His men, of comparatively small build, dark and thickset, had for the most part, white ostrich feathers in their hair, plucked from a European-owned bird wilfully done to death by them in their ward just before their flight. They wore the ordinary Native attire, including tshokobezi badges,[163] and each carried assegais, together with a large ox-hide shield. In their possession were eight guns, viz.: three magazine rifles, one Martini-Henry rifle, one double-barrelled gun, and three old muskets.
A black and white cow was soon observed being driven forward. This was presented to Bambata. The significance of the gift was that the Chief, acting on behalf of the tribe, regarded Bambata as a friend and desired to extend hospitality to him in the manner most approved by Native custom. It was now arranged that one of Bambata's men should shoot it. Two shots were fired, but the animal remained unharmed. Indeed, it had been intimated beforehand to those near by that, although fired at, the beast, because of having been charmed by Bambata, would not fall until Bambata himself had fired. True enough, on his taking the rifle and firing, it dropped dead, and rolled down the incline on which it had been standing. "A marvel! a mystery!" remarked the surprised on-lookers. "Clearly Bambata must be in possession of some wonderful charm!"[164] The animal was now skinned and consumed by the men from Mpanza.
Two messengers, who had been sent by Sigananda to the Commissioner, now arrived on the scene. They were taken aside by the Chief with a few others, when one of them reported that Mr. Saunders, on hearing of Sigananda's inability to find Bambata, had said he would not keep on sending messages, as it was absurd to suppose the outlaw's whereabouts could not be ascertained; he was known to have come into the midst of kraals, whose occupants, having feet, could detect with ease a track made by a couple of men, how much more that by a hundred, as well as a couple of horses![165] The Commissioner had also alluded to an upstart, Sitimela; to this man reference will be made further on.
All were now directed to move towards where Sigananda and his party were sitting, and there "to march together through one gate." This, however, was merely a metaphorical expression, there being no actual gate at the place. The expression had reference, as everyone at once guessed, to certain two Basuto doctors engaged, not many yards off, in preparing decoctions of various drugs called izintelezi.[166] The meaning was that the men were all to walk past the doctors for the purpose of being treated in accordance with custom, in anticipation of coming warfare. There was a small fire close by, from which a large amount of smoke was ascending. The smoke was caused by green branches and leaves being burnt with a fatty substance thrown in by the medicos. The order was that Bambata's men should move off first in twos, followed by Ndube's and Sigananda's men in like formation. When the first two came to the fire, they trod lightly in it, the man on the left with his right foot, and the one on the right with his left. In so doing, they passed through the smoke. Without halting, they passed slowly by the doctors, when they were simultaneously sprinkled by one of these by means of two black small brushes, apparently gnu-tails (one in each hand), previously dipped in a huge earthen-ware pot containing some caustic decoction. The men were told that they should not, after the sprinkling, rub their bodies with fat, as usual with Zulus, nor should they wash. Moving on, the leading couple came to the second doctor, who lifted to the mouth of each a ladle containing a different liquid, drawn from a pot on the ground at his side. Each warrior was instructed to take a mouthful, not to swallow, but to keep in his mouth until further directed. Similar procedure was followed in regard to every couple, until the whole impi had been dealt with.
After marching past, the men formed up in one large irregularly-shaped body, some hundred or so yards further on. What is known as an umkumbi or circle was now ordered to be formed,[167] when Sigananda, accompanied by Mangati and one or two of his leading councillors, entered the ring. Bambata stood apart in front of, but close to, his own men, who also formed part of the enclosure. Everyone remained standing, including the ninety-six-year-old Chief. The last-mentioned addressed the gathering in these terms: "The drugs which have just been used on and about you all have the power of preventing bullets fired by Europeans from entering your bodies or doing injury of any kind. But there will be immunity only on certain conditions, which are that you abstain from womenfolk, and that you lie down to sleep, not on mats, but on the bare ground. Anyone who ignores these directions will render himself liable to injury or to be killed. From to-day, I have resolved to take up arms against the white man! The pass-word and countersign to be used when you happen to meet and interrogate others, especially at night, is 'Wen' u tini?' (= You, what do you say?); the one addressed must then reply, 'Insumansumane!'" (= It's all tomfoolery!) After Sigananda had spoken, a Christian teacher named Paula endorsed what the Chief had said, laying stress on the efficacy of the drugs. "I have left my wife behind," he added, "also a waggon and oxen in Mpanza valley. Why did I come away? Because I had made up my mind to fight. The Government is casting aside its right of sovereignty and giving the same over to us. Here (pointing at them) are my tribesmen! These men will never turn back now, but will go resolutely forward. Once angered, they are implacable and continue long in their wrath."
A man, Mmangwana, one of those who had just come from the Commissioner, next mumbled, with the liquid he had sipped still in his mouth: "I cannot accept the assertion that anyone, on being struck by a bullet, will not be hurt or that a bullet will not enter. I never heard of such a thing. Is, then, a man's flesh made of iron? Did not a certain outlaw[168] not long ago find his way into the Umtetwa tribe and there bring about the ruin of a whole country-side? Did he not declare that, if the Europeans came to attack him, they would be stung by bees and wasps, and be bitten by snakes? And when they (Europeans) did come, were not many innocent people destroyed by the white people, whilst this fellow escaped scot free?"
The keeper of Cetshwayo's grave here remarked, also speaking with great difficulty, his mouth half-full of the talismanic draught, "How comes it, in these days, that when the King[169] sees fit to direct anything to be done, a lot of people come forward with all sorts of observations and criticisms? Who ever heard of presumption of this sort in former times?"
On the ring now breaking up, the whole party was led by Mangati to the top of the nearest mountain-top (Ndundumeni). Here they were told to cinsa, i.e. vigorously and defiantly spirt the charmed water from their mouths towards the objects of their wrath, shouting as they did so, Íwa Kingi! Íwa Mgungundhlovu! Íwa Mashiqela! (May the King fall![170] Fall, Pietermaritzburg! Fall, Saunders!) Everyone having uttered these imprecations, came down the hill and, the mist coming on, the gathering dispersed, with orders to meet on the following morning in the neighbourhood of the grave.[171]
When the rebels met as arranged, accompanied by Bambata, they erected other amadhlangala or temporary shelters of wattles and branches. Later the same day, probably the 16th, a body now between 700 and 1,000 strong, with Bambata and Mangati in command, marched up the ridge at the rear of Enhlweni towards Nomangci, with the intention of attacking the magistracy, or any of the small patrols that were then being sent out daily. Sigananda, hearing of this, ordered Bambata to desist until the messengers sent by him to Dinuzulu a couple of days before (to obtain confirmation of Cakijana's communication to Mangati regarding Dinuzulu's alleged wishes) had been received. Bambata returned to the grave, where he continued to camp undisturbed for at least a fortnight.
The decision of Sigananda to rebel is surprising when one considers that his district is one of the healthiest and most fertile in Zululand. In many respects it is an ideal place to live in, especially for Natives. Far from the larger European centres, it has an abundance of firewood, wattles, etc., and is, moreover, peculiarly favourable for raising stock. All these advantages became of no account as soon as the blighting word arrived from the royal house that Bambata was to be befriended. Dinuzulu's pleasure first, everything else nowhere. That was the sole cause of this remarkable defection. It can be explained in no other way. Where is the witchery that can be compared with this?