and averting 
 his head so that the fumes of it might not reach him, 
 he caused the thick milk-white juice that they 
 
46 THE WIZARD 
 
 contained to trickle into the mouth of a little gourd 
 which was hung about his neck by a string. When 
 he had collected enough of the poison and carefully 
 corked the goufd with a plug of wood, he descended 
 the tree again. At the great fork where the main 
 branches sprang from the trunk, he stood a while 
 contemplating a creeping plant which ran up them. 
 It was a plant of naked stem, like the tree it grew 
 upon ; and, also like the tree, its leaves consisted of 
 bunches of green spikes having a milky juice. 
 
 " Strange," he said aloud, " that nature should set 
 the bane and the antidote side by side, the one twined 
 about the other. Well, so it is in everything ; yes, 
 even in the heart of man. Shall I gather some of 
 this juice also ? No ; for then I might repent and 
 save him, remembering that he has loved me, and 
 thus lose hei* I seek, her^whom I must win back or 
 be withered. Let the Messenger of the King of 
 Heaven save him, if he can. This tree lies on his 
 path ; perchance he may prevail upon its dead to tell 
 him of the bane and of the antidote." And once 
 more he laughed mockingly. 
 
 The vision passed. At this moment Owen, re- 
 covering from his swoon, lifted his head from the 
 window-place. The night before him was as black 
 as it had been, and behind him the little clock was 
 still striking the hour of midnight, therefore he could 
 not have remained insensible for longer than a few 
 seconds. 
 
 A few seconds, yet how much had he seen in them, 
 
THE VISION 4? 
 
 Truly his want of faith had been reproved, truly 
 he also had been " warned of God in a dream,"- 
 truly "his ears had been opened and his instruction 
 sealed/' His soul had been " kept back from the 
 pit," and his life from " perishing by the sword ; " 
 and the way of the wicked had been made clear to 
 him " in a dream, in a vision of the night when deep 
 sleep falleth upon men." 
 
 Not for nothing had he endured that agony, and 
 not for nothing had he struggled in the grip of 
 doubt. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS 
 
 ON the third morning from this night whereof the 
 strange events have been described, an ox-wagon 
 might have been seen outspanned on the hither 
 side of those ranges of hills that were visible from 
 the river. These mountains, which although not 
 high were very steep, formed the outer barrier and 
 defence of the kingdom of the Amasuka. Within 
 five hundred yards &i where the wagon stood, 
 however, a sheer cliff ed gorge, fire-riven and water- 
 hewn, pierced the range, and looking on it, Owen 
 knew it for the gorge of his dream. Night and day 
 the mouth of it was guarded by a company of armed 
 soldiers, whose huts were built high on outlook places 
 in the mountains, whence their keen eyes could scan 
 the vast expanses of plain. A full day before it 
 reached them, they had seen the white-capped wagon 
 crawling across the veldt, and swift runners had 
 reported its advent to the King at his Great Place. 
 Back came the word of the King that the white man, 
 with the wagon and his servant, were to be led on 
 towards the Great Place at such speed as would 
 bring him there in time for him to behold the last 
 
 48 
 
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS 49 
 
 ceremony of the Feast of First-fruits ; but, for the 
 present, that the wagon itself and the oxen were to 
 be left at the mouth of the gorge, in charge of a guard 
 who would be answerable for them. 
 
 Now, on this morning the captain of the guard 
 and his orderlies advanced to the wagon and stood 
 in front of it. They were splendid men, armed with 
 great spears and shields, and adorned with feather 
 head-dresses and all the wild finery of their regiment. 
 Owen descended from the wagon and came to meet 
 them, and so for a few moments they remained, 
 face to face, in silence. A strange contrast they 
 presented as they stood there ; the bare-headed white 
 man frail, delicate, spiritual of countenance, and 
 the warriors great, grave, powerful, a very embodi- 
 ment of the essence of untamed humanity, an 
 incarnate presentation of the spirit of savage warfare. 
 
 " How are you named, White Man ? " asked the 
 captain. 
 
 " Chief, I am named Messenger." 
 
 "The peace of the King be with yon, Messenger," 
 said the captain, lifting his spear. 
 
 " The peace of God be with you, Chief," answered 
 Owen, holding up his hands in blessing. 
 
 " Who is God ? " asked the captain. 
 
 " Chief, He is the King I serve, and His word is 
 between my lips." 
 
 " Then pass on, Messenger of God, and deliver 
 
 Hu- word of God your King into the ears of my king, 
 
 at his Great Place yonder. Pass on riding the 
 
 t you have brought with you, for tjie way is 
 
50 THE WIZARD 
 
 rough ; but your wagon, your oxen, and your 
 servants, save this man. only who is of the Children 
 of Fire, must stay here in my keeping. Fear not, 
 Messenger, I will hold them safe." 
 
 "I do not fear, Chief; there is honour in your 
 
 Some hours later, Owen, mounted on his mule, 
 was riding through the gorge, a guard in front of 
 and behind him, and with them carriers who had 
 been sent to bear his baggage. At his side walked 
 his disciple John, and his face was sad. 
 
 " Why are you still afraid ? " asked Owen. 
 
 " Ah ! father, because this is a place of fear. 
 Here in this valley men are led to die ; presently 
 you will see." 
 
 " I have seen/' answered Owen. " There where 
 we shall halt is a mount, and on that mount stands a 
 tree ; it is called the Tree of Death, and it stretches 
 a thousand hands to Heaven, praying for mercy that 
 docs not cuine, and from its boughs there hangs fruit, 
 a fruit of dead men yes, twenty of them ham\ 
 there this day." 
 
 " How know you these things, my father," asked 
 the man, amazed, "seeing that I have never spoken 
 to you of them ? " 
 
 " Nay," lie answered, " God has spoken to me. My 
 God and your God." 
 
 Another hour passed, and they were resting *by 
 .the spring of water, near to the shadow of the 
 dreadful tree, for in that gorge the sup burned 
 
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS 51 
 
 fiercely. John counted the bodies that swung 
 upon it and again looked fearfully at Owen, for 
 there were twenty of them. 
 
 " I desire to go up to that tree," Owen said to 
 the guard. 
 
 "As you will, Messenger," answered their leader ; 
 " I have no orders to prevent you from so doing. 
 Still," he added with a solemn smile, " it is a place 
 tha.1 IV vv seek of their own will, and, because I like 
 you well. Messenger, I pray it may never he my duty 
 to lead yon there of the King's will," 
 
 Then Owen went up to the tree and John with 
 him, only John would not pass beneath the shadow 
 of its brandies ; but stood by wondering, while 
 his master bound a, handkerchief about his 
 mouth. 
 
 How did he know that the breath of the tree was 
 poisn John wondered. 
 
 Owen walked to the bole of the tree, and breaking 
 off some of the linger-like leaves of the creeper that 
 1 wined aixiiit it, he pressed their milky juice into 
 a little bottle that he had made ready. Then he 
 retiinu'd quickly, for the sights and odours of the 
 plarr were not to be borne. 
 
 Outside the circle of the branches he halted, 
 and removed the handkerchief from his mouth. 
 
 " lie of good cheer," he said to John, "and if it 
 
 should chance that I am called away before my 
 
 words coine true, yet remember my words. I 
 
 tel ! you that this Tree of Death shall become the 
 
 Life for all the children of your people. 
 
52 THE WIZARD 
 
 Look ! there above you is the sign and the promise 
 of it." 
 
 John lifted his eyes, following the line of Owen's 
 outstretched hand, and saw this. High up upon 
 the tree, and standing clear of all the other branches, 
 was one straight, dead limb, and from this dead 
 limb two arms projected at right angles, also dead 
 and snapped off short. Had a carpenter fashioned 
 a cross of wood and set it there, its proportions 
 could not have been more proper and exact. It was 
 very strange to find this symbol of the Christian hope 
 tow r ering above that place of human terror, and 
 stranger still was the purpose which it must serve 
 in a day to come. 
 
 Owen and John returned to the guard in silence, 
 and presently they set forward on their journey. 
 At length, passing beneath a natural arch of rock, 
 they were out of the Valley of Death, and before 
 them, not five hundred paces away, was the fence 
 of the Great Place. The Great Place stood upon 
 a high plateau, in the lap of the surrounding hills, 
 all of which were strongly fortified with schanses, 
 pitfalls, and rough walls of stone. This plateau 
 may have measured fifteen miles in circumference,, 
 and the fence of the town itself was about three miles 
 in circumference. Within the fence and following 
 its curve, for it was round, stood thousands of dome- 
 shaped huts carefully set out in streets. Within 
 these again was a stout stockade of timber, enclosing 
 a vast arena of trodden earth, large enough to contain 
 all the cattle of the People of Fire in times of danger, 
 
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS 53 
 
 and to serve as a review ground for their impis 
 in times of peace or festival. 
 
 At the outer gate of the kraal there was a halt, 
 while the keepers of the gate despatched a messenger 
 to the King to announce the advent of the white man. 
 Of this pause Owen took advantage to array himself 
 in the surplice and hood which he had brought with 
 him in readiness for that hour, then he gave the mule 
 to John to lead behind him. 
 
 " What do you, Messenger ? " asked the leader 
 of the guard, astonished. 
 
 " I clothe myself in my war-dress," he answered. 
 
 " Where then is your spear, Messenger ? " 
 
 " Here," said Owen, presenting to his eyes a 
 crucifix of ivory, most beautifully carved. 
 
 " I perceive that you are of the family of wizards," 
 said the man, and fell back. 
 
 Now they entered the kraal and passed for two 
 hundred yards or more through rows of huts, till 
 they reached the gate of the stockade, which was 
 opened to them. Once within it, Owen saw a 
 wonderful sight, such a sight as few white men have 
 seen. The ground of the enormous oval before him 
 was not flat ; either from natural accident or by 
 design it sloped gently upwards, so that the spectator, 
 standing by the gate or at the head of it before the 
 House of the King, could take in the whole expanse, 
 and, if his sight were keen enough, could see every 
 individual upon it. On the particular day of Owen's 
 arrival it was crowded with regiments, twelve of 
 them, all dressed in their different uniforms and 
 
54 THE WIZARD 
 
 bearing shields to match, not one of which was less 
 than 2,500 strong. At this moment the regiments 
 were massed in deep lines, each battalion by itself, 
 on either side of the broad roadway that ran straight 
 up the kraal to where the King, his sons, his advisers 
 and guards, together with the Company of Wizards, 
 were placed in front of the Royal House. There 
 they stood in absolute silence, like tens of thousands 
 of bronze statues, and Owen perceived that either 
 they were resting or that they were gathered thus 
 to receive him. That the latter was the case soon 
 became evident, for as he appeared, a white spot at 
 the foot of the slope, countless heads turned and 
 myriads of eyes fastened themselves upon him. 
 For an instant he was dismayed ; there was some- 
 thing terrifying in this numberless multitude of 
 warriors, and the thought of the task that he had 
 undertaken crushed his spirit. Then he remembered, 
 and shaking off his fear and doubt, alone, save for 
 his disciple John, holding the crucifix aloft, he walked 
 slowly up the wide road towards the place where he 
 guessed that the King must be. His arm was weary 
 ere ever he reached it, but at length he found himself 
 standing before a thick-set old man, who was clad in 
 leopard-skins and seated on a stool of polished wood. 
 
 " It is the King," whispered John behind him. 
 
 " Peace be to you," said Owen, breaking the 
 silence. 
 
 " The wish is good, may it be fulfilled," answered 
 the King in a deep voice, sighing as he said the 
 words. " Yet yours is a strange greeting," he added. 
 
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS 55 
 
 " Whence come you, White Man, how are you named, 
 and what is your mission to me and to my people ? " 
 
 " King, I come from beyond the sea, I am named 
 Messenger, and my mission is to deliver to you the 
 saying of God, my King and yours." 
 
 At these words a gasp of astonishment went up 
 from those who stood within hearing, expecting 
 as they did to see them rewarded by instant death. 
 But Umsuka only said : 
 
 ' My King and yours ? ' Bold words, Messenger. 
 Where then is this King to whom I, Umsuka, should 
 bow the knee ? " 
 
 " He is everywhere in the heavens, on the earth 
 and below the earth." 
 
 " If He is everywhere, then He is here. Show 
 me the likeness of this King, Messenger." 
 
 " Behold it," Owen answered, thrusting forward 
 the crucifix. 
 
 Now all the great ones about the King stared at 
 this figure of a dying man crowned with thorns 
 and hanging on a cross, and then drew up their 
 lips to laugh. But that laugh never left them ; a 
 sudden impulse, a mysterious wave of feeling choked 
 it in' their throats. A sense of the strangeness of 
 the contrast between themselves in their multitudes 
 and this one white-robed man in his loneliness took 
 hold of them, and with it another sense of something 
 not far removed from fear. 
 
 " A wizard indeed," they thought in their hearts, 
 ;uid what they thought the King uttered. 
 
 " I perceive," he said, " that you are either mad, 
 
56 THE WIZARD 
 
 White Man, or you are a prince of wizards. Mad 
 you do not seem to be, for your eyes are calm, 
 therefore a wizard you must be. Well, stand behind 
 me : by-and-by I will hear your message and ask 
 of you to show me your powers ; but before then 
 there are things which I must do. Are the lads 
 ready ? Ho, you, loose the bull ! " 
 
 At the words a line of soldiers moved from the 
 right, forming itself up in front of the King and 
 Ms attendants and revealing a number of youths, 
 of from sixteen to eighteen years of age, armed 
 with sticks only, who stood in companies outside 
 a massive gate. Presently this gate was opened, 
 and through it, with a mad bellow, rushed a wild 
 buffalo bull. On seeing them the brute halted, and 
 for a few moments stood pawing the earth and tearing 
 at it with his great horns. Then it put down its 
 head and charged. Instead of making way for it, 
 uttering a shrill whistling sound, the youths rushed 
 at the beast, striking with their sticks. Another 
 instant, and one of them appeared above the heads 
 of his companions, thrown high into the air, to be 
 followed by a second and a third. Now the animal 
 was through the throng and carrying a poor boy 
 on its horn, whence presently he fell dead ; it charged 
 furiously backward and forward, through the ranks 
 of the regiments. Watching it fascinated, Owen 
 noted that it was a point of honour for no man to 
 stir before its rush ; there they stood, and if the 
 bull gored them, there they fell. At length, exhausted 
 and terrified, the animal headed back straight up the 
 
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS 57 
 
 lane where the main body of the youths were waiting 
 for it. Now it was among them, and, reckless of 
 wounds or death, they swarmed about it like bees, 
 seizing it by the legs, the nose, the horns and the 
 tail, till with desperate efforts they dragged it to 
 the ground and beat the life out of it with their 
 sticks. This done, they formed up before the king 
 and saluted him. 
 
 " How many are killed ? " he asked. 
 
 " Eight in all," was the answer, "and fifteen are 
 gored." 
 
 " A good bull," he said with a smile ; " that of last 
 year killed but five. Well, the lads fought him 
 bravely. Let the dead be buried, the hurt tended, 
 or, if their harms are hopeless, slain, and.to the rest 
 give a double ration of beer. Ho now, fall back, 
 men, and make a space for the Bees and the Wasps 
 to fight in." 
 
 Some orders were given and a great ring was 
 formed, leaving an arena clear that may have 
 measured a hundred and fifty yards in diameter. 
 Then suddenly, from opposite sides, the two regiments 
 known as the Bees and the Wasps respectively, 
 rushed upon each other, uttering their war-cries. 
 
 " i put ten hea^l of cattle on the Bees ; who 
 wagers on the Wasps ? " cried the King. 
 
 " I, Lord," answered the Prince Hafela, stepping 
 forward. 
 
 " You, Prince ! " said the King with a quick 
 frown. " Well, you are right to back them, they 
 are your own regiment. Ah ! they are at it." 
 
58 THE WIZARD 
 
 By this time the scene was that of a hell broken 
 loose upon the earth. The two regiments, numbering 
 some 5,000 men in all, had come together, and the 
 roar of their meeting shields was like the roar of 
 thunder. They were armed with kerries only, and 
 not with spears, for the fight was supposed to be 
 a mimic one ; but these weapons they used with 
 such effect that soon hundreds of them were down 
 dead or with shattered skulls and bruised limbs. 
 Fiercely they fought, w r hile the wiiole army watched, 
 for their rivalry was keen and for many months 
 they had known that they were to be pitted one 
 against the other on this day. Fiercely they fought, 
 while the captains cried their orders, and the dust 
 rose up in clouds as they swung to and fro, breast 
 thrusting against breast. At length the end came ; 
 the Bees began to give, they fell back ever more 
 quickly till their retreat was a rout, and, leaving 
 many stretched upon the ground, amid the mocking 
 cries of the army they were driven to the fence, by 
 touching which they obtained peace at the hands 
 of their victors. 
 
 The King saw, and his somewhat heavy, quiet 
 face grew alive with rage. 
 
 " Search and see," he said, " if the captain of the 
 Bees is alive and unhurt." 
 
 Messengers went to do his bidding, and presently 
 they returned, bringing with them a man of magni- 
 ficent appearance and middle age, whose left arm 
 had been broken by a blow from a kerry. With his 
 right hand he saluted first the King, then the Prince 
 
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS 59 
 
 Nodwengo, a kindly-faced, mild-eyed man, in whose 
 command he was. 
 
 " What have you to say ? " asked the King, in a 
 cold yoice of anger. " Know you that you have cost 
 me ten head of the royal white cattle ? " 
 
 " King, I have nothing to say," answered the 
 captain calmly, " except that my men are cowards." 
 
 "That is certainly so," said the King. "Let all 
 the wounded among them be carried away ; and for 
 you, captain, who turn my soldiers into cowards, 
 you shall die a dog's death, hanging to-morrow on 
 the Tree of Doom. As for your regiment, I banish 
 it to the, fever country, there to hunt elephants, 
 for three years, since it is not fit to fight with men." 
 
 " It is well," replied the captain, " since death is 
 better than shame ; only, King, I have done you 
 good service in the past, I ask that it may be presently 
 and by the spear." 
 
 " So be it," said the King. 
 
 " I crave his life, father," said- the Prince 
 Nodwengo ; " he is my friend." 
 
 " A prince should not choose cowards for his 
 friends," replied the King ; " let him be killed, I 
 say." 
 
 Then Owen, who had been watching and listening, 
 his heart sick with horror, stood forward and said : 
 
 " King, in the name of Him I serve, I conjure 
 you to spare this man and those others who are 
 hurt, who have done no crime except to be driven 
 back by soldiers stronger than themselves." 
 
 "Messenger," answered the King, "I bear .with 
 
60 THE WIZARD 
 
 you because you are ignorant. Know that, according 
 to our customs, this crime is the greatest of crimes, 
 for here we show no mercy to the conquered." 
 
 " Yet you should do so," said Owen, " seeing that 
 you also must ere long be conquered by death, 
 and then how can you expect mercy who have 
 shown none ? " 
 
 "Let him be killed ! " said the King. 
 
 " King ! " cried Owen once more, " do this deed, 
 and I tell you that before the sun is down great 
 evil will overtake you." 
 
 " Do you threaten me, Messenger ? Well, we 
 will see. Let him be killed, I say." 
 
 Then the rftan was led away ;. but, before he went 
 he found time to thank Owen and Nodwengo the 
 Prince, and to call down good fortune upon them. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE DRINKING OF THE CUP 
 
 Now the King's word was done, the anger went 
 out of his eyes and once more his countenance grew 
 weary. A command was issued, and, with the most 
 perfect order, moving like one man, the regiments 
 changed their array, forming up battalion upon 
 battalion in face of the King, that they might give 
 him the royal salute so soon as he had drunk the cup 
 of the first-fruits. 
 
 A herald stood forth and cried : 
 
 " Hearken, you Sons of Fire ! Hearken, you 
 Children of Umsuka, Shaker of the Earth ! Have 
 any of you a boon to ask of the King ? " 
 
 Men stood forward, and, having saluted, one by 
 one asked this thing or that. The King heard their 
 requests, and as he nodded or turned his head away, 
 so they were granted or refused. 
 
 When all had done the Prince Hafela came forward, 
 lifted his spear, and cried : 
 
 " A boon, King ! " 
 
 " What is it ? " asked his father, eyeing him 
 curiously. 
 
 " A small matter, King," he replied. " A while 
 
 61 4 
 
62 THE WIZARD 
 
 ago I named a certain woman, Noma, the ward of 
 Hokosa the wizard, and she was sealed to me to fill 
 the place of my first w r ife, the Queen that is to be. 
 She passed into the House of the Royal Women, and, 
 by your command, King, it was fixed that I should 
 marry her according to our customs to-morrow, after 
 the Feast of the First-fruits is ended. King, my 
 heart is changed towards that woman ; I no longer 
 desire to take her to wife, and I pray that you will 
 order that she shall now be handed back to Hokosa, 
 her guardian." 
 
 " You blow hot and cold with the same mouth, 
 Hafela," said Umsuka, " and in love or war I do not 
 like such men. What have you to say to this 
 demand, Hokosa ? " 
 
 Now Hokosa stepped forward from where he stood 
 at the head of the Company of Wizards. His dress, 
 like that of his companions, was simple, but in its 
 way striking. On his shoulders he wore a cloak of 
 shining snakeskin ; about his loins was a short kilt 
 of the same material ; and round his forehead, arms, 
 and knees were fillets of snakeskin. At his side hung 
 his pouch of medicines, and in his hand he held no 
 spear, but a wand of ivory, whereof the top was 
 roughly carved so as to resemble the head of a cobra 
 reared up to strike. 
 
 " King," he said, " I have heard the words of the 
 Prince, and I do not think that this insult should 
 have been put upon the lady Noma, my ward, or 
 upon me, her guardian ; still, let it be, for I would 
 not that one should pass from under the shadow 
 
THE DRINKING OF THE CUP 63 
 
 of my house whither she is not welcome. Without 
 my leave the Prince named this woman as his Queen, 
 as he had the right to do ; and without my leave he 
 unnames her, as he has the right to do. Were the 
 Prince a common man, according to custom he should 
 pay a fine of cattle to be held by me in trust for her 
 whom he discards ; but this is a matter that I leave 
 to you, King." 
 
 " You do well, Hokosa," answered Umsuka, " to 
 leave this to me. Prince, you would not wish the 
 fine that you should pay to be that of any common 
 man. With the girl shall be handed over two 
 hundred head of cattle. More, I will do justice : 
 unless she herself consents, she shall not be put 
 away. Let the lady Noma be summoned." 
 
 No\v the face of Hafela grew sullen, and watching, 
 Owen saw a swift change pass over that of Hokosa. 
 Evidently he was not quite certain of the woman. 
 Presently there was a stir, and from the gates of the 
 Royal House the lady Noma appeared, attended by 
 women, and stood before the King. She was a tall 
 and lovely girl, and the sunlight flashed upon her 
 bronze-hued breast and her ornaments of ivory. Her 
 black hair was fastened in a knot upon her neck, her 
 features were fine and small, her gait was delicate and 
 sure as that of an antelope, and her eyes were beautiful 
 and full of pride. There she stood before the King, 
 looking round her like a stag. Seeing her thus, 
 Owen understood how it came about that she held 
 two men so strangely different in the hollow of her 
 hand, for her charm was of a nature to appeal to 
 
64 THE WIZARD 
 
 both of them a charm of the spirit as well as of the 
 flesh. And yet the face was haughty, a face that 
 upon occasion might even become cruel. 
 
 " You sent for me and I am here, O King," she 
 said, in a slow and quiet voice. 
 
 " Listen, girl," answered the King. " A while ago 
 the Prince Hafela, my son, named you as her who 
 should be his Queen, whereon you were taken and 
 placed in the House of the Royal Women, to abide 
 the day of your marriage, which should be to-morrow." 
 
 " It is true that the Prince has honoured me thus, 
 and that you have been pleased to approve his 
 choice," she said, lifting her eyebrows. " What of it, 
 
 King ? " 
 
 " This, girl : the Prince who was pleased to honour 
 you is now pleased to dishonour you. Here, in the 
 presence of the Council and army, he prays me 
 to annul his sealing to you, and to send you back to 
 the house of your guardian, Hokosa the wizard." 
 
 Noma started, and her face grew hard. 
 
 " Is it so ? " she said. " Then it would seem that 
 
 1 have lost favour in the eyes of my lord the Prince, 
 or that some fairer* woman has found it." 
 
 " Of these matters I know nothing," replied the 
 King ; " but this I know, that if you seek justice 
 you shall have it. Say but the word, and he to 
 whom you were promised in marriage shall take 
 you in marriage, whether he wills or wills it not." 
 
 At this speech, the face of Hafela was suddenly 
 lit up as with the fire of hope, while over that of 
 Hokosa there passed another subtle change. The 
 
THE DRINKING OF THE CUP 65 
 
 girl glanced at them both and was silent for a while. 
 Her breast heaved arid her white teeth bit upon her 
 lip. To Owen, who noted all, it was clear that rival 
 passions were struggling in her heart, the passion of 
 power and the passion of love, or of some emotion 
 which he did not understand. Hokosa fixed his calm 
 eyes upon her with a strange intensity of gaze, and 
 while he gazed his form quivered with a suppressed 
 excitement, much as a snake quivers that is about 
 to strike its prey. To the careless eye there was 
 nothing remarkable about his look and attitude ; 
 to the observer it was evident that both were full of 
 extraordinary purpose. He was talking to the girl, 
 not with words, but in some secret language that he 
 and she understood alone. She started as one starts 
 who cat nes the tone of a well-remembered voice 
 in a crowd of strangers, and lifting her eyes from the 
 ground, whither she had turned them in meditation, 
 she looked up at Hokosa. Instantly her face began 
 to change the haughtiness and anger went out of it, 
 it grew troubled, the* lips parted in a sigh. First she 
 bent her head and body towards him, then without 
 more ado she walked to where he stood and took 
 'him by the hand. Here, at some whispered word 
 or sign, she seemed to recover herself, and again 
 resuming the character of a proud, offended beauty, 
 she curtsied to Umsuka, and spoke : 
 
 " O King, as you see, I have made my choice. 
 I will not force myself upon a man who scorns me, 
 no, not even to share his place and power, though 
 it is true that I love them both. Nay, I will return 
 
66 THE WIZARD 
 
 I 
 
 to Hokosa, my guardian, and to his wife, Zinti, who 
 has been as my mother, and with them be at peace." - 
 
 "It is well," said 'the . King, "and perhaps, girl, 
 your choice is wise ; perhaps your loss is not so 
 great as you have thought. Hafela, take you the 
 hand of Hokosa and release the girl back to him 
 according to the law, promising in the ears of men 
 before the first month of winter to pay him two 
 hundred head of cattle as forfeit, to be held by him 
 in trust for the girl." 
 
 In a sullen voice, his lips trembling with rage, 
 Hafela did as the King commanded ; and when 
 their hands unclasped, Owen perceived that in that 
 of the Prince lay a tiny packet. 
 
 " Mix me the cup of the first-fruits, and swiftly," 
 said the King again ; " for the sun grows low in the 
 heavens, and ere it sinks I have words to say." 
 
 Now a polished gourd filled with native beer was 
 handed to Nodwengo, the second son of the King, 
 and one by one the great councillors approached, and 
 with appropriate words, let fall into it offerings 
 emblematic of fertility and increase. The first cast 
 in a grain of corn ; the second, a blade of grass ; the 
 third, a shaving from an ox's horn ; the fourth, a drop 
 of water ; the fifth, a woman's hair ; the sixth, a 
 particle of earth ; and so on, until every ingredient 
 was added to it that was necessary to the magic brew. 
 Then Hokosa, as chief of the medicine men, blessed 
 the cup according to the ancient form, praying 
 that he whose body was the heavens, whose eyes 
 were lightning, and whose voice was thunder, tile 
 
THE DRINKING OF THE CUP 67 
 
 spirit whom they worshipped, might increase and 
 multiply to them, during the coming year, all those 
 fruits and elements that were present in the cup, 
 and that every virtue which they contained might 
 comfort the body of the King. 
 
 His prayer finished, it was the turn of Hafela to 
 play his part as the eldest born of the King. Kneel- 
 ing over the cup which stood upon the ground, a 
 spear was handed to him that had been made red 
 hot in the fire. Taking the spear, he stabbed with it 
 towards the four corners of the horizon ; then, 
 muttering some invocation, he plunged it into the 
 bowl, stirring its contents till the iron grew black. 
 Now he threw aside the spear, and lifting the bowl 
 in both hands, he carried it to his father and offered 
 it to him. 
 
 Although he had been unable to see him drop 
 the poison into the cup, a glance at Hafela told 
 Owen that it was there; for though he kept his 
 face under control, he could not prevent his hands 
 from twitching or the sweat from starting upon his 
 brow and breast. 
 
 The King rose, and taking the bowl, held it on 
 high, saying : 
 
 " In this cup, which I drink on behalf of the nation, 
 I pledge you, my people." 
 
 It was the signal for the royal salute, for which 
 each regiment had been prepared. As the last word 
 left his lips, every one of the thirty thousand men 
 present in that great place began to rattle his kerry 
 against the surface of his ox-hide shield. At first the 
 
68 THE WIZARD 
 
 sound produced resembled that of the murmur of the 
 sea ; but by slow and just degrees it grew louder 
 and ever louder, till the roar of it was like the 
 deepest voice of thunder, an awe-inspiring, terrible 
 sound. 
 
 Suddenly, when its volume was most, four spears 
 were thrown into the air, and at the signal every man 
 ceased to beat upon his shield. In the place itself 
 there was silence, but from the mountains around the 
 echoes still crashed and volleyed. When the last 
 of them had died away, the King brought the cup 
 to the level of his lips. Owen saw, and knowing its 
 contents, was almost moved to cry out in warning. 
 Indeed, his arm was lifted and his mouth was open, 
 when by chance he noted Hokosa watching him, and 
 remembered. To act now would be madness, his 
 time had not yet come. 
 
 The cup touched the King's lips, and at the sign, 
 from every throat in that countless multitude sprang 
 the word " King ! " and every foot stamped upon the 
 ground, shaking the solid earth. Thrice the monarch 
 drank, and thrice this tremendous salute, the salute 
 of the whole nation to its ruler, was repeated, each 
 time more loudly than the last. Then pouring the 
 rest of the liquour on the ground, Umsuka cast aside 
 the cup and in the midst of a silence that seemed 
 deep after the crash of the great salute, he began to 
 address the multitude : 
 
 " Hearken, Councillors and Captains, and you, 
 my people, hearken. As you know, I have two sons, 
 the calves of the Black Bull, the Princes of the land 
 
THE DRINKING OF THE CUP 
 
 69 
 
 my son Hafela, the eldest born, and my son 
 
 Nodwengo, his half-brother- 
 At this point the King seemed to grow confused. 
 
 He hesitated, passed his hand over his eyes, then 
 
 slowly and with difficulty repeated those words which 
 
 he had already said. 
 
 " We hear you, Father," cried the Councillors, in 
 
 encouragement, as for the second time he paused. 
 
 While they still spoke, the veins in the King's neck 
 
 were seen to swell suddenly, foam flecked with blood 
 
 burst from his lips, and he fell headlong to the 
 
 ground. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE RECOVERY OF THE KING 
 
 FOR a moment there was silence, then a great cry 
 arose a cry of " Our father is dead ! " Presently 
 with it were mingled other and angrier shouts of 
 " The King is murdered ! " and " He is bewitched, 
 the white wizard has bewitched the King ! He 
 prophesied evil upon him, and now he has bewitched 
 him ! " 
 
 Meanwhile the captains and councillors formed 
 a ring about Umsuka, and Hokosa bending over him 
 examined him. 
 
 " Princes and Councillors," he said presently, " your 
 father yet lives, but his life is like the life of a dying 
 fire and soon he must be dead. This is sure, that 
 one of two things has befallen him,- either the heat 
 has caused the blood to boil in his*veins and he is 
 smitten with a stroke from Heaven, such as men who 
 are fat and heavy sometimes die of ; or he has been 
 bewitched by a wicked wizard. Yonder stands one." 
 and he pointed to Owen, " who not an hour ago 
 prophesied that before the sun was down great evil 
 should overtake the King. The sun is not yet 
 down, and great evil has overtaken him. Perchance, 
 70 
 
THE RECOVERY OF THE KING 71 
 
 Princes and Councillors, this white Prophet can tell 
 us of the matter/' 
 
 " Perchance I can," answered Owen, calmly. 
 
 " He admits it ! " cried some. " Away with him ! " 
 
 " Peace ! " said Owen, holding the crucifix towards 
 those whose spears threatened his life. 
 
 They shrank back, for this symbol of a dying man 
 terrified them who could not guess its significance. 
 
 " Peace," went on Owen, " and listen. Be sure 
 of this, Councillors, that if I die, your King \viJl die ; 
 whereas if I live, your King may live. You ask me 
 of this matter. Where shall I begin ? Shall I begin 
 with the tale of two men seated together three nights 
 ago in a hut so dark that no eyes could see in it, save 
 perchance the eyes of a wizard ? What did they 
 talk of in that hut, and who were those men ? They 
 talked, I think, of the death of a king arid of the 
 crowning of a king; they talked of a price to be 
 paid for a certain medicine ; and one of them hud a 
 royal air, and one - 
 
 " Will ye hearken to this wild bubbler while your 
 King lies dying before your eyes ? "broke in Hokosa, 
 in a shrill, unnatural voice ; for, almost puisied with 
 fear as he was at Owen's mysterious words, he still 
 retained his presence of mind. "Listen now : what is 
 he, and what did he say ? He is one who comes 
 hither to prear] i a new faith to us ; he comes, he says, 
 on an embassy from the King of Heaven, who has 
 power over all things, and who, so these white men 
 preach, can give power to His servants. Well, let 
 Iliis one cease prating and show us his strength, as 
 
72 THE WIZARD 
 
 he has been warned he would be called upon to do. 
 Let him give us a sign. There before you lies your 
 King, and he is past the help of man ; even I cannot 
 help him. Therefore, let this Messenger cure him, 
 or call upon his God to cure him ; that seeing, we 
 may know him to be a true Messenger, and one sent 
 by that King of whom he speaks. Let him do this 
 now before our eyes, or let him perish as a wizard 
 who has bewitched the King. Do you hear my 
 words, Messenger, and can you draw this one back 
 from the Gates of Death ? " 
 
 " I hear them," answered Owen, quietly ; " and 
 I can or if I cannot, then I am willing to pay the 
 penalty with my life. You who are a doctor say 
 that your King is as one who is already dead, so 
 that whatever I may do I cannot hurt him further. 
 Therefore I ask this of you, that you stand round 
 and watch, but molest me neither by word nor deed 
 while I attempt his cure. Do you consent ? " 
 
 "It is just; we consent," said the Councillors. 
 " Let us see what the white man can do, and by 
 the issue let him be judged." But Hokosa stared 
 at Owen wondering, and made no answer. 
 
