^l ! a-c-f . w rn y< V • EltCttEY LIBRARY KING'S HILL WESLEYAN SUNDAY SCHOOL. I ROUND O CLASS. FIRST DIVISION. J u&xJblo. ^JbuLht MzaJu/cj % fov/"S.mjul;iv nttenonnre at (School, not J^ being late OX absent buving^Wo". ocar*. ■$■ ^V^^/^. Superintendent. * *^-N<4& &&h^-tf-*<^/^ 1 7:.ih GRAPHIC SCENES IN AFRICAN STORY. Morrison and Gibb, Edinburgh, Printers to Iler Majesty's Stationery Office. GRAPHIC SCENES IX AFRICAN STORY. SETTLERS— SLAVERY- MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES- BATTLE-FIELDS. BY CHAELES BRUCE, AUTHOK OF 'THE BOOK OF ADVENTURE AND PERIL,' ETC. ETC. EDINBURGH: W. P. NIMMO, HAY, & MITCHELL, 1888. LOAN STACK CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. 3)7 j/Wfr, SETTLERS. Discovery of the Cape of "Good Hope — First Settlers at Cape Colony — French Refugees — Life' at Cape Colony — Dutch East India Company's Rule — Discontent — Boers and Natives — Extension of Territory — Kafirs — "Warfare — Becomes a British Colony — Fringle — A Sabbath Scene — Lion and Giraffe — The Great 'Trek' — The Journey — Land of Promise — Rest — Zulu King's Treachery — Massacre — War — A Great Battle — Results — Annexation — Rebellion — A Fruitless Errand — On the Borders of the Vaal — The Boer at Home — The Trader— Ostrich Farm- ing — Diamond Fields, ' . 13-36 CHAPTER II. THE SLAVE TRADE. A Curse to Africa — Slavery still exists — Livingstone — Scenes in the Shire* Valley — Desolation — ' That Monster Iniquity ' — A Dead Woman — Starved to Death — Arab Traders— How Slaves are obtained— Slave Gangs — March to the Coast — At Zanzibar— On the Congo— Stanley's 654 Contents. PAGES Account — Slave-hunter's Deeds — A Ruined Town — Heart- rending Scene — A Ghastly Sight — A Slave-hunter's Camp — Condition of Captives — Slave Children — Mothers and Children — Disgusting Scenes — Attempts to suppress the Trade — The Slave Dhow — Cruisers — Boat Expedition — Attacking a Slave Station — Dhow-chasing — Running on Shore — Dangerous Surf — Sad Sight — Slaves in a Dhow — A Brutal Action — A Captured Dhow — The Vulture's YrizQ — Trade still carried on — ■ Open Sore of the World,' 37-53 CHAPTER III. SOUTH AFRICAN MISSIONS. Early Missionaries — Moravians — George Schmidt — London Missionary Society — Dr. Vanderkemp— Robert Moffat — Preaching at a Boer's—' May your Servants come in?' — Africaner — Moffat and Makala — The Dead must not rise — Fasting Girdle — Escape from Tiger and Serpent— Rain-makers — A Critical Moment — A Striking Scene — Mrs. Moffat — Lot of a Missionary's Wife — Unwelcome Intruders— A Memorable Conversation — A Difficult Task done — Livingstone — A Missionary's Domestic Life — House-building — Bread-making — Daily Work — Belief in Missions — The Heathen Makololo — Missionary Zeal- Rev. John Mackenzie — A Singular Patient — African Gratitude — ' Give me a Knife ' — - Shadow of Death — Mrs*. Helmore— Not Laboured in Vain, . . . .51-70 CHAPTER IV. LIVINGSTONIA AND UNIVERSITIES MISSIONS. The Spirit of Missions — Scottish Mission— Bandawe* Mission — The Ilala Steamer — Nyassa navigated — Slaves drawn from the Nyassa Coast — James Stewart's Journey— A Contents. 7 PAGES New Eoad— Eoute to the Heart of Africa— Li vie gstonia Trading Company — Work of Translation — Industries taught — Clothing made — Blantyre Mission — Univer- sities Mission founded — The Missionary Band — The Ajawas — Chigunda — Tete Slavers — Punishing Slavers — A Warlike Expedition— The Fight — Another Expedition — A Warlike Bishop — A Second Fight — The Effects of Gun-shots — Victory — A Captive — Peace — Give me your War Medicine — A Wonderful Instrument — The English are here ! — A Severe Blow for Slavery — Sad News — A Narrow Escape — Dark Days — Fever and Death— Death of the Bishop — Death of Mrs. Livingstone — A Good Wife's Epitaph — Removal to Zanzibar, 71-S7 CHAPTER V. CENTRAL AFRICAN MISSION. Enthusiasm for Missions — Mission at Lake Tanganyika — Mirambo's Desire — Mr. Dodgshun — A Perilous Journey — A Hostile Country — Three Stations — Captain Hore and Dr. Southon — Well established — A Missionary's " Difficulties — Uguha Natives — A Barbarous Execution — Woman's Position — Plurality of Wives — Mode of Saluta- tion — Beliefs and Customs— Arabs of Ujiji — A Brave Man — A Palaver with Arab Slavers — A Threatened Attack — Success — A Sad Accident — Unconscious Heroism— A Sad Journey — Mirambo's Visit — Not afraid to die — Mr. Copplestone — A Painful Operation — Intense Suffering — Dr. Southon's Death — Mrs. Hore's Journey — Prepara- tions for a Start— A Bath Chair — A Midnight Deluge — Little Jack — The Luiche River Valley — A Dreadful Swamp — Ujiji reached — Kavala Island — A Dangerous Wife— Mrs. Hore's School— Kavala Station— Hard Work — The Missionary's Position, , , , , . • 88-112 8 Contents, CHAPTER VI. BISHOP HANNINGTON. PACKS First Band for Central Africa— Fate of — Mr. Hannington offers himself as Missionary — First Bishop — Last Letter — Bishop's Letters — Dangers of Night Marching — Sufferings from want of Water — Character of Water — Crossing a Stream — A Swampy Camping-place — Mamboia — A Missionary Station — Escape from a Puff-adder — Fall into a Pitfall — Mpwapwa— Ugogo — A Disordered Camp — Down with Fever — Native Curiosity — The Traveller's Feet— The Magic Watch— Uyui District— King Mirambo — Summary Justice — The Lake District — Danger of Shooting a Cub — Enraged Lioness — Presence of Mind — A Christmas Pudding — Old Man of the Sea — A Troublesome Customer — The Bishop a Prisoner — Diary — Cruel Treatment — A Wretched Prison — Massacre of Followers— A Martyr's Death, 113-131 CHAPTER VII. INCIDENTS IN KAFIR WARFARE. When Kafir Wars break out— A Volunteer Patrol — A Skir- mish — The Farrier — Gaily-dressed Kafirs — Waggons captured — A Chase — Dangerous Position — A Deserted Post — Expedition to Kafirland — A Bold Auctioneer — Success — A Brave Daughter — Storming of Murray's Kraantz— A Difficult Pass — Shooting round the Corner — Kafirs outflanked — A Herd of Cattle — Hintza — A Grand Sight — An Attempted Escape — A Hot Chase — Death of Hintza — ■ War of the Axe ' — Origin of a War — Bravery of the Kafirs — Severe Fighting — Medicine Charms— Capturing a Chief — Always unpropared — A Bold Tailor— A Ride for Life— Heroism, , . .132-149 Contents. g CHAPTER VIII. . ABYSSINIAN WAE. PAGES Origin of the "War — An Old Tradition — The Promised Messiah — An Ambitious Youth — Kussai — A Successful Career — Theodorus — A Proclamation — Emperor Theodorus — Cha- racter of Theodore — Consul Plowden — Missionaries — Cruelties of Theodore — Captain Cameron imprisoned — Beaten to Death — Condition of the Captives — Beaten with many Stripes — Efforts on behalf of the Captives — War declared — English Army — Annesley Bay — The Sooroo Pass — Sir Robert Napier and the Prince — An Imposing Interview — An Abyssinian Prince — Presents — An Amus- ing Incident— Panther or Hysen a— Elephants at Work- First Blood — Theodore's Condition — Cruelties — Still in Chains — Magdala in Sight — Merriment in the Camp — A Memorable Good Friday — Hostilities commenced — Appearance of the Enemy— Naval Brigade— 'Fire ! ' — The ■ King's Own '—Effect of the Rockets— Retreat- Bell's Battery — Shell-firing — Abyssinian and Punjaubee — A Grim Fight — A Thunderstorm — Theodore's Despair — A Dreadful Scene — Magdala stormed — Theodore's Suicide, . . . . . . . ... 