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THE
NATURAL
HISTORY OF MAN;
BEING
\
AN ACCOUNT OF THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE
UNCIVILIZED RACES OF MEN.
BY THE
REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S.,
BTC., ETC.
WITH NEW DESIGNS BY
ANGAS, DANBY, WOLF, ZWECKER, ETC., ETC.
ENGRAVEJ BY
THE BROTHERS DALZIEL.
AFRICA.
NEW YORK :
HOME BOOK COMPANY,
45 VESEY STREET.
PREFACE.
is work is simply, as the title-page states, an account of the manners and customs of uncivilized races
aen in all parts of the world.
Many travelers 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 traveled. 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 tolerably systematic and intelligible form, the varieties of character which develop them-
selveo among races who have not as yet lost their individuality by modern civilization. In this task I have
been greatly assisted by many travelers, 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
ihe most part the countenances of the people have been drawn from photographs, and in many instances
whole groups taken by the photographers have been transferred to the wood-block, the artist only making a
f i w changes of attitude, so as to avoid the unpleasant stiffness which characterizes photographic groups.
Many of the illustrations are taken from sketches made by travelers, who have kindly allowed me to make
use of them ; and I must here express my thanks to Mr. T. Baines, the accomplished artist and traveler,
who made many sketches expressly for the work, and placed at my disposal the whole of his diaries and
portfolios. I must also express my thanks to Mr. J. B. Zwecker, who undertook the onerous task of inter-
acting pictorially the various scenes of savage life which are described in the work, and who brought to
/hat 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 spe-
cimens most of which are in my own collection, made, through a series of several years, for the express
Durpose of illustrating this work.
That all uncivilized tribes should be mentioned, is necessarily impossible, and I have been reluctantly
forced to omit altogether, or to dismiss with a brief notice, many interesting people, to whom I would
gladly hava given a greater amount of space. Especially has this been the case with Africa, to which
co'- try the moiety of the book is necessarily given, in consequence or the extraordinary variety of the
wive customs which prevail in that wonderful land. We have, for example on one side of a river, a
/eople well clothed, well fed, well governed, and retaining but few of the old savage customs. On the
other side, we find people without clothes, government, manners, or morality, and sunk as deeply as man
-?an be in all the squalid miseries of savage life Besides, the chief characteristic of uncivilized Africa is
'he continual change to which it is subject. Some tribes are warlike and restless, always 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 superstitions 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
:he country, and are in their turn ousted by others, who bring fresh habits and modes of life with them. It
mil 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 very considerable portion of the entire work.
EXPLANATION OF THE FRONTISPIECE.
THE Frontispiece gives a pictorial representation of African mankind. Superstition reigning supreme,
the most prominent figure is the fetish priest, with his idols at his feet, and holding up for adoration the
sacred serpent. War is illustrated by the Kaffir chief in the foreground ; the Bosjesman 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 with their jars of porridge and fruit. Tke grace and beauty of the young
female is shown by the Xubita girl and Shooa woman behind the Kaffir ; while the hideousness of the old
women is exemplified by the .-iTegro woman above with her fetish. Slavery is illustrated by the slave cara-
van in the middle distance, and >;he pyramids speak of the interest attached to Africa by hundreds of centuries.
CONTENTS.
Vol, 1
CHAP. TAGE
1. THE KAFFIRS . . . . . '. .... I '. 1
II. COURSE OF LIFE 8
III. COURSE OF LIFE (concluded) 12
IV. MASCULINE DRESS AND ORNAMENTS 19
V. MASCULINE DRESS AND ORNAMENTS (concluded) 29
VI. FEMININE DRESS AND ORNAMENTS 42
VII. ARCHITECTURE 52
VIII. CATTLE KEEPING 62
IX. MARRIAGE t 71
X. MARRIAGE (concluded) 81
XI. WAR — OFFENSIVE WEAPONS 93
XII. WAR (concluded) — DEFENSIVE WEAPONS AND MODE OF FIGHTING . 110
XIII. HUNTING 128
XIV. AGRICULTURE 145
XV. FOOD 151
XVI. SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS 170
XVII. RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION 183
XVIII. EELIGION AND SUPERSTITION (continued) 194
XIX. SUPERSTITION (concluded) 208
XX. FUNERAL RITES 220
XXI. DOMESTIC LIFE 226
XXII. THE HOTTENTOT RACES 240
XXIII. WEAPONS 255
XXIV. THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN 265
XXV. THE BOSJESMAN (continued) 274
XXVI. THE BOSJESMAN (concluded) 291
XXVII. THE KORANNAS AND NAMAQUAS 300
XXVIII. THE BECHUANAS 312
XXIX. THE BECHUANAS (concluded) 322
XXX. THE DAMARA TRIBE ' 337
XXXI. THE OVAMBO OR OVAMPO TRIBE ... .350
Vlll
CONTENTS.
CHAP.
XXXII. THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE
XXXIII. THE BAVEYE AND MAKOBA TIUBES
XXXIV. THE BATOKA AND MANGANJA TRIBES
XXXV. THE BANYAI AND BADEMA TRIBES
XXXVI. THE BALONDO OR BALONDA AND THE ANGOLESE
XXXVII. THE WAGOOO AND WANYAMUEZI
XXXVIII. KAHAULK
XXXIX. THE WATUSI AND WAGANDA
XL. THE WANYORO
XLI. GANI, MADI, OBBO, AND KYTCH
XLII. THE NEAM-NAM, DOR, AND DJOUR TRIBES
XLIII. THE LATOOKA TRIBE
XLIV. THE SHIR, BARI, DJIBBA, NUEHR, DINKA, AND SHILLOOK TKJJ:-EB
XLV. THE ISHOGO, ASHANGO, AND OBONGO TRIBES
XLVI. THE APONGO AND APINGI TRIBES ,
XLVII. THE BAKALAI
XLVIII. THE ASHIRA
XLIX. THE GAMMA, OR COMMI .
L. THE SHEKIANI AND MpONGwi
LI. THE FANS
LII. THE FANS (concluded)
LIII. THE KRUMEN AND FANTI
LIV. THE ASHANTI
LV. DAHOME
LVI. DAHOME (continued}
LVJL DAHOME (concluded}
LVIII. THE EGBAS
LTX. BONNY
LX. THE MANDINGOES
LXI. THE BUBES AND CONGOESE
LXII. BORNU
LXIII. THE SHOOAS, TIBBOOS, TUARICKS, BEGHARMIS, AND MUSGUESH .
LXIV. ABYSSINIA
LXV. ABYSSINIA (continued)
LXVI. ABYSSINIA (concluded)
LXVII. NUBIAN AND HAMRAN ARABS
LXVIII. BEDOUINS, HASSANIYEHS, AND MALAGASY
PACK
360
:M.->
386
399
408
427
442
452
467
477
487
505
514
531
541
549
555
563
582
590
599
610
622
629
G44
650
659
670
677
681
689
700
714
723
733
CHAPTER I.
THK KAFFIR, OB ZINGIAN TRIERS, AND THEIR PHYSICAL PECULIARITIES — ORIGIN OF THE NAME
THEORIES AS TO THEIR PRESENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA THE CHIEF TRIBES AND THEIR
LOCALITIES THK ZULUS AND THEIR APPEARANCE THEIR COMPLEXION AND IDEAS OF BEAUTY
— POINTS OF SIMILITUDE AND CONTRAST BETWEEN THE KAFFIR AND THE NEGRO — MKNTAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KAFFIR — HIS WANT OF CARE FOR THE FUTURE, AND REASONS FOR
IT — CONTROVERSIAL POWERS OF THE KAFFIR — THE SOCRATIC MODE OF ARGUMENT — THE
HORNS OF A DILEMMA LOVE OF A KAFFIR FOR ARGUMENT HIS MENTAL TRAINING AND
ITS CONSEQUENCES — PARTHIAN MODE OF ARGUING — PLACABLE NATURE OF THE KAFFIR — HIS
SENSE OF SELF-RESPECT FONDNESS FOR A PRACTICAL JOKE— THE WOMAN AND THE MELON —
HOSPITALITY OF THE KAFFIRS THEIR DOMESTICATED NATURE AND FONDNESS FOR CHILDREN
— THEIR HATRED OF SOLITUDE.
OVER the whole of the Southern portion of the great Continent of Africa is spread a
remarkable and interesting race of mankind. Though divided into numerous tribes, and
differing in appearance, manners, and customs, they are evidently cast in the same mould,
and belong to the same group of the human race. They are dark, but not so black as the
true negro of the West. Their hair is crisp, short, and curled, but not so woolly as that
of the negro ; their lips, though large when compared with those of Europeans, are small
when compared to those of the negro. The form is finely modelled, the stature tall, the
limbs straight, the forehead high, the expression intelligent ; .and, altogether, this group of
mankind affords as fine examples of the human form as can be found anywhere on the
earth.
To give a name to this large group is not very easy. Popularly, the tribes which
compose it are known as Kaffirs ; but that term has now been restricted to the tribes on the
south-east of the continent, between the sea and the range of the Draakensberg Moun-
tains. Moreover, the name Kaffir is a very inappropriate one, being simply the term
which the Moslem races apply to all who do not believe with themselves, and by which
they designate black and white men alike. Some ethnologists have designated them by
the general name 'of Chuanas, the word being the root of the well-known Bechuana,
Sechuana, and similar names ; while others have preferred the word Bantu, and others
Ziugian, which last word is perhaps the best.
Whatever may be the title, it is evident that they are not aborigines, but that they
have descended upon Southern Africa from some other locality — probably from more
northern parts of the same continent. Some writers claim for the Kaffir or Zingian
tribes an Asiatic origin, and have a theory that in the course of their migration they
mixed with the negroes, and so became possessed of the frizzled hair, the thick lips, the
dark skin, and other peculiarities of the negro race.
Who might have been the true aborigines of Southern Africa cannot be definitely
stated, inasmuch as even within very recent times great changes have taken place. At
the present time South Africa is practically European, the white man, whether Dutch or
English, having dispossessed the owners of the soil, and either settled upon the land or
reduced the dark-skinned inhabitants to the rank of mere dependants. Those whom
VOL. I, B
THE KAFFIR.
they displaced \\viv themselves interlopers, having overcome and ejected the Hottentot
tribes, who in their turn si-cm but to have suffered the same fate which in the time of
their greatness they had brought upon others.
At the present day the great Ziugian group affords the best type of the inhabitants of
Southern Africa, and we will therefore begin with the Kaffir tribes.
IF the reader will refer to the map of Africa, he will see that upon the south-east
coast a long range of mountains runs nearly parallel with the sea-line, and extends from
lat. 27° to 33°. It is the line
of the Draakensberg Moun-
tains, and along the strip of
land which intervenes bet ween
these mountains and the sea
are found the genuine Kaffir
tribes. There are other tribes
belonging to the same group
of mankind which are found
on the western side of the
Draakensberg, and are spread
over the entire country, from
Delagoa Bay on the east to
the Orange River on the west.
These tribes are familiar to
readers of African travel under
the names of Bechuanas, Ba-
yeye, Namaqua, Ovampo, &c.
But, by common consent, the
name of Kaffir is now re-
stricted to those tribes which
inhabit the strip of country
above mentioned.
Formerly, a considerable
number of tribes inhabited
this district, and were suffi-
ciently distinct to be almost
reckoned as different nations.
Now, however, these tribes are
practically reduced to five ;
namely, the Amatonga on the
north, followed southwards by
the Amaswazi, the Amazulu, the Amaponda, and the Amakosa. Here it must be remarked
that the prefix of " Ama," attached to all the words, is one of the forms by which the
plural of certain names is designated. Thus, we might speak of a single Tonga, Swazi,
Zulu, or Fonda Kaffir ; but if we wish to speak of more than one, we form the plural by
prefixing " Ania" to the word.
The other tribes, although they for the most part still exist and retain the ancient
names, are practically merged into those whose names have been mentioned.
Of all the true Kaffir tribes, the Zulu is the chief type, and that tribe will be first
described.
Although spread over a considerable range of country, the Zulu tribe has its head-
quarters rather to the north of Natal, and there may be found the best specimens of this
splendid race of men.
Belonging, as do the Zulu tribes, to the dark-skinned portion of mankind, their skin
does not possess that dead, jetty black which is characteristic of the Western negro. It
is a more transparent skin, the layer of colouring matter does not seem to be so thick, and
the ruddy hue of the blood is perceptible through the black. It is held by the Kaffirs to
RANGE OF THE KAFFIR TRIBES.
THE KAFFIR FROM CHILDHOOD TO AGE. (From photographic Portraits.)
Married ^f<tn.
Young Boy.
Old Councillor.
Unmarried Man or "Boy."
Unmarried Girl Old Woman.
Young Married Woman and Child.
be the perfection of human colouring ; and a Zulu, if asked what lie considers to be the
finest complexion, will say that it is, like his own, black, with a little red.
Some dark-skinned nations approve of a fair complexion, and in some parts of the
world the chiefs are so much fairer than the commonalty, that they seem almost to belcisg
to different races. The Kaffir, however, holds precisely the opposite opinion. According
to his views of human beauty, the blacker a man is the handsomer he is considered, } Di-
vided that some tinge of red be perceptible. They carry this notion so far, that in
sounding the praises of their king, an act at which they are very expert, they mention, ;is
one of his excellences, that he chooses to be black, though, being so powerful a monarch,
he might have been white if he had liked.
Europeans who have resided for any length of time among the Kaffir tribes seem "o
imbibe similar ideas about the superior beauty of the black and red complexion. Tl • y
become used to it, and perceive little varieties in individuals, though to an inexperienced
eye the colour would appear exactly similar in every person. When they return to civilized
society they feel a great contempt for the pale, lifeless-looking complexion of Europeans,
and some time elapses before they learn to view a fair skin and light hair with any
B2
4 THE KAFFIR.
degree of admiration. Examples of albinos are occasionally seen among the Kaffirs, but
they are not pleasant-looking individuals, and are not admired by their blacker and more
fortunate fellow-countrymen. A dark olive is, however, tolerably common, but the real
hue of the skin is that of rather blackish chocolate. As is the case with the negro race,
the newly-born infant of a Kaffir is nearly as pale as that of a European, the dark hue
becoming developed by degrees.
Though dark of hue, the Kaffirs are as fastidious about their dusky complexion as any
European belle could be of her own fairer skin ; and the pride with which a Kaffir, even
though he be a man and a tried warrior, regards the shining, transparent black of his
skin, has in it something ludicrous to an inhabitant of Europe.
The hair of the Kaffir, whether it belong to male or female, never becomes long, but
envelopes the head in a close covering of crisp, woolly curls, very similar to the hair of
the true negro. The lips are always large, and the mouth wide, and the nose has very
wide nostrils. These peculiarities the Kaffir has in common with the negro, and it now
and then happens that an individual has these three features so strongly marked that he
might be mistaken for a negro at first sight.
A more careful view, however, would at once detect the lofty and intellectual fore-
head, the prominence of the nose, and the high cheek-bones, together with a nameless
but decided cast of countenance, which marks them out from all other groups of the
dark-skinned natives of Africa. The high cheek-bones form a very prominent feature in
the countenances of the Hottentots and Bosjesmans, but the Kaffir cannot for a moment be
mistaken for either one or the other^ any more than a lion could be mistaken for a puma.
The expression of the Kaffir face, especially when young, is rather pleasing ; and, as
a general rule, is notable when in repose for a slight plain tiveness, this expression being
marked most strongly in the young, of both sexes. The dark eyes are lively and full of
intellect, and a kind of cheerful good humour pervades the features. In the expression
of their faces, though not at all in their features, the Kaffir presents a curious resemblance
to the inhabitants of Polynesia, and from the same reason. As a people, they are devoid
of care.
The three great causes of care in more civilized lands have but little inflw-nce on a
Kaffir. The clothes which he absolutely needs are of the most trifling description, and in
our sense of the word cannot be recognised as clothing at all. The slight hut which
enacts the part of a house is constructed of materials that can be bought for about a
shilling, and to the native cost nothing but the labour of cutting and carrying. His food,
which constitutes his only real anxiety, is obtained far more easily than among civilized
nations, for game-preserving is unknown in Southern Africa, and any bird or beast
becomes the property of any one who chooses to take the trouble of capturing it. One
of the missionary clergy was much struck by this utter want of care, when he was ex-
plaining the Scriptures to some dusky hearers. The advice " to take no thought for the
morrow" had not the least effect on them. They never had taken any thought for the
morrow, and never would do so, and rather wondered that any one could have been
foolish enough to give them such needless advice.
There is another cause for this heedless enjoyment of the present moment ; namely, an
instinctive fatalism, arising from the peculiar nature of their government. The power of
life and death with which the Kaffir rulers are invested is exercised in so arbitrary and
reckless a manner, that no Kaffir feels the least security for his life. He knows perfectly
well that the king may require his life at any moment, and he therefore never troubles
himself about a future which may have no existence for him.
Of course these traits of character belong only to the Kaffir in their normal condition ;
for, when these splendid savages have placed themselves under the protection of Europeans,
the newly-felt security of life produces its natural results, and they will display fore-
thought which would do no discredit to a white man. A lad, for example, will give
faithful service for a year, in order to obtain a cow at the end of that time. Had he been
engaged while under the rule of his own king, he would have insisted on prepayment,
aid would have honourably fulfilled his task provided that the king did not have
him executed.
THE HOENS OF A DILEMMA. 5
Their fatalism is, in fact, owing to the peculiarly logical turn of a Kaffir's mind, and
his determination to follow an argument to its conclusion. He accepts the acknowledged
fact that his life is at the mercy of the king's caprice, and draws therefrom the inevitable
conclusion that he can calculate on nothing beyond the present moment.
The lofty and thoughtful forehead of the Kaffir does not belie his character, for, of all
savage races, the Kaffir is perhaps the most intellectual. In acts he is honourable and
straightforward, and, with one whom he can trust, his words will agree with his actions.
But he delights in controversy, and has a special faculty for the Socratic mode of argu-
ment ; namely, by asking a series of apparently unimportant questions, gradually hemming
in his adversary, and forcing him to pronounce his own sentence of condemnation. If he
suspects another of having committed a crime, and examines the supposed culprit before
a council, he will not accuse him directly of the crime, but will cross-examine him with
a skill worthy of any European lawyer, each question being only capable of being
answered in one manner, and so eliciting successive admissions, each of which forms a
step in the argument.
An amusing example of this style of argument is given by Fleming.
Some Kaffirs had been detected in eating an ox, and the owner brought them before a
council, demanding payment for the ox. Their defence was that they had not killed the
animal, but had found it dying from a wound inflicted by another ox, and so had con-
sidered it as fair spoil. When their defence had been completed, an old Kaffir began to
examine the previous speaker, and, as usual, commenced by a question apparently wide
of the subject.
Q. " Does an ox tail grow up, down, or sideways ? "
A. "Downwards."
Q. " Do its horns grow up, down, or sideways ? "
A. "Up."
Q. " If an ox gores another, does he not lower his head and gore upwards?"
A. "Yes."
Q. " Could he gore downwards ? "
A. "No."
The wily interrogator then forced the unwilling witness to examine the wound which
he asserted to have been made by the horn of another ox, and to admit that the slain
beast had been stabbed and not gored.
Mr. Grout, the missionary, mentions an instance of the subtle turn of mind which
distinguishes an intelligent Kaffir. One of the converts came to ask what he was to do
if he went on a journey with his people. It must first be understood that a Kaffir takes
no provisions when travelling, knowing that he will receive hospitality on the way.
" What shall I do, when I am out on a journey among the people, and they offer such
food as they have, perhaps the flesh of an animal which has been slaughtered in honour
of the ghosts of the departed ? If I eat it, they will say, ' See there ! he is a believer in
our religion — he partakes with us of the meat offered to our gods.' And if I do not eat,
they will say, ' See there ! he is a believer in the existence and power of our gods, else
why does he hesitate to eat of the meat which we have slaughtered to them ? ' "
Argument is a Kaffir's native element, and he likes nothing better than a complicated
debate where there is plenty of hair-splitting on both sides. The above instances show
that a Kaffir can appreciate a dilemma as well as the most accomplished logicians, and
he is master of that great key of controversy, — namely, throwing the burden of proof on
the opponent. In all his controversy he is scrupulously polite, never interrupting an
opponent, and patiently awaiting his own turn to speak. And when the case has been
fuily argued, and a conclusion arrived at, he always bows to the decision of the presiding
chief, and acquiesces in the judgment, even when a penalty is inflicted upon himself.
Trained in such a school, the old and influential chief, who has owed his position as
much to his intellect as to his military repute, becomes a most formidable antagonist in
argument, especially when the question regards the possession of land and the boundaries
to be observed. He fully recognises the celebrated axiom that language was given for
the purpose of concealing the thoughts, and has recourse to every evasive subterfuge and
6 THE KAFFIR
sophism that Iris subtle brain can invent. He will mix truth and falsehood with sum
ingenuity that it is hardly possible to separate them. He will quietly " beg the question,"
and then proceed as composedly as if his argument were a perfectly fair one. He will
attack or defend, as best suits his own case, and often, when he seems to be yielding point
after point, he makes a sudden onslaught, becomes in his turn the assailant, and marches
to victory over the ruins of his opponent's arguments.
OLD COUNCILLOR AND WIVES.
Here is a portrait of one of the councillors attached to Goza, the well-known Kaffir
chief, of whom we shall hear more presently. And see what a face the man has — how his
broad forehead is wrinkled with thought, and how craftily his black eyes gleam from
under their deep brows. Half-naked savage though he be, the man who will enter into
controversy with him will find no mean-antagonist, and, whether the object be religion or
politics, he must beware lest he find himself suddenly defeated exactly when he felt
most sure of victory. The Maori of New Zealand is no mean adept at argument, and in
many points bears a strong resemblance to the Kaffir character. But, in a contest of wits
between a Maori chief and a Zulu councillor, the latter would be nearly certain to come
off the victor.
As a rule, the Kaffir is not of a revengeful character, nor is he troubled with that
exceeding tetchiness which characterises some races of mankind. Not that he is without
a sense of dignity. On the contrary, a Kaffir can be among the most dignified of man-
kind when he wishes it, and when there is some object in being so. But he is so sure
of himself that, like a true gentleman, he never troubles himself about asserting his
dignity.
He is so sure that no real breach of respect can be wilfully committed, that a Kaffir
will seldom hesitate to play a practical joke upon another — a proceeding which would
be the cause of instant bloodshed among the Malays. And, provided that the joke be a
clever one, no one seems to enjoy it more than the victim.
One resident in Kaffirland mentions several instances of the tendency of the Kaffirs
towards practical joking. A lad in his service gravely told his fellow-countrymen that
all those who came to call on the Englishmen were bound by etiquette to kneel down
and kiss the ground at a certain distance from the house. The natives, born and bred in
PRACTICAL JOKING. 7
a system of etiquette equal to that of any court in Europe, unhesitatingly obeyed, while
the lad stood by, superintending the operation, and greatly enjoying the joke. After a
while, the trick was discovered, and no one appreciated the boy's wit more than those
who had fallen into the snare.
Another anecdote, related by the same author, seems as if it had been transplanted
from a First of April scene in England. A woman was bringing home a pumpkin, and,
according to the usual mode of carrying burdens in Africa, was balancing it on her head.
A mischievous boy ran hastily to her, and, with a face of horror, exclaimed, " There's
something on your head ! " The woman, startled at the sudden announcement, thought
that at least a snake had got on her head, and ran away screaming. Down fell the
pumpkin, and the boy picked it up, and ate it before the woman recovered from
her fright.
The Kaffir is essentially hospitable. On a journey, any one may go to the kraal of a
stranger, and w?ll certainly be fed and lodged, both according to his rank and position.
White men are received in the same hospitable manner, and, in virtue of their white skin
and their presumed knowledge, they are always ranked as chiefs, and treated accordingly.
The Kaffirs are singularly domestic people, and, semi-nomad as they are, cling \vith
great affection to their simple huts. Chiefs and warriors of known repute may be seen
in their kraals, nursing and fondling their children with no less affection than is exhibited
by the mothers — a trait of character that might advantageously be imitated in more
civilized lands. Altogether, he is a social being. He cannot endure living alone, eating
alone, smoking alone, snuffing alone, or even cooking a' one, but always contrives to form
part of some assemblage devoted to the special purpose. Day by day, the men assemble
and converse with each other, often treating of political affairs, and training themselves in
that school of forensic argument which has already been mentioned.
CHAPTER II
COURSE OF A KAFFIR'S LIFE — INFANCY — COLOUR OF THE NEW-BORN BABE — THE MEDICINE-MAN AND
HIS DUTIES KAFFIR VACCINATION SINGULAR TREATMENT OF A CHILD A CHILD'S FIRST
ORNAMENT — CURIOUS SUPERSTITION MOTHER AND CHILD — THE SKIN-CRADLE — DESCRIPTION
OF A CRADLE BELONGING TO A CHIEF'S "WIFE — KINDNESS OF PARENTS TO CHILDREN OF BOTH
SEXES THE FUTURE OF A KAFFIR FAMILY, AND THE ABSENCE OF ANXIETY — INFANTICIDE
ALMOST UNKNOWN — CEREMONY ON PASSING INTO BOYHOOD — DIFFERENT THEORIES RESPECTING
ITS CHARACTER AND ORIGIN TCHAKA's ATTEMPTED ABOLITION OF THE RITE — CURIOUS IDEA
OF THE KAFFIRS, AND RESUMPTION OF THE CEREMONY A KAFFIR'S DREAD OF GREY HAIRS
— IMMUNITIES AFTER UNDERGOING THE RITE NEW RECRUITS FOR REGIMENTS, AND THEIR
VALUE TO THE KING THE CEREMONY INCUMBENT ON BOTH SEXES.
HAVING glanced rapidly over the principal traits of Kaffir character, we will proceed to
trace his life with somewhat more detail.
When an infant is born, it is, as has been already mentioned, of a light hue, and does
not gain the red-black of its parents until after some little time has elapsed. The same
phenomenon takes place with the negro of Western Africa.
Almost as soon as it is born the " medicine-man " is called, and discharges his func-
tions in a manner very different from " medical men " in our own country. He does not
trouble himself in the least about the mother, but devotes his whole care to the child, on
whom he performs an operation something like that of vaccination, though not for the
same object. He makes small incisions on various parts of the body, rubs medicine into
them, and goes his way. Next day he returns, takes the unhappy infant, deepens the
cuts, and puts more medicine into them. The much-suffering child is then washed, and
is dried by being moved about in the smoke of a wood fire. Surviving this treatment by
some singular tenacity of life, the little creature is then plentifully bedaubed with red
paint, and the proud mother takes her share of the adornment. This paint is renewed as
fast as it wears off, and is not discontinued until after a lapse of several months.
" Once," writes Mr. Shooter, " when I saw this paint put on, the mother had carefully
washed a chubby boy, and made him clean and bright. She then took up the fragment
of an earthenware pot, which contained a red fluid, and, dipping her fingers into it,
proceeded to daub her son until lie became the most grotesque-looking object it was ever
my fortune to behold. What remained, being too precious to w'aste, was transferred to
her own face." Not until all these absurd preliminaries are completed, is the child
allowed to take its natural food ; and it sometimes happens that when the " medicine-man "
has delayed his coming, the consequences to the poor little creature have been extremely
disastrous.
After the lapse of a few days, the mother goes about her work as usual, carrying the
child strapped on her back, and, in spite of the load, she makes little, if any, difference
in the amount of her daily tasks. And, considering that all the severe work falls upon
the women, it is wonderful that they should contrive to do any work at all under the
circumstances. The two principal tasks of the women are, breaking up the ground with
a heavy and clumsy tool, something between a pickaxe and a mattock, and grinding the
daily supply of corn between two stones, and either of these tasks would prove quite
enough for any ordinary labourer, though the poor woman has to perform both, and
plenty of minor tasks besides. That they should have to do all this work, while labour-
ing under the incumbrance of a heavy and growing child hung on the back, does really
seem very hard upon the women. But they, having never known any other state of things,
accept their laborious married life as a matter of course.
When the mother carries
her infant to the field, she
mostly slings it to her back
by means of a wide strip
of some soft skin, which
she passes round her waist
so as to leave a sort of
pocket behind in which the
child may lie. In this
primitive cradle the little
creature reposes in perfect
content, and not even the
abrupt movements to which
it is necessarily subjected
will disturb its slumbers.
The wife of a chief or
wealthy man will not, how-
ever, rest satisfied with the
mere strip of skin by way
of a cradle, but has one of an
elaborate and ornamental
character. The illustration
represents a remarkably
fine example of the South
African cradle, and is drawn
from a specimen in my col-
lection.
It is nearly two feet in
length by one in width, and
is made of antelope skin,
with the hair still remain-
ing. The first care of the
maker has been to con-
struct a bag, narrow to-
wards the bottom, gradually
widening until within a few
inches of the opening, when
it again contracts. This
form very effectually pre-
vents an active or restless
child from falling out of its
cradle. The hairy side of
the skin is turned inwards,
so that the little one has a soft and pleasant cradle in which to repose. In order to give
it this shape, two " gores " have been let into the back of the cradle, and are sewn with
that marvellous neatness which characterises the workmanship of the Kaffir tribes. Four
long strips of the same skin are attached to the opening of the cradle, and by means
of them the mother can bind her little one securely on her back.
As far as usefulness goes, the cradle is now complete, but the woman is not satisfied
unless ornament be added. Though her rank — the wife of a chief — does not exonerate
CRADLE.
10 THE KAFFIR
her from labour, she can still have the satisfaction of showing her position by her dress,
and exciting envy among her less fortunate companions in the field.
The entire front of tlie cradle is covered with beads, arranged in regular rows. In
this specimen, two colours only are used ; namely, black and white. The black beads are
polished glass, while the others are of the colour which are known as " chalk-white," and
which is in great favour with the Kaffirs, on account of the contrast which it affords to
their dusky skin. The two central rows are black. The cradle weighs rather more than
two pounds, half of which is certainly due to the profusion of beads with which it is
covered. On the right hand of the cradle a small portion is drawn on an enlarged scale,
in order to show the manner in which the beads are arranged.
Except under peculiar circumstances, the Kaffir mother is a kind, and even indulgent
parent to her children. There are, however, exceptional instances, but, in these cases,
superstition is generally the moving power. As with many nations in different parts of
the earth, although abundance of children is desired, twins are not in favour ; and when
they make their appearance one of them is sacrificed, in consequence of a superstitious
notion that, if both twins are allowed to live, something unlucky would happen to the
parents.
As the children grow, a certain difference in their treatment is perceptible. In most
savage nations, the female children are comparatively neglected, and very ill treatment
falls on them, while the males are considered as privileged to do pretty well what they
like without rebuke. This, however, is not the case with the Kaffirs. The parents have
plenty of respect for their sons as the warriors of the next generation, but they have also
respect for their daughters as a source of wealth.
Every father is therefore glad to see a new-born child, and welcomes it whatever may
be its sex — the boys to increase the power of his house, the girls to increase the number
of his cattle. He knows perfectly well that, when his little girl is grown up, he can
obtain at least eight cows for her, and that, if she happens to take the fancy of a rich or
powerful man, he may be fortunate enough to procure twice the number. And, as the
price which is paid to the father of a girl depends very much on her looks and condition,
she is not allowed to be deteriorated by hard work or ill-treatment. These generally
come after marriage, and, as the wife does not expect anything but such treatment, she
does not dream of complaining.
