Wednesday, I went in the morning, with Mr and Mrs Sykes, Mr and Mrs Coillard and her sister, who seems to be about twenty, to the king’s kraal, to see the soldiers reviewed by the king, in the open space between the town huts and the king’s enclosure. It was a novel sight, and one seen in no other part of the world. The regiments formed an immense circle, eight and ten deep; there appeared to be about 4000, all dressed in their war dress similar to those of yesterday. Each regiment contains about sixty, and is distinguished by different coloured shields. When they sing their war songs in their deep bass voices, keeping time with stamping on the ground with their right and then left foot, striking their shields with their assagais, the effect is grand—the earth appears to tremble. Occasionally, one or two come out into the centre of the circle, and go through the performance of fighting the enemy, advancing, retreating, then in close combat, striking out with their assagai in imitation of stabbing his foe, and making as many stabs as he has killed victims; others come out when these retire, and this performance goes on during the war songs. It is considered a great feat if a warrior can jump high in the air, and strike his shield several times with both ends of his short stabbing assagai, before touching the ground and knocking his knees and feet together. Then come the king’s wives, old and young, and all the young royal girls, wearing a black goat-skin kilt down to the knee, dressed out with yellow handkerchiefs, the royal colour, profusion of many-coloured beads, many-coloured ribbons, long sashes of broad yellow ribbon, all entering the arena at the same time. Advancing to the centre with slow measured steps, they raise first the left then the right leg, and put it down, keeping excellent time, chanting native songs, the warriors remaining perfectly still and silent, they then turn and retire in the same way; all this time the king is not seen, he is in the cattle kraal with his medicine-man, examining the intestines of two bullocks that have been killed for that purpose. After a time, a clear road is made, and large baskets filled with the intestines are brought out from the kraal: it is death for a native to touch, it; or be near when it is passed away to the king’s enclosure. Then comes out the chief medicine-man, enveloped in long ox-tails that completely conceal his tall figure, reaching to the ground, with a little jockey cap on having fur in front and a long crane’s feather, when he marches up and down in the centre of the arena, and in front of where the king is known to be, singing his praise. After a time, the king makes his appearance, advancing from the kraal with a towering head-dress of black ostrich feathers, an immense cape of the same, a kilt of cats’-tails, with an assagai poised in his right hand, advancing slowly in a stooping position; his fat sister Nina, dressed out with a long kilt half-way down the leg, any number of yellow handkerchiefs over her shoulders, and gold chains hanging down in front and behind, with the feathers from the tail of the blue jay stuck into her woolly hair, and a knobkerry in her hand, also advances beside the king, until they both reach the centre of the arena. The warriors singing their war songs, stamping their feet to keep time, rattling their shields, the scene becomes quite exciting. Poor Nina becomes exhausted, has to kneel on the ground several times, supporting her body with her hands, also on the ground, and looks anything but an elegant figure. The five royal daughters, whose ages average from sixteen to six, advance again, and chant a native tune; then the king calls for silence; order is given that each regiment is to march out on to the open plain and have a sham fight, which lasts an hour, each army advancing, retreating, and fighting. They then return to the enclosure and form themselves in line, when forty black bullocks are brought in for the young braves to slaughter, by stabbing them behind the shoulder so that the skin should not be injured to make shields; some become maddened by the smell of blood, break loose and escape into the open country, the young braves following, and a regular race and uproar follows, creating quite a sensation; and when the night has come, great feasting takes place, and the sports of the day are at an end, and we return to our waggon, wondering what the people in England would think of such a sight of savage grandeur, as was never seen out of Africa. The young Intombies (girls) are all excitement to see their sweethearts so brave. These Zulu maids are most of them good-looking, with teeth as white as snow, well-made in every limb, and graceful in their movements, very scantily dressed, a slight fringe in front being their only covering, but it is the fashion of the country. For several days these dances go on; those who have paid their respects to the king retire to their distant kraals, and fresh regiments arrive to go through the same performance. The English who may be at the station are allowed to be present, but they must keep out of the way, not to be mixed up with the troops, but they can take up any position they like, to have a good view of the proceedings.
Thursday, a lovely day. Went up again to see the review with Mr and Mrs Sykes and the Coillards; found the king sitting on a chair in a bell-tent alone, facing the troops, who were in a circle as yesterday; he was naked with the exception of the tailed kilt. A few braves from his favourite regiment composed his bodyguard; the chief Indunas were with their respective regiments of which they held command; the medicine doctor, clothed in a tiger-skin kaross and a large fur cap with ears of the same, marched up and down before the tent, proclaiming to the warriors the greatness of the king. The English ladies were invited into the tent, and stood beside and behind this dreaded monarch of this dreaded nation, for all other native tribes fear him. The military performance was similar to that of yesterday; rain came on and we returned to our waggons.
