Such is my plan, Macumazahn; if thou hast a better, name it.'
When he had done, I explained to the others such portions of
his scheme as they had failed to understand, and they all joined
with me in expressing the greatest admiration of the acute and
skilful programme devised by the old Zulu, who was indeed, in
his own savage fashion, the finest general I ever knew. After
some discussion we determined to accept the scheme, as it stood,
it being the only one possible under the circumstances, and giving
the best chance of success that such a forlorn hope would admit
of -- which, however, considering the enormous odds and the character
of our foe, was not very great.
'Ah, old lion!' I said to Umslopogaas, 'thou knowest how to lie
in wait as well as how to bite, where to seize as well as where
to hang on.'
'Ay, ay, Macumazahn,' he answered. 'For thirty years have I
been a warrior, and have seen many things. It will be a good fight.
I smell blood -- I tell thee, I smell blood.'
CHAPTER VI
THE NIGHT WEARS ON
As may be imagined, at the very first sign of a Masai the entire
population of the Mission Station had sought refuge inside the
stout stone wall, and were now to be seen -- men, women, and
countless children -- huddled up together in little groups, and
all talking at once in awed tones of the awfulness of Masai manners
and customs, and of the fate that they had to expect if those
bloodthirsty savages succeeded in getting over the stone wall.
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