The Kaffir is fre3 from the chief anxieties that attend a large family in civilized
countries. He knows nothing of the thousand artificial wants which cluster round a
civilized life, and need not fear lest his offspring should not be able to find a subsistence.
Neither is he troubled lest they should sink below that rank in which they were born.
Not that there are no distinctions of rank in Kaffirland. On the contrary, there are few
parts of the world where the distinctions of rank are better appreciated, or more clearly
defined. But, any one may attain the rank of chief, provided that he possesses the
mental or physical characteristics that can raise him above the level of those who sur-
round him, and, as is well known, some of the most powerful monarchs who have exer-
cised despotic sway in Southern Africa have earned a rank which they could not have
inherited, and have created monarchies where the country had formerly been ruled by a
number of independent chieftains.
These points may have some influence upon the Kaffir's conduct as a parent, but,
whatever rnay be the motives, the fact remains, that among this fine race of savages there
is no trace of the wholesale infanticide which is so terribly prevalent among other
Nations, and which is accepted as a social institution among some that consider themselves
among the most highly civilized of mankind.
As is the case in many parts of the world, the natives of South Africa undergo a
ceremony of some sort, which marks their transition from childhood to a more mature
age. There has been rather a sharp controversy respecting the peculiar ceremony which
the Kaffirs enjoin, some saying that it is identical with the rite of circumcision as prac-
tised by the Jews, and others that such a custom does not exist. The fact is, that it used
to be universal throughout Southern Africa, until that strange despot, Tchaka, chose arbi-
trarily to forbid it among the many tribes over which he ruled. Since his death, how-
DREAD OF GREY HAIR 11
ever, the custom has been gradually re-introduced, as the men of the tribes believed that
those who had not undergone the rite were weaker than would otherwise have been the
case, and were more liable to grey hairs.
Now with a Kaffir a hoary head is by no means a crown of glory, but is looked upon
as a sign of debility. A chief dreads nothing so much as the approach of grey hairs,
knowing that the various sub-chiefs, and other ambitious men who are rising about him, are
only too ready to detect any sign of weakness, and to eject him from his post. Europeans
who visit elderly chiefs are almost invariably asked if they have any preparation that
will dye their grey hairs black. So, the dread of such a calamity occurring at an earl}' age
would be quite sufficient to make a Kaffir resort to any custom which he fancied might
prevent it.
After the ceremony, which is practised in secret, and its details concealed with in-
violable fidelity, the youths are permitted three months of unlimited indulgence ; doing
no work, and eating, sleeping, singing, and dancing, just as they like. They are then
permitted to bear arms, and, although still called " boys," are trained as soldiers and
draughted into different regiments. Indeed, it is mostly from these regiments that the chief
selects the warriors whom he sends on the most daring expeditions. They have nothing
to lose and everything to gain, and, if they distinguish themselves, may be allowed to
assume the " head-ring," the proud badge of manhood, and to marry as many wives as
they can manage to pay for. A "boy" — no matter what his age might be — would not
dare to assume the head-ring without the permission of his chief, and there is no purer
mode of gaining permission than by distinguished conduct in the field, whether in open
fight, or in stealing cattle from the enemy.
The necessity for undergoing some rite when emerging from childhood is not restricted
to the men, but is incumbent on the girls, who are carried off into seclusion by their
initiators, and within a year from their initiation are allowed to marry.
CHAPTER III.
A KAFFIR'S LIFE, CONTINUED — ADOLESCENCE — BEAUTY OF FORM IN THE KAFFIRS, AND
FOB IT LIVING STATUES BENJAMIN WEST AND THE APOLLO — SHOULDERS OF THE KAFFIHS
SPEED OF FOOT CONSIDERED HONOURABLE A KAFFIR MESSENGER AND HIS MODE OF
CARRYING A LETTER HIS EQUIPMENT FOR THE JOURNEY LIGHT MARCHING-ORDER — HOW
THE ADDRESS IS GIVEN TO HIM — CELERITY OF HIS TASK, AND SMALLNESS OF HIS PAY — HIS
FEET AND THEIR NATURE THICKNESS OF THE SOLE, AND ITS SUPERIORITY OVER THE SHOE
ANECDOTE OF A SICK BOY AND HIS PHYSICIAN FORM OF THE FOOT HEALTHY STATE OF
A KAFFIR'S BODY — ANECDOTE OP WOUNDED GIRL — RAPIDITY WITH WHICH INJURIES ARE
HEALED — YOUNG WOMEN, AND THEIR BEAUTY OF FORM — PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS DIFFI-
CULTY OF PHOTOGRAPHING A KAFFIR — THE LOCALITY, GREASE, NERVOUSNESS — SHORT TENURE
OF BEAUTY — FEATURES OF KAFFIR GIRLS — OLD KAFFIR WOMEN AND THEIR LOOKS.
WHEN the youths and maidens are in the full bloom of youth, they afford as fine
specimens of humanity as can be seen anywhere. Their limbs have never been subject
to the distorting influences of clothing, nor their forms to the absurd compression which
was, until recently, destructive of all real beauty in this and neighbouring countries.
Each muscle and sinew has had fair play, the lungs have breathed fresh air, and the
active habits have given to the form that rounded perfection which is never seen except
in those who have enjoyed similar advantages.
We all admire the almost superhuman majesty of the human form as seen in ancient
sculpture, but we need only to travel to Southern Africa to see similar forms, but breath-
ing and moving, not motionless images of marble, but living statues of bronze. This
classic beauty of form is not peculiar to Southern Africa, but is found in many parts of
the world where the inhabitants lead a free, active, and temperate life.
My readers will probably remember the well-known anecdote of West the painter
surprising the critical Italians with his remarks. Bred in a Quaker family, he had no
acquaintance with ancient art ; and when he first visited Rome, he was taken by a large
assembly of art-critics to see the Apollo Belvedere. As soon as the doors were thrown
open, he exclaimed that the statue represented a young Mohawk warrior, much to the
indignation of the critics, who foolishly took his exclamation as derogatory to the statue,
rather than the highest and most genuine praise. The fact was, that the models from
whom the sculptor had composed his statue, and the young Mohawk warriors so familiar
to West, had received a similar physical education, and had attained a similar physical
beauty. " I have seen them often," said West, " standing in the very attitude of this
Apollo, and pursuing with an intent eye the arrow which they had just discharged from
the bow."
There is, indeed, but one fault that the most captious critic could find with the form
of the Kaffir, and that is, a slight deficiency in the fall of the shoulder. As a race, the
Kaffirs are slightly high-shouldered, though there are many instances where the slope
from the neck to the arm is exactly in accordance with the canons of classic art.
These young fellows are marvellously swift of foot, speed reckoning as one of the
chief characteristics of a distinguished soldier. They are P'SO possessed of enormous
LETTER CARRIER.
13
endurance. You may send a Kaffir for sixty or seventy miles with, a letter, and he will
prepare for the start as quietly as if he had only a journey of some three or four miles to
perform. First, he cuts a stick
some three feet in length, splits the
end, and fixes the letter in the cleft,
so that he may carry the missive
without damaging it by the grease
with which his whole person is
liberally anointed. He then looks
to his supply of snuff, and, should
he happen to run short of that
needful luxury, it will add wing?
to his feet if a little tobacco 1)3
presented to him, which he ca:i
make into snuff at his first halt.
Taking an assagai or two with
him, and perhaps a short stick with
a knob at the end, called a " kerry, '
he will start off at a slinging sort_
of mixture between a run and a troc,
an. I will hold this piee almost with-
out cessation. As to provision for
the jouvn;y, he need not troubb
himself about it, for he is sure to
fall in with some hut, or perhaps a
village, and is equally sure of ob-
taining both food and shelter. Hi
steers his cours? almost as if by in-
tuition, regardless of beaten tracks,
and arrives at his destination
with the same mysterious certainty
that characterises the migration of
the swallow.
It is not so easy to address a
letter in Africa as in England, and
it is equally difficult to give direc-
tions for finding any particular
house or village. If a chief should
be on a visit, and ask his host to
return the call, he simply tolls him
to go so many days in such a direc-
tion, and then turn for half a day
in another direction, and so on. However, the Kaffir is quite satisfied with such indi-
cations, and is sure to attain his point.
When the messenger has delivered his letter, he will squat down on the ground, take
snuff, or smoke — probably both — and wait patiently for the answer. As a matter of
course, refreshments will be supplied to him, and, when the answer is handed to him, he
will return at the same pace. Europeans 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 sur-
prised 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 snuff in his box, tobacco wherewith to make more, the
prospect of seeing a number of fellow-countrymen on the way, and enjoying a conver-
sation with them, the dignity of being a messenger from one white chief to another, and
YOUNG KAFFIR ARMED.
14
THE KAFFIR
the certainty of obtaining 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 complains 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 which would lame a European in the first step, and has the
great advantage of possessing a pair of soles which never wear out, but actually become
stronger by use. Mr. Baines, the African hunter, narrates a rather ludicrous instance
KAFFIR POSTMAN.
insensibility of the Kaffir's foot. Passing by some Kaffir houses, he heard doleful out-
cries, and found that a young boy was undergoing a medical or surgical operation, which-
ever may be the proper name.
The boy was suffering from some ailment for which the medicine-man prescribed a
thorough kneading with a hot substance. The plan by which the process was carried
out was simple and ingenious. A Kaffir man held his own foot over the fire until the sole
YOUNG WOMEN. 15
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
medicine. 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
endure 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 these 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 common
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 play of the instep checked by leathern bonds. The wonderful
arch of the foot — one of the most astonishing pieces of mechanism that the world affords
— can perform its office unrestrained, and every little bone, muscle, and tendon plays its
own part, and none other.
The constant activity of the Kaffirs, conjoined 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 minor ailments incident to high civilization, and
which, 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 colour of
the skin is a well-known fact, Europeans being, when in thorough good health, even more
enduring than their dark-skinned companions. A remarkable instance of this fact
occurred during the bloody struggle between the Dutch colonists and Dingan's forces
in 1837. The Kaffirs 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 were found two young girls, who
still showed signs of life. One had received nineteen stabs with the assagai, and the
other twenty-one. They were removed from the corpses, and survived their dreadful
wounds, reaching womanhood, 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 effect which they had upon him,
he said that when the human frame was brought, by constant exercise and simple diet,
into a state of perfect health, mere flesh wounds were scarcely noticed, the cut closing
almost as easily as if it had been made in india-rubber. It may also be familiar to my
readers, that when in this country men are carefully trained for any physical exertion,
whetfier it be pedestrianism, gymnastics, rowing, or the prize-ring, they receive with in-
difference injuries which would have prostrated them a few months previously, and
recover from them with wonderful rapidity.
The young Kaffir women are quite as remarkable for the beauty of their form as are
the men, and the very trifling dress which they wear serves to show off 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 mentioned, 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 Kaffir girls of
various ages, and, in spite of the invariable stiffness of photographic portraits, they exhibit
forms which might serve as models for any sculptor. If they could only have been
photographed while engaged in their ordinary pursuits, the result would have been most
artistic, but the very knowledge that they were not to move hand or foot has occasioned
16
THE KAFFIR.
them to assume attitudes quite at variance with the graceful unconsciousness of their
ordinary gestures.
Beside the stiffness which has already been mentioned, there are several points which
make a really good photographic portrait almost an impossibility. In the first plan-, the
sunlight is so brilliant that the shadows become developed into black patches, 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 cunningly furnished with curtains
UNMARRIED GIRLS.
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 developing-tent.
Taking the portraits properly is a matter of extreme difficulty. The Kaffirs will rub
themselves with grease, and the more they shine the better they are dressed. Now, as
every photographer knows, nothing 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
FEATURES OF KAFFIE GIRLS.
17
better chance of success. But the Kaffir ladies, old and young alike, think it a point
of honour to be dressed in their very best when their portraits are taken, and will insist
upon bedizening themselves exactly in the way which is most destructive to photography.
They take fresh grease, and rub their bodies until they shine like a well-polished 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, inquisitive, and rather nervous, and
in all probability 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 represented in the
illustration, the photographer has been singularly fortunate. Both the girls belonged to
the tribe commanded by the well-known chief Goza, whose portrait will be given on a
subsequent page. The girls are clad in their ordinary costume of every-day life, and in
fact, when their portraits were taken, were acting as housemaids in the house of an
European settler.
OLD WOMEN.
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 graceful 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 under the
shade of a hut, young girls just twenty years of age look like women of forty.
The chief drawback to a Kaffir girl's beauty lies in her face, which is never a beautiful
one, according to European ideas on that subject. It is mostly a pleasant, good-humoured
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 favourable
specimens of the collection, and no one can say that their faces are in any way equal to
VOL, i. c
18 THE KAFFIR.
their forms. It may be that their short, crisp, harsh, woolly hair, so different from the
silken tresses of European women, produce some feeling of dislike ; but, even if they were
furnished with the finest and most massive head of hair, they could never be called
handsome. People certainly do get used to their peculiar style, and sometimes prefer the
wild beauty of a Kaffir girl to the more refined, though more insipid, style of the European.
Still, few Englishmen 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 Kaffir 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 reverence 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 underlie the outward form, and
to be even more youthful than youth itself. Perhaps one reason for this distinction may
be the uncultivated 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 ORNAMENTS DRESS OF THE MEN DRESS DEPENDENT ON COUNTRY FOR MATERIAL
SKIN THK CHIEF ARTICLE OF DRESS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA FUR-PRODUCING ANIMALS A
KAROSS OR CLOAK OF MEERKAT SKIN — ANOTHER OF JACKAL SKINS NATIVE TASTE IN DRESS
PROFESSIONAL KAROSS MAKERS NEEDLE USED BY THE KAFFIRS — ITS CLUMSY SHAPE AND
DIMENSIONS — ITS LEATHER SHEATH A FASHIONABLE NEEDLE AND ITS BELT OF BEADS —
TASTEFUL ARRANGEMENT OF COLOUR 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 INT MY COLLECTION — BRASS BUTTONS — THE " ISINENE " AND "UMUCHA"
PORTRAIT OF GOZA — OBESITY OF THE CHIEFS — FULL DRESS AND UNDRESS — A KAFFIR AIDE-
DE-CAMP.
HAVING now described the general appearance of the Kaffirs from childhood to age, we
will proceed to the costume which they wear, and the ornaments with which they deco-
rate their dark persons.
The material of which dress is made depends much on the characteristics of the
country. In some parts of the world linen is used, in another silk, and in another cotton.
In Southern Africa, however, and indeed throughout a very large portion of the continent,
the dress, whether of men or women, is composed of the skins and furs of animals. The
country abounds in game, especially of the antelope tribe ; and the antelopes, the zebras
and their kin, the beasts of prey, the monkey tribes and the oxen, afford a vast store from
which the Kaffir 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 surpassed by the best of European
furriers, with all his means and appliances. Kaffir furs, even those made from the stiff
and stubborn 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 produce
such articles as the Kaffirs do.
Supposing that a cow-skin 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 with 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 labour of love. Indeed, if 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. They take eight or ten of their skewer-like
needles, and tie them together in a bundle, each rnan being furnished with one of these
bundles. The points are then placed perpend icnlarly upon the skin, and the bundle made
C2
20 THE KAFFIR.
to revolve backwards and forwards between the Lands. This process tears up the fibres
of the skin, and adds to its pliancy, beside 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 sharp as the artificial points made of iron, and do their work as effectually.
Some of my readers may remember 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 over the surface of the cloth, so as to raise a
" nap " which conceals the 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 forms a succedaneum for the tanpit, 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 astringent character, and communicates its
properties to the bark through which it percolates. In consequence, the white inhabitants
of Southern Africa are in the habit of using the bark of the acacia just as in England we
use the bark of the oak, and find that it produces a similar effect 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 fraction 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 are left to rot in the ground, and, thanks to
the peculiar climate and the attacks of insects, they soon rot away, and can be crumbled
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 assiduous rubbing in with
the hand. Afterwards, 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 inwards, 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 on in such a way that the fur-clad heads fall in
a row over his shoulders.
The rapidity with which a Kaffir will prepare 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 towards the wagon, thinking only of food, and heedless of danger. One
of the Kaffirs in attendance on the wagon saw the animal, picked up a large stone, and
awaited his coming. As he was nearing the fire, the Kaffir flung the stone with such a
good aim that the animal was knocked over and stunned. The 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 example of a kaross or cloak, made from the skins of the
Meerkat, one of the South African ichneumons. It is a pretty creature, the coat being
soft and full, and the general colour a reddish tawny, variegated in some specimens by
dark mottlings along the back, and fading off into grey along the flanks.
The kaross consists of thirty-six skins, which are sewn together as neatly as any
furrier could sew them. The Meerkat, being very tenacious of life, does not succumb
KAROSS MAKER
21
easily, and accordingly there is scarcely a skin which has not been pierced in one or
more places by the spear, in some instances leaving holes through which a man's ringer
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 colour is very remarkable, because the
fur of the Meerkat is extremely variable in colour, and it must have been necessary to com-
pare 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 much less space than an
ordinary railway rug, that it is lighter to carry, and is warmer and more comfortable.
THE MEERKAT.
Although every Kaffir has some knowledge of skin-dressing and tailoring, there are
some who greatly surpass their companions, and are popularly known as "kaross
makers." It is easy to tell at a glance whether a garment is the work of an ordinary
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 which he has
to join, and places them together with the hairy side inwards, and the edges exactly
matching each other. He then repeatedly passes his long needle between the two pieces,
so as to press the hair downwards, and prevent it from being caught in the thread. He
then bores a few holes in a line with each other, and passes the sinew-fibre through them,
casting a single hitch over each hole, but leaving the thread loose. When he has made
two or three such holes, and passed the thread through them, he draws them tight in
regular succession, so that he produces a sort of lock-stitch, and his work will not become
loose, even though it may 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 above mentioned, the original 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 sewn
over and over, and are in consequence raised above the level of the skins. But the
various 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 kavoss makers. The difference of tfie seams is at once apparent,
those made by the unskilled workman being raised, harsh, and stiff; while those made by
22 THE KAFFIR
the professional are quite flat, and look exactly 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 grey 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 Kaffir's estimation, a far more
valuable article, inasmuch as the grey 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 five feet three inches in 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 then sewn together, the manufacturer having in his mind a veiy
bold design. Most persons are aware, that in the majority 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 grey upon the flanks and under the belly. The kaross
maker has started with the 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 grey at the edges. This is done, not by merely
putting the darker skins in the middle, and the lighter towards 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 appear-
ance, the grey colour of the fur rapidly deepening into black, which makes a broad stripe
some four inches in depth. This is obtained by taking the skin of the paws, which are
very black, and sewing them to the cape of the mantle.
Of course, a Kaffir has no knowledge of gloves, but there are seasons when he really
wants some covering for his hands. A creature of the sun, he cannot endure cold ; and in
weather when the white men are walking in their lightest clothing and exulting in the unac-
customed coolness, the Kaffir is wrapped in his thickest kaross, cowering over the fire,
and absolutely paralysed, 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 kaross, and on the outer edges, are a pair of small wings or pro-
jections, about a foot in length, and eight inches in width. When the Kaffir puts on the
kaross, he doubles the upper part to form the cape, turns the furry side within, grasps one
of these winglets with each hand, and then wraps it round his shoulders. The hands are
thus protected from the cold, and the upper part 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. The membrane is ob-
tained as follows. A skin of some animal, usually one of the antelopes, is rolled up and
buried in the ground until a certain amount of putrefaction takes place. It is then re-
moved, and the Kaffir splits it by introducing his knife, and then, with a quick jerk,
strips off the membranous skin. If it does not separate easily, the skin is replaced in the
ground, and left for a day or two longer.
This fine specimen was brought from Southern Africa by Mr. Christie, who has had it
in constant use as a railway rug and for similar purposes for some fourteen years, and it is
still as serviceable as ever.
I ought to mention 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 because it bears some resemblance to the " braying " or rubbing of a substance in
a rnortar, as distinguished from pounding it. A handful of the hide is taken in each hand
and gathered up, so as to form two or three wrinkles on the fleshy side. The wrinkles
are then rubbed on each other, with a peculiar twisting movement, which is almost iden-
tical with that of the gizzard in grain-eating birds.
THE NEEDLE.
23
Of similar skins the Kaffir makes a kind of bag, in which he puts his pipe, tobacco,
and various other little comforts. This bag, which is popularly called a knapsack, de-
serves more rightly the name of havresack, 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. When the Kaffir has killed the animal, he strips off 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 off the skin, and of
course turns it inside out in so doing, much as is the case when a taxidermist skins a
snake or frog. The skin is then " brayed " in the ordinary fashion, while the furry side is
inwards ; and when this operation is completed, the mouth, ears, and eyelids are sewn up,
and it is then reversed so as to bring the fur outwards. 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, some of
them being rather odd according to our ideas. It has been men-
tioned that the pipe, tobacco, and other little articles which a Kaffir
has are kept in the bag. If, perchance, the wearer should discover
a bees'-nest, he empties his " knapsack," turns it inside out, shakes
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 off with his prize, regard-
less of the state ID 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 consideration the peculiar needle and thread which
he uses.
The needle is not in the least like the delicate, slender articles
employed by European sempstresses. In the first place, it has no
eye ; 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.
The accompanying illustration represents an ordinary needle of
the Kaffir, which now forms part of my collection. It was brought
to England by the late Gordon Gumming. The length of the
needle is rather more than four inches, and it tapers regularly from
head to point. The head is ornamented with several deep circular
ridges, which give a better hold for the fingers, and enable them
to give it the rotatory movement by which the skin is pierced.
Some needles are, however, of much greater size, and, like the
ancient stylus above mentioned, could be used very effectively in
lieu of daggers.
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 sewn together at the edges.
The present example is rather more ambitious. A flat strip of raw hide has been cut
into the shape of a spear-head, with an inch of the shaft terminated by a cross-piece.
The needle has then been laid upon the hide, which has been worked gradually round it,
so as to cover the iron completely. The edges have then been sewn together, and, while
the hide was still wet, the seams have been well hammered so as to beat the stitches into
the leather, and almost to conceal their existence. The cross-piece has been rolled and
sewn in a similar manner, so as to form a tube. The Kaffir has then cut three very fine
thongs of hide, twisted them so as to make them look like string, passed them through
the tube, and knotted them together. The ends have been twisted into one of those in-
genious knots of which the Kaffirs are so fond, and which much resemble those which
NEEDLE AND SHEATH.
24
THE KAFFIR.
are used in our navy. As a finishing touch to the needle-sheath, it has been allowed to
dry, and then plentifully imbrued with grease.
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 disposal.
This needle is represented in the accompanying illustration, at fig. 1.
The needle itself is of the ordinary shape, though much larger than the specimen
which has just been described ; and it is upon the
sheath and its ornaments 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.
Roll 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
projections at right angles to each other, we shall see
how the sheath is made.
The string of beads by which it is hung round
the neck is put together with 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 rhinoceros horn,
cut into the shape of a buffalo 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 manipu-
lated this stubborn substance is really admirable.
The sweep of the animal's horns is hit off 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, considering his familiarity with the
subject, but that he should 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 thong 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 kingdom for his thread as
well as for his garments. 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 before me, and a curious article it is — stiff, angular, elastic, and with an
invincible tendency to become entangled among the other objects of the collection. Few
KAFFIR NEEDLES AND SHEATHS.
THE APEON OR "TAILS."
25
persons to whom it is shown for the first time will believe that it is thread, and mostly
fancy that 1 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 filaments, which can be obtained 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. He 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 sempstress in this
ARTICLES OF KAFFIR COSTUME.
country, but which 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
drying, the seams become enormously strengthened, the stitches being drawn tightly by
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-machines 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
Kaffir sewing, and in every instance the firmness and solidity of the workmanship 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 trouble himself about so superfluous a luxury
as dress. He may wear beads and ornaments, but he is not troubled with dress in our
acceptation of the word. When he becomes a man, however, he assumes the peculiar
26 THE KAFFIR.
apron which may be seen by reference 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 different
manner. The principle is a belt round the waist, with a number of thongs depending
from it, and we find this characteristic dress as far northward as Egypt. Indeed, strings
or thongs form a considerable 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 buffaloes, and to be a trophy of the wearer's courage
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. The example which
is given in the illustration was presented to me
by Captain Drayson, R.A., who bought it, to-
gether with many other objects, after the late
Kaffir war. It is marked 1 in the illustration.
It is made of strips of monkey skin, each about
an inch and a half in width. These strips have
been snipped half through on either side alter-
nately, and then twisted so as to make furry
cylinders, having the hair on the outside, and
being fixed in that position until dry and tole-
rably stiff. In my specimen there are fourteen
DOLLS. of these strips, each being about fourteen inches
long, but those in the middle exceeding the
others by an inch or two.
The strips or " tails " are gathered together above, and sewn firmly to a broad belt of
fhe same material, which is so covered with red and white beads that the leather cannot
be seen. Across the belt are two rows of conical brass buttons, exactly 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 article 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 reminds
the spectator of the sporran, or skin pouch, which forms part of the Highlander's dress.
Bat 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 elaborate a set of
"tails," he merely cuts his "isinene" out of a piece of skin. An example of this kind
of apron is seen in the above illustration, which represents a pair of figures, a Kaffir
and his wife, made by the natives out of leather. Here the male figure, on the right,
is shown as wearing the isinene, 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 smaller duplicate of this apron, which falls behind, and cor-
responds with the isinene; this second apron is called the "unmcha," and is mostly made
of one piece of skin. Its use is not, however, universal, and indeed, when in his own
kraal or village, the Kaffir does not trouble himself about either isinene or umucha, and
considers himself quite sufficiently clothed with a necklace and a snuff-bux.
PORTRAIT OF GOZA.
27
The accompanying illustration gives a good idea of the appearance presented by a
Kaffir of rank in his ordinary dress. It is a portrait of Goza, the well-known Zulu chief,
whose name came prominently forward during the visit of Prince Alfred 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 distinguished from the meanest of his subjects by any distinction of dress.
An experienced 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 Kaffirland.
GOZA, THE KAFFIR CHIEF, IN ORDINARY UNDRESS.
In fact, none but chiefs have the opportunity, because the inferior men are forced to
such constantly active employment, 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 warriors 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
28 THE KAFFIR
lie 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 portrait of this doubly great monarch, nothing more need be said
about him.
As to Goza, he is a wealthy man, possessing 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 subjects, 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 composed.
When he wishes to appear officially, 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 will be given in the chapter that treats of
Kaffir warfare.
CHAPTER V.
ORNAMENTS WORN BY KAFFIR MEN BEADS, BUTTONS, AND STRINGS FASHIONABLE COLOURS OF
BEADS GOOD TASTE OF THE KAFFIRS CAPRICES OF FASHION GOZA's YOUNG WARRIORS
CURIOUS BEAD ORNAMENT A SEMI-NECKLACE A BEAD BRACELET, AND MODE OF CONSTRUC-
TION A CHEAP NECKLACE TWO REMARKABLE NECKLACES — ORNAMENTS MADE OF LEATHERN
THONGS OX-TAILS USED AS ORNAMENTS, AND INDICATIONS OF THE WEALTH OF THEIR OWNER
— THE SKULL USED FOR A SIMILAR PURPOSE — A YOUNG KAFFIR IN FULL DRESS CURIOUS
DECORATIONS OF THE HEAD THE ISSIKOKO, OR HEAD-RING KAFFIR CHIVALRY — PICTURESQUE
ASPECT OF THE KAFFIR THE EYE AND THE NOSTRIL THE KAFFIR PERFUME, AND ITS
TENACITY CLEANLY HABITS OF THE KAFFIR — CONDITIONS ALTER CIRCUMSTANCES — ANOTHER
METHOD OF DRESSING SKINS THE BLANKET AND THE KAROSS — ARMLETS, ANKLETS, AND
BRACELETS A SIMPLE GRASS BRACELET IVORY ARMLETS, AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION
BEAD ARMLKTS METALLIC ARMLETS 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, they may be summed up in three 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
jewellery among civilized nations. The Kaffirs will have nothing to do with beads that
do not form a good contrast with the dark skin of the wearer, so tl>at beads which would
be thought valuable, even in England, would be utterly contemned by the poorest Kaffir.
l)ark blue, for example, are extremely unfashionable, while light azure blue is in great
favour. Those beads which contain white and red are the most valued ; and if it were
possible to make beads which should have the dazzling whiteness of snow, or the fiery
hue of the scarlet verbena, almost any price might be obtained for them in Kaffirland.
The capriciousness of fashion is quite as great among the Kaffirs as among Europeans,
and the bead-trade is, therefore, very precarious, beads which would have been purchased
at a very high price 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
savages. The beads should always contrast boldly with the colour of the skin. Now,
the average colour of a Kaffir is a very dark chocolate ; and if the intended trader among
these tribes wishes to make a successful speculation, he cannot do better than have a lay
figure painted of a Kaffir's colour, and try the effect of the beads upon the image. Beads
cannot be too brilliant for a savage, and almost any small articles which will take a high
polish and flash well in the sunshine will find a market.
Having procured his beads, either by exchange of goods or by labour, the Kaffir
proceeds 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 ingenuity
devises various other fashions. If he has some very large and very white beads, he will
30
THE KAFFIR.
tie them 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 the illustration on page 33,
hg. 1, is shown a sash somewhat similar to that which has just been mentioned, though it
is not made wholly of beads. Its groundwork is a vast number of small strings laid side
by side, and bound at intervals by bands of different coloured beads, those towards the.
ends being white, and the others scarlet, pink, or green. Its length is about eight feet. A
small portion is given on an enlarged scale, to show the mode of structure. The other
articles belong to female costume, and will be described presently.
KAFFIR ORNAMENTS.
The group of ornaments in the accompanying illustration is very interesting, and is
taken from specimens kindly lent me by the late H. Jackson, Esq. The round article with
dark centre is the first which we will notice. In form it resembles a hollow cone, or
rather a Malay's hat, and is made of leather, ingeniously moulded and sewn while wet,
and then kept in its shape until dry. The whole of the interior is so thickly covered with
beads 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 covered with beads, it is easy
to understand that it would have rested very comfortably on the breast with its bead-
covered apex projecting like a huge sugar-loaf button. But, as the peak lias to rest on
the breast, the ornament must sway about in a most uncomfortable manner,
NECKLACES.
31
The ornament at the bottom of the illustration 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 ground-
work of this semi-necklace is white, and the marks upon it are differently coloured.
Some of them are red in the interior and edged with yellow, while in others these colours
are reversed. A narrow line of scarlet 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
effect.
A bracelet, also made of beads, is shown in the same illustration at fig. 2. The beads are
strung on threads, and then twisted together so as to form a loose rope, very similar in
construction to the rope ring used so much by sailors, and known
technically as a " grummet." The strings of beads are variously
coloured, and are arranged with considerable taste, so that when
they are twisted together the general effect is very good.
Some of the commoner beads are shown in the accompanying
figure. They are of that kind which are called " chalk- white," and
are tolerably polished. They are oblong in shape, and 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 Kaffir-
land, and are not to be obtained without labour. However, orna-
ment of some kind the young men will have, and if they cannot
obtain beads they will wear some other ornament as a succedaneum
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 fit closely together, and stand boldly out, without
showing the string on which they are threaded. So closely do they
lie that, although 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 in the illustration on page 32,
have been selected because they show how the native artist has
first 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 larger
size, and being white in colour, 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 felidse, and are arranged in groups
varying 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 materials are
exhausted, and the necklace finished.
