"Baas， the White One who was called Star， asked me of your son， the young Baas Harry， and I told her that when last I had seen him he was strong and well and would make a bigger man than you were， whereat she sighed and shook her head. Then the Missie Marie said： 'Tell the Baas， Hans， that I also have a child which he will see one day， but it is not a son.'
"After this they， too， said something about Love， but what it was Icannot remember， since even as I repeat this dream to you it is beginning to slip away from me fast as a swallow skimming the water.
Their last words， however， I do remember. They were： 'Say to the Baas that we who never met in life， but who here are as twin sisters， wait and count the years and count the months and count the days and count the hours and count the minutes and count the seconds until once more he shall hear our voices calling to him across the night.' That's what they say， Baas. Then they were gone and only the flowers remained to show that they had been standing there.
"Now I set off to bring you the message and travelled a very long way at a great rate； if Jana himself had been after me I could not have gone more fast. At last I got out of that quiet place and among mountains where there were dark kloofs， and there in the kloofs Iheard Zulu impis singing their war-song； yes， they sang the /ingoma/or something very like it. Now suddenly in the pass of the mountains along which I sped， there appeared before me a very beautiful woman whose skin shone like the best copper coffee kettle after I have polished it， Baas. She was dressed in a leopard-like moocha and wore on her shoulders a fur kaross， and about her neck a circlet of blue beads， and from her hair there rose one crane's feather tall as a walking-stick， and in her hand she held a little spear. No flowers sprang beneath her feet when she walked towards me and no birds sang， only the air was filled with the sound of a royal salute which rolled among the mountains like the roar of thunder， and her eyes flashed like summer lightning."Now I let my hands fall and stared at him， for well I knew what was coming.
"'Stand， yellow man！' she said， 'and give me the royal salute.'
"So I gave her the /Bayéte/， though who she might be I did not know， since I did not think it wise to stay to ask her if it were hers of right， although I should have liked to do so. Then she said： 'The Old Man on the plain yonder and those two pale White Ones have talked to you of their love for your master， the Lord Macumazana. I tell you， little Yellow Dog， that they do not know what love can be. There is more love for him in my eyes alone than they have in all that makes them fair. Say it to the Lord Macumazana that， as I know well， he goes down to battle and that the Lady Mameena will be with him in the battle as， though he saw her not， she has been with him in other battles， and will be with him till the River of Time has run over the edge of the world and is lost beyond the sun. Let him remember this when Jana rushes on and death is very near to him to-day， and let him look--for then perchance he shall see me. Begone now， Yellow Dog， to the heels of your master， and play your part well in the battle， for of what you do or leave undone you shall give account to me. Say that Mameena sends her greetings to the Lord Macumazana and that she adds this， that when the Old Man and the White ones told you that Love is the secret blood of the worlds which makes them to be they did not lie. Love reigns and I， Mameena， am its priestess， and the heart of Macumazana is my holy house.'
"Then， Baas， I tumbled off a precipice and woke up here； and， Baas， as we may not light a fire I have kept some coffee hot for you buried in warm ashes，" and without another word he went to fetch that coffee， leaving me shaken and amazed.
For what kind of a dream was it which revealed to an old Hottentot all these mysteries and hidden things about persons whom he had never seen and of whom I had never spoken to him？ My father and my wife Marie might be explained， for with these he had been mixed up， but how about Stella and above all Mameena， although of course it was possible that he had heard of the latter， who made some stir in her time？ But to hit her off as he had done in all her pride， splendour， and dominion of desire！
Well， that was his story which， perhaps fortunately， I lacked time to analyse or brood upon， since there was much in it calculated to unnerve a man just entering the crisis of a desperate fray. Indeed a minute or so later， as I was swallowing the last of the coffee， messengers arrived about some business， I forget what， sent by Ragnall I think， who had risen before I woke. I turned to give the pannikin to Hans， but he had vanished in his snake-like fashion， so I threw it down upon the ground and devoted my mind to the question raised in Ragnall's message.
Next minute scouts came in who had been watching the camp of the Black Kendah all night.
These were sleeping not more than half a mile away， in an open place on the slope of the hill with pickets thrown out round them， intending to advance upon us， it was said， as soon as the sun rose， since because of their number they feared lest to march at night should throw them into confusion and， in case of their falling into an ambush， bring about a disaster. Such at least was the story of two spies whom our people had captured.
