^^ lyyyjry^y)^^)^^^ 53j> J)5'3 5 ^ 'A3» or S>&) D :> DIM) ^13>1>:®D :a>:sD)L 5)-:))> -.•;):b> »)> '^£l> 5):)2; ^-^>^:;m ^ "Ti ^=S^. V Q)JX ) ^ \) y)m m TOT : Si) ^ ym. wy^My^ . c>:>ii3) b:S^L^^3ip) wyym .^jmy^^m. Wyy^- ^^w^ 'MiW my m^ ^^-^'^^^M■^rm)l^ 1^ '^^s»^-)^-y;;y^ }rm>lX>;)^)J y^^^&-- ^> .OS^^r (See page il.) THE UNCIVILIZED EACES OF MEN ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD ; A COMPREnENSIVE ACCOUNT OF THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, AND OF THEIR PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, MENTAL, MORAL AND RELIGIOUS CHARACTERISTICS. J. (}. WOOD, I.A.,r.L.S. ADTHOR OF " ILLLSTBATED NATURAL HISTORY OF ANIMALS," "ANECDOTES OF ANIMAL LIFE," " B» tKS WITHOUT HANDS," " BIBLE ANIMALS," " COMMON OBJECTS OF THE COUNTRY AND 8EASB0BE," ETC. WITH NEW DESIGNS BY ANGAS, DANBY, WOLF, ZWECKER, Etc.. Etc. IN TWO VOLTJMiES, VOL. I. HAETFOED: THE J. B. BURR PUBLISHING CO. NEW YORK: T. F. NEAL & COMPANY. 18T8. yr>5. PKEFACE. Tms work is simply, as the title-page states, an account of the manners and cus« toms of uncivilized races of men in all parts of the world. Many travellers have given accounts, scattered rather at random through their books, of the habits and modes of life exhibited by the various people among whom they have travelled. These notices, however, are distributed through a vast number of books, many of them very scarce, many very expensive, and most of them ill- arranged ; and it has therefore been my task to gather together in one work, and to present to the reader in a toleral)ly systematic and intelligible form, the varieties of character which develop themselves among races which have not as yet lost their individuality by modern civilization. In this task I have been greatly assisted by many travellers, who have taken a kindly interest in the work, and have given me the invaluable help of their practical experience. The engravings with which the work is profusely illustrated have been derived from many sources. For the most part the countenances of the people have been di-awn from photographs, and in many instances whole groups taken by the photog- rapher have been transferred to the wood-block, the artist only making a few changes of .ittitude, so as to avoid the unpleasaut stiffness which characterizes photographic groups. Many of the illustrations are taken from sketches made by travellers, who have kindly allowed me to make use of them ; and I must here express my thanks to Mr. T. Baiues, the accomplished artist and traveller, who made many sketches expressly for the work, and placed at my disposal the whole of his diaries and port- folios. 1 must also express my thanks to Mr. J. B. Zwecker, who undertook the onerous task of interpreting pictorially the various scenes of savage life which are described in the work, and who brought to that task a hearty good-will and a wide knowledge of the subject, without which the work would have lost much of its spirit. The drawings of the weapons, implements, and utensils, are all taken from actual specimens, most of which are in my own collection, made, through a series of several j'ears, for the express purpose of illustrating this work. That all uncivilized tribes should be mentioned, is necessarily impossible, and I have been reluctantly forced to dismiss with a brief notice, many interesting people, to whom I would gladly have given a greater amount of space. Especially has this been the case with Africa, in consequence of the extraordinary variety of the native customs which prevail in that wonderful land. We have, for example, on one side of a river, a people well clothed, well fed, well governed, and retaining but few of the old savage customs. On the other side, we And people without clothes, govern- ment, manners, or morality, and sunk as deeply as man can be in all the squalid miseries of savage life. Besides, the chief characteristic of uncivilized Africa is the continual change to which it is subject. Some tribes are warlike and restless, alwaj-s working their way seaward from the interior, carrying their own customs with them, forming settlements on their way, and invariably adding to their own habits and superstitious those of the tribes among whom they have settled. In process of time they become careless of the military arts by which they gained possession of the coun- try, and are in their turn ousted by others, who bring fresh habits and modes of life with them. It will be seen, therefore, how full of incident is life in Africa, the great stronghold of barbarism, and how necessary it is to devote to that one continent a considerable ^Jortiou of the work. AMERICAN PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. This work, which has been nearly three years going through the press in London, is one of the most vahiable contriljutious that have been made to the literature of this generation. Rev. Dr. Wootl, who ranks among the most popular and foremost ■^Titers of Great Britain, conceiving the idea of the work many years since, and commencing the collection of sucli articles, utensils, weapons, portraits, etc., as would illustrate the life and customs of the uncivilized races, was, undoubtedl3', the best qualified of all living writers for such an undertaking. The work is so costly by reason of its hundreds of superior engravings, that few only will, or can avail themselves of the imported edition. Yet it is so replete with healthful information, so fascinating by its variety of incident, portraiture and manners, so worthy of a place in every household library, that we have reprinted it in order that it may be accessible to the multitude of readers in this country. TN'itli the exception of a few paragraphs, not deemed essential by the American editor, and not making, in the aggregate, over four pages, the text" of the two royal octavo volumes of nearly sixteen hundred pages, is given unabridged. The errors, incident to a first edition, have been corrected. By adopting a slightly smaller, yet very handsome and legible type, the two volumes are included in one. The beauty ami value of the work are also greatly enhanced by grouping the engi-avings and uniting them, by cross references, with the letter-press they illustrate. In one other and very essential respect is this superior to the English edition. Dr. Wood has given too brief and imperfect an account of the character, customs and life of the North American Indians, and the savage tribes of the Arctic regions. As the work was issued in monthly parts of a stipulated number, he maj' have found his space limited, and accordingly omitted a chapter respecting the Indians, that he had promised upon a preceding page. This deficiency has been supplied by the American editor, making the account of the Red Men more comprehensive, and adding some fine engravings to illusti-ate their appearance and social life. Having treated of the Ahts of Vancouver's Island, the author crosses Behring Strait and altogether omits the interesting races of Siberia, passing at once from America to Southern Asia. To supply this chasm and make the work a complete " Tour round the World," a thorough survey of the races " in all countries" which represent savage life, we have added an account of the Malemutes, Ingeletes and Co-Yukons of Alaska. An interesting chapter respecting the Tnngusi, Jakuts, Ostiaks, and Samoiedes of Siberia, compiled from Dr. Hartwig's " Polar World," is also given. The usefuhiess and value of such a work as this are greatly enhanced by a minute and comprehensive index. In this respect, the English edition is very deficient, — its index occupying only a page. AVe have appended to the work one more than ten times as large, furnishing to the reader and student an invaluable help. Thus enlarged by letter-press and illustrations, this work is a complete and invalu- able resume of the manners, customs, and life of the Uncivilized Races of the WOKLD. EXPLANATION OF THE FRONTISPIECE, The Frontispiece gives a pictorial representation of African mankind. Snperstition reigning supreme, tlie most prominent figure is tire fetish priest, with his idols at his feet, and holding np for adoration the sacred serpent. War is illustrated hy the Kaffir chief in the foreground, the I5osjesman with his bow and poisoned arrows, and the Abyssinian chief behind him. The gluttony of the Negro race is exemplified by the sensual faces of the squatting men mth their .jars of porridge and fruit. The ffrace and beauty of the young female is shown by the Nubian girl and Shooa woman behind the Kaffir; while the hideousness of the old women is exemplified by the Negro woman above with h<'r fetish. Slavery is illustrated by the .slave caravan in the middle distance, and the pyramids speak of the inter* est attached to Africa by hundreds of centuries. ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. 1. Pictorial representation of African races. 45. Frontispiece. 46. 2. Kaffir from cliildliood to age 13 47. 3. Old councillor and wives 13 48. 4. Kaffir crad.e 18 4U. 5 Young Kaffir armed 21 50. 6. Kaffir postman 21 51. 7. Unmarried Kaffir girls 25 52. 8. Old Kaffir women 25 53. 9. Kaffir ornaments — necklaces, belt, etc. ... 33 54. 10. Kaffir needles and sheaths 33 55. 11. Articles of costume 33 5(3. 12. Dolls representing the Kaffir dress 33 57. 13. Braeeletsmadeof thehoof of thebluebok.. 3!) .58. 14. Apron of chief's wife 39 59. 15. Ivory armlets 39 GO. 16. Necklaces — beads and teeth 39 01. 17. Young Kaffir in full dress 43 02. 18. Girl in dancing dress 43 03. 19. Kaffir ornaments 49 64. 20. Dress and ornaments 49 (!5. 21. The Kaffirs at home 57 00. 22. Interior of a Kaffir hut fi3 07. 23. AKaffir kraal 63 08. 24. A Kaffir milking bowl 67 09. 25. A Kaffir beer bowl 07 70. 26. A Kaffir beer strainer 07 71. 27. A Kaffir water pijjC 07 72. 28. Woman's basket 67 73. 29. Kaffir cattle — training the horns 73 74. 30. Keturn of a Kaffir war party 73 75. 31. Procession of the bride 83 70. 32. Kaffir passing his mother-in-law 88 77. 33. Bridegroom un approval 97 78. 34. Kaffir at his forge 97 79. 35. Spoons for eating porridge 103 80. 36. Group of assagais 103 81. 37. Kaffir warriors skirmishing Ill 82, 38. Muscular advocacy Ill 8.3. 39. Goza, the Kaffir chief, in ordinary undress. 117 84. 40. Goza in full war dress, with his councillors. 117 8.5. 41. Panda's review 121 86. 42. Hunting scene in Kaffirland 121 87. 43. Cooking elephant's foot 133 88. 44. A Kaffir dinner party 145 89. (Ui) Paob. Soldiers lapping water 145 A Kaffir harp 155 Exterior of a Kaffir hut 155 Spoon, ladle, skimmers 155 A Kaffir water pipe 155 A Kaffir fowl house 1 55 Necklace made of human finger bones .... 167 A remarkable gourd snuff-box 107 Poor man's pipe 107 Kaffir gentlemen smoking 107 The prophet's school 174 The prophet's return 171 Old Kaffir prophets 177 The Kaffir prophetess at work 188 Unfavorable prophecy 188 Preserved head 203 Head of Mundurucii chief 203 Burial of King Tchaka's mother 203 Dingan, the Kaffir monarch, at home.... 209 Kaffir women quarrelling 209 Hottentot girl 219 Hottentot woman 219 Hottentot young man 223 Hottentot in full dress 223 Hottentot kraal 229 Card playing by Hottentots 237 Bosjesman shooting cattle 237 Grapple plant 247 Bosjesman woman and child 247 Hottentots asleep 247 Bosjesman quiver 247 Frontlet of Hottentot girl 247 Poison grub 259 Portrait of Koranna chief 271 Namaquas shooting at the storm 271 Knife and assagai heads 281 Bechuana knives 281 A Bechuana apron 231 Ornament made of monkeys' teeth 281 Bechuana parliament 287 Female architects among the Bechuanas. . 287 Magic dice of the Bechuanas 292 Spartan practices among the Bechuanas . . 294 The girl's ordeal among the Bechuanas . . . 294 Plan of Bechuana house 299 IV ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. 90- Bechuana funeral 302 yi. Grave and monument of Damara chief. . . 302 92. Damara warrior anil wife 303 93. Damara girl resting 308 94. Portrait of Ovambo girl 317 9.">. Ovambo women pounding corn 317 Si). Ovambo houses 329 97. Makololo house building 329 98. Children's games among the Makololo 333 99. M' Bopo, a Makololo chief, at home 333 100. Spearing the hippopotamus 343 101. The final attack 343 102. Boating scene on the Bo-tlet-le River 351 103. Bato'ka salutation 351 104. Batoka men 357 105. Pelele, or lip ring, of the Manganjas. . ... 357 100. Hippopotamus trap 363 107. Axes of the Banyai 363 108. The marimba, or African piano 371 109. Singularheaddress of the Balonda women. 371 110. Wagogo greediness 387 111. Architecture of the Weezee 387 112. A hu.sband's welcome among the "Weezee. 391 113. Sultan TJkuhma drinking pomb^ 391 114. Harvest scene among the W.anyamuezi. . . 397 115. Salutation by the Watusi 397 116 Kumanika's private band, 404 117. Arrest of the queen 412 118. Reception of a visitor by the "Waganda. . . 417 119. The magician of TJnyoro at work 417 120. Wanyoro culprit in the shoe 423 121. Group of Giini and Madi 431 122. Removal of a village by Madi 431 123. Group of the Kytch tribe 437 124. Neam-Nam fighting 437 125. Wooden chiefs of the Dor 449 126. Scalp-locks of the Djibbas 449 127. Bracelets of the Djibbas 449 123. Ornaments of the Djour 449 129. Women's knives 449 130. A Nuehr helmet 449 131. The Latooka victory 457 132. Gorilla hunting by the Fans 457 133. A Bari homestead 465 134. Funeral dauce of the Latookas 465 135. The ceremony of M'paza 478 136. Obongo market 478 137. The giant dauce of the Aponos 486 138. Fishing scene among the Bakalai 486 139. Ashira farewell 499 140. Olenda's salutation to an Ishogo chief. . . . 499 141. A Cauiraa dance 508 142. Quengueza's (chief of the Gamma) walk. . . 508 143. The Gamma fetish man ejecting a demon. 517 144 Olanga drinking mboundou 517 145. Fate of the Shekiani vrizard 526 146. The Mpongw^ coronation 626 147. Attack on a Mpongw^ village 537 148. Barg.aining for a wife by the Fanti 537 149. The primeval child in Dahome 5.52 150. Fetishes, male and female, of theKrumen 652 151. Dahoman ivory trumpets 658 Psge. 152. Dahoman war drum 558 153. War knives of the Fanti 558 154. Fetish trumpet and drum 558 155. Ashanti caboceer and soldiers 564 156. Punishment of a snake killer 664 157. " The bell comes " 569 158. Divhoman amazous 569 159. Amazon review 576 160. The Dahoman king's dance 576 161. The basket sacrifice in Dahome 583 102. Head worship in Dahome 595 163. The attack on Abeokuta 595 16i. The Alake's (king of the Egbas) court 605 165. Mumbo Jumbo 605 166. A Bub^ m.arriage 612 167. Kanemboo man and woman 612 168. Washing day in Abyssinia 617 169. A Congo coronation 617 170. Ju-jii execution 619 171. Shooa women 631 172. Tuaricks and Tibboos 631 173 Begharmi lancers 638 174. Musgu chief 638 175. Dinner party in Abyssinia 643 176. Abyssinian heads 643 177. King Theodore and the lions 652 178. Pleaders in the courts 652 179. A battle between Abyssinians and Gallas. 662 180. Interior of an Abyssinian house 662 181. Buffalo dance iu Abyssinia 670 182. Bedouin camp 670 183. Hunting the hippopotamus 679 184. Travellers and the mirage 679 185. Travelling in Madagascar 692 186. Australian man and woman 698 187. Women and old man of Lower Murray. . . 698 188. Hunter and his day's provision 707 189. The sea-grass cloak 707 190. Bee hunting 719 191. Australian cooking a snake 718 192. Australian tomahawks 722 193. Australian clubs 722 194. Australian saw 722 195. Tattooing chisels 722 196. Man of Torres Strait 722 197. Basket — South Australia 722 198. Heads of Australian spears 731 199. Throw-sticks of the Australians 731 200. Boomerangs of the Australians 731 201. Spearing the kangaroo 739 202. Catching the cormorant 739 203. Australian shields 742i 204. The kuri d.ance 749 205. Palti dance, or corrobboree 749 206. An Australian feast 759 207. Australian mothers 75S 208. Mintalto, a Nauo man 765 209. Young man and boy of South AustralK . . 765 210. Hut for cure of disease 766 211. Tombof skulls 765 212. Tree tomb of Australia 779 213. Smoking bodies of slain warriors 77^ ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. 214. Carved feather box 775 215. Australian widows and their caps 781 216. Cave with native drawings 781 217. Winter huts in Australia 787 218. A summer encampment 787 219. New Zealander from childhood to age 794 220. Woman and boy of New Zealand 803 221. A tattooed chief and his wife 803 222. Maori women making mats 809 223. TheTangi 809 224. Paratene Maioha in his state war cloak. . 820 225. The chief 3 daughter w.. 820 226. Hongi-hongi, chief of AVaipa 820 227. Maories preparing for a feast 831 228. Maori chiefs' storehouses 831 229. Cannibal cookhouse 835 230. Maori pah 835 231. Green jade ornaments 841 232. Slaori weapons 841 233. Wooden and bone merais 841 234. Maori war dance 847 235. Te Ohu, a native priest 860 236. A tiki at Raroera pah 860 237. Tiki from Whakapokoko 860 238. Mourning over a dead chief 872 239. Tomb of E' Toki 872 240. Eangihaeta's war house 877 241. Interior of a pah or village 877 242. Maori paddles 881 243. Green jade adze and chisel 881 244. Common stone adze 881 245. A Maori toko-toko 881 246. New Caledonians defending their coast.. 893 247. Andamaners cooking a pig 893 248. A scene in the Nicobar Islands 903 249. The Outanatas and their weapons 903 250 The monkey men of Dourga Strait 909 251. Canoes of New Guinea 909 252. Huts of New Guinea 916 253. Dance by torchlight in New Guinea 910 254. The ambassador's message 924 255. The canoe in a breeze 924 256. Presentation of the canoe 937 257. A Fijian feast 943 258. The fate of the boaster 943 259. Fijian idol 949 260. The orator's flapper 949 261. Fijian spear 949 262. Fijian clubs 949 263. A Fijian wedding 9,57 264. House thatching by Fijians 957 265. A Bur^, or temple, in Fiji 963 266. View in Makira harbor 9C3 267. Man and woman of Yati5 973 268. Woman and child of Vanikoro 973 269. Daughter of Tongan chief 973 270. Burial of a living king 980 271. Interior of a Tongan house 980 272. The kava party in Tonga 988 273. Tongan plantation 991 274. Ceremony of inachi 991 275. The tow-tow 999 Page. 276. Consulting a priest. 999 277. Tattooing day in Samoa 1012 278. Cloth making by Samoan women 1012 279. Samoan club 1018 280. Armor of Samoan warrior 1018 281. Beautiful paddle of Hervey Islanders 1018 282. Ornamented adze magnified 1018 283. Spear of Hervey Islanders 1018 284. Shark tooth gauntlets 1023 285. Samoan warriors exchanging defiance. . . .1027 286. Pigeon catching by Samoan,-) 1027 287. Battle scene in Hervey Islands 1035 288. Village in Kingsmill Islands 1039 289. Shark tooth spear 1041 290. Shark's jaw 1041 291. Swords of Kingsmill Islanders 1041 292. Tattooed chiefs of Marquesas 1048 293. Marquesan chief's hand 1046 294. Neck ornament 1048 295. Marquesan chief in war dress 1040 296. The war dance of the Niuans 1054 297. Tahitans presenting the cloth 1054 298. Dressing the idols by Society Islanders. . 1061 299. The human sacrifice by Tahitans 1077 300. Corpse and chief mourner 1077 301. Tane, the T.ihitan god, returning home. . 1084 302. Women and pet pig of Sandwich Islands, 1084 303. Kamehameha's exploit with spears 1089 304. Masked rowers 1089 305. Surf swimming by Sandwich Islanders. . 1093 306. Helmet of Sandwich Islanders 1097 307. Feather idol of Sandwich Islanders 1097 308. Wooden idol of Sandwich Islanders 1097 .309. Eomanzoff Islanders, man and woman. . 1101 310. Dyak warrior and dusum UOl 311. Investiture of the rupack 1105 312. Warrior's dance among Pelew Islanders, 1105 313. HMnoan pirate and Saghai Dyak . . . . 1113 314. Dyak women 1113 315. Parang-latok of the Dyaks 1122 316. Sumpitans of the Dyaks 1122 317. Paraug-ihlang of the Dyaks 1122 318. The kris, or dagger, of the Dyaks 1129 319. Shields of Dyak soldiers 1129 320. A parang with charms 1129 321. A Dyak spear 1129 322. Canoe fight of the Dyaks 1139 323. ADyak wedding 1139 324. A Dyak feast 1147 325. A Bornean adze axe 1153 326. ADyak village 1153 327. ADyak house 1153 328. Fuegian man and woman 1163 329. Patagonian man and woman 1163 330. A Fuegian settlement 1169 331. Fuegians shifting quarters 1169 332. Ar.aucani.an stirrups and spur 1175 333. Araucauian lassos 1175 3.34. P.atagonian bolas 1175 3.35. Spanish bit and Patagonian fittings 1175 336. Patagonians hunting game 1180 337. Patagonian village 1187 vl ILLUSTRA'nOJSS. Page. 338. Patagonian burial ground 1187 339. A Mapuchf; family 1201 310. Araucauian marriage 1201 341. Mapucli^ medicine 1207 342. Mapuch^ funeral 1207 343. The macaua club 1212 344. Guianan arrows and tube 1214 34.5. Gran Chaco Indians on the move 1218 816. The ordeal of the " gloves " 1218 347. Guianan blow guns 1225 348. Guianan blow-gun arrow 1225 34edful luxury, it will add wings to his feet if a little tobacco be presented to him, which he can make into snuff at his first halt. Taking an assagai or two with him, and perhaps a short stick with a knob at the o G tit, ^ I (21) A KAFFIR MESSENGER. 23 end, called a " kerry," he will start off at a slinging sort of mixture between a run and a trot, ami will hold this pace almost with- out cessation. As to provision for the journey, he need not trouble himself about it, for "he is sute to fall in with some hut, or pw-haps a village, and is equally sure of obtaining both food and shelter. He steers his course almost as if by intuition, regard- less of beaten tracks, and arrives at his destination with the same mysterious cer- tainty that characterizes the migration of the swallow. It is not so easy to address a letter in Africa as in Engla'ud, and it is equally diffi- cult to give directions for tinding any par- ticular iiouse or village. If a chief should be on a visit, and ask his host to return the call, he simpl}' tells him to go so many days in such a direction, and then turn for half a day in another direction, and so on. However, the Kaffir is quite satisfied with such indications, and is sure to attain his point. When the messenger has delivered his letter, he will scjuat down on the ground, take snutr, or smoke — probably both — and wait patiently for the answer. As a mat- ter of course, refreshments will be supplied to him, and, when the answer is handed to him, he will return at the same pace. Euro- peans are always surprised when they first see a young Kaffir undertake the delivery of a letter at so great a distance, and still more at the wonderfully short time in which he will perform the journey. Nor are they less surprised when they find that he thinks himself very well paid with a shilling for his trouble. In point of fact, the journey is scarcely troublesome at all. He has everything his own way. There is plenty of snutf in his box, tobacco where- with to make more, the prospect of seeing a number of fellow-countrymen on the way, and enjoying a conversation with them, the dignity of being a messenger from one white chief to another, and the certainty of ob- taining a sum of money which will enable him to adorn himself with a splendid set of beads at the next dance. Barefoot though he be, he seldom com- plains of any hurt. From constant usage the soles of his feet are defended by a thickened skin as insensible as the sole of any boot, and combining equal toughness with perfect elasticity. He will walk with unconcern over sharp stones and thorns wliich would lame a European in the first step, and has the great advantage of pos- sessing a pair of soles which never wear out, but actually become stronger by use. Mr. Baines, the African hunter, narrates a rather ludicrous instance of the insensi- bility of the Kaffir's foot. Passing by some Kaffir houses, he heard doleful outcries, and found that a young boy was undergoing a medical or surgical operation, whichever may be the proper name. The boy was suffering from some ailment for which the medicine-man prescribed a thorough knead- ing with a hot substance. The plan by which the process was carried out was sim- ple and ingenious. A Kaffir man held his own foot over the fire until the sole became quite hot. The boy was then held firmly on the ground, while the man trampled on him with the heated foot, and kneaded him well with this curious implement of medi- cine. When that foot was cold, he heated the other, and so proceeded till the opera- tion was concluded. The heat of his sole was so great that the poor boy could scarcely en- dure the pain, and struggled hard to get free, but the operator felt no inconvenience whatever from subjecting his foot to such an ordeal. The dreaded "stick" of the Orientals would lose its terrors to a Kaffir, who would endure the bastinado with com- parative impunity. Among tliesc people, the foot assumes its proper form and dimensions. The toes are not pinched together by shoes or boots, and reduced to the helpless state too com- mon in this country. The foot is, like that of an ancient statue, wide and full across the toes, each of which has its separate function just as have the fingers of the hand, and each of which is equally capable of performing that function. Therefore the gait of a Kaffir is perfection itself. He has not had his foot lifted behind and depressed in front by high-heeled boots, nor the \)\ay of the instep checked by leath- ern bonds. The wonderful arch of the foot — one of the most astonishing pieces of mechanism that the world atlbrds — can perform its office vinrestrained, and every httle bone, muscle and tendon plays its own part, and none other. The constant activity of the Kaffirs, con- joined to their temperate mode of life, keeps them in perfect health, and guards them against many evils which befall the civilized man. They are free from many of the mi- nor ailments incident to high civilization, and wliich, trifling as they may be singly, detract greatly in the aggregate from the happiness of life. Moreover, their state of health enables them to survive injuries which would be almost instantly fatal to any ordinary civilized European. That this comparative immunity is owing to the mode of life and not to the color of the skin is a well- known fact, Europeans being, when in thor- ough good health, even more enduring than their dark-skinned companions. A remark- able instance of this fact occurred during the bloody struggle between the Dutch col- onists and Dingan's forces in 1837. The Kaf- firs treacherously assaulted the unsuspecting Dutchmen, and then invaded their villages, spearing all the inhabitants and destroying the habitations. Near the Blue Krantz River was a heap of dead, among whom wero 21 THE KxVFFIR. found two young girls, who still showed signs of life. One had received nineteen stabs with the assagai, anil the other tW(!uty-one. They were removed from the corpses, and survived their dreadful wouuds, reaching ^vonianhood, though both crippled for life. On one occasion, while I was conversing with Captain Burton, and alluding to the numerous wounds which he had received, and the little eti'ect which tliey had upon him, he said that when the human frame was brought, by constant exercise and sim- ple diet, into a'state of perfect health, mere Hesh wounds were scarcely noticed, the cut closing almost as easily as if it had been made in India-rubl)er. It may also be familiar to my readers, that when in this country men are carefully trained for any i)hysical exer- tion, whether it be pedestrianism, gymnas- tics, rowing, or the prize-ring, they receive with iuditt'ereuce injuries which would have prostrated them a fevv mouths previously, and recover from them with wonderful rapidity. The young Kaffir women are quite as re- markable for the beauty of their form as are the men, and the very trilling dress which they wear serves to show olf their figures to the best advantage. Some of the young Kaffir girls are, in point of form, so" perfect that they would have satisfied even the fastidious taste of the classical sculptor. There is, however, in them the same tendency to high shoulders which has already been men- tioned, and in some cases the shoulders are set almost squarely across the body. In most instances, however, the shoulders have the proper droop, while the whole of the bust is an absolute model of perfection — rounded, firm, and yet lithe as the body of a panther. There is now before me a large collection of photographs, representing Kalfir girls of various ages, and, in spite of the invariable stiffness of photographic portraits, they ex- hiljit forms whicli might serve as models for any sculptor. If they could only have been lihotographed while engaged in their ordi- nary pursuits, the result would have been most artistic, but the very knowledge that they were not to move hand or foot has occasioned them to assume attitudes quite at variance with the graceful unconscious- ness of their ordinary gestures. Besides the stiffness which has already been mentioned, there are several points which make a really good photographic jiortrait almost an impossibility. In the fii-.st place, the sunlight is so brilliant that the shadows become developed into black ]>atches, and the high lights into splashes of white without the least" secondary shading. The photographer of Kaffir life cannot put his models into a glass room cunninsjly furnished with curtains and tinted glass. He must take the camera into the villages, photograph the inhabitants as they stand or sit in the open air, and make a darkened hut act as a developiug-tent. Taking the portrait properly is a mat- ter of extreme difficulty. The Kaffirs trill rub themselves with grease, and the more they shine the better they are dressed. Now, as every photographer knows, noth- ing is more perplexing than a rounded and polished surface in "the full rays of the sunbeams; and if it were only possible to rub the grease from the dark bodies, and deprive them of their gloss, the photographer would have a better chance of success. But the Kaf- fir ladies, old and young alike, think it a point of honor to be dressed in their very best when their portraits are taken, and will in- sist upon bedizening themselves exactly in the way which is most destructive to ])ho- tograpliy. They take fresh grease, and rub their bodies until they shine like a well-pol- ished boot; they indue every necklace, girdle, bracelet, or other ornament that they can muster, and not until they are satisfied with their personal appearance will they present themselves to the artist. Even when they have done so, they are restless, inipusifive, and rather nervous, and inallprobaliility will move their heads just as the cap of the lens is removed, or will take fright and run away altogether. In the case of the two girls rep- resented in the illustration, on page 25, the photographer has been singularly fortunate. Both the girls belonged to the tribe com- manded bjf the well-known chief Goza, whose portrait will be given on a subsequent page. The girls are clad in their ordinary cos- tume of every-day life, and in fact, when their portraits were taken, were acting as house- maids in the house of an European settler. Unfortunately, this singular beauty of form is very transient; and when a girl has attained to the age at which an English girl is in her full perfection, the Kaffir girl has begun to age, and her firm, lithe, and grace- ful form has become flabby and shapeless. In the series of portraits which has been mentioned, this gradual deterioration of form is curiously evident ; and in one example, which represents a row of girls sitting un- der the shade of a hut, young girls just twenty years of ago look like women of forty. The chief drawback to a Kaffir girl's beauty lies in her face, which is never a beauti- ful one, according to European ideas on this subject. It is mostly a pleasant, good- humored face, but the cheek-bones are too high, the nose too wide, and the lips very much too large. The two which have been already represented are by far the most fa- vorable specimens of the collection, and no one can say that their faces are in any way equal to tlieir forms. It may be that their short, erisji, harsh, woolly hair, so different from the silken tresses of European women, pi'oduces some feeling of dislike ; but, even if they were furnished with the finest and most massive head of hair, they could never {■> ) OLD KAFFIR WOMEN. (See page 27.) (25) OLD KAFFIR WOMEN. 27 be calted handsome. People certainly do get used to their peculiar style, aud some- times prefer tlie wild beauty of a Katiir girl to the more refiued, thoujjh more in- sipid, style of the European. Still, few Eng- lishmen would think themselves flattered if their faces were thought to resemble the features of a Kaffir of the same age, and the same rule will apply to the women as well as to the men. Unfortunately, the rapidity with which the Kafhr women deteriorate renders them very unsightly objects at an age in which an European woman is in her prime. Among civilized nations, age often carries with it a charming mixture of majesty and simplicity, which equally command our rev- erence and our love. Among this people, however, we find nothing in their old age to compensate for the lost beauty of youth. They do not possess that indefinable charm which is so characteristic of the old age of civilized woman, nor is there any vestige of that spiritual beauty which seems to under- lie the outward form, and to be even more youthful than youth itself. Perhaps one reason for this distinction may be tlie un- cultivated state of the mind; but, whatever may be the cause, in youth the Kaffir woman is a sylph, in old age a hag. CHAPTER IV. DRESS AND 0RKA5IENTS — DRESS OF THE JIEN" — DRESS DEPENDENT ON COtrNTRY FOR MATERIAL — SKIN THE CHIEF jlKTICLE OF DRESS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA — FUR-PKODUCEStG ANIMALS — A KAROSS OR CLOAK OF MEERKAT SKIN — ANOTHER OF JACKAL SKINS — NATIVE TASTE IN DRESS — PRO- FESSIONAL KAROSS MAKERS — NEEDLE USED BY THE KAFFIRS — ITS CLOTISY SHAPE AND DIMEN- SIONS — ITS LEATHER SHEATH — A FASHIONABLE NEEDLE AND ITS BELT OF BEADS — TASTEFUL ARRANGEMENT OF COLOR — THREAD USED BY KAFFIRS — SINGULAR MATERIAL AND MODE OF PREPARING IT — HOW A KAFFIR SEWS — A MAn's ORDINARY DRESS — THE APRON OR " TAILS " — SPECIMEN IN MY COLLECTION — BRASS BUTTONS — THE " ISINENE " AND " UMUCHA " — PORTRAIT OF GOZA — OBESITY OF THE CHIEFS — FULL DRESS AND UNDRESS — A KAFFIR AIDE-DB-CAMP. Having now described the general appear- ance of the Kaffirs from chilhood to age, we will proceed to the costunic whicli they wear, and the ornaments with which they decorate their dark persons. The material of which dress is made depends much on the characteristics of the country. In some parts of tlie world linen is used, in another silk, and in another cotton. In Southei-n Africa, however, and indeed throughout a very large portion of the continent, the dress, whether of men or women, is com- posed of tlie skins and furs of animals. The country abounds in game, especially of the antelope trilie ; and the antelopes, tlie zebras and their kin, tlie beasts of prey, the monkey tribes and the oxen, afford a vast store from which the Kafhr can take his clothing, and vary it almost without bounds. The Kaffir is an admirable dresser of furs. He bestows very great pains on the process, and arrives at a result which cannot be sur- passed by the best of European furriers, with all his means and appliances. Kaffir furs, even those made from the stiff and stub- born hide of the ox, are as soft and pliable as silk; and if they be wetted, they will dry without becoming harsh and stiff. For large and thick skins a peculiar process is required. The skin of the cow, for example, will become as hard as a board when dry, and even that of the lion is apt to be very stiff indeed when dried. The process of preparing such skins is almost absurdly simple and expeditious, while its efficacy is such that our best fur-dressers cannot pro- duce such articles as the Kaffirs do. Supposing that a cow-skiu is to be made into a robe, the Kaffir will ask two or three of his comrades to help him. They all sit round the skin, and scrape it very carefully, until they have removed every particle of fat, and have also reduced the thickness. They then stretch it in every direction, pulling against each other witli all their might, working it over their knees, and taking care that not an inch of it shall escape without thorough manipulation. Of course they talk, and sing, and smoke, and take snuff while performing the task, which is to them a labor of love. If, indeed, it were not, they would not perform it, but hand it over to their wives. When they have kneaded it as much as they think necessary, they proceed to another operation. Tliey take eight or ten of their skewer-like needles, and tie them together in a bundle, each man being furnished with one of these bundles. The points are then placed per- pendicularly upon the skin, and the bundle made to revolve backward and forward be- tween the hands. This process tears up the fibres of the skin, and adds to its pliancy, besides raising a sort of nap, which in some of their dresses is so thick and fine as to resemble plush. Sometimes, when needles are scarce, the long straight thorns of the acacia are tied together, and used in a similar manner. Although not so strong, their natural points are quite as sliarp as the artificial points made of iron, and do their work as effectu- ally. Some of my readers may remomber that the nap on cloth is raised by a method exactly similar in principle, the thorny seed- vessels of the teasle thistle being fastened on cylinders and made to revolve quickly (26) THE KAEOSS. 