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OF CHICAGO author of "Christianity and the Progress of Man," "The Ethics of Gambling," Etc. ,, ' t assisted by ALFRED STEAD LONDON, ENGLAND SUPERBLY ILLUSTRATED WITH ORIGINAL DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS UNDER DIRECTION OF GEORGE SPIEL J. M. MAC GREGOR PUBLISHING CO. VANCOrVKR, U. C. CANADA. ' . ' - ■ ■ • ' . '• . . > > ' ■ I « « 1 > • ' ' ' 'l . I ■ ' * * * s .' t > ' J » » I I 1 • > ) ) « > I ' b ■ » > J "R 6 Copyright 1899, By George Spiei,. ••»•'.• • w ' •■ • " • . • » • «ff«»tb • ■ / v^ -*►•■ \ t PREFATORY INTRODUCTION. w IT HAS often been eaid that there is no teacher of geography so interesting and so thorough as war. Americans, for example, hardly knew anything more of the Philippine inlands, and their inhabitants, and their political associations, than that such islands existed in a colonial relation to Spain. But alike the geography and the history of those islands have been studied with intense interest by scores of thousands of all classes in America during the last eighteen months. The new relations in which America found herself so suddenly involved with the West and the East Indies led many of her citizens to face the general history of colonization, and especially to investigate the extra- ordinary place which colonization has occupied in the development of British commerce and influence throughout the whole world during the last hundred years. It is not too much to say that a large number of Americans have come to understand the growth of the British Empire more sympathetically since they were led to see in their own case how a great people could be impelled on her historic development by circum- stances and forces seemingly beyond her resistance. The shallow notion that Great Britain has conquered territory all over the world merely through greed, and cruelty, and oppression, is rapidly being relegated to the limbo already so well occupied of popular prejudices and inters national misunderstandings. It is safe to say that a still larger number of the inhabitants of North America have been drawn, this winter, to a still closer study of the growth and spirit of the British Empire through the occurrence of this deplorable and disastrous war in South Africa. The demand is very great indeed for information regarding the history, the geography, the inhabitants of that country. People wish to know who the Boers are^ when they arrived in Africa, what kind of people they found there, and the history of those people since the invasion of the country by Euro- 8 PREFATORY INTRODUCTION. peaas. Bspeciallj do peraons desire to know the history of Cape Colony while it was under the Dutch government, how it became the property of Great Britain, part of the British Empire, how it is that so many wars have occurred in that region between the Boers and the natives, the British and the natives, and the Boers and the British. There have not been wars so frequent or so disastrous, even in India, during the last seventy-five years, as in South Africa, There have not been race quar- rels in Canada during this century like those in South Africa, No- where else have whole bodies of Europeans sought +- escape beyond the boundaries of any British colony or dominion in which they were born and brought up, save only, perhaps, in the case of Ireland. People wish to know who have been the prominent figures of South African history. They know vaguely that it has been the scene of great exploration, exciting adventures with wild beasts, prolonged and most earnest mis- sionary labor. They know that in recent years South Africa has sud- denly revealed her possession of enormous treasures in precious metals and precious stones. All these facts have had their own influence upon the racial problems which have been so intense as to appeal to the terrible arbitrament of war for their settlement. It is the purpose of this book to present to the reader a general account of this region, such an account as shall enable him to form a fairly full and clear idea of the land where this most fierce and ruthless war is raging. An effort has, therefore, been made, as rapidly as pos- sible, within the space allowed, to throw some light upon everything that may help to interest the reader in that country, to explain to him its problems, account for and describe its wars. The book professes to be a conspectus of South African history, heroes and racial struggles. The best authorities available have been consulted. The works of missionaries, travelers, historians, politicians, and the Blue Books of the British Parliament have been consulted. The author and his assistant have both very deep personal interest in South Africa and a familiarity with its history derived from years of reading and discussion there- upon. The general standpoint aimed at is that of a fair, frank and unpreju- diced description of all matters bearing upon South Africa, and espe- cially those that illuminate the meaning of this war of 1899-1900. No ',1 ^-•A ■ '■,[ \\-'--'i^i- >, * ■■ PREFATORY INTRODUCTION. man can profess, on anj great matter, to be absolutely impartial. But every man ought to strive ifor fairness and justice. In this book, a serious attempt is made to present both sides of every great discussion that has arisen in South African history, especially between the British and the Boers. It will be seen, in the following pages, that sometimes the Boers have had the most of right on their side, and sometimes the British. As to which side, on the whole, has manifested the nobler spirit and deserved the more lenient judgment or the warmer sympathy of all intelligent and humane onlookers and students, this is not the place to attempt an opinion. The honest and earnest attempt to tell the truth, whatever conclusion regarding the merits of this dispute that truth may force upon us, is claimed for the substance and tone of the following pages. /"^ Chicago, Januaiy, 1900. W. D. If. r <»»■?■■ /;.•■ -ji CECIL J. RHODES Said tc have been "taken growling before brealtfast, but very characteristic." Fiioto. by S. B. Darnard, Cape Town. < ' ,■■• ■.;■■-■■ ' - CONTENTS. ' : BOOK I. THE HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA. PART I. GENERAL SKETCH OF THE STATES AND RACES OF SOUTH AFRICA. > CHAPTJ]R I. Page The Geography and Climate of South Africa 23 OHAPTEK II. The Dutch Occupation, 1650-1806 ;J7 CHAPTER III. The Colony of Natal 41 CHAPTER IV. The Orange Free State , 43 CHAPTER V. : Zululand 70 CHAPTER VI. Basutoland 91 CHAPTER VII. Bechuanaland 99 CHAPTER VIII. Rhodesia ,.,...... 10;-^ la 14 CONTENTS. " "^ - CHAPTER IX. ' Cape Colony, 1814-1900 126 CHAPTER X. THE TRANSVAAL REPUBLIC 139-199 Section 1. The Earlier History of the Transvaal 139 Section 2. The Transvaal, 1864-1877 -144 Section 3. Characteristics of the Boers 151 Section 4. The Transvaal Government and Native Races 161 Section 5. The Annexation of the Transvaal 169 Section 6. Through Imperial Rule to Independence 166 Section 7. The Constitution of the Two Republics , 190 CHAPTER XL The Native Races 200-214 Section 1. Gariepine Races 201 Section 2. The Bantu Race 204 CHAPTER Xn. The Animals of South Africa 215 CHAPTER XIIL The Chief Industries of South Africa 231 V*. :d. PART II. FAMOUS MEN AND LEADING TOWNS OF SOUTH AFRICA. ■^« CHAPTER I. POLITICAL WORKERS 239-284 Section 1. Earl Grey 239 Section 2. Dr. Jameson 241 Section 3. General Joubert 2.50 '".1 / CONTENTS. ' ' is , i:"..>i-''' ■■■■.; '■'■I- /".■■''.'■'•■-'■■ Page Section 4. Sir Hercules Bobinson 257 Section 5. Olive S'chreiner 266 Section 6. Sir Theophilus Shepstone 269 Section 7. Hon. W. P. Schreiner 273 Section 8. Sir Jno. G. Sprigg .' 276 Section 9. President Steyn 278 a> CHAPTER IL Khama, Chief of the Bamangwatos 284 CHAPTER III. CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES 302-855 Section 1. The Influence of Missions 302 Section 2. Robt. Moffat 307 Section 3. David Livingstone 315 Section 4. John Mackenzie 328 Section 5. Francois Coillard 355 CHAPTER IV. Cape Town 358 CHAPTER V. Johannesburg 363 - CHAPTER VI. Eimberley and the Diamond Mines 368 CHAPTER VII. OTHER LEADING TOWNS 378-394 Section 1. Bloemfontein 378 Section 2. Buluwayo 380 Section 3. Durban 383 Section 4. Grahamstown , 387 Section 5. Port Elizabeth 391 Section 6. Pretoria 394 wmmmmmmmm mmm m 16 CONTENTS. BOOK 11. CECIL J. RHODES, CAPITALIST AND POLITICIAN. CHAPTER I. Page Introductory 461 > CHAPTER II. The Earlier Life of Mr. Rhodes 404 CHAPTER III. His Early Political Life 416 CHAPTER IV. Mr. Rhodes and the British South Africa Chartered Co 427 CHAPTER V. Mr. Rhodes as Prime Minister 439 CHAPTER VL Mr. Rhodes and the Jameson Raid 446 L CHAPTER VII. Mr. Rhodes Since the Raid 459 BOOK III. STEPHANUS JOHANNES PAULUS KRUGER. CHAPTER L The Earlier Life of Mr. Kruger 469 vv. ip ^mm mmmmm ,. /■<':/' :;' ■' ' CONTENTS. '• :v '" ' ^- , . ., 17 . - ^ ' ■ ' , '' , '' ' CHAPTER II. ** ■ ' 1 ■,* -' iTaga Mr. Eruger and Transvaal Politics 475 CHAPTER III. Mr. Kruger and the War of Independence 484 CHAPTER IV. Mr. Kruger»s First Presidency 490 CHAPTER V. President Kruger and the Outlanders .... 496 CHAPTER VI. President Kruger and the Raid 511 President Kruger's Last Stand 517 BOOK IV. THE BRITISH BOER WAR~1899-1900. PART I. THE CAUSES OF THE WAR, CHAPTER I. The Transvaal and South Bechuanaland 525 CHAPTER II. The London Convention, 1884 ,....., . . . 531 CHAPTER III. The Settlement of South Berlmanaland . , 544 mmmmmm 18 . CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. The Outlanders of the Transvaal 551 CHAPTER V-. The Story of the Jameson Raid 557 CHAPTER VI. The Colonial Office and the Raid 577 CHAPTER VII. The Transvaal After the Raid 582 CHAPTER VIII. The Afrikander Bond and the Presidents' Hope 590 CHAPTER IX. Diplomacy and the Ultimatum 608 Summary of the Causes of the War 623 PART II. THE PROGRESS OF THE WAR. CHAPTER I. The Invasion of Natal 627 CHAPTER II. * The Invasion of Oape Colony 650 \\ 1 ■ * •• • LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Hoisting the British Flag in South Africa by Dr. Jno. Maclienzie, the Author's Father Frontispiece David Livingstone and John Mackenzie Frorillspiece President Kruger.. 11 Cecil J. Rhodes 12 Cape Town 21 House of Parliament in Cape Town 22 A Pretty Suburb of Cape Town 31 Hon. W. P. Schreiner 32 Sir Alfred Milner 32 Soldiers' Monument 33 A Queen's Memorial 34 Pietermaritzburg, Capital of Natal 43 Chief Teteluki, Natal 44 Sir W. Hely Hutchinson 53 Conyngham Greene, C. B 53 Sir J. Gordon Sprigg 53 J. H. Hofmeyer 53 Soldiers' Graves 54 A Pineapple Field 55 Going to Market 56 Boers Outspanned 65 A Traveler's Difficulty 66 Zulu Kraal 83 Zulu Ladies' Reception 84 Dagga Smokers.. 101 A Native Wizard 102 A Zulu Military Review 119 Pago Zulus Defying the Lightning 1 20 A Family Group 137 Inside the House 138 Zulu Warriors.. 155 Zulu Warriors Uncivilized 156 Zulu Warriors Civilized 156 Sifting Gravel for Diamonds 173 DeBeers Compound ^ 174 Chief's Kraal, Zululand 191 Native Kraal ^ 192 Building a Homestead ^...209 Waiting for the Vultures 210 The Tugela River 227 Mica Deposit In a Donga 227 Natives of Amatongaland 228 Olive Schreiner 245 Dr. Jameson «. . .246 Barney Barnato 246 Muster of Town Burghers at Pretoria. .246 Majuba Hill ^ 263 Going to Work 264 Going Home from the Mines 2S1 Diamond Field Claims in 1869 282 Ostrich Farming 282 Native Miners.... 