of a 
 
 ,. AFRICAN TALES 
 AND LEGENDS. 
 
 J. FORSYTH INGRAM, F.R.G.S
 
 THE STOEY 
 
 OF A 
 
 GOLD CONCESSION, 
 
 other Jtftiom duties mtb Jegcnbs, 
 
 J. FORSYTE INGRAM, F.R.G.S., 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 "THE LAND OF GOLD, DIAMONDS, AND IVOBY," ETC. 
 
 PIETERMARITZBUKG, NATAL : 
 W. H. GRIFFIN & CO., 163, CHURCH STREET. 
 
 1893.
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRIHTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SOKS, LIMITED, 
 STAMFORD STBEET AND CHARING CROSS.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE following collection of stories and wild 
 legends are the result of much careful 
 inquiry amongst certain of the native tribes 
 in South-East Africa. 
 
 For the most part they were told round 
 the camp-fire by natives during the journeys 
 undertaken by the writer. As far as possible 
 the idiom and spirit of the original narratives 
 have been retained. Here and there slight 
 departures have necessarily been made there- 
 from, in order to render the translations 
 intelligible to general readers. Those who 
 are familiar with Africa and African legendary 
 lore will recognize the faithfulness of the 
 
 1304308
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 reproductions. Many of the stories were 
 related to the writer by those travellers and 
 adventurers of the desert who are so rapidly 
 becoming extinct. Though some of the 
 incidents related by them border upon the 
 fictitious, they are for the most part based 
 on fact. 
 
 The illustrations are from photographs from 
 nature, and as such are calculated to portray, 
 more forcibly than mere engravings, the 
 savage people and wild places touched upon 
 in the stories.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION ... 1 
 
 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER ... 49 
 
 THE STORY OF ZAWEETE ... ... ... 77 
 
 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN ... ... 89 
 
 KlABONEENA: A DESERT EOMANCE ... ... 101 
 
 THE LEGEND OF DEATH ... ... ... 113 
 
 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA ... ... 119 
 
 AN AFRICAN ARTIST'S STORY ... ... 137 
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE ... ... 145 
 
 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA ... ... 161 
 
 A XULU COURTSHIP ... ... 171 
 
 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY ... ... 179 
 
 A EOYAL RAIN-MAKER ... ... ... 195 
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT is PONDOLAND ... 203 
 
 ON THE INDIANA RIVER ... ... ... 219 
 
 THE ZAMBESI: A WORD-PICTURE ... ... 227 
 
 PRESIDENT PAUL 233
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD 
 CONCESSION. 
 
 *
 
 THE STOKY OF A GOLD 
 CONCESSION. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IN WHICH CAPTAIN K - IS INTRODUCED. 
 
 Now that Africa is so extensively portioned 
 out to the various principalities and powers, 
 and the time has gone by when enterprising 
 individuals might, by a bold bid for fortune, 
 acquire a kingdom, so to speak, for a mere 
 song, those who, in the early race for wealth, 
 drew a grand prize are apt to be regarded 
 by the bulk of humanity with something 
 more than passing interest. Modern society, 
 with that lack of charity alluded to by
 
 4 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 Hood, has written down most of these con- 
 cessionaires and gold-kings as either red- 
 handed murderers or unscrupulous adventurers. 
 Shrugging its fashionable shoulders, and 
 shaking its empty head, it, when their backs 
 are turned, repeats the current slanders with 
 the same gusto which it employs to fawn 
 upon them when suddenly confronted with 
 the glamour of wealth and power. 
 
 It was an interesting study to watch the 
 struggles of votaries of the above-mentioned 
 
 entity when gruff old Captain K , the 
 
 African millionaire, came by in his spotless 
 linen, ample coat, and chimney-pot hat. Any 
 one with half an eye could have seen that the 
 captain had not been born to the purple ; his 
 hands were broadened by labour, his face was 
 deeply tanned by exposure to tropical suns, 
 while his voice was of a depth and compass 
 which can only be acquired by a prolonged 
 conflict with the elements. How Captain
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 5 
 
 K came by his vast wealth was, and had 
 
 been for some years, a puzzle to most of the 
 good folks who knew him. More than one 
 wild guess had been made and theory started 
 by the busybodies, and more than one 
 elaborate tradition had hopelessly crumbled 
 under a few crisp remarks from the old salt. 
 In spite of this, however, there appeared to 
 be a very fair chance of the respectable old 
 gentleman being handed down to posterity 
 in the character of a pirate of the Black 
 Beard description, whose delight it was to 
 witness the death-throes of his victims, while 
 he pocketed their substance by deeds of 
 rapine and unspeakable violence. Those who 
 were most familiar with our hero and they 
 were not a numerous party knew him to be 
 both genial and kindly, and as incapable of 
 committing a crime as an average bishop of 
 the English Church. Each new invention 
 of rumour, each new villainy of the busy
 
 6 THE STORT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 tongues, was speedily wafted to him ; and 
 although at first he pooh-poohed the gossip, 
 and would not admit that it pained him, 
 there was no doubt that it did so in no slight 
 degree. 
 
 Driven to despair at length by the cease- 
 less cavillings, he set down his history in 
 crabbed characters on large sheets of foolscap, 
 and, calling a select few of his friends together, 
 he delivered himself of the true and authentic 
 history of his life. As the narrative of the 
 gold concession which he was fortunate enough 
 to secure a share of, is all that the general 
 reader may care to hear, I will pass over the 
 earlier days of his history, which related how 
 he went to sea as an apprentice on board aii 
 East Indiaman, and how he gradually rose 
 until he obtained his command. During this 
 period, while his vessel was lying in Table 
 Bay, he made the acquaintance of a celebrated 
 African hunter named Daniel Vincent. The
 
 TEE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. i 
 
 stories told by this worthy, of fabulous wealth 
 and stirring adventure, so inflamed the 
 captain's enthusiasm that as soon as practicable 
 he left the sea, and set out on various long 
 hunting and trading trips into the interior 
 with his bosom crony, Dan, as he called him. 
 These trips led them more than once into 
 Swaziland, and it was on one of them that 
 they struck " ile," as the saying is. Taking 
 up the thread of the worthy old mariner's 
 narrative, I will allow him to tell his story 
 in his own way and almost in his own words. 
 
 " For three long weary weeks we had been 
 toiling through the roadless wilds of South- 
 East Africa. After fording the Assegai Kiver, 
 we struck eastward, and throughout the day 
 had marched through tangled thorn forests 
 and over sunbaked soil. The total absence of 
 water, added to the heat of an almost vertical 
 sun, had combined to test to the uttermost
 
 8 THE STOUT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 the powers of endurance even of old and 
 experienced travellers such as Dan and myself. 
 Mile after mile of the forest was passed, and 
 yet ten more remained before we could pitch 
 camp at our desired place of rest, which was 
 a celebrated cairn of rocks on the bank of the 
 Umbuluzie River, in Swaziland. For several 
 years I had been anxious to visit the spot, 
 both on account of a number of curious native 
 drawings which were reported to decorate the 
 rocks in the vicinity, and also to inspect the 
 gold-reefs, many of which were said to be 
 of marvellous richness. According to descrip- 
 tions furnished me by the natives, the geo- 
 logical formation bordered on the impossible ; 
 for it was stated that the rocks stood in a 
 great circular wall, entry to which could only 
 be effected by one narrow passage. Dan had 
 already been to the place, and, while confirm- 
 ing much of what the natives said, at the 
 same time exhibited such a repugnance to
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 9 
 
 revisit the spot that my curiosity was 
 thoroughly roused. Treating his hesitancy 
 as a superstitious crank such as all old hunters 
 are addicted to, I overruled his objections, and 
 off we started.
 
 10 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ENCAMPED IN THE WILDS. 
 
 " WHEN King Umbandine heard of our inten- 
 tions, he sent six of his best trained native 
 hunters down to guide and assist us, at the 
 same time intimating that, as the place was 
 the well-known haunt of a number of ferocious 
 lions, he would be glad if we could do some- 
 thing towards ridding the neighbourhood of 
 them. Nothing loth, we accepted the com- 
 mission, and, as I have shown, marched to- 
 wards the place. It was well into the night 
 before we caught a glimpse of the welcome 
 waters of the Umbuluzie, and in another 
 hour found ourselves at the narrow entrance 
 of the rocky walls for which we had been 
 making. Viewed by starlight, they appeared
 
 TEE STOEY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 11 
 
 to fully warrant the glowing descriptions we 
 had heard of them. Towering to a height 
 of well-nigh twenty feet, the uptllted rocks 
 looked for all the world like the ruined v ^!>s 
 of an ancient feudal castle. 
 
 "Advancing cautiously, we entered the 
 narrow lane leading to the central opening, 
 which was untenanted save by a few bats. 
 In a very few minutes a bright fire was 
 blazing and spluttering under its burden of 
 zebra-steaks in the doorway, while here and 
 there in the central part the king's hunters 
 and our own carriers had lighted bonfires, for 
 the double purpose of scaring off animals and 
 grilling their rations of dried flesh. As soon 
 as our evening meal was over and the pipes 
 alight, I began to rally Dan on his supersti- 
 tious fears ; but, to my surprise, he took the 
 matter seriously, and then somewhat re- 
 luctantly told the following story by way 
 of explanation :
 
 VINCENT'S STORY. 
 
 " ' It is/ said the hunter, ' about seven years 
 since I last sat in this place, and the events 
 of that night form anything but pleasant 
 recollections, I can assure you. The day I 
 arrived I had been travelling pretty much as 
 we have travelled to-day. As I approached 
 the entrance I noticed a fire blazing just 
 where ours is now. Stealing cautiously round 
 some scattered piles of rocks, I perceived a 
 white man dressed in untanned skins sitting 
 smoking beside it. He was apparently deep 
 in thought, for when a lion roared close 
 behind the cairn he scarcely raised his head. 
 Feeling anything but comfortable at the 
 proximity of the beasts, I stepped forward, 
 and with a friendly salutation disclosed myself. 
 To my surprise and alarm, the man sprang 
 to his feet, and with a terrified cry levelled 
 his rifle and fired at me. Owing to his
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 13 
 
 intense agitation, he missed his mark, and, 
 closing in on him before he could reload, I 
 cried, " I am a friend, I tell you, and only 
 seek shelter." His reply, spoken in the 
 Swazi language, was to the effect that he 
 had been tracked, and that only one of us 
 must leave the place alive. Of course, under 
 these circumstances, I could only struggle with 
 him, in the hope that, when once he was over- 
 powered, he might listen to reason. Finding 
 himself more than matched, he attempted 
 to draw his knife ; but, putting forth all my 
 strength, I succeeded in casting him headlong 
 against the rocks, where he lay apparently 
 dead. I sat here, where I am now, as 
 unhappy a conqueror as can well be imagined. 
 Of course, I could not blame myself. He had 
 brought his death on himself; but all the 
 same, it was a most uncomfortable position 
 for me. 
 
 '"At the earliest streak of dawn I carried
 
 14 THE STOET OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 the body out to a cairn of rocks directly 
 in front of this entrance, which you can see 
 now and again as the fire flares up, and, 
 being without the means of digging a grave, 
 stacked it neatly in amongst the stones. 
 Then, laying a few thorn- branches over the 
 cairn, I returned to the fire and waited for 
 sunrise. When the morning was fairly ad- 
 vanced I searched the place carefully for a 
 clue to the identity of the unfortunate man, 
 and found in a crack in the rocks two small 
 earthen pots filled to overflowing with small 
 nuggets and gold-dust ; while in another 
 hiding-place, carefully wrapped in a goat's 
 skin, were a number of receipted bills from 
 a house in Lorenzo Marquez. Each of these 
 were made out to "Joey," and represented 
 payments to the firm of a goodly value in 
 raw gold. Lying on the ground were the 
 rifle, knife, cap, and blanket of my assailant. 
 Concealing these latter together with his gold
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 15 
 
 in another and more secure crevice, I took 
 the bills with me and set out for Delagoa 
 Bay, in order to report the affair and relieve 
 my mind of its burdensome secret. When 
 1 arrived at the Portuguese seaport, I made 
 a declaration before the authorities of the 
 incident, at the same time concealing the 
 exact locality. 
 
 " ' It appeared that for several years Joey had 
 been a perfect mystery to the settlers. He 
 came, they said, at irregular intervals, and 
 deposited a good few pounds weight of rough 
 gold with a certain mercantile house in the 
 town. Then, after purchasing an abundant 
 supply of ammunition and plain stores, he 
 would abandon himself to the wildest excesses 
 until his credit was exhausted, upon which he 
 would mysteriously vanish, not to be heard 
 of again for months. During his drunken 
 orgies no one could ever succeed in drawing 
 from him the locality from which he obtained
 
 16 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 his stores of gold, and, try as they might, they 
 utterly failed in all efforts to track him. 
 Finding it impossible to obtain a knowledge 
 of the locality of his death from me, the 
 anthorities made out an indictment, accusing 
 me of the murder of a white man in Portu- 
 guese territory, whereupon I was cast into 
 prison to await trial. The building was a 
 miserable structure of green brick, and in 
 a few hours I succeeded in effecting an escape, 
 
 when I struck for the interior, and have never 
 
 & 
 
 been near Delagoa Bay since. Now, perhaps, 
 you can understand why it was that I 
 appeared to shrink from revisiting the scene 
 of so painful an incident.' 
 
 "' Well/ I replied, ' Joey was evidently a 
 maniac ; so let him rest. No blame can 
 possibly attach to you in the matter.' 
 
 " With these words we stretched ourselves 
 to rest, while the natives, after rebuilding 
 the fires, followed our example.
 
 TEE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 AN ADVENTURE WITH LIONS. 
 
 " SCARCELY were we comfortably settled to 
 the sleep which we so much needed, than the 
 chorus of the desert struck up. Wolves 
 howled, hyaenas cackled, while the low snarls 
 of prowling leopards could be heard sometimes 
 within fifty feet of our couches. These, 
 together with the ceaseless piping of crickets 
 and croaking of frogs, served more as lullabies 
 than aught else to our overwearied nerves, 
 and we were swiftly drifting towards the 
 'land of Nod/ when the whole rocky struc- 
 ture which surrounded us was shaken by a 
 series of terrific roars. The lions had re- 
 turned, and, finding their den occupied by 
 strangers, thus noisily proclaimed their dis-
 
 18 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 pleasure. Springing to our feet and preparing 
 our rifles, we stood by for whatever might 
 happen, while the native carriers and hunters 
 came crowding round us for shelter and pro- 
 tection. 
 
 " ' Lower the fire/ cried Dan, ' and let 
 one boy stand by with an armful of dry 
 grass ready to fling it on the embers when I 
 give the word.' 
 
 "All the weariness of the evening vanished 
 in the excitement of preparation, both from 
 ourselves and our men. Every muscle was 
 strained and every nerve and sense on 
 the alert. Slowly the circle of light de- 
 creased, and a silence fell not only on us, 
 but on every living thing in the forest. The 
 dread voice betokening such latent power had 
 most effectively overawed even the insect life. 
 In a very few moments the stealthy tread of 
 a heavy body warned us that the lion was 
 within range of our light, so with a motion
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 19 
 
 Dan instructed the boy to cast his burden of 
 grass on the flickering embers. In a moment 
 the dry material caught fire, and lit up the 
 whole scene with a vivid yellow flare, reveal- 
 ing the shrinking form of a full-grown lion 
 within twenty yards of us. It was in the 
 act of drawing back for retreat, when our two 
 rifles, followed by three more from the native 
 hunters, spoke out ; and through the white 
 smoke and the flying sparks we caught sight 
 of the great beast bounding over and over on 
 the ground, clawing and biting viciously at 
 the boulders that lay about him. 
 
 " Next moment another roar, like a chal- 
 lenge, braced us once more, and the lioness, 
 who must have been in close attendance on 
 her liege, sprang savagely towards us, only 
 to meet with a more terrific reception. The 
 second volley finished her apparently, for, with 
 a plaintive and muffled whine, she retreated, 
 and, rushing out in order to administer the
 
 20 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 coup de grace, we caught sight of the figure 
 of a man crouching close against the outer 
 wall of our cover, Dan stood transfixed for 
 a moment ; then, pointing towards a neigh- 
 bouring cairn of stones, cried 
 
 " ' That is where I buried Joey, and there he 
 is, or his ghost ! ' 
 
 " Eushing forward, we pounced on the man, 
 who proved to be the veritable hero of Dan's 
 story. He submitted himself readily enough 
 to our custody, and marched back to the 
 camp-fire in silence. The lions, having either 
 withdrawn or succumbed to their wounds, left 
 us in peace ; so, rebuilding the fires, we set 
 about the preparation of some food for our 
 strange guest. Notwithstanding that he was 
 most unmistakably in the flesh, Dan con- 
 tinued, as well he might, to regard him with 
 mingled fear and suspicion. After lighting 
 our pipes and . attending to the wants of the 
 stranger, I asked him how it came about that,
 
 THE STOST OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 21 
 
 instead of remaining decently tucked up in 
 the cairn where Dan had left him, we found 
 him alive and apparently well. 
 
 " Regarding me in a vacant and puzzled 
 manner for some moments, he, in the Swazi 
 language, replied, ' I understand somewhat of 
 your question, but for seven long years I have 
 not spoken a word of English. It is Swazi, 
 Swazi always. Often have I crept close to 
 the camps of travellers and hunters at night, 
 in order to hear them speak, but never for all 
 these years have I uttered one word of my 
 own language.' 
 
 " Repeating the question in Swazi, we ex- 
 torted a promise from him that, on the morrow, 
 he would tell us of himself. Then, turning to 
 Dan, he said 
 
 " ' So you are the one who strove to murder 
 me, and then robbed me of my store of gold ? ' 
 
 " ' Not so,' replied Dan. ' True it is we 
 fought, and I thought I killed you ; but, as
 
 22 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 for your gold, it is here still, I think ; at any 
 rate, I only changed its hiding-place.' 
 
 " ' Prove it,' cried Joey. ' Then will I be- 
 lieve that you are not of those in Lorenzo 
 Marquez who strove to track and rob me.' 
 
 "Upon this Dan rose, and, calling on a hunter 
 to bring a torch, he moved to a remote corner 
 of the enclosure, and, after a few minutes' 
 search, returned, followed by the native, who 
 bore in his arms the two" earthen pots with 
 their precious contents, while the rifle (cor- 
 roded and useless) was thrown aside. Grasp- 
 ing his treasure covetously, the wild-looking 
 creature, utterly oblivious of our presence, 
 fairly gloated as he drew his fingers through 
 the gold-dust. Calling to one of the king's 
 hunters, we ordered him to mount guard until 
 morning, and then turned in. 
 
 " At the very first hint of dawn I was out in 
 quest of the native rock-drawings (mentioned 
 before), while Dan set to work prospecting the
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 23 
 
 vicinity for gold. Joey meanwhile lay in a 
 sound sleep, with his arms around his re- 
 covered treasure. The drawings were fully up 
 to my expectations, and proved beyond a 
 doubt that at one time the pigmy denizens of 
 the Drakensberg had either dwelt here or had 
 made it their head-quarters during a prolonged 
 marauding excursion. After a few days' 
 examination of the district, during which Joey 
 remained with us, and appeared to be more 
 reconciled to our companionship, we resolved 
 to move on to Delagoa Bay, in order to clear 
 Dan of the unjust charge which lay against 
 his name at Lorenzo Marquez. Accordingly, 
 one morning early, having failed utterly in 
 our search for gold, we struck camp, and, 
 facing eastward, set out for the Temby Eiver. 
 Joey appeared at first reluctant to follow, but 
 not for long, and by the end of the fourth day 
 had settled down comfortably as one of our 
 party. While encamped on the bank of the
 
 24 THE STOUT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 great river, whose sluggish waters appear to 
 be guided by nature with a view to opening 
 up the country, I reverted to Joey's promise 
 to regale us with his story. He readily con- 
 sented, and related the following narrative : 
 
 "WiLD JOEY'S STORY. 
 
 " ' This tale of mine,' said he, ' might very 
 easily be made a long one, but our march 
 to-day has been heavy, so I will use as few 
 words as may be. 
 
 " ' It is now more than twenty-five years 
 since I first landed in Natal. Being possessed 
 of considerable means, I set out on a series 
 of hunting trips, and, soon becoming attached 
 to the wandering life, I resolved to make 
 Africa my permanent home. After spending 
 some years in Zululand, I drifted after the 
 big game, first to the Pongolo River, and 
 then into Swaziland. During these years I 
 fell into many Kaffir ways, and, losing touch
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 25 
 
 with men of my own colour, at length settled 
 down to the primitive life of the wilds. The 
 vastness and silence of the desert, varied now 
 and again by the fierce excitement of inter- 
 tribal wars, kept me bound as by a charm to 
 the country, until the last vestiges of a desire 
 for civilization had completely left me, as I 
 thought. With how much truth you shall 
 learn. 
 