150-168 CHAPTER IX. . THE ASHANTEE WAR. The Ashantees — Invade the Coast Districts— Ashan tees defeated — Cession of the Dutch Possessions — Ashantee Claim — Fantees defeated — Sir Garnet Wolseley's Mission — King Coffee — Coomassie — Palace of the King— Bantammah — The Treasury — A Skull Cup — King's Harem — Great Mini- sters — Different Orders of Society — The Umbrella— King and Army — State Umbrella — King'sDress — On the March — Accroful — Oppressive Scenery — A Heroic Deed — The Forest — A Released Missionary — Singular Excuses — The i o Contents. PAGES Gatling Gun — Warlike Council — Through the Jungle — Lord Gifford — Contact with the Enemy — Adubiassu captured — Borborassi taken— Death of Captain Nicol — ' Loot ' — Naval Brigade — Battle . of Amoaful — High- landers — Fighting begins — The Concealed Enemy — Ashantee Bravery — Bravery of the Highlanders — Amoa- ful captured — A Critical Time — Fighting in the Rear — End of a Long Battle — Becquar captured — Onto Coomas- sie — Battle of Ordahsu— The Brave Highlanders again — Coomassie entered — The Golgotha— Coomassie destroyed/ 169-191 CHAPTER X. THE ZULTJ WAR. Character of the "War — Zulu Nation — Military Character — Discipline — Weapons — Mode of Attack — First Brush — Direful News — Massacre at Isandula — Skirmishers seen — Zulus' Onslaught — Fighting to the Death — Exciting Chase — Young's Escape — Camp spoiled — A Scene of Con- fusion — Smith- Dorrien's Narrative — Crossing the River. — ' Save the Colours ! ' — Colours recovered — Defence of . Rorke's Drift — Desperate Fighting— Safe ! Safe ! — Zulus' Loss — Disaster at Intombi — Storming the Inhlobane Mountain — Battle of Gingihlovo — Bravery of the Enemy — A Gallant Charge— Defeat of the Enemy — Buttle of . Ulundi — Dr. Russell's Account — Narrow Escape — Forbes' Ride — Capture of Cetewayo — Death of the Prince Im- perial, 192-213 CHAPTER XI. TUB TRANSVAAL WAR. Annexation of tho Transvaal— Discontent of the Boers— A Republic proclaimed— Affair at Bronker's Spruit— Mas- Contents. 1 1 PACfES sacre of Soldiers — Treacherous Conduct — Boers' Method of fighting — Battle of Laing's Neck — A Strong Position — March to the Neck — Action commenced — Major Brownlow's Bravery — A Severe Check — A Hard Climb — A Brave Charge — Retreat — Battle of Ingogo — Crossing the River — Fighting — A Telling Fire — Retreat— Battle of Majuba Hill— A Silent Night Climb— The Hill-top — Commencement of the Battle — Hesitation of the Men — Standing firm — Confusion — An Awful Fire — A Hot Five Minutes— Right Flank attacked — The Knoll — Flight — Death of General Colley — A Trying Experience ■ —A Brave Doctor— End of the War, . . . .214-230 CHAPTER XII. WAR IN THE SOTJDAN. The Soudan — Mehemet Ali and the Soudan — A Tragic Death — A New Prophet — Mahomet Achmet — The Mahdi — Followers of the Mahdi — The Person of the Mahdi — Early Victories — An Enthusiast — Hicks Pasha — Battle with the Mahdi's Forces — A Fatal March — Forebodings of Evil — O'Donovan's Last Letter — Last Telegram — Fate of Hicks Pasha's Army — General Gordon's Mission — Nile Expedition — Passing the Second Cataract— New Soldiers wanted — Shagghieh Arabs — Fight at Kirbekan — Battle of Abu Klea — A Brave Old Sheikh — Square broken — Feigning Death — A Terrible Encounter — Colonel Burnaby killed — Bad Cartridges — Officers of the Guards — Losses — "Wells secured— A Night March— Correspondents shot — A Fight for the Nile — A Charge — Too late for Gordon — Treachery — Last "Words about Gordon, -, , . 231-255 GRAPHIC SCENES IN AFRICAN STORY. CHAPTER I. SETTLERS. A late Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, writing of the Boers and Zulus, says : — ' Everybody knows that the great Portuguese navigator, Vasco da Gama, discovered the Cape in 1497, and that his countrymen, attracted by the superior advantages of the East, passed on, making no settlement there. Subsequently, after having been visited by English and Spaniards, the country round the Table Mountain was taken possession of by the Dutch East- India Company, who formed there a small settlement under Van Riebah. These early colonists were not all Dutch ; some of them were Germans and some Flemish, with a few Poles and Portuguese. 'About 1686 the small colony received a very import- ant accession to its numbers by the arrival of a body of French refugees, driven from France by the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. These settlers were the best the colony had received. The original colonists were 13 14 Graphic Scenes in African Story. mostly all of one class, and that not the highest social grade. The French were of various ranks; some had held high position in their own country, some were manufacturers, some vine - dressers and gardeners. Although these people landed penniless, they soon, by their industry, acquired a competence. From their arrival dates the extensive making of wine ; and there is little doubt that to them is due the beginning of the beautiful gardens and plantations of trees which now adorn the neighbourhood of Cape Town, and also many other places in the colony. These refugees brought s with them the earnestness of religious feeling which had caused their expulsion from the land of their birth. This temper of mind they imparted to the older colonists, so that to them is mainly due the religious, but narrow, enthusiasm which has characterized the so-called Dutch of the Cape ever since, and which, though it has proved the source of much social benefit to themselves, has not been unmingled with error so far as their dealings with the native races are concerned, — error arising from a mistaken interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.' So much for the origin of the settlement of Cape Colony. The lives of these men were spent for the most part in severe physical labour, and their chief relaxations, not to say pleasures, consisted in hunting, and in the exercise of their religious duties. Their .knowledge of affairs outside the colony was but small ; it then took months for a vessel to arrive from Europe. Settlers. 