29 over the surface of the cloth, so as to raise a " nap " which conceals tlie course of the threads. These acacia thorns are used for a wonderful variety of purposes, and are even pressed into the service of personal vanity, being used as decorations for the hair on festive occasions. The skin is now ready for the ingredient that f )rnis a succedaneuni for the tanjjit, and that does its work in a very short time. As the reader is perhaps aware, the acacia is one of the commonest trees in Southern Africa. The sap of the tree is of a very as- tringent character, and communicates its properties to the bark through wliich it per- colates. In consequence, the while inliabi- tants of Southern Africa are in the habit of using the bark of the acacia just as in Eng- laud we use the bark of the oak, and tind that it produces a similar etfect upon skins that are soaked in a strong solution of acacia bark in water. The native, however, does not use the bark for this purpose, neither does he practise the long and tedious process of tanning which is in use among ourselves. The acacia tree supplies for him a material which answers all the purposes of a tanpit, and does not require above a frac- tion of the time that is employed in ordinary tanning. The acacia trees are constantly felled for all sorts of purposes. The hard wood is used in native architecture, in making the fence round a kraal, in making wagon poles, and in many similar modes. The root and stump arc left to rot in the ground, and, thanks to the peculiar climate and the at- tacks of insects, they soon rot away, and can be crumljled with the fingers into a reddish yellow powder. This powder is highly astringent, and is used by the Kaffirs for dressing their furs, and is applied by assid- uous rubbing in with the hand. Afterward, a little grease is added, but not much, and this is also rubbed in very carefully with the hand. A large kaross is always worn with the furry side inward, and there is a mode of putting it on which is considered highly fashionable. If the robe is composed of several skins, — say, for example, those of the jackal or leopard, — the heads are placed in a row along the upper margin. When the Kaffir indues his kaross, he folds this edge over so as to form a kind of cape, and puts it ou in sucli a way that the fur-clad heals fall in a row over his shoulders. The rapidity with which a Kaffir will pre- pare a small skin is really surprising. One of my friends was travelling in Southern Africa, and saw a jackal cantering along, looking out for food. Presently, he came across the scent of some steaks that were being cooked, and came straight toward the wagon, thinking only of food, and heedless of danger. One of the Kaffirs in attendance on the wagon saw the animal, picked wp a large stone, and awaited his coming. As he was nearing the tire, the Kaffir thing the stone witli such a good aim that the animal was knocked over and stunned. Tlie- wagon started in an hour and a half from that time, and the Kaffir who killed the jackal was seen wearing the animal's dressed skin. The skin of this creature is very much prized for robes and similar purposes, as it is thick and soft, and the rich black mottlings along the back give to the robe a very handsome appearance. I have before me a beautiful examjile of a kaross or cloak, made from the skins of the meerkat, one of the South African ichneu- mons. It is a pretty creature, the coat being soft and full, and the general color a reddish tawnj', variegated in some speci- mens by dark mottlings along the Ijack, and fading otf into gray along the flanks. The kaross consists of thirty-six skins, which are sewed together as neatly as any furrier could sew them. The meerkat, being very tenacious of life, does not succumlj easily, and accordingly there is scarcely a skiu which has not been pierced in one or more places by the spear, in some instances leav- ing holes through which a man's finger could easily be passed. In one skin there are five holes, two of them of considerable size. Yet, when the kaross is viewed upon the hairy side, not a sign of a hole is visible. With singular skill, the Kaffir fur-dresser has "let in" circular pieces of skin cut from another animal, and done it so well that no one would suspect that there had been any injury to the skin. The care taken in choosing the color is very remarkable, be- cause the fur of the meerkat is extremely variable in color, and it must have been necessary to compare a considerable number of skins, in order to find one that was of exactly the right shade. The mantle in question is wonderfully light, so light, indeed, that no one would think it capable of imparting much warmth until he has tried it. I always use it in journeys in cold weather, finding that it can be packed in mucli less space than an ordi- nary railway rug, that it is lighter to carry, and is warmer and more comfortable. Although every Kaffir has some knowl- edge of skin-dressing and tailoring, there are some who greatly surpass their compan- ions, and are popularly known as " kaross makers." It is easy to tell at a glance whether a garment is the work of an ordi- nary Kaffir, or of a regular kaross maker. The kaross which has been noticed affords a good example of both styles, which can be distinguished as easily by the touch as by the sight. When a kaross maker sets to work, he takes the two pieces of the fur wliich he has to join, -and places them together with the hairy side inward, and the edges exactly matching each other. He then repeatedly 30 THE KAFFIR. passes his long needle between the two pieces, so as to press the hair downward, and prevent it from being canglit in the thread. He tlien bores a tew liules in a line with each other, and passes the sinew libre througli them, casting a single hitch over each hole, but leaving the tliread loose. AVhen he has made two or three such holes, and passed the thread through them, he draws them tiglit iu regular succession, so that he produces a sort of lock-stiteh, and his work will not become loose, even tliough it maj- be cut repeatedly- Finally, he rubs down the seam, and, when properly done, the two edges lie as flat as if they were one single piece of skin. In the kaross before mentioned, the orig- inal maker was not one of the professed tailors, but thought that he could do all the plain sewing himself. Accordingly, the seams which connect the various skins are rather rudely done, being merely sewed over and over, and are in consequence raised above the level of the skins. But the vari- ous patches that were required in order to complete the garment in its integrity needed much more careful work, and this portion of the work has been therefore intrusted to one of the professed kaross makers. The ditierence of the seams is at once apparent, those made by the unskilled workman being raised, harsh, and stift'; wliile those made by the professional are quite flat, and look ex- actly like the well-known lock-stitch of our sewing machines. A singularly handsome specimen of a kaross is now before me. It is made of the skins of the gray jackal, and, although not so attractive to European eyes as if it had been made from the skin of the black-backed jackal, is, in a Kaftir's estimation, a far more valuable article, inasmuch as the gray species is much rarer than the black- backed. The man who designed this kaross may fairly be entitled to the name of artist. It is live feet three inclies iu depth, and very nearly six feet in width, and therefore a considerable number of skins have been used in making it. But the skins have not merely been squared and tlien sewed to- getlier, tlie manufacturer having in his mind a very bold design. Most persons are aware, that in the ma,jority of animals, the jackal included, the skin is darkest along the back, a very dark stripe runs along the spine, and that the fur fades into whitish gray upon the flanks and under the belly. The kaross maker has started with tlie idea of forming the cloak on the same principle, and making it look as if it were composed of one large skin. Accordingly, he has selected the darkest skins for the centre of the kaross, and arranged them so that they fade away into gray at the edges. This is done, not by merely putting the darker skins in the middle, and the lighter toward the edges. but by cutting the skins into oblong pieces of nearly the same size, and sewing them together so neatly that the lines of junction are quite invisible. All the heads are set in a row along the upper edges, and, being worked very flat, can be turned over, and form a kind of cape, as has already been mentioned. The lower edge of the' kaross has a very handsome appearance, the gray color of the fur rapidly deepening into black, which makes a broad stripe some four inclies in depth. This is obtained by taking the skin of the paws, which are very lilack, and sewing them to the cape of the mantle. Of course, a KatHr has no knowledge of gloves, but there are seasons when he really wants some covering for his hands. A crea- ture of the sun, he cannot endure cold; and in weather when the white men are walking in their lightest clothing and exulting in the unaccustomed coolness, the Kattir is wrapped in his thickest kaross, cowering over the fire, and absolutely paralyzed, both bodily and mentally, with the cold. He therefore makes certain additions to his kaross, and so forms a kind of shelter for the hands. About two feet from the top of the karo.ss, and on the outer edges, are a pair of small wings or projections, about a loot in length, and eight inches in width. When the Kaffir puts on the kaross, he doubles the • upi)er part to form the cape, tiu'us the furry side within, gra.sps one of these winglets with each hand, and then wraps it round his shoulders. The hands are thus pro- tected from the cold, and the upper jiart of the body is completely covered. The kaross descends as far as the knees in front, and is about a foot longer at the sides and at the back. The whole edge of the kaross is bound on the inside with a narrow band of thin, but very strong membrane, and is thus rendered less liable to be torn. Tlie mem- brane is obtained as follows. A skin of some animal, usually one of the antelopes, is rolled u\) and liuried in the ground until a certain amount of putrefaction takes place. It is then removed, and the Kaflir splits it by inti'oducing his knife, and then, with a quick jerk, strips oft' the membranous .skin. If it does not separate easily, the skin is re- pl.iced in the ground, and left for a day or two longer. This "fine specimen was brought from Southern Africa by Mr. Christie, wlio has had it in constant use as a railway rug and for sim- ilar purposes for some fourteen years, and it is still as serviceable as ever. Io"ught to men- tion that both this and my own kaross were made by Bechuanas, and not by Zulus, the latter tribe always using for their kaross a single hide of "an ox "dressed soft. The peculiar mode of manipulating a hide when dressing it is called " braying," perhaps be- cause it bears some resemblance to the "br.aying"or rubbing of a substance in a mortar, as distinguished from pounding it NEEDLES AND SHEATHS, 31 A haniLful of the liide is taken in each liand and gathered up, so as to form two or tliree wrinkles on the flesliy side. The wrinkles arc then rubbed on each other, with a pecu- liar twisting movement, which is almost identical with that of the gizzard in grain- eating birds. Of similar skins the Katiir makes a kind of bag in which he puts his pipe, tobacco, and various other little comforts. This bag, which is popularly called a knajjsack, de- serves more rightly the nanw of haversack, as it is not carried on the back, but slung to the side. It is made of the skin of some small animal, such as a hare or a hyrax, and is formed in a very simple manner. Wiien the Kaffir has killed the auimal, he strips olf the skin by making a cut, not along the belly, as is the usual fashion, but from one hind leg to the other. By dint of pushing and pulling, he contrives to strip otf the skin, and of course turns it inside out in so doing, mucli as is the case when a taxider- mist skins a snake or frog. The skin is then "brayed" in the ordinary fa.shion, while the furry side is inward; and when this opera- tion is completed, the mouth, ears and eye- lids are sewed up, and it is then reversed so as to briug the fur outward. Straps are attached to the two hind legs, so that the wearer can sling the bag over his shoulder. The natives put these bags to all kinds of uses, soms of them being rather odd accord- ing to our ideas. It has been mentioned that the pipe, tobacco, and other little articles which a Kaffir has, are kept in the bag. If, per- chance, the wearer should discover a t>ees' nest, he empties his " knapsack," turns it in- side out, shakos it well in order to get rid of the scraps of tobacco and other debris of a Kaffir's pouch, and then proceeds to attack the bees. When he has succeeded in reaching the honeycombs, he removes them from the nest, puts them into the bag, and goes otf with his prize, regardless of the state in which the interior of the bag will be left. The skill of the Kaffir in sewing fur is the more notable when we take into considera- tion the peculiar needle and thread which he uses. The needle is not in the least like the delicate, slender articles employed by European seamstresses. In the first place, it has no ej'e; and in the second, it is more like a skewer than a needle. If any of my classical readers will recall to their minds the " stylus " which the ancients used instead of a pen, he will have a very good idea of a Kaffir's needle. As the Kaffir likes to carry his needle about with him, he makes a sheath or case of leather. There is great variety in these cases. The simplest are merely made of strips of hide rolled round the needle, and sewed together at the edges. The most ornamental needle that I have seen was brought to England by the late H. Jackson, Esq., who kindly placed it and the rest of his valuable collection at my dis- posal. This needle is represented at tig. 1, in the illustration " Kaffir needles," page 33. It is of the ordinary shape, though much larger than most that are used; but it is upon the sheath and its oruamenls that the proud owner has lavished his powers. The sheath is made of leather, but is modelled into a curious pattern, which may be easily imitated. Koll up a tube of paper, about the third of an inch in diameter. At an inch from the end, pinch it tightly between the right thumb and finger, until it is squeezed flat. Still retaining the grasp, pinch it with the left hand just below the finger and thumb of the right, and at right angles to them. Proceed in this manner until the whole of it has been pinched. Then, if we suppose that the tube is made of raw hide thoroughly wetted, that a well oiled needle is placed in it, and that the leather is worked carefully upon the needle so as to make a sheath, ornamented with flattened jn-ojections at right angles to each other, we shall see how the sheath is made. The string of beads by which it is hung around the neck is put together ^vith great taste. The pale-tinted beads are white with rings of scarlet, and the others are blue with large spots of white, the whole forming a very artistic contrast with the skin of the wearer. The best point of this needle case is, how- ever, the ornament which hangs to it just by the head of the needle. This is a piece of rhiuocuros horn, cut into the shape of a buflalo head and part of the neck — very much, indeed, as if it had been intended for the handle of a seal. The skill with which the artist — for he really deserves the name — • has manipulated this stubborn substance is really admii-able. The sweep of the ani- mal's horns is hit olf with a boldness of line and a freedom of execution that would scarcely be expected from a savage. That he should make an accurate representation of the animal was likely enough, considei'- ing his familiarity with the sul3ject, but that he shou'. 1 be able to carve with his assagai- blade so artistic a design could hardly have been expected from him. By the side of this needle hangs another, which I have introduced because the sheath, instead of being made of leather, is a wooden tube, closed at one end, and guarded at both ends by a th >;ig of raw hide rolled round it. As the Kaffirs employ needles of this description, it is evident that they cannot use the same kind of thread as ourselves, since a cotton thread would not make its way through the leather, and therefore the Kaffir has recourse to the animal king- dom for his thread as well as for his gar- ments. The thread is made of the sinews of various animals, the best being made of the sinews taken from the neck of a giraffe. One of these bundles of thread is now be~ S2 THE KAFFIR. fore me, and a curious article it is — stiff, angular, elastic, and with an iuviucible ten- dency to Ijecome cntanj^led among the other objects of the collection. Few jjersous to whom it is shown for tlie tirst time will believe that it is thread, and mostly fancy that I am trying to take advantage of their ignorance. When this strange thread is wanted for use, it is steeped in hot water until it is quite soft, and is then beaten between two smooth stones. This process causes it to separate into lilaments, which cau bo ob- tained of almost any degree of strength or fineness. The sinew thus furnishes a thread of astonishing strength when compared with its diameter, surpassing even the silk grass of Guiana in that respect. When a Kaffir wishes to sew, he prepares some of this thread, squats on the ground, takes his needle, and bores two little holes in the edges of the garment on which he is working. He then pushes the thread through the holes thus made, and makes two more holes opposite each other. Ho continues to draw the stitches tight as he proceeds, and thus gets on with his work at a rate which would certainly not pay a seamstress in this country, but winch is very well suited to Africa, where time is not of the least value. As he works with wet sinew upon wet hide, it naturally follows that, in the process of di-ying, the seams become enormously strengthened, the stitches being drawn tightly bj' the contraction of sinew, and the contraction of the hide forcing the stitches deeply into its own substance, and almost blending them together. So, although the work is done very slowly, one of our sewing macliinos being equal to a hundred Kaffirs, or thereabouts, in point of speed, it is done with a degree of efficacy that no machine can ever approach. I have in my collection very many examples of Kafiir sewing, and in every instance the firmness and solidity of the workmanshiiJ are admirable. Their fur-sewing is really wonderful, for they use very close stitches, very fine thread, and join the pieces so perfectly that the set of the hairs is not disturbed, and a number of pieces will look and feel exactly as if they were one single skin. We will begin an account of Kaffir dress with the ordinary costume of a man. Until he approaches manhood, the Kaffir does not ti'ouble himself about so superfluous a lux- ury as dress. He may wear beads and orna- ments, but he is not troubled with dress in our acceptation of the word. When he becomes a man, however, he assumes the peculiar apron which may be seen by refer- ence to any of the illustrations of Kaffir men. This garment is intended to represent the tails of animals, and by Europeans is generally called by that name. Thus, instead of saying that a man has put on his dress or his apron, he is said to have put on his "tails." It is notable, by the way, that this form of dress extends over a considerable part of Africa, and is common to both sexes, though the details are carried out in a dif- ferent manner. The principal is a belt round the waist, with a number of thongs depending from it, and we find this charac- teristic dress as far uorthward as Egypt. Indeed, strings or thongs form a considera- ble portion, not only of a Kaffir's dress, but of his ornaments, as will be seen presently. The apron of the men is called "isinene," and is conventionally supposed to be made of the tails of slain leopards, lions, or buffii- loes, and to be a trophj' of the wearer's cour- age as well as a mark of his taste in dress. Such a costume is sometimes, though very rarely, seen; there being but few" Kaffirs who have killed enough of these ferocious beasts to make the"isinene" of their tails. I have one which was presented to me by Captain Drayson, R.A., who bought it, together with manj^ other objects, alter the late Kaffir war. It is represented by fig. 1 in the illustration of " Costume " on page 33. It is made of strips of monkey skin, each aljout an inch and a half in width. These strips h.ave been snipped half through on either side alternately, and then twisted so as to make furry cylinders, having the hair on the outside, and being fixed in that position until dry and tolerably stiff. There are fourteen of these strips, each being about fourteen inches long, but those in the middle exceed- ing the others by an inch or two. The strips or " tails " are gathered together above, and sowed firmly to a broad belt of the same material, which is so covered with rod and white beads that the leather cannot be seen. Across the belt are two rows of conical brass buttons, exactlj' identical with those that decorate the jacket of the modern " page." These brass buttons seem to charm a Kaffir's heart. He cannot have too many of them, and it is his delight and pride to keep them burnished to the highest amount of polish which brass will take. I have various specimens of dress or ornament formerly belonging to Kaffirs of both "sexes, and, in almost every instance where the ar- ticle has been very carefully made, at least one brass button is attached to it. As long as the Kaffir stands or sits, the "isinene" hangs rather gracefully, and re- minds the spectator of the sporran or skin pouch, which forms part of the Highlander's tlress. But when he runs, especially when he is rushing at full speed, the tails fly about in all directions, and have a most ludicrous effect, almost as if a bundle of living eels or snakes had been tied round the man's waist. If a Kaffir should be too lazy to take the trouble of making so elabo- rate a set of " tails," he merely culs his " isi- nene " out of a piece of skin. An example of this kind of apron is seen in the illustration, '' Dolls," 33d paro, which represents a pair o s 2! ■^ •^ a X GOZA, THE ZULU CHIEF. 65 of figures, a Kaffir and his wife, made l)y the natives out of leather. Here tlie male fig- ure, on the right, is shown as wearing the isiuene, and having besides a short kaross, or cloak, over his shoulders. These figures are in my own collection, and will be more particularly described when we come to the dress of Kaffir females. Most of the men wear a similar duplicate of this apron, which falls behind, and cor- responds with the isinene; this second apron is called the " umucha," and is mostly made of one piece of skin. Its use is not, how- ever, universal, and indeed, when in his own kraal or village, the Kaffir does not trouble himself about either isiuene or umucha, and considers himself quite suffi- ciently clothed with a necklace and a suuft' box. An illustration on page 117, gives a good idea of the appearance presented by a Kaffir of rank in his ordinary dress. It is a por- trait of Goza, the well-known Zulu chief, whose name came prominently forward during the visit of Prince Albert to the Cape. He is one of the most powerful chiefs of the Zulu tribe, and can at any moment summon into the field his five or six thousand trained and armed warriors. Yet in ordinary life he is not to be distin- guished from the meanest of his subjects by any distinction of dress. An experi- enced eye would, however, detect his rank at a single glance, even though he were not even clad in his " tails.'' He is fat, and none but chiefs are fat in Kaffirlaud. In fact, none but chiefs have the opportunity, because the inferior men are forced to such constantly active employment, and live on such irregular nourishment, that they have no opportunity of accumulating fat. But a chief has nothing whatever to do. except to give his orders, and if those orders are within human capacity they will be executed. Tchaka once ordered his war- riors to catch a lion with their unarmed hands, and they did it, losing, of course, many of their number in the exploit. The chief can eat beef and porridge all day long if he likes, and he mostly does like. Also, he can drink as much beer as he chooses, and always has a large vessel at hand full of that beverage. Panda, the king of the Zulu tribes, was notable for being so fat that he could hardly waddle ; but, as the reader will soon be presented with a por- trait of this doubly great monarch, nothing more need be said about him. As to Goza, he is a wealthy man, pos- sessing vast herds of cattle, besides a great number of wives, who, as far as can be judged by their portraits, are not beautiful according to European ideas of beauty, but are each representatives of a considerable number of cows. He wields undisputed sway over many thousands of sulijects, and takes tribute from them. Yet he dresses on ordinary occasions like one of his own subjects, and his house is just one of the ordinary huts of which a village is com- posed. When he wishes to appear offi- cially, he alters his style of dress, and makes really a splendid appearance in all the pomp of barbaric magnificence. Also, when he mixes with civilization, he likes to be civilized in dress, and makes his appearance dressed as an Englishman, in a silk hat, a scarlet coat, and jackboots, and attended in his rides by an aide-de-camp, dressed in a white-plumed cocked hat, and nothing else. A portrait of Goza in his full war-dress is given in the chapter that treats of Kaffir warfare. CHAPTER V. 0RKAMENT8 WORN BY KAFPIK MEN — EE.U)8, BUTTONS, AND STRINGS — PASHIONAELE COLORS OP BEADS — GOOD TASTE OF THE ICU'TIKS — CAPRICES OF FASHION — GOZA'S YOITNG WARRIORS — CURIOUS BEAD ORNAMENT — A SE»n-NECKLACE — A BEAD BRACELET, AND MODE OF CONSTRUCTION — A CHEiVP NECKLACE — TWO EEM.\RIC\BLE NECKLACES — ORNAJIENTS JIADE OF LEATHERN THONGS — OX-TAILS USED AS OEN.\MENTS, AND INDICATIONS OP THE WEALTH OF THEIR OWNER — THE SKULL USED FOB A Sir.UL.\R PURPOSE — A YOUNG KAFFIR IN FULL DRESS — CURIOUS DECORA- TIONS OF THE HEAD — THE ISSIKOKO, OR HEAD-RING — ICAFFIR CHIVALRY — PICTUREStJLTE ASPECT OF THE K.\FFIR — THE EYE AND THE NOSTRIL — ^THE IvAFFIR PERFUME, AND ITS TENACITY —■ CLEANLY HABITS OF THE liLAFFIR — CONDITIONS ALTER CUSCUMSTANCES — ANOTHER METHOD OP DRESSING SKINS — THE ELiVNKET AND THE KAROSS — ARMLETS, .iNKLETS, AND BRACELETS — A SIMPLE GRASS BRACELET — lA'ORY .\RMLETS, AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION — BEAD ARMLETS — METALLIC jiRJILETS — AN ANCIENT ROYAL ARMLET OF BRASS — IRON ARMLETS — A NEW METAL — ITS ADOPTION BY THE CHIEFS — SINGULAR SUPERSTITION, .AND ABANDONMENT OF THE METAL — DEATH OF THE DISCOVERER. As to the ornaments which a Kaffir man ■wears, thoy may be summed up in tliree words — beads, buttons, and strings, all three being often employed in the manufacture of one ornament. All the beads come from Europe, and there is as much fashion in them as in jewelry among civilized nations. The Kaflirs will have nothing to do with beads that do not form a good contrast with the dark skin of the wearer, so that beads which would be thought valuable, even in England, would be utterly contemned by the poorest Kaffir. Dark blue, for example, are extremely unfashionable, while light azure blue are in great favor. Those beads which contain white and red are the most valued; and if it were possible to make beads which would have the dazzling whiteness of snow, or the fiery hue of the scarlet verbena, almost any price might be obtained for them in Kafflrland. The eapriciousness of fashion is quite as great among the Kaffirs as among Euro- peans, and the head trade is, therefore, very precarious, beads which ^vould have been purchased at a very high ]iriee one year being scarcely worth their freight in" the next. Still, there is one rule which may always guide those who take beads as "a medium of barter among sav.aojes. The beads should always contrast boldly with the color of the skin. ' Kow, the average color of a Kaffir is a very dark chocolate; and if the intended trader among these tribes (36) wishes to make a successful speculation, he cannot do better than liave a lay figure painted of a Kaffir's color, and try the efl'cct of the lieads upon the image. Beads cannot be too brilliant for a savage, and almost any small articles -which will take a high ])olish and flash well in the sunshine will find a market. Having procured his beads, either by ex- change of goods or by labor, the Kaffir pro- ceeds to adorn himself with them. In a photograph before me, representing a group of young warriors belonging to Goza's army, three of the men have round their necks strings of beads which must weigh several pounds, while another has a broad belt of beads passing over the shoulder just like the sash of a light infantry officer. The ordinary mode of wearing them is in strings round the neck, but a Kaffir of inge- nuity devises various other fashions. If he has some very large and very v.-hife beads, he will fie fliem "round his forehead, just over his eyebrows, allowing some of them to dangle over his nose, and others on either side'of the eyes. In " Kaffir ornaments " on page 3.3, fig. 1, is shown a sash somewhat similar to that which has just been men- tioned, though it is not made wholly of laeads. Its groundwork is a vast number of small strings laid side by side, and bound at intervals by Ijands of different colored beads, those toward the ends being white, and the others scarlet, pink, or green. Its length is NECKLACES. 37 about eight feet. A small portion is given on an enlarged scale, to show the mode of struc- ture. The other articles belong to female costume, and will be described presently. The group of ornaments illustrated upon page 33 is very interesting, and is taken from specimens kindly lent me by the late H. Jackson, Esq. The round article with dark centre (tig. 3) is the first which we will notice. In form it resembles a hol- low cone, or rather a Malay's hat, and is made of leather, ingeniously moulded and sewed while wet, and then kept in its shape until dry. The whole of the interior is so thickly covered with be.ads that the leather is quite concealed. The beads in the centre are red, and the others are white. This ornament is worn on the breast, and to all appearance must be a very awkward article of decoration. If the outside had been cov- ered with beads, it is easy to understand that it ^vould have rested very comfortably on the breast with its bead-covered apex projecting like a huge sugar-loaf button. But, as the peak has to rest on the breast, the ornament must sway about in a most uncomfortaljle manner. The ornament at the bottom of the illus- tration is a semi-necklace, much in request among the Kaffirs. A string is fastened to each upper corner and then tied behind the neck, so that none of the beads are wasted upon a back view of the person. The groundwork of this semi-necklace is white, and the marks upon it are ditfereutly col- ored. Some of them are red in the interior and edged with yellow, while in others these colors are reversed. A narrow line of scar- let beads runs along the lower edge. The necklace is formed of a sort of network, of which the meshes are beads, so that as it is moved by the action of the body, the light shines through the interstices, and has a very pretty eftect. A bracelet, also made of beads, is shown in the same illustration at fig. 2. The beads are strung on threads, and then twisted to- gether so as to form a loose rope, very sim- ilar in constiiiction to the rope ring used so much by sailors, and known technically as a " grummet." The strings of beads are variously colored, and are "arranged with considerable taste, so that when they are twisted together the general eftect is very good. There is a more common kind of beads which are called " chalk-white." Their only value is that they contrast well with the dark skin of the wearer. Still, there are many young men who would be only too glad to have even so simple a set of beads, for beads are money in Kaffirland, and are not to be obtained without labor. How- ever, ornament of some kind the young men will have, and if they cannot obtain beads they will wear some other ornament as a succedaueum for them. One of these very simple necklaces is in my collection. It consists merely of nuts, which the wearer could have for the pick- ing. A hole is bored through each nut, just above the smaller end, so that they tit closely together, and stand boldly out, without showing the string on which they are threaded. So closely do they lie that, al- though the necklace is only just large enough to be passed over the head, it contains more than a hundred nuts. The two necklaces which are represented at the foot of the 3!Jth page, have been selected because they show how the native artist has tirst made a necklace of beads and teeth, and has then imitated it in metal. No. 1 represents a bracelet that is entirely made of beads and teeth. First, the maker has prepared six or seven very fine leathern thongs, and has strung upon them black glass beads of rather a small size. When he has formed rows of about an inch and a half in length, he has placed in each string a single bead of a much largei' size, and being white in color, spotted with bright blue. Another inch and a half of black beads follow, and then come the teeth. These are the canine teeth of the leopard and other felidre, and are arranged in groups vai-ying from three to five in number. A tolerably large hole is bored through the base of each, and all the strings are passed through them. The maker then goes on with the black beads, then with the white, then with the teeth, and so on, until his ma- terials are exhausted, and the necklace finished. The necklace No. 2 is of a far more ambi- tious character, and, whether or not it has been made by the same artificer, it shows that the same principle has been carried out. The former ornament belonged to a man who had been skilful as a hunter, and who wore the teeth of the slaughtered leopards as trophies of his valor and success. He would also wear the skins, and lose no .opportunity of showing what he had done. But we will suppose that a Kaffir, who has some notion of working in metal, saw the bracelet, and that he was fired with a desire to possess one of a similar character. Leop- ards' teeth he could not, of course, possess without killing the animal for himself, be- cause no one who has achieved such a feat would sell to another the trophies of his own prowess. So he has tried to imitate the coveted ornament as well as he could; and though he might not possess either the skill or the courage of the hunter, he could, at .all events, make a necklace which would resemble in shape that of his comitanion, be vei'y much more showy, and possess a consider.able intrinsic value. So he set up his forge, and, in a manner which will be descrilsed in a future page, made his own bronze, brass, or bell-metal, anil cast a number of little cylinders. These he beat into shape with his primitive 38 THE KAFFIE. hammer, and formed them into very tolera- ble imitations of leopards' teeth. Being now furnished with the material for his necklaee, he began to put it together. First, lie strung rows of chalk-white beads, and then a brass tooth. Next to the tooth comes a large transparent glass bead, of ruby-red, decorated with white spots. Then comes a tooth, then more beads, and so on, until the ornament has been completed. In order to give the necklace an air of reality, he cut a piece of bone so as to look like a very large tooth, and strung it in the centre of the ornament, so as to fall on his chest. This is really a handsome piece of work- maushi]), and when in use must have a very excellent cli'ect. The colors are selected with remarkalile taste, as nothing can look better on a dark skin than white and ruby. Moreover, the metal teeth are burnished so as to glisten brilliantly in the sun, and will dazzle the eye at the distance of some feet. Both these necklaces are drawn from specimens in the collection of Colonel Lane Fox. It is a remarkable fact that good taste in color, if not in material, seems to be inher- ent in the race, despite the very small amount of clothes which either sex wears. When they become partially civilized, especially if they owe any allegiance to mis- •sionaries, they assnme some portion of ordi- nary Eiu'opean costume. The men, whose wardrobe is generally limited to a shirt and trousers, have little scope for taste in dress; but the women always contrive to develop this faculty. Whether in the gay colors of the gowns which they wear, or whether in the more sober hue of the handkerchief which they invariably tie round their heads, they always manage to hit upon a comliina- tion of cohn-s which harmonize with their complexions. Perhaps it is fortunate that such should be the case, for the assumption of European costume is, artistically speaking, anything but an improvement in the ajiiicarance of a Kaflir, or, indeed, of any wearer of a dark skin ; and it is a curiou.s" fact, that the bet- ter the clothes, the worse do tlu'y look. A young Katfir, wearing nothing Init his few tufts of fur, moves with a free and upright gait, and looks like one of nature's noble- men. But the moment that he puts on the costume adopted in civilized Europe, he '.OSes every vestige of dignity, and even his ('cry gait is altered for the w'orse. The metropolitan reader can easily wit- ness such a metamor])hosis by visiting the Hammam, or any similar establishment, Where dark-skinned attendants are em- ployed. While engaged in their ordinary vocation, clad with nothing but a cloth round their loins, they look just like ancient statues endued with life, and it is impossi- ble to avoid admiring the graceful dignity of their gestures, as they move silently about the room. But when any of them leave the room, and put on the ordinary dress, the change is complete and disap- pointing, and it is hardly possible to believe the identity of such apparently dill'erent iudividuals. In the time long passed away, when Scotland was still contesting with England, the statesmen of the latter coun- try showed no small knowledge of human nature when they forbade the use of the Highland ckess, and forced the Highlanders to abandon the ])icturesque costume which