 " ' One season, while hunting in the vicinity 
 of the Umbuluzie Eiver, near where we met, 
 I found an alluvial deposit of gold extending 
 all along the valley of a small tributary 
 stream, while on a hill close by I discovered 
 several gold-bearing reefs of amazing richness. 
 More for amusement, at first, than anything 
 else, I began to collect the metal until over 
 forty pounds weight of nuggets and gold-dust 
 lay securely hidden in the crevice where you,' 
 turning to Dan, * discovered it. "With the 
 possession of gold came the longing to move
 
 26 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 once more among men of my own kind, and 
 so, taking a few pounds weight of my store, 
 I set off for Delagoa Bay. Before I had been 
 a week there the taste for strong drink over- 
 came me, and, sinking to the lowest depths 
 of debauchery, I squandered my hoard in 
 excesses. As soon as my gold was spent I 
 went back for more, and so on for several 
 years. Sometimes fits of remorse seized me, 
 and for months I kept deep in the forest, 
 always, however, seeking for gold. The 
 passion grew upon me. At night I dreamt of 
 gold ; the very sunlight seemed to speak of it, 
 the chirping crickets sang of it, and the winds 
 as they sighed through the forest seemed to 
 join in the chorus. At times I must have 
 been mad ; at others, with a cunning almost 
 bordering on frenzy, I dashed down on the 
 settlement and fairly revelled in folly. 
 Naturally, my command of gold attracted 
 attention, and I became the mark of every
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 27 
 
 loafing adventurer in Lorenzo Marquez. 
 One after another they strove to track me 
 without avail, for, owing to my long training 
 in woodcraft, I could baffle them at will. I 
 spent days sometimes in devising schemes by 
 which I might raise the hopes of those who 
 hunted me, to the highest point of certainty, 
 in order to enjoy the satisfaction of baffling 
 them utterly. Party after party blundered 
 through the mountains after me, searching the 
 country and questioning the natives, while as 
 often as not I was close behind them, revelling 
 in their discomfiture. 
 
 " ' On the occasion of my last visit I met 
 four men who proved to be almost too much 
 for me. Wily as I was, they appeared to 
 anticipate my every move. Day and night I 
 was watched by them in turn until they 
 fairly frightened me. I made a dozen false 
 starts, but failed to throw them off. I 
 returned to town, and there they were. My
 
 28 TEE STOUT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 gold was spent ; I could not stay longer ; so, 
 taking canoe, I crossed to the Matonga side 
 of the bay, and struck off into the interior. 
 At the end of the first day's journey they 
 met me again. At length, maddened by 
 their persistency, I opened fire on them one 
 night as they sat round their cooking-pot, 
 and succeeded in killing two and disabling 
 one. The fourth effected his escape and, try 
 as I might, I utterly failed to come to terms 
 with him. After waiting about for a week, 
 I cleared for my diggings ; and it was on the 
 night of my arrival there that you,' looking 
 at Dan, 'came upon me. I fired, and, 
 resolving on your death, engaged in the fight 
 which so nearly proved fatal to me. It must 
 have been about half a day after you left me 
 stacked loosely amongst the stones that some 
 native hunters who knew my haunt came 
 down for powder, and, thinking the fresh- 
 turned stones meant my depot, set to work
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 29 
 
 to open it. They found and restored me. 
 The idea of meeting more men of my colour 
 grew into a terror, and I have settled down 
 for the last seven years as a native. Now, 
 however, that I see you are not any of my 
 former tormentors, I feel more at ease, and, if 
 you will, I will share my gold discovery with 
 you. You know my story now, and I trust 
 you will keep it to yourselves. All I need 
 say is that there is enough for each of us.' 
 
 " Thanking him for his openness, we then 
 rebuilt the fire and turned in for the night, 
 to dream of pyramids of gold and acres of 
 gold-dust.
 
 30 TEE STOUT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN WHICH THE GOLD APPEARS. 
 
 "NEXT morning when we awoke Joey was 
 nowhere to be seen, so assuming (rightly, as 
 the event proved) that he had returned to 
 the wilds, we, instead of going on to Lorenzo 
 Marquez, marched back to Swaziland, re- 
 solved, if possible, to find him and discover 
 his diggings. By forced marches we reached 
 the cairns in three days, and, while resting 
 from our march previous to erecting shelters, 
 a footstep approaching the camp was reported 
 by the sentry, and next moment Joey came 
 slinking in and sat down by the fire. One 
 glance at his face told us that the madness he 
 had spoken of had returned on him. Without 
 casting a glance at us, he began muttering to
 
 THE STORT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 31 
 
 himself, and then, bowing his head, seemed 
 to sink from a brown study into sleep. The 
 food we placed before him remained untouched 
 all night, and on the two or three occasions 
 upon which he sat up to gloat over the fire, 
 he studiously avoided looking towards us. 
 
 " Early next morning we were all astir. 
 Joey appeared as strange as ever ; but as soon 
 as he saw an inclination to move away on our 
 part, he sprang forward, saying in a low 
 voice 
 
 " ' Come, and I will show you gold ! come, I 
 say ! ' Then, bursting into a Swazi war-chant, 
 he sang 
 
 " AmaBwazi ! Amaswazi ! 
 Who is there so great as we are? 
 White men, red men, black men tremble 
 When they hear us, when they see us 
 
 So, so ! gleam, ye spear-heads ! 
 When we shout, the eagle trembles ;} 
 When we chant, the rain-clouds lour ; 
 When we charge, whole nations perish 
 So, so! gleam, ye spear-heads! "'
 
 32 TEE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 " Ceasing as suddenly as he commenced, he 
 plucked Dan by the sleeve, saying, ' Come, 
 I will show you ! ' 
 
 " Turning, we followed him to a plain about 
 a mile from the cairn. On arriving there 
 he pulled out a prospecting-pan from a 
 thicket, and, scraping up some of the dirt 
 with his hands like a wild beast, he filled the 
 pan, and, placing it on his head, hurried off 
 to the river. In a few minutes he began 
 to chant softly to himself in a low monotone. 
 We stood silently watching him. Madness 
 was stamped on every act, yet he was 
 deliberate. Gradually as the bulk in the 
 pan grew less, his excitement increased, 
 until with a shriek he held it up to us, 
 crying 
 
 " ' See it ! see the gold, the riches, millions 
 and millions ! See how it lies there, yellow 
 and silent ! Yet it sings to me. All through 
 the night I can hear it. See how it writhes
 
 TEE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 33 
 
 about, like a snake as it whispers and hisses ! ' 
 Then, dropping his voice and laying the pan 
 on the ground, he stood erect, with his cheeks 
 flushed and his eyes fiery bright, apparently 
 listening. Breaking out once more in Swazi, 
 he cried, ' See my armies ! Am I not a king ? 
 Ah ! greater than a king. Thousands of 
 them ; regiment by regiment they wheel past. 
 Hark to their tread and the rumbling of 
 the wheels and the trampling of the horse ! 
 Mine ! all mine 1 Hear the cheers ! Millions 
 of men have come to look at me as I ride past. 
 How they bow and wave their hats! How 
 they envy me, and cry, " Behold him ; the man 
 of gold and power ! " But then,' dropping 
 his voice once more, ' they don't feel the pain 
 I have here,' laying his hand on his head. 
 ' Now it is getting misty ; it is fading away, 
 and I am alone. It is all darkness. Where 
 are the people and waving flags? Where 
 is the sunlight?' Then, grovelling in the 
 
 D
 
 34 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 earth, he wailed out, ' It is buried ! it is here 
 underground with the gold and the creeping 
 things ! Separate them ! Drag them apart ! 
 They are twining together ; they are one now. 
 Who can tell the creeping things from the 
 gold, the cheers, the banners, and the great 
 multitudes from the desert ? Who can tell 
 now, I say ? ' 
 
 " ' Yes/ said Dan, turning aside, ' who can 
 tell them ? ' 
 
 "Worn out with frenzy, the poor maniac 
 rose, panting and faint, still intent. 
 ' Come ! ' he cried once more ; ' come and 
 see ! ' 
 
 " Impelled by a sort of fascination, we 
 followed. Presently we stood by a cluster 
 of rocks. Stooping over them, Joey pointed 
 to several large splashes of gold. 
 
 " On a closer examination we found that in 
 many places the rock was literally veined with 
 the metal, many places apparently showing
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 35 
 
 more gold than stone. Here and there were 
 evidences of Joey's efforts to extract the 
 wealth in fractures and scrapings. 
 
 "Our poor maniac all this time was gibbering 
 over his treasure in a most pitiable manner. 
 Bursting out again in another frenzy, he 
 wailed, 'Separate them ! separate them ! 
 They are writhed together, the gold and the 
 stones, the riches and the poverty, the good 
 and the evil. Give me my gold ! give me 
 my wealth ! and don't stand looking idly 
 on. You shall be made princes. I will give 
 you kingdoms, empires, worlds. You may 
 take heaven and hell. I don't want any 
 portion there. All I need is my gold. Then, 
 when I get it, how they will envy me ! How 
 the poor toiling cowards of the city will 
 flock to my palace gates ! They, too, are 
 golden ; and the stairs and towers are of 
 gold. See ! see the. cursed gold glittering 
 everywhere! And yet this pain!' he wailed,
 
 36 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 as he fell prone on the rocks and embraced 
 them. 
 
 "'Come/ said Dan, at length, 'there is 
 madness in the very air ; the stones seem 
 possessed. Let us up and away.' 
 
 "Joey seemed to have sunk into insensibility. 
 
 " Two days' travel brought us to the king's 
 kraal, where we laid him down and watched 
 by his side through the long sultry days and 
 through still weary nights. Tossing from side 
 to side, and moaning feebly like a hunted 
 creature, he lay there in the great kraal with 
 a throng of crouching attendants around him, 
 and we, sun-browned and rugged hunters, his 
 only watchers. The king was much concerned 
 about him, and, besides calling regularly, 
 insisted on sending for his own great inyanga, 
 or witch-doctor, in order to ascertain, if 
 possible, who it was who had laid the spell 
 on the sick man. In the course of a few days 
 Nazaza, the seer in question, put in an appear-
 
 THE STOET OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 37 
 
 ance. Mighty was the shout that greeted his 
 entry. The warriors saluted with uplifted 
 spears, and the common people crouched, 
 saying 
 
 " ' See him, the great one, to whom mystery 
 is unknown. His eye is as a fire, and his 
 voice as the voice of the heavens. Is there 
 one who can baffle his wisdom ? All things 
 know him, the great one ; even the king 
 grants him praise. The evil-hearted ones 
 shrink backwards as he approaches, the great 
 beasts of the desert tremble with terror when 
 his finger is pointed towards them, and the 
 creeping things writhe deeper into the earth. 
 Ho ! we also salute thee, Nazaza, great one 
 of the king ! ' 
 
 " With his charms and his plumes nodding 
 and rattling about him, the seer swept past 
 and entered into the presence of the king ; 
 while the throng outside stood in hushed 
 expectancy, whispering, ' Now will our white
 
 38 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 man live, and be delivered from the evil 
 thing that rides upon his brain.' 
 
 " The king's chamberlain presently came out 
 and announced that Nazaza would bula, or 
 prophesy, that night at moonrise.
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 39 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE DEATH OF JOEY. 
 
 " TOWARDS ten o'clock the great circular 
 enclosure used by the king as a court and 
 audience-place was lined by a triple row of 
 dusky figures, behind whom the high stockade 
 loomed up with its lion and leopard skins, 
 suspended at regular intervals from high poles, 
 denoting the presence of royalty. Gradually, 
 as the moon rose over the rocky, conical 
 mountains to the eastward, the throng in- 
 creased, until dense masses stood in breathless 
 silence awaiting the entry of the royal party 
 and the wizard. A rustle at the upper 
 entrance, a murmur of voices, and there in all 
 the savage grandeur and native majesty of
 
 40 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 a king stood Umbandine. His head was 
 crowned with a plume of white ostrich-feathers, 
 his brows were bound with fillets of leopard- 
 skins ; long silken masses of Angora hair 
 floated from his shoulders over a finely dressed 
 leopard-skin mantle ; round his waist was a 
 girdle of jet-black fur ; while his neck, wrists, 
 and ankles were decorated with lion, leopard, 
 and eagle claws. A deep but subdued shout 
 of ' Byatu ! ' (' Our king ! ') rose from the 
 warriors, while every spear was uplifted in 
 salutation. The king, followed by about 
 twenty of the principal chiefs, took up his 
 position on the right of the main entrance, 
 and then motioned to the seer, who was 
 standing outside the gateway. With a rush 
 Nazaza entered the enclosure and stood in the 
 centre motionless. A roar unlike any sound 
 on earth rent the night air, followed by a 
 breathless silence. Still the prophet stood 
 motionless, with his hand raised as though in
 
 THE STOET OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 41 
 
 the act of listening. He was dressed in a 
 girdle of zinqua-skins, with a lion-skin mantle, 
 white plumes and a coronet of blue crane- 
 feathers decorating his head ; over his 
 shoulders hung a strap of small bones and 
 charm-bags, while in one hand he held a long 
 staff tufted with feathers and roots. By this 
 time the moon had fully risen, revealing 
 through the stockade the endless clusters and 
 rows of huts, amongst which stood in listening 
 attitudes the royal women, the slaves and the 
 concubines, while, inside, a triple row of 
 warriors, clad in all their picturesque bravery, 
 stood motionless and intent. Presently the 
 seer commenced in a low voice 
 
 " ' See, the moon has risen ; to-night it is 
 round and clear. Seven days ago it was 
 broken and imperfect. So it is with all 
 things. There is a beginning; there is an 
 end. To-night the end will come. Have I not 
 said it ? In this, the great place of the king,
 
 42 TEE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 there are three white men. One of them is 
 under the shadow of an imperfect thing. He 
 is as a child in the dark ; as a woman on the 
 war-trail, he looks behind and beneath, and 
 he moans as he looks. He is in fear and 
 sorrow. The fever is on him and the dreams 
 cluster by his ears. The mathlosi beckon him 
 on, and he will follow. Who can hold the 
 breath of a man ? Who can close his nostrils 
 and keep in the life ? The white man has 
 forgotten his nation. His tongue is as the 
 tongue of a Swazi, and his mother is as a 
 stranger to him. This is a sin. He has for- 
 gotten the people of his tribe ; the stone foot- 
 paths of his native village, away over the sea, 
 were too hard for him. He came here to the 
 lion of Swaziland, and dwelt by the Pongolo. 
 The stones of the hills whispered to him. 
 They poured scorpions into his ears. They 
 it is who are sitting on his brain. They sing 
 to him of the stones where they dwell ; of the
 
 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 43 
 
 red metal and the green metal ; of the shining 
 pebbles and the stones like flame. They have 
 eaten away his strength ; they have poisoned 
 his blood ; they will drag him to their native 
 place, and he will moulder there. Who is 
 there to prevent it ? The white man for many 
 years has worshipped the stones. We have 
 seen him sitting amongst them, and laying 
 his hands upon them ; and when we asked, 
 " Why is this ? " he always said, " It is the 
 gold." White men love it. The teachers sent 
 from the country of the English tell us to love 
 the " First One." They cry out, " He alone is 
 the centre." Yet their children give them the 
 lie, for every day on the trading-tracks we 
 see the traders ; and who can deny that they 
 care nothing for the " First One " ? They 
 drink the strong water ; they lie in the sun 
 and sicken ; they toil amongst the stones, 
 crying, " We seek for nought, Swazis ! " 
 Yet we know they lie. It is the red money
 
 44 THE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 that they hunt for. They know where it is 
 born ; but in seeking they forget there is 
 always a scorpion close by, ready when they 
 take his mother (the gold) to sting them, and 
 his sting is sorrow and trouble, madness and 
 death. I, Nazaza, the seer of Swaziland, have 
 spoken. The end will be death. I have asked 
 it of the sun, of the moon, and of the stars, 
 and, lo ! they have answered me.' 
 
 " Just as the seer paused, a large shooting 
 star flashed from the zenith well-nigh to the 
 horizon. The coincidence was so great, and 
 to the untutored minds of the natives present 
 so supernatural, that their usual cries of 
 ' Eswa ! ' were suppressed, and they stood 
 gazing skywards with terrified faces. 
 
 " During the seer's address, Dan and I had 
 joined the circle of warriors, having left Joey 
 sound asleep apparently. Judge, therefore, of 
 our surprise when suddenly he appeared in the 
 circle armed with a spear and clad in the full
 
 TEE STOUT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 45 
 
 war-dress of a- hlavella, or royal spearman. 
 His eyes were unnaturally bright, and he 
 appeared to be labouring under the most 
 violent excitement. 
 
 " ' Hear me, ye children of An'Gwan, ye 
 descendants of Umswazi 1 ' he cried, in their 
 language, waving the spear over his head. ' I 
 crept out. You thought I slept. I crept out 
 and stood by the gateway. I heard the seer's 
 words, and I saw the star. It was golden, yet 
 it vanished as the words of the seer vanished. 
 The words have gone into the air ; the star 
 has returned to its home amongst the stones 
 where the scorpions are and the creeping 
 things. But it is not lost. I will find it. 
 With this spear will I dig until I see its rays 
 shooting outwards and upwards, till they 
 reach the sky and light it up, till the moon 
 looks pale and fades into nothing, and the 
 stars close their eyes and appear as black 
 things until the sky is golden, and I sit in
 
 46 THE STOUT OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 the centre of it. I am the " First One ; " I am 
 the father of gold. I am the owner of the 
 clear stones and the stones that are red as the 
 flames that linger round my feet and bind me 
 down. I am Inkuluinkulu, the owner of the 
 gold, which is the mother of all things. Can 
 there be joy without gold ? Can there be day 
 without the sun ? Can there be rest without 
 scorpions ? See,' continued the maniac, point- 
 ing towards the king, ' see a king. He is the 
 ruler of the rain-clouds. He is the father of 
 the thunder. His are these hills and valleys. 
 The warriors are his, and all the cattle ; but 
 yet he is a child, and knows nothing. His 
 power is as that of a gnat, and his voice as 
 the chirping of a cricket. He is king of a 
 nation ; I am king of the stones where the 
 red metal, which is more powerful than all 
 things, lies. I go to my kingdom ; let the 
 path be opened.' So saying, he hurled the 
 spear at the gateway, where a cluster of
 
 TEE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 47 
 
 warriors sat, and with a bound dashed past 
 them into the darkness. 
 
 " For three days, assisted by a large number 
 of Swazis, we searched the country high and 
 low in vain. Joey seemed to have vanished 
 into the air. On the morning of the fourth 
 day he was borne in on the shields of a party 
 of hunters, and laid down at our feet. His 
 fluttering plumes were ragged and draggled, 
 his spear broken and bent as though by much 
 digging, and his face and hands soiled with 
 clay. Life 'seemed to be almost extinct, but 
 by careful nursing we managed to recover 
 him sufficiently to allow of his removal from 
 the king's kraal to the camp we had pitched 
 a few miles off on the banks of the Umzim- 
 neenie Kiver ; but the worn-out mind of the 
 unhappy gold-hunter flickered but feebly in 
 its fever-racked body. Only once, and that 
 but a few hours before his death, he appeared 
 to become perfectly sane and collected. After
 
 48 TEE STORY OF A GOLD CONCESSION. 
 
 thanking us for our goodness to him, he 
 begged us to accept his discoveries and use 
 them for our own benefit ; then, turning his 
 face from the light, he sank quietly from 
 sleep into death. The nation willingly recog- 
 nized us as the successors of their old friend ; 
 deeds were drawn up in due course, and the 
 ground afterwards being floated into a joint- 
 stock company, yielded us, not only a mag- 
 nificent fortune, but a steady income for 
 several years. We then sold out entirely 
 and retired. 
 
 " Such is the story of a gold concession. 
 You may judge for yourselves how much 
 warrant there is for the idle talk of the 
 people." 
 
 At this point the old mariner gathered his 
 papers together and handed them to me for 
 publication.
 
 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S 
 DAUGHTER.
 
 INKANYEE8ANA. 
 
 From a Photograph ly G. T. Ferneyhouglt, Maritzlurg.
 
 INKANYEESANA, 
 THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 TOLD BY GIBUSA. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IN WHICH INKANYEESANA APPEARS. 
 
 " THIS is a story of the days of Um'Panda, 
 the father of Cetewayo. It is not great with 
 wars, but yet it will be remembered by the 
 nations for ever. Even to this day the fame 
 of Kooba the wizard, whose kraal was . on 
 the Matakulu River, is great amongst the 
 prophets. But with the king and the other 
 great chiefs Kooba was not in favour. Perhaps 
 this was because he refused to smell out men
 
 52 INKANYEESANA, TEE WIZABD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 who were not evil, but who, by reason of their 
 wealth, had raised the envy of the great ones. 
 However this was, Kooba dwelt in peace in 
 his own village, and but seldom went up to 
 the great place of the king. 
 
 " Notwithstanding the shadow under which 
 Kooba dwelt, the fame of his daughter 
 Inkanyeesana (the Little Star) was unclouded. 
 Far and wide the young men of all the tribes 
 spak% continually of her goodness and her 
 beauty. Eound about her village she was 
 beloved beyond all power of words to tell. 
 Old women, weak and , blear-eyed, told of 
 how she came to them when they reeled 
 under the burden of the water-pot, how with 
 a laugh she lifted the crushing weights and- 
 bore them on her own head to the cooking- 
 place. Little children also were full of her 
 goodness ; so what wonder that the youth of 
 the surrounding tribes should seek to win 
 her ? Arraying themselves in their brightest
 
 1NKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 53 
 
 feathers, they would repair at sunset to the 
 kraal of Kooba, and stand idly about the 
 gateway, awaiting a glimpse of her whom 
 they had named ' The Queen of Laughter.' 
 Then when she came, her brown skin glitter- 
 ing, her head bedecked with flowers and scented 
 leaves, and her waist and neck girdled with 
 piles of beads, how they coughed uneasily to 
 attract her Attention and win from her but 
 a glance of approval or admiration ! for were 
 they not, each and every one, brave and noble 
 to look upon ? But, alas ! knowing the vanity 
 of their hearts, she passed through amongst 
 them, laughing to herself or singing to the 
 children, without so] much as a glance at 
 the fluttering plumes, the leopard-fur girdles, 
 the polished spears, and the bull-hide shields 
 of the youths. Then, scowling at each other, 
 they would pass into the presence of Kooba, 
 and, bowing before him, say 
 
 " ' Yebo, father I Ycbo, wise one ! we came
 
 54 1NKANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 to see you and to learn what thou lackest, 
 whether it be the flesh of deer or the hides 
 of buffalo. Command us, we beseech you, and 
 test our skill.' 
 