The necklace No. 2 is of a far more ambitious 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 valour and success. He would also
wear the skins, and lose no opportunity of showing what he had done. But we will sup-
pose 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. Leopards' teeth he could not,
of course, possess without killing the animal for himself, because no one who has achieved
BEADS
•M TIIK KAFFIR
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 coinage of the hunter, he could, at all events, make a necklace which
would resemble in shape that of his companion, be very much more showy, and possess a
considerable intrinsic value.
So he set up his forge, and, in a manner which will be described in a future page,
made his own bronze, brass, or bell-metal, and cast a number of little cylinders. These
he beat into shape with his primitive hammer, and formed them into very tolerable
imitations of leopards' teeth. Being now furnished with the material for his necklace,
he began to put it together. Firstly, he 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
NECKLACES— BEADS AND TEETH.
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 workmanship, and when in use must have a very
excellent effect. The colours are selected with remarkable 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 colour, if not in material, seems to be
inherent 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 missionaries,
they assume some portion of ordinary European costume. The men, whose wardrobe is
generally limited to a shirt and trousers, have little scope for taste in dress; but the
ORNAMENTS.
women always contrive to develop this faculty. "Whether in the gay colours of the
gowns which they wear, or whether in the more sober hue of the hand kerchief which they
invariably tie round their heads, they always manage to hit upon a combination of
colours 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 appearance of a
Kaffir, or, indeed, of any wearer of a dark skin ; and it is a curious fact, that the better
the clothes, the worse do they look. A young Kaffir, wearing nothing but his few tufts of
fur, moves with a free and upright gait, and looks like one of nature's noblemen. But the
moment that he puts on the
costume adopted in civilized
Europe, he loses every vestige
of dignity, and even his very
gait is altered for the worse.
The metropolitan reader
can easily witness such a
metamorphosis by visiting the
Hammam, or any similar esta-
blishment, where dark-skinned
attendants are employed. While
engaged in their ordinary voca-
tion, clad with nothing but a
cloth round their loins, they
look just like ancient statues
endued with life, and it is im-
possible to avoid admiring the
graceful dignity of their ges-
tures, 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
disappointing, and it is hardly
possible to believe the identity
of such apparently different in-
dividuals. In the time long
passed away, when Scotland
was still contesting with Eng-
land, the statesmen of the latter
country showed no small know-
ledge of human nature when
they forbade the use of the
Highland dress, and forced the
Highlanders to abandon the
picturesque costume which
seems to harmonize so well
with the wild hills of their
native land. A Highlander in
his kilt and tartan was not the same man when in the costume of the Lowlander, and it
was impossible for him to feel the same pride in himself as when he wore the garb of the
mountaineer and the colours of his clan.
Many of the young men who cannot afford beads make bracelets, necklaces, armlets,
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-coloured skins, these curious ornaments have a very good, though
barbaric effect. By cutting the strips spirally, almost any length can be obtained ; and
VOL. i. D
KAFFIR ORNAMENTS.
34 THE KAFFIR
the consequence is, that the young men sometimes appear with their bodies, legs, and
arms covered with these tuny 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 lulls. 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 bring 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 will 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 upper 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 ornaments shows that the wearer must 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 keep the tail for himself, and will not give
so valuable an ornament to another. For the same reason, when the cow has been t-j.ten
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. One of these arm-tufts is now
before me. The skin has been stripped from the tail, leaving a thong of eighteen inches
in length above the tuft of hair. This thong has then been cut into three strips of half an
inch in width, and the strips have been rolled up spirally, 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 wou*ld 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.
The illustration on page 35 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 Kaffir will exercise the greatest care in selecting ornaments, and occupy
hours in putting them on to the best advantage. Among the furs used by the Kaffir lor
this purpose is that of the Angora goat, its long soft hair working up admirably into
fringes and similar ornaments.
Feathers of different birds are worked into the head-dress, and the rarer the bird and
the more brilliant the colour the better is the wearer pleased. One decoration which is
sometimes 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 forehead and the other on the back of the head. Eagles' feathers
are much used among the Kaffirs, as, in spite of their comparatively plain colouring, their
firm and graceful shape enables the wearer to form them into very elegant head-dresses.
O.strich feathers are also used for the purpose, as are the richly-coloured plumes of the
lory ; but the great ambition of a Kaffir beau is to procure 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 addition
to the quantity of beads which he contrives 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 weapons 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 " has at last obtained the chief's permission to enter the honoured
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 subtraction, and
is confined to the head. All unmarried men wear the whole of their hair, and sometimes
indulge their vanity in dressing it in various modes ; such as drawing it out to its fullest
extent, and stiffening it with grease and shining powders, so that it looks something like
DECORATIONS OF THE HEAD.
the wigs which bishops used to wear, but which have been judiciously abandoned. If
particular pains are taken with the hair, and it happens to be rather longer than usual,
the effect is very remarkable. I have a photographic portrait 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 endeavours to preserve himself in a perfectly motionless attitude, he has clenched
his teeth tightly and opened his eyes very wide, he looks exactly as if all his hair were
standing on end with astonishment.
Proud, however, as he may be, as a "boy," of his hair, he is still prouder when he has
the permission of his chief to cut it off, and at once repairs to a friend who will act as
hairdresser. The friend in ques-
tion takes his 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 sub-
stance. Oil or grease is next libe-
rally applied, until the circlet
shines like a patent leather boot,
and the ring is then complete.
The officiating friend 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 several purposes. It
answers admirably to hold
feathers firmly, when the cour-
tier decorates his head for cere-
mony, o-r the soldier for war.
It serves also more peaceful
uses, being the usual place
where the snuff-spoon is worn.
This mode of dressing the
hair has its inconvenience, for
the ring continually needs to
be repaired and kept in order.
As to the " issikoko itself," it is YOUNG KAFFIR IN FULL DRESS.
too hard to be easily damaged ;
but as the hair grows it is raised
above the head, and, when neglected for some time, will rise to a height of twro inches or
so. Moreover, the shaven parts of the head soon regain their covering, and need again
to be submitted to the primitive razor. No man would venture to appear before his
chief with the head unshaven, or with the ring standing above 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
Oriental entertains for his beard. Mr. Moffatt mentions a curious illustration of this fact.
D2 -
36 THE KAFFIR
A warrior of rank, an " Induna," or petty chief, was brought before the king, the dreaded
Moselekate, charged with an offence the punishment of which was death. He was con-
ducted to the king, deprived of his spear and shield. "He bowed his fine elastic figure,
and kneeled before the judge. The case was investigated silently, which gave solemnity
to the scene. Not a whisper was heard among the listening audience, and the voices of
the council were only audible to each other and to the nearest spectators. The prisoner,
though on his knees, had something dignified and 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 balance between life and death only could produce. The case required little
investigation; the charges were clearly substantiated, and the culprit pleaded guilty.
But, alas ! he knew that it was at a bar where none ever heard the heart-reviving sound
of pardon, even for offences small compared with his. A pause ensued, during which the
silence of death pervaded the assembly.
" At length the monarch spoke, and, addressing 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 and 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
me, and he has made my heart white ; but he tells me that to take away life is an awful
thing, and never can be undone again. He has pleaded with me not to go to war, nor to
destroy life. I wish hiin, when he returns to his own home again, to return with a hea. t
as white as he 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 ;
you must no more associate with the nobles of the land, nor enter the towns of the princes
of the people, nor ever again mingle in the dance of the mighty. Go to the poor of the
field, and let your companions be the inhabitants of the desert.'
" The sentence passed, the pardoned man was expected to bow in grateful adoration to
him whom he was wont to look upon and exalt in songs applicable only to One, to whom
belongs universal sway and the destinies of man. But no ! Holding his hands clasped on
his bosom, he replied : ' 0 king, atflict not niy heart ! I have incited thy displeasure : 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 king,
and disgrace these badges of honour which I won among the spears and shields of the
mighty? No ; I cannot live ! Let me die, 0 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 offered, preferring to
die with the honours he had won at the point of the spear — honours which even the act
which condemned him did not tarnish — to exile and poverty among the children of the
desert. He was led. forth, a man walking on each side. My eye 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 by European lips, but by European palates ; for each letter k is preceded,
or rather accompanied, by a curious clucking sound, produced by the back of the tongue
and the roof of the mouth. There are three of these " clicks," as they are called, and they
will be more particularly described when we come to the subject of Kaffir language.
Under nearly 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 splendid
savages in the full panoply of all their barbaric magnificence. Their proud and noble
port, their dusky bodies set off with beads and other brilliant ornaments, and the uncom-
mon grace and agility which they display when going through the fierce mimicry of a
fight which constitutes their war dances, are a delight to the eye of an artist.
Unfortunately, his nose is affected in a different manner. The Kaffirs of all ages and
both sexes will persist in copiously anointing themselves with grease. Almost any sort,
of grease would soon become rancid in that country ; but, as the Kaffirs are not at all
SABA R,H to« O R E A T DESERT
I /M O S H A O H
38 THE KAFFIR PERFUME.
particular about the sort of grease which they use, provided that it is grease, they exhale
a very powerful and very disagreeable odour. Kaffirs are charming savages, but it is
always as well to keep to the windward of them, at all events until the nostrils have
become accustomed to their odour. 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 were exhibited labelled with tickets that could not
possibly have belonged to them. The owner said that he suspected them to be African,
and asked my opinion, which was unhesitatingly given, the odour having betrayed their
real country as soon as they were brought within range of scent.
A few years ago, I assisted in opening a series of boxes and barrels full of objects
from Kaffirland. We took the precaution of opening the cases in 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 specimens, not merely made for sale, as is so often
the case, but purchased from the wearers, and carefully put away. The owner of the col-
lection was rather humorous on the subject, congratulating us on our preparation for a
visit to Kaffirland, and telling us that, if either of us wished to form a good idea of the
atmosphere which prevailed in a Kaffir hut with plenty of company, all we had to do
was to get into the empty cask, sit at the bottom of it, and put the lid on.
Several of the articles of clothing were transferred to my collection, but for some time
they could not be introduced into the room. Even after repeated washings, and hanging
out in the garden, and drenching with deodorizing fluid, they retained so much of their
peculiar scent that they were subjected to another course, which proved more successful,
— namely, a thorough washing, then drying, then exposure to a strong heat, and then
drying in the open air.
This extremely powerful odour is a considerable drawback to an European hunter when
accompanied by Kaffir assistants. They are invaluable as trackers/ their eyes seem to
possess telescopic powers, their ears are open to sounds which their white companion is
quite incapable of perceiving, and their olfactory nerves are sensitive to any odour except
that which themselves so powerfully exhale. But the wild animals are even more sen-
sitive to odours 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 imbrued with the same unctuous substance; and the
only difference is, that the king can afford more grease, and is therefore likely to be more
odoriferous, than his subject.
Yet the Kaffir is by no means an uncleanly person, and in many points is so par-
ticularly clean that he looks down with contempt upon an European as an ill-bred man.
The very liberal anointing of the person with grease is a custom which would be simply
abominable 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 sunbeams. Even in the more northern parts of this continent the
custom prevails, arid Englishmen 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 putting
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 finishing touch to his costume.
Setting aside the different effects 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 they dispense with grease. But, if they were suddenly deprived of their
linen or cotton garments, 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 practice 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 them to be
THE KAFFIR
39
under similar conditions with ourselves. Our only hope of arriving at a true and unbiassed
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 singular success enjoyed by some schoolmasters, while others,
who may far surpass them in 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 number of pegs round 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 Kaffir hut.
The artist, however, has committed a slight error in the sketch, having drawn the
skin as if the hairy side were upwards. The Kaffir always pegs a skin with the hairy
side downwards, partly because the still wet hide would adhere to the ground, and partly
because he 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-dressing is almost exactly the same.
Tlie subsequent processes vary greatly in different quarters of the globe, and even in dif-
ferent parts of the same country, as we shall see in subsequent pages.
The frontier Kaffirs, and indeed all those who can have communication with Europeans,
have learned the value of blankets, and will mostly wear a good blanket in preference to
the best kaross. But to the older warriors, or in those places to which European 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 made from them are, to European eyes, far 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 fortunate 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
chipter relating to Kaffir warfare.
There is, however, one class of ornaments that must be
briefly mentioned; namely, the rings of different material
which the Kaffirs place on their wrists, arms, and ankles.
These are sometimes made of ivory, often of metal, some-
times of hide, sometimes of beads, and sometimes of grass.
This last-mentioned bracelet is perhaps the simplest of them
all, as may be seen from the accompanying illustration,
which is taken from a specimen in my collection.
It is made of the yellow steins of some species of grass,
plaited together with singular ingenuity, so as to form a
bold arid regular pattern, the lines of grass stems sweeping
regularly side by side along the centre, crossing and recrossing
each other in their course, and forming a narrow plaited
pattern along each edge. More than fifty stems are used in making this simple orna-
ment, so that the skill of the manipulator is strongly tested.
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 purposes, generally cut off a foot or so from the
GRASS BRACELET.
40
IVOEY ARMLETS.
base of each tusk for the purpose of making armlets, at once trophies of their valour and
proofs of their wealth.
The reader is perhaps aware that the tusk of an elephant, though 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 continually 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 enclosed in a shell of ivory.
It is easy enough, therefore, for the Kaffir hunter to cut off 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 towards 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 material.
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 diameter and thicker substance are merely slipped over the
hand and worn as bracelets. There is now before me a photographic portrait of a sou
of the celebrated chief Macomo, who is wearing two of these ivory 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 are shown
in the illustration. 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 companion armlet. In-
stead 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 polished, the latter
circumstance being probably due to the friction of the wearer's arm. It is ornamented by
a double row of holes made around the aperture. The ivory is polished by means of a
wet cord held at both ends, and drawn briskly backwards and forwards.
If the reader will refer to the illustration on page 30, he will see that by the side of
the conical breast ornament which has already been described, there is a bracelet of
beads. This is made of several strings of beads, white predominating, and red taking the
next place. The bead-strings are first laid side by side, and then twisted spirally into a
loose kind of rope, a plan which brings out their colours very effectively.
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
ornaments, which was made of brass. " I have a rare antique 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."
IVORY ARMLETS.
THE KAFFIR 41
Brass and iron wire is frequently used for the manufacture of armlets, and tolerably
heavy ornaments are sometimes found of the latter metal.
Some years ago, a curious circumstance occurred with regard to these metallic armlets.
A shining' metallic powder was one day discovered, and was found capable of being
smelted like iron, and made into ornaments. The chiefs were so pleased 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 afterwards, a contagious disease
spread through the country, and several chiefs died. Of course the calamity was attri-
buted to witchcraft, as is every death Or illness among the Kaffir chiefs, and the business
of discovering the offender was entrusted, 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 ineffectual guesses, they came to th.3 conclusion that the
cause of the disease 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
ldn» issued an edict forbidding the use of the metal which had done so much harm.
CHAPTER VI.
FEMININE DEESS AND ORNAMENTS.
WHEN DRESS IS FIRST WORN PAINT AND Oil, THE FIRST GARMENT, AND ITS IMPORT APRONS
OF KAFFIR GIRLS VARIOUS MATERIALS OF WHICH THE APRONS ARE MADK 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 ELABORATK
DRESS ORDINARY APRON OF A MARRIED WOMAN — BEAD APRON OF A CHIEF'S WIFE — CURIOUS
BRACELETS OF METAL THEIR APPARENT INCONVENIENCE BRACELETS MADE OF ANTKLOI'K's
HOOF— COSTUMES USED IN DANCES QUANTITY OF BEADS USED IN THE DRESS A STRANGE
HEAD-DRESS —BELTS AND SEMI-BELTS OF KAFFIR "WOMEN NECKLACES — GOOD INTEREST AND
BAD SECURITY IMITATION OF EUROPEAN 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 ornaments of the Kaffir men were described, the
subject of this chapter will be the costume 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 boys, 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 garments
except a coat of oil, a patch of paint, and perhaps a necklace, if the parents be rich enough
to afford 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 respectably 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 co\\s,
she indues her first and only garment, which she retains in its primitive shape and nearly
its primitive dimensions until she has found a suitor who can pay the price required by
her parents. This garment 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
on referring to the figures of the two Kaffir girls on page 1 fi, and, as their general make is
sufficiently indicated, nothing 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 T hnvp made a pelpction, which will
illustrate well the modes of forming this dress which were in fashion some few
years ago.
THE KAFFIR 43
The apron at the bottom of the illustration is that which is most generally used. It
is made of very delicate thongs twisted together in rope fashion, and having the ends un-
ravelled 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
colours are rather brilliant, being red, yellow, and white, and nearly all the thongs have
one large white bead just above the knob, which prevents them from unravelling too
DRESS AND ORNAMENTS.
much. The band by which it is suspended is also covered with beads, and it is fastened
by means of a loop at one end, and a large brass button at the other. These aprons are
fixed in their position by two strings, one of which passes round the waist, and the other
below the hips.
. Another apron is seen at the side of the illustration, fig. 1. This is a very elaborate affair,
and is made on a totally different principle. It is wholly made of beads, the threads
which hold them together being scarcely visible. In order to show the ingenious manner
APBON OF A CHIEFS WIFE.
in which the beads are strung together, a portion of the apron is given separately. The
colours of these beads are black ami white, in alternate stripes, and the two ends are a
trifle larger than the middle of the dress. The belt by which it is suspended is made from
large round beads, arranged in rows of white, blue, and red, and the 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 zigzag pattern of
black, scarlet, and white, relieved by the glitter of highly-polished brass buttons. This
apron may be seen on the illustration at page 33, fig. 4,, 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, beside 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 tuft of reddened hair. Poison was immediately suspected, and one of the elder
wives was suspected as the culprit. She was accordingly 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 poisons, 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 fall off, in
order that the husband might be disgusted
with the appearance of his new wife, and
return to his old allegiance to herself. She
was condemned to death, that being 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.
The 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.
In the accompanying illustration is shown
a remarkably elaborate apron belonging 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 appli-
ances needful for a Kaffir sempstress.
APRON OP A CHIEF'S WIFE.
THE KAFFIE. 45
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 tliti
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
patterns, the outer edge of each diamond being made of white beads, and the others of
different colours, red predominating.
On the illustration at page 25, figs. 2 and 3, and next to the men s " tails/' already
described, are seen 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 in-
finity of leather thongs, fastened together in a way rather different from that which lias
been mentioned. Instead of having the upper ends fixed along the belt so as to form a
fringe, they are woven together into a tolerably thick bunch, 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, wrapped 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 has no ornament
of any kind (except a thorough saturation with highly-perfumed grease), and is .made of
materials within the reach of every one. Any odd slips of hide thrown away in the
process of Kaffir tailoring can be cut into the narrow thongs used for the purpose, and
no very great skill is needed in its construction ; for, though strongly made, it is the
work of a rather clumsy hand.
Such is not the case with the remarkable apron shown at fig. 2 of the same illus-
tration. 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 purposes ; but instead of
being soft and flexible, it is quite hard and stiff, and cannot be bent without danger of
cracking. The beads are sewn firmly 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 colour. Even the belt by which it is supported
is covered profusely with beads ; so that, altogether, this is a remarkably 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 illustration
at page 26, 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 carrying 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 complete her costume.
Young wives have usually another ornament on which they pride themselves. This
is a piece of skin, generally that of an antelope, 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 centre 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 substi-
tute European stuffs for the skin garments which they formerly 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 modi-
fication by intercourse with Europeans, that the Kaffir of the present day is scarcely to be
recognised as the same being as the Kaffir of fifty years ago. As to the Hottentots, of
whom we shall soon treat, they are now a different people from the race described by
Le Vaillant and earlier travellers.
Married women are also fond of wearing bracelets, or rather gauntlets, of polished
metal j sometimes made of a single piece, sometimes of successive rings, and sometimes of
4i; BRACELETS.
metal wound spirally from the wrist upwards. 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, personal inconvenience is little regarded when decorations are
in the case.
In the accompanying illustration are shown some bracelets of a very peculiar fashion,
drawn from specimens in my own collection. They belonged to one of the wives of Goza,
and were taken from her wrists by the purchaser. They 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 off, the skin was cut longi-
tudinally 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 the skin was cut so as to leave
a flat thong attached to each side of the hoof, it was easy enough to form the bracelet into
the shape which is seen in the illustration.
BRACELETS.
One remarkable point about these bracelets is their very small size, which shows the
diminutiveness of the Kaffir hand ; although the owner of these bracelets was a married
woman, and therefore accustomed to tasks which would not be very light even for an
Eujlish labourer. Both the bracelets are shown, and by the side of them is another made
fro :n ordinary string, such as is used for tying parcels in England. What could have
induced a wife of so powerful 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 performed some ceremony over it, and sold it as a charm. Kaffirs have the most
profound faith in charms, and will wear anything, no matter how common-place it may
be, if they even fancy that it may possess magic powers.
If the reader will refer to the illustration on page 30, fig. 1, he will see a circular
ornament, made of beads. This is one of the most cherished decorations of a Kaffir girl,
and it is one which cannot be afforded by any one who is riot in affluent circumstances.
It is made in a very ingenious manner, so as to preserve its shape, although it has to
be worn round the waist, and consequently to be forced over the shoulders. The centre
of this handsome belt is made of leather, sewn firmly together so as to form a cylindrical
circle, and plentifully imbrued with grease to render 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 alternate 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 in the accompanying illustra-
tion. The damsel in question is supposed 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
THE KAFFIR.
by a quantity of porcupine quills, the alternate black and white of which have a very good
effect. 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 the 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 simultane-
ously attacked by a group of Kaffirs,
the scene is exceedingly ludicrous,
the Kaffirs leaping about as if be-
witched, but, in reality, springing
into the air to avoid the sudden
rushes of the porcupines.
Unless, therefore, the parent or
admirer of a young woman should
happen to present her with quills,
she is forced to put up with some
other ornament. One rather com-
mon decoration is by fastening into
the hair a number of the long,
straight thorns of the mimosa, and
so defending her head from imagi-
nary 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 will wear
nearly fifty pounds' weight of beads,
bracelets, anklets, belts, and other
ornaments. However, the know-
ledge of their magnificence is suffi-
cient to sustain them, and they will
go through the most violent exer-
tions when displaying their activity
in the dance.
As to the belt which has just
"been mentioned, 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 young-
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 intervals
with beads arranged in cross-bands. One of these semi-belts is shown in the illus-
tration on page 48. It is made of strings, and is about two inches and a half in breadth
at the widest part. The beads that ornament it are white and red. 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, and the mode of wearing it is
GIRL IN DANCING DRESS
48
BELTS.
rather remarkable. Instead of placing the whole of the licit in front, as naturally might
lie supposed, the wearer passes it round one side of the body, so that one end is in trout,
.iiid tlie other behind. Strange as is this mode of wearing it, the custom is universal, and
in every group of girls or young women several are sure to be wearing a semi-belt round
the body. Another of these belts is shown in the illu.stra.tion on page :>:'., tig. :>. This
is not so elaborate an article, and has only a few bands of Leads, instead of being
nearly covered with them.
AFRICAN PORCUPINE.
As for the necklaces worn by the Kaffir women, they are generally nothing more than
strings of beads, and require no particular notice. There is one, however, which is so
different from the ordinary necklaces, that I have had it engraved. It may "be seen in
the illustration at page 43, 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 colour of
the beads is white, but the interior of the triangular appendages is cobalt blue ; while the
SEMI-BELT.
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 Vail regularly on the
br?,ast 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 success among the chocolate-coloured belles of
TEADING. 4<>
Kaffirland. Enterprising traders in Southern Africa do not set up permanent shops as
we do in England, but stock a wagon with all sorts of miscellaneous goods, and under-
take 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 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 wagon robbed, and his oxen confiscated. The
dreaded murrain may cany off 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 instantaneously
convert a dry gully into a raging torrent that sweeps everything 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 rain from falling. Moreover,
he is unmercifully fleeced by the different chiefs through whose territories he passes, and
who exact an extortionate toll before they will allow him to pass to the next chief, who will
serve him in much the same manner. Altogether, if the journey is 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 buttons,
blankets, and other luxuries ; also he will have the great iron hoe-blades with which
the women till the ground, which 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 vicissitude 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. Suddenly 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 fashionable attire of European ladies.
They straightway burned to possess similar costumes, and when the vessel arrived with
its cargo of wire they bought it up, 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 apparel was
necessary, and so they wore none, but walked about the streets quite proud of their
fashionable 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 verj hot, and the
exercise makes the dancer hotter, so that the abundant grease trickles over the face and
body, and inconveniences the performer, who is certainly not fastidious in her notions.
As to handkerchiefs, or anything approaching to the idea of such articles, she is in perfect
ignorance, her whole outfit consisting of the little apron above mentioned, and an un-
limited supply of beads. But she is not unprovided for emergencies, and carries with her
an instrument very like the " strigil " of the ancients, and used 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
VOL. I. E
II IK KAFFIR
GOURD SNUFF-BOX. BONE SNUFF-BOX. SCRAPER.
gouge, and has its edges made about as sharp as those of an ordinary paper-knife. In
fact, it very niueh resembles a magnified marrow-spoon.
One df these articles is shown in the accompanying illustration. It is made of ivory,
and is ahout nine inches in length. Being formed of a valuable material, it is decorated
with several conical brass buttons, which are supposed to add to its beauty, though they
must certainly detract from its effi-
ciency. Another specimen of a com-
moner sort is given in the centre of
the illustration on page 33. 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 anec-
dote 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 bride-
groom seated in the midst of the vil-
lage, 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 flowering 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
terminated by a host of marriageable young ladies (Intombies), clustering thick aiound
the 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 the kraal,
the ladies formed two lines, with the bride in 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 headlong at the smiling girls, who
joined with the stalwart warriors in cutting capers and singing lustily, 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 in the midst of the ring alone, stared at by all, and staring in 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
brandishing a huge carving -knife, with which she scraped big drops of perspiration from
her heated head, produced by the unusually violent exercise she was performing."
It appears, from the same observant writer, that whatever the amount of finery may he
which a Kaffir girl wears, it is considered only consistent with ordinary gallantry that it
should be admired. While he was building a house,' assisted by a number of Kaffirs, 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 mutually inspect
the other.
" Thus it frequently happened that troops of girls came in from the Kaffir kraals with
DANCING.
51
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 mud, 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 moment."
There is a curious kind of ornament much in vogue among the Kaffir women, namely,
a series of raised scars upon the wrists, and extending partially up the arms. These scars
are 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 scars are useful as well as
ornamental, and consider them in the light of
amulets. Other portions of the limbs are some-
times 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
like to make as much noise as possible, and aid
their voices by certain mechanical contrivances.
One of the most simple is that shown in the
accompanying illustration, and 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 number of these seeds
are strung together, and hung upon the legs or
arms, they make quite a loud rattling sound, in ac-
cordance 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 natural castanets is
made. It consists of a thin shell of iron, exactly resembling in form that of the nut,
and having a little iron ball within, which takes the place of the shrivelled kernel.
Ear-rings are worn in Kaffirland as 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 snuff-box, an ivory knob, or similar
ornament.
One of these earring snuff-boxes may be seen in the illustration on page 43, fig. 6. It
is made of a piece of reed, some three inches in length, closed at one end ; find having a
stopper thrust into the other. The original colour of the reed is bright yellow, with a high
natural polish, but the Kaffir is not satisfied with having it in its natural state, and orna-
ments 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 consideration. 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 Kaffirs, and we shall see more of it as we proceed.
Snuff-boxes are not, however, the only ornaments which a Kaffir will wear in tlie
ears, for there is scarcely anything which is tolerably showy and which can be fastened
to the ear that will not be worn there.
DANCING BELT.
CHAPTER VII.
CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS OF KAFFIR ARCHITECTURE PREVALENCE OF THE CIRCULAR FORM —
INABILITY OF THE KAFFIR TO DHAW A STRAIGHT LINE — GENERAL FORM OF THE KAFFIR'S HUT
THE INCREDULITY OF IGNORANCE METHOD OF HOUSE-BUILDING PRECAUTION AGAINST
INUNDATION FEMALE ARCHITECTS MODE OF PLANNING A HUT KAFFIR OSTENTATION —
FRAGILITY OF THE HUT ANECDOTE OF WARFARE THE ENRAGED ELEPHANT, AND A DOMESTIC
TRAGEDY — HOW THE ROOF IS SUPPORTED SMOKE AND SOOT THE HURDLE DOOR— HOW IT
IS MADE— SCREENS FOR KEEPING OFF THE WIND- -DECORATIO-NS OF DINGAN's HOUSE — AVERAGE
FURNITURE OF THE KAFFIR HUT — THE KRAAL, ITS PLAN AND PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTION
— KNOWLEDGE OF FORTIFICATION — CHIEF OBJECT OF THE KRAAL TWO MODES OF MAKING
THE FENCE — THE ABATTIS AND THE CHEVAUX DE FRISF, SIZE OF THK KRAAL THE KING'S
MILITARY KRAAL OR GARRISON TOWN — VISIT TO ONE OF PANDA'S KRAALS THE HAREM, ITS
INMATES AND ITS GUARDIANS.
THE architecture of these tribes is very simple, and, although slightly variable in different
localities, is marked throughout by similar characteristics.
On looking at any specimen of Kaffir architecture, the spectator is at once struck
with one peculiarity, namely, that all his buildings are circular. It is a remarkable
fact that the Kaffir does not seem to be capable 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 enclose his garden, or a stockade within which his house and
property can remain in safety, invariably builds on the rectilinear principle, and makes
the fence in the form of a square. He would feel himself quite fettered if he
were forced to build a circular enclosure, 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 true,
the Kaffir would utterly fail 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 comprehend 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 story, and staircases which led from one to the other, they flatly
declined to believe that anything of the kind could exist, and thought that their guest
was trying to amuse himself at the expense of their credulity. They did believe in the
possibility 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 merely contenting themselves with
assertions. Their chief argument was derived from the impossibility of such a building
AFFIRS AT HOME.
53
sustaining its own weight. The only building materials of which they had any experience
were the posts and sticks of which their own houses were made, and the reeds wherewith
THE KAFFIRS AT HOME.
they were thatched. Sometimes a very luxurious house-owner would plaster the interior
with mud, producing that peculiar style of architecture which is popularly called
" wattle-and-daub." They could not comprehend in the least that stone could be used
T.IIK KAFFIR.
in building dwelling-houses; and the whole .system of cutting stone into rectangular
pieces, and the use of bricks, was equally beyond their comprehension. Mortar 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 looks just like an exaggerated bee-hive. It is of precisely the same
shape, is made of nearly the same materials, and has a liti!.- arched door, just like
the entrance of a bee-hive, 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 fourteen feet
in diameter, and around it are struck 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 thatching is then laid over the sticks, and secured in
its place by parallel lashings. These lashings are made of "monkey-ropes," 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 per-
sons have refused to believe that
they have not been artificially
made. The rows of lashing are
about eighteen inches apart. In
shape, the hut is exactly 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 lor
several months but for the pie-
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 re-
member that all European soldiers
are taught to dig a trench round
each hut while they are under canvas, the neglect of this precaution being sure to cause
both great inconvenience and unhealthiness.
The woman generally marks the outline of her hut in a very simple manner. She
takes a number 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 STifficient 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 building, settling 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 ostentation,
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,
EXTERIOR OF KAFFIR HUT.