1 5 But they were apparently contented to remain in this ignorance, their own surroundings were sufficiently interesting to claim their entire attention. The rule of the Dutch East India Company was purely arbitrary and very tyrannical. It not only compelled the com- munity to solely use the Dutch language to the ex- clusion of the French, not only in legal proceedings, but also in religious services ; but in addition, it prescribed to the colonists the kind of crops they were to plant, and compelled them to sell their produce to none but the Company. Other very oppressive regulations were enacted. These measures produced much discontent, discontent which broke out in violent speech and equally violent action. Soon many of the early settlers moved beyond the limits of the colony, so as to be out of the reach of the Company's authority. This really was the origin of the unsettled habits and impatience of con- trol which has marked the history of the Dutch Boers ever since. By these movements on the part of the colonists they came more directly in contact with the natives, more especially the Hottentots and Bushmen. Gradually these people, or large numbers of them, were reduced to slavery. This was comparatively easy to accomplish, for the above peoples were not of a warlike nature, and the high hand of authority soon made them servilely submissive. But in due time the colonists came in contact with a race composed of different materials, and 1 6 Graphic Scenes in African Story. had not things so much their own way as had hitherto been the case. By 1740, or thereabouts, their territory had extended to the Gautvor Eiver, and forty years later to the Great Fish Eiver. This latter stream formed the boundary between the Hottentots and Kafirs; and it was not long before the colonists and Kafirs came into collision, and from that time until the present the contest of races has continued. The Kafirs, like the Dutch, were in a measure aliens to the soil ; they are supposed to be the descendants of certain superior races of negroes, and to have advanced from the interior of Africa, subduing all the tribes that opposed their progress, and even exterminating some, especially many of the Hottentots and Bushmen. Finally, they settled on the south-eastern part of the continent. Thus both Boers and Kafirs were con- quering and aggressive races ; neither having an original claim to the land they occupied ; and it is not surprising that when they came into contact, the result should be open hostility. From the period of their contact, the Dutch and Kafirs were continually at war. The Kafirs appear to have been the first to give rise to hostilities by encroaching on the Dutch side of the river, and, settling there, began to steal the cattle of the settlers; this provoked a kind of guerilla warfare, which continued for several years, during which both sides suffered. In 1795 the British .Government took possession of the Settlers. *7 colony, holding it until the year 1802 ; and during this time the Kafirs, incited by white renegades, ravaged the country far and near, firing homesteads, driving off cattle, and putting to death numbers of both men, women, and children. Again, in 1806, the colony became a British possession by conquest, and in 1815 was formally ceded to England. During this period the Dutch inhabitants of the colony had been increased by many English and Scotch emigrants ; yet still the Dutch were the predominant people in numbers. Turn we aside for a moment to a quiet scene of settler's life. In the year 1820, Thomas Pringle landed at Cape Colony with a band of Scottish emigrants ; and, in his African Sketches, he gives a very sweet and touching picture of how they spent their Sabbath in the land of their exile, — for the associations of their old home, so far away, still clung to them. He says his party reached the promised land, which was to be the place of their rest, after six months, during which they had been pilgrims and sojourners ; and after pitching their little camp, ' the next day was our first Sunday on our own grounds. 'Feeling deeply the importance of maintaining the suitable observance of this day of sacred rest, it was unanimously resolved that we should strictly abstain from all secular employment not sanctioned by absolute necessity, and at the same time commence such a 1 8 Graphic Scenes in African Story. system of religious services as might be with propriety maintained in the absence of a clergyman or minister. The whole party were accordingly assembled after breakfast, under a venerable acacia tree on the margin of a little stream which murmured round our camp ; the river appeared shaded here and there by the graceful willow of Babylon, which grows abundantly along the banks of many of the African streams, and which, with the other peculiar features of the scenery, vividly reminded us of the features of the pathetic lament of the Hebrew exiles, " By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof." ' And then Pringle goes on to enumerate some of the portraits of the little band of Scotch emigrants who had sought a home in this wild African glen. The patriarch of the party, with his silvery locks, his Bible on his knee, a high-principled, grave, Scottish husbandman, his respectable family seated round him ; the widow with her meek, kind, quiet look, who had seen better days, but in adversity had found pious resignation, her three stalwart sons, and her young maiden daughter, beside her on the grass; the younger brother of a Scottish laird, rich in blood, but poor in fortune, who had preferred a farm in South Africa to dependence on aristocratic connections at home. There the little company gathered, Settlers, 1 9 1 The day,' says Pringle, * was bright and still ; the voice of psalms rose with a sweet and touching solemnity amidst those wild mountains, where the praise of the true God, in all human probability, had never been sung before.' The