nada the lily-第1章

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Nada　the　Lily



by　H。　Rider　Haggard










DEDICATION



Sompseu：



For　I　will　call　you　by　the　name　that　for　fifty　years　has　been　honoured

by　every　tribe　between　Zambesi　and　Cape　Agulbas；I　greet　you！



Sompseu；　my　father；　I　have　written　a　book　that　tells　of　men　and

matters　of　which　you　know　the　most　of　any　who　still　look　upon　the

light；　therefore；　I　set　your　name　within　that　book　and；　such　as　it　is；

I　offer　it　to　you。



If　you　knew　not　Chaka；　you　and　he　have　seen　the　same　suns　shine；　you

knew　his　brother　Panda　and　his　captains；　and　perhaps　even　that　very

Mopo　who　tells　this　tale；　his　servant；　who　slew　him　with　the　Princes。

You　have　seen　the　circle　of　the　witch…doctors　and　the　unconquerable

Zulu　impis　rushing　to　war；　you　have　crowned　their　kings　and　shared

their　counsels；　and　with　your　son's　blood　you　have　expiated　a

statesman's　error　and　a　general's　fault。



Sompseu；　a　song　has　been　sung　in　my　ears　of　how　first　you　mastered

this　people　of　the　Zulu。　Is　it　not　true；　my　father；　that　for　long

hours　you　sat　silent　and　alone；　while　three　thousand　warriors　shouted

for　your　life？　And　when　they　grew　weary；　did　you　not　stand　and　say；

pointing　towards　the　ocean：　〃Kill　me　if　you　wish；　men　of　Cetywayo；　but

I　tell　you　that　for　every　drop　of　my　blood　a　hundred　avengers　shall

rise　from　yonder　sea！〃



Then；　so　it　was　told　me；　the　regiments　turned　staring　towards　the

Black　Water；　as　though　the　day　of　Ulundi　had　already　come　and　they　saw

the　white　slayers　creeping　across　the　plains。



Thus；　Sompseu；　your　name　became　great　among　the　people　of　the　Zulu；　as

already　it　was　great　among　many　another　tribe；　and　their　nobles　did

you　homage；　and　they　gave　you　the　Bayete；　the　royal　salute；　declaring

by　the　mouth　of　their　Council　that　in　you　dwelt　the　spirit　of　Chaka。



Many　years　have　gone　by　since　then；　and　now　you　are　old；　my　father。　It

is　many　years　even　since　I　was　a　boy；　and　followed　you　when　you　went

up　among　the　Boers　and　took　their　country　for　the　Queen。



Why　did　you　do　this；　my　father？　I　will　answer；　who　know　the　truth。　You

did　it　because；　had　it　not　been　done；　the　Zulus　would　have　stamped　out

the　Boers。　Were　not　Cetywayo's　impis　gathered　against　the　land；　and

was　it　not　because　it　became　the　Queen's　land　that　at　your　word　he

sent　them　murmuring　to　their　kraals？＇1＇　To　save　bloodshed　you　annexed

the　country　beyond　the　Vaal。　Perhaps　it　had　been　better　to　leave　it；

since　〃Death　chooses　for　himself；〃　and　after　all　there　was　killingof

our　own　people；　and　with　the　killing；　shame。　But　in　those　days　we　did

not　guess　what　we　should　live　to　see；　and　of　Majuba　we　thought　only　as

a　little　hill！



Enemies　have　borne　false　witness　against　you　on　this　matter；　Sompseu；

you　who　never　erred　except　through　over　kindness。　Yet　what　does　that

avail？　When　you　have　〃gone　beyond〃　it　will　be　forgotten；　since　the

sting　of　ingratitude　passes　and　lies　must　wither　like　the　winter

veldt。　Only　your　name　will　not　be　forgotten；　as　it　was　heard　in　life

so　it　shall　be　heard　in　story；　and　I　pray　that；　however　humbly；　mine

may　pass　down　with　it。　Chance　has　taken　me　by　another　path；　and　I　must

leave　the　ways　of　action　that　I　love　and　bury　myself　in　books；　but　the

old　days　and　friends　are　in　my　mind；　nor　while　I　have　memory　shall　I

forget　them　and　you。



Therefore；　though　it　be　for　the　last　time；　from　far　across　the　seas　I

speak　to　you；　and　lifting　my　hand　I　give　your　〃Sibonga〃＇2＇　and　that

royal　salute；　to　which；　now　that　its　kings　are　gone　and　the　〃People　of

Heaven〃　are　no　more　a　nation；　with　Her　Majesty　you　are　alone

entitled：



　　　　Bayete！　Baba；　Nkosi　ya　makosi！

　　　　Ngonyama！　Indhlovu　ai　pendulwa！

　　　　Wen'　o　wa　vela　wasi　pata！

　　　　Wen'　o　wa　hlul'　izizwe　zonke　za　patwa　nguive！

　　　　Wa　geina　nge　la　Mabun'　o　wa　ba　hlul'　u　yedwa！

　　　　Umsizi　we　zintandane　e　ziblupekayo！

　　　　Si　ya　kuleka　Baba！

　　　　Bayete；　T'　Sompseu！＇3＇



and　farewell！



H。　RIDER　HAGGARD。





