登陆注册
5421800000028

第28章

At length it drew on to evening, and the last company of the witch-doctors did their work, smelling out some of the keepers of the Emposeni, the house of the women. But there was one man of their company, a young man and a tall, who held back and took no share in the work, but stood by himself in the centre of the great circle, fixing his eyes on the heavens.

And when this company had been ordered to stand aside also together with those whom they had smelt out, the king called aloud to the last of the witch-doctors, asking him of his name and tribe, and why he alone did not do his office.

"My name is Indabazimbi, the son of Arpi, O king," he answered, "and Iam of the tribe of the Maquilisini. Does the king bid me to smell out him of whom the spirits have spoken to me as the worker of this deed?""I bid thee," said the king.

Then the young man Indabazimbi stepped straight forward across the ring, making no cries or gestures, but as one who walks from his gate to the cattle kraal, and suddenly he struck the king in the face with the tail in his hand, saying, "I smell out the Heavens above me!"[2]

[2] A Zulu title for the king.--ED.

Now a great gasp of wonder went up from the multitude, and all looked to see this fool killed by torture. But Chaka rose and laughed aloud.

"Thou hast said it," he cried, "and thou alone! Listen, ye people! Idid the deed! I smote blood upon the gateways of my kraal; with my own hand I smote it, that I might learn who were the true doctors and who were the false! Now it seems that in the land of the Zulu there is one true doctor--this young man--and of the false, look at them and count them, they are like the leaves. See! there they stand, and by them stand those whom they have doomed--the innocent whom, with their wives and children, they have doomed to the death of the dog. Now I ask you, my people, what reward shall be given to them?"Then a great roar went up from all the multitude, "Let them die, Oking!"

"Ay!" he answered. "Let them die as liars should!"Now the Isanusis, men and women, screamed aloud in fear, and cried for mercy, tearing themselves with their nails, for least of all things did they desire to taste of their own medicine of death. But the king only laughed the more.

"Hearken ye!" he said, pointing to the crowd of us who had been smelt out. "Ye were doomed to death by these false prophets. Now glut yourselves upon them. Slay them, my children! slay them all! wipe them away! stamp them out!--all! all, save this young man!"Then we bounded from the ground, for our hearts were fierce with hate and with longing to avenge the terrors we had borne. The doomed slew the doomers, while from the circle of the Ingomboco a great roar of laughter went up, for men rejoiced because the burden of the witch-doctors had fallen from them.

At last it was done, and we drew back from the heap of the dead.

Nothing was heard there now--no more cries or prayers or curses. The witch-fingers travelled the path on which they had set the feet of many. The king drew near to look. He came alone, and all who had done his bidding bent their heads and crept past him, praising him as they went. Only I stood still, covered, as I was with mire and filth, for Idid not fear to stand in the presence of the king. Chaka drew near, and looked at the piled-up heaps of the slain and the cloud of dust that yet hung over them.

"There they lie, Mopo," he said. "There lie those who dared to prophecy falsely to the king! That was a good word of thine, Mopo, which taught me to set the snare for them; yet methought I saw thee start when Nobela, queen of the witch-doctresses, switched death on thee. Well, they are dead, and the land breathes more freely; and for the evil which they have done, it is as yonder dust, that shall soon sink again to earth and there be lost."Thus he spoke, then ceased--for lo! something moved beneath the cloud of dust, something broke a way through the heap of the dead. Slowly it forced its path, pushing the slain this way and that, till at length it stood upon its feet and tottered towards us--a thing dreadful to look on. The shape was the shape of an aged woman, and even through the blood and mire I knew her. It was Nobela, she who had doomed me, she whom but now I had smitten to earth, but who had come back from the dead to curse me!

On she tottered, her apparel hanging round her in red rags, a hundred wounds upon her face and form. I saw that she was dying, but life still flickered in her, and the fire of hate burned in her snaky eyes.

"Hail, king!" she screamed.

"Peace, liar!" he answered; "thou art dead!""Not yet, king. I heard thy voice and the voice of yonder dog, whom Iwould have given to the jackals, and I will not die till I have spoken. I smelt him out this morning when I was alive; now that I am as one already dead, I smell him out again. He shall bewitch thee with blood indeed, Chaka--he and Unandi, thy mother, and Baleka, thy wife.

Think of my words when the assegai reddens before thee for the last time, king! Farewell!" And she uttered a great cry and rolled upon the ground dead.