 " Old Kooba, laughing in his heart, for he 
 saw the whole matter and was not deceived, 
 would gravely thank the braves, and tell them 
 of his wants. Then, still scowling at each 
 other, they leapt away to obey him, in the 
 hope that they might thus win favour with 
 his daughter. 
 
 " Still the fame of Inkanyeesana increased 
 and spread until it reached the caverns of 
 Lo'Bomba, where the mist-clouds gather, 
 where the floods are created, and the fire- 
 brands of the heavens are kindled. Deep in 
 these cliffs dwelt the mighty prophet Kulunga, 
 of evil fame and boundless power. Far and 
 wide throughout the sun-land the emperors 
 and kings sent to him when grave matters 
 oppressed them, and even Majaja, the greatest
 
 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 55 
 
 of hereditary prophetesses, bowed before his 
 wisdom, and used his name as a charm where- 
 with to control the elements. Glancing 
 through his harem, he was moved to anger 
 when he beheld nought save old women 
 trembling and worn with labour in the corn- 
 fields ; so calling his swiftest runner, he de- 
 spatched him with a message to Kooba, 
 saying 
 
 " ' Give me Inkanyeesana thy daughter to 
 wife, and claim whatever thou desirest from 
 me in return ; for, behold, I am richer than 
 kings.' 
 
 " With the speed of the gazelle the runner 
 set out, and in due course entered the village 
 of Kooba. 
 
 " It was night. The women and children 
 were sleeping, and the young men were grouped 
 in their places, telling their customary .tales 
 of adventure. The old seer sat alone by the 
 dying embers of his fire. His thoughts were
 
 56 INKANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 of Inkanyeesana. Glancing back, he recalled 
 the days of her childhood, when she played 
 at his feet, and made the village ring with her 
 laughter. Then later, when, having outgrown 
 the playtime of her life, she constantly 
 ministered to him, fanning his brow as he 
 .slept in the noonday heat, and preparing 
 dainty food to sustain him against his 
 advancing age. 
 
 "'So shall she reap,' he murmured. 'Hap- 
 piness she giveth, happiness she shall have. 
 She shall choose her own lover, let him be 
 of whatsoever tribe; if he be poor, I will 
 enrich him and set him high in power.' 
 
 "At this moment footsteps approached the 
 doorway, and the runner of Kulunga entered. 
 After resting for a space to recover breath, 
 he declared his message, and told the seer of 
 Kulunga's wish. When he had finished, 
 Kooba sat for some time in thought ; then, 
 stretching out his hand, he took a calabash
 
 1NKANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 57 
 
 of water, and, pouring it on the embers, 
 said 
 
 " ' Fire and water cannot mingle ; light and 
 darkness are far from each other as the east is 
 from the west. Such is my answer. Go, bear 
 it to Kulunga.' 
 
 "So saying, the seer rose and retired, leaving 
 the messenger to rest ere setting out on his 
 return. 
 
 " Next morning at earliest dawn Kooba 
 loaded the Lo'Bomba seer's servant with gifts, 
 and sent him back to his master's place in the 
 far-off mountains.
 
 58 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTEK. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 INKANYEESANA'S LOVER. 
 
 " No sooner was the runner out of the village 
 than rumours of the purpose of his errand 
 were heard. The old women, as they ground 
 the corn for the morning meal, shook their 
 heads and sighed ; while the children openly 
 wept, and the youths talked moodily of the 
 death of their hopes. Soon the matter came 
 to the maiden's ears, and, hastening to Kooba, 
 she knelt at his feet, crying 
 
 " ' Evil tidings have been told me, my 
 father. Save me from Kulunga, the evil one 
 of Lo'Bomba!' 
 
 " Then arose Kooba, and, simulating anger, 
 smote his spear upon the ground, saying,
 
 INKANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 59 
 
 ' Who art them to pick and choose ? If the 
 seer of Lo'Bomba seemeth good to me for thy 
 husband, what is that to thee ? ' 
 
 " * Nay, father/ replied the maiden, ' if thou 
 slayest me, I am slain. When I leave you my 
 youth will perish, and my joy be as the sun of 
 yesterday.' 
 
 " ' It will come again as the dawn of to- 
 morrow/ answered the seer. Then, turning 
 to the trembling girl, he laid his hand on her 
 head, and said, ' See, my daughter, I but joked 
 with thee ; Kulunga sought for thee to wife, 
 and he has his answer. As for you, choose 
 whom thou lovest, and he shall be welcome to 
 me. I will enrich him and set him in power.' 
 
 " Upon this Inkanyeesana looked upon her 
 father so joyfully that he at once perceived 
 her secret, and ordered her to go forth and 
 bring her lover to him. 
 
 " Springing to her feet, Inkanyeesana sped 
 to the forest near by, where for many moons
 
 60 INKANTEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 she had met her lover, Kodwa, the son of 
 Lulu. Pausing under an ancient banyan tree, 
 she imitated thrice the call of the honey-bird, 
 and straightway the thickets opened and 
 Kodwa stepped forth. He was a goodly 
 youth and well worthy of a maiden's regard. 
 In hurried words she told him of Kulunga's 
 message and her father's command. Brave 
 warrior as he was, he dreaded to approach the 
 seer ; but, taking him by the hand, she led 
 him, clad as he was in the trailing plumes of 
 the Geeba Regiment, into her father's presence, 
 who spoke graciously to him.
 
 1NEANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 61 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 KULUNGA'S VENGEANCE. 
 
 " THE runner of Kulunga speedily came before 
 his master in his home amidst the cliffs of 
 Lo'Bomba, and, bowing himself to the earth, 
 told his story of failure. 
 
 " Kulunga heard him to the end, and then, 
 bidding him go rest, withdrew to the cave 
 wherein he brewed his death-medicines and 
 potations of divination. Seating himself in 
 the further corner, he brooded over the matter, 
 and at nightfall arose and went forth, bearing 
 in his hand the charmed medicine-pole, which 
 is surmounted with a spear-head of untold 
 antiquity. Searching here and there through 
 the thickets, he speedily found the roots of 
 evil omen which he sought. Digging them
 
 62 INKANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 from the earth, he bound them to his girdle 
 and returned to the cave. 
 
 " All next day he sat alone in the darkness, 
 partaking of no food, and repeating to himself 
 the Legends of Death and Divination, which 
 are appointed to be said by wizards and such 
 like. When his potions and medicines were 
 prepared, the wizard, having encased them in 
 a small calabash, wrapped them carefully in 
 skins of lizards, and, calling the runner before 
 him, placed the evil charms in his satchel, and 
 bade him hasten back to the village of Kooba, 
 and there watch events. Should it happen 
 that the maiden Inkanyeesana favoured any 
 youth, he was to note his habits, trace him 
 day and night, and at length, when the 
 marriage was taking place, bury the charm 
 near his village in a secret fashion while no 
 one perceived him. Once more the runner 
 sped on his errand of mischief, and, long ere 
 his arrival at the kraal of Kooba, learned the
 
 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 63 
 
 story of Inkanyeesana's betrothal to Kodwa, 
 the son of Lulu. Turning aside, he entered 
 the village of the young man's father, and 
 claimed shelter in the name of a wanderer. 
 In a very few days the marriage festivities 
 commenced, and, while the people were dancing 
 and making merry, the runner stole forth and 
 buried the evil omens in the earth beside the 
 cattle-kraal gate. Then back to Kulunga he 
 hastened. 
 
 ***** 
 
 " Three moons passed over in peace and 
 happiness. Inkanyeesana dwelt with her 
 husband in the kraal of his father, and the 
 tribe was content, for the daughter of Kooba 
 was still with them, and her laugh could be 
 heard by the river amongst the women as 
 they came for water in the mornings and 
 evenings. 
 
 " But Kulunga had not forgotten. Day and 
 night in his cavern in the mountains he
 
 64 INKANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 brooded over the matter, and devoted him-' 
 self to works of evil and constant sacrifices 
 to the sekumfu (mysterious people who work 
 evil). As a consequence, no rain fell through- 
 out the country ; the sky was dry and cloud- 
 less, the sun as fire. Harvests failed, and 
 famine threatened the nation. The tribe, 
 terrified, came to the king, and besought him 
 to call up Kulunga, whose dwelling was on 
 the cliffs where the rain-clouds are, and com- 
 mand him to remove the cause of the drought. 
 Scarce was the wish uttered than Kulunga 
 came into the royal place, and, raising his 
 spear, saluted the king, who straightway com- 
 manded him to exercise his calling, and smell 
 out who it was that thus wrought evil in the 
 land. Next day but one the ceremony took 
 place ; from far and wide warriors and heads 
 of families, chiefs and rulers of tribes, as- 
 sembled at the great place. Amongst others 
 came Lulu and his son Kodwa. When all
 
 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 65 
 
 had assembled it was midday ; the sun, like 
 a shield of fire, stood overhead, and all living 
 things drooped under his rays. 
 
 "Kulungathe wizard alone stood upright, 
 as, dressed in his plumes, he paused before the 
 king, and, raising his arm towards the sun, 
 shouted thrice, in a loud voice, ' Ho, Ilanga ! ' 
 Then, looking upward into the face of the 
 sun, he uttered his incantations, and then 
 cast his omens on the ground. After a 
 space, he turned to where Kodwa, the hus- 
 band of Inkanyeesana, sat with the male 
 members of his family ; he pointed and cried, 
 'Behold the evil ones, the would-be famine- 
 bringers ! ' 
 
 " Instantly a loud shout rose from the mul- 
 titude, and ready hands seized on the men, 
 who were bound and cast to the ground. 
 Once more raising his voice, the wizard 
 directed the multitude to follow him for 
 proofs of the iniquity of the prisoners. Pre-
 
 66 1NKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 ceded by his runner, he went towards the 
 spot where the omens were hidden, and 
 when the runner dropped his spear, he 
 cried 
 
 " ' A sign ! a sign ! ' 
 
 " In a moment fifty eager spears were prod- 
 ding the earth in all directions, and at length 
 one of them unearthed the buried omens. 
 Turning to the warriors, Kulunga, with a 
 look of triumph on his face, ordered them to 
 slay the enemies of the king and nation. In 
 a moment the mass closed in on the prisoners, 
 and, amidst a flash of spears and a mighty 
 struggling, the deed was done, and Kodwa 
 and his friends were no more. 
 
 " Not content, Kulunga shouted once more, 
 ' To the village ! to the village ! ' and the 
 whole mass turned, and, at a swift trot, set 
 off to exterminate the wives and families of 
 the unhappy Lulu. 
 
 " During all this time, Inkanyeesana, full of
 
 2NKANTEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 67 
 
 instinctive fears, sat in her hut in the village 
 of her husband's father. As the sun crept 
 down towards the hills her fears took form. 
 Knowing well that Kulunga would not forget 
 to wreak his vengeance on her and hers, she 
 stilled her breathing almost, and listened 
 intently. When the trampling of the mul- 
 titude of feet reached her ears, she sprang 
 out, and, crying to the women and the chil- 
 dren to seek the forest, she leapt the outer 
 kraal-fence, and, dashing through a cloud of 
 flying spears, vanished into the thicket. 
 Having gained by a thorny and tangled path 
 the banyan tree where Kodwa was wont to 
 wait for her in the days of their courtship, 
 she paused to listen. Clearly through the 
 night sounded the screams of the women and 
 the cries of the children as they writhed 
 under the spears of their murderers. Ere 
 long, bright flames leapt high in air, and 
 roared through the dry thatch of the village,
 
 68 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 which, by. nightfall was a smouldering ruin, 
 strewn with the' slaughtered villagers and 
 stained with the blood of those who had done 
 no evil. Such was Kulunga's vengeance.
 
 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 69 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE END OF ALL. 
 
 'Bo WED under the weight of her sorrow, the 
 maiden stood gazing at the ruins of her home, 
 until the fire had well-nigh burnt itself out, 
 then, bowing herself to the ground, she wept, 
 and, smiting herself upon her breast, cried, 
 ' Meet it is that I should die ; for, behold, there 
 are none left in the land, and the evil one 
 hath triumphed.' 
 
 "At this moment a voice sounded in the 
 thicket, saying, ' Keep silence, child ! It is 
 thine to reap a harvest of vengeance which 
 shall be sweeter than the love of friends ; it is 
 thine to overcome the evil one, and slay him 
 at whose word children perish.' 
 
 " ' Who art thou ? ' asked Inkanyeesana.
 
 70 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 " l It is I, N'Kuza, the prophetess of 
 Matabele. The mathlosi [spirits of the 
 dead] have sent me to teach thee the way 
 of vengeance/ 
 
 " ' Be it so/ replied Inkanyeesana. ' I am 
 thine throughout my life. Teach me this way 
 of thine/ 
 
 " Then came N'Kuza forth from the thicket, 
 and, laying her hands on Inkanyeesana's head, 
 spake strange words in an unknown tongue. 
 After a space the prophetess commanded her 
 to kindle a fire, and, casting ashes from out 
 her charm-bag upon it, caused it to give forth 
 dense volumes of smoke, in the midst of which 
 the prophetess and her charge were wafted 
 over the village where lay the slaughtered 
 women and children. As they passed, it 
 seemed to Inkanyeesana that the smouldering 
 ruins of the village gave forth a brighter 
 glow, and the dead and charred hands of the 
 slaughtered ones were uplifted, while faint
 
 N KrZA, THE PROPHETESS
 
 72 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 and low a cry for vengeance sounded through 
 the air. Soon the pair drew near a mountain 
 of rocks, whereon were baboons as large as 
 men, while shadowy birds with outstretched 
 wings came forth to meet them. 
 
 " Six moons were spent here in constant 
 incantations ; medicines were compounded and 
 charms made such as were never heard of 
 before. Hound the cavern in which the 
 prophetess dwelt with her pupil were collected 
 a vast multitude of crawling and creeping 
 things ; mighty serpents, loathsome scor- 
 pions, and other creatures continually attended 
 the footsteps of N'Kuza; while further out 
 amongst the cliffs, slinking leopards, stately 
 lions, and ravening wolves waited continually 
 to do the bidding of the great sangome 
 (prophetess, or witch). At the end of the 
 sixth moon, in the midst of the darkness, 
 N'Kuza smote her hands together, and cried 
 to the darkness
 
 INKANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 73 
 
 " ' Behold her, the chosen one, the child of 
 my skill ! Obey her, ye elements ! Attend 
 her, ye reptiles ! for, behold, she seeth "into 
 all things, her powers are boundless.' Then 
 turning to Inkanyeesana, she said, ' Go forth, 
 sangome, and wreak thy vengeance.' 
 
 " Then went forth Inkanyeesana, with her 
 charms and omens about her, while the rep- 
 tiles licked the dust where her feet had been, 
 and the obedient beasts crouched humbly 
 before her as she passed. Scarce had she 
 entered the villages of the people than a 
 dirge was raised, for the king lay sick unto 
 death. When the heralds of the great place 
 heard of her arrival, they told the royal house- 
 hold, who at once commanded her to declare 
 who it was that had smitten the king with 
 the malady. Nothing loth, Inkanyeesana, 
 who was known to none as the widow of 
 Kodwa, went through her ceremonies, and, 
 pointing to the westward, cried
 
 74 INKANYEESANA, TEE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 " c Kulunga, the evil one of Lo'Bomba, has 
 smitten the king.' 
 
 " That night a war-party, led by Inkanyee- 
 sana, crept slowly out from the great place, 
 and, moving to the westward, soon sighted the 
 cliffs where dwelt Kulunga. They found the 
 wizard standing bj- his cave, and, rushing 
 upon him with uplifted clubs, they smote him 
 to the earth, while Inkanyeesana, foaming in 
 her madness, danced round his prostrate body, 
 and, placing her foot upon his neck, cried 
 
 " ' Taste of death, worker of evil ! eat thy 
 fill of the portion thou didst inflict on sinless 
 ones ! ' 
 
 * 
 
 " In the midst of this the warriors, fearing 
 the anger of the mathlosi, turned and fled. 
 Dense mists crept up from the valley, through 
 which they faintly saw the form of Inkan- 
 yeesana standing with uplifted arm over the 
 body of her victim. So endeth the story. 
 From that time to this Inkanyeesana has-
 
 76 INEANYEESANA, THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER, 
 
 never been seen by man ; but the mountain 
 is there, and all who seek vengeance on their 
 foes have but to speak its name in order to 
 be heard by her."
 
 THE STORY OF ZAWEETE.
 
 THE STOKY OF ZAWEETE. 
 
 TOLD BY MUNYOSI. 
 
 " THE story of King Zaweete is an old one, 
 master," said Munyosi, as he laid another 
 branch of dry wood on the camp-fire. " Ever 
 since the beginning it has been known to our 
 people and to the tribes far north even to 
 the Zambesi. To-night we have encamped 
 close to thfe edge of the very forest where 
 the good king lived and died, and so it comes 
 to pass that we think of the matter to-night. 
 White men, as a rule, laugh at the legends 
 of the black tribes, but nevertheless these 
 same legends are of great value to us, who 
 cannot see the thoughts of books or listen
 
 80 THE STOEY OF ZAWEETE. 
 
 to the whispers of the black marks on the 
 papers which are always in the hands of the 
 white men. The story is on this wise. 
 
 " Long ago, when the hills were yet young, 
 there dwelt a tribe near this very spot, named 
 Lo'Endwive. In those days King Zaweete, 
 who ruled over the tribe, was a white-head of 
 boundless wisdom, who by his skill in war 
 and his softness of speech in council had 
 built his tribe up into a mighty power. 
 Moon after moon passed over in unbroken 
 peace. The seed-time and the harvest suc- 
 ceeded each other, the young men took the 
 maidens to wife, and the country was full of 
 the laughter of children and the songs of 
 women. 
 
 " One sorrow only sat like a cloud on the 
 hearts of the king and the nation, for, behold, 
 close by the great place of the king there 
 stood a forest, sombre and drear ; since the 
 beginning of time it had menaced the nation ;
 
 THE STORT OF ZAWEETE. 81 
 
 the mention of its name alone was sufficient 
 to hush the song and still the laughter of the 
 bravest ; for, behold, through its glades and 
 in its shadowed places there sounded by day 
 and night mysterious cries. Whether these 
 were the result of witchcraft, or whether the 
 forest was the home of the mathlosi (spirits 
 of the dead), neither wise man nor wizard 
 could tell ; but certain it was that in the 
 stillness of the night, in the early dawn and 
 towards sunset in the evenings, low wailing 
 chants could be heard. Long-forgotten war- 
 songs, intermingled with moanings as of men 
 in torture, came floating over the tree-tops 
 and into the villages. Cattle and goats were 
 sacrificed, medicines were burnt, sangomes 
 (prophetesses) were ordered to do their best 
 to check the terror, without avail ; for still the 
 voices wailed and sobbed and the war-chants 
 rose like the sound of a far-off sea or the 
 rushing of a river in the darkness. Calling 
 
 G
 
 82 TEE STOEY OF ZAWEETE. 
 
 his army up, the good king came before them, 
 and, raising his right hand, cried 
 
 " ' ye warriors, ye children of the tribe 
 of Lo' End wive, hearken to the words of your 
 king. Behold, the voices of the spirits 
 trouble us ; we have offered cattle and goats 
 in sacrifice, we have humbled ourselves and 
 spoken by the mouths of our medicine-men 
 and prophets fair words of entreaty ; still the 
 terror continues, my warriors are troubled 
 and fear the darkness, the women will not 
 labour, sickness begotten of fear is abroad, 
 and by the edge of the forest there dwell 
 those who bewail the loss of children. There- 
 fore, as warriors and fearless ones, it behoves 
 us to gird on our arms and rid our land of 
 this its only curse. Seeing that the voices 
 continue after we have sacrificed to them, we 
 must perforce regard them as evil, and so 
 to-day, in the light of the sun and before the 
 hills, I, King Zavveete, declare war on the
 
 THE STORY OF ZAWEETE. 83 
 
 forest and on the voices of dread, and com- 
 mand you to go forth and purge the land of 
 its trouble.' 
 
 " After long consultation with war-chiefs, it 
 was resolved by the king that the army should 
 encamp for ten days by the edge of the forest, 
 and that on the morning of each day they 
 should combine and raise their voices and 
 shout, challenging the spirits to come forth 
 to battle. Should no heed be paid to this 
 challenge, then were the warriors, bearing 
 torches and firebrands in their left hands and 
 spears in their right, to enter the forest and 
 burn it until there remained nought save ashes. 
 
 " ' Yebo, Inkosi ! Yebo, Inkosi ! ' cried the 
 warriors, as they waved their spears overhead 
 and raised their shields until the hills were 
 covered with the colours of a multitude .of 
 bulls. Notwithstanding this, the warriors 
 were heavy of heart, for to make war on 
 spirits is no light matter.
 