 " Bring some clean water to me in a gourd," said 
 Owen. 
 
 It was brought and given to him. He looked 
 round, searching the faces of those about him. 
 Presently his eye fell upon the Prince Nodwengo, 
 and he beckoned to him, saying : 
 
 " Come hither, Prince ; for you are honest, and 
 I would have you to help me, and no other man/' 
 
THE RECOVERY OF THE KING 73 
 
 The Prince stepped forward and Owen gave him 
 the gourd of water. Then he drew out the little 
 bottle wherein he had stored the juice of the creeper, 
 and, uncorking it, he bade Nodwengo fill it up with 
 water. This done, he clasped his hands, and lifting 
 his eyes to Heaven, he prayed aloud in the language 
 of the Amasuka. 
 
 " O God," he prayed, " upon whose business I 
 am here, grant, I beseech Thee, that by Thy Grace 
 power may be given to me to work this miracle in 
 the face of these people, to the end that I may win 
 them to cease from their iniquities, to believe upon 
 Thee, the only true God, and to save their souls 
 alive. Amen." 
 
 Having finished his prayer, he took the bottle 
 and shook it ; then he commanded Nodwengo to 
 sit upon the ground and hold his father's head upon 
 his knee. Now, as all might see by many signs, 
 the King was upon the verge of death, for his face 
 was purple, his breathing rare and stertorous, and 
 his heart well-nigh still. 
 
 "Open his mouth and hold down the tongue," 
 said Owen. 
 
 The Prince obeyed, pressing down the tongue with 
 a snuff-spoon. Then placing the neck of the bottle 
 as far into the throat as it would reach, Owen poured 
 the fluid it contained into the body of the King, 
 who made a convulsive movement and instantly 
 seemed to die. 
 
 " He is do,d," said one ; " away with the false 
 prophet ! " 
 
74 THE WIZARD 
 
 " It may be so, or it may not be so," answered 
 Owen. "Wait for the half of an hour; then, if 
 he shows no sign of life, do what you will with me." 
 
 " It is well," they said ; " so be it." 
 
 Slowly the minutes slipped by, while the King 
 lay like a corpse before them, and outside of that 
 silent ring the soldiers murmured as the wind. The 
 sun \vas sinking fast, and Hokosa watched it, counting 
 the seconds. At length he spoke : 
 
 " The half of the hour that you demanded is dead, 
 White Man, as dead as the King ; and now the time 
 has come for you to die also," and he stretched out 
 his hand to take him. 
 
 Owen looked at his watch, and replied : 
 
 " There is still another minute ; and you, Hokosa, 
 who are skilled in medicines, may know that this 
 antidote does not work so swiftly as the bane." 
 
 The shot was a random one, but it told, for Hokosa 
 fell back and was silent. 
 
 The seconds passed on as the minute hand of the 
 watch went round from ten to twenty, from twenty 
 to thirty, from thirty to forty. A few more instants 
 and the game was played. Had that dream of his 
 been vain imagining, and was all his faith nothing 
 but a dream ? Owen wondered. Well, if so, it 
 would be best that he should die. But he did not 
 believe that it was so, he believed that the power 
 above him would intervene to save not him, indeed, 
 but all this people. 
 
 " Let us make an end," said Hokosa, " the time 
 is done." 
 
THE RECOVERY OF THE KING 75 
 
 " Yes," said Owen, " the time is done and the 
 King lives ! " 
 
 Even as he spoke the pulses in the old man's 
 forehead were seen to throb, and the veins of his neck 
 to swell as they had. swollen after he swallowed the 
 poison ; then once more they shrank to their natural 
 size. Umsuka stirred a hand, groaned, sat up, and 
 spoke : 
 
 " What has chanced to me ? " he said. " I have 
 descended into deep darkness, now once again I 
 see light." 
 
 No one answered, for all were staring, terrified and 
 amazed, at the Messenger the white wizard to whom 
 had been given power to bring men back from the 
 gate of death. At length Owen said : 
 
 [< This has chanced to you, King : that evil which 
 I prophesied to you if you refused to listen to the 
 voice of mercy has fallen upon you. By now you 
 would have been dead, had it not pleased Him Whom 
 I serve, working through me, His messenger, to 
 bring you. back to look upon the sun. Thank Him, 
 therefore, and worship Him, for He alone is Master, 
 of the Earth," and he held the crucifix before his 
 eyes. 
 
 The humbled monarch lifted his hand he who 
 for many years had made obeisance to none and 
 saluted the symbol, saying : 
 
 " Messenger, I thank Him and I worship Him, 
 though I know Him not. Say now, how did His 
 magic work upon me to make me sick to death and 
 to recover me ? " 
 
76 THE WIZARD 
 
 " By the hand of man, King, and by the virtues 
 that lie hid in Nature. Did you not drink of a cup, 
 and were not many things mixed in the draught ? 
 Was it not but now in your mind to speak words 
 that should bring down the head of pride and evil, 
 and lift up the head of truth and goodness ? " 
 
 " O, White Man, how know you these things ? " 
 gasped the King. 
 
 " I know them, it is enough. Say, who was it 
 that stirred the bowl, King, and gave you to drink 
 of it ? " 
 
 Now Umsuka staggered to his feet, aitd cried 
 aloud in a voice that was thick with rage : 
 
 " By my head and the heads of my fathers I smell 
 the plot ! My son, the Prince Hafela, had learned 
 my counsel, and would have slain me before I said 
 words that should set him beneath the feet of 
 Nodwengo. Seize him, captains, and let him be 
 brought before me for judgment ! " 
 
 Men looked this way and that to carry out the 
 command of the King, but Hafela was gone. Already 
 he was upon the hillside, running as a man has rarely 
 run before, his face set towards his fastness in the 
 mountains where he could find refuge among his 
 mother's tribesmen and the army that he commanded, 
 which of late had been sent thither by the King that 
 they might be far from the Great Place when their 
 Prince was disinherited. 
 
 " He is fled," said one ; " I saw him go." 
 
 " Pursue him and bring him back, dead or alive ! " 
 thundered the King. " A hundred head of cattle to 
 
THE RECOVERY OF THE KING 77 
 
 the man who lays hand upon him before he reaches 
 the impi of the north, for they will fight for him !*' 
 
 " Stay ! " broke in Owen. " Once before this day 
 I prayed of you, King, to show mercy, and you 
 refused it. Will you refuse me a second time. Leave 
 him his life who has lost all else." 
 
 " That he may rebel against me. Well, White 
 Man, I owe you much, and for this time your wisdom 
 shall be my guide, though my heart speaks against 
 this gentleness. Hearken, councillors and people, 
 this is my decree : that Hafela, my son, who would 
 have murdered me, be deposed from his place as 
 heir to my throne, and that Nodwengo, his brother, 
 be set in that place, to rule the People of Fire after 
 me when I die." 
 
 " It is good", it is just ! " said the Council. " Let 
 the King's word be done." 
 
 " Hearken .again," said Umsuka. " Let this white 
 man, who is named Messenger, be placed in the House 
 of Guests and treated with all honour ; let oxen be 
 given him from the royal herds and corn from the 
 granaries, and girls of noble blood for wives if he 
 wills them. Hokosa, into your hand I deliver him, 
 and, great though you are, know this, that if but a hair 
 of his head is harmed, with your goods and your life 
 you shall answer for it, you and all your house/' 
 
 " Let the King's word be done," said the Councillors 
 again. 
 
 " Heralds," went on Umsuka, " proclaim that the 
 Feast of the First-fruits is ended, and my command 
 is that every regiment should seek its quarters, taking 
 
78 THE WIZARD 
 
 with it a double gift of cattle from the King, who has 
 been saved alive by the magic of the white man. 
 And now, Messenger, farewell, for my head grows 
 heavy. To-morrow I will speak with you." 
 
 Then the King was led away into the royal house, 
 and save those who were quartered in it, the regi- 
 ments passed one by one through the gates of the 
 kraal, singing their v/ar-song as they went. Darkness 
 fell upon the Great Place, and through it parties of 
 men might be seen dragging away the corpses of 
 those who had fallen in the fight with sticks, or been 
 put to death thereafter by order of the King. 
 
 " Messenger," said Hokosa, bowing before Owen, 
 "will you be pleased to follow me ?'" and he led him 
 to a little kraal numbering five or six large and 
 beautifully-made huts, which stood by itself, within 
 its own fence, at the north end of the Great Place, 
 not far from the house of the King. In front of the 
 centre hut a fire was burning, and by its light women 
 appeared cleaning out the huts and bringing food 
 and water. 
 
 " Here you may rest in safety, Messenger," said 
 Hokosa, " seeing that night and day a guard from 
 the King's own regiment will stand before -your 
 doors." 
 
 " I do not need them," answered Owen, " for none 
 can harm me till my hour comes. I am a stranger 
 here and you are a great man ; yet, Hokosa, which 
 of us is the safest this night ? " 
 
 " Your meaning ? " said Hokosa sharply. 
 
 " O, man ! " answered Owen, " when in a certain 
 
THE RECOVERY OF THE KING 79 
 
 hour you crept up the valley yonder, and climbing 
 the Tree of Death gathered its poison, Went I not 
 with you ? When, before that hour, you sat in 
 yonder hut bargaining with the Prince Hafela the 
 death of a king for the price of a girl was I not with 
 you ? Nay, threaten me not in your own words I 
 say it ' lay aside that spear, or your body shall be 
 thrown to the kites/ as one who would murder the 
 King and the King's guest ! " 
 
 " White Man," whispered Hokosa, " how can these 
 things be ? I was alone in the hut with the Prince, 
 I was alone beneath the Tree of Doom, and you, as 
 I know well, were beyond the river. Your spies 
 must be good, White Man." 
 
 " My spirit is my only spy, Hokosa. My spirit 
 watched you, and from your own lips he learned the 
 secret of the bane and of the antidote. Hafela 
 mixed the poison as you taught him; I gave the 
 remedy and saved the King alive." 
 
 Now the knees of Hokosa grew weak beneath him, 
 and he leaned against the fence of the kraal for 
 support. 
 
 " I have skill in the art," he said, hoarsely ; " but, 
 Messenger, your magic is more than mine, and my 
 life is forfeit to you. To-morrow morning you will 
 tell the King all, and to-morrow night I shall hang 
 upon the Dreadful Tree. Well, so be it ; I am 
 overmatched at my own trade, and it is best that I 
 should die. You have plotted well and you have 
 conquered, and to you belong my place and power." 
 
 " It was you who plotted, and not I, Hokosa. 
 
80 THE WIZARD 
 
 Did you not contrive that I should reach the Great 
 Place but $. little before the poison was given to the 
 King, so that upon me might be laid the crime of 
 bewitching him ? Did you not plan also* that I 
 should be called upon to cure him a thing you 
 deemed impossible, and when I failed that I should 
 be straightway butchered ? " 
 
 " Seeing that it is useless to lie to you, I confess 
 that it was so," answered Hokosa, boldly. 
 
 " It was so," repeated Owen ; " therefore according 
 to your law your life is forfeit, seeing that you dug 
 a pit to snare the feet of the innocent. But I come 
 to tell you of a new law, and that which I preach I 
 practise. Hokosa, I pardon you, and if you will put 
 aside your evil-doing, I promise you that no word of 
 all your wickedness shall pass my lips." 
 
 "It has not been my -fashion to take a boon at 
 the hand of any man, save of the King only/' said 
 the wizard, in a humble voice ; " but now it seems 
 that I am come to it. Tell me, White Man, what 
 is the payment that you seek from me ? " 
 
 " None, Hokosa, except that you cease from evil 
 and listen with an open heart to that message which 
 I am come to deliver to you and to all your nation. 
 Also you would do well to put away that fair woman 
 whose price was the murder of him that fed you." 
 
 " I cannot do it," answered the wizard. " I will 
 listen to your teaching, but I will not rob my heart 
 of her it craves alone. White Man, I am not like 
 the rest of my nation. I have not sought after 
 women ; I have but one wife, and she is old and 
 
THE RECOVERY OF THE KING 81 
 
 childless! Now, for the first time in my days, I 
 love this girl ah, you know not how ! and I 
 will take her, and she shall be the mother of my 
 children." 
 
 " Then, Hokosa, you will take her to your sorrow," 
 answered Owen, solemnly, " for she will learn to hate 
 you who have robbed her of royalty and rule, giving 
 her wizardries and your grey hairs in place of them." 
 And thus for that night they parted. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 4 
 
 THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE 
 
 i ON the following day, while Owen sat eating his 
 morning meal with a thankful heart, a messenger 
 arrived saying that the King would receive him 
 whenever it pleased him to come. He answered 
 that he would be with him before noon, for already 
 he had learned that with natives one loses little 
 by delay. A great man, they think, is rich in time 
 and hurries only to wait upon his superiors. At 
 the appointed hour a guard came to lead him to 
 the royal house, and thither he went followed by 
 John bearing a Bible. Umsuka was seated beneath 
 a reed roof supported by poles and open on all sides ; 
 behind him stood councillors and attendants, and 
 by him were Nodwengo the Prince, and Hokosa, 
 his Mouth and Prophet. Although the day was 
 hot he wore a kaross or rug of catskins, and his 
 face showed that the effects of the poisoned draught 
 were still upon him. At the approach of Owen he 
 rose with something of an effort, and, shaking him 
 by the hand, thanked him for his life, calling him 
 " Doctor of Doctors." 
 
 " Tell me, Messenger," he added, " how it was 
 
 82 
 
THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE 83 
 
 that you were able to cure me and who were in the 
 plot to kill me ? There must have been more 
 than one," and he rolled his eyes round with angry 
 suspicion. 
 
 " King," answered Owen, " if I knew anything 
 of this matter, the Power that wrote it on my mind 
 has wiped it out again, or, at the least, has forbidden 
 me to speak of it. I saved you, it is enough ; for 
 the rest, the past is the past, and I come to deal 
 with the present and the future." 
 
 " This white man keeps his word," thought Hokosa 
 to himself, and he looked at him thanking him with 
 his eyes. 
 
 " So be it," answered the King ; " after all, it is 
 wise not to stir a dungheap, for there we find little 
 beside evil odours and nests of snakes. Now, what 
 is your business with me and why do you come 
 from the white man's countries to visit me ? I have 
 heard of those countries, they are great and far away. 
 I have heard of the white men also wonderful men 
 who have all knowledge ; but I do not desire to have 
 anything to do with them, for whenever they jneet 
 black peoples they eat them up, taking their lands 
 and making them slaves. Once, some years ago, 
 two of you white people visited us here, but perhaps 
 you know that story." 
 
 " I know it," answered Owen : " one of those men 
 you murdered, and the other you sent back with a 
 s message which he delivered into my ears across the 
 waters, thousands offmiles away." 
 
 " Nay," answered the King, " we did not murder 
 
84 THE WIZARD 
 
 him ; he came to us with the story of a new God 
 who could raise the dead and work other miracles, 
 and gave such powers to His servants. So a man 
 was slain and we begged of him to bring him back 
 to life ; and since he could not, we killed him also 
 because he was a liar." 
 
 " He was no liar," said Owen ; " since he never 
 told you that he had pow r er to open the mouth of 
 the grave. Still, Heaven is merciful, and although 
 you murdered him that was sent to you, his Master 
 has chosen me to follow in his footsteps. Me also 
 you may murder if you will, and then another and 
 another ; but still the messengers shall come, till 
 at last your ears are opened and you listen. Only, 
 for such deeds your punishment must be heavy." 
 
 " What is the message, White Man ? " 
 
 "A message of peace, of forgiveness, and of life 
 beyond the grave, of life everlasting. Listen, King. 
 Yesterday you were near to death : say now, had 
 you stepped over the edge of it, where would you 
 be this day ? " 
 
 Umsuka shrugged his shoulders. "With my 
 fathers, White Man." 
 
 " And where are your fathers ? " 
 
 " Nay, I know not nowhere, everywhere : the 
 night is full of them ; in 'the night we hear the echo 
 of their voices. When they are angry they haunt 
 the thunder-cloud, and when they are pleased they 
 smile in the sunshine. Sometimes also they appear 
 in the shape of snakes, or visit us'in dreams, and then 
 we offer them sacrifice. Yonder on the hillside 
 
THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE 85 
 
 is a haunted wood ; it is full of their spirits, White 
 Man, but they cannot talk, they only mutter, and 
 their footfalls sound like the dropping of heavy rain, 
 for *they are strengthless and unhappy, and in the 
 end they fade away." 
 
 " So you say," answered Owen, " who are not 
 altogether without understanding, yet know little, 
 never having been taught. Now listen to me," and 
 very earnestly he preached to him andAhose about 
 him of peace, of forgiveness, and of life everlasting. 
 
 " Why should a God die miserably upon a cross ? " 
 asked the King at length. 
 
 " That through His sacrifice men might become 
 ;nds," answered Owen. " Believe in Him and 
 He will save you." 
 
 " How .an we do that," asked the King again, 
 " when already we have a god ? Can we desert one 
 god and set up another ? " 
 
 " What god, King ? " 
 
 " I will show him to you, White Man. Let my 
 litter be brought." 
 
 The litter was brought and the King entered it. 
 
 Passing through the north gate of the Great Place, 
 
 the party ascended the slope of the hill that lay 
 
 beyond it till they reached a flat plain some hundreds 
 
 of yards in width. On this plain vegetation grew 
 
 scantily, for here the bed rock of ironstone, denuded 
 
 by frequent and heavy rains, was scarcely hidden 
 
 by a thin crust of earth. On the farther side of the 
 
 'plain, however, and separated from it by a little 
 
 an, was a green bank of deep soft soil, beyond 
 
86 THE WIZARD 
 
 which lay a gloomy valley full of great trees, that 
 for many generations had been the burying-place 
 of the kings of the Amasuka. 
 
 "This is the house of the god/' said the King* 
 
 " A strange house," answered Owen, " and where 
 is he that dwells in it ? " 
 
 " Follow me and I will show you, Messenger ; 
 but be swift, for already the sky grows dark with 
 the coming tempest." 
 
 Now at the King's command the bearers bore 
 him across the sere plateau towards an object tliat 
 lay almost in its centre. Presently they halted, 
 and, pointing to this object, the King said : 
 
 " Behold the god ! " 
 
 Owen advanced and examined it. A glance told 
 him that this god of the Amasuka was a meteoric 
 stone of unusual size. Most of such stones are mere 
 shapeless lumps, but this one bore a peculiar resem- 
 blance to a seated human being holding up one arm 
 towards the sky. So strange was this resemblance 
 that, other reasons apart, it was not wonderful that 
 savages should regard the object with awe and 
 veneration. Rather would it have been wonderful 
 had they not done so. 
 
 " Say now," said Owen to the King when he had 
 examined the stone, " what is the history of this 
 dumb god of yours, and why do you worship him ? " 
 
 " Follow me across the stream and I will tell 
 you, Messenger," answered the King, again glancing 
 at the sky. " The storm gathers, and when it breaks 
 none are safe upon this plain except the heaven 
 
THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE 87 
 
 * doctors such as Hokosa and his companions who can 
 bind the lightning." 
 
 When they reached the farther side of the stream 
 Umsuka descended from his litter and said : 
 
 " Messenger, x this is the story of the god as it has 
 come down to us. From the beginning our land has 
 been scourged witli lightning above all other lands, 
 and with the Hoods of rain that accompany the 
 lightning. In the old days the Great Place of the 
 King was out yonder among the mountains, but every 
 year fire from heaven fell upon it, destroying much 
 people ; and at length in a great tempest the house 
 of the King of that day was smitten and burned, 
 and his wives and children were turned to ashes. 
 Then that King held a council of his wizards and 
 fire-doctors, and these having consulted the spirits 
 of their forefathers, retired into a place apart to 
 and pray ; yes, it was in yonder valley, the 
 burying-ground of kings, that they hid themselves. 
 Now on the third night the God of Fire appeared to 
 the chief of the doctors in his sleep, and he was 
 shaped like a burning brand and smoke went up 
 from him. Out of the smoke he spoke to the doctor, 
 saying : ' For this reason it is that I torment your 
 people, because they hate me and curse at me and 
 pay me little honour/ 
 
 " In his dream the doctor answered : ' How can 
 the people honour a god that they do not see ? ' 
 Then the god said : ' Rise up now in the night, 
 all the company of you, and go take your stand 
 upon the banks of yonder stream, and I will fall 
 
88 THE WIZARD 
 
 down in fire from heaven, and there on the plain* 
 you shall find my image. Then let your King move 
 his Great Place into the valley beneath the plain, 
 and henceforth my bolts shall spare it. Only, month 
 by month you shall make prayers and offerings to 
 me ; moreover, the name of the people shall be 
 changed, for it shall be called the People of 
 Fire/ 
 
 " Now the doctor rose, and having awakened his 
 companions, he told them of his vision. Then 
 they all of them went down to the banks of the 
 stream where we now stand. And as they waited 
 there a great tempest burst over them, and in the 
 midst of the tempest they saw r the flaming figure 
 of a man descend from Heaven, and the earth shook 
 when he touched it. The morning came and there 
 upon the plain before them, where there had been 
 nothing, sat the likeness of the god. So the name . 
 of the people was changed, and the King's Great 
 Place was built where it now is. Since that day, 
 Messenger, no hut has been burned and no man killed 
 in or about the Great Place by fire from Heaven, 
 which falls only here where the god is, though away 
 among the mountains and elsewhere men are some- 
 times killed. But wait awhile and you shall see 
 with your eyes. Hokosa, do you, whom the lightning 
 will not touch, take that pole of dead wood and set 
 it up yonder in the crevice of the rock not far from 
 the figure of the god." 
 
 " I obey," said Hokosa, " although I have brought 
 no medicines with me. Perhaps," he added with a 
 
THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE 89 
 
 faint sneer, " the white man, who is so great a wizard, 
 will not be afraid to accompany me." 
 
 Now Owen saw that all those present were looking 
 at him curiously. It was evident they believed that 
 he would not dare to accept the challenge. Therefore 
 he answered at once and without hesitation : 
 
 " Certainly I will come ; the pole is heavy for one 
 man to carry, and where Hokosa goes, there I can 
 go also." 
 
 " Nay, nay, Messenger," said the King ; " the 
 lightning knows Hokosa and will turn from him, 
 but you are a stranger to it and it will eat you up." 
 
 " King," answered Owen, " I do not believe that 
 Hokosa has any power over the lightning. It may 
 strike him or it may strike me ; but unless my God 
 so commands, it will strike neither of us." 
 
 " On your head be it, White Man," said Hokosa, 
 with cold anger. " Come, aid me with the pole." 
 
 Then they lifted the dead tree, and between them 
 rnrried it into the middle 'of the plain, where they set 
 it up in a crevice of the rock. By this time the storm 
 was almost over them, and watching it Owen per- 
 ceived that the lightnings struck always along the 
 bank of the stream, doubtless following the hidden 
 line of the bed of ironstone. 
 
 " It is but a very little storm," said Hokosa, con- 
 temptuously, " such as visit us every afternoon at 
 this period of the year. Ah ! White Man, I would 
 that you could see one of our great tempests, for 
 these are well worth beholding. This I fear, however, 
 that you will never do, seeing it is likely that within 
 
90 THE WIZARD 
 
 some few minutes you will have passed back to that 
 King who sent you here, with a hole in your head 
 and a black mark clown your spine." 
 
 " That we shall learn presently, Hokosa," answered 
 Owen ; " for my part, I pray that no such fate may 
 overtake you." 
 
 Now Hokosa moved himself away, muttering and 
 pointing with his fingers, but Owen remained standing 
 within about thirty yards of the pole. Suddenly 
 there came a glare of light, and the pole was split 
 into fragments ; but although the shock was percep- 
 tible, they remained unhurt. Almost immediately 
 a second flash leap^ferom the cloud, and Owen saw 
 Hokosa stagger and fall to his knees. " The man is 
 struck," he thought to himself, but it was not so, for 
 recovering his balance, the wizard walked back to 
 the stream. 
 
 Owen never stirred. From boyhood courage had 
 been one of his good qualities, but it was a courage of 
 the spirit rather than of the flesh. For instance, at 
 this very moment, so far as his body was concerned, 
 he was much afraid, and did not in the least enjoy 
 standing upon an ironstone plateau at the imminent 
 risk of being destroyed by lightning. But even if 
 he had not had an end to gain, he would have scorned 
 to give way to his human frailties ; also, now as 
 always, his faith supported him. As it happened the 
 storm, which was slight, passed by, and no more 
 flashes fell. When it was over he walked back to 
 where the King and his court were standing. 
 
 "Messenger," said Umsuka, " you are not only 
 
THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE 91 
 
 a great doctor, you are also a brave man, and such 
 I honour. There is no one among us here, not being 
 a lord of the lightning, who would have dared to 
 stand upon that place with Hokosa while the flashes 
 fell about him. Yet you have done it ; it was 
 Hokosa who was driven away. You have passed the 
 trial by fire, and henceforth, whether we refuse your 
 message or accept it, you are great in this land." 
 
 " There is no need to praise me, King," answered 
 Owen. " The risk is something ; but I knew that I 
 was protected from it, seeing that I shall not die 
 until my hour comes, and it is not yet. Listen now : 
 your god yonder is nothing but a stone such as I have 
 often seen before, for sometimes in great tempests 
 they come to earth from the clouds. You are not 
 the first people that have worshipped such a stone, 
 but now we know better. Also this plain before you 
 is full of iron, and iron draws the lightning. That 
 is why it never strikes your town below. The iron 
 attracts it more strongly than earth and huts of 
 straw. Again, while the pole stood I was in little 
 danger, for the lightning strikes the highest thing ; 
 but after the pole was shattered and Hokosa wisely 
 went away, then I was in some danger, only no 
 flashes fell. I am not a magician, King, but I know 
 some things that you do not know, and I trust in 
 One whom I shall lead you to trust in also." 
 
 "We will talk of this more hereafter," said the 
 King, hurriedly ; " for one day, I have heard and 
 seen enough. Also I do not believe your words, 
 for I have noted ever that those who are the greatest 
 
92 THE WIZARD 
 
 wizards of all say continually that they have no 
 magic power. Hokosa, you have been famous in 
 your day, but it seems that henceforth you who have 
 led must follow." 
 
 " The battle is not yet fought, King," answered 
 Hokosa. " To-day I met the lightnings without my 
 medicines, and it was a little storm ; when I am 
 prepared with my medicines and the tempest is 
 great, then I will challenge this white man to face 
 me yonder, and then in that hour my god shall show 
 his strength and his God shall not be able to save 
 him from it." 
 
 " That we shall see when the time comes," answered 
 Owen, with a smiJe. 
 
 That night as Owen sat in his hut working at his 
 translation of St. John, the door w r as opened and 
 Hokosa entered. 
 
 " White Man," said the wizard, " you are too strong 
 for me, though whence you have your power I know 
 not. Let us make a bargain. Show me your magic 
 and I will show you mine, and we will rule the land 
 between us. You and I are much akin we are 
 great ; we have the spirit sight ; we know that there 
 are things beyond the things we see and hear and 
 feel ; whereas, for the rest, they are fools, following 
 the flesh alone. I have spoken." 
 
 " Very gladly will I show you my magic, Hokaos," 
 answered Owen, cheerfully, " since, to speak truth, 
 though I know you to be wicked, and guess that you 
 would be glad to be rid of me by fair means or foul ; 
 
THE FIRST TRIAL BY FIRE 93 
 
 9 
 
 yet I have taken a liking for you, seeing in you one 
 who from a sinner may grow into a saint. This is 
 my magic : To love God and serve man ; to eschew 
 wizardry, wealth, and power ; to seek after holiness, 
 poverty, and humility ; to deny your flesh, and to 
 make yourself small in the sight of men, that so 
 perchance you may grow great in the sight of Heaven 
 and save your soul alive." % 
 
 " I have no stomach for that lesson," said Hokosa. 
 
 " Yet you shall live to hunger for it," answered 
 Owen, and the wizard went away angered but 
 wondering. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE CRISIS 
 
 Now, day by day, for something over a month 
 Owen preached the Gospel before the King, his 
 councillors, and hundreds of- the head men of the 
 nation. They listened to him attentively, debating 
 the new doctrine point by point ; for although they 
 were savages, these people were very keen-witted 
 and subtle. Very patiently did Owen sow, and at 
 length to his infinite joy he also gathered in his 
 first-fruit. One night as he sat in his hut labouiing 
 as usual at his work of translation, wherein he was 
 assisted by John, whom he had taught to read and 
 write, the Prince Nodwengo entered and greeted 
 him. For a while he sat silent watching the white 
 man at work, then he said : 
 
 " Messenger, I have a boon to ask of you. Can 
 .you teach me to understand those signs which you 
 set upon the paper, and to make them also as your 
 servant does ? " 
 
 " Certainly," answered Owen ; " if you will come 
 to me at noon to-morrow, we will begin." 
 
 The Prince thanked him, but he did not go away. 
 94 
 
THE CRISIS 95 
 
 Indeed, from his manner Owen guessed that he had 
 something more upon his mind. At length it came 
 out. 
 
 " Messenger," he said, " you have told us of 
 baptism, whereby we are admitted into the army 
 of your King ; say, have von the power of this 
 aite ? " 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " And is your servant here baptised ? " 
 
 " He is." 
 
 " Then if he who is a common man can be baptised, 
 why may not I who am a prince ? " 
 
 " In baptism," answered Owen, " there is no dis- 
 tinction between the highest and the lowest ; but 
 if you believe, then the door is open, and through it 
 you can join the company of Heaven." 
 
 " Messenger, I do believe," answered the Prince 
 humbly. 
 
 Then Owen was very joyful, and that same night, 
 with John for a witness, he baptised the Prince, 
 giving him the new name of Constantine, after the 
 first Christian emperor. 
 
 On the following day Nodwengo, ,in the presence 
 of Owen, who on this point would suffer no conceal- 
 ment, announced to the King that he had become a 
 Christian. U-msuka heard, and for a while sat silent. 
 Then he said in a troubled voice : 
 
 " Truly, Messenger, in the words of that Book 
 from which you read to us, I fear that you have 
 come hither ' to bring, not peace but a sword/ 
 Now when the Witch-doctors and the Priests of Fire 
 
96 THE WIZARD 
 
 learn this, that he whom I have chosen to succeed 
 me has become the servant of another faith, they 
 will stir up the soldiers and there will be civil war. 
 I pray you, therefore, keep the matter secret, at any 
 rate for a while, seeing that the lives of many are at 
 stake/' 
 
 "In this, my father," answered the Prince, "I 
 must do as the Messenger bids me ; but if you desire 
 it, fake from me the right of succession and call back 
 my brother from the northern mountains." 
 
 " That by poison or the spear he may put aH of 
 us to death, Nodwengo ! Be not afraid, ere long 
 when he learns all that is happening here, your 
 brother Hafela will come from the northern moun- 
 tains, and the spears of his impis shall be countless 
 as the stars of the sky. Messenger, you desire to 
 draw us to the arms of your God, and myself, I am 
 at times minded to follow the path of my son 
 Nodwengo, and seek a refuge there ; but say, will 
 they be strong enough to protect us from Hafela 
 and the warriors of the north ? Already he gathers 
 his clans, and already my captains desert to him. 
 By and by, in the springtime may I be dead before 
 the day he will roll down upon us like a flood of 
 water " 
 
 " To fall back like waters from a wall of rock," 
 answered Owen. " 'Let not your heart be trouble^/ 
 for my Master can protect His servants, and He will 
 protect you. But first you must confess Him openly, 
 as your son has done." 
 
 " Nay, I am too old to hurry," said the King 
 
THE CRISIS 97 
 
 . V 
 
 with a sigh. " Your tale seems full of promise to 
 one who is near the grave ; but how can I know 
 that it is more than a dream ? And shall I abandon 
 the worship of my fathers and change, or strive to 
 change, the customs of my people to follow after 
 dreams ? Nodwengo has chosen his part, and I 
 do not blame^ him ; yet, for the present I beseech 
 you both to keep silence on this matter, lest to 
 save bloodshed I should be driven to side against 
 you." 
 
 " So be it, King," said Owen ; " but I warn you 
 that Truth has a loud voice, and that it is hard to 
 hide the shining of a light in a dark place, nor does 
 it please my Lord to be denied by those who confess 
 Him." 
 
 "I am weary," replied the old King, and they 
 saluted him and went. 
 
 In obedience to the wish of Umsuka his father, 
 the conversion of Nodwengo was kept secret, and 
 yet none knew how the truth leaked out. Soon 
 the women in their huts, and the soldiers by their 
 watch-fires, whispered it in each other's ears that he 
 who was appointed to be their future ruler had 
 become the servant of the unknown God ; that he 
 had forsworn war and all the delights of men ; that 
 he would take but one wife, and appear before the 
 army, not in the uniform of a general, but clad in 
 a white robe and carry, not the broad spear, but a 
 cross of wood. Swiftly the strange story flew from 
 mouth to mouth, yet it was not altogether believed 
 till it chanced that one day when he was reviewing a 
 
98 THE WIZARD 
 
 regiment, a soldier who was .drunk with beer openly 
 insulted the Prince, calling him a coward who 
 worshipped a coward. 
 