To　Sir　Theophilus　Shepstone；　K。C。M。G。；　Natal。

13　September；　1891。



＇1＇　〃I　thank　my　father　Sompseu　for　his　message。　I　am　glad　that　he　has

　　　　sent　it；　because　the　Dutch　have　tired　me　out；　and　I　intended　to

　　　　fight　them　once　and　once　only；　and　to　drive　them　over　the　Vaal。

　　　　Kabana；　you　see　my　impis　are　gathered。　It　was　to　fight　the　Dutch

　　　　I　called　them　together；　now　I　send　them　back　to　their　homes。〃

　　　　Message　from　Cetywayo　to　Sir。　T。　Shepstone；　April；　1877。



＇2＇　Titles　of　praise。



＇3＇　Bayete；　Father；　Chief　of　Chiefs！

　　　　Lion！　Elephant　that　is　not　turned！

　　　　You　who　nursed　us　from　of　old！

　　　　You　who　overshadowed　all　peoples　and　took　charge　of　them；

　　　　And　ended　by　mastering　the　Boers　with　your　single　strength！

　　　　Help　of　the　fatherless　when　in　trouble！

　　　　Salutation　to　you；　Father！

　　　　Bayete；　O　Sompseu！







PREFACE



The　writer　of　this　romance　has　been　encouraged　to　his　task　by　a

purpose　somewhat　beyond　that　of　setting　out　a　wild　tale　of　savage

life。　When　he　was　yet　a　lad；now　some　seventeen　years　ago；fortune

took　him　to　South　Africa。　There　he　was　thrown　in　with　men　who；　for

thirty　or　forty　years；　had　been　intimately　acquainted　with　the　Zulu

people；　with　their　history；　their　heroes；　and　their　customs。　From

these　he　heard　many　tales　and　traditions；　some　of　which；　perhaps；　are

rarely　told　nowadays；　and　in　time　to　come　may　cease　to　be　told

altogether。　Then　the　Zulus　were　still　a　nation；　now　that　nation　has

been　destroyed；　and　the　chief　aim　of　its　white　rulers　is　to　root　out

the　warlike　spirit　for　which　it　was　remarkable；　and　to　replace　it　by　a

spirit　of　peaceful　progress。　The　Zulu　military　organisation；　perhaps

the　most　wonderful　that　the　world　has　seen；　is　already　a　thing　of　the

past；　it　perished　at　Ulundi。　It　was　Chaka　who　invented　that

organisation；　building　it　up　from　the　smallest　beginnings。　When　he

appeared　at　the　commencement　of　this　century；　it　was　as　the　ruler　of　a

single　small　tribe；　when　he　fell；　in　the　year　1828；　beneath　the

assegais　of　his　brothers；　Umhlangana　and　Dingaan；　and　of　his　servant；

Mopo　or　Umbopo；　as　he　is　called　also；　all　south…eastern　Africa　was　at

his　feet；　and　in　his　march　to　power　he　had　slaughtered　more　than　a

million　human　beings。　An　attempt　has　been　made　in　these　pages　to　set

out　the　true　character　of　this　colossal　genius　and　most　evil　man；a

Napoleon　and　a　Tiberiius　in　one；and　also　that　of　his　brother　and

successor；　Dingaan；　so　no　more　need　be　said　of　them　here。　The　author's

aim；　moreover；　has　been　to　convey；　in　a　narrative　form；　some　idea　of

the　remarkable　spirit　which　animated　these　kings　and　their　subjects；

and　to　make　accessible；　in　a　popular　shape；　incidents　of　history　which

are　now；　for　the　most　part；　only　to　be　found　in　a　few　scarce　works　of

reference；　rarely　consulted；　except　by　students。　It　will　be　obvious

that　such　a　task　has　presented　difficulties；　since　he　who　undertakes

it　must　for　a　time　forget　his　civilisation；　and　think　with　the　mind

and　speak　with　the　voice　of　a　Zulu　of　the　old　regime。　All　the　horrors

perpetrated　by　the　Zulu　tyrants　cannot　be　published　in　this　polite　age

of　melanite　and　torpedoes；　their　details　have；　therefore；　been

suppressed。　Still　much　remains；　and　those　who　think　it　wrong　that

massacre　and　fighting　should　be　written　of；except　by　special

correspondents；or　that　the　sufferings　of　mankind　beneath　one　of　the

world's　most　cruel　tyrannies　should　form　the　groundwork　of　romance；

may　be　invited　to　leave　this　book　unread。　Most；　indeed　nearly　all；　of

the　historical　incidents　here　recorded　are　substantially　true。　Thus；

it　is　said　that　Chaka　did　actually　kill　his　mother；　Unandi；　for　the

reason　given；　and　destroy　an　entire　tribe　in　the　Tatiyana　cleft；　and

that　he　prophesied　of　the　coming　of　the　white　man　after　receiving　his

death　wounds。　Of　the　incident　of　the　Missionary　and　the　furnace　of

logs；　it　is　impossible　to　speak　so　certainly。　It　came　to　the　writer

from　the　lips　of　an　old　traveller　in　〃the　Zulu〃；　but　he　cannot