 84 THE STOUT OF ZAWEETE. 
 
 "Next morning at dawn the army marched 
 on the forest and encamped there for ten 
 days. Each morning at sunrise they raised 
 their voices and cried, ' Come forth, come 
 forth, evil ones ! ' but, behold, the voices 
 were silent, and the forest stood motionless 
 in the early light. Not a living thing moved 
 in its glades, save, perhaps, the serpents and 
 scorpions, who have the power of travelling 
 without noise. 
 
 " On the evening of the tenth day the 
 warriors, each bearing a firebrand or a torch, 
 formed in battle array and entered the forest. 
 Scarce, however, had they crossed the border 
 than the deadly silence was broken ; deep 
 voices, coming from none knew whither, cried, 
 ' Miyea ! ' Feeble moans as of little children 
 filled the air, and sobs, such as only the direst 
 pain could produce, struck terror into the 
 braves. 
 
 " But their chiefs were before them, and the
 
 TEE STORY OF ZAWEETE. 85 
 
 command of the king could not be broken. 
 Ere long the forest became disturbed as though 
 by a mighty tempest ; stones, leaves, and 
 branches smote the braves from right and 
 left, the flames from the torches hovered in 
 mid-air, and fell as rain on the advancing 
 host, until, blinded and panic-stricken, they 
 turned and fled back to the welcome sunlight. 
 
 " No sooner were they out of the forest than 
 the tumult ceased ; those who had borne the 
 torches no longer did so, for unseen hands 
 had dashed them to the ground. After a few 
 days' delay, the army in deep sorrow turned 
 back, crying, ' It is useless ; we may fight and 
 conquer men, but who can overcome a whisper 
 or slay a sound ? ' 
 
 " Soon they drew near the kraal of Zaweete, 
 and, going forward in silence, they found the 
 nation gathered round the death-place of the 
 king. Whether it was old age or a blight 
 cast upon him by the forest- voices, no man
 
 86 THE STOEY OF ZAWEETE. 
 
 could tell ; but there was the fact that the 
 king lay dying. 
 
 " When the sound of the warriors' footsteps 
 fell on the dying ears of Zaweete, he rose, 
 and in a loud voice cried, 'Let fear be set 
 aside from every heart ; let neither warrior 
 nor woman bow in terror at the spirit-voices ; 
 for, lo, I, Zaweete, king and conqueror, go to 
 make a treaty with the unseen. Never more 
 shall harm come among my people ; for, when 
 I die, bear my body to the forest, and cast it 
 into the shadow, thus will the terror be re- 
 moved and the kingdom purged.' So saying, 
 the chieftain bowed his head and died. 
 
 " Next day the warriors bore him to the 
 forest, and, amidst the wailing and hand- 
 clapping of the women and the maidens, they 
 laid his body by the edge of the forest and 
 covered it with a roof of thorns, while round 
 about were laid great stores of grain. 
 
 " From that day to this the wailing of the
 
 THE STOEY OF ZAWEETE. 87 
 
 spirits has changed to whispers, the war-songs 
 have ceased, and the terror has passed away. 
 When a warrior passes the forest, he bows 
 himself to the ground, and shouts, 'Ho, 
 Zaweete ! ho, wise one ! rest in peace ; for, 
 behold, thy name is great, and thy fame is 
 everlasting as the hills/ 
 
 " Such, master," concluded old Munyosi, " is 
 the legend of Zaweete." 
 
 When Munyosi had finished speaking, 
 Dabuka, another of my Zulu followers, who, 
 seated on the opposite side of the camp-fire, 
 had devoured every word of Munyosi's story, 
 chimed in with 
 
 " Yebo, white one ! the great Zaweete is in 
 truth alive to-day. He went as a king to 
 rest, while the nation wept and an army 
 stood by in silent sorrow. That he still lives 
 we know, for did he not restore my brother 
 Umpinjan ? " 
 
 " Tell the master the story ; for, lo, he
 
 88 THE STORY OF ZAWEETE. 
 
 uiiderstandeth the truth of these the histories 
 of our country." 
 
 Nothing loth, Dabuka, after partaking of a 
 liberal pinch of snuff, commenced as follows:
 
 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN.
 
 OIPIJCJAN. 
 
 From a Photograph ly G. T. FerneyJiough, Maritzbury.
 
 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN. 
 
 TOLD BY DABUKA. 
 
 " THERE was sorrow and weeping in our kraal 
 when Umpinjan, my eldest brother, died. He 
 had made a great name as a hunter, and a 
 greater still as a warrior. King Um'Panda 
 had more than once promised that when he 
 was a little older he should be made a captain, 
 and the country from end to end held him in 
 high esteem. Hence the weeping at his death. 
 While his grave was being dug, every warrior 
 and woman in our district came to wail and 
 beat their breasts, while the grey-beards sat 
 round my father in the sebia (cattle-kraal) in 
 silence. Then came the burial, and so it was
 
 92 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN. 
 
 done. Since our boyhood lie had been to me 
 more than all others, and so as night fell and 
 I sat in the hut which we had shared together 
 for so long, little wonder was it that I wept 
 as women weep with plenteous tears. So the 
 night passed on, and towards morning, when 
 the mists began to creep out and the leaves 
 to whisper softly, I heard a footstep beside 
 the hut. Looking out, I uttered a cry of fear, 
 for there before me stood my brother, he who 
 had died, and upon whom I had seen the 
 warriors piling the burial-stones. His face 
 was sad, and his shoulders stooped as though 
 they were weary. Overcoming my fears, I 
 sprang towards him, and, grasping his hand, 
 dragged him into the hut and set him down 
 upon my sleeping-place. After a time he 
 raised his head, and in a confused manner, as 
 of one who waketh from sleep, he said 
 
 " ' Dabuka, umfuwato [my brother], I have 
 slept and dreamt strange dreams. I wandered
 
 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN. 93 
 
 in a far-off country amongst many nations ; 
 cattle were everywhere in great droves ; the 
 trees bore unknown fruits, and the rivers were 
 broad and deep. As I went I met men of all 
 tribes, but all were changed, and their language 
 sounded as the rustling of leaves. Very soon 
 one of great stature came to me, and, laying 
 fruit at my feet, said, " Eat." At the same 
 moment another appeared at my side, and, 
 pointing to the fruit, said, " Eat only if thou 
 wouldst remain here ; but shouldst thou 
 desire to return to thy tribe, eat not ! " 
 
 " ' Looking at him in wonder," I saw that it 
 was Zaweete who stood by me. Reading my 
 thought, he said, "Yes, I am Zaweete, the 
 king of the forest- voices." Being moved to 
 return once more to my tribe and village, I 
 turned from the fruit at my feet. In an 
 instant the air became full of voices and 
 waitings, and, a strong wind rising, I was borne 
 through a mist and set down here by our
 
 94 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN. 
 
 village. So ! I have spoken, and would now 
 rest.' 
 
 "After this for many days my brother sat 
 in silence, gazing absently before him. From 
 far and near came the wise ones of the 
 tribe to look upon him who had been dead 
 and yet lived. The inyangas (witch-doctors) 
 held solemn council together, and at length 
 resolved to allow ten days more to pass over, 
 and then, should he not return to his grave, 
 he was to be killed and buried again. When 
 the words of the witch-doctors were repeated 
 to our mother and the other women of the 
 harem, there was great wailing, and for nights 
 we could not rest by reason of their cries. 
 
 " At length I rose and stood before the 
 wise ones, saying, 'Behold I, Dabuka, the 
 brother of Umpinjan, have dreamed, and in 
 the dream came a voice, saying, " Bear the 
 sick one to the forest of Zaweete, and set him 
 down on the burial-place of the dead king.
 
 96 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN. 
 
 Should he be an evil-doer, he will be slain by 
 the spirits. Should there be no evil in him, he 
 will be healed."' 
 
 " ' Be it according to the dream,' cried the 
 wise ones, and so next morning I rose before 
 the dawn, and, awakening Umpinjan, who 
 slept beside me, bade him follow me. 
 
 " Without a word, he rose and donned his 
 girdle, and, laying his hand upon my shoulder, 
 followed me. On and on we walked, until by 
 noon we stood beside the forest and heard the 
 wind sighing through the branches like the 
 gentle whispering of waters. After saluting 
 the name of Zaweete, we entered and walked 
 swiftly towards the burial-place of the king, 
 which, by reason of the growth of new trees, 
 was no longer on the edge of the forest. 
 
 " No sound save the sighing of the wind 
 greeted us. Pausing beside the tangled mass 
 of creepers, I bade Umpinjan kneel upon the 
 earth and smite his hands together. In an
 
 THE HEALING OF UMP1NJAN. 97 
 
 instant the voices burst forth wailing and 
 sobbing as they did in past times. Suddenly 
 they ceased. The air became darkened by a 
 dense mist which floated through and over 
 the trees, in the midst of which we heard 
 Zaweete's voice, crying, ' Keturn to your place, 
 my children, and be content.' Kaising our 
 right hands above our heads, we saluted the 
 voice, and, turning, fled to the sunshine. 
 
 " No sooner were we out of the wood than 
 Umpinjan smilingly grasped my arm, and 
 said, ' The cloud has passed. Great is the 
 name of Zaweete ! ' 
 
 " To this day my brother lives, and every 
 new moon he stands alone on the hill over 
 against our village and shouts the praises of 
 Zaweete. The wise ones no longer dread him, 
 and the chief, according to his promise, has 
 made him a captain and a ruler of men. This 
 is my story, and once again I say, ' Great is 
 the name of Zaweete ! ' 
 
 H
 
 98 TEE SEALING OF UMPINJAN. 
 
 When Dabuka lapsed into silence, old grey- 
 headed Lohio, the brother of the king, and a 
 noted councillor, shook his head, saying 
 
 " I am old, my years are many ; but 
 throughout my whole life I have never re- 
 ceived any kindness or help from the chief 
 of forest- voices. I do not say that he is of 
 no avail, but that, like other chieftains, he 
 has favourites ; otherwise why does he not 
 help us who dwell far from his forest ? To- 
 morrow, when we build our camp-fire, I will 
 tell you a story, and for yourselves you shall 
 see that Zaweete does not always well ; other- 
 wise, why did he not restore to me my 
 Kiaboneena, instead of allowing her to perish 
 and me to mourn throughout my life ? " So 
 saying, the old warrior laid himself down to 
 sleep. 
 
 In a few moments the flickering camp-fire 
 shone on long rows of outstretched forms, 
 while one only sat with watchful eyes and
 
 THE HEALING OF UMPINJAN. 99 
 
 open ears to watch through the darkness, 
 whose silence was broken only at rare in- 
 tervals by a low aspen-like moaning in the 
 adjacent forest. 
 
 Next night, when the camp had been 
 thoroughly set in order, and the circle of 
 faces round the central fire complete, all eyes 
 were turned towards the tall spare figure of 
 the old warrior, whose name was as a charm 
 throughout the country, and whose lineage 
 was as pure as that of the proudest emperor 
 of Europe. His clear-cut and distinctly 
 aristocratic features possessed not the faintest 
 trace of a negro type, while his reserved 
 manner and deliberate method of speech 
 stamped him at once as a leader of men and 
 a worthy scion of the royal race of which he 
 was so justly proud. Seeing that the time 
 had come for his promised story, he without 
 preamble began.
 
 KIABONEENA: A DESERT 
 ROMANCE
 
 KIABONEENA. 
 
 From a Photograph 'by the Autlior.
 
 KIABONEENA : 
 A DESERT EOMANCE. 
 
 TOLD BY LOHIO. 
 
 " I CANNOT tell how many moons have passed 
 since the days when, as a youth, I stood 
 before Chaka, the all- conquering king- and 
 was told by him that, on account of my family 
 and the grand deeds of my ancestors, I was 
 to be allowed, even in youth, to join the 
 royal regiment of spearmen. The honour 
 was great, yet I valued it but lightly, for 
 Kiaboneena, the daughter of a neighbour, had 
 bewitched me. Night and day 1 dreamt of 
 nought save her smiles, the flash of her eye, 
 the music of her laugh, and the sweet glances
 
 104 KIABONEENA: A DESERT ROMANCE. 
 
 
 
 she gave me when prying eyes were not by. 
 In those days it was war, war, war now in 
 one country, now in another ; my spear was 
 never idle. Despite my longings for peace 
 in order that I might settle down and marry, 
 I was chosen continually by the king to lead 
 the war-parties against revolting or hostile 
 tribes. Many moons were spent in this way, 
 but, thinking that my love for Kiaboneena 
 was a secret between ourselves, and that but 
 few of the warriors knew of her, I endured 
 the long separation, winning in time a con- 
 siderable measure of renown amoDgst the men 
 and praise from the king. The end of my 
 dream, however, was nearer than I imagined, 
 and came when I least looked for it. 
 
 " A certain petty chief, who was under my 
 command, committed an act of treason. He 
 had long been noted for his sullen disposition, 
 and had evinced on more than one occasion 
 a strange dislike for me. His crime became
 
 EIABONEENA : A DESEET ROMANCE. 105 
 
 known, and, as commander, it was my duty 
 to arrest him. In due course he was tried 
 before me and condemned to death. As he 
 was being led off to the executioners, he came 
 close to where I sat, and whispered 
 
 " ' So ! Lohio, is it thus that your father's son 
 would sweep a rival from his path ? But hark, 
 though I die, Kiaboneena will never live to 
 wed you. I have spoken to the wizards 
 concerning her.' 
 
 " In my amazement I asked him what he 
 knew of my affairs, and how he, a criminal, 
 dare even speak the name of a maiden of such 
 purity. 
 
 " He laughed and said, ' It is well, coward ; 
 but my time will come.' 
 
 " Fearing that it might be said afterwards 
 that I had slain him from jealousy, I com- 
 manded the guards to lead him to the borders 
 of the country, and there, instead of slaying 
 him, to drive him into exile. Would that
 
 106 KIABONEENA: A DESERT KOMANCE. 
 
 I had torn him limb from limb instead ! 
 Thinking of the danger which might befall 
 the maiden should any evil-minded wizard 
 point towards her, I sent a runner to the 
 king, and begged leave to return to my kraal 
 for a short space on private business. The 
 king, who was ever considerate to his 
 favourites, at once selected another chief to 
 take command, and that night I set out by 
 the shortest mountain-paths to my home. 
 After five days' journey, I came to the kraal 
 where dwelt Gaza, the father of Kiaboneena, 
 and learned from him that the exile, my rival, 
 had just left the village in quest of the maiden, 
 who was out gathering scented herbs on the 
 mountain-side. The sun was near his setting ; 
 and fearing I knew not what, I at once 
 grasped my spear and set out, old Gaza 
 calling after me to hasten back and tell him 
 the news of the war-parties. 
 
 " Down in the valley, close by a tiny brook
 
 KIABONEENA : A DESERT ROMANCE. 107 
 
 and beside a tall cluster of ivory-palms, I 
 found Kiaboneena lying dead ; the grass was 
 trampled round about, showing that she had 
 struggled with her murderer. Stooping over 
 the body, I perceived that the coward, not 
 content with slaughtering her, had torn her 
 breast open, and, after the manner of evil ones, 
 had cut out her heart. Gathering leaves and 
 twigs, I covered her from sight, and then set 
 off on the trail of the murderer, vowing, as 
 I went, neither to eat nor sleep until I had 
 slain him. By this time night had fallen, 
 and the stars one by one crept out to gaze 
 upon the horror which lay in the valley. 
 Passing on stealthily, I soon heard the crash- 
 ing of branches and the trampling of footsteps. 
 With the cunning of a hunter, I crept nearer, 
 and then, with a shout, sprang out upon the 
 evil one. Facing round, he shortened his 
 grasp on his spear and stood ready for my 
 attack. Hurling myself upon him, we joined 

 
 108 KIABONEENA : A DESERT ROMANCE. 
 
 issue. Our spears flashed, our shields rose 
 and fell like lightning. Upheld by the spirit 
 of evil, he parried my blows, and time and 
 again drove his spear into my limbs ; but 
 mad with rage, I felt not the wounds, intent 
 only on slaying the villain. Overhead the 
 night-birds circled and the vampire bats 
 whirled, while here and there in the forest 
 the lemurs wailed, and far below the river 
 rushed over its rocky bed with a low sobbing 
 sound, as though it sorrowed for the death of 
 the maiden. Far away by the sunset hills 
 the new moon hung like a half-shield, while 
 clouds sped past it, casting as they went 
 broad shadows over the valley. All this I 
 noted as knee to knee we fought. Thrust 
 and parry, parry and thrust. So ! the spear 
 is fleshed, and the red blood leaps forth. So ! 
 and a stone is marked with a glance blow ; 
 round and round, now up, now down, the 
 fight raged on until he slipped on the sodden
 
 KIABONEENA : A DESERT ROMANCE. 109 
 
 grass, and swift as light I plunged my spear 
 into his shoulder. So ! again and again 
 until he ceased to struggle, and the last breath 
 came feebly up through the spear- wound. 
 Then in my frenzy I stamped upon and 
 taunted him until, wearied out, I lay down 
 and slept on the blood-marked grass. Trium- 
 phant, but not happy ; victorious, but desolate. 
 I was alone. No king, no honour, no power, 
 could replace the laughter that was now silent, 
 and the sweet voice which could only be heard 
 in dreams. 
 
 " Long before dawn I rose, and, taking the 
 heart of Kiaboneena from the girdle of her 
 murderer, I turned and, leaving him to the 
 vultures, sped to where the maiden lay. Then, 
 calling the neighbours, we bore her to the 
 river, and there laid her to rest. Next day, 
 by order of the king, we killed off the family 
 of the evil one. But still that brought not back 
 the one who was to mfe more than my life.
 
 110 KIABONEENA: A DESERT ROMANCE. 
 
 So ! 1 have told my story ; and this Zaweete, 
 this chief of wandering voices, is a whisper, 
 nothing more ; for had he the power that is 
 said by the sages to be his, then why did he 
 not save Kiaboneena, and spare me a life of 
 sorrow ? " 
 
 No one dared reply, and in the silence 
 which followed the old chiefs story a faint 
 quavering arose in the forest, and, sweeping 
 out on the night air, appeared to the super- 
 stitious ears of the listeners to bear a challenge 
 to the chief for his bold denial of their power. 
 
 Having concluded his mournful history, 
 Lohio sat with his eyes fixed sadly on the 
 embers. But the merry hearts of the others 
 could not long endure the silence, so, after a 
 few low-toned remarks of a nature calculated 
 to soothe the outraged dignity of Zaweete, 
 should his spirit have by any chance heard 
 Lohio's denial of his power, they turned to 
 Gibusa, a noted historian of the desert, and
 
 KIABONEENA: A DESERT ROMANCE. Ill 
 
 begged him to repeat once again, seeing the 
 master was present, the Legend of Death. 
 Nothing loth, Gibusa, after bidding a boy re- 
 build the camp-fire, commenced.
 
 THE LEGEND OF DEATH.
 
 THE LEGEND OF DEATH. 
 
 TOLD BY GIBUSA. 
 
 " LONG ago, when the nations first burst from 
 out the reed-brakes, and death was not yet 
 known, Inkuluinkulu, the Great One, after 
 regarding the nations carefully, made up his 
 mind that men were (like the hills) to live for 
 ever. Calling up the goggle-eyed enwabo 
 (chameleon), he commanded it to go as his 
 messenger amongst the tribes, proclaiming 
 that, so long as the sun shone, neither death 
 nor sorrow should come amongst them. The 
 chameleon being but a slow traveller, many 
 moons passed over before he arrived amongst 
 the people.
 
 116 THE LEGEND OF DEATH. 
 
 " Meanwhile Inkuluinkulu changed, his mind 
 concerning the tribes, and, calling up the 
 intulu (lizard), which is swift of foot, com- 
 manded it to go forth, and if the chameleon 
 had not already delivered his message of life, 
 to proclaim that, owing to the folly and weak- 
 ness of the people, they should each and all 
 wither like the plants and pass away. Like 
 a flash the lizard set out and speedily over- 
 took the slow-footed inwabo, who had paused 
 to eat the purple berries of the imkuabuzan 
 plant. Hastening on, the lizard in time stood 
 amongst the people and proclaimed his 
 message. Knowing not the pains of death, 
 the nations replied, ' It is well ; let it be so.' 
 But before long the terror and pain struck to 
 their hearts as one by one they fell ill of 
 maladies and died. 
 
 " In the midst of this came the inwabo, 
 wheezing out his useless message of endless 
 life ; but, alas ! too late to save the people.
 
 THE LEGEND OF DEATH. 117 
 
 Then arose the chiefs and councillors, and 
 cursed the inwabo and his seed for ever. As 
 a consequence, to this day he trembles as 
 he walks ; while the intulu is named the 
 messenger of death, and is feared by all the 
 people."
 
 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON 
 THE TUGELA.
 
 ALLIGATOB-SHOOTING ON 
 
 >''; THE TUGELA. 
 
 THE Tugela Kiver, which forms the frontier 
 line between Zululand and the Colony of Natal, 
 is a broad and noble stream, which, taking its 
 rise in the Drakensberg, sweeps in a grand 
 succession of foaming rapids and long, still 
 reaches throughout the whole of the eastern 
 portions of the country. Its course for the 
 most part lies amongst serried mountains and 
 dark forests of black mimosa trees. Owing to 
 the isolation of the region, but few white 
 settlers have attempted to establish themselves 
 in the vicinity, while the natives, attracted, 
 doubtless, by the abundance of game, and the
 
 122 ALLIGATOR- SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA. 
 
 ease with which they can raise, owing to the 
 warm, damp climate, their crops of corn, have 
 flocked towards its banks in thousands. As a 
 consequence of the country being rich in game, 
 the river has become celebrated for its pleni- 
 tude of saurian monsters. Attracted by the 
 glowing stories told me by native hunters, I 
 set out from Durban, and, after a ride of about 
 a hundred and fifty miles in a northerly 
 direction over the high veldt, struck the edge 
 of the forest which is designated "Ethla- 
 nzanie " (" Thorn Forest "), where I halted at 
 a Hanoverian mission station. 
 