 Now men held their breaths, waiting to see this 
 fool led away to die by the torture of the ant-heap 
 or some other dreadful doom. But the Prince only 
 answered : 
 
 " Soldier, you are drunk, therefore I forgive you 
 your words. Whether He Whom you blaspheme 
 will forgive you, I know not. Get you gone ! " 
 
 The warriors stared and murmured, for by those 
 words, wittingly or unwittingly, their general had 
 confessed his faith, and that day they made ribald 
 songs about him in the camp. But when on the 
 morrow they learned how that the man whom the 
 Prince had spared had been seized by a lion and 
 taken away as he sat with his companions in the 
 bivouac, his mouth full of boasting of his own 
 courage, in offering insult to the Prince and the 
 new faith, then they looked at each other askance 
 and said little more of the matter. Doubtless it 
 was chance, and yet this Spirit Whom the Messenger 
 preached was one of Whom it seemed wisest not to 
 speak lightly. 
 
 But still the trouble grew, for by now the Witch- 
 doctors, with Hokosa at the head of them, were 
 frightened for their place and power, and fomented 
 it openly and in secret. Of the women they asked 
 what would become of them when men were allowed 
 to take but one wife ; of the heads of kraals, how 
 they would grow wealthy wlien their daughters 
 
THE CRISIS 99 
 
 * 
 
 ceased to be worth cattle ; of the councillors and 
 generals, how the land would be protected from its 
 foes when they were commanded to lay down the 
 spear ; and of the soldiers, whose only trade was war, 
 how it would please them to till the fields like girls ? 
 Dismay took hold of the nation, and although they 
 were much loved, there was open talk of killing or 
 driving away the King and Nodwengo who favoured 
 the while man,^ and of setting up Hafela in their 
 place. 
 
 , At length the crisis came, and in this fashion. 
 The Amasuka, like many other African tribes, had 
 a strange veneration for certain varieties of snakes 
 which they declared to be possessed by the spirits 
 of their ancestors. It was a law among them that 
 if one of these snakes entered a kraal, under pain of 
 death it must not be killed, or even driven away, 
 but must be allowed to share with the human 
 occupants any hut that it might select. As the 
 result of such enforced hospitality deaths from 
 snake-bite were numerous among the people ; but 
 when they happened in a kraal its owners met with 
 little sympathy, for the doctors explained that the 
 real cause of them was the anger of some ancestral 
 spirit towards his descendants. Before John was 
 dispatched to instruct Owen in the language of the 
 Amasuka a certain girl was sealed to him as his 
 future wife, and this girl, who during his absence 
 had been orphaned, he had now married with the 
 approval of Owen, who was preparing her for 
 baptism. On the third morning after his marriage 
 
100 THE WIZARD 
 
 John appeared before his master in the last extremity 
 of grief and terror. 
 
 " Help me, Messenger ! " he cried, " for my ancestral 
 spirit has entered our hut and bitten my wife as 
 she lay asleep." 
 
 " Are you mad ? " asked Owen. " What is an 
 ancestral spirit, and how can it have bitten your 
 wife ? " 
 
 " A snake,*" gasped John, " a green snake of the 
 worst sort." 
 
 Then Owen remembered the superstition, and 
 snatching blue-stone and spirits of wine from his 
 medicine chest, he rushed to John's hut. As it 
 happened, he was fortunately in time with his 
 remedies, and succeeded in saving the woman's life, 
 whereby his reputation as a doctor and a magician, 
 already great, was considerably enhanced. 
 
 " Where is the snake ? " he asked when she was 
 out of danger. 
 
 " Yonder, under the kaross," answered John, 
 pointing to a skin rug which lay in the corner. 
 
 " Have you killed it ? " 
 
 " No, Messenger," answered the man, " I dare 
 not. Alas ! we must live with it here in the hut till 
 it chooses to go away." 
 
 " Truly," said Owen, " I am ashamed to think 
 that you who are a Christian should still believe so 
 horrible a superstition. Does your faith teach you 
 that the souls of men enter into snakes ? " 
 
 Now John hung his head ; then snatching a 
 kerry, he threw aside the kaross, revealing a great 
 
THE CRISIS 101 
 
 , 
 
 green snake seven or eight feet long. With fury he 
 fell upon the reptile, killed it by repeated blows, 
 and hurled it into the 'courtyard outside the house. 
 
 " Behold, father," he said, " and judge whether I 
 am still superstitious." Then his countenance fell, 
 and he added : " Yet my life must pay for this deed, 
 for it is an ancient law among us that to harm one 
 of these snakes is death." 
 
 " Have no fear," said Owen, " a way will be found 
 out of this trouble." 
 
 That afternoon Owen heard a great hubbub outside 
 his kraal, and going to see what was the matter, 
 he found a party of the Witch-doctors dragging 
 John towards the place of judgment, which was by 
 the King's house. Thither he followed, to discover 
 that the case was already in course of being opened 
 before the King, his council, and a vast audience of 
 the people. Hokosa was the accuser. In brief and 
 pregnant sentences he pointed out the enormity 
 of the offence against the laws of the Amasuka 
 wherewith the prisoner was charged, producing the 
 dead snake in proof of his argument and demanding 
 that the man who had killed it should instantly be 
 put to death. 
 
 " What have you to say ? " asked the King of John. 
 
 "This, O King," replied John, "that I am a 
 Christian, and to me that snake is nothing but a 
 noxious reptile. It bit my wife, and had it not 
 been for the medicine of the Messenger, she would 
 have perished of the bite. Therefore I killed it 
 before it could harm others." 
 
102 THE WIZARD 
 
 " It is a fair answer," said the King. " Hokosa, 
 I think that this man should go free." 
 
 "The King's will is the -law," replied Hokosa 
 bitterly ; " but if the law were the King's will, the 
 decision would be otherwise. This man has slain, 
 not a snake, but that which held the spirit of an 
 ancestor, and for the deed he deserves to die. 
 Hearken, O King, for the business is larger than it 
 seems. How are we to be governed henceforth * Are 
 we to follow our' ancient rules and customs, or must 
 we submit ourselves to a new rule and a new custom ? 
 I tell you, O King, that the people murmur, they are 
 without light, they wander in the darkness, they 
 cannot understand. Play with us no more, but let 
 us hear the truth, that we may judge of it." 
 
 Umsuka looked at Owen, but made no reply. 
 
 " I will answer you, Hokosa," said Owen," for I 
 am the spring of all this trouble, and at my command 
 this man, my disciple, killed yonder snake. What 
 is it ? It is nothing but a reptile ; no human spirit 
 ever dwelt within it as you imagine in your super- 
 stition. You ask to hear the truth ; day by day I 
 have preached it in your ears and you have not 
 listened, though many among you have listened and 
 understood. What is it you seek ? " 
 
 " We seek, Messenger, to be rid of you, your 
 fantasies and your religion ; and we demand that 
 our King should expel you and restore the ancient 
 laws, or failing this, that you should prove your 
 power openly before us all. Your word, O King ! " 
 
 Umsuka thought a while and answered ; 
 
THE CRISIS 103 
 
 " This is my word, Hokosa : I will not drive the 
 Messenger from the land, for he is a good man ; he 
 saved my life, and there is virtue in his teaching, 
 towards which I myself incline. Yet it is just 
 that he should be asked to prove his power, so that 
 an end may be put to doubt and all of us may learn 
 what god we are to worship." 
 
 " How can I prove my power ? " asked Owen, 
 " further than I have already proved it ? Does 
 Hokosa desire to set up his god against my God 
 the false against the true ? " 
 
 " I do," answered the wizard with passion, " and 
 according to the issue let the judgment be. Let us 
 halt no longer between two opinions, let us become 
 wholly Christian or rest wholly heathen, for to be 
 divided is to be destroyed. The magic of the 
 Messenger is great, once and for all let us learn if it 
 is more than our magic. Let us put him and his 
 doctrines to the trial by fire." 
 
 " What is the trial by fire ? " asked Owen. 
 
 " You have seen something of it, White Man, but 
 not much. This is the trial by fire : to stand yonder 
 before the face of the God of Thunder when a great 
 tempest rages not such a storm as you saw, but a 
 storm that splits the heavens and to come thence 
 unscathed. Listen : I who am a ' heaven-herd/ 
 I who know the signs of the weather, tell you that 
 within two days such a tempest as this will break 
 upon us. Then, White Man, I and my companions 
 will be ready to meet you on the plain. Take the 
 Cross by which you swear and set it up yonder and 
 
104 THE WIZARD 
 
 stand by it, and with you your converts* Nodwengo 
 the Prince, and this man whom you have named 
 John, if they dare to go. Over against you, around 
 the symbol of the god by which we swear, will stand 
 I and my company, and we will pray our god and you 
 shall pray your God. Then the storm will break 
 upon us, and when it is ended we shall learn which 
 of us remain alive. If you and your Cross are 
 shattered, to us will be the victory ; if we are laid 
 low, take it for your own. Your judgment, King ! " 
 
 Again Umsuka thought and answered : 
 
 " So be it. Messenger, hear me. There is no Aeed 
 for you to accept this challenge ; but if you will not 
 accept it, then go from my country in peace, taking 
 with you those who cleave to you. If on the other 
 hand you do accept it, these shall be the stakes : 
 that if you pass the trial unharmed and the Fire- 
 doctors are swept away, your creed shall be my creed 
 and the creed of the land ; but if the Fire-doctors 
 prevail against you, then it shall be death or banish- 
 ment to any who profess that creed. Now choose ! " 
 
 " I have chosen," said Owen. " I will meet Hokosa 
 and his company on the Place of Fire whenever he 
 may appoint, but for the others I cannot say." 
 
 " We will come with you," said Nodwengo and 
 John with one voice ; " where you go, Messenger, 
 we will follow." 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 THE SECOND TRIAL BY FIRE 
 
 WHEN this momentous .discussion was finished, as 
 usual Owen preached before the King, expounding 
 the Scriptures and taking for his subject the duty of 
 faith. As he went back to his hut he saw that the 
 snake which John had killed had been set upon a 
 pole in the part of the Great Place that served as a 
 market, and that hundreds of natives were gathered 
 beneath it gesticulating and talking excitedly. 
 
 "That is the work of Hokosa," he thought to 
 himself. " Moses set up a serpent to save the people ; 
 yonder wizard sets one up to destroy them." 
 
 That evening Owen had no heart for his labours, 
 for his mind was heavy at the prospect of the trial 
 which lay before him. Not that he cared for his 
 own life, for of this he scarcely thought ; it was 
 the prospects of his cause which troubled him. It 
 seemed much to expect that Heaven should throw 
 over him the mantle of its especial protection, and 
 yet if it did not do so there was an end of his mission 
 among the People of Fire. Well, he had not sought 
 this trial he would have avoided it if he could, 
 but it had been thrust upon him, and he was forced 
 
 105 
 
106 THE WIZARD 
 
 to choose between it and the abandonment of the 
 work which he had undertaken with such high hopes 
 and pushed so far toward success. He had not 
 chosen the path, it had been pointed out to him to 
 walk upon ; and if it ended in a precipice, at least 
 he would have done his best. 
 
 As he thought thus John entered the hut, panting. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " Owen asked. 
 
 " Father, the people saw me and pursued me 
 because of the death of that accursed snake. Had 
 I not run fast and escaped them, I think they would 
 have killed me." 
 
 " At least you have escaped, John ; so be com- 
 forted and return thanks." 
 
 " Father," said the man presently, " I know that 
 you are great and can do many wonderful things, 
 but have you in truth power over the lightning ? " 
 
 " Why do you ask ? " 
 
 " Because a great tempest is brewing, and if you 
 have not we shall certainly be killed when we stand 
 yonder on the Place of Fire," 
 
 "John," he said, " I cannot speak to the lightning 
 in a voice which it can hear. I cannot say to it, 
 ' Go yonder/ or ' Come hither/ but He Who made 
 it can do so. Why do you tempt me with your 
 doubts ? Have I not told you the story of Elijah 
 the prophet and the priests of Baal ? Did Elijah's 
 Master forsake him, and shall He forsake us ? Also 
 this is certain, that all the medicine of Hokosa and 
 his wizards will not turn a lightning-flash by the 
 breadth of a single hair. God alone can turn it, and 
 
THE SECOND TRIAL BY FIRE 107 
 
 for the sake of His cause among these people I believe 
 that He will do so." 
 
 Thus Owen spoke on till, in reproving the weakness 
 of another, he felt his own faith come back to him 
 and, remembering the past and how he had been 
 preserved in it, the doubt and trouble went out of 
 his mind to return no more. 
 
 The third day the day of trial came. For sixty 
 hours or more the heat of the weather had been 
 intense ; indeed, during all that time the thermometer 
 in Owen's hut, notwithstanding the protection of a 
 thick thatch, had shown the temperature to vary 
 between a maximum of in and a minimum of 101 
 degrees. Now, in the morning, it stood at 108. 
 
 " Will the storm break to-day ? " asked Owen of 
 Nodwengo, who came to visit him. 
 
 " They say so, Messenger, and I think it by the 
 feel of the air. If so, it will be a very great storm, 
 for the Heaven is full of fire. Already Hokosa 
 and the doctors are at their rites upon the plain 
 yonder, but there will be no need to join them till 
 two hours after midday." 
 
 " Is the cross ready ? " asked Owen. 
 
 " Yes, and set up. It is a heavy cross ; six men 
 could scarcely carry it. Oh ! Messenger, I am not 
 afraid and yet, have you no medicine ? If not, 
 I fear that the lightning will fall upon the cross as it 
 fell upon the pole, and then 
 
 " Listen, Nodwengo," said Owen. " I know a 
 medicine, but I will not use it. You see that wagon- 
 chain ? Were one end of it buried in the ground and 
 
108 THE WIZARD 
 
 the other with a spear blade made fast to it hung to 
 the top of the cross, we could live out the fiercest 
 storm in safety. But I say that I will not use it. 
 Are we witch-doctors that we should take refuge in 
 tricks ? No, let faith be our shield, and if it fail us, 
 then let us die. Pray now with me that it may not 
 fail us." 
 
 It was afternoon. All round the Field of Fire were 
 gathered thousands upon thousands of the people of 
 the Amasuka, for the news of this duel between the 
 God of the white man and their god had travelled 
 far and wide, and even the very aged who could 
 scarcely crawl and the little one who must be carried 
 were collected there to see the issue. Nor had they 
 need to fear disappointment, for already the sky was 
 half hidden by dense thunder-clouds piled ridge on 
 ridge, and the hush of the coming tempest lay upon 
 the earth. Round about the meteor stone which 
 they called a god, each of them stirring a little gourd 
 of medicine that was placed upon the ground before 
 him, but uttering no word, were gathered Hokosa 
 and his followers to the number of twenty. They 
 were all of them arrayed in their snakeskin dresses 
 and other wizard finery. Also each man held in his 
 hand a wand fashioned from a human thigh-bone. 
 In front of the stone burned a little fire, which now 
 and again Hokosa fed with aromatic leaves, at the 
 same time pouring medicine from his bowl upon the 
 holy stone. Opposite the symbol of the god, but 
 at a good distance from it, a great cross of white 
 
THE SECOND TRIAL BY FIRE 109 
 
 wood was set up in the rock by a spot which the 
 Witch-doctors themselves had chosen. Upon the 
 banks of the stream, in a place apart, were the King, 
 his councillors, and the regiment on guard, and with 
 them Owen, the Prince Nodwengo and John. 
 
 " The storm will be fierce," said the King uneasily, 
 glancing at the western sky, upon whose bosom the 
 blue lightnings played with an incessant flicker. 
 Then he bade those about him stand back, and call- 
 ing Owen and the Prince to him, said : " Messenger, 
 my son tells me that your wisdom knows a plan 
 whereby you may be preserved safe from the fury 
 of the tempest. Use it,' I pray of yqu, Messenger, 
 that your life may be saved, and with it the life of 
 the only son who is left to me." 
 
 " I cannot," answered Owen, " for thus by doubting 
 Him I should tempt my Master. Still, it is not laid 
 upon the Prince to accompany me through this trial. 
 Let him stay here, and I alone will stand beneath 
 the cross." 
 
 " Stay, Nodwengo," implored the old man. 
 
 " I did not think to live to hear my father bid 
 me, one of the royal blood of the Amasuka, ^to 
 desert my captain in the hour of battle and hide 
 myself in the grass like a woman," answered the 
 Prince, with a bitter smile. " Nay, it may be that 
 death awaits me yonder, but nothing except death 
 shall keep me back from the venture." 
 
 " It is well spoken," said the King ; " be it as you 
 will." 
 
 Now the company of wizards, leaving their 
 
110 THE WIZARD 
 
 medicine pots upon the ground, formed themselves in 
 a treble line, and marching to where the King stood, 
 they saluted him. Then they sang the praises of 
 their god, and in a song that had been prepared, 
 heaped insult upon the God of the white man and 
 upon the Messenger who preached Him. To all this 
 Owen listened in silence. 
 
 " He is a coward ! " cried their spokesman ; " he 
 has not a word to say. He skulks there in his white 
 robes behind the majesty of the King. Let him go 
 forth and stand by his piece of wood. He dare not 
 go ! He thinks the hill-side safer. Come out, little 
 White Man, and we will show you how we manage 
 the lightnings. Ah ! they shall fly about you like 
 spears in battle. You shall throw yourself upon the 
 ground and shriek in terror, and then they shall lick 
 you up and you shall be no more, and there will be 
 an end of you and of the symbol of your God." 
 
 " Cease your boasting," said the King, shortly, 
 " and get you back to your place, knowing that if 
 it should chance that the white man conquers you 
 will be called upon to answer for these words." 
 
 "-We shall be ready, O King," they cried ; and 
 amidst the cheers of the vast audience they marched 
 back to their station, still singing the mocking song. 
 
 Now to the west all the heavens were black as 
 night, though the eastern sky was still blue and 
 cloudless. Nature was oppressed with silence- 
 silence intense and unnatural ; and so great was 
 the heat that the air danced visibly above the iron- 
 stone as it dances about a glowing stove. Suddenly 
 
THE SECOND TRIAL BY FIRE 111 
 
 the quietude was broken by a moaning sound of 
 wind, the grass stirred, the leaves of the trees began 
 to shiver, and an icy breath beat upon Owen's brow. 
 
 " Let us be going," he said, and lifting the ivory 
 crucifix above his head, he passed the stream and 
 walked towards the wooden cross. After him came 
 the Prince Nodwengo, wearing his royal dress of 
 leopard skin, and after him John, arrayed in a linen 
 robe. 
 
 As the little procession appeared to their view 
 some of the soldiers began to mock, but almost 
 instantly the laughter died away. Rude as they 
 were, these savages understood that here was no 
 occasion for their mirth, for indeed the three men 
 seemed clothed with a curious dignity. Perhaps 
 it was their slow and quiet gait, perhaps it was 
 a sense of the errand upon which they were bound, 
 perhaps it was the strange unearthly light that fell 
 upon them from over the edge of the storm cloud ; 
 at the least their appearance was impressive. They 
 reached the cross and took up their stations there, 
 Owen in front of it, Nodwengo to the right, and John 
 to the left. 
 
 Now a sharp squall of strong wind swept across 
 the space and with it came a flaw of rain. It passed 
 by, and the storm that had been muttering and 
 growling in the distance began to burst. The great 
 clouds seemed to grow and swell, and from the breast 
 of them swift lightnings leapt, to be met by other 
 lightnings rushing upwards from the earth. The 
 air was filled with a tumult of uncertain wind and 
 
112 THE WIZARD 
 
 a hiss as of distant rain. Then the batteries of 
 thunder were opened, and the world shook with their 
 volume. Down from on high the flashes fell 
 blinding and incessant, and by the light of them 
 the Fire-doctors could be seen running to and for, 
 pointing now here and now there with their wands 
 of human bones, and pouring the medicines from 
 their gourds upon the ground and upon each other. 
 Owen and his two companions could be seen also, 
 standing quietly with clasped hands, while above 
 them towered the tall white cross. 
 
 At length the storm was straight over head. 
 Slowly it advanced in its awe-inspiring might as 
 flash - after flash, each more fantastic and horrible 
 than the last, smote upon the floor of ironstone. It 
 played about the shapes of the doctors, who in the 
 midst of it looked like devils in an inferno. It 
 crept onwards towards the station of the cross, but 
 it never reached it. 
 
 One flash struck indeed within fifty paces of 
 where Owen stood. Then of a sudden a marvel 
 happened, or something which to this day the People 
 of Fire talk of as a marvel, for in an instant the 
 rain began to pour like a wall of water stretching 
 from earth to heaven, and the wind changed. It 
 had been blowing from the west, now it blew from 
 the east with the force of a gale. It blew, it rolled 
 the tempest back upon itself, causing it to return 
 to the regions whence it had gathered. At the 
 very foot of the cross its march was stayed ; there 
 was the water line, as straight as if it had been 
 
THE SECOND TRIAL BY FIRE 113 
 
 drawn with a rule. The thunder-clouds that were 
 pressed forward met the clouds that were 'pressed 
 back, and together they seemed to come to earth, 
 filling the air with a gloom so dense that the eye 
 Could not pierce it. To the west was a wall of 
 blackness towering to the heavens ; to the east, 
 light, blue and unholy, gleamed upon the white 
 cross and the figures of its watchers. For some 
 seconds ten or more there was a lull, and then 
 it seemed as though all hell had broken loose upon 
 the world. The wall of blackness became a wall 
 of flame, in which strange and ardent shapes ap- 
 peared ascending and descending ; the thunder 
 bellowed till the mountains rocked, and in one last 
 blaze, awful and indescribable, the skies melted 
 into a deluge of fire. In the glare of it Owen thought 
 that he saw the figures of men falling this way and 
 that, then he staggered against the cross for support 
 and his senses failed him. 
 
 When they returned again, he perceived the 
 storm being drawn back from the face of the pale 
 earth like a pall from the face of the dead, and he 
 heard the murmur of fear and wonder rising from 
 ten thousand throats. 
 
 Well might they fear and wonder, for of the 
 twenty and one wizards eleven were dead, four 
 were paralysed by shock, five were flying in their 
 terror, and one, Hokosa himself, stood staring at 
 the fallen, a very picture of despair. Nor was 
 this all, for the meteor-stone with a human shape 
 which for generations the People of Fire had 
 
114 THE WIZARD 
 
 worshipped as a god, lay upon the plain in fused 
 and shattered fragments. 
 
 The people saw, and a sound as of a hollow groan 
 of terror went up from them. Then they were silent. 
 For awhile Owen and his companions were silent 
 also, for their hearts were too full for speech. Then 
 he said : 
 
 " As the snake fell harmless from the hand of 
 Paul, so has the lightning tumed back from me, 
 who strive to follow in his footsteps, working death 
 and dismay among those who would have harmed us. 
 May forgiveness be theirs who were without under- 
 standing. Brethren, let us return and make report 
 to the King." 
 
 Now, as they had come, so they went back ; 
 first Owen with the crucifix, next to him Nodwengo, 
 and last of the three John. They drew near to the 
 King, when suddenly, moved by a common impulse, 
 the thousands of the people upon the banks of the 
 stream with one accord threw themselves upon their 
 knees before Owen, calling him God and offering him 
 worship. Infected by the contagion, Umsuka and 
 his councillors followed their example, so that of all 
 the multitude Hokosa alone remained upon his feet, 
 standing by his dishonoured and riven deity. 
 
 " Rise ! " cried Owen, aghast. " Would you do 
 sacrilege, and offer worship to a man ? Rise, I 
 command you ! " 
 
 Then the King rose, saying : 
 
 " You are no man, Messenger, you are a spirit." 
 
 " He is a spirit," repeated the multitude after him. 
 
THE SECOND. TRIAL BY FIRE 115 
 
 " I am not a spirit," cried Owen again, " but the 
 Spirit Whom I serve has made His power manifest 
 in me His servant, and your idols are smitten with the 
 swoyd of His power, O ye Sons of Fire ! Hokosa still 
 lives, let him be brought hither." 
 
 They fetched Hokosa, and he stood before them. 
 
 " You have seen , Wizard," said the King. " What 
 have you to say ? " 
 
 " Nothing," answered Hokosa, " save that victory 
 is to the Cross, and to the white man who preaches it, 
 for his magic is greater than our magic, and by his 
 command the tempest was stayed, and the boasts 
 we hurled fell back upon our heads and the head of 
 our god to destroy us." 
 
 " Yes," said the King, " victory is to the Cross, 
 and henceforth the Cross shall be worshipped in 
 this land, or at the least no other god shall be 
 worshipped. Let us be going. Come with me, 
 Messenger, Lord of the Lightning." 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 
 
 ON the morrow Owen baptised the King, many of 
 his councillors, and some twenty others whom he 
 considered fit to receive the rite. Also he dispatched 
 his first convert John, with other messengers, on a 
 three months' journey to the coast, giving them 
 letters acquainting the bishop and others with his 
 marvellous success, and praying that missionaries 
 might be sent to assist him in his labours. 
 
 Now day by day the Church grew till it numbered 
 some hundreds of souls, and thousands more hovered 
 on its threshold. From dawn to dark Owen toiled, 
 preaching, exhorting, confessing, gathering in his 
 harvest ; and from dark to midnight he pored over 
 his translation of the Scriptures, teaching Nodwengo 
 and a few others how to read and write them. But 
 although his efforts were crowned with so. signal and 
 extraordinary a triumph, he was well aware of the 
 dangers that threatened the life of the infant Church. 
 Many accepted it indeed, and still more tolerated it ; 
 but there remained thousands who regarded the new 
 religion with suspicion and veiled hatred. Nor was 
 this strange, seeing that the hearts of men are not 
 116 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 117. 
 
 changed in an hour or their ancient customs easily 
 overset. 
 
 On one point, indeed, Owen had to give way. 
 The Amasuka were a polygamous people ; all their 
 law and traditions were interwoven with polygamy, 
 and to abolish that institution suddenly and with 
 violence would have brought their sqcial fabric to 
 the ground. Now, as he knew well, the missionary 
 Church declares in effect that no man can be both a 
 Christian and a polygamist, and therefore among 
 the followers of that custom the missionary Church 
 makes but little progress. Not without many 
 qualms and hesitations, Owen, having only the 
 Scriptures to consult, came to a compromise with 
 his converts. If a man already married to more 
 than \>ne wife wished to become a Christian, he 
 permitted him to do so upon the condition that he 
 took no more wives ; while a man unmarried at the 
 time of his conversion- might take one wife only. 
 This decree, liberal as it was, caused great dis- 
 satisfaction among both men and women ; but it 
 was as nothing compared to the feeling that was 
 evoked by Owen's preaching against all war not 
 undertaken in self-defence, and by the strict laws 
 which he prevailed upon the King to pass, sup- 
 pressing the practice of wizardry, and declaring the 
 chief or doctor who caused a man to be " smelt out " 
 and killed upon charges of witchcraft to be guilty 
 of murder. 
 
 At first whenever Owen went abroad he was 
 surrounded by thousands of people who followed 
 
118 THE WIZARD 
 
 him in the expectation that he would work miracles, 
 which, after his exploits with the lightning, they 
 were well persuaded that he could do if he chose. 
 But he worked no more miracles ; he only preached 
 to them a doctrine adverse to their customs and 
 foreign to their thoughts. So it came about that 
 in time, wheji the novelty had gone off and the story 
 of his victory over the Fire-god had grown stale, 
 although the work of conversion went on steadily, 
 many of the people grew weary of the white man and 
 his doctrines. Soon this weariness found expression 
 in various ways, and in none more markedly than 
 by the constant desertions from I he ranks of the 
 King's regiments. At first, by Owen's advice, the 
 King tolerated these desertions ; but at length, 
 having obtained information that an entire regiment 
 purposed absconding at down, he caused it to be 
 surrounded and seized by night. Next morning he 
 addressed that regiment, saying : 
 
 " Soldiers, you think that because I have become 
 a Christian and will not permit unnecessary blood- 
 shed, I am also become a fool. I will teach you 
 otherwise. One man in every twenty of you shall 
 be killed, and henceforth any soldier who attempts 
 to desert will be killed also ! " 
 
 The order was carried out, for Owen could not 
 find a word to say against it, with the result that 
 desertions almost ceased, though not before the 
 King had lost some eight or nine thousand of his 
 best soldiers. Worst of all, these soldiers had gone ' 
 to join Hafela in his mountain fastnesses ; and the 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 119 
 
 rumour grew that ere long they would appear again, 
 to claim the crown for him or to take it by force of 
 arms. 
 
 And now a fresh complication arose. The old 
 King sickened of his last illness, and soon it became 
 known that he must die. A month later die he did, 
 passing "away peacefully in Owen's arms, and with 
 his last breath exhorting his people to cling to the 
 Christian religion, to take Nodwengo for their King 
 and to be faithful to him. 
 
 The King died, and that same day was buried by 
 Owen in the gloomy resting-place of the blood-royal 
 of the People of Fire, where a Christian priest now 
 set foot for the first time. 
 
 On the morrow Nodwengo was proclaimed king 
 with much cererinony in face of the people and of 
 all the army that remained to him. One captain 
 raised a cry for Hafela his brother. Nodwengo 
 caused him to be seized and brought before him. 
 
 " Man," he said, " on this my coronation day I 
 will not stain my hand with blood. Listen. You 
 cry upon Hafela, and to Hafela you shall go, taking 
 him this message. Tell him that I, Nodwengo, 
 have succeeded to the crown of Umsuka, my father, 
 by his will and the will of the people. Tell him it 
 is true that I have become a Christian, and that 
 Christians follow not after war but peace. Tell him, 
 however, that though I am a Christian I have not 
 forgotten how to fight or how to rule. It has reached 
 my ears that it is his purpose to attack me with the 
 great force that he has gathered and to possess himself 
 
120 THE WIZARD 
 
 of my throne. If he should choose to come, I shall 
 be ready to meet him ; but I counsel him against 
 coming, for it will be to find his death. Let him stay 
 where he is in peace, and be my subject ; or let him 
 go afar with those that cleave to him, and set up a 
 kingdom of his own , for then I shall not follow him ; 
 but let him not dare to lift a spear against me, his 
 sovereign, for then he shall be treated as a rebel and 
 find the doom of a rebel. Begone, and show your 
 face here no more ! " 
 
 The man, crept away crestfallen ; but all who 
 heard that speech broke into cheering, which, as 
 its purport was repeated from rank or rank, spread 
 far and wide ; for now the army learned that in 
 becoming a Christian Nodwengo had not become 
 a woman. Of this indeed he soOrf gave them ample 
 proof. The old king's grip upon things had been 
 lax, that of Nodwengo was like iron. He practised* 
 no cruelties, and did injustice to none; but his 
 discipline was severe, and soon the regiments were 
 brought t.o a greater pitch of proficiency than they 
 had ever reached before, although they were now 
 allowed to marry when they pleased, a boon that 
 hitherto had been denied to them. Moreover, by 
 Owen's help, he designed an entirely new system of 
 fortification of the kraal and surrounding hills, 1 
 which would, it was thought, make the place impreg- 
 nable^ These and many other acts, equally vigorous 
 and far-seeing, put new heart into the nation. Also 
 the report of them put fear into Hafela, who, it was 
 rumoured, had given up all idea of attack. 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 121 
 
 Some there were, however, who looked upon 
 these changes with little love, and Hokosa was the 
 chief of them. After his defeat in the duel by fire, 
 for a while his Spirit was crushed. Hitherto he had 
 more or less been a believer in the protecting influence 
 of his own god or fetish, who would, as he thought, 
 hold his priests scatheless from the lightning. Often 
 and often had he stood in past days upon that plain 
 while the great tempests broke around his head, 
 and returned thence unharmed, attributing to sorcery 
 a safety that was really due to chance. From time 
 to time indeed a priest was killed ; but, so his com- 
 panions held, the misfortune resulted invariably from 
 the man's neglect of some rite, or was a mark of the 
 anger of the Heavens. Now he had lived to see all 
 these convictions shattered : he had seen the 
 lightning, which he pretended to be able to control, 
 roll back upon him from the foot of the Christian 
 cross, reducing his god to nothingness and his 
 companions to corpses. At first Hokosa was dis- 
 mayed, but as time went on hope came back to him. 
 Stripped of his offices and power, and from the 
 greatest in the nation, after the King, become one 
 of small account, still no. harm or violence was 
 attempted towards him. He was left wealthy and 
 in peace, and living thus he watched and listened 
 with open eyes and ears, waiting till the tide should 
 turn. It seemed that he would not have long to 
 wait, for reasons that have been told. 
 
 " Why do you sit here like a vulture on a rock," 
 asked the girl Noma,. whom he had taken to wife, 
 
122 THE WIZARD 
 
 "when you might be yonder with Hafela, preparing 
 him by your wisdom for the coming war ? " 
 
 " Because I am a king-vulture, and I wait for the 
 sick bull to die," he answered, pointing to the Great 
 Place beneath him. " Say, why should I bring 
 Hafela to prey upon a carcase I have marked down 
 for my own ? " 
 
 " Now you speak well," said Noma ; " the bull 
 suffers from a strange disease, and when he is dead 
 another must lead the herd." 
 
 " That is so," answered her husband, " and, 
 therefore, I am patient." 
 
 It was shortly after this conversation that the old 
 King died, with results very different from those 
 which Hokosa had anticipated. Although he was 
 a Christian, to his surprise Nodwengo showed that 
 he twas also a strong ruler, and that there was little 
 chance of the sceptre slipping from his hand none 
 indeed while the white teacher was there to guide him. 
 
