登陆注册
5421800000015

第15章

The men were running, two and two, with the length of a spear throw between them. But of the first pair one was five or six paces in front of the other. This man shouted out loud and charged me, shield and spear up. Now I had no shield--nothing but the assegai; but I was crafty and he was overbold. On he came. I stood waiting for him till he drew back the spear to stab me. Then suddenly I dropped to my knees and thrust upward with all my strength, beneath the rim of his shield, and he also thrust, but over me, his spear only cutting the flesh of my shoulder--see! here is its scar; yes, to this day. And my assegai?

Ah! it went home; it ran through and through his middle. He rolled over and over on the plain. The dust hid him; only I was now weaponless, for the haft of my spear--it was but a light throwing assegai--broke in two, leaving nothing but a little bit of stick in my hand. And the other one was upon me. Then in the darkness I saw a light. I fell on to my hands and knees and flung myself over sideways.

My body struck the legs of the man who was about to stab me, lifting his feet from beneath him. Down he came heavily. Before he had touched the ground I was off it. His spear had fallen from his hand. Istooped, seized it, and as he rose I stabbed him through the back. It was all done in the shake of a leaf, my father; in the shake of a leaf he also was dead. Then I ran, for I had no stomach for the other two;my valour was gone.

About a hundred paces from me Baleka was staggering along with her arms out like one who has drunk too much beer. By the time I caught her she was some forty paces from the gate of the kraal. But then her strength left her altogether. Yes! there she fell senseless, and Istood by her. And there, too, I should have been killed, had not this chanced, since the other two men, having stayed one instant by their dead fellows, came on against me mad with rage. For at that moment the gate of the kraal opened, and through it ran a party of soldiers dragging a prisoner by the arms. After them walked a great man, who wore a leopard skin on his shoulders, and was laughing, and with him were five or six ringed councillors, and after them again came a company of warriors.

The soldiers saw that killing was going on, and ran up just as the slayers reached us.

"Who are you?" they cried, "who day to kill at the gate of the Elephant's kraal? Here the Elephant kills alone.""We are of the children of Makedama," they answered, "and we follow these evildoers who have done wickedness and murder in our kraal. See!

but now two of us are dead at their hands, and others lie dead along the road. Suffer that we slay them.""Ask that of the Elephant," said the soldiers; "ask too that he suffer you should not be slain."Just then the tall chief saw blood and heard words. He stalked up; and he was a great man to look at, though still quite young in years. For he was taller by a head than any round him, and his chest was big as the chests of two; his face was fierce and beautiful, and when he grew angry his eye flashed like a smitten brand.

"Who are these that dare to stir up dust at the gates of my kraal?" he asked, frowning.

"O Chaka, O Elephant!" answered the captain of the soldiers, bending himself double before him, "the men say that these are evildoers and that they pursue them to kill them.""Good!" he answered. "Let them slay the evildoers.""O great chief! thanks be to thee, great chief!" said those men of my people who sought to kill us.

"I hear you," he answered, then spoke once more to the captain. "And when they have slain the evildoers, let themselves be blinded and turned loose to seek their way home, because they have dared to lift a spear within the Zulu gates. Now praise on, my children!" And he laughed, while the soldiers murmured, "Ou! he is wise, he is great, his justice is bright and terrible like the sun!"But the two men of my people cried out in fear, for they did not seek such justice as this.

"Cut out their tongues also," said Chaka. "What? shall the land of the Zulus suffer such a noise? Never! lest the cattle miscarry. To it, ye black ones! There lies the girl. She is asleep and helpless. Kill her!

What? you hesitate? Nay, then, if you will have time for thought, Igive it. Take these men, smear them with honey, and pin them over ant-heaps; by to-morrow's sun they will know their own minds. But first kill these two hunted jackals," and he pointed to Baleka and myself.

"They seem tired and doubtless they long for sleep."Then for the first time I spoke, for the soldiers drew near to slay us.