 It is a general rule with African travellers 
 to abuse missionaries, and I am sorry to say 
 that now and again they deserve a good deal 
 more odium than they get. But this par- 
 ticular station was a grand exception ; for the 
 Rev. J. Eebeling treated me with the utmost 
 kindness, and laid himself out in every 
 imaginable way to further my wishes. I
 
 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA. 123 
 
 had sent word to some of my old followers to 
 meet me at his place, and, while waiting for 
 them, was much interested in studying his 
 method of work. The success which has 
 attended him during his ten years' sojourn 
 at this station is marvellous, as will be fully 
 appreciated when I state that he has over a 
 hundred genuine native converts about him ; 
 that, unaided by outsiders, they have built a 
 large church and school ; and that, in addition 
 to acquiring the ordinary adjuncts of civiliza- 
 tion, they have established a brass band, con- 
 sisting of a full complement of instruments, 
 upon which the boys play with both precision 
 and skill. 
 
 A volume might easily be written on this 
 subject, but as this article professes to deal 
 with sport, I will take up the thread of 
 my narrative at the point where Gibusa, 
 Nodwango, and Munyosi, the three Zulu 
 retainers for whom I had been waiting,
 
 124 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA. 
 
 put in their appearance and enabled me to 
 march. 
 
 After two or three hours' journey through 
 the forest, the scenery underwent a marked 
 change. Instead of the broad open grassy 
 plains of the higher levels, we were now 
 encompassed by towering mountains of fan- 
 tastic shapes. Dense scrub and thorn forests 
 extended for several hundred miles east and 
 west of us, while the ground was covered with 
 an endless array of boulders, some as large as 
 sheep, others as big as small cottages. My 
 horse picked his way with great difficulty over 
 them, and now and again I was obliged to dis- 
 mount in order to save his knees. Between the 
 thorny trees overhead, whose spikes were in 
 some cases three inches in length, and the 
 bouldery road, our plight was no enviable one ; 
 but to add to its discomfort a heavy thunder- 
 storm came sweeping up, and a straight -up- 
 and-down tropical rain-cloud burst on us.
 
 126 ALLIGATOR- SHOOTING ON TEE TUGELA. 
 
 Staggering on as best we might for another 
 hour, I sighted the village of Mawella, the 
 chief of the Amabomva tribe of Zulus, who had 
 sought the British flag for protection against 
 Cetewayo a few years ago. Pushing on, we 
 soon found ourselves seated with the chief at 
 a roaring fire, while half a dozen girls roasted 
 cobs of corn for our entertainment. 
 
 Next morning, when I turned out, the 
 scene that met my eyes was an ample reward 
 for our dripping journey of the day before. 
 Owing to thick rain-clouds, I could not see 
 the hills close round the chiefs kraal on my 
 arrival ; but now, with the light of dawn on 
 them, and the freshness of the recent rains, 
 they presented a sight not to be forgotten. 
 Close in front, to the northward, lay the lofty 
 Umsinga Mountain, with its turret top and 
 deep-furrowed sides ; to the left, a grand array 
 of crags dwindled into far perspective ; while 
 in the deep valley between them the Tugela
 
 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA. 127 
 
 River came leaping down from ledge to ledge 
 in one long mass of rapids and whirlpools. 
 On the right another system of mountains 
 stretched as far as the eye could reach into 
 Zululand, while their crests, swathed in snow- 
 white vapour, remained as a further surprise 
 later on. Lolo and the Zulus being up and 
 " fixed " by this time, I bade farewell to the 
 friendly chief, presented his nearest and 
 dearest wife with a yard of Turkey twill, 
 and set out amidst a barking of dogs, a lowing 
 of cattle, and a chorus of " Hambanie gthlie, 
 Myieesa ! " (" Go in peace, Myieesa ! "). Just 
 at this point the river is about two hundred 
 yards across, and, owing to the recent rains, 
 was flooded and swift. Turning down the 
 bank, I soon sighted a long, low, saddle- 
 backed hill, which I learned was named by 
 the natives " Inhambani," where I pitched my 
 camp. 
 
 That night " 'gators " formed the chief
 
 ALLIGATOR- SHOOTING ON THE TUQELA. 129 
 
 topic of our conversation, and it was resolved 
 to turn out early next morning in order to 
 come to terms with them as they crept out of 
 the river-mud to bask in the early morning 
 sun. The night passed undisturbed, and by 
 the earliest tint of dawn we were up and off. 
 Followed by a goodly throng of natives, we 
 stole through the forest; and in less than 
 an hour were in position on the river-bank. 
 Very gradually at first the mountains came 
 looming out of the blackness of night, and the 
 stars wheeled off to their daily roost. Then, 
 with a bound, .the sun came over the hills, and 
 the whole prospect flashed out in rosy hues. 
 The trees glittered with dewdrops, and the 
 birds from their unseen nooks twittered and 
 sang until the air was alive with the glory of 
 nature. 
 
 " Nango, umgwenya, inkose 1" ("There are 
 the alligators, chief ! ") whispered one of the 
 natives, as he pointed to the long log-like and 
 
 K
 
 130 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TV GEL A. 
 
 slimy bodies of the creatures, as one by one 
 they came creeping out of the reeds and mud 
 and stretched themselves out on a convenient 
 bank in the midst of the river, which was just 
 at that point broad and placid. 
 
 Kaising my rifle, I soon had a fine large 
 fellow sprawling on the bank, and, in less 
 time than it takes to write it, succeeded in 
 despatching him with an explosive bullet. 
 Changing our position, I succeeded in plant- 
 ing over a dozen shots, with the result that 
 by eleven o'clock three prime saurians were 
 dragged into camp. At that time I had no 
 idea of the value of their hides, and, content- 
 ing myself with one skull as a trophy, ordered 
 the carcases to be cast into the river. But 
 just as we were on the point of doing so, 
 a messenger from the chief came down in hot 
 haste, crying, " Unga enza enjalo, amkosei 1 " 
 (" Do not do so, chiefs ! "). On inquiring the 
 reason, I learned that the liver of the alligator
 
 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA. 131 
 
 is regarded as a potent charm for evil, and, 
 in order to prevent any evil-disposed person 
 from possessing himself of a portion of any 
 of the carcases, the chief had ordered that 
 as soon as we were done with them the 
 remains were to be burnt to ashes and 
 scattered to the four winds. Always ready 
 for a bit of a bonfire, we all set to work, and 
 soon had a rare blaze. 
 
 This over, we returned to camp. That 
 night, round the camp-fire, I was regaled with 
 the following story : 
 
 GIBUSA'S STORY. 
 
 " Master," commenced the old Zulu, " as 
 the forests, rivers, and seas have their evil 
 things, so have the tribes and nations of men. 
 To-day there are as many evil as good 
 amongst us ; but it was not always so. Long 
 ago, before the hills were crumbled and 
 washed by the floods and the sunshine of the
 
 132 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON TEE TUG EL A. 
 
 ages, we, the black ones, lived in perfect 
 peace and happiness, for war was not known, 
 and magicians were not yet born. The first 
 of these workers of mischief came into the 
 world in a strange manner. "We who live 
 to-day doubt the truth of the story, but our 
 ancestors affirmed it and believed it. Nodala, 
 a woman on the Umzumkulu River, was near 
 her confinement, and while hoeing in the 
 corn-fields, heard a voice, crying, ' The time 
 has come ! the time has come ! ' Then was 
 she delivered of a son, who, although but a 
 child in age, was in all but stature a man. 
 Seating himself on a stone beside his mother, 
 who was weeping in terror at the strange 
 thing, he said, ' Cease, cease, I command you, 
 and give me to eat.' Corn and beef were 
 produced from the woman's pack, and the 
 dwarf ate his fill ; then, turning to his 
 mother, he sprang upon her head, saying, 
 'Run, bear me to the river; I would drink.'
 
 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA. 133 
 
 Having quenched his thirst, he sprang into 
 the water and vanished. The woman raised 
 a cry, and told her friends, who hastened 
 towards her, of the terrible thing that had 
 happened. 
 
 " When the chiefs and wise ones heard 
 her story, they sat in judgment on her and 
 condemned her to death, saying, ' Since her 
 offspring seeks the water, let her perish 
 by it.' Lashing her to a stake which was 
 fixed in the stream, they withdrew and left 
 her there throughout the night. Strange to 
 say, she lived here for a whole moon. At 
 night her son climbed out and sat on her 
 shoulder, singing to himself and laughing 
 with the laughter of a bird. Recognizing in 
 the dwarf a king, the alligators respected his 
 mother, and touched her not for a whole 
 moon ; but one night one less scrupulous 
 than the others stole up and in his hunger 
 devoured Nodala, the woman. When, as
 
 134 ALLIGATOR- SHOOTING ON THE TUGELA. 
 
 usual, the dwarf came to perch on her head, 
 she was no longer there, the stake only 
 remaining, and the footprints of the alligator 
 about it. Yelling and screaming in his rage, 
 the little man swore to be revenged, and, 
 following the murderous alligator, he slew 
 him, and, taking his liver, made thereof a 
 potent charm, with which he caused the 
 death of all the kinsfolk of the woman. He 
 then turned on the alligators, and would have 
 destroyed them also, but they made a treaty 
 with him to the effect that from thence 
 throughout all time he was to have the power 
 of killing one a year and using its liver to 
 wreak his vengeance on the human-kind. 
 Being small, the dwarf can, at his will, enter 
 any one's body and impel him to commit 
 murder by means of the liver which he always 
 has. Hence the chiefs fear," continued 
 Gibusa, " of allowing any of the liver of these 
 creatures to lie about. Who knows that
 
 ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING ON THE TUQELA. 135 
 
 Swellaboia, the dwarf, may not possess him- 
 self of a double supply, and slay the whole 
 tribe ? " 
 
 So saying, Gibusa rose, and, after stretching 
 himself and washing his mouth with water to 
 cleanse it after discoursing of the " evil one," 
 he lay down and slept.
 
 AN AFEICAN ARTIST'S STORY.
 
 AN AFRICAN ARTIST'S STORY. 
 
 THROUGHOUT the length and breadth of 
 South Africa there is scarcely a better-known 
 name than that of Thomas Baines. When I 
 was a boy, in Durban, he was undergoing the 
 toils and privations of exploration in East and 
 Central Africa, and one of the proudest 
 moments of my life was when, on his return 
 to that seaport town, he laid his portfolios 
 open before me, and, seating himself close by, 
 told me to " have a look." Score by score, 
 neat little pencil sketches, pen - and - ink 
 etchings, and water-colour drawings passed 
 through my fingers, while the running fire 
 of his explanations, uttered in a low, delibe-
 
 140 AN AFRICAN ARTISTS STORY. 
 
 rate tone, filled my whole soul with aspira- 
 tions after the life of toil and danger which 
 he was living. 
 
 Presently, in my examination, I came on 
 the half-finished outline of a young Matabele 
 warrior. Something in the terrified expres- 
 sion which the artist had thrown into the face, 
 and something in the grand, statuesque posi- 
 tion, arrested my attention, and I turned to 
 him for an explanation. 
 
 "Ah ! " said he, " that was a terrible day. 
 Lo'Bengula, the Matabele king for we were 
 in his country and at his great place had one 
 of his bad fits on him, and, when that was the 
 case, only some scene of devilish torture would 
 please him. I had been sketching this young 
 fellow, and he was still sitting beside me, 
 watching the novel operation, when the king 
 came up. Without a moment's warning, Lo'- 
 Bengula accused me of evil courses, in that 
 I was making a charm by which his warriors
 
 AN AFRICAN AETIST'S STOUT. 141 
 
 would become powerless, and his name a by- 
 word. Before I could say a word or raise a 
 finger, the king had worked himself into such 
 a state of frantic rage as to render any attempt 
 at explanation impossible. The royal body- 
 guards, hearing the hubbub, came down on 
 us with a rush, and for a moment or two 
 things looked ugly. As soon as they arrived, 
 the king pointed towards me in a most unmis- 
 takable manner, but when the uplifted spears 
 were about to fall, he waved them back, moved, 
 no doubt, by my apparent indifference. Turn- 
 ing to my unfortunate model, he cried, ' Kill ! ' 
 in a voice that was strained and unrecognizable 
 with passion. Scarce had the word passed his 
 lips than the spears flashed in the air, and, 
 with a dull thud, the young fellow fell to the 
 earth. Rising next moment, he plucked one 
 of the weapons from his thigh, where it had 
 buried itself, and, with one frantic thrust, drove 
 it right through the body of the nearest
 
 142 AN AFRICAN ARTISTS STORT. 
 
 warrior, crying, at the same time, ' The king's 
 word be fulfilled.' For about two minutes 
 the struggle was awful ; bounding hither and 
 thither with the agility of a leopard, the 
 doomed man fought for his life with a despera- 
 tion that was wonderful to behold. All this 
 time the king kept pacing to and fro, panting 
 and foaming with the most ungovernable 
 passion. Watching my opportunity, I dashed 
 in, quite regardless of consequences, and 
 managed to stay the sickening spectacle. By 
 this time the king had got over the first burst 
 of his senseless passion, and, shouting ' lobe ! ' 
 (' Cease ! '), put an end to the fray. 
 
 " The young warrior, however, was past all 
 hope; for three spears quivered in his side, and 
 several long and deep wounds in his breast 
 sent out streams of blood. Turning to Lo'- 
 Bengula, he said, ' I have done no evil, father. 
 Often and often have I, when the impis were 
 out against the Mashonas, carried my life on
 
 AN AFRICAN ARTISTS STORT. 143 
 
 my shield, and left my blood on the tall blades 
 of the tambootie grass; and this is my reward! 
 To-day I die. Yet, hearken ! you will also die, 
 as I do, with the spears of your own tribe in 
 your breast, and the hearts of your warriors 
 shall be joyful ; for, behold, you are but a 
 wolf to rend the children who have grown 
 up under the shadow of your name. So ! I 
 have spoken.' By the time these words were 
 uttered, the last remaining strength of the 
 gallant young fellow ebbed, and, sinking on 
 one hand, he looked towards me with a half- 
 smile on his face, yet beneath it there lurked 
 a world of agony that will never leave my 
 mind. 
 
 " ' Finish him ! ' said the king, and, turning 
 aside to avoid the horrible spectacle, I heard 
 the hollow thuds of the kerries as the ready 
 guards obeyed the royal order. 
 
 " Sick and sorry, I returned to camp, and 
 that evening, as I sat thinking over the awful
 
 144 AN AFRICAN ARTISTS STOUT. 
 
 scene, and working now and then at that 
 sketch, I heard the sound of merry laughter 
 approaching my waggon. Peeping out, I saw 
 Lo'Bengula, surrounded by a party of guards, 
 head-ringed men, and girls. Entering my 
 little tent, he seated himself on the ground, 
 and, glancing in my face with the look of a 
 spoilt child, said, ' The trouble is past, so let 
 it rest, and give me to drink of the water of 
 coffee.' You may be sure I did not let this 
 opportunity pass of speaking my mind ; but 
 to no purpose, for at any moment a like scene 
 might occur. Although Lo'Bengula and I 
 afterwards became great friends, I have never 
 forgiven him that murder, and only hope that 
 he will be taught to control himself before the 
 dying man's prophecy comes true ; though I 
 very much doubt it." 
 
 So saying, the brave old artist rose, and, 
 setting his palette, commenced to work with 
 a will at a painting which stood on the easel.
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE 
 TALE.
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 IT was in the fierce glare of the noontide 
 heat that Abdullah ben Hassan came sweep- 
 ing up the Zambesi in his great canoe. 
 Impelled by the lusty strokes of his slaves, 
 the craft foamed along in fine style until it 
 came near my camp, which was pitched on 
 the northern bank of the river, and sheltered 
 liy a group of cocoa-palms. Turning the 
 prow landwards, he sprang ashore and came 
 towards me. 
 
 Dressed as he was in all the magnificence 
 of his nation, he presented an imposing 
 spectacle. A snow-white turban bound his 
 temples, a richly embroidered vest of crimson
 
 148 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 velvet covered his breast, white flowing 
 garments of the finest linen fell in folds 
 to the ground, barely revealing the crimson 
 morocco slippers that protected his feet. 
 A broad sash bound his waist, and from 
 it depended a small armament of daggers 
 and pistols. After making a profound salaam, 
 he seated himself beside me. In a few 
 moments we were acquainted with each 
 other's names, and apparently on the best 
 of terms. After explaining as much as was 
 necessary of my objects, he returned the 
 compliment, on my request, and related the 
 following story : 
 
 ABDULLAH'S STORY. 
 
 " I am the son of Abdullah ben Oktar, and 
 nephew to the Sultan of Johanna. .When 
 I first came into the world, my father peace 
 be to him ! set eight healthy slave-boys 
 aside, saying, ' These are the property of
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 149 
 
 my son.' As I grew in stature and wisdom, 
 so my slaves grew in stature and strength, 
 for wisdom in a slave is like the sun at 
 noonday quite unnecessary. 
 
 " When we arrived at years of discretion, 
 my father purchased a dhow for me. Ah ! 
 what a thing of beauty that was! Calling 
 my slaves together, he ordered them to go 
 on board of her ; at the same time, taking 
 me to the beach, and pointing to the dhow, 
 he said, ' See, my son, there is a goodly 
 vessel, manned by your own negroes : they 
 are young, strong, and well- trained. You 
 know enough of the stars and the signs of 
 the waters to navigate the sea in safety. 
 Go, get slaves, taking care that you bring 
 only young lads and maidens. Kill all the old 
 and frail ; burn the villages of the heathen 
 and barbarous dogs ; be a brave man ; say 
 your prayers ; and Allah will be with you. 
 Meanwhile, take my blessing and depart.'
 
 150 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 " After making my salaams to my serene 
 and exalted uncle, the sultan, and bidding 
 adieu to a certain maiden, who wept most 
 piteously at parting from me, I got on board 
 and set sail for the Eovuma Eiver. Within a 
 month I returned with fourteen boy and seven 
 girl slaves. There was much happiness in 
 my father's house, and the women of the 
 harem came to look at me, their son, whilst 
 my own mother literally wept for joy. But 
 the wretched slaves would not be merry, 
 and, instead, sat in the stockades, casting 
 earth upon their heads, weeping for sorrow, 
 and lifting up their voices in cries and 
 lamentations. In their insolence they dared 
 to call upon the barbarous names of their 
 parents and gods. This shows the utter 
 ignorance and ingratitude of these creatures. 
 Here I had spared their lives and fed them 
 had borne them to our beautiful island, 
 the fairest upon earth, and yet they wept !
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 151 
 
 But the thongs of whipcord and hide soon 
 awoke admiration in their breasts, and they 
 shouted the praise of their lord and master 
 that is, myself and saluted my most sub- 
 lime uncle, when he came to view them, 
 with the utmost joy. But methinks the joy 
 of slaves is a miserable thing, partaking 
 more of the character of frenzy than pleasure. 
 This comes, I suppose, of their gross natures. 
 After a few weeks' rest, I started off again, 
 and met with even greater success. 
 
 " Thus I made several successful voyages, 
 and my name waxed great in the land ; my 
 exalted uncle, every morning and evening 
 when he prayed, blessed God and His holy 
 prophet for such a promising nephew, and 
 beseeched for a continuance of success. 
 
 "It was evening when I left the island on 
 my last trip, bound for the Indiana River 
 near the mouth of the Zambesi. In about ten 
 days, having fair winds, we crossed the bar
 
 152 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 and dropped anchor. Then, taking to the 
 boats, we pulled up-stream. By this time 
 my crew had increased considerably. Many 
 young nobles of Johanna, with their retinues, 
 had joined me in order to see life and learn 
 to catch slaves. Well, very soon we sighted 
 a village and went into it. The time was 
 most favourable, just before dawn, when men 
 sleep soundest, by reason of the coldness of 
 the air. The curs yelped at us, but if the 
 sleepy-headed negroes heard them, they must 
 have thought that they barked at a passing 
 flamingo, or, perchance, a sea-cow in the 
 river ; for no one woke up until we burst open 
 their huts and uttered our usual cry. 
 
 " Soon we had our hands full. Old men 
 and women threw themselves on their knees 
 before us, and, clasping their hands, begged 
 for mercy. We gave them the mercy of the 
 sword. Strong men grasped their spears 
 and sought to rob us of our prey. Bis-
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 153 
 
 millah I how we struggled ! and how the filthy 
 blood of the heathen bubbled up around us ! 
 and how the children screamed, while their 
 mothers strove to stifle their cries in order 
 to conceal them in the jungle ! But we were 
 too quick for them, and matters were soon 
 at rest. All those whose condition forbade 
 their removal, such as the old and frail, the 
 sick or the wounded, were left to their fate 
 in the burning village. We had done our 
 work, and could count sixty youths of both 
 sexes, and about twenty strong men, all bound 
 neck to neck. Then we returned to the river, 
 and, as there was not room in our boats for 
 such a number, we took their canoes and bore 
 them off to my dhow. Sail was then set and 
 we went to sea, homeward bound. How my 
 companions praised my prowess ! How my 
 slaves sang my praises ! And, as I stood on 
 the deck of my beautiful ship, I could not 
 but agree with them, saying to myself, ' Yea,
 
 154 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 Abdullah, thou son of Oktar, thou waxetli 
 great and famous in the land, and thriveth 
 well. The sultan will surely make thee a 
 great officer of state, and heads will fall 
 when thou frownest, applause and homage 
 will surround thee all thy life, and when 
 thou diest thou wilt be exalted in Paradise. 
 Thus thine end will be greater than thy 
 beginning.' 
 
