Forty Years SiAii !YLER PRINCETON, N. J. Purchased by the Hammill Missionary Fund. BV 3625 .Z82 T94 1891 Tyler, Josiah, 1823-1895. Forty years among the Zulus Iti;v. .Fdsiaii Tvi.ick FORTY YEARS AMONG THE ZULUS BY y REV. JOSIAH TVLER MISSIONARY OF THE A. B. C. F. M. BOSTON AND CHICAGO (Congregational SunIia5s;5tf)ool ani ^Publtsfjtng Socutg Copyright, isni, by Congregational Sunday-School and I'ublishinu Society. TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED WIKE. WHO FOR THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS LABORED UNWEARIEDLY FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE ZULUS, AND WAS THEN CALLED TO HIGHER SERVICE. NOTE Reluctantly obliged by ill health to relin- quish mission work in Africa, it has been suggested that I publish some account of the beginning and growth of the evangelization of the Zulus. Thanks are due to the editors of The New York Observer and other papers for permission to make use of articles which have occasionally appeared from ray pen while in Natal. If what I have written shall lead any one to consecrate himself to the work of the Master in South Africa, I shall be fully repaid. j. t. INTRODUCTION. It is good to observe a people through the eyes of one who has long lived among them and for them. The unselfish soul is the best observer. He sees truthfully who sees the good, that he may enlarge it ; the evil, that he may cure it. For a study of races, the devotion of love is the light of wisdom. For this reason the observations and reflections of this book will have a just and permanent value. The " heroes of the Dark Continent " are not all named in the records of explorations and discoveries. The worth and courage of the missionary, who, by his fidelity in preaching and living the gospel, discovers the man in the savage, are less conspicuous but no less real. England may trace many streams of her power to the fountains that were opened by the teachers and preachers of Jesus when her ancestors were pagans. If another England — a "Greater Britain" — appear in South Africa, with commerce, education, a well-organized society, and the beneficent forces of religion, 8 Introduction. it will be created by the same truth and personal consecration. Missionary Tyler will not live to see the society of his hope, but when it comes and its history shall be written, the "Forty Years among the Zulus" will be named as among the seeds without which there could have been no harvest. It is said that nearly one fourth of the native inhabitants of Africa are of the Bantu race, of which the Zulu is doubtless the most interesting tribe. This book makes evident that they are not only numerous, but have a capacity for great things. In their courage and respect for property rights is found the promise of a new nation. If Paul plant and Apollos water, God will give the increase. This book describes the people as they are: their vulgarities, superstitions, their somewhat offensive but vigorous naturalness, and proves what may be done with them by the power of the gospel. What we call civilization is now entering Africa. The Christian religion must go with it, or its selfish and depraving ac- companiments — impurity, intemperance — will make the light of knowledge darker than the native ignorance. There is a fascination in reading the chap- ters describing Zulu life as they follow one Introduction. after another, because it is always interesting to read of human nature, and more than interesting to read a book in which an earnest soul describes the consistent devotion of all his working years. Mr. Tyler is the son of Bennet Tyler, d.d., of wide fame as a teacher and theologian. Inheriting much of his father's power, alluring opportunities of usefulness here were presented to him. But he was possessed of the spirit of a missionary and could be no- thing else with a whole heart. There were no unconsecrated reserves in his nature. He was fitted for his work by a singularly active mind, a tender and yearning spirit, humor, common sense, and a heart loyal to Christ. He still calls the natives his people ; and in his enforced absence, though with children and friends, really lives among the Zulus. "I see them every Sunday," he says, "and find myself in imagination preaching to them in their own language the wonderful truths of God's love." C. M. LAMSON, D.D. St. Johnsbury, Vt. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE LEAVING HOME. Choice of the South African Mission. — Marriage and Ordination. — Leaving Home. — Stop at Cape Town. — Kev. Dr. Philip. —Sight of Natal. — Reception by Rev. Daniel Lindley. — Ride in an Ox-wagon 17 CHAPTER II. STUDY OF THE LANGUAGE. Rev. Newton Adams, m.d., and wife. — Study of the Language. — Mistakes in Speaking Zulu . . 29 CHAPTER HI. OUR MISSION STATION. Going to my Station. — Mr. Lindley accompanies me. — Incidents in Mr. Lindley's Life. — View of Esidumbini. — Taking Possession. — Mrs. Lindley 35 CHAPTER IV. LIFE IN A KRAAL. Life in a Zulu Kraal. — How the Huts are made.— A Zulu Pantry. — Owner of the Kraal refuses to have a Door in his Hut. — Appeal to Ances- tral Custom. — Winning the Confidence of the People il CHAPTER V. HOUSE BUILDING. In a Dilemma. — Rev. Aldin Grout. —His attempt to Teach a King his Letters. — An American Mail. — Mrs. Tyler's Feelings in view of the Work 48 11 1 2 Contents. CHAFrER VI. P^o" ZULU DRESS. Zulu Wardrobe. — Shaving the Head. —Head Ring. — Headdress of the Women and Young Men. — Fondness for Ornaments 57 ciiArrER vn. im FICI'LTIKS KN COUNTERED. Reply to the (^)ui'Stion, ''Who made you":"'— The Great Spirit. — Ignorance. — Selfishness. — Need of Patience. — My "Better Half." — Zulu Con- sciences 63 CHAPTER Vin. TOILINC, AND WAITING. Mrs. Tyler's Retrospect. — Iluluuiene. — Dambusa. — Muscular Christianity. — Gravity Upset ... 68 CHAPTER IX. WILD ANIMALS. Buffaloes. — Umfulawe's Narrow Escape. — An P^nglishman's Adventure. — Lions. — Leopards. — Wild Dogs.— Bal)oons 73 CHAPTER X. CROCODILES AND SNAKES. Butler's Narrow Escape. — A Dutcliman's Adven- ture. — Pythons. — Venomous Serpents. — PuflF Adders. — The " Imamba." — Zulu Carrying a Serpent on his Head. — Snakes good Rat- catchers. -Effect of Tobacco on Serpents. — Remedies for Snake-bites 83 CHAPrER XI. SPIRIT WORSHIP. Doctors of Divination. — " Smellers Out." — Zulu Prayers. — Sacrifices 93 Contents. 13 CHAPTER XII. PAGE ZULU SUPERSTITIONS. 104 CHAPTER XIII. POLYGAMY AND OTHER EVIL PRACTICES. Chattelizing of Women. — Beer Drinking. — Smoking Wild Hemp 117 CHAPTER XIV. ENCOURAGEMENTS. Church Organized. — Prodigals Returning. — Dam- busa again. — Experience of Young Converts. — Christianity must Precede Civilization .... 125 CHAPTER XV. THE SABBATH AT ESIDUMBINI. 134 CHAPTER XVI. VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES. — NEW WORK. Trial of leaving Children on returning to Africa. — Location at Umsunduzi. — Visiting an Out- station. — Mrs. Tyler's Observations 140 CHAPTER XVII. EXPERIENCES AT UMSUNDUZI. 149 CHAPTER XVIII. ZULU CHURCHES. Disciplinable Oflfenses in Zulu Churches. — Mission Rules.— Legislation of a Native Church.— Polygamous Converts. — One in a Dilemma . . 158 CHAPTER XIX. ZULU CHRISTIANS. Their Courage. — Faith. — Happy Deaths .... 163 14 Contents. CHAFfER XX. rAGB ZULU PREACHERS. Revs. James Dube and Ira Adams. — Umsingapansl. — Cases of Lapse. — Specimens of Zulu Ad- dresses 171 CHAPTER XXI. ZULU CUSTOMS AND LAWS. Origin of the Name ''Kaffir.'' — Similarity of Zulu and Jewish Customs. — Numher of Zulus in Natal in 1843 and in 1889. — Regard for their Chiefs. — Independence. — Zulu Lad's Escape from Cannibals 181 CHAPTER XXII. ZULU CHARACTERISTICS. Physical Strength of the Zulus. — Politeness. — Love of Fun. — Skill in Debate. — Ingenuity. — Teachableness 188 CHAPTER XXIII. ZULU WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS. Cetywayo's Marrying his Fifteenth Wife. — Zulu Girls " Popping the Question." — Publicly Choosing a Husband. — Funeral Ceremonies . . 199 CHAPTER XXIV. ZULU KINGS AND WARS. Chaka, Dingaan, Umpande, Cetywayo. — Zulu War in 186!) and 1870. — Quarrel between Cetywayo and Usibepu. — Death of the Former. — Undini- zulu. — Rebellion and Sentence 212 CHAPTER XXV. ZULU FOLKLORE. 229 Contents. 15 CHAPTER XXVI. page DECEASED AMERICAN MISSIONARIES. Revs. Champion, Bryant, Marsh, McKinney and wife, Ireland, Abraham and wife, Wilder, Stone, Lloyd and wife, Robbing and wife, Dohne, Pinkerton, Butler, Mrs. Tyler 236 CHAPTER XXVII. NATIVE EDUCATION. Seminary at Adams. — " Jubilee Hall." — The Theo- logical School. — "luanda Seminary." —" Um- zumbe Home." — Kraal Schools. — Government Aid. — Books in the Zulu Language 253 CHAPTER XXVni. THE MISSIONARY OUTLOOK. Semi-Centennial. — Past and Present Laborers.— Condition of the Field. — E. C. A. M. — Other Societies. — Boer Farm Mission. — Trappists. — Missionary Outlook. — Need of Help .... 260 CHAPTER XXIX. FACTS CONCERNING NATAL. When Discovered. — Early History. — Elysium in South Africa. — Climate. — Cost of Living. — Cattle and Sheep Farming. — Pests. — Ticks and White Ants 269 CHAPTER XXX. PHYSICAL FEATURES AND POLITICAL AFFAIRS. Natal. — Durban. — Maritzburg. — Granite Caves. — Geological Features. — Coal Beds. — Flora Waterfalls. — Escape of a Dutchman. — Political Affairs. — Imports and Exports. — Railways. — Native Question 283 APPENDIX. Later Missions. — The Zulu Language. — The Exiled Chiefs 295 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE ZULUS. CHAPTER I. LEAVING HOME. WHEN a boy I loved to sing "From Afric's sunny fountains," and to read of Ledyard, Muugo Park, and other intrepid African explorers ; but little did I then imag- ine that I should make the Dark Continent my home — be permitted to see the "king of beasts" walking about in his glory, the graceful antelope bounding from cliff to cliff, inhale the odor of its sweet flowers, bathe in its rivers, eat its luscious fruits, admire its scenery, and labor twoscore years for the evangelization of its inhabitants. But it has been even so. What led me to select South Africa as my mission field may be briefly stated. While a member of the Theological Institute at East Windsor Hill, Conn., I belonged to a mission- ary society, the members of which agreed to examine carefully the claims of foreign mis- sions, confer with each other, and ask the Lord to direct them as to their future fields of labor. Of our number, Benton went to Syria, May- nard to Salonica, and Rood, Wilder, and I to South Africa. The letters of Mr. Rood from 18 Forty Years Among the Zulus, the Zulu Mission, describing the language and character of the natives and urging the need of help, led me to conclude that I might be useful there, and on applying to the Prudential Committee of the American Board of Commis- sioners for Foreign Missions, I expressed a preference for that field. If I had received the reply, " You are needed elsewhere," I should have acquiesced. The hand of the Lord was upon me for good, and his guidance was clear in the selection of one who was to accompany me and share my solitude among the heathen. At my brother's parsonage, at Windham, Conn., I met a young lady whose home was in North- ampton, Mass. If the consent of her parents could be obtained, she promised to go with me. Tremblingly, but hopefully, I went to ask. In considering the subject, they had decided to give their consent provided they liked the young man, and on condition that he did not go to Africa. After a pleasant interview and just as I was leaving, the mother inquired, " Mr. Tyler, to what part of the world do you pro- pose going?" "To Africa," I replied. After a pause both said, " We have forgotten our conditions, but the Lord reigns. It is evidently his will that our daughter should go to Africa." Those good people never regretted the choice I had made of the Zulu Mission. Some months intervened between graduation and the time of sailing, and instead of studying medicine, as I should have done, I supplied a pulpit in central Massachusetts and received Leaving Home. 19 a unanimous call to settle as pastor. Thank God, I did not waver in my determination to preach the gospel to the heathen ! Rather sud- denly the summons came from Boston, " Get ready at once ; a ship is going to India which will stop at Cape Town." Hurrying to North- ampton, I was married on the morning of Feb- ruary 27, 1849, to Miss Susan W. Clark. After the wedding breakfast, and singing " Blest be the tie that binds," followed by a prayer, — only a part of which was heard, on account of sobs and sighs, too funeral -like altogether, — we started for East Windsor Hill, Conn., where I was to be ordained the next day. Previous to the marriage I was asked to call on the family physician, who had known my intended wife from her childhood and was not at all pleased with the idea of her going to a heathen land. Rather abruptly Dr. T inquired : " Are you the young man who is going to take that delicate girl to Africa ? " " Yes," I replied. " Well," said he, " mark my word : she will not live a year. Here is a box of medicines I present to you. Keep her alive as long as you can, but before the year is out I shall expect to hear of her death." Not very comforting, truly ; but I consoled myself with the thought that not all physicians are infallible, and down in my heart of hearts I cherished the hope that I might some time in the future present that " delicate girl " to the doctor none 20 Forty Years Amony the Zulus. the worse for her African experience. Twenty- tkree years later we revisited Northampton witli our six children, all healthy, white Africans ; but the doctor himself had passed away. The ordination service was rather more solemn than is usual now on such occasions. It was difficult to make people believe that there was a single bright spot in Africa. The prevalent feeling was that we were going to our graves. What made the ordination, in ray case, peculiarly pathetic was the fact that those who took part in it were near relatives. My brother-in-law preached the sermon, my father gave the charge, and m}' own brother the right hand of fellowship. Their addresses were published in a pamphlet form, and often, while engaged in mission work, I derived strength from their heartfelt utterances. My own relatives, as well as those of my wife, placed no obstacles in the way of our going. The language of their hearts and lips was, " Go, and the Lord be with you." Some years after, my honored father remarked at a meeting of the American Board, of which he was a corporate member : " I have six children, and they all are a comfort to me ; but none of them is so great a comfort as that son who is your missionary among the Zulus in South Africa. He is a beloved son and his wife is a beloved daughter ; but if God will give them health to continue their labors I do not wish to see them again until I shall meet them in heaven." Leaving Home. 21 Ordination over, we hurried to Boston to sail in the ship Concordia, bound to India by way of Cape of Good Hope. Our fellow- passengers, Rev. Hyman A. Wilder and Rev. Andrew Abraham, with their wives, were designated like ourselves to the Zulu Mission. We were fortunate in having a large ship, com- fortable accommodations, and an agreeable captain. Vessels bound to South Africa in those days wer§ scarce. They could hardly be found in sufficient numbers to take emigrants to the gold fields of California. The cargo to be landed at Cape Town consisted of flour and the first load of ice ever shipped to that port. The Dutch farmers residing there had not learned to appreciate such a luxury, and it proved an unprofitable speculation. Having received our instructions in due form in Park Street Church, we awaited the time of our departure, but lo ! the cargo was not in the hold, the precise day could not be fixed, rela- tives could not wait to see us off, and we our- selves, becoming tired of Boston, revisited our homes, having to go through another edition of Baxter's Last Words. When we did sail at last, after a fervent prayer in the ship's cabin, there were two persons on whom our eyes were fixed, a dear brother and sister who lingered on the wharf to catch the last sight of those whom they never expected to see again in this world. Straining my eyes as long as possible, I was suddenly surprised by a rap on the shoulders, with an interrogatory 22 Forty Years Among the Zulus. from Wilder, my classmate and missionary brother : — " Tyler, are you not glad you are out of the dusty streets of Boston ? " As Bun- ker Hill Monument grew smaller in the dis- tance, we began to prepare for seasickness, and it was not long before we could each of us say as did Henry Ward Beecher, when