The White Chief of the Caffres

by Alfred W. Drayson

“When do you expect your men to return?”

“I don’t know; they have gone to fight with the Amakosa against my people.”

“Why did they not take you?”

“I could not fight against my own tribe.” The chief waited for a short time, looking at me attentively, and then said, “You will return with us; attempt to escape, and twenty assagies will be in your body.” He then turned away, and walked to his seat outside the circle.

I was struck with the dignity and manner of this chief. He seemed one born to command, to be self-possessed, calm, and decided. He walked like a chief, and I could easily understand how it was that the Zulus were so powerful if they possessed many men like this one. I felt being tied, as it was very painful. So I spoke to one of the men near me, and said that, if the chief would unfasten my arms and legs, I would promise not to attempt to escape; but if I remained tied, I should not be able to move when they did unbind me. The Zulu carried my message to the chief, who nodded, and the young Zulu came and unbound me. I rose to my feet, but felt very sick and giddy from the blow I had received from the knob-kerrie on my head, and was obliged to sit down again. The chief then called me, and I went over to where he sat, and he asked me if I was hurt. I pointed to a lump on my head where I had been hit. He felt my head, and said, “That is nothing.” He then inquired how many guns had been taken by the warriors who had gone with the Amakosa.

I told him eight; and, thinking it better to deal fairly with him, I told him that in the thatch of my hut there was my gun.

He immediately sent a man into my hut to search, and shortly my gun was brought out. The chief examined this carefully—a gun was evidently new to him—and I explained how it was loaded and fired. He was much interested in all I said. So, being anxious to gain his favour, I told him there was something else more wonderful still that I could show him. He told me to bring whatever it was. So I brought him my field-glasses, and, adjusting them for a long sight, I placed them in his hands, and told him to look at some cows about half a mile off. He raised them to his eyes, and instantly started back with astonishment. He examined them carefully, and seemed more surprised as he looked again through them. I then made him look through the glasses the opposite way, viz., through the large glasses, and to look down at his feet. His legs then appeared about twenty feet long, and he was more astonished with this than even with the fact that distant objects were brought nearer by the aid of the glass. He called several of his men to look through the glass, and laughed at their surprise.

The chief now told me that I was to return with them to the Zulu country, when they drove off our cattle. He made no secret of how he came here. He said that an impi, or army, had been sent against some of the Basutos; that when they were returning they heard that all our men had gone with the Amakosa to the westward. So they came down to our country to take some cattle and carry off some of the young girls, and that on the morrow they intended to start on their return journey. I found they had killed several of our old men, but as there was no one to resist them, they had easily gathered together the cattle they required.

On the following morning we started on our journey, and I found that over a thousand men had come down to our country, whilst the main body of the army were up to the north-east and numbered several thousand. With the exception of the women, I was the only prisoner they had taken. The Zulus rarely take prisoners, they kill their enemy; but, seeing that I was white, and therefore not a Caffre, they had spared me.

Our march was carefully made. About half a mile in front some dozen men, who were good runners, kept a look-out, and signalled to us every now and then to let us know that all was right and no enemy near. We had about a hundred cows and young bulls with us, which were driven along in our midst. Not a boy or female of our tribe was visible: they had all retreated to the bush and concealed themselves. The kraals were empty and most of them burnt. I felt very sorry for my old companions, though they had gone to fight against the English. It seemed, however, like a punishment to them, to be thus attacked at home when there was no reason why they should go out and fight against those who had never done them any harm.