seems to harmonize so well with the wild hills of their native land. A Highlander iu his kilt and tartan was not the same man when in the costume of the Lowlander, and it was imiiossible for him to feel the same in-ide in himself as when he wore the garb of the mountaineer and the colors ol" liis clan. Many of the young men who cannot af- ford beads make Ijracelets, necklaces, arm- lets, and anklets from the skins of animals. After cutting the skin into strips, they twist the strips spirally, so as to convert them into hollow ropes, having all the hair on the outside. When made of prettily colored skins, these curious ornaments have a very good, though barbaric eflect. (See page 49.) By cutting the strips spirally, almost any length can be obtained ; and the conse- quence is, that the young men sometimes appear with their bodies, legs, and arms covered with these furry ropes. Another kind of ornament of which the Kaffir is very fond is the tufted tail of an ox. A man of consequence will sometimes wear a considerable number of these tails. Some he will form into an apron, and others will be disposed about his person in the quaintest possible style. He will tie one under each knee, so as to hiring it on the shin bone. Others he will fix to leathern loops, and hang them loosely on his arms, like the curious bracelet worn by Jung Bahadoor when in England. Some he wiU divide into a multitude of strips, and sew them together so as to make fringed belts, which he will tie round his waist, or with which he will encircle the iqiper arms. Others, again, will be attached to his ankles, and a man thus decorated is contemplated enviously by those not so fortunate. The very fact of possessing such orna- ments shows that the wearer nuist be a rich man, and have slaughtered his own cattle. It is hardly possible to obtain cow tails in any other method ; for the owner of a slain cow is sure to keej) the tail for himself, and will not give so valuable an ornament to another. For the same reason, when the cow has been eaten up, its owner fastens the skull on the outside of his hut. Every one who passes within sight can then see that a rich man lives in that dwelling. Even when the tails are sold to Europeans, an absurdly high price is asked for them. BRACELETS. (See page 52.) NECKLACES — BEADS AND TEETH. (Seepage 37.) (39) DECOKATIOXS OF THE HEAD. 41 One of these arm-tufts is now before me. The skin has been stripped from tlie tail, leaving a thong of eighteen inches in length aljovethe tuft of hair. This thong has then been cut into three strips of half an inch iu width, and the strips have been rolled up spirall}', as already described. As the slit is carried to the very end of the tail, the tuft is spread open, and therefore looks twice as large as would have been the case had it been left untouched. Each of these tufts representing a cow, it is evident that the possession of them shows that the owner must be wealthy enough, not only to possess cows, but to have so many that he could afford to slaughter them. An illustration on page 43 represents a Kaffir who is both young and rich, and who has put on his dress of ceremony for the purpose of paying a visit. Under such cir- cumstances, a'Kaliir will exercise the great- est care in selecting ornaments, and occupy hours in putting them on to the best advan- tage. Among the furs used by the Kaffir for this purpose is that of the Angora goat, its long soft hair working up admiral )ly into fringes and similar ornaments. Feathers of ditferent birds are worked into the head dress, and the rarer the bird and the more brilliant the color the better is the wearer pleased. One decoration which is some- times worn on the head is a globular tuft, several inches in diameter, formed from the feathers of a species of roller. The lovely plumage of the bird, with its changeful hues of green and blue, is exactly adapted for the purpose : and in some cases two of these tufts will be worn, one on the fore- head and the other on the back of the head. Eagles' feathers are much used among the Kaffirs, as, in spite of their comparatively plain coloring, their firm and graceful shape enables the wearer to form them into very elegant head dresses. Ostrich feathers ire also used for the purpose, as are the richly colored plumes of the lory ; but the great ambition of a Kaffir beau is to pro- cure some feathers of the peacock, of which he is amazingly vain. On such occasions the Kaffir will wear much more dress than usual ; and, in addi- tion to the quantity of beads which ho con- trives to dispose upon his person, he ties so many tufts and tails round his waist that he may almost be said to wear a kilt. He will carry his shield and bundle of spears with him, but will not take the latter weap- ons into the host's house, either exchanging them for imitative spears of wood, or taking a simple knobbed stick. Some sort of a weapon he must have in his hand, or he would feel himself quite out of his element. When the " boy " h.as at last obtained the chiefs permission to enter the honored class of " men," he prepares himself with much ceremony for the change of costume which indicates his rank. The change does not consist so much in addition as in sub- traction, and is confined to the head. All unmarried men wear the whole of their hair, and sometimes indulge their vanity in dressing it iu various modes ; such as draw- ing it out to its fullest extent, and stitt'ening it with grease and shining powders, so that it looks something like the wigs which bish- ops used to wear, but which have been judi- ciously abandoned. If particular pains are taken with the hair, and it happens to be rather longer than usual, the eft'ect is very remarkable. I have a photographic por- trait of a young Zulu warrior, whose hair is so bushy and frizzled that it might be taken for that of a Figian ; and as in his endeav- ors to preserve himself in a perfectly mo- tionless attitude, he has clenched his teeth tightly and opened his eyes very wide, he looks exactly as if all his hair were stand- ing on end with astonishment. Proud, however, as he may be, as a " bo.y," of his liair, he is still prouder when he has the permission of his chief to cut it oil" and at once repairs to a friend who will act as hairdresser. The friend in question takes Ills best assagai, puts a fine edge upon it, furnishes himself with a supply of gum, sinews, charcoal powder, and oil, and addresses himself to his task. His first care is to make an oval ring of the sinews, about half an inch in thickness, and then to fit it on the head. The hair is then firmly woven into it, and fixed with the gum and charcoal, until the hair and ring seem as if they were one substance. Oil or grease is next liber- ally applied, until the circlet shines like a patent leather boot, and the ring is then complete. The officiating frieud next takes his assagai, and shaves the whole of the head, outside and inside the ring, so as to leave it the sole decoration of his bald head. The ring, or " issikoko,"' is useful for sev- eral purposes. It answers admirably to hold feathers firmly, when the courtier decorates his head for ceremony, or the soldier for war. It serves also more peaceful uses, being the usual place where the snulf spoon is worn. This mode of dressing the hair has its inconvenience, for the ring continu- ally needs to be repaired and kept in order. As to the " issikoko" itself, it is too hard to be easily damaged; but as the hair grows it is raised above the head, and, when neg- lected for some time, will rise to a height of two inches or so. Moreover, the shaven parts of the head soon regain their covering, and need again to be submitted to the prim- itive razor. No man would venture to appear before his chief with the head un- shaven, or with the ring standing aliove it ; for if he did so, his life would probably answer for his want of respect. The reverence with which a Kaffir regards the '• issikoko" is equal to that which an Ori- ental entertains for his beard. Mr. Moffatt mentions a curious illustration of this fact. 42 THE KAPFIR. A warrior of rank, an " Induna," or petty chief, was brought before the king, the dreaded ilosL-ifkate. charged witli au oli'eiiee tile puuishuient of which was death. He was coutkicteil to thc^ king, tleprived of liis spear and sliield. '■ He bowed liis ihie elastic figure, and kueeled before the judge. The case was investigated sileutl}-, which gave soleniuity to the scene. Xot a whisper was heard among the listening audience, aud the voices of the council were only audible to each other and to the nearest spectators. The prisoner, though on his knees, had something diguitied aud noble in his mien. Not a muscle of his countenance moved, but a bright black eye indicated a feeling of intense interest, which the swerving l)al- ance between life and death only could pro- duce. The case required little investigation; the charges were clearly substantiated, and the culprit pleaded guilty. But, alas! he knew that it was at a Ijar where none ever heard the heart reviving sound of jxirdon, even for otfences small compared with his. A pause ensued, during which the silence of death pervaded the asseml)ly. " At length the monarch spoke, and, ad- dressing the prisoner, said : ■ You are a dead man; but I shall do to-day what I never did before. I spare your life, for the sake of my friend aud father,' pointing to where I stood. ' I know that his heart weeps at the shed- ding of blood; for his sake I spare your life. He has travelled from a far country to see mo, and he has made ny heart white; but he tells me that to take away life is an awful thing, and never can bo undone again. He lias pleaded with nie not to go to war, nor to destroy life. I wish him, when he relurns to his own home again, to return with a heart as white as lie has made mine. I spare you for his sake ; for I love him and he has saved the lives of my people. But,' continued the king, 'you 'must be degraded for life; j-ou must 110 more associate with the nobles of the laud, nor enter the towns of the princes of the people, nor over again mingle in the dance of the mighty. Go to the poor of the field, and let your companions be the inhabit- ants of the desert.' '•The sentence passed, the pardoned man was exjiected to bow in grateful adm-ation to him whom he was wont to look upon and exalt in songs ajiplicable only to One, to whom belongs universal sway and the des- tinies of man. But no! Holding his hands clasped on his bosom, ho replied: ' O king, aftlict not my heart! I have incited thy dis- pleasure: let me be slain like the warrior. I cannot live with the poor.' And. raising his hand to the ring he wore on his brow, he continued: ' How can I live among the dogs of the khig. and disgrace these badges of honor which I won among the spears and .shields of the mighty? No; I cannot live! Let me die. O Pezoolu! ' His request was granted, and his hands tied erect over his head. Now my exertions to save his life were vain. He disdained the boon on the conditions ottered, preferring to die with the honors he had won at the point of the spear — honors which even the act which con- demned him did not tarnish — to exile and poverty among the children of the desert. He was led Ibrfh, a man walking on each side. My eje followed him until he reached the top of a high precipice, over which he was precipitated into the deep part of the river beneath, where the crocodiles, accustomed to such meals, were yawning to devour him ere he could reach the bottom." The word " issikoko," by which the Kaffir denominates the head-ring, is scarcely to be pronounced, not bj' European lips, ijut by European palates; for each letter A.- is pre- ceded, or rather accomijanied. by a curious clucking sound, producetl by the back of the tongue and the roof of the mouth. There are three of these " clicks," as the}' are called, and thej' will be more particularly described when we come to the subject of Kaffir language. Under uearlj' all circumstances a Kaffir presents a singularly picturesque figure — except, perhaps, when squatting on the ground with his knees up to his chin — and nothing can be more grateful to an artistic eye than the aspect of a number of these sjden- did s.xvages in the full panoply of all their barbaric magnificence. Their pnoud and noble port, their dusky bodies set olf with beads and other brilliant ornaments, and the uncommon grace and agility that they dis- play when giiing through the fierce mimicry of a fight which constitutes their war dances, are a delight to the eye of an artist. I'ufor- tuuatel}-, his nose is affected in a different manner. The Kaffirs of all ages and bt)th sexes will persist in copiously anointiug themselves with grease. Almost any sort of grease would soon become rancid in that country; but, as the Kaffirs are not at all particular about the sort of grease which they use, provided that it is grease, they exhale a very powerful and very disagreea- ble odor. Kaffirs are charming savages, but it is always as well to keep to the wind- ward of them, at all events until the nostrils have become accustomed to their odor. This peculiar scent is as adhesive as it is powerful, and, even after a Kaffir has laid aside his dress, any article of it will be nearly as strongly scented as the owner. Some time ago, while I was looking over a very fine collection of savage implements and dress, some articles of apparel weie exhibited labelled with tickets that could not possibly have belonged to them. The owner said that he su.spected them to be African, and asked my opinion, which was unhesitatingly given, the odor having be- trayed their real country as soon as they were brought within range of scent. A few years ago, I assisted in opening a o % o o (43) THE IvAFFIE PEKFUME. 45 series of boxes and barrels full of objects from Kaffirlaud. We took the precautiou of opeuiug the cases iu the garden, and, even in the open air, the task of emptying them was almost too much for our unaccustomed senses. All the objects were genuine speci- mens, not merely made for sale, as is so often the case, but purchased from the wearers, and carefully put away. The owner of the collection was rather humor- ous on the subject, congratulating us on our preparation for a visit to Kathrland, and telling us that, if either of us wished to form a good idea of the atmosphere which prevailed iu a Kaffir hut with plenty of com- pany, all we had to do was to get into the empty cask, sit at the bottom of it, and juit the lid on. Several of the articles of cloth- ing were transferred to my collection, but for some time they could not be introduced into the room. Even after repeated wash- ings, and hanging out in the garden, and drenching with deodorizing fluid, they re- tained so much of their peculiar scent that they were subjected to another course, which proved more successful, — namely, a thorough washing, then drying, then expo- sure to a strong heat, and then drying in the open air. This extremely powerful odor is a consid- erable drawback to an European hunter when accompanied by KafHr assistants. They are invaluable as trackers; their eyes seem to possess telescopic powers; their ears are open to sounds which their white com- panion is quite incapable of perceiving, and their olfactory nerves are sensitive to any odor except that which tliomselves so power- fully exhale. But the wild animals are even more sensitive to odors than their dusky pursuers, and it is popularly said that an elephant to leeward can smell a Kaffir at the distance of a mile. All are alike in this respect, the king and his meanest subject being im- brued with the same unctuous suljstance; and the only dilference is, that the king can aflbrd more grease, and is therefore likely to be more odoriferous, than his subject. Yet the Kaffir is by no means an un- cleanly person, and in many points is so particularly clean that he looks down with contempt upon an European as an ill-bred man. The very liberal anointing of the per- son with grease is a custom which would be simply abominalile in our climate, and with our mode of dress, but which is almost a necessity in a climate like that of Southern Africa, where the natives expose nearly the whole of their bodies to the burning' sun- beams. Even in the more northern jiarts of Africa the custom jjrevails, and Eng- lishmen who have resided there for a series of years have found their health much improved by following the example of the natives. In England, for example, nothing could be more absurd than to complete the morning's toilet by jjutting on the head a large lump of butter, but in Abyssinia no native of fashion thinks himself fully dressed until he has thus put the tinisliing toueli to his costume. Setting aside the difl'ereut efi'ects of the sun upon a black skin and a white one, as long as European residents in Southern Africa are able to wear their cool and light garments, so long can tliey dis- pense with grease. But, if they were sud- denly deprived of their linen or cotton gar- ments, and obliged to clothe themselves after the fashion of the Kaffirs, it is likely that, before many weeks had elapsed, they would be only too glad to resort to a custom which has been taught to the natives by the experience of centuries. Had not the prac- tice of greasing the body been productive of good, their strong common sense would long ago have induced the Kaffirs to dispense with it. In this, as in all other matters, we must not judge others by supposing tliem to be under similar conditions with ourselves. Our only hope of arriving at a true and unl)iassed judgment is by mentally placing ourselves in the same conditions as those of whom we are treating, and forming our conclusions accordingly. The knowledge of this simple principle is the key to the singu- lar success enjoyed by some schoolmasters, while others, who may far surpass them iu mere scholarship, have failed to earn for themselves either the respect or the love of their pupils. Men, as well as women, generally possess cloaks made of the skins of animals, and called karosses. Almost any animal will serve for the purpose of the kaross maker, who has a method of rendering perfectly supple the most stiff and stubborn of hides. The process of preparing the hide is very simple. The skin is fastened to the ground by a vast numlier of ])egs around its edges, so as to prevent it from shrinking unequally, the hairy side being next to the ground. A leopard skin thus pegged to the ground may be seen by reference to the illustration of "a Kaffirhut, on page 1.35, The artist, however, has committed a slight error in the sketch, having drawn the skin as if the hairy side were upward. The KalHr always jiegs a skin with the hairy side downward, jiartly because the still wet hide would adhere to the ground, and partly because be wishes to be able to manipulate the skin before it is dry. This plan of pegging down the skin is spread over the whole world; and, whether in Europe, Africa, Asia, America, or Australia, the first process of hide dress- ing is almost exactly the same. The subse- quent processes vary greatly in different quarters of the globe, and even in difi'erent parts of the same country, as we shall see in subsequent pages. The frontier Kaffirs, and indeed all those who can have communication with Euro- peans, have learned the value of blankets. 46 THE KAFFIR. aiid will mostly wear a good lilanket in pref- erence to the best kaross. But to the older warriors, or in those places to which Euro- pean traders do not penetrate, the skin kaross still retains its value. The ox is the animal that most generally supplies the kaross maker with skin, because it is so large that the native need not take much trouble in sewing. Still, even the smaller animals are in great request for the purpose, and the karosses ma(le from them are, to European eyes, tar handsomer than those made from single skins. Of course, the most valued by the natives are those which are made from the skins of the predaceous animals, a kaross made of lion-skin being scarcely ever seen except on the person of sable royalty. The leopard skin is highly valued, and the fortu- nate and valiant slayer of several leopards is sure to make their skins into a kaross and their tails into an apron, both garments being too precious to be worn except on occasions of ceremony. As to the various adornments of feathers, strange head dresses, and other decorations with which the Kaffir soldier loves to bedeck himself, we shall find them described in the chapter relating to Kaffir warfare. There is, however, one class of ornaments that must be briefly mentioned; namely, the rings of ditt'erent material which the Kaffirs place on their wrists, arms, and ankles. These are sometimes made of ivory, often of metal, sometimes of hide, sometimes of beads, and sometimes of grass. This last mentioned bracelet is perhaps the simplest of them all. Men who have been fortunate enough to kill an elephant, and rich enough to be able to use part of the tusks for their own pur- poses, generally cut ofl" a foot or so from the base of each tusk for the purpose of making armlets, at once trophies of their valor and proofs of their wealth. The reader is per- haps aware that the tusk of an elephant, thougli hard and solid at the point, is soft at the base, and has only a mere shell of hard ivory, the interior being filled with the soft vascular substance by which the tusk is con- tinually lengthened and enlarged. Indeed, the true ivory is only found in that portion of the tusk which projects from the head; the remainder, which is deeply imbedded in the skull, being made of soft substance in- closed in a shell of ivory. It is easy enough, therefore, for the Kaffir hunter to cut oft a portion of the base of the tusk, and to remove the soft vascular substance which fills it, leaving a tube of ivory, very thin and irregular at the extreme base, and becoming thicker toward the point. His next business is, to cut this tube into several pieces, so as to make rings of ivory, some two or three inches in width, and differing much in the thickness of ma- terial. Those which are made from the base of the tusk, and which have therefore a large diameter and no great thickness, are carefully polished, and placed on the arm above the elbow, while those of smaller di- ameter and thicker substance are merely slipped over the baud and worn as bracelets. There is now before me a photographic por- trait of a son of the celebrated chief Maco- mo, who is wearing two of these ivor}' rings, one on the left arm and the other on the wrist. A necklace, composed of leopard's teeth and claws, aids in attesting his skill as a hunter, and for the rest of his apparel the less said the better. A pair of these armlets is shown in the illustration on page 39. They are sketched from specimens in the collection of Colonel Lane Fox. The first of them is very simple. It consists merely of a piece, some two inches in width, cut from the base of an elephant's tusk, and moderately polished. There is no attempt at ornament about it. The second specimen is an example of much more elaborate construction. It is cut from the more solid portion of the tusk, and weighs very much more than its com^ panion armlet. Instead of being of uniform thickness throughout, it is shaped something like a quoit, or rather like a pair of quoits, with their flat sides placed together. The hole through which the arm passes is nicely rounded, and very smoothly jjolished, the latter circumstance being probably due to the friction of the wearer's arm. It is orna- mented by a double row of holes made around the aperture. The ivory is polished by means of a wet cord held at l.ioth ends, and drawn briskly backward aud forward. If the reader will refer to page 33, he will see that by the side of the conical breast ornament which has already lieen described there is a bracelet of beads. This is made of several strings of beads, white predominating, and red taking the next place. The Iiead strings are first laid side by side, and then twisted spirally into a loose kind of rope, a plan which brings out their colors very eti'ectivel)'. Metal is sometimes used for the same purpose, but not so frequently as the materials which have been mentioned. Mr. Grout mentions a curious specimen of one of these orna- ments, which was made of brass. " I have a rare antiqiu; of this kind before me, a royal armlet of early days, of the Zulu country. It is said to have been made in the time of Senzangakona, and to have descended from him to Tchaka, thence to Dingan, thence to Umpande (Panda), who gave it to one of his chief captains, who, obliged to leave Zululand by Kechwayo's uprising, brought it with him and sold it to me. It is made of brass, weighs about two pounds, and bears a good many marks of the smith's attempt at the curious and the clever." Brass and iron wire is frequently used for the manufacture of armlets, and tolerably heavy ornaments are sometimes found of SINGULAR SUPERSTITION. 47 the latter metal. Some years ago, a curious circumstance occurred with regard to these metallic armlets. A shining metallic pow- der was one day discovered, and was found capable of being smelted like iron, and made into ornaments. The chiefs were so jileased with this metal, which was more glittering than iron, that they reserved it for themselves, and gave away their iron ornaments to their followers. Some little time afterward, a contagious disease spread through the country, and several chiefs died. Of course the calamity was attri- buted to witchcralt, as is every death or illness among tUn Kaffir chiefs, and the business of discovering the offender was intrusted, as usual, to the witch doctors, a strange class of men, who will be fully described in a future page. After making a number of ineflectual guesses, they came to the conclusion that the cause of the dis- ease lay in the new-fangled metal, which had superseded the good old iron of the past. In consequence of this verdict, the unfortunate man who discovered the metal was put to death as an accessory, the chiefs resumed their iron ornaments, and the king issued an edict forbidding the use of the metal which had done so much harm. CHAPTER VI. FEMIOTNE DRESS AJ^B ORNAMENTS. WHEN DRESS IS FIRST WORN — PADfT AND OIL — THE FIRST GARMENT, AND ITS IirPOET — APRONS OP KAFFIR GIRLS — VARIOUS MATERIALS OF WHICH THE APRONS ARE MADE — BEADS AND LEATHER — CHANGE OF DRESS ON BETROTHAL — DRESS OF A MARRIED WOMAN — THE RED TOP-KNOT, AND ESTIMATION IN WHICH IT IS HELD — JEALOUSY AND ITS RESULTS — AN ELABORATE DRESS — ORDINARY APRON OF A MARRIED WOMAN — BEAD APRON OF A CHIEF'S 'WIFE — CURIOUS BRACE- LETS OF METAL — THEIR APPARENT INCONVENIENCE — BRACELETS SLVDE OF ANTELOPE'S HOOF — COSTUMES USED IN DANCES — QUANTITY OF BEADS USED IN THE DRESS — A STRANGE HEAD DRESS — BELTS AND SEjn-EELTS OF KjVFFIR WOMEN — NECKLACES — GOOD INTEREST AND BAD SECURITY — EVUTATION OF EITROPEAN FASHION — SUBSTITUTE FOR HANDKERCHIEFS — ANECDOTE OF A WEDDING DANCE — KAFFIR GALLANTRY — A SINGULAR DECORATION — KAFFIR CASTANETS — EARRINGS OF VARIOUS KINDS. As in the last chapter the dress and orna- ments of the Kaffir men were described, the subject of this chapter will be the cos- tume and decoration of the women. Both in material and general shape, there is considerable resemblance between the garments of the two sexes, but those of the females have a certain character about them which cannot be misunderstood. We will begin with the dress, and then proceed to the ornaments. As is the case with the hoys, the Kaffir girls do not trouble themselves about any clothes at all during the first few years of their life, but run about without any gar- ments except a coat of oil, a patch of paint, and jjerhaps a necklace, if the parents be rich enough to atford such a luxury. Even the paint is beyond the means of many parents, but the oil is a necessity, and a child of either sex is considered to be re- spectably dressed and to do credit to its parents when its body shines with a polish like that of patent leather. When a girl is approaching the age when she is expected to be exchangeable for cows, she 'indues her first and only garment, which she retains in its primitive shape and nearly its primitive dimensions until ehe has found a suitor who can pay the price required by her parents. This gar- ment is an apron, and is made of various materials, according to the means of the wearer. The simplest and most common type of apron is a fringe of narrow leathern strips, each strip being about the sixth of an inch wide, and five or six inches in length. A great number of these strips are fastened to a leathern thong, so that they form a kind of flexible apron, some ten or twelve inches in width. Generally, eight or ten of the strips at each side are double the length of the others. Examples of these aprons may be seen by referring to the figures of the two Kaffir girls on page 25, and, as their general make is sufficiently indicated, noth- ing more need be said about them. I have, however, several specimens of aprons which were worn by the daughters of wealthy men, and others were lent to me by Mr. H. Jackson. From them I have made a selec- tion, which will illustrate well the modes of forming this dress which were in fashion some few years ago. The apron represented by fig. 4 in the illustration of " dress and ornaments," page 49, is that which is most generally used. It is made of very delicate thongs twisted to- gether in rope fashion, and having the ends unravelled so as to make a thick fringe, and, as has already been observed, the thongs at each end are twice as long as those which occupy the centre. A broad belt of beads is placed along the upper edge of the apron, and festoons of beads hang below the belt. The colors are rather brilliant, being red, yellow, and white, and nearly all the thongs (48) (49) CHANGE OF DKESS OX BETKOTHAL. 51 have one larj^e white bead just above the knob, which prevents tliem from uuravel- liag too much. The baud by which it is sus- pended is also covered with beads, and it is fastened by means of a loop at oue end, and a large brass button at the otlier. These aprons are tixed in their position by two strings, oue of which passes round the waist, and the other below the hips. Another apron is seen at the side of the illustration entitled" Dress and ornaments," on page 49, fig. 1. This is a very elaborate aflair, and is made on a totally dilfereut principle. It is wholly made of beads, the threads which hold them together Ijeiug scarcely visible. In order to show the in- genious manner in which the beads are strung together, a portion of the apron is given separately. The colors of these beads are black and white, iu alternate stripes, and the two ends are a tritle larger than the middle of the dress. The belt by which it is suspended is made from large round lieads, arranged in rows of white, blue, and red, and tiie two ends are fastened to the apron by the inevitable brass button which has been so frequently mentioned. In the same collection is a still smaller apron, intended for a younger girl. This is made after the same principle, but the beads are arranged in a bold zigza,^ pattern of black, scarlet, and white, relieved by the glitter of highly polished brass buttons. This apron is illustrated in hg. 4 of " ICafflr ornaments," page 49, and a small portion of it is given on an enlarged scale, so as to show the arrangement of the beads. When the Kaffir girl is formally betrothed she alters her dress, and, besides the small apron, indues a piece of soft hide, which reaches to her knees, or a little below them, and this she wears until she is married, when she assumes the singularly ungraceful attire of the matron. Among the Zulu tribes, she shaves nearly the whole of her head on the crown, leaving only a little tuft of hair. This is gathered together with grease, red paint, and similar substances, and stands erect from the crown of her head. The young wife is then quite in the fashion. It is evidently the feminine substitute for the " issikoko " worn by the men. So fond are the married women of this rather absurd decoration, that it formed the subject of a curious trial that took place some years ago. Noie, the youngest wife of a native named Nongue, became suddenly disfigured; and, among other misfortunes, lost the little tuff of reddened hair. Poison was immediately suspected, and one of the elder wives was suspected as the culprit. She was accord- ingly brought up before the council, and a fair trial of five hours' duration was accorded to her. The investigation clearly proved that she had in her possession certain poi- sons, and that she had administered some deleterious substance to the young wife, of whom she had become jealous. The force of evidence was so great that she confessed her crime, and stated that she intended to make Noie's hair tuft lidl off iu order that the husband might be disgusted with the appearance of his new wife, and return to his old allegiance to herself. She was con- demned to death, that Iseing the punishment for all poisoners, and was led away to instant execution — a fate for which she seemed perfectly prepared, and which she met with remarkable unconcern, bidding farewell to the spectators as she passed them. Tlie curious respect paid by the natives to this ornament is the more remarkable, because its size is so very small. Even be- fore shaving the head, the short, crisp hair forms a very scanty covering; and when it is all removed except this little tuft, the remainder would hardly cover the head of a child's sixpenny doll. Among the illustrations given on p. 39, is shown a remarkablj' elaborate ajjron belong iug to a chief's wife, drawn from a specimen in Mr. Jackson's collection. It is made of leather, dressed and softened in the usual manner, but is furnished with a pocket and a needle. In order to show this pocket, I have brought it round to the front of the apron, though in actual wear it falls behind it. In the pocket were still a few beads and a brass button. Thread is also kept in it. On the inside of the apron is suspended one of the skewer-like needles which has been already described, so that the wearer is furnished with all appliances needful for a Kaffir seamstress. But the chief glory of the apron is its ornament of beads, which has a very bold effect against the dark mahogany hair of the apron itself. This ornament is made in the form of a triangular flap, quite distinct from the apron itself, and fastened to it only by the lower edge and the pointed tip. The beads are arranged in a series of diamond jiatterns, the outer edge of each diamond being made of white beads, and the others of different colors, red predominating. Figs. 2 and 3 in the "articles of costume," p. 33, and next to the men's " tails," already described, present two good examples of the women's aprons, both drawn from speci- mens in my collection. Fig. 3 is the thong apron of the women. It is made of an infinity of leather thongs, fastened to- gether in a way rather diiUcreut from that which has been mentioned. Instead of liaving the upper ends fixed along the belt so as to form a fringe, they are woven to- gether into a tolerably thick bmich, some four inches in width, and wider below than above. In many cases these thongs are ornamented by little scraps of iron, brass, tin, or other metal, wi-apped round them ; and in some instances beads are threaded on the thongs. This apron would not belong to a woman of any high rank, for it 52 THE KATFIR. has no ornament of any kind (except a thorough saturation witli highly perfumed grease), and is made of materials within the reach of every one. Any odd sli]).s of liide thrown away in the process of Kaffir tailoring can be cut into the narrow thongs used for the inirpose, and no very great skill is needed in its construction ; for, though strongly made, it is the work of a rather clumsy'haud. Such is not the case with the remarkable apron shown at tig. 2 of the same illustra- tion. This specimen is made in a rather unusual manner. The basis of the apron is a piece of the same leather which is usually employed for such purjjoses; but, instead of beiug soft and llexible, it is quite hard and stiff, and cannot be bent without danger of cracking. The beads are sewed lirmly on the leather, and are arranged in parallel lines, alternately white and lilac, a few black beads being pressed into the service by the maker, apparently for want of those of a proper color. Even the belt by which it is supported is covered profusely with beads ; so that, altogether, this is a remark- ably good .specimen of the apron belonging to a Kaffir woman of rank. The object represented at fig. 4 is a head- dress, which will be described when we come to Kaffir warfare. A general idea of a Kaffir woman's dress may be gained by reference to the illustra- tion "Dolls," page 33, representing a Kaffir and his wife. He is shown as wearing the apron and a short kaross ; while she wears a larger mantle, and the thong-apron which has just been described. She is also carry- ing the sleeping mat ; he, of course, not condescending to carry anything. Her ankles are bound with the skin ropes which have been already described ; and a chain or two of beads completes her costume. Young wives have usually another orna- ment on which they pride themselves. This is a piece of skin, generally that of an ante- lope, about eighteen inches wide, and a yard or even more in length. This is tied across the upper part of the chest, so as to allow the end to fall as low as the knees, and is often very gaily decorated. Down the cen- tre of this skin a strip about six inches in width is deprived of hair, and on this denuded portion the wearer fastens all the beads and buttons that can be spared from other parts of her own costume. In one costume of a young Zulu wife, the bottom of this strip is covered with several rows of brass buttons, polished very highly, and glittering in the sunbeams. This article of dress, however, is disappearing among the frontier Kaffirs, who substitute European stuffs for the skin garments which they for- merly wore, and which are certainly more becoming to them. The same may be said of many other articles of clothing, which, as well as the manners and customs, have undergone so complete a modification by intercourse with Europeans, that the Kaffir of the present day is scared}' to be recog- nized as the same being as the Kaffir of fifty years ago. An to the Hottentots, of whom we shall soon treat, they are now a differ- ent iieople from the race described by Le Yaillaut and earlier travellers. Married women are also fond of wearing bracelets, or rather gauntlets, of polished metal ; sometimes made of a single piece, sometimes of successive rings, and some- times of metal wound spirally from the wrist U]nvard. Some of these ornaments are so heavy and cumbrous, that they must greatly interfere with the movements of the wrist ; but in this country, as in others, j)ersonal inconvenience is little regarded when decorations are in the case. In the illustration at the head of .39th p. are shown some bracelets of a very peculiar fashion, drawn from spei-imens in my own collection. They belonged to one of the wives of Goza, and were taken from her wrists by the purchaser. The_y are made in a very ingenious manner from the hoofs of the tiny African antelope, the Bluebok, and are formed in the following manner : — The leg of the antelope having been cut ofi', the skin was cut longitudinally on either side as far as the hoof, which was then separated from the bone, leaving the sharp, horny hoofs adhering to the skin. As tlie skiu was cut so as to leave a flat thong attached to each side of the hoof, it was ea.sy enough to form the bracelet into the shape which is seen in the illustration. One remarkable point about these brace- lets is their very small size, which shows the diminutivencss of the Kaffir hand ; although the owner of these bracelets was a married woman, and therefore accus- tomed to tasks which would not be very light even for an English laborer. Both the bracelets arc shown, and liy the side of them is another made from ordinary string, such as is used for tying parcels in England. What could have induced a wife of so pow- erful a chief as Goza to wear so paltry an ornament I cannot conceive, except that perhaps she may have purchased it from one of the witch doctors, who has per- formed some ceremony over it, and sold it as a charm. Kaffirs have the most pro- found i:iith in charms, and will wear any- thing, no matter how commonplace it may be, if they even fancy that it may possess magic powers. If the reader will refer to the " Kaffir orna- ments " on page 33, fig. 1, he will see a cir- cular one, made of beads. This is one of the most cherished decorations of a Kaffir girl, and it is such as cannot be aftbrded by any person who is not in affluent circum- stances. It is made in a very ingenious manner, so as to preserve its shape, al- though it has to be worn round the waist. COSTUMES USED IN DANCES. 