he described that malady, " I felt — I felt — I felt — with a great deal of feeling." My wife was a terrible sufferer, growing weaker and weaker, until the captain alarmed me by saying, " If you don't do something for Mrs. Tyler, we shall have to bury her in the ocean." A powerful tonic set her right, and the voyage, though a long one, was on the whole pleasant. At Cape Town we met with the kindest of friends. A letter of introduction from Dr. Carruthers, of Portland, Maine, to his old friend and brother Scotchman, Dr. Philip, superintendent of the London Missionary Society in South Africa, was a passport for Mrs. Tyler and myself, to a residence at the "mission house." Said Dr. Philip, " The bed- room you will occupy is that in which Dr. Vanderkemp, Robert Moffat, Livingstone, and other distinguished missionaries have slept." Though the doctor was aged and feeble, he had lost none of his Scottish wit and humor. He was a stanch Puritan, and sympathized heartily with the "old school" theology of New England. Three weeks of delightful intercourse with the Christian people of Cape Town passed Leaving Home. 23 swiftly by, and then it was announced that the schooner Gem was ready to sail to Natal. In it we embarked, but alas, what a misnomer! A more untidy and uncomfortable craft I never saw. The voyage up the coast was long and stormy ; the captain a drunkard, and incapable half of the time. I doubt whether gladder emotions sprang up in the heart of Vasco da Gama when he sighted Tierra Del Natalis on Christmas day than did in ours when we heard it said, " There is the bluff overhanging the harbor of Natal." Jubilant were we in the prospect of setting our feet on dry land, but our ardor was soon cooled by the words of the mate : " Don't be impatient ; there is a bar to cross, and going over it is no joke." The sandbar, which choked the entrance of the har- bor at that time, was truly formidable. There were only eight feet of water at high tide ; the waves beat furiously over it, and accidents frequently occurred. Captain Homes, from America, crossing with his vessel a short time before our arrival, had the misfortune to see his own brother washed overboard, and before help could be rendered become the prey of a shark. We were told that the safest way for us was to go below and be shut up in the cabin, or we might share the same fate. Mr. Abra- ham and the ladies did so, but Mr. Wilder and myself chose to cling to the rigging. The Gem thumped several times on the bar, and was for a short time in danger of stranding, but no harm befell us, and in an hour we cast 24 Forty Years Among the Zulus. anchor in the most beautifully sheltered, land- locked harbor on the southeastern coast of Africa. A boat immediately set off from the shore, and in it we were glad to see a gentleman who, we were told, was the Rev. Daniel Lindley. This pioneer missionary had sent to America a call for help, saying, " Come to our assistance. We will receive you as kindly as we know how. In us, if it be possible, you shall find the brothers and sisters you may leave behind." The warm welcome he gave us, " to the joys and toils of the African vineyard," made a deep impression on our hearts. I recall a rather brusque reply to a question I put to him, pointing to a party of Zulu men, semi- nude, and armed with clubs and spears, "Is it safe to dwell among this people ? " " Brother Tyler," was the answer, "you are safer here than in the streets of Boston." It was difficult then to realize the truth of that observation, but subsequent experience proved that the good brother was right, and that life and prop- erty are more secure in a state of pure barbar- ism than in a state of godless civilization. Our wives, I remember, were fearfully shocked by the sight of the savage-looking natives, and doubtless sympathized with the pioneer missionary ladies to the Sandwich Islands, who, when they saw the islanders for the first time, shut themselves up in their cabins, saying, " We cannot live among such people." Leaving Home. 25 Durban, the seaport town of Natal, named after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, late governor at the Cape, was then a plain of sand. Only a few European families made their homes there, residing in wattle and daub houses ; that is, dwellings made of twigs woven in and out of the posts and plastered with mud. No hotel existed, and but two or three stores, in which articles were sold at exorbitant prices. Just above the town was a large bush or jun- gle, called the " Berea " by Captain Allen Gardner, a philanthropic Englishman who once endeavored to establish a school there. When we first saw it, there were neither European nor Zulu dwellings; but elephants, lions, leop- ards, and other wild animals made it their habitat. G. C. Cato, Esq., American consul, banker, merchant, and general adviser, some- what rough in speech and manner, but kind- hearted and helpful, treated us most hospitably. But we did not remain in Durban longer than was necessary to store our possessions in a warehouse, and were then ready for the wagon which came to take us to the mission station, located on a pretty river called Aman- zimtote (Sweet Water). We were to take our first ride in a South African wagon, and I must describe that institution. It is a huge vehi- cle, on four immense wheels without springs, the body ten feet long, with a tent made of poles bent over, the ends of which are inserted in staples on the sides. Grass mats, painted canvas, and over all another piece of canvas 26 Forty Years Among the Zulus. unpainted, constitute the covering. This is tied to the sides of the wagon, and at night the ends are let down and fastened to the wheels. Inside is what is called in Natal, a kartell simply a bed frame, made of four poles laced with strings of cow hide. On this is placed the mattress, for the wagon is the bedroom as well as the coach and parlor of the African missionary and traveler. Six or seven yoke of oxen, or a span, are considered necessary to draw this vehicle. Newcomers are disposed to pronounce it a cumbersome affair and behind the age ; but they generally modify their opinion after a few months of travel over the rough roads of the country. The ox yoke is peculiar, being a pole about five feet long, three inches in diameter, and having four mortises to receive the keys, which take the place of bows in civilized countries. Each has a knob on the top to keep it from dropping through the mortise, and two notches on the outer edge, into one of which a strap is fas- tened, coming under the neck to keep the oxen in the 3^oke. This strap is made of buffalo hide with a loop at each end to fit it to the key. American farmers would laugh at this make- shift affair, but should they try it a while they would adopt it, if they had much to do with African bullocks. Each wagon has a driver and " forelooper," or person to lead the oxen. The whip is of sea-cow's hide, the size of a man's finger, four or five yards long, to the end of which is Leaving Home. 27 attached a piece of buck's skin. The whip- stock is the upper part of a bamboo cane, fif- teen feet long, A dextrous driver soon im- presses each ox in the span with a sense of its responsibility, besides making the " welkin ring" with a crack which on a still day is often mistaken in the distance for that of a rifle. A more exciting spectacle I have rarely seen than that of three spans united, forty- eight oxen in all, pulling a loaded wagon out of a bog, or up a steep hill, the drivers shout- ing and cracking their whips most furiously. Mr. and Mrs. Wilder were to accompany us to Amanzimtote, on their way to the Ifumi sta- tion, and we prepared to take our first ride in Africa. "Start early," said Mr. Cato, "for you may have to ride in the dark." At six in the morning we said good-by to Durban, and launched out into what to us were un- known wilds. Neither the driver nor leader understood a word of English, and as we did not know Zulu we obtained no information from our sable attendants. After a trek^ or journey of ten miles, we " outspanned," that is, unyoked, the oxen, to let them feed, and also to refresh ourselves. In the wagon chest we found all that was requisite : a kettle, matches, dishes, knives, forks, bread, butter, tea, coffee, sugar, etc. Mrs. Adams knew what we needed and had kindly provided for us. This was the first picnic we enjoyed in South Africa, an antepast of many similar ones in the future. At three P.M. we started, but were soon obliged 28 Forty Years Among the Zulus. to halt. The oxen, unable to pull the heavy wagon up a sandy hill, were turned out to graze. The sun beginning to sink behind the horizon, I remember debating with brother Wilder as to which one of us should keep watch at night, with a loaded rifle, to defend the part}- from wild beasts. Our hearts were soon gladdened by the unexpected arrival of a new span of fresh and strong bullocks, sent by Dr. Adams to our relief. A new driver also came, who could speak a little English. " Are you the new missionaries? How do you like our country?" etc. The wagon was set in motion and at nine o'clock a light was pointed out to us as that of Dr. Adams' house. The welcome we received more than paid us for all our fatigue. CHAPTER II. STUDY OF THE LANGUAGE. AN own brother and sister could not have made our stay at Amanziratote more pleasant than did Dr. Adams and his wife. Unremitting in their kindness to us in all things, they helped us especially to get a good start in the acquisition of the Zulu dialect. They were model missionaries. Of the pioneer band which left America in 1834, they had clung to the Zulu field in the midst of great discouragements. More indefatigable laborers in the mission field I have never known. They wrote but little for The Missionary Herald, and on that account Christians in this country knew little of them and their work. The doctor's knowledge of medicine and uni- form readiness to help the bodies of the natives won for him easy access to their hearts. He gained their confidence and affec- tion. From a distance of forty or fifty miles they came to him for consultation and help. Improving every oj)portunity to sow the good seed, he saw that they carried it with them to their homes, and in after years the fruits appeared. That the natives trusted him to a remarkable degree is evident from the fact that on one occasion, when they were inclined 30 Forty Years Among the Zulus. to rebel against the English government, their chiefs were sent to talk with tlie doctor and obtain his advice before taking up arms. Listening patiently to all their complaints, he questioned them as to what would be the result of the rebellion ; suggested the loss of life and property that would follow, and opened their eyes to some aspects of the case which they had not considered. Putting their hands to their mouths in Zulu fasliion, when new liglit breaks in upon their minds, they acknowledged the wisdom of their teacher and went home resolved to keep quiet. I am glad to say that Sir Tlieophilus Shepstone, secretary for native affairs in Natal, took notice of this act, and thanked Dr. Adams most heartily for saving the colony from war. Dr. Adams labored eleven years before he saw any fruit. The first individual to come out of heathenism — indeed the first Zulu convert — was Umbulazi, a woman who had fled from her kraal to the mission station in a state of starvation. She often said to Mrs. Adams, " God jaised me from tlie dust of the earth. When I first came to you, I was eating herbs and grass, because I could get nothing else. I cared for nobody and nobody cared for me ; but the Lord told me to go to the missionary and he would help me." The image of that mother lises before me. A poor woman, depressed by cruel treatment and disowned by her nearest friends, had heard tliis inissionary preach the gospel of love, and Study of the Language. 31 thinking that the bearer of such a message must be merciful to her, an outcast, threw herself down at his door, wheie he found her, with her little son on her back, waiting for admittance. Her whole appearance and man- ners were repulsive, but the longing for sym- pathy and love which her words indicated was fully met by those faithful workers for Christ. They had prayed and labored that even one soul might be given them, and what joy they must have felt when after much instruction the light of the gospel seemed to dawn on her dark mind. Then she stood forth alone, a professed believer in that new faith, which was her comfort and support for nearly thirty years, until death reunited her to those sainted ones who had guided her to heaven. The last time I saw her in her feebleness and blindness, she took my hand and said, " I am ready to go home to my father and mother," meaning the missionary and his wife. "The Lord has been good to me. He has permitted me to see great things." Is it not interesting to remem- ber that the light of the gospel first shone in a woman's heart among the Zulus ? The next convert was a woman with whom Umbulazi was accustomed to pray in a cluster of bushes near the station. Still another woman, who was trying to become a witch doctress, came to the station, and was soon " clothed and in her right mind." Mrs. Adams remarked in regard to her, " The last time I saw that woman, T said to myself. ' You are 32 Forty Years Amon A common word for " journey," or " go." Zulu Kings and Wars. 226 Confident of an easy victory, the British soldiers, with a hirge body of colonial volun- teers and native allies, entered the country and pitched their camp at the foot of a high moun- tain called Isandhlwana. The day following, instead of sending out scouts in all directions, and waiting till he could be sure that there were no signs of the enemy, the general, with a part of his army, went off twelve or fifteen miles to reconnoiter. Just then there arrived on the field from twenty to thirty thousand of Cetywayo's best soldiers to meet the invaders. Instead of "going into laager," as the Dutch would have done under like circumstances, the English hastily began the fight, regardless, it is said, of orders the general had left, but which un- fortunately he was not present to see executed. They soon found that the Zulus were a foe not to be despised. Rushing upon them with a fearful yell, fearless of cannon, Gatling gun, and showers of bullets which laid low at least three thousand of their number, they demolished the English camp in less than an hour's time. A regiment of " redcoats " standing in a solid body fired away all their cartridges and then, as they tried to defend themselves with their bayonets, were speared, not one escaping. The rest, flying in different directions, were pur- sued and many of them slain while attempting to reach the Natal Colony. The general, returning at dark to the place where he had left his camp, found all gone, tents, horses, oxen, mules, beds, provisions, guns, money, all that 226 Forty Years Among the Zulus. the Zulus thought would be of any use. The dead soldiers were stripped of tlieir clothing, and the wounded, according to native custom, put to death. The feelings of Lord Chelms- ford, as he stood or sat by the dead ])odies of his soldiers during that long, dark night of January 22, 1879, can he better imagined than described. Report said that for six months not a smile was seen on his countenance. As the camp was rifled of everything, and a new commissariat would be needed, a return to Natal was decided upon the next morning. A body of Zulus had crossed the Buffalo River into the colony and attacked a small fort at " Rorke's Drift," where a mere handful of Englishmen defended themselves against the enemy, although some Zulus came near enough to catch hold of the rifles, between the biscuit- boxes and bags of grain, with which the forti- fication was made. Returning to their own country they passed within gunshot of Lord Chelmsford's troops, who never offered to harm them, and were only too glad to find them- selves in a place of safety. The terror that seized the people in Natal, after the massacre at Isandhlwana, was so great that many of them sought protection in the towns or fortified places. The belief was general that the Zulus, elated witli tlieir suc- cess, would overrun the colony. England be- came alarmed, and sent out a lai-ge number of troops and the subjugation of Zululand was prosecuted in a more cautious manner. Zulu Kings and Wars. 227 As a result of the Zulu war, Cetywayo was taken prisoner, sent to Cape Town, his country divided, and over each division was placed a petty chief. The king, after a visit to England and an audience with her majesty the Queen, was permitted to return and resume authority over a portion of his former people. But soon a contention arose between rival chiefs. One of them, Usibepu, visited Cetywayo, after his return, and was apparently disposed to live in peace, but was snubbed by the son of Umpan- de, in a manner not likely to be forgotten. The " Usutu," as Cetywayo's party were called, said to him, " You are only a dog," and soon began to make raids into his territory. This roused the ire of Usibepu, who resolved to crush his insolent rival, though he should die in the attempt. With nearly a thousand picked warriors and aided by some European filibus- ters, who joined him in hopes of reward, he marched all one night and came suddenly at daybreak on Ondine, Cetywayo's kraal, put- ting all its inhabitants to an ignominious flight. It was not a battle, but a slaughter of fugitives. Abraham, a Christian native, member of the Umsunduzi church, who was visiting Ondine at that time, took the chief's rifle, and defended himself and the king as long as the cartridges lasted, and he was then shot himself. Cety- wayo, after receiving a spear wound, escaped into the Inkanhla forest, from which he was rescued shortly after by a party of English troops. He soon died, probably a natural 228 Forty Years Among the Zulus. death, though his own people say from poison administered by his enemies. His son Undinizulu, a lad of twenty years, swore that he would avenge his father's death, and in direct opposition to the English author- ities, now in possession of Zululand, renewed the quarrel between the Usutu, his own party, and that of Usibepu. Tlie result was that he was made a prisoner, tried before an English judge, and sentenced to banishment at St. Helena for ten years. There, the unfortunate prince, like the great Napoleon, will have opportunity to reflect on that turn of the wheel of fortune which deprived him of his chieftainship and terminated the Zulu dynasty. A "Zulu Defense Committee" has been formed in England,^ chielly through the elo- quent and importunate pleading of Miss Harri- ette E. Colenso, daughter of the late bishop of that name. She, it is said, has " expended more than .