words of that sweet hymn were selected as appropriate to their situation, and we do not wonder to read that they affected some of the congregation very sensibly : 1 God of Bethel ! by whose hand Thy people still are fed ; Who through this weary pilgrimage Hast all our fathers led ; Through each perplexing path of life, Our wandering footsteps guide ; Give us each day our daily bread, And raiment fit provide.' They held a similar service in the afternoon, and our author says : 'A thousand objects in the scenery of the country reminded us in a forcible manner of the imagery of the Hebrew Scriptures, — the green pastures and the quiet waters ; the shadow of the great rock in a weary land ; the parched ground, and not inhabited ; the heath in the desert, the lion's den, the mountain of the leopards, the roes, and the young hart.' And a beautiful touch closes this description of the day: 1 While we were singing our last psalm in the afternoon, an antelope, which appeared to have wandered down the valley without observing us, stood for a little while on the opposite side of the rivulet, gazing at us in 20 Graphic Scenes in African Story. innocent amazement, as if yet unacquainted with man, the great destroyer. On this day of peace it was, of course, permitted to depart unmolested.' This same Pringle was the poet of South Africa, and many of his lyrics are truly descriptive and stirring. Moffat told him how the lordly lion would spring upon the hack of the tall giraffe, and cling there till the poor beast dropped from exhaustion and pain ; he turned it into such verse as the following : — ' Would st thou view the lion's den ? Search afar from haunts of men — Where the reed-encircled rill Oozes from the rocky hill, By its verdure far descried 'Mid the desert brown and wide. ' Close beside the sedgy brim Couchant lurks the lion grim ; Watching till the close of day Brings the death-devoted prey. Heedless, at the ambush'd brink, The tall giraffe stoops down to drink : Upon him straight the savage springs With cruel joy. The desert rings With clanging sound of desp'rate strife — The prey is strong, and strives for life. Plunging oft with frantic bound, To shake the tyrant to the ground, He shrieks— he rushes through the waste — With glaring eye and headlong haste. In vain ! the spoiler on his prize Rides proudly, tearing as he flies. Settlers. 2 1 1 For life — the victim's utmost speed Is muster'd in the hour of need : For life — for life — his giant might He strains, and pours his soul in flight ; And, mad with terror, thirst, and pain, Spurs with wild hoof the thundering plain. ' Tis vain ; the thirsty plains are drinking His streaming blood, — his strength is sinking ; The victor's fangs are in his veins, His flanks are streak'd with sanguined stains — His panting breast in foam and gore Is bathed — he reels— his race is o'er : He falls, and, with convulsive throe, Resigns his throat to th' ravening foe ! And lo ! ere quivering life has fled, The vultures wheeling overhead, Swoop down, to watch, in gaunt array, Till the gorged tyrant quits his prey. ' There began a movement among the Dutch inhabit- ants of Cape Colony in the years 1835-36. ' It was the emigration or " trek " of a very large number of Dutch farmers over the then recognised boundary of British dominion into the vast unoccupied tract of high-lying land which spread north from the Orange Eiver into unexplored regions. The men who thus voluntarily expatriated themselves from country and kinsmen were no lawless, restless race of beings ; they were, on the contrary, staid, sober, God-fearing people. Even their enemies could not allege against them greater crimes than stupidity, sentiment, and love of freedom. ' They had disposed of their farms and homes in the 22 Graphic Scenes in African Story. old colony for whatever sum could be realized, and, converting all property into oxen, horses, sheep, and waggons, they moved off from the older-settled districts, as well as from the frontier provinces, in long lines of waggons, to come together in still larger numbers on the borders of the wilderness. Arrived at the boundary, the leaders of the movement issued a parting address, setting forth the reasons that had induced the emigra- tion and the objects of the emigrants. This document, though plain and straightforward, is not without the dignity and eloquence that lie in determination strongly held, and in a firm conviction of motives resting upon truth. They were dissatisfied with the British Govern- ment, and hoped to get far beyond its influence, and establish new homes where its power could not reach.' These people passed away over the Orange Eiver in long lines of lumbering waggons. On and on they went; two years passed away, — 'the slow -moving columns had been exposed to many hardships, their flocks and herds had suffered from the ravages of lions, the fierce Matabele tribe had frequently carried death into the laagers, and drought and exposure had lessened their worldly possessions ; but all had failed to change the resolution of the wanderers. Ever filled with the idea that they would be rewarded by the possession of a fair and fertile land, where want and hardship would disappear in peace and pastoral plenty, they held steadily and doggedly on their course, the Bible their Settlers. 23 only study, the " roer - gun, the hardy Cape horse, the laagered waggon their sole protection. 1 At length, the long and slowly ascending plateau, over which they travelled towards the sunrise, rose before them in a stronger-defined outline. The mounted men of the columns had pushed to the front of the lumbering waggons, and now they stood on the vantage-point of this crest, while beneath them, to the east, lay a vast and striking landscape. It was yet the winter season in the country over which they had travelled, and which now lay behind them to the west ; but it was mid-spring in the region that stretched beneath the lofty standpoint of the Drakensberg, until it faded into the blue boundaries of the horizon. On one side a wilderness, destitute of trees, spread into bare brown distance ; on the other, the soft green of young grapes, the leaves of the protea, the tree fern, and the yellow wood ; the alternations of vale, hill, and meadow ; the sheen of rivers and streams seen along reaches, or faintly caught at the curves and shallows of their courses, — all carried the eye through a long succession of pastoral