299 Native Compound 300 Old Workings — Kimberley Diamond Mines 317 Durban— Main Street 318 19 20 LIST or ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Durban— Road to Berea 318 Charging the Boers' Laager 335 The Middle Mugan River— Natal 335 A Street in Johannesburg 336 Civil Prisoners Entering Pretoria 353 General View of Johannesburg 354 Gold Mines at Johannesburg 371 Wrecking an Armored Train 372 The Charge of the Lancers 389 A Boer Scout ^ 390 Wounded Boer Prisoners 407 A Warm Day at Ladysmlth ^ 408 Front Door of Mr. Rhodes' House 425 Mr. Rhodes' Library 426 The Home of Cecil Rhodes 443 Mr. Rhodes' Farm 444 General Tan Koch's State Funeral 461 Pretoria Commando Leaving for Ser- vice 462 General Joubert Ready for War 479 General Joubert Ready for the Plat- form 479 Dr. Leyds ^ 480 General Plet Cronje 480 President Steyn 480 Lord Roberta Face 528 General Kitchener...... " i28 Pago General White Face 529 General Buller '* 529 Gen. Sir A. Hunter " 544 Gen. Sir Cornelius F. Clery " 544 Maj-Gen. Sir Wm. Gatacre " 544 Lt.-Gen. Sir F. W. B. Forestier Walker " 544 General Methuen " 545 Col. Baden-Powell " 546 Lt,-Col. Otter and* Officers " 669 Lady Mlnto " 661 Lt.-Col. Otter " 561 Highlanders " 576 The First Canadian Contingent in Street Parade " 577 Group of Canadian Officers^ " 692 PMrst Canadian Contingent at Toronto " 593 Group of Artillery Officers " 608 Farewell Manitoba " 609 Boers in the Trenches " 624 General Warren " 615 General French " 625 A Wagon Breakdown " 625 The Battle of Spion Kop " 640 Hauling the Guna Up Coles Kop. . " 641 J 544 545 545 66» 561 561 576 '• 693 « 608 « 609 " 624 " 61 5 " 625 " 625 " 640 . '• 641 e '^w rt - ^K •ta' -'oB >« '^^B -a 'S « i s ii / BOOK I. The History of South Africa. PART I. GENERAL SKETCH OF THE STATES AND RACES OF SOUTH AFRICA. CHAPTER 1. THE GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF SOUTH AFRICA. SOUTH AFRICA, or, as it has been sometimes called, Austral Africa, is the term given to that portion of the continent of Africa which lies south of the Zambesi River, on the eastern coast, and a point at or about the port of St. Paul de Loanda on the western coast. The whole region is roughly shaped like a triangle, with the apex point- ing south and somewhat blunted. One of the most remarkable things about South Africa is the monotony of its coast-line which affords very few safe harbors, and no rivers that are navigable for any distance inland. This fact has undoubtedly much to do with the slow develop- ment of this region, for travelers and explorers have been compelled to make their land journey from the very coast by ox wagons. Until within a few years only three or four ports have been much used, and from these ports nearly all the development of the entire region has taken place. It is true that on the west side there is one fine harbor, known as Walfisch Bay. This bay and a portion of the land round it, consisting of about 800 square miles, was nearly twenty years ago proclaimed as British territory and annexed to the Cape Colony. But, while the harbor is good, it is as yet practically valueless on account of the dreary nature of the country lying behind it. For many, many miles it consists s 23 24 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF SOUTH AFRICA. exclusively of barren hills and sandy plains, with only here and there a small oasis or a river channel which contains water only after the fall of rain. Some day it may be that this harbor wil' be of great value, when a railway, which waf proposed more than ten y ars ago, runs from this point across the desert into Bechuanaland. The next break in the coastline is found at the mouth of the Orange River. While this is the largest river in South Africa the estuary is barred by sandy banks and thereby rendered useless for shipping. Fifty miles further south is Port Nolloth, a small harbor from which cargoes of copper found in Naiuaqualand are shipped to Europe. Thence we come to St. Helena Bay, which is 30 miles across, but as yet con- nected with no inland industry and therefore of no importance, and Saldanha Bay, which, while a line natural harbor and the best on this coast, is also rendered valueless by being far removed from any town or sources of production. At the extreme southwest corner we come upon Cape Agulhas; from that it is but a short run to Table Bay, on which Cape Town is placed, and False Bay. The former has been made comparatively safe for shipping by means of breakwaters, but with a northwest wind the anchorage is still precarious. The much larger bay, known as False Bay, contains within it a still smaller one known as Simons Bay, which is thoroughly well protected and has been for many years the Imperial naval station. It is of the utmost value to the British Empire alike for its safety and its importance as a coaling station. The southern coast has only a few small indentations and useless fiver mouths. The harbor at the outlet of the Knysna River is available for small ships, which must find their way over a double bar ere th jy can reach security. At the southeast corner of the continent lies the well known Algoa Bay, which is 35 miles across from point to point. On this bay stands the prosperous town of Port Elizabeth, which is the chief shipping place for the entire eastern province of Cape Colony and has in recent years run a race with Cape Town for commercial leader- ship In South Africa. It has the advantage of being the central landing place for Cape Colony, lying as it does about midway between Cape Town and Durban. It is now connected by railway with the important regions north and northwest and proposals are made for a railway along / GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF SOU.f AFRICA. { 25 tho coast which will Htill further add to its prosperity by encouraging IriduRtrics in regions hitherto practically isolated from the commercial world. Algoa Bay, while now somewhat improved, used to be a n"^st dangerous anchorage owing to its exposure to the terrific force of the southeast winds. Storms from this direction have sometimes in a single night thrown many vessels upon the shore. Beyond this point we have Poll; Alfred, at the mouth of the Kowie River, and having trade con- nections with the Graharastown district. Beyond that again we reach East London, the third seaport in Cape Colony. The sandy bar at the mouth of the Buffalo River has been, with considerable enterprise, dredged and the channel deepened to allow vessels of a considerable size to reach the harbor. It is connected with Queenstown by a railway, which thence passes on through the Orange Free State and thus reaches the Ti'ansvaal. The land journey from this point to the gold fields is much shorter than either from Port Elizabeth or Cape Town. Passing Port St. John at the mouth of the Umzimvub'i River we come to the coast line of the important colony of Natal. Natal has only one harbor of importance, formerly known as Port Natal, but for many years as Durban. The bay is shallow throughout, with an area of 7 or 8 square miles. It has been well dredged and the entrance has been nar- rowed by means of breakwaters so as to measure only about a quarter of a mile across. On the south side of the entrance is the bluff, over 200 feet high. The town itself is the largest in this colony and is situated on the north side of the bay. It is overlooked by the beautiful Berea Hill, on whose slopes are built most handsome and picturesque residences. The name is derived from a mission station which in former days was situated here. Beyond this the only important break consists in the straDut, though there was no water in sight, it does not derogate from its value as farm land. The plateau of Persia is a naked desert compared to it, and yet Persia possesses eight millions of people, and at one time contained double that number. The prairies of Nebraska, of Colorado, and Kansas are inferior in appearance, and I have seen them in their uninhabited state, but they are to-day remarkable for the growth of their many cities and their magnificent farming estates. All that is wanted to render Bechuanaland a desirable colony is water, so that every farm might draw irrigating supplies from reservoirs along these numerous water- courses. For Nature has so disposed the land that anyone with ob- servant eyes may see with what little trouble water could be converted into rich green pastures and fields bearing weighty grain crops. The track of the railway runs over these broad, almost level, valleys, hemmed in by masses of elevated land which have been broken up by ages of torrential rains, and whose soils have been swept by the floods over the valleys, naturally leaving the bases of the mountains higher than the central depression. If a Persian colonist came here he would say: *How admirable for my purpose. I shall begin my draining ditches or canauts from the bases of those hills and train them down towards the lower parts of these valleys, by which time I shall have as many constant and regular running streams as I have ditches, and my flocks and herds and fields shall have abundance of the necessary element.' A thousand of such Persians would create thus a central stream with the surplus water flowing along the valley, and its borders would become one continuous grove. As the Persians would do, the English colonists whose luck it may be to come to this land may also do, and enrich themselves faster than by laboring at gold-mining. 30 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF SOUTH AFRICA. "These dry river-beds, now filled with sand, need only to have stone dams built across, every few hundred yards, to provide any number of reservoirs. They have been formed by rushing torrents which have fur- rowed the lowlands down to the bed rock, and the depth and breadth of the river courses show us what mighty supplies of water are wasted every year. As the torrents slackened their flow, they deposited their sediment, and finally filtered through underneath until no water was visible, but by digging down about two feet it is found in liberal quanti- ties, cool and sweet." One of the remarkable features of south central Africa is its destitu- tion of trees. Through great tracts of the country the forests are sparse and the individual trees small and scrubby. Thorn trees abound, but these are usually somewhat short and possess little beauty of form or color. There are many wild fruit trees and it is possible that from some of these may be developed new and luscious contributions to the break- fast tables of the world in years to come. In some districts, as for example at Shoshong, the former capital of the Bamangwato tribe, it is known that long ago trees abounded where now few are to be seen. The fact is that they have been destroyed by the native tribes themselves who needed them for building their huts as well as for fire-wood. A great change has been wrought in such formerly treeless districts as Johannesburg and Kimberley by the planting of suitable trees and shrubs, and careful watering of them. Beautiful parks and shady ave- nues are now seen where all was sandy, stony and desolate twenty years ago. This of course has been facilitated by the fortunate introduction of the blue gum tree (Eucalyptus) from Australia. This tree has evi- dently taken to South Africa in a most lively and happy manner. It grows rapidly, throwing a fine shade, and has done more than any other plant to make unlovely places cool and beautiful. The climate of the country of course varies from the coast belt where, in many parts, malaria is frequent, to the intense heat of the sultry in- land valleys; but by far the larger part of South Africa is high and dry. The result is that on the whole the climate is one of the most healthy in the world and eminently suitable for European colonization. Sun-stroke is unusual although the direct rays of the sun can be very fierce, espe- cially in those parts that are within the tropics. Europeans, however, SOLDIERS' MONUMENT TEis monument was erected at Pietermaritzburg, in Natal, in memory of the Natal colonial roldlers who fell Id the horrible massacre of Isandhlwana during the Zulu war. Jt; F ■'*. ■ -;t ./.I , ■•>-.