 " Ere we had been long at sea, a sail was 
 reported away to the north-eastward. That 
 was right in our way ; but, as it might be 
 an English war-ship, I thought it best to run 
 in shore and anchor, trusting that whoever 
 it might be would pass without discerning 
 us. Not so, however. The English for it 
 was a war-ship had seen me through the 
 looking-tubes, and doubtless said amongst 
 themselves, ' See, here is an Arab ; come, let 
 us gird up our loins and capture him ; for, 
 behold, he is small and cannot hurt us. Thus
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 155 
 
 will we get praise from our rulers and win 
 credit in our native land.' 
 
 " Then these servants of the queen these 
 sailors of the Sultana of England came close 
 up to me. Very soon a mighty cloud of 
 smoke flew out of their ship's side, and the 
 boom of their artillery came rolling down to 
 me ; but the blessed genii who watch over 
 us Arabs saved me from the shot, which went 
 crashing through the forests behind us. Then 
 I hoisted sail, and hastened along the shore, 
 choosing the narrow channels between the 
 coral reefs, looking for a creek or river 
 wherein to shelter. There were none ; so I 
 had perforce to take to the open sea, where 
 we found that the war-ship gained upon us. 
 Had it been night, Abdullah ben Hassan 
 would have been a great man in Johanna 
 to-day ; but, alas I it was morning. The 
 English fired often, but missed us until noon, 
 when a shot cut my main lift, and down came
 
 156 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 the sail. There was nothing for it but to 
 wait. The enemy was too close, and the 
 slaves too numerous to be thrown overboard, 
 so we sat quiet. Soon a boat with fourteen 
 sailors and a boy-officer put off from the man- 
 of-war, and came on board of us. Seizing us, 
 he placed irons on our legs and arms. The 
 hatches were then removed, and revealed the 
 slaves, lying in heaps in the hold. Some had 
 fainted from fright, others from heat, and 
 two were dead. But the English spake words 
 of comfort to the living, revived the fainting, 
 and bore the dead reverently on deck. Then 
 the boy-officer took off his hat, and, waving 
 it overhead, gave three shouts of jubilee, to 
 which his followers replied. All this time the 
 man-of-war was steaming round us. Now she 
 came close up, and as each batch of slaves 
 landed on her decks, the crowds of seamen 
 shouted and cheered and praised the Name of 
 their God, and cursed Abdullah ben Hassan,
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 157 
 
 as though he were not sufficiently cursed 
 already. 
 
 " Then the slaves were fed, and, while they 
 were being sumptuously treated, we were 
 dragged on deck and cast down in bonds, 
 while the infidel sailors spurned us with their 
 
 feet, and called me a d d thief and a 
 
 bloody-minded rascal. Some of them wished 
 to hoist me as an ensign to their masthead, 
 while others thirsted to see me flogged. But 
 I kept quiet and listened to their talking, now 
 and then closing my eyes and praying for 
 revenge on these pirates and infidels. After- 
 wards they poured oil on my beautiful dhow, 
 and, setting fire to it, sent it off to sea. I 
 watched it until there was nothing left but a 
 cloud of smoke and a few sparks of my 
 father's gift. Then I closed my eyes and 
 cursed the sailors of England. 
 
 " They took me to Zanzibar, and placed me 
 in gaol there. My companions were released
 
 158 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 after a time, but they said that I must be 
 tried. Privately, I think I had been tried 
 enough, so when the new gaoler, who was a 
 Mussulman, next came to me, I whispered 
 such sweetness and flattery into his ears that 
 he got me the dress of a Banian trader, in 
 which I made my escape. Very soon I got a 
 passage in a dhow to Johanna. When my 
 feet touched my native shore I felt like a 
 king. Even my uncle, the sultan, did not 
 walk with a lordlier carriage than I did. 
 Some of my companions had already arrived, 
 so my story was known. When I drew near 
 to my father's place he ran out, and, taking 
 me by the hand, comforted me, saying 
 
 " ' Be of good cheer, you will retrieve your 
 fortunes, and shall have another dhow. 
 Come, my son, and let us make a great feast.' 
 
 " Well, we made the feast, and of course 
 my uncle was there. But the English and 
 the Portuguese and the Sultan of Zanzibar
 
 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 159 
 
 bad sent messages to him, begging tbat in 
 future no slaves sbould be in bis land. So 
 when I spoke of going again, be said 
 
 " ' Not so, my son ; let others go, and I will 
 punish them by seizing all their goods. You 
 must let the slaves alone ; rest content with 
 those you have, and, instead, go and trade for 
 gold and ivory on the Zambesi.' 
 
 "Thus it is that you find me here." 
 
 Having relit his pipe, he sat in silence, 
 smoking for a time, then, rising, he bade me 
 farewell and passed on his way. Shortly 
 after his departure I noticed an unusual com- 
 motion amongst my bearers and men. On 
 demanding the reason, one stepped forward 
 and said 
 
 " Senhor, that accursed Arab who has just 
 left us has spoken the truth to you. I came 
 and stood there by the tree while he told his 
 story, and as I listened to him I learned that 
 he it was that came to our village as he told
 
 160 AN EAST AFRICAN SLAVE TALE. 
 
 you. He it was who carried me off into 
 slavery ; and he it was who murdered my 
 father and my friends. Had it not been that 
 he was seated by you, to-day would have been 
 his last ; but my day will come. Now that 
 I know his name, I will overtake him yet, 
 and take the revenge which is my due." So 
 saying, the man withdrew. 
 
 In another hour the spot was as lonely as 
 the rest of the desert, and we were speeding 
 along under the cool grey of evening towards 
 Quilimane, where my friends awaited mr. 
 An avenging fate soon overtook Abdullah, for 
 in less than two months news of his death 
 arrived at my camp, to the annoyance of my 
 native follower, who regarded the incident as 
 an unwarrantable interference of Providence 
 in his private matters.
 
 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST 
 AFRICA. 
 
 M
 
 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST 
 AFEICA. 
 
 FOR nearly two months we had been labouring 
 through the tangled forests of indiarubber and 
 thorn that cumber the ground in almost all 
 low-lying parts of East Central Africa. Worn, 
 weary, and sick, my followers and I at length 
 reposed for a space. Our tents, tattered and 
 stained by long exposure, were pitched on the 
 banks of the far-famed Rovuma River, close 
 to the populous village of Twasa-twasa, in 
 11 13' S. lat. and 38 39' E. long., almost on 
 the very spot occupied by Dr. Livingstone some 
 few years before. More than one of my faith- 
 ful retainers had dropped out by the way, and
 
 164 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA. 
 
 the fateful clutches of the fever-curse lay 
 heavily on many more. By some unexplained 
 but providential chance, I had escaped almost 
 untouched, and on the particular starlit night 
 of this sketch I was pacing to and fro, listen- 
 ing, now to the muttered ravings of the 
 champions whom I loved, and anon to the 
 whispering wind as it moved through the 
 giant reeds by the river-side. About one 
 hundred yards lower down the banks the faint 
 outline of my sentry could at times be seen, 
 while a group of sympathetic villagers sat in 
 silence by the camp-fire, ready at the slightest 
 call to minister to the wants of the ailing or 
 carry out and bury the bodies of those whose 
 toils were over. 
 
 The mental strain to which I had so long 
 been subjected, coupled with the breathing 
 silence of the night, seemed to work me into 
 a state of nervous alertness that prevented me 
 seeking even a moment's repose. Presently
 
 MAN-HUNTING- IN EAST AFRICA. 165 
 
 the sentry moved into the shadow of the 
 forest, -and in another moment crept softly 
 towards me. 
 
 " Amasuliman yeza " (" Arabs are approach- 
 ing "), he whispered. 
 
 In a few moments the villagers were in 
 possession of the fact, while I set about 
 forming all the serviceable men I had in 
 something like battle array, for there was no 
 knowing what might happen. In less than 
 ten minutes the old village chief, Nogozala, 
 who might be called the patriarch of Twasa- 
 twasa, led his men out, and formed them 
 beside mine under the mangrove jungle. By 
 this time the measured strokes of the paddles 
 could be" faintly heard as the men-hunters 
 drew nearer. Not a whisper escaped our 
 fellows, and even the fever-stricken ones ap- 
 peared to realize danger, for their muttered 
 and disjointed sentences became hushed. 
 Glancing along the sombre ranks of the
 
 166 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA. 
 
 villagers, I noticed that there were about 
 twenty rifles amongst over two hundred 
 warriors, the balance being armed w r ith spears 
 and clubs of formidable dimensions. 
 
 By the time my tents were draped with 
 creepers, in order to mask them, the leading 
 canoe-load of intruders came in sight. They 
 were evidently in no fear of resistance, for the 
 dug-outs were scattered, and while some bore 
 quite a crowd of white-robed scoundrels, 
 others were manned by one or two men only. 
 When abreast of the village, the flotilla, which 
 consisted of over thirty canoes, headed towards 
 the bank and entered the reed fringe before 
 mentioned. Nogozala had instructed his men 
 to wait until the slavers had left their txoats 
 and set out for the village, which was about 
 three hundred yards distant, before they de- 
 clared themselves. 
 
 They had not long to wait, for the blood- 
 thirsty Orientals lost no time. Leaving a
 
 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA. 167 
 
 guard of about twenty men with the canoes, 
 the rest formed in skirmishing order and 
 advanced towards the huts. When they had 
 accomplished half the distance, Nogozala raised 
 a small bone whistle to his lips, and next 
 moment a shrill call rang out. Responding 
 to it with their battle-cry, " Rasa-Keela ! " a 
 portion of the villagers dashed headlong into 
 the reeds, while the balance charged the rear 
 of the surprised slavers. My party stood to 
 camp, and opened a rattling cross-fire at the 
 same time on the Arabs, whose light attire 
 rendered them a fair mark. The party who 
 had vanished in the reeds soon began to give 
 an account of themselves. Yells and cries, 
 oaths and abjurations to Mahomet, filled the 
 air, the river rose and fell in waves, while the 
 battle raged. The main body of the Arabs, 
 realizing the state of affairs, speedily opened 
 out into extended order, and, drawing their 
 short, curved knives, closed in on the natives.
 
 168 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA. 
 
 For nearly half an hour the fight raged 
 with terrific fury, men strewed the ground in 
 every posture of agony, while the combatants 
 whirled to and fro with lightning rapidity. 
 Only once did the Easterns approach my lines, 
 but the withering volley that met them cooled 
 their ardour. Shouting, " A white man, a 
 dog of a Christian,, is here ! " they fell back, 
 but only to meet the pitiless spears of the 
 now triumphant villagers. The canoe-guard 
 perished to a man, while the remnant of the 
 main body fled discomfited, for shelter, to 
 the forests. Six of the wounded Arabs were 
 speedily bound to adjacent trees, while the 
 dead were, in less time than it takes to write 
 it, hurled into the stream to rot amongst the 
 reeds or drift along until seized by the almost 
 countless alligators. 
 
 Long before dawn peace was completely 
 restored, and, with the exception of the six 
 captured Arabs, scarce a sign of the battle
 
 MAN-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA. 161) 
 
 remained, saving and excepting the fleet of 
 canoes, which formed a rich prize. Shortly 
 after sunrise Nogozala assembled his warriors 
 round the six captives, and a spectacle com- 
 menced over which a veil must be drawn. 
 Having an unconquerable aversion to witness 
 torture of any kind, I kept close to my tent, 
 but now and then the piteous yells of the 
 doomed men echoed far and wide as the 
 heated irons tore their flesh or the twisted 
 thongs wrung them limb from limb. When 
 the diversion came to an end, the old village 
 chief came slipping into my tent, and, after 
 partaking of snuff with great gusto, hoarsely 
 muttered 
 
 "The, dogs are dead, white one! and 
 the alligators feast as they never feasted before. 
 Your fire-sticks [guns] did good work, and 
 we of Twasa thank you." 
 
 Fourteen days later I struck camp and moved 
 on to the coast, where my steamer awaited me.
 
 A ZULU COURTSHIP.
 
 A ZULU COURTSHIP. 
 
 TOLD BY NOGWENDA. 
 
 ' You have asked me to tell you a story, and 
 I will do so. There will be nothing grand in 
 it, only a little bloodshed and courtship. It 
 is how I got my wife. There she is, down in 
 the mealie-field, with the baby on her back. 
 You must know that in the days when Cete- 
 wayo and Umbulazi, the princes of Zululand, 
 were youths, I was a warrior in Cetewayo's 
 regiment-; but I got tired of sitting still and 
 alone, so I rose up one day and begged the 
 king's permission to marry the daughter of 
 Bhloss, who lived on the plains near the 
 Matakulu. King Um'Panda refused me the 
 necessary permission, saying
 
 174 A ZULU COURTSHIP. 
 
 " ' Men of your regiment may not marry 
 brides ; you are but a boy. Go and learn to 
 be great in war, brave in battle, wise in 
 council, then seek a wife, not before.' 
 
 " And I said aloud to the king, ' Yebo 
 bayette, yebo n Kosi ; ' but in my heart I said, 
 ' Ha, ha I we shall see, thou kiDg, what will 
 arise out of this thing.' 
 
 " I returned to my regiment and ate my 
 thoughts, saying nothing to any man. In the 
 course of a few years Cetewayo and Umbulazi 
 quarrelled, and the civil war broke out. We 
 of Cetewayo's party were, of course, victorious. 
 After a great fight we drove Umbulazi's people 
 down the country towards the Tugela River. 
 When they understood that they w r ere defeated, 
 they turned and fled for protection to the 
 settlements of the white people on the other 
 side of the river. Cetewayo ordered us to 
 clear the country of all his foes, and we 
 started to do so. As the retreating army
 
 A ZULU COURTSHIP. 175 
 
 swept backwards, they bore with them the 
 people of all the kraals in the Matakulu 
 district, amongst them Bhloss and his family, 
 including my girl. I was full of fear when I 
 drew near the burning and deserted kraals ; 
 but there were no bodies in the ashes, so I 
 passed on, spearing the wounded and weary, 
 and all those who strove to conceal themselves 
 in antbear-holes and thickets. When we 
 arrived on the Tugela heights we found the 
 river flooded, and rolling down to the sea in 
 great waves. On the banks, thousands of 
 people crouched in terror, warriors and women, 
 old men and children, afraid of the spears 
 behind them and the river in front. That day 
 our spears, were red with blood. We thought 
 nothing of it at the time, but afterwards, when 
 talking about it, our hearts were sad, for we 
 had slain the children of our fathers. But 
 our chiefs had proclaimed that whoever held 
 back his spear from its work should himself
 
 176 A ZULU COURTSHIP. 
 
 be clubbed to death. So what could we 
 do? 
 
 " Well, when we arrived at the heights over 
 the river, our indunas halted us in order to 
 reform and prepare us for the last great 
 charge. In the two horns (wings) on either 
 side of the main body the swiftest runners 
 were placed. The main body contained the 
 head-ringed and young men (izinsizwa ezi- 
 ndala). When all were placed, we got the 
 word to charge, which we did, yelling, 
 ' Usutu ! ' Umbulazi's men answered us, 
 but with cries for mercy, calling us their 
 fathers and brethren, at which we only yelled, 
 ' Usutu ! ' the louder, and struck and speared 
 right and left, until the people, in their mad- 
 ness and fear, sprang off the banks into the 
 water, there to be swept away. There were 
 many strange things seen that day. 
 
 " An old woman with grey hair and totter- 
 ing steps was making her way to the water
 
 A ZULU COURTSHIP. 177 
 
 just in front of me. Twice I spared her, but 
 a warrior near me, being mad with blood, 
 plunged his spear into her shoulder. She 
 turned round, and, wrenching it out, sent it 
 quivering into his side. I looked at her with 
 admiration, and the next moment recognized 
 her as the wife of Bhloss, and the mother of 
 my girl. She saw me at the same moment, 
 and, guessing my thoughts, pointed up the 
 bank, saying 
 
 " ' She is up there under those palm trees. 
 Go, and save or spear, as you like.' 
 
 " I rushed up, brandishing my spear as I ran, 
 to mislead the indunas, and found her crouching 
 under the leaves and long grass. I seized her 
 by the arm, and saying, ' Come ! ' plunged 
 with her into the river. 
 
 " Just in time, for some of the young men 
 of our side saw my action. Guessing my 
 motive, they cried out, ' Kill the coward ! ' 
 and launched their spears at us ; but we dived, 
 
 N
 
 178 A ZULU COURTSHIP. 
 
 and only rose when we were well concealed 
 under the reeds and water-grass. Then we 
 sat up to our shoulders in the water, listening 
 to the sounds of slaughter on shore, and the 
 struggling of the dying in the water. It was 
 early in the day when we dived, and the 
 shadows were stretching eastward ere the fight 
 was over and we dared venture out. After a 
 rest on shore we swam across to Natal, where 
 we lived until the induna (officer) in charge 
 of my regiment died ; then we returned to 
 Zululand. 
 
 "That is how I got my wife. I did not 
 steal her ; I only saved her from the spears of 
 my regiment and from the alligators in the 
 water. So ! I have told you all about the 
 matter."
 
 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY.
 
 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY. 
 
 SHORTLY after the first gold rush in 1883, 
 Natal, like the rest of South Africa, went 
 fairly mad. " Keefs," " leaders," and " al- 
 luvial " were the talk of the day, and of the 
 night too, for the matter of that. Old legends 
 touching the occurrence of gold on the 
 northern frontiers of the Colony, were re- 
 vived, and before long I found myself 
 mounted on a stiff chestnut cob, en route to 
 test the' truth or otherwise of the rumours. 
 Attended by three old and trusty followers, I 
 soon struck the wild and romantic region 
 which lies contiguous to the Zulu frontier, 
 at the point where the Tugela and the Buffalo 
 rivers meet. The mountains here take all
 
 182 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY. 
 
 sorts of fantastic shapes, while the whole 
 country is swathed in forests of black mimosa 
 trees. 
 
 Our first camp was near a veritable castle 
 of pink quartz, while the kraal of Seleman, an 
 old native, flanked us on the west. This 
 savage was supposed to be well up in the 
 legend-lore of the district, especially where 
 gold and gold-hunting were concerned. 
 
 Before we had been an hour in camp the 
 venerable gentleman, clad in nothing save an 
 old felt hat, came to pay his respects and beg 
 a little salt. These duties performed, he took 
 a seat at the fireside, and proceeded to scratch 
 himself in the approved African style. When 
 the night had fairly set in and the men settled 
 down, I turned to him, and, by cunningly put 
 questions, drew him out. 
 
 " Yes," said he, " the gold is here ; since 
 the days of my grandfather's grandfather we 
 have known it ; but -why should we seek that
 
 A GOLD-HUNTEE'S STOUT. 183 
 
 which is of no use ? The goats and sheep, 
 
 the cattle, game, and maize-fields are ample 
 
 for us. Still, since you seek to know the old 
 
 story, here it is. When Indaba Ka Baba was 
 
 chief of this district and that is very, very long 
 
 ago a party of yellow men [Portuguese] from 
 
 Inhambane came one day over the hills and 
 
 camped as you have done. They sent for the 
 
 old ones, as you also have done, and questioned 
 
 them of the gold. But in those days our folk 
 
 knew nothing of it, and cared less. Next day 
 
 the yellow men set to work, and for many 
 
 days after, working, working, and working, 
 
 always saying, as they laboured, 'The gold, 
 
 where is it?' One day a great evil fell on 
 
 the land, and the warriors and women, falling 
 
 ill, died by the thousand, each one in his 
 
 agony crying out, 'The yellow ones have 
 
 bewitched us/ Then the chief rose, and, 
 
 taking his armed men, went down to where 
 
 the yellow ones were supposed to be working.
 
 184 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY. 
 
 On the arrival of the party, behold, they found 
 
 that those whom they sought were also dead. 
 
 f 
 
 Sealing the mouth of the cavern which they 
 had made, the chief and his men withdrew, 
 and the evil passed away, only the memory 
 of it remaining. Seasons have come and 
 gone, men have been born and died, and 
 the gold remains sealed up with the bones 
 of those who sought and found it. So let 
 them rest, and cease this constant search, 
 white one, else will evil befall thee 
 also!" 
 
 Seeing that the old savage was approachable 
 by gifts, I bestowed a blanket and great-coat 
 on him, and in less than an hour had secured 
 his promise to lead me at once to the reported 
 gold. As soon as the men were sound asleep, 
 we rose, and, taking a torch from the sheaf 
 that lay ready, we moved out into the dark- 
 ness. Passing down a deep gorge that lay 
 slightly to the eastward of the camp, the old
 
 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STOJtY. 185 
 
 man paused before a heap of stones, and, 
 pointing to them, said 
 
 " Here is all that remains of the dwelling of 
 the yellow ones, and there is the entrance to 
 their cavern." 
 
 Sure enough, a walled-up tunnel, covered 
 with creepers, could be seen faintly in the 
 darkness. After thanking the Zulu for his 
 trouble, I dismissed him, and sat down to 
 smoke a pipe and think over the find. That 
 to-morrow would reveal the skeletons of the 
 mysterious gold-hunters, and place me in pos- 
 session of their treasure, there could be but 
 little doubt ; but how to protect it from the 
 hungry crowd of prospectors who were prowl- 
 ing through the neighbourhood was the 
 question. 
 