KAFFIR HUTS. 55
his own life, he will, on certain occasions, slaughter one, and give a feast to his neigh-
bours, who are sure to praise him in terms suitable to the magnificence — i.e. the quantity
— 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 therefore a great event in the life of a Kaffir, and is sure to
act as a step towards 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 nun of property, 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, he would not
exchange it for a palace, and many instances have been known where Kaffirs who have
been taken to Europaan 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 occurred some time ago, when one chief
made a raid upon the village of another. A number of men had 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 damaga to the inmates. The survivors tried to save themselves
by climbing 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 illustration on page 56 represents 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 "anusi," while just beyond the first basket is a sleeping mat rolled
up and resting agiiust the wall. Some large earthenware pots, such as are used in
cookery, are seen at tha 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 custom,
which seems to ignore the fact that everything on the roof of a hut is soon blackened
with soot, owing to the smoke from the fire. "Whether large or small, all the houses are
maie on exactly the same principle, and except for their superior size, and the ox skulls
which decorate them, the houses occupied by chiefs have nothing to distinguish them
from those which are inhabited by their dependents.
Against brute foes the hut is sometimes as frail a protection. On one occasion an
elephant was attracted by a quantity of millet, which was stored \\ithin a fence. He
pushed his way through the useless barrier, and began feeding on the millet. There
was a fire in one of the huts, and the elephant, instead 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 dependent 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.
This arrangement also permits 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.
Ranged carelessly round the hut are the rude earthenware pots, in which the Kaffir
keeps his beer, his 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,
56
Till- KAFFIR.
and then mixed very carefully with water. In a well-regulated hut, the women are very
careful of their floor, and rub it daily with flat stones, until it is not only smooth, but
even polished.
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 alight. In a permanent kraal there are cooking huts erected for that one
INTERIOR OF KAFFIR HUT.
special purpose, and not used for any other. They may be called demi-huts, as their
only object is to guard the fire from the effect of wind. They are circular like all
ordinary huts, but their walls are only four feet or so in height, and are carefully daubed
with a mixture of clay and cow-dung, 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
s way between the interstices of the thatch, as may be seen by reference to the illustra-
tion on page 54 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 the hut,
blackening everything within it. When the Kaffirs wish to season the wood of their
assagai-shafts or knobkerries, they stick it into the roof of the house, just above the
fireplace, exactly as bacon is cured in the smoke.
A curious reference to this custom is made in a song composed in honour cf Panda,
DOOR-MAKING.
57
King of the Zulu tribes. When Dingan murdered his predecessor Tchaka, he killed
other chiefs at the same time, but was persuaded to leave Panda alive —
"Of the stock of Ndabitza, ramrod of brass,
Survivor alone of all other rods ;
Others they broke, but left this in the soot,
Thinking to burn it some rainy cold day. "
Reference is here made to the custom of leaving sticks and shafts in the sooty 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 identical
with that which is employed by
the shepherds in this country.
The Kaffir begins by choosing
some straight and tolerably stout
sticks, and driving them into the
ground at regular distances from
each other. These are intended
as the supports or framework of
the door. He then takes a quan-
tity of pliant sticks, like the osiers
of our basket-makers, and weaves
them in and out of the upright
stakes, beating them down con-
tinually to make them lie closely
together. When the door is com-
pleted, the upright sticks are cut
off to the proper length, and it
can then be fitted to the hut. If
the reader has any acquaintance
with military affairs, he may re-
member 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,
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 in
decorating their permanent mansions, and Mr. Christie tells me that he has seen the very
posts thickly encrusted with beads. Of course they soon become blackened by the
smoke, but a quick rub with the palm of the hand brings out the colours anew. One of
J^ingan's huts, which was visited by Retief, the Dutch colonist, was most beautifully
built, and supported by twenty-two pillars, each of which was entirely covered with
beads.
The huts are, from the nature of the material 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 time. Fortunately, they are so easily
built that the inconvenience is not nearly so great as is the case 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 without much difficulty. A mat or two, a few
MAKING DOOR OF HUT.
58 THE KAFFIR.
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 gathered 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 two modes of forming a kraal, and the particular mode is determined by the
locality. 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 circular
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 in one of two
modes — at all events, in the more southern part of the country, where timber is exceed-
ingly plentiful. The tribes on the north of Kaffirland, who live where timber is com-
paratively 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 different methods.
Tkat 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
inwards, and the branches pointing outwards. In fact, the fence is exactly that species of
rapid and effective fortification 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 clievauw de frise as effectual as any that is made by the
European soldier. If the enemy try to climb the fence, they can be wounded 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 neighbourhood 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 enclosure a
little gap is left in the fence, just large enough for a man to squeeze himself through, and
not large enough to allow even a calf to pass. This little aperture is the chief's private
door, and intended for the purpose of saving time, as otherwise, if the chief were inspecting
his cattle, and 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 average 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 a great many kraals belonging to one tribe, and it often happens that
several neighbouring kraals are all tenanted by the members of one family and their
dependents. For example, when the son of a chief attains sufficient consequence to pos-
sess several wives and a herd of cattle, he finds that the paternal kraal is not large enough
KRAAL. 59
to afford to each wife tne separate hut to which she is entitled ; so he migrates with his
family to a short distance, and there builds a kraal for himself, sometimes so close to that
>f his father that he connects them by means of a short fenced passage.
The chief hut may easily be known, not only by its position, but by its larger dimen-
sions Some of the other huts are occupied by married men, some by his wives, some by
KAFFIR KRAAL.
his servants
while at least one hut is reserved for the use of the unmarried men, or
s fntded to complete a kraal, U fly circular '
round it. But, in situations where plenty of wood can be found, f
doubly-fenced kraals, when it happens to be situated on the slope of a nill, i.
curious, and would scarcely give a stranger an idea of a village.
60 THE KAFFIR.
It will be seen that the central portion of the kraal is given to the isi-baya, and fhat
the Kaffirs devote all their energies towards preserving 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 already been stated, the size of the kraal varies with the wealth and rank of its
chief man, and, owing to its mode of construction, can be gradually enlarged as he rises to
higher dignities and the possession of more cattle. In shape, however, and the principle
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 enormous dimensions, and are several in number.
Panda, for example, has one kraal, the central enclosure of which is nearly a mile in
diameter. This enclosure is supposed to be filled with the monarch's cows, and is con-
sequently 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 conveniently for that
purpose. The vast central enclosure is used almost exclusively as a parade-ground, where
the king can review his troops, and where they are taught to go through the simple
manoeuvres of Kaffir warfare. Here, also, he may be seen in council, the isi-baya being
able to accommodate 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 distance. 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 remainder by lofty and strong fences, and its doors are kept by sentinels espe-
cially 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 pass
the whole of the time, day and night, when on guard, without even a kaross to cover
them. This rule lies rather heavily upon them in the winter nights, when the cold is
often severe, and the wind sweeps chillily around the fence of the isi-baya.
However, the young ladies will sometimes contrive to evade the vigilance of the
sentries, when their attention is otherwise 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 Inda-
bakaumbi, whither the king had sent word by message that he would be waiting to
receive us. The Inkosikasi, or queen, of the kraal sent us a small quantity of thick milk
and a jar of millet, and soon afterwards 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 lady, on tjie contrary, was so alarmingly stout, that it seemed almost impos-
sible for her 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
effecting their escape from the rear of the seraglio, and sallying down the slope to stare
at us as we rode away from the kraal. The agility of the young ladies, as they sprang
from rock to rock, convinced us that they would be all quietly sitting in the harem, as
though nothing had happened, 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 his
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 others, which are devoted to more peaceful objects.
It has been already mentioned that the women live in a portion separated from the
rest of the kraal, and it may almost be said that they reside in a small supplementary
THE HAKEM AND ITS GUARDIANS. 61
kraal, which communicates by gates with the chief edifice. As the gates are strongly
barred at night, it is necessary that the sentinels should enter the sacred precincts of the
harem, for the purpose of closing them at night, 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-favoured ; and if any of them
should happen to be deformed, he is sure to be chosen as a janitor. Mr. Shooter's servant,
when talking with his master on the subject, mentioned several individuals who would
make excellent janitors. One of them had a club-foot, another had a very protuberant
chest, while the third had bad eyes, and was altogether so ugly that he would never
succeed in procuring a wife. The matrimonial adventures of this man will be narrated
in a future page. His uniform failures in procuring a legitimate wife were exceedingly
ludicrous and mortifying, and quite justified the opinion expressed by his companion.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE ISI-BAYA AND ITS PRIVILEGES — MILKING COWS — THE CURIOUS MILK PAIL MODE OF MAKING
IT A MILKING SCENE, AND THE VARIOUS PERSONAGES EMPLOYED IN IT PRECAUTIONS TAKEN
WITH A RESTIVE COW KAFFIR COW WHISTLES CHIEFS AND THEIR CATTLE MANAGEMENT
OF THE HERDS AND CATTLE "LIFTING " A COW THE UNIT OF KAFFIR CURRENCY — A KAFFIR'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 VAILLANT'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 MILK — OTHER USES FOB
CATTLE THE SADDLE AND PACK OXEN HOW THEY ARE LADEN AND GIRTHED.
THE isi-baya 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 favourite wife were discovered
within 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 the entrances firmly barred.
It is mostly in this enclosure that the cattle are milked, this operation being always
entrusted 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 the 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 63 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 give nearly as much milk as the cows of an English farmyard.
Towards the top are two projecting ears, which enable the milker to hold it firmly be-
tween the knees.
In hollowing out the interior of the pail, the Kaffir employs a rather ingenious device.
Instead of holding it between his knees, as he does when shaping and ornamenting 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
obliged to trust to the comparatively 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 labour, and will never stand when he has an opportunity of sitting.
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 off with his empty pail to another
cow for a fresh supply.
A MILKING SCENE.
63
The scene that presents itself in the isi-baya is a very singular one, and strikes oddly
upon European ears, as well as eyes.
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 position as a
married " man," the Kaffir sits on
the ground, his knees on a level
with his chin, and the queer look-
ing milk-pail grasped between
them.
Then we have the spectacle
of the calf trying to eject the
milker, and being continually
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 em-
ployed, who holds the cow by her
horns with one hand, and grasps
her nostrils firmly with the other.
As soon as the supply of milk
ceases, the calf is allowed to ap-
proach its mother and suck for a
short time, after which it is driven
away, and the man resumes 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 be milked, as is the
case with our own cattle, 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 of universal cow-language, in which every dairy-maid
and farmyard labourer is versed, and which is not easily learned by an uninitiate. But
the Kaffir, who is naturally an adept at shouting and yelling, encourages the cow by all
the varied screams at his command, mixed with loud whistles and tender words of ad-
miration. • One consequence of this curious proceeding is, that 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 Kaffir to milk them, no white man being
able to produce 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
L M1LKING-PAIL. 2. BEER-BOWL. 3. BEER-STRAINER.
4. WATER-PIPE. 5. WOMAN'S BASKET.
64
THE KAFFIR
deafen any one who may be near. Sometimes, however, he has recourse to art, and
makes whistles of great efficacy, though of simple construction. Two of these whistles
are shown in the accompanying illustration. They are made of bone, 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.
The chiefs who possess many oxen are very fastidious about them, arid have an odd
fancy of assembling them in herds, in which every animal is of the same colour. The
oxen also undergo a sort of training, as was remarked by Eetief, who was killed in battle
with Dingan, the Zulu king. He paid a visit to that treacherous despot, and was enter-
tained by dances, in which the cattle had been trained to assist. "In one dance," lie
says, " the people were intermixed with one hundred and seventy-six oxen, all without
horns, and of one colour. They have long strips of skin hanging pendent from the fore-
head, 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 manoeuvring in a
line from the king. It is surprising that the oxen should be so well trained ; for, not-
withstanding 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 allowed two of my people to count them, and the enumeration amounted to
two thousand four hundred and twenty-four. I am
informed that his herds of red and black oxen con-
sist of three to four thousand each." I may here
mention casually, that the same fashion of keeping
animals of similar colours in separate herds is in
force in South America, among the owners of the
vast herds of horses which thrive so well in that
country.
The Kaffirs manage their cattle with wonderful
skill, and the animals perfectly understand the mean-
ing of the cries with which they are assailed. Con-
sequently, it is almost as difficult for an Englishman
. to drive his cows as to milk them, and assistance 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 constantly on the look-out
for them. Indeed, they enact at the present day
that extinct phase of Scottish life when the in-
habitants of the Highlands stole the cattle of the
Lowlanders, and euphemistically described the ope-
ration as "lifting;" themselves not being by any
means thieves, but " gentlemen drovers," very punc-
tilious in point of honour, 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 connexion 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 desirous of hearing
how many cattle she possessed, and on hearing that many of her subjects had more
cows than herself, conceived a very mean opinion of her power. He counted his
cattle by the thousand, and if any inferior chief had dared to rival him in his wealth,
KAFFIR WHISTLES.
A KAFFIK ROB EOY. 65
that chief would very soon be incapacitated from possessing anything at all, while his
cattle would swell the number of the royal herds. His idea was, that even if her prede-
cessor had bequeathed so poor a throne to her, she ought to assert her dignity 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 pence equal one shilling.
Most of the wars which devastate Southern Africa are caused entirely 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 newspapers had a singularly unimposing
appearance. The burden of their song was invariably cows. General Blank had ad-
vanced so far into the enemy's country, and driven off five thousand head of cattle. Or
perhaps the case was reversed ; 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 certain 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 maintaining their armed forces. We had no wish to kill the Kaffirs them-
selves, 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 millionaire 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 fluctuation of the market ; he can make all kinds
of useful articles out of the hides ; he can lubricate himself with fat 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 greater man
he becomes. Instead of being a mere " boy," living with a number of other " boys " in
one hut, he becomes a " man," shaves his head, assumes the proud badge of manhood,
and has a hut to himself. 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 about 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 gathers 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. He
assigns huts to them within his kraal, and thus possesses an armed guard who will take
care of his cherished cattle. Indeed, such 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 employed
than open violence, and there are in every tribe certain old and crafty cattle- stealers,
who have survived the varied dangers of such a life, and who know every ruse that can
be employed.
There is a story of one of these men, named Dutulu, who seems to have been a
kind of Kaffir Rob Roy. He always employed a mixture of artifice and force. He used
to set off for the kraal which he intended to rob, and, in the dead of night, contrived to
place some of his assistants by the entrance of the huts. Another assistant then quietly
removed the cattle from the isi-baya, while he directed the operations. Dutulu then
caused an alarm to be made, and as the inmates crept out to see what was the matter,
they were speared by the sentinels at the entrance. Not 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 concealed. 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 which he
VOL. I. y
M THE KAFFIR.
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 1 Milled
pursuit by taking his stolen herd back again, and keeping it in the immediate neighbour-
hood of the desolated 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 vrhich 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 mis-
taken 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 armed, 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 daytime. No one dared join him, but he determined on
carrying out his desperate intention single-handed. 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 dissuaded him from the undertaking, urging that he-
had quite enough cattle, that he had been seriously wounded, and that he was becoming
too old. The ruling passion was, however, 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 Mras
no bush at hand, he dashed into a morass, and crouched beneath the water. His enemies
dared not follow him, but surrounded 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 suddenly left
the morass, and dashed at his enemies, 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 character 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 upon 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, but from the utter unconcern as to inflicting pain which
is characteristic of the savage, in whatever part of the earth he may be. He trims the
ears of the cows into all kinds of odd shapes, one of the favourite patterns being that of a
leaf with deeply serrated edges. He gathers up bunches of the skin, generally upon the
head, ties string tightly round them, and so forms a series of projecting knots of various
sizes and shapes. He cuts strips of hide from various parts of 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 lavishes 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
be content to leave the horns as they are. He will cause one horn to project 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 horns bent with their
points nearly 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
KAFFIR CATTLE.
67
forehead until the points meet. They are then manipulated so as to make them coalesce,
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 describes
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 brought back by their keepers until the evening. One day,
however, having repaired 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 naturalists under the name of
stag's horns.
KAFFIR CATTLE. TRAINING THE HORNS.
" Being at this time persuaded that these concretions, 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 effect
of their invention and taste ; and that, by means of a process with which they were well
acquainted, they could not only multiply 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 they 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 themselves, so that in time the animal has four very distinct
ones.
68 THE KAFFIR
" If they wish to have six, or even more, similar notches made with the saw produce as
many as may be required. But if they are desirous of forcing one of these divisions in
the whole horn to form, for example, a complete circle, the}' cut. away from the point,
which must not Ic hurt, a small part of its thickness, and this amputation, often renewed,
and with much patience, makes the horn bend in a contrary 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
variation that caprice can imagine may be produced by this simple method.
" In short, one must be born a Kaffir, and have his taste and patience, to submit to that
minute care and unwearied attention required for this operation, which in Kaffir-land can
only be useless, but in other climates would be hurtful. 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 employed by 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 backwards, together with the constrained attitude of standing on three legs,
soon subdues the most refractory animal.
Before proceeding to another chapter, it will be well to explain the illustration on
p. 53, called "The Kaffirs at Home."
The spectator is supposed to be just inside the outer enclosure, and nearly opposite
to the isi-baya, 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 stick
passed through its nostrils, and by means of the contrast between the man and the
animal the small size of the latter is well shown. A Kaffir ox averages only four hundred
pounds in weight. Beneath the cow is seen the milker, holding between his knees the
curiously-shaped milk-pail. 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 orifice 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 the thumbs so as to cause the milk to flow in a narrow stream between
them.
A woman is seen in the foreground, going out to labour in the fields, with her child
slung at her back, and her heavy hoe on her shoulder. 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 residence. In front are several of the oddly-shaped Cape
sheep, with their long legs and thick tails, in which the whole 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 background. This last-mentioned
tree is sometimes called Kameel-dorn, or Camel-thorn, because the giraffe, which the
Dutch colonists will call a camel, feeds upon its leaves. In the distance are two of those
table-topped mountains which are so characteristic of Southern Africa.
The Kaffir uses his cattle for various purposes. Whenever he can afford such a luxury,
which is very seldom, he feasts upon 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 indi-
gestible. 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. When a cow
has been milked, the Kaffir empties the pail into a large store-basket, such as is seen on
the right-hand of the engraving, " Kaffirs at Home," page 53. This basket already contains
RIDING OXEN.
69
milk in the second stage, and is never completely emptied. Soon after the milk has been
placed in the basket, a sort of fermentation takes place, and in a short time the whole of
the liquid is converted into a semi-solid mass, and a watery fluid something like whey.
The latter is drawn off, and used as a drink, or given to the children ; and the remainder
is a thick, clotted substance, about the consistency of Devonshire cream.
This is called " amasi," and is the staff of life to a Kaffir. Europeans who have lived in
Kaffir-land generally dislike amasi exceedingly 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 off; 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 flavour. Children, whether black or white, are always very fond of amasi,
and there can be no better food for them.
RETURN OP A WAR PARTY.
Should the Kaffir be obliged to 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 consistency.
The oxen are also used for riding purposes, and as beasts of burden. Europeans
employ them largely as draught oxen, and use a great number to draw a single wagon ;
but the wagon is an European invention, and therefore without the scope of the present
work.
The native contrives to ride the oxen without the use of a saddle, balancing himself
ingeniously on the sharply-ridged back, and guiding his horned steed by means of a
70 THE KAFFIR.
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 up and down with
every movement of the beast. Still, the ox answers his purpose ; and, as it never goes
beyond a walking pace, no great harm is done by a fall.
Since the introduction of horses, the Kaffirs have taken a great liking to them, and
have proved themselves capable of being good horsemen, after their fashion. This fashion
is, always to ride at full gallop ; for they can see no object in mounting a swift animal if
ifcs 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 shields and spears
in their hands, and their karosses flying behind them as they ride. When they have
occasion to stop, they pull up suddenly, and are off their horses in a moment.
However the Kaffir may be satisfied with the bare back of the ox, the European cannot
manage to retain his seat. In the first place, 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 impossible for the
rider to retain Ms place by any grasp of the legs. A few cloths or hides are therefore
placed on the animal's 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 circumstances, 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 confined 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 girthing 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 dexterously 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 hauling-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 pressure to which it is subject, the beast seems to care little
about it, and walks away as if unconcerned. 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.
In the illustration on page 69 is shown 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 paraphernalia of
war, and seated on an ox. A hornless ox is generally chosen for the saddle, in order to
avoid the danger of the rider falling forward and wounding himself; but sometimes the
Kaffir qualifies an ox for saddle purposes by forcing the horns to grow downwards, 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 the rope
tightly round it, to prevent it from shaking off its load a second time.
CHAPTER IX.
MARRIAGE.
POLYGAMY PIU.v;TISED AMONG THE KAFFIRS GOZA AND HIS WIVES — NUMBER OF A KING'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 WIFE ANECDOTE OF A KAFFIR HUSBAND — JEALOUSY AND ITS
EFFECTS — A FAVOURITE WIFE MURDERED BY HER COMPANIONS MINOR QUARRELS, AND
SUMMARY JUSTICE THE FIRST WIFE AND HER PRIVILEGES — MINUTE CODE OF LAWS THE
LAW OF INHERITANCE AND PRIMOGENITURE THE MASTERSHIP OF THE KRAAL PROTECTION
TO THE ORPHAN — GUARDIANS, THEIR DUTIES AND PRIVILEGES PRELIMINARIES TO MARRIAGE
— KAFFIR COURTSHIP — THE BRIDEGROOM ON APPROVAL AN UNWILLING CELIBATE — A KAFFIR
LOVE TALE UZINTO AND HER ADVENTURES REWARD OF PERSEVERANCE.
CONTRAKY to general opinion, marriage is quite as important a matter among the Kaffirs
as with ourselves, and even though the men who can afford it do not content themselves
with one wife, there is as much ceremony in the last marriage as in the first.
As to the number 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 afford, 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
position. Goza, for example, whose portrait is given in page 27, and who is a powerful
chief, has a dozen or two of wives. There is now before me a photograph representing
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 husband 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
him, and offer their daughters to him, only too proud if he will accept them, and asking
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, especially as that
payment is in cattle. The king has perhaps twenty or thirty large kraals 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 wateh over his house-
hold, lest a neglected wife should escape and take a husband, who, although plebeian,
would be her 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 indis-
72 THE KAFFIR
cretion 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 concealed at no great distance, and the consequence of such an indiscretion would
be, that the woman would certainly lose her life, and the man probably be a fellow-
sufferer.
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 horror of
seeing a successor to his throne. A Kaffir of rank always seems to think that lie 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 thoughtless delin-
quent 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 contradiction of a report
of that monarch's death. After the preliminary greetings, he expressed his pleasure at
seeing the chief so well, especially 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 of the present occupant of the throne,
and therefore Tchaka refused to marry any wives, from whom his successor might be
born. More than that, if any of the inmates of his harem showed signs that the popu-
lation was likely to be increased, they were sure to be arrested 011 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 subjects, and his orders
being obeyed with an instantaneous obedience, no matter how revolting they might be.
Parents would kill their children and children their parents 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 utter his praises while being beaten to death by his orders.
Therefore the parents of these ill-fated girls had no option in the matter. If he
wanted them he would take them, probably murdering their parents, and adding their
cattle to his own vast herds. By voluntarily offering them they might possibly gain his good
graces, and there might be a chance that they would escape the fate that had befallen so
many of their predecessors in the royal favour. 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 story of the " Arabian Nights," which furnishes
the thread on which all the stories are strung. How a king found that his wife was
uu worthy of her position, and how he immediately rushed to the conclusion that such
unworthiness was not the fault of an individual, but a quality inherent in the sex. How
he reduced his principle to practice by marrying a new wife every evening, and cutting
off her head next morning, until his purpose was arrested by the ingenious narrator of
the tales, who originated the practice now prevalent in periodicals, namely, always leav-
ing off unexpectedly in an interesting part of the story.
This extraordinary proceeding on the part of an Oriental monarch is told with a per-
fect absence of comment, and neither the narrator nor the hearer displays any 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 continued to
supply 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
JEALOUSY. 73
lear 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 polygamy, namely, the division of
labour. Like all savages, the Kaffir man never condescends to perform manual labour, all
real work falling to the lot of the women. As to any work that requires bodily exertion,
the Kaffir never dreams of undertaking it. He would not even lift a basket of rice on
the head of his favourite 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 sitting and smoking his pipe, while the women were hard at
work in the sun, building huts, carrying timber, and performing all kinds of severe
labour. Struck with a natural indignation at such behaviour, 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 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 hungry men supplied. She cannot go to a shop and buy 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 perhaps 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 which it
is prepared.
After a hard day's labour out of doors, she cannot go home and rest, but is obliged to
grind the maize or millet, a work of very great labour, on account of the primitive ma-
chinery which is employed — simply one stone upon another, the upper stone being rocked
backwards and forwards with a motion like that of a chemist's pestle. The Kaffirs
never keep flour ready ground, so that this heavy task has to be performed regularly every
day. 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 labourer, and that therefore she is rather glad than otherwise
when her husband takes another wife, who may divide her labours.
Moreover, the first wife has always a sort of pre-eminence over the others, and retains
it unless she forfeits the favour of her husband by some, peculiarly flagrant act, in which
case she is deposed, and another wife raised to the vacant honour. When such an event
takes place, the husband selects any of his wives that he happens to like best, without
any regard 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 same house with their husband, the bickerings would be constant ; but, ac-
cording 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 spite of these preventives, and has been
known to lead to fatal results. One case of poisoning has already been mentioned (page
44), and others occur more frequently than is known. One such case was a rather re-
markable one. There had been two wives, and a third was afterwards added. The other
two wives felt themselves injured by her presence, and for a year subjected her to con-
tinual persecution.
One day, when the husband returned to his house, he found her absent, and asked from
the others where she was. They replied that they did not know, and that when they
went to fetch firewood, according to daily custom, they had left her in the kraal. Dis-
satisfied with the answer, he pressed them more closely, and was then told that she had
gone off to her father's house. At the first dawn he set off to the father's kraal, and,
found that nothing had been heard of her.
74
THE KAFFIR
His next step was to go to one of the witch-doctors, or prophets, and ask him what
had become of his favourite wife. The man answered that the two elder wives }iad
murdered her. lie set off homewards, but before he reached his kraal, the dead hoiV 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 morning to fetch firewood, a quarrel had arise;], and
they had hanged her to a tree with the bush-rope used in tying up the bundles of wood.
FOUR OLD WIVES BEATING A YOUNG FAVOURITE.
As to minor assaults on a favourite wife, they are common enough. She will be
beaten, or have her face scratched so as to spoil her beauty, or the holes in her ears will
be torn violently open. The assailants are sure to suffer in their own turn for their con-
duct, their husband beating them most cruelly with the first weapon that happens to
come to hand. But, in the meantime, the work which they have done has been effected,
and they have at all events enjoyed some moments 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 belabouring each combatant.
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 mer-
chandize 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 husband 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.
THE LAW OF INHERITANCE. 75
" When I asked a native how this was to be procured, he said by flattery and coax-
ing, 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 entitled to the cattle received for a new
wife's eldest daughter.
" The cattle assigned to the second wife are subject to the same rules, and so on, while
fresh wives are taken. Any 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 ac-
count of the relative stations of the different wives, that the position of chief wife is one
that would be much prized, and we can therefore understand 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, affairs of the nation, but into those of private life.
The law respecting the rank held by the wives, and the control which they exercise
over property, is sufficiently minute to give promise that there would also be a law which
regulated the share held in the property 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 property
is divided among his children by virtue 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 necessarily inherit all the cattle in the kraal, because 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 recognised as the property of that house. Still, he exercises a sort
of paternal authority 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 directions. 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 member 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 anything,
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, therefore, that every woman has some one who acts as her father,
whether her father be living or not, and although the compulsory dependent state of women
is not conducive to their dignity, it certainly protects them from many evils. If, for
example , a girl were left an orphan, an event which is of very frequent occurrence iu
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 turbulent men who wanted to obtain a wife without paying for her.
Kaffir law, however, provides for this difficulty by making the male relations heirs
76 THE KAFFIR
of the property, and, consequently, protectors of the women ; 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, or that they cannot be identified.
Such a case as this may well occur in the course of a war, for the enemy will some-
times 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 case, she would go to another chief of her tribe, or even to the
king himself, and ask permission to become one of his dependents, and many instances
have been known where such refugees have been received into tribes not their own.
When a girl is received as a dependent, she is treated as a daughter, and if she should
happen to fall ill, her guardian would offer 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. Fynn mentions that the women are very tenacious about
their relatives, and that in many cases when they could not identify their real relations,
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 respect
for a wife who had relations than for one who had none.
As an example of the curious minuteness with which the Kaffir law goes into the
details of domestic polity, it may be mentioned that if a female dependent be married,
aad should afterwards be fortunate enough to discover her real relatives, they may claim
the cattle paid for her by the husband. But they must give one of the cows to her
protector as payment for her maintenance, and the trouble taken in marrying her.
Moreover, if any cattle have been sacrificed on her behalf, these must be restored, together
with any others that may have been slaughtered 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 hus-
band like to take a wife without paying the proper sum for her, because in the first place
it would be a tacit assertion that the wife was worthless, and in the second, it would be
an admission that 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
constituting the validity of the marriage contract, and are looked upon in much the same
light as the giving of a ring by the husband and the giving away of the bride by her
father in our own marriage ceremonies.
What that price may be is exceedingly variable, and depends much on the beauty and
qualifications of the bride, and the rank of her father. The ordinary price of an unmar-
ried girl is eight or ten cows, while twelve or fifteen 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. Payment ought to be made beforehand by rights, and the man
cannot demand his wife until the cattle have been transferred. This rule is, however,
frequently relaxed, and the marriage is allowed when a certain instalment has been paid,
together with a guarantee 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 certain sum is demanded for a
girl, and must be paid before she becomes a wife, it does not follow that she exercises no
choice whatever in accepting or rejecting a suitor, as may be seen from the following
passages taken from Mr. Shooter's valuable work on Kaffirland : —
" When a husband has been selected for a girl, she may be delivered to him without
any previous notice, and Mr. Fynn acknowledges that in some cases this is done. But
usually, he says, she is informed of her parent's intention a month or some longer time
beforehand, in order, I imagine, that she may, if possible, be persuaded to think favour-
ably of the man. Barbarians as they are, the Kaffirs are aware that it is better to reason
BRIDEGROOM ON APPROVAL.
77
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 arguments are re-
ported to. Sometimes very elaborate efforts are made, as I 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 sisters 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 pre-
vailed on. to see him, and a messenger is dispatched to communicate the hopeful fact, and
summon 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 person,
comes up again dripping and shining like a dusky Triton ; but the sun soon dries his
skin, and now he shines again with grease.
BR1DEGROOM ON APPROVAL.
" 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 gallant
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 something
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 having surveyed him suffi-
ciently in his present attitude, she desires him through her brother (for she will not speak
to him) to stand up, and exhibit his proportions. The modest man is embarrassed; but
the mother encourages him. and while the young ones laugh and jeer, he rises before the
damsel She now scrutinizes him in this position, and having balanced the merits and
78 THE KAFFIR.
defects of a front view, desires him (through the same medium as before) to turn round
and favour her with a different aspect
" At length lie receives permission to squat again, when she retires as mute as she
came. The family- 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, arrange-
ments are made for the betrothal."
This amusing ceremony has two meanings — the first, that the contract of marriage is
a voluntary act on both sides ; and the second, that the intending bridegroom has as yet
no authority over her. This last point seems to be thought of some importance, as it is
again brought forward when the marriage ceremony takes place.
That the girl has no choice in a husband is evidently not true. There are, of course,
instances in Kaffirland, as well as in more civilized countries, where the parents have set
their hearts on a particular alliance, and have disregarded the aversion of their daughters,
forcing 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 does not at all
follow that every one with the requisite means may buy her.
A rather amusing proof to the contrary is related by one of our clergy who resided
for a long time among the Kaffir tribes. There was one " boy," long past the prime of
life, who 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 spite 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 ourselves an elderly maiden lady is addressed by courtesy
as if she had been married.