•■■> i < A QUEEN'S MEMORIAL The Inscription on this plain cross In far-off Zululand tells Its own story. ■fif I CHIEF TETELUKI— NATAL Not a Bird of Paradise — a Zulu warrior— the professional rapine and slaughter maker of South Africa. ■ .- , I f -?■;• GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 35 neither on first going nor in the third or fourth generation show any sign of lassitude or loss of energy. They are big, robust, active and alert men and women. Many parts of South Africa will become famous as health resorts, especially for those who suffer from chest complaints in more northerly regions. This salubrity of the country is due of course to the dryness of the atmosphere, to the height of the plateau land above sea level, which renders heat less trying and the air more invigorating than would otherwise be the case in that latitude. There is a danger encoun- tered by newcomers which arises from the fact that at nightfall, as soon as the sun has set, a sudden coolness penetrates the air. In the winter season the contrast between the heat at noonday and the often very intense cold at midnight is most remarkable. This requires the exercise of care and prudence on the part of all at night time. Many of the native tribes suffer greatly from pulmonary complaints through the use of in- sufficient covering during sleep at night. But where this alternation between heat and cold is prudently prepared for it rather adds to the exhilaration of the system, the cold night doing much to refresh the wearied frame to endure the heat of the ensuing day. The deadly pest of malarial fever has been already referred to as I)revalent especially in the tropical coast belt, but inland it is to be found in some parts, especially in the northeastern Transvaal. In fact, the early Boer settlers were driven back from some portions of the Re- public rather by the attacks of fever than of natives. Pretoria, which lies in a well watered area among the hills, is said to suffer considerably during the wet season from malaria, but Johannesburg, which is only forty miles off, has no fever at all, as it lies on the top of a dry, stony ridge. Far up in the north the fever is found as you reach the valley of the Zambesi, but in Matebeleland, much of which is 4,000 feet above the sea, it is practically unknown. In the matter of climate one of the most remarkable portions of South Africa is that known as the Karroo, which was formerly described as a desert and was the terror of travellers by wagon who were hasten- ing from Cape Town northwards to Bechuanaland. It is a vast prairie country between the second and third ranges of hills from the coaSt. Scarcely a tree or shrub is seen on its wide extent; it is covered by a strong, wiry looking grass which, unpromising as it seems, has proved to I. 86 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE OF SOUTH AFRICA. be full of succulence and makes the Karroo one of the finest stock rais- ing districts in the world. Sir Henry M. Stanley describes the air of the Karroo as strangely appetizing. Mr. Bryce says: "The brilliancy of the air, the warmth of the days, and the coolness of the nights remind one ivho traverses the Karroo of the deserts of western America between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas, although the soil is much less alkaline, and the so-called 'sage-brush' plants characteristic of an alka- line district, are mostly absent." And again he says: "In a landscape so arid one hears with surprise that the land is worth ten shillings (about |2.50) an acre, for one or two of the smaller shrubs give food for sheep, and there are flowers scattered about sufficient for the flocks. The farms are large, usually of at least 6,000 acres, so one seldom sees a farm house. The farmers are all of Boer stock. ... At Matjesfontein, an enter- prising Scotchman has built a hotel and a number of smaller villas to serve as a health resort ; has dug wells and planted Australian gums for shade, making a little oasis in the desert." This entire territory of South Africa is divided between three Euro- pean countries. Germany now owns since the year 1884 the regions on the west coast known as Namaqualand and Damaraland. On the far northeast a strip on the coast has hitherto belonged to Portugal. The remainder has been developed under the influences of the British Em- pire, and the war of 1899-1900 has for one of its main objects to deter- mine how those influences henceforth are to be exercised and what they are to secure. Cape Colony occupies the southern portion, with the Orange River for its northern boundary, while South Bechuanaland has since 1890 been annexed to it. The area of Cape Colony is 276,551 square miles. In the east we have the colony of Natal with 20,461 square miles. The native territories under the Imperial Government consist of Zulu- land and Amatongaland with 15,000 square miles altogether, Basuto- land with 10,293 square miles, North Bechuanaland with about 200,000 square miles. In addition to these we have Southern Rhodesia, which is administered by the South Africa Chartered Company and whose area is about 210,000 square miles. Besides these we have the two independ- ent states mainly ruled by Europeans of Dutch descent, namely, the South African Republic (the Transvaal) with 114,000 square miles and the Orange Free State with 48,000 square miles. / CHAPTER II. THE DUTCH OCCUPATION. 1650-1806. SOUTH AFRICA became known to Europeans in the year 1486, when Diaz, the famous explorer from Portugal, discovered the headland at the southwest corner of the continent. Here he encountered such terrific storms that he called it "Cape of Storms." It was his king who, disliking the name and foreseeing, perhaps, the benefits which this discovery might bring, called it "Cape of Good Hope." Some years later another famous Portuguese sailor sailed right round the southern end of the continent, found his way up the east coast and thence to India. This voyage opened up the great trade route which henceforth was taken every year by fleets of me -chant vessels plying between Europe and the East Indies. The Cape, ap t came to be called, did not seem inviting in itself to any of those who passed its shores. They stopped there only to obtain fresh water and to rest their sailors on land for a few days ere starting out on the weeks of sea life which yet lay between them and their destination in either direction. About the same time the English and the Dutch East India Companies thought of placing some kind of a fort on this southern point and making it a regular port of call in that region. Accordingly, in 1620, two ships, belonging to the English company, did actually run up the English flag and took formal possession. When this action was reported to the English government, they disapproved of it and no further steps were taken to carry out the policy of the great East India Company. This is the first of many instances which we shall note in the course of our story, in which Great Britain first took a step and then withdrew it in her dealings with South Africa. The habit became so confirmed that an African chief, a few years ago, called the British government "The government that is always going away." But, to return. In 1652 the first permanent settlement was made by the Dutch East India Company, with the full consent of their Govern- 37 i 38 THE DUTCH OCCUPATION, 1630-1806. ment. The crew of a ship which had been wrecked had spent Bomc months on the very spot where Cape Town now stands; they liad planted a few seeds, had found the climate pleasant, the soil productive, and some of them reported their happy experiences to the authorities in their homeland. A number of people, amongst whom were a very few wouK.'n, were accordingly sent out under Jan van Riebeck to establish a hospital for sick sailors, to cultivate gardens for the supply of ships with fresh food, to barter with the natives for cattle and to build a fort for their own protection. They were not considered as colonists in the ordinary sense; they were all servants of the East India Company, living there in order to facilitate the movements of their great merchant fleets. It was found necessary, however, at a later date, to have the land in the immediate neighborhood of the fort parcelled out into farms and to give these over to colonists of another type. Towards the end of the seven- teenth century the number of these colonists was very largely re- enforced by the arrival of French and Swiss Protestants, who, having fled from persecution in their own countries to Holland, were sent out, with thtir own consent, to the Cape. These new arrivals added elements of the greatest value to the little Dutch community. To them is traced the beginning of that grape culture, for which Cape Town has since become so famous. These French families became gradually absorbed. They were forced to give up their language for Dutch and soon lost all direct relationship with their own country. At first these European settlers came into contact with the natives of South Africa in the trading of cattle and sheep. As their numbers increased, they gradually occupied lands which the natives had used for the pasture of their cattle, and over this land question the first quarrels arose. To begin with, the Dutch sought to buy the lands. At a later date they gave up this formality and formed the habit of seizing what they wanted for their farms. At a still later date they even went the length of employing the former owners of the soil as their slaves in its cultivation. The slave movement was, most unfortunately, stim- ulated by the introduction of negro slaves from the west coast. It must not be imagined that the early Dutch governors of South Africa found it an easy task to administer their singular dominion. To begin with, some of the governors themselves were self-seeking and # THE DUTCH OCCUPATION, 1650-1806. UDHcrupulouH men. They were apt to break the rules of their ofllee by attempting to make their own fortunew. This brought them into com- petition of a commercial kind with the very people over whose interests they were supposed to rule. Further, they fell into the blunder of im- posing heavy rates of taxation, which created great and increasing impatience. These, and other such circumstances, induced many of the farmers, or Boers as they were called, to move farther away from the seat of authority and tyranny. They passed northwards and east- wards, occupying all the desirable lands, often encounteiing the natives in warfare and enduring great hardships. But they found it not easy to isolate themselves and become sovereigns of their own domain. The Dutch governors followed them over mountain ranges and across large rivers into their distant homes and insisted on treating them either as citizens still responsible to the Dutch government, or as rebels liable to the severest punishment. The life which these distant settlers lived was by no means unen- joyable. The climate is extremely healthy. Their habits of life were simple and regular. They performed their journeys, drawn slowly at the rate of fifteen or twenty miles a day, by long teams of oxen. They built their li'tle hoose, tilled their patch of land, looked after their ever-increasing herds, fought off any of the natives who threatened to be troublesome, paid their rare visits — once or twice a year — to the nearest church for the celebration of the "nachtmaal" or holy com- munion. Nevertheless, the life was by no means elevating, for as they spread northwards they became less and less of an agricultural, more and more of a pastoral people. Their farms became larger until no one was contented with less than three miles square; they came to relish manual labor less and less and depended wholly upon the inefficient service of ignorant natives. They formed no large towns which they could visit and where something of civilization could lay hold of them; they learned to love hunting and traveling, and the mere independence of their isolated life. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, three or four European countries were engaged in a mighty struggle iov the control and the development of large portions of the world. It was being determined whether France, or Holland, or England should lead the destinies of 10 THE DUTCH OCCUPATION, 1650-1806. vast regions through the nineteenth century. It was impossibl*^ that the importance of the Cape should remain unnoticed by these fierce con- testants, and hence we find that the South African colony changed hands several times with the changing fortunes of war in Europe. The European nations were contesting for supremacy in the East and the Cape route was the only one available; it was therefore important to determine whether France, Britain or Holland should own the Cape Colony. From 1795 to 1802 it was held by Britain and was then restored by treaty to Holland. But in 1806, when Napoleon was crush- ing Europe, Britain felt compelled to keep the Cape from his grasp. It was not then formally annexed by the British Government, which looked forward to the possibility of restoring it to its former owners at the conclusion of the war. In the meantime two Governors were" sent out successively from London who acted with great wisdom, and on the whole succeeded in allaying the first intensity of bitterness felt by the Dutch colonists at being conquered and made subject to a foreign power. In 1814, when she had finally overwhelmed Napoleon, Great Britain had many treaties to make. She had saved Europe at infinite cost to herself, and was entangled in many complicated rela- tions as a consequence. At the treaty of London, accordingly, provision was made with Holland for the purchase by Great Britain of certain Dutch colonies, including the Cape Colony. For these Great Britain paid the ^um of £6,000,000 (about $30,000,000), the interest on which was more even at that time than these colonies could possibly have paid in cash to the purchasers. The history of the Dutch occupation of South Africa legally ended in that year and the history of British supremacy in that region began its curiously uncertain and perplexing course. CHAPTER III. THE COLONY OF NATAL. AB0X31 two years after the Great Trek out of Cape Colony some of its leaders discovered the pleasant land of Natal. T \y crossed under a brave and able man, Mr. Pieter Retief, over t e i>raken»- berg Mountains, and found themselves in the region of the Tugela River. This region was supposed by the Boers to be entirely new to Europeans except along the coast line. But at Port Natal, the name of the harbor where Durban now stands, a few enterprising Englishmen had for a number of years been settled. In 1825 one of them, a British officer, had already obtained a concession from the Zulus covering a lar^^e part of that territory. This concession is ignored by all the pro-Boer historians. These Englishmen petitioned in vain to the British Gov- ernment for the formal annexation of their region and their own pro- tection by British power. They, from the first, resented the idea of being united with, or considered as a part of. Cape Colony, and wished to have a new history and a country of their own. When the Boers arrived in Natal they found that the splendid coun- try from the Tugela River southwards to that which now is called St. John's River had been almost entirely denuded of native inhabitants by the ruthless wars of a Zulu tribe. This was the tribe which had been so marvelously organized into an irresistible army by the great chief, Chaka. He had been succeeded by his brother Bingaan, whose capital was situated in a valley north of the Tugela River. The town consisted of a vast circle of huts surrounding a central open space or kraal ; this was the spot where his regiments were drilled and reviewed ere they engaged in their vast feasts of beef and beer and engaged in their weird and terrible war dances. When Retief found that Dingaan was the most powerful man in that country he resolved at once to get into as friendly relations with him as possible. It was his aim to obtain the formation of a treaty by which Dingaan as an independent ruler should grant to him and his Boer followers a large slice of territory. There thrv 41 42 THE COLONY OF NATAL. h± If 1*^ ' li *> it r: Loped to be £»ble to settle in a region over which the British Government had as yet established no authority, and where the Boers might hope at last to erect an independent republic of their own. Retief was received by the chief with every sign of good-will and a large territory was offered to him on condition of his compelling a distant chief to repay some thousands of cattle which he had taken from Dingaan. This con- dition Ketief fulfilled., and, returning with the cattle, he b ought also from the Orange Free State, we are told, nearly 1,000 wagons containing the families and movable property of those who hoped, under his leader- ship, to establish the new state. When they descended upon the region which they expected to make their home, Retie^ went with some 50 Boers and about 40 black men to make their final agreement with Dingaan. T'^o chief received them as before, displayed his warriors and hell •./.■;■ dances, and then with foul treachery, at a moment when the Boer party were collected before him without their arms, he shouted to the dancing warriors, "Kill the wizards," and not one of Retief s entire party was allowed to escape. Swift as a thunderbolt Dingaan hurled his army upon the encampments of Boers. The first was reached at a place of sor- row, ever after named Weenen (place of weeping). Here they surprised a party of 41 white men, 56 white women and their children to the num- ber of 185, besides more than 200 black servants, and put everyone to death except one young man, who hastily rode to the other encampments and vvarned them of their danger. In the year '38 the various companies united under a powerful lead3r called Andries Pretorius, and under him they succeeded at last in crushing Dingaan's power. But several most fierce and terrific battles were necessary ere this was accomplished. The Englishmen at Port Natal also assisted. With more than 1,000 na- tives, they attacked Dingaan. After fighting for many hours they were overwhelmed by thousands of Zulus and only four Englishmen and some hundreds of blacks escaped, having rushed through the Tugela River. The most memorable day of battle was the 16th of December, 1838, when about 450 Boers met many thousands of Zulus, defeating and scat- tering the very flower of Chaka's army. This day has ever since by the Boers of the Transvaal been celebrated as Dingaan's Day, with religious worship and solemn rejoicing. lu memory of their victory they also 1 ■ I IWipf'M or u 5 If) 9 Id h . ■"■ 4G THE COLONY OF NATAL. [ \' That principle in its humbling application by British Governors had driven them from Cape Colony, and the prospect of its application drove them from Natal. One of the chief reasons given for the assertion of British authority in that region was the protection of the rights of native tribes, and three conditions were announced as necessary to be observed by all who would settle there as subjects of the Queen. First, there should not be in the eyes of the law any discrimination founded upon distinction of color or language or creed. Second, no attacks should be made by private persons or bodies of men upon natives residing beyond the limits of the colony without direct authority of the Government. And, thirdly, slavery in any form and under any name must be consid- ered as unlawful within the Queen's dominions. It was in 1842 that Port Natal was taken; in 1845 it was constituted a Colony. Between these years various parties of the Boers crossed the Drakensberg Mountains and settled in various parts of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. In 1856 Natal was granted a still larger measure of self-government, the affairs of the colony being managed by a council consisting partly of representatives chosen by the white inhab- itants and partly of officials appointed by the Crown. One of the imme- diate results of the British occupation and government was that the de- populated country became a haven for tribes and remnants of tribes, and vast numbers of individuals who had for years been practically without homes. As they flocked into the country, locations were assigned them. Now the population is estimated at between 400,000 and 500,000 natives. Many of these live under tribal laws and have been hardly touched by either Christianity or civilization. They are increasing with enormous rapidity and the wisest statesmen in Natal look forward with anxiety to the problem which they will present in a few years to that Government. Natal, with its warm climate, its rich soil, its abundant rivers, yields many most valuable products, but these can only be grown by means of native labor. Inasmuch as the African natives are lazy beyond com- pare, the enterprising Natal Europeans hit upon the idea of importing coolies from the East. Many thousands have been brought-from India, of whom it was thought that they would all return to their homes, but most of them find Natal as good a place to die in as India; and there they remain. As they were British subjects before coming to Natal their / THE COLONY OF NATAL. 47 presence there has constituted a distinct and serious problem for colon- ial politicians. Like the Cape Colony it is a self-governing colony, complete self- ernment having been granted in 1893. The Legislature consists of 8 THE ORANGE FREE STATE. relatioAS, and through the knowledge that the end of their independence will render insignificant pur o\y^n eitistence as an independent nation, and that their fate, should they have to fall before an overwhelming force, .will involve U9, too, in a short time. , , "Solemn treaties have, been of no avail to our sister Republic against annexation, against cqnspiracj^, ,a^^in^t claiipso^ a .suzerainty no longer existing, against 'ons^tant oppression, and me<^dling with their affairs, and jaqyk^ jsg^in^t ^ p^peaied attack; the s(^le object of which is their i*uiOf" ■ f . . . . > M Then follovs. a ; statement of the- grievances which the Orange Free State feela- itself to have a?eoelved) from the British! Government in the early days of the Basuto quarrels. Thr^s-lead» And the manifesto, concludes as follows: (i -.,■., -.r!, ii, ,(.,,-, ,,.,;ii .. r , .