"The witch lies hard and dies hard," said the king carelessly, and turned upon his heel. But those words of dead Nobela remained fixed in his memory, or so much of them as had been spoken of Unandi and Baleka. There they remained like seeds in the earth, there they grew to bring forth fruit in their season.

And thus ended the great Ingomboco of Chaka, the greatest Ingomboco that ever was held in Zululand.

同类推荐
  • 心术上

    心术上

    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。
  • 乐育堂语录

    乐育堂语录

    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。
  • 一字顶轮王念诵仪轨

    一字顶轮王念诵仪轨

    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。
  • 大方等大集经贤护分

    大方等大集经贤护分

    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。
  • 大乘密严经

    大乘密严经

    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。
热门推荐
  • 农女种甜

    农女种甜

    车祸醒来的徐锦儿悲催地发现她得了穿越标配,渣爹软娘,小萝卜头弟妹一箩筐,外加极品亲戚一大堆。没事,咱们发家金手指,各种各样现代糖果一出,分分钟发家致富奔小康。只是,镇国将军府的小公子,你是怎么回事?不是说好了,欠你的钱,一定还,天天跟在屁股后面,跟蜜蜂看到糖一般,算怎么回事啊?
  • 古代生活记事

    古代生活记事

    都说人生就是由一道道的选择题组成,你的每一个选择都有可能改变你的人生轨迹。啊,那我这个做事不过大脑的人怎么办!!!哎,既如此就只能顺心而为啦。心之所向,身之所往
  • 来生再相爱

    来生再相爱

    本书是王运秋的个人文集。面对物欲横流的社会,面对亲情的缺失,面对敬老爱幼,面对感情的偏离等等问题,作者进行了深入的思考和探寻。文集由“心语”“情感”“百态”“小说”四部分构成,每一部分又包含了数篇短文。本书层次清晰,内容丰富,情感真挚,可读性强。
  • 见习大记者

    见习大记者

    这是个有痞子性格的见习记者的征途,...生活不止是诗和田野,还有眼前的苟且的赚钱。没有钱谈什么诗和田野啊。
  • 风水学(历代经典文丛)

    风水学(历代经典文丛)

    风水的第一大系统是“形法”,注重住宅周围的山水形势和宅的外形,论得失吉凶,不须要用“阴阳五行”的法则,人们比较容易明白。第二大系统是“理法”,它强调辨方正位,方位的鉴定必须综合主人的生辰八字,以“阴阳五行”之“生、克、制、化”以及易经八卦之‘爻’变而论得失吉凶。
  • 一剑修一

    一剑修一

    “吾心一剑遨游天下间,逐光、逐日、逐电······岂料,遇见了你!”似细水之波纹静止,似豪言因沙哑而息。初心可曾变?不问道,不问天,只问心···········
  • 从约战开始的二次元日常

    从约战开始的二次元日常

    实在是因为没看到什么好看的约战同人文,所以选择自己写一本濒临死亡的主角遁入超异次元跳跃来约会大作战三十年前……在一栋大楼里和茅场一起研发十万关卡的跨世纪真实虚拟游戏……在某个古罗马里造了个圣杯……在某一个异世界,几十年前凌白路过一个火灾现时随意救了两异色发少女……约战、刀剑、圣杯、从零、你的名字,斩妹、海贼、火影、柯南…………会有部分二次元动漫融合在一个世界里可能会有水晶宫,也可能只有三四个女主(滑稽)官方内定女主:时崎狂三……慢节奏书,不会剧情过快,保证不太监
  • 魔缝大陆

    魔缝大陆

    一片神奇的大陆,一切的未知从这里开始,一切的答案在这里揭晓。没有人知道这里会发生什么,没有人明白这里曾经发生了什么。也许天不是天,地不是地,那世界究竟是什么?
  • 活在地狱之2012战火洗礼

    活在地狱之2012战火洗礼

    李三狼带领部队,全歼敌人,围剿土匪,血染沙场!经过战火洗礼,带领战友兄弟,又接受不可能完成的任务!时空交错,末日生化病毒,神秘基地的背后会有怎样的危机?可爱小护士的倾心,两人又会有怎样的结果?全军戒备,整装待发,即将迎接一场未知的挑战……
  • 语言历史论丛(第六辑)

    语言历史论丛(第六辑)

    本书为学术论文集,收录了关于语言学理论、文字、音韵、语法、训诂、方言调查等方面的学术论文二十余篇,具有一定学术价值和出版意义。