£3,000" in defending the exiled chiefs, but, as yet, little has been accomplished except bringing the matter before the English public. The repatriation of the Zulu chiefs, it is thought by the imperial authorities, would disturb the present peaceful state of Zululand. If the exiles behave well, and the political condition of their country admits of tlieir return with safety, I have no doubt it will be effected at an early date. 1 See Appendix. CHAPTER XXV. ZULU FOLKLORE. ZULU native lore is quite limited, all we have being taken from the lips of the people. They had an abundance of legends^ many of which, together with their religious beliefs, have been collected and published in two volumes by Rev. Henry Callaway, m.d., a missionary bishop of the Church of England.^ In this department he labored with unwearied zeal and perseverance, and we are indebted to him for having saved much which might other- wise have been lost. Dr. Callaway said the belief was irresistibly fixed in his mind that the Zulu tales point out very clearly that the Zulus are a degenerated people ; that they are not now in the condition, intellectually or physically, in which they were during the " legend-producing period " of their existence, but have sunk from a higher state. Like the discovered relics of giant buildings in Asia and America, they appear to speak of a mightier and better past which, it may be, is lost forever. " What we have preserved," he says, "contains evidence of intellectual powers not to be despised, while we have, scattered everywhere throughout the tales, those evi- dences of tender feelings, gentleness, and love, 1 Callaway's Nursery Tales. 229 230 Forty Years Among the Zulus. which should teach us tliat in dealing with savages we are dealing with savage men^ who only need culture to have developed in them the finest traits of our human nature." Elizabeth Cookson, in her "Introduction to the Legends of Manx Land," has truthfully observed : " Popular tales, songs, and super- stitions are not altogether profitless ; like the fingers of a clock, they point to the time of day. Turns and modes of thought, that else had set in darkness, are by them preserved and reflected, even as objects sunk below the hori- zon are occasionally brought again into vieiv by atmospheric reflection. Fables are facts in so far as they mirror the minds of our less scien- tific ancestors." In citing a few specimens of Zulu light literature, I begin with a fable, the moral of which is: "If you want anything done well, do it yourself." Long ago a certain king sent for all the animals to go to a certain place and receive their tails. On the day the tails were to be distributed, the coney, not being disposed to take the journey in consequence of a little rain, said to the monkey, " When you get your tail, will you ask for mine also, and bring it to me?" The monkey agreed, but on his way home managed to join the coney's tail to his own, saying, "If he is too lazy to go for what he needs, he must go without. I shall not encourage his idleness." So the monkey has a long tail, but the coney scarcely any. Zulu Folklore. 231 When Zulus ask others to do for them what they ought to do for themselves, they often humorously reply, "Have you forgotten the coney that lost its tail ? " Other races have fables accounting for the tailless condition of animals, such as that of the bear, in the Norse tales, fisliing, at the instigation of the fox, with his tail through a hole in the ice till it was frozen, and losing it when he attempted to escape ; but the fable of the coney has much more significance. Another fable is that of The Hyena and the Moon, which is not unlike ^]sop's fable of The Dog and the Shadow. It happened on a time that a hyena found a bone and, taking it up, carried it in his mouth. The moon began to shine with a beautiful light on a river near by, and when the hyena saw the moon in the water he threw down the bone and plunged into the water to catch it, thinking it to be beef. But he caught nothing. Another hyena came and took the bone. The first hyena v/as much ridiculed for his fruitless plunge into the water and the loss of his bone. So the Zulus often laugh at each other when unsuccessful in their vain enterprises, saying, " You are like the hyena that threw away the bone and caught nothing." Jack the Giant Killer, or rather a compound of that hero and Tom Thumb, is found in Zulu tales in the person of Uthlakanyana, who speaks before he is born, cheats every one, even his own mother, and shows himself "the best 232 Forty Years Among the Zulus. man in the village " when he is only a babe. Says his father, '' He 's best man who first gets hold of this leg of beef that I throw into the kraal." So all the rest crowded to the entrance, and pushed so that none could get it. But Uthlakanyana crept in underneath at the far end, and got the beef without any trouble. Later on he is captured by cannibals, and he treats them just as trolls and giants are served in Norse and Celtic tales. They go out one day while he is fattening, leaving no one with him but the old mother. " Just untie me," says he, "and let us play at boiling one another." She agrees. " Begin with me ; but mind you take me out soon, for it 's only play." The water is only lukewarm, and the canni- bal's mother keeps her word, so he gets out unhurt, and builds up a roaring fire, telling the silly woman it will be all the more fun if the water 's dancing about. So he pops her in and holds down the lid. "Let me out!" she screams. " It 's burning me dreadfully ; it 's only fun, you know." " No ; you can't be done, or you would not be able to make that noise ; " so he boils her till she says no more. Then he puts on her clothes, and lies down in the old woman's corner. When the children come in they begin to eat. "This looks just like mother's hand," says one. " No," says another ; " how can that be ? There 's mother on the bed." But Uthlakanyana thinks it best to be off ; so, disguising his voice, he bids them leave the doorway clear and hobbles out. Just Zulu Folklore. 233 as he rushes off they fish up their mother's head, and start in pursuit. He is brought up by a wide river ; so he turns himself into a weeding-stick. The cannibals trace his foot- steps to the brink. " Yes," says one, " he must have got across just here," flinging over the stick to emphasize his words. Safe on the other bank, Uthlakanyana resumes his shape, and thanks them for putting him across. " We thought you were a weeding-stick," replied the discomfited cannibals. But Uthlakanyana is now very hungry : so, meeting a hare, he says, " Stop, master, I 've got such a pretty story to tell you." " I 'm sure I don't want to hear it," says puss. " Ah, but if you were to hear the beginning of it, you 'd not be able to help listening." "Yes, I should, though," persists the hare. " Do you know it 's all about those horrid cannibals ; they had me cooped up, but I managed to boil their — ■ " And as the hare, in spite of himself, is stopping to listen, our hero gets hold of liim, eats him, and makes a flute of one of his leg-bones. The Zulus have another legend of Uthla- kanyana. He lived with a cannibal, with whom he had a quarrel, and resolving to make away with him, he hit on the following expedient. He said one day: " Uncle, let us build a house; . then we shall live comfortably and eat our cattle." The cannibal replied, " You are right, child of my sister : let us build a house, for we shall get wet." When the time came to thatch the hut, Uthlakanyana said to the cannibal, 234 Forty Years Among the Zulus. " You go on the top, and I will go inside and l)ull the thatching needle for you." The canni- bal did so. His hair being very long, Uthla- kanyana contrives to knot it into the thatch, fastening it so that the poor cannibal could not extricate himself, and there he died, leaving Uthlakanyana to eat in peace. The Zulus have their riddles, of which the following are specimens : ^ 1. " Guess a man who does not lie down ; even when it is morning, he is standing, not having lain down." Ansiver. " A pillar, for it does not lie down. If the pillar lies down, the house may fall. Do you not see that the pillar is a man, since it upholds so great a house as this ? But it does not fall." 2. " Guess ye a man who docs not move, although the wind blows furiously ; he just stands erect. The wind throws down trees and houses, and much injury is done, but he is just as if the sky were perfectly calm, and does not move in the least." Answer. "The ear. Who ever saw the ear of a man move, or being moved by the wind ? We see trees and grass and houses move, but not the ear. The man truly moves ; if he is carried away by the wind, the ear is not car- ried away, or, if he falls, it still stands erect, or, if he runs away, it remains the same." 3. " Guess ye some men who are walking, being ten in number. If there is one over the • Callaway's Nursery Tales. Zulu Folklore. 235 ten, these ten men do not go. They say, ' "We cannot go, for here is a prodigy.' These men wonder exceedingly; they are slow in settling the dispute, saying, ' How is it that onr number is over ten ? ' They have no love for the one over the ten." Ansiver. "The fingers. Their proper number is only ten. They are matched, going in pairs. Therefore if there is a supernumerary finger, they are no longer fit to go together in pairs or to count with ; their counting is bad ; there is no agreement, but only differeiice. This is what we mean when we say they are slow in settling the dispute ; that is, if it could be done without pain — the supernumerary finger could be taken off with a word, and thus truly it would be said, ' Away with you ! You are not fit for this place.' " The preceding, chiefly taken from Dr. Calla- way's " Nursery Tales, Traditions, and Histories of the Zulus," are sufficient, I trust, to show that the people have a traditional lore which throws light on their history and character. CHAPTER XXVL DECEASED MISSIONAKIES OF THE A. B. C. F. M. IN the first part of this volume sketches were given of three of that heroic hund of missionaries, twelve in number, who left this country for South Africa, December 3, 1834. At Cape Town, Messrs. Venable, Lindley, and Dr. Wilson, with their wives, separated from the others and undertook the perilous enter- prise of establishing a mission among the Matabele Zulus, who lived far inland. War between the Dutch and natives soon put an end to their work, and, after burying one of their number, Mis. Wilson, they joined the mission in Zululand. The prospects being dark, Dr. Wilson and Mr. Venable and wife returned home. Rev. George Champion, a colaborer of Mr. Grout and Dr. Adams, held on till his wife's health obliged him to leave. He was expecting to return, but the Lord determined otherwise. At the early age of thirty-one he died at Santa Cruz, one of the Danish West India Islands, December 17, 1841. All who knew him recall his sweet disposi- tion, scholarly ability, and liberality. Having inherited property, he went to Africa and labored there at his own expense, showing 236 Deceased Missionaries. 237 throughout an earnest missionary spirit. The savor of his self-denial and consecration has not been lost. There comes fresh before m}'- memory the form of a dear brother, who was the first American missionary to be buried in South African soil, the Rev. James Bryant. He joined the mission in 1846, but died of pul- monary consumption in 1850. One well observed in regard to him, " He was a man whose life in Africa, though short, emphatic- ally answered life's great end." He possessed in an uncommon degree those qualities that make a faultless missionary. Mr. Bryant's early history is peculiar. His parents, too poor to support all the members of their large family, committed James to the care of a pious colored man named Cato, who resided in Goffstown, N. H. Cato and his wife took the lonely lad to their humble dwelling, and to their hearts. Mrs. Cato, in giving her reminiscences of young Bryant, said, " Oh, he was like a minister. If any of the boys used bad language in his presence, or con- ducted improperly, he was sure to reprove them." After his conversion he was assisted by some friends to prepare for college. Grad- uating from Amherst, " a good scholar and ripe Christian," he went to Andover Theological Seminary. For a time he was settled in Littleton, Mass.; but when the call for men to go to Africa reached him he at once responded. Probably liis love for the black 238 Forty Years Among the Zulus. race, and a desire to pay the debt of gratitude lie owed, led him to choose the African field. He quickly mastered the language ; translated parts of the Bible, and composed some beauti- ful hymns. All his works, even to his neat and clear chirography, had a finished look. His brief period of service yielded richer results than are given to many, for before his death he had the joy of seeing a church gathered through his instrumentality. His mind was clear to the last. Mr. Lindley, at whose house he expired, expressed the feelings of his brethren and sisters when he said : " We loved him exceedingly, and had it been possi- ble for others to bear the pain of his sickness, we should all have wished to endure a part. At our next meeting when he shall be spoken of, we shall weep together, as good brothers of the same family weep together for the loss of the best brother they had. And why not? He never spoke to us or thought of us other- wise than in love." In Rev. Samuel Marsh we all felt that we had a genial, loving, and helpful friend. Located at Itafamasi, he labored for six years, and not without encouragement. Then he was stricken with disease. Though his suffer- ings were intense, he never lost his faith in God or uttered a word of complaint. After a paroxysm of pain, he once asked : " Why do I linger here ? " And when told it seemed to be God's will that he should glorify him by suffer- ing, he remarked, " Oh, yes, it is all right. Deceased Missionaries. 