 Next morning, accompanied by my men, I 
 proceeded to the tunnel, and in a few moments 
 had the loosely constructed enclosing wall 
 down and the working open. The sight that
 
 186 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STOEY. 
 
 greeted us on our entry was a ghastly one, for 
 scattered here and there about the floor were 
 the discoloured and mouldering skeletons of 
 about a dozen Europeans. Some of the bony 
 hands still clutched the iron handles of the 
 short picks which had so industriously worked 
 the long corridors in which we stood. The 
 eyeless sockets and the lipless mouths ap- 
 peared to leer at us in the fitful light cast by 
 the flaring torches, while at intervals the long, 
 lank arms appeared, to our heated imagina- 
 tions, to motion us back. But the verifi- 
 cation of one part of the old tradition 
 whetted my curiosity, and impelled me on 
 with hopes of winning the accumulated wealth 
 of the unfortunate miners. 
 
 Followed by my attendants, I passed on 
 towards the end of the tunnel, but was 
 stopped, after taking a few steps, by a well- 
 like opening in the floor, where a shaft had 
 apparently been sunk, and that in a workman-
 
 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY. 187 
 
 like manner. Leaning against its edge was 
 a rough sort of ladder, but the flight of years 
 rendered it extremely unsafe, so I decided to 
 descend by means of a rope in preference to 
 trusting to its mouldering steps. Uncoiling 
 a long line from the waist of one of my men, 
 I fastened it round myself, and, requesting 
 the others to lower me gently, launched my- 
 self slowly over the edge. Inch by inch the 
 line was paid out for about thirty feet, when, 
 by dropping a pebble, I learned that I had 
 almost reached the bottom. My torch by this 
 time began to show signs of dying out, owing 
 to the lack of pure air, so, raising my voice, I 
 called to the men to raise me. The hollow 
 shout which I uttered appeared to reverberate 
 through counter-tunnels to the right and left, 
 and, to my intense horror, was replied to by 
 a perfect babel of unearthly yells. These 
 reached the ears of the men, and with one 
 accord they dropped the line and fled for
 
 188 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STOEY. 
 
 the open air, whilst I fell headlong to the 
 bottom. 
 
 Dazed and stupefied, I lay for a few 
 moments and listened to the continued up- 
 roar. Gradually, as I became accustomed to 
 the darkness, I perceived a number of fiendish 
 eyes glaring at me from all directions, ranged 
 in tiers along the walls, in crevices, in the roof 
 of the cavern, and in far perspective along 
 the level upon which I lay. Slowly my 
 strength and courage returned, and, stretch- 
 ing out my hands in search of some weapon, I 
 grasped what felt like a short, heavy stick, but 
 which proved to be a branch roughly shaped 
 by the axes of the former workmen. Eising 
 to my feet, I moved slightly to the right, and, 
 with outstretched hands, felt for the foot of 
 the ladder. Having found it, I struck a 
 match in order to see whether the steps 
 would by any means support me. No sooner 
 did the light flash out than the howls ceased
 
 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STOEY. 189 
 
 as though by magic, and, glancing round, I had 
 just time to note that the dreaded demons 
 were neither more nor less than a colony of 
 young baboons. The light burnt dimly, and, 
 feeling the want of fresh air myself, I set to 
 work on the ladder, and in ten minutes stood 
 once more on the upper level. Losing as 
 little time as might be, I hurried on to the 
 outlet and rushed with a shout into the light. 
 My Zulus at first were nowhere to be seen, 
 but presently they came slinking back, and, 
 having overcome their superstitious scruples, 
 we at once returned to the tunnel and spent 
 the rest of the day in opening up the disused 
 workings. The natives took the greatest de- 
 light in butchering the young baboons, many 
 scores of which were killed, while I, with torch 
 and hammer, sought carefully for the signs 
 which induced the Portuguese to labour so 
 continuously. But little encouragement at 
 first rewarded me, and it was not until I had
 
 190 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY. 
 
 explored the lower level to its extremity that 
 I came upon the gold-bearing stratum. As 
 far as I could see by the smoking torchlight, 
 it was composed of a rubble of broken quartz 
 and slate, with here and there a tiny nugget 
 showing faintly in its dirt covering. Gather- 
 ing a pocketful of this stuff, I called some of 
 the natives, and with a pick set about clearing 
 the debris away from the furthermost corner 
 of the working. Presently the men recoiled, 
 with exclamations, from their work. Seizing 
 a pick myself, I approached the spot, but was 
 at once overwhelmed by a noxious gas that 
 rushed from a small opening little bigger than 
 a rat-hole. The atmosphere of the tunnel 
 was rapidly becoming unbearable, so, ordering 
 the men to retire, I followed them. It was 
 with the utmost difficulty that we gained the 
 open air, and lay down exhausted under the 
 trees. On examining the rubble which I had 
 brought to the surface, I found that it con-
 
 H 
 
 3 o 
 
 Q "* 
 X > 
 1 - 
 
 3*
 
 192 A GOLD -HUN TEH'S STORY. 
 
 tained about four ounces of gold, while the 
 stone weighed about eight pounds. The next 
 day I once more approached the tunnel, but 
 the poisonous gas had by this time, not only 
 filled the upper chamber, but was to be dis- 
 tinctly detected floating amongst the trees 
 near the entrance. My natives, overcome by 
 panic, refused utterly to re-enter the working, 
 while the whole tribe, headed by the chief, 
 also urged me to abstain from touching the 
 accursed place. 
 
 Against such overwhelming odds I could 
 not hold out, so, saddling my pony, I rode 
 back to Pietermaritzburg, and reported the 
 matter to Government. My application for 
 a concession is still unanswered, and the 
 tunnel, with the ghastly array of bones, lies 
 to-day as it was when I left it, saving only 
 that the natives have once more sealed it up. 
 
 The explanation of the vapour is not far 
 off, for prospectors are beginning to throng
 
 A GOLD-HUNTER'S STORY. 193 
 
 9 
 
 towards the banks of the Buffalo and Tugela 
 rivers, and any clay I expect to hear that a 
 large company has been floated on the Inyembi 
 Hill, where the " yellow ones " found the glory 
 and the end of life. 
 
 n
 
 A ROYAL RAIN-MAKER.
 
 A ROYAL EAIN-MAKEE. 
 
 MOST nineteenth-century folk labour under 
 the impression that the days of miracles have 
 passed away. According to Lo'Taka, King 
 of Bororoland, such is not the case. When 
 sojourning in that little-known but feverish 
 country, this potentate (who took a friendly 
 interest in me) showed me as much as he 
 dared of the wonderful supernatural and 
 magical powers vested in his royal body. I 
 will quote a page or two from my diary, 
 written at the time of my visit, from which 
 readers will be enabled to gather how far the 
 fabulous powers are extended to latter-day 
 miracle-mongers. 
 
 " 2,6th June. The king has been making
 
 198 A ROYAL EAIN-MAKEB. 
 
 rain to-day. It (the rain) has not come yet, 
 but there are some promising clouds about. 
 Lo'Taka which is the name by which the 
 Lord's anointed is known here can do lots 
 of things which other royal fellows cannot. 
 For instance, he is the high priest of the 
 nation ; he is a prophet ; he is the keeper of 
 the thunder, lightning, and rain. It is by 
 his order that the seasons come and go. He 
 bids the sun rise and set, and it is wonderful 
 how obedient that same sun is a model for 
 all other sons, in fact. Yesterday I went 
 into the king's private gomo, or enclosure, 
 and caught him in the act of fumbling about 
 a lot of old musty knickknacks. such as dried 
 roots, human finger-bones and teeth, bits of 
 charcoal and dried flesh. He looked up 
 hastily on my entrance, but on recognizing 
 me at once resumed his uncanny job. After 
 an hour or so of this he carefully stowed them 
 away again in a skin bag and replaced it in
 
 A ROYAL RAIN-MAKER. 199 
 
 a corner. Then, calling his keeper of the 
 wardrobe, he ordered him to bring out his 
 supernatural or spiritual dress canonicals, in 
 fact. These much resembled the dress of 
 Nazaza, described in ' The Story of a Gold 
 Concession,' in another part of this volume. 
 These being produced, his Majesty proceeded 
 to dress, inquiring the while whether the 
 spirit-cattle had been sent, according to order, 
 to the burial-place of the kings a point 
 situated about ten miles from the royal 
 residence. On receiving an answer in the 
 affirmative, he then shouted for his guards, 
 and walked off, inviting me to accompany 
 him and walk by his side. Always ready to 
 learn a -new dodge, I accompanied. The 
 spirit-cattle mean so many oxen dedicated to 
 the souls of dead kings and queens. These 
 souls have the power of keeping back the 
 rain unless proper courtesy and attention are 
 paid to them ; and the object of our journey
 
 200 A ROYAL RAIN-MAKER. 
 
 was to sacrifice an ox or two and thereby get 
 the right side of the ' dear departed.' 
 
 " On arriving at the place of burial, which 
 is only a large, natural cairn of stones, we 
 had a squat and a smoke. Then some of 
 the men went off to collect the spirit-cattle 
 and drive them up. Meanwhile the king 
 had another scramble amongst his musty 
 treasures, which had been brought along 
 with us. After a while he announced that 
 it was the soul of his warlike grandfather 
 who was ' riled,' and that the ox dedicated 
 to him must be killed forthwith. No sooner 
 said than done, for the thirteen or fourteen 
 men who formed the guard were hungry. All 
 men are hungry creatures, but few men can 
 be hungry to the extent of a Bororo's con- 
 science. Some of the fresh blood, together 
 with a bit of liver, lung, and other portions 
 were brought to the chief inyanga, or wizard, 
 who mixed up the mess with some juice from
 
 A ROYAL SAIN- MAKES. 201 
 
 a plant which grew close by. As soon as 
 it was mixed, the king and his wizard went 
 away with it to a little donga not far off, 
 where some mysterious and doubtless nasty 
 forms were gone through. Meanwhile the 
 others cut up the carcase and lit about 
 twenty fires in a circle. Upon each fire a 
 large piece of meat was laid. By this time 
 the king and the wizard had returned from 
 the donga, looking somewhat the worse for 
 wear I think they must have eaten the 
 dirty mess at any rate, it was not visible. 
 In a short time the meat on the various fires 
 was declared to be in a fit and proper con- 
 dition for dedication. This form was gone 
 through by the king, and somewhat resembled 
 a grace before meat. 
 
 " As soon as that was over, and a pound 
 or two set up on a stick at the top of the 
 cairn, our friends gathered round the fire and 
 went in for well, dinner is scarcely the
 
 202 A ROTAL RAIN-MAKER. 
 
 word, let us say series of dinners, and then 
 we fall short of the word. When human 
 nature could stand no more, it knocked off; 
 our sable monarch sat by the fire with a 
 spare scrap of meat in his fingers, while his 
 eyes looked away into the far-off distance, 
 with a dreamy poetic stare which would have 
 smashed a society poet all to bits. After 
 an hour's rest, at it they went again. Dis- 
 gusted with the proceedings, I left, but 
 learned this morning that the king, in his 
 efforts to propitiate the spirits of his noble 
 ancestors, had seriously inconvenienced him- 
 self, and had to be well rolled by his anxious 
 attendants. It is supposed now that the 
 royal soul of his dead grandsire is disposed 
 to be friendly, ami allow us to have a few 
 days' rain ; if not, the ceremony must be 
 repeated. If it is, there will, I fear, be a 
 vacant throne in Africa, and another name 
 added to the already long list of martyrs."
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN 
 PONDOLAND.
 
 TKAVEL AND SPORT IN 
 PONDOLAND. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the African coast is not famed 
 for picturesque scenery, there are spots where 
 the mountain chains approach the sea, and, 
 by breaking the monotony of the sandhills 
 and mangrove 'jungles, serve to reveal some- 
 thing of the weird beauty of the lone land. 
 
 The Umzimyubu (Anglic6, " Place of Hippo- 
 potami ") -River is one of these rarities, flowing 
 through the centre of Pondoland, as the strip 
 of savage territory that separates the Cape 
 Colony from Natal is called. It enters the 
 sea in 31 38' 6" S. lat. and 29 33' 16" E. 
 long., and is destined, in the near future,
 
 206 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN PONDOLAND. 
 
 to form the natural frontier between the two 
 enterprising colonies above mentioned. The 
 chief claim that it has on English readers 
 arises from the fact that a community of 
 British settlers, under the auspices of the 
 Cape Government, are endeavouring to estab- 
 lish a colony there. The scenery in the 
 immediate vicinity is most picturesque, while 
 the great forests that clothe the adjacent 
 mountains are well stocked with antelopes 
 of several varieties, to say nothing of such 
 gentry as leopards, wild cats, and baboons of 
 almost human proportions. The mountains 
 rise in abrupt reaches from the river-level 
 to an altitude of about two thousand feet, 
 and are crowned with beetling cliffs of white 
 quartzite, which glitter in the sun like giant 
 coronets of brilliants, vividly recalling the 
 travellers' tales told by the old-world ex- 
 plorers, of mountains of rubies, sapphires, 
 emeralds, and diamonds, whose untold wealth
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN POND OL AND. 207 
 
 was guarded by ghouls as ugly as somebody 
 whom I will not mention, and as strong 
 as Samson and Mr. Goliath rolled into one 
 and dumped down to four feet or so. The 
 forests consist, for the most part, of a 
 luxuriant growth of white pear, yellow-wood 
 (Podocarput Thambergii), wild banana (Stri- 
 litzia Africanus), date-palms and tree-fern, 
 ivory and iron-wood, flat crowns and water- 
 boom. 
 
 The course of the river lies between four 
 sheer cliffs, from which a wealth of creepers 
 depend almost to the water's edge. The 
 natives, who are not nearly as warlike as 
 the Zulus or Swazis, number about ninety 
 thousand^ and are much given to drink and 
 pilfering. They wear their wool done up 
 in huge cones and ridges, of which they are 
 extremely proud. 
 
 After landing from the small coasting 
 steamer with my Zulu followers, I pitched
 
 208 TRAVEL AND SPOUT IN PONDOLAND. 
 
 camp under some giant shade trees, and went 
 to secure boats for the conveyance of the 
 expedition up-stream. The settlers, who 
 proved to be of the true British type i.e. 
 hardy, dauntless, hospitable, and brimful of 
 hope did all in their power to aid me, and 
 by next evening we embarked, having learned 
 where the game was, and how to get at it. 
 Night overtook us as we rounded the first 
 bend of the river and came in sight of 
 Jefferies' Rock, as a great flat stone in the 
 centre of the stream is called. 
 
 It appears that a fine sea-cow (hippo- 
 potamus) used to make this secure spot its 
 nightly resting-place. Jefferies, who was a 
 noted hunter in the locality, resolved, to bag 
 
 it ; so, swimming off one evening, he lay 
 
 i 
 
 down to wait for his game. It came, sure 
 enough, and fought for its resting-place with 
 great determination. Very soon Jefleries' 
 powder ran out, and that worthy had to take
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT JN PONDOLAND. 209 
 
 to the water, where the enraged monster 
 killed him. 
 
 Resting on our paddles, we drifted with 
 the rising tide past the spot into a veritable 
 dreamland of beauty. The soft starlight 
 shimmered on the river, which at this point 
 is about a hundred yards wide. On the 
 right-hand side a mountain, called by the 
 natives "Echoban," loomed hazily through 
 the night. The huge cliffs adorning its 
 crest appeared more like battlemented towers 
 than natural rocks, suggesting the following 
 lines : 
 
 "Like giant sentinels on either hand, 
 The stately portals of the river stand, 
 Their rugged crests and headlands bold and free 
 Kising in solemn grandeur o'er the sea, 
 Whose foaming waves engird with silvery showers 
 St. John's grand cliffs and castellated towers. 
 Low at their feet, in deep eternal shade, 
 The river flows past mountain krantz and glade, 
 Onward and outward from its distant source, 
 Till midst this scene sublime it ends its course." 
 
 P
 
 210 TRAVEL AND SPOUT IN PONDOLAND. 
 
 While admiring its giant proportions and 
 stately outlines, I was suddenly startled from 
 the realm of poetry into a very practical 
 attention to current events by an outburst 
 of savage yells and barks from a drove of 
 baboons, who had doubtless been indulging 
 in "forty winks" close to the river-bank. 
 Some of them were quite five feet in height, 
 and appeared horribly human, or, to speak 
 more correctly, devilish in form and expres- 
 sion. At first they stood their ground and 
 yelled at us, but when we moved in closer to 
 them they began to withdraw. A snap shot 
 from my old snider rolled one fine specimen 
 over, whereupon the others clustered round 
 him, evidently striving to help him off. 
 Another shot or two, however, drove them 
 back, when we landed and secured the prize, 
 which measured four feet two inches from heel 
 to crown, and five feet from middle finger to 
 middle finger. After a few hours' rest, we
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN POND OL AND. 211 
 
 passed on again until Banana Point, as a 
 rocky promontory is called, was gained, where 
 we landed, and soon had the lonely forest 
 ringing with the blows of our tent-mallet and 
 the clinks of the axes. In ten minutes the 
 men were gathered round their fires, gnawing 
 industriously at cobs (heads) of green corn, or 
 singing in chorus some Zulu song of love and 
 war, with, perchance, a little magic thrown in. 
 By the evening of the second day we 
 gained a small reedy island, which divides 
 the stream and causes a series of difficult 
 rapids. Surmounting these by means of a 
 tow-rope and any amount of exertion, we 
 passed into a more open and meadow-like 
 country for about ten miles, where camp was 
 pitched for a week, and good sport in red and 
 grey deer, partridge, quail, plover, and curlew 
 enjoyed. Striking inland, after two days' 
 travel, we halted at the kraal of an aged 
 savage, who came out, dressed in nothing
 
 212 TEAVEL AND SPORT IN PONDOLAND. 
 
 but dirt, to welcome us. On perceiving that 
 my followers were Zulus, a nation whom 
 the Pondos heartily hate, his countenance 
 darkened, and, on hearing me address him in 
 his own language, it fell still further ; for all 
 chance of levying black-mail passed from his 
 mind. Welcoming us in a half-hearted sort 
 of way, he expressed a wish to possess any 
 small articles which we might have handy, 
 such as a hank of beads, a small mirror, a few 
 rings or brass buttons, my puggaree, my sash, 
 watch-chain, hat, shoes, or anything else that 
 was mine. 
 
 Knowing the ways of the heathen, I 
 insisted on first receiving and then paying 
 for hospitality. This was acceded to to the 
 extent of a very dirty hut, a lank, melancholy- 
 looking fowl, and a basket of corn for my 
 men. After a very uncomfortable night on 
 the rough earthen floor, for the balance of the 
 men were behind with the tents, we rose, and,
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN PONDOLAND. 213 
 
 setting out in search of them, found that they 
 had been wandering about all night in search 
 of me. Pitching camp in a dense forest, we 
 very soon found things lively enough to 
 satisfy a whole generation of Nimrods. Before 
 ten o'clock at night the leopards began 
 sniffing and growling round us. Lowering 
 the fire, we waited until they drew as near 
 as their cowardly natures would allow, when, 
 suddenly laying a tuft of grass which I had 
 smeared with tar on the smouldering embers, 
 a bright yellow glare lit up the forest and 
 gave us two good shots, one of which, from 
 the rifle of Munyosi, my Zulu headman, 
 grievously wounded a fine male in the 
 shoulder. - Instead of scaring them off, this 
 only seemed to call others up from the depths 
 of the forest, for in less than two hours there 
 must have been at least half a dozen of the 
 snarling creatures circling round us among 
 the shadows of the trees.
 
 214 TRAVEL AND SPOST IN PONDOLAND. 
 
 We found it impossible to get one of them 
 decently killed, for no sooner did they feel 
 the wound than they slunk out of sight, snarl- 
 ing and growling. While one of my men was 
 sitting under a low thorn tree waiting for 
 a shot, he heard a rustling overhead, and, 
 calling for a light, he fired at random into the 
 dense, tangled branches. By the time we had 
 more torches alight he had succeeded in killing 
 a boa-constrictor which measured twelve feet 
 six inches. It was only a youngster, and 
 had quite another eight feet to grow before it 
 was up to the usual standard. The African 
 snakes of this description are very harm- 
 less as far as men go, though it is no 
 uncommon thing to kill them in the act 
 of digesting antelopes, hares, coneys, or wild 
 dogs. 
 
 Next morning we learned that the reports 
 of our rifles had reached the ears of Unique - 
 kela, the paramount chief of Pondoland, who
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN POND OL AND. 215 
 
 despatched messengers with requests from him 
 for a gift of liquor. 
 
 " The king sends greeting," said the mes- 
 sengers, " and, while wishing you good sport, 
 requires that you shall send him forthwith 
 one case of gin, together with a blanket, for, 
 behold, he is cold." 
 
