On the morrow at sundown all that remained of Thomas Owen was laid torest before the altar of the little church, Nodwengo the king andHokosa lowering him into the grave, while John, his first disciple,read over him the burial service of the Christians, which it had beenone of the dead man's last labours to translate into the language ofthe Amasuka.
Before the ceremony was finished, a soldier, carrying a spear in hishand, pushed his way through the dense and weeping crowd, and havingsaluted, whispered something into the ear of the king. Nodwengostarted, 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 theCouncil Hut, where captains and messengers were to be seen arrivingand departing continuously.
"Hokosa," said the king, "you have dealt treacherously with me in thepast, but I believe now that your heart is true; at the least I followthe commands of our dead master and trust you. Listen: the outpostshave sighted an /impi/ of many regiments advancing towards the GreatPlace, though whether or no it be my own /impi/ returning victoriousfrom the war with my brother, I cannot say. There is this against it,however, that a messenger has but just arrived reporting that thegenerals have perceived the host of Hafela encamped upon a ridge overagainst the gorge where they awaited him. If that be so, they canscarcely have given him battle, for the messenger is swift of foot andhas 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 burned there andhis soldiers were gathered round them.""Then perhaps his captains sit upon the ridge with some portion of hisstrength to deceive those who await him in the gorge; while, knowingthat here men are few, he himself swoops down on you with the mainbody of his /impi/.""At least we shall learn presently," answered the king; "but if it beas I fear and we are outwitted, what is there that we can do againstso many?"Now one of the captains proposed that they should stay where they wereand hold the place.
"It is too large," answered the king, "they will burst the fences andbreak our line."Another suggested that they should fly and, avoiding the regiments ofHafela in the darkness of the night, should travel swiftly in searchof the main army that had been sent to lie in ambush.
"What," said Nodwengo, "leaving the aged and the women and children toperish, for how can we take such a multitude? No, I will have none ofthis plan."Then Hokosa spoke. "King," he said, "listen to my counsel: Command nowthat all the women and the old men, taking with them such cattle andfood as are in the town, depart at once into the Valley of Death andcollect in the open space that lies beyond the Tree of Doom, near thespring of water that is there. The valley is narrow and the cliffs aresteep, and it may chance that by the help of Heaven we shall be ableto hold it till the army returns to relieve us, to seek whichmessengers must be sent at once with these tidings.""The plan is good," said the king, though none had thought of it; "butso we shall lose the town.""Towns can be rebuilt," answered Hokosa, "but who may restore thelives 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 heads it inperson. Already his outposts rest upon the Plain of Fire."Then Nodwengo rose and issued his orders, commanding that all theineffective population of the town, together with such food and cattleas 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 theGreat Place had been paraded on the open ground in front of the king'shouse, where they stood, still and silent, in the moonlight. Nodwengoand the captains went out to them, and as they saw him come theylifted 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, andthat of Hafela is at our gates. Yonder in the valley, though we befew, we can defend ourselves till succour reaches us, which alreadymessengers have gone out to seek. But first we must give time for thewomen and children, the sick and the aged, to withdraw with food andcattle; and this we can do in one way only, by keeping Hafela at baytill they have passed the archway, all of them. Now, soldiers, for thesake of your own lives, of your honour and of those you love, swear tome, in the holy Name which we have been taught to worship, that youwill fight out this great fight without fear or faltering.""We swear it in the holy Name, and by your head, King," roared theregiments.
"Then victory is already ours," answered Nodwengo. "Follow me,Children of Fire!" and shaking his great spear, he led the way towardsthat portion of the outer fence upon which Hafela was advancing.
By now the town behind them was a scene of almost indescribable tumultand confusion, for the companies detailed to the task were clearingthe numberless huts of their occupants, and collecting women, childrenand 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'stroops, and indeed in not a few instances believed those who wereurging them forward to be the enemy. Women shrieked and wrung theirhands, children wailed piteously, oxen lowed, and the infirm and agedvented their grief in groans and cries to Heaven, or their ancientgod, for mercy. In truth, so difficult was the task of marshallingthis motley array at night, numbering as it did ten or twelve thousandsouls, that a full hour went by before the mob even began to move,slowly and uncertainly, towards the place of refuge, whereof theopening was so narrow that but few of them could pass it at a time.
Meanwhile Hafela was developing the attack. Forming his great armyinto the shape of a wedge he raised his battle-cry and rushed down onthe first line of fortifications, which he stormed without difficulty,for they were defended by a few skirmishers only. Next he attacked thesecond line, and carried it after heavy fighting, then hurled himselfupon the weakest point of the main fence of the vast kraal. Here itwas that the fray began in earnest, for here Nodwengo was waiting forhim. Thrice the thousands ............