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By the single word "Peace!" the interpreter could often check parties of warriors, but others answered the offer of peace with a scornful laugh, and their showers of arrows and assegais had to be met with a volley of rifle bullets. The New Year had already come, when a friendly tribe warned the travellers of dangerous falls and rapids, the roar of which they would shortly hear.
The country has a wild aspect, well in keeping with the natives who occupy it. The men never appeared without their spears, shields, and assegais. They are fond of ornaments, the ordinary one being a tube of gourd thrust through the lower lobe of the ear. Their colour is somewhat like that of a rich plum.
"It is not against a great enemy, but it is good," said the wounded man as he heard the conquering cries of a handful of soldiers punishing ten times their numbers. "You remember Prince Eugene and the assegais?" "I remember." "Our Houses were enemies, but we were friends, he and I. And so, and so, you see, it is the same for both."
The rest of the men had very little clothing beyond a small kilt of skins round their waists. They all carried shields on their arms and a bundle of assegais in their hands. Denis was the first to recover from his astonishment, and turning toward one who appeared to be their leader, he asked in as quiet a tone as he could command
S'gee! of the savages as they did their work of murder. Once only I looked up and saw poor Hans Botha standing on a waggon smiting down men with the butt of his rifle. The assegais shot up towards him like tongues of steel, and when I looked again he was gone. I turned sick with fear and rage. But alas! what could I do?
He was thankful, therefore, when soon after daylight the Hottentots arrived with the choicest of his horses and oxen. In a short time also several Kaffirs came dropping in, two or three at a time; some with muskets, but others armed only with their assegais and shields, though they were mostly accustomed to the use of firearms. They immediately joined those labouring at the fortifications.
His white war ornaments the ball of clipped feathers on his brow, and the long white cow's-tail plume which depended from his arms and knees contrasted strongly with his rich brown skin. His kilt of wild cat-skins and monkeys' tails swayed round his loins. His left hand bore his assegais and knobkerrie beneath the great dappled ox-hide shield; and in his right a yellow walking-staff.
Mangaleesu, however, made light of his hurts, although they were such as any white man would have considered very serious. He told his white friend that his wife was uninjured, notwithstanding the many assegais thrust at her. "Have any more of your people escaped from your enemies?" asked the trader. "No; few even fought for their lives," answered the Zulu chief.
The stall-keeper glanced at his enthusiastic customer, and saw a sunburnt face, eager as a boy's. 'Oh! he said doubtfully, 'I don't know whether you will like it. It's violently modern. Perhaps this, and he suggested with an outstretched forefinger a crimson volume explained by its ornamentation of a couple of assegais bound together with a necklace of teeth.
Marie was climbing on to the chest; I could just see her through the thickening smoke. Another Quabie rushed on. Hans and I received him on the points of our assegais, but so fierce was his charge that they went through him as though he were nothing, and being but light, both of us were thrown backwards to the ground.
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