53 and consequently to be forced over the shoulders. The centre of this handsome belt is made of leather, sewed iirnily to- gether so as to form a cylindrical circle, and plentifully imbrued with grease to ren- der it elastic. Upon this structure the beads are fastened, in regular spiral rows, so that the belt may be pulled about and altered in shape without disturbing the arrangement of the beads. The projector of this belt has contrived to arrange the beads in such a manner as to present alter- nate zigzags of blue and yellow, the effect of which on the dark chocolate skin would be very telling. This belt may be seen round the waist of the young girl, whose likeness is given on page 43. The damsel in question is sup- posed to be arrayed for a dance, and, in such a case, she would put on every article of finery that she possessed. Her woolly hair is ornamented by a quantity of porcupine quills, the alternate black and white of which have a very good eftect. Porcupine quills are, however, not very easily obtained. Hunting the porcupine is a task "that belongs to the other sex, and is quite out of the way of tlie women. The animal is not a pleasant antagonist; and if his burrow be stopped, and he be finally driven to bay, he gives his pursuer no small trouble, having a nasty habit of erecting all his quills, and then suddenly backing in the direction where he is least expected. A Kaffir's naked legs have no chance against the porcupine's quills, and when several porcupines are simultaneously attacked by a group of Kaffirs, the scene is exceedingly ludicrous, the Kaffirs leaping about as if bewitched, but, in reality, spring- ing into the air to avoid the sudden rushes of the porcupines. Unless, therefore, the parent or admirer of a 3'oung woman should happen to present her with quills, she is forced to put up with some other ornament. One rathercommondecoration is bj-flistening into the hair a number of the long, straight thorns of the mimosa, and so defending her head from imaginary assaults as effectually as her more fortunate sister. The energy which these girls display in the dance "is extraordinary, and it need be so, when some of them ^vill wear nearly fifty pounds' weight of beads, bracelets, anklets, belts, and other ornaments. However, the knowledge of their magnificence is sufficient to sustain them, and they will go through the most violent exertions when displaying their ac- tivity in the dance. ^ As to the belt which has just been men- tioned, I was anxious to know whether it could be worn by our own countrywomen. So, after taking the precaution of washing it very thoroughly with a hard brush, soap, and soda, I tried it on a 3'oung lady, and was surprised to find that it passed into its place without much trouble, though its progress was, of course, impeded by dress, whereas the naked and well-oiled body of the Kaffir girl allows the belt to slip over the arms and shoulders at once. There is another remarkable ornament of the young Kaffir women, which I call the semi-belt. It is flat, generally made of strings and thongs, and ornamented at in- tervals with beads arranged in cross-bands. At each end is a loop, through which a string is passed, so that the wearer can fasten it round her body. Now, the belt is only long enough to go half round the body, aiid the mode of wearing it is rather remarkable. Instead of placing the whole of the belt in front, as naturally might be supposed, the wearer passes it round one side of the body, so that one end is in front, and the other behind. Strange as is this mode of wearing it, the custom is universal, and in every group of girls or young women sev- eral are sure to be wearing a semi-belt round the body. Another of^these belts is shown in the illustration of "Kaffir orna- ments" on page 49, fig. .3. This is not so elaborate an article, and lias only a few bands of beads, instead of being nearly cov- ered with them. As for the necklaces worn by the Kaffir women, they are generally nothing more than strings of beads, and require no jjar- ticular notice. There is one, however, which is so diffin-ent from the ordinary neck- laces, that I have had it engraved. It may be seen in the illustration at page 49, fig. 3, next to the handsome bead apron which' has already been described. As may be seen by reference to the illustration, it is formed entirely of beads, and is ornamented with six triangular appendages, also made of beads. The general color of the beads is white, but the interior of the triangular appendages is cobalt blue; while the larger beads that are placed singly upon the necklace are of ruby glass. When this remarkable necklace is placed round the neck, the triangular flaps fall regularly (;n the breast and shoulders, and, when contrasted with the dark skin of the wearer, have an admirable effect. Lately, two articles of dress, or rather of ornament, have been imported from Europe into Africa, and have met with great suc- cess among the chocolate-colored belles of Kafflrland. Enterprising traders in South- ern Africa do not set up permanent shops as we do in Englanl, but stock a wagon with all sorts of miscellaneous goods, and undertake journeys into the interior, where they barter their stock for elephants' tusks and teeth, horns, skins, ostrich feathers, and similar commodities. They have a most miscellaneous assortment of goods, and act very much in the same manner as those wandering traders among ourselves who are popularly called " cheap Johns," the chief distinction being that their stock is by no means cheap, but is sold at about 1,000 per 54 THE KAFFIR, cent, profit on the original outlay. This seems rather an excessive percentage ; but it must be remembered that the old adage of high interest and bad security holds good in this as in other speculations. War may break out, the trader be speared, his wagou robbed, and his oxen couflscated. The dreaded murrain may carry oil' his cattle, or they may be starved for want of food, slowly killed by thirst, or drowned by a sudden rush of "water, which may almost instanta- neously convert a dry gully into a raging torrent that sweeps everj'thing before it. Fashions may change, and his whole stock be valueless; or some "prophet" may take it into his head to proclaim that the sound of his wagon wheels prevents the rain from falling. Moreover, he is unmercifully fleeced by the different chiefs tlirough whose territories he passes, and who exact an extortionate toll before they will allow him to pass to tlie next chief, who will serve him in much the same manner. Al- together, if the journey be a successful one, the trader will make about fifty or sixty per cent, clear profit; but, as the journey is often an utter failure, this is really no very exorbitant rate of interest on his outlay. The trader will, above all things, take plenty of tobacco — this being the key to the heart of a Kaffir, old or young, man or woman. He will take guns and ammunition for the men; also spirits of the roughest and coarsest kind, a better and purer article being quite wasted on his sable customers. Beads, of course, he carries, as well as but- tons, blankets, and other luxuries; also he will have the great iron hoe blades with Which the women till the ground, that he can sell for one-sixth of the price and which are twice the quality of the native-made hoe. One of these bold wagon-owners bethought himself of buying a few gross of brass curtain rings of the largest size, and was gratified by finding that they were eagerly bought up wherever he went. The natives saw at once that the brass rings were better bracelets than could be made by themselves, and they accordingly lavished their savage treasures in order to buy them. One of the oddest examples of the vicissi- tude of African trade occurred some few years ago. An English vessel arrived at the port, a large part of her cargo consisting of stout iron wire, nearly the whole of which was bought by the natives, and straightway vanished, no one knowing what had become of it. The mystery was soon solved. Sud- denly the Kaffir belles appeared in new and fashionable costume. Some of them had been to the towns inhabited by Europeans, and had seen certain " cages " "hung outside the drapers' shops. They inquired the use of these singular objects,'and were told that they were the fiishionable attire of European ladies. They straightway burned to possess similar costumes, and when the vessel arrived with its cargo of wire they bought it u]), and took it home for the purpose of imitating the white ladies. Of course they had not the least idea that any other article of ajiparel was necessarj-, and so they wore none, but walked about the streets quite proud of their fashionaljle appearance. As the dancers are encumbered with such an amount of decoration, and as they exert themselves most violently, a very 'natural result follows. The climate is very hot, and the exercise makes the dancer hotter, so that the abundant grease trickles over the face and body, and inconveniences the per- former, who is certainly not fastidious in her notions. As to handkerchiefs, or anything approaching to tlie idea of such articles, she is in perfect ignorance, her whole outfit con- sisting of the little apron above mentioned, and an unlimited supjily of beads. But she is not unprovided for emergencies, and car- ries with her an instrument very like the " strigil " of the ancients, and usecl for much the same purpose. Sometimes it is made of bone, sometimes of wood, sometimes of ivory, and sometimes of metal. It varies much in shape, but is generally hollowed slightly, like a carpenter's gouge, and has its edges made about as sharp as those of an ordi- nary paper knife. In fact, it very much resembles a magnified marrow spoon. A specimen of the commoner sort is given at fig. 6, in " Kaffir ornaments," on page 49. The material of this strigil is iron, and it is attached to a plain leather strap. Sometimes a rather unexpected article is substituted for the strigil, as may be seen from the following anecdote related by Mr. G. H. Mason. He went to see the wedding of a Kaffir chief, who was about to marry his fourteenth wife, and found the bridegroom seated in the midst of the village, encircled by a row of armed warriors, and beyond them by a row of women with children. ' " Scarcely had we taken our station near the Umdodie (husband), when a low shrill chant came floating on the breeze from the bottom of a lovely vale hard by, where I descried a long "train of damsels slowly wending their way among bright green patches of Indian corn and masses of flow- ering shrubs, studded with giant cactus, and the huge flowering aloe. As the procession neared" the huts, they quickened their pace and raised their voices to the highest pitch, until they arrived at the said cattle-kraal, where they stood motionless and silent. "A messenger from the Umdodie then bade them enter the kraal, an order that they instantly obeyed, by twos. the youngest leading the way, closely followed by the rest, and ternnnated by a host of marriageable young ladies (Intombies), clustering thick around tlie bride — a fat, good-natured girl, wrapped round and round with black glazed calico, and decked from head to foot with flowers, beads, and feathers. Once within DANCING. 55 the kraal, the ladies formed two lines, with the bride iu the centre, and struck up a lively air; whereupon the whole body of armed Kaffirs rushed from all parts of the kraal, beating their shields, and uttering demon yells as they charged lieadlong at the smiling' girls, who joined with the stalwart warrio'rs in cutting capers and singing lus- tily, until the whole kraal was one confused mass of demons, roaring out hoarse war- songs and shrill love-ditties. After an hour, dancing ceased, and joila (Kaffir beer) was served'round, while the lovely bride stood iu the midst of the ring alone, stared at by all, and staring iu turn at all, until she brought her eyes to bear on her admiring lord. Then, advancing leisurely, she danced before him, amid shouts of the bystanders, singing at the top of her voice, and liran- dishing a huge carving-Jcmfe, with which she scraped big drops of perspiration from her heated head, produced by the unusually vio- lent exercise she was performing."' It appears, from the same oljservant writer, that whatevai- the amount of finery may be which a Kaffir girl wears, it is considered only consistent with ordinary gallantry that ii should be admired. While he was build- ing a house, assisted by a number of Kattirs, he found that his men never allowed the dusky maidens to pass within sight without saluting them, or standing quite motionless, full in their path, so that each might mutu- ally inspect the other. " Thus it frequently happened that troops of girls came iu from the Kaffir kraals with maize, thatch, milk, eggs, wild fruit, sugar- cane, potatoes, &c., &c., for sale; and no sooner did their shrill song reach the ears of our servants, than they rushed from their work, just as they were, some besmeared with niud, others spattered with whitewash, and the rest armed with spades, pickaxes, buckets, brick-moulds, or whatever else chanced to be in their hands at the mo- ment." There is a curious kind of ornament much in vogue among the Kaffir women, namely, a series of raised scars upon the wrists, and ex- tendingpartiallyup the arms. These .scarsare made in childhood, and the wounds are filled with some substance that causes them to be raised above the level of the skin. They fancy that these sears are useful as well as ornamental, and consider them in the light of amulets. Other portions of the limbs are sometimes decorated with these scars; and in one or two cases, not only the limbs, but the whole body, has been nearly covered with them. The material with which the wounds are filled is supposed to be the ashes of a snake. During their dances, the Kaffirs of both sexes hke to make as much noise as possi' ble, and aid their voices by certain mechani- cal contrivances. One of the most simple is made of a number of dry seeds. In shape these seeds are angular, and much resemble the common Brazil nut in form. The shell of the seed is very thin and hard, and the kernel shrinks within it so as to rattle about with every movement. In some cases the kernel is removed, and the rattling sound is produced entirely by the hard shells striking against each other. When a num- ber of these seeds are strung together, and upon the legs or arms, they make quite a loud rattling sound, in accordance with the movements of the dancers, and are, in fact, the Kaffir substitutes for castanets. In some parts of Central Africa, a curious imitation of these natui-al castanets is made. It con- sists of a thin shell of iron, exactly resem- bling in form that of the nut, and having a little iron ball within, which takes the place of the shrivelled kernel. Earrings are worn in Kafflrland a.s well as in other parts of the world, and are equally fashionable in both sexes. The ears are pierced at a very early age, and the aperture enlarged by having a graduated series of bits of wood thrust through them, until they are large enough to hold a snufl' box, an ivory knob, or similar ornament. One of these earring snuflF boxes may be seen in the illustration " Dress " p. 49, fig. C. [t is made of a piece of reed, three inches in length, closed at one end; and having a stopper thrust into the other. The original color of the reed is bright yellow, with a high natural polish, but the Kaffir is not sat- isfied with having it in its natural state, and ornaments it with various patterns in black. These are produced by charring the wood with a hot iron, and the neatness and truth of the work is very astonishing, when the rudeness of the tools is taken into consider- ation. In the present specimen, the pattern is alternate diamonds of black and yellow. This mode of decorating their ornaments and utensils is very common among the Kaflirs, and we shall see more of it as we proceed. Snuff boxes are not, however, the only ornaments which a Kaffir will wear iu the ears, for there is scarcely anything which is tolerably showy and which can be fastened to the ear that v/ill not be worn there. CHAPTER Vn AUCHITECTUEE. CHIEF CHAKACTERISTICS OF KAFFTR AKCHITECTURB — PREVALENCE OP THE CIRCULAK FORM — mX- ELLITY OF THE KAFFIR TO DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE — GENERAL FORM OF THE KAFFIR'S HUT — THE INCREDULITY OF IGNORANCE — METHOD OF HOUSE-EUILDING — PRECAUTION AGAINST INUN- DATION — FEMALE ARCHITECTS — MODE OF PLANNING A HUT — KAFFIR OSTENTATION — FRAGILITY OF THE HUT — AN'ECDOTE OF W^VRFARE — THE ENRAGED ELEPHANT, AND A DOMESTIC TRAGEDY — HOW THE ROOF IS SUPPORTED — SMOKE AND SOOT ^ THE HURDLE DOOR — HOW IT IS JIABE — SCREENS FOR KEEPING OFF THE WIND — DECORATIONS OF DINGAN'S HOUSE — AVERAGE FURNI- TURE OF THE KAFFIR HUT — THE KRAAL, ITS PLAN AND PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTION — KNOWL- EDGE OF FORTIFICATION — CHIEF OBJECT OF THE KRAAL — TWO MODES OF 5L\KING THE FENCE — THE AEATTIS AND THE CHE VAUX DE FRISE — SIZE OF THE KRAAL — THE KING'S MILITARY KRAAL OR GARRISON TOWN — VISIT TO ONE OF PANBA'S KRAALS — THE HAREM, ITS INJIATES AND ITS GUARDIANS. The architecture of these trihcs is very simple, and, altliough sUghtly variable iu dilfereut localities, is marked throughout by similar characteristics. On looking at any specimen of KatHr architecture, the specta- tor is at once struck with one peculiarity, namely, that all his buildings arc circular. It is a remarkable fact that the Kaffir does not seem to be cajiable of marking out a straight line, and whether he builds a hut, or erects a fence, he takes the circle as his guide. A Kaffir's attempts to erect a square enclosure, or even to build a fence in a straight line, are ludicrous failures. With Europeans the case is different. A settler who desires to build a fence wherein to en- close his garden, or a stockade within which his house and property can remain in safety, invariably builds on the rectilinear princi- ple, and makes the fence in the form of a square. He would feel himself cjuite fettered if he were forced to build a circular enclos- ure, whereas the Kaffir would be as much at a loss if he were obliged to build a square edifice. Indeed, though the European could, at the cost of some trouble, build a circular house, and would make his circle ti'ue, the K.affir would utterly fiil in attempting to make a building of a square or an oblong form. One of my friends, who has travelled much among the Kaffir tribes, and gone among villages whose inhabitants had never seen an European building, told me that it was hardly possible to make the natives compre- hend the structure of an European house. The very shape of it puzzled them, and the gable ends and the ridged roof seemed so strange to them as to be scarcely credible. As to the various stories in a house, several rooms on a stor}', and staircases which lead from one to the other, thej* fiatly declined to believe that anything of the kind could exist, and thought that their guest was try- ing to amuse himself at the expense of their credulity. They did believe in the possibil- ity of St. Paul's cathedral, on account of its domed roof, but they could not be induced to believe in its size. They defended their position by argument, not merel_y content- ing themselves with assertions. Their chief argument was derived from the impossibil- ity of such a building sustaining its own weight. The only building materials of which they had any exjjerience were the posts and sticks of which their own houses were made, and the reeds wherewith they were thatched. Sometimes a very luxuri- ous house-owner would plaster the interior with mud, producing that peculiar style of architecture which is jiopularly called " wattle-and-daub." They could not com- prehend in the least that stone could be used in building dwelling-houses; and the whole system of cutting "stone into rectangular pieces, and the use of bricks, was equally beyond their comprehension. Jlortar also was an inexplicable mystery, so that on the whole they decided on discrediting the tales told them by the white man. A Kaffir house (see page 155) locks just It is of pre- (36) KAFFIRS AT HOME. (See page 70.) (57) KATFIR HUTS. 59 cisely the same shape, is made of nearly the same materials, and has a little arched door, just like the entrance of a beehive, through which a man can barely creep on his hands and knees. The structure of these huts is very simple. A circle is drawn of some four- teen feet in diameter, and around it are stuck a number of long, flexible sticks. These sticks are then bent over at the top and tied together, so as to form a framework very like a common wire mousetrap. A reed thatch- ing is then laid over the sticks, and secured in its place by parallel lashings. These lashings are made of " monkey-rojjes," or the creepers that extend their interminable length from tree to tree, and are found of every size, from a cable to a packthread. They twist themselves into so rope-like a shape, that many persons have refused to believe that they have not been artificially made. The rows of lashing are about eigh- teen inches apart. In shape, the hut is ex- actly like the well-known snow house of the Esquimaux. As, during the wet season, the rain pours down in torrents, the huts would be swamped for several months but for the pre- caution which the natives take of digging round each hut a trench of some eighteen inches or two feet in depth, and the same in breadth. This trench is about six inches from the wall of the hut, and serves to keep the floor dry. The reader may remember that all European soldiers are taught to dig a trench round each liut while they are under canvas, the neglect of this precaution being sure to cause both great inconven- ience and unhealthiness. The woman generally marks the outline of her hut in a very simple manner. She takes a numljer of flexible sticks, and ties them together firmly with leathern thongs, or the rough and ready string which the Kaffirs make from rushes by tearing them into strips and rolling them on the leg with the palm of the hand. Three or even four sticks are usually joined together, in order to attain sufiicient length. She then pushes one end deeply into the ground, bends the other end over so as to make an arch, and pushes that into the ground also. This arch becomes the key to the whole Ijuilding, set- tling its height and width. Another arch is set in the ground at right angles to the former, and the two are lashed together at the top where they cross, so that a rough kind of skeleton of the hut is made in a very short time. On the roof of the hut may sometimes be seen the skulls of oxen. This ornament is highly characteristic of the Kaffir. The high value which he sets on his cows is not surpassed by the love of the most confirmed miser for his gold. But there is another trait of the Kaffir mind, which is even stronger than avarice, and that is ostenta- tion, to which his cattle become of secondary consideration. Unwilling as he is to kill any of the cattle which constitute his wealth, and which he values scarcely less than his own life, he will, on certain occasions, slaughter one, and give a feast to his neigh- bors, who are sure to praise him in terms suitable to the magnificence — i.e. the quan- tity — of the banquet. He is nearly certain to be addressed as Father, and perhaps some of the more enthusiastic, when excited by beef, beer, and snuff, may actually hail him as Chief. The slaughter of an ox is there- fore a great event in the life of a Kaffir, and is sure to act as a step toward higher rank. Lest the memory of such an event should fade away as soon as the banquet has been ended, the proud donor takes the skull of the slaughtered ox and places it on the roof of his hut, where it remains as a sign that the owner of the dwelling is a man of prop- erty, and has been able to spare one of his oxen to serve as a feast for his friends. The building being now finished, the opening which serves as a door is cut on one side, its edges guarded with plaited twigs, and the Kaffir desires no better house. Though it has no window, no chimney, and no door that deserves the name, ho would not exchange it for a palace, and many instances have been known where Kaffirs who have been taken to European cities, have travelled much, and been tolerably educated, have flung off their civilized garments, re-assumed the skin-dress of their nation, and gone off to live in huts instead of houses. The whole structure is necessarily very fragile, and the walls cannot endure much violence. A curious example of their fragility oc- curred some time ago, when one chief made a raid upon the village of another. A number of men liad taken refuge in a hut, from which it was not easy to drive them. Assagais were hurled through the sides of the hut, and did much damage to the ihmates. The survivors tried to save them- selves by climliing up the framework of the hut and clinging to the roof, but the slight structure could not support their bodies, and by yielding to their weight betrayed them to the watchful enemies without. The upper illustration on page C3 repre- sents the interior of an exceptionally large hut, being, in fact, the principal residence of a chief. Very few huts have more than four supporting posts. On the left may be seen two of the large store baskets, in which milk is kept and made into " aniasi," while just beyond the first basket is a sleeping mat rolled up and resting against the wall. Some large earthenware pots, such as are used in cookery, are seen at the farther end of the hut, and a calabash rests against one of the posts. To the roof are hung bunches of maize, according to the curious Kaffir cus- tom, which seems to ignore the fact that every thing on the roof of a hut is soon 60 THE KAFFIR. blackened with soot, owing to the smoke from the fire. Whether hirge or small, all the houses are made on exactly the same principle, and except for their superior size, and the ox skulls which decorate them, the houses occupied hy chiefs have nothing to distinguish them from those which are inhabited by their dependants. Against brute foes the hut is sometimes but a frail protection. On one occasion an elephant was attracted by a quantity of millet, which was stored within a fence. lie pushed his way through tlie useless barrier, and began "feeding on the millet. There was a fire in one of the huts, and the elephant, in- stead of being scared by it, became angry, knocked the house to pieces, and walked over the ruins, trampling to death a woman who was lying asleep. Her husband nearly shared the same fate, but managed to roll out of the way, and then to escape by creeping between the legs of the angry elephant. The roof of the hut is not wholly de- pendent for support on the flexible sticks which form its walls, but is held up by a post or two, on the top of which is laid a cross-beam. Tliis arrangement also per- mits the owner of the hut to hang to the beam and posts sundry articles which he does not wish to be injured by being thrown on the ground, such as gourds, baskets, assagai-shafts, spoons, and other implements. Banged carelessly round the hut are the rude earthenware pots, iu which the KatHr keeps his beer. Ids milk, and present stores of grain. The floor of the hut is always kept scrupulously clean, and is generally as hard as stone, being made of well- kneaded clay laid very smoothly, and beaten until it is quite hard. The best clay for this purpose is obtained from the nests of the white ant, which are beaten to pieces, then pounded, and then mixed very carefully with water. In a well-regu- lated hut, the women are very careful of their floor, and rub it daily with flat stones, until it is not only smooth, but even pol- ished. Just within the entrance is the primitive fireplace. This, like almost everything which the Kaffir makes, is circular in form, and is made usually of mud; its only object is to confine the embers within a limited space. Cooking is not always carried on in the ordinary house, nor is the fire kept con- stantly. In a permanent kraal there are cooking huts erected for that one special purpose, and not used for any other. They may be called demi-huts, as their only ob- ject is to guard the fire from the etfect of wind. They are circular, like all ordinary huts, but Iheir walls are only four feet or so in height, and are carefully daubed with a mixture of clay and cowdung, so as to form a most efficient protection against the wind. The smoke from the fire is allowed to escape as It can. Some of it contrives to force its way between the interstices of the thatch, as may be seen by refer- ence to tlie illustration on page — . Some of it circles around the walls and pours through the door-way, but the greater part of it settles, in the form of soot, upon the interior of tlie hut, blackening everything within it. When the Kal- firs wish to season the wood of their assagai-shafts or knobkerries, they stick it into the roof of the house, just above the fireplace, exactlj^ as bacon is cured in the smoke. A curious reference to this custom is made iu a song composed in honor of Panda, King of the Zulu tribes. When Diiigan murdered his predecessor Tchaka, he killed other chiefs at the same time, but was persuaded to leave Panda alive — "Of tlio stock of Ndaliitza, ramrod of brass, SiirN'ivor iilonc of all otlit-r rods; OtluTs tlicy broke, but left this in the soot, Tliiidiiug to bum it some rainy cold day." Reference is here made to the custom of leaving sticks and shafts in the sootj' roof. At night, the entrance of the hut is closed by a simple door made of wicker work, and looking much like the closely-woven sheep hurdles which are used in some parts of England. With the exception that the Kaffir always sits down at his work, the mode of making these doors is almost iden- tical with that which is employed by the shepherds in this country. The Kaffir begins by choosing some straight and tolerably stout sticks, and driv- ing them into the ground at regular distan- ces from each other. These are intended as the supports or framework of the door. He then takes a quantity of pliant sticks, like the osiers of our basket makers, and weaves them in and out of the upright stakes, beating them down continually to make them lie closely together. When the door is completed, the upright sticks are cut ofl' to the proper length, and it can then be fitted to the hut. If the reader has any acquaintance with military aftairs, he may remember that gabions are made in precisely the same ■manner, except that the upright stakes are placed in a circle, and not in a straight line. In order to keep the wind from blowing too freely into their huts, the Kaffirs make screens, which are placed so as to shelter the entrance. These screens are made of sticks and rushes such as the door is made of, only of lighter materials, and their position can be shifted with every change of wind. Some of the permanent houses are built with a great amount of care, and occupy at least a month in their construction. In most of them the interior view is much the same, KKAAI.. 