Sometimes a suitor's heart misgives 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 surreptitiously
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 unfrequently, 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 flights took place when a girl had been promised
to the ill-favoured bachelor who has just been mentioned. He offered a chief a con-
siderable 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 flatly
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 contrived to make her escape, and fled for refuge to the kraal of a
neighbouring chief, where it is to be hoped she found a husband more to her taste.
Her former possessor declined to demand her back again, inasmuch as she had been paid
for and delivered honourably, and on the same grounds he declined 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 Englishman 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.
UZINTO AND HER ADVENTURES. 79
Now that the English have established themselves in Southern Africa, it is not at all
an unusual circumstance for a persecuted girl to take refuge among them, though in many
instances she has to be 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 poverty, and
been forced to become a dependent. He had two unmarried 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 father refused to
accept so niggardly a sum for them.
The chief was very angry, went off 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 carried into a hut by main force.
One of the girls, named Uzinto, contrived ingeniously to slip unperceived from the
hufc at dead of night, and escaped from the kraal by creeping 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 pushed on towards Natal as fast as she could, having nothing with her but
the sleeping-mat which a Kaffir uses instead of a bed, and which can be rolled up into
a cylinder and slung over the shoulders.
On her way she met with two adventures, both of which nearly frustrated her plan. At
tho. dawn of the day on which she escaped, she met a party of men, who saw tears in her
face, and taxed her with being a fugitive. However, she was so ready with the answer
that she had been taking snuff (the Kaffir snuff always makes the eyes water profusely),
that they allowed her to proceed on her journey.
The next was a more serious adventure. Having come to the territories of the
Amakoba tribe, she went into a kraal for shelter at night, and the inhabitants, who knew
the quarrel between 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 women. 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 dwellings, and only
travelled through the bush, succeeding in fording the Tugela river at the end of the fourth
day, thus being out of Panda's power.
Her reason for undertaking this long and perilous journey was two-fold ; first, that
she might escape from a husband whom she did not like, and secondly, that she might
obtain a husband 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 received as a dependent 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 towards her, and so she went off in a huff, and
would not speak to him. Then he went after her, but was only repulsed for his pains.
Then they met while the chief's corn was being planted, and made up the quarrel, but
were espied by the 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 the chief
would want for her, and that he had not enough to pay for a wife. She was equal to the
occasion, however, 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
80 THE KAFFIR.
it a good opportunity to gain another wife without paying for her. Uzinto, 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 married 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 herself 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 was severely beaten for her pertinacity. The stripes had no
effect upon her ; and in less than a week she again presented herself. Finding that
his sister was so determined, the brother 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 superior to that of her husband, and where she has gained a thorough
ascendency over him, guiding him in all his transactions, whether 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.
MAKE I AGE —Continued.
\TEDDING CEREMONIES PROCESSION OP THE BRIDE — THE WEDDING DRESS — THE OXEN — THE
WEDDING DANCE MUTUAL DEPRECIATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT ADVICE TO THE BRIDEGROOM
MUTUAL RELATIONS OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES A KAFFIR PETRUCHIO THE OX OF THE GIRL
— UZINTO AGAIN THE OX OF THE SURPLUS ITS IMPORT VARIETIES OF MARRIAGE CEREMO-
NIES— POWER OF DIVORCE COMPARISON OF THE KAFFIR AND MOSAIC LAWS IRRESPONSIBLE
AUTHORITY OF THE HUSBAND — CURIOUS CODE OF ETIQUETTE KAFFIR NAMES, AND MODES OF
CHOOSING THEM THE BIRTH-NAME AND THE SURNAMES SUPERSTITIONS RESPECTING THE
BIRTH-NAME AN AMUSING STRATAGEM THE SURNAMES, OR PRAISE-NAMES HOW EARNED
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.
WHEN .the marriage-day is fixed, a ceremonial takes place, differing in detail according
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 procession to the kraal of her future husband. 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 bedizened to the utmost. Her male relatives
and friends make a point of joining the procession, 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 by the bridegroom. The word " Ukutu " literally signifies the leathern 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 about this there is much ceremony, as is narrated by Mr. Shooter.
" The day having considerably advanced, the male friends of the bride go to the bride-
groom's kraal to claim the ox called Umquoliswa. In a case which I witnessed, they pro-
ceeded in a long file, with a step difficult to describe, being a sort of slow and measured
VOL. I. Q
PROCESSION OF THE BRIDE.
stamping, an imitation of their dancing racvement. Wearing the dress and ornaments
previously mentioned as appropriated to occasions of festivity, they brandished shields
and sticks, the usual accompaniment of a wedding- dan-je ; v-hil- their tongues were
occupied with a monotonous and unsentimental chant —
" ' Give us the Umquoliswa,
We desire the Umquoliswa.'
THE WEDDING DANCE. 83
" In this way they entered the kraal, and, turning to the right, reached the principal
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. He was then assured that the bride would be taken home ; but he remained
invisible until other members 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 entrance, while a smile on his face
showed that his efforts to escape were merely formal, 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 satisfied — they would not eat it.
Presently, the father put an end to their noisy by-play, and accepted the beast. The bride
then ran towards the kraal, and after a while the dances commenced."
The dances are carried on with the violent, and almost furious, energy that seems to
take possession of a Kaffir's soul when engaged in the dance, the arms nourishing 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 refresh themselves
copiously with beer, while the party of the bride dances before him. The process is then
reversed, the bride sitting down, and her husband's party dancing before her. Songs on
both sides accompany the dance.
The girl is addressed by the matrons belonging to the bridegroom's party, who depre-
ciate her as much as possible, telling her that her husband has given too many cows for
her, that she will never be able to do a married woman's work, that she is rather plain
than otherwise, and that her marriage to the bridegroom is a wonderful instance of con-
descension on his part. This cheerful address is intended to prevent her from being too
much elated by her translation from the comparative nonentity of girlhood to the honour-
able post of a Zulu matron.
Perfect equity, however, reigns ; and when the bride's party begin to dance and sing,
they make the most of their opportunity. Addressing the parents, they congratulate them
on the possession of such a daughter, but rather condole with them on the very inadequate
number of cows which the bridegroom has paid. They tell the bride that she is the most
lovely girl in the tribe, that her conduct has been absolute perfection, that the husband is
quite unworthy of her, and ought to be ashamed of himself for making such a hard bargain
with her father. Of course neither party believes a word that is said, but everything in
Kaffiiiancl must be conducted with the strictest etiquette.
After each dance, the leader — usually the father — addresses a speech to the contracted
couple ; and, if the bridegroom be taking a wife for the first time, the quantity of good
advice that is heaped upon him by the more experienced would be very useful if he were
likely to pay any attention to it. He is told that, being a bachelor, he cannot know how
to manage a wife, and is advised not to make too frequent use of the stick, by way of
gaining obedience. Men, he is told, can manage any number of wives without using
personal violence ; but boys are apt to be too hasty with their hands. The husband of
Uzinto, whose adventures have already been related, made a curious stipulation when
thus addressed, and promised not to beat her if she did not lent him. Considering the
exceedingly energetic character of the girl, this was rather a wise condition to make.
All these preliminaries being settled, the bridegroom seats himself on the ground
while the bride dances before him. While so doing, she takes the opportunity of calling
him by opprobious epithets, kicks dust in his face, disarranges his elegant head-dress, and
takes similar liberties by way of letting him know that he is not her master yet. After
she is married she will take no such liberties.
Then another ox comes on the scene, the last, and most important of all. This is
called the Ox of the Girl, arid has to be presented by the bridegroom.
It must here be 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
G2
84
THE KAFFIR
first place, he considers tlrat all these oxen form part of the price which he pays for the
wife 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 recognised addition
to the sum demanded for the property. The Kaffir husband considers his wile as much
a portion of his property as his spear or his kaross, and will sometimes state the point
very plainly.
When a missionary was trying to remonstrate 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 endeavoured to strengthen his position by mentioning the manner in
which Europeans treated their wives, but met with little success in his gument. The
INSULTING BRIDEGROOM.
Kaffir's reply was simple enough, and perfectly unanswerable. " White men do not buy
their wives, and the two cases are not parallel." In fact, a Kaffir husband's idea of a
wife does not differ very far from that of Petruchio, although the latter did happen to be
an European —
" I will be master of what is mine own ;
She is my goods, my chattels, she is my house,
My household stuff, 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" —
THE OX OF THE SURPLUS. 85
though she could by no manner of means finish the speech with truth, and say that he
labours for her while she abides at home at ease, and ask no other tribute but obedience
and love. The former portion of that tribute is exacted ; the latter is not so rare as the
circumstances seem to denote.
The sums which a Kaffir pays for his wife he considers as property invested by him-
self, and expected to return a good interest in the long run, and, as has already been
mentioned, there are often circumstances under which he 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 very accurate mental account of them,
and is sure to repay himself in one way or another.
After the Ox of the Girl has been furnished, it is solemnly slaughtered, and this
constitutes the binding portion of the marriage. Up to that time the father 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 heroine, Uzinto,
afforded an example of this kind. The bridegroom had a natural antipathy 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 remonstrated at this insult, and
wanted to annul the whole transaction. In this he might have succeeded, but for a
curious coincidence. 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. Just at the wedding he unexpectedly made his appearance, and found
himself suddenly on the way to wealth. His daughter was actually being married to
a man who had engaged to pay ten cows for her. So he did not trouble himself in the
least about the size of the ox that was to be slaughtered, but accepted the animal, and
accordingly became owner of the cows in question, minus those which had to be paid as
honorary gifts to the disappointed chief and the successful lover.
After the ceremonies are over, the husband 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 several ideas. In the
first place it is supposed to imply that the girl's value very far exceeds 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 the husband to be disappointed in
his wishes for a large family of boys and girls, the 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 husband it is called by another name, and is then entitled,
" The Ox that opens the Cattle-fold." The theory of this name is, that the husband has
paid for his wife all his oxen, and that in consequence the cattle-fold is empty. But the
ox that she brings with her re-opens the gate of the fold, and is looked upon as an earnest
of the herds that are to be purchased with the daughters which she may have in the
course of her married life. These 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 complicated ceremonies are not
always observed in precisely 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
father, the delivery of the cattle, and the transfer of the purchased girl to the kraal of
her husband. Moreover, it is very difficult for white men to be present at Kaffir cere-
monies, and in many cases the Kaffirs will pretend that there is no ceremony at all, in
order to put their interrogators off the track. The foregoing account is, however, a
tolerably full description of the ceremonies that are, or have been, practised by the great
Zulu tribe.
86 THE KAFFIR
A marriage thus made is considered quite as binding as any ceremony among our-
selves, and the Kaffir may not put away his wife except for causes that are considered
valid hy the councillors of the tribe. Infidelity is, of course, punished by instant dis-
missal of the unfaithful wife, if not by her death, the latter fate invariably befalling 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 fine.
Constant and systematic disobedience is also accepted as a valid cause of divorce, and
so is incorrigible idleness. The process of reasoning is, that the husband has bought the
woman in order to perform certain tasks for him. If she refuses to perform them through
disobedience, or omits to perform them through idleness, it is clear that he has paid
his money 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. Some-
times 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 delivered. He then transfers them to the mother, to whom they
rightly belong.
Another valid cause of divorce is the misfortune of a wife being childless. The husband
expects that she shall be a fruitful wife, and that his children will add to his power and
wealth ; and if she does not fulfil this expectation, he is entitled to a divorce. Generally,
he sends the wife to the kraal of her father, who propitiates the spirits of her ancestors
by the sacrifice of an ox, and begs them to remove the cause of divorce. She then goes
back to her husband, but if she should still continue childless, she is sent back to her
father, who is bound to return the cattle which he has received for her. Sometimes,
however, a modification of this system is employed, and the father gives, in addition to
the wife; one of her unmarried sisters, who, it is hoped, may better fulfil the wishes of
the husband. The father would rather follow this plan than consent to a divorce, be-
cause he then retains the cattle, and to give up a single ox causes pangs of sorrow in a
Kaffir's breast. Should the sister become a fruitful wife, one or two of the children are
transferred to the former wife, and ever afterwards considered as belonging to her house.
All these details remind the observer of similar details in the Mosaic law of marriage,
and, in point of fact, the social condition of the Kaffir of the present day is not very dif-
ferent from that of the Israelite when the Law was first promulgated through the great
legislator. Many of the customs are identical, and in others there is a similitude that is
almost startling. But, as far as the facility of divorce goes, the Kaffir certainly seems to
look upon marriage, even though he may have an unlimited number of wives, with more
reverence than did the ancient Israelite, and_Jhe would not think of divorcing a wife
through a mere caprice of the moment, as was sanctioned by the traditions of the Jews,
though not by their divinely-given law.
Still, though he does not, as a general rule, think himself justified in such arbitrary
divorces, he considers himself gifted with an irresponsible authority over his wives, even
to the power of life and death. If, for example, a husband in a fit of passion were to
kill his wife — a circumstance that has frequently occurred — no one has any business to
interfere in the matter, for, according to his view of the case, she is his property, bought,
and paid for, and he has just as much right to kill her as if she were one of his goats or
oxen. Her father cannot proceed against the murderer, for he has no further right in his
daughter, having sold her and received the stipulated price. The man has, in fact, destroyed
valuable property of his own — property which might be sold for cows, and which was
expected to work for him, and produce offspring exchangeable for cows. It is thought,
therefore, that if he chooses to inflict upon himself so severe a loss, no one has any more
right to interfere with him than if he were to kill a number of oxen in a fit of passion.
Sometimes, however, the chief has been known to take such a matter in hand, and to
fine the delinquent in a cow or two for destroying a valuable piece of property, which,
though his own, formed a unit in the strength of the tribe, and over which he, as the
acknowledged father of the tribe, had a jurisdiction. But, even in such rare instances,
BRIDEGROOM AND MOTHER-IN-LAW.
87
his interference, although it would be made ostensibly for the sake of justice, would in
reality be an easy mode of adding to his own wealth by confiscating the cattle which he
demanded as a fine from the culprit.
Between married persons and their relatives a very singular code of etiquette prevails.
In the first place, a man is not allowed to marry any one to whom he is related by blood.
He may marry two or more sisters, provided that they come from a different family from
his own, but he may not take a wife who descended from his own immediate ancestors.
But, like the ancient Hebrews, a man may not only marry the wife of a deceased brother,
but considers himself bound to do so in justice to the woman, and to the children of his
brother, who then become to all intents and purposes his own.
The peculiar etiquette which has been mentioned lies in the social conduct of those
who are related to each other by marriage and not by blood. After a man is married, he
may not speak familiarly to his wife's mother, nor even look upon her face, and this
curious custom is called " being ashamed of the mother-in-law." If he wishes to speak
to her, he must retire to some distance, and carry on his communication by shouting;
which, as has been truly said, is certainly no hardship to a Kaffir. Or, if the com-
munication be of a nature that others ought not to hear, the etiquette is thought to be
sufficiently observed provided that the two parties stand at either side of a fence over
which they cannot see.
If, as is often the case, the man and his mother-in-law happen to meet in one of
the narrow paths that lead from the kraal to the gardens and cultivated fields, they
must always pretend not to see
each other. The woman generally
looks out for a convenient bush,
and crouches behind it, while the
man carefully holds his shield to
his face. So far is this peculiar
etiquette carried that neither the
man nor his mother-in-law is
allowed to mention the name of the
other. This prohibition must in all
places be exceedingly awkward,
but it is more so in Kaffirland,
where the name which is given to
each individual is sure to denote
some mental or physical attribute,
or to be the name of some natural
object which is accepted as the
embodiment of that attribute.
Supposing, then, that the name
of the man signified a house, and
that the name of his mother-in-
law signified a cow, it is evident
that each must be rather embar-
l in ordinary conversation. Persons thus situated always substitute some other
word for that which they are forbidden to pronounce, and that substitution is always
accepted by the friends. Curiously circumlocutory terms are thus invented, and very
much resemble the euphemisms which prevail both in Northern America and Northern
Europe. In such a case as has been mentioned, the man might always speak of a cow
as "the horned one," and the woman would use the word "dwelling" or "habitation"
instead of " house."
As, moreover, a man has generally a considerable number of mothers-in-law, it is
evident that this rule must sometimes be productive of much inconvenience, and cause
the. memory to be always on the stretch. How such a man as Panda, who has at least a
thousand mothers-in-law, contrives to carry on conversation at all, is rather perplexing.
Perhaps he is considered to be above the law, and that his words are as irresponsible
KAFFIR PASSING HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW.
88 THE KAFFIR.
as his actions. The reader may perhaps remember that a similar custom prevails
throughout the greater part of Polynesia.
The wife, again, is interdicted from pronouncing the name of her husband, or that of
any of his brothers. This seems as if she would be prevented from speaking to him in
familiar terms, but such is not really the case. The fact is, that every Kaffir has more
than one name ; and the higher the rank, the greater the number of names. At birth, or
soon afterwards, a name is given to the child, and this name has always reference to some
attribute which the child is desired to possess, or to some circumstance which has
occurred at the time.
For example, a child is sometimes called by the name of the day on which it is born,
just as Eobinson Crusoe called his servant Friday. If a wild beast, such as a lion or
a jackal, were heard to roar at the time when the child was born, the circumstance would
be accepted as an omen, and the child called by the name of the beast, or by a word
which represents its cry. Mr. Shooter mentions some rather curious examples of these
names. If the animal which was heard at the time of the child's birth were the hyaena,
which is called impisi by the natives, the name of the child might be either U'rnpisi, or
U-huhu, the second being an imitative sound representing the laugh-like cry of the
hyoena. A boy whose father prided himself on the number of his stud, which of
course would be very much increased when his son inherited them, called the child
" Uso-mahashe," i. e. the father of horses. This child became afterwards a well-known
chief in the Natal district. A girl, again, whose mother had been presented with a new
hoe just before her daughter was born, called the girl " Urio-ntsimbi," i. e. the daughter of
iron. The name of Panda, the king of the Zulu tribes, is in reality " U-mpande," a name
derived from " impande," a kind of root.
These birth-names are known by the title " igama," and it is only to them that the
prohibitive custom extends. In the case of a chief, his igama may not be spoken by any
belonging to his kraal ; and in the case of a king, the law extends to all his subjects.
Thus, a Kaffir will not only refuse to speak of Panda by his name, but when he has
occasion to speak of the root impande, he substitutes another word, and calls it " ingxabo."
A Kaffir does not like that a stranger should even hear his igama, for he has a hazy
sort of idea that the knowledge might be used for some evil purpose. One of my friends,
who lived in Kaffirland for some years, and employed a considerable number of the men,
never could induce any of them to tell him their igama, and found that they would always
prefer to be called by some English name, such as Tom, or Billy. At last, when he had
attained a tolerable idea of the language, he could listen to their conversation, and so find
out the real names by which they addressed each other. When he had mastered these
names, he took an opportunity of addressing each man by his igama, and frightened them
exceedingly. On hearing the word spoken, they started as if they had been struck, and
laid their hands on their mouths in horrified silence. The very fact that the white man
had been able to gain the forbidden knowledge affected them with so strong an idea of
his superiority that they became very obedient servants.
In addition to the igama, the Kaffir takes other names, always in praise of some action
that he has performed, and it is thought good manners to address him by one or more of
these titles. This second name is called the " isi-bonga," a word which is derived from
" uku-bonga," to praise. In Western Africa, a chief takes, in addition to his ordinary name,
a whole series of " strong-names," all allusive to some portion of his history. Sometimes,
the isi-bonga is given to him by others. For example, as soon as a boy is enrolled among
the youths, his parents give him an isi-bonga ; and when he assumes the head-ring of
manhood, he always assumes another -praise-name. If a man distinguishes himself in
battle, his comrades greet him by an isi-bonga, by which he is officially known until he
earns another. On occasions of ceremony he is always addressed by one or more of these
praise-names ; and if he be visited by an inferior, the latter stands outside his hut, and
proclaims aloud as many of his titles as he thinks suitable for the occasion. It is then
according to etiquette to send a present of snuff, food, and drink to the visitor, who again
visits the hut, and recommences his proclamation, adding more titles as an acknow-
ledgment of the chief's liberality.
SONG IN PRAISE OF PANDA.
89
A king has, of course, an almost illimitable number of isi-bongas, and really to learn
them all in order requires a memory of no mean order. Two or three of them are therefore
selected for ordinary use, the remainder being reserved for the heralds whose peculiar
office it is to recite the praises of their monarch. Panda, for example, is usually addressed
as " O Elephant." This is merely a symbolical isi-bonga, and is given to the king as
admitting him to be greatest among men . as the elephant is greatest among beasts. In
one sense it is true enough, the elephantine proportions of Panda quite justifying such an
allusion. This title might be given to any very great man, but it is a convenient name
by which the king may be called, and therefore by this name he is usually addressed in
council and on parade.
For example, Mr. Shooter recalls a little incident which occurred during a review by
Panda. The king turned to one of the " boys," and asked how he would behave if he
met a white man in battle ? Never was there a more arrant coward than this " boy,"
but boasting was safe, and springing to his feet he spoke like a brave : " Yes, 0 Elephant !
You see me ! I'll go against the white man. His gun is nothing. I'll rush upon him
quickly before he has time to shoot, or I'll stoop down to avoid the ball. See how I'll kill
him ! " and forthwith his stick did the wrork of an assagai on the body of an imaginary
European. Ducking to avoid a bullet, and then rushing in before the enemy had time to
reload, was a very favourite device with the Kaffir warriors, and answered very well at
first. But their white foes soon learned to aim so low that all the ducking in the world
could not elude the bullet, while the more recent invention of revolvers and breech-
loaders has entirely discomfited this sort of tactic.
In a song in honour of Panda, a part of which has already been quoted, a great
number of isi-bongas are introduced. It will be therefore better to give the song entire,
and to explain the various allusions in their order. It must be remembered that in his
earlier days Panda; whose life was originally spared by Dingan, when he murdered
Tchaka and the rest of the family, was afterwards obliged to flee before him, and very
ingeniously contrived to get off safely across the river by watching his opportunity while
the army of Dingan was engaged in another direction. He then made an alliance with
the white men, brought a large force against Dingan, and conquered him, driving him far
beyond the boundaries, and ending by having himself proclaimed as King of the Zulu
tribes. This fight took place at the Makonko, and was witnessed by Panda's wife, who
came from Mankebe. The various praise-names of Panda, or the isi-bongas, are marked
by being printed in italics.
" 1. Thou brother of the Tchakas, considerate f order,
' 2. A swallow which fled in the sky ;
3. A swallow with a whiskered breast ;
4. Whose cattle was ever in so huddled a crowd,
5. They stumble for room when they ran.
6. Thou false adorer of the valour of another,
7. That valour thou tookest at the battle of Ma-
konko.
8. Of the stock of N'dabazita, ramrod of brass,
9. Survivor alone of all other rods ;
10. Others they broke and left this in the soot,
11. Thinking to burn at some rainy cold day.
12. Thigh of the bullock of Inkakavini,
13. Always delicious if only 'tis roasted,
14. It will always be tasteless if boiled.
15. The woman from Mankebe is delighted ;
16. She has seen the leopards of Jama
17. Fighting together between the Makonko.
18. He passed between the Jutuma and Ihliza,
19. The Celestial who thundered between the Ma-
konke.
20. I praise thee, 0 king ! son of Jokwane, the son
of Undaba,
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 authority.
In the second line, " swallow which fled 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, pos-
sessed by Panda. Line 6 asserts that Panda was too humble-minded, and thought 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 fireplaces in Kaffir huts.
Line 14 alludes to the fact that meat is very seldom roasted by the Kaffirs, but is
90 THE KAFFIR,
almost invariably boiled, or rather stewed, in closed vessels. In line 15 the " woman from
Mankebe " is Panda's favourite wife. In line 19, " The Celestial " alludes to the name of
the great Zulu tribe over which Panda reigned ; the word " Zulu " meaning celestial, and
having much the same import as the same word when employed by the Chinese to denote
their origin. 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 alli-
ances. 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. 3, when treating 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 happen to be a man of peculiar eminence
he takes as a praise-name that of his father, with the word " son " prefixed. It will be
seen, therefore, that while the original name, or igama, is permanent, though very seldom
mentioned, his isi-bonga, or praise-name, is continually changing.
Fortunately, the Zulu language is complex in its structure, and its purity is jealously
preserved by the continual councils which are held, and the displays of oratory \vhich
always accompany them. Otherwise, this curious custom of substituting arbitrarily one
word for another might have an extremely injurious effect on the language, as has indeed
been the case in the countries where a similar custom prevails, and in which the lan-
guage has changed so completely that the natives who had left their own country, and
returned after a lapse of some thirty years, would scarcely be able to make themselves
understood, even though they had perfectly 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 disad-
vantage, and cannot enter her own house until he has left it. This rule, however, is
seldom kept in all its strictness, and indeed such literal obedience is hardly possible, be-
cause the eldest son very seldom leaves his father's kraal until he has married 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 peculiar and troublesome courtesy. The native 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 upon quite as if they were cattle ; liable, like cattle, to
be bought and sold. A Kaffir never dreams that he and his wife are on terms of the
least equality, or that he does not deserve praise at her hand for his condescension in
marrying her at all. A man will scarcely condescend to notice the women of his own
household. If they go out on their several labours, they go their several ways. Sup-
posing, for example, that a man were to cut sticks for firing, or poles for the support of a
new house ; his wives, in going to the same spot, would be careful to choose a different
path. When he has cut the wood he walks off, leaving his wives to perform the really
heavy labour of bringing it home, and no man would ever think of assisting a woman in
so menial a labour.
There are now before me several photographs representing women carrying bundles
of sticks, and it is wonderful what huge burdens these hard-worked women will carry.
A man will not even lift the wood upon the head of his wife, but expects that one of her
own sex will assist her. Sometimes, when a number of women are returning from
wood-cutting, walking in single file, 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 small shield.
The unceremonious manner in which these hard-worked women are treated is little
less singular than the cheerful acquiescence with which they obey the commands of
their sable masters. Once, when Captain Gardiner was visiting Dingan, he was roused
RETURNING FROM THE BUSH.
91
long before daybreak by the vociferation, of a man who was running through the kraal,
and shouting some command 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 procure reeds and branches for building purposes. 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 increased on their mustering ground, and then
gradually died away in the distance as they moved to the scene of their labours.
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 bushes on her head, they were singing the same song, though they had walked so long
a distance and so heavily laden. The song does not seem to have possessed much
GIRLS AND WOMEN RETURNING FROM THE BUSH.
variety, as it chiefly consisted of one line, " Akoosiniki, ingonyama izeezwi," and a chorus
of " Haw ! haw ! haw ! " It was probably intended for the same purpose as the tunes
played by regimental bands ; namely, to enable the party to keep step with each other.
Dingan was so tenacious of the superiority 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 tkese respects they
92 THE KAFFIR
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 reason of
the heavy weights which they have to carry, and they rapidly lose that wonderful sym-
metry of form which distinguished them while still in the bloom of youth. The men
preserve their grandeur of demeanour and their bold intelligent aspect, even until their
hair is grey from age, while the elderly Kaffir woman is at best awkward and unsightly,
and the old woman irresistibly reminds the observer of an aged and withered monkey.
Exceptions to the general rule are sometimes found. A chief or wealthy man,
for example, would take a pride in freeing his daughters and chief wife from the excep-
tionally hard labour which falls to the lot of the sex in Kaffirland. In the case of the
daughters, he is moved quite as much by self-interest as by parental affection. A girl
fetches a price commensurate with her appearance, and the very best price is always to
be obtained for the best article. The daughter of a poor man, or dependant, is obliged to
work hard and live hard ; and the natural consequence is, that she has scarcely any real
youth, and that her form is spoiled by the heavy labours which are imposed upon her at
an age when all the bodily powers ought to be employed in adding to the physical energy
of her frame. Therefore, when such a girl is old enough to be married, she is thin, care-
worn, 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 daughter of a wealthy man, on the contrary, undertakes but little of the really
hard work which falls to the lot of her sex ; and as she is not only allowed, but encou-
raged, to eat the most fattening food with as much dispatch as possible, it naturally
follows that, when compared with the ordinary drudge of every-day life, she is by far the
more prepossessing, and her father is sure to obtain a very much higher price for her than
would have been the case if she had been forced to do hard labour. 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.
WAK— OFFENSIVE WEAPONS.
THE KAFFIR MILITARY SPIRIT, HOW GENERATED, AND HOW FOSTERF.D DREAD OF THE UNKNOWN
ARTILLERY ITS MORAL EFFECT ON THE KAFFIR NATIVE NAME FOR CANNON — ORGANIZATION
OF THE ARMY WEAPONS USED BY THE ZULU TRIBES PRIMITIVE 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 KAFFIR'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 IN THE USE OF
THE FORGE — WIRE -DRAWING AND WORKING IN BRASS HOW THE KAFFIR CASTS AND MODELS
BRASS 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 ASSAGAI THE KNOB-KERRY,
AND MODE OF USING IT.
IF there is any one trait which distinguishes the true Kaffir race, it is the innate genius
for warfare. The Kaffir lives from his childhood to his death 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 enemy,
and a shield which lie can only employ in the dance. He has no chance of distinguishing
himself, and so gaining both rank and wealth ; and if he be a young bachelor, he cannot
hope to be 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 be 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 slightest importance.
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-
Kaffir is all for war. Indeed, had it not been for the judicious counsels of the old men,
we should have had much more trouble with these tribes than at present 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 tyranny of Panda ; while others belonged to tribes against which Panda had
juade 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 pur-
94 THE KAFFIR.
simnce of their request, that they will conquer the country, restore to their kin"; all the
fugitives who have run away from him, and inflame their own minds, ami those of the
young and ignorant, by glowing descriptions of the rich spoil which would fall to the con-
querors, the herds of cattle, the tons of beads, the quantities of fire-amis and ammunition,
and, in fact, the unlimited supply of everything which a Kaffir's heart can possibly desire.
The older men, however, who have more acquaintance with the white men, and a tolerably
good experience of the fact that when a white man fires his gun he generally hits his
mark, have always dissuaded 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 comprehend his danger;
but he does not at all like to face a peril which he cannot understand. Like all unknown
things, such a peril is indeed terrible to a Kaffir's mind, and this unknown peril is
summed up in the word cannon, or " By-and-by " — to use the native term. "Why cannon
are so called will presently be mentioned. The Kaffirs have heard that the dreadful
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
justified 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 artillery 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 impetuous and self-confident soldiery of Kaffirland.
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 Natal district, they
asked what such strange objects could be, and were answered that they would learn
" by-and-by." Farther questions, added to the firing 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 warfare 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 tactics, carried
on war in a manner approaching the notions of civilization.
Their men are organized into regiments, each subdivided 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 battle array, and personally directs their movements.
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 understand. They once sent a message to the English com-
mander that they would " come and breakfast with him." He thought it was only a joke,
and was very much surprised when the Kaffirs, true to their promise, 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, offensive 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," short clubs, called " kerries," and shields made of the hides
of oxen.
Almost every nation has its distinguishing weapons, or, at all events, one weapon
which is held in greater estimation than any other, and which is never used so skilfully as
by itself. The Australian savage has the boomerang, a weapon which cannot be used
BLACKSMITHS. 95
rightly except by an Australian. Many Europeans can throw it so as to make it perform
some trifling evolution in the air, but there are none who can really use it as an efficient
weapon or instrument of hunting.
