the sun rose suddenly over the edge of the cliffs, and while it wasyet deep shadow in the valley, its red light struck upon the whitecross of perished wood that towered above the tree of doom and on theblack shape of hokosa crucified to it living. the camp of the king sawand understood, and from every throat of the thousands of men, womenand children gathered there, went up a roar of rage and horror. theking lifted his hand, and silence fell upon the place; then he mountedon the wall and cried aloud:--"do you yet live, hokosa, or is it your body only that those traitorshave fastened to the tree?"back came the answer through the clear still air:--"i live, o king!""endure then a little while," called nodwengo, "and we will storm thetree and save you.""nay," answered hokosa, "you cannot save me; yet before i die i shallsee you saved."then his words were lost in tumult, for the third day's fightingbegan. desperately the regiments of hafela rushing across the openspace, hurled themselves upon the fortifications, which, during thenight, had been strengthened by the building of two inner walls. norwas this all, for suddenly a cry told those in front that the regimentwhich hafela had despatched across the mountains had travelled up theeastern neck of the valley, and were attacking the position in theirrear. well was it for nodwengo now that he had listened to the counselof hokosa, and, wearied as his soldiers were, had commanded that herealso a great wall should be built.
for two hours the fight raged, and then on either side the foe fellback, not beaten indeed, though their dead were many, but to rest andtake counsel. but now a new trouble arose: from all the camp ofnodwengo there went up a moan of pain to heaven, for since the eveningof yesterday the spring had given out, and they had found no waterwherewith to wet their lips. during the night they bore it; but nowthe sun beating down on the black rocks with fearful force scorchedthem to the marrow, till they began to wither like fallen leaves, andalready wounded men and children died, while the warriors cut thethroats of oxen and drank their blood.
hokosa hanging on his cross heard this moaning and divined its cause.
"be of good comfort, children of nodwengo," he cried; "for i will praythat rain be sent upon you." and he lifted his head and prayed.
now, whether it was by chance or whether his prayer was heard, who cansay? at least it happened that immediately thereafter clouds began togather and to thicken in the blue of heaven, and within two hours rainfell in torrents, so that every one could drink his fill, and thespring being replenished at its sources, flowed again strongly.
after the rain came cold and moaning winds, and after the wind a greatgloom and thunder.
now, taking advantage of the shadow, the regiments of hafela renewedtheir attack, and this time they carried the first of the three walls,for its defenders grew feeble and few in number. there they paused awhile, and save for the cries of the wounded and of frightened women,the silence was great.
"let your hearts be filled up!" cried the voice of hokosa through thesilence; "for the sunlight shines upon the plain of the great placeyonder, and in it i see the sheen of spears. the /impi/ travels toyour aid, o children of nodwengo."now, at this tidings the people of the king shouted for joy; buthafela called to his regiments to make an end of them, and they hurledthemselves upon the second wall, fighting desperately. again and againthey were beaten back, and again and again they came on, till atlength they carried this wall also, driving its defenders, or thosewho remained alive of them, into the third entrenchment, and paused torest awhile.
"pray for us, o prophet who are set on high!" cried a voice from thecamp, "for if succour do not reach us speedily, we are sped."before the echoes of the voice had died away, a flash of lightningflared through the gloom, and in the light of it hokosa saw that theking's /impi/ was rushing up the gorge.
"fight on! fight on!" he called in answer. "i have prayed to heaven,and your succour is at hand."then, with a howl of rage, hafela's regiments hurled themselves uponthe third and last entrenchment, attacking it at once in front andrear. twice they nearly carried it, but each time the wild scream ofhokosa on high was heard above the din, conjuring its defenders tofight on and fear not, for heaven had sent them help. they fought asmen have seldom fought before, and with them fought the women and eventhe children. they were few and the foe was still many, but theylistened to the urging of him whom they believed to be inspired in hisdeath-agony upon the cross above them, and still they held their own.
twice portions of the wall were torn down, but they filled the breachwith the corpses of the dead, ay! and with the bodies of the living,for the wounded, the old men and the very women piled themselves therein the place of stones. no such fray was told of in the annals of thepeople of fire as this, the last stand of nodwengo against thethousands of hafela. now all the shouting had died away, for men hadno breath left wherewith to shout, only from the gloomy place ofbattle came low groans and the deep sobbing sighs of warriors grippedin the death-hug.
"/fight on! fight on!/" shrilled the voice of hokosa on high. "lo! theskies are open to my dying sight, and i see the /impis/ of heavensweeping to succour you. /behold!/"they dashed the sweat from their eyes and looked forth, and as theylooked, the pall of gloom was lifted, and in the golden glow of many-shafted light, they saw, not the legions of heaven indeed, but theregiments of nodwengo rushing round the bend of the valley, as dogsrush upon a scent, with heads held low and spears outstretched.
hafela saw them also.