beauty, until it rested upon the soft vapours of the distant Indian Sea. * As the eyes of the wanderers gazed upon the glorious country, it was little wonder that they believed they beheld in it the termination of their pilgrimage, the home where their toil and travail was to cease, or that the long-pent enthusiasm of their strong but simple 24 Graphic Scenes in African Story. faith should find expression in a loud burst of prayer to God, who had led them thus to the verge of their Promised Land. In the southern summer of 1838, the long line of waggons moved down the steep face of the Drakensberg, and took possession of this green and silent country, for with all its beauty it was tenantless. Here and there the mouldering remains of native habi- tations were to be seen. Great herds of wild animals and troops of ostriches gambolled upon the plains, or craned their heads over the ridge-tops, but man was only visible at long intervals, and in feeble and scattered numbers. But the emigrants were not to obtain this fertile region as their home without long and severe struggles/ Into this land of promise the travel-weary Boers entered, and were welcomed by a few Englishmen who had already settled there. To make their claim to the country have a legal aspect, Eetief, the Boer leader, with a number of followers, visited the Zulu king, Dingaan, to obtain a cession of part of this territory. The king was willing to grant it, but on condition that Eetief would recover for him a number of cattle which had been stolen by a chief beyond the Drakensberg. This task accomplished, the Boer leader, with about sixty followers, in spite of many warnings, proceeded to the residence of the king, where he was apparently well received. ' With the aid of an English missionary, who was in Settlers. 2 5 the neighbourhood, a treaty was drawn up. By it the king agreed to cede to Eetief and his people the whole of the country extending from the Tugela to the St. John's Eiver. So completely did the wily chief succeed in gaining the confidence of his guests, that on the third day after their arrival he induced them to lay aside their firearms, and to present themselves without weapons before him, while he was surrounded by his most trusted regiments. Dingaan ordered his people to dance and sing the war-song in honour of their guests- By and by, the king himself joined in the song, in the course of which he uttered the fatal words, " Kill the scoundrels ! " In a moment the savage troops closed in upon the Boers, and rapidly killed them all in cold blood. The particulars of this atrocity were recounted by the missionary, who, in spite of Dingaan's request that he would stay, immediately fled from the country. Dingaan then despatched an army to attack a party of Boers encamped at a place afterwards called A\ eening, or Weeping, where they murdered men, women, and children alike.' The tidings of these atrocities reaching the Boers and English settlers, aroused a fierce desire for vengeance. Two armed parties marched against Dingaan, but were both defeated, one indeed being almost annihilated. Then a large Zulu army marched to Port Natal. The English settlers, warned of its approach, took refuge on board a vessel that chanced to be in harbour. Then 26 Graphic Scenes in African Story. came a lull for a few months ; but at the close of the year 1838, the Boers again took the field, under the leadership of Mr. Pretorius; they marched into Din- gaan's country, and during the campaign occurred a very memorable battle, which materially altered the fortunes of the Boers. 'On Sunday morning/ says Sir Benjamin Pine, ' the 16th of December, while encamped in a barricade or laager, formed by waggons lashed together, this handful of farmers, numbering not more than 400 men, was attacked by Dingaan's forces, amounting to 12,000 warriors. A terrible conflict ensued. The Zulus strove for several hours in vain to force the camp, their dense battalions being shattered by the terrible fire of the gallant descendants of the Huguenots and Hollanders. At last the Zulu force began to waver. Then the Boers mounted their horses and charged them ; they broke and fled, and the Boers pur- sued them for many a mile. The Zulu army is said to have lost 2000 men on this day ; the loss of the Boers was but trifling. The victors immediately marched to Diogaan's chief village. They found it deserted, but they there discovered the remains of their murdered friends, Betief and his party. They then advanced farther into the country, and eventually had the ill- fortune to fall into an ambuscade, being surrounded by hosts of Zulus. After a severe struggle, they were forced to retreat with loss.' Settlers. 27 Tins great victory of the Boers was not without last- ing benefit to them ; it gave them confidence in all the subsequent meetings with their savage foes, so that when the struggle ended, Dingaan murdered and his brother Panda reigning in his stead, they declared that their territory extended from the Black or Umfolas Eiver to the St. John's ; thus not only securing Natal, but assuming a sovereignty over the Zulu king and his people. When all was ended, the Governor of Cape Colony stepped in and annexed Natal to the British posses- sions ; an officer with 1000 troops was sent to take possession ; after a time they withdrew, but in 1842 a body of regular troops appeared and took possession in the Queen's name. The Boers rose in arms and be- sieged the troops; but reinforcements coming to their relief, the Boers gave up the contest as useless, and •once more set their faces towards the bleak wilderness. But before leaving their Goshen, the ablest man among them all, Mr. Pretorius, took a ride of 900 miles to* the Cape Colony to appeal to the sense of justice of the High Commissioner. He was not allowed an interview, and had to ride back again to his countrymen without anything having been gained. Once more the Boers began to ' trek ' into the bleak wilds of the Vaal and Orange Bivers, and there set up their homesteads, soon only to be again disturbed ; for in 1848 it was declared that all land lying between the Orange and Vaal Kivers 28 Graphic Scsnes in African Story. was henceforth to be British territory. The Boers rose in insurrection; they could bear no more. 