61 namely, the domed roof, supported by four posts "placed in the form of a square, with the fireplace exactly in the centre. The natives will often expend much time and trouble iu decorating; their permanent man- sions, and Mr. Christie tells me that he has seen the very posts thickly encrusted with lieads. Of course they soon become blackened by the smoke, hilt a quick rub of the palm of'the hand brings out the colors anew. One of Dingan's huts, which was visited by Reticf, tlie Dutch colonist, was most beautifully built, and supported by twenty-two pillars, each of which was en- tirely covered with beads. The huts are, from the nature of the ma- terial of which they are made, exceedingly inflammable, and it sometimes happens that if one of the houses of a village take fire, the whole of them are consumed in a very short tim;_'. Fortunately, they are so easily built that the inconvenience is nut nearly so great as .is the ease when European houses are burned. Moreover, the furniture which they contain is so limited in quantity and so simple in material, that it can be replaced witliout much difficulty. A mat or two, a few baskets, a pillow, a milking pail, one or two rude earthenware pots, and a bundle of assagais, constitute an amount of property which is not to be found in every hut. The huts of the Kaffirs are generally gath- ered together into little groups, which are popularly called " kraals." This is not a Zulu or a Hottentot word, and is probably a corruption of the word " corral." There are t^YO modes of forming a kraal, and the particular mode is determined by the local- ity. The Kaffir tribes generally like to place their kraal on the side of a hill in the vicinity of the bush, in order that they may obtain" plenty of building material. They are, however, sufficiently acquainted with the principles of fortification to clear a large space around their dwellings, so that, in case they should be attacked, the enemy cannot conceal his movements from the defenders. The first care of a Kaffir is to protect his beloved cows, and for that purpose a circu- lar space is enclosed with a high fence, made very strongly. The fence is about six or seven feet in height, and is made in a simple and very effective manner. The fence which surrounds the cattle and the huts is mostly made iu one of two modes — at all eventsj iu the more southern part of the country, where timber is exceedingly plentiful. The tribes on the north of Kaffir- land, who live where timber is comparatively scarce, build their walls of large stones piled on one another, without any mortar, or even mud, to fill up the interstices. The southern tribes use nothing but wood, and form the walls by two dift'erent methods. That which is commonly employed is very simple. A number of trees are felled, and their trunks severed a few feet below the spot whence the branches spring. A great number of these tree tops are then arranged in a circle, the severed ends of the stems being iuward, and the branches pointing outward. In fact, the fence is exactly that species of rapid and effective fortitication called, in military language, an " abattis." If the branches of a tree are very large, they can be laid singly on the ground, just as if they were the entire heads of trees. In some cases, where the kraal is more carefully built, the fence is formed of stout poles, which are driven into the ground, in a double row, some three feet apart, and are then lashed together in such a way that their tops cross each other. In consequence of this arrangement, the fence stands very firmly on its broad basis, while the crossing and projecting tops of the poles form a che- vaux defrise as effectual as any that is made by the Eurojiean soldier. If the enemy try to climb the fence, they can be ■(vounded by spears thrust at them from the interior; and if they succeed in reaching the top, the sharp tips of the poles are ready to embarrass them. The entrance to this enclosure is just wide enough to allow a cow to pass ; and in some places, where the neighborhood is insecure, it is so narrow that there hardly seems to be space enough for the cattle to pass in and out. Each night it is carefully closed with poles and sticks, which are kept just within the entrance, so as to be ready to hand when wanted. Opposite to the entrance, and at the further extremity, a small enclosure, also with circular walls, is built. In this pen the larger calves are kept, the younger being inmates of the huts, together with the human inhabitants. By the side of this en- closure a little gap is left in the fence, just large enough for a man to squeeze himself through, aud not large enough to allow even a calf to pass. This little aperture is the chiefs private door, and intended for the purpose of saving time, as otherwise, if the chief were inspecting his cattle, aud wished to go to his own hut, he would be obliged to walk all round the fence. The Zulu name for the space within this fence is " isi-baya." Around the isi-baya are set the huts which constitute the kraal. Their number is exceedingly variable, but the general av- erage is from ten to fourteen. Those which are placed at either side of the entrance to the isi-baya are devoted to the servants, while that which is exactly opposite to it is the habitation of the chief man. There are mostly agreat many kraals belonging to one tribe, and it often happens that several neighljoring kraals are all tenanted I')y the members of one family and their depend- ants. For example, when the son of a chief attains sufficient consequence to possess sev- eral wives and a herd of cattle, he finds that the paternal kraal is not large enough to 62 THE KAFFIB. afl'ord to each wife the separate hut to wliich she is entitled; so lie migrates witli his fam- ily to a short distance, and there builds a kraal for himself, sometimes so close to that of his father that he connects them b}' means of a short fenced passage. The chief liut may easily be known, not only by its posi- tion, but by its larger dimensions. Some of the other huts are occupied by married men, some by his wives, some by his servants: while at leastone hut is reserved for the use of tlie unmarried men, or " boys," as they are called. This is all that is needed to complete a kraal, ;. e. the circular isi-baya, and the huts round it. But, in situations where plenty of wood can be found, the KafHr archi- tect erects a second fence, which encloses all the huts, as well as the isi-baya, and has its entrance in exactly the same position, »'. e. opijosite to the chiet"s hut. The dis- tant view of one of these doubly-fenced kraals, when it happens to be situated on the slope of a hill, is extremely curious, and would scarcely give a stranger an idea of a village. It will be seen in an engraving oppo- site, that the central portion of the kraal is given to the isa-baya, and that the Kaffirs devote all their energies toward preserv- ing their cows, while they seem to look with comparative indifference on the risk of exposing themselves or their fragile huts to the inroads of the enemy. As has al- ready been stated, the size of the kraal varies with the wealth and rank of its chief man, and, owing to its mode of construc- tion, can be gradually enlarged as he rises to higher dignities and the possession of more'cattle. In shape, however, and the princi])le of construction, kraals are alike, that of the king himself and the newly- made kraal of a younger son being exactly the same in these respects. The king's kraals, however, are of enor- mous dimensions, and are several in num- ber. Panda, for example, has one kraal, the central enclosure of which is nearly a mile in diameter. This enclosure is sup- posed to be filled with the monarch's cows, and is consequently called by the name of isi-baya. Practically, however, the cattle are kept in smaller enclosures, arranged along the sides of the isi-baya, where they can be watched by those who have the charge of them, and whose huts are placed conven- iently for that purpose. The vast central enclosure is used almost exclusivelj' as a pa- rade ground, where the king can review his ti'oops, and where they are taught to go through the simple man(jeuvres of Kaffir warfare. Here, akso, he may be seen in council, the isi-baya being able to accom- modate an unlimited number of suitors. Around the isi-baya are arranged the huts of the warriors and their families, and are placed in four or even five-fold ranks; so that the kraal almost rises to the dignity of a town, having several thousand inhabitants, and presenting a singularly imposing appearance when viewed at a dis- tance. At the upper portion of the kraal, and at the further end from the principal entrance, are the huts specially erected for the king, surrounded by the" other huts containing his harem. The whole of this part of the kraal is separated from the re- mainder by lofty and strong fences, and its doors are kept by sentinels especially set aside for this purpose. In some cases, the warriors to whom this important duty is confided are not permitted to wear clothes of any kind, and are compelled to jjass the whole of the time, day and niglit, when on guard, without even a kaross to cover them. This rule lies rather heavily ujion them in the winter nights, when the" cold is often severe, and the wind sweeps ehillily around the fence of the isi-baj'a. However, the J'oung ladies will some- times contrive to evade the vigilance of the sentries, when their attention is other- wise engaged, as is amusingly shown in a few remarks by Mr. Angas. He had gone by Panda's invitation to see him at one of his great kraals: — "Last night we slept at the new military kraal, or garrison town, of Indabakaumbi, whither the king had sent word by message that he would be waiting to receive us. The lukosikasi, or queen, of the kraal sent us a small quantity of thick milk and a jar of millet, and soon afterward made her appearance, holding two of the king's children by the hand, for whom she requested a present of beads. The children were remarkably pretty, nicely oiled, and tastefully decorated with girdles of blue and scarlet beads. The old ladj', on the contrary, was so alarmingly stout, that it seemed almost impossible for lier to walk; and that it required some considerable time for her to regain the harem at the upper end of the kraal was made manifest by some fifty of the king's girls ett'ecting their escape from the rear of the seraglio, and sallying down the slope to stare at us as we rode away fi-om the kraal. The agilit}' of the young ladies, as they sprang from rock to rock, convinced us that thej' would be all quietly sitting in the harem, as though nothing had hap- pened, long before the Inkosikasi gained her dwelling." At that time Panda had thirteen of these great military kraals, each serving as the military capital of a district, and he had just completed a fourteenth. He takes up ids residence in these kraals successively, and finds in each everything that he can possibly want — each being, indeed, almost identical in every respect with all the others. As a general rule, each of these military kraals forms the residence of a single regiment; while the king has many (2) KAFIIR KKAVL (Sec pnjL 0. ) (63) HAREM AND ITS GUAEDIAJSTS. 65 others, which are devoted to more peaceful objects. It has already been mentioned that the women live in a portion separated from the rest of the Itraal, and it may almost be said that they reside in a small supplementary ki-aal, which communicates by gates with the chief edifice. As the gates ai-e strongly barred at night, it is necessary that the sen- tinel should enter the sacred precincts of the harem, for the purpose of closing them at niglit, and opening them in the morning. For this purpose, certain individuals of the sentinels are told off, and to them alone is the delicate duty confided. The Kaffir despot does not employ for this purpose the unfortunate individuals who guard the harems in Turkey, Persia, and even in Western Africa. But the king takes care to select men who are particularly ill-fa- vored; and if any of them should happen to be deformed, he is sure to be chosen as a janitor. Mr. Shooter's servant, when talk- ing with his master on the subject, men- tioned several individuals who would make excellent janitors. One of them had a club-foot, another had a very protuberant chest, while a third had bad eyes, and was altogether so ugly that he would never suc- ceed in procuring a wife. The matrimonial adventures of this man will be narrated in a future page. His uniform failures in pro- curing a legitimate wife were exceedingly ludicrous and mortifying, and quite justified the opinion expressed by his companion. CHAPTER VIII. CATTLE KEEPrSTG. THE ISI-BATA AND ITS PRrVTLEGES — MILKING COWS — THE CURIOUS MILK PAH, — MODE OF MAKENO IT — A MTLKING SCENE, AND THE VAEIOUS PERSONAGES EJIPLOYED IN IT — PKECAUTIONS TAKEN WITH A RESTIVE COW — KAFFIR COW WHISTLES — CHIEFS AND THEIK CATTLE — MANAGEMENT OF THE HERDS, AND CATTLE "LIFTING" — A COW THE UNIT OF KAFFIR CURRENCY — A KAFFTR'S WEALTH, AND THE USES TO WHICH IT IS PUT — A KAFFIR ROB ROY — ADVENTURES OF DUTULU, HIS EXPLOITS, HIS ESCAPES, AND HIS DEATH — ODD METHOD OF ORNAMENTING COWS — LE VAIL- LANT's ACCOUNT OF THE METHODS EMPLOYED IN DECORATING THE CATTLE — HOW OBSTINATE COWS ARE FORCED TO GIVE THEIR MILK — A KAFFIR HOMESTEAD — VARIOUS USES OF CATTLE — HOW MILK IS PREPARED — "aMASI," OR THICKENED UHLK — OTHER USES FOB CATTLE — THE SAD- DLE AND PACK OXEN — HOW THEY ARE LADEN AND GIRTHED. The isi-baj^a is quite a sacred spot to a Kaffir, and in many tribes the women are so strictly prohibited from entering it, that if even the favorite wife were discovered witliin its precincts she would have but a very poor chance of her life. During the day-time the herd are out at pasture, watched by " boys " appointed to this important office, but when night approaches, or if there is any indication of danger from enemies, the cows are driven into the isi- baya, and tlie entrances firmly barred. It is mostly in this enclosure that the cattle are milked, this operation being always intrusted to the men. Indeed, as is well observed by Mr. Shooter, milking his cows is the only work that a Kaffir really likes. About ten in the morning the cattle are taken into the isi-baya, and ^he Kaffir proceeds to milk them. He takes with him his milk pail, an article very unlike that which is in use in Europe. It is carved out of a solid piece of wood, and has a comparatively small opening. The specimen from which the figure on page 67 is drawn was brought to England by Mr. Shooter, and is now before me. It is rather more than seventeen inches in length, and is four inches wide at the top, and six inches near the bottom. In interior measurement it is only fourteen inches deep, so that three inches of solid wood are left at the bottom. Its capacity is not very great, as the Kaffir cow does not five nearly as much milk as the cows of an Inglish farmyard. Toward the top are two projecting ears, which enable the milker to hold it firmly between the knees. (66) In hollowing out the interior of the pail, the Kaffir employs a rather ingenious de- vice. Instead of holding it between his knees, as he does when shaping and orna- menting the exterior, he digs a hole in the ground, and buries the pail as far as the two projecting ears. He then has both his hands at liberty, and can use more force than if he were oliliged to trust to the compara- tively slight hold afforded by the knees. Of course he sits down while at work, for a Kaffir, like all other savages, has the very strongest objection to needless labor, and will never stand when he has any opportunity of sit- ting. It will be seen that the pail is not capable of holding much more than the quantity which a good cow ought to yield, and when the Kaffir has done with one cow, he pours the milk into a large receptacle, and then goes oft' with his empty pail to another cow for a fresh supply. The scene that presents itself in the isi- baya is a very singular one, and strikes oddly upon European ears, as well as ej-es. In the first place, the figure of the milker is calculated to present an aspect equally strange and ludicrous. Perfectly naked, with the exception of the smallest imaginable apology for a garment, adorned with strings of beads that contrast boldly with his red- black skin, and with his head devoid of hair, except the oval ring which denotes his ]iosi- tion as a married " man," the Kaffir sits on the ground, his knees on a level with his chin, and the queer-looking milk pail grasped between them. Then we have the spectacle of the calf try- A MILKING SCENE. 67 ing to eject the milker, and being contin- ually kept away from her mother by a young boy armed with a stick. And, in cases where the cow is vicious, a third individual is employed, who holds the cow by her horns with one hand, and grasps her nostrils (irmly with the other. As soon as the supply of milk ceases, the calf is allowed to apiiroach its mother and suck for a short time, after which it is driven away, and the man re- sumes his place. Cattle are milked twice in the day, the second time being at sunset, when they are brought home for the night. Generally, however, a cow will stand still to of universal cow language, in which every dairy-maid and farmyar(l laliorer is versed, and which is not easily learned by an unin- itiate. But the Kaffir, who is naturally an adept at shouting and yelling, encourages the cow by all the varied'screams at his com- mand, mixed with loud whistles and tender words of admiration. One consequence of this curious proceeding is, tliat the cows have always been so accustomed to associate these sounds with the process of being milked, that when an Englishman buys cows he is obliged to have a Katttr to milk them, no white "man being able to produeu i§: rm 1. milki^nG pail. BEER-BOWL. 3. BEER-STRAINBR. 4. WATER-PIPE. 5. WOMAN'S BASKET. be milked, as is the case with our own cat- tle, and in that case no precaution is needed, except that of putting through the nose a stick of some eighteen inches in length. The cattle know by experience that if this is grasped and twisted it gives great pain, and so they prefer to remain quiet. The hole in the nose is made at a very early age- So much for the strangeness of the sight, which is very unlike a corresponding scene in an English farmyard. The Kaffir is never silent while milking his cows, but thinks it necessary to utter a series of the oddest sounds that ever greeted mortal ears. Even in England there seems to be a kind those cries, screams, and whistles to which they have always been accustomed. In driving the cattle, and in calling them from a distance, the Kaffir makes great use of whistling, an art in which he excels. With his lips alone he can produce the most extraordinary sounds, and by the aid of his fingers he can whistle so loudly as to half deafen any one who may be near. Some- times, however, he has recourse to art, and makes whistles of great efficacy, though of simple construction. They are made of lione, or ivory, and are used by being held to the lower lip, and sounded exactly as we blow a key when we wish to ascertain whether it is clear. 68 THE KAFFIB. The chiefs who possess many oxen are very fastidious about tiiem, and liave an odd fancy of asscml)ling them in herds, iu wliicli every animal is of tlie same color. Tiie oxen also undergo a sort of training, as was remarked by Relief, who was killed in battle with Dingan, the Zulu king. He paid a visit to that treacherous despot, and was en- tertained by dances in which the cattle had been trained to assist. '' In one dance,"' he says, " the people were intermixed with one hundred and seventy-six oxen, all without liorns, and of one color. They have long strips of skin hanging pendent from the forehead, cheeks, shoulders, and under the throat; these strips being cut from the hide when the animals are calves. These oxen are divided into two and three among the whole army, which then dance in companies, each with its attendant oxen. In this way they all in turn approach the king, the oxen turning off into a kraal, and then manteu- vring in a line from the king. It is surprising that the oxen should be so well trained; for, notwithstanding all the startling and yelling which accompany the dance, they never move faster than a slow walking pace. Dingan showed me, as he said, his smallest herd of oxen, all alike, and with white backs. He allowedtwoof my people to count them, and the enumeration amounted to two thou- sand four hundred and twenty-four. I am informed that his herds of red and black oxen consist of three to four thousand each." I may here mention casually, that the same fashion of keeping animals of similar colors in separate herds is in force in South Amer- ica, among the owners of the vast herds of horses which thrive so well in that country. The Kaffirs manage their cattle with won- derful skill, and the animals perfectly un- derstand the meaning of the cries with which they are assailed. Consequently, it is almost as difficult for an Englishman to drive his cows as to milk them, and assist- ance has to be sought from the natives. This noisy method of cattle driving is the source of much difficulty to the soldiers, when they have been sent to recover cattle stolen by those inveterate thieves, the Kaffir tribes, who look upon the cattle of the white man as their legitimate prize, and are con- stantly on the look-out for them. Indeed, they enact at the present day that extinct phase of Scottish life when the inhabitants (if the Highlands stole the cattle of the Low- landers, and euphemistically described the operation as " lifting;" themselves not being by any means thieves, but " gentleman drovers," very punctilious in point of honor, and thinking themselves as good gentlemen as any in the land. The cow constitutes now, in fact, the wealth of the Kaffir, just as was the case in the early patriarchal days. Among those tribes which are not brought into connection with the white man, money is of no value, and all wealth is measured by cows. One of the great inland chiefs, when asking about the Queen of England, was naturally desir- ous of hearing how many cattle slie pos- sessed, and on hearing that many of her sub- jects had more cows than herself, conceived a very mean o]:iinion of her power. He counted his cattle by the thousand, and if any inferior chief had dared to rival him in his wealth, that chief would very soon be in- capacitated from possessing anything at all, while his cattle would swell the number of the royal herds. His idea was, that even if her jiredecessor had bequeathed so poor a throne to her, she ought to assert her dig. nity by seizing that wealth which she had not been fortunate enough to inherit. The cow is the unit of money. The cost of anything that is peculiarly valuable is reckoned by the number of cows that it would fetch if sold, and even the women are reckoned by this standard, eight cows equalling one woman, just as twelve penes equal one shilling. Most of the wars which devastate' Southern Africa are caused en- tirely by the desire of one man to seize the herds that belong to another, and when the white man is engaged in African warfare, he is perforce obliged to wage it on the same principle. During the late Kaffir war, the reports of the uewsjjapers had a singu- larly unimposing appearance. The burden of their song was invariably cows. General Blank had advanced so far into the enemy's country, and driven oft' live thousand head of cattle. Or perhaps the case was re- versed; the position of the European troops had been suddenly surprised, and several thousand cattle stolen. In fact, it seemed to be a war solely about cattle, and, to a cer- tain extent, that was necessarily the case. The cattle formed not only the wealth of the enemy, but his resources, so that there was no better way of bringing him to terms than by cutting off his commissariat, and preventing the rebellious chiefs from main- taining their armed forces. "We had no wish to kill the Kaffirs themselves, but merely that they should be taught not to meddle with us, and there was no better way of doing so than by touching them on their tenderest point. The greatest ambition of a Kaffir is to possess cattle, inasmuch as their owner can command every luxury which a savage mil- lionnaire desires. He can eat beef and drink sour milk every day; he can buy as many wives as he likes, at the current price of eight to fourteen cows each, according to the tiuctuation of the market; he can make all kinds of useful articles out of the hides; he can lubricate himself with fot to his heart's content, and he can decorate his sable person with the flowing tails. With plenty of cattle, he can set himself up as a great man; and, the more cattle he has, the A KAFFIR ROB ROY. 69 greater man he becomes. Instead of being a mere " boy," Imng with a number of other " boys" in one hut, he becomes a '• man," shaves his head, assumes the proud bad'^e of manhood, and lias a hut to him- self."" As his cattle increase, he adds more wives to his stock, builds separate huts for them, has a kraal of his own, becomes the "umnumzana," or great man — a term fibout equivalent to the familiar " Burra Sahib " of Indian life — and may expect to be addressed by strange boys as " inkosi," or chief Should his cattle prosper, he gath- ers round him the young men who are .still poor, and who are "attracted by his wealth, and the hope of eating beef at his cost. lie assigns huts to them within his kraal, and thus possesses an armed guard who will take care of his cherished cattle. Indeed, Kuch a precaution is absolutely necessary. In Africa, as well as in Europe, wealth creates envy, and a man who has succeeded in gathering it knows full well that there are plenty who will do their best to take it away. Sometimes a more powerful man will openly assault his kraal, but stratagem is more frequently emploved than open vio- lence, and there are in ever}- tribe certain old and crafty cattle-stealers, who have sur- vived the varied dangers of such a life, and who know every ruse that can be em- ployed. There is a story of one of these men, named Dutulu, who seems to have been a kind of Kaffir Rob Roy. He always em- ployed a mixture of artifice and force. He used to set off for the kraal which he in- tended to rob, and, in the dead of night, conti'ived to place some of his assistants by the entrance of the huts. Another assistant then quietly removed the cattle from the isi-bava, while he directed the operations. Dutuiu then caused an alarm to be made, and as the inmates crept out to see what was thf matter, they were speared by the sentinels at the entrance. "N"ot one was spared. The men were killed lest they should resist, and the women lest they should give the alarm. Even when he had carried off the cattle, his anxieties were not at an end, for cattle cannot be moved very fast, and they are not easily conceiUsd. But Dutulu was a man not to be baffled, and he almost invariably succeeded in reaching home with his spoil. He never, in the first instance, .allowed the cattle to be driven in the direction wliichhe intended to take. He used to have them driven repeatedly over the same spot, so as to mix the tracks and bewilder the men who were sure to follow*'. More than once he baffled pursuit by taking his stolen herd back again, and keeping il in the immediate neighborhood of the des- olated kraal, calculating rightly that the pursuers would follow him in the direction of his own home. The man's cunning and audacity were boundless. On one occasion, his own kraal was attacked, but Dutulu was far too clever to fall into the trap which he had so often set for others. Instead of crawling out of his hut and getting himself speared, he rolled up his leather mantle, and pushed it through the door. As he had anticipated, it was mistaken in the semi-darkness for a man, and was instantly pierced with a spear. While the weapon was still entangled in the kaross, Dutulu darted from his hut, sprang to the entrance of his isi-baya fully armeil, and drove off the outwitted assailants. Even in his old age his audacity did not desert him, and he actually determined on stealing a herd of cattle in the day-time. Ko one daredto join him, but he determined on carrying out his desperate intention sin- gle-hauded. He succeeded in driving the herd to some distance, but was discovered, pursued, and surrounded by the enemy. Although one against many, he fought his foes bravely, and, although severely wounded, succeeded in escaping into the bush, where they dared not follow him. Undeterred by this adventure, he had no sooner recovered than he planned another cattle-stealing expedition. His chief dissua- ded him from the undertaking, urging that he had quite enough cattle, that he had been seriously wounded, and that he was becom- ing too old. The ruling passion was, how- ever, too strong to be resisted, and Dutulu attacked a kraal on his old plan, letting the cattle be driven in one direction, killing as many enemies as he could, and then running off on the opposite side to that which had been taken by the cattle, so as to decoy his pursuers in a wrong direction. However, his advanced years, and perhaps his recent wounds, had impaired his speed, and as there was no bush at hand, he dashed info a morass, and crouched beneath the wafer. His enemies dared not follow him, but sur- rounded the spot, and hurled their assagais at him. They did him no harm, because he protected his head with his shield, but he could not endure the long immersion. So, finding that his strength was failing, he sud- denly left the morass, and dashed at liis ene- mies, hoping that he might force his way through them. He did succeed in killing several of them, and in passing their line, but he could not run fast enough to escape, and was overtaken and killed.. So, knowing that men of a similar charac- ter are hankering after his herd, their dusky owner is only too glad to have a number of young men who will guard his cattle from such cunning enemies. The love that a Kaffir has for his cattle induces him to ornament them in various ways, some of which must entail no little suffering ujion them. To this, however, he is quite indifferent, often causing frightful tortures to the animals which he loves, not from the least desire of hurting them, bui 70 THE KATFIR. from the utter unconcern as to inflicting pain which is characteristic of tlie savage, in whatever part of the eartli he may Ije. He trims the ears of tlie cows into all kinds of odd shapes, one of the favorite patterns being that of a leaf with deeply serrated edges. He gatliers up bunches of the skin, generally upon the head, ties string tightly round them, and so forms a series of pro- jecting knots of various sizes and shapes. He cuts strips of hide from various parts ot the body, especially the head and face, and lets them hang down as lappets. He cuts the dewlap and makes fringes of it, and all without the least notion that he is causing the poor animal to suffer tortures. But, in some parts of the country, he lav- ishes his powers on the horns. Among us the horn does not seem capable of much modification, but a Kaffir, skilful in his art, can never lie content to leave the horus as they are. He will cause one liorn to pro- ject forward and another backward, and he will train one to grow upright, and the other pointing to the ground. Sometimes he observes a kind of .symmetry, and has both horus bent with their points nearlj' touching the shoulders, or trains them so that their tips meet above, and they form an arch over their head. Now and then an ox is seen in which a most singular effect has been produced. As the horns of the young ox sprout they are trained over the forehead until the points meet. They are then manipulated so as to make them coa- lesce, and so shoot upward from the middle of the forehead, like the horn of the fabled unicorn. Le Vaillant mentions this curious mode of decorating the cattle, and carefully de- scribes the process by which it is performed. " I had not yet taken a near view of the horned cattle which they brought with them, because at break of day they strayed to the thickets and pastures, and were not lirought back by their keepers until the evening. One day, however, having rejiaired to their kraal very early, I was much surprised when I first beheld one of these animals. I scarcely knew them to be oxen and cows, not only on account of their being much smaller than ours, since I observed in them the same form and the "same fundamental character, in which I could not be deceived, but on account of the multiplicity of their horns, and the variety of their different twistings. They had a great resemblance to those marine productions known by nat- uralists under the name of stag's horns. Being at this time persuaded that these con- cretions, of which I had no idea, were a peculiar present of nature, I considered the Kaffir oxen as a variety of the species, but I was undeceived by my guide, who informed me that this singularity was only the efl'ect of their invention and taste; and that, by means of a process with which they were well acquainted, they could not only multi- ply these horns, but also give them any form that their imaginations might suggest. Having offered to exhibit their skill in my presence, if I had any desire of learning their method, it appeared to me so new and uncommon, that I was willing to secure an opportunity, and for several days I attended a regular course of lessons on this subject. " They take the animal at as tender an age as possible, and when the horns begin to appear the}' make a small vertical incision in them with a saw, or any other instrument that may be substituted for it, and divide them into two parts. This division makes the horns, yet tender, separate of them- selves, so that in time tbe animal has four very distinct ones. If they wish to have six, or even more, similar notches made with the saw produce as many as may be re- quired. But if they are desirous of forcing one of these divisions in the whole horn to form, for example, a complete circle, they cut away from the point, which must not he hurt, a small part of its thickness, and this amputation, often renewed, and with nuich patience, makes the horn bend in a con- trary direction, and, the point meeting the root, it exhibits the appearance of a perfect circle. As it is certain that incision always causes a greater or less degree of bending, it may be readily conceived that every vari- ationthat caprice can imagine may be pro- duced by this simple method. In short, one must be born a Kaffir, and have his taste and patience, to sulimit to that minute care and unwearied attention required for this operation, which in Kaflirland can only be useless, but in other climates would be hurt- ful. For the horn, thus disfigured, would become weak, whereas, when preserved strong and entire, it keeps at a distance the famished bears and wolves of Europe." The reader must remember that the words refer to France, and that the date of Le Vaillant's travels was 1780-85. The same traveller mentions an Ingenious method emploved bv the Kaffirs when a cow is bad-tempered, and will not give her milk freely. A rope is tied to one of the hind feet, and a man hauls the foot off the ground by means of the rope. The cow cannot run away on account of the man who is holding her nose, and the pain caused by the violent dragging of her foot backward, together with the constrained attitude of standing on three legs, soon subdues the most refrac- tory animal. Before proceeding to another chapter, it will be well to explain the illustration on page 57, called " The Kaffirs at Home." The spectator is supposed to be just inside the outer enclosure, and nearly opposite to the isi-bava, in which some cattle are seen. In the centre of the plate a milking scene is shown. The cow, being a restive one, is being held by the " man," by means of a KIDIXG OXEH. 71 stick passed through its nostrils, and by means of the contrast between the man and tlie animal the small size of the latter is well shown. A Kaffir ox averages only four hundred pounds in weight. 13eneath the cow is seen the milker, holding between his knees the curiously shaped milkpail. On the right hand is seen another Kaffir emptying a pailful of milk into one of the baskets which are used as stores for this article. The reader will notice that the ori- fice of the basket is very small, and so would cause a considerable amount of milk to be spilt, if it were poured from the wide mouth of the pail. The Kaffir has no funnel, so he extemporizes one by holding his hands over the mouth of the pail, and placing _ his thumlis so as to cause the milk to flow in a narrow stream between them. A woman is seen in the foreground, going out to labor in the fields, with her child .slung at her back, and her heavy hoe on her shoul- der. In order to show the ordinary size of the huts a young Kaffir is shown standing near one of them, while a "man" is seated against it, and engaged alternately in his pipe and conversation. Three shield sticks are seen in the fence of the isi-baya, and the strip of skin suspended to the pole shows that the chief man of the kraal is in res- idence. In front are several of the odd- shaped Cape sheep, with their long legs and thick tails, in which the wdiole fat of the body seems to concentrate itself. Two of the characteristic trees of the country are shown, namely, an euphorbia standing within the fence, and an acacia in the back- ground. This last mentioned tree is some- times called Kameel-dorn, or Camel-thorn, because the girafte, which the Dutch colo- nists icill call a camel, feeds upon its leaves. In the distance are two of those table- topped mountains which are so character- istic of Southern Africa. The Kaffir uses his cattle for various pur- poses. Whenever he can aftbrd such a lux- ury, which is very seldom, he feasts ujion its flesh, and contrives to consume a quantity that seems almost too much for human digestion to undertake. But the chief diet is "the milk of the cows, generally mixed with meal, so as to form a kind of porridge. The milk is never eaten in its fresh state, the Kaffirs thinking it to be very indigestible. Indeed, they look upon fresh milk much as a beer-drinker looks upon sweet-wort, and have an equal objection to drinking the liquid in its crude state. AVhen a cow has been milked, the KaflHr empties the pail into a large store basket, such as is seen on the right-hand of the engraving "Kaffirs at Home," page .57. This basket already con- tains milk in the second stage, and is never completely emptied. Soon after the milk has Iseen placed in the basket, a sort of fer- mentation takes place, and in a short time the whole of the liquid is converted into a semi-solid mass, and a watery fluid some- thing like whey. The latter is drawn ott', and used as a drink, or given to tlie chil- dren; and the remainder is a thick, clotted substance, about the consistency of Devon- shire cream. This is called "amasi," and is the staff of life to a Kaffir. Europeans who have lived in Kaffirland generally dislike amasi exceed- ingly at first, but soon come to prefer it to milk in any other form. Some persons have compared the amasi to curds after the whey has been drawn ofl'; but this is not a fair comparison. The amasi is not in lumps or in curd, but a thick, creamy mass, more like our clotted cream than any other substance. It has a slightly acid flavor. Children, whether black or white, are always very foiKl of amasi, and there can be no better food for them. Should the Kaffir be obliged fo use a new vessel for the purpose of making this clotted milk, he always takes some amasi ready prepared, and places it in the vessel together with the fresh milk, where it acts like yeast in liquid fermentation, and soon reduces the entire mass to its own consist- ency. The oxen are also used for riding ]iur- poses, and as beasts of burden. Europeans employ them largely as draught oxen, and use a great number "to draw a single wagon; but tiie wagon is an European invention, and therefore, without the scope of the pres- ent work. The native contrives to ride the oxen without the use of a saddle, balancing himself ingeniously on' the sharply ridgeil back, and guiding his horned steed by means of a stick through its nostrils, with a cord tied to each end of it. He is not at all a graceful rider, but jogs along with his arms extended, and his elbows jerking uji and down with every movement of the beast. Still, the ox answers his iiurpose ; and, as it never goes beyond a walking pace, no great harm is done by a fall. Since the introduction of horses, the Kaf- firs have taken a great liking to them, and have proved themselves capable of lieing good horsemen, after their fashion. This fashion is, always to ride at full gallop; for they can see no object in mounting a swift aniinal if its speed is not to be brought into operation. It is a very picturesque sight when a party of mounted Kaffirs come dashing along, their horses at full speed, their shield-s and "spears in their hands, and their ka- rosses flying behind them as they ride. When tliey have occasion to stop, they pull up suddenly, and are oft" their horses in a moment. However the Kaffir may be satisfied with the bare back of the ox, tlie European can- not manage to retain his seat. In the first ]dace, the sharp spine of the ox does not form a very pleasant seat; and in the next place, its skin is so loose that it is impos.si- ble for the rider to retain his place by any 72 THE KAFFIR. grasp of the legs. A few cloths or hides are therefore placed on the auimars back, and a long " reim," or leathern rope, is passed several times round its body, being drawn tightly by a couple of men, one at each side. By this operation the skin is braced up tight, and a saddle can be fixed nearly as firmly as on a horse. Even under these cir- cumstances, the