We strolled through the gates of the Great Kraal, most of the Boers, who, as usual, had piled their arms under the two milk trees, lounging along in knots of four or five, laughing and chatting as they went. I have often thought since, that although every one of them there, except myself, was doomed within an hour to have taken the dreadful step from time into eternity, it seems strange that advancing fate should have thrown no shadow on their hearts. On the contrary, they were quite gay, being extremely pleased at the successful issue of their mission and the prospect of an immediate return to their wives and children. Even Retief was gay, for I heard him joking with his companions about myself and my “white-bread-week,” or honeymoon, which, he said, was drawing very near. As we went, I noticed that most of the regiments who had performed the great military dances before us on the previous day were gone. Two, however, remained—the _Ischlangu Inhlope_, that is the “White Shields,” who were a corps of veterans wearing the ring on their heads, and the _Ischlangu Umnyama_, that is the “Black Shields,” who were all of them young men without rings. The “White Shields” were ranged along the fence of the great open place to our left, and the “Black Shields” were similarly placed to our right, each regiment numbering about fifteen hundred men. Except for their kerries and dancing-sticks they were unarmed. Presently we reached the head of the dancing ground, and found Dingaan seated in his chair with two of his great _indunas_, Umhlela and Tambusa, squatting on either side of him. Behind him, standing in and about the entrance to the labyrinth through which the king had come, were other _indunas_ and captains. On arriving in front of Dingaan we saluted him, and he acknowledged the salutation with pleasant words and smiles. Then Retief, two or three of the other Boers, Thomas Halstead and I went forward, whereon the treaty was produced again and identified as the same document that we had seen on the previous day. At the foot of it someone—I forget who—wrote in Dutch, “_De merk van Koning Dingaan_” [that is, The mark of King Dingaan.] In the space left between the words “_merk_” and “_van_” Dingaan made a cross with a pen that was given to him, Thomas Halstead holding his hand and showing him what to do. After this, three of his indunas, or great councillors, who were named Nwara, Yuliwana and Manondo, testified as witnesses for the Zulus, and M. Oosthuyzen, A. C. Greyling and B. J. Liebenberg, who were standing nearest to Retief, as witnesses for the Boers.