同类推荐
  • 施食通览

    施食通览

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛母大孔雀明王经

    佛母大孔雀明王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • What Diantha Did

    What Diantha Did

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE

    THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 魂南记

    魂南记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 沉迷

    沉迷

    三年前,她把他踹了,他们离婚。三年后,她死缠烂打要跟他复合。当他们历尽千辛万苦,他终于要和她重新开始的时候,她却突然冒出一个两岁的孩子。她到底有多少秘密他不知道?三年前的离婚也是。
  • 体能训练基本理论与实用方法

    体能训练基本理论与实用方法

    体能作为衡量评价人的体质与运动机能能力的客观标准之一,一方面与肌肉工作的效率有关,另一方面与人体各器官系统的机能水平有关。所以体能既是人们生活和工作中不可缺少的基本活动能力,同时又是实现高水平竞技运动目标的重要载体。体能训练是通过合理负荷的动作练习,改善身体形态,提高机体各器官的机能,充分发展运动素质,促进身体运动能力及运动成绩提高的过程。在竞技体育领域,它是技术训练和战术训练的基础,并对掌握专项技术、战术,承担大负荷的训练和激烈的比赛,促进运动员身体健康,防止伤病及延长运动寿命等具有极为重要的意义。
  • 女尊之妖怪的白月光

    女尊之妖怪的白月光

    (完结文)一个现代米虫,一朝穿越到架空的女尊王朝,是意外,还是互相牵绊的命运……一男:青梅竹马,“可儿,无论怎样,我都会等你。”二男:忠诚护主,“小王爷,我生是你的人,死是你的鬼,你别想赶我走。”三男:拥有让女人自惭形愧的容貌,无视女尊男卑观念“如此有趣的可人儿,我怎么可能会放过呢?”四男:暗黑装酷的狐狸男,“师弟都跟了你,我只能将就将就了”五男:被当做女孩子养大,死缠烂打,“可儿,你要负责!”六男:几生几世的寻找,终于天随人愿“如今寻得你,我便不会再离你半步”
  • 我们还没有结束

    我们还没有结束

    工作是嘉兴市中级法院的一名法官。已发表小说100万余字,散见于《小说选刊》、《中篇小说选刊》、《中国作家》、《江南》、《山花》、《百花洲》等期刊。
  • 迭代:让情商和见识成为你最大的底气

    迭代:让情商和见识成为你最大的底气

    迭代就是,当我们去做一件事的时候,通过反复做,不断总结和思考,从而找到更好的方法,实现一次比一次更优化。人的一生,拥有归零心态,不断自我迭代和进阶,才能一直走在成长的道路上,才有机会发现人生的无限潜能。一个人要想不断地成长和迭代,就需要在情商和见识方面不断自我完善。本书从职业发展、个人成长、情商修炼、自我管理等四个角度展开,为年轻人提供了全新的洞察职场和审视自我的视角,给内心孤独、迷茫、焦躁者以清晰的进阶思路,助力他们突破自我瓶颈,实现自我逆袭。
  • 胜朝彤史拾遗记

    胜朝彤史拾遗记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 狼烟

    狼烟

    《狼烟》以冻土狼烟中,四兄弟的感情纠葛为线索,一段充满诡异的独特故事,离奇的土匪绑架;罕见的胡子传奇,赌徒的隐秘世界;演绎了形形色色中下层人物的百态人生……刺刀下,更多的生命穿越滚滚狼烟接受血与火的考验……
  • 剪纸传说

    剪纸传说

    你想和我交易?但我只要你的影子!我和影子在深渊等你。我是一个剪纸人。我攥住你的影子,让你无处可以遁形。
  • 魁星

    魁星

    你有没有见识过罗汉拳和电磁轨道炮对轰?你有没有见识过有人用打狗棒法来殴打吞星兽?你有没有见识过一招从天而降的掌法......咳咳,没错是如来神掌,只不过这一掌打爆了一颗半径500km的流星。魁星重生,王晟穿越千年。古武未来,二十八星宿大闹星空!“人类进化了几百万年,难道就是为了把你们这帮猩猩送进太空?”讲师面无表情地推了下鼻梁上的黑框眼镜......“我从崆峒派毕业那么久了,今天居然又有用七伤拳的冲动......!”
  • 我的系统抄手游

    我的系统抄手游

    唔,这个系统貌似很强的样子~你点了抽卡,叮,恭喜你获得暗黑天使-路西法!你打开宠物蛋,叮,恭喜你获得黑龙-耐萨里奥!你打开了商城,哇,所有圣级功法一折出售!买,买,买!你进入副本、试炼塔、英雄远征,一路平推~……退出了系统,你发现——唉,我好像无敌了!QQ群:121068607欢迎各位大佬莅临指导~~