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Updated: September 1, 2025
At first it burnt me, then my head swam strangely. Presently this effect passed off, and my brain was perfectly clear again, but I could not feel the ground with my feet. Indaba-zimbi led me to the side of the stream. Beneath us was a pool of beautifully clear water. "Look into the pool, Macumazahn," said Indaba-zimbi, and his voice sounded hollow and far away in my ears. I looked.
Then slowly and with the greatest dignity I gradually arose, stretched my arms, yawned like one awaking from heavy sleep, turned and looked upon them unconcernedly. While I did so, I noticed that old Indaba-zimbi was almost fainting from exhaustion. Beads of perspiration stood upon his brow, his limbs trembled, and his breast heaved. As for the Zulus, they waited for no more.
The lady sprinkled Tota's face with the water, which I watched greedily, for my thirst was still awful, while the woman Hendrika did the same office for Indaba-zimbi. Presently, to my vast delight, Tota opened her eyes and tried to cry, but could not, poor little thing, because her tongue and lips were so swollen.
Presently I gave a stage shiver and lay still. "See!" said the Zulus, "he is dead, the Spirit is dead. Look at the blood upon the assegai!" "Stand back! stand back!" cried Indaba-zimbi, "or the ghost will haunt you. Yes, he is dead, and now I will call him back to life again. Look!" and putting down his hand, he plucked the spear from wherever it was fixed, and held it aloft.
How the plan worked has already been told; it was a risky one; still, but for it my troubles would have been done with these many days. So I lay and thought with a heart full of gratitude, and as I did so saw old Indaba-zimbi sitting by the fire and going through some mysterious performances with bones which he produced from his bag, and ashes mixed with water.
Here I looked up and glanced at old Indaba-zimbi, who was sitting near. But it was not till afterwards that I told Stella of how her vision was brought about. "At any rate," she went on, "when I awoke I determined to act on my dream. I took Hendrika's hand, and pressed it. She actually laughed in a wild kind of way with happiness, and laid her head upon my knee.
I settled to look after Tota for the first march, and to give the elephant gun to Indaba-zimbi. At length all was ready, and we set out on foot. By the help of occasional lifts over rough places, Tota managed to walk up the slope of the hill-side where I had shot the Petie buck. At length we reached it, and, looking at the country beyond, I gave an exclamation of dismay.
With a howl of terror the whole regiment turned and fled across the rise, so that presently we were left alone with the dead, and the swooning child. "How on earth did you do that, Indaba-zimbi?" I asked in amaze. "Do not ask me, Macumazahn," he gasped. "You white men are very clever, but you don't quite know everything.
That night as I sat outside the hut smoking for the weather was hot, and Stella was lying down inside old Indaba-zimbi came up, saluted, and squatted at my feet. "What is it, Indaba-zimbi?" I said. "This, Macumazahn. When are you going to trek towards the coast?" "I don't know," I answered. "The Star is not fit to travel now, we must wait awhile."
"Yes," I said, "though I don't see how she and the baboons can harm us, I think that it will be better to go. If necessary we can camp the waggons somewhere for a while on the journey. Hearken, Indaba-zimbi: say nothing of this to the Star; I will not have her frightened. And hearken again.
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