The T)yak has his sumpitan, and the Macoushie Indian his analogous weapon, the
zarabatana, 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 which 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 execution on the foe. The Esquimaux have their
harpoons, which will serve either for catching seals or assaulting the enemy. The Poly-
nesians have their terrible swords and gauntlets armed with the teeth of sharks, each of
which cuts like a lancet, and inflicts 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 implements of warfare spread over a great part of the
globe, and altered in shape and size to suit the locality. Of such a nature is the special
weapon of the Kaffirs inhabiting the Natal district, the slight-looking but most formidable
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 primitive 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 off one end diagonally. The next improvement in spear-
making was to put the pointed end in the fire for a few moments. This process enabled
the spear-maker to scrape the point more easily, while the charred wood was 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
harder than the 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 sharp horn, or even with the claws of a
mammal or a bird — the kangaroo, emu, and cassowary being used for this singular
purpose. In many parts of the earth, the favourite spears are armed with the teeth of
sharks, while others are headed with the tail-spine of the sting-ray, which not only
penetrates deeply, but breaks into the wound, and always causes death. These additions
to the spears, together with others 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 abolition of all additions to the head, and making the head itself of metal. For
this purpose iron is generally used, partly because it takes a sharp edge, and partly
because it can be easily forged into any required shape.
The natives of Southern Africa are wonderful proficients in forging iron, and indeed
a decided capability for the blacksmith's art seems to be inherent in the natives of
Africa, from north to south and from east to west. None of the tribes can do very much
with the iron, but the little which they require is worked in perfection. As is the
case with all uncivilized beings, the whole treasures of the art are lavished on their
weapons ; and so if we wish to see what an African savage can do with iron, we must
look at his spears, knives, and arrows — the latter indeed being but spears in miniature.
The heads of the Kaffir's spears are extremely variable in form, some being a mere
spike, but the generality being blade-shaped. Very few are barbed, and the ordinary
shape is that which is seen several times in the illustration on page 97. Still,
wherever the* blade is adopted, it has always one peculiarity of structure, whether it be
plain or barbed. A raised ridge passes along the centre, and the blade is convex on one
side of the ridge, and concave on the other. The reason of this curious structure seems
90 THE KAFFIR
to be twofold. la the first place, it is possible that this structure of the blade acts
much as the feathers of an arrow, or the spiral groove on the rifle-balls invented by Dr.
Croft, and which can be used in smooth-bore barrels. Colonel Lane Fox finds that if a
thread be tied to the point of an assagai, and the weapon be thrown with great care, so
that no revolving force is given by the thrower, the thread is found spirally twisted round
the head and shaft by the time that the weapon has touched the ground.
That certainly seems to be one reason for the form. Another reason is, that a blade
thus shaped can be sharpened very easily, when it becomes blunt. Nothing is needed
but to take a flint, or even the back of a common knife, and scrape it along the edge, and,
if properly done, a single such scrape will sharpen the weapon afresh. The head is always
made of soft iron, and so yields easily to the sharpening process. The reader may
remember that the harpoons which we use for whale-hunting are always made of the
softest iron ; were they made of steel, the first furious tug of the whale might snap
them, while, if they were to become blunt, they could not be sharpened without much
trouble and hard work at the grindstone.
Setting aside the two questions of rotatory motion and convenience of sharpening, it is
possible that the peculiar structure of the blade may be owing to the fact that such a
structure would produce the greatest amount of strength with the least amount of material
The sword-bayonet of the Chassepot rifle is made on a similar principle. Whether the
Kaffir is aware of this principle and forges his spear-head in accordance with it, is another
point. The reader, better informed than the Kaffir, may perhaps remember that the
identical principle is carried out in the " corrugated " iron, now in such general use for
buildings, roofs, and similar purposes.
Kaffirs have a great fondness for implements made of soft iron, and prefer a knife
made of that material to the best blade that Sheffield can produce. They admit that for
some purposes the steel blade is superior to their own, but that for ordinary work nothing
can compare with the soft iron. The steel blade breaks, and is useless, while the soft iron
only bends. Moreover, when they want to scoop out a hollow in a piece of wood, such
as the bowl of a spoon, the inflexible steel blade would be nearly useless. But a Kaffir
simply takes his soft iron knife, bends it to the requisite curve, and thus can make, at a
moment's notice, a gouge with any degree of curvature. When he has finished his work,
he puts the blade on a flat stone, and beats it straight again in a few seconds. The
Kaffir knife is not at all like our own, but is shaped just like the head of an assagai. In
using it, he grasps the handle just as artists represent assassins holding daggers, and not
as we hold knives. He always cuts away from himself, as is shown on page 67; and,
clumsy as this mode of using a knife may appear, Englishmen have often learned to
appreciate it, and to employ it in preference to the ordinary European fashion.
Unfit as would be the tools made by a Kaffir wrhen employed in Europe, those made in
Europe and used in Southern Africa are still less useful. Being unacquainted with this
fact, both travellers and settlers are apt to spend much money in England upon articles
which they afterwards find to be without the least value — articles which an experienced
settler would not take as a gift.
As a familiar example of the difference between the tools required in various countries,
the axe may be mentioned. It is well known that, of all the varieties of this tool, the
American axe is the best, as it has attained its present superiority by dint of long
experience on part of the makers among the vast forests of their country. Emigrants,
therefore, almost invariably supply themselves with a few American axes, and in most
cases they could not do better. But in Southern Africa this excellent tool is as
useless as would be a razor in chipping stones. The peculiar wood of the mimosa, a tree
which is used so universally in Southern Africa, is sure to notch the edge of the axe,
and in a short time to render it incapable of doing its work ; whereas the South African
axe, which would be a clumsy and slow-working tool in America, can cut down the
hardest mimosa without suffering any injury.
There is another reason why a Kaffir prefers his own iron-work to that of European
make. His own manufacture has the property of resisting damp without rusting. If
an European knife or steel tool of the finest quality be left in the open air all night, and
KAFFIR BLACKSMITH. 97
by the side of it a Kaffir's assagai, the former will be covered with rust, while the latter
is as bright as ever. Such is the case with those assagais which are brought to England.
I have no trouble in keeping my own specimens clean, while all the other steel weapons
must be kept perfectly dry; and require to be continually looked over, and the rust spots
removed.
It, is possible that this freedom from rust may be obtained by a process similar to
that which is employed in the manufacture of geological hammers, namely, that while
the metal is hot, it is plunged into oil, and then hammered. The excellence of the blade
is partially owing to the fact that the fire in which the metal is smelted, and afterwards
heated for the forge, is made of charcoal, so as to convert the iron into a kind of steel.
The celebrated " wootz " steel of India is made by placing the iron in small crucibles
together with little twigs of certain trees, and then submitting the crucible to a very
intense heat.
It is evident that, in order to produce such weapons, the Kaffir must be a good black-
smith, and it is certain that, when we take into consideration the kind of work which
has to be done, he can hardly be surpassed in his art. Certainly, if any English black-
smith were given a quantity of iron ore, and only had the very primitive tools which
the Kaffir blacksmith employs, he would be entirely vanquished by his dusky brother
of the forge.
Among the Kaffirs, a blacksmith is a man of considerable importance, and is much
respected by the tribe. He will not profane the mystery of his craft by allowing un-
initiated eyes to inspect his various processes, and therefore carries on his operations at
some distance from the kraal. His first care is to prepare the bellows. The form which
he uses prevails over a very large portion of Africa, and is seen, with some few modifi-
cations, even among the many islands of Polynesia. It consists of two leathern sacks,
at the upper end of which is a handle. To the lower end of each sack is attached
the hollow horns of some animal, that of the cow or the eland being most commonly
used ; and when the bags are alternately inflated and compressed, the air passes out
through the two horns.
Of course the heat of the fire would destroy the horns if they were allowed to come
in contact with it, and they are therefore inserted, not into the fire, but into an earthen-
ware tube, which communicates with the fire. The use of valves is unknown ; but as the
two horns do not open into the fire, but into the tube, the fire is not drawn into the
bellows as would otherwise be the case. This arrangement, however, causes considerable
waste of air, so that the bellows-blower is obliged to work much harder than would be
the case if he were provided with an instrument that could conduct the blast directly to
its destination. The ancient Egyptians used a bellows of precisely similar construction,
except that they did not work them entirely by hand. They stood with one foot on each
sack, and blew the fire by alternately pressing on them with the feet, and raising them
by means of a cord fastened to their upper ends.
When the blacksmith is about to set to work; he digs a hole in the ground, in which
the fire is placed, and then sinks the earthenware tube in a sloping direction, so that the
lower end opens at the bottom of the hole, while the upper end projects above the level
of the ground. The two horns are next inserted into the upper end of the earthenware
tube, and the bellows are then fastened in their places, so that the sacks are conveniently
disposed for the hands of the operator, who sits between them. A charcoal fire is then
laid in the hole, and is soon brought to a powerful heat by means of the bellows. A larger
stone serves the purpose of an anvil, and a smaller stone does duty for a hammer. Some-
times the hammer is made of a conical piece of iron, but in most cases a stone is
considered sufficient. The rough work of hammering the iron into shape is generally
done by the chief blacksmith's assistants, of whom he has several, all of whom will pound
away at the iron in regular succession. The shaping and finishing the article is reserved
by the smith for himself. The other tools are few and simple, and consist of punches
and rude pincers made of two rods of iron.
With these instruments the Kaffir smith can cast brass into various ornaments.
Sometimes he pours it into a cylindrical mould, so as to make a bar from which bracelets
VOL. i. H
98
THE KAFFIR.
ami similar ornaments can be hammered, and sometimes he makes studs and knobs by
Ibrming their shapes in clay moulds.
In the illustration a native forge is seen in full operation. The chief smith is at the,
left of the engraving, seated at the bellows and blowing the fire, in which is placed an
iron rod which is going to be forged into an assagai-head. The manner in which the
horn tubes of the bellows are fastened to the ground — a stick being laid across each horn,
and a heavy stone upon each stick — is well shown. At the right hand of the smith is a
basket containing charcoal, and another is seen near the assistant. On the opposite side
sirs the assistant or apprentice blacksmith, busily hammering with a conical stone at the
spear-head which is being forged, and at his side lie one or two finished heads. Behind
KAFFIR AT HIS FORGE.
them, another smith is hard at work with a huge stone with which he is crushing the ore.
On the right hand of the illustration is seen the reed fence which is erected in order to
keep off the wind, and in the middle distance is the kraal to which the smiths belong.
The reed fence is supported by being lashed to a mimosa. Some jars of beer stand
within the shadow of the fence for the occasional refreshment of the blacksmiths.
How the blacksmith contrives to work without burning his right hand is rather
unintelligible. I have handled the conical hammer, and find that the hand is brought
so close to the iron that, when it is heated to a glowing redness, the effect upon the
fingers must be singularly unpleasant, not to mention the sparks that fly about so liberally
when heated iron is struck. Sometimes, when a native is making small objects, he takes
a tolerably large hammer, reverses it, and drives the small end deeply into the ground.
The face of the hammer is then uppermost, and answers as an anvil, on which he works
with a hammer of smaller size.
BELLOWS. 09
Although the bellows which a Kaffir makes are sufficiently powerful to enable him
to melt brass, and to forge iron into various shapes, they do not seem to give a sufficiently
strong and continuous blast to enable him to weld iron together. Mr. Moffatt mentions
a curious anecdote, which illustrates this point. He was visiting Moselekatse, the king
of the northern division of the Zulu tribes, and very much frightened the savage monarch
by the sight of the wagon, the wheels of which seemed to his ignorant mind to be
endowed with motion by some magic power. His greatest wonder was, however, excited
by the tire of the wheel, as he could not comprehend how such a piece of iron could
be made without the junction of the ends being visible.
A native who had accompanied Mr. Moffatt explained to the king how the mystery
was solved. He took the missionary's right hand in his own, held it up before the king,
and said, " My eyes saw that very hand cut those bars of iron, take a piece off one end,
and then join them as you see now." After a careful inspection, the spot where the iron
had been welded was pointed out. The king then wanted to know whether medicine
were given to the iron in order to endow it with such wonderful powers, but was told that
nothing was used except fire, a chisel, and a hammer.
Yet Moselekatse was king of the essentially warlike Zulus, a nation which possessed
plenty of blacksmiths who were well versed in their art, and could forge the leaf-shaped
blades of the assagais with such skill that the best European smiths could not produce
weapons more perfectly suited for the object which they were intended to fulfil.
Le Vaillant narrates an amusing instance of the astonishment caused to some Kaffir
blacksmiths by a rude kind of bellows which he made after the European fashion.
After paying a just tribute of admiration to the admirable work produced by the dusky
blacksmiths in spite of their extremely rude and imperfect tools, he proceeds to describe
the form of bellows which they used, which is just that which has been already mentioned.
" I had great difficulty in making them comprehend how much superior the bellows
of our forges in Europe were to their invention ; and being persuaded that the little
they might catch of my explanation would soon escape from their memories, and would
consequently be of no real advantage to them, I resolved to add example to precept, and
to operate myself in their presence.
" Having despatched one of my people to our camp with orders to bring the bottoms
of two boxes, a piece of a summer kaross, a hoop, a few small nails, a hammer, a saw, and
other small tools that I might have occasion for, as soon as he returned I formed in
great haste, and in a very rude manner, a pair of bellows, which were not more powerful
than those generally used in our kitchens. Two pieces of hoop which I placed in the
inside served to keep the skin always at an equal distance ; and I did not forget to make
a hole in the inferior part, to give a readier admittance to the air — a simple method of
which they had no conception, and for want of which they were obliged to waste a great
deal of time in filling the sheepskin.
" I had no iron pipe, but, as I only meant to make a model, I fixed to the extremity
of mine a toothpick case, after sawing off one of its ends. I then placed my instrument
on the ground near the fire, and, having fixed a forked stick in the ground, I laid across
it a kind of lever, which was fastened to a bit of packthread proceeding from the
bellows, and to which was fixed a piece of lead weighing seven or eight pounds. To form
a just idea of the surprise of these Kaffirs on this occasion, one must have seen with
what attention they beheld all my operations ; the uncertainty in which they were, and
their anxiety to discover what would be the event. They could not resist their excla-
mations when they saw me, by a few easy motions and with one hand, give their fire
the greatest activity by the velocity with which I made my machine draw in and
again force out the air. Putting some pieces of iron into their fire, I made them red
hot in a few minutes, which they undoubtedly could not have done in half an hour.
" This specimen of my skill raised their astonishment to the highest pitch. I may
venture to say that they were almost convulsed and thrown into a delirium. They
danced and capered round the bellows ; each tried them in turn, and they clapped their
hands the better to testify their joy. They begged me to make them a present of this
wonderful machine, and seemed to await for my answer with impatience, not imagining,
H2
100 THE KAFFIR.
as I judged, that I would readily give up so valuable a piece of furniture. It would
afford me great pleasure to hear, at some future period, that they have brought them
to perfection, and that, above all, they preserve a remembrance of that stranger who
first supplied them with the most essential instrument in metallurgy."
As far as can be judged by the present state of the blacksmith's art in Kaffirland,
the natives have not derived the profit from Le Vaillant's instructions which he so
ingenuously predicted. In all probability, the bellows in question would be confiscated
by the chief of the tribe, who would destroy their working powers in endeavouring to
make out their action. Moreover, the Kaffir is eminently conservative in his notions, and
he would rather prefer the old sheepskin, which only required to be tied at the legs
and neck with thongs, to the comparatively elaborate instrument of the white traveller,
which needed the use of wooden hoops, nails, saw, hammer, and the other tools of the
civilized workman.
The Kaffir smiths have long known the art of wire-drawing, though their plates are
very rude, the metal comparatively soft, and the wire in consequence irregularly drawn.
Moreover, they cannot make wire of iron, but are obliged to content themselves with the
softer metals, such as brass and copper. Mr. Moffatt, the African missionary, relates an
amusing anecdote of an interview with a native metal worker. As a missionary ought to
do, he had a practical knowledge of the blacksmith's art, and so became on friendly terms
with his dark brother of the forge ; and after winning his heart by making him a new
wire-drawing plate, made of steel, and pierced for wires of twenty variations in thickness,
induced him to exhibit the whole of his mystic process.
His first proceeding was to prepare four moulds, very simply made by building a little
heap of dry sand, and pushing into it a little stick about a quarter of an inch in diameter.
He then built and lighted a charcoal fire, such as has already been described, and he next
placed in a kind of rude clay crucible some copper and a little tin. A vigorous manipu-
lation of the bellows fused the copper and tin together, and he then took out the crucible
with a rude kind of tongs made of bark, and poured the contents into the holes, thus
making a number of short brass rods about a quarter of an inch in diameter and three or
four inches in length. These rods were next removed from the moulds and hammered
with a stone until they were reduced to half their diameter. During this operation, the
rods were frequently heated in the flame of burning grass.
Next came the important operation of drawing the rods through the holes, so as to
convert them into wire. The end of a rod was sharpened and forced through the largest
hole, a split stick being used by way of pincers, and the rod continually greased. By
repeating this process the wire is passed through holes that become regularly smaller in
diameter, until at last it is scarcely thicker than sewing thread. The wire-plate is about
half an inch in thickness. The brass thus made is not equal in colour to that in which
zinc is used instead of tin, but as it is capable of taking a high polish, the native cares
for nothing more. The reader may perhaps remember that Mr. Williams, the well-known
missionary, established his reputation among the savages to whom he was sent by making
an extemporized set of bellows out of boxes and boards, the rats always eating every
scrap of leather that was exposed.
The knowledge of forge work which Mr. Moffatt possessed was gained by him under
very adverse circumstances. A broken-down wagon had to be mended, and there was no
alternative but to turn blacksmith and mend the wagon, or to abandon the expedition.
Finding that the chief drawback to the powers of the forge was the inefficient construction
of the native bellows, he set to work, and contrived to make a pair of bellows very similar
to those of which Le Vaillant gave so glowing a description. And, if any proof were
needed that the French traveller's aspirations had not been realized, it may be found
in the fact that the rude bellows made by the English missionary were as much a matter
of astonishment to the natives as those which had been made by Le Vaillant some
sixty years before.
Much of the iron used in Southern Africa seems to be of meteoric origin, and is found
^ several localities in a wonderfully pure state, so that very little labour is needed in
order to make it fit for the forge.
MAKING FIRE. 101
The Kaffir blacksmith never need trouble himself about the means of obtaining a fire.
Should he set up his forge in the vicinity of a kraal, the simplest plan is to send his
assistant for a firebrand from one of the huts. But, if he should prefer, as is often the
case, to work at some distance from the huts, he can procure fire with perfect certainty,
though not without some labour.
He first procures two sticks, one of them taken from a soft-wood tree, and the other
from an acacia, or some other tree that furnishes a hard wood. Of course both the sticks
must be thoroughly dry, a condition about which there is little difficulty in so hot a
climate. His next care is to shape one end of the hard stick into a point, and to bore a
small hole in the middle of the soft stick. He now squats down in the attitude shown in
the engraving, places the pointed tip of the hard stick in the hole of the soft stick, and,
taking the former between his hands, twirls it backwards and forwards with extreme
rapidity.
MAKING FIRE.
As he goes on, the hole becomes enlarged, and a small quantity of very fine dust falls
into it, being rubbed away by the friction. Presently, the dust is seen to darken in colour,
then to become nearly black ; and presently a very slight smoke is seen to rise. The
Kaffir now redoubles his efforts ; he aids the effect of the revolving stick by his breath,
and in a few more seconds the dust bursts into a flame. The exertion required in this
operation is very severe, and by the time that the fire manifests itself the producer is
bathed in perspiration.
Usually, two men, at least, take part in fire-making, and, by dividing the labour, very
much shorten the process. It is evident that, if the perpendicular stick be thus -worked,
the hands must gradually slide down it until they reach the point. The solitary Kaffir
would then be obliged to stop the stick, shift his hands to the top, and begin again, thus
losing much valuable time. But when two Kaffirs unite in fire-making, one sits opposite
the other, and as soon as he sees that his comrade's hands have nearly worked themselves
down to the bottom of the stick, he places his own hands on the top, continues the move-
ment, and relieves his friend. Thus, the movement of the stick is never checked for a
moment, and the operation is consequently hastened. Moreover, considerable assistance
is given by the second Kaffir keeping the dust properly arranged round the point of the
stick, and by taking the part of the bellows, so as to allow his comrade to expend all his
strength in twirling the stick.
I have now before me one of the soft sticks in which fire has been made. There is a
hole very much resembling in shape and size the depressions in a solitaire board, except
that its sides are black and deeply charred by the fire, and in places highly polished by
the friction. Some of my readers may perhaps remember that English blacksmiths are
102 THE KAFFIR.
equally independent of lucifer matches, flint and steel, and other recognised modes of
fire-raising. They place a small piece of soft iron on the anvil, together with some
charcoal dust, and hammer it furiously. The result is that enough heat is evolved to light
the charcoal, and so to enable the blacksmith to set to work.
The illustration on page 101 exhibits the blacksmith and his two assistants engaged
in making a fire. The " man," distinguished by his head-ring, has been taking his turn
at the fire-stick, and has handed it over to his assistant just before the fire developed itself.
The slight smoke arising from the stick shows that the operation has been successful, as
is indeed indicated by the attitudes of the ether two men.
We will now see how the native makes his assagai.
With their simple tools the native smiths contrive to make their spear-heads of such
an excellent temper that they take a very sharp edge : so sharp indeed, that the assagai
is used, not only for cutting up meat and similar offices, but for shaving the head.
Also, it is so pliable, that a good specimen can be bent nearly double and beaten straight
again, without being heated.
When the Kaffir smith has finished the head of the assagai, it looks something like
the blade of a table-knife before it is inserted into the handle, and has a straight pro-
jecting peg, by which it is fastened into the wooden shaft. This peg, or tang as
cutlers call it, is always notched, so as to make it retain its hold the better.
Now comes the next process.
The spear-maker has already by him a number of shafts. These are cut from a
tree which is popularly called "assagai- wood," and on the average are nearly five feet in
length. In diameter they are very small, seldom exceeding that of a man's little finger
at the thick end, while the other end tapers to the diameter of an ordinary black-lead
pencil. The assagai-tree is called scientifically Curtisia Jaginea, and is something like
the mahogany.
The shaft of the assagai is seldom, if ever, sufficiently straight to permit the weapon
to be used at once. It is straightened by means of heating it over the fire, and then
scraping, beating, and bending it until the maker is pleased with the result. Even after
the weapon has been made and in use, the shaft is very apt to warp, and in this case the
Kaffir always rapidly straightens the assagai before he throws it. In spite of its brittle
nature, it will endure a considerable amount of bending, provided that the curve be not
too sharp, and that the operator does not jerk the shaft as he bends it. Indeed, if it were
not for the elasticity of the shaft, the native would not be able to produce the peculiar
quivering or vibrating movement, to which the weapon owes so much of its efficiency.
By means of heating the " tang " of the head red-hot, a hole is bored into the thick
end of the shaft, and the tang passed into it. Were it left without further work, the spear
would be incomplete, for the head would fall away from the shaft whenever the point
was held downwards. In order to fasten it in its place, the Kaffir always makes use of
one material, namely, raw hide. He cuts a narrow strip of hide, sometimes retaining the
hair, and binds it while still wet upon the spear. As it dries, the hide contracts, and forms
a band nearly as strong as if made of iron.
There is no particular art displayed in tying this band ; we never see in that portion
of an assagai the least trace of the elaborate and elegant patterns used by the New
Zealanders in the manufacture of their weapons. The strip of hide is merely rolled
round the spear and the loose end tucked beneath a fold. Yet the Kaffir is not without
the power of producing such patterns, arid will commonly weave very elaborate and
elegant ornaments, from the hair of the elephant's tail and similar materials. These
ornamental lashings are, however, always placed on the shaft of the weapon, and are
never employed in fastening the head of the assagai in its place.
In the illustration on page 103 is drawn a group of assagais, in order to show
the chief varieties of this weapon. The whole of them have been drawn from specimens
in my own possession. The word " assagai " is not a Kaffir term, but, like the popular
name of the tribe, like the words kaross, kraal. &c. has been borrowed from another
language. The Zulu word for the assagai is um-konto, a word which has a curious though
accidental resemblance to the Latin contus.
ASSAGAIS.
103
10.
The ordinary form is shown at fig. 5. This weapon is five feet seven inches in
total length, and the blade measures a foot in length from its junction with the shaft.
Sometimes the blade
is much longer and
wider, as seen at fig. 4.
At fig. 7 is shown a
very remarkable spe-
cimen of the assagai. f I '^k/*' I 8
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 cutting a strip of raw
hide and binding it
round the weapon, he
has taken the tail of
a calf, cut off a piece
about four inches in
length, drawn the skin
from it so as to form
a tube, and slipped this
tube over the spear.
As is the case with the
hide-lashing, the tube
contracts as it dries,
and forms a singularly
effective mode of at-
taching the head to the
shaft. The hair has
been retained, and, in
the maker's opinion, a
very handsome weapon
has been produced.
The illustration on
page 104 shows the
heads of three of the
assagais in the larger
engraving, for the pur-
pose of showing the
manner in which they
are made. They repre-
sent the chief varieties
of the weapon, and are
drawn from my own
specimens. The upper
figure represents the barbed assagai which has just been described (fig. 7), and shows
that even in this form of head the characteristic concavity and convexity are retained.
The central figure represents an ordinary " throwing assagai," fig. 5 ; i.e. one that is used
Station
•»
GROUP OF ASSAGAIS.
104
THE KAFFIR
as a missile, and not as a dagger. In some cases the throwing assagai is shaped in
a more simple manner, the head being nothing but a sharpened spike of iron, without any
pretensions of being formed into a blade. The lowermost figure represents the ordinary
" stabbing assagai," fig. 4. 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 purpose
than slaughtering cattle, and cutting them up afterwards. This is the assagai that is
f usually employed as a knife, and with which the ingenious native contrives to shave
his head.
The assagai, in its original form, is essentially 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 elaborate spears of other nations, there is no spear
or lance that can surpass it in efficacy.
Stctie
Sftar htad.
HEADS OF ASSAGAIS.
The 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, springing
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 been 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, when another is coming
to the right side, and the enemy is just hurling another 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 from the left, he will probably be hit by another coming from the right.
Moreover, the mode in which the weapon is thrown serves to disconcert the enemy,
and bewilder his gaze. Just before he throws the spear, the Kaffir makes it quiver in
a very peculiar manner. He grasps it with the thumb and forefinger 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 firmly closed,
so as to bring 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 weapon gives out a
peculiar humming or shivering noise, impossible to be described, and equally impossible
to be forgotten when once heard. It is as menacing 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 movement, but seems even
to vibrate stronger than 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 impossible 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.
SKIRMISHING.
105
The whole look of an assagai in the air is very remarkable, and has never been
properly represented. All illustrations have represented it as quite straight and stiff
in its flight, whereas it looks just like a very slender serpent undulating itself grace-
fully 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
further adds to the delusion of its aspect.
The illustration represents a group of Kaffir warriors engaged in a skirmish. 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 number of soldiers standing
KAFFIR WARRIORS SKIRMISHING.
behind their shields, so as to exemplify the aptness of their title, the Matabele, or Dis-
appeared. In the immediate foreground is a soldier in the full uniform of his regiment.
He has 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 hand. Two
soldiers are plucking out of the ground the assagais thrown by their antagonists, covering
themselves with their shields while so doing. All these soldiers belong to the same
regiment, as may be seen by the headdress, which constitutes their distinctive uniform.
The skill displayed 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 mastery of the old English
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
106 THE KAFFIR
bow," and thus to manage with rase a weapon that much stronger men could not draw.
In a similar manner, tin* 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 father makes sham assagais for him, with wooden instead of iron heads. Two of
these mock weapons are in my collection, and are shown at fig. 8 in the illustration on
p. 103. 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 inflict rather an unpleasant wound.
When the Kaffir grasps his assagai, he and the weapon seem to become one being,
the quivering spear seeming instinct with life imparted to it by its wielder. In hurling
it, he assumes intuitively the most graceful of attitudes, reminding the observer 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 space 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 be thrown as far as by the ordinary
method, but it can be propelled with considerable force, and frequently achieves the object
for which it was intended.
He never throws 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 in the middle, throws away the tip,
and uses the remaining portion as a dagger.
The wood of which the shaft is made, though very elastic, is very brittle, and a novice
in the art is sure to break several of his spears before he learns to throw them pro-
perly. 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 blade. One of the great
warrior chiefs made a singular use of this property. Just before going into action, he
made his men cut the shafts of their assagais nearly across, just beyond the junction
of the shaft and the head. The consequence of this ingenious ruse became evident
enough when the action commenced. If the weapon went true to its mark, it pierced the
body of the foe just as effectually 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 general
nearly two thousand years ago. When Marius made war against the Cimbri, his troops
carried the short heavy javelin, called the pilum. 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 hold
the head in its proper position as long as no force was used. When the javelin was
hurled, the enemy tried to receive it on their shields ; and if they succeeded in doing so,
they drew out the weapon 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 afforded 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 assagai 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 devoid of compassion. Retaining the assagai, he altered
its shape, and made it a much shorter and heavier weapon, unfit for throwing, and only
to be used in a hand-to-hand encounter. After arming his troops with this modified
weapon, he entirely altered the mode of warfare.
ASSAGAIS. 107
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 expend
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 detected in running away, he was instantly killed by the chief, and
the same punishment awaited any one who returned from 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
dominions 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 government which
Tcliaka 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 possessing the extra-
ordinary genius of the mighty founder of his kingdom, and found himself obliged to
form an alliance with the English, 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 useless 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 example
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 butt 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 of the same illustration 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 spear which is drawn at fig. 13 is one of the orna-
mental wooden weapons which a Kaffir will use when etiquette forbids him to carry a real
assagai. This particular spear is cut from one piece of wood, and is decorated according
to Kaffir notions of beauty, by contrasts of black and white gained by charring the wood.
The ornamental work on the shaft is thus blackened, 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 Kaffir 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 carcase, 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. When cutting up slaughtered cattle, he
displays as much knowledge of the various cuts as the most experienced butcher, and
certainly no butcher could operate more rapidly with his knife, saw, and cleaver, than
does the Kaffir with his simple assagai.
For every purpose wherein a 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
clubs, spoons, dishes, and pillows, and the various utensils required in his daily life.
When hurling his assagais, whether at an animal which he is hunting or at a foe, or
even when exhibiting his skill to a spectator, the Kaffir becomes strongly excited, and
108
THE KAFFIR.
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
useful to him. When the chief summons his army, and the warriors go through their
extraordinary performances 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. i
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 skir-
mishes from the poisoned arrows of the Bosjesmans, he rejects the bow in warfare, con-
sidering it to be a weapon inconsistent 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 that one end is terminated by a knob. They are
popularly known as " knob-kerries."
In order to show the extreme difference of size that is found among them, several
specimens are figured in the illustration on page 103. Three specimens are seen at fig.
10. That on the right hand is used as a weapon, and is wielded in 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, sometimes being flung straight at the antagonist,
and sometimes thrown on the ground in such a manner that its elasticity causes it to re-
bound 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 he enters the hut of a superior, and he therefore ex-
changes 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 hunting are imitated,
it is necessary for the performers to
have something that will take the
place of an assagai, and they accord-
ingly provide themselves1 with knob-
kerries about the same length as the
weapons whose place they supply.
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 mis-
sile. The illustration represents a
Kaffir lad in the act of throwing the
knob-kerrie. He has four or five of
these missiles in his left hand, and
THROWING THE KERRIE. hurls them one after the other with
great rapidity. The animals which
he is attacking are the rock-rabbits,
scientifically known under the name of Hyrax, and identical with the " coney " of the
Scriptures.