239 Heavenly Father, thy will be done." Allusion having been made to his wife and child, he said, " I have no concern for them ; the Lord can take better care of them than I can." Once, I remember, he clasped his hands and prayed most earnestly that God would make him grateful for the kind friends who were caring for him in his sickness and that he might be patient and submissive under all his sufferings. He delighted to have me read him a book on " Consolation," by Dr. J. W. Alex- ander. As he approached the dark valley his faith grew stronger and stronger. Then I asked him what was his trust, and he imme- diately responded, '•'•The finished work of Christ^ His end was calm and peaceful. Without a struggle his soul passed into the arms of his Saviour. The " Good Pilot," as he called the Lord Jesus just before his departure, conducted him safely into the harbor. His remains lie at the station he founded, and on the hill where he loved to call together the heathen and tell the story of redeeming love. Mr. Lindley, who saw more of him than most of his brethren, observed : " During all the time he was in health, and in sickness, he never said, or did, or left undone a single thing which tended even in the least degree to weaken the conviction deep in the minds of all who knew him that he was eminently a man of God. In his family he ever appeared as a beau- tiful model of a husband and father. ... He was true and faithful and loving and generous 240 Forty Years Among the Zulus. iu all the relations and duties of life. It was with an emphasis that we called him ' brother,' so much was lie loved by us all." One whose influence will long be felt among the Zulus was Rev. Silas Mclvinny, who went to Natal in 1847. Readily mastering the lan- guage, he saw much good accomplished at his station, Amahlongwa, but liealth failed and he came home. He preached in various places in this country with acceptance, and died at Au- burn, N. Y., April 21, 1888. It was well said of him, " He was a tender, loving parent, a faith- ful Christian, and a devoted and self-forgetful minister of the gospel." Two years before he left Natal, his wife, Fanny Nelson McKiniiy, " slept in Jesus," and was buried in the little cemetery at Adams. Although of a timid, shrinking disposition, her calm, good judgment and earnest faithfulness as a Christian wife and mother endeared her to all who knew her. It may be said of her, " She hath done what she could." Another beloved missionary. Rev. William Ireland, born in England, but educated in this country, died in Boston, Mass., October 12, 1888, after forty years of service. Leaving his wife in Africa, he came home to rest, visit his children, and then resume his labors. But the Lord said, " Come up higher.'" He spent the first thirteen years of his useful mission life at Ifumi. He was then requested to take charge of the training institution at Adams, a work for which he had exceptional Deceased Missionaries. 24l qualifications. Through his instrumentality that school gradually rose to great importance. Mr. Ireland was for many years treasurer of the Zulu Mission, and was so correct and so good a penman that his books will compare favorably with those of the best mercantile establishments. He was methodical, conscientious, kind, and sympathetic, an affectionate husband and father, gentlemanly in his manners, a safe counselor, and, above all, spiritually minded and earnestly devoted to mission work. He was married twice : first, to Jane Wilson, of New Ipswich, Mass., who died at Ifumi, January 25, 1862. His second wife was Oriana Grout, daughter of Rev. Aldin Grout, the missionary. She still re- mains in the field. The reader will remember that when Mr. Wilder and myself, with our wives, sailed for Natal, we were accompanied by Rev. and Mrs. Andrew Abraham. They were located in a distant part of Natal among wild heathen, and there they remained till death. Mr. Abraham was not unworthy of the name, " Father of the faithful." His faith never wavered, though he toiled long without seeing results. When a brighter day dawned, and he beheld the hea- then emerging from barbarism, and building houses in European style, his faith rose wonder- fully. He said to me one day, as we were riding over the mission reserve, " Brother Tyler, I expect to see most of these hills covered with the abodes of Christian natives." He was per- mitted to see a goodly number of them thus 242 Forty Years Among the Zulus. covered. Nothing seemed to discourage him. One day lie was cementing a cistern, and came out just in time to see his house enveloped in ihimes. Ten minutes later, his chapel also was consumed. Although minus hat, boots, and coat, he did not despair, but began immedi- ately to build anew, nor did he stop till he had a more substantial dwelling. His death in the night of September 13, 1878, was very sudden, and probably due to heart disease, as he ap- peared in usual health the day previous. He was considered our best translator, and to him the mission had committed the work of preparing the Old Testament for the press. The grief of not only his associates, but of all the natives who knew him, was profound when told of his death. A chief remarked, "Our teacher was a good man and did good to all." Mrs. Abraham lived but a short time after her husband's decease. The shock she received may have hastened her own departure. That she was his true helper in mission work the native women at Mapumulo as well as all who knew her can testify. A more genial and humorous companion, a missionary with a more practical turn of mind than Rev. H. A. Wilder is rarely found in a foreign field ; as one said of him, he had a "many-sided capacity." He was so absorbed in plans to advance the natives in civilization, as well as Christianity, he probably overworked himself. In taking a long journey to select a site for a nev/ station, he had a severe attack Deceased Missionaries. 243 of illness, from which he never fully recovered. He died in Hartford, Conn., September 7, 1877. His son, Rev. George Wilder, occupies the sta- tion made vacant by the death of his father. Mrs. Wilder is now in this country. Rev. Seth B. Stone began his work at the Ifafa station in 1850. Faithful as a preacher, busily employed iu translating parts of the Bible, composing hymns, teaching and dis- charging other missionary duties, he continued in the field till the ill health of his wife neces- sitated his return to America. His heart was in Africa, and to the last his prayers were for the good of the Zulus. His death occurred in New York City, January 27, 1877. His widow is still living. Joining the mission in 1862, Rev. Charles H. Lloyd entered on his work with a spirit of earnest consecration. Battling with disease, he was ever patient and showed true Christian submission. He lived only two years, dying at the Umvoti Mission station, in 1865. Mr. Grout wrote of him : " When the shortness of his missionary life was referred to, he said, ' Yes, I would have had it otherwise : but I have not a doubt that God called me here, and I am glad I came. If God cuts my life thus short, I can only say. Thy will be done.' " At his request, he was buried near a large tree in front of the native church, that the people might be reminded of one who had it in his heart to preach to them the gospel. Mr. Lloyd was an accomplished gentleman. 244 Forty Years Among the Zulus. a fine musician, with a large share of practical common sense, was quick to read character and anxious to know the best metliods of doing good. Had he lived, he would doubtless have proved an efficient and successful missionary. His death-bed testimony of the power of reli- gion to sustain and comfort the soul will never be forgotten by the natives on the Umvoti station. Mrs. Catharine C. Lloyd, daughter of the distinguished physician. Dr. Willard Parker, of New York City, remained in Natal after the death of her husband, working with enthusiasm and success, until 1870. She then married Dr. Newton Lindley, son of the missionary. Rev. Daniel Lindley, and returned soon after to this country. She died in New York, July 23, 1879. We cannot speak too highly of this self- denying and laborious missionary. Thoroughly educated, in possession of all that wealth could furnish, she left her refined home and labored earnestly and untiringly for the degraded Zulus. Great was her joy when she was per- mitted to see a large number of them emanci- ])ated from ignorance and superstition through her efforts. While in the field, she wrote let- ters home which awakened deep interest, and whicli were collected in a volume entitled "The Seeds and the Sheaves," published by Randolph & Co. Rev. Elijah Robbins began mission work in 1851 at Umzunibe, where he remained thir- Deceased Missionaries. 245 teen years. He then established a theological school at Adams, the success of which is in a great measure the fruit of his zeal and perse- verance. Native preachers, now in various parts of the field, are ready to testify to the diligence and thoroughness of their teacher. He died July 1, 1889, joining his wife in the " better land." Mrs. Robbins had died only a few months previously. Testimonies of the worth of Mrs. Addie Bissell Robbins are im- pressive and tender. One is from the pen of Rev. Charles Kilbon, who knew her well : " A precious wife and mother has gone from the home which she lighted by her smile and ani- mated and inspired by her buoyant and ener- getic nature. A beloved companion in work has been taken from our mission circle. A vigorous worker for the good of this people has forever ceased from her labors. How she used, with her light and agile form, in days of health, to flit from house to house over the station, leaving words of instruction, of warn- ing, of comfort, as needed ! She has gone to a higher sphere of activity, where she will never tire." Mrs. Holbrook, of Mapumulo, wrote : " She was a rare woman, beloved by natives and whites alike. An enthusiastic missionary, a consecrated Christian, devoted to her family, her people, and her God." Rev. David Rood, who died in Covert, Mich., April 8, 1891, entered the field in 1847, together with Rev. Samuel Marsh. 246 Forty Years Among the Zulus. After forty years of faithful service he came to this country to rest, but did not wholly aban- don the liope of a return to Africa till a short time before his death. He wrote to me repeat- edly, saying, " My heart is there." Rev. Lewis Grout, one of his early associates, truthfully says of him : '' He was gentle, quiet, modest, winning in his ways, yet strong, courageous, earnest, confident in his work, assured that it was God who would make it to prosper and prevail." As I remarked in the first part of this vol- ume, it was through Mr. Rood's instrumentality that I was led to choose Natal as my field of labor. Soon after reaching that colony, my wife and I paid Mr. and Mrs. Rood a visit. Their station was far removed from the abodes of white men, and their surroundings were what most people would call gloomy in the extreme. But those devoted missionaries seemed to be in the enjoyment of genuine happiness. Their hearty and sincere welcome to a participation in their joys nerved us for our future labors. Our lamented brotlier early acquired a knowl- edge of the Zulu dialect, and was able to preach in it far more easily than he could in English. He threw his whole soul into the work and thoroughly enjoyed it. He occupied various impoi'tant posts, but his greatest work was at the Umvoti station. While chairman of the mission, he manifested wisdom, decision, and a tender regard for the feelings of his brethren. In translating the Scriptures and preparing ele- Deceased Missionaries. 247 mentary books for our schools, he was thorough and skillful ; but he excelled as a preacher and spiritual adviser. His last conversation was about Jesus Christ, the " Rock " on which he had built his faith and hope, and his last words were, " I am going home." When unable to speak, a pleasant smile on his countenance was a response to a brother's inquiry. He died as he had lived, a true Christian man, one who had no occasion for fears or sighs or regrets. He left the wife of his youth and sharer of his toils, and his two children, with the sweet con- sciousness that heaven was his home. He has joined the sainted Adams, Lindley, Bryant, Marsh, and other fellow-toilers in the African vineyard, and Zulus also, saved through his instrumentality. I think of him as beckoning to the old soldiers who fought by his side for King Immanuel on Afric's dark coast to join him in the better land, where they can recount battles fought and victories won. Rev. Jacob L. Dohne, a German, who was for several years connected with the mission, died in 1879. He was a fine linguist, and prepared an elaborate dictionary of the Zulu language containing over 10,000 words. Of this work a competent judge remarked: ''It is not only the first dictionary of a South African tongue that can claim any approximation to completeness, but is also a living monument to the author's industry, careful observation, and unfaltering perseverance." The mother of Rev. Mvron Winslow Pinker- 248 Forty Years Among the Zulus. ton died when her son was three years old, but when she gave him the above name, she said, '• I hope he will be a missionary." While in college Mr. Pinkerton said that the wish of his mother, which had been made known to him as soon as he could comprehend it, would often come to his mind. Later, when the time came for him to choose his field, he observed, " Per- haps there will be men who would wish to go to Turkey and Japan, while few will go to Africa." The station he occupied at first was Umtwa- lume, in company with Mr. Wilder ; but in 1875 he moved to a place called Induduma, more than a hundred miles from any of his l)rethren. There he toiled until the inquiry arose, " Who will explore Umzila's country with reference to sending men there?" Well do I remember his appearance and his words when his brethren said to him, " It is our unanimous opinion that you are the man." "You place," he observed, "a solemn and fearful responsibility on me ; but if it is God's will, I will not shrink from it." He took his wife and children to America, because, as he remarked, of the possibility of his being removed by deatli, while away. 1 might particularize with regard to the hope- fulness and courage with which he met obsta- cle after obstacle in his attempts to start on- that long and perilous journey. In the inscru- table providence of God, he was smitten with malarial fever and died while on the way, Mrs. Susan W. Tylek. Deceased Missionaries. 249 November 10, 1880. He was buried under a large, moss-covered tree, on the banks of the Gabula River, a native Christian reading the funeral service. A nobler, more enthusiastic and self-reliant missionary than Mr. Pinkerton it would be difficult to find. Why he was so suddenly cut down in the strength of manhood and midst of usefulness we cannot tell. The Lord will doubtless reveal to us the reason in another world. Mrs. Pinkerton now resides in Chicago, 111. Mr. John A. Butler, whose narrow escape from a crocodile has already been mentioned, responded to a call for a missionary printer, and went to Natal in 1850. His health was so weakened by the terrible ordeal through which he had passed that he was forced soon to return to America. Though never again robust, his life was greatly prolonged by the unwearied care of his wife. He died August 27, 1889, leaving a widow and two children. Of her who was the companion of my joys and sorrows, the light of my dwelling, the de- voted wife, mother, and missionary, I must leave others to speak. A brother w^th whom we had been associated from the first, one who soon fol- lowed her to the heavenly world, Mr. Ireland, wrote as follows : " Becoming a Christian in early life, Mrs. Tyler gave herself to missionary work with all her heart and soul, and during all these years has impressed those who had the privi- lege of knowing her, as one who possessed an 250 Forty Yean Among the Zulus. unusually faultless character, and whose life was filled with Christian consecration. Her interest in the Zulus was ever finding ways to manifest itself m their behalf, especially in her judicious advice to them when in trouble. Hence we are not surprised that large numbers of them, both Christians and heathen, learned implicitly to trust and love her, oftentimes bet- ter than their own kindred. . . . As long as she was able to converse, her room was the center of peacefulness, brightness, and jo}', and she begged to have no sorrow or gloom felt, or tears shed, as she was simply 'going home.' Her earnest words of appeal to the natives who entered her sick room, or, when too weak to speak, her bright smile and peaceful face, were powerful influences for good. At the funeral service it was truthfully said, ' The grave has not closed in Natal over one who led a purer, gentler, and more useful life.' " Mrs. Pixley, a missionary, wrote as follows : — " A large company of both Christian and heathen natives gathered at the burial, coming from a distance in the surrounding region, and from her old Esidumbini station. It was pa- thetic to see one old heathen man, the day after the funeral, come weeping that he had not received word in time for him to take a last look at his dear teacher's face, and mourn with others at her burial. . . . During the last weeks of her illness, she had such a sweet assurance because of her perfect trust in Christ, that peace, perfect peace, was her motto. She loved Deceased Missionaries. 