-,,1 ,•„;;.;„;, i.,.,. ) '• n :. s I tt "On their heads be the blood, and may an bquitable Providence pun- ish those who deserve it by their acts. "Burghers of th^ Orange Free State! Uise to a man against the op- THE ORANGE FREE STATE. dd pressor and violator of justice. Let none of your deeds in the war, to which we are forced now, be such as would not beseem a Christian and burgher of the Orange Free State. "Let us trust for a favorable end to this war, relying upon the aid of Him without whose assistance human arms are of no avail whatever. May He bless our arms. Under His banner we go to the war for Liberty and for Fatherland. "These passed under my hand and the Grand Seal of the Orange Free State at Bloemfontein. (Signed) M.T. Steyn, "State's President" \-,; CHAPTER V. ZULULAND. THIS name is given to a narrow strip of territory which lies ol the northern borders of Natal between the southeastern border of the Transvaal and the sea coast. It runs north until it borders with Tongaland, a small territory which again borders with the Portuguese territory. The general geographical features of Zululand are much the same as those of Natal. The name is derived from the race which inhabits it, and they derive their name Zulu, according to some authorities, from one of their early chiefs whose name was Zulu. As the Zulus have, more than any other South African race except the Basutos, made history in South Africa, it is worth while to describe them and their political relations and influences during this century. The remarkable and unique thoroughness of their organization as a military tribe has been traced back to one man, Dingiswayo, the chief of another tribe. This man belonged to the Tetwa tribe and was an exile in Cape Colony during the years 1793-1799. There he closeiy observed the military drill of the Dutch soldiers and noticed how their thorough discipline gave them enormous power when fighting against much larger forces of undrilled and undisciplined native opponents. When he re- turned to his own people it was with the resolve to adapt to their posi- tion and weapons the ideas of drill and discipline which he had imbibed. While he was- thus perfecting the organization of his tribe there came to him a young man, a refugee from the Zulus, who lived north of the Tugela River. This young man, Chaka by name, born about the year 1787, had fled with his mother from the anger of his father, the chief of the Zulus. He lived with Dingiswayo and under his instruction learned the principles which that leader was applying to the development of his people. When Chaka's father died the young man at once returned to his own tribe, seized the kingship aiid on receiving a poriion of the Tetwa tribe, who had become attached to him and resolved to become 70 ■nu ft -•*, ZULU LAND. 71 members of his tribe, set himself with their aid to apply to the Zulus the principles of military organization and warfare which he had learned from Dingiswayo. Being a man of extraordinary vigor and organizing genius, and bent upon the extension of the power of his people over as vast a region as possible, and having adopted certain plans which stead- ily increased his power, Chaka very speedily made himself a name of terror almost throughout South Africa. One of the fundamental rules of his kingship was not to leave the people whom he conquered to enjoy their independence, nor utterly to destroy them, but as thoroughly as possible to incorporate them with his own tribe. In many instances this necessitated the killing of all the adults and the absorption only of the young. In some cases, especially 'in the earlier period of his history, whole tribes were sometimes thus incorporated where the adults were willing to come completely under his sway, and were likely to prove eflS- cient Avarriors. It was from his kingdom that there went out one day a young officer, Moselekatse, who crossed the Drakensberg Mountains with some of Chaka's regiments, and finding that these regiments had formed a deep devotion to himself, resolved not to return to Chaka, but to set up a Zulu kingdom for himself. It was Moselekatse who depopulated such a large portion of the Transvaal and then, partly as the result of the Boer in- vasion, moved northwards beyond the Limpopo River till he settled in the region called Matebeleland. Of him and his tribe we speak else- where, but as the organization was practically identical with that of Chaka's it may be best to take from the pages of a competent observer the following description of a Zulu chief and his relations to his tribe: "Zulu society may be said to exist for the chief. His claims are su- preme and unquestioned. To him belongs every person and everything in the country. The droves of cattle which you meet in every part of the country belong to the chief; and if one dies he is informed of it. The herd-boy who follows the cattle, and his master who lives in the adjoin- ing town, belong alike to the chief. The troops of girls who rush out from every Zulu town to see tLe passing wagons belong all of them to the chief; the immensely fat women who slowly follow are introduced to the traveler as the wives of Moselekatse. The chiefs officers or head men may indeed possess private property; but the chief has only to raise 72 ZULU LAND. Ill bis finger and their goods are confiscated and they themselves put to death. "The head men lead perhaps the most wretched lives under this wretched government. The private soldier has little in possession or enjoyment, but he has also little care. The oflQcer, on the other hand, knows that jealous eyes are upon him. His equals in rank and station covet his possessions, and regard the favors which he receives from the chief as so much personal loss to themselves. Therefore the head men are continually plotting and counter-plotting against one another. *We never know,* whispered one of them to me, having first looked carefully around to see if we were quite alone, 'we never know when we enter our bouse at night if we shall again look upon the light of the sun.' As a matter of fact such men seldom fall asleep sober, they every night call in the aid of boyala (beer) to deepen their slumbers. One day a small wiry man was introduced to me at Inyate by one of the missionaries. He was asked where he had been the night before, and with a smile mentioned the name of a certain village. This person had sharp, restless eyes, the thinnest Itps I had seen among natives; his- mouth was wide, and his teeth large and wide. I was told after he left that this was one of the chiefs executioners; and from the frequency of his domiciliary visits he was called by the Matebele 'the chiefs knife.' I thought his face befitted his office. Waiting in the neighborhood till his victim has drunk the last cup of beer, he gives him time to fall into that stupor of sleep and drunkenness out of which he is never to awake. The chiefs knife has his assistants, who are in readiness to *mak siccar* any bloody work; for Moselekatse could not carry on his paternal administration with only one 'knife.' According to the testimony of one of the missionaries, it is nothing for him to send in one night four or five different parties of ven- geance, to hurry the inhabitants of four or five different villages into eternity. . . . "The captives taken in their raids grow up in the service of their captors, or of those to whom they sell them within the tribe. They herd cattle in time of peace; they carry the impedimenta of the soldier when he goes to war. At home they practice fighting and running with the boys of their own age; in the field they are familiarized with deeds of blood. Their physical frame thus becomes more fully developed than if ZULULAND. tS they had grown up in their own iiiitvaW'ike a;iid ill-fedf ttibe^. T liiiVd seen children of Bushmen among the Matebele whose personal appeili'- ance formed a perfect contrast to th'dr ill-favored i*elaiiveb iWthfe dMert. As the captive boys grow older' they- bec6m6 impati^rit of the Pe^Miilt^ of their position, and laying thbir hiBfiids tog^lhel*, kll living iii A'd^ttkiti town march off in a body to the chief fe ^u^rtets and f)reselit thielf tJ^ti- tion to Moselekatse : * We are ni^h, 6' King ; We ai*e' no Idng^t* boyfe'; gi'Ve us cattle to herd and to defend.' If' the chi^f atpjitoves df theii* p^etitfon', h'<^ drives out a few cows as their heMj dhd giv^s these "boys in char^^ '6f ia'ii experienced soldier, with some a^^i^tkhts, Who, in the new t()#h' 6^ bar'- racks which they erect, proceed t6 ti'^itf tlieM as Ifatebfele^oldiers. This is called to 'bota.' It is in this way thaft' tlie' Itfatebdb arhiy i^ supplii^d with men. ''' '" '"' " ' '"' '' ' '' " '""' ' ' " ' "The new military town or regim^tit l'^ called by th^'skttie'nitne'a^ the one in which they lived as captiWbdys:' '"Wheh th^y jgd to Wat^tlbW it is as a company of that regiment. Biit th^y'ate tto'lbhger b'ag^A^e-cat*- riers; they bear their own weapon^ how like tbeli'foriiier irtasters. Should they succeed in killing and taking cajitive, they at ohc^ddcutiy the position of their former owners, ahd ohi'd Second War have theii*'bdy to carry their food and water. Should they not succi^ed ill killing matij woman or little child, their position is still bhe o^ di«i(h6h6t. They' ki-fe not men. If at the camp fire they sitlh the piresehtef of cohfitadds "whose spears have drunk blood, the 'latter ^ill sbnietime^ show c^iiteiipt fb'i' them by rubbing their port'ioii of beai in the sand, and theti tHroWing it to them as to a dog. There iS therefoj-e evfel-y pdssibi^ induc'^itieht'to 'Ani- mate the youth to shed bl6od Si)^dily. On thdr 1*6111^ jbuth'^y ftbiii a successful raid the da'^tlves are dtiririgthe night tied tbthfeif c^titbr^, ot to trees,' to prevent their escape, fehould a cdptfve fail oh th'^ iharcli aftfer hib liiaster is iired ui^gin^ him forward, he' stabs hith ahd leaves his body Ih the path. The Matebele Soldier^town has nothing doriiestic kbbut it ; it is hot a toWh, bht barracks. Thi^ Voice df the infant, the sdhg of th6 ihbther, are aiuidst uhknoWh thete. Ohiy after sotne signal 'setV- ic^ does the chief bestoW, a^ a ^eat reward to tiie soldier, a dkptiVe giW tb' be 'hib Wife, who has no ehbic^ in the mdtter, btit' is delivered td h^^ hewdw'her as ah ox is givi^n id another hiain, Wlidse' deeds have been idsS :1 I 111; ■lit .! n t i: ' 1 N :il 74 ZULU LAND. meritorious." ("Ten Years North of the Orange River," by John Macken- zie.) The result of this policy is of course that the Zulu people are now an exceedingly mixed race. Accordingly, it is impossible to describe their appearance in any adequate manner. The original Zulu seems to have been of a reddish copper color and not to have possessed the flat nose and the very thick lips of the negro and some other Bantu tribes. Accord- ingly in Zululand there are to be found those who possess the basal char- acteristics of the tribe, and those also who are of a jet black color, with woolly hair, very large mouth, very thick lips and very flat nose. Like all South African tribes the land under the Zulu ownership