The multitudes had already gathered at Mhlakaza’s homestead. They wanted to see more miracles. They were demanding the presence of their forefathers from the spirit world. But Nongqawuse told them that the people who came from the sea were invisible. Those pilgrims who were favored by her were sent back to their homes to fetch a head of cattle each before they could be introduced to the new people.
Since Twin and Qukezwa no longer had cattle to look after, having killed all of them, they spent almost all their time at Mhlakaza’s. They went to their homestead at Ngcizele only once a week to sweep the floors of their huts and the ground outside, so that when the day of the rising of the dead came, the headless Xikixa and the other ancestors before him would be welcomed to a clean homestead.
Twin and Qukezwa had become part of the prophets’ hangers-on who were fed from the big pots of meat and samp that were steaming all day long. The daily feasting, the spirit of brotherhood and sister-hood that permeated the very air that they were breathing, the singing and dancing, the hope for the future, all made the multitudes forget about the troubles of the outside world and the lungsickness that tortured the Unbelievers. Many of those who gathered daily at the banks of the Gxarha River were like Twin and Qukezwa. They no longer had any cattle to worry about. Lungsickness was a distant nightmare.
Sometimes the new people came riding on the waves. As usual only Nongqawuse and Mhlakaza could see them. Or only those who had been given permission by the prophets were able to see shadows of the new people. Or at best silhouette images at the place where the sea met the sky.
In most cases, even the prophets themselves could not see the new people with their eyes, for they manifested themselves in the form of imilozi, the whistles that are the language of the spirits. Nongqawuse and Nombanda spoke with the new people in whistles. Then they translated their messages into the language of humans.
The fact that only Nongqawuse, Nombanda, and Mhlakaza could see or speak to the new people enhanced the prestige of the prophets. Many of those who were tempted not to believe were converted by this fact.
“The new people say that as long as there are some among you who refuse to kill their cattle, the dead will not arise,” announced Nongqawuse. “The new cattle that are free of disease will not come. As long as the amaGogotya — the Unbelievers — continue to unbelieve, the prophecies shall not be fulfilled.”
This caused a lot of anger among the people. A beautiful life awaited the amaXhosa nation. Yet there were traitors, the amaGogotya, who wanted to spoil everything for everyone. They were the enemies of the nation. Something had to be done. While Nongqawuse was leading Qukezwa and a group of visitors to the valley to listen to the lowing sounds of the new cattle in the aardvark holes and in the bush where the Strangers had first appeared, Twin gathered the men behind Mhlakaza’s solitary hut. The only topic on the agenda was the course of action that had to be taken against the Unbelievers.
“What choice do we have? Kill the amaGogotya! Destroy their crops! Kill their cattle! Burn their houses!” the men shouted.
Twin’s heart began to bleed for Twin-Twin. He had not spoken with his brother for three weeks, since the last time they had exchanged insults. Twin-Twin had walked all the way to Ngcizele to persuade his brother one more time to stop the foolishness of killing his cattle, and to stop believing in the dreams of a sex-starved girl. To his astonishment he found that Twin had already killed all his cattle. His homestead was buzzing with flies, and the stench of rotten meat assailed one a mile away.
“It is your wife,” Twin-Twin had screeched. “It is this terrible foreigner who made you do this stupid thing.”
“She is not a foreigner. She is the original owner of this land,” said Twin proudly.
“She is not an umXhosa woman. She is a prostitute.”
“You call my wife that again and you will regret that you were ever born.”
“Everyone knows that she opened her thighs for the British soldiers.”
“For your freedom. You ungrateful little man. Now go and never darken my homestead with your evil presence. I never want to see you again.”
That was the last time Twin had seen his brother. He had heard many stories about him. That he was riding around with Mjuza and Ned, in the company of no less a murderer than John Dalton. That they were denouncing the prophets and coercing people into defying the instructions of the Strangers.
“Can we trust Twin?” asked one man. “His twin brother is one of the staunchest Unbelievers. Will he not reveal our plans to him?”
Twin was angry at such impertinence. He stood up and addressed the man directly, pointing at him threateningly.
“Who are you, if I may ask? You only joined the Believers yesterday, long after my wife and I had been coming to the banks of the Gxarha River to commune with the new people through our humble prophets. I have on occasion even seen the new people with my own eyes. And you have the temerity to express doubts about me. Now let me assure those who may be stupid enough to listen to you. I am just as angry with the Unbelievers as everyone here. In fact, I am angrier! My twin brother is not just a passive Unbeliever. He is riding around with John Dalton, causing havoc to the Believers in the countryside. And do you know who John Dalton is? He is the man who beheaded my father. He and his comrades cooked the head of my father in a cauldron. It is the return of this headless ancestor that I am waiting for here at this spot where the Gxarha River spews its sacred waters into the sea. Do you, foolish man, still doubt me?”
The men apologized profusely, and reprimanded their colleague for speaking out of turn. They said that indeed Twin had a lot to lose if the resurrection failed due to the selfishness of the Unbelievers. The man shook Twin’s hand. He had not meant any harm, he said. He suggested Twin’s name as the leader of the secret force that would destroy the cattle and crops of the Unbelievers. And so Twin became a leader by acclamation.
He was determined to show everyone that he meant business, by leading a faid against his own brother. And although he normally shared everything with Qukezwa, he kept this plot a secret. But people talk. Soon she got to know of the plan and confronted him.
“This is terrible, Father of Heitsi! The ancestors will not like this,” she warned.
“How can they not like it? I am doing this for them. So that they should be able to come back and join us. They won’t rise from the dead if we don’t kill all the cattle living. The white people will not be swept into the sea, but will continue to rule us.”
“But he is your brother, from the same womb, at the same time.”
“When did you become his defender? You know how he hates you.”
“You are only doing this to impress the men. I heard how at first they doubted you. You are not doing it for the dead. You are doing it for the living.”
For the first time Twin decided to go against the wishes of his wife. The life of the nation was at stake. His family would not be the first one to be at war over this matter. It was happening throughout the land. Not just between siblings. Even between husbands and wives. The women of the amaXhosa were the main cultivators of the land. Many of them refused to go to the fields even when their husbands were the staunchest of Unbelievers. Women became the strongest supporters of the prophets. Many of them left their husbands and went to live with their parents. Women were the leaders of the cattle-killing movement. Twin was therefore surprised that Qukezwa, she who had taught him how to talk directly with the one who told his stories in heaven, should seem to be getting cold feet at this dire hour.