251 to talk of Christ and his nearness, and spoke much of Bible study. Her room was cheery, bright, and the center of joy and peace. While we mourn the loss of such a friend and fellow- worker, we rejoice in her bright example, pray- ing that her mantle may fall upon us with a double portion of the spirit which characterized her, and that the seed sown by her, in prayer and labor for the people, may grow into an abuixhint harvest. ... In her long missionary life she was permitted to see many spiritual children, and many, we doubt not, were waiting for her at the gate of the City, as she en- tered in." A friend in this country wrote of her : — " Those who knew Mrs. Tyler could not fail to recognize her as one who had so trained her- self that all Christian dispositions, a tranquil nature, a loving spirit, meekness, gentleness, disinterestedness, had become so habitual as to be unconscious to herself. And yet, with this measure of quiet grace, she was eminent in active labors. She ' labored much in the Lord.' " It has been said, ' The best work given to any missionary is the ordering of a Christian home in a heathen land.' This, in connection with her work for the heathen, Mrs. Tyler perfectly fulfilled. The home over which she presided so brightly and usefully was characterized by the grace and cheer and restfulness of the home which Jesus loved at Bethany. " She spent her life in cultivating the ideal and practical side of character among the Zulus, 252 Forty Years Among the Zulus. heathen and Christian, showing by her own ex- ample the value of a life that blends spiritual truth and care-takiiig, home-making duties in one rounded whole." On the seventeenth of November, 1887, she fell asleep and awakened to be " forever with the Lord." CHAPTER XXVII. NATIVE EDUCATION. NATIVE education is receiving more attention than ever, not only from American, but other societies. Our hope for the future regeneration of Africa lies in the young. Consequently, training institutions for youth of both sexes, at central points, are deemed a necessity. They are not designed to take the place of primary schools, but to advance pupils to a higher stage. Of these institutions, the Amanzimtote Seminary at Adams is at present the only training school for Zulu lads connected with the American mission. This was commenced in 1805, by Rev. William Ireland. The medium of instruction is the English language, which pupils must understand to a certain degree before entrance. Connected with the seminary is an industrial department, in which are taught carpentering, blacksmithing, shoe- making, and printing. Tlie great object in view is to give practical training. Its religious character is of a high order, the teachers aiming first of all at moral regener- ation, without which their training may prove a curse instead of a blessing. Stress is laid upon Bible study, and the importance of overcoming 253 254 Forty Years Among the Zulus. hereditary prejudices and superstitions. Its record thus far is u noble one. Most of its graduates are useful members of society, some of them being teachers and preachers. Jubilee Hall was opened in December, 1885, at the semi-centennial anniversary of the mission. It is a large, commodious structure, accommo- dating about one hundred pupils, and costing $15,000, a part of which was contributed by American friends and the remainder by Natal colonists. Beautifully located on a grassy hill sloping towards the river Amanzimtote (^sweet water^y it commands a fine view of the Indian Ocean, eight miles distant. Here the students find a true home. Those interested in this institution hope much for its future. If funds are forthcoming, a medical department is to be opened at Adams, and the boys will receive such instruc- tion as will overcome much of their supersti- tious fear of disease. lu every department there is opportunity for enlargement, and to no more worthy object can assistance be rendered. The theological school was commenced in 1869 by Rev. Elijah Robbins. From time to time men have gone forth to be missionaries to their own people. We trust many more will avail themselves of the faithful teaching and pre[)aration for service which is given them by Rev. Charles Kilbon, who has charge of tliat department. The Inanda Seminary for girls is not only a school, but a home. From sixty to seventy Native Education. 255 bright girls, varying in age from twelve to sixteen, most of them born of Christian parents, are here taught the elements of a pfood education. The success of the school is owing in a great measure to the wise judg- ment and unwearied efforts of Mrs. Edwards, who began it in 1869. The course of study pursued embraces bibli- cal history, harmony of the Gospels, reading, translation and dictation in Zulu and English, writing, arithmetic, geography, history, physi- ology, and English composition. Special atten- tion is paid to needlework in its various branches, as well as domestic employment and gardening. The fee for board and tuition is twenty -five dollars per annum for each pupil. So anxious are girls to attend this school that they frequently run away from their kraals, pur- sued by their fathers or brothers, whose chief desire is to secure the cattle for which they may be sold when of a marriageable age. After a palaver of half an hour or so, if they find the girl is determined to stop, they leave her and go home. The girls cultivate twenty acres of land and endeavor to make the school self-sup- porting. This end has not yet been wholly accomplished. Friends in America have kindly assumed the responsibility of supporting some whose parents are too poor, or unwilling to furnish the means. The girls are taught singing and render diffi- cult music by note correctly and sweetly, tak- ing the soprano and alto with ease in anthems, 256 Forty Years Among the Zulus. duets, etc. Their new building, Edwards Hall, erected by gifts from mission circles in this country, amounting to 'fr),000, is all that can be desired for convenience and utility. In describing an examination at Inanda, a few years ago, Mrs. Tyler wrote : — " As I sat on the platform facing forty girls, two at each desk, I wondered what would be the future of them all, and I am thankful that my faith, which has been many times weakened by disappointments, did not fail to predict a happy life for them. They have stepped a long way out of heathenism, and, in their reci- tations and conversation, appear to me to know better than ever what the ' Light ' means, and what an infinite blessing has come to them through Christian teaching. It is a great gain to secure them for several years, so that their habits may become fixed and their minds have elevating influences which they do not find at their homes. I counted ten whose mothers had lived with me when they were children." Umzumbe Home is another school for girls, but, unlike Inanda Seminar}^ the majority of scholars come from heathen kraals, without previous preparation. Of the Christian in- fluence exerted and faithful instruction given, too much cannot be said. Graduates of this school, after four years' study (many of them having become Christians), exert a most salu- tary influence in their heathen homes. The good they may do cannot be estimated. The enlarged accommodations provide for sixty Native Education. 257 girls, but there is room for substantial aid in various departments, which would be money well invested. The course of study pursued is similar to that of Inanda, out-of-door employ- ment included. In addition to those already referred to, and the daily schools at each station, there are the kraal schools, so called on account of their being within the native villages, and at some distance from the mission stations. For- merly native chiefs refused to have their children educated. A change has come over them. They now say, " We are too old to learn, but our children are not; send us teachers." In some cases they are willing to assist in erecting a schoolhouse, and to assume the re- sponsibility, in part, of paying the teacher. An instance has lately occurred of a chiefs making a law that all the children of his tribe shall be taught, the fathers to be fined ten shillings each if they refuse to send their off- spring to the school, and a child one shilling if absent purposely. It is pleasant to see a well-made and convenient building with doors and windows, provided with benches, slates, blackboards, and other essentials, by the side of a kraal in a locality far away from any missionary. The children, it is true, learn under difficulties. Girls whose business it is to take care of babies bring them in leather sacks, slung on their shoulders. Herd boys drive their flocks of goats and cattle to a hill opposite the school, where they can watch 258 Forty Years Among the Zulus. them and study at the same time. The teachers are usually graduates of the semi- naries, some of whom conduct services on the Sabbath. When fairly started with twenty- five pupils, a little aid is afforded by the Natal government. All these schools are under the supervision of missionaries, and the truth made known in them has frequently been blessed to the conversion of souls. The efforts of all missionary bodies for the education of the Natal Zulus have invariably met with sympathy from the English authori- ties. Officials have declared that mission work in isolated parts of the colony has helped ma- terially in the government of the natives. Not only in many instances are mission reserves laid out of the native locations, each one including six thousand or more acres, but grants from an educational fund are made to station schools. Doubtless one reason why the government has indorsed the labors of missionaries is the fact that as much as possible they have abstained from entering the arena of politics, rigidly ad- hering to their own appropriate work. Mr. Robert Plant, inspector of native education, a man eminently adapted for his post, has pro- posed to the Educational Council a scheme which seems wise and feasible. It provides for the establishment of small industrial schools in the more thickly populated parts of the native locations, each to supply the needs of two hun- dred and fifty children with one European and five native teachers. The expenditure for this Pupils of the Inanda Seminary. Native Education. 259 enterprise he estimates at <£ 8,000, and regular instruction will be provided for six thousand children. It is evident that European merchants in Natal are the gainers as educational and Chris- tian work progresses among the natives. Rev. James Dalzell, m.d., a scholarl}^ and able Scotch missionary, who reported at a late missionary conference that he had seen, in two years, his native adherents multiplied a hundredfold, com- puted that while a native kraal required only £2 worth of imported goods, each mission na- tive required X20. Reckoning the Zulu church members in the colony at four thousand, their commercial requirements aggregate .£80,000 per annum. So much in a pecuniary point of view are the Natal colonists indebted to Christian missions. The publications of the American Mission in the Zulu language, from the beginning to the present time, are : the Bible entire, dictionaries, grammars, histories (one ecclesiastical), hymn books, arithmetics, geographies, primers, cate- chisms, a monthly newspaper, — The Morning Star, — and a variety of tracts. Other societies have published books for their schools and sta- tions, but none to such an extent as the Amer- ican. The Zulu Bible, printed by the Amer- ican Bible Society, answers not only for missionaries of the American Board of Com- missioners for Foreign Missions, but for Nor- wegian, German, and Swedish societies, as well as the London Missionary Society among the Matabele Zulus. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE MISSIONARY OUTLOOK. IN 1885 was celebrated the " Jubilee," or semi-centennial anniversary of the Amer- ican Zulu Mission. With one exception, the pioneers had gone to their reward. There were, however, some veteran laborers to mingle with their younger brethren in the festivities of the occasion. Jubilee Hall was then opened by the governor of the colony, who, together with leading colonists, expressed hearty sym- pathy and interest. Rev. William Ireland read a history of the mission's five decades, show- ing a steady advance from the beginning. Statistics from the mission at the close of 1889 show that there were sixteen churches, with a membership of eleven hundred and fifty-five ; under Sabbath-school instruction, fourteen hundred and eighty; missionaries, thirt3^-eight ; native helpers, including teachers and preachers, one hundred and sixty -seven ; money contributed for church work, education, and charitable purposes, during the year, over one tliousand dollars. The East Central African Mission, a branch of the one in Natal, was commenced by Rev. W. Wilcox and wife in 1883. Its prospects for a time were very encouraging. Messrs. 260 The Missionary Outlook. 261 Richards, Ousley, Bates, and their wives went to that field ; the languages were mastered, parts of the Bible printed, and everything went on prosperously. But Mr. Wilcox left the work and Messrs. Richards and Bates, on account of fever, were obliged to leave. The latter has joined the Natal Mission. Mr. Rich- ards came to the United States and retired from the service of the Board. Mr. Ousley followed him, owing to serious illness, but hopes to return shortly. This brother was a slave, born on the plantation of Mr. Joseph Davis, brother of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States. He was freed at the time the slaves were emancipated by order of President Lincoln. After studying at Fisk University and Oberlin, he received appoint- ment to the Eiist Central African Mission, whither he went with his wife, who is also a graduate of Fisk University. These are the first colored missionaries sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to Southern Africa. Mr. Ousley believes that the colored men from our southern states can endure the malarial climate of Africa better than white men. Neither he nor his wife has suffered from fever as much in Africa as they did in this country. Miss Jones, a colored lady who went out to assist the Ousleys, does not complain of the climate. If it is true that our colored brethren and sisters can labor in those malarial districts without succumbing as do white missionaries, how important that they 262 Forty Yearn Amonr) the Zulus. be sent there ! Few more inviting fields are to be found in the Dark Continent than this. The force in the field at the present writing is represented by Rev. John B. Bennet and wife and Miss Jones; Rev. Mr. Bunker and wife are, however, designated to it, and sailed in Feb- ruary, 1890. Rev. Mr. Wilcox and wife also returned in the same month. In the foregoing pages, the work of the American Zulu Mission has been chiefly con- sidered. Let no one think that I am dis- posed to underrate the labors of other evangel- ical bodies. Noble men and women of various sections of the Christian Church are toiling faithfully for the good of the natives, and, so far as I have observed, most harmoniously. There is no clashing out there. If there is any rivalry, it is that of brave soldiers, ambitious to advance the glory of their heavenly King. One should visit a foreign mission field to see illustrated the remark Dr. Livingstone once made : " All classes of Christians find that sectarian rancor soon dies out when they are working together among and for the real heathen." The Dutch in Natal have what is called a Boer Farm Mission, of an interesting charac- ter. One of the results of a late revival of religion among the farmers was an earnest desire to Christianize the natives living on their farms, and it is pleasant to behold school- houses, places of worship, and other proofs of evangelistic enterprise in a field hitherto neg- lected. The Missionary Outlook. 