be- longs not to the individual absolutely, but to the tribe as such, and every man who desires a location on which to build his kraal must go to the chief and receive from him the spot which henceforth he is to use. He cannot sell it; he has it simply for himself by permission of the chief. Hence it is that some have held all actual deeds of sale which Europeans have alleged as having been transacted between themselves and indi- vidual natives, or even between themselves and chiefs of native tribes, to be illegal; since the law of the country has always been that the land is inalienable, and thpt every man occupies his own portion of it at the will of the tribe through the chief. Having received the site of his future residence, the Zulu proceeds first of all to make the kraal or circular pen for his cattle; its size will vary according to his actual wealth or his ambition. Around this he will build his huts for himself and his wives and dependents. Each hut is built of the branches of trees woven together in a cup-shape, and covered over with mud and grass. He shares his hut with whatever fowls he has, and reserves a portion near the low, little eulrance door for his goats and calves. It has never occurred to him to build a separate pen for these. The Zulus are fond of ornament, and deck themselves out with bracelets, necklaces, anklets and other decorations made of copper and beads and whatever other materials are obtainable. Their habits are lazy and sensual. The women work in the gardens, oftentimes carry- ing heavy loads in harvest times as well as their children on their backs, while the men loaf about the kraal, or go out hunting or sally forth on a military expedition. The men care for the cattle and do the milking as ZULULAND. 75 is the custom throughout all the Bantu tribes in South Africa. No woman dare enter the kraal while the cattle are there: no woman dare interfere with the duty of milking the cows. This strange and ancient custom has no reason for it that the modern mind can discover. The Bantu man himself has no better excuse for the strong and binding law than that he is afraid the women will drink the milk. Such a custom as this no doubt had its origin in circumstances, perhaps thousands of years ago, which made it necessary and rational, but which we cannot now discover or describe. The superstitions of the Zulu people are innumerable and have af- forded scope for much investigation by students of comparative religion. They believe in charms of all kinds. They carry charms in the form of bits of wood or bone about their necks, which protect them against all kinds of evil, from the bite of a serpent to the lightning stroke. They believe in the fatality attaching to the movements of certain birds and animals. If a hawk or a turkey buzzard visits their kraal or sits upon the hut, or is caught in a trap, it is an evil portent; it is fatal if a cock crows early in tlie night before people are asleep; if any four-footed ani- mal jumps upon the hut, sickness or death is thereby portended for the dwellers there. The chief Panda reigned nearly thirty years and during his time maintained a remarkable moderation in his dealings, especially with the neighboring tribes. Throughout this period the Zulus counted the colonists of Natal as their friends and maintained an attitude of un- changing hostility to the Boers. The Transvaal Boers had gradually crept down southeastwards from the center of their territory towards Zululand, and entered into various treaties with the Zulus. One treaty of especial importance was made with reference to the use of a consider- able strip of territory which the Boers considered that they had bought outright, but which the Zulus afterwards asserted had only been loaned them for purposes of pasturage. It is said that the Natal people were cruel as well as foolish enough rather to encourage than dissuade the Zulus' hatred of the Boers. This was done for the sake of their own safety. Such an acute observer as Sir Bartle Frere when he came to study the facts at close quarters was amazed on the one hand that Natal had remained free from Zulu aggression, and was grieved also at the 76 ZULU LAND. somewhat selfish attitude which Natal had assumed in relation to the Boers. Panda had two sons who, as soon as they reached manhood, both de- sired the reversion of their father's position and power as king of the Zulus. The inevitable contest resulted in the victory of Cetywayo. When he was about to receive public recognition as the heir it was sug- gested that Mr. Theophilus Shepstone of Natal should be present to recognize him as the successor of Panda. This Mr. Shepstone, the same who afterwards carried through the annexation of the Transvaal, was in many ways a most remarkable man. He had gained great influence over the Zulus. He is described as a silent and self-controlled man, with a very strong and determined will, who curiously combined with these a strong inclination to defer all disagreeable action and to trust that if only a temporizing expedient could be discovered and employed for stav- ing off the practical solution of a hard problem, time would bring that solution to light. He, after some hesitation, agreed to perform this oflBce for Cetywayo. But when he arrived at the Zulu capital it needed all his strength and heroism to face the angry and tumultuous Zulus who surged around him, threatening instant death, indignant at the thought that he, a white man, should exercise the lofty privilege and function of nominating the future king of the Zulus. Panda insisted, his people yielded, and Shepstone who at one moment had been threatened with death, found himself in a little while recognized as the king-maker, and therefore as in a sense an oflficial father of Cetywayo. Henceforth he was known by the latter as Father Somsteu (Father Shepstone). This unique ceremony was completed when in 1873 Panda died, and Shep- stone once more was present in Zululand to install Cetywayo as king of the Zulus. Cetywayo is described by a remarkable Norwegian missionary (Bishop Schreuder) as "an able man, but for cold, selfish pride, cruelty and untruthfulness worse than any of his predecessors. He has a curi- ous lack of gratitude, and will never acknowledge the slightest obliga- tion to anyone." Whereas his father had been of a kindly and merciful disposition, Cetywayo showed himself cruel and ready even to torture those who became the victims of his vengeful wrath. Cruel practices that had been dropping into disuse were revived by him. The numbei* ZULU LAND. 11 of people who were auuually killed in his own country steadily in- cita.scd. lie carried on the horrible p:*actice of "smelling out" alleged criminals; that is he trusted the power of a witch who was often in league with himself, to discover not only actual criminals, but those who in their hearts were plotting crime against the king and tribe. On one occasion the horrible massacre of young women was so atrocious that the Governor of Natal was compelled formally and very earnestly to protest against the deed. The answer which he received from Cety wayo opened the eyes of the British authorities to the new and threatening spirit which Cetywayo was introducing into Zulu policy. He spoke of the matter frankly and openly asserted that it was the custom of his people to kill, that he intended to keep it up. "I do kill," he said, "but I do not consider that I have done anything yet in the way of killing. Why do the white people start at nothing? I have not yet begun ; I have yet to kill; it is the custom of our nation and I shall not depart from it. I shall not agree to any laws or rules from Natal. . . . Have I not asked the English to allow me to wash my spears since the death of my father. Panda, and they have kept playing with me all this time, treat- ing me like a child? Go back and tell the English that I shall now act on my own account. The Governor of Natal and I are equal; he is Gov- ernor of Natal and I am Governor here." About the year 1876 and onwards it became evident to many observ- ers that a far reaching movement was abroad.among the various native tribes in South Africa. The origin of this movement appears to have been in Zululand. They themselves were encouraged when they heard that in the far north the native tribe of Bapedi, under the brave chief Sekukuni, had repelled the Boers and that the Dutch commando had re- turned disgusted as well as defeated to their homes. This helped to con- firm the self-confidence of the Zulus, and the ambition of Cetywayo be- came inflamed to a great heat. But more than by any of these events was Cetywayo rendered suspicious and hostile to the British by their annexation of the Transvaal. Especially was he amazed and embittered by the fact that his own "Father Somsteu" (Shepstone) was now chief of his — Cetywayo's — hereditary foes, the Boers. This fact made it certain to his own mind that the British could no longer be at the same time his friends. 78 ZULULAND. ■ I --^ The dispute with the Boers concerning the strip of land above re- ferred to became acute, and at last in 1878 a commission, appointed by the British Government, attempted to investigate the claims of both parties, and to reach a final and authoritative conclusion. It is said that they declined to consider written documents as legal evidence when those who formed one party to the contract could not read. It is beyond dispute that, in many instances, white men in South Africa have at- tempted to filch land from native chiefs by getting them to agree to a document and to sign it, which, when read aloud in a native translation to the chief, stated one set of conditions, and which, when presented later before a land court or European tribunal of some sort, was found to contain entirely different conditions. Such might easily have been the method employed in this instance, and the commissioners therefore shut out the evidence of documents which Zulus could not read. Hav- ing heard and considered the evidence of both sides, the commissioners decided in favor of the Zulus. Not long aft*" his Sir Bartle Frere, High Commissioner for South Africa, came to Nat. a and among other matters inquired into the findings of this commission. He was disappointed and made up his mind that the Boers had suffered a serious injustice. He attempted to atone in some measure for this injustice by warning Cety- wayo that when land had been occupied so long as this land had been by these European farmers they, although brought under his authority as chief of the country, yet had rights in their homesteads and farms with which he must not interfere. Cetywayo was in no mood to receive advice or dictation from a white man, and he ignored this warning and advice. His soldiers swept into the disputed territory, the farmers fled before them, their homesteads were set ablaze and a fair land became desolate. On several occasions bands of Zulus had pursued the victims of their raids into Natal itself, and there in defiance of local authorities had seized and carried them off to be put to death. Protests against this were made in vain, the chief offered to pay compensation in money, but any further promise was declined. The result of their attitude and of the successes of Sekukuni against the Boers, as well as of the peculiar uncertainty regarding the intentions of Great Britain in relation to the extension of her South African