movements of the ox are very unpleasant to an European equestrian, and, although not so fatiguing as those of a camel, require a tolerable course of practice before they become agreeable. This custom of tightly girthing is not con- fined to those animals which are used for the saddle, but is also practised on those that are used as pack-oxen; the loose skin rendering the packages liable to slip off the animal's back. The whole process of girtli- ing the ox is a very curious one. A sturdy Kaffir stands at each side, while another holds the ox firmly by a stick passed through its nostrils. The skins or cloths are then laid on the back of the ox, and the long rope thrown over them. One man retains his hold of one end, while the other passes the rope round the animal's body. Each man takes firm hold of the rope, puts one foot against the ox's side, by way of a fulcrum, and then hauls away with the full force of his body. Holding his own part of the rope tightly with one hand, the second Kaffir dex- terously throws the end under the animal to his comrade, who catches it, and passes it over the back, when it is seized as before. Another liauling-match now takes place, and the process goes on until the cord is exhausted, and the diameter of the ox notably diminished. In spite of the enormous pres- sure to which it is subject, the beast seems to care little about it, and walks away as if un- concerned. If the journey is a long one, the ropes are generally tightened once or twice, the native drivers seeming to take a strange pleasure in the operation. Tlie illustration No. 1, on page 73, shows the manner in which the Kaffir employs the ox for riding and pack purposes. A chief is returning with his triumphant soldiers from a successful expedition against an enemy's kraal, which they have " eaten up," as their saying is. In the foreground is seen the chief, fat and pursy, dressed in the full para- phernalia of war, and seated on an ox. A hornless ox is generally chosen for the sad- dle, in order to avoid the danger of the rider falling forward and wounding himself; but sometimes the KalHr qualifies an ox for sad- dle purposes by forcing the horns to grow downward, and in many instances contrives to make the horns flap about quite loosely, as if they were only suspended by thongs from the' animal's head. The soldiers are seen in charge of other oxen, laden with the spoils of the captured kraal, to which they have set fire; and in the middle distance, a couple of men are reloading a refractory ox, and drawing flie rope tightly round it, to prevent it from shaking oil" its load a second time. (1.) KAFFIR CATTLE -TRAINING THE HORNS. (See pnge 70.) (2.) RETURN OF A WAR TARTY. (See page 72.) (73) CHAPTER IX. MAEKIAGE. POLYGAMY PRACTISED AMONG THE KAFFIRS — OOZA AND HIS 'WTVES — NTTMBER OF A KINO's HAREM— TCHAKA, THE BACHELOR KING — THE KING AND HIS SUCCESSORS — A BARBAROUS CUSTOM — CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF POLYGAMY AMONG THE KAFFIRS — DOMESTIC LIFE AND ITS CUSTOMS — THE VARIED DUTIES OF A WirE — ANECDOTE OF A KAFFIR HUSBAND — JEALOUSY AND IT3 EFFECTS — A FAVORITE WIFE MURDERED BY HER COMPANIONS — MINOR QUARRELS, AND SUM- MARY JUSTICE — THE FIRST WIFE AND HER PRIVILEGES — MINUTE CODE OF LAWS — THE LAW OF INHERITANCE AND PROIOGENITURE — THE MASTERSHIP OF THE KRAAX. — PROTECTION TO THE ORPHAN — GUARDIANS, THEIR DUTIES AND PRIVILEGES — TRELTBIINARIES TO MARRIAGE — KAFFIR COURTSHIP — THE BRIDEGROOM ON APPROVAL — AN UNWILLING CELIBATE — A KAFFIR LOVE TALE — UZINTO AND HER ADVENTURES — REWARD OF PERSEVERANCE, j Contrary to general opinion, marriage is quite as important a matter among the Kaffirs as witli ourselves, and even tliougli the men wlio can atlbrd it do not content tliemselves witli one wife, tliere is as much ceremony in the last marriage as in the first. As to the numlier of wives, no law on that subject is found in the minute, though necessarily traditional, code of laws, by which the Kaffirs regulate their domestic polity. A man may take just as many wives as he can aftbrd, and the richer a man is, the more wives he has as a general rule. An ordinary man has generally to be content with one, while those of higher rank have the number of wives dependent on their wealth and posi- tion. Goza, for example, whose portrait is given on page 117 and who is a powerful chief, has a dozen or two of wives. There is now before me a photograph represent- ing a whole row of his wives, all sitting on their heels, in the attitude adopted by Kaffir women, and all looking rather surprised at the photographer's operations. In our sense of the word, none of them have the least pretence to beauty, whatever may have been the case when they were young girls, but it is evident that their joint hus- band was satisfied with their charms, or they would not retain a position in his household. As to the king, the number of his wives is illimitable. Parents come humbly before (75) him, and offer their daughters to him, only too proud if he will accept them, and ask- ing no payment for them. The reverence for authority must be very strong in a Kaffir's breast, if it can induce him to forego any kind of payment whatever, es- pecially as that payment is in cattle. The king has perhaps twenty or thirty large ki-aals in different parts of the country, and in each of them he has a considerable number of wives, so that he is always at home whenever he changes his residence from one kraal to another. In fact, he never knows, within fifty or so, how many wives he has, nor would he know all his wives by sight, and in consequence he is obliged to keep a most jealous watch over his household, lest a neglected wife should escape and take a husband, who, although a plebeian, would be ner own choice. In consequence of this feeling, none of the inhabitants of the royal harem ever leave their house without a strong guard at hand, besides a number of spies, who conceal themselves in unsuspected places, and who would report to the king the slightest indiscretion on the part of any of his wives. It is not even safe for a Kaffir to speak to one of these closely guarded beauties, for, even if no guards are openly in sight, a spy is sure to be con- cealed at no great distance, and the conse- quence of such an indiscretion would be, that the woman would certainly lose her THE KAFFIR. life, and the man probabl}' be a fello^v suf- ferer. That able and sanguinary chief Tchaka formed an exception to the ordinary rule. He would accept as many dark maidens as might be offered to him, but he would not raise one of them to the rank of wife. The reason for this line of conduct was his hor- ror of seeing a successor to his throne. A Kaffir of rank always seems to think that he himself is exempt from the ordinary lot of humanity, and will never speak of the possibility of his own death, nor allow any one else to do so. In a dependent, such "a piece of bad breeding would be looked upon as an overt act of treachery, and the thought- less delinquent would instantly lose "the power of repeating the offence by forfeiting his life. Even in an European, the offence would be a very grave one, and would jar gratingly on the feelings of all who heard the ill-omened words. This disinclination to speak of death sometimes shows itself very curiously. On one occasion, an Englishman went to pay a visit to Panda, after the contra- diction of a report of that monarch's death. After the preliminary greetings, he expressed his pleasure at seeing the chief so well, es- pecially after the report of his death. The word " death " seemed to strike the king and all the court like an electric shock, and an ominous silence reigned around. At last Panda recovered himself, and, with a voice that betrayed his emotion, said that such subjects were never spoken of, and then adroitly changed the conversation. Now, the idea of a successor implies the death ot the present occupant of the throne, and tlierefore Tchaka refused to marry any wives, from whom his successor might be born. M(jre than that, if any of the inmates of his harem showed signs that (he popula- tion was likely to be increased, they were sure to be arrested on some trivial pretence, dragged out of their homes, and summarily executed. We may feel disposed to wonder that such a heartless monster could by any means have found any inmates of his harem. But we must remember that of all men a Kaffir chief is the most despotic, having absolute power over any of his sub- jects, and his orders being obeyed with an Instantaneous obedience, no matter how revolting they miglit be. Parents would kill their children and children their pa- rents at his command; and so strange a hold has obedience to the king upon the mind of a Kaffir, that men have been known to thank him and Titter his praises wliile being beaten to death by his order.s. Therefore the parents of these ill-fated girls had no option in the matter. If he wanted them he would take them, jirobaljly murdering their parents, and adding their cattle to his own vast herds. By volun- tarily offering them they might jiossibly gain his good graces, and there might be a chance that thej- would escape the fate that had befallen so many of tlieir predecessors in the royal favor. These strange effects of despotism are by no means confined to Southern Africa, but are found among more civilized people than the Kaffirs. We all remember the opening storj' of the "Ara- bian Nights," which furnishes the thread on which all the stories are strung. How a king found that his wife was unworthy of her position, and how he immediately rushed to the conclusion that such unwor- thiness was not the fault of an individual, but a quality inherent in the sex. How he reduced his principle to practice by marry- ing a new wife every evening, and cutting off her head next morning, until his pur- pose was arrested by the ingenious narrator of the tales, who originated the practice now prevalent in periodicals, nameh^, al- ways leaving off unexpectedly in an inter- esting part of the story. This extraordinary jn-oceeding on the part of an Oriental monarch is told with a per- fect absence of comment, and neither the narrator nor the hearer displays anj' signs that such a line of conduct was strange, or even culpable. The subjects who were called upon to .supply such a succession of wives certainly grumbled, but they con- tinued to supjily them, and evidently had no idea that their monarch's orders could be disobeyed. The effect of polygamy among the wives themselves is rather curious. In the first place, they are accustomed to the idea, and have never been led to expect that they would bear sole rule in the house. Indeed, none of them would entertain such an idea, because the very fact that a man possessed only one wife would derogate from his dignity, and consequently from her own. There" is another reason for the institution of poh'gamy, namely, the division of labor. Like all savages, the Kaffir man never con- descends to perform manual labor, all real work falling to the lot of the women. As to any work that requires bodily exertion, the Kaffn- never dreams of undertaking it He would not even lift a basket of rice on the head of his favorite wife, but would sit on the ground and allow some woman to do it. One of my friends, when rather new to Kaffirland, happened to look into a hut, and there saw a stalwart Kaffir sit- ting and smoking his pipe, while the women were hard at work in the sun, building huts, carrying timber, and performing all kinds of severe labor. Struck with a natural indignation at such behavior, he told the smoker to get up and work like a man. This idea was too much even for the native politeness of the Kaffir, who burst into a laugh at so absurd a notion. " Women work," said he, " men sit in the house and smoke." The whole cares of domestic life fall upon JIIALOUSY AMONG WIVES. 77 the married woman. Beside doing all the ordinary work of the house, including the building of it, she has to prepare all the food and keep the Iningry men supplied. Slie cannot go to a sliop and Ijuy bread. She has to till the ground, to sow the grain, to watch it, to reap it, to thrash it, to grind it, and to bake it. Her husband may per- haps condescend to bring home game that he' has killed, though he will not burden himself longer than he can help. But the cooking falls to the woman's share, and she has not only to stew the meat, but to make the pots in '\rhich it is prepared. After a hard day's labor out of doors, she cannot go home and rest, but is obliged to grind the maize or millet, a work of very great labor, on account of the primitive machinery which is employed — -simply one stone upon anotlier, the upper stone being rocked back- ward and forward with a motion like that of a chemist's pestle. Tlie Kaffirs never keep Ilour ready ground, so that tiiis heavy task has to be performed regularly every da3'. When she has ground the corn she has either to bake it into cakes, or boil it into porridge, and then has the gratification of seeing the men eat it. She also has to make the beer which is so popular among the Kaffirs, but has very little chance of drinking the product of her own industry. It will be seen, therefore, that the work of a Kaffir wife is about twice as hard as that of an English farm laborer, and tliat therefore she is rather glad than otherwise when her husband takes another wife, who may divide her labors. Moreover, the first wife has always a sort of preeminence over the others, and retains it unless she forfeits the favor of her huslsand by some pecul- iarly flagrant act, in which case she is de- posed, and another wife raised to the vacant honor. When such an event takes place, the husband selects any of his wives that he happens to like best, without an}' regai'd for seniority, and, as a natural consequence, the youngest has the best chance of becoming the chief wife, thus causing much jealousy among them. Did all the wives live in the sama house with their husband, the bicker- ings would be constant ; but, according to Kaffir law, each wife has her own hut, that belonging to the principal wife being on the right hand of the chiefs house. Sometimes, however, jealousy will prevail, in spits of these preventives, and has been known to lead to fatal results. One case of poisoning has already been mentioned (page .51), and others occur more frequently than is known. One such case was a rather remarkable one. There had been two wives, and a third was afterward added. The other two wives felt themselves injured by her presence, and for a year subjected her to continual persecution. One day, when the husband returned to his house, he found her absent, and asked from the others where she was. They replied tliat tliey did not know, and that wlieu'tliey went to fetcli firewood, according to daily custom, tlicy had left her in the kraal. Dissatisfied with the answer, he pressed tliem more closely, and was then told that she had gone oft' to her fatlier's house. At the first dawn he set oft' to tlie fiitlicr's kraal, and found that nothing had been heard of her. His next step was to go to one of the witch doctors, or jn-ophets, and ask him what had become of his favorite wife. The man an- swered that the two elder wives had mur- dered her. He set otf homeward, but before he readied his kraal, the dead body of the murdered wife had been discovered by a herd boy. The fact was, that she had gone out with the other two wives in the morn- ing to fetch firewood, a quarrel had arisen, and they had hanged her to a tree with the bush-rope used in tying up the bundles of wood. As to minor assaults on a favoi'ite wife, they are common enough. She will be beaten, or have her face scratched so as to siioil her beauty, or the holes in her ears will be torn violently ojsen. The assailants are sure to suft'er in their own turn for their conduct, their husband beating them most cruelly with the first weapon that happens to come to hand. But, in the mean time, the work which they have done has been efi'ected, and they have at all events enjoyed some nroments of savage vengeance. Fights often take place among the wives, but if the husband hears the noise of the scuffle he soon puts a stop to it, by seizing a stick, and impartially belaboring each comlsatant. The position of a first wife is really one of some consequence. Although she has been bought and paid for by her husband, she is not looked upon as so utter an article of merchandise as her successors. " When a man takes his first wife," says Mr. Shooter, " all the cows he possesses are regarded as her property. She uses the milk for the support of her family, and, after the birth of her first son, they are called his cattle. Theoretically, the hus- band can neither sell nor dispose of them without his wife's consent. If he wish to take a second wife, and require any of these cattle for the purpose, he must obtain her concurrence. '' When I asked a native how this was to be procured, lie said liy flattery and coaxing, or if that did not succeed, by bothering her until she yielded, and told him not to do so to-morrow, i. e. for the future. Sometimes she becomes angry, and tells him to take all, for they are not hers, but his. If she comply with her husband's polygamous desires, and furnish cattle to purchase and indue a new wife, she will be entitled to her services, and will call her my wife. She will also be en- titled to the cattle received for a new wife's eldest daughter. The cattle assigned to the 78 THE K^iFFIR. *econd wife are subject to the same rules, and so on, while fresli wives are taken. An^' wife may furnish the cattle necessary to add a new member to the harem, and with the same consequences as resulted to the first wife; but it seems that the queen, as the first is called, can claim the right of refusal."' It will be seen from this account of the rela- tive stations of the different wives, that the position of chief wife is one that would be much prized, and we can therefore under- stand that the elevation of a new comer to that rank would necessarily create a strong feeling of jealousy in the hearts of the others. In consequence of the plurality of wives, the law of inheritance is most complicated. Some persons may wonder that a law which seems to belong especially to civilization •should be found among savage tribes like the Kaffirs. But it must be remembered that the Kaffir is essentially a man living under authority, and that his logical turn of intellect has caused him to frame a legal code which is singularly minute in all its details, and which enters not only into the aflfairs of the nation, but into those of ])rivate life. The law respecting the i-ank held by the wives, and the control which they exer- cise over property, is snfficienlly minute to give promise that'there would also be a law which regulated the share held in the prop- erty of their respective children. In order to understand the working of this law, the reader must remember two facts which have been mentioned: the one, that the wives do not live in common, but that each has her own house ; and moreover, that to each house a certain amount of cattle is attached, in theory, if not in practice. When the headman of a kraal dies, his prop- erty is divided among his children by vir- tue of a law, which, though unwritten, is well known, and is as precise as any similar law in England. If there should be an eldest son,"born in the house of the chief wife, he succeeds at once to his father's property, and inherits his rank. There is a very common Kaffir song, which, though not at all filial, is characteristic. It begins by saying, " My father has died, and I have all his cattle," "and then proceeds to expatiate on the joys of wealth. He does not neces- sarily inherit all the cattle m the kraal, be- cause there may be sons belonging to other houses; in .such cases, the eldest son of each house would be entitled to the cattle which are recognized as the property of that house. Still, he exercises a sort of paternal author- ity over the whole, and will often succeed in keeping all the family together instead of giving to each son his share of the cattle, and letting them separate in different direc- tions. Such a course of proceeding is the best for all parties, as they possess a strength when united, which they could not hope to attain when separated. It sometimes happens that the owner of the kraal has no son, and in that case, the property is claimed by his father, brother, or nearest living relative, — always, if possible, by a memljcr of the same house as himself. It sometimes happens that no male relation can be found, and when such a failure takes place, the property goes to the chief, as the acknowledged father of the tribe. As* to the women, they very seldom inherit anj thing, but go with the cattle to the different heirs, and form part of their property. To this general rule there are exceptional cases, but they are very rare. It will be seen, there- fore, that every woman has some one who acts as her father, whether her father be liv- ing or not, and although the compulsory de- pendent state of women is not conducive to their dignity, it certainly protects them from many evils. If, for example, a girl were left a.u orphan, an event which is of very fre- quent occurrence in countries where little value is placed on human life, she would be placed in a very unpleasant position, for either she would find no husband at all, or she would be fought over by poor and tur- bulent men who wanted to obtain a wife without paying for her. Kaffir law, how- ever, provides for this difficulty by making the male relations heirs of the property, and, consequently, protectors of the -vvcjmen; so that as long as there is a single male relation living, an orphan girl has a guardian. The law even goes further, and contemplates a case which sometimes exists, namely, that all the male relatives are dead, (U' that they cannot be identified. Such a case as this may well occur in the course of a war, for the enemy will sometimes swoop down on a kraal, and if their plans be well laid, will kill every male inhabitant. Even if all are not killed, the survivors may be obliged to flee for their lives, and thus it may often happen that a young girl finds herself comparatively alone in the world. In such a ease, she would go to another chief of her tribe, or even to the king himself, and ask permis- sion to become one of his dependants, and many instances have been known where .such refugees have been received into tribes not their own. When a girl is received as a dependant, she is treated as a daughter, and if she should happen to fall ill, her guardinn would otier sacrifices for her exactly as if she were one of his own daughters. Should a suitor present himself, he will have to treat with the guardian exactly as if he were the father, and to him will be "paid the cattle that are demanded at the wedding. Mr. Fynu men- tions that the women are very tenacious about their relatives, and that in many cases when they could not identity tlieir real rela- tions, they have made arrangements with strangers to declare relationship with them. It is possible that this feeling arises from the notion that a husband would have more BEIDEGROOM OX APPROVAL. 79 respect for a wife who had relations than for cue who had none. As an example of the curious minuteness with which the Kaffir law goes into the de- tails of domestic polity, it may be mentioned that if a female dependant be married, and should afterward be fortunate enough to discover her real relatives, they may claim the cattle paid for her by the husliand. But they must give one of the cows to her pro- tector as payment for her maintenance, and the trouble taken in marrying her. _ More- OVM-, if any cattle have been sacrihced on her behalf, these must be restored, together with any others that may have been slaugh- tered at the marriage-feast. The fact that she is paid for by her husband conveys no idea of degradation to a Kaffir woman. On the contrary, she looks upon the fact as a proof of her own worth, and the more cattle are paid for her, the prouder she becomes. Neither would the husband like to take a wife without paying the proper sum for her, because in the first place it would be a tacit assertion tliat the wife was worthless, and in the second, it would be an admission thut he could not afford to pay the usual price. Moreover, the delivery of the cattle. on the one side, and the delivery of the girl on the other, are considered as con- stituting the validity of the marriage con- tract, aud are loooked upon in much the same light as the givhig of a ring by the husband and the giving away of the bride by her father in our own marriage cere- monies. What that price may be is exceedingly variable, and depends much on the beauty and qualifications of the Isride, and the rank of her father. The ordinary price of an unmarried girl is eight or ten cows, while twelve or flifteen are not unfrequently paid, and in some cases the husband has been obliged to give as many as fifty before the father would part with his daughter. Pay- ment ought to be made be'brehand by rights, and the man cannot demand liis wife until the cattle have been transferred. This rule is, however, frequently relaxed, and the marriage is allowed when a certain instal- ment has been paid, together with a guaran- tee that the remainder shall be forthcoming within a reasonable time. All preliminaries having been settled, the next business is for the intending bridegroom to present himself to his future wife. Then, although a cer- tain sum is demanded for a girl, and must be paid before she becomes a wife, it does not follow that she exercises no choice what- ever in accepting or rejecting a suitor, as may be seen from the following passages taken from Mr. Shooter's valuable work on Kaffirland : — '• ^Vlien a husband has been selected for a girl, she may be delivered to him without any previous notice, and Mr. Fynu acknowl- edges that in some cases this is done. But usually, he says, she is informed of her parent's intention a mouth or some longer time beforehand, in order, I imagine, that she may, if possible, be persuaded to think favorably of the man. Barbarians as they are, the Kaffirs are aware that it is better to reason with a woman than to beat her; and I am inclined to think that moral means are usually employed to induce a girl to adopt her parent's "choice, before physical argu- ments are resorted to. Sometimes very elaborate eflbrts are made, as 1 have been told, to produce this result. The first step is to speak well of the man in her presence; the kraal conspire to praise him — her sis- ters praise him — all the admirers of his cattle praise him — he was never so praised before. Unless she is very resolute, the girl may now perhaps be prevailed on to see him, and a messenger is despatched to communicate the hopeful fact, aud sum- mon him to the kraal. 'Without loss of time he prepares to show himself to the best advantage ; he goes down to the river, and having carefully washed his dark per- son, comes up again dripping and shining like a dusky Triton; but the sun soon dries his skin, and now he shines again with grease. " His dancing attire is put on, a vessel of water serving for a mirror; and thus clothed in his best, and carrying shield and assagai, he sets forth, with "beating heart and gal- lant step, to do battle with the scornful belle. Having reached the kraal he is received with a hearty welcome, and squatting down in the family ' circle ' (which is here some- thing more "than a figure of speech), he awaits the lady's appearance. Presently she comes, and sitting down near the door stares at him in silence. Then h.aving sur- veyed him sufficiently in his present attitude, she desires him through her brother (f(jr she will not speak to him) to stand up and ex- hibit his proportions. The modest man is embarrassed; but the mother encourages him, and while the young ones laugh aud jeer, he vis^s before "the damsel. She now scrutinizes him in this jiosition, and having balanced the merits and defects of a front view, desires him (through the same medium as before) to turn round and favor her with a different aspect. (See page 97.) At length he receives permission to squat again, when she retires as mute as she came. The fimily troop rush after her impatient to learn her decision; but she declines to be hasty — she has not seen him walk, and perhaps he limps. So, next morning, the unfortunate man appears in the cattle fold, to exhibit his paces before a larger assembly. A volley of praises is showered upon him by the interested spectators; and perhaps the girl has come to think as they think, and signifies her approval. In this case, arrnngements are made for the betrothal." This amusing ceremony has two mean- 80 THE KAFFIE. ings — the first, that the contract of mar- riage is a vohmtary act ou both sides; and the second, that the intending bridegroom has as yet no authority over her. Tliis last point seems to be tliought of some imjior- tance, as it is again brought forward vvlien the marriage ceremony talkCS place. Tliat the girl has no choice in a husband is evi- dently not true. There are, of course, in- stances in Kaffirland, as well as in more civilized countries, where the parents have set their liearts on a particular alliance, and have disregarded the aversion of their daughters, Ibrcing her by hard words and other cruelties to consent to the match. But, as a general rule, although a girl must be bought with a certain number of cows, it docs not at all follow that every one with the requisite means may buy her. A rather amusing proof to the contrary is relateil by one of our clergy w'ho resided for a long time among the Kaffir tribes. There was one '• boj^," long past the prime of life, Vfho had distinguished himself in war, and procured a fair number of cows, and yet could not be ranked as a " man," because he was not married. The fact was, he was so very ugly that he could not find any of the dusky beauties who would accept him, and so he had to remain a bachelor in sjiite of himself. At last the king took compassion on him, and authorized him to assume the head-ring, and take brevet rank among the men, or " ama-doda," just as among our- selves an elderly maiden lady is addressed by courtesy as if she had been married. Sometimes a suitor's heart mi.sgives him, and he fears that, in spite of his wealth and the costly ornaments with which he adorns his dark person, the lady may not be pro- pitious. In this case he generally goes to a witch doctor and purchases a charm, which he hopes will cause her to relent. The charm is sometimes a root, or a piece of wood, bone, metal, or horn, worn about the person, but it most usually takes the form of a powder. This magic powder is given to some trusty friend, who mixes it surrepti- tiously in the girl's food, sprinkles it on her dress, or deposits it in her snuff box, and shakes it up with the legitimate contents. Not nnfrequently, when a suitor is very much disliked, and has not the good sense to withdraw his claims, the girl takes the matter into her own hands by running away, often to another tribe. There is always a great excitement in these cases, and the truant is hunted by all her relations. One of these llights took place when a girl had been promised to the ill-favored bach- elor who has just been mentioned. He offered a chief a considerable number of cattle for one of his wards, and paid the sum in advance, hoping so to clench the bargain. But when the damsel found who her husband was to be, she flatlj' refused to marry so ugly a man. Neither cajolements, threats, nor actual violence had any effect, and at last she was tied up with ropes and handed over to her purchaser. He took her to his home, but in a few hours she con- trived to make her escape, and fled for ref- uge to the kraal of a neighboring chief, where it is to be hoped she found a husband more to her taste. Her former possessor declined to demand her liack again, inas- much as she had been paid for and delivered honorably, and on the same grounds he de- clined to return the price paid for her. So the unfortunate suitor lost not only his cattle but his wife. This man was heartily ashamed of his bachelor condition, and always concealed it as much as he could. One day, an English- man who did not know his history asked him how many wives he had; and, although he knew that the falsehood of his answer must soon be detected, he had not moral courage to say that he was a bachelor, and named a considerable number of imaginary wives. Now that the English have established themselves in Southern Africa, it is not at all an unusual circumstance for a persecu- ted girl to take refuge among them, though in niany instances she has to l3e given up to her relations when they come to search for her. Sometimes the young damsel not only exercises the right of refusal, but contrives to choose a husband for herself. In one such instance a man had fallen into pov- erty, and been forced to become a depend- ant. He had two uumai-ried daughters, and his chief proposed to buy them. The sum which he offered was so small that the father would not accept it, and there was in consequence a violent quarrel between the chief and himself. Moreover, the girls themselves had not the least inclination to become wives of the chief, who already had plenty, and they refused to be purchased, just as their fiither refused to accept so nig- gardly a sum for them. The chief was very angry, went oft' to Panda, and contrived to extort an order from the king that the girls should become the property of the chief at the price which he had fixed. The girls were therefore taken to the kraal, but they would not go into any of the huts, and sat on the ground, much to the annoyance of their new owner, who at last had them car- ried into a hut by main force. One of the girls, named Uzmto, contrived ingeniously to slip unperceived from the hut at dead of niijht, and escaped from the kraal by creep- ing through the fence, lest the dogs should be" alarmed if she tried to open the door. In spite of the dangers of night-travelling, she jnished on toward Natal as fast as she could, having nothing with her but the .sleeping matVhich a Kaffir uses instead of a bed, and which can be rolled up into a C3I- inder and slung over the shoulders. On her UZINTO AND HER ADVEKTIJEES. 