 Not being inclined to accede to the request, 
 and having the extreme unhappiness to be 
 entirely ginless, I, of course, declined, plead- 
 ing, in the first instance, disinclination, and in 
 the second, inability. Rising in great anger, 
 the messengers withdrew, breathing threats. 
 Next morning I was warned to prepare for a 
 royal visit. Towards afternoon his serene 
 Majesty, > blear-eyed, palsied, and degraded- 
 looking fellow, clad in a long overcoat that 
 had once covered the manly breast of a 
 London and North- Western Railway guard, 
 came up, mounted oil a shaggy pony, and fol- 
 lowed by about twenty attendants. Dis-
 
 216 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN PONDOLAND. 
 
 mounting in front of the tents, lie sat down 
 on a stone in silence and regarded me with a 
 reproachful and haughty stare. Paying no 
 heed to him, I went on polishing my gun with 
 an oil-rag until his spokesman rose and said 
 
 " You are a great chief, and it is the custom, 
 when one chief visits the country of another, 
 to make presents ; here is the owner of this 
 country : where is your gift ? " 
 
 In reply, it was stated that, while the rule 
 was admitted, the argument failed, for I was 
 not a chief only a traveller and writer of 
 letters. This nonplussed them for a while, and 
 they discoursed earnestly together until Um- 
 quekela rose, and said 
 
 " Whether you be a chief or not I know 
 not, but this I know, I and my men are 
 athirst for gin, and gin, in your country, runs 
 in the rivers. Why do you begrudge me that 
 which with you is as cheap as water ? " 
 
 Knowing how useless any attempt to dis-
 
 TRAVEL AND SPORT IN POND OL AND. 217 
 
 abuse his mind of this idea would be, I let it 
 pass, simply remarking that I could not carry 
 my native rivers with me in my pockets. 
 After a somewhat animated discussion, his 
 gracious Majesty stalked haughtily towards 
 his horse, and, mounting, rode away, followed 
 by his retainers in sad and thirsty silence. 
 
 After about a month's steady shooting, 
 during which his Majesty never once troubled 
 me, I returned to the boats, and, passing the 
 rapids in safety, found myself once more 
 amongst the hospitable colonists, who informed 
 me that the steamer would probably pass that 
 day, which it did. Embarking with my spoil 
 of skins and horns, and jaded followers, I bade 
 a reluctant farewell to St. John's River, as the 
 settlers have called it, and, setting my face 
 eastward, went towards the mystic realm of 
 the Arabs and Moors of Sofala, where the 
 fever reigns supreme, and where the English 
 tongue is never heard.
 
 ON THE INDIANA RIVER.
 
 ON THE INDIANA EIVER. 
 
 FOR years I had heard of the wonderful herds, 
 or schools, of sea-cow which were to be seen 
 on the Indiana River, in East Africa. Hap- 
 pening to be, in the course of my travels, 
 within some fifty miles or so of the spot some 
 years ago, I resolved to try my luck in the 
 ivory-hunting line, and at the same time ex- 
 plore a part of the country which was but 
 little known to any save the gangs of slave- 
 dealers who infest East Africa. Three days' 
 steady march saw us encamped under the 
 graceful cocoa-palms which fringe the river 
 in question. While my canoe-men (for I 
 carried a regular crew with me) were over-
 
 222 ON THE INDIANA RIVER. 
 
 hauling the two or three rickety dug-outs 
 which we had been able to hire from the 
 natives of an adjacent village, I set out in 
 quest of anything interesting that might be 
 found within easy reach of camp. Those who 
 are interested in the quest for gold will prick 
 up their ears when I tell them that, in the 
 course of an hour's walk, I discovered seven 
 broad reefs of quartz, from which I knocked 
 several pieces of visible gold of such propor- 
 tions as to be almost worthy of the name of 
 "nuggets." 
 
 Passing on, I approached the river-bank, 
 about six miles above my camp, and was 
 delighted to see over thirty of the huge, un- 
 wieldy creatures which we had come to hunt, 
 disporting themselves in the reedy pools. 
 Here, there, and everywhere the great square 
 heads of the monsters peeped from the water, 
 while at frequent intervals jets of spray flew 
 up like waterspouts from the almost sub-
 
 ON THE INDIANA RIVER. 223 
 
 merged nostrils of others. Turning, I has- 
 tened back to camp, and, about four hours 
 later, approached the spot in my canoe. 
 
 Seated in the bows, with ready rifle, was 
 my friend Ebb Skeary, who had recently 
 joined me. Four trained natives handled the 
 paddles noiselessly, whilst I stood up and 
 steered, at the same time keeping my eye on 
 the ready-cocked rifle that lay at my feet. 
 Before very long, Ebb raised his rifle, and the 
 paddlers suspended their labours. Crash 
 went the shot, and in another minute the boat 
 was rocking on the waves made by the frantic 
 struggles of a full-grown animal. Suddenly 
 the victim sank. When we were on the point 
 of heading for the reeds, in order to set the 
 grappling-irons, he reappeared, and charged 
 us with open mouth. The paddlers did their 
 best to escape, but before we could get way 
 on the boat, the huge jaws closed down on 
 the gunwale and splintered it. Grasping our
 
 224 ON TEE INDIANA EIVER. 
 
 arms, we plunged into the water, and swam 
 for the shore, in the hope that the creature 
 would expend his blind rage on the canoe. 
 But no such luck ; for, abandoning the wreck, 
 he made straight for the nearest native, and 
 before we could as much as raise a hand, the 
 bubbles on the water were tinged with blood, 
 and the man lay a mangled corpse among the 
 reeds. Having gained a submerged bank, 
 both Ebb and I turned and opened fire, for 
 our cartridges were copper-cased and water- 
 proof. For some minutes the sea-cow appeared 
 to be dazed, but soon came on again, and, 
 in doing so, received three severe wounds 
 on the head and neck. 
 
 By this time the remainder of my party in 
 the other canoe came on the scene, and created 
 a very welcome diversion by attracting the 
 attention of the enraged brute. While the 
 two native hunters in the new canoe opened 
 fire, Ebb, the remaining three natives, and
 
 ON THE INDIANA RIVER. 225 
 
 myself waded and swam towards the bank ; 
 but before we gained it the whole herd drove 
 down on us, and for a few minutes it looked 
 like serious business. Standing breast-deep 
 in the water, we had no chance against the 
 agile movements of the otherwise clumsy 
 animals, and, but for the ingenuity of Ebb, 
 we might all have shared my paddle-man's fate. 
 Grasping a bundle of reeds, he wrapped them 
 loosely round his neck, and then, stretching 
 himself comfortably on his back, floated safely 
 past the herd, and landed on a spot about a 
 hundred yards lower down. Following his 
 example, we all did likewise ; the canoe-men 
 meanwhile whirling to and fro, and keeping 
 several of the fiercest of the creatures on the 
 alert. The moment we gained the bank, a 
 steady and systematic fire was opened, and 
 in about two hours three splendid specimens 
 were lying at the bottom, awaiting the grap- 
 pling-irons. 
 
 Q
 
 226 ON THE INDIANA RIVER. 
 
 The uproar and constant firing had attracted 
 quite a large number of villagers, who, in 
 return for a promise of abundant beef, were 
 only too happy to lend a hand in hauling the 
 carcases ashore. Next day we chopped the 
 ivory out and lay by for a rest.
 
 THE ZAMBESI : A WORD-PICTURE.
 
 THE ZAMBESI: A "WOBD-PICTUKE. 
 
 SUNRISE on the Zambesi ! What pen can 
 portray or voice describe the subtle glory that 
 sweeps like a flood over the broad river and 
 the mighty palms ? It is reality draped in 
 romance, stability in the vestments of a dream. 
 No pencil, however gifted, can ever approach 
 the transparent hues that flit with kaleido- 
 scopic rapidity over the world of waving reeds 
 and sombre forests that bound the view to the 
 right and left. Sweeping on into a veritable 
 ocean of molten gold, my canoe, propelled by 
 the measured strokes of the paddle-men, rose 
 and fell with the regularity of a pendulum, 
 while the cloudless sky overhead appeared to
 
 230 THE ZAMBESI: A WORD-PICTURE. 
 
 fairly glow with the colours of a myriad rain- 
 bows. Saving the faint plash of the paddles 
 as they smote the water, not a sound was 
 abroad. 
 
 The morning breeze had not risen, and the 
 great fronds of the date-palms stood clear-cut 
 and motionless, as though cast in metal that 
 had not yet lost the tints of the furnace. 
 There was a ghostliness about the weird and 
 beautiful scene that appealed even to the 
 dense senses of my retainers, and hushed their 
 usual paddle-song. Now and then a flock of 
 flamingoes spread their wings and sailed slowly 
 away from the "strange thing" that moved 
 towards them, while the groups of sea-cows 
 paused in their browsing to glance uneasily 
 at us as we swept past. Standing in the bow 
 of the canoe, I fairly revelled in the silence 
 that had scarcely been broken by civilized 
 man since the fiat went forth, " Let there be 
 light." It was then that I realized how weak
 
 THE ZAMBESI: A WORD-PICTURE. 231 
 
 and powerless the most eloquent pen must be 
 in the presence of the spirit that dwells in the 
 untrodden places. 
 
 Still on and on through the thickening 
 mists and arbour-like waterways, until the sun, 
 bursting from the trammels of the east, poured 
 his rays in full power over the river, which 
 gradually lost its rosy tints and assumed the 
 appearance of a path of molten steel. Hotter 
 and hotter blew the east wind, until the 
 laboured breathing of the men warned me to 
 seek shelter from the heat that was as terrible 
 as the seven-times-heated furnace of the 
 Scriptures. Steering for a cluster of palms, 
 we made our way through the wildering swirl 
 of the mirage. Here, there, and everywhere 
 fresh rivers appeared to float in mid-air, 
 trembling islands of vapour swept past us, and 
 moving palms waved their noiseless leaves as 
 they appeared and vanished in rapid succession. 
 Yet, beside the beauty, the enchantment, and
 
 232 TEE ZAMBESI: A WORD-PICTURE. 
 
 delight, there is always the torturing thirst 
 and the throbbing brain. 
 
 No wonder that ancient explorers described 
 the place as "possessed;" for, even with the 
 aid of common sense and the light of science, 
 I was fain to ask myself whether it was reality 
 or a dream. No wonder Vasco da Gama and 
 the equally valiant Barreto told of magic cities 
 and angelic throngs which changed to demons 
 ere they had time to reverently bend the knee 
 or cross themselves. No wonder that they 
 died of terror or were burned as "evil ones " 
 when they told their wondrous stories. In- 
 stability seemed to be impressed on every 
 object, but the dread reality was very, very 
 near. The burning thirst and the throbbing 
 brain were ever-present ; then the wildness 
 of delirium, and one by one our numbers fell 
 away. A heavy breathing, a muttered prayer, 
 a few solemn words from the Burial Service, 
 a sullen splash in the river, and the reality 
 is told. Such is the Zambesi.
 
 PRESIDENT PAUL.
 
 PRESIDENT PAUL. 
 
 PERHAPS the most noteworthy and remarkable 
 figure in the pioneering history of South 
 Africa is that of Stephanus Johannes Paulus 
 Kriiger, State President of the Transvaal 
 Republic. Rugged and homely alike in 
 feature and manner, he nevertheless represents 
 a class which is rapidly vanishing, but to 
 which we owe the beginnings of that civiliza- 
 tion and progress which is now doing so much 
 for South Africa. 
 
 Born in the district of Cradock, in the Cape 
 Colony, he and his family took part in the 
 " trek," or exodus, of Boers which resulted 
 from the proclamation of British power and 
 authority in that Colony. Taking up a loca-
 
 236 PRESIDENT PAUL. 
 
 tion across the Vaal, in the now well-cultivated 
 district of Magaliesburg, the family of the 
 future president struggled through long years 
 of grinding poverty and hardship, only 
 rendered endurable by the spice of liberty, 
 danger, and romance which encircled it. 
 Young Paul soon became a marked man, and, 
 while scarce out of his teens, was the acknow- 
 ledged leader of sport in his district. The 
 Arcadianism of his life, however, was speedily 
 doomed ; his innocent tasks of shepherding his 
 father's flocks and following the spoor of game 
 were destined to be laid aside for the grim 
 realities of leadership. His appointment as 
 commandant of his district took place only a 
 few weeks before the outbreak of a civil war 
 between the northern and southern clans of 
 the " Voortrekkers." During this war he 
 distinguished himself alike for bravery and 
 caution, and, returning in triumph, was shortly 
 afterwards appointed commandant-general of
 
 PRESIDENT PAUL. 237 
 
 the then struggling and almost penniless 
 republic. After a long list of victories over 
 the turbulent native tribes in the northern 
 provinces of the state, he was almost unani- 
 mously elected vice-president. After the War 
 of Independence of 1881, he became president, 
 and has remained in that position until the 
 present time (1892). 
 
 In the calm of the evening, surrounded by 
 a few eager listeners, President Kr tiger can 
 tell stirring tales of the great struggles he 
 witnessed as a boy. With a far-away look in 
 his eyes, and a deep sympathetic ring in his 
 voice, he can infuse a pathos into his narra- 
 tives which finds its origin in the heart of the 
 man, and his tales are thus rich with a 
 colouring which no impartial historian can 
 give to his writings. ' 
 
 " Ah ! yes," the president says, " I remember 
 Dingaan's Day well. I was then but a boy of 
 about twelve years of age, but every incident
 
 238 PRESIDENT PAUL. 
 
 of those eventful times is still engraved in my 
 memory. Never shall I forget how, shortly 
 after Piet Retief had been murdered, a small 
 laager of our people were suddenly and un- 
 expectedly attacked by a Zulu impi in the 
 early morning, and cruelly slaughtered. I was 
 with another band of our people. It was in 
 the early dawn when we heard the firing. At 
 first we thought that these were the shots of 
 Piet Retief and the others returning from 
 Dingaan, but when it became more light the 
 scouts brought us the awful news that one 
 band of our people had been attacked by an 
 impi of Dingaan's warriors, and that they had 
 all been murdered with the exception of about 
 thirty men, who had fled to a small kopje, 
 where, surrounded with bloodthirsty warriors, 
 they were heroically defending themselves. 
 They fired so fast and well that the Zulus 
 were powerless to overcome them while their 
 ammunition lasted. I was with the waggons
 
 PRESIDENT PAUL. 230 
 
 with the women aDd children and a few men, 
 and hastily we drew the waggons into a circle 
 and commenced dragging on bushes to form a 
 laager. Death stared us in the face, and 
 bravely were we assisted by the women that 
 day. They chopped and dragged on the 
 bushes and helped to build the laager, and 
 ah ! it was painful to see every now and then 
 one of them sink down exhausted outside the 
 circle, praying to Grod for help and mercy. 
 That morning all of us prayed, even the little 
 children, who, in their innocence, knew nothing 
 of our great danger or of the Godhead, and 
 there one heard men pray who had, perhaps, 
 never prayed before. ' Danger teaches prayer.' 
 And God hears prayer ! That day He heard 
 us and * delivered us out of the hands of our 
 enemies.' 
 
 "When we had made our small laager as 
 strong as possible, we directed our attention 
 to the small band there on the kopje, of which
 
 240 PRESIDENT PAUL. 
 
 several had already been killed and wounded. 
 We knew that their ammunition could not last 
 much longer, and were awaiting the end with 
 fear and trembling, when fifteen brave men 
 in our laager volunteered to go to their assist- 
 ance with more ammunition. They saddled 
 and mounted their horses, and charged down 
 upon the Zulus, fighting their way through the 
 ranks of the impi, and eventually reached 
 the thirty on the kopje just in time to save 
 them. The firing from the kopje immediately 
 grew stronger, and it was soon evident that 
 the Zulus could not stand it much longer. 
 They commenced falling back, and eventually 
 were in full retreat. Then came our turn. We 
 followed them and shot them down as they 
 fled, until we had killed more of them in this 
 pursuit than they had killed of our people 
 while attacking us. I was then quite small, 
 but I could already shoot well, having, so to 
 speak, lived among game all my life, and I
 
 PRESIDENT PAUL. 241 
 
 remember that I tried my best to shoot a few 
 of the flying enemy. At first they would not 
 let me go from the waggons, as I was still too 
 small ; but my heart burned to leap on my 
 horse and join the others in pursuing our foes. 
 Late that afternoon we returned, and our 
 way was strewn with the bodies of hundreds 
 of warriors. 
 
 " But, ah ! the awful scene we gazed on 
 then ! " and the president's voice grew husky. 
 " There lay our people, murdered by another 
 impi that had attacked the laager while we 
 were pursuing the enemy. The ground was 
 white with feathers which the Kaffirs had 
 pulled out of the bedding in the waggons. 
 There were sheep skinned alive ; men, women, 
 and children fearfully mutilated, dead and 
 dying ; there were troops of vultures tearing 
 the dead to pieces, and attacking even the 
 living; mothers dead and dying with their 
 babies still pressed to their bosoms ; some, 
 
 R
 
 242 PRESIDENT PAUL. 
 
 with their little children folded in their arms, 
 were transpierced with assegais, the weapons 
 holding the bodies together ; a great many 
 were horribly mutilated, and little children lay 
 dead on the ground, where the savages had 
 cast them after having knocked their brains 
 out against the waggon-wheels, which were 
 bespattered with blood. Yet the Englishmen 
 wonder why we Boers rule the natives with 
 a rod of iron, and crush them whenever they 
 attempt to assert themselves." 
 
 THE END 
 
 LONDON : PRINTED BT WILLIAM CLOWES AKD SONS, LIMITED, 
 STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CBOSS.
 
 W. H. GRIFFIN & Co., 
 
 WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 
 
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 "THE GOLDEN CANISTER" 
 
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 DRAPERY DEPARTMENT. 
 
 Every Article New and Fashionable, having been per- 
 sonally selected. 
 
 OUTFITTING DEPARTMENT. 
 
 Always a Large and Varied Stock of Gents', Youths', 
 
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 "GOLDEN CANISTER," 
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 AND 
 
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 finest quality. 
 
 W. H. GRIFFIN & Co., 
 
 GOLDEN CANISTER, 
 
 CHAPEL STREET, 
 PIETERMARITZBURG, NATAL. 
 
 R3
 
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 CHURCH AND CHAPEL STREETS, 
 PIETERMARITZBURG, NATAL. 
 
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 The Stanhope, 
 
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 The Houghton Estate, 
 
 Gold-Mining Companies ; and 
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 The London and Lancashire Fire Insurance Com- 
 pany. 
 
 The Port Elizabeth Assurance and Trust Company. 
 
 The City of Glasgow Life Assurance Company. 
 
 The Maritime Insurance Company of Liverpool, 
 England. 
 
 Hollins & Co.'s Coaches Charlestown and Johan- 
 nesburg. 
 
 Barberton Coaches Volksrust and Barberton. 
 
 Broking and Agency Department. 
 
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 Manager.
 
 H. GRIFFIN & SON, 
 
 COMMERCIAL ROAD, 
 
 Pietermaritzburg, 
 
 GROCERS, PROVISION MERCHANTS, 
 
 ITALIAN 
 
 GLASS & CHINA MERCHANTS. 
 
 A Large and well-assorted Stock always 
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 N|AIL AND PASSENGER SERVICE 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 CHAELESTOWN AND JOHANNESBURG, 
 
 Coach leaves Charlestown Daily about 12 Hoon for Johannesburg. 
 FARE, 4 10s. 
 
 AGENT IN PIETEHMABITZBUKG 
 
 W. H. GRIFFIN, 
 
 BOOKING OFFICE, 
 
 CHAPEL STREET. 
 
 GEORGE KEYS & ROBERTSON 
 and BALLOT'S 
 
 Through IV|ail and Passenger Service 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 CHARLESTOWN AND BARBERTON 
 
 (via VOLKSBUST). 
 
 Coach leaves Charlestown Mondays and Thursdays. 
 FARE to BARBERTON, 6 10s. 
 
 AGENT IN PIETEBMABITZBUBG 
 
 W. H. GRIFFIN, 
 
 BOOKING OFFICE, 
 
 CHAPEL STREET.
 
 I 
 
 THE ABERDEEN LINE 
 
 OP 
 
 DIRECT STEAMERS 
 
 Taking Goods and Passengers at Through Rates for 
 Delagoa Bay, Beira, Chinde, and East African Ports. 
 
 S.S. " DABULAMANZI." 
 S.S. " MATABELE." 
 S.S. "INANDA." 
 S.S. "INDUNA." 
 
 8.8. " IFAFA." 
 S.8. " 1LLOVO." 
 S.S. " INYONI." 
 " QUATHLAMBA. 
 
 REGULAR SAILINGS from London and Natal, calling'-at 
 TenerifFe. 
 
 These splendid Steamers have maguificetit accommodation for 
 Saloon Passengers, and are well found in every respect. The Cabins 
 are unusually spacious, and elegantly fitted up with all requisites, 
 and are lit throughout with Electric Light. There are only Two 
 Berths in each Cabin. 
 
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 Passengers are specially invited to inspect the accommodation 
 of these Vessels. 
 
 FOR FREIGHT OR PASSAGE, APPLY TO THE OWNERS 
 
 J. T. EBNNIB & SONS, 
 
 "CJ X& ]B -A. 3ST - 
 
 J. T. RENNIE&SON, 
 
 48, Marischal Street, 
 Aberdeen. 
 
 J. T. RENNIE, SON, & Co., 
 4, East India Avenue, 
 London, E.G.
 
 NATAL LINE 
 
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 STEAMKRS. 
 
 LONDON TO J1ATAL DIRECT. 
 
 AND TAKING GOODS FOR 
 
 Delagoa Bay, Beira, Chinde, and other East African 
 Ports. 
 
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 Sail euery Three Weeks from the East India Dochs, 
 
 Calling alternately at 
 Grand Canary (Las Palmas) and Teneriffe. 
 
 A Regular Monthly Service also between Cape Colony, 
 Madras, and Calcutta. 
 
 The Steamers of this Line have splendid accommodation 
 for Cabin Passengers at Moderate Rates, are fitted through- 
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 Piano. 
 
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 Beira: POULET, SUTER & Co. 
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 A 000087214 3