Ironstone and iron-conglomerate are plentiful over this part of the country; blue metamorphic rocks crop up between slate shale and quartz, similar to that of the Tati gold-fields, in all directions. Fine gold-dust is found in the rivers to the north, but no one is allowed to prospect. There are at the present time thirty traders at this station, and many hunters both English and Boers are in the hunting-field, who must obtain permission from the king, and pay a licence in the form of a gun, horse, or any other article the king may accept. Several of the Boers have been abusing this privilege, which has caused the king to be very severe on the white man going in; some also have gone in under a shooting licence, and have been found prospecting for gold. This has offended Lo-Bengulu with the English, and makes him suspicious of all who visit his country. He is naturally partial to the English, and his sister Nina is their champion if any get into trouble; many have been robbed up-country lately by the natives; amongst the number are Byles, Kirton, Scott, Webster, Phillips, Jacobs, and many others.
Friday. I saw the Rev. Mr Sykes, showed him my official letter, and went with him to the king to ask permission to pass through his country to the eastern boundary. He was sitting on an old champagne box, leaning back against the cattle kraal fence in his usual undress; immensely fat and tall, he looks every inch an African king. He heard my statement, but made no remark. Mr Sykes sat on the ground by his side, and I took up my position in front, and began to smoke, waiting for an answer. Some ten minutes later a little Mashona boy brought on a piece of grass matting four large pieces of bullock’s lights, that had been broiled over a fire, and a fork, advancing on hands and knees to his dreaded master, and placed them on the grass in front of his majesty, who took the fork, transfixing one after the other as they disappeared from sight in his capacious mouth, asking at the same time many questions on down country news, and how the Queen was, and numerous other remarks.
Finding he did not intend to give any answer, I told Mr Sykes we would leave him to say yes or no at some future time, that I did not come begging, but only asked for what I had a right to expect he would grant, and shaking hands we departed from his sable majesty, who was enjoying the heat of the sun as he sat on his old wooden throne. It was a very hot morning. Thermometer 97 degrees in my waggon, and in the sun must have registered at least 140 degrees, but these black skins can stand any amount of heat; it seems to absorb it without creating any inconvenience. On my return I found Mr Wood, with his two waggons outspanned close to mine, had pushed two of the chief Indunas into a thorn hedge for calling him a dog; this has caused great commotion in the Kotla, the king’s kraal. Mr Wood went to see the king, but he would not say a word, but I expect to-morrow something will be done.
I visited some of the traders’ stores and met Mr and Mrs Elm there, who invited me over to visit them at their mission station, Hope Fountain, four miles distant, most pleasantly situated on the spur of the hill overlooking a vast stretch of country to the east; it is a most healthy locality.
Saturday, up all night, annoyed by wolves and dogs. Mr Wood’s affair came to nothing, as Lo-Bengulu would not interfere. He left this morning for Umcano, also Messrs Sykes and Coillard with him, as he has not yet released the latter. I received a letter from Rev. Mr Thomas, of Shiloh, enclosing letters for Messrs Elm and Coillard, and wishing me to visit him.
Three months ago Lo-Bengulu sent in an Impi into the Mashona country on a marauding expedition, where they attacked several kraals, killing the people, bringing back sixty slave children and all the cattle and goods belonging to them. A month previous a large Impi went into the same district, where, as far as it can be ascertained, they killed all the old people, making some of the women and big girls carry the plunder to the boundary; then they made them put the things down on the ground and then killed them, because they might run away if brought into Matabeleland; preserving the little children who were brought in because they soon forget the country they have left.
The weather is rather warm, 98 degrees, with heavy showers, storms round in every direction. Several euphorbia trees are close to my waggon, that make a nice shade, and not far away there is a tree where a few months back three women and five children were hung for witchcraft, because one of the king’s wives and two of his children had died the night previous, and a wolf was killed within the king’s enclosure by his dogs; a Kaffir supposed to have bewitched them was killed also. This occurred just before my arrival. At last year’s dance, when 7000 warriors met, a black bull had his shoulder cut off when alive; this is a custom with the tribe on some occasions, but I could not ascertain the particulars.
The king’s wives do not pick in the corn gardens, but his children do, and also carry water the same as others; his reason is they must learn to do such things; and his daughters go naked like the other girls, and frequently pay my waggon a visit for tufa or tusa (present); sometimes they are seen walking about with black skin kilts. Most of them are young, but they, as well as the women, wear few or no ornaments; very few beads are used, mostly pieces of leather strips round the neck and wrists, none on their legs or head, as is seen on other tribes. The Matabele women do not seem to take so readily to clothes as all the other tribes, who are eager to be dressed up in petticoats, because I presume it gives them greater liberty of action in their loins, from their present cramped and bound-up state in their leather coverings.