dominions, spread, as we have seen, ZULU LAND. 79 unrest throughout the entire region. The position is briefly sumuiarized as follows: "Col. Lanyon had written in May, from a place on the Orange River, that for 150 miles of his march thither from Kimberley he had found the country deserted and all the farmers in laager, the attitude of natives being insolent, and cattle stealing, accompanied by acts of violence, not uncommon. In Pondoland there was apprehension of trouble with the natives. In the Transvaal discontent was on the in- crease among the Boers; and Sekukuni, who had successfully defied the Boer levies, and was closely allied with Cetywayo, was ready to break out again. . . . There were Cetywayo's unwashed spears, a thunder cloud on the frontier. Everywhere the outlook was stormy." ("Life of Sir Bartle Frere," by J. Martineau.) The main fact which the rulers of southeastern Africa had to con- sider was the mere existence of this great and ever-increasing tribe, its thorough and stern military organization, and its complete sub- jection to the will of a man who showed himself ambitious, self-con- fident, and who manifested the conviction that he could overthrow the power of the white people. This temper began to express itself in definite acts which he knew could only be received as hostile to Natal on the one hand, and the Transvaal on the other. Before the award of the commissioners regarding the disputed territory was reached, Cetywayo sent his soldiers into that region and drove many Boer families away. On more than one occasion the soldiers crossed the Tugela River into Natal in order to capture fugitives from his own tribe. These invaders secured their victims and carried them ofif in spite of protests of the local Natal authorities. Remonstranres from the (xovernor of Natal were treated by Cetywayo with something amounting to disdain. Those who know less practically of the temper of such a race would no doubt to this day urge that pacific measures might have maintained peace, and that it was better in any case to stave off the evil day ; but men like Sir Bartle Frere, the High Commissioner for South Africa, who had behind him a long and great experience of savage tribes and who knew the enormous dangers which accumulated upon the heads of those who imagine that a tribe of professional war- riors can consider pacific measures as anything but weak compromises on the part of their opponents, were and are probably unanimous that 80 ZULULAND, sooner or later the Zulu army organization must have been faced and beaten by British soldiers. Exactly the same story was repeated some years later in Matebele- land. Here again it was from the beginning perfectly obvious to those who knew the facts that the country could not be opened to European settlement, nor the surrounding territories peacefully inhabited until the military organization of the Northern Zulus there had been com- pletely smashed. Sir Bartle Frere was a man who loved peace more than war, but who also lived and worked under a high sense of responsibility and guided by an experience of extraordinary breadth and variety. Cruel and most unjust assertions have been made against him by some his- torians of South Africa in connection with the Zulu and other tribal wars which took place in his time. But a reading of the despatches which he sent to London throughout this period will speedily prove to most that his soul desired only peace. Those documents reflect also the sad conviction which grew upon him as he became acquainted with the facts, that since war with the Zulus was inevitable at some time, the sooner the terrible necessity was faced the easier would be the victory and the more certain the arrangement of an abiding peace. He did not create conditions which made the war necessary. He says in one of his letters, "The die for peace or war had been cast long before I or Buller or Sir Garnet Wolseley came here." And again he says, with pathetic emphasis, "I certainly did not come here to spend the fag end of my life, away from all I care for, in setting up strife. I hoped and still hope to do something for permanent peace and good government in South Africa, and should be sorry to be regarded as the evil spirit of war." Frere resolved that in sending to Cetywayo the announcement of the final award regarding the disputed territory, he would also send him a demand in the form of an ultimatum regarding those matters of dispute between the Zulus and the Natal Government. In 'lis ulti- matum a demand was made for the surrender within 20 dayc> of those who had carried the refugees from the Natal territory, and the payment of a fine both for those offences and the delay which had already oc- curred in atoning for them, and another fine for an offence committed ZULULAND. 81 on two English officials. The most important points of the nltlmatnm c'onsisteil in a demand that the existing military system of the ZuIuh should be thoroughly reformed; that, for this end, the law enforcing celibacy upon the Zulu soldiers must be abrogated and the men allowed to marry and have homes of their own; that, while the law demanding military service from every member of the nation need not be repealed, the regiments were not to be assembled on the mere will of the king without permission of the council of the Zulu nation and the council of the Natal Government To see that all these provisions were honorably carried out a British Resident must be received in Zululand, to represent the Governor and to act as the friend and adviser of the king. These demands were most wisely conceived, whether they were made at the right time or not; for the threatening power of Zululand con- sisted in the fierce devotion of all its people to the practices of war, the ambition of every Zulu soldier to wash his spear in human blood. This spirit could only be changed by a radical change in the social organiza- tion of the people, and this could only be done by such alterations as Frere demanded. The right to make these demands undoubtedly be- longed to any or all the surrounding peoples to whom the existence of the Zulu army was a constant menace and a source of unsettlement and dread. The ultimatum was issued in December, 1878, and from 20 to 30 days were allowed to the Zulu king for considering and obeying its demands. The time passed without any action on his part, and there remained nothing to do but to march British troops upon Zulu- land to secure by force the perfectly righteous results which could not be secured by persuasion. At this time there were available for the purpose of this war only about 5,500 British troops. The Commander-in-Chief was Lord Chelms- ford. Before the war began Natal volunteers were secured and some Basuto troops were prepared for service. The authorities strove very hard to imbue the military leaders and officers with a sense of the peculiar nature of the war in which they were entering and the abso- lute necessity for adopting plans not recognized as necessary or digni- fied in European warfare. Boers who had fought in the famous war in 1838 were consulted and their evidence and advice was printed and cir- culated among the troops. Just at this time Mr. Paul Kruger, after- 82 ZULULAND. ^ m ! wards President of the Transvaal, was returning from England through Natal, disappointed with the efforts which he had made in London to secure the granting of independence to his country. He was consulted by Sir Bartle Frere, who brought him to an interview with Lord Chelmsfoi'd himself. We are told that "Mr. Kruger gave much valuable information as to Zulu tactics, and impressed upon him the absolute necessity of laagering his wagons every evening, and always at the approach of the enemy. He urged the necessity of scouting at con- siderable distances, as the movements of the Zulus were very rapid, mentioning how even he had once been surprised, and was extricated only by clever hand to hand fighting inside the laager." Kruger at one point said : "Ask what precaution the General has taken that his orders should be carried out every evening, because if they are omitted one evening it will be fatal." Alas! these efforts to bend the military leaders from their tradi- tional methods or to draw them from their fatal contempt for black enemies were in vain, as we shall see. The invasion of Zululand was arranged to take place from three separate points, which of itself was A bad plan, inasmuch as i^ divided up an already small force into three widely separated columns, between whom no communication was pos- sible. The plan was that they should converge upon Ulundi, the capital of the country and seat of Cetywayo's power. What was called the headquarters column, commanded by Lord Chelmsford himself, crossed the Tugela at a place known as Rorke's Drift. Another column enteic«« near the sea on the east, in which the leader of the cavalry force was Major Redvers Buller, who to-day (January, 1900) is Commander of the British forces in Natal. Another column entered from the northwest, under the command of General Evelyn Wood, who was very deeply indebted for his own deliverance from disaster and for his success, to the presence and advice of a venerable and noble Boer by name Peter Uys who, with his two sons, fought in this war as loyally as if they were members of a Boer commando. On the Natal side of Rorke's Drift Lord Chelmsford left about a hundred soldiers in charge of the commissariat. The General, having crossed the river, pitched his camp under the hill called Isandhlwana. In forming his camp he ignored completely all the advice which had . "^ '. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^" % II < 'v.. 1 P- ^^^IHD^^^ * A ^ J ' +j ■. ^ . '^^ ■ * ' ~^<«^//^**' \ I I^SB^ ' ^^S. ' . ~^^ t A 4,13 a ?< 'A '■' *^' %>\ *■ ..- ■ 21 flg- Ob ms^r^^ V- w --- ■ • --" ft 1 i:ft IK' ^ vV:^;NcJ^- '„ '4^^' M> 1 ** § ? ^^^^i^* C« "^^ ¥ ^^^V features. They porridge-like 3 c?Iled "meali \. ■' ^^^ -^B. fc > . \t 1 ■ & V* ■ *•! «or 1 '\ a ^B tt TION il tastes substa outh Af \ H^H^^HH If' y .^^^HHA''H^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^V ^■M^^^^^HH^^H a 3«w I ^mflB^HI^^B H^^ '^ U S^o 1 hrT 1 / L. -■'■■• ^'"-!'' :fl S* RE suits ind dip int n, whicl ■ . ^^■kj^i-^ ^ '^ ^^^H u ^^s ^^^^^■B.j^Hk|Hk, ^v — ^^^^^^H ■■ u S t' E ^^^■iV^^ -^«i:«- ^ 4' ^^^H sSfl i- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^f • ' >^^^^^^^^^^^^^lfl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^R^^ w^v M ZULU as to the siyl ;n spoons whi ry Is the Ame »^iF^^^ ^^.'i' ^ V '^^^^^^1 &^2 1 1'" ■ MM^^ ;- fl deas va use wo( this cer ^K " >>l; fc b V J3 1^ a ■& [ JmM ' '' * ■ ;, ■ - ' *A •" n ^^1 F^'**" v'^^a ■j' t '" ' ^ ( L " " ^H ■g-oa m ^'♦" H «|1 «) " 4) B^^ ■.;-■/' *-*srf ^ ^ itMKkk^Jl -^W ^^H a V V i^^HK.m ^^F ,M ,^ ^^^^H t.A u [Ey^^jp^g ^^fkv^f^ " ^B /i^ ca m ■■.*r' **z^#^ '^ -1 ladies lov< the food h ;rain used 1 . . M^^^ ^ ■ . . ^^H ^^ ^^ ^« ^flSSr Tr-. 01^^ ■**^' •- ^mm aiJg J ^BpR^^lii)* % ^^*^>4 ;z?^ ■ ','■, i, ' ^/.^ & ^^ ■ f^U^m, h ^^^^^ ■U.U as „a 5« fl 5H A 1^ ^fl .■^ ^s -o'^ y' ZULU LAND. 65 a& o u 4) 2 0) E-Sa 0)" CO OJ S ftp "d rt c4 Q; •4-' <* *^ DO 3 lii ^•w a i eg &&a w o«a ^ w.« 5 !>. 