Just then one of the cannibals looked up to see a tall and stately figure wrapped in a white garment which， as the flame-light flickered on it， seemed now to advance from the dense background of shadow， and now to recede into it. The poor savage wretch was holding a stone knife in his teeth when he beheld her， but it did not remain there long， for opening his great jaws he uttered the most terrified and piercing yell that Nanea had ever heard. Then the others saw her also， and presently the forest was ringing with shrieks of fear. For a few seconds the outcasts stood and gazed， then they were gone this way and that， bursting their path through the undergrowth like startled jackals. The /Esemkofu/ of Zulu tradition had been routed in their own haunted home by what they took to be a spirit.
Poor /Esemkofu！/ they were but miserable and starving bushmen who， driven into that place of ill omen many years ago， had adopted this means， the only one open to them， to keep the life in their wretched bodies. Here at least they were unmolested， and as there was little other food to be found amid that wilderness of trees， they took what the river brought them. When executions were few in the Pool of Doom， times were hard for them indeed--for then they were driven to eat each other. That is why there were no children.
As their inarticulate outcry died away in the distance， Nanea ran forward to look at the body that lay on the ground， and staggered back with a sigh of relief. It was not Nahoon， but she recognised the face for that of one of the party of executioners. How did he come here？
Had Nahoon killed him？ Had Nahoon escaped？ She could not tell， and at the best it was improbable， but still the sight of this dead soldier lit her heart with a faint ray of hope， for how did he come to be dead if Nahoon had no hand in his death？ She could not bear to leave him lying so near her hiding-place， however； therefore， with no small toil， she rolled the corpse back into the water， which carried it swiftly away. Then she returned to the tree， having first replenished the fire， and awaited the light.
At last it came--so much of it as ever penetrated this darksome den--and Nanea， becoming aware that she was hungry， descended from the tree to search for food. All day long she searched， finding nothing， till towards sunset she remembered that on the outskirts of the forest there was a flat rock where it was the custom of those who had been in any way afflicted， or who considered themselves or their belongings to be bewitched， to place propitiatory offerings of food wherewith the /Esemkofu/ and /Amalhosi/ were supposed to satisfy their spiritual cravings. Urged by the pinch of starvation， to this spot Nanea journeyed rapidly， and found to her joy that some neighbouring kraal had evidently been in recent trouble， for the Rock of Offering was laden with cobs of corn， gourds of milk， porridge and even meat.
Helping herself to as much as she could carry， she returned to her lair， where she drank of the milk and cooked meat and mealies at the fire. Then she crept back into the tree， and slept.
For nearly two months Nanea lived thus in the forest， since she could not venture out of it--fearing lest she should be seized， and for a second time taste of the judgment of the king. In the forest at least she was safe， for none dared enter there， nor did the /Esemkofu/ give her further trouble. Once or twice she saw them， but on each occasion they fled from her presence--seeking some distant retreat， where they hid themselves or perished. Nor did food fail her， for finding that it was taken， the pious givers brought it in plenty to the Rock of Offering.
But， oh！ the life was dreadful， and the gloom and loneliness coupled with her sorrows at times drove her almost to insanity. Still she lived on， though often she desired to die， for if her father was dead， the corpse she had found was not the corpse of Nahoon， and in her heart there still shone that spark of home. Yet what she hoped for she could not tell.
When Philip Hadden reached civilised regions， he found that war was about to be declared between the Queen and Cetywayo， King of the Amazulu； also that in the prevailing excitement his little adventure with the Utrecht store-keeper had been overlooked or forgotten. He was the owner of two good buck-waggons with spans of salted oxen， and at that time vehicles were much in request to carry military stores for the columns which were to advance into Zululand； indeed the transport authorities were glad to pay ā90 a month for the hire of each waggon and to guarantee the owners against all loss of cattle. Although he was not desirous of returning to Zululand， this bait proved too much for Hadden， who accordingly leased out his waggons to the Commissariat， together with his own services as conductor and interpreter.
He was attached to No. 3 column of the invading force， which it may be remembered was under the immediate command of Lord Chelmsford， and on the 20th of January， 1879， he marched with it by the road that runs from Rorke's Drift to the Indeni forest， and encamped that night beneath the shadow of the steep and desolate mountain known as Isandhlwana.
That day also a great army of King Cetywayo's， numbering twenty thousand men and more， moved down from the Upindo Hill and camped upon the stony plain that lies a mile and a half to the east of Isandhlwana. No fires were lit， and it lay there in utter silence， for the warriors were "sleeping on their spears."With that /impi/ was the Umcityu regiment， three thousand five hundred strong. At the first break of dawn the Induna in command of the Umcityu looked up from beneath the shelter of the black shield with which he had covered his body， and through the thick mist he saw a great man standing before him， clothed only in a moocha， a gaunt wild-eyed man who held a rough club in his hand. When he was spoken to， the man made no answer； he only leaned upon his club looking from left to right along the dense array of innumerable shields.