 " What will you do now, Hokosa ? " asked Noma 
 his wife upon a certain day. " Will you turn you to 
 Hafela after all ? " 
 
 " No," answered Hokosa ; " I will consult my 
 ancient lore. Listen. Whatever else is false, this 
 is true : that magic exists, and I am a master of it. 
 For a while it seemed to me that the white man was 
 greater at the art than I am ; but of late I have 
 watched him and listened to his doctrines, and I 
 believe that this is not so. It is true that in the 
 beginning he read my plans in l1 a dream, or otherwise ; 
 it is true that he hurled the lightning back upon my 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 123 
 
 head ; but I hold that these things were accidents. 
 Again and again he has told us that he is not a wizard ; 
 and if this be so, he can be overcome." 
 
 " How, husband ? " 
 
 "How? By wizardry. This very night, Noma, 
 with your help I will consult the dead, as I have 
 done in bygone time, and learn the future from their 
 lips which cannot die." 
 
 " So be it ; though the task is hateful to me, 
 and I hate you who force me to it." She answered 
 thus with passion, but her eyes shone as she spoke ; 
 for those who have once tasted the cup of magic 
 are ever drawn to drink of it again, even when they 
 fear to do so. 
 
 It was midnight, and Hokosa with his wife stood 
 in the burying-ground of the kings of the Amasuka. 
 Before Owen came upon his mission it was death 
 to visit this spot except upon the occasion of the 
 laying to rest of one of the royal blood, or to offer 
 the annual sacrifice to the spirits of the dead. Even 
 beneath the bright moon that shone upon it the 
 place seemed terrible. Here in the bosom of the 
 hills was an amphitheatre, surrounded by walls 
 of rock varying from five hundred to a thousand 
 feet in height. In this amphitheatre grew great 
 mimosa thorns, and above them towered pillars of 
 granite, set there not by the hand of man but of 
 Nature. It would seem that the Amasuka, led by 
 some fine natural instinct, had chosen these columns 
 as fitting memorials of their kings, at the least a 
 
124 THE WIZARD 
 
 departed monarch lay at the foot of each of them. 
 The smallest of these unhewn obelisks it" was about 
 fifty feet high marked the 'resting-place of Umsuka ; 
 and deep into the granite of it Owen with his own 
 hand had cut the dead King's name and date of 
 death, surmounting the inscription with the symbol 
 of the cross. Towards this pillar Hokosa made his 
 way through the wet grass, followed by Noma liis 
 wife. Presently they were there, standing one upon 
 each side of a little mound of earth more like an 
 antheap than a grave ; ^for, after the custom of his 
 people, Umsuka had beep buried sitting. At the 
 foot of each of the other pillars was a heap of similar 
 shape, but many times as large ; for the kings who 
 slept there were accompanied to their resting-places 
 by numbers of their wives and servants, who had 
 been slain in solemn sacrifice that they might attend 
 their lord whithersoever he should wander. 
 
 " What is it that you would do ? " asked Noma, 
 in a hushed voice ; for, bold as she was, the place 
 and the occasion awed her. 
 
 " I would seek wisdom from the dead ! " Hokosa 
 answered. " Have I not already told you* and 
 can I not do it with your help ? " 
 
 " What dead, husband ? " 
 
 " Umsuka the king. Ah ! I served him living, 
 and at the last he drove me away from his side. 
 Now he shall serve me, and out of the nowhere I 
 will call him back to mine." 
 
 " Will not this symbol defeat you ? " and she 
 pointed to the cross hewn in the granite. 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 125 
 
 At her words a sudden gust of rage seemed to 
 shake the wizard. . His still eyes flashed, his lips 
 turned livid, and with them he spat upon the cross. 
 
 " It has no power," he said. " May it be accursed, 
 and may he who believes therein hang upon it ! 
 It has no power ; but even if it had, according to 
 the tale of that white liar, such things as I would 
 do have been done beneath its shadow. By it the 
 dead have been raised ay ! dead kings have been 
 dragged from death and forced to tell the secrets of 
 the grave. Come, come, let us to the work." 
 
 " What must I do, husband ? " 
 
 " You shall sit you there, even as a corpse sits, 
 and there for a little while you shall die yes, your 
 spirit shall leave you and I will fill your body 
 with the spirit of him who sleeps beneath ; and 
 through your lips I will learn his wisdom, to whom 
 all things are known." 
 
 " It is terrible ! I am afraid ! " she said. " Cannot 
 this be done otherwise ? " 
 
 " It cannot," he answered. " The spirits of the 
 dead have no shape or form ; they are invisible, 
 and can speak only in dreams or through the lips 
 of one in whose pulses life still lingers, though soul 
 and body be already parted. Have no fear. Ere his 
 spirit leaves you it shall recall your own, which till 
 the corpse is cold stays ever close at hand. I did 
 not think to find a coward in you, Noma." 
 
 " I am not a coward, as you know well," she 
 answered passionately, " for many a deed of magic 
 have we dared together in past days ; but this is 
 
126 THE WIZARD 
 
 fearsome, to die that my body may become the 
 home of the ghost of a dead man, who perchance, 
 having entered it, will abide there, leaving my spirit 
 houseless, or perchance will shut up the doors of 
 my heart in such fashion that they never can be 
 opened. Can it not be done by trance as aforetime ? 
 Tell me, Hokosa, how often have you thus talked 
 with the dead ? " 
 "Thrice, Noma." 
 
 " And what chanced to them through whom you 
 talked ? " 
 
 " Two lived and took no harm ; the third died, 
 because the awakening medicine was not powerful 
 enough. But fear nothing ; that which I have with 
 me is of the best. . Noma, you know my plight : 
 I must win wisdom, and you alone can help me ; 
 for under this new rule I can no longer buy a youth 
 or maid for purposes of witchcraft, even if one could 
 be found fitted for the work. Choose then : shall 
 we go back or forward ? Here trance will not 
 help us ; for those entranced cannot read the future, 
 nor can they hold communion with the dead, being 
 but asleep. Choose, Noma." 
 
 " I have chosen," she answered. " Never yet 
 have I turned my back upon a venture, nor will I 
 do so now. Come life, come death, I will submit 
 me to your wish, though there are few women who 
 would do as much for any man. Nor in truth do 
 I do it for you, Hokosa ; I do it because I seek 
 power, and thus only can we win it who are fallen. 
 Also I love all things strange, and desire to commune 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 127 
 
 with the dead and to know that, if for some few 
 minutes only, at least my woman's breast has held 
 the spirit of a king. Yet, I warn you, make no 
 fault in your magic; for should I die beneath it, 
 then I, who desire to live on and to be great, will 
 haunt you and be avenged upon you ! " 
 
 " Oh ! Noma," he said, " if I believed that there 
 was any danger for you, should I ask you to do 
 this thing ? I, who love you more even than you 
 love power, more than my life, more than anything 
 that is or ever can be." 
 
 " I know it, and it is to that I trust," she answered. 
 " Now begin, for my courage leaves me." 
 
 "Good," he said. "Seat yourself there upon the 
 mound, resting your head gainst the stone." 
 
 She obeyed ; and taking the thongs of hide which 
 he had ready, Hokosa bound her wrists and ankles, 
 as these people bind the wrists and ankles of a 
 corpse. Then he knelt before her, staring into her 
 face with his solemn eyes and muttering : " Obey 
 and sleep." 
 
 Presently her limbs relaxed, and her head fell 
 forward. 
 
 " Do you sleep ? " he asked. 
 
 " I sleep. Whither shall I go ? It is the true 
 sleep test me." 
 
 " Pass to the house of the white man, my rival. 
 Are you there ? " 
 
 " I am there." 
 
 " What does he ? " 
 
 " He lies in slumber on his bed, and in his slumber 
 
128 THE WIZARD 
 
 he mutters the name of a woman, and tells her that 
 he loves her, but that duty is more than love. Oh ! 
 call me back, I cannot stay ; a presence guards him, 
 and pushes me thence." 
 
 " Return," said Hokosa, starting. " Pass through 
 the earth beneath you and tell me what you see." 
 
 " I see the body of the King ; but where it not 
 for his royal ornaments none would know him 
 now." 
 
 " Return," said Hokosa, " and let the eyes of 
 your spirit be open. Look around^ou and tell me 
 what you see." 
 
 " I see the shadows of the dead," she answered : 
 " they stand about you, gazing at you with angry 
 eyes ; but when they come near you, something 
 drives them back, and I cannot understand what 
 it is they say." 
 
 " Is. the ghost of Umsuka among them ? " 
 
 " It is among them." 
 
 " Bid him prophesy the future to me." 
 
 " I have bidden him, but he does not answer. 
 If you would hear him speak, it must be through 
 the lips of my body; and first my -body must be 
 emptied of my spirit, that his may find a place 
 therein." 
 
 " Say, can his spirit be compelled ? " 
 
 " It can be compelled, or that part of it that 
 still hovers near this spot, if you dare to speak 
 the words you know. But first a house must be 
 made ready for it. Then the words must be spoken, 
 and all must Be done before a man can count three 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 129 
 
 hundred ; for should the blood begin to clot about my 
 heart, it will be still for ever." 
 
 " Hearken," said Hokosa. " When the medicine 
 that I shall give you does its work, and the spirit 
 is loosened from your body, let it not go afar, what- 
 ever tempts or threatens it, and suffer not that the 
 death-cord be severed, lest flesh and spirit be parted 
 for ever." 
 
 " I hear and I obey. Be swift, for I grow weary." 
 
 Then Hokosa took from his pouch two medicines : 
 one a paste in a box, the other a fluid in a gourd. 
 Taking of the paste, he knelt upon the grave before 
 the entranced woman and swiftly smeared it upon 
 the mucous membrane of the mouth and throat. 
 Also he thrust pellets of it into the ears, the nostrils, 
 and the corners of the eyes. The effect was almost 
 instantaneous. A change came over the girl's lovely 
 face, the last awful change of death. Her cheeks 
 fell in, her chin dropped, her eyes opened, and her 
 flesh quivered convulsively. The wizard saw it all 
 by the bright moonlight ; then he took up his part 
 in this unholy drama. 
 
 What it was that he did cannot be described, 
 because it is indescribable. The Witch of Endor 
 -repeated no formula, but she raised the dead ; and 
 so did Hokosa the wizard. He buried his face in 
 the grey dust of the grave, he blew with his lips 
 into the dust, he clutched at the dust with his 
 hands, and when he raised his face again, lo ! it 
 was grey like the dust. Then began the marvel ; 
 for, though the woman before him remained a corpse, 
 
130 THE WIZARD 
 
 from the lips of the corpse a voice issued, and its 
 sound was horrible, for the accent and tone of it 
 were masculine, and the instrument through which 
 it spoke Noma's throat was feminine, yet it could 
 be recognised as the voice of Umsuka the dead 
 King. 
 
 " Why have you summoned me from my rest, 
 Hokosa ? " hissed the voice from the lips of the 
 huddled corpse. 
 
 " Because I would learn the future, Spirit of the 
 King," answered the wizard boldly, but saluting as 
 he spoke. " You are dead, and to your sight all 
 the Gates are opened. By the power that I have, 
 I command you to show me what you see therein 
 concerning myself, and to point out to me the path 
 that I should follow to attain my ends and the ends 
 of her in whose breast you dwell." 
 
 At once the answ r er came, always in the same 
 horrible voice : 
 
 " Hearken to your fate for this world, Hokosa 
 the wizard. You shall triumph over your rival, 
 the white man, the Messenger ; and by your hand 
 he shall perish, passing to his appointed place. 
 By that to which you cling you shall be betrayed, 
 ay ! you shall lose that which you love and follow 
 after that which you do not desire. In the grave 
 of error you shall find truth, from the deeps of sin 
 you shall pluck righteousness. When these words 
 fall upon your ears again, then, Wizard, take them 
 for a sign, and let your heart be turned. That 
 which you deem accursed shall lift you up on high. 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 131 
 
 High shall you be set above the nation and its 
 King, and from age to age the voice of the people 
 shall praise you. Yet in the end comes judgment ; 
 and there shall the sin and the atonement strive 
 together, and in that hour, Wizard, you shall 
 
 Thus the voice spoke, strongly at first, but growing 
 ever more feeble as the sparks of life departed from 
 the body of the woman, till at length it ceased 
 altogether. 
 
 " What shall chance to me in that hour ? " Hokosa 
 asked eagerly, placing his ear against Noma's lips. 
 
 No answer came ; and the wizard knew that if he 
 would drag his wife back from the door of death 
 he must delay no longer. Dashing the sweat from 
 his eyes with one hand, with the other he seized 
 the gourd of fluid that he had placed ready and, 
 thrusting back her head, he poured of its contents 
 down her throat and waited a while. She did not 
 move. In an extremity of terror he snatched a 
 knife, and with a single cut severed a vein in her 
 arm, then taking some of the fluid that remained 
 in the gourd in his hand, he rubbed it roughly 
 upon her brow and throat and heart. Now her 
 fingers stirred, and now, with horrible contortions 
 and every symptom of agony, life returned to her : 
 the blood flowed from her wounded arm, slowly 
 at first, then more last, and lifting her head she 
 spoke. 
 
 " Take me hence," she cried, " or I shall go mad ; 
 for I have seen and heard things too terrible to be 
 spoken ! " 
 
132 THE WIZARD 
 
 " What have you seen and heard ? " he asked, 
 while he cut the thongs which bound her wrists 
 and feet. 
 
 " I do not know," she answered, weeping ; " the 
 vision of them passes from me : but all the distances 
 of death were open to my sight ; yes, I travelled 
 through the distances of death. In them I met 
 him who was the King, and he lay cold within me, 
 speaking to ,my heart ; and as he passed from me 
 he looked upon the child that I shall bear and 
 cursed it, and accursed it shall be. Take me hence, 
 O you most evil man, for of your wizardries I 
 have had enough, and from this day forth I am 
 haunted ! " 
 
 " Have no fear," answered Hokosa, " you have 
 made the journey whence but few return ; and 
 yet, as I promised you, you have returned to wear 
 the greatness you desire and that I sent you forth 
 to win ; for henceforth we shall be great. Look, 
 the dawn is breaking the dawn of life and the 
 dawn of power and the mists of death and of 
 disgrace roll back before us. Now the path is clear, 
 the dead have shown it to me, and of wizardry I 
 shall ned no more." 
 
 " Ay," answered Noma, " but night follows dawn 
 as the dawn follows night ; and through the darkness 
 and the daylight, I tell you, Wizard, henceforth I 
 am haunted ! Also, be not so sure, for though I 
 know not what the dead have spoken to you, yet 
 it lingers on my mind that their words have many 
 meanings. Nay, speak to me no more, but let us 
 
THE WISDOM OF THE DEAD 133 
 
 fly from this dread home of ghosts/this habitation 
 of the spirit-folk that we have violated." 
 
 So the wizard and his wife crept from that solemn 
 place, and saw the dawn-beams lighting upon the 
 white cross that was reared in the Plain of 
 Fire, 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE MESSAGE OF HOKOSA 
 
 THE weeks went by, and Hokosa sat in his kraal 
 weaving a great plot. None suspected him any 
 more, for though he did not belong to it, he was 
 heard to speak well of the new faith, and to acknow- 
 ledge that the God of Fire which he had worshipped 
 was a false god. He was humble also towards the 
 King, but he craved to withdraw himself from all 
 matters of the state, saying that now he had but 
 one desire to tend his herds and garden, and to 
 grow old in peace with the new wife whom he had 
 chosen and whom he loved. Owen, too, he greeted 
 courteously when he met him, sending gifts of corn 
 and cattle for the service of his Church. Moreover, 
 when a messenger came from Hafela, making 
 proposals to him, he drove him away and laid the 
 matter before the Council of the King. Yet that 
 messenger, who was hunted from the kraal, took 
 back a secret word for Hafela's ear. 
 
 " It is not always winter," was the word, " and 
 it may chance that in the springtime you shall 
 hear from me." And again, " Say to the Prince 
 Hafela, that though my face towards him is like a 
 storm, yet behind the clouds the sun shines ever." 
 
 134 
 
THE MESSAGE OF HOKOSA 135 
 
 At length there came a day when Noma, his 
 wife, was brought to bed. Hokosa, her husband, 
 tended her alone, and when the child was bom 
 he groaned alond and would not suffer her to look 
 on it. Yet, Jifting herself, she saw. 
 
 " Did I not tell you it was accursed ? " she wailed. 
 " Take it away ! " and she sank back in a swoon . 
 So he took the child and buried it deep in the cattle 
 yard by night. 
 
 After this it came about that Noma,*who, though 
 her mind owned the sway of his, had never loved him 
 over much, hated her husband Hokosa, a^d yet he 
 had this power over her that she could not leave him. 
 But he loved her more and more, and she had this 
 power over him that she could always draw him to 
 her. Great as her beauty had ever been, after the 
 birth of the child it grew greater day by day, but it 
 was an evil beauty, the beauty of a witch ; and this . 
 fate fell upon her, that she feared the dark and would 
 never be alone after the sun had set. When she 
 was recovered from her sickness, Noma sat one 
 night in her hut, and Hokosa sat there also watching 
 her. . The evening was warm, but a bright fire 
 burned in the hut and she crouched upon a 
 stool by the fire, glancing continually over her 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Why do you bide by the fire, seeing that it is 
 so hot, Noma ? " he asked. 
 
 " Because I fear to be away frofct the light," she 
 answered, adding, " Oh, accursed man ! for your 
 own ends you have caused me to be bewitched. 
 
136 THE WIZARD 
 
 ay ! and that which was born of me also, and 
 bewitched I am by those shadows which you bade 
 me seek, and which now will never leave me. Nor 
 is this all. You sw r ore to me that if I would do 
 your will I should become great, ay, and you took 
 me from one who would have made me great and 
 whom I should have pushed on to victory. But 
 now it seems that for nothing I made that awful 
 voyage into the depths of death ; and for nothing, 
 yet living, tm I become the sport of those that 
 dwell there. How am I greater than I was I, 
 who am but the second wife of a fallen witch-doctor, 
 who sits in the sun, day by day, while age gathers 
 on his head like frost upon a bush ? Where are all 
 your high schemes now ? Where is the fruit of 
 wisdom that I gathered for you ? Answer, Wizard, 
 whom I have learned to hate, but from whom I 
 cannot escape ! " 
 
 " Truly," said THfokosa in a bitter voice, " for all 
 my sins against them the Heavens have laid a 
 heavy fate upon my head, that thus with flesh and 
 spirit I should worship a woman who loathes me. 
 One comfort only is left to me, that you dare not 
 take my life, and that what I bid you that you 
 must do. Ay, you fear the dark, Noma ; yet did I 
 command you to arise and go stand alone through 
 the long night yonder in the burying-place of kings, 
 why, you must do it. Come, I command you 
 go!" 
 
 " Nay, nay ! " she wailed in an extremity of terror, 
 and yet she rose and went towards the door sideways, 
 
THE MESSAGE OF HOKOSA 137 
 
 for her hands were outstretched in supplication to 
 him. 
 
 " Come back," he said, " and listen : If a hunter 
 has nurtured up a fierce dog, wherewith alone he 
 can gain his livelihood, he tries to tame that dog 
 by love, does he not ? And if it will not become 
 gentle, then, it being necessary to him, he tames 
 it by fear. I am the hunter and, Noma, you are 
 the hound ; and since this curse is on me that I 
 cannot live without you, why I must master you 
 as best I may. Yet, believe me, I would not cause 
 you fear or pain, and it saddens me that you should 
 be haunted by these sick fancies, for they are nothing 
 more. I have seen such cases before to-day, and 
 I ' have noted that they can be cured by mixing 
 with fresh faces and travelling in new countries. 
 Noma, I think it would be well that, after your 
 late sickness, according to the custom of the women 
 of our people, you should part from me a while, 
 and go upon a journey of purification." 
 
 " Whither shall I go and who will go with me ? " 
 she asked, sullenly. 
 
 " I will find you companions, women discreet and 
 skilled. And as to where you shall go, I will tell you. 
 You shall go upon an embassy to the Prince Hafela." 
 
 " Are you not afraid that I should stop there ? " 
 she asked again, with a flash of her eyes. " It is 
 true that I never heard all the story, yet I thought 
 that the Prince was not so glad to hanc^^me back 
 to you as you would have had me to believe. The 
 price you paid for me must have been good, Hokosa, 
 
138 THE WIZARD 
 
 and mayhap it had to do with the death of a 
 king." 
 
 " I am not afraid," he answered, setting his teeth, 
 " because I know that whatever your heart may 
 desire, my will follows you, and while I live that 
 is a cord you cannot break unless I choose to loose 
 it, Noma. I command you to be faithful to me 
 and to return to me, and these commands you 
 must obey. Hearken : you taunted me just now, 
 saying that I sat like a dotard in the sun and, 
 advanced you nothing. Well, I will advance you, 
 for both our sakes, but mostly for your own, since 
 you desire it, and it must be dorie through the 
 Prince Hafela. I cannot leave this kraal, for day 
 and night I am watched, and before I had gone 
 an hour's journey I should be seized ; also here 
 I have work to do. But the Place of Purification 
 is secret, and when you reach it you need not bide 
 there, you can travel on into the mountains till 
 you come to the town of the Prince Hafela. He 
 will receive you gladly and you shall whisper this 
 message in his ear : ' These are the words of Hokosa, 
 my husband, which he has set in my mouth to 
 deliver to you, O Prince. Be guided by them and 
 grow great ; reject them and die a wanderer, a little 
 man of no account. But first, this is the price that 
 you shall swear by the sacred oath to pay to Hokosa, 
 if his wisdom finds favour in your sight and through 
 it you come to victory : That after you, the King, 
 he, Hokosa, shall be the first man in the land, the 
 general of the armies, the captain of the Council, the 
 
THE MESSAGE OF HOKOSA 139 
 
 head of the doctors, and that to him shall be given 
 half of the cattle of Nodwengo, who now is king. 
 Also to him shall be given power to stamp out the 
 new faith which overruns the land like a foreign 
 weed, and to deal as he thinks fit with those who 
 cling to it.' 
 
 " Now, Noma, when he has sworn this oath in your 
 ear, calling down ruin upon his own head, should 
 he break one word of it, and not before, you shall 
 continue the message thus : ' These are the words 
 that Hokosa set in my mouth : " Know, O Prince, 
 that the King, your brother, grows very strong, 
 for he is a great soldier, who learned his art in bygone 
 wars ; also the white man that is named Messenger 
 has taught him many things as to the building 
 of forts and j walls and the drilling and discipline 
 of men. So strong is he that you can scarcely hope 
 to conquer him in open war yet snakes may crawl 
 where men cannot walk. Therefore, Prince, let your 
 part 'be that of a snake. ^ Do you send an embassy 
 to the King, your brother, and say to him : ' My 
 brother, you have been preferred before me and set 
 up to 'be King in my place, and because of this my 
 heart is bitter, so bitter that I have gathered my 
 strength to make war upon you. Yet, at the last, 
 I have taken another counsel, bethinking me that, 
 if we fight, in the end it may chance that neither of 
 us will be left alive to rule, and that the people also 
 will be brought to nothing. To the north there lies a 
 good country and a^wide, where but few men live, 
 and thither I would go, setting the mountains 
 
UO THE WIZARD 
 
 and the river between us ; for there, far beyond 
 your borders, I also can be a king. Now, to reach 
 this country, I must travel by the pass that is 
 not far from your Great Place, and I pray you 
 that you will not attack my impis or the women 
 and children that I shall send, and a guard before 
 them, to await me m the plain beyond the moun- 
 tains, seeing that these can only journey slowly. 
 Let us pass by in peace, my brother, for so shall 
 our quarrel be ended ; but if you do so much as 
 lift a single spear against me, then I will give you 
 battle, setting my fortune against your fortune and 
 my god against your God!/ 
 
 "'"Such are the w r ords that the embassy shall 
 deliver into the ears of the King, Nodwengo, and 
 it [shall come about that when he hears them, 
 Nodwengo, whose heart is gentle and who seeks 
 not war, shall answer softly, saying : ' Go in peace, 
 my brother, and live in peace in that land which 
 you would win/ Then shall you, Hafela, send on 
 the most of your cattle and the women and children 
 through the pass in the mountains, bidding them 
 to await you in the plain, and after awhile you 
 shall follow them with your impis. But these 
 shall not travel in war-array, for carriers shall bear 
 their fighting shields in bundles and their stabbing 
 spears shall be rolled up in mats. Now, on the 
 sixth day of your journey you shall camp at the 
 mouth of the pass which the cattle and the women 
 have already travelled, and his outposts and spies 
 shall bring it to the ears of the King . that your 
 
THE MESSAGE OF HOKOSA 141 
 
 force is sleeping there, purposing to climb the 
 pass on the morrow.. But on that night, so soon 
 as the darkness falls, you shall rise up with your 
 captains and your regiments, leaving your fires 
 burning and men about your fires, and shall travel 
 very swiftly across the valley, so that an hour 
 before the dawn you reach the second range of 
 mountains, and pass it by the gorge which is the 
 burying-place of kings. Here you shall light a 
 fire, which those who watch will believe to be but 
 the fire of a herdsman who is acold. But I, Hokosa, 
 also shall be watching, and when I see that fire I 
 will creep, with some whom I can trust, to the little 
 northern gate of the outer wall, and we will spear 
 those that guard it and open the gate, that your 
 army may pass through it. Then, before the 
 regiments can stand to their arms or those within 
 it are awakened, you shall storm the inner walls 
 and by the light of the burning huts shall put the 
 dwellers of the Great Place to the spear, and the 
 rays of the rising sun shall crown you king. 
 
 < Follow this counsel of mine, O Prince Hafela, 
 I and all shall go well with you. Neglect it and 
 be lost. There is but one thing which you need 
 fear it is the magic of the Messenger, to whom 
 it is given to read the secret thoughts of men. But 
 of him take no account, for he is my charge, and 
 before ever you set a foot within the Great Place 
 he shall have taken his answer back to Him Who 
 sent him." 
 
 Hokosa finished speaking. 
 
142 THE WIZARD 
 
 " Have you heard ? " he said to Noma. 
 
 " I have heard." 
 
 " Then speak the message." 
 
 She repeated it word for word, making no fault. 
 " Have no fear," she added, " I shall forget nothing 
 when I stand before the Prince." 
 
 " You are a woman, but your counsel is good. 
 What think you of the plan, Noma ? " 
 
 "It is deep and well laid," she answered, "and 
 surely it would succeed were it not for one thing. 
 The white man, Messenger, will be too clever for 
 you, for as you say, he is a reader of the thoughts 
 of men." 
 
 fc "Can the dead read men's thoughts, or if they 
 can, do they cry them on the market-place or 
 into the ears of kings ? " asked Hokosa. " Have 
 I not told you that, before I see the signal fire 
 yonder, the Messenger shall sleep sound ? I have 
 a medicine, Noma, a slow medicine that none can 
 trace." 
 
 " The Messenger shall sleep sound, Hokosa, and 
 yet perchance he may pass on his message to another 
 and, with it, his magic. Who can say ? Still, 
 strike on for power and greatness and revenge, 
 letting the blow fall where it will." 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE BASKET OF FRUIT 
 
 THREE days later it was announced that according 
 to the custom of the women of the People of Fire 
 Noma, having given birth to a still-born child, was 
 about to start upon a journey to the Mount of 
 Purification, where she would abide awhile and make 
 sacrifice to the spirits of her ancestors, that they 
 might cease to be angry with her and in future 
 protect her from such misfortunes. This not unusual 
 domestic incident excited little comment, although 
 it was remarked that the four matrons by whom she 
 was to be accompanied, in accordance with the tribal 
 etiquette, were all of them the wives of soldiers 
 who had deserted to Hafela. Indeed, the King 
 himself noticed as much when Hokosa made the 
 customary formal application to him to sanction the 
 expedition. 
 
 " So be it," he said, " though myself I have lost 
 faith in such rites, Also, Hokosa, I think it likely 
 that although your wife goes out with company, 
 she will return alone." 
 
 " Why, King ? " asked Hokosa. 
 
 "For this reason that those who travel with 
 
 143 
 
144 THE WIZARD 
 
 her have husbands yonder at the town of the Prince 
 Hafela, and the Mount of the Purification is on the 
 road thither. Having gone so far, they may go 
 farther. Well, let them go, for I desire to have none 
 among my people whose hearts turn otherwhere, and 
 it would not be wonderful if they should choose to 
 seek their lords, though perchance, Hokosa, there are 
 some in this town who may use them as messengers 
 to the Prince" and he looked at him keenly. 
 
 " I think not, King," said Hokosa. " None but 
 a fool would make use of women to carry secret 
 words or tidings. Their tongues are too long and 
 their memories too bad, or too uncertain." 
 
 " Yet I have heard, Hokosa, that you have made 
 use of women in many a strange work. Say now, 
 what were you doing upon a night a while ago with 
 that fair witch-wife of yours yonder in the burying- 
 place of kings, where it is not lawful that you should 
 set your foot ? Nay, deny it not. You were seen 
 to enter the valley after midnight and to return 
 thence at the dawn, and it was seen also that as she 
 came homewards your wife walked as one who is. 
 drunken, and she, whom it is not easy to frighten, 
 wore a face of fear. Man, I do not trust you, and 
 were I wise I should hunt you hence, or keep you so 
 close that you could scarcely move without my 
 knowledge. Why should I trust you ? " Nodwengo 
 went on vehemently. " Can a wizard cease from 
 his wizardry, or a plotter from his plots ? No, not 
 until the waters run upwards and the sun shines at 
 night ; not until repentance touches you and your 
 
THE BASKET OF FRUIT 145 
 
 heart is changed, which I should hold as much a 
 marvel. You were my father's friend and he made 
 you great ; yet you could plan with my brother to 
 poison him, your king. Nay, be silent ; I know it, 
 though I have said nothing of it because one that 
 is dear to me has interceded for you. You were 
 the priest of the false god, and with that god are 
 fallen from your place, yet you have not renounced 
 him. You sit still in your kraal and pretend to be 
 asleep, but your slumber is that of the serpent 
 which watches his time to strike. How do I know 
 that you would not poison me as you would have 
 poisoned my father, or stir up rebellion against 
 me, or bring my brother's impis on my head ? " 
 
 "If the King thinks any of these things of his 
 servant," answered Hokosa in a humble voice, 
 but with dignity, " his path is plain : let him put 
 me to death and sleep in peace, for who am I that 
 I should fill the ears of a king with my defence 
 against these charges, or dare to wrangle with 
 him ? " 
 
 " Long ago I should have put you to death, 
 Hokosa," answered Nodwengo, sternly, "had it 
 not been that one has pleaded for you, declaring 
 that in you there is good which shall overcome 
 the evil, and that you who now are an axe to cut 
 down my throne in time to come shall be a roof- 
 tree to support it. Also, the law that I obey will 
 not allow me to take the blood of men save upon 
 full proof, and against you as yet I have no proof. 
 Still, Hokosa, be warned in time, and let your heart 
 
146 THE WIZARD 
 
 be turned before the grave claims your body and the 
 Wicked One your soul." 
 
 " I thank you, King, for your gentle words and 
 your tender care for my well-being both on the 
 earth and after I shall leave it. But I tell you, 
 King, that I had rather die as your father would 
 have killed me in the old days, or your brother 
 would kill me now, did either of them hate or fear 
 me, than live on in safety owing my life to a new 
 law and a new mercy that do not befit the great 
 ones of the earth. King, I am your servant," 
 and giving him the royal salute, he rose and left 
 his presence. 
 
 " At the least there goes a man," said Nodwengo, 
 as he watched him depart. 
 
 " Of whom do you speak, King ? " asked Owen, 
 who at that moment entered the Royal House. 
 
 " Of him whom you must have touched in the 
 doorway, Messenger, Hokosa the wizard," answered 
 the King, and he told him of what had passed between 
 them. " I said," he added, " that he was a man, 
 and so he is ; yet I hold that I have done wrong to 
 listen to your pleading and to spare him, for I am 
 certain that he will bring bloodshed upon me and 
 trouble on the Faith. Think now, Messenger, how 
 full must be that man's heart of secret rage and hatred, 
 he who was so great and is now so little ! Will he 
 not certainly strive to grow great again ? Will he 
 not strive to be avenged, upon those who humbled 
 him and the religion they have adopted ? " 
 
 " It may be," answered Owen, " but if so, he 
 
THE BASKET OF FRUIT 147 
 
 will not conquer. I tell you, King, that like water 
 hidden in a rock there is good in this man's heart, 
 and that I shall yet find a rod wherewith to cause 
 it to gush out and refresh the desert," 
 
 " It is more likely that he will find a spear where- 
 with to cause your blood to gush out and refresh 
 the jackals," answered the King, grimly ; " but be 
 it as you will. And now, what of your business ? " 
 
 " This, King : John, my servant, has returned 
 from the coast countries, and he brings me a letter 
 saying that before long three white teachers will 
 follow him to take up the work that I have begun. 
 I pray that when they come, for my sake and for 
 the sake of the truth that I have taught you, you 
 will treat them kindly and protect them, 'remem- 
 bering that at first they will know little of your 
 language or your customs." 
 
 " I will indeed," said the King, with much concern. 
 " But tell me, Messenger, why do you speak of 
 yourself as of one who soon will be but a memory ? 
 Do you purpose to leave us ? " 
 
 " No, King, but I|believe that ere long I shall be 
 recalled. I have given my message, my task is well- 
 nigh ended, and I must be turning home. Save for 
 your sakes I do not sorrow thereat, for to speak 
 truth I grow very weary," and he smiled sadly. 
 
 Hokosa went home alarmed and full of bitter- 
 ness, for he had never guessed that the " servant 
 of the Messenger," as he called Nodwengo the 
 King, knew so much about him and his plans. 
 