81 •wa.y she met with two adventures, both of which nearly frusti'atod lier plan. At the dawn of the daj' on whieli slie escaped, slie met a party of men, wlxo saw tears in lier faee, and taxed lier with being a fugitive. However, she was so ready with the answer that she had been taking snulf (the Kaffir snuff always makes the eyes water pro- fusely), that they allowed her to proceed on her Journey. The next was a more serious adventure. Having come to the territories of the Ama- koba tribe, she went into a kraal for shelter at night, and the inhabitants, who knew the quarrel Isetween her father and the chief, first fed her hospitably, and then tied her hand and foot, and sent off a messenger to the chief from whom she had escaped. She contrived, however, to get out of the kraal, but was captured again by the wo- men. She was so violent with them, and her conduct altogether so strange, that they were afraid of her, and let her go her own way. From that time she avoided all dwell- ings, and only travelled through the busli, succeeding in fording the Tugela river at the end ot" the fourth day, thus being out of Panda's power. Her reason for undertak- ing this long and perilous journey was two- fold ; first, "that she might escape from a husband whom she did not like, and sec- ondly, that she might obtain a husljand whom she did. For in the Natal district was living a young man with whom she had carried on some love-passages, and who, like herself, was a fugitive from his own land. After some difficulty, she was re- ceived as a dependant of a chief, and was straightway asked in marriage by two young men. She would have nothing to say to them, but contrived to find out her former lover. Then followed an absurd series of scenes, too long to be narrated in detail. First the young man was rather cool toward her, alid so she went off in a huff, and would not speak to him. Then he went after her, but was only rejiulsed for his pains. Then they met while the chief's corn was being planted, and made up the quarrel, but were espied by tlie chief, and both soundly beaten for idling instead of working. Then he fell ill, and .she went to see him, but'would not speak a word. Then he got well, and they had another quarrel, which was unexpectedly terminated by Uzinto insisting on being married. The young man objected that he did not know how many cows tlie chief would want for her, and that he had not enough to pay for a wife. She was equal to the occasion, how- ever, fixed her own value at ten cows, and ordered him to work hard until he had earned them. Meanwhile her protector had made up his mind to take her for his own wife, thinking it a good opportunity to gain another wife without paying tor "her. Uziuto, however, had not gone through so much to lose the husband on whom she had set her heart, and she went to the young man's kraal, appeared before the headman, and demanded to be instantly betrothed. He naturally feared the anger of the chief, and sent her back again to his kraal, where, with tears, sulking fits, anger fits, and threats of suicide, she worried all the inmates so completely, that they yielded the point for the sake of peace and quietness, accepted four cows from the lover as an instalment of the required ten, and so mar- ried her to him at last. There is another instance, where a girl fell ardently in love with a young Kaffir chief, as he was displaying his agility in a dance. He did not even know her, and was rather surprised when she presented her- self at his kraal, and avowed the state of her affections. He, however, did not return them, and as the girl refused to leave his kraal, he was obliged to send for her brother, who removed her by force. She soon made her way back again, and^ this time wfis severely beaten for her pertinac- ity. The stripes had no effect upon her ; and in less than a week she again presented herself. Finding that his sister was so de- termined, the bl-ofher suggested that the too-fascinating chief had better marry the girl, and so end the dispute ; and the result was that at last the lady gained her point, the needful cows were duly paid to the brother, and the marriage took place. Even after marriage, there are many instances where the wife has happened to possess an intellect far sujierior to that of her husband, and where she has gained a thcn-ough ascendancy over him, guiding him in all his transactions, whetlier of peace or war. And it is only just to say that in these rare instances of feminine supremacy, the husband has submitted to his wife's guidance through a conviction that it was" exercised judiciously, and not through any weakness of character on his own part, or ill-temper on hers. CHAPTER X. MARRIAGE — Concluded. TTEDDrSG CEREMONIES — PROCESSION OF THE ERIDE — THE WEDDING DRESS — THE OXEN — THE WED- DING DANCE — MUTCAX. DEPRECIATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT — ADVICE TO THE BRIDEGROOM — MUTUAL RELATIONS OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES — A KAFFIR PETRUCHIO — THE OX OF THE GIRL — UZLNTO AGAIN — THE OX OF THE SURPLUS — ITS IMPORT — VARIETIES OF MARRIAGE CEREMONIES — POWER OF DIVORCE — COMPARISON OF THE KAFFIR AND MOSAIC LAWS — IRRESPONSIBLE AUTHORITY OF THE HUSBAND — CURIOUS CODE OF ETIQUETTE — KAFFIR NAMES, AND MODES OP CHOOSING THEM — THE BIRTH-NA5IE AND THE SURNAMES — SUPERSTITIONS RESPECTING THE BIRTH-NAME — AN AMUSING STRATAGEM — THE SURNAMES, OR PRAISE-NAMES — HOW E^VRNED AND CONFERRED — VARIOUS PRAISE-NAMES OF PANDA — A KAFFIR BOASTER — SONG IN PRAISE OF PANDA — THE ALLUSIONS EXPLAINED — A STRANGE RESTRICTION, AND MODE OF EVADING IT — INFERIOR POSITION OF WOMEN — WOMEN WITH FIREWOOD — DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GIRLS OF VARIOUS RANKS. Wi'EN the marriage-day is fixed, a cere- monial talies place, differing iu detail accord- ing to the wealth of the parties, but similar in all the principal points. The bride, decked in all the beads and other finery that she can muster, proceeds in a grand proces- sion to the kraal of her future husljand. Her head is shaved with an assagai before she starts, the little tuft of hair on the top of her bare pate is rubbed with red paint, and dressed with various appliances, until it stands on end, and the odd little tuft looks as much as possible like a red shaving brush, with very short, diverging bristles. She is escorted by all her young friends, and is accompanied by her mother and many other married women of the tribe, all bediz- ened to the utmost. Her male relatives and friends make a point of joining the pro- cession, also dressed in their best, but each bearing his shield and a bundle of assagais, so as to guard the bride against enemies. She then seats herself, surrounded by her companions, outside the kraal. About this period of the ceremony there is generally a considerable amount of by- play respecting certain oxen, which have to be given by the bridegroom and the father of the bride. The former is called the " Ukutu " ox, which is given to the mother of the bride l)y the bridegroom. The word "Ukutu" literally signifies the leathern (8: thongs which are hung about the bodies of children by way of charms, and the present of the ox to the mother is made in order to reimburse her for the expenditure in thongs during her daughter's childhood. The mother does not keep the ox, but slaughters it and dresses it for the marriage feast, and by the time that the wedding has been fairly begun, the Ukutu ox is ready for the guests. Another ox, called by the curious name of " Umquoliswa," is given by the bridegroom to the girl's father, and aljout this there is much ceremory, as is narrated liy Mr. Shooter. " The day having considerably ad- vanced, the male friends of the bride go to the bridegroom's kraal to claim the ox called Umquoliswa. In a case which I witnessed, they proceeded in a long file, with a step dif- ficult to describe, being a sort of slow and measured stamping, an imitation of their dancing movement. AVearing the dress and ornaments previously mentioned as appro- priated to occasions of festivity, they bran- dished shields and sticks, the usual accom- paniment of a wedding dance; while their tongues were occupied with a monotonous and unsentimental chant — " 'Give IIS the TTmquoliswa, We desire the Umquoliswa.' " In this way they entered the krnal, and, turning to the right, reached the principal 12; PROCESSION or THE jskide. (See page 8a.) (83) THE WEDDIXCt DAJ^^CE. 85 hut. The father of the girl now called upon the bridegroom, who was inside, to come forth and give them the Umquoliswa. The latter replied that he had no ox to present to them. lie was then assured that the bride would be taken home; but he re- mained invisil)le until other meml)ers of the party had required him to appear. Having left the house, he hurried to the gateway, and attempted to pass it. His exit, however, was barred by a company of women already in possession of the en- trance, while "a smile on his face showed that his efforts to escape were merely for- mal, and that he was going through an amusing ceremony. The Umquoliswa was now fetched from the herd, and given to the bride's party, who were bivouacking under the lee of a clump of bush. Her sisters affected to despise it as a paltry thing, and bade the owner produce a better. He told them that it was the largest and the fattest that he could procure ; but they were not satistied — they would not eat it. Presently, the father put an end to their noisy by-play, and accepted the beast. The bride then ran toward the kraal, and after a while the dances commenced." The dances are carried on with the vio- lent, and almost furious energy that seems to take possession of a KafHr's soul when engaged in the dance, the arms flourishing sticks, shields, and spears, while the legs are performing marvellous feats of activity. First, the bridegroom and his companions seat themselves in the cattle pen, and re- fresh themselves copiously with beer, while the j)arty of the bride dances before him. The process is then reversed, the bride sit- ting down, any the Ijridegroom. It must here lie mentioned that, although the bridegroom seems to be taxed rather heavily for the privilege of possessing a wife, the tax is more apparent than real. In the first place, he considers that all these oxen form iiart of the price which he pays for the wif? in question, and looks upon them much in the same light that householders regard the various taxes that the occupier of a house has to pay — namely, a recognized addition to the sum demanded for the prop- erty. The Kaffir husliand considers his wife as much a jiortion of his ]u-operty as his spear or his kaross, and will sometimes state the point very plainly. "Wlien a missionary was trying to re- monstrate with a Kaffir for throwing all the hard work upon his wife and doing nothing at all himself, he answered that she was nothing more or less than his ox, bought and paid for, and must expect to be worked accordingly. His interlocutor endeavored to strengthen his position by mentioning the manner in which Europeans treated their wives, but met with little success in his argument. The Kaffii-'s reply was 86 THE KArriR. simple enough, and perfectly unanswerable. '• White men do not buy their wives, and the two cases arc not parallel." In fact, a Kaffir husband's idea of a wife does not diiler very far from that of Petruchio, although the latter did happen to be an European — , "I will be master of what is mine own; SIk- is my goods, my chattels, she is ray house, My liouseholil stutl', my field, my barn. My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything." And the Kaffir wife's idea of a husband is practically that of the tamed Katherine — "Thy husband is thy lord, thy keeper. Thy head, thy sovereign" — though she could by no manner of means fluish the speech with truth, and say that he labors for her while she aliides at "liome at ease, and asks no other tribute but obe- dience and love. The former portion of ffiat tribute is exacted; the latter is not so rare as the circumstances seem to de- note. The sums which a Kaffir pays for his wife he considers as projierty invested by himself, and expected to return a good interest in the long run, and, as has already been mentioned, there are often circum- stances under which be takes credit for the amount, and expects to be repaid. So, although a bridegroom is obliged to part with certain cattle on the occasion of his wedding, he keeps a verj' accurate mental account of them, and is siu'e to repay him- self in one way or another. After the Ox of the C4irl has been fur- nished, it is solemnly slaughtered, and tliis constitutes the binding ]iortion of the mar- riage. Up to that time the fatlier or owner of the girl might take her back again, of course returning the cattle that had been paid for her, as well as those which had been presented and slaughtered. Our hero- ine, Uziuto, aftbrded an example of this kind. The bridegroom had a natural anti- patliy to the chief, who had tried to marry the lady by force, and showed his feelings by sending the very smallest and thinnest ox that could be found. The chief remon- strated at this insult, and wanted to annul the whole transaction. In this he might have succeeded, but for a curious coin- cidence. The father of the bride had finally quarrelled with his chief, and had been forced to follow the example of his daughter and her intended husband, and to take refuge in Natal. .lust at the wed- ding he unexpectedly made his appearance, and found liimself suddenly on the way to wealth. His daughter was actually being married to a man who had enajaged to piiy ten cows for her. So he did not trouble himself in the least about the size of the ox that was to be slauirhtered, but accepted the animal, and accordingly became owner of the cows in question, minus those which had to be jjaid as honorary gifts to the dis- appointed chief and the successful lover. After the ceremonies are over, the hus- band takes his wife home, the character of that home being dependent on his rank and wealth. But when the couple have fairly taken up their abode, the father or previous owner of the wife always sends one ox to her husband. This ox Is called the Ox of the Surplus, and represents sev- eral ideas. In the first place it is supposed to imply that the girl's value very far ex- ceeds that of any number of oxen which can be given for her, and is intended to let the bridegroom know that he is not to think too much of himself. Next, it is an admission on the father's side that he is satisfied with the transaction, and that when he dies he will not avenge himself by haunting his daughter's household, and .so causing tlie husband to be disappoint- ed in his wishes for a large family of l)oys and girls, t)ie first to be warriors and extend the power of his house, and the second to be sold for many cows and increase his wealth. So curiously elaborate are the customs of the Kaffirs, that when this Ox of the Surplus enters the kraal of the hu.sband it is called by another name, and is then entitled " The Ox tbat opens the Cattle-fold." The theory of this name is, that the husband lias paid for his wife all his oxen, and that in conse- quence the cattle-fold is empty. Ihit the ox that she brings witb her reopens the gate of the fold, and is looked upon as an earnest of the herds that are to be pur- chased with the daughters which she ma}' have in the course of her married life. Tliese curious customs strongly remind us of the old adage respecting the counting of chickens before they are hatched, but the Kaffir seems to perform that premature calculation in more ways than one. The reader will understand that these minute and com])licated ceremonies are not always observed in jjreciselj' the same manner. In many cases, especially when the Kaffirs have lived for any length of time under the protection of white men, there is very little, if any ceremony; the chief rites being the arrangement with the girl's owner or fatlier, the delivery of the cattle, and the transfer of the ]nirchased girl to the kraal of her husband. More- over, it is very difficult for while men to be present at Kaffir ceremonies, and in many cases the Kaffirs will pretend tbat there is no ceremony at all, in order to put their interrogatoris ofl" the track. Tlie foregoing account is, however, a tolerably full descrip- tion of the ceremonies that are. or have been, practised by the great Zulu tribe. A marriage thus made is considered quite as binding as anv ceremony among our- selves, and the Kaffir may not put away his POAVER or DIVORCE. 87 wife except for causes that are considered valid by tlie councillors of the tribe. lu- fidelity is, of course, punished by instant dismissal of the unfaithful wife, if not by her death, the latter tixte invariably befall- ing the erring wife of a chief. As for the other culprit, the aggrieved husband has him at his mercy, and sometimes puts him to death, but sometimes commutes that punishment for a heavy tine. Constant and systematic disobedience is also accepted as a valid cause of divorce, and so is incor- rigible idleness. The process of reasoning is, that the husband has bought the woman in order to perform certain tasks for liim. If she refuses to perform them through disobedience, or omits to perform them through idleness, it is clear that he has paid his mjney for a worthless article, and is therefore entitled to return her on the hands of the vendor, and to receive back a fair proportion of the sum which he has paid. Sometimes she thinks herself ill treated, and betakes herself to the kraal of her father. In this case, the father can keep her by paying back the cattle which ^he has received for her; and if there should be any children, the husband retains them as hostages until the cattle have been de- livered. He then transfers them to the mother, to whom thej' righth' belong. Another valid cause of divorce is the liiisfortune of a wife being childless. The husband expects that she shall be a fruit- ful wife, and that his children will add to his power and wealth; an;litinic tof,'i-tlier l)etween the Makonko. 18. He jiassed lietween the Jutuma and Ihliza, 19. The Celestial who thundered between the Makonko. 20. I praise thee, O king! son of Jokwane, the son of Und.aba, 21. The merciless opponent of every conspiracy. 22. Thou art an elephant, an elephant, an elephant. 23. All glory to thee, thou monarch who art black." The first isi-bonga in line 1, alludes to the ingenuity with which Panda succeeded in crossing the river, so as to escape out of the district where Dingan exercised author- ity. In the second line, " swallow which tied in the sky," is another allusion to the secrecy with which he managed his flight, which left no more track than the passage of a swallow through the air. Lines 4 and 5 allude to the wealth, i. e. the abundance of cattle, possessed by Panda. Line asserts that Panda was too humble-minded, and tliought more of the power of Dingan than it deserved ; while line 7 offers as'proof of this assertion that when they came to fight Panda conquered Dingan. Lines 8 to 11 all relate to the custom of seasoning sticks by hanging them over the firejilaces in Kaffir huts. Line 14 alludes to the fact that meat is verj' seldom roasted b\' the Kaffirs. Init is almost invariably boiled, or rather stewed, in closed vessels. In line 15 the " woman from Mankebe " is Panda's favor- ite wife. In line 19, " The Celestial " alludes to the name of the great Zulu tribe over which I'anda reigned ; the word " Zulu " meaning celestial, and having much the same import as the same word when em- ployed by the Chinese to denote their ori- gin. Line "21 refers to the attempts of Panda's rivals to dethrone him, and the ingenious manner in which he contrived to defeat their plans by forming judicious alliances. Line 22 reiterates the chief isi- bonga by which he is orally addressed, and the words "Monarch who art black" have already been explained at p. 12, when treat- ing of the appearance of the Kaffir tribes. As is the case in many countries, when a man has his first-born son presented to him he takes as a new isi-bonga the name of the son, with that of '■father'' prefixed to it; while, on the other hand, if his father should hajipen to be a man of peculiar eminence he takes as a praise-name that of his father, with the word " son" prefixed. It will l)e seen, therefore, that while the orig- inal name, or igama, is permanent, though very seldom mentioned, his isi-l)onga, "or praise-name, is continually changing. Fortunately, the Zulu language is com- plex in its structure, and its puritj' is jeal- ously preserved by the continual "couiicils which are held, and the displays of oratory which always accompany them. Otherwise, thi.s curious custom of sulistituting arbitra- rily one word for another might" have an extremely injurious efi'ect on the language, as has indeed been the case in the countries where a similar custom prevails, and in which the language has changed so com- pletely that the natives who had left their OW'U country, and returned after a lajise of some thirty years, would scarcely be able to make themselves understood, even though they had jierfectly retained the language as it was when they last spoke it in their own land. There is a curious regulation among the Kaffirs, that a man is not allowed to enter the hut in which either of his son's wives may be. If he wishes to enter he gives notice, and she retires. But, when he is in possession of the hut, she is (placed at equal disadvantage, and cannot enter her own house until he has left it. This rule, how- ever, is seldom kept in all its strictness, and indeed such literal obedience is hardly pos- sible, because the eldest son very seldom leaves his father's kraal until he has mar- ried at least two wives. In consequence of the great practical inconvenience of this rule, the Kaffirs have contrived to evade it, although they have not openly abandoned it. The father-in-law presents an ox to his son's wife, and in consideration of this liberality, she frees him from the obligation of this ])e- culiar and troublesome courtesy. The na- tive name for this custom is " uku-hlonipa." From what has been said, it is evident that women hold a very inferior position among the Kaffirs, and are looked ujion quite "as if they were cattle; liable, like cattle, to be bought and sold. A Kaffir never dreams that he and his •^^■ife are on terms of the least equality, or that he does not deserve praise at her hand for his con- descension in marrying her at all. A man will scarcely condescend to notice the wo- men of his "own household. If they go out on their several labors, they go their several ways. Supposing, for example, that a man were to cut sticks for firing, or poles for the support of a new house ; his wives, in going INTEKIOR POSITION OF WOMEN". 91 to the same spot, would be careful to choose a ditterent path. When he has cut the wood he walks off, leaving his wives to per- form the really heavy labor of bringing it home, and no man would ever think of assisting a woman in so menial a labor. There are now before me several photo- graphs representing women carrying bun- dles of sticks, and it is wonderful what hu:je burdens these hard worked women will carry. A man will not even litt the wood upon the head of his wife, but expects that one of her own sex will assist her. Some- times, when a number of women are re- turning froTU wood cutting, walking in single lile, as is their custom, a " boy '" will take the head of the procession. But he will not degrade himself by carrying so much as a stick, and bears nothing but his weapons, and perhaps a sni;}ll shield. The unceremonious manner in which these hard worked women are treated is little less singular than the cheerful acqui- escence wich which they obey the com- mands of their sable masters. Once, when Captain Gardiner was visiting Dingan, he was roused long before daybreak by the vociferation of a man who was running through the kraal, and shouting some com- mand in a most peremptory- tone. It turned out that Dingan had suddenly taken into his head to build a new kraal, and had ordered all the women into the bush to pro- cure reeds and branches for building pur- poses. In a few minutes a vast number of female voices were heard uniting in a pleasing melody, which became louder and louder as the numbers of the singers in- creased on their mustering ground, and then gradually died away in the distance as they moved to the scene of their labors. The bush to which they were sent was ten miles from the kraal, but they went off quite cheerfully, and in the afternoon, when they returned, each bearing a huge bundle of iDushes on her head, they were singing the same song, though they had walked so long a distance and so heavily laden. . Tlie song does not seem to liave possessed much variety, as it chieliy consisted of one line, " Akoosiniki, ingonvama izezewi," and a cho- rus of "Haw! haw! haw!" It was probably intended for the same purpose as the tunes played by regimental bands; namely, to en- able the party to keep step with each other. Dingan was so tenacious of the superior- ity of his own sex that he would never allow his wives to stand in his presence, but made them shuffle about from place to place on their knees. In consequence of their different habits of life, the men and women hardly seem to belong to the same race. The men, as a rule, are exceptionally fine specimens of humanity ; and, despite their high cheek- bones, woolly hair, and thick lips, might serve as models for a sculptor. Their stature is tall, their forms are elastic and muscular, and their step is free and noble, as becomes the gait of warriors. In all these respects they are certainly not inferior to Europeans, and in many are decidedly superior. The women, however, are rather stunted than otherwise: their figures are bowed by rea- son of the heavy weights which they have to carry, and they rapidly lose that wonder- ful synnnetry of form which distinguished them while still in the bloom of youth. The men preserve their grandeur of demeanor and their bold, intelligent aspect, even until their hair is gray from age, while the elderly Kaffir woman is at best awkward and un- sightly, and the old woman irresistibly reminds the observer of an aged and with- ered monkey. Exceptions to the general rule are some- times found. A chief or wealthy man, for exami)le, would take a pride in freeing his daughters and cliief wife fr(mi the exception- ally hard Labor which falls to the lot of the sex in KafHrland. In the case of the daugh- ters, he is moved quite as niuch by self- interest as by parental affection. A girl fetches a price commensm-ate with her appearance, and the very best price is always to be olitained for the best article. The daughter of a poor man, or dependant, is obliged to work liard and live hard; and the natural consequence is, that she has scarcely any real youth, and that her form is spoiled by the heavy labors which are imposed ujion her at an age when all the bodily powers ought to be employed in add- ing to the ]5hysical energy of her frame. Therefore, when such a girl is old enough to be married, she is thin, careworn, and coarse, and no one will give very much for her. Indeed, if she should be married, she is perfectly aware that her real post in the kraal of her husband is little more than that of a purchased drudge. The daugliter of a wealthy man, on the contrary, vmdertakes but little of the really hard work which falls to the lot other sex; and as she is not only allowed, but encour- aged, to ea" che most fattening food with as much despatch as possible, it naturally fol- lows that, when compared with the ordinary drudge of every-day life, she is by far the more prepossessing, and her father is sure to oljtain a very much higher price for her than would have been the case if she had been forced to do hard labor. Thus the three great requisites of a Kaffir girl are, that she should be fat, strong, and have a tolerably good-looking face. This last qualification is, however, subordinate to the other two. That she is fat, shows that she has not been prematurely worn out by hard work; and that she is strong, gives promise that she will be able to do plenty of work after her marriage, and that the purchaser will not have reason to think that he has wasted his money. CHAPTER XI. WAE — OFFENSIVE WEAPONS. THE KAFFIB MTLITART SPIRIT, HOW GENERATED, AND HOW FOSTERED — DREAD OP THE UNKNOWN — ARTILLERY — ITS MORAL EFFECT ON THE K.AFFIR — NATrV'E NAME FOR CANNON — ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY — WEAPONS USED BY THE ZULU TRIUES — PRIJIITIVE FORMATION OF THE SPEAR — MATERIALS USED FOR SPEAR-HEADS — ZULU SPEARS, OR " ASSAGAIS " — THE ZULU AS A BLACK- SMITH — SHAPE OF THE ASSAGAI HEAD — THE KAFFIb'S PREFERENCE FOR SOFT STEEL — THE KAFFIR KNIFE AND AXE — RUST-RESISTING PROPERTY — THE KAFFIR FORGE AND BELLOWS — SMELTING IRON — A KAFFIR CHIEF ASTONISHED — LE VAILLANT INSTRUCTING THE NATIVES Df THE USE OF THE FORGE — WIRE-DRAWING AND WORKING IN BRASS — HOW THE KAFFIR CASTS AND MODELS RBASS — DIFFICULTIES IN IRON WORKING — HOW A KAFFIR OBTAINS FIRE — TEMPER OF ASSAGAI HEADS — ASSAGAI SHAFTS — CURIOUS METHOD OF FASTENING THE HEAD TO THE SHAFT — A REMARKABLE SPECIMEN OF THE ASSAGAI — HOW THE ASSAGAI IS THROWN — A KAFFIR chief's STRATAGEM, AND A CLASSICAL PARALLEL — THE TWO KINDS OF ASSAG.VI — THE KNOB- KERRY, AND MODE OF USING IT. If there is any one trait wliicli distinguislies the true Kaffir race, it is tlie innate genius for warfare. Tlie Kaffir lives from liis cliild- hood to his deatli in an atmosphere of war. Until he is old and wealthy, and naturally desires to keep his possessions in tranquillity, a time of peace is to him a time of trouble. He has no opportunity of working off his superabundant energy; he has plenty of spears which he cannot use against an en- emy, and a shield which he can only employ in the dance. He has no chauco of dis- tinguishing himself, and so gaining both rank and wealth; and if he be a young bachelor, he cannot hope to l)e promoted to the rank of " man," and allowed to marry, for many a long year. It is true, that in a time of war he may be killed; but that is a reflection which does not in the least trouble a Kaffir. For all he knows, he stands in just as great danger of his life in a time of peace. He may unintentionally offend the king; he may commit a breach of discipline which would he overlooked in war time; he may be accused as a wizard, and tortured to death; he may accumulate a few cows, and so excite the cupidity of the chief who will fine him heavily for something which either he did not do, or which was not of the slight- est imjiortance. Knowing, therefore, that a violent death is quite as likely to befall him in peace as in war, and as in peace he has no chance of gratifying his ambitious feelings, the young Kafrir is all for war. Indeed, had it not been for the judicious councils of the old men, the English Government would have had much more trouble with these tribes than has been the case. Even under Panda's rule, there have been great dissensions among the army. All agreed in disliking the rule of the English in the Natal district, because Natal formed a refuge for thousands of Kaffirs, most of them belonging to the Zulu tribe, and having fled from the tyr- anny of Panda; while others belonged to tribes against which Panda had made war, and had fled for protection to the English flag. The younger warriors, fierce, arrogant, despising the white man because they do not know him, have repeatedly begged to be allowed to invade Natal. They urge, in pursuance of their request, that they will conquer the country, restore to their king all the fugitives who have run away from him, and inflame their own minds, and those of tlie young and ignorant, by glowing de- scriptions of the rich spoil whicli would fall to the conquerors, of the herds of cattle, the tons of beads, the quantities of flre-arms and ammunition, and, in lact, the unlimited sup- 2) okganizatio:n^ of the akmy. 93 ply of everything wliich a Kaffir's heart can possibly desire. Tlie older men, however, who have more acquaintance with the white men, and a tolerably gooil experience of the fact that when a whitt' man tires his gun he generally hits his mark, have always dis- suaded their younger and more impetuous comrades from so rash an attempt. Strangely enough, the argument which has proved most powerful is really a very weak one. The Kaffir, like other men, is brave enough when he can coniiirehend his danger; but he does not at all like to fiice a peril which he cannot understand. Like all unknown things, such a peril is indeed ter- rible to a Kaffir's mind, and this unknown peril is summed up in the word cannon, or " By-and-b}' " — • to use the native term. Why cannon are so called will presently be mentioned. The Kaffirs have heard that the dreai-lful By-and-by eats up everything — trees, houses, stones, grass; and, as they justly argue, it is very likely to eat up Kaffir soldiers. Of course, in defending a fort against Kaffirs, cannon, loaded with grape and canister, would be of terrible efficacy, and they would be justitied in declining to assault any place that was defended with such dreadful weapons. But they do not seem to be aware that guns in a" fort and guns in the bush are two very different things, and that, if they could decoy the artillei'y into the bush, the dreaded weapons would be of scarcely more use than if they were logs of wood. This distinction the Kaffir never seems to have drawn, and the wholesome dread of cannon has done very much to insure tranquillity among the im- petuous and self-contident soldiery of KatKr- land. The odd name of " By-and-by " became attached to the cannon in the following manner: — When the natives first saw some pieces of artillery in the ]^atal district, they asked what such strange objects could be, and were answered that they would learn " by-and-by." Further questions, added to the tiring of a few shots, gave them such a terror of the "By-and-by," that they have never liked to match themselves against such weapons. The Zulu tribes are remarkable for being the only people in that part of Africa who have practised war in an European sense of the word. The other tribes are very good at bush-fighting, and are exceedingly crafty at taking an enemy unawares, and coming on him before he is prepared for them. Guerilla warfiire is, in fact, their only mode of waging battle, and, as is necessarily the case in such warfare, more depends on the exertion of individual combatants than on the scientific combination of masses. But the Zulu tribe have, since the time of Tchaka, the great inventor of military tac- tics, carried on war in a manner approach- ing the notions of civilization. Their men are organized into regiments, each sultdivided into companies, and each commanded by its own chief, or colonel, while the king, as commanding general, leads his forces to war, disposes them in Isattle array, and personally directs their move- ments. They give an enemy notice that they are about to march against him, and boldly meet him in the open field. There is a military etiquette about them which some of our own people have been slow to under- stand. They once sent a message to the English commander that they would " come and breakfast with him." He thought it was only a joke, and was very much sur- prised wlien the Kaffirs, true to their prom- ise, came pouring like a torrent over the hills, leaving him barely time to get his men under arms before the dark enemies arrived. As, in Kaffir warfare, much stress is laid upon the weapons, otfensive and defensive, with which the troops are armed, it will be necessary to give a description of their weapons before we proceed any further. They are but few and simple, and consist of certain spears, called " assagais," sh(n-t clubs, called " kerries," and shields made of the hides of oxen. Almost every nation has its distinguish- ing weapons, or, at all events, one weapon which is held in greater estimation tlian any other, and which is never used so skilfullj as by itself The Australian savage has the boomerang, a weapon which cannot be used rightly except by an Australian. Many Europeans can throw it so as to make it per- form some trifling evolution in the air, but there are none who can really use it as an efficient weapon or instrument of hunting. The Dyak has his sumpitan, and the Macou- shie Indian his analogous weapon, the zar- abatana, through which are blown the tiny poisoned arrows, a hundred of which can be held in the hand, and each one of which has death upon its point. The Ghoorka has his kookery, the heavy curved knife, with whicli he will kill a tiger in fair fight, and boldly attack civilized soldiers in spite of their more elaborate arms. Then the Sikh has the strange quoit weapon, or chakra, which skims through the air or ricochets from the ground, and does frightful execu- tion on the foe. The Esquimaux liave their harpoons, which will serve either for catch- ing seals or assaulting the enemy. The Polynesians have their terrible swords and gauntlets armed with the teeth of sharks, each of which cuts like a lancet, and infiicts a wound which, though not dangerous by itself, becomes so when multiplied by the score and inflicted on the most sensitive part of the body. Some of these weapons are peculiar in shape, and are not used in other countries, whereas some are modifications of imple- ments of warfare spread over a great part of 94 THE KAFFIR. the glol)e, and altered in shape and size to suit llie locality. Of such a nature is the special weapon of the Kaflirs inhal)iting the .Natal district, the slight-lookinu; but most tbrniidable spear or assagai. The spear is one of the simplest of all weapons, the simplest of all excepting the club. In its primitive state the spear is nothing but a stick of greater or lesser length, sharpened at one end. The best example of this prim- itive spear may be found in Borneo, where the weapon is" made in a few minutes by taking a piece of bamboo of convenient length, and cutting oif one end diagonally. The next improvement in spear making was to put the jjointed end in the fln; for a few moments. This process enabled the spear maker to scrape the point more easily, while the charred wood wa.s rendered hard, and capable of resisting damp better than if it had been simply scraped to a point. Spears of this kind are to be found in almost every primitive savage tribe. A further improvement now takes place. The point is armed with some material liarder than wood, which material may be bone, horn, stone, metal, or other similar substance. Some nations arm the heads of their spears with sharp flakes of flint or obsidian. Some tip them with the end of a sharj) horn, or even with the claws of a mammal or a bird — tlie kang:u-oo, emu, and cassowary being used for this singular jnir- pose. In many parts of the earth, the favorite spears are armed with the teeth of sharks, while others are headed with tlie tail spine of the sting-raj% which not only penetrates deeply, but breaks into the wound, and always causes death. These additions to the spears, together with oth- ers formed of certain marine shells, are necessarily the productions of tribes that inhabit certain islands in the warmer seas. The last and greatest improvement that is made in the manufacture of spears is the aliolitiou of all additions to the head, and making the head itself of metal. For this purpose iron is generally used, partly be- cause it takes a sharp edge, and partly hecau.se it can be easily forged into any required shape. The natives of Southern Africa are wonderful proflcients in forging iron, and indeed a decided capability f ing assagai." This weapon can be used as a "missile, but is very seldom employed except as a manual weapon. Its long, straight blade is much used in the more peaceful vocations of daily life, and a Kaffir in time of peace seldom uses it for any worse jnirpose than slaughtering cattle, and cut- ting them up afterward. This is the assagai that is usually employed as a knife, and with which the ingenious native contrives to shave his head. At fig. 7 is shown a very remarkable speci- men of the barbed assagai. Intending to produce an extremely elegant weapon, the artificer has lavished much pains on his work. In the first place, he has forged a deeply barbed head, a form which is but rarely seen. He has then fastened it to the shaft in a rather singular way. Instead of cut- ting a strip of raw hide and binding it round the weapon, he has taken the tail of a calf, cut otT a piece about four inches in length, drawn the skin from it so as to form a tube, and slipped this tulie over the spear. As is the case with the hide lashing, the tube con- tracts as it dries, and forms a singularly ett'ective mode of attaching the head to the shaft. The hair has been retained, and, in the maker's opinion, a very handsome weapon has been jiroduced. The assagai, in its original form, is essen- tially a missile, and is made expressly for that purpose, although it serves several others. And, insignificant as it looks when compared with the larger and more elabo- rate spears of other nations, there is no spear or lancet that can surpass it in effi- cacy. Tho Kaffir, when going on a warlike or hunting expedition, or even when travelling to any distance, takes with him a bundle, or "sheaf," of assagais, at least five in number, and sometimes eight or nine. When he assails an enemy, he rushes forward, spring- ing from side to side in order to disconcert the aim of his adversary, and hurling spear after spear with such rapidity that two or three are in the air at once, each having lieen thrown from