'During eleven years they had undergone terrible sufferings ; they had carried their waggons across deserts and over mountains ; they had fought with savage beasts, and men more savage still ; they had subdued their enemies, tasted the sweets of rest and comfort, and now, after eleven years, they were back again in the wilderness only to find it British territory.' But the rebellion was hopeless from the beginning, — one skirmish, severe indeed, sufficed to end it, and the Boers fled over the Vaal Kiver. 1 Another three years passed. In the country north of the Vaal Biver the Boers had found partial rest. Little settlements began to spring up in these remote wilds, bearing names that told plainly enough the temper of the men by whom they were founded. All prominent characters in the late revolt had towns ano> settlements named after them.' Now a British procla- mation was issued, declaring that all territory lying south of the 25th parallel of south latitude was British territory. It was shortly annulled, but it had the effect of driving another wave of Boers into regions still more remote. It seemed there was to be no rest for these freedom-loving people; what with British annexation on the one hand, and war with the natives on the other, there was to be no place where they could settle down in peace. But in 1852 a convention was signed, giving Settlers. 29 such powers to the Boers that henceforth they hoped to be entirely free from British influence. Thus far we have followed the Boers in their chequered career; now let us see them in their home relations. And in doing this we will quote from one writer who knew them intimately. i Let us/ he says, 1 visit one of the many homesteads in the gardens. The white -walled house, although but one-storied, is well elevated, and its roof is iron. Outside shutters of a pleasant green flank the two windows, and the door between them is green and panelled. There is, indeed, some pretence to architecture, and the whole is well kept and substantial. The stoep is high and approached by steps. The watercourse beneath it is masoned out with solid stone and bridged with the same material. Leafy trees of divers sorts shade the place, and the stables and outhouses in its rear. We enter a voorhuis, or front room, very lofty and but slightly furnished. Its walls are lined by benches, and a table stands in the middle. There are pictures, it may be, very quaint and old-worlcl ; scenes in the life of the Prodigal Son, or limnings of the Manger at Bethlehem, or the Cross on Calvary. A new piano may be noted, and a good har- monium, and pious books with Dutch titles lie scattered about. And there are flowers on table and on mantel- piece, photographs and albums ; for there are daughters in the house. In some place of honour lies a great old Bible — a massive folio bound in leather and with brass 30 Graphic Scenes in African Story. clasps ; it is printed in foreign-looking type on ancient- looking paper, and full of the strangest pictures that ever delighted the antiquary or mystified the 'child. A companionable book upon a dull occasion, but dis- appointing, inasmuch as its date discovers it to have been printed but the other day. Spittoons stud this chamber floor; for it is the great reception-room, and visitors sit round it and smoke their pipes at times and seasons of conference and waiting ; and many such times there be. 'At the back of this worlinis is the dining-room, entered by large and even handsome folding-doors. In both apartments the walls are painted light blue, or green, or mauve; in both the ceiling is raftered and wooden, varnished and dark. The great feature of the dining-room, apart from the usual furnishings, is a small table near the window, with a chair on either side. Upon this table stands a coffee-urn with chafing- dish beneath it ; and the day has scarcely turned before this urn begins to steam and bubble. On its dexter side is seated the lady of the house, who pours out coffee for all comers, and, with feet well planted on a box -like footstool, rules and manages her household. Children play around her, a coloured girl sits watchful at her feet, and at favourable moments her lord and master occupies the corresponding chair, utters familiar maxims and remarks, and his friend, sitting hard by, carries on an intermittent conversation between wary Settlers. 3 1 mouthfuls of the scalding beverage. He is a well-built man, not unlike the English farmer of our early days, but more sallow and less cheery, more puritanical and staid. We converse in Dutch, the only language he cares to speak, although his children are apt scholars in the English tongue. ' The poorer Boer lives in a humbler dwelling, with floors of hardened mud consolidated by frequent wash- ings of liquid cow-dung. His rooms are ceiled with reeds laid cunningly on rough beams of yellow- wood. The attic beneath his comfortable thatch is a very store- house of vegetable products, dried and housed for winter use. His furniture is ruder and of home construction. His walls are whitewashed, and in shelved recesses stand favourite pieces of crockery, mysterious bottles, and well-thumbed books of devotion. He spends his leisure in making boots of untanned leather, which he sews together with the sinews of animals which he has previously prepared for the purpose; and in mending the bottoms of his chairs and benches with leathern thongs he has also manufactured to that end.' A very interesting and important industry of Cape Colony is that of ostrich - farming, and from a valu- able manual on South Africa, recently published, we gather the following highly interesting facts concern- ing it : — ' For some time before domestication was attempted, the ostrich was a rare bird in the colony, except pro- 32 Graphic Scenes i7t African Story. bably in the arid wastes of ISTamaqualand and Clan* william, and the chief sources of the feather supply were hid away in the far interior, to the north and north-west of the Free State and the Transvaal. The hunter, whether white or black, pursued his murderous calling during the proper season for the sport, which was also a business; and, also, at the proper season for barter, the trader appeared at some established outspan with his creaking waggons, laden with guns, powder, blankets, wire, beads, brandy, and other attractions for the native eye and appetite, and a brisk exchange took place, — ivory, karosses, rhinoceros horns, and hippo- potami teeth, as well as ostrich feathers, being gladly accepted for Western merchandise. The traffic still goes on, for ostrich-farming has not yet made interior smarsing unprofitable. 