263 English Wesleyan Methodists, 'and Scotch Presbyterians of the Free Church, confine their labors principally to Natal, while the Germans (Berlin and Hanoverian), Norwe- gians, Swedes, and missionaries of the Church of England have stations in Cape Colony and in Zululand. Since the latter country has come under British jurisdiction, happier results from missionary efforts may be expected than while it was under the reign of despotism. Until quite recently, non-Protestant societies have not made any strenuous effort to convert the Zulus. There is, however, now in the field an order of Benedictine monks, called Trappists, who are manifesting extraordinary zeal. Their chief monastery, Marianhill, is a few miles from the seaport. The abbot, Francis Pfaner, a German, who superintends the establishment, is a gentleman of great shrewdness and intelli- gence. When I visited the place he took me about, and willingly explained his plans and methods of labor. Evidently, in his opinion, civilization is the primary step to be taken in elevating the heathen. There were on the ground one hundred and seventy monks and one hundred and twenty nuns ; more were ex- pected. Three hundred native boys and girls were under instruction, chiefly industrial. Twenty thousand acres of land have been purchased, a large part of which is under cultivation. All the workshops were full of activity, but I noticed that the men did not utter a word. Perpetual silence, it appears, is ^64 Forty Years Among the Zulus. imposed on all monks under the Benedictine rule. To an Englishman who asked the abbot tlie reason for this, the reply was : " There are reasons spiritual and secuhir. Silence is spirit- ually beneficial. It is secularly beneficial, inas- much as tlierc is no quarreling when there is no talking, and there is much more work done.*' Zulu Luis, however, chatted and laughed ad libi- tum. They would not have been Zulus otherwise. Various industries engage the Trappists, among which is bee culture. Newspapers in Polish, German, English, and Zulu are published at the monastery. Pains are taken to extend their influence among the natives. A brass band consisting of thirty sandaled monks marches occasionally through the streets of the nearest town, playing as they go, and are followed by Zulus clothed in dark fustian with polished helmets on their heads. To what this extraordinary Trappist move- ment will grow, it is impossible to predict. I trust it will appear from what has been said that the outlook, so far at least as the American Zulu Mission is concerned, is calcu- lated to cheer, rather than to depress. News from the field clearly indicates an advance all along the line. Societies of Christian Endeavor are springing up ; the cause of tem- perance is gaining ground ; schools are well attended; Sabbath audiences are growing larger; "spirit doctors" are losing their hold of the native mind ; the axe of the gospel is laid at the root of polygamy and attendant evils; ^le Missionary Outlook. 265 Christianity, hand in hand with civilization, is moving on. Is the time far distant when those qualities of valor, obedience, and endurance which the Zulus displayed when in a state of barbarism will be conspicuous in promoting the Redeemer's glory ? Has not God in his providence sent his servants to Natal, spared their lives, enabled them to master the native language, translate the Bible and other books, and put in operation the machinery of means, preparatory to carrying the blessings of Chris- tianity into Africa's dark interior ? What base of operations could have been selected more suitable for this object? What strategic point could we have laid hold of on the southeast- ern coast better than this ? Recruits from our mission schools will doubtless go as mission- aries to the Matabele and other Zulu-speaking tribes. The way was opened last year when Umcitwa and Yona, a man and his wife from the Umzumbe station, joined the mission to the Matabele tribe. On their journey, Umcitwa took a severe cold which resulted in his death soon after reaching his destination. Who can tell, however, what results may follow his example ? Though I have spoken hopefully respecting the Zulu Mission and its importance with ref- erence to the future regeneration of Africa, I am compelled to add, with sorrow, that there are influences at work that will undo much that has been done, and hinder progress, unless God in his mercy interposes. The streams of 266 Forty Years Among the Zulus. intemperance and vice flowing into Natal imperil not only tlie spiritual, but the physi- cal existence of tlie natives. A large body of Christ's servants are needed at once to counter- act those influences. The Zulus are in a transition state. Much will be lost by delay. Tlie remark lately made b}- Mr. Stanley in reference to the importance of reinforcing Christian missions in Central, will apply equally to South, Africa : " If we want to hold our ground, we must not send little parties of workers, as heretofore, but must pour in men by the scores and even by the fifties." Death and illness have sadly depleted the number of missionaries. The few left in the field, overburdened, ask with a pathos that should reach the hearts of God's people at home, — "Do they come, do they come? We are feeble and worn, And we are passing like shadows away. But the harvest is white. Lo, yonder the dawn I For laborers, for laborers, we pray ! " To those who may inquire, " Are the results of your work among the Zulus commensurate with the toil and money expended ? " I reply : If judged by worldly standards, they may not appear so; but truly no serious-minded man will gauge them by figures alone. No tabular view can adequately represent what has been done. Of this we are sure : it is God's work, and it cannot be a failure. One has truthfully said : " God's true missionary goes where He JosiAH, Teacher in the Boys' High School at Adams. TJie Missionary Outlook. 267 sends him, and he succeeds, though all he may do is to plow up the hard ground and gather out the stones to leave a fair field for the sower. And in God's eyes many a man who, by the armful or wagonload, brings sheaves to the gar- ner is only reaping from others' sowing." If we could point to a single Zulu who has been savingly converted, that alone would prove that our labors have not been in vain. But, thank God! we can adduce instances not a few of self-denial, humility, holy living, resigna- tion to the divine will, heroic faith, and joy in the near prospect of death. I think I am safe in saying that, as a rule, converted Zulus are quite as consistent in their daily life as average church members in Christian lands. It is un- reasonable to suppose that, with the few advan- tages they possess, they should rise speedily to the standard of intelligent piety attained in more highly favored countries. What Rev. John McKenzie, formerly of the London Missionary Society, has said in regard to Bechuana Christians applies to Zulus : " It is not to be expected that a loquacious, news-telling people, unaccustomed to solitude and to consecutive thought or study, should, on their conversion to Christianity, become at once remarkable for their elevated spirituality and for delighting in protracted seasons of prayer, meditation, and communion with God." Before closing this chapter, let me ask my readers, especially those who are young, strong, and qualified to engage in mission work, Do 268 Forty Years Among the Zulus. you really believe that the gospel is the grand instrument devised by God for tlie elevation of the degraded ? And has the command, " Go, teach all nations,'* lost any of its force since it was given by the Master ? Have you individu- ally and seriously inquired, with a desire to ascertain God's will, " Is it my duty to carry the gospel to the heathen ? " Should you do so, would the cause of God in this land suffer from your absence ? On the other hand, would not an impetus be given to it, thus illustrating that heavenly law, " There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth " ? Go and tell the benighted the story of Jesus and his love, and even they will exclaim in the language of inspiration, " How beautiful are the feet of them that . . . bring glad tidings of good things ! " Go, and if successful in your work, you will hear from the lips of converted heathen what you cannot hear if you remain in your native land : " For our sakes you left home and kindred. You were the only almoners of God's bounty to us. You found us naked ; you have clothed us. Ignorant, you have taught us. We delighted in war ; you have tauglit us the principles of peace. We were in the depths of degradation ; you have raised us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We will never cease to thank God for sending you to tell us of the great salvation." That will pay for all youi" toil and sacrifices. CHAPTER XXIX. FACTS CONCERNING NATAL. "VTATAL lies in the same latitude south as -1-^ New Orleans north ; is eight hundred miles Irom the Cape of Good Hope, and seventy-hve hundred miles from England. Mail steamers from London reach it in about twenty-five days, stopping at the Cape, Port Elizabeth, and East London. It has an area of twenty-one thousand two hundred and fifty miles, and a seaboard of one hundred and eighty. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese navigator, sight- ed it on Christmas day, five years after Colum- bus discovered America, and it received its name, Terra Natalis, in honor of that day. The first attempt to colonize it was made in 1823 by a party of Englishmen with Lieuten- ant Farwell at its head. Chaka, the Zulu king at that time, ceded to them what now comprises the colony. Soon after, the same Zulu potentate made Captain Allen Gardiner, an Englishman, a grant of the same territory, evidently not re- garding the previous cession as bona fide. The country was once thickly populated, but that despot so devastated it by his armies that only here and there could be found a few stragglers, and they were in a state of starvation. 269 270 Forty Years Amonr/ the Znlus. The first Christian missionaries to Natal were tliose of the American Board, who landed in 1835. Wars between the natives and Dutch farmers, immigrants from the Cape Colony, and afterwards between the Ejiglish and Dutch, kept the country in a state of insecurity till 1843, when it was proclaimed a British posses- sion. Soon after, a governor was appointed, and an executive council established. Quiet liaving been restored, natives, fleeing from tyranny and witchcraft in Zululand, entered in large numbers. The first object saluting the newcomer to Natal is the lighthouse, a massive, costly struc- ture, situated on a high bluff, visible from a long distance. The coast, lined with thick gnarled bushes, twenty feet or more in height, interspersed with euphorbia, Kaffir boom, and palm trees, presents a pretty appearance. The rivers emptying into the ocean are indicated by the surf as it dashes over the sandbanks at their mouths. Of these, twenty- three in num- ber, only one is navigable, the Umzimkulu, and that but a short distance. Until latel3% entrance to the Natal harbor has been choked by sand, and this lias proved a serious obsta- cle to colonial prosperity. At a great expense breakwaters have been constructed, so that ships drawing sixteen feet of water can now enter with safety. Experts in engineering pre- dict that a still greater depth of water will be secured. The harbor, once entered, is all that can be desired — sheltered, commodious, and Facts Concerning Natal. 271 sufficiently deep. The customhouse and ware- houses along the docks, where ships load and unload, remind one of English and American ports. The contrast between 1849 and 1891 is simply marvelous. Telegraphic communication is established, not only throughout Natal, but with the Trans- vaal, Orange Free State, and various ports along the eastern coast. A submarine cable between Zanzibar and Aden brings the colony into com- munication with Great Britain. Mail steam- ers run constantly, the price of first-class pas- sage being not far from two hundred dollars ; second-class, one hundred and fifty. There are lines of boats carrying cargo and a limited number of passengers, having excellent accom- modations, which make the passage in a longer time and at reduced rates. Natal has been called by its admirers an " Elysium in South Africa " ; and not without reason. Probably England has no brighter gem among her colonies. For beauty of scen- ery and salubrity of climate she is deservedly distinguished. Perhaps allowance should be made for the writer, who for twenty-three years of his Natal life was not ill a single week, but it is doubtful whether on the globe there is a spot where the atmosphere is clearer and the sky brighter than during the winter months, from May to October. The evenings are then generally free from clouds, and the stars shine with extraordinary brilliancy. In 1858 it was reported that during the six months of winter 272 Forty Years Among the Zulus. there were ninety-seven starlit evenings. An Englisli scientist remarked : " The stars seem half as large and lialf as bright again as they ever do in England, and shine with a steady effulgence." In regard to the moon he added : " In the latitudes of this colony the moon occasionally comes within four times its own breadth of the zenith as it crosses the meridian. At such times the moonshine is often of such intense brilliancy that strong black shadows are cast by it, and the smallest objects can be distinctly seen by its aid." During the winter there is very little rain ; sometimes for two or three months none at all. The thermometer ranges, during that time, from 40° to 60°. Snow falls occasionally in the upper districts, but never on the coast, and rarely is the frost severe enough within fifteen miles of the sea to injure bananas or sweet potato vines. The average temperature for the three hottest and three coldest months, taken from accurate observation is as follows : — December, January, and February. Highest, 97° 5'; mean, 72° 2'; lowest, 53° 3'. June, July, and August. Highest 83° 4'; mean, .')6°7'; lowest, 31° 9'. The colony rises in terraces above the level of the Indian Ocean till it reaches the Drak- ensberg or " Dragon's Mountains," a high range which has sometimes been called the " Appe- nines of South Africa." This range divides Natal from the Transvaal and Orange Free State. Some of the peaks are nearly eight Facts Concerning Natal. 273 thousand feet high, and during the winter months are frequently capped with snow. In summer the heat is as intense as during the dog days of July and August in New England, but the frequent thunderstorms are invariably followed by cool days and nights. In regard to these storms, Dr. Robert Mann observed: '' They must be seen before a notion of their character can be realized. Sometimes the end of a great storm cloud looms from the horizon with a splendid glow or brush of light bursting from behind it at each discharge, and throwing the black masses forward in strong relief. At other times the foldings of the troubled and twisted clouds are rendered conspicuous by colored lines and sheets of fire, which exceed in complication and variety of device the most ingenious display of pyrotechny. As many as fifty-six distinct lightning flashes in every min- ute may sometimes be counted, rising in this way from one spot of the horizon ; and the exhibition may be seen continuing on the same scale for one or two hours at a time." Tornadoes seldom occur. The only one I remember was in 1850, which stripped the native huts of their grass covering and tore up trees by the roots, but soon spent itself without causing loss of life. Natalians have a way of guarding against sunstroke which Americans might imitate ; they wear cork hel- mets, well ventilated and covered with white. The vital statistics of the colony show a record of mortality said to be low, compared 274 Forty Years Among the Zulus. with other countries. Persons troubled with pulmonary C()mi)laints often derive substantial aid, if the}' reach South Africa before the dis- ease has become too deeply seated. Those who have adopted Natal as their home are gen- erally contented with their lot. At first some of them had to " rough it," but persistent industry rewarded many with the luxuries as well as the comforts of life. I recall what was designated as the "pumpkin and mealie (corn) dispensation " of 1850. A number of immi- grants, shipwrecked as they were crossing the Natal sandbar, were for a time reduced to straits, obliged to subsist on Indian corn and pumpkins; but they endured their trials brave- ly and cheerfully, and now, being well off, can remind their children, when they are disposed to complain, of what their pai-ents had to con- tend with in those early colonial days. One competent to speak from experience has observed : — " Natal is not a country in which to realize a fortune. By steady work a man beginning with even a small capital may rapidly acquire a competence and a comfortable home. From a social point of view Natal is altogether delightful. A man who does not crave mil- lions, but happiness, may assuredly find the latter." In 1889, on account of the rapidly develop- ing gold fields and rush to South Africa, the demand for skilled labor was great. Artisans, masons, carpenters, miners then obtained higli facts Concerning Natal. 