0) a C !3 o c f o S ^ ^ S to qj 03 lo a*- a, o 4, apa a S u 00 O 3 II § N5a ao been given to him. Tlie work of scouting was so inefficiently done that a vast Zulu army was able to assemble within striking distance, unno- ticed and unsuspected. The camp itself was without entrenchments, the tents were scattered and so placed in a hollow at the foot of the hill that if an enemy attacked the front only one mode of escape was pos- sible, back to the river, through an opening in the side of the hill, called in South African parlance a "nek." On the morning of January 22, 1879, Lord Chelmsford left in the camp about 800 soldiers, and with as many more moved forwards, hoping to attack and destroy a certain kraal of Zulus a short distance off. After he left, scouts were sent out who suddenly came in contact with a large force of Zulus. Firing at once began, and the entire Zulu army, amounting to more than 10,000 men, rose for a united attack. They came on in front, rushing in great masses upon the camp. The British soldiers were scattered about, en- gaged in all kinds of employment; their ammunition was not within the reach of all; they were compelled very hurriedly to assume the defen- sive in disordered groups wherever it was possible; a few of them rushed up the hillside to secure a retreat through the nek back to the river, but almost with the swiftness of cavalry the right horn of the Zulu host had swept behind Isandhlwana hill and met them at the narrow pass. With irresistible force they now rushed upon the despair- ing and disorganized British soldiers. A small band of brave men on the hillside used their guns with terrific effect until the last moment, and then their officer, with a fierce sweep of his sword, leapt upon the encircling spears. The entire 800 soldiers were put to death in that horrible pit of blood. The Zulu gives no quarter, dreams of no mercy; every man who is a foe is put to death. A few broke through the crowds and made for the river; two especially were determined to carry the colors of their regiment safe to the other shore. They reached the river and jumped in to swim across; the natives shot one, and the other, missing his companion, turned to find him, as if his own life were valueless where the life of a romrade is at stake. He helped him to the shore, and both attempted the oppo- site bank. Exhausted and wounded they could nin only n short dis- tance ere their fleet pursuers were upon them, and they, too, lay dead. so ZULULAND. I ,.-..' The colors were found long afterwards, for whose honor they so bravely fought and gave their lives. The victorious Zulus made of course for the Tugela River, and crossed into Natal. There they came upon the hundred soldiers on the opposite bank. These had in some way received warning and nobly determined not to flee, even in such an extremity. They had hurriedly made a rude laager for themselves out of stores which they were guard- ing; sacks of corn and packed biscuit boxes were piled to form a circular wall around them, and behind this rude defence they awaited the tri- umphant and blood-thirsty Zulus. On they came^ in rush after rush, only to be met with steady, cool and accurate fire from the brave little force. Time after time the dusky force recoiled and at last, cowed and afraid, they made for the river and betook themselves to their own land again. That heroic stand saved Natal from being overrun with men as fierce as wild beasts and worse in the damage they could do. Poor Lord Chelmsford returned to his camp only to behold the heaps of dead. His force actually slept there on that fearful field; a strange and tortured sleep it must have been, full of startled awakenings and horrible apprehensions. At dawn they woke and made for the river. Back the discomfited General came to Pietermaritzburg, worn and sick at heart, an object of universal pity and sympathy. The brave and noble Sir Bartle Frere alone presented a courageous front in the days of gloom which followed. All Natal citizens were thrown into indescrib- able panic by the idea that Cetywayo would immediately invade the colony and overrun their farms and towns with his cruel and irresistible hosts. They did not realize the effect produced upon him and his soldiers by the resistance which tiiey met from the brave band of less than one hundred men. Of course, the only thing to do v/as to send Immediately to England for re-enforcements. Sir Bartle Frere tele- graphed to all of the nearest points where British garrisons were estab- lished for help, and within a few weeks squadrons began to arrive from nere and there; the nr-^s spread through the land and up into Zulu- land that hosts of soldiers were arriving from England to take revenge for Isandhlwana. Meanwhile the eastern column was content to in- trench itself and await developments, especially re-enforcements. But Gf^neral Wood, well advised and courageous at heart, on the northwest 1 ■^ If IM' ZULULAND. 87 f pressed on. He formed strong intrenchments at a place called Kam- bula. Here on a hill, from which a gentle slope led down to a wide plain, he awaited the onslaught of his self-confident enemies. They came in thdir own terrific style, with yell and rush, but were thrown back time after time and at last returned, baflled and ashamed, to their indig- nant and angered king, leaving a thousand of their dead upon the field. As speedily as possible Lord Chelmsford reorganized his troops and once more entered Zululand. It was not until the end of June that this was possible. With scarcely any resistance he was allowed to proceed as far as Ulundi itself, and there the final battle took place. Forming his infantry into a hollow square, with gatling guns at each comer and in the center of each front, with squadrons of cavalry moving swiftly from point to point according to the needs of the moment, he met the onslaught of Cetywayo's entire army. The regiments of young warriors were allowed to approach until within two or three hundred yard^and then the full fire of the lines opposite them broke upon their compact masses. They fell literally in hundreds as they came within a hundred yards in their impetuous way. When the fiercely concentrated hail of bullets struck them they wavered and fell back. At the right moment the signal was given to the Lancers, and they charged through and through the panic-stricken hosts, scattering them to the winds. Cetywayo, who had watched the battle from a distance, was now a fugitive. The enormous kraals which formed his capital, some of them measuring 500 yards across the open space in the center, were burned to the ground and the war was over. Not long afterwards the king was caught and taken to Cape Town, where he was kept prisoner. This battle took place on the 4th of July, 1879, and as soon as it was ov<'r Lord Chelmsford resigned his command into the hands of Sir Garnet Wolseley, who had been sent out from Enjiland to take chief command, and to act as High Omimissitmer in 80uth»t»astei*n Africa. He came with full power to establish the new order of thiugs in Zululand. Wolseley was a man of undoubted ability as military commander, but without any valoftble experience as administrator of native terri- tories. He was, in a most fiiolish and indefensible moment in London, appointed to take the plane of Sir Bartle Frere, and to act as High Commissioner for that re^a in direct correspondence with London. m ZULULAND. Wolseley appears to have, either on his own motion or actuated by sug- gestions from home, resolved not to consult Frere regarding the future of Zululand. The result was that he adopted a plan as ingenious as it was foolish, utterly impracticable, because based upon no experience of the facts with which he professed to deal. He proposed to break up Zululand into thirteen districts and to appoint a chief for each; he gave the chieftainship of the largest district of all to an Englishman, John Dun, a clever and kind-hearted man, but one who had lived for many years practically as a Zulu, having adopted most of their customs, including polygamy. This degenerate Europeai was made the most powerful person in Zululand! As soon as Sir Bartle Frere heard of the plan, he, in the most courteous way, pointed out its serious effects to Wolseley ; but his advice was received with ill-concealed contempt. Zululand was not according to this plan to be governed by any European, nor were Europeans to be allowed to settle in it, and the Zulus were even half encouraged to discourage missionaries. What Frere suggested was the plan which, in 1883, on the complete collapse of Wolseley's plan was begun, and was fully adopted in 1887! In 1883 Cetywayo was restored, but soon died. His son, Dingizulu, had to fight against another chief, Sibepu, for the succession, and in order to make success sure accepted the aid of Boers living in what had been the disputed territory. He promised to cede to them a large and valuable region in return for their aid. Of course, he won and became chief. It thus happened, in the most strange whirl-i-gig changes of British policy and foolish alterations of purpose, that part of the very country which Great Britain had conquered at so heavy a cost of men and money was handed over to the Transvaal Government, at a time when not one foot of that territory belonged to Britain, the conqueror herself! As a formal annexation of Zululand to Great Britain had not been announced by Sir Garnet Wolseley, the large district known as Vryheid thus became a portion of the Transvaal. In 1887 this annexation actually took place. Something like the very plan which Sir Bartle Frere proposed, in 1879, was finally adopted and <>I>erates with the utmost ease and comfort to-day. The country is divided into sections, over each of which a European magistrate is ap- K ] M ZULULAND. 89 pointed. The Governor of Natal is also Governor of Zululand, a li^lit but-tax cheerfully paid by the Zulus defrays all expenses of local gov- ernment. The Zulus are being encouraged to accept education, the Christian religion, and various elements of civilized life. Their country is rich and productive, and the ease with which food can be obtained tends to keep them lazy as well as cheerful, unprogressive because content. The hope of Zululand lies in the work of Christian missionaries who have given their lives to the salvation of that degraded people. For many years it was of course impossible to establish extensive missionary operations in Zululand itself. The first success was gained by the Nor- wegian Missionary Society, whose representative, Schreuder, began work about the year 1844 and won his way to the approval of the Zulu chief by means of his medical work. Schreuder was a man of high character and great ability, who in time gained the complete confidence of the Zulu monarchs with whom he had to do; so powerful indeed was His position in the land that when the war broke out between Cetywayo and the British, while many Europeans had to flee, Schreuder's station was left untouched. No higher tribute could be paid to any man's personality than that one fact. Some of the most successful workers among the Zulu people have been the missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Their work has been confined until recent years almost entirely to Natal, but through them principally was the encire Bible translated into the Zulu language and foundations were laid for an extensive system of Zulu education. To this department of the work they have, with singular foresight, paid very earnest awl constant attention. Through their normal schools and theological seminaries they liHve aimed to provide a comparatively high type of native evnngelists an