"Who were these Amafengu? Were they not our dogs and our slaves? Who are they now? Still dogs--but not _our_ dogs. Who will they be shortly? Not our dogs--not our slaves--but--our masters! Our masters!" roared the fierce savage, shaking the broad assegai which he held, until it quivered like a band of flame in the red firelight. "The sons of Gcaleka will be the slaves of their former slaves--the dogs of their former dogs. Not the sons of Gcaleka only, but all the children of Xosa. Not the House of Gcaleka only, but the House of Ngqika. Who is doing this? The Amanglezi! Who would tread upon the necks of our chiefs and place the fetters of their lying and hypocritical creeds upon the limbs of our young men till the latter are turned into slaves and drunkards? The Amanglezi! Who would stop the mouths of our _amapakati_ [Councillors] and drown the collective wisdom of our nation in floods of fire-water? The Amanglezi. Are we men--I say? Are we men?" A low suppressed roar ran through the circle of fierce and excitable barbarians as the orator paused. Again sounded the ominous rattle of assegai hafts. It needed all the self-control of their habitually self-contained race to restrain them from breaking forth anew into their frenzied war-dance. But a wave of the speaker's hand availed to quell the rising tumult and he continued: "This is the `word' of the rulers of the Amanglezi. The time has come when the Amaxosa races must be subdued. They are growing too numerous. They are waxing too strong. Their power must be broken. We must begin by breaking up the influence of the chiefs. We must put down chieftainship altogether. Hear ye this, ye sons of Ngqika? Hear you this, O Matanzima, warrior son of Saudili, the Great Chief of the House of Ngqika? Hear you this, O Nteya--_pakati_ of the race of Ngqika? Hear you this, O Nxabahlana, of the House of the Great Chief, you who have led our bands to war before the very birth of many of the young men I see before me? Hear ye this, Maquades and Mpanhla and Sivulele, and you, Panganisi and Untiwa, of the House of Seyolo of the House of Hlambi, golden mouthed in council--in the battle-field flames of consuming fire? Hear ye this, all ye gathered here before me this night--tried warriors, and young men who have never seen war. The children of Xosa are growing too strong. They must be subdued. The power of their chiefs must be broken. Such is the word of the rulers of the Amanglezi."