148 THE WIZARD 
 
 His fall was hard to him, but to be thus measured 
 up, weighed, and contemptuously forgiven was 
 almost more than he could bear. It was the white 
 prophet who had done this thing ; he had told 
 Nodwengo of his, Hokosa's, share in the plot to 
 murder the late King Umsuka, though how he 
 came to know of that matter was beyond guessing. 
 He had watched him, or caused him to be watched, 
 when he went forth to consult spirits in the place 
 of the dead ; he had warned Nodwengo against him. 
 Worst of all, he had dared to treat him with contempt ; 
 had pleaded for his life and safety, so that he was 
 spared as men spare a snake from which the charmer 
 has drawn the fangs. When they met in the gate of 
 the King's house yonder this white thief, who had 
 stolen his place and power, had even smiled upon him 
 and greeted him kindly, and doubtless while he 
 smiled, by aid of the magic he possessed, had read 
 him through and gone on to tell the story to the King. 
 Well, of this there should be an end ; he would kill 
 the Messenger, or himself be killed. 
 
 When Hokosa reached his kraal he found Noma 
 sitting beneath a fruit tree that grew in it, idly 
 employed in stringing beads, for the work of the house- 
 hold she left to his other wife, Zinti, an old and 
 homely woman who thought more of the brewing 
 of the beer and the boiling of the porridge than of 
 religions or politics or of the will of kings. Of late 
 Noma had haunted the shadow of this tree,! for 
 beneath it lay Jhat child which had been born ^ to 
 her. 
 
THE BASKET OF FRUIT U 
 
 " Does it please the King to grant leave for my 
 journey ? " she asked, looking up. 
 
 " Yes, it pleases him." 
 
 " I am thankful," she answered, " for I think 
 that if I bide here much longer, with ghosts and 
 memories for company, I shall go mad," and she 
 glanced at a spot near by, where the earth showed 
 signs of recent disturbance. 
 
 " He gives leave," Hokosa went on, taking no 
 
 notice of her speech, " but he suspects us. Listen 
 
 and he told her of the talk that had passed between 
 himself and the King. 
 
 " The white man has read you as he reads in 
 his written books," she answered, with a little laugh. 
 " Well, I said that he would be too clever for you, 
 did I not ? It does not matter to me, for to-morrow 
 I go upon my journey, and you can settle it as you 
 will." 
 
 " Ay," answered Hokosa, grinding his teeth, " it is 
 true that he has read me ; but this I promise you, 
 that all books shall soon be closed to him. Yet 
 how is it to be done without suspicion or discovery ? 
 I know many poisons, but all of them must be 
 administered, and let him work never so cunningly, 
 he who gives a poison can be traced." 
 
 " Then cause some other to give it and let him 
 bear the blame," suggested Noma, languidly. 
 
 Hokosa made no answer, but walking to the 
 gate of the kraal, which was open, he leaned against 
 it lost in thought. As he stood thus he saw a woman 
 advancing towards him, who carried on her head 
 
150 THE WIZARD 
 
 a small basket of fruit, and knew her for one of those 
 whose business it was to wait upon the Messenger 
 in his huts, or rather in his house, for by now he had 
 built himself a house, and near it a little chapel. 
 This woman saw Hokosa also and looked at him 
 sideways, as though she would like to stop and speak 
 to him, but feared to do so. 
 
 " Good morrow to you, friend," he said. " How 
 goes it with your husband and your house ? " 
 
 Now Hokosa knew well that this woman's husband 
 had taken a dislike to her and driven her from his 
 home, filling her place with one younger and more 
 attractive. -At the question the woman's lips began 
 to tremble and her eyes swam with tears. 
 
 "Ah! great doctor,"' she said, "why do you 
 ask of my husband ? Have you not heard that he 
 has driven me away and that another takes my 
 place ? " 
 
 " Do I hear all the gossip of this town ? " asked 
 Hokosa, with a smile. " But come in and tell me 
 the story ; perchance I may be able to help you, 
 for I have charms to compel the fancy of such 
 faithless ones." 
 
 The woman looked round, and seeing that there 
 was no one in sight, she slipped swiftly through 
 the gate of the kraal, which he closed behind 
 her. 
 
 " Noma," said Hokosa, " here is one who tells 
 me that her husband has deserted her, and who 
 comes to seek my counsel. Bring her milk to 
 drink." 
 
THE BASKET OF FRUIT 151 
 
 " There are some wives who would not find that 
 so great an evil," replied Noma, mockingly, as she 
 rose to do his bidding. 
 
 Hokosa winced at the sarcasm, and turning to 
 his visitor, said : 
 
 " Now tell me your tale ; but say first, why are 
 you so frightened ? " 
 
 " I am frightened, master," she answered, " lest 
 any should have seen me enter here, for I have 
 become a Christian, and the Christians are forbidden 
 to consult the Witch-doctors, as we were wont to 
 do. For my case, it is " 
 
 " No need to set it out," broke in Hokosa, waving 
 his hand. " I see it written on your face ; your 
 husband has put you away and loves another woman, 
 your own half sister whom you brought up from a 
 child." 
 
 " Ah ! master, you have heard aright." 
 
 " I have not heard, I look upon you and I see. 
 
 Fool, am I not a wizard ? Tell me " and taking 
 
 dust into his hand, he blew the grains this way and 
 that, regarding them curiously. " Yes, it is so. 
 Last night you crept to your husband's hut do 
 you remember, a dog growled at you as you passed 
 the gate ? and there in front of the hut he sat with 
 his new wife. She saw you coming, but pretending 
 not to see, she threw her arms about his neck, kissing 
 and fondling him before your eyes, till you could 
 bear it no longer, and revealed yourself, upbraiding 
 them. Then your rival taunted you and stirred him 
 up with bitter words, till at length he took a stick and 
 
152 THE WIZARD 
 
 beat you from the door, and there is the mark of 
 it upon your shoulder." 
 
 " It is true, it is too true ! " she groaned. 
 
 " Yes, it is true. And now, what do you wish 
 from me ? " 
 
 " Master, I wish a medicine to make my husband 
 hate my rival and to draw his heart back to me." 
 
 " That must be a strong medicine," said Hokosa, 
 " which will turn a man from one who is young 
 and beautiful to one who is past her youth and 
 ugly." 
 
 " I am as I am," answered the poor woman, 
 with a touch of natural dignity, " but at least I 
 have loved him and worked for him for twelve 
 long years." 
 
 "And that is why he would now be rid of you, 
 for who cumbers his kraal with old cattle ? " 
 
 " And yet at times they are the best, Master. 
 Wrinkles and smooth skin seem strange upon one 
 pillow," she added, glancing at Noma, who came 
 from the hut carrying a bowl of milk in her hand. 
 
 " If you seek counsel," said Hokosa, quickly, 
 " why do you not go to the white man, that Messenger 
 in whom you believe, and ask him for a potion to 
 turn your husband's heart ? " 
 
 " Master, I have been to him, and he is very 
 good to me, for when I was driven out he gave 
 me work to do and food. But he told me that he 
 had no medicine for such cases, and that the Great 
 Man in the sky alone could soften the breast of my 
 husband and cause my sister to cease from her 
 
THE BASKET OF FRUIT 153 
 
 wickedness. Last night I went to see whether He 
 would do it, dnd you know what befell me there." 
 
 " That befell you which' befalls all fools who put 
 their trust in words alone. What will you pay me, 
 woman, if I give you the medicine which you seek ? " 
 
 " Alas, master, I am poor. I have nothing to 
 offer you, for when I would not stay in my husband's 
 kraal to be a servant to his new wife, he took the 
 cow and the five goats that belonged to me, as, I 
 being childless, according to our ancient law he 
 had the right to do." 
 
 " You are bold who come to ask a doctor to 
 minister to you, bearing no fee in your hand," said 
 Hokosa. " Yet, because I have pity on you, I will 
 be content with very little. Give me that basket of 
 fruit, for my wife has been sick and loves the taste 
 of it." 
 
 " I cannot do that, master," answered the woman, 
 " for it is sent, by my hand as a present to the 
 Messenger, and he knows this and will eat of it after 
 he has made prayer to-day. Did I not give it to 
 him, it would be discovered that I had left it here 
 with you." 
 
 " Then begone without your medicine," said 
 Hokosa, " for I need such fruit." 
 
 The woman rose and said, looking at him wistfully : 
 
 " Master, if you will be satisfied with other fruits 
 of the same sort, I know where I can get them for 
 YOU." 
 
 " When will you get them ? " 
 
 " Now, within an hour. And till I return I will 
 
154 THE WIZARD 
 
 leave these in pledge with you ; but these and no 
 other I must give to the Messenger, for he has 
 already seen them and might discover the difference ; 
 also I have promised so to do." 
 
 " As you will," said Hokosa. " If you are here 
 with the fruit within an hour, the medicine will be 
 ready for you, a medicine that shall not fail." 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 / 
 
 THE EATING OF THE FRUIT 
 
 THE woman slipped away secretly. When she had 
 gone Hokosa bade his wife bring the basket of fruit 
 into the hut. 
 
 " It is best that the butcher should kill the ox 
 himself," she answered meaningly. 
 
 He carried in the basket and set it on the floor. 
 
 " Why do you speak thus, Noma ? " he asked. 
 
 " Because I will have no hand in the matter, 
 Hokosa. I have been the tool of a wizard, and 
 won little joy therefrom. The tool of a murderer 
 I will not be ! " 
 
 " If I kill, it is for the sake of botH of us," he said, 
 passionately. % 
 
 " It may be so, Hokosa, or for the sake of the 
 people, or for the sake of Heaven above I do not 
 know and do not care ; but I say, do your own 
 killing, for I am sure that even less luck will hang 
 to it than hangs to your witchcraft." 
 
 " Of all women you are the most perverse ! " he 
 said, stamping his foot upon the ground. 
 
 " And so you may say again before everything 
 is done, husband ; but if it be so, why do you love 
 
 155 
 
156 THE WIZARD 
 
 me and tie me to you with your wizardry ? Cut 
 the knot, and let me go my way while you go 
 yours." 
 
 *' Woman, I cannot ; but still I bid you beware, 
 for, strive as you will, my path must be your path. 
 Moreover, till I free you, you cannot lift voice or 
 hand against me." 
 
 Then, while she watched him curiously, he fetched 
 his medicines and took from .them some powder 
 fine as dust and two tiny crowquills. Placing a 
 fruit before him, he inserted one of these quills into 
 its substance, and filling the second with the powder, 
 he shook its contents into it and withdrew the tube. 
 This process he repeated four times on each of the 
 fruits, replacing them one by one in the basket. 
 So deftly did he work upon them, that however 
 closely they were scanned none could^guess that 
 they had been tampered with. 
 
 " Will it kill at once ? " asked Noma. 
 
 " No, indeed ; but he who eats those fruits will 
 be seized on the third day with dysentery and fever, 
 and these will cling to him till within seven weeks 
 or if he be very strong, three months he dies. 
 This is the best of poisons, for it works through 
 Nature and none can trace it." 
 
 " Except, perchance, that Spirit Whom the white 
 man worships, and Who also works through Nature, 
 as you learned, Hokosa, when He rolled the lightning 
 back upon your head, shattering your god and 
 beating down your company." 
 
 Then of a sudden a terror seized the wizard, 
 
THE EATING OF THE FRUIT 157 
 
 and springing to his feet, he cursed his wife till she 
 trembled before him. 
 
 " Vile woman, and double-faced ! " he said, " why 
 do you push me forward with one hand and with the 
 other drag me back ? Why do you whisper evil 
 counsel into one ear and into the other prophesy 
 of misfortunes to come ? Had it not been for you, 
 I should have let this business lie ; I should have 
 taken my fate and have been content. But day by 
 day you have taunted me with my fall and grieved 
 over the greatness that you have lost, till at length 
 you have driven me to this. Why cannot you be 
 all good or all wicked, or at the least, through 
 righteousness and sin, faithful to my interest and 
 your own ? " 
 
 " Because I hate you, Hokosa, and yet can strike 
 you only through my tongue and your mad love 
 for me. I am fast in your power, but thus at 
 least I can make you feel something of my own 
 pain. Hark ! I hear that woman at the gate. 
 Will you give her back the basket, or will you 
 not ? Whatever you may choose to do, do not 
 say in after days that I urged you to the deed." 
 
 " Truly you are great-hearted ! " ha answered, 
 with cold contempt ; " one for whom I did well to 
 enter into treachery and sin ! So be it : having 
 gone so far upon it, I will not turn back from this 
 journey, come what may of it. Let in that fool ! " 
 
 Presently the woman stood before them, bearing 
 with her another basket of fruit. 
 
 " These are ^what you seek, Master," she said, 
 
 7 
 
158 THE WIZARD 
 
 " though I was forced to win them by theft. Now 
 give me my own and the medicine and let me go. ' 
 
 He gave her the first basket, and with it, wrapped 
 in a piece of kidskin, some of the same powder with 
 which he had doctored the fruits. 
 
 " What shall I do with this ? " she asked. 
 
 " You shall find means to sprinkle it upon your 
 sister's food, and thereafter your husband shall 
 come to hate even the sight of her." 
 
 " But will he come to love me again ? " 
 
 Hokosa shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " I know not," he answered ; " that is for you 
 to see to. Yet this is sure, that if a tree grows 
 up before the house of a man shutting it off from 
 the sunlight, when that tree is cut down the sun 
 shines upon his house again." 
 
 " It is nothing to the sun on what he shines," 
 said the woman. 
 
 "If the saying does not please you, then forget 
 it. I promise you this and no more, that very 
 soon the man shall cease to turn to your rival." 
 
 " The medicine will not harm her ? " asked the 
 woman doubtfully. "She has worked me bitter 
 wrong indeed, yet she is my sister, whom I nursed 
 when she was little, and I do not wish to do her 
 hurt. If only he will welcome me back and treat 
 me kindly, I am willing even that she should dwell 
 on beneath my husband's roof, bearing his children, 
 for will they not be of my own blood ? " 
 
 "Woman," answered Hokosa impatiently, "you 
 weary me with your talk. Did I say that the 
 
THE EATING OF THE FRUIT 159 
 
 charm would hurt her ? I said that it would cause 
 your husband to hate the sight of her. Now be 
 gone, taking or leaving it, and let me rest. If your 
 mind is troubled, throw aside that medicine, and 
 go soothe it with such sights as that you saw last 
 night." 
 
 On hearing this the woman sprang up, hid away 
 the poison in her hair, arid taking her basket of 
 fruit, passed from the kraal as secretly as she had 
 entered it. 
 
 " Why did you give her death-medicine ? " asked 
 Noma of Hokosa, as he stood staring after her. 
 " Have you a hate to satisfy against the husband 
 or the girl who is her rival ? " 
 
 " None," he answered, " for they have never crossei 
 my path. Oh, foolish woman ! cannot you read 
 my plan ? " 
 
 " Not altogether, husband." 
 
 " Listen then : this woman will give to her sister 
 
 . a medicine of which in the end she will die. She 
 
 may be discovered or she may not, but it is certain 
 
 . - that she will be suspected, seeing that the bitterness 
 
 of the quarrel between them is known. Also she 
 
 will give to the Messenger certain fruits, after eating 
 
 of which he will be taken sick and in due time die, 
 
 of just such a disease as that which carries off the 
 
 woman's rival. Now, if any think that he is poisoned, 
 
 .- which I trust none will, whom will they suppose to 
 
 | have poisoned him, though indeed they can never 
 
 prove it ? " 
 
 " The plan is clever," said Noma with admiration, 
 
160 THE WIZARD 
 
 " but I see a flaw in it. The woman will say that 
 she had the drug from you, or, at the least, will 
 babble of her visit to you." 
 
 " Not so," answered Hokosa, " for on this matter 
 the greatest talker in the world would keep silence. 
 Firstly, she, being a Christian, dare not own that 
 she has visited the witch-doctor ; secondly, the 
 fruit she brought in payment was stolen, therefore 
 she will say nothing of it ; thirdly, to admit that 
 she had the medicine from me would be to admit her 
 guilt, and that she will scarcely do even under 
 torture, which .by the new law it is not lawful to 
 apply. Moreover, none saw her come here, and I 
 should deny her visit." 
 
 "The plan is very clever," said Noma again. 
 
 " It is very clever," he repeated, complacently ; 
 "never have I made a better one. Now throw 
 those fruits to the she-goats that are in the kraal, 
 and burn the basket, while I go and talk to some 
 in the Great Place, telling them that I have returned 
 from counting my cattle on the mountain, whither 
 I went after I had bowed the knee in the house of 
 the King." 
 
 Two hours later, Hokosa, having made a wide 
 detour and talked to sundry of his acquaintances 
 about the condition of his cattle, might have been 
 seen walking slowly along the north side of the 
 Great Place towards his own kraal. His path lay 
 past the chapel and the little house that Owen 
 had built to dwell in. This house had a broad 
 
THE EATING OF THE FRUIT 161 
 
 verandah, and upon it sat the Messenger himself, 
 eating his evening meal. Hokosa saw him, and a 
 great desire entered his heart to learn whether or 
 no he had partaken of the poisoned fruit. Also it 
 occurred to him that it would be wise if, before 
 the end came, he could contrive to divert all possible 
 suspicion from himself, by giving the impression 
 that he was now upon friendly terms with the great 
 white teacher and not disinclined even to become a 
 convert to his doctrine. For a moment he hesitated, 
 seeking an excuse. One soon suggested itself to 
 his ready mind. That very morning the King had 
 told him not obscurely that Owen had pleaded for 
 his safety and saved him from being put upon his 
 trial on charges of witchcraft and murder. He would 
 go to him, now at once, playing the part of a grateful 
 penitent, and the White Man's magic must be keen 
 indeed if it availed to pierce the armour of Ms 
 practised craft. 
 
 So Hokosa went up and squatted himself down 
 native fashion among a little group of converts 
 who were waiting to see their teacher upon one 
 business or another. He was not more than ten 
 paces from the verandah, and sitting thus he saw a 
 sight that interested him strangely. Having eaten 
 a little of a dish of roasted meat, Owen put out his 
 hand and took a fruit from a basket that the wizard 
 knew well. At this moment he looked up and 
 recognised Hokosa. 
 
 " Do you desire speech with me, Hokosa ? " he asked 
 in his gentle voice. " If so, be pleased to come hither." 
 
162 THE WIZARD 
 
 "Nay, Messenger," answered Hokosa, "I desire 
 speech with you indeed, but it is ill to stand between 
 a hungry man and his food." 
 
 " I care little for my food," answered Owen ; " at 
 the least it can wait," and he put down the fruit. 
 
 Then suddenly a feeling to which the wizard 
 had been for many years a stranger took possession 
 of him a feeling of compunction. That man was 
 about to partake of what would cause his death- 
 of what he, Hokosa, had prepared in order tljat it 
 should cause his death. He was good, he was 
 kindly, none could allege a wrong deed against him 
 and, foolishness though it might be, so was the 
 doctrine that he taught. Why should he kill him ? 
 It was true that never till that moment had he 
 hesitated, by fair means or foul, to remove an enemy 
 or rival from his path. He had been brought up in 
 this teaching ; it was part of the education of wizards 
 to be merciless, for they reigned by terror and evil 
 craft. Their magic lay in clairvoyance and powers of 
 observation developed to a pitch that was almost 
 superhuman, and the chief of their weapons was 
 poison in infinite variety, whereof the guild alone 
 understood the properties and preparation. There- 
 fore there was nothing strange, nothing unusual 
 in this deed of devilish and canning murder that 
 the sight of its doing should stir him thus, and 
 yet it did stir him. He was minded to stop the 
 plot, to let things take their course. 
 
 Some sense of the futility of all such strivings 
 came home to him, and as in a glass, for Hokosa 
 
THE EATING OF THE FRUIT 163 
 
 was a man of imagination, he foresaw their end. A 
 little success, a little failure, it scarcely mattered 
 which, and then that end. Within twenty years, 
 or ten, or mayhap even one, what would this present 
 victory or defeat mean to him ? Nothing so far 
 as he was concerned ; that is, nothing so far as his 
 life of to-day was concerned. Yet, if he had another 
 life, it might mean everything. There was another 
 life, he knew it, who had dragged back from its 
 borders the spirits of the dead, though what might 
 be the state and occupations of those dead he did 
 not know. Yet he believed why he could not tell 
 that they were affected vitally by their acts and 
 behaviour here ; and his intelligence warned him 
 that good must always flow from good, and evil from 
 evil. To kill this man was evil, and only evil could 
 come of it. What did he care whether Hafela ruled 
 the nation or Nodwengo, and whether it worshipped 
 the God of the Christians or the God of Fire who, by 
 the way, had proved himself so singularly inefficient 
 in the hour of trial. Now that he thought of it, 
 he much preferred Nodwengo to Hafela, for the 
 one was a just man and the other a tyrant ; and 
 he himself was more comfortable as a wealthy 
 private person than he had been as a head medicine- 
 man and a chief of wizards. He would let things 
 stand ; he would prevent the Messenger from eating 
 of that fruit. A word could do it ; he had but to 
 suggest that it was unripe or not wholesome at this 
 season of the year, and it would be cast aside. 
 All these reflections passed through Hokosa's 
 
164 TH WIZARD 
 
 mind in a few minutes of time, and already he was 
 rising to go to the verandah and translate their 
 moral into acts, when another thought occurred 
 to him How should he face Noma with this tale ? 
 He could give up his own ambitions, but could he 
 bear her mockery, as day by day she taunted him 
 with his faint-heartedness and reproached him with 
 his failure to regain greatness and to make her great ? 
 He forgot that he might conceal the truth from her ; 
 or rather, he did not contemplate suchfconcealment, 
 for their relations were too peculiar and too intimate 
 to permit of it. She hated him, and he worshipped 
 her with a half-inhuman passion a passion so 
 unnatural, indeed, that it suggested the horrid 
 and insatiable longings of the damned, and yet 
 their souls were naked to each other. It was 
 their fate that they could hide nothing each from 
 each they were cursed with the awful necessity 
 of perfect candour. It would be impossible that 
 he should keep from Noma anything that he did 
 or did not do ; it would be still more impossible 
 that she could conceal from him even such imaginings 
 and things as it is common for women to hold secret. 
 Her very bitterness, which it had been policy for her 
 to cloak or soften, would gush from her lips at the 
 sight of him ; nor, in the depth of his rage and 
 torment, could he, on the other hand, control the 
 ill-timed utterance of his continual and overmastering 
 passion. It came to this, then : he must go forward, 
 and against his better judgment, because he was 
 afraid to go back, for the whip of a woman's tongue 
 
THE EATING OF THE FRUIT 165 
 
 drove him on remorselessly. It was better that the 
 Messenger should die and the land run red with 
 blood than that he should be forced to endure this 
 scourge. 
 
 So with a sigh, Hokosa sank back to the ground 
 and watched while Owen ate three of the poisoned 
 fruits. After a pause, he took a fourth and bit 
 into it, but not seeming to find it to his taste, he 
 threw it to a child that was waiting by the verandah 
 for any scraps which might be left over from his 
 meal, who caught it and devoured it eagerly. 
 
 Then, smiling at the little boy's delight, the 
 Messenger called to Hokosa to come up and speak 
 with him. 
 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 NOMA COMES TO HAFELA 
 
 HOKOSA advanced to the verandah, and bowed to 
 white man with grave dignity. 
 
 " Be seated," said Owen. " Will you not eat ? 
 though I have nothing to offer you but these," 
 and he pushed the basket of fruit towards him, 
 adding, " The best of them, I fear, are alread} 
 gone." 
 
 " I thank you, no, Messenger ; such fruits are 
 not always wholesome at this season of the year. 
 I have known them to breed dysentery." 
 
 "Indeed," said Owen. "If so, I trust that 1 1 
 may escape it. I have suffered from that sickness, 
 and I think that another bout of it would kill me. 
 In future I will avoid them. But what do you seek 
 with me, Hokosa ? Enter and tell me," and he led 
 the way infd a little sitting-room. 
 
 " Messenger," said the wizard, with deep humility, 
 " I am a proud man ; I have been a great man, and 
 it is no light thing to me to humble myself before the 
 face of my conqueror. Yet I am come to this. 
 To-day when I was in audience with the King, 
 craving a small boon of his graciousness, he spoke to 
 166 
 
NOMA COMES TO HAFELA 167 
 
 me sharp and bitter words. He told me that he had 
 been minded to put me on trial for my life because of 
 various misdoings which are alleged against me in the 
 past, but that you had pleaded for me and that 
 for this cause he spared me. I come to thank you 
 for your gentleness, Messenger, for I think that had 
 I been in your place I should have whispered otherwise 
 in the ear of the King." 
 
 " Say no more of it, friend/ 1 said Owen, kindly. 
 " We are all of us sinners, and it is my place* to 
 push back your ancient sins, not to drag them 
 into the light of day and clamour for their punish- 
 ment. It is true I know that you plotted with 
 the Prince Hafela to poison Umsuka the King, 
 for it was revealed to me. It qhanced, however, 
 that I was able to recover Umsuka from his sickness, 
 and Hafela is fled, so why should I bring up the deed 
 against you ? It is true that you still practise 
 witchcraft, and that you hate and strive against 
 the holy Faith which I preach ; but you were brought 
 up to wizardry and have been the priest of another 
 creed, and these things plead for you. Also, Hokosa, 
 I can see the good and evil struggling in your soul, 
 and I pray and I believe that in the end the good 
 will master the evil ; that you who have been 
 pre-eminent in sin will come to be pre-eminent in 
 righteousness. Oh ! be not stubborn, but listen with 
 your ear, and let your heart be softened. The gate 
 stands open, and I am the guide appointed to show 
 you the way without reward or fee. Follow then 
 ere it be too late, that in time to come when my voice 
 
168 THE WIZARD 
 
 is stilled you also may be able to direct the feet 
 of wanderers into the paths of peace. It is the hour 
 of prayer ; follow me then, I beg of you, and listen 
 to some few words of the message on my lips, and 
 let your spirit be nurtured with them and the Sun 
 of Truth arise upon its darkness." 
 
 -Hokosa heard, and before this simple eloquence 
 his wisdom was confounded. More, his intelligence 
 was stirred, and a desire came upon him to inves- 
 tigate and examine the canons of a creed that 
 could produce such men as this. He made no 
 answer, but waiting while Owen robed himself, he 
 followed him to the chapel. It was full of new-made 
 Christians who crowded even the doorways, but 
 they gave place to him, wondering. Then the service 
 began a short and simple service. First Owen 
 offered up some prayer for the welfare of the infant 
 Church, for the conversion of the unbelieving, for the 
 safety of the King and the happiness of the people. 
 Then John, the Messenger's first disciple, read aloud 
 from a manuscript a portion of the Scripture which 
 his master had translated. It was St. Paul's ex- 
 position of the resurrection from the dead, and 
 the grandeur of its thoughts and language were 
 by no means lost upon Hokosa, who, savage and 
 heathen though he might be, was also a man of 
 intellect. 
 
 The reading over, Owen addressed the congre- 
 gation, taking for his text, "Thy sin shall find 
 thee out." Being now a master of the language, 
 he preached very well and earnestly, and indeed 
 
NOMA; COMES TO HAFELA 169 
 
 the subject was not difficult to deal with in the 
 presence of an audience many of whose pasts had 
 been steeped in iniquities of no common kind. 
 As he talked of judgment to come for the unrepentant, 
 some of his hearers groaned and even wept, and when, 
 changing his note, he dwelt upon the blessed future 
 state of those who earned forgiveness, their faces 
 were lighted up with joy. But perhaps among all 
 those gathered before him there were none more 
 deeply interested than Hokosa and one other, that 
 woman to whom he had sold the poison, and who, 
 as it chanced, sat next to him. Hokosa, watching 
 her face as he was skilled to do, saw the thrusts of 
 the preacher go home, and grew sure that already in 
 her jealous haste she had found opportunity to 
 sprinkle the medicine upon her rival's food. ' She 
 believed it to be but a charm indeed, yet knowing 
 that in using such charms she had done wickedly, 
 she trembled between the words of denunciation, 
 and rising at length, crept from the chapel. 
 
 " Truly, her sin will find her out," thought Hokosa 
 to himself, and then in a strange, half -impersonal 
 fashion he turned his thoughts to the consideration 
 of his own case. Would his sin find him out ? he 
 wondered. Before he could answer that question, 
 it was necessary first to determine whether or no he 
 had committed a sin. The man before him that 
 gentle and yet impassioned man bore in his vitals the 
 seed of death which he, Hokosa, had planted there. 
 Was it wrong to have done this ? It depended 
 by what standard the deed was judged. According 
 
170 THE WIZARD 
 
 to his own code, the code in which he had been 
 educated and which hitherto he had followed with 
 exactness, it was not wrong. That code taught the 
 necessity of self -aggrandisement, or at least and at 
 all costs the necessity of self-preservation. This 
 white preacher stood in his path ; he had humiliated 
 him, and in the end, either of himself or through 
 his influences, it was probable that he would destroy 
 him. Therefore he must strike before in his own 
 person he received a mortal blow, and having no 
 other means at his command, he struck through 
 treachery and poison. 
 
 That was his law which for many generations 
 had been followed and respected by his class with 
 the tacit assent of the nation. According to this 
 law, then, he had done no wrong. But now the 
 victim by the altar, who did not know that already 
 he was bound upon the altar, preached a new and 
 a v6ry different doctrine under which, were it to 
 be believed, he, Hokosa, was one of the worst of 
 sinners. The matter, then, resolved itself to this : 
 which of these two rules of life was the right rule ? 
 Which of them should a man follow to satisfy his 
 conscience and to secure his abiding welfare ? Apart 
 from the motives that swayed him, as a mere matter 
 of ethics, this problem interested Hokosa not a little, 
 and he went homewards determined to solve it if 
 he might. That could be done in one way only 
 by a close examination of both systems. The first 
 he knew well ; he had practised it for nearly forty 
 years. Of the second he had but an inkling. Also, 
 
NOMA COMES TO HAFELA 171 
 
 if he would learn more of it he must make haste, 
 seeing that its exponent in some short while would 
 cease to be in a position to set it out. 
 
 " I trust that you will come again," said Owen 
 to Hokosa as they left the chapel. 
 
 " Yes, indeed, Messenger," answered the wizard ; 
 " I will come every day, and, if you permit it, I will 
 attend your private teachings also, for I accept 
 nothing without examination, and I greatly desire 
 to study this new doctrine of yours, root and flower 
 and fruit." 
 
 On the morrow Noma started upon her journey. 
 As the matrons who accompanied her gave out 
 with a somewhat suspicious persistency, its ostensible 
 object was to visit the Mount of Purification, and 
 there by fastings and solitude to purge herself of the 
 sin of having given birth to a stillborn child ; for 
 amongst savage peoples such an accident is apt to 
 be looked upon as little short of a crime, or, at the 
 least, as indicating that the woman concerned is the 
 object of the indignation of spirits who need to be 
 appeased. To this mount, then, Noma went, and 
 there performed the customary rites. 
 
 "Little wonder," she thought to herself, "that 
 the spirits were angry with her, seeing that yonder 
 in the burying-place of kings she had dared to break 
 in upon their rest." 
 
 From the Mount of Purification she travelled 
 on ten days' journey with her companions till they 
 reached the mountain fastness where Hafela had 
 
172 THE WIZARD 
 
 established himself. The place was of extraordinary 
 strength, and so well guarded that it was only after 
 considerable difficulty and delay that the women 
 were admitted. Hearing of her arrival and that 
 she had words for him, Hafela sent for Noma at once, 
 receiving her by night and alone in his principal hut. 
 She came and stood before him, and he looked at her 
 beauty with admiring eyes, for he could not forget 
 the woman whom the cunning of Hokosa had forced 
 him to put away. 
 
 " Whence come you, pretty one ? " he asked, 
 " and wherefore come you ? Are you weary of 
 your husband, that you fly back to me ? * If so, 
 you are welcome indeed ; for know r , Noma, that I 
 still love you." 
 
 " Ay, Prince, I am weary of my husband sure 
 enough ; but I do not fly to you, for he holds me 
 fast to him with bonds that you cannot understand, 
 and fast to him while he lives I must remain." 
 
 " What hinders, Noma, that having got you here 
 I should keep you here ? The cunning and magic 
 of Hokosa may be great, but they will need to be still 
 greater to win you from my arms." 
 
 "This hinders, Prince, that you are playing for 
 a higher stake than that of a woman's love, and 
 if you deal thus by me and my husband, then of a 
 surety you will lose it." 
 
 " What stake, Noma ? " 
 
 " The stake of the crown of the People of Fire." 
 
 " And why should I lose it if I take you as a wife ? " 
 
 " Because Hokosa, seeing that I do not return 
 
NOMA COMES TO HAFELA 173 
 
 and learning from his spies why I do not return, 
 will warn the King, and by many means bring all 
 your plans to nothing. Listen now to the words 
 of Hokosa that he has set between my lips to deliver 
 to you " and she repeated to him all the message 
 without fault or fail. 
 
 " Say it again," he said, and she obeyed. 
 
 Then he answered : 
 
 " Truly the skill of Hokosa is great, and well he 
 knows how to set a snare ; but I think that if by his 
 counsel I should springe the bird, he will be too clever 
 a man to keep upon the threshold of the throne. 
 He who sets one snare may set twain, and he who sits 
 by the threshold may desire to enter the house of 
 kings wherein there is no space for two to dwell." 
 
 " Is this the answer that I am to take back to 
 Hokosa ? " asked Noma. " It will scarcely bind 
 him to your cause, Prince, and I wonder that you 
 dare to speak it to me who am his wife." 
 