275 wages. The times have changed somewhat, but physicians, printers, lawyers, clerks, and bookkeepers are now well remunerated. The cost of living, though greater than it was formerly, is not beyond the means of the majority. Good beef, mutton, and bacon can be had at twelve and one-half cents per pound. Fish, at the seaport, is cheap and abundant. Fowls are twenty-five cents apiece. Oysters can be had by knocking them off the rocks at low tide ; they are small, but of good flavor. Game is sometimes obtainable in the market, and vegetables of various kinds are abundant. Fruit is plentiful and cheap. Bananas, pine- apples, mangoes, oranges, mandarins, limes, peaches, lemons, guavas, pawpaws, avocado pears, custard-apples, and loquats are culti- vated with great success. Tliere are native fruits such as the Cape gooseberry, granadilla (fruit of the passion-vine), and itungula, an acid plum which is much used for preserves. Apples and quinces thrive on higher land, towards the north of the colony. The staple production is Indian corn, of which two crops can be raised during the year with a little painstaking. This is the principal native food. The Zulus, however, raise sweet potatoes and beans to a large extent. Wheat and other ce- reals do better inland, but not so well as in Australia; hence the importation of flour from that country. Of the various colonial enterprises, that of sugar culture stands at the head, the plauta- ^16 Forty Years Among the Zulus, tions extending the whole length of the coun- try. Mills are in operation and sugar of the best quality is manufactured. The Natal Central Sugar Company's manufactory at Mount Edgecomb is the largest, having one hundred Indian coolies employed at the mill, besides nine hundred other laborers, natives and coolies, on the farm connected with the establishment. Professor Maury predicted that Natal would prove a good locality for the cultivation of cotton, but his prediction has not been realized. Every attempt to raise it has proved a failure. Coffee for a time seemed to succeed, but tea is now taking its place, the soil in many local- ities being especially adapted for this plant. The largest tea estate at Kearsney has over two hundred acres under cultivation. The yield in 1887 was not far from eighty thousand pounds. A competent judge sa}- s : — "No enterprise promises such a fair return upon capital invested, no occupation is sur- rounded with greater attractions. It is at once cleanly and interesting, and offers scope to the inventive and mechanical energies of those engaged therein." The chief industry in the upland districts is that of cattle and sheep farming. On the coast, animals are severely . bitten by ticks wliich come from the grass. The tetse fly is not found in Natal, but it is no uncommon thing to see a cow or horse covered with ticks, which, when filled with blood, are the size of a large Facts Concerning ITatal. 27? pea. The ears of the poor animals are much affected. All that can be done is to rub on tar and grease or carbolic acid and oil. One spe- cies of tick adheres so firmly to the skin that it has to be removed by the application of sharp scissors. There is a smaller kind of tick, not larger than the head of a pin, which human beings have to encounter. It burrows in the flesh, producing sensations anything but agree- able. " Natal sores," which require ointments for healing and sometimes poultices, are the result of the bite, especially with persons not acclimated. When these little, almost invis- ible, insects get between the fingers, but partic- ularly the toes, the irritation for a time is almost unbearable. Clergymen, when preach- ing, if thus disturbed, are sometimes obliged to curtail their sermons ! Pleuro-pneumonia, or lung sickness, which has swept away thousands, yea, hundreds of thousands of cattle, is continually breaking out in South Africa, inflicting serious loss upon the farmers. As there are few fences, it is next to impossible to keep diseased cattle in quaran- tine as in this country, and thus " stamp out " the disease. The method adopted to save enough oxen for necessary work, and cows for milk, is to inoculate them. Some resort to drenching the healthy cattle ; that is, pouring down their throats two or three quarts of water in which is some of the virus of a dis- eased lung. This is to prevent contagion. But the majority of farmers prefer to make an 278 Forty Years Among the Zulus. incision in the lower part of the animal's tail and place there a seton witli a few drops of the virus. If it " takes " violently, the tail swells and becomes a mass of putrefaction, and is then chopped off, and if it rises again the process is repeated. 'J'he unfortunate brutes suffer greatly in warm weather for want of something with which to brush off the flies. Zulu cows are not noted for giving milk. It takes as many as six of the average kind to give as much as one good American cow. And they have this peculiarity, that they will not let the milker have any until the calves have first been fed. The milkman has to dispute with the calf as to who shall have the largest portion. And in case the calf dies, its mother refuses to give down her milk altogether. We have tried to teach African cows better man- ners, but all in vain. The horns of both oxen and cows are large and wide-spreading, very unlike those in New England. There is another species of African pest, which, though it does not, like the tick, attack persons and animals, makes raids on food, cloth- ing, books, and furniture. I refer to the ants. The ant kingdom is an exceedingly interesting one, an excellent description of which can be found in Professor Drummond's Tropical Africa. These ants, especially annoying to housewives, are of a brownish color : they build their nests in the walls or under floors, and forage in every direction, making the pan- try their favorite resort. Black ants often Facts Concerning Natal. 279 l)uild their nest in a tree, and woe be to the man who climbs it ! Baldwin, the hunter, tells us of his ascending a tree overhanging a river, in order to shoot a sea cow, and says : " But the ants fell upon me so vigorously and in such countless numbers, biting so severely, that flesh and blood could not possibly hold out another second, and I was forced to descend. An old sea cow is indebted to the black ants for her life." The termites or white ants are the most destructive, though, properly speaking, they are not ants at all — " holding an intermediate position between the orthopterous and hyme- nopterous families." They work out of sight, incessantly and indefatigably, forming galleries of hardened clay which ramify in various directions from the cell or nest of their king and queen. They have a partiality for the floors of dwelling houses, coming up through them into boxes or trunks, not lined with tin, converting their contents, however valuable, into a state of pulp. They often give human beings an unwelcome invitation to descend to a level with themselves. Walking one day in the parlor of a brother missionary, the floor suddenly gave way, and I sank three or four feet. On examination, I found that the ants had consumed, not only the sleepers, but the boards, rendering them too thin to support my weight. They often attack books, eating the margin as far as the print, at which they stop. " In many parts of Africa," Professor Drum- 280 Forty Years Among the Zulus. mond remarks, " I believe if a man lay down to sleep with wooden leg, it would be a heap of sawdust in the morning." Dr. Livingstone wrote of them: "At some of their operations they beat time in a curious manner. Hundreds of them are engaged in building a large tube, and they wish to beat it smooth. At a signal, they all give three or four energetic beats on the plaster in unison. It produces a sound like the dropping of rain off a bush when touched." The doctor regarded them as a blessing to South Africa, as agents employed in forming a fertile soil.^ It is interesting to observe the swarming pro- cess ; so thick are they, and so white their wings, they have not inaptly been compared to " snowflakes floating about in the air." Cats, dogs, and fowls devour them eagerly. The natives also gather and roast them for eating, regarding them as a luxury. Dr. Livingstone once gave a chief a bottle of preserved apricots, and asked if he had ever tasted anything nicer ; his reply was : " Yes : white ants ! " In some localities ant heaps rise to the height of seven or eight feet. Traveling one winter in the Orange Free State, where there was no firewood, I was in a quandary as to how I should get the wherewithal to boil my kettle. It oc- curred to me that I might utilize an ant heap near my wagon. Taking a spade, I cut off the apex of the conical mound, made a fireplace at the base, punched a hole from top to bottom for ' Livingstone's Researches iu South Africa. Facts Concerning Natal. 281 a flue, kindled a fire with some newspapers, and soon had a fine stove though of a novel charac- ter. On the top I placed the kettle, which soon boiled, after which the natives who accompa- nied me cooked their food. The termites, not fancying the heat, ran in every direction. When bedtime came, all the natives had to do was to spread their mats on the ground by the side of a beautiful fire, which lasted till morning, thus sleeping with unusual comfort. As is their custom when any ingen- ious device is resorted to by white people, bafSing their own skill, they broke out next morning with the expression : " Yek' abelungu^ ha hlulwa 'kufa kodtva (O white men, nothing conquers you but death) ! " I am not aware that any contrivance for the extermination or extinction of the white ants has proved successful. Tar, arsenic, strych- nine, corrosive sublimate, and kerosene have been tried, but in vain. The best remedy for the time being I found was hot ashes. Taking up the planks of a floor which the ants had begun to devour, and removing their champings, I sprinkled ashes freely about, which, clogging their mandibles, caused them to leave in dis- gust ; but only to renew operations in another place. The greatest curiosity connected with the termites is the queen, which attains the size and length of a man's finger, and resembles a mass of white jelly. Professor Drummond says : " She is two or tlu-ee inches in length ; in shape 282 Forty Years Among the Zulus. like a sausage, and white like a bolster." Her palace, or nest, is near the center of the heap, varying in size, but ordinarily just large enough to accommodate her majesty and the king, who is the size of an ordinary ant. No mason's trowel could make the sides of her abode smoother or neater than is done by the workers in the ant colony. In her cell she must remain, for the place of egress and ingress is only large enough to accommodate the common ant, and when she has laid a countless number of eggs she must die. It has been said that when she dies, or is removed, — like bees when their queen is destroyed, — the ants remove to another place ; but I have been unable to verify this. The great enemy of the termites is the ant- bear, an animal as large as a good-sized wolf, with a long nose, but a much longer tongue. It burrows into an ant heap, and puts out its tongue, upon which the insects creep uncon- scious of danger. When Avell covered, the tongue is drawn in, and the process is repeated until the hunger of the animal is appeased. Ant-bear holes are so common in South Africa tliat horseback riders have to use great caution lest they fall into them. CHAPTER XXX. PHYSICAL FEATURES AND POLITICAL AFFAIRS. DURBAN is the seaport town of Natal, and has a population, including natives and Asiatics, of nearly 30,000. Its large and substantial buildings, especially the town hall, which cost about £50,000, would be an ornament to any English or American city. Its surround- ings are exceedingly picturesque. On the " Berea," an elevation in the suburbs, reached by tram cars, are numerous and tasteful cot- tages which command a fine view of the light- house and outer anchorage. Its botanical garden, well stocked with flowers, plants, and trees, exotic and indigenous, and under the supervision of a scientific curator, is a favorite place of resort. The streets are wide, hard, and kept scrupulously clean. Water is at pres- ent brought from a small stream a short dis- tance from the town, but a scheme is projected for conveying a larger supply from a river ten miles away at an expense of £30,000. The matter of defense is not overlooked. A bat- tery, to be furnished with guns of the latest model, commanding the entrance to the bay, is in process of construction. As Durban is one of the principal gateways to the Transvaal, the El Dorado in South Africa, 363 284 Forty Years Among the Zulus. it has before it the brightest prospects, and bids fair to become a second Melbourne or San Fran- cisco. There seems no reason why it should not be a coaling station for steamers from Amer- ica to China by way of tlie Cape of Good Hope, as well as from England to Australia. In point of religious and literary privileges the town is higlily favored, having large and commodious churches, able ministers, a public library, reading room, and two daily news- papers. The Natal Mercury, an old and popular paper, has for its chief editor a gentleman of great ability. Sir John Robinson, who has lately received the honor of knight- hood. His love and labors for the good of his adopted country prove him to be a Natalian of the right stamp. With untiring patience he has " dinned into the colonial ears for the last quarter of a century " their need of responsible government. May he live to see this boon secured! A keen observer has justly re- marked, "The three-cornered South African problem is no longer Blacks, Boers, and Brit- ish, but Republicanism, Responsible Colonial- ism, and Crown Colonialism. Until Natal strikes for freedom and gains a voice in the direction of its own affairs, it will bo behind in the great northern race." The Natalians have voted, with a small majority however, to ask the home government for the privilege of ruling themselves. But the question has not yet been decided. Evi- dently expecting it, the progressive party, with Physical Features. 285 Sir John Robinson at their head, have drafted a new responsible constitution for the colony and presented it to the Legislative Council. Among the things recommended, I am glad to see that an annual grant of £20,000 has been devoted to "raise the natives in the scale of civilization." Maritzburg, the colonial capital, fifty miles from Durban, with which it is connected by rail, has been called the loveliest of South African towns. I think it deserves that appel- lation. Its streets are lined with tall Austra- lian gums, which answer the twofold purpose of shade and lightning conductors. Good drinking water is brought in aqueducts from a fountain in the suburbs. Fort Napier, on an elevation just outside, commands the city and surroundings. Prominent among build- ings are the legislative hall, hospital, and the residence of the governor. In the center is an immense square for market purposes, at the end of which is a neat granite monu- ment commemorative of colonists who fell in the Zulu war. Opposite the legislative hall stands a fine statue of Queen Victoria, also a bust of Sir Bartle Frere, a statesman whose memory is cherished with profound respect by all Natalians. The scenery about the capital is exceedingly beautiful, and on the road lead- ing to the coast the traveler, if he has been in Switzerland, is often reminded of that coun- try. Lofty cliffs and huge rocks give variety to the view. In some parts of the colony are 28G Forty Years Among the Zulus. seen immense slabs of granite on hillsides, apparently just ready to launch into deep ravines below, the earth having been washed away from underneath. One, near Esidumbini, measures one hundred feet in length, ninety in width, and thirty in thickness. A cave underneath served as a hiding place for Zulus in the time of Chaka. No thorough geological survey of Natal has been made as yet. A few years ago, there appeared in The Natal Journal tlic following brief, but good, description : — " The country is composed of granite, gneiss, trap, sandstone, and shale. Of sandstone there are two kinds, the old coarse species, whicli forms the summits of the Table Mountains, and a much finer grained sort which is associated with carboniferous strata containing impressions of vegetable remains imbedded in the layers. The trap is of different ages. The shale is sometimes gray and sometimes red, and is fis- sured and laminated. Enormous masses of trap rock are scattered over the face of the country. The bed of every water course is encumbered with them. The granite hills inland are gener- ally broad, low, and smoothly rounded protru- sions. These are square, tabular elevations, molded entirely of trap, and may be at once distinguished by the eye from the true sand- stone-slabbed Table Mountains, notwitlistanding their o-eneral resemblance. There is abundant evidence that during past centuries volcani;; eruptions have had much to do in mingling to- Physical Featured. 