a different direction. There is little difficulty in avoiding a single spear when thrown from the front ; but when the point of one is close to the heart, and another is coming to the right side, and the enemy is just hurling anotlier on the left, it is a matter of no small difficulty to escape one or other of them. If the assailed individual stands still, he is sure to be hit, for the Kaffir's aim is absolute certainty; while if he tries to escape a spear coming 102 THE KATFIR. from the left, he will probably be hit by anotlier coming from the right. Moreover, the mode iu which the weapon is thrown serves to disconcert the enemy, and bewilder his gaze. Just before he throws the spear, the KafHr makes it quiver in a very peculiar manner. He grasps it with the thumb and foreflnger of the right hand, holding it just above the spot where it balances itself, and with the head pointing up his arm. The other fingers are laid along the shaft, and are suddenly and tirmly closed, so as to liring the balance spot of the spear against the root of the hand. This movement causes the spear to vibrate strongly and is rapidly repeated, until the ■weai)ou gives out a peculiar humming or shivering noise, impossible to be described, and equally impossible to be forgotten when once heard. It is as menacmg a sound as the whirr of the rattlesnake, and is used by the Kaffirs when they wish to strike terror into their opponents. When thrown, the assagai does not lose this vibrating move- ment, but seems even to vibrate stronger tlian before, the head describing a large arc of a circle, of which the balance point forms the centre. This vibration puzzles the eye of the adversary, because it is almost impos- sible to tell the precise direction which the weapon is taking. Any one can calculate the flight of a rigid missile, such as a thick spear or arrow, but when the weapon is vibrating the eye is greatly bewildered. The whole look of an assagai in the air is very remarkable, and has never been prop- erly represented. All illustrations have represented it as quite straight and stift" in its flight, whereas it looks just like a very slender serpent undulating itself gracefully through the air. It seems instinct with life, and appears rather to be seeking its own course than to be a simple weapon thrown by the hand of a man. As it flies along it continually gives out the peculiar shivering sound which has been mentioned, and this adds to the delusion of its aspect. An illustration on page 111 represents a group of Kaffir warriors engaged in a skir- mish. In the present instance they are exhibiting their prowess in a mock fight, the heads of the assagais being of wood instead of iron, and blunted, but still hard and sharp enough to give a very severe blow — experto crede. In the background are seen a numlser of soldiers standing behind their shields so as to exemplify the aptness of their title, the Matabele, or Dis- appearers. In the immediate foreground is a soldier in the full uniform of his regiment. He ha-s just hurled one assagai, and, as may be seen by the manner in which his dress is flying, has leaped to his present position with another assagai ready in his hanil. Two soldiers are plucking out of the ground the assagais thrown by their an- tagonists, covering themselves with their shields while so doing. All these soldiers belong to the same regiment, as may be seen by the headtlress, which constitutes their distinctive uniform. The skill displaj'ed by the Kaffirs in the use of this weapon is really surprising. The rapidity with which the assagais are snatched from the sheaf, poised, quivered, and hurled is almost incredible. We are told that the great masteiy of the old Eng- lish archers over the powerful bows which they used, was not so much owing to the personal strength of the archer, as to the manner in which he was taught to " lay his body in his bow," and thus to manage with ease a weapon that much stronger men could not draw. In a similar manner, the skill of the Kaffir in hurling the assagai is attributable not to his bodily strength, but to the constant habit of using the weapon. As soon as a boy can fairly walk alone, he plays at spear throwing — throwing with sticks; and as he grows up, his lather makes sham assagais for him, with wooden instead of iron heads. Two of these mock weapons are shown at fig 8 in the illustration on p. 10.3. They exactly resemble the ordinary assagai, except that their heads are of wood; and if one of them happened to hit a man, it would infiict rather an unpleasant wound. When the Kaffir grasps his assagai, he and the weapon seem to become one lieing, the quivering spear seeming instinct with life imparted to it by its wielder. In hurl- ing it, he assumes intuitively the most graceful of attitudes, reminding the ob- server of some of the ancient statues, and the weapon is thrown with such seeming ease that, as a sojourner among them told me, '' the man looks as if he were made of oil." As he hurls the weapon, he presses on his foe, trying to drive him back, and at the same time to recover the spent missiles. Sometimes, when he has not sjiace to raise his arm, or when he wants to take his foe by surprise, he throws the assagai with a kind of underhand jerk, his arm hanging at full length. An assagai thus delivered cannot he thrown so far as l\v the ordinary method, but it can lie propelled with con- siderable force, and frequently achieves tlie object for which it was intended. He never tli'rows the last of the sheaf, but if he cannot succeed in picking up those that are already thrown, either by himself or his enemy, he dashes forward, and, as he closes with the foe, snaps the shaft of the assagai iu the middle, throws away the tip, and uses the remaining portion as a dagger. Tlie wood of which the shaft is made, though very elastic, is very brittle, and a novice in the art is sure to lireak several of his spears before he learns to throw them projierly. Unless they are rightly cast, as soon as the blade reaches the ground the shaft gives a kind of " whip " forward, and snaps short just above the SPOONS FOR EATIN(: POURIDGE. (See page 148.) GROUl' OF ASSAGAIS. (Sec pages 101, 105.) (103) A KAFFIR CHIEF'S STEATAGEM. 105 blade. One of the great warrior chiefs made a singular use of tliis property. Just before going into action, lie made his men cut the'shafls of their assagais nearly across, just beyond the junction of the shaft and the head. The consequence of this ingen- ious ruse became evident enough when the action commenced. If the weapon went ti-ue to its mark, it pierced the body of the foe just as etfectually as if nothing had been done to it; while if it missed, and struck the ground or a shield, the shaft instantly snapped, and the weapon was thereby rendered useless to the foe. Unknowingly, the barbaric chief copied the example that was set by a Roman gen- eral nearly two thousand years ago. When Marius made war against the Cimbri, his troops carried the short heavy javelin, called the jxilum. This weapon had a thick handle, to the end of which the long blade was attached by two iron rivets, one in front of the other. Before going to battle, he ordered the soldiers to remove the rivet farthest from the point, and to supply its place with a slight wooden peg, just strong enough to hoUrthe head in its proper jiosi- tion as long as no force was used. When the javelin was hurled, the enemy tried to receive it on their shields; and if they suc- ceeded in doing so, they drew out the wea- pon and flung it back at the foe. But as soon as the action began, the Cimbri found themselves in a sore strait. No sooner had they caught the javelin in their shields, than the slight wooden peg snapped, and allowed the shaft to dangle from the blade. Not only was the weapon useless, but it became a serious incumbrance. It could not be pulled out of the shield, as it atforded no grasp, and the heavy shaft dragged on the ground so as to force the soldier to throw away his shield, and to fight without it. A very singular modification of the assa- gai was made by the terrible Tchaka, a chief who lived but for war, and was a man of wonderful intellect, dauntless courage, singular organizing power, and utterly de- void of compassion. Retaining the assagai, he altered its shape, and made it a much shorter and heavier weapon, unfit for throw- ing, and only to be used in a hand-to-hand encounter. After arming his troops with this modifled weapon, he entirely altered the mode of warfare. His soldiers were furnished with a very large shield and a single assagai. When they went into action, they ran in a compact body on the enemy, and as soon as the first shower of spears fell, they crouched beneath their shields, allowed the weapons to ex- pend their force, and then sprang in for a hand-to-hand encounter. Their courage, naturally great, was excited by promises of reward, and by the certainty that not to conquer was to die. If a soldier was de- tected in running away, he was instantly killed by the chief, and the same punish- ment awaited any one who returned ti'om battle without his spear and shield. Owing to these tactics, he raised the tribe of the Amazulu to be the most powerful in the country. He absorbed nearly sixty other tribes into his own, and extended "his do- minions nearly half across the continent of Africa. He at last formed the bold conception of sweeping the whole South African coast with his armies, and extirpating the white inhabitants. But, while at the zenith of his power, he was treacherously killed by two of his brothers, Dingan and Umlangane. The two murderers fought for the kingdom on the following day, and Dingan ascended the throne over the bodies of both his brothers. The sanguinary mode of govern- ment which Tchaka had created was not likely to be ameliorated in such hands, and the name of Dingan was dreaded nearly as much as that of his brother. His successor and brother. Panda, continued to rule in the same manner, though without possess- ing the extraordinary genius of the mighty founder of his kingdom, and found himself obliged to form an alliance with the Eng- lish, instead of venturing to make war upon them. Tchaka's invention of the single stabbing assagai answered very well as long as the Zulus only fought against other tribes of the same country. But, when they came to encounter the Dutch Boers, it was found that the stabbing assagai was almost use- less against mounted enemies, and they were obliged to return to the original form of the weapon. If the reader will refer to the illustration ^ which has already been mentioned, he will see two specimens of the short stabbing assagai with the large blade. A fine exam- ple of this weapon is seen at fig. 1. The reader will see that the blade is extremely wide and leaf shaped, and that the other end, or but of the spear, is decorated with a tuft of hairs taken from the tail of a cow. Another example is seen at fig. 3. The maker has bestowed great pains on this particular weapon. Just at the part where the spear balances, a piece of soft leather is formed into a sort of handle, and is finished off at either end with a ring made of the wire-like hair of the elephant's tail. Several wide rings of the same material decorate the shaft of the weapon, and all of them are like the well-known •' Turk's-head " knot of the sailors. Fig. 6 shows another assagai, which has once had a barbed blade like that at fig. 7, but which has been so repeatedly ground that the original shape is scarcely perceptible. The s])ear which is drawn at fig. 13 is one of the ornamental wooden weapons which a Kaffir will use when eti- quette forbids him to carry a real assagai. This particular spear is cut from one piece of wood, and is decorated according to Kaffir 106 THE KAFFIE. notions of beauty, by contrasts of black and white gained by charring tliu wood. The ornamental work on the shaft is thus black- ened, and so is one side of the broad wooden blade. The spear shown at fig. 9 is used in elephant hunting, and will be described in a future chapter. To a Kaflir the assagai is a necessary of life. He never stirs without taking a weapon of some kind in his hand, and that weapon is generally the assagai. With it he kills his game, with it he cuts up the carcass, with it he strips off the hide, and with it he fashions the dresses worn by the women as well as the men. The ease and rapidity with which he performs these acts are really astonishing. AVheu cutting up slaughtered cattle, he displays as much knowledge of the various cuts as the most ex- perienced butcher, and certainly no Initcher could operate more rapidly with his knife, saw, and cleaver, than does the Kaffir with his simple assagai. For every purjiose wherein an European uses a knife, the Kaffir uses his assagai. With it he cuts the shafts for his weapons, and with its sharp blade he carves the wooden dubs, spoons, dishes, and jiillows, and the various utensils required in his daily life. When hurling his assagai, whether at an animal which he is hunting or at a foe, or even when exhibiting his skill to a spec- tator, the Kaffir becomes strongly excited, and seems almost beside himself. The sweetest sound that can greet a Kaffir's ears is the sound of his weapon entering the object at which it was aimed, and in order to enjoy this strange gratification, he will stab a slain animal over and over again, forgetful in the excitement of the moment that every needless stab injures the hide which might be so usefid to him. When the chief summons his army, and the war- riors go through their extraordinary per- formances in his presence, they never fail to expatiate on the gratification which they shall derive from hearing their assagais strike into the bodies of their opponents. It is rather a curious fact that the true Kaffir never uses the bow and arrow. Though nearly surrounded by tribes which use this weapon, and though often suffering in skirmishes from the poisoned arrows ot the Bosjesmans, he rejects the bow in war- fare, considering it to' be a weapon incon- sistent with the dignity of a warrior. He has but two weapons, the assagai and the club, and he wields the second as skilfully as the first. The clubs used by the Kaffir tribes are extremely variable in size, and rather so in form. Some of them are more than six feet in length, while some are only fourteen or fifteen inches. But they all agree in one point, namely, that they are straight, or, at all events, are intended to be so; and tliat one end is terminated by a knob. They are popularly known as " knob-kerries." In order to show the extreme difierence of size that is found among them, several specimens are figured in the illustration on jKige 103. Three .specimens are seen at fig. 10. That on the right hand is used as a weapon, and is wielded iu a very curious manner. Not only can it be employed as a weapon with which an opponent 'can be struck, but it is also used as a missile, some- times being fiung straight at the antagonist, and sometimes thrown on the ground in such a manner that its elasticity causes it to rebound and strike the enemy from below instead of from above. The Australian savages possess clubs of a similar shape, and also employ the ricochet. The other two kerries are not meant as weapons. It is contrary to etiquette for a Kaffir to carry an assagai when lie enters the hut of a superior, and he therefore exchanges the weapon for the innocent kerrie. And it is also contrary to etiquette to use the real assagai in dances. But, as in their dances the various operations of warfare and hunt- ing are imitated, it is necessary for the per- formers to have something that will take the place of an assagai, and they accord- ingly provide themselves with knob-kerries about the same length as the weapons whose place they sujjply. One very common form of the short knob- kerrie is shown at fig. 14. This weapon is only twenty inches in length, and can be conveniently carried in the belt. At close quarters it can be used as a club, but it is more frequently employed as a missile. The Kaffir is so trained from infancy to hurl his weapons that he always prefers those which can be thrown. The force and precision with which the natives will fling these short kerries is really astoni.shing. If Europeans were to go after birds, and pro- vide themselves with knobbed sticks instead of guns, they would liring home but very little game. Yet a Kaffir takes his knob- kerries as a matter of course, when he goes after the bustard, the quail, or other birds, and seldom returns without success. The general plan is for two men to hunt in concert. Tliey walk some fifty yards ajiart, and when they come to any spot which seems a likely place for game, they rest their kerries on their right shoulders, so as to lose no time in drawing back the hand when they wish to fling the weapon. As soon as a bird rises, they simultaneously hurl their kerries at it, one always aiming a little above the bird, and the other a little below. If then, the bird catches sight of the upper club, and dives down to avoid it, the lower club takes efieet, while, if it rises from the lower kerrie, it falls a victim to the upper. This plan is wonderfully efficacious, as I have proved by person.al experience. One of my friends and myself determined to try whether we could kill game in the Kaffir fashion. So we cut some knobbed sticks. THE KNOB-KEKRIE. 107 and started off in search of snipe. As soon as a snipe rose, we flung tlie stick at it, and naturally missed, as it was quite beyond tlie range of any missile jiropelled by hand. However, marking the spot where it alight- ed, we started it afresh, and by repeating this process, we got sufficieutlj' near to Isring it within the compass of our jjowers, and suc- ceeded in knocking it down. Generally the short, thick, heavily knobbed kcrrie belongs rather to the Hottentot and the Bosjesman than to the Zulu, who pre- fers the longer weapon, even as a missile. But it is evident that the former shape of the weapon is the original one, and that the Kaffir, who derived it from its oi-igi- nal inventor, the Hottentot, lias gradually lengthened the shaft and diminished the size of the head. The material of which the kerrie is made is mostly wood, that of the acacia being frequently used for this purpose. The long knob-kerries of the Zulus are generally cut from the tree that is emphatically, though not euphoniously, named Stink-wood, on account of the unpleasant odor which it gives out while being worked. As soon as it is dry, this odor goes off, and not even the most sensitive nostril can be annoyed by it. The stink-wood is a species of laurel, and its scientific name is Luurus bulluta. The most valuable, as well as the most durable knob-kerries are those which are cut out of rhinoceros horn, and a native can hardly be induced to part with a fine specimen for any bribe. In the first place, the very fact of possessing such an article shows that he must be a mighty hunter, and have slain a rhinoceros; and in the second place, its great efficacy, and the enormous amount of laljor expended in carving out of the solid horn, endear it so much to him, that he will not part with it except for something which will tend to raise him in the eyes of his com- rades. In England, a fine specimen of knob-kerrie, made from the horn of the white rhinoceros, has been known to fetch even ten jioimds. Thus much for the offensive weapons of the Zulu Kaffir. Toward the north as well as to the west of the Draakensberg Moun- tains, a peculiar battle-axe is used, which is evidently a modification of the barbed spear which has already been described; but the true Zulu uses no weapon except the assagai and the kerrie. CHAPTER XII. WAE — Concluded. DEFENSIVE "WEAPONS, AND MODE OF FIGHTING. BODY AKMOB NOT WORN — THE KAFFIK'S SHIELD — ITS SHAPE, MATERIAL, AND COLOR — THE SHIELD AS A UNIFORM — CirRIOUS RUSE — HOW THE SHIELD IS HELD AND USED — THE SHIELD STICK AND ITS ORNAMENTS — VALUE OF THE SHIELD AGAINST SPEARS AND ARROWS — THE BLACK AND WHITE SHIELD REGIMENTS — DISTRIBUTION OF SHIELDS — MILITARY AMBITION AND ITS INCENTIVES^ CHIEF OBJECTS OF WARFARE — DISCIPLINE OF KAFFIR ARMY — CRUELTY OF TCHAKA AND OTHER ZULU MONjVKCHS — OBSERV-VNCES BEFORE A CAMPAIGN — SUPERSTITIOUS CEREMONIES — HOW THE AKMY IS M.UNTAINED IN THE FIELD — TRACK OF AN ARMY THROUGH AN ENEMY'S LAND— JEAL- OUSY BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT REGIMENTS — ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY — NUMBER OF REGIMENTS AND GARRISON TOWNS — NAMES OF THE DIFFERENT REGIMENTS — GOZA AND SAN- DILLI — DISTINGUISHING UNIFORMS OF THE REGIMENTS — THE REVaEW AFTER A BATTLE, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES —THE SHIELD BE.ARER AND HIS PERILOUS TASK — THE ROYAL ATTENDANTS — REWARD AND PUNISHMENT — KAFFIR HERALDS — VARIOUS TITLES OF THE KING — PANDA'S REVIEW COSTUME — THE KING'S PROGRESS THROUGH HIS COUNTRY — INA'ENTION AND COMPLE- TION OP A MILITARY SYSTEM — TCHAKA'S POLICY COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE FIRST NAPO- LEON — TCHAKA'S rise AND FALL — AN UNSUCCESSFUL EXPEDITION — FAMILY" QUARRELS — A TREACHEROUS CONSPIRACY' — MURDER OF TCHAKA, AND ACCESSION OF DINGAN. The Zulu tribe have but one piece of defensive armor, namely, the shield. The Kaffirs either are ignorant of, or despise bodily armor of any kind, not even pro- tecting their heads by caps and helmets, but exposing their naked bodies and limbs to the weapons of the foe. The shields are always made of ox-hide, and their color denotes the department of the army to which the owner belongs. None but " men," who are entitled to wear the head-ring, are priv- ileged to carry white shields, "while the " boys " on their promotion are furnished with black shields. Some of them have their black and white shields spotted with red or brown, tliis coloring denoting the ]iarticular regiment to which they belong. It will be seen, therefore, that the shield constitutes a kind of uniform, and it has more than once happened, that when the Zulu warriors have got the lietter of their enemies, some of the more crafty among the vanquished have contrived to exchange their own shields for those belonging to slain Zulu warriors, and have thus contrived to pass themselves oft" as victorious xVmazulu until they could find an opportunity of making their escape. The double row of black marks down the centre of the shield (see Goza's, page 117,) is an addition which is invariably found in these weapons of war, and serves partly as an ornament, and partly as a convenient mode for fastening the handle. In orna- menting the shield with these marks, the Kaffir cuts a double row of slits along the shield while it is still wet and pliant, and then passes strips of black hide in and out through the slits, so as to make the black of tlie stri]) contrast itself boldly with the white of the shield. The handle of the Kaffir's shield is quite unique. Instead of being a mere loop or projection in the centre of the shield, it is combined with a stick which runs along the centre of the shield, and is long enough to project at both ends. This stick serves several purposes, its chief use being to strengthen the shield and keep it stift", and its second object being to assist the soldier in swinging it about "in the rajiid manner which is required in the Kaffir's mode of fighting and dancing. The projection at the lower end is used as a rest, on which the shield can stand whenever the warrior is tired of carrying it in his arms, and the shield ought to be just so tall that, when the owner stands erect, his eyes can just look over the top of the shield, while iiie (108) AVAR SHIELD. 109 end of the stick reaches to the crown of his head. It will be seen that the upper end of the stick has an ornament upon it. This is made of the furry skin of some animal, which is cut into strips just like those which are used for the "tails," and the strips wound upon the stick in a dram- like shape. If the reader will refer to the illustration on p. o7, entitled " Kaffirs at Home," he will see three of these shield-sticks placed in the fence of the cattle-fold, ready to be inserted in the shield whenever they are wanted. At each side of the shield there is a slight indentation, the object of which is not very clear, unless it be simple fashion. It pre- vails to a large extent throughout many parts of Africa, in some places being com- paratively slight, and in others so deep that the shield looks like a great hour-gl.ass. Although the shield is simply made of the hide of an ox, and without that elabo- rate preparation with glue and size which strengthens the American Indian's shield, the native finds it quite sufficient to guard hini against either spear or club, while those tribes which employ the bow find that their weapons can make but little im- pression on troops which are furnished with such potent defences. The Bosjesmans, and all the tribes which use poisoned arrows, depend entirely on the virulence of the poison, and not on the force with which the arrow is driven, so that their puny bow and slender arrows are almost useless against foes whose whole bodies are covered by shields, from which the arrows recoil as harmlessly as if they were bucklers of iron. As is the case in more civilized communi- ties, the shields, which constitute the uni- forms, are not the private property of the individual soldier, but are given out by the chief Moreover, it seems that the warlike chief Dingan would not grant shields to any young soldier until he had shown him- self worthy of wearing the uniform of his sovereign. The skins of all the cattle in the garrison towns belong of right to the king, and are retained by liim for the pur- pose of being made into shields, each skin being supposed to furnish t\vo shields — a large one, and a small, or hunting shield. Men are constantly employed in convert- ing hides into shields, ^vhich are stored in houses devoted to the purpose. Captain Gardiner gives an interesting ac- count of an application for shields made by a party of young soldiers, and their reception by the king. It must lie first understood that Dingan was at the time in his chief gar- rison town, and that he was accompanied by his two favorite ludoonas, or petty chiefs, one of whom, by name Tambooza, was a singularly cross-grained individual, whoso chief delight was in fault finding. After mentioning that a chief, named Georgo, had travelled to the king's palace, at the head of a large detachment, for the pur- pose of asking for shields, he proceeded as follows: — "■ Their arrival at (he principal gate of the town having been notified to the king, an order was soon after sent for their ad- mission, when they all rushed up witli a shout, brandishing their sticks in a most violent manner, until within a respectable distance of the Issigordlo, when they halt- ed. Dingan soon mounted his pedestal and showed himself over the fence, on which a simultaneous greeting of ' Byate ! ' ran thrcjugh the line into which they were now formed. He soon disappeared, and the whole ])arty then seated themselves on the ground they occupied. Dingan shortly after came out, the two Indoonas and a number of his great men having al- ready arrived, and seated themselves in semi-circular order on each side of his chair, from whom he was, however, re- moved to a dignified distance. Tambooza, who is the great speaker on all these occa- sions, and the professed scolder whenever necessity requires, was now on his legs; to speak publicly in any other postin-e ^vould, I am convinced, be painful to a Zulu; nor is he content with mere gesticulation — ac- tual space is necessary; I had almost said sufficient for a cricket ball to bound in, Init this would be hyperbole — a run, however, he must have, and I have been surprised at the grace and eft'ect which this novel ac- companiment to the art of elocution has often given to the point and matter of the discourse. '■ In this character Tambooza is inimitable, and shone especially on the present occa- sion, having doubtless been instructed by the king, in whose name he addressed Georgo and his party, to interlard his ora- tion with as many pungent reproofs and cutting invectives as his fertile imagination could invent, or his natural disposition sug- gest. On a late expedition, it appears that the troops now harangued had not per- formed the service expected — they had entered the territory of Umselekaz, and, instead of surrounding and capturing the herds within their reach, had attended to some pretended instructions to halt and return; some jialliating circumstances had no doubt screened them from the customary rigor on such occasions, and this untoward occurrence was now turned to the best ad- vantage. After a long tirade, in which Tambooza ironically described their feeble onset and fruitless eflbrt, advancing like a Mercury to fix his part, and gracefully re- tiring as though to point a fresh barb for the attack; now slaking his wrath Ijv a journey to the right, anil then as abru]itly recoiling to the left, by each detour increa-s- ing in vehemence, the storm was at length at its height, and in the midst of the tem- pest he had stirred he retired to the feet 110 THE KAFFIR. of his sovereign, who, I remarked, could scarcely refrain from smiling at many of the taunting expressions that were used. " George's countenance can better be im- agined than described at this moment. Impatient to reply, lie now rose from the centre of the line, his person decorated with strings of pink beads worn over his shoul- ders like a cross belt, and large brass rings on his arras and throat. 'Amanka' (it is false), was the first word he uttered. The various chivalrous deeds of himself and his men were then set forth in the most glow- ing colors, and a scene ensued which I scarcely know how to describe. Indepen- dent of his own energetic gesticulations, his violent leaping and sententious running; on the first announcement of any exculjia- tory fact indicating their prowess in arms, one or more of the principal warriors would rush from the ranks to corroborate the state- ment by a display of muscular power in leaping, charging, and pantomimic conflict, which quite made the ground to resound under their feet; alternately leaping and galloping (for it is not running) until, fren- zied by the tortuous motion, their nerves were sufficiently strong for the acme pos- ture — vaulting several feet in the air, draw- ing the knees toward the chin, and at the same time passing the hands between the ankles. (See illustration No. 2 on page opposite.) " In this singular manner were the charges advanced and relnitted for a considerable time; Dingan acting behind the scenes as a moderator, and occasionally calling off Tam- hooza as an unruly bull-dog from the bait. At length, as though iraperceptilily dra'iv'n into the argument, he concluded the Inisi- ness in these words: — 'When have we heard anything good of Georgo? What has Georgo doncV It is a name that is unknown to us. I shall give j'ou no shields until you have proved yourself Avorthy of them; go and bring me some cattle from Umselekaz, and then shields shall be given you.' A burst of applause rang from all sides on this unexpected announcement; under which, in good taste, the despot made his exit, retiring into the Issogordlo, while bowls of beer were served out to the soldiers, wlio with their Indoon were soon after observed marching over the hills, on their way to col- lect the remainder of their regiment, for the promised expedition. " I am inclined to think that there was much of state policy in the whole of these proceedings, particular!}' as the order for the attack on Umselekaz was shortly after countermandetl, and not more than ten or twelve days elapsed before the same party returned, and received their shields. At this time I was quietly writing in my hut; one of the shield houses adjoined; and I shall never forget the unceremonious rush they made. Kot contented with turning them all out, and each selecting one, but, in order to prove them and shake of the dust, they commenced beating them on the sjjot with sticks, which, in connection with this sud- den incursion, occasioned such an unusual tunudt that I thought a civil war had com- menced. Havixg now seen the weapons used by the Katfir warriors, we will see how they wage war. When the chief arranges his troops in order of battle, ho places the " boys " in the van, and gives them the post of honor, as well as of danger. In this position they have the opportunity- of distinguishing them- selves tor which they so earnestly long, and, as a general rule, display such valor that it is not very easy to pick out those who have earned especial glory. Behind them are arranged the " men " with their white shields. These have already established their reputation, and do not require further distinction. Tliey serve a double purpose. Firstly, they act as a reserve in case the front ranks of the " black-shields " should be repulsed, and, being men of more mature age, oppose an almost impregnable front to tiie enemy, while the " black-shields '" can re-form their ranks under cover, and then renew the charge. The second object is, that they serve as a very effectual incite- ment to the young men to do their duty. They know that behind them is a body of skilled warriors, who are carefully noting all their deeds, and they are equally aware that if they attempt to run away they will be instantly killed by the "white-shields" in (heir rear. As hasalread}' been mentioned, the dearest wish of a young Kaffir's heart is to become a '' white-shield " himself, and there is no prouder day of his life than that in which he bears for the first time the white war .shield on his arm, the " isikoko " on his head, and falls into the ranks with those to whom he has so long looked up with admiration and envy. In order to incite the " black-shields " to the most strenuous exertions, their reward is promised to them beforehand. Just be- fore they set out on their expedition, the young unmarried girls of the tribe are pa- raded before them, and they are told that each who succeeds in distinguishing himself before the enemy shall be presented with one of those damsels for a wife when he re- turns. So he does not only receive the bar- ren permission to take a wife, and thus to enrol himself among the men, but the wife is presented to him without pay, his warlike deeds being considered as more tlian an equivalent for the cows which he would otherwise have been obliged to pay for her. A curious custom prevails in the house- holds of the white-shield warriors. When one of them goes out to war, his wife takes his sleeping mat, hi« pillow, and his spoon, i'Li >*. C^:.) MUSCULAK ADVOCACY. (See page 110.) (Ill) MILITARY DISCIPLIXE. 113 and hangs them upon the wall of the hut. Every morning at early dawn she goes and inspects them with loving anxiety, and looks to see whether they cast a shadow or not. As long as they do so, she knows that her husband is alive; bat if no shadow should happen to be thrown by them, she feels cer- tain that her husljand is dead, and laments his loss as if she had actually seen his dead body. This curious custom irresistiljly re- minds the reader of certain tales in the " Aral.iiau liights," where the life or death of an al)sent person is known by some ob- ject that belonged to him — a knife, for example — whicli dripped blood as soon as its former owner was dead. Before Tchaka's invention of the heavy stabbing - assagai, there was rather more noise than execution in a Katlir battle, the assagais being received harmlessly on the shieiils, and no one much tlie worse for them. But his trained troops made fright- ful havoc among the enemy, and the de- struction was so great, that the Zulus were said to be not men, but eaters of men. The king's place was in the centre of the line, and in the rear, so that he could see all the proceedings with his own eyes, and could give directions, from time to time, to the f!i- vored councillors who were around him, and who acted as aides-de-camp, executing their commissions at their swiftest pace, and then returning to take their post by the sacred person of their monarch. The commander of each regiment and section of a regiment was supposed to be its embodiment, and on him hung all the blame if it sutlered a repulse. Tchaka made no allowance whatever for superior numbers on the part of the enemy, and his warriors knew well that, whatever might be the force opposed to them, they had either to conquer or to die; and, as it was better to die fight- ing than to perish ignominiously as cowards after the battle, tliey fought witli a frantic valor that was partly inherent in their na- ture, and was partly the result of the strict and sanguinary discipline under which they fought. After the battle, the various officers are called out, and questioned respecting the conduct of the men uniler their command. Reward and retriljution are equally swift in operation, an immediate advance in rank falling to the lot of those wlio had sliown notable courage, while those who liave been even suspected of cowardice are immedi- ately .slain. Sometimes the slaughter after an expedi- tion is terrible, even under the reign of Panda, a very much milder man than his great predecessor. Tchaka lias been known to order a whole regiment for execution; and on one occasion he killed all the " white-shields," ordering the " boys " to as- sume the head-ring, and take the positions and shields of the slain. Panda, however, is not such a despot as Tchaka, and, indeed, does not possess the irresponsible power of that king. Ko one ever dared to interfere with Tchaka, knowing that to contradict him was certain death. But when Panda has lieeu disposed to kill a number of his subjects his councillors liave interfered, and by their remonstrances have succeeded in stopping the massacre. Somelimes these wars are carried on in the most bloodthirsty manner, and not only the soldiers in arms, but the women, the old and the young, fall victims to the assagais and clubs' of the victorious enemy. Having vau