 " I dare to speak it to you, Noma, because, although 
 you be his wife, all wives do not love their lords ; 
 and I think that, perchance in days to come, you 
 would choose rather to hold the hand of a young 
 king than that of a witch-doctor sinking into eld. 
 Thus shall you answer Hokosa : You shall say to 
 him that I have heard his words and that I find them 
 very good, and will walk along the path which he has 
 made. Here before you I swear by the oath that 
 may not be broken the sacred oath, calling down 
 ruin upon my head should I break one word of it 
 that if by his aid I succeed in this great venture, 
 
174 THE WIZARD 
 
 I will pay him the price he asks. After myself, the 
 King, he shall be the greatest man among the people ; 
 he shall be general of the armies, he shall be Captain 
 of the Council and head of the doctors, and to him 
 shall be given half the cattle of Nodwengo. Also, 
 into his hands I will deliver all those who cling to 
 this faith of the Christians, and, if it pleases him, he 
 shall offer them as a sacrifice to his god. This 
 I swear, and you, Noma, are witness to the oath. 
 Yet it may chance that after he, Hokosa, has gathered 
 up all this pomp and greatness, he himself shall 
 be gathered up by Death, that harvest man who soon 
 or late will garner every ear ; " and he looked at her 
 meaningly. 
 
 " It may be so, Prince," she answered. 
 " It may be so," he repeated, " and when 
 " When it is so, then, Prince, we will talk together, 
 but not till then. Nay, touch me not, for where 
 he to command me, Hokosa has this power over me 
 that I must show him all that you have done, 
 keeping nothing back. Let me go now to the place 
 that is made ready for me, and afterwards you shall 
 tell me again and more fully the words that I must 
 say to Hokosa my husband." 
 
 On the morrow Hafela held a secret council of 
 his great men, and the next day an embassy departed 
 to Nodwengo the King, taking to "him that message 
 which Hokosa, through Noma his wife, had put 
 into the lips of the Prince. Twenty days later the 
 embassy returned sayiflg that it pleased the King to 
 grant the prayer of his brother Hafela, and bringing 
 
NOMA COMES TO HAFELA 175 
 
 with it the tidings that the white man, Messenger, 
 had fallen sick and it was thought that he would die. 
 So in due course the women and children of 
 the people of Hafela started upon their journey 
 towards the new land where it was given out that 
 they should live, and with them went Noma, pur- 
 posing to leave them as they drew near the gates of 
 the Great Place of the King. A while after Hafela 
 and his impis followed with carriers bearing their 
 fighting shields in bundles, and having their stabbing 
 spears rolled up in mats. 
 
. CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE REPENTANCE OF HOKOSA 
 
 HoSosA kept his promise. On the morrow of his 
 first attendance there he was again to be seen in the 
 chapel, and after the service was over he waited on 
 Owen at his house and listened to his private teaching. 
 Day by day he appeared thus, till at length he 
 became master of the whole doctrine of Christianity, 
 and discovered that that which at first had struck 
 him as childish and even monstrous, now presented 
 itself to him in a new and very different light. The 
 conversion of Hokosa came upon him through the. 
 gate of reason, not as is usual among savages by 
 that of the emotions. Given the position of a 
 universe torn and groaning beneath the dual rule of 
 Good and Evil, two powers of well-nigh equal potency, 
 he found no great difficulty in accepting this tale 
 of the self-sacrifice of the God of Good that He 
 might wring the race He loved out of the conquering 
 grasp of the god of 111. There was a simple majesty 
 about this scheme of redemption which appealed 
 to one side of his nature. Indeed, Hokosa felt that 
 under certain conditions and in a more limited 
 fashion he would have been capable of attempting 
 as much himself. 
 
 176 
 
THE REPENTANCE OF ^ HOKOSA 177 
 
 Once his reason was convinced the rest followed 
 in a natural sequence. Within three weeks from 
 the hour of his first attendance at the chapel Hokosa 
 was at heart a Christian. 
 
 He was a Christian, although as yet he did not 
 confess it ; but he was also the most miserable 
 man among the nation of the Sons of Fire. The 
 iniquities of his past life had become abominable 
 to him ; but he had committed them in ignorance, 
 and he understood that they were not beyond 
 forgiveness. Yet high above them all towered one 
 colossal crime which, as he believed, could never 
 be pardoned to him in this world or the next. He 
 was the treacherous murderer of the Messenger of 
 God ; he was in the act of silencing the Voice that 
 had proclaimed truth in the dark places of his 
 soul and the dull ears of his countrymen. The 
 deed was done ; no power on earth could save 
 him. Within a week from eating that fatal fruit 
 Owen had begun to sicken, then the dysentery had 
 seized him which slowly but surely was wasting his 
 life away, and he, the murderer, was helpless, for with 
 this form of the disease no medicine could cope. 
 With agony in his heart, an agony that was shared by 
 thousands of the people, Hokosa watched the decrease 
 of the white man's strength, and reckoned the days 
 that would elapse before the end. Having such sin 
 as this upon his soul, though Owen entreated him 
 earnestly, he^would not permit himself to be baptised. 
 Twice he went near to consenting, but on each 
 occasion an ominous and terrible incident drove him 
 
178 THE WIZARD 
 
 from the door of mercy. Once, when the words 
 " I will " were almost on his lips, a woman broke in 
 upon their conference bearing a dying boy in her 
 arms. 
 
 " Save him," she implored, " save him, Messenger, 
 for he is my only son ! " 
 
 Owen looked at him and shook his head. 
 
 " How came he like this ? " he asked. 
 
 " I know not, Messenger, but he has been sick 
 ever since he ate of a certain fruit which you gave 
 to him ; " and she recalled to his mind the incident 
 of the throwing of the fruit to the child, for she 
 had witnessed it. 
 
 " I remember," said Owen. " It is strange, but 
 I also have been sick from the day that I ate of 
 those fruits ; yes, and you, Hokosa, warned me 
 against them/' 
 
 Then he blessed the boy and prayed over him 
 till he died ; but when afterwards he looked round 
 for Hokosa, it was to find that he had gone. 
 
 Some eight days later, having to a certain extent 
 recovered from this shock, Hokosa went one morning 
 to Owen's house and talked to him. 
 
 " Messenger," he said, " is it necessary to baptism 
 that I should confess all my sins to you ? If so, 
 I can never be baptised, for there is wickedness upon 
 my hands which I am unable to tellinto the ear of 
 living man." 
 
 Owen thought and answered : 
 " It is necessary that you should repent of all 
 your sins, and that you should confess them to 
 
THE REPENTANCE OF HOKOSA 179 
 
 Heaven ; it is not necessary that you should confess 
 them to me, who am but a man like yourself." 
 
 " Then I will be baptised," said Hokosa with a 
 sigh of relief. 
 
 At this moment, as it chanced, their interview was 
 again interrupted, for runners came from the King 
 requesting the immediate presence of the Messenger, 
 if he were well enough to attend, upon a matter 
 connected with the trial of a woman for murder. 
 Thinking that he might be of service, Owen, leaning 
 on the shoulder of Hfeosa.^ior already he was too 
 weak to walk far, crept to the litter which was 
 waiting for him and was borne to the place of judg- 
 ment that was before the House of the King. Hokosa 
 followed, more from curiosity than for any other 
 reason, for he had heard of no murder being com- 
 mitted, and his old desire to be acquainted with 
 everything that passed was still strong on him. The 
 people made way for him, and he seated himself in 
 the first line of spectators immediately opposite 'to 
 the King and three other captains who were judges 
 in the case. So soon as Owen had joined the judges 
 the prisoner was brought before them, and to his 
 secret terror Hokosa recognised in her that woman 
 to whom he had given the poison in exchange for 
 the basket of fruit. 
 
 Now it seemed that his doom was on him, for 
 she would certainly confess that she had the drug 
 from him. He thought of flight only to reject the 
 idea, for to fly would be to acknowledge himself 
 an accessory. No, he would brazen it out, for 
 
180 THE WIZARD 
 
 after all his word was as good as hers. With the 
 prisoner came an accuser, her husband, who seemed 
 sick, and he it was who opened the case against her. 
 
 " This woman," he said, " was my wife. I divorced 
 her for barrenness, as I have a right to do according 
 to our ancient law, and I took another woman to 
 wife, her half-sister. This woman was jealous ; she 
 plagued me continually, and insulted her sister, so 
 that I was forced to drive her away. After that she 
 came to my house, and though they said nothing of 
 it at the time, she was*jeen by two servants of mine 
 to sprinkle something in the bowl wherein our food 
 was cooking. Subsequently my wife, this woman's 
 half-sister, was taken ill with dysentery. I also was 
 taken ill with dysentery, but I still live to tell this 
 story before you, O King, and your judges, though 
 I know not for how long I live. My wife died 
 yesterday, and I buried her this morning. I accuse 
 the woman of having murdered her, either by 
 witchcraft or by means of a medicine which she 
 sprinkled on the food, or by both. I have spoken." 
 
 " Have you anything to say ? " asked the King 
 of the prisoner. "Are you guilty of the crime 
 whereof this man who was your husband charges 
 you, or does he lie ? " 
 
 Then the woman answered in a low and broken 
 voice : 
 
 " I am guilty, King. Listen to my story," and 
 she told it all as she had told it to Hokosa. " I 
 am guilty," she added, "and may the Great Man 
 in the sky, of Whom the Messenger has taught us, 
 
THE REPENTANCE OF HOKOSA 181 
 
 forgive me. My sister's blood is upon my hands, 
 and for aught I know the blood of my husband 
 yonder will also be on my hands. I seek no mercy ; 
 indeed, it is better that I should die ; but I would 
 .say this in self-defence, that I did not think to kill 
 my sister. I believed that I was giving to her a 
 potion which would cause her husband to hate her 
 and no more." 
 
 Here she looked round and her eyes met those 
 of Hokosa. 
 
 " Who told you that this was so ? " asked one of 
 the judges. 
 
 " A witch-doctor," she answered, " from whom I 
 bought the medicine in the old days, long ago, when 
 Umsuka was king." 
 
 Hokosa gasped. Why should this woman have 
 spared him ? 
 
 No further question was asked of her, and the 
 judges consulted together. At length the King 
 spoke. 
 
 " Woman," he said, " you are condemned to die. 
 You will be taken to the Doom-tree, and there be 
 hanged. Out of those who are assembled to try you, 
 two, the Messenger and myself, have given their 
 vote in favour of mercy, but the majority think 
 otherwise. They say that a law has been passed 
 against murder by means of witchcraft and secret 
 medicine, and that should we let you go free, the 
 people will make a mock of the law. So be it. Go 
 in peace. To-morrow you must die, and may 
 forgiveness await you elsewhere." 
 
182 THE WIZARD 
 
 " I ask nothing else," said the woman. " It is best 
 that I should die." 
 
 Then they led her away. As she passed Hokosa 
 she turned and looked him full in the eyes, till he 
 dropped his head abashed. Next morning she was 
 executed, and he learned that her last words were : 
 " Let it come to the ears of him who sold me the 
 poison, telling me that it was but a harmless drug, 
 that as I hope to be forgiven, so I forgive him, 
 believing that my silence may win for him time for 
 repentance, before he follows on the road I tread." 
 
 Now, when Hokosa heard these words he shut 
 himself up in his house for three days, giving out 
 that he was sick. Nor would he go near to Owen, 
 being altogether without hope, and not believing 
 that baptism or any other rite could avail to purge 
 such crimes as his. Truly his sin had found him 
 out, and the burden of it was intolerable. So in- 
 tolerable did it become, that at length he determined 
 to be done with it. He could live no more. He 
 would die, and by his own hand, before he was 
 called upon to witness the death of the man whom 
 he had murdered. To this end he made his pre- 
 parations. For Noma he left no message ; for though- 
 his heart still hungered after her, he knew well that 
 she , hated him and would rejoice at his death. 
 
 When all was ready he sat down to think a while, 
 and as he thought, a man entered his hut saying 
 that the Messenger desired to see him. At first he 
 was minded not to go, then it occurred to him 
 that it would be well if he could die with a clean 
 
THE REPENTANCE OF HOKOSA 183 
 
 heart. Why should he not tell all to the white man, 
 and before he could be delivered up to justice take 
 that poison which he had prepared ? It was im- 
 possible that he should be forgiven, yet he desired 
 that his victim should learn how deep was his sorrow 
 and repentance, before he proved it by preceding 
 him to death. So he rose and went. 
 
 He; found Owen in his house, lying in a rude 
 chair and propped up by pillows of bark. Now 
 he was wasted almost to a shadow, and in the 
 pale pinched face his dark eyes, always large and 
 spiritual, shone with unnatural lustre, while his 
 delicate hands were so thin that when he held them 
 up in blessing the light showed through them.. 
 
 " Welcome, friend," he said. " Tell me, why have 
 you deserted me of late ? Have you been ill ? " 
 
 " No, Messenger," answered Hokosa, " that is, 
 not in my body. I have been sick at heart, and 
 therefore I have not come." 
 
 " What, Hokosa, do your doubts still torment 
 you ? I thought that my prayers had been heard, 
 and that power had been given me to set them at 
 rest for ever. Man, let me hear the trouble, and 
 swiftly, for cannot you who are a doctor see that I 
 shall not be here for long to talk with you ? My days 
 are numbered, Hokosa, and my work is almost done." 
 
 " I know it," answered Hokosa. " And, Messenger, 
 my days are also numbered." 
 
 " How is this ? " asked Owen, " seeing that you 
 are well and strong. Does an enemy put you in 
 danger of your life ? " 
 
184 THE WIZARD 
 
 " Yes, Messenger, and I myself am that enemy ; 
 for to-day I, who am no longer fit to live, must die 
 by my own hand. Nay, listen and you will say 
 that I do well, for before I go I would tell you all. 
 Messenger, you are doomed, are you not ? Well, 
 it was I who doomed you. That fruit which you 
 ate a while ago was poisoned, and by my hand, 
 for I am a master of such arts. From the begin- 
 ning I hated you, as well I might, for had you 
 not worsted me and torn power from my grasp, 
 and placed the people and the King under the 
 rule of another God ? Therefore, when all else 
 failed, I determined to murder you, and I did the 
 deed by means of that woman who not long ago was 
 hung for the killing of her sister, though in truth she 
 was .innocent " and he told him what had passed 
 between himself and the woman, and told him also 
 of the plot which he had hatched to kill Nodwengo 
 and the Christians, and to set Hafela on the throne, 
 . " She was innocent," he went on, " but I am 
 guilty. How guilty you and I know alone. Do 
 you remember that day when you ate the fruit, 
 how after it I accompanied you to the church 
 yonder and listened to your preaching ? ' Your 
 sin shall find you out/ you said, and of a surety 
 mine has found me out ; for, Messenger, it came 
 about that in listening to you then and afterwards, 
 I grew to love you and to believe the words you 
 taught, and therefore am I of all men the most 
 miserable, and therefore must I perish miserably by 
 the death of a dog. Now curse me, and let me go." 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE LOOSING OF NOMA 
 
 WHEN Owen heard that it was Hokosa who had 
 poisoned him, he groaned and hid his face in his 
 hands, and thus he remained till the evil tale was 
 finished. Now he lifted his head and spoke, but 
 not to Hokosa. 
 
 "O God," he said, "I thank Thee that at the 
 cost of my poor life Thou hast been pleased to 
 lead this sinner towards the Gate of Righteousness, 
 and to save alive those whom Thou hast sent me 
 to gather to Thy Fold." 
 
 Then he looked at Hokosa, and said : 
 
 " Unhappy man, is not your cup full enough 
 of crime, and have you not sufficiently tempted 
 the mercy of Heaven, that you would add to all 
 your evil deeds that of self-murder ? " 
 
 " It is better to die to-day by my own hand," 
 answered Hokosa, " than to-morrow among the 
 mockery of the people to fall a victim to your 
 vengeance, Messenger." 
 
 " Vengeance ! Did I speak to you of vengeance ? 
 Who am I that I should take vengeance upon one 
 who has repented ? Hokosa, freely do I forgive 
 
 185 
 
186 THE WIZARD 
 
 you all, even as in some few days I hope to be 
 forgiven. Freely and fully from my heart do I 
 forgive you, nor shall my lips tell one word of the 
 sin that you have worked against me." 
 
 Now, when Hokosa heard those words, for a 
 moment he stared stupefied ; then he fell upon his 
 knees before Owen, and bowing his head till it 
 touched the teacher's feet, he burst into bitter 
 weeping. 
 
 " Rise, and hearken," said Owen, gently. " Weep 
 not because I have shown kindness to you, for 
 that is my duty and no more, but for your sins in 
 your heart weep now and ever. Yet for your 
 comfort I tell you that if you do this, of a surety 
 they shall be forgiven to you. Hokosa, you have 
 indeed lost that which you loved, and henceforth 
 you must follow after that which you did not desire. 
 In the very grave of error you have found truth, 
 and from the depths of sin you shall pluck righteous- 
 ness. Ay, that cross which you deemed accursed 
 shall lift you up on high, for by it you shall be saved." 
 
 Hokosa heard and shivered. 
 
 " Who set those words between your lips, 
 Messenger ? " he whispered. 
 
 " Who set them, Hokosa ? Nay, I know not 
 or rather, I know well. He set them Who teaches 
 us to speak all things that are good." 
 
 " It must be so, indeed," replied Hokosa. " Yet 
 I have heard them before ; I have heard them 
 from the lips of the dead, and with them went this 
 command : that when they fell upon my ears again 
 
THE LOOSING OF NOMA 187 
 
 I should take them for a sign, and let my heart be 
 turned." 
 
 " Tell me that tale," said Owen. 
 
 So he told him, and this time it was the white 
 man who trembled. 
 
 " Horrible has been your witchcraft, O Son of 
 Darkness ! " said Owen when he had finished ; 
 " yet it would seem that it was permitted to you 
 to find truth in the pit of sorcery. Obey, obey, 
 and let your heart be turned. The dead told you 
 that you should be set high above the nation and 
 its king, and that saying I cannot read, though it 
 may be fulfilled in some fashion which to-day you 
 do not think of. At the least, the other saying is 
 true, that in the end comes judgment, and that 
 there shall the sin and the atonement strive 
 together ; therefore for judgment prepare your- 
 self. And now depart, for I must talk with 
 the King as to this matter of the onslaught of 
 Hafela." 
 
 " Then that will be the signal for my death, for 
 what king can forgive one who has plotted such 
 treachery against him ? " said Hokosa. 
 
 " Fear not," answered Owen, " I will soften his 
 heart. Go you into the church and pray, for there 
 you shall be less tempted ; but before you go, 
 swear to me that you will work no evil on 
 yourself." 
 
 " I swear it, Messenger, since now I desire to 
 live, if only for a while, seeing that death shuts 
 every door." 
 
188 THE WIZARD 
 
 Then he went to the church, and waited there. 
 An hour later he was summoned, and found the 
 King seated with Owen. 
 
 " Man," said Nodwengo, " I am told by the 
 Messenger here that you have knowledge of a plot 
 that my brother the Prince Hafela has made to 
 fall treacherously upon me and put me and my 
 people to the spear. How came you to be ac- 
 quainted with that plot, and what part you have 
 played in it, I will not now enquire, for so much 
 have I promised to the Messenger. Yet I warn 
 you it will be well that you should tell me all you 
 know, and that should you lie to me or attempt 
 to deceive me, then you shall surely die." 
 
 " King, hear all the truth," answered Hokosa, in 
 a voice of desperate calm. " I have knowledge 
 of the plot, for it was I who wove it ; but whether 
 or no Hafela will carry it out altogether I cannot 
 say, for as yet no word has reached me from him. 
 
 King, this is the plan that I made ' and he 
 
 told him everything. 
 
 " It is fortunate for you, Hokosa," said Nodwengo, 
 grimly, when he had finished, " that I gave my word 
 to the Messenger that no harm should come to you, 
 seeing that you have repented and confessed. This 
 is certain, that Hafela has listened to your evil 
 counsels, for I gave my consent to his flight from this 
 land with all his people, and already his women and 
 children have crossed the mountain path in thousands. 
 Well, this I swear, that their feet shall tread it no 
 more, for where they are thither he shall go to join 
 
THE LOOSING OF NOMA 189 
 
 them, should he chance to live to do so. Hokosa, 
 begone, and know that day and night you will be 
 
 - watched. Should you so much as dare to approach 
 f one of the gates of the Great Place, that moment 
 
 you shall die." 
 
 " Have no fear, O King," said Hokosa, humbly, 
 " for I have emptied all my heart before you. The 
 past is the past, and I cannot recall it. For the 
 future, while it pleases you to spare me, I am the 
 most loyal of your servants." 
 
 " Can a man empty a spring with a pitcher ? " 
 asked the King, contemptuously. " By to-morrow 
 this heart of yours may be full again with the blackest 
 treachery, O master of sin and lies. Many months 
 ago I spared you at the prayer of the Messenger ; 
 x and now at his prayer I spare you again, yet in so 
 doing I think that I am foolish." 
 
 " Nay, I will answer for him," broke in Owen. 
 " Let him stay here with me, and set your guard 
 without my gates." 
 
 " How do I know that he will not murder you, 
 friend ? " asked the King. " This man is a snake 
 whom few can nurse with safety." 
 
 "He will not murder me," said Owen, smiling, 
 " because his heart is turned from evil to good ; 
 
 * also, there is little need to murder a dying 
 man." 
 
 " Nay, speak not ' so," said the King, hastily ; 
 " and as for this man, be it as you will. Come, I 
 must take counsel with my captains, for our danger 
 is near and great." 
 
 
190 THE WIZARD 
 
 So it came about that Hokosa stayed in the house 
 of Owen. 
 
 On the morrow the Great Place was full of the ^ 
 bustle of preparation, and by dawn of the following 
 day an impi of some seventeen thousand spears 
 had started to ambush Hafela and his force in a 
 certain wooded defile through which he must travel 
 on his way to the mountain pass where were gathered 
 his women and children. The army was not large, 
 at least in the eyes of the People of Fire, who, before 
 the death of Umsuka and the break up of the nation, 
 counted their warriors by tens of thousands. But 
 after those events the most of the regiments had 
 deserted to Hafela, leaving to Nodwengo not more 
 than two-and-twenty thousand spears upon which 
 he could rely. Of these he kept less than a third 
 to defend the Great Place against possible attacks, 
 and all the rest he sent to fall upon Hafela far away, 
 hoping there to make an end ofjiim once and for all. 
 This counsel the King took against the better 
 judgment of many of his captains, and as the issue 
 proved, it was mistaken. 
 
 When Owen told Hokosa of it, that old general 
 shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "The King would have done better to keep his 
 regiments at home," he said, " and fight it out 
 with Hafela here, where he is well prepared. Yonder 
 the country is very wide and broken, and it may well 
 chance that the impi will miss that of Hafela, and 
 then how can the King defend this place with a 
 handful, should the Prince burst upon him at the 
 
THE LOOSING OF NOMA 191 
 
 head of forty thousand men ? But who am I that I 
 should give counsel for which none seek ? " 
 
 " As God wills, so shall it befall," answered Owen, 
 wearily ; *' but oh ! the thought of all this bloodshed 
 breaks my heart, and I trust that its beatings may 
 be stilled before my eyes behold it." 
 
 On the evening of that day Hokosa was bap- 
 tised. The ceremony took place, not in the church, 
 for Owen was too weak to go there, but in the largest 
 room of his house, and before some few witnesses 
 chosen from the congregation. Even as he was 
 being signed with the sign of the Cross, a strange and 
 familiar attraction caused the convert to look up, 
 and behold, before him, watching all with mocking 
 eyes, stood Noma his wife. At length the rite was 
 finished, and the little audience melted away, all 
 save Noma, who stood silent and beautiful as a 
 statue, the light of mockery still gleaming in her eyes. 
 Then she spoke, saying : 
 
 " I greet you, husband. I have returned from 
 doing your business afar, and if this foolishness is 
 finished, and the white man can spare you, I would 
 talk with you alone." 
 
 " I greet you, wife," answered Hokosa. " Say 
 out your say, for none are present save us three, 
 and from the Messenger here I have no secrets." 
 
 " What, husband, none ? Do you ever talk to 
 him of certain fruit that you ripened in a garden 
 yonder ? " 
 
 " From the Messenger I have no secrets," repeated 
 Hokosa, in a heavy voice, 
 
192 THE WIZARD 
 
 "Then his heart must be full of them indeed, 
 and it is little wonder that he seems sick," replied 
 Noma, gibing. "Tell me, Hokosa, is it true that 
 you have become a Christian, or would you but 
 fool the white man and his following ?'" 
 
 " It is true." 
 
 At the words her graceful shape was shaken with 
 a little gust of silent laughter. 
 
 " The wizard has turned saint," She said. " Well, 
 then, what of the wizard's wife ? " 
 
 " You were my wife before I became Christian ; 
 if the Messenger permits it, you can still abide with 
 me." 
 
 " If the Messenger permits it ! So you have 
 come to this, Hokosa, that you must ask the leave 
 of another man as to whether or no you should 
 keep your own wife ! There is no other thing 
 that I could not have thought of you, but this I 
 would never have believed had I not heard it from 
 your lips. Say now, do you still love me, Hokosa ? " 
 
 " You know well that I love you, now and always," 
 he answered, in a voice that sounded like a groan ; 
 " as you know that for love of you I have done 
 many sins from which otherwise I should have turned 
 aside." 
 
 " Grieve not over them, Hokosa ; after all, in 
 such a count as yours they will make but little 
 show. Well, if you love me, I hate you, though 
 through your witchcraft your will still has the 
 mastery of mine. I demand of you now that you 
 should loose that bond ,for I do not desire to become 
 
THE LOOSING OF NOMA 193 
 
 a Christian ; and surely, O most good and holy 
 man, having one wife already, it will not please 
 you henceforth to live in sin with a heathen woman." 
 
 Now Hokosa turned to Owen. 
 
 " In the old days," he said, " I could have answered 
 her ; but now I am fallen, or raised up at the least 
 I am changed and cannot. O prophet of Heaven, 
 tell me what I shall do." 
 
 " Sever the bond that you have upon her and 
 let her go," answered Owen. " This love of yours 
 is unholy and born of witchcraft ; have done with 
 it, or if you cannot, at the least deny it, for such 
 a woman, a woman who hates you, can work you 
 no good. Moreover, ' since she is a second wife, 
 you being a Christian, are bound to free her should 
 she desire it." 
 
 " She can work me no good, Messenger, that I 
 know ; but I know also that while she struggles in 
 the net of my will she can work me no evil. If I 
 loose the net and the fish swims free, it may be 
 otherwise." 
 
 " Loose it," answered Owen, " and leave the rest 
 to Providence. Henceforth, Hokosa, do right, and 
 take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow 
 is v/ith God, and what He decrees that shall 
 befall." 
 
 " I hear you," said Hokosa, " and I obey." For 
 a while he rocked himself to and fro, staring at the 
 ground, then he lifted his head and spoke. 
 
 " Woman," he said, " the knot is untied and the 
 spell is broken. Begone, for I release you and I 
 
,194 THE WIZARD 
 
 divorce you. Flesh of my flesh have you been, 
 and soul of my soul, for in the web of sorceries are 
 we knit together. Yet be warned and presume 
 not too far, for remember that whieh I have laid 
 down I can take up, and that should I choose to 
 command, you must still obey. Farewell, you are 
 free." 
 
 Noma heard, and with a sigh of ecstasy she sprang 
 into the air as a slave might do from whom the 
 fetters have been struck off. 
 
 " Ay," she cried, " I am free ! I feel it in my 
 blood, I who have lain in bondage, and the voice 
 of freedom speaks in my heart and the breath of 
 freedom blows in my nostrils. % I am free from you, 
 
 dark and accursed man ; but herein lies my 
 triumph and revenge you are not free from me. 
 In obedience to that white fool whom you have mur- 
 dered, you have loosed me ; but you I will not loose 
 and could not if I would. Listen now, Hokosa : 
 you love me, do you not ? next to this new creed 
 of yours, I am most of all to you. Well, since you 
 have divorced me, I will tell you, I go straight to 
 another man. Now, look your last on me ; for 
 you love me, do you not ? " and she slipped the 
 mantle from her shoulders and except for her girdle 
 stood before him naked, and smiled. 
 
 " Well," she went on, resuming her robe, " the 
 last words of those we love are always dear to 
 us ; therefore, Hokosa, you who were my husband, 
 
 1 leave mine with you. You are a coward and a 
 traitor, and your doom shall be that of a coward 
 
THE LOOSING OF NOMA 195 
 
 and a traitor. For my sake you betrayed Umsuka, 
 your king and benefactor ; for your own sake you 
 betrayed Nodwengo, who spared you ; and now, 
 for the sake of your miserable soul, you have betrayed 
 Hafela to Nodwengo. Nay, I know the tale, do not 
 answer me ; but the end of it ah ! that is yet to 
 learn. Lie there, snake, and lick the hand that you 
 have bitten ; but I, the bird whom you have loosed, 
 I fly afar taking your heart with me ! " and suddenly 
 she turned and was gone. 
 
 Presently Hokosa spoke in a thick voice. 
 
 " Messenger," he said, " this cross that you have 
 given me to bear is heavy indeed." 
 
 " Yes, Hokosa," answered Owen, " for your sins 
 are nailed to it." 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE PASSING OF OWEN 
 
 ONCE she was outside of Owen's house, Noma did not 
 tarry. First she returned to Hokosa/s kraal, where 
 she had already learnt from his head wife, Zinti, and 
 others the news of his betrayal of the plot of Hafela, 
 of his conversion to the faith of the Christians, and 
 of the march of the impi to ambush the Prince. 
 Here she took a little spear, and rolling up in a skin 
 blanket as much dried meat as she could carry, she 
 slipped unnoticed from the kraal. Her object was to 
 escape from the Great Place, but this she did not try 
 to do by any of the gates, knowing them to be 
 guarded. Some months ago, before she started on 
 her embassy, she had noted a weak spot in the fence, 
 where dogs had torn a hole through which they 
 passed out to hunt at night. To this spot she made 
 her way under -cover of the darkness for though 
 she still greatly feared to be alone at night, her 
 pressing need conquered her fears and found that 
 the hole was yet there, for a tall weed growing in 
 its mouth had caused it to be overlooked by those 
 whose duty it was to mend the fence. With, her 
 assegai she widened it a little, then drew her lithe 
 
 196 
 
THE PASSING OF OWEN 197 
 
 shape through it, and lying hidden till the guard 
 had passed, climbed the two stone walls beyond. 
 Once she was free of the town, she set her course 
 by the stars and started forward at a steady run. 
 
 " If my strength holds I shall yet be in time 
 to warn him," she muttered to herself. " Ah ! 
 friend Hokosa, this new madne'ss of yours has 
 blunted your wits that once were sharp enough 
 You have set me free, and now you shall learn 
 how I 'can use my freedom. Not for nothing have I 
 been your pupil, Hokosa the fox." 
 
 Before the dawn broke she was thirty miles from 
 the Great Place, and before the next dawn she was 
 a hundred. At sunset on that second day she stood 
 among mountains. To her right stretched a great 
 defile, a rugged place of rocks and bush, wherein she 
 knew that the regiments of the King were hid in 
 ambush. Perchance she was too late, perchance the 
 impi of Hafela had already passed to its doom in 
 yonder gorge. Swiftly she ran forward on to the 
 trail which led to the gorge, to find that it had been 
 trodden by many feet and recently. Moving to and 
 fro she searched the spoor with her eyes, then rose 
 with a sigh of joy. It was old and marked the 
 passage of the great company of women and children 
 and their thousands of cattle which, in execution of 
 the plot, had travelled this path some days before. 
 Either the impi had not yet arrived, or it had gone 
 by some other road. Weary as she was, Noma 
 followed the old spoor backwards. A mile or more 
 away it crossed the crest of a hog-backed mountain, 
 
198 THE WIZARD 
 
 from whose summit she searched the plain beyond, 
 and not in vain, for there far beneath her twinkled 
 the w^tch-fires of the army of Hafela. 
 
 Two hours later a woman, footsore and utterly 
 exhausted, staggered into the camp, and waving 
 aside the spears that were lifted to stab her, demanded 
 to be led to the Prince. Presently she was there. 
 
 " Who is this woman ? " asked the great warrior ; 
 for, haggard as she was with travel, exhaustion, 
 and the terror of her haunted loneliness, he did not 
 know her in the uncertain firelight. 
 
 " Hafela," she said, " I am Noma who was the 
 wife of Hokosa, and for whole nights and days 
 I have journeyed as no woman ever journeyed 
 before, to tell you of the treachery of Hokosa and 
 to save you from your doom." 
 
 " What treachery and what doom ? " asked the 
 Prince. 
 
 " Before I answer you that question, Hafela, you 
 must pay me the price of my news." 
 
 " Let me hear the price, Noma." 
 
 " It is this, Prince : First, the head of Hokosa, 
 whe> has divorced me, when you have caught him." 
 
 " That I promise readily. What more ? " 
 
 " Secondly, the place of your chief wife to-day ; 
 and a week hente, when I shall have made you 
 king, the name and state ef Queen of the People 
 of Fire with all that hangs to it." 
 
 " You are ambitious, woman, amd know well 
 how to drive a bargain. Well, if you can ask, 
 I can give, for I have ever loved you, and your 
 
THE PASSING OF OWEN 199 
 
 mind is as great as your body is beautiful. If 
 through your help I should become King of the 
 People of Fire, you shaJl be their Queen, T swear 
 it by the spirits of my fathers and by my own head. 
 And now your tidings." 
 
 "These are they, Hafela. Hokosa has turned 
 Christian and betrayed the plot to Nodwengo ; 
 and the great gorge yonder but two hours' march 
 away is ambushed. To-morrow you and all your 
 people would have been cut off there had I not 
 run so fast and far to warn you, after which the 
 impis of Nodwengo were commanded to follow your 
 women and cattle over the mountain pass and capture 
 them." 
 
 " This is news indeed," said the Prince. " Say 
 now, how many regiments are hidden in the gorge ? " 
 
 "Eight." 
 
 " Well, I have fourteen ; so, being "warned, there 
 is little to fear. I will catch these rats in their 
 own hole." 
 
