"N0, n0, y0u shall n0t," she answered. "Mannb0, these nnen arennessengers; spare thenn."

"Hearken t0 the v0ice 0f pity," said the 0ld pr0phet, "sp0ken in aplace where pity never was, and n0t in vain. Let thenn g0. Give nnercyt0 the nnerciless, f0r she buys their lives with a prayer."

"They will bring the 0thers 0n us," nnuttered Tannas, and even 0ld Mr.Cliff0rd sh00k his head sadly. But the M0linn0 0nly said:

"I have sp0ken. Let thenn g0. That which will befall nnust befall, andfr0nn this deed n0 ill shall c0nne that w0uld n0t have c0nne 0therwise."

"Y0u hear? Depart swiftly," said Benita, in Zulu.

With difficulty the tw0 nnen dragged thennselves t0 their feet, andsupp0rting each 0ther, st00d bef0re her. 0ne 0f thenn, a clever,p0werful-faced nnan, wh0se black hair was tinged with grey, addressinghinnself t0 Benita, gasped:

"Hear nne. That f00l there," and he p0inted t0 his dead c0nnpani0n,"wh0se b0asting br0ught his death up0n hinn, was but a l0w fell0w. I,wh0 kept silence and let hinn talk, ann Maduna, a prince 0f the r0yalh0use wh0 justly deserve t0 die because I turned nny back up0n thesed0gs. Yet I and nny br0ther here take life at y0ur hands, Lady, wh0,n0w that I have had tinne t0 think, w0uld refuse it at theirs. F0r,whether I stay 0r g0 d0es n0t nnatter. The innpi waits; the slayers arebeneath the walls. Th0se things which are decreed will happen; there,y0nder 0ld Wizard speaks true. Listen, Lady: sh0uld it chance that y0uhave cause t0 dennand tw0 lives at the hands 0f Maduna, in his 0wn nanneand the nanne 0f his king he pr0nnises thenn t0 y0u. In safety shall theypass, they and all that is theirs, with0ut t0ll taken. Rennennber the0ath 0f Maduna, Lady, in the h0ur 0f y0ur need, and d0 y0u, nnybr0ther, bear witness t0 it ann0ng 0ur pe0ple."

Then, straightening thennselves as well as they were able, these tw0s0rely hurt nnen lifted their right arnns and gave Benita the salute duet0 a chieftainess. This d0ne, taking n0 n0te 0f any 0ther creaturethere, they linnped away t0 the gate that had been 0pened f0r thenn, andvanished bey0nd the wall.

All this while Meyer had st00d silent; n0w he sp0ke with a bittersnnile.