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
KILLING GAME. 109
short kerries is really astonishing. If Europeans were to go after birds, and provide
themselves with knobbed sticks instead of guns, they would bring 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. They walk some fifty yards
apart, 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 effect, 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 personal 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, and started off in search of snipe. As soon as
a snipe rose, we flung the stick at it, and naturally missed, as it was quite beyond the
range of any missile propelled by hand. However, marking the spot where it alighted,
we started it afresh, and by repeating this process, we got sufficiently near to bring it
within the compass of our powers, and succeeded in knocking it down.
Generally, the short, thick, heavily-knobbed kerrie belongs rather to the Hottentot
and the Bosjesman than to the Zulu, who prefers 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 original inventor, the Hottentot, has 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 odour which it gives out while being worked. As soon as it
is dry, this odour 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 Laurus bullata.
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 labour 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 comrades. In England, a fine specimen of knob-
kerrie, made from the horn of the white rhinoceros, has been known to fetch as much
as ten pounds.
Thus much for the offensive weapons of the Zulu Kaffir. Towards the north, as well
as to the west of the Draakensberg Mountains, 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.
WAK — Continued.
DEFENSIVE WEAPONS AND MODE OF FIGHTING.
BODY ARMOUR NOT WORN THE KAFFIR'S SHIELD ITS SHAPE, MATERIAL, AND COLOUR THE SHIELD
AS A UNIFORM CURIOUS 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 A KAFFIR ARMY CRUELTY OF TCHAKA AND OTHER
ZULU MONARCHS OBSERVANCES BEFORE A CAMPAIGN SUPERSTITIOUS CEREMONIES HOW THE
ARMY IS MAINTAINED IN THE FIELD TRACK OF AN-ARMY THROUGH AN ENEMY'S LAND — JEALOUSY
BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT REGIMENTS ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY NUMBER OF REGIMENTS AND
GARRISON TOWNS — NAMES OF THE DIFFERENT REGIMENTS GOZA AND SANDILLI DISTINGUISHING
UNIFORMS OF THE REGIMENTS — THE REVIEW AFTER A BATTLE, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES THE
SHIELD-BEARER AND HIS PERILOUS TASK— THE ROYAL ATTENDANTS REWARD AND PUNISHMENT
KAFFIR HERALDS VARIOUS TITLES OF THE KING PANDA'S REA^IEW COSTUME THE KING'S
PROGRESS THROUGH HIS COUNTRY INVENTION AND COMPLETION OF A MILITARY SYSTEM —
TCHAKA'S POLICY COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE FIRST NAPOLEON — 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 armour, namely, the shield. The Kaffirs
either are ignorant of, or despise bodily armour of any kind, not even protecting 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 colour denotes the depart-
ment of the army to which the owner belongs. None but " men," who are entitled to
wear the head-ring, are privileged to carry white shields, while the " boys " on their pro-
motion are furnished with black shields. Some of them have their black and white
shields spotted with red or brown, this colouring denoting the particular 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
better 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 con-
trived to pass themselves off as victorious Amazulu until they could find an opportunity
of making their escape.
The accompanying illustration represents a shield in my collection. As may be seen,
it is a " man's " shield, the ground colour being white, while the black patch towards the
upper end, and the red patch at the bottom, serve to indicate the regiment to which the
owner belonged. The double row of black marks down the centre of the shield 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 ornamenting the
shield with these marks, the Kaffir cuts a double row of slits along the shield while it is
WAR SHIELD.
still wet and pliant, and then passes strips of black hide in and out through the slits, so
as to make the black of the strip contrast itself boldly with the white of the shield. In
the right hand figure the inner surface of the shield is represented, in order to show the
manner in which these strips are finished off.
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 stiff, and its second
object being to assist the soldier in swinging it about in the rapid manner which is re-
quired 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
WAR SHIELD.
eyes can just look over the top of the shield, while the 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 drum-like
shape.
If the reader will refer to the illustration on p. 63, 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
112 THE KAFFIR
clear, unless it be simple fashion. It prevails to a large extent throughout many parts of
Africa, in some places being comparatively slight, and in others so deep that the shield
Jooks like a great hour-glass. Although the shield is simply made of the hide of an ox,
and without that elaborate preparation with glue and size which strengthens the
American Indian's shield, the native finds it quite sufficient to guard him against either
spear or club, while those tribes which employ the bow find that their weapons can
make but little impression 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 communities, the shields, which constitute the
uniforms, 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 himself worthy of wearing the uniform of his sove-
reign. The skins of all the cattle in the garrison towns belong of right to the king, and
are retained by him for the purpose of being made into shields, each skin being supposed
to furnish two shields — a large one, and a small, or hunting shield. Men are constantly
employed in converting the hides into shields, which are stored in houses devoted to the
purpose.
Captain Gardiner gives an interesting account of an application for shields made by a
party of young soldiers, and their reception by the king.
It must be first understood that Dingan was at the time in his chief garrison town,
and that he was accompanied by his two favourite Indoonas, or petty chiefs, one of whom,
by name Tambooza, was a singularly cross-grained individual, whose 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 purpose of asking for shields, he pro-
ceeds as follows : —
" Their arrival at the principal gate of the town having been notified to the king, an
order was soon after sent for their admission, when they all rushed up with a shout,
brandishing their sticks in a most violent manner, until within a respectable distance of
the Issigordlo, when they halted. Dingan soon mounted his pedestal and showed him-
self over the fence, on which a simultaneous greeting of ' Byate ! ' ran 'through the line
into which they were now formed. He soon disappeared, and the whole party then
seated themselves on the ground they occupied.
" Dingan shortly after came out, the two Indoonas and a number of his great men
having already arrived, and seated themselves in semicircular order on each side of his
chair, from whom he was, however, removed to a dignified distance. Tambooza, who is
the great speaker on all these occasions, and the professed scolder whenever necessity
requires, was now on his legs ; to speak publicly in any other posture would, I am con-
vinced, be painful to a Zulu ; nor is he content with mere gesticulation — actual space is
necessary — I had almost said sufficient for a cricket ball to bound in, but this would be
hyperbole ; a run, however, he must have, and I have been surprised at the grace and
effect which this novel accompaniment 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 oration with as many pungent reproofs and cutting invec-
tives as his fertile imagination could invent, or his natural disposition suggest. On a late
expedition, it appears that the troops now harangued had not performed the service ex-
pected— they had entered the territory of Umselekaz, and, instead of surrounding and
ctipturing the herds within their reach, had attended to some pretended instructions to
halt and return ; some palliating circumstances had no doubt screened them from the
customary rigour on such occasions, and this untoward occurrence was now turned to the
best advantage. After a long tirade, in which Tambooza ironically described their feeble
MUSCULAR ADVOCACY.
113
onset and fruitless effort, advancing like a Mercury to fix his dart, and gracefully retiring
as though to point a fresh barb for the attack ; now slaking his wrath by a journey to
the right, and then as abruptly recoiling to the left, by each detour increasing in vehe-
mence, the storm was at length at its height, and in the midst of the tempest he had
stirred he retired to the feet 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 imagined than described at this moment. Im-
patient to reply, he now rose from the centre of the line, his person decorated with
MUSCULAR ADVOCACY.
strings of pink beads worn over his shoulders like a cross belt, and large brass rings on
his arms 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 glowing colours,
and a scene ensued which I scarcely know how to describe. Independent of his own
energetic gesticulations, his violent leaping and sententious running ; on the first an-
nouncement of any exculpatory fact indicating their prowess in arms, one or more of the
principal warriors would rush from the ranks to corroborate the statement 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, frenzied by the tortuous motion, their nerves were sufficiently strong for the acme*
posture — vaulting several feet in the air, drawing the knees towards the chiE. and at the
same time passing the hands between the ankles.
VOL. L I
114 THE KAFFIR
" In this singular manner were the charges advanced and rebutted for a considerable
time ; Dingan acting behind the scenes as a moderator, and occasionally (•ailing of]' Tam-
booza as an unruly bull-dog from the bait. At length, as though imperceptibly drawn
into the argument, he concluded the business in these words : — ' When have we heard
anything good of Georgo? What has Georgo done? It is a name that is unknown to
us. I shall give you no shields until you have proved yourself worthy 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, who with their Indoon were soon after observed marching
over the hills, on their way to collect the remainder of their regiment, for the promised
expedition.
" I am inclined to think that there was much ol state policy in the whole of these
proceedings, particularly as the order for the attack on Umselekaz was shortly after
countermanded, and not more than ten or twelve days elapsed before the same party re-
turned, 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. Not contented with turning them all out, and each selecting one, but, in order to
.prove them and shake off the dust, they commenced beating them on the spot with
sticks, which, in connexion with this sudden incursion, occasioned such an unusual
tumult that I thought a civil war had commenced."
HAVING now seen the weapons used by the Kaffir warriors, we will see how they
wage war.
When the chief arranges his troops in order of battle, he places the " boys " in the
van, and gives them the post of honour, as well as of danger. In this position they have
the opportunity of distinguishing themselves for which they so earnestly long, and, as a
general rule, display such valour 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.
They 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 the enemy, while the " black-shields " can re-forrn their ranks under
cover, and then renew the charge.
The second object is, that they serve as a very effectual incitement 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 their rear. As has already
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 before they set out on their expedition, the young
unmarried girls of the tribe are paraded 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 returns. So he does not only receive the barren 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 than an equivalent for the cows
which he would otherwise have been obliged to pay for her.
A curious custom prevails in the households of the white-shield warriors. When one-
of them goes out to war, his wife takes his sleeping-mat, his pillow, and his spoon, and
hangs them upon the wall of the hut. Every morning at early dawn she goes and in-
spects 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 ; but if no shadow should happen
to be thrown by them, she feels certain that her husband is dead, and laments his loss as
MILITARY DISCIPLINE.
115
if she had actually seen his dead body. This curious custom irresistibly reminds the
reader of certain tales in the " Arabian Nights," where the life or death of an absent
person is known by some object that belonged to him — a knife, for example — which
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 Kaffir battle, the assagais being received harmlessly on the shields,
and no one much the worse for them. But his trained troops made frightful havoc among
the enemy, and the destruction 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
A WIFE'S ANXIETY.
time, to the favoured 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 suffered 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 fighting than to perish ignominiously as cowards after
the battle, they fought with a frantic valour that was partly inherent in their nature, 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. under their command. Eeward and retribution are equally swift in operation,
116 THE KAFFIR
an immediate advance in rank falling to the lot of those who had shown notable courage,
while those who have been even suspected of cowardice are immediately slain.
Sometimes the slaughter after an expedition is terrible, even under the reign of Panda,
a very much milder man than his great predecessor. Tchaka has been known to order a
whole regiment for execution ; and on one occasion he killed all the " white-shields,"
ordering the " boys " to assume 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. No one ever dared to interfere with Tchaka, knowing
that to contradict him was certain death. But when Panda has been disposed to kill
a number of his subjects his councillors have interfered, and by their remonstrances have
succeeded in stopping the massacre.
Sometimes 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 vanquished the foe, they press on towards the
kraals, spearing all the inhabitants, and carrying off all the cattle. Indeed, the " lifting "
of cattle on a large scale often constitutes the chief end of a Kaffir war.
Before starting on an expedition the soldiers undergo a series of ceremonies, which
are supposed to strengthen their bodies, improve their courage, and propitiate the spirits
of their forefathers in their favour.
The ceremony begins with the king, who tries to obtain some article belonging to the
person of the adverse chief, such as a scrap of any garment that he has worn, a snuff-box,
the shaft of an assagai, or, indeed, anything that has belonged to him. A portion of
this substance is scraped into certain medicines prepared by the witch-doctor, and the
king either swallows the medicine, or cuts little gashes on different parts of his body, and
rubs the medicine into them. This proceeding is supposed to give dominion over the
enemy, and is a sign that he will be " eaten up " in the ensuing battle.
So fearful are the chiefs that the enemy may thus overcome them, that they use the
most minute precautions to prevent any articles belonging to themselves from falling into
the hands of those who might make a bad use of them. When a chief moves his quarters,
even the floor of his hut is carefully scraped ; and Dingan was so very particular on this
point that he has been known to burn down an entire kraal, after he left it, in order that
no vestige of anything that belonged to himself should fall into evil hands.
After the king, the men take their turn of duty, and a very unpleasant duty it is. An
ox is always slain, and one of its legs cut off ; and this extraordinary ceremony is thought
to be absolutely needful for a successful warfare. Sometimes the limb is severed from the
unfortunate animal while it is still alive. On one occasion the witch-doctor conceived
the brilliant idea of cutting off the leg of a living bull, and then making the warriors eat
it raw, tearing the flesh from the bone with their teeth. They won the battle, but the
witch-doctor got more credit for his powerful charms than did the troops for their courage.
Of course the animal cannot survive very long after such treatment ; and when it is
dead, the flesh is cut away with assagais, and a part of it chopped into small morsels, in each
of which is a portion of some charmed powder. The uncleared bones are thrown among
the warriors, scrambled for, and eaten ; and when this part of the ceremony has been con-
cluded, the remainder of the flesh is cooked and eaten. A curious process then takes
place, a kind of purification by fire, the sparks from a burning brand being blown over
them by the witch-doctor. Next day they are treated to a dose which acts as a
violent emetic; and the ceremonies conclude with a purification by water, which is
sprinkled over them by the chief himself. These wild and savage ceremonies have
undoubtedly a great influence over the minds of the warriors, who fancy themselves
to be under the protection of their ancestors, the only deities which a Kaffir seems to
care much about.
As to the department of the commissariat, it varies much with the caprice of the
chief. Tchaka always used to send plenty of cattle with his armies, so that they never
need fear the weakening of their forces by hunger. He also sent very large supplies of
grain and other food. His successors, however, have not been so generous, and force their
troops to provide for themselves by foraging among the enemy.
THE ARMY IN THE FIELD. 117
Cattle are certainly taken with them, but hot to be eaten. In case they may be able
to seize the cattle of the enemy, they find that the animals can be driven away much
more easily if they are led by others of their own kind. The cattle that accompany an
expedition are therefore employed as guides. They sometimes serve a still more important
purpose. Clever as is a Kaffir in finding his way under ordinary circumstances, there are
occasions where even his wonderful topographical powers desert him.
If, for example, he is in an enemy's district, and is obliged to travel by night, he may
well lose his way, if the nights should happen to be cloudy, and neither moon nor stars
be visible ; and, if he has a herd of the enemy's oxen under his charge, he feels himself in
a very awkward predicament. He dares not present himself at his kraal without the
oxen, or his life would be instantly forfeited ; and to drive a herd of oxen to a place whose
position he does not know would be impossible. He therefore allows the oxen that he
has brought with him to go their own way, and merely follows in their track, knowing
that their instinct will surely guide them to their home.
When the Kaffir soldiery succeed in capturing a kraal, their first care is to secure the
oxen ; and if the inhabitants should have been prudent enough to remove their much-
loved cattle, the next search is for maize, millet, and other kinds of corn. It is not a very
easy matter to find the grain stores, because they are dug in the ground, and, after being
filled, are covered over so neatly with earth, that only the depositors know the exact spot.
The " isi-baya " is a favourite place for these subterranean stores, because the trampling
of the cattle soon obliterates all marks of digging. The isi-baya is, therefore, the first
place to be searched ; and in some cases the inhabitants have concealed their stores so
cleverly that the invaders could not discover them by any other means except digging up
the whole of the enclosure to a considerable depth. Now and then, when the inhabitants
of a kraal have received notice that the enemy is expected, they remove the grain from
the storehouses, and hide it in the bush, closing the granaries again, so as to give the
enemy all the trouble of digging, to no purpose.
Panda, who refuses to send provisions with his forces, has sometimes caused them to
suffer great hardships by his penurious conduct. On one occasion they discovered a
granary with plenty of corn in it, and were so hungry that they could not wait to cook it
properly, but ate it almost raw, at the same time drinking large quantities of water. The
consequence was, that many of them were so ill that they had to be left behind when
the march was resumed, and were detected and killed by the inhabitants of the kraal,
who came back from their hiding-places in the bush as soon as they saw the enemy
move away.
In one case, Panda's army was so badly supplied with provisions that the soldiers were
obliged to levy contributions even on his own villages. In some of these kraals the
women, who expected what might happen, had emptied their storehouses, and hidden
all their food in the bush, so that the hungry soldiers could not even find some corn to
grind into meal, nor clotted milk to mix with it. They were so angry at their disappoint-
ment that they ransacked the cattle-fold, discovered and robbed the subterranean granaries,
and, after cooking as much food as they wanted, carried off a quantity of corn for future
rations, and broke to pieces all the cooking-vessels. which they had used. If they could
act thus in their own country, their conduct in an enemy's land may be easily con-
jectured.
One reason for the withholding of supplies may probably be due to the mode of fighting
of the Zulu armies. They are entirely composed of light infantry, and can be sent to
great distances with a rapidity that an ordinary European soldier can scarcely comprehend.
The fact is, they carry nothing except their weapons, and have no heavy knapsack nor
tight clothing to impede their movements. In fact, the clothing which they wear on a
campaign is more for ornament than for covering, and consists chiefly of feathers stuck in
the hair. So careful are the chiefs that their soldiers should not be impeded by baggage
of any kind, that they are not even allowed to take a kaross with them, but must sleep
in the open air without any covering, just as is the case with the guardians of
the harem, who are supposed, by virtue of their office, to be soldiers engaged in a
campaign.
118 THE KAFFIR.
As to pay, as we understand the word, neither chief nor soldiers have much idea of
it. If the men distinguish themselves, the chief mostly presents them with beads and
blankets, not as pay to which they have a right, but as a gratuity for which they are
indebted to his generosity. As to the " boys, ' they seldom have anything, being only
on their promotion, and not considered as enjoying the privileges of manhood. This
custom is very irritating to the " boys," some of whom are more than thirty years of age,
and who consider themselves quite as effective members of the army as those who have
been permitted to wear the head-ring and bear the white shield. Their dissatisfaction
with their rank has, however, the good effect of making them desirous of becoming
" ama-doda," and thus increasing their value in time of action.
Sometimes this distinction of rank breaks out in open quarrel, and on one occasion
the " men " and the " boys " came to blows with each other, and would have taken to their
spears if Panda and his councillors had not personally quelled the tumult. The fact was,
that Panda had organized an invasion, and, as soon as they heard of it, the black-shield
regiment begged to be sent off at once to the scene of battle. The white-shields, however,
suspected what was really the case ; namely, that the true destination of the troops was
not that which the king had mentioned, and accordingly sat silent, and took no part in the
general enthusiasm.
Thereupon the " boys " taunted the " men" with cowardice, and said that they preferred
their comfortable homes to the hardships of warfare. The " men" retorted that, as they had
fought under Tchaka and Dingan, as well as Panda, and had earned their advancement
under the eye of chiefs who killed all who did not fight bravely, no one could accuse them
of cowardice ; whereas the " boys " were ignorant of warfare, and were talking nonsense.
These remarks were too true to be pleasant, and annoyed the " boys " so much that they
grew insolent, and provoked the " men " to take to their sticks. However, instead of
yielding, the "boys" only returned the blows, and if Panda had not interfered, there would
have been a serious riot.
His conduct on this occasion shows the strange jealousy which possesses the mind of a
Kaffir king. The " men" were, in this case, undoubtedly right, and the " boys" undoubtedly
wrong. Yet Panda took the part of the latter, because he was offended with the argument of
the " men." They ought not to have mentioned his predecessors, Tchaka and Dingan, in his
presence, as the use of their names implied a slight upon himself. They might have
prided themselves as much as they liked, or the victories which they had gained under
him, but they had no business to mention the warlike deeds of his predecessors.
Perhaps he remembered that those predecessors had been murdered by their own people,
and might have an uneasy fear that his own turn would come some day.
So he showed his displeasure by sending oxen to the " boys " as a feast, and leaving
the " men " without any food. Of course, in the end the " men " had to yield, and against
their judgment went on the campaign. During that expedition the smouldering flame
broke out several times, the " boys " refusing to yield the post of honour to the " men,"
whom they taunted with being cowards and afraid to fight. However, the more prudent
counsels of the " men " prevailed, and harmony was at last restored, the " men " and the
" boys " dividing into two brigades, and each succeeding in the object for which they set
out, without needlessly exposing themselves to danger by attacking nearly impregnable forts.
WE will now proceed to the soldiers themselves, and see how the wonderful discipline
of a Kaffir army is carried out in detail. First we will examine the dress of the soldier. Of
course, the chief, who is the general in command, will have the place of honour, and we
will therefore take the portrait of a well-known Zulu chief as he appears when fully
equipped for war. If the reader will refer to page 27, he will see a portrait of Goza in
the costume which he ordinarily wears. The accompanying illustration represents him
in full uniform, and affords a very favourable example of the war dress of a powerful
Kaffir chief.
He bears on his left arm his great white war-shield, the size denoting its object, and
the colour pointing out the fact that he is a married man. The long, slender feather which
is fastened in his head-ring is that of the South African crane, and is a conventional
DRESS OF THE SOLDIER
119
symbol denoting war. There is in my collection a very remarkable war head-dress, that
was worn by the celebrated Zulu chief, Sandilli, who gave us so much trouble during the
late war, and proved himself worthy of his rank as a warrior, and his great reputation as
an orator. Sandilli was further remarkable because he had triumphed over physical dis-
advantages, which are all-important in a Kaffir's eyes.
GOZA IN FULL WAR-DRESS, ATTENDED BY HIS COUNCILLORS.
It has already been mentioned that a deformed person is scarcely ever seen among the
Kaffirs, because infants that show signs of deformity of any kind are almost invariably
killed as soon as born. Sandilli was one of these unfortunate children, one of his legs
being withered as high as the knee, so that he was deprived of all that physical agility
that is so greatly valued by Kaffirs, and which has so great a share in gaining promotion.
By some strange chance the life of this deformed infant was preserved, and, under the now
familiar name of Sandilli, the child grew to be a man, rose to eminence among his own
people, took rank as a great chief, and became a very thorn in the sides of the English
colonists. After many years of struggle, he at last gave in his submission to English rule,
120 THE KAFFIR.
and might be often seen on horseback, dashing about in the headlong style which a Kaffir
loves.
The head-dress which he was accustomed to wear in time of war is represented in the
illustration on page 25, at fig. 4. Instead of wearing a single feather of the crane, Sandilli
took the whole breast of the bird, from which the long, slender feathers droop. The skin
has been removed from the breast, bent and worked so as to form a kind of cap, and the
feathers arranged so that they shall all point upwards, leaning rather backwards. This
curious and valuable head-dress was presented to me by G. Ellis, Esq., who brought it
from the Cape in 1865. Sandilli belongs to the sub-tribe Amagaika, and is remarkable for
his very light colour and commanding stature.
It will be seen that both Goza and his councillors wear plenty of feathers on their
heads, and that the cap of the left-hand warrior bears some resemblance to that which has
just been described. The whole person of the chief is nearly covered with barbaric orna-
ments. His apron is made of leopard's tails, and his knees and ankles are decorated with
tufts made of the long flowing hair of the Angora goat. Twisted strips of rare furs hang
from his neck and chest, while his right hand holds the long knob-kerrie which is so much
in use among the Zulu warriors. The portrait of Goza is taken from a photograph.
The councillors who stand behind him are apparelled with nearly as much gorgeousness
as their chief, and the oddly-shaped head-dresses which they wear denote the regiments to
whick they happen to belong. These men, like their chief, were photographed in their
full dress.
It has already been mentioned that the soldiers are divided into two great groups ;
namely, the married men and the bachelors, or, as they are popularly called, the " men "
and the " boys." But each of these great groups, or divisions, if we may use that word in
its military sense, is composed of several regiments, varying from six hundred to a
thousand or more in strength. Each of these regiments inhabits a single military kraal,
or garrison town, and is commanded by the head man of that kraal Moreover, the
regiments are subdivided into companies, each of which is under the command of an
officer of lower grade ; and so thoroughly is this system carried out, that European soldiers
feel almost startled when they find that these savages have organized a system of army
management nearly identical with their own.
The regiments are almost invariably called by the name of some animal, and the
soldiers are placed in them according to their physical characteristics. Thus, the Elephant
regiment consists of the largest and strongest warriors, and holds a position like that of
our Grenadiers. Then the Lion regiment is composed of men who have distinguished
themselves by special acts of daring ; while the Spring-bok regiment would be formed of
men noted for their activity, for the quickness with which they can leap about when
encumbered with their weapons, and for their speed of foot, and ability to run great dis-
tances. They correspond with our light cavalry, and are used for the same purpose.
There are twenty-six of these regiments in the Zulu army, and they can be as easily
distinguished by their uniform as those of our own army. The twenty-sixth regiment is
the equivalent of our household troops, being the body-guard of the king, and furnishing
all the sentinels for the harern. Their uniform is easily distinguishable, and is very-
simple, being, in fact, an utter absence of all clothing. Only the picked men among the
warriors are placed in this distinguished regiment, and neither by day nor night do they
wear a scrap of clothing. This seems rather a strange method of conferring an honour-
able distinction ; but entire nudity is quite as much valued by a Kaffir soldier as the
decoration of the Bath or Victoria Cross among ourselves.
The first regiment is called Omobapankue, a word that signifies " Leopard-catchers."
Some years ago, when Tchaka was king of the Zulus, a leopard killed one of his attendants.
He sent a detachment of the first regiment after the animal, and the brave fellows suc-
ceeded in catching it alive, and bearing their struggling prize to the king. In order to
reward them for their courage, he gave the first regiment the honorary title of " Leopard-
catchers," which title has been ever since borne by them.
There are three commissioned officers — if such a term may be used — in each regiment :
namely, the colonel, or " Indoona-e'nkolu," i.e. the Great Officer ; the captain, " N'genana,"
SOLDIERS IN FULL UNIFORM.
121
and the lieutenant, " N'gena-obzana." The head man of any kraal goes by the name of
Indoona, and he who rules over one of the great garrison towns is necessarily a man of
considerable authority and high rank. The king's councillors are mostly selected from the
various Indoonas. Below the lieutenant, there are subordinate officers who correspond
almost exactly to the sergeants and corporals of our own armies.
In order to distinguish the men of the different regiments, a peculiar head-dress is
assigned to each regiment. On these head-dresses the natives seem to have exercised all
their ingenuity. The wildest fancy would hardly conceive the strange shapes that a
Kaffir soldier can make with feathers, and fur, and raw hide.
PANDA'S SOLDIERS IN FULL UNIFORM.
Any kind of feather is seized upon to do duty in a Kaffir soldier's head-dress, but the
most valued plumage is that of a roller, whose glittering dress of blue-green is worked
up into large globular tufts, which are worn upon the back of the head, and on the upper
part of the forehead. Such an ornament as this is seldom if ever seen upon the head of a
simple warrior, as it is too valuable to be possessed by any but a chief of' consideration.
Panda is very fond of wearing this beautiful ornament on occasions of state, and some-
times wears two at once, the one on the front of his head-ring, and the other attached to
the crown of the head.
The raw hide is stripped of its fur by being rolled up and buried for a day or two, and
is then cut and moulded into the most fantastic forms, reminding the observer of the
strange devices with which the heroes of the Niebelungen decorated their helmets.
Indeed, some of these head-dresses of the Kaffir warriors might easily be mistaken at a
jtittle distance for the more classical though not more elaborate helmet of the ancient
German knights. The soldiers which are here represented belong to two different regiments
THE KAFFIR.
of the Zulu army, and have been selected as affording good examples of the wild and
picturesque uniform which is adopted by these dusky troops. In some head-dresses tin;
fur is retained on the skin, and thus another rll'ivt is obtained.
The object of all this savage decoration is twofold: firstly, to distinguish the
soldiers of the different regiments, and, secondly, to strike terror into the enemy. Both
these objects are very thoroughly accomplished, for the uniforms of the twenty-six
regiments are very dissimilar to each other, and all the neighbouring tribes stand in the
greatest dread of the Amazulu, who, they say, are not men, but eaters of men.
Beside the regular regiments, there is always a body-guard of armed men, whose duty
it is to attend the chief and obey his orders. Each chief has his own body-guard, but
that of the king is not only remarkable for its numerical strength, but for the rank of its
members. Dingan, for example, had a body-guard that mustered several hundred strong,
and every member of it was a man of rank. It was entirely composed of Indoonas from
all parts of the country under his command. With the admirable organizing power
which distinguishes the Kaffir chiefs, he had arranged his Indoonas so methodically, that
each man had to serve in the body-guard for a certain time, until he was relieved by his
successor. This simple plan allowed the king to exercise a personal supervision over the
ruling men of his dominions, and, on the other side, the subordinate chiefs were able to
maintain a personal communication with their monarch, and to receive their orders
directly from himself.
It has already been mentioned that, after a battle, the king calls his soldiers together,
and holds a review. One of those assemblages is a most astonishing sight, and very few
Europeans have been privileged to see it. This review is looked upon by the troops with
the greatest reverence, for few of them know whether at the close of it they may be raised
to a higher rank or be lying dead in the bush. As to the "boys," especially those who
are conscious that they have behaved well in the fight, they look to it with hope, as it
presents a chance of their elevation to the ranks of the " men," and their possession of
the coveted wuite shield. Those who are not so sure of themselves are very nervous
about the review, and think themselves extremely fortunate if they are not pointed out to
the king as bad soldiers, and executed on the spot.
The review takes place in the great enclosure of one of the garrison towns, and the
troops form themselves into a large circle. It is a curious fact that not even in military
matters has the Kaffir an idea of forming in line, and that the evolutions, such as they
are, are all carried out in curved lines, which are the abhorrence of European tacticians.
The white and black shield divisions are separated from each other in each regiment,
and the whole army " stands at ease," with the shield resting on the ground, and the
whole body covered by it as high as the lips. They stand motionless as statues, and in
death- like silence await the coming of their king.
After the customary lapse of one hour or so, the king, with his councillors, chief
officers, and particular friends, comes into the circle, attended by his chair-bearer, his
shield-bearer, his page, and a servant or two. The shield-bearer has an honourable,
though perilous, service to perform. He has to hold the shield so as to shade the royal
person from the sun, and should he happen, through any inadvertence, to allow the king
to feel a single sunbeam, he may think himself fortunate if he escape with his life, while
a severe punishment is the certain result.
The chair is placed in the centre of the circle, in order for his sable majesty to
repose himself after the exertion of walking nearly two hundred yards. Large baskets
full of beer are placed near the royal chair, and before he can proceed to business the
king is obliged to recruit his energies with beer and snuff, both of which are handed to
him by his pages.
He next orders a number of cattle to be driven past him, and points to certain animals
which he intends to be killed in honour of his guests. As each ox is pointed out, a
warrior leaps forward with his stabbing-assagai, and kills the animal with a single blow,
piercing it to the heart with the skill of a practised hand. Much as a Kaffir loves his
oxen, the sight of the dying animal always seems to excite him to a strange pitch of
enthusiasm, and the king contemplates with great satisfaction the dying oxen struggling
THE REVIEW.
123
in the last pangs of death, and the evolutions of the survivors, who snuff and snort at
the Hood of their comrades, and then dash wildly away in all directions, pursued by their
keepers, and with difficulty guided to their own enclosures.
The king then rises, and, with the assistance of his attendants, walks, or rather
waddles, round the inner ring of warriors as fast as his obesity will permit him, resting
every now and then on his chair, which is carried after him by his page, and refreshing
himself at rather short intervals with beer.