 " I have a better plan," said Noma ; " it is this : 
 leave six regiments posted upon the brow of yonder 
 hill and let them stay there, for then when the 
 generals of Nodwengo see that they do not enter 
 the gorge, they will believe that the ambush is 
 discovered, and, after waiting for one day or perhaps 
 two, will move out to give battle, thinking that 
 before them is all your strength. But command your 
 regiments to run and not to fight, drawing the army 
 of Nodwengo after them. Meanwhile, yes, this very 
 night, you yourself with all the men that are left to 
 
200 THE WIZARD 
 
 you must march upon the Great Place, which, though 
 it be strong, can be stormed, for it is defended by 
 less than five thousand soldiers. There, having 
 taken it, you shall slay Nodwengo, proclaiming 
 yourself king, and afterwards, by the help of the impi 
 that you leave here which will march onward to your 
 succour, you can deal with yonder army." 
 
 " A great scheme truly," said Hafela in admiration ; 
 " but how do I know whether all this tale is true, 
 or whether you do but set a snare for me ? " 
 
 " Bid scouts go out and creep into yonder gully," 
 answered Noma, " and you will see w r hether or no 
 I have spoken falsely. " For the rest, I am in your 
 hands, and if I lie you can take my life in payment." 
 
 " If I march upon the Great Place, it must be 
 at midnight when none see me go," said Hafela, 
 " and what will you do then, Noma, who are too 
 weary to travel again so soon ? " 
 
 " I will be borne in a litter till my strength comes 
 back to me," she answered. " And now give me to 
 eat and let me rest while I may." 
 
 Five hours later, Hafela with the most of his 
 army, a force of something over twenty thousand 
 men, was journeying swiftly but by a circuitous 
 route towards the Great Place of the King. On 
 the crest of the hill, facing the gorge as Noma had 
 suggested, he, left six regiments with instructions 
 to fly before Nodwengo's generals, and when they 
 had led them far enough, to follow him as swiftly 
 as they were able. These orders, or rather the 
 
THE PASSING OF OWEN 201 
 
 first part of them, they carried out, for as it chanced 
 after two days' flight, the King's soldiers got behind 
 them by a night march, and falling on them at dawn, 
 killed half of them and dispersed the rest. Then it 
 was that Nodwengo's generals learned for the first 
 time that they were following one wing of Hafela's 
 army only, while the main body was striking at the 
 heart of the kingdom, and turned their faces home- 
 wards in fear and haste. 
 
 On the morning after the flight of Noma, Owen 
 passed into the last stage of his sickness, and it 
 became evident, both to himself and to those who 
 watched him, that at the most he could not live 
 for more than a few Delays. For his part, he accepted 
 his doom joyfully, spending the time which was left 
 to him in writing letters that were to be forwarded 
 to England whenever an opportunity should arise, 
 and in setting down on paper a statement of the 
 principal events of his strange mission, and other 
 information for the guidance of his white successors, 
 who by now should be drawing near to the land of the 
 Amasuka. In the intervals of these last labours, 
 from time to time he summoned the King and the 
 wisest and trustiest of those whom he had baptised 
 to his bedside, teaching them what they should do 
 when he was gone, and exhorting them to cling to 
 the Faith. 
 
 On the afternoon of the fourth day from that of 
 the baptism of Hokosa he fell into a quiet sleep, 
 from which he did not wake till sundown. 
 
202 THE WIZARD 
 
 " Am I still here ? " he asked, wondering, of 
 John and Hokosa who watched at his bedside. 
 " From my dreams I thought that it was other- 
 wise. John, send a messenger to the King and 
 ask of him to assemble the people, all who care 
 to come, in the open place before my house ; for 
 I am about to die, and first I would speak with 
 them." 
 
 John went weeping upon bis errand, leaving Owen 
 and Hokosa alone. 
 
 " Tell me now what shall I do ? " said Hokosa 
 in a voice of despair, " seeing that it is I and no 
 other who have brought this death upon you." 
 
 " Fret not, my brother," answered Owen, " for 
 this and other things you did in the days of your 
 blindness, and it was permitted that you should 
 do them to an end. Kneel down now, that I may 
 absolve you from your sins before I pass away ; 
 for I tell you, Hokosa, I believe that ere many 
 days are over you must walk on the path I travel' 
 to-night." 
 
 " Is it so ? " Hokosa answered. " Well, I am 
 glad, for I have no longer any lust of life." 
 
 Then he knelt down and received the absolution. 
 
 Now John returned and Nodwengo with him, 
 who told him that the people were gathering in 
 hundreds according to his wish. * 
 
 " Then clothe me in my robes and let us go forth," 
 he said, " for I would speak my last words in the ears 
 of men." 
 
 So they put the surplice and hood upon his wasted 
 
THE PASSING OF OWEN 203 
 
 form and went out, John preceding him holding on 
 high the ivory crucifix, while the King and Hokosa 
 supported him, one on either side. 
 
 Without his gate stood a low w r ooden platform, 
 whence at times Owen had been accustomed to 
 address any congregation larger than the church 
 would contain. On this platform he took his seat. 
 The moon was bright above him, and by it he 
 could see that already his audience numbered some 
 thousands of men, women, and children. The news 
 had spread that the wonderful white man, Messenger, 
 wished to take his farewell of the nation, though even 
 now many did not understand that he was dying, but 
 imagined that he was about to leave the country, or, 
 for aught they knew, to vanish from their sight into 
 Heaven. For a moment Owen looked at the sea of 
 dusky faces, then, in the midst of an intense stillness, 
 he spoke in a voice low indeed but clear and steady : 
 
 " My children," he said, " hear my last words 
 to you. Three years ago, in a far, far land, and 
 upon such a night as this, a Voice spoke to me 
 from above commanding me to seek you out, to 
 turn you from your idolatry and to lighten your 
 darkness. I listened to the Voice, and hither I 
 journeyed across sea and land, though how this 
 thing might be done I could not guess. But to 
 Him Who sent me all things are possible, and 
 while I yet lingered upon the threshold of your 
 country, in a dream were revealed to me events 
 that were to come. So I appeared before you 
 boldly, and knowing that lie had been poisoned 
 
204 THE WIZARD 
 
 and that I could cure him, I drew back your king 
 from the mouth of death, and you said to your- 
 selves : ' Behold a wizard indeed ! let us hear him/ 
 Then I gave battle to your sorcerers yonder upon 
 the plain, and from the foot of the Cross I teach, 
 the lightnings were rolled back upon them and 
 they were not. Look now, their chief stands at 
 my side, among my disciples one of*the foremost 
 and most faithful. Afterwards troubles arose : your 
 king died a Christian, and many of the people fell 
 away ; but still a remnant remained, and he w r ho 
 became King was converted to the truth. Now I 
 have sown the seed, and the corn is ripe before my 
 eyes, but it is not permitted that I should reap 
 the harvest. My work is ended, my task is done, 
 and I, the Messenger, return to make report to 
 Him Who sent the message. 
 
 " Hear me yet a little while, for soon shall my voice 
 be silent. ' I come not to bring peace, but a sword/ 
 so said the Master Whom I preach, and so say I, 
 the most unworthy of His servants. Salvation 
 cannot be bought at a little price, it must be paid 
 for with the blood and griefs of men, and in blood 
 and griefs must you pay, O my children. Even 
 now the heathen is it your gates, and many of 
 you shall perish on his spears, but I tell you that 
 he shah 1 not conquer. Be faithful, cling to the 
 Cross, and do not dare to doubt your Lord, for He 
 will protect you and your children after you, and He 
 will be your Captain and you shall be His people. 
 Cleave t your King, for he is good ; and in the day 
 
THE PASSING OF OWEN 205 
 
 of trial listen to the counsel of this Hokosa, who 
 once was the first of evil doers, for with him goes 
 my spirit, and he is my son in the spirit. My 
 children, fare you well ! Forget me not, for I have 
 loved you ; or if you will, forget me, but remember 
 my teaching and hearken to those who shall tread 
 upon the path I made. The peace of God be with 
 you, the blessing of God be upon you, and the sal- 
 vation of God await you, as it awaits me to-night ! 
 Friends, lead me hence to die." 
 
 They turned to him, but before their hands 
 touched him Thomas Owen fell forward upon the 
 breast of Hokosa and lay there a while. Then 
 suddenly, and for the last time, he lifted himself 
 and cried aloud : 
 
 " I have fought a good fight ! I have finished 
 my course ! I have kept the Faith ! Henceforth 
 there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness . . . 
 and not to me only, but to all those who love His 
 appearing." 
 
 Then his head fell back, his dark -eyes closed, 
 and the Messenger was dead. 
 
 Hokosa, the man who had murdered him, having 
 lifted him up to show him to the people, amidst 
 a sound of mighty weeping, took the body in his 
 arms and bore it thence to make it ready for burial. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE FALL OF THE GREAT PLACE 
 
 ON the morrow at sundown all that remained of 
 Thomas Owen was laid to rest before the altar 
 of the little church, Nodwengo the King and Hokbsa 
 lowering him into the grave, while John, his first 
 disciple, read over him the burial service of the 
 Christians, which it had been one of the dead man's 
 last labours to translate into the language of the 
 Amasuka. 
 
 Before the ceremony was finished a soldier, 
 carrying a spear in his hand, pushed his' way through 
 the dense and weeping crowd, and having saluted, 
 whispered something into the ear of the King. 
 Nodwengo started and, with a last look of farewell 
 at the face of his friend, left the chapel, accompanied 
 by some of his generals who were present, muttering 
 to Hokosa that he was to follow when all was done. 
 Accordingly, some few minutes later, he went and 
 was admitted into the Council Hut, where captains 
 and messengers were to be seen arriving and departing 
 continuously. 
 
 " Hokosa," said the King, " you have dealt 
 treacherously with me in the past, but I believe 
 
 206 
 
THE FALL OF THE GREAT PLACE 207 
 
 now that your heart is true, at the leasi I. follow 
 the commands of our dead master and trust you. 
 Listen : the outposts have sighted an impi of 
 many regiments advancing towards the Great 
 Place, though whether or no it be my own impi 
 returning victorious from the war with my brother, 
 I cannot say. There is this against it, however, 
 that a messenger has but ju$t arrived reporting 
 that the generals have perceived the host of Hafela 
 encamped upon a ridge over against the gorge where 
 they awaited him. If that be so, they can scarcely 
 have given him battle, for the messenger is swift 
 of foot and has travelled night and day. Yet how 
 can this be the impi of Hafela, who, say the generals, 
 is encamped upon the ridge ? " 
 
 " He may have left the ridge, King, having been 
 warned of the ambush." 
 
 " It cannot be, for when the runner started his 
 fires were there and his soldiers were gathered round 
 them." 
 
 " Then perhaps his captains sit upon the ridge 
 with some portion of his strength to deceive those 
 who await him in the gorge ; while, knowing that 
 here men are few, he himself swoops down on you 
 with the main body of his impi." 
 
 "At least we shall learn presently," answered 
 the King ; " but if it be as I fear and we are out- 
 witted, what is there that we can do against so 
 many ? " 
 
 Now one of the captains advised that they should 
 stay where they were and hold the place. 
 
208 THE WIZARD 
 
 " It is too large," answered the King, " they \vill 
 burst the fences ?nd break our line." 
 
 Another suggested that they should fly and, 
 avoiding the regiments of Hafela in the darkness of 
 the night, should travel swiftlv in search of the 
 main army that had been sent to lie in ambush. 
 
 " What," said Nodwengo, " leaving the aged 
 and the women and children to perish, for how can 
 we take such a multitude ? No, I will have none 
 of this plan." 
 
 Then Hokosa spoke. " King," he said, " listen to 
 my counsel : command now that all the women 
 and the old men, taking with them such cattle and 
 food as are in the town, depart at once into the 
 Valley of Death and collect in the open space that 
 lies beyond the Tree of Doom near the spring of 
 water that is there. The valley is narrow and the 
 cliffs are steep, and it may chance that by the 
 help of Heaven we shall be able to hold it till the 
 army returns to relieve us, to seek which messengers 
 must be sent at once with these tidings." 
 
 " The plan is good," said the King, " though 
 none had thought of it ; but so we shall lose the 
 town." 
 
 " Towns can be rebuilt," answered Hokosa, " but 
 who can restore the lives of men ? " 
 
 As the words left his lips, a runner burst into 
 the Council, crying, " King, the impi is that of 
 Hafela, and the Prince leads it in person. Already 
 they stand upon the Plain of Fire." 
 
 Then Nodwengo arose and issued his orders, 
 
THE FALL OF THE GREAT PLACE 209 
 
 commanding that all the ineffective population of 
 the town, together with such food and cattle as 
 could be gathered, should retreat at once into the 
 Valley of Death. By this time the four or five 
 thousand soldiers who were left in the Great Place 
 had been paraded on the open ground in front of 
 the King's house, where they stood, still and silent, 
 in the moonlight. Nodwengo and the captains 
 went out to them, and as they saw him come they 
 lifted their spears like one man, giving him the 
 royal salute of " King ! " He held up his hand and 
 addressed them. 
 
 " Soldiers," he said, " we have been outwitted. 
 My impi is afar, and that of Hafela is at our gates. 
 Yonder in the valley, though we be few, we can 
 defend ourselves till succour reaches us, which 
 already messengers have gone out to seek. But 
 first we must give time for the women and children, 
 the sick and the aged, to withdraw with food and 
 cattle ; and this we can do in one way only, by 
 keeping Hafela at bay till they have passed the 
 archway, all of them. Now, soldiers, for the sake 
 of your own lives, of your honour and of those you 
 love, swear to me, in the holy Name which we have 
 been taught to worship, that you will fight out this 
 great fight without fear or faltering." 
 
 " We swear it in the holy Name," roared the 
 regiments. 
 
 " Then victory is already ours," answered the 
 King. " Follow me, Children of Fire ! " and 
 shaking his great spear", he led the way towards 
 
210 THE WIZARD 
 
 1 
 
 that portion of the outer fence upon which Haf ela 
 was advancing. By now the town behind them 
 was a scene of almost indescribable tumult and 
 confusion, for the companies detailed to the task 
 were clearing the numberless huts of their occupants, 
 and collecting women, children and oxen in thousands, 
 preparatory to driving them into the defile. Panic 
 had seized many of these poor creatures, who, in 
 imagination, already saw themselves impaled upon 
 the cruel spears of Hafela's troops, and indeed in 
 not a few instances believed those who were urging 
 them forward to be the enemy. Women shrieked 
 and wrung their hands, children wailed piteously, 
 oxen lowed, and the infirm and aged vented their 
 grief in groans and cries to Heaven for mercy. In 
 truth, so difficult was the task of marshalling this 
 motley array at night, numbering as it did ten or 
 twelve thousand souls, that a full hour went by before 
 the mob began to move, slowly and uncertainly, 
 towards the place of refuge, whereof the opening 
 was so narrow that but few of them could pass it 
 at a time. 
 
 Meanwhile Hafela was developing the attack. 
 Forming his great army into the shape of a wedge 
 he raised his battle-cry and rushed down upon the 
 first line of fortifications, which he stormed without 
 difficulty, for they were defended by a few skir- 
 mishers only. Next he attacked the second line, 
 and carried it after heavy fighting, then hurled 
 himself upon the main fence of the kraal.- Here 
 it was that the fray began in earnest, for here 
 
THE FALL OF THE GREAT PLACE 211 
 
 Nodwengo was waiting for him. Thrice the thou- 
 sands rolled on in face of a storm of spears, and 
 thrice they fell back from the wide fence of thorns 
 and the wall of stone behind it. By now the battle 
 had raged for about an hour and a half, and it was 
 reported to the King that the firsf of the women and 
 children had passed the archway into the valley, 
 and that all of them were clear of the eastern gate 
 of the town. 
 
 " Then it is time that we follow them," said the 
 King, " for if we wait here until the warriors of 
 Hafela are among us, our retreat will become a 
 rout and soon there will be none left to follow. 
 Let one company," and he named it, " hold the 
 fence for a while to give us time to withdraw, taking 
 the wounded with us." 
 
 " We he^r you, King," said one of the company, 
 " but our captain is killed." 
 
 " Who among you will take over the command 
 of these''men and hold the breach ? " asked Nodwengo 
 of the group of officers about him. 
 
 " I, King," answered old Hokosa, lifting his spear, 
 " for I care not whether I live or die." 
 
 " Go to, Boaster ! " cried another. " Who among 
 us cares whether he lives or dies when the King 
 commands ? " 
 
 " That we shall know to-morrow," said Hokosa, 
 quietly, and the soldiers laughed at the retort. 
 
 " So be it," said the King, and while silently and 
 swiftly he led off the regiments, keeping in the 
 shadow of the huts, Hokosa and his hundred men 
 
212 THE WIZARD 
 
 posted themselves behind the weakened fence and 
 wall. Now, for the fourth time the attacking 
 regiment came forward grimly, on this occasion 
 led by the Prince himself. As they drew near, 
 Hokosa leapt upon the wall, and standing there in 
 the bright moonlight where all could see him, he 
 called to them to halt. Instinctively they obeyed 
 him. 
 
 " Is it Hafela whom I see yonder ? " he asked. 
 
 " Ay ! it is I," answered the Prince. " What 
 would you with me, wizard and traitor ? " 
 
 " This only, Hafela : I would ask you what you 
 seek here ? " 
 
 " That which you promised me, Hokosa, the 
 crown of my father and certain* other things." 
 
 " Then get you back, Hafela,^ for you shall never 
 win them. Have I prophesied falsely to you at any 
 time ? Not so neither do- 1 prophesy falsely now. 
 Get you back whence you came, and your wolves 
 with you, else shall you bide here for ever." 
 
 " Do you dare to call down evil on me, Wizard ? " 
 shouted the Prince furiously. " Your wife is mine, 
 and now I take your life also," and with all his 
 strength he hurled at him the great spear he held. 
 
 It hissed past Hokosa's head, touching his ear, 
 but he never flinched from the steel. 
 
 " A poor cast, Prince," he said, laughing ; " but 
 so it must have- been, for I am guarded by that 
 which you cannot 1 see. My wife you have, and 
 she shall be your ruin ; my life you may take, but 
 ere it leaves me, Hafela, I shall see you dead and 
 
THE FALL OF THE GREAT PLACE 213 
 
 yur army scattered. The Messenger is passed 
 away, bat his power has fallen upon me, and I 
 speak the truth to you, O Prince and warriors who 
 are already dead." 
 
 Now a shriek of dismay and fury rose from the 
 hundreds who heard this prophecy of ill, for of 
 Hokosa and his magic they were terribly afraid. 
 
 " Kill him ! Kill the wizard ! " they shouted, 
 and a rain of spears rushed towards him on the wall. 
 
 They rushed towards him, they passed above, 
 below, around ; but, of them all, not one touched 
 him. 
 
 " Did I not tell you that I was guarded by that 
 which you cannot see ? " he asked, contemptuously, 
 and then slowly descended from the wall amidst 
 a great silence. 
 
 " When men are scarce the tongue must play a 
 part," he explained to his companions, who stared 
 at him wondering. " By now the King and those 
 with him should have reached the eastern gate ; 
 whereas, had we fought at once, Hafela would be 
 hard upon his heels, for we are few and who can 
 hold a buffalo with a rope of grass ? Yet I think 
 that I spoke truth when I told him that the garment 
 of the Messenger has fallen upon my shoulders, and 
 that death awaits him and his companies, as it 
 awaits me also and many of us. Now, friends, be 
 ready, for the bull charges and soon we must feel his 
 horns. This at least is left to you, to die gloriously." 
 
 While he was still speaking the first files of the 
 regiment rushed upon the fence, tearing aside the 
 
214 THE WIZARD 
 
 thorns with their hands till a passage was made 
 through them. Then they sprang upon the wall, 
 there to be met by the spears of Hokosa and his 
 men thrusting upward from beneath its shelter. 
 Time after time they sprang, and time after time 
 they fell back dead or wounded, till at last, dashing 
 forward in one dense column, they poured over the 
 stones as the rising tide pours over the rocks on the 
 sea-shore, driving the defenders before them by the 
 sheer weight of. numbers. 
 
 " The game is played ! " cried Hokosa. " Fly now 
 to the eastern gate, for here we ^can do nothing 
 more/' 
 
 So they fled, those who survived of them, and after 
 them came the thousands of the foe, sacking and firing 
 the deserted town as they advanced. 
 
 Hokosa and his men, or rather the half of them, 
 reached the gate and passed it in safety, barring 
 it after them, and thereby delaying the attackers 
 till they could burst their way through it. Now 
 hundreds of huts were afire, and the flames spread 
 swiftly, lighting up the country far and wide. In 
 the glare of them, Hokosa could see that already 
 a full two-thirds of the crowd of fugitives had 
 passed the narrow arch ; while Nodwengo and the 
 soldiers were drawn up in companies upon the 
 steep and rocky slope that led to it, protecting their 
 retreat. 
 
 He advanced to the King and reported himself. 
 
 '' So you have lived through it," said Nodwengo. 
 
 " I shall die when my hour comes, and not before," 
 
THE FALL OF THE GREAT PLACE 215 
 
 Hokosa answered. " We did well yonder, and yet the 
 most of us are alive t tell the tale, for I knew when 
 to go. Be ready, King, for the foe press us close, 
 and that mob behind us crawls onward like a snail." 
 
 As he spoke the pursuers broke through the 
 fence and gate of the burning town, and once more 
 the fight began. They had the advantage of num- 
 bers ; but Nodwengo and his troops stood in a 
 wide road upon higher ground protected on either 
 side by walls, and were, moreover, rested, not 
 breathless and weary with travel like the men 
 of Hafela. Slowly, fighting every inch of the 
 way, Nodwengo was pushed back, and slowly the 
 long ant-like line of women and sick and cattle 
 crept through the opening in the rock, till at length 
 all of them were gone. 
 
 " It is time," said Nodwengo, glancing behind him, 
 " for our arms grow weary." 
 
 Then he gave orders, and company by company 
 the defending force followed on the path of the 
 fugitives, till at length, amidst a roar of rage and 
 disappointment, the last of them vanished through 
 the arch, Hokosa among them, and the place was 
 blocked with stones, above which shone a hedge 
 of spears. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 NOMA SETS A SNARE 
 
 THUS ended the first night's battle, since for this 
 time the enemy had had enough. Nodwengo and 
 his men had also had enough, for out of the five 
 thousand of them some eleven hundred were killed 
 or wounded. Yet they might not rest, for all that 
 night, assisted by the women, they laboured, building 
 stone walls across the narrowest parts of the valley. 
 Also the cattle, women and children were moved 
 along the gorge, which in shape may be compared 
 to a small bottle with two necks, one at either end, 
 and encamped in the opening of the second neck, 
 where was the spring of water. This spot was 
 chosen both because here alone water could be 
 obtained, \\ithout which they could not hold out 
 more than a single day, and because the koppie 
 whereon grew the strange-looking euphorbia known 
 as the Tree of Doom afforded a natural rampart 
 against attack. 
 
 Shortly after dawn, while the soldiers were resting 
 
 and eating of such food as could be procured for 
 
 the most part strips of raw or half-cooked meat cut 
 
 from hastily-killed cattle the onslaught was renewed 
 
 ' 216 
 
NOMA SETS A SNARE 217 
 
 with vigour, Hafela directing his efforts to the forcing 
 of the natural archway. But/ strive as he would, 
 this he could not do, for it was choked with stones 
 and thorns and -guarded by brave men. 
 
 " You do but waste your labour, Hafela," said 
 Noma, who stood by him watching the assault. 
 
 " What then is to be done ? " he asked, " for 
 unless we come at them we cannot kill them. It 
 was clever of them ,to take refuge in this hole. I 
 thought surely that they would fight it out yonder, 
 beneath the fences of the Great Place." 
 
 " Ah ! " she answered, " you forgot that they 
 had Hokosa on their side. Did you then think to 
 catch him sleeping ? This retreat was Hokosa's 
 counsel. I learned it from the lips of that wounded 
 captain before they killed him. Now, it seems that 
 there are but two paths to follow, and you can choose 
 between them. The one is to send a regiment a 
 day and a half's journey across the cliff top to guard 
 the farther mouth of the valley and to wait till these 
 jackals starve in their hole, for certainly they can 
 never come out." 
 
 " It has started six hours since," said Hafela, 
 " and though the precipices are steep, having the 
 moon to travel by, it should reach "the river-mouth 
 of the valley before dawn to-morrow, cutting 
 Nodwengo off from the plains, if indeed he should 
 dare to venture out upon them, which, with so 
 small a force he will not do. Yet this firsfc plan 
 of yours must fail, Noma, seeing that before they 
 starve within, the generals of Nodwengo will be 
 
218 THE WIZARD 
 
 back upon us from the mountains, catching us 
 between the hammer and the anvil, and I know 
 not how that fight would go." 
 
 " Yet, soon or late, it must be fought." 
 
 " Nay," he answered, " for my hope is that should 
 the impi return to find Nodwengo dead, they will 
 surrender and acknowledge me as king, who am the 
 first of the blood royal. But what is your second 
 plan ? " 
 
 By way of answer, she pointed to the cliff above 
 them. On the right-hand side, facing the archway, 
 was a flat ledge overhanging the valley, at a height 
 of about a hundred feet. 
 
 " If you can come yonder," she said, " it will be 
 easy to storm this gate, for there lie rocks in plenty, 
 and men cannot fight when stones are dropping on 
 their heads." 
 
 " But how can we come yonder to that home of 
 vultures, where never a man has set a foot. Look, 
 the cliff above is sheer ; no rock-rabbit could stand 
 upon it." 
 
 With her eye Noma measured the distance from 
 the brink of the precipice to the broad ledge 
 commanding the valley. 
 
 " Sixty paces, not more," she said. " Well, yonder 
 are oxen in plenty, and out of their hides ropes 
 can be made, and out of ropes a ladder, down 
 which men may pass ; ten, or even five, . would 
 be enough." 
 
 " Well thought of, Noma," said Hafela. " Hokosa 
 told us last night that to him had passed the wisdom 
 
NOMA SETS A SNARE 219 
 
 of the Messenger ; but if this be so, I think that to 
 r you has passed the guile of Hokosa " 
 
 " It seems to me that some of it abides with him," 
 answered Noma, laughing. 
 
 Then the Prince gave orders, and, with many 
 workers of hides toiling at it, within two hours 
 the ladder was ready, the staves of it, set twenty 
 inches apart, being formed of knobkerries, or the 
 broken shafts of stabbing spears. Now they lowered 
 it from the top of the precipice so that its end 
 rested upon the ledge, and down it came several 
 men, who swung upon its giddy length like spiders 
 on a web. Reaching this great shelf in safety and 
 advancing to the edge <3f it, these men started a 
 boulder, which, although as it chanced it hurt no one, 
 fell in the midst of a group of the defenders and 
 bounded away through them. 
 
 " Now we must be going," said Hokosa looking 
 up, " for no man can fight against rocks, and our 
 spears cannot reach those birds. Had the army 
 been taught the use of the bow, as I counselled 
 in past days, we might still have held the archway ; 
 but they called it a woman's weapon, and would have 
 none of it." 
 
 As he spoke another stone fell, crushing the life 
 out of a man who stood next to him. Then they 
 retreated to the first wall, which had been piled 
 up during the night, where it was not possible to 
 roll rocks upon them from the cliffs above. This 
 wall, and others reared at intervals behind it, they 
 set to work to strengthen as much as they could, 
 
220 THE WIZARD 
 
 making the most of the time that was left to them 
 before the enemy could clear the way and march 
 on to attack. Presently they were through and 
 sweeping down upon them with a roar, thinking to 
 carry the wall at a single rush. But in this they 
 failed ; indeed, it was only after an hour's hard 
 fighting and by the expedient of continually attacking 
 the work with fresh companies that at length they 
 stormed it. 
 
 When Hokosa saw that he could no longer hold 
 the place, but before the foe was upon him, he drew 
 off his soldiers to the second wall, a quarter of a mile 
 or more away, and here the fight began again. 
 And so it went orr-for hour after hour, as one by one 
 the fortifications were carried by the weight of num- 
 bers, for the attackers fought desperately under the 
 eye of their Prince, caring nothing for the terrible 
 loss they suffered in men. Twice the force of the 
 defenders was changed by order of Nodwengo, fresh 
 men being sent from the companies held in reserve to 
 take the places of those who had borne the brunt 
 of the battle. This indeed it was necessary to do, 
 seeing that it was impossible to carry water to so 
 many, and in that burning valley men could not 
 fight for long athirst. Only Hokosa stayed on, 
 for they brought him drink in a gourd, and wherever 
 the fray was fiercest there he was always ; nor 
 although spears were rained upon him by hundreds, 
 was he touched by one of them. 
 
 At length as the night fell the King's men were 
 driven from their last scherm in the western half 
 
NOMA SETS A SNARE 221 
 
 of the valley, across the open space back upon 
 the koppe where stood the Tree of Doom. Here 
 they stayed a while, till, overmatched and out- 
 worn, they were pushed from its rocks across the 
 narrow stretch of broken ground into the shelter 
 of the great stone scherm of wall that ran from 
 side to side of the farther neck of the valley, whereon 
 thousands of women and such men as could be 
 spared had been working incessantly during the 
 past night and day. 
 
 It was as he retreated among the last upon this 
 wall that Hokosa caught sight of Noma for the 
 first time since they parted in the house of the 
 Messenger. In the forefront of his troops, directing 
 the attack, was Hafela the Prince, and at. his side 
 stood Noma, carrying in her hand a little shield and- 
 a spear. At this moment also she saw him and called 
 aloud to him : 
 
 " You have fought well, Wizard, but to-morrow 
 all your magic shall avail you nothing, for it shall 
 be your last day upon this earth." 
 
 " Aye, Noma," he answered, " and yours also." 
 
 Then of a sudden a company of the King's men 
 rushed from the shelter of the wall upon the attackers 
 driving them back to the koppie and killing several, 
 so that in the confusion and gathering darkness 
 Hokosa lost sight of her, though a man at his 
 side declared that he saw her fall beneath the 
 thrust of an assegai. And thus ended the second 
 day. 
 
 Now when the watch had been set the King and 
 9 
 
222 THE WIZARD 
 
 his captains took counsel together, for their hearts 
 were heavy. 
 
 " Listen," said Nodwengo, " out of five thousand 
 soldiers a thousand have been killed and a thousand 
 lie among us wounded. Hark to the groaning of 
 them ! Also we have with us women and children 
 and sick to the number of twelve thousand, and 
 bet\veen us and those who would butcher them 
 every one there stands but a single wall. Nor 
 is this the worst of it : the spring cannot supply 
 the wants of so great a multitude in this hot place, 
 and it is feared that presently the water will be done. 
 What way shall we turn ? If we surrender to Hafela, 
 perhaps he will spare the lives of the women and 
 children ; but whatever he may promise, the most 
 of us he will surely slay. If we fight and are de- 
 feated, then once his regiments are among us, all will 
 be slain according to the ancient custom of our 
 people. I have bethought me that we might retreat 
 through the valley, but the river beyond is in flood ; 
 also it is certain that before this multitude could 
 reach it, the Prince will have sent a force to cut us 
 off while he himself harasses our rear. Now let him 
 who has counsel speak." 
 
 " King, I have counsel," said Hokosa. " What 
 were the words that the Messenger spoke^to us 
 before he died ? Did he not say : ' Even now 
 the heathen is at your gates, and many of you 
 shall perish on his spears ; but I tell you that he 
 shall not conquer ' ? Did he not say : ' Be faithful, 
 cling to the Cross, and do not dare to doubt your 
 
NOMA SETS A SNARE 223 
 
 Lord, for He will protect you, and your children 
 after you, and He will be your Captain and you 
 shall be His people ' ? Did he not bid you also to 
 listen to my counsel ? Then listen to it, for it is 
 his: your case seems desperate, but have no fear, 
 and take no thought for to-morrow, for all shall 
 yet be well. Let us now pray to Him that the 
 Messenger has revealed to us, and Whom now 
 he implores on our behalf in that place where he 
 is to guide us and to save us, for then surely He 
 will hearken to our prayer." 
 
 "So be it," said Nodwengo, and going out he 
 stood upon a pillar of stone in the moonlight and 
 offered up his supplication in the hearing of the 
 multitude. 
 
 Meanwhile, those in the camp of Hafela were 
 also taking counsel. They had fought bravely 
 indeed, and carried the schances ; bivj; at great 
 cost, since for every man that Nodwengo had lost, 
 three of theirs had fallen. Moreover, they were 
 in evil case with weariness and the want of water, 
 as each drop they drank must be carried to them 
 from the G'reat Place in bags made of raw hide, 
 which caused it to stink, for they had but few gourds 
 with them. 
 
 "Now it is strange," said Hafela, "that these 
 men should fight so bravely, seeing that thev are 
 but a handful. -There can be scarce three thousand 
 of them left, and yet I doubt not x that before we carrv 
 se last walls of theirs as many of us or more 
 will be down. Ay ! and after they are done v 
 
224: THE WIZARD 
 
 we must meet their great impi when it returns, 
 and of what will befall us then I scarcely like to 
 think." 
 
 " Ill-fortune will befall you while Hokosa lives," 
 broke in Noma. " Had it not been for him, this 
 trouble had been done with by now ; but he is a 
 wizard, and by his wizardries he defeats us and 
 puts heart into Nodwengo and the warriors. You, 
 yourself, have seen him this day defying us, not 
 once but many times, for upon his flesh steel has 
 no power ; ay ! and this is but the beginning of 
 evil, for I am sure that he leads you into some 
 deep trap where you shall perish everlastingly. 
 Did he not himself declare that the power of that 
 dead white worker of miracles had fallen upon him, 
 and who can fight against magic ? " 
 
 " Who, indeed ? " said Hafela, humbly ; for like 
 all savages he was very superstitious, and, more- 
 over, a sincere believer in Hokosa's supernatural 
 capacities. " This wizard is too strong for us ; he 
 is invulnerable, and as I know well he can read 
 the secret thoughts of men and can suck wisdom 
 from the dead, while to his eyes the darkness is 
 no blind." 
 
