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Mapela, "the Wise One", was one of the strongest upholders of the above theory, and in support of the soundness of it he whispered to me: "You see that tall induna yonder, talking with two others? Yes, the man with the necklace of lions' teeth. He is Logwane, reputed to be the most wealthy induna.
"Nay, O Great One!" answered Lambati; "I could but repeat the words of Ingona; and what would that avail me? Nothing! I, too, have said!" "Let him also be taken away, and watched as carefully as Ingona," ordered the king. "Mapela, have you aught to say in justification of your conspiracy against me?"
"I shall not see," I retorted, "for I shall decline to be present. Nothing shall induce me to countenance by my presence such a scene of cold-blooded atrocity!" "Nay, my friend," answered Mapela, laying his hand impressively upon my arm, "you must not dream of attempting to evade the king's command.
I whispered back. "And, if so, what will be his fate?" "What! notwithstanding the fact that he is a favourite of the king?" I demanded incredulously. "Neither that nor the fact that he is highly esteemed by us all and is well known to be absolutely loyal to the king will save him. You will see," replied Mapela.
You heard what each culprit had to say in his defence, and I doubt not that you saw, as I did, that all were not equally guilty. I am not troubled about Sekosini, Mapela, and Amakosa; their guilt is indisputable, and they die the death; if they were permitted to live they would but plot against me again.
By the time that I had thus far considered the matter, Mapela had made his choice, and now approached us, accompanied by a fine, stalwart young Mashona warrior of some five or six and twenty years of age, a ringed man, whose smooth, dark skin was already seamed here and there with scars that told of more than one hard-fought fight, and whose lithe and easy movements indicated that he was in the very pink of fighting condition.
Before I had finished with my surgery, Mapela and the rest of the chiefs turned up, in response to my invitation to call at the wagon to receive the gifts which I proposed to distribute among them; and I soon gathered, from their conversation, that 'Mfuni's story was perfectly true, and that the king had indeed given the man to me as a present.
Conducted by their guards, the eight prisoners, their faces set and expressionless as masks, ranged themselves in line before the king; then, for a full minute, there ensued a profound and impressive silence, which was at length broken by Lobelalatutu, who commanded, in a calm, stern voice: "Sekosini, chief Witch Doctor, and you Mapela, Amakosa, N'Ampata, and Sekukuni, chiefs of the Makolo, stand forward and listen to your doom.
"What I have already said should surely be sufficient." "It is," answered the king dryly, as he signed the guards to remove the rebel. "Is there anyone present who thinks and feels as does Mapela?" "Yea!" answered two of the implicated chiefs, named respectively Amakosa and N'Ampata, as they simultaneously sprang to their feet.
"And have you, Amakosa, anything to add to, or take from, what Mapela has said?" demanded the king. "Nothing!" briefly answered Amakosa. "Or you, N'Ampata?" pressed the king. "Only this, O Great One! that I think it would have been better had we approached thee and opened our minds to thee before conspiring against thee.
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