"back to the koppie," he cried, "there to die like men, for thewizardries of hokosa have been too strong for us, and lost is this mylast battle and the crown i came to seek!"they obeyed, and all that were left of them, some ten thousand men,they ran to the koppie and formed themselves upon it, ring above ring,and here the soldiers of nodwengo closed in upon them.
again and for the last time the voice of hokosa rang out above thefray.
"nodwengo," he cried, "with my passing breath i charge you have mercyand spare these men, so many of them as will surrender. the day ofbloodshed has gone by, the fray is finished, the cross has conquered.
let there be peace in the land."all men heard him, for his piercing scream, echoed from theprecipices, came to the ears of each. all men heard him, and, even inthat fierce hour of vengeance, all obeyed. the spear that was poisedwas not thrown, and the kerry lifted over the fallen did not descendto dash away his life.
"hearken, hafela!" called the king, stepping forward from the ranks ofthe attackers. "he whom you have set on high to bring defeat upon youcharges me to give you peace, and in the name of the conquering crossi give peace. all who surrender shall dwell henceforth in my shadow,nor shall the head or the heel of one of them be harmed, althoughtheir sin is great. one life only will i take, the life of that witchwho brought your armies down upon me to burn my town and slay mypeople by thousands, and who but last night betrayed hokosa to hisdeath of torment. all shall go free, i say, save the witch; and foryou, you shall be given cattle and such servants as will cling to youto the number of a hundred, and driven from the land. now, what sayyou? will you yield or be slain? swift with your answer; for the sunsinks, and ere it is set there must be an end in this way or in that."the regiments of hafela heard, and shouted in answer as with onevoice:--"we take your mercy, king! we fought bravely while we could, and nowwe take your mercy, king!""what say you, hafela?" repeated nodwengo, addressing the prince, whostood upon a point of rock above him in full sight of both armies.
hafela turned and looked at hokosa hanging high in mid-air.
"what say i?" he answered in a slow and quiet voice. "i say that thecross and its prophet have been too strong for me, and that i shouldhave done well to follow the one and to listen to the counsel of theother. my brother, you tell me that i may go free, taking servantswith me. i thank you and i will go--alone."and setting the handle of his spear upon the rock, with a suddenmovement he fell forward, transfixing his heart with its broad blade,and lay still.
"at least he died like one of the blood-royal of the sons of fire!"cried nodwengo, while the armies stood silent and awestruck, "and withthe blood-royal he shall be buried. lay down your arms, you whofollowed him and fought for him, fearing nothing, and give over to methe witch that she may be slain.""she hides under the tree yonder!" cried a voice.
"go up and take her," said nodwengo to some of his captains.
now noma, crouched on the ground beneath the tree, had seen and heardall that passed. perceiving the captains making their way towards herthrough the lines of the soldiers, who opened out a path for them, sherose and for a moment stood bewildered. then, as though drawn by somestrange attraction, she turned, and seizing hold of the creeper thatclung about it, she began to climb the tree of doom swiftly. up shewent while all men watched, higher and higher yet, till passing out ofthe finger-like foliage she reached the cross of dead wood wheretohokosa hung, and placing her feet upon one arm of it, stood there,supporting herself by the broken top of the upright.
hokosa was not yet dead, though he was very near to death. lifting hisglazing eyes, he knew her and said, speaking thickly:--"what do you here, noma, and wherefore have you come?""i come because you draw me," she answered, "and because they seek mylife below.""repent, repent!" he whispered, "there is yet time and heaven is verymerciful."she heard, and a fury seized her.
"be silent, dog!" she cried. "having defied your god so long, shall igrovel to him at the last? having hated you so much, shall i seek yourforgiveness now? at least of one thing i am glad--it was i who broughtyou here, and with me and through me you shall die."then, placing one foot upon his bent head as if in scorn, she leanedforward, her long hair flying to the wind, and cursed nodwengo and hispeople, naming them renegades and apostates, and cursed the soldiersof hafela, naming them cowards, calling down upon them the malison oftheir ancestors.
hokosa heard and muttered:--"for your soul's sake, woman, repent! repent, ere it be too late!""repent!" she screamed, catching at his words. "thus do i repent!" anddrawing the knife from her girdle, she leant over him and drove ithilt-deep into his breast.
then with a sudden movement she sprang upwards and outwards into theair, and rushing down through a hundred feet of space, was struck deadupon that very rock where the corpse of hafela lay.
now, beneath the agony of the life hokosa lifted his head for the lasttime, crying in a great voice:--"messenger, i come, be you my guide," and with the words his soulpassed.
"all is over and ended," said a voice. "soldiers, salute the king withthe royal salute.""nay," answered nodwengo. "salute me not, salute the cross and him whohangs thereon."so, while the rays of the setting sun shone about it, regiment byregiment that great army rushed past the koppie, and pausing oppositeto the cross and its burden, they rendered to it the royal salute ofkings.
*****then the night fell, and thus through the power of faith that now, asof old, is the only true and efficient magic, was accomplished themission to the sons of fire of the saint and martyr, thomas owen, andof his murderer and disciple, the wizard hokosa.