'The departure of a great trader, with his train of perhaps half-a-dozen waggons, all of them gaily painted and cosily covered in with snow-white canvas, is an event in some Cape towns. As the drivers "clap" their long whips, and the teams — eight pairs of oxen labouring at each wain — move briskly over the way, all eyes are upon them with the look which is given to far- voyaging ships when they leave port. But the return excites more attention, as then every waggon is full of precious and various wealth, the result of a long and risky venture. Not infrequently the costly wares are sold by auction on the morning market, and the tusks, Settlers. 33 teeth, skins, horns, and feathers are spread out upon the ground as if they were no better than field-stuff or garden produce. It is no uncommon thing to see waggon cargoes worth £10,000 exhibited for sale in this unceremonious way, amidst a crowd of onlookers, some of whom are as wild as the animals which produced the barbaric spoils, and as black as a coal. It will take many years of feather-growing to put a stop to the rude traffic of the interior trader. Indeed, as long as the wild ostrich is to be found anywhere south of the Zambesi, the hunting and barter system will continue, as ivory will be sought after, and the feathers will be taken by tusk buyers as part of the bargain.. No attempt has as yet been made by Cape Colonists to domesticate the elephant for the sake of his tusks ; and as the waggons go up for one commodity, they may as well bring down another. How long it will take to complete the work of extermination it is impossible to say, as the rapid increase of the produce of the farms will no doubt tend to lessen the inducements to hunting.' One of the requirements of domestication is that the birds should have plenty of space in which to move about, and that the fields or paddocks in which they are confined should be strongly fenced in. ' The birds begin to feather at eight months from hatching, but the yield is then poor and of little value. In another eight months there is a fresh and improved crop, and the 34 Graphic Scenes in African Story. plumes become better with each season. The art of separating the feathers is one which requires practice. Plucking is not looked upon with favour, as it irritates and produces fever. Nipping or cutting is considered to be safer, The feathers are severed close to the point of insertion, and the stumps are allowed to remain until they can be easily removed.' Ostrich feathers vary very much in value. Chicken plumes are worth £5, and blood feathers from £35 to £45, or even £60 a lb. Another recent feature in South African industry is the famous diamond fields; and the following extract from a recent article gives a very graphic account of life at the diamond-mining district : — * The extension of the railway from Cape Town to Kimberley has made a visit to the ' famous diamond fields so easy that it may be undertaken without fear by even the most delicate and fastidious of travellers. Twenty days in a fast, well-appointed mail steamer land you in Cape Town, and the journey to Kimberley occupies only thirty-one hours in trains supplied with travelling kitchens, sleeping compartments, dressing- rooms, and every possible convenience. 1 Kimberley is 4050 feet above the sea-level, and is remarkable for the dryness and purity of its atmo- sphere. The air is said to be too dry for anything but lungs. There are certainly many recorded cases of recovery from pulmonary complaints deemed hopeless Settlers. 35 in England. The surrounding country is flat and of a prairie character, with low purple hills on the eastern side, some twenty miles away, in the Orange Free State. Just now it is covered with luxuriant grass of freshest green, on which are grazing vast herds of huge fat bullocks, innocent of mangold and oil-cake ; and it is . delightful to drive a few miles out and lie under the shade of the fragrant mimosas and listen to the champ- ing of the great' sleek and soft-eyed creatures. This, however, is an exceptional time of year, and it may be an exceptional season. The trees which once covered the plains have long been cut down for fuel, and the grass is soon bleached by winter frost and summer sun. • The Kimberley diamond market presents a curious and unique sight, with the busy brokers running about with their parcels, and the buyers sitting quietly at the open windows of their little offices sorting piles of glitter- ing gems. The magnitude of the trade may be gathered from the following figures, showing the value of the diamonds exported from Kimberley during the last three years: — 1883, £2,742,521; 1884, £2,807,288; 1885, £2,492,755. 'Such, briefly, is the history of the production of diamonds at Kimberley, which is well worth seeing. The town itself is gay and full of life. The markets are well supplied ; fresh fish is brought by rail from the coast j ice is always to be had. There is a good club, 36 Graphic Scenes in African Story. where a visitor well introduced is always made wel- come. Excellent cabs ply for hire, and the streets are well lit at night by electricity.' Thus we bid farewell to the South African settler. Elsewhere on the great continent have settlements been effected. On various parts of the coast trading stations have appeared. Much has been done to improve the sable inhabitants of the land, but there is still an immense field open for the earnest worker. CHAPTER II. THE SLAVE TRADE. No one can think of Africa without connecting with it one of the greatest evils that ever afflicted a country or a continent — the slave trade. From time immemorial it has supplied annually its many thousands of victims to meet the requirements of more civilised nations. The horrors associated with the trade have been such as almost to pass belief; and the amount of pain and anguish endured, the passionate and heart-rending cries which must have incessantly ascended to the ears of the Great Father of mankind, must be beyond all concep- tion. Many benevolent souls, now that slavery is abolished in English colonies and 'the United States of America, complacently believe that it is almost, if not totally, extinct. But one has only to read the words of even the most recent of African travellers to learn that it still exits in most gigantic proportions ; that the land is still wasted and made desolate by the heartless trafficker in human flesh, in spite of treaties, the efforts of missionaries, and the armed interference of rulers. 