 "Nay, Hafela," answered Noma, "there is one 
 crack in his shield. Hear me : if we can but catch 
 him and hold him fast, we shall have no need to 
 fear him more, and I think I know how to bait the 
 trap." 
 
 " How will you bait it ? " asked Hafela. 
 
 "Thus. Midway between the koppie and the 
 
NOMA SETS A SNARE 225 
 
 wall behind which lie the men of the King stands 
 a flat rock, and all about that rock are stretched 
 the bodies of dead soldiers. Now, this is my plan : 
 that when next one of those dark storm-clouds 
 passes over the face of the moon, six of the strongest 
 of our warriors should creep upon their b ( ellies into 
 the shadow of that rock and there cast themselves 
 down this way and that, as though they were 
 also numbered with the slain. This done, you 
 shall despatch a herald to call in the ears of 
 the King that you desire to treat with him of peace. 
 Then he will answer that if this be so you can come 
 beneath the walls of his camp, and your herald 
 shall refuse, saying that you fear treachery. But 
 he shall add that if Nodwengo will bid Hokosa 
 to advance alone to that flat rock, you will bid me, 
 Noma, whom none can fear, to do likewise, and 
 that there we can talk in the sight of both armies, 
 and returning thence, make report to you and to 
 Nodwengo. Afterwards, so soon as Hokosa has 
 set his foot upon the rock, those men who seem to 
 be dead shall spring upon him and drag him to 
 our camp, where we can deal with him ; for once 
 the wizard is taken, the cause of Nodwengo is 
 lost." , 
 
 "A good pitfall," said the Prince; "but 'will 
 Hokosa walk into it ?. " 
 
 " I think so, Hafela, for three reasons. He is 
 altogether without fear ; he will desire, if may be, 
 to make peace on behalf of the King ; and he has 
 this strange weakness, that he still loves me, and 
 
226 THE WIZARD 
 
 will scarcely suffer an occasion of speaking with 
 me to go past, although he has divorced me." 
 
 " So be it," said the Prince ; " the game can be 
 tried, and if it fails, why we lose nothing, whereas 
 if it succeeds we gain Hokosa, which is much ; for 
 with you I think that our arms will never prosper 
 while that accursed wizard sits yonder weaving 
 his spells against us, and bringing our men to death 
 by hundreds and by thousands." 
 
 Then he gave his orders, and presently, when a 
 cloud passed over the face of the moon, six men 
 crept forward under the lee of the flat rock, and 
 threw themselves down here and there amongst 
 the dead. 
 
 Soon the cloud passed, and the herald advanced 
 across the open space blowing a horn, and waving 
 a branch in his hand to show that he came upon 
 a mission of peace. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 HOKOSA IS LIFTED UP 
 
 " WHAT would you ? " asked Hokosa of the herald 
 as he halted a short spear-cast from the wall. 
 
 " My master, the Prince Haf ela, desires to treat 
 with your master, Nodwengo. Many men have 
 fallen on either side, and if this war goes on, though 
 victory must be his at the last, many more will fall. 
 Therefore, if any plan can be found, he desires to 
 spare their lives." 
 
 Now Hokosa spoke with the King and answered : 
 
 "Then let Hafela come beneath the wall, and 
 we will talk with him." 
 
 "Not so," answered the herald. "Does a buck 
 walk into an open pit ? Were the Prince to come 
 here, it might chance that your spears would talk 
 with him, Let Nodwengo follow me to .the camp 
 yonder, where we promise him safe conduct." 
 
 " Not so," answered Hokosa. " ' Does a buck walk 
 into an open pit ? ' Set out your message, and we 
 will consider it." 
 
 " Nay, I am but a common man without authority ; 
 but I am charged to make you another offer, and if 
 you will not hear it, then there is an end. Let 
 
228 THE WIZARD 
 
 Hokosa advance alone to that flat rock you see 
 yonder, and there he shall be met, also alone, by 
 one having power to talk with him, namely, by the 
 lady Noma, who was once his wife. Thus they can 
 confer together midway between the camps and in 
 full sight of both of them, nor, no man being near, 
 can he find cause to be afraid of an unarmed girl. 
 What say you ? " 
 
 Hokosa turned and talked with the King. 
 
 " I think it well that you should not go," said 
 Nodwengo. " The offer seems fair, and the stone 
 is out of reach of their spears ; still, behind it may 
 lurk a scheme to kill or capture you, for Hafela is 
 very cunning." 
 
 " It may be so, King," answered Hokosa ; " still, 
 my heart tells me that it is wisest that I should do 
 this thing, for our case is desperate, and if I do it 
 not, that may be the cause of the death of all of 
 us to-morrow. At the worst, I am but one man, 
 and it matters little what may chance to me ; nor 
 shall I come to any harm unless it is the will of 
 Heaven that it should be so : and be sure of this, 
 that out of the harm will arise good, for where I 
 go, there the spirit of the Messenger goes with me. 
 Remember that he bade you listen to my counsel 
 while I remain with you, seeing that I do not speak 
 of my own wisdom. Therefore, let me go, and if 
 it should chance that I am taken, trouble not about 
 the matter, for thus it will be fated to some great 
 end. Above all, though often enough I have been 
 a traitor in the past, do not dream that I betray 
 
HOKOSA IS LIFTED UP 229 
 
 you, keeping in mind that so to do would be to 
 betray my own soul, which very soon must render 
 its account on high." 
 
 " As you will, Hokosa," answered the King. 
 " And now teft those rebel dogs that on these 
 terms only will I make peace with them that 
 they withdraw across the mountains by the path 
 which their women and children have taken, leaving 
 this land for ever without lifting another spear 
 against us. If they will do this, notwithstanding 
 all the wickedness and slaughter that they have 
 worked, I will send command to my impi to let 
 them go unharmed. If they will not do this, I 
 put my trust in the God I worship and will fight this 
 fray out to the end, knowing that if I and my people 
 perish, they shall perish also." 
 
 Now Nodwengo himself spoke to the herald who 
 was waiting beyond the wall. 
 
 " Go back to him you serve," he said, " and say 
 that Hokosa will meet her who was his wife upon 
 the flat stone and talk with her in the sight of 
 both armies, bearing my word with him. At the 
 sound of the blowing of a horn shall each of them 
 advance unarmed and alone from either camp. 
 Say to. my brother also that it will indeed be ill 
 for him if he attempts treachery upon Hokosa, for 
 the man who causes his blood to flow shall surely 
 die, and after death shall be accursed for ever." 
 
 The herald went, and presently a horn was 
 blown. 
 
 " Now it comes into my mind that we part for 
 
230 THE WIZARD 
 
 the last time," said Nodwengo, in a troubled voice, 
 as he took the hand of Hokosa. 
 
 " It may be so, King : in my heart I think that 
 it is so ; yet I do not altogether grieve thereat, for 
 the burden of my past sins crushes me, and I am 
 weary and seek for rest. Yet we do not part for 
 the last time, because whatever chances, in the 
 end I shall make my report to you yonder" and 
 he pointed upwards. "Reign on for long years, 
 King reign well and wisely, clinging to the Faith, 
 for thus at the last shall you reap your reward. 
 Farewell ! " 
 
 Now again "the horn blew, and in the bright 
 moonlight the slight figure of Noma couid be seen 
 advancing towards the stone. 
 
 Then Hokosa sprang from the wall and advanced 
 also, till at the same moment they climbed upon 
 the stone. 
 
 " Greeting, Hokosa," said Noma, and she stretched 
 out her hand to him. 
 
 By way of answer he placed his own behind 
 his back, saying, "To your business, woman." 
 Yet his eyes searched her face the face that in 
 his folly he still loved ; and thus it came about 
 that he never saw sundry of the dead bodies, which 
 lay in the shadow of the stone, begin to quicken 
 into life, and inch by inch to arise, first to their 
 knees and next to their feet. H>e never saw or heard 
 them, yet, as the words left his lips, they sprang 
 upon him from every side, holding him so that he 
 could not move. 
 
HOKOSA IS LIFTED UP 231 
 
 " Away with him ! " cried Noma, with a laugh 
 of triumph, and at her command he was half dragged 
 and half carried across the open space and thrust 
 violently over a stone wall into the camp of Hafela. 
 
 Now, Nodwengo and his soldiers saw what had 
 happened, and with a shout 01 " Treachery h" some 
 hundreds of them leapt into the plain, and begon 
 to run towards the koppie to rescue their envoy. 
 
 Hokosa heard the shout, and wrenching himself 
 round, beheld them. 
 
 " Back ! " he cried, in a clear, shrill voice. " Back ! 
 Children of Nodwengo, and leave me to my fate, 
 for the foe waits for you by thousands behind the 
 wall ! " 
 
 A soldier struck him across the mouth, bidding 
 him be silent ; but his warning had come to the 
 ears of Nodwengo, causing him and his warriors 
 to halt and begin a retreat. It was well that they 
 did so, for seeing that they would not come on, 
 from under the shelter of the wall and of every 
 rock and stone soldiers jumped up by companies 
 and charged, driving them back to their own schanse. 
 But the King's men had the start of them, and had 
 taken shelter behind it, whence they greeted them 
 with a volley of spears, killing ten and wounding 
 twice as many more. 
 
 Now it was Hokosa's turn to laugh, and laugh 
 he did, saying : 
 
 [y taking is well paid for already, Prince. 
 A score of your best warriors is a heavy price tcr 
 ^ive for the carcase of one weary and ageing man. 
 
232 THE WIZARD 
 
 But since I am here among you, captured with so 
 much pain and loss, tell me of your courtesy why 
 I have been brought." 
 
 Then the Prince shook his spear at him and cursed 
 him. 
 
 " Would you learn, wizard and traitor ? " he 
 cried. " We have caught you because we know 
 well that while you stay yonder your magic counsel 
 will prevail against our might ; whereas, when once 
 we hold you fast, Nodwengo will wander to his ruin 
 like a blind and moonstruck man, for you were to 
 him both eyes and brain." 
 
 " I understand," said ' Hokosa, calmly. " But, 
 Prince, how if I have left my wisdom behind me ? " 
 
 "That may not be," answered Hafela, "since 
 even a wizard cannot throw his thoughts into the 
 heart of another from afar." 
 
 "Ah ! you think so, Prince. Well, ask Noma 
 yonder if I cannot throw my thoughts into her 
 heart from afar ; though of late I have not chosen 
 to do so, having put aside such spells. But let 
 it pass, and tell me, having taken me, what is it 
 you propose to do with me ? First, however, I 
 will give you for nothing some of that wisdom 
 which you grudge to Nodwengo the King. Be 
 advised by me, Prince, and take the terms that he 
 offers to you namely, to turn this very night and 
 begone from the land without harm or hindrance. 
 Will you receive my gift, Hafela ? " 
 
 " What will happen if I refuse it ? " asked the 
 Prince, slowly. 
 
HOKOSA IS LIFTED UP 233 
 
 Now Hokosa looked at the dust at his feet, then 
 he gazed upwards searching the heavens, and 
 answered : 
 
 " Did not I tell you yesterday ? I think that 
 this will happen. I think but who can be quite 
 sure of the future, Hafela ? that you and the most 
 of your army by this hour to-morrow night will 
 be lying fast asleep about this place, with jackals 
 for your bedfellows." 
 
 The Prince heard and trembled at his words, 
 for he believed that if he willed it, Hokosa could 
 prophesy the truth. 
 
 " Accursed dog ! " he said. " I am minded to 
 be guided by your saying ; but be sure of this, 
 that if I follow it, you shall stay here to sleep with 
 jackals, yes, this very night." 
 
 Then Noma broke in. 
 
 "Be not mad, Hafela!" she said. "Will you 
 listen to the lies that this renegade tells to work 
 upon your fears ? Will you abandon victory when 
 it lies within your grasp, and in place of a great 
 king become a fugitive whom all men mock at, 
 an outcast to be hunted down at leisure by that 
 brother against whom you dared to rebel, but on 
 whom you did not dare to shut your hand when 
 he lay in the hollow of it ? Silence the tongue of 
 this captive rogue for ever and become a man again, 
 with the heart of a man." 
 
 " Now," said Hokosa gently, " many would find 
 it hard to believe that I reared this woman from 
 childhood, nursing her with my own hands when 
 
234 THE WIZARD 
 
 she was sick and giving her of the best I had ; that 
 afterwards, when you stole her from me, Prince, 
 I sinned deeply to win her back ; that I married 
 her and sinned yet more deeply to give her the 
 greatness she desired ; and that at last, of my own 
 will, I loosed the bonds by which I held her, though 
 I could not thrust her memory from my heart. 
 Yet I have earned it all, for I made her the tool of 
 my witchcraft, and therefore it is just that she should 
 turn and rend me. Well, if you like it, take her 
 counsel, Prince, and let mine go, for I care nothing 
 which you take ; only, forgive me if I prophesy 
 once more and for the last time I believe that 
 Nodwengo yonder spoke truth when he bade your" 
 herald tell you that he who causes my blood to flow 
 shall surely die and be called to account for it. Prince, 
 I am a Christian now, and believe me, whatever you 
 may do, I seek no revenge upon you for it ; having 
 been myself forgiven so much, in my turn I have 
 learned to forgive. Yet it may be ill for that; man 
 who causes my blood to flow." 
 
 " Let him be strangled," said a captain who 
 stood near by, " and then there will Jbe no blood 
 in the matter." 
 
 "Friend," answered 'Hokosa, "you should have 
 been, not a soldier, but a pleader of causes. True 
 it is that then the Prince would only cause my life to 
 fly, but whether that be a smaller sin I leave you 
 to judge." 
 
 " Keep him prisoner," said another, " till we learn 
 how these matters end." 
 
HOKOSA IS LIFTED UP 235 
 
 " Nay," answered Hafela, " for then he wi]l surely 
 outwit us and escape. Noma, what shall we do 
 with this man who was your husband ? Tell us, 
 for you should know best how to deal with him." 
 
 " Let me think," she answered, and she looked 
 first at the ground beneath her, next around her, 
 then upward toward the skies. 
 
 Now they stood at the foot of the koppie, on 
 the flat top of which grew r the great Tree of Doom, 
 that for generations had served the People of Fire 
 as a place of execution of their criminals, or of those 
 who fell under the ban of the King or of the Witch- 
 doctors. Among and above the finger-like fronds 
 of this strange and dreadful-looking tree tow r ered 
 that white dead limb shaped like a cross, which Owen 
 had pointed out to his disciple John, taking it to 
 be a sign and a promise. This cross stood out clear 
 against the sinking moon. It caught Noma's eye, 
 and a devilish thought entered into her heart. 
 
 " You would keep this fellow alive ? " she said, 
 I yet you would not suffer him to escape. See, 
 there above you is a cross such as he worships. 
 Bind him to it as he says the man whom he worships 
 was bound, and let that dead man help him if he 
 may." 
 
 The Prince and those about Noma shrank back 
 a little in horror. They were cruel men rendered 
 more cruel by their superstitious fear of one whom 
 they believed to be uncanny, one to whom they 
 attributed inhuman powers which he was exercising 
 to their destruction, but still this doom seemed 
 
236 THE WIZARD 
 
 dreadful to them. Noma read their minds and went 
 on passionately : 
 
 " You deem me unmerciful, but you do not 
 know what I have suffered at this wizard's hands. 
 For his sake and because of him I am haunted. 
 For his own purposes he opened the gates of Distance, 
 he sent me down among the dwellers in Death, 
 causing me to interpret their words for him. I did 
 so, but the dwellers came back out of Death with me, 
 and from that hour they have not left me, nor will 
 they ever leave me ; for night by night they sojourn 
 at my side, tormenting me with terrors. He has 
 told me that through my mouth that spirit whom 
 he drew into my body prophesied that he should be 
 ' lifted up above the people/ Let the prophecy be 
 fulfilled, let him be lifted up, for then perchance the 
 ghosts will depart from me and I shall win peace 
 and sleep. Also, thus alone can you hold him safe 
 and yet shed no blood." 
 
 " Be it so," said the Prince. " When we plotted 
 together of the death of the King, and as your 
 price, Hokosa, you bargained for the girl w r hom I 
 had chosen to wife, did I not warn you that this 
 witch of many spells, who holds both our hearts in 
 her little hands, should yet hound you to death and 
 mock you while you perish by an end of shame ? 
 What did I tell you, Hokosa ? " 
 
 Now when he heard his fate, Hokosa bowed his 
 head and trembled a little. Then he lifted it and 
 exclaimed in a clear voice : 
 
 " It is true, Prince, but I will 'add to your words. 
 
HOKOSA IS LIFTED UP 237 
 
 She shall bring both of us to death. For me, I am 
 honoured indeed in that there has been allotted to me 
 that same end which my Master cnose. To that 
 cross let my sins be fastened and with them my 
 body." 
 
 Now the moon sank, but in the darkness men 
 were found who dared to climb the tree, taking 
 with them strips of raw hide. They reached the 
 top of it, four of them, and, seating themselves 
 upon the arms of the cross, they let down a rope, 
 the noose of which was placed about the body of 
 Hokosa. As it tightenejl upon him, he turned his 
 calm and dreadful eyes on to the eyes of Noma and 
 said to her : 
 
 " Woman, I do not reproach you ; but I lay this 
 fate upon you, that you shall watch me die. There- 
 after, let God deal with you as He may choose." 
 
 Now when she heard these words Noma shrieked 
 aloud, for of a sudden she felt that the power of the 
 will of Hokosa, from which she had been freed by 
 him, had once more fallen upon her, and that come 
 what might she was doomed to obey his last 
 commands. 
 
 Little by little the soldiers drew him up and in the 
 darkness they bound him fast there upon the lofty 
 cross. Then they descended and left him, and 
 would have led Noma with them from the tree. 
 But this they could not do, for always she broke 
 from them screaming and fled back into its 
 shadow. 
 
 Then, seeing that she was bewitched, Hafela 
 
238 THE WIZARD 
 
 commanded that they should bind a cloth about 
 her mouth and leave her there till her senses returned 
 to her in the sunlight for none of them dared 
 to stop with her in the shadow of that tree, since 
 the odours of it were poisonous to man ; also they 
 believed the place to be haunted by evil spirits. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS 
 
 THE sun rose suddenly over the edge of the cliffs, 
 and while it was yet deep shadow in the valley, 
 its red light struck upon the white cross of perished 
 wood that towered above the Tree of Doom and on 
 the black shape of Hokosa crucified to it living. 
 The camp of the King saw and understood, and from 
 every throat of* the thousands of men, women and 
 children gathered there, went up a roar of rage and 
 horror. The King lifted his hand, and silence fell 
 upon the place ; then he mounted on the w r all and 
 cried aloud : 
 
 " Do you yet live, Hokosa, or is it your body 
 only that those traitors have fastened to the 
 tree ? " 
 
 Back came the answer through the clear still air : 
 
 " I live, O King ! " 
 
 " Endure then a little while," called Nodwengo, 
 " and we will storm the tree and save you." 
 
 " Nay," answered Hokosa, " you cannot save me ; 
 yet before I die I shall see you saved." 
 
 Then his words were lost in tumult, for the third 
 day's fight began. Desperately the regiments of 
 
 230 
 
240 THE WIZARD 
 
 Hafela, rushing across the open space, hurled them- 
 selves upon the fortifications, which during the 
 night had been strengthened by the addition of 
 two inner walls. Nor was this all, for suddenly a 
 cry told those in front that the regiment which 
 Hafela despatched across the mountains had 
 travelled up the eastern neck of the valley, 
 and were attacking the position in their' rear. 
 Well was it for Nodwengo now that he had 
 listened to the counsel of Hokosa, and, wearied 
 as his soldiers were, had commanded that here 
 also a great wall should be built. 
 
 For two hours the fight raged, and then on either 
 side the foe fell back, not beaten indeed, though their 
 dead were many, but to rest and take counsel. 
 But now a new trouble arose : from all the camp 
 of Nodwengo there went up a moan of pain to Heaven, 
 for since the evening of yesterday the spring had 
 given out, and they had found no water wherewith 
 to wet their lips. During the night they bore it ; 
 but now the sun beating down jon the black rocks 
 with fearful force scorched them to the marrow, 
 till they began to wither like fallen leaves, and 
 already wounded men and children died, while the 
 warriors cut the throats of oxen and drank their 
 blood. 
 
 Hokosa hanging on his cross heard the moaning 
 and divined the cause of it. 
 
 "Be of good comfort, children of Nodwengo," 
 he cried ; " for I will pray that rain be" sent upon 
 you/' And he lifted his head and prayed. 
 
THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS 241 
 
 Now, whether it was by, chance or whether his 
 prayer was heard, who can say ? At least it hap- 
 pened that immediately thereafter clouds began 
 to gather and to thicken in the blue of Heaven, 
 and within two hours rain fell in torrents, 
 so that every one could drink his fill, and the 
 spring being replenished at its sources, flowed again 
 strongly. 
 
 After the rain came cold and moaning winds, 
 and after the wind a great gloom and thunder. 
 
 Now, taking advantage of the shadow, the regi- 
 ments of Hafela renewed their attack, and this 
 time they carried the first of the three walls, for its 
 defenders grew feeble and few in number. There 
 they paused awhile, and save for the cries of the 
 wounded and of frightened women, the silence was 
 great. 
 
 " Le't your hearts be lifted up ! " cried the voice 
 of Hokosa through the silence ; " for the sunlight 
 shines upon the plain of the Great Place yonder, 
 and in it I see the sheen of spears. The irnpi travels 
 to your aid, O Children of Nodwengo." 
 
 Now, at this tidings the people of the King shouted 
 for joy ; but Hafela called to his regiments to 
 make an end of them, and they hurled themselves 
 upon the second wall, fighting desperately. Again, 
 and again they were beaten back, and again and 
 again they came on, till at length they carried this 
 wall also, driving its defenders, or those who remained 
 alive of them, into the third entrenchment, and 
 paused to rest awhile. 
 
242 THE WIZARD 
 
 " Pray for us, O Prophet who are set on high ! " 
 cried a voice from the camp, "for if succour do 
 not reach us speedily we are sped." 
 
 Before the echoes of the voice had died aw r ay, 
 a flash of lightning flared through the gloom, and 
 in the light of it Hokosa saw that the King's impi 
 was rushing up the gorge. 
 
 " Fight on ! Fight on ! " he called in answer. 
 " I have prayed to Heaven, and your succour is 
 at hand." 
 
 Then, with a howl of rage, Hafela's regiments 
 hurled themselves upon the third and last en- 
 ' trenchment, attacking it at once in front and rear. 
 Twice they nearly carried it, but each time the 
 wild scream of Hokosa on high was heard above 
 the din, conjuring its defenders to fight on and fear 
 not, for Heaven had sent them help. They fought 
 as men have seldom fought before, and w r ith "them 
 fought the women and even the children. They 
 were few and the foe were still many, but they listened 
 to the urging of him whom they believed to be in- 
 spired in his death-agony upon the cross above 
 them, and still they held their own. Twice portions 
 of the wall were torn down, but they filled the breach 
 with the corpses of the dead, ay ! and with the 
 bodies of the living, for the wounded, the old men 
 and the very women piled themselves there in the 
 place of stones. No such fray was told of in the 
 annals of the People of Fire as this, the last stand 
 of Nodwengo against the thousands of Hafela. 
 Now all the shouting had died away, for men 
 
THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS 243 
 
 had no breath left wherewith to shout, only 
 from the gloomy place of battle came low groans 
 and the deep sobbing sighs of warriors gripped in the 
 death-hug. 
 
 " Fight on ! Fight on ! " shrilled the voice of 
 Hokosa on high. " Lo ! the skies arje open to 
 my dying sight, and I see the impis of Heaven 
 sweeping to succour you. Behold ! " 
 
 They dashed the sweat from their eyes and looked 
 forth, and as they looked, the pall of gloom was 
 lifted, and in the golden glow of many-shafted 
 light they saw, not the legions of Heaven indeed, 
 but the regiments of Nodwengo rushing round the 
 bend of the valley, as dogs rush upon a scent, with 
 heads held low and spears out-stretched. 
 
 Hafela sa\v them also. 
 
 " Back to the koppie," he cried, " there to die 
 like men, for the wizardries of Hokosa have been 
 too strong for us, -and lost is this my last battle 
 and the crown I came to seek ! " 
 
 They obeyed, and all that were left of them, 
 some ten thousand men, they ran to the koppie 
 and formed themselves upon it, ring above ring, 
 and here the soldiers of Nodwengo closed in upon 
 them. 
 
 Again and for the last time the voice of Hokosa 
 rang out above the fiay. 
 
 " Nodwengo," he cried, " with my passing breath 
 I charge you have mercy and spare these men, 
 so many of them as will surrender. The day of 
 bloodshed has gone by, the fray is finished, the 
 
,244 THE WIZARD 
 
 Cross has conquered ; let there be peace in the 
 land." 
 
 AH men heard him, for his piercing scream, 
 echoed from the precipices, came to the ears of 
 each. All men heard him, and, even in that fierce 
 hour of vengeance, all obeyed. The spear that was 
 poised was not thrown and the kerry lifted over 
 the fallen did not descend to dash away his 
 life. 
 
 " Hearken, Hafela ! " called the King, stepping 
 forward"" from the ranks of the attackers. "He 
 whom you have set on high to bring defeat upon 
 you charges me to give you peace, and in the 
 name of the conquering Cross I give it. All who 
 surrender shall dwell henceforth in my shadow, 
 nor shall the head or the heel of one of them be 
 harmed, although their sin is great. One life only 
 will I take, the life of that witch who brought 
 your armies down upon me to burn my town and 
 slay my people by thousands, and who but last 
 night betrayed Hokosa to his death of torment. 
 All shall go free, I say, save the witch , and for 
 you, you shall be given cattle and such servants 
 as will cling to you to the number of a hundred, 
 and driven from the land. Now, what say you ? 
 Will you yield or be slain ? Swift with your answer ; 
 for the sun sinks, and ere it is set there must be an 
 end in this way or in that." 
 
 The regiments of Hafela heard, and shouted in 
 answer as with one voice : 
 
 " We take your mercy, King ! We fought bravely 
 
THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS 245 
 
 while we could, and now we take your mercy, 
 King ! " 
 
 " What say you, Hafela ? " repeated Nodwengo, 
 addressing the Prince, who stood upon a point of 
 rock above him in full sight of both armies. 
 
 Hafela turned^and looked at Hokosa hanging 
 high in mid-air. 
 
 " What say I ? " he answered in a slow and quiet 
 voice. " I say that the Cross and its Prophet have 
 been too strong for me, and that I should have done 
 well to follow the one and to listen to the counsel 
 of the other. My brother, you tell me that I may 
 go free, taking servants with me. I thank you and 
 I will go alone." 
 
 And setting the handle of his spear upon the 
 rock, with a sudden movement he fell forward, 
 transfixing his heart with its broad blade, and 
 lay still. 
 
 " At least he died like on^ of the blood-royal of 
 the Sons of Fire ! " cried Nodwengo, while the 
 armies stood silent and awestruck, " and with the 
 blood-royal shall he be buried. Lay down your 
 arms, you who followed him and fought for him, 
 fearing nothing, and give over to me the witch that 
 she may be slain." 
 
 " She hides under the tree yonder ! " cried a 
 voice. 
 
 " Go up and take her," said Nodwengo to some 
 of his captains. 
 
 Now Noma, crouched on the ground beneath 
 the tree, had seen and heard all that passed. 
 
246 THE WIZARD 
 
 Perceiving the captains making their way towards 
 her through the lines of the soldiers, who opened out 
 a path for them, she rose and for a moment 
 stood bewildered. Then, 'as though drawn by 
 some strange attraction, she turned, and seizing 
 hold of the creeper that clung, about it, she 
 began to climb the Tree of Doom swiftly. Up 
 she went while all men watched, higher and higher 
 yet, till passing out of the finger-like foliage she 
 reached the cross of dead wood w r hereto Hokosa 
 hung, and placing her feet upon one arm 01 it, 
 stood there, supporting herself by the broken top 
 of the upright. 
 
 Hokosa was not yet dead, though he was very 
 nea:r to death. Lifting his glazing eyes, he knew 
 her and said, speaking thickly : 
 
 " What do you here, Noma, and wherefore have 
 you come ? " 
 
 " I come because you draw me," she answered, 
 " and because they seek my life below." 
 
 " Repent, repent ! " he whispered, " there is yet 
 time and Heaven is very merciful." 
 
 She heard and a fury seized her. 
 
 " Be silent, dog ! " she cried. " Having defied your 
 God so long, shall I grovel to Him at the last ? 
 Having hated you so much, shall I seek your for- 
 giveness now ? At least of one thing I am glad- 
 it was I who brought you here, and with me and 
 through me you shall die." 
 
 Then, placing one foot upon his bent head as if 
 in scorn, she leaned forward, her long hair flying 
 
THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS 247 
 
 to the wind, and cursed Nodwengo and his people, 
 naming them renegades and apostates, and cursed 
 the soldiers of Hafela, naming them cowards, 
 calling down upon them the malison of their 
 ancestors.. 
 
 Hokosa heard and muttered : 
 
 "For your soul's sake, woman, repent! repent, 
 ere it be too late ! " 
 
 " Repent ! " she screamed, catching at his words. 
 " Thus do I repent ! " and drawing the knife from 
 her girdle, she leant over him and droVe it hilt-deep 
 into his breast. 
 
 Then with a sudden movement she sprang up- 
 wards and outwards into the air, and rushing 
 down through a hundred feet of space, was struck 
 dead upon that very rock where the corpse of 
 Hafela lay. 
 
 Now, beneath the agony of the knife Hokosa 
 lifted his head for the last time, crying in a gre 
 voic< 
 
 " Messenger, I come, be you my guide," and 
 with the words his soul passed. 
 
 " All is ova~ and ended," said a voice. " Soldiers, 
 salute the King with the royal salute." 
 
 "N iv," answered Nodwengo. "Salute me not, 
 salute the Cross and him who hangs upon it." 
 
 So, while the rays of the setting sun shone about 
 it, regiment by regiment that great army rushed 
 past the koppie, and pausing opposite to the Cross 
 and its burden, they rendered to it the royal salute 
 of kings. 
 
248 THE WIZARD 
 
 Then the night fell, and thus through the 
 power of Faith that now, as of old, is the 
 only true and efficient magic, was accomplished 
 the mission ^ of the Saint, Thomas Owen, to 
 the Sons of Fire, and of his disciple, the Wizard 
 Hokosa. 
 
 THE END 
 
 PRINTING OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHERS 
 
"I'D LIKE TO TAKE UP 
 PELMANISM, BUT" 
 
 SOME DOUBTS DISPELLED. 
 
 THE very prominence which Pelmanism has attained during recent 
 years forms the basis of a doubt which exists in the minds of many 
 people. A business girl said to me only the other day, " I 'd like to 
 take up Pelmanism, but it 's so much advertised that I wonder 
 whether there is not a certain amount of quackery about it." 
 
 The association of extensive advertising with quackery is a 
 relic of long years ago, but it is strange how it persists. I was 
 rather surprised, nevertheless, to hear this business woman express 
 the doubt, for she is a marked success in her sphere of work, with 
 a keen, analytical mind. 
 
 Inquiry revealed the fact that she had read only one or two of 
 the Pelman announcements closely, though she had glanced in a 
 half-interested way at scores of them. I then divulged that I was 
 a Pelmanist, and immediately a regular machine-gun fire of 
 questions was opened upon me. Was there anything in 
 Pelmanism ? Was it free from quackery ? 
 
 IS THE CASE OVERSTATED? 
 
 Did not the advertisements overstate the case ? Wasn'i the 
 most made of the successes attained by a few students, while the 
 many secured no benefit worth speaking of ? To all of which I 
 replied by two further questions. Was it conceivable that over 
 400,000 people would voluntarily adopt Pelmanism unless they 
 were convinced that they would gain in some way from the 
 study ? Would so many of the leaders of thought, including 
 prominent educationalists, influential business men, and well- 
 known authors and editors, publicly state their unbounded faith 
 and belief in Pelmanism if it were not capable of withstanding 
 the most searching investigation ? 
 
 TREBLED MY INCOME. 
 
 These broadsides took instant effect, and I followed up my 
 advantage by mentioning some of the results Pelmanism had 
 achieved in my own case : vast improvement in memory ; keener 
 perceptions ; realisation of dormant possibilities ; consciousness 
 of greater power ; appreciation of the beauties of poetry ; easier 
 concentration. I reserved for my final shots the two most 
 practical outcomes of my Pelmanistic studies. 
 
 The first of these had a telling effect, for this would-be Pelmanist 
 was full of ambitious plans in business. I told her that during 
 the past two years my earnings had more than trebled, in spite 
 of many difficulties and set-backs, and that to Pelmanism was due 
 the major part of the credit for this financial improvement. The 
 other result was the consummation of an ambitious plan which 
 
 had often contemplated, but which, until I had become a 
 Pelmanist, I honestly believed to be something unattainable. 
 
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 .r R. S. S. Baden-Powell, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Sir William 
 obertson Nicoll, Sir H. Rider Haggard, Mr. T. P. O'Connor, 
 '..P., Mr. George R. Sims, Mr. "Max Pemberton, and many others 
 ime to write such glowing tributes to this Course in Mind and 
 Memory Training. 
 
 He agreed that their testimony was unimpeachable, and 
 Imitted (rather, reluctantly, I thought) that perhaps there was 
 ore in Pelmanism than he had supposed. It is the declared 
 Mnion of hundreds of Pelmanists that the announcements of the 
 istitute err distinctly on the side of moderation. Although the 
 Ivertisements tell. nothing but the truth, they do not tell all the 
 uth, on the principle, I take it, that enough is as good as a feast. 
 
 Then there 's the man who says : " Yes, Pelmanism is no doubt 
 1 right for the brain-worker or student, but I 'in a mechanic " 
 a farmer, a gtocer, a policeman, a telegraphist, a rate collector, 
 
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