287 gether in a most confused manner various kinds of rocks in every part of the colony." A few gold mines are worked both in Natal and Zululand, but none have as yet proved as rich as those in the Transvaal. But beds of good coal are extensive in the upper districts, and are destined greatly to enrich the colony. Steamers plying between Durban and London are using it instead of English coal, and South America is applying to the colonial government for a monthly supply. The flora of Natal presents much that is attractive and beautiful and well worth atten- tion. During the rainy season the country is brilliant with flowers, and even when the rains have ceased many more quiet but interesting plants may be found. Perhaps no orders are more fully represented than the Legnminosce and Compositce. Examples of the former are the Kaffir boom, with its showy scarlet blos- soms and bright red seeds with the black spot around the hilum, used by natives and white children alike for necklaces. Throughout the colony can be found the acacias. An Austra- lian species has been introduced and is exten- sively cultivated for the bark, which is sent to England for tanning purposes. Among the Compositce^ those which are bet- ter known than the others are the everlastings or immortelles, the pink and yellow being very common, while the silvery-white variety, with the delicate pink tinge around the disk, is found in the upper districts. One species of nym^ 288 Forty Years Among the Zulus. phcea, the blue water lily, is quite numerous. The arum, erroneously called calla in America, is found in almost every marshy place. The beautiful blue and white agapanthus, the graceful littouia, and sandcrsonia, and the aloes are among the members of the lily family. Many of the so-called lilies in Natal l)elong to the order amarj/llidacea; ; as, for example, the "Natal lily,'' with its pink- veined perianth, and the "fire lil3%" whose showy scarlet bells contrast vividly with the blackness of the hills after the annual l)urning of the grass. A few epiphytic, and numerous terrestrial, orchids are found in Natal. Some are showy and conspicuous, while others are dull and hardly distinguishable from the grass. Among the cycads, the stangeria is a beautiful form, with its long, frond-like leaves and centjal cone. Grasses and sedges abound, and the lover of ferns would have no lack of material for inves- tigation. Palms and wild bananas and the ungainly euphorbias are conspicuous among the larger plants. The trees used for cabinetwork are yellow- wood Qjodocarpus') ; sneezewood (^pteroxylon utile} ; stinkwood (^oreodaphne hullata)^ so called for its odor, which, however, is useful, in that worms do not attack it ; black ironwood (olea Imirifolia), a hard, solid wood which takes a fine polish ; and many others of which more use could be made than has been yet attempted. Physical Features. 289 Waterfalls in Natal are common and beauti- ful. From numerous fountains in the hillsides there issue streams which roll down till they unite with rivers winding their way to the Indian Ocean. A perpendicular fall of three hundred and sixty feet on the Umgeni River is one of surpassing beauty. A Dutch farmer, in attempting to cross the ford about a hundred yards above, in an ox-wagon, bad a most nar- row escape. His " forelooper " (ox leader), a Zulu lad of sixteen years, could not swim, and was told by his master to get into the wagon. The Dutchman knew his oxen well — had often seen them swim through swollen streams, and believed he could trust them in this instance. Alas ! he had not calculated on the rapidity of the current. The oxen could not reach the opposite landing, and to his horror he found that bullocks, wagon, and all were approaching the rapids. The native, losing his presence of mind, plunged into the river and was soon taken over the fall. The Dutchman, made of different stuff, concluded that so long as there was life there was hope, and made a desperate attempt to save himself. He cracked his long whip most energetically, calling on each ox by name to do his best. The brave fellows, inspired doubtless by the frantic cries of their driver, swam for dear life. The two leaders got a foot- hold on the bank, and just as the wagon swung about, within a few feet of the abyss, the faithful beasts drew it out and up to a place of safety. The political affairs of Natal are administered 290 Forty Years Among the Zulus. by a governor, appointed by the crown, aided by an executive and legislative council, com- posed of thirty members, who retain their seat for four years. The administration of justice is conducted by a supreme court, by courts of magistrates in various counties, also by circuit courts held when required. A special judge is appointed for cases among the natives, who are allowed the privilege of appeal to a higher court. Should the matter in dispute be of the value of five hundred pounds, an appeal can be made to the privy council in England. Natives, on certain conditions, may come out from under native law and be governed precisely as white men. Few, however, seem disposed to avail themselves of this privilege. Doubtless the reason is that under purely English law they would not be allowed to exchange cattle for women and practice polygamy. Those who con- form to English customs and dwell in furnished houses of European construction are exempt from the annual hut tax. The great mass pre- fer to live, as did their fathers, in Zulu style. As respects ecclesiastical affairs in Natal, the largest denomination is that of Wesleyan Methodists, but Presbyterians, Congregation- alists. Episcopalians (Church of England), and Roman Catholics are well represented. There are two Baptist churches and one Jewish syn- agogue. Colonial education is under the direction of a council, composed of ten members, with two superintendents, one for the European, the Umzinyati Waterfall, Inanda, Xatal. Physical Features. 291 other for the native, schools. There are several collegiate institutions which compare favorably with those in other countries. Natal's exports are sugar, wool, hides, horns, tallow, arrowroot, ginger, cayenne pepper, tea, ivory (from the interior), and the bark of an acacia tree, useful for tanning purposes. Imports are chieflj'^ timber, furniture, agri- cultural implements, leather manufactures, car- riages of various descriptions, clothing, grocer- ies, ironmongery, machinery, ardent spirits, etc. The revenue is derived principally from the customs charges, auction dues, duty on firearms, sale of stamps, gunpowder, crown lands, tax- ation of Europeans and natives, transfer dues, excise, post offices, licenses, etc. The native hut tax amounts in the aggre- gate to .£75,000 per annum, and the custom dues on blankets and beads, purchased to a large extent by natives, reach the sum of <£15,- 000. The following comparative statement of the value of imports and exports and customs receipts for the years 1888 and 1889 shows the rate of progress : — IMPORTS. 1889. 1888. Value of imports . . . £4,527,015 £2,890,468 Customs revenue . . . 369,689 3 1 290,084 8 1 EXPORTS. Colonial £957,132 £941,562 Non-Colonial ' 699,186 ' 476,309 Total exports • . . . £1,650,318 £1,417,871 > These figures include rough gold to the value of £584,933 £391,643 292 Forty Tears Among the Zulus. According to a late estimate, the combined trade of tlie colony for 1889 was not far short of six millions sterling. Railways are being pushed with rapidity both to the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The Grand Trunk Line has reached Charles- ton, on the border of the Transvaal, only one hundred and thirty miles from Johannesburg, the greatest "mushroom city" in Africa. This railway is said to be " unequaled in English colonies for profit." It increased the past year to such an extent that, according to a pub- lished estimate, after paying all expenses, a sum of one hundred thousand pounds would accrue to the general revenue of the colony. Various industries now occupy the attention of Natalians, besides the cultivation of tea and sugar cane. Some are engaged in ostrich farming, a few in raising ground nuts (pea- nuts) for the oil. One farmer obtained three hundred bushels from a single acre. Sericulture is attracting attention, the govern- ment affording a little aid. Queens and eggs are imported from Italy. The mulberry grows finely, and there appears no reason why this industry should not prove a success. The most lucrative business in the upper districts is sheep farming. It is said that a man with a mod- erate capital invested in land and sheep is pretty sure to obtain a good return. With the influx of the Anglo-Saxon race into South Africa, the native question is one of deep interest. Zulus in the service of Euro- Physical Features. 293 peans are generally obedient and peaceful, but the influence of their hereditary chiefs is great. Should any real or supposed wrong lead those chiefs to combine against the whites, the result would be war and bloodshed. Let us hope and pray for better things. Instead of believing that they are "doomed like the redskins to fade away before the fiercer energy and tougher fiber and the higher mental power of their pale brethren," as Hepworth Dixon predicted would be the case with the blacks in our southern states, we cherish the belief that they will im- prove under the just and benign authority of England, and, living peacefully alongside of the superior race, will rise gradually but surely to a high standard of Christianity and civiliza- tion. If in the course of divine providence this occurs, it will be, as Froude the historian observed, the "solution of a problem worth more than all the diamonds of Kimberly." APPENDIX. LATER JVnSSIONS. From latest statistics, the Gordon Memorial Mission in Natal (Scotch), in charge of Rev, James Dalzell, M.D., and his wife, is in a prosperous condition. This mission was founded in 1868 by the Countess of Aberdeen, to commemorate the purpose of her son, the late Honorable James H. H. Gordon, to devote his life to mission work in South Africa, a purpose not executed owing to his early death. A farm was purchased in the upper part of Natal, which is thickly populated by natives, and Dr. Dalzell, with his zealous wife, is here laboring most successfully. Church members in full standing, April, 1890, were 113. Number of pupils in the schools connected with the station, 322. Two sisters of Mrs. Dalzell, the Misses Lorimer, have a Zulu Girls' Home, to which their services are given gratuitously. The late Dr. Somerville, " the world's evangelist," in his visit to South Africa visited this station and spoke of it in the highest terms. At Impolweni the Free Church of Scotland has an interesting mission in charge of Rev. James Scott, with a church membership of 163, and two schools, with 122 pupils. There are live branch stations con- nected with Impolweni. Also at Maritzburg there is a flourishing native church under the superintendence of Rev. Mr. Bruce. The Hanoverian (German) Society has, according to latest reports, in Natal and Zululand : — Missionaries, white, 25 Native helpers, 50 Stations, 22 Church members, 1,782 296 296 Forty Years Amom/ the Zulus. Church of the Province of South Africa (English Episcopal) : — OrdaiiHul laborers, wiiite, 6 Ordained laborers, native, 3 Lay laborers, white, 4 Lay laborers, native, 18 Lady assistants, white, 3 Stations, VI Baptized Zulus, 1,(>44 Its chief centers of labor are Durban and Mar- it zburg. The superintendent of native missions in Natal, Rev. A. Ikin, d.d. (Church of England), reports: — Native converts, 475 Stations for Sunday services, 16 Ni-iht schools, 8 Day schools, 6 White evangelists, 8 Native evangelists, 28 The Swedish (Lutheran) Church has three mis- sionaries laboring in Natal and Zululand, and not without success. THE ZULU LANGUAGE. One peculiarity of the Zulu language is the dicks derived from intercourse with the Hottentots. They are what are called dental, palatal, and lateral, owing to the manner in which they are spoken. The dental is made bj'^ compressing the tip of the tongue between the teeth and hastily drawing it back. The letter c is used to denote it. The palatal is a cracking sound which the tongue makes in the roof of the mouth, and is represented by the letter q. The lateral is a sound like clucking to a horse, caused by the tongue and double teeth united. The letter x represents it. Dr. Lepsius in his Standard Alphabet suggested characters for these clicks, but missionaries in Zululand are not inclined to adopt them. The letters used for them are always in italics. Appendix. 297 There is another sound in the language, happily occurring only in a few words, pronounced as a guttural from the bottom of the throat. It is not a click, but, according to a philologist, '' a peculiar, hard, rough sound that seems to be made by con- tracting the thi'oat and giving the breath a forcible expulsion, at the same time modifying the sound with a tremulous motion of the epiglottis." Only Zulus, and whites born among them, can express it. Each class of nouns has a prefix which undergoes a change in forming the plural from the singular. In one class the prefix is um, which in the plural is changed into aba; for instance, umuntu (person), abantu (persons). Another class has the prefix in, which in the plural is changed to izin; for example, inkomo (cow), izinkomo (cows). In still another class, Hi is changed to ama, as ilizwi (word), amazici (words). The possessive is formed in a singular manner. Each class of nouns having its preformative letter, that letter is used in forming this case, to standing for nouns beginning with u in the singular, and h for the plural. Thus ami (of me) umfana (boy), becomes in the possessive iimfana wami (my boy) ; plural aba, abafana bami (my boys). In another class, in being the prefix in the singular, y is used, making yami, in the plural, zami; ihns, inkotno yami (my cow), izinkomo zami (my cows). In forming the possessive his or her, the basis is a (of) and ^e (him). For example, in the class commencing with vm, we have umfana wake (his boy), plural abafana bake (his boys). With in for prefix, y is used, as inkomo yoke (his cow), plural, izinkomo zake (his cows). For the possessive thei?', the ground form is abo; for ex- ample, abantwana babo (their children), izinkomo zabo (their cows) . Great simplicity is apparent in the construction of verbs. Take, for example, the verb love, ukutanda, uku being the sign of the infinitive, and tanda the 298 Forty Years Among the Zulus. root. JV^gi is the pronoun of the first person, and ya the auxiliary. Ifgi i/a tandd (I love); second person, u i/a tarida (thou lovcst) ; third person, ?t j/a tandd (he loves) ; jjlurai, si ya tanda (wc love) ; ni ya landa (ye love); ba ya landa (they love). Imperfect tense, nya landa (I was loving) ; wa tanda (thou wast loving) ; wa landa (he was lov- ing). Perfect tense, n' were permitted to return there would only be a repetition of what occurred after Cetywa>o'8 res- toration. There was fearful bloodshed, and misery to women and children, immediately after that event. Zululand is now as quiet and prosperous as any country on earth, and does not cost the British taxpayer a single penny for its internal adminis- tration. British rule is accepted by all the Zulus, as is evidenced by the hundreds of cases which they bring before the resident magistrates every month." Date Due Uibi^^t^^L^i^ '^D^Sfffl^^ 1 r ' iiiii4w JA^kdMlmM MH IK W^ ■MMHill^ll iOftk. ^e&«iaM^JIik f)