37 38 Graphic Scenes in African Story. We can only just touch upon the subject here. The author of the Lost Continent quotes Livingstone's own words in describing the evil effects of the slave trade in the ' once pleasant Shire* valley.' ' When endeavouring to give some account of the slave trade of East Africa, it was necessary to keep far within the truth, in order not to be thought guilty of exaggeration; but, in sober seriousness, the subject does not admit of exaggeration. To overdraw its evils is a simple impossibility. The sights I have seen, though common incidents of the traffic, are so nauseous that I always try to drive them from my memory. In the case of most disagreeable recollections I can succeed, in time, in consigning them to oblivion ; but the slaving scenes come back unbidden, and make me start up at dead of night horrified by their vividness. ' No words can convey an adequate idea of the scene of wide-spread desolation which the once pleasant Shire valley now presented. Instead *of smiling villages and crowds of people coming with things for sale, scarcely a soul was to be seen. Large masses of the people had 11 ed down to the Shire\ only anxious to get the river between them and their enemies. Most of the food had been left behind, and famine and starvation had cut off so many that the remainder were too few to bury the dead. The corpses we saw floating down the river were only a remnant of those that had perished, whom their The Slave Trade. 39 friends, from weakness, could not bury, nor over-gorged crocodiles devour. 1 The sight of this desert, but eighteen months ago a well-peopled valley, now literally strewn with human bones, forced the conviction upon us, that the destruc- tion of human life in the middle passage, however great, constitutes but a small portion of the waste, and made us feel that unless the slave trade — that monster iniquity, which has so long brooded over Africa — is put down, lawful commerce cannot be established. ' We passed a woman tied by the neck to a tree, and dead. The people of the country explained that she' had been unable to keep up with the other slaves in a gang, and her master had determined that she should not become the property of any one else if she recovered after resting for a time.- I may mention here that we saw others tied up in a similar manner, and one lying in the path shot or stabbed, for she was in a pool of blood. The explanation we got invariably was that the Arab who owned these victims was enraged at losing his money by the slaves becoming unable to march, and vented his spleen by murdering them. ■ To-day we came upon a man dead from starvation, as he was very thin. One of our men wandered and found a number of slaves with slave-sticks on, aban- doned by their master from want of food ; they were too weak to be able to speak or say where they had come from — some were quite young. 40 Graphic Scenes in African Story. 1 The persons by whom this traffic is carried on are for the most part Arabs, subjects of the Sultan of Zanzibar. These slave-dealers start for the interior, well armed, and provided with articles for the barter of slaves, such as beads and cotton cloth. On arriving at the scene of their operations, they incite and sometimes help the natives of one tribe to make war upon another. Their assistance almost invariably secures victory to the side which they support, and the captives become their property, either by right or by purchase, the price in the latter case being only a few yards of cotton cloth. In the course of these operations, thousands are killed, or die subsequently of their wounds or of starvation, villages are burnt, and the women and children carried away as slaves. The complete depopulation of the country between the coast and the present field of the slave-dealers' operations attests the fearful character of these raids. 1 Having by these and other means obtained a suffi- cient number of slaves to allow for the heavy losses on the road, the slave-dealer starts with them for the coast. The slaves are marched in gangs, the males with their necks yoked in heavy forked sticks, w r hich at night are fastened to the ground, or lashed together so as to make escape impossible. The women and children are bound with thongs. Any attempt at escape or to untie their bonds, or any wavering or lagging on the journey lias but one punishment — immediate death, The sick The Slave Trade. 41 are left behind, and the route of a slave caravan can be tracked by the dying and the dead. The Arabs only value these poor creatures at the price which they will fetch in the market ; and if they are not likely to pay the cost of their conveyance, they are got rid of. The result is, that a large number of the slaves die or are murdered on the journey, and the survivors arrive at their destina- tion in a state of the greatest misery and emaciation. ' From Kilwa the main body of the slaves are shipped to Zanzibar, but some are carried direct from Kilwa to the northern ports. At Zanzibar the slaves are sold either in open market or direct to the dealer, and they are then shipped in Arab dhows for Arabia and Persia ; the numbers of each cargo vary from one to two slaves to between three and four hundred.' While making his way to Stanley Falls, in 1883, Stanley was eye-witness to the desolating effects of the slave-hunter's raids, and gives us some vivid pictures of what he saw. The banks of the river seemed one con- tinuous wall of forest trees, but by and by a break was seen, and consulting his old map he found that here stood a populous village named Mawembe, strongly palisaded. Now, however, there was no sign of hut or palisade. ' As we advanced we could see poor remnants of banana groves; we could also trace the whitened paths from the river's edge leading up the steep bank, but not a house or living thing could be seen anywhere. The exact extent, position, and nature of the village site 42 Graphic Scenes in African Story. was unchanged, but the close, bristling palisade, and the cones of fowl-huts, and the low ridge-roofed huts just visible above it — all had vanished. We perceived that there had been a late fire. The heat had scorched the foliage of the tallest trees, and their silver stems had been browned by it. The banana plants looked meagre ; • their rugged fronds waved mournfully their tatters,