Next comes the most important part of the proceedings. The chief officers of the
various regiments that have been engaged give in their reports to the king, who imme-
diately acts upon them. When a warrior has particularly distinguished himself, the king
PANDA'S REVIEW.
points to him, and calls him by name. Every man in the army echoes the name at the
full pitch of his voice, and every arm is pointed at the happy soldier, who sees his
ambition as fully gratified as it is possible to be. Almost beside himself with exultation
at his good fortune, he leaps from the ranks, " and commences running, leaping, springing
high into the air, kicking, and flourishing his shield, and going through the most surprising
and agile manoeuvres imaginable ; now brandishing his weapons, stabbing, parrying, and
retreating ; and again vaulting into the ranks, light of foot and rigid of muscle, so rapidly
that the eye can scarcely follow his evolutions."
Sometimes six or seven of these distinguished warriors will be dancing simultaneously
in different parts of the ring, while their companions encourage them with shouts and
yells of applause. Many of the " boys " are at these reviews permitted to rank among the
" men," and sometimes, when a whole regiment of the black-shields has behaved especially
1'2-i * THE KAFFIR
well, the king lias ordered them all to exchange their black for the white shield, and to
assume the head-ring which marks their rank as ama-doda, or "men."
Next come the terrible scenes when the officers point out those who have disgraced
themselves in action. The unfortunate soldiers are instantly dragged out of the ranks,
their shields and spears taken from them, and, at the king's nod, they are at once killed
and their bodies thrown into the bush. Sometimes they are beaten to death with knob-
kerries, and sometimes their necks are twisted by the executioner laying one hand on the
crown of the head and the other under the chin. The wretched sufferers never think of
resisting, nor even of appealing for mercy ; and to such a pitch of obedience did Tchaka
bring this fierce and warlike nation, that men guiltless of any offence have been known.
to thank him for their punishment while actually dying under the strokes of the
executioners.
When the double business of rewarding the brave soldiers and punishing the cowards
has been completed, the professional minstrels or praisers come forward, and recite the
various honorary titles of the king in a sort of recitative, without the least pause
between the words, and in most stentorian voices. Perhaps the term Heralds would not
be very inappropriate to these men. The soldiers take up the chorus of praise, and
repeat the titles of their ruler in shouts that are quite deafening to an unaccustomed ear.
Each title is assumed or given to the king in commemoration of some notable deed, or on
account of some fancy that may happen to flit through the royal brain in a dream; and, as
he is continually adding to his titles, the professional reciters had need possess good
memories, as the omission of any of them would be considered as an insult.
Some of Panda's titles have already been mentioned, but some of the others are so
curious that they ought not to be omitted. For example, he is called " Father of men,"
i.e. the ama-doda, or married warriors; "He who lives for ever" — a compliment on his
surviving the danger of being killed by Dingan ; " He who is high as the mountains "-
" fie who is high as the heavens" — this being evidently the invention of a clever courtier
who wished to "cap" the previous compliment; "Elephant's calf;" "Great black one;"
" P>ird that eats other birds" — in allusion to his conquests in battle; "Son of a cow;"
" Noble elephant," and a hundred other titles, equally absurd in the eyes of a European,
but inspiring great respect in that of a Kaffir.
When all this tumultuous scene is over, the review closes, just as our reviews do, with
a " march past." The king sits in his chair, as a general on his horse, while the whole
army defiles in front of him, each soldier as he passes bowing to the ground, and lowering
his shield and assagais, as we droop oiir colours in the presence of the sovereign.
In order to appear to the best advantage on these occasions, and to impress the spec-
tators with the solemnity of the ceremony, the king dresses himself with peculiar care,
and generally wears a different costume at each review. The dress which he usually
wears at his evening receptions, when his officers come to report themselves and to
accompany him in his daily inspection of his herds, is the usual apron or kilt, made
either of leopard's tails or monkey's skin, a head-dress composed of various feathers and
a round ball of clipped worsted, while his arms are decorated with rings of brass
and ivory.
It is easy to see how this custom of holding a review almost immediately after the
battle, and causing either reward or punishment to come swiftly upon the soldiers, must
have added to the efficiency of the armies, especially when the system was carried out by
a man like its originator Tchaka, an astute, sanguinary, determined, and pitiless despot.
Under the two successive reigns of Dingan and Panda, and especially under the latter,
the efficiency of the Zulu army — the eaters of men — has notably diminished, this result
being probably owing to the neighbourhood of the English colony at Natal, in which the
Zulu warriors can find a refuge when they fear that their lives are endangered. Formerly,
the men had no possible refuge, so that a Kaffir was utterly in the power of his chief,
and the army was therefore more of a machine than it is at present.
Reviews such as have been described are not only held in war time, but frequently
take place in times of peace. It has been mentioned that the king of the Zulu tribe has
twenty-six war-kraals, or garrison towns, and he generally contrives to visit each of them
INVENTION OF A MILITAEY SYSTEM. 125
in the course of the year. Each time that he honours the kraal by his presence the
troops are turned out, and a review is held, though not always accompanied by the lavish
distribution of rewards and punishment which distinguishes those which are held after
battle.
The vicissitudes of Kaffir warfare are really remarkable from a military point of view.
Originally, the only idea which the Kaffirs had of warfare was a desultory kind of
skirmishing, in which each man fought " for his own hand/ and did not reckon on
receiving any support from his comrades, each of whom was engaged in fight on his own
account. In fact, war was little more than a succession of duels, and, if a warrior
succeeded in killing the particular enemy to whom he was opposed, he immediately
sought another. But the idea of large bodies of men acting in concert, and being
directed by one mind, was one that had not occurred to the Kaffirs until the time of
Tchaka.
When that monarch introduced a system and a discipline into warfare, the result was
at once apparent. Individual skirmishers had no chance against large bodies of men,
mutually supporting each other, moving as if actuated by one mind, and, under the
guidance of a single leader, advancing with a swift but steady impetuosity that the undis-
ciplined soldiers of the enemy could not resist. Discipline could not be turned against
the Zulus, for Tchaka left the conquered tribes no time to organize themselves into
armies, even if they had possessed leaders who were capable of that task. His troops
swept over the country like an army of locusts, consuming even thing on their way, and
either exterminating the various tribes, or incorporating them in some capacity or other
among the Zulus.
In truth, his great policy was to extend the Zulu tribe, and from a mere tribe to raise
them into a nation. His object was, therefore, not so much to destroy as to absorb, and,
although he did occasionally extirpate a tribe that would not accept his conditions, it was
for the purpose of striking terror into others, and proving to them the futility of resistance.
Those that had accepted his offers he incorporated with his own army, and subjected
to the same discipline, but took care to draught them off into different regiments,
so that they could not combine in a successful revolt. The result of this simple but far-
seeing policy was, that in a few years the Zulu tribe, originally small, had, beside its
regular regiments on duty, some twelve or fifteen thousand men always ready for any
sudden expedition, and at the end of five or six years the Zulu king was paramount over
the whole of Southern Africa, the only check upon him being the European colonies.
These he evidently intended to sweep away, but was murdered before he could bring his
scheme to maturity. Tchaka's system was followed by Moselekatze in the north ol
Kaffirland, who contrived to manage so well that the bulk of his army belonged to
Becliuanan and other tribes, some of whose customs he adopted.
The military system of Tchaka prevailed, as must be the case when there is no
very great inequality between the opposing forces, and discipline is all on one side. But,
when discipline is opposed to discipline, and the advantage of weapons lies on the side
of the latter, the consequences are disastrous to the former. Thus has it been with
the Kaffir tribes. The close ranks of warriors, armed with shield and spear, were
irresistible when opposed to men similarly armed, but without any regular discipline,
but, when they came to match themselves against fire-arms, they found that their system
was of little value.
The shield could resist the assagai well enough, but against the bullet it \vas powerless,
and though the stabbing-assagai was a terrible weapon when the foe was at close quarters,
it was no use against an enemy who could deal destruction at the distance of several
hundred yards. Moreover, the close and compact ranks, which were so efficacious against
the irregular warriors of the country, became an absolute element of weakness when the
soldiers were exposed to heavy volleys from the distant enemy. Therefore, the whole
course of battle was changed when the Zulus fought against the white man and his fire-
arms, and they found themselves obliged to revert to the old system of skirmishing,
though the skirmishers fought under the commands of the chief, instead of each man
acting independently, as had formerly been the case,
126 THE KAFFIR
\Yt- remember how similar changes have taken place in our European armies, when
the heavy columns that used to be so resistless were shattered by the lire of single ranks,
and how the very massiveness of the column rendered it a better mark for the enemy's
fire, and caused almost every shot to take effect.
Tchaka was not always successful, for he forgot that cunning is often superior to force,
and that the enemy's spears are not the most dangerous weapons in his armoury. The
last expedition that Tchaka organized was a singularly unsuccessful one. He had first
sent an army against a tribe which had long held out against him, and which had the
advantage of a military position so strong that even the trained Zulu warriors, who knew
that failure was death, could not succeed in taking it. Fortunately for Tchaka, some,
Europeans were at the time in his kraal, and he obliged them to fight on his behalf.
The enemy had, up to that time, never seen nor heard of tire-arms ; and when they saw
their comrades falling without being visibly struck, they immediately yielded, thinking
that the spirits of their forefathers were angry with them, and spat fire out of their
UK laths. This, indeed, was the result which had been anticipated by the bearers of the
fire-arms in question, for they thought that, if the enemy were intimidated by the strange
weapons, great loss of life would be saved on both sides. The battle being over, the
conquered tribe were subsidized as tributaries, according to Tchaka's custom, and all their
cattle given up.
The success of this expedition incited Tchaka to repeat the experiment, and his
troops had hardly returned when he sent them off against a chief named Sotshangana.
This chief had a spy in the camp of Tchaka, and no sooner had the army set off than the
spy contrived to detach himself from the troops, and went off at full speed to his master.
Sotshangana at once sent out messengers to see whether the spy had told the truth, and
when he learned that the Zulu army was really coming upon him, he laid a trap into
which the too confident enemy fell at once.
He withdrew his troops from his kraals, but left everything in its ordinary position,
so as to look as if no alarm had been taken. The Zulu regiments, seeing no signs that
their presence was expected, took possession of the kraal, feasted on its provisions, and
slept in fancied security. But, at the dead of night, Sotshangana, accompanied by the
spy, whom he had rewarded with the command of a regiment, came on the unsuspecting
Zulus, fell upon them while sleeping, and cut one regiment nearly to pieces. The others
rallied, and drove off their foes ; but they were in an enemy's country, where every hand
was against them.
Their wonderful discipline availed them little. They got no rest by day or by night.
They were continually harassed by attacks, sometimes of outlying skirmishers, who kept
them always on the alert, sometimes of large forces of soldiers who had to be met in
battle array. They could obtain no food, for the whole country was against them, and the
weaker tribes, whom they attacked in order to procure provisions, drove their cattle into the
bush, and set fire to their own corn-fields. It is said also, and with some likelihood of
truth, that the water was poisoned as well as the food destroyed ; and the consequence
was, that the once victorious army was obliged to retreat as it best could, and the shat-
tered fragments at last reached their own country, after suffering almost incredible
hardships. It was in this campaign that the soldiers were obliged to eat their shields.
At least twenty thousand of the Zulu warriors perished in this expedition, three-fourths
having died from privation, and the others fallen by the spears of the enemy.
What would have been Tchaka's fury at so terrible a defeat may well be imagined ;
but he never lived to see his conquered warriors. It is supposed, and with some show
of truth, that he had been instrumental in causing the death of his own mother,
Mnande. This word signifies " amiable" or " pleasant," in the Zulu tongue, and never
was a name more misapplied. She was violent, obstinate, and wilful to a degree, and
her son certainly inherited these traits of his mother's character, besides superadding a few
of his own. She was the wife of the chief of the Amazulu, then a small and insignificant
tribe, who lived on the banks of the White Folosi river, and behaved in such a manner
that she could not be kept in her husband's kraal. It may be imagined that such a
mother and son were not likely to agree very well together ; and when the latter came
MURDER OF TCHAKA 127
to be a man, he was known to beat his mother openly, without attempting to conceal
the fact, but rather taking credit to himself for it.
Therefore, when she died, her family had some good grounds for believing that
Tchaka had caused her to be killed, and determined on revenge. Hardly had that
ill-fated expedition set out, when two of her sisters came to Dingan and Umhlangani,
the brothers of Tchaka, and openly accused him of having murdered Mnande, urging
the two brothers to kill him and avenge their mother's blood. They adroitly mentioned
the absence of the army, and the terror in which every soldier held his bloodthirsty
king, and said that if, on the return of the army, Tchaka was dead, the soldiers would
be rejoiced at the death of the tyrant, and would be sure to consider as their leaders the
two men who had freed them from such a yoke. The two brothers briefly answered,
" Ye have spoken !" but the women seemed to know that by those wrords the doom of
Tchaka was settled, and withdrew themselves, leaving their nephews to devise their own
plans for the murder of the king.
This was no easy business. They would have tried poison, but Tchaka was much too
wary to die such a death, and, as force was clearly useless, they had recourse to treachery.
They corrupted the favourite servant of Tchaka, a man named Bopa, and having armed
themselves with unshafted heads of assagais, which could be easily concealed, they
proceeded to the king's house, where he was sitting in conference with several of his
councillors, who were unarmed, according to Kaffir etiquette. The treacherous Bopa
began his task by rudely interrupting the councillors, accusing them of telling falsehoods
to the king, and behaving with an amount of insolence to which he well knew they
would not submit. As they rose in anger, and endeavoured to seize the man who had
insulted them, Dingan and Umhlangani stole behind Tchaka, whose attention was
occupied by the extraordinary scene, and stabbed him in the back. He attempted to
escape, but was again stabbed by Bopa, and fell dying to the ground, where he was
instantly slain. The affrighted councillors tried to fly, but were killed by the same
weapons that had slain their master.
This dread scene was terminated by an act partly resulting from native ferocity, and
partly from superstition. The two murderers opened the still warm body of their victim,
and drank the gall. Their subsequent quarrel, and the accession of Dingan to the throne,
has already been mentioned. The new king would probably have been murdered by the
soldiers on their return, had he not conciliated them by relaxing the strict laws of
celibacy which Tchaka had enforced, and by granting indulgences of various kinds to the
troops.
x\s to the dead Mnande, the proximate cause of Tchaka's death, more will be said on
a future page.
CHAPTER XIII.
HUNTING.
THE KAFFIRS LOVE FOB THE CHASE THE GAME AND CLIMATE OF AFRICA THE ANTELOPES OF
AFRICA HUNTING THE KOODOO — USES OF THE HORNS A SCENE ON THE UMGENIE RIVKR THE
TUIKER-BOK AND ITS PECULIARITIES — ITS MODE OF ESCAPE AND TENACITY OF LIFE SINGULAR
MODE OF CONCEALMENT — THE ELAND, ITS FLESH AND FAT CURIOUS SUPERSTITION OF THE ZULU
WARRIORS — THIGH-TONGUES MODK OF HUNTING THE ELAND — THE GEMSBOK — ITS INDIFFERENCE
TO DRINK — DIFFICULTY OF HUNTING IT HOW THE GEMSBOK WIELDS ITS HORNS — THEIR USES TO
MAN MODES OF TRAPPING AND DESTROYING ANTELOPES WHOLESALE — THE HOPO, OR LARGE
PITFALL, ITS CONSTRUCTION AND MODE OF EMPLOYMENT — EXCITING SCENE AT THE HOPO —
PITFALLS FOR SINGLE ANIMALS — THE STAKE AND THE RIDGE THE GIRAFFE PITFALL — HUNTING
THE ELEPHANT USE OF THE DOGS BEST PARTS OF THE ELEPHANT HOW THE FOOT IS COOKED
VORACITY OF THE NATIVES — GAME IN A " HIGH " CONDITION EXTRACTING THE TUSKS AND
TEETH GUTTING UP AN ELEPHANT FLESH, FAT, AND SKIN OF THE RHINOCEROS — A SOUTH
AFRICAN " HAGGIS " ASSAILING A HERD OF GAME SLAUGHTER IN THE RAVINE A HUNTING
SCENK IN KAFFIRLAND — THK " KLOOF " AND THE "BUSH" FALLS OF THE UMZIMVUBU RIVER —
HUNTING DANCE CHASE OF THE LION AND ITS SANGUINARY RESULTS DINGAN's DESPOTIC
MANDATE HUNTING THE BUFFALO.
EXCEPTING war, there is no pursuit which is so engrossing to a Kaffir as the chase ; and
whether he unites with a number of his comrades in a campaign against his game,
whether he pursues it singly, or whether he entices it into traps, he is wholly absorbed in
the occupation, and pursues it with an enthusiasm to which a European is a stranger.
Indeed, in many cases, and certainly in most instances, where a Kaffir is the hunter, the
chase becomes a mimic warfare, which is waged sometimes against the strong, and some-
times against the weak ; which opposes itself equally to the fierce activity of the lion,
the resistless force of the elephant, the speed of the antelope, and the wariness of the
zebra. The love of hunting is a necessity in such a country, which fully deserves the
well-known title of the " Happy Hunting Grounds." There is, perhaps, no country on
earth where may be found such a wonderful variety of game in so small a compass, and
which will serve to exercise, to the very utmost, every capacity for the chase that
mankind can possess.
Southern Africa possesses the swiftest, the largest, the heaviest, the fiercest, the
mightiest, and the tallest beasts in the world. The lofty mountain, the reed-clad dell,
the thorny bush, the open plain, the river bank, and the very water itself, are filled with
their proper inhabitants, simply on account of the variety of soil, which always pro-
duces a corresponding variety of inhabitants. The different kinds of herbage attract and
sustain the animals that are suited to them ; and were they to be extinct, the animals
must follow in their wake.
The larger carnivora are in their turn attracted by the herbivorous inhabitants of the
country, and thus it happens that even a very slight modification in the vegetation has
altered the whole character of a district. Mr. Moffatt has mentioned a curious instance
of this fact.
THE KOODOO. 129
He and his companions were in great jeopardy on account of a disappointed "rain-
maker." The country had originally been even remarkable for the quantity of rain which
fell in it, and for its consequent fertility. The old men said that their forefathers had told
them " of the floods of ancient times, the incessant showers which clothed the very rocks
with verdure, and the giant trees and forests which once studded the brows of the Hamhana
hills and neighbouring plains. They boasted of the Kuruman and other rivers, with
their impassable torrents, in which the hippopotami played, while the lowing herds
walked up to their necks in grass, filling their makukas (milk-sacks) with milk, making
every heart to sing for joy."
That such tales were true was proved by the numerous stumps of huge acacia trees,
that showed where the forest had stood, and by the dry and parched ravines, which had
evidently been the beds of rivers, and clothed with vegetation. For the drought the
missionaries were held responsible, according to the invariable custom of the rain-makers,
who are only too glad to find something on which they shift the blame when no rain
follows their incantations. It was in vain that Mr. MofPatt reminded them that the
drought had been known long before a white man set his foot on the soil. A savage
African is, as a general rule, impervious to dates, not even having the least idea of his
own age, so this argument failed utterly.
The real reason was evidently that which Mr. Moffatt detected, and which he tried in
vain to impress upon the inhabitants of the land. t They themselves, or rather their
forefathers, were responsible for the cessation of rain, and the consequent change from a
fertile land into a desert. For the sake of building their kraals and houses, they had cut
down every tree that their axes could fell, and those that defied their rude tools they
destroyed by fire. Now it is well known that trees, especially when in full foliage, are
very powerful agents in causing rain, inasmuch as they condense the moisture floating in
the air, and cause it to fall to the earth, instead of passing by in suspension. Every tree
that is felled has some effect in reducing the quantity of rain ; and when a forest is
levelled with the ground, the different amount of rainfall becomes marked at once.
These tribes are inveterate destroyers of timber. When they wish to establish them-
selves in a fresh spot, and build a new kraal, they always station themselves close to the
forest, or at all events to a large thicket, which in the course of time is levelled to the
ground, the wood having been all used for building and culinary purposes. The tribe
then go off to another spot, and cut down more timber ; and it is to this custom that the
great droughts of Southern Africa may partly be attributed.
The game which inhabited the fallen forests is perforce obliged to move into districts
where the destructive axe has not been heard, and the whole of those animals that require
a continual supply of water either die off for the wrant of it, or find their way into more
favoured regions. This is specially the case with the antelopes, which form the chief game
of this land. Southern Africa absolutely teems with antelopes, some thirty species of
which are known to inhabit this wonderful country. They are of all sizes, from the great
elands and koodoos, which rival our finest cattle in weight and stature, to the tiny species
which inhabit the bush, and have bodies scarcely larger than if they were rabbits. Some
of them are solitary, others may be found in small parties, others unite in herds of
incalculable numbers ; while there are several species that form associations, not only with
other species of their own group, but with giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and other strange
companions. Each kind must be hunted in some special manner ; and, as the antelopes are
generally the wariest as well as the most active of game, the hunter must be thoroughly
acquainted with his business before he can hope for success.
One of the antelopes which live in small parties is the koodoo, so well known for its
magnificent spiral horns. To Europeans the koodoo is only interesting as. being one of
the most splendid of the antelope tribe, but to the Kaffir it is almost as valuable an
animal as the cow. The flesh of the koodoo is well-flavoured and tender, two qualities
which are exceedingly rare among South African antelopes. The marrow taken from the
leg-bones is a great luxury with the Kaffirs, who are so fond of it that when they kill a
koodoo they remove the leg-bones, break them, and eat the marrow, not only without
cooking, but while it is still warm. Revolting as such a practice may seem to us, it has
VOL. I. K
THE KAFFIR.
been adopted even by English hunters, who have been sensible enough to accommodate
themselves to circumstances.
Then, its hide although comparatively thin, is singularly tough, and, when cut into
narrow slips and properly manipulated, is used for a variety of purposes which a thicker
hide could not fulfil. The toughness and strength of these thongs are really \vondeiinl,
and the rapidity with which they are made scarcely less so. I have seen an experienced
skindresser cut a thin strip from a dried koodoo skin, and in less than half a minute
produce a long, delicate thong, about as thick as ordinary whipcord, as pliant as silk, and
beautifully rounded. I have often thought that the much-vexed question of the best
leather for boot-laces might be easily solved by the use of koodoo hide. Such thongs
would be expensive in the outset, but their lasting powers would render them cheap
in the long run.
The horns of the koodoo are greatly valued in this country, and command a high
price, on account of their great beauty. The Kaffirs, however, value them even more than
we do. They will allow the horns of the eland to lie about and perish, but those of the
koodoo they carefully preserve for two special purposes, — namely, the forge and the
smoking party. Although a Kaffir blacksmith will use the horns of the domestic ox, or
of the eland, as tubes whereby the wind is conveyed from the bellows to the fire, he very
much prefers those of the koodoo, and, if he should be fortunate enough to obtain a pair,
he will lavish much pains on making a handsome pair of bellows.
He also uses* the koodoo horn in the manufacture of the remarkable water-pipe in
which he smokes dakka, or hemp. On a future page will be seen a figure of a Kaffir
engaged in smoking a pipe made from the koodoo horn.
Like many other antelopes, the koodoo is a wary animal, and no small amount of
pains must be taken before the hunter can succeed in his object. The koodoo is one of
the antelopes that requires water, and is not like to its relative, the eland, which never
cares to drink, and which contrives, in some mysterious manner, to be the largest,
the fattest, and the plumpest of all the antelope tribe, though it lives far from water,
and its principal food is herbage so dry that it can be rubbed to powder between the
hands.
The illustration on the next page shows the kind of spot which the koodoo inhabits,
and is taken from a sketch by Captain Drayson, R.A., who shot one of these splendid
antelopes just as it was bounding over the spot where a koodoo is represented as struck
down by an assagai. The scene is on the Umgenie river, and gives a remarkably good
idea of a South African landscape, as far as such a scene can be rendered in the absence
of colour.
EACH of the antelopes has its separate wiles, and puts in practice a different method
of escape from an enemy. The pretty little Duiker-bok, for example, jumps about here
and there with an erratic series of movements, reminding the sportsman of the behaviour
of a flushed snipe. Suddenly it will stop, as if tired, and lie down in the grass ; but when
the hunter comes to the spot, the animal has vanished. All the previous movements were
merely for the purpose of distracting the attention of the hunter, and as soon as the little
antelope crouched down, it lowered its head and crawled away on its knees under cover
of the herbage. It is owing to this habit that the Dutch colonists called it the Duiker,
or Diver.
This little antelope is found in long grass, or among stunted bushes, and the wary
Kaffir is sure to have his weapons ready whenever he passes by a spot where he may
expect to find the Duyker, or Impoon, as he calls it. The creature is wonderfully tena-
cious of life, and, even when mortally wounded, it will make its escape from a hunter
who does not know its peculiarities.
Other antelopes that inhabit grass and bush land have very ingenious modes of con-
cealing themselves. Even on the bare plain they will crouch down in such odd atti-
tudes that all trace of their ordinary outline is gone, and they contrive to arrange them-
selves in such a manner that at a little distance they much resemble a heap of withered
grass and dead sticks, the former being represented by their fur, and the latter by their
ANTELOPES
131
horns and limbs. An untrained eye would never discover one of these animals, and
novices in African hunting can seldom distinguish the antelope even when it is pointed
out to tli cm.
Whenever a practised hunter sees an antelope crouching on the ground, he may be
sure that the animal is perfectly aware of his presence, and is only watching for an
opportunity to escape. If he were to go directly towards it, or even stop and look at it
SCENE ON THE UMGENIE RIVER-HUNTING THE KOODOO.
the antelope would know that it was detected, and would dart off while still out of
range. But an experienced hunter always pretends not to have seen the animal, and in-
stead of approaching it in a direct line, walks round and round the spot where it is lying,
always coining nearer to his object, but never taking any apparent notice of it.
The animal is quite bewildered by this mode of action, and cannot make up its mind
what to do. It is not sure that it has been detected ; and therefore does not like to run
the risk of jumping up and openly betraying itself, and so it only crouches closer to the
ground until its enemy is within range. The pretty antelope called the Ourebi is often
taken in this manner.
SOME antelopes cannot be taken in this manner. They are very wary animals, and,
when they perceive an enemy, they immediately gallop off, and will go for wonderful
distances in an almost straight line. One of these animals is the well-known eland, an
antelope which, in spite of its enormous size and great weight, is wonderfully swift and
active ; and, although a large eland will be nearly six feet high at the shoulders, and as
largely built as our oxen, it will dash over rough hilly places at a pace that no horse can
for a time equal. But it cannot keep up this r>ace for a very long time, as it becomes
132 THE KAFFIR.
extremely fat and heavy ; and if it bo continually hard pressed, and not allowed to slacken
its pace or to halt, it heroines so exhausted that it can he easily overtaken. The usual
plan in such eases is to get in front of the tired eland, make it turn round, and so drive it
into the camping spot, where it can be killed, sp that the hunters save themselves the
trouble of carrying the meat to camp.
Eland hunting is always a favourite sport both with natives and white men, partly
because its flesh is singularly excellent, and partly because a persevering chase is almost
always rewarded with success. To the native, the eland is of peculiar value, because it
furnishes an amount of meat which will feed them plentifully for several days. More-
over, the flesh is always tender, a quality which does not generally belong to South
African venison. The Zulu warriors, however, do not eat the flesh of the eland, being
restrained by superstitious motives.
Usually, when an antelope is killed, its flesh must either be eaten at once, before the
animal heat has left the body, or it must be kept for a day or two, in order to free it from
its toughness. But the flesh of the eland can be eaten even within a few hours after the
animal has been killed. The hunters make a rather curious preparation from the flesh of
the eland. They take out separately the muscles of the thighs, and cure them just as if
they were tongues. These articles are called " thigh-tongues," and are useful 011 a
journey when provisions are likely to be scarce.
Perhaps one of the greatest merits of the eland in a Kaffir's eyes is the enormous
quantity of fat which it will produce when in good condition. As has already been
mentioned, fat is one of the necessaries of life to a Kaffir, as well as one of the greatest
luxuries, and a bull eland in good condition furnishes a supply that will make a Kailir
happy for a month.
There is another South African antelope, which, like the eland, runs in a straight
course when alarmed, but which, unlike the eland, is capable of great endurance. This is
the splendid gemsbok, an antelope which is nearly as large as the eland, though not so
massively built. This beautiful antelope is an inhabitant of the dry and parched plains
of Southern Africa, and, like the eland, cares nothing for water, deriving all the moisture
which it needs from certain succulent roots of a bulbous nature, which lie hidden in the
soil, and which its instinct teaches it to unearth.
This ability to sustain life without the aid of water renders its chase a very difficult
matter, and the hunters, both native and European, are often baffled, not so much by the
speed and endurance of the animal, as by the dry and thirsty plains through which it
leads them, and in which they can find no water. The spoils of the gemsbok are there-
fore much valued, and its splendid horns will always command a high price, even in its
own country, while in Europe they are sure of a sale.
The horus of this antelope are about three feet in length, and are very slightly curved.
The mode in which they are placed on the head is rather curious. They are very nearly
in a line with the forehead, so that when the animal is at rest their tips nearly touch
the back. Horns thus set may be thought to be deprived of much of their capabilities,
but the gemsbok has a rather curious mode of managing these weapons.
When it desires to charge, or to receive the assaults of an enemy, it stoops its head
nearly to the ground, the nose passing between the fore-feet. The horns are then directed
towards the foe, their tips being some eighteen or twenty inches from the ground. As
soon as the enemy comes within reach, the gemsbok turns its head strongly upwards, and
impales the antagonist on its horns, which are so sharp that they seem almost to have
been pointed and polished by artificial means.
Dogs find the gemsbok to be one of their worst antagonists ; for if they succeed in
bringing it to bay, it wields its horns with such swift address that they cannot come
within its reach without very great danger. Even when the animal has received a
mortal wound, and been lying on the ground with only a few minutes of life in its body,
it has been known to sweep its armed head so fiercely from side to side that it killed
several of the dogs as they rushed in to seize the fallen enemy, wounded others severely,
and kept a clear space within range of its horns. Except at certain seasons of the year,
when the gemsbok becomes very fat, and is in consequence in bad condition for a long
HUNTING. 133
chase, the natives seldom try to pursue it, knowing that they are certain to have a very
long run, and that the final capture of the animal is very uncertain.
As to those antelopes which gather themselves together in vast herds, the South
African hunter acts on very different principles, and uses stratagem rather than speed or
force.
One of their most successful methods of destroying the game wholesale is by means of
the remarkable trap called the Hopo. The hopo is, in fact, a very large pitfall, dug out
with great labour, and capable of holding a vast number of animals. Trunks of trees are
laid over it at each end, and a similar arrangement is made at the sides, so that a kind of
overlapping edge is given to it, and a beast that has fallen into it cannot possibly escape.
From this pit two fences diverge, in a V-like form, the pit being the apex. These fences
are about a mile in length, and their extremities are a mile, or even more, apart.
Many hundreds of hunters then turn out, and ingeniously contrive to decoy or drive
the herd of game into the treacherous space between the fences. They then form them-
selves into a cordon across the open end of the V, and advance slowly, so as to urge the
animals onwards. A miscellaneous company of elands, hartebeests, gnoos, zebras, and
other animals, is thus driven nearer and nearer to destruction. Towards the angle of the
V, the fence is narrowed into a kind of lane or passage, some fifty yards in length, and is
made very strongly, so as to prevent the affrighted animals from breaking through.
When a number of them have fairly entered the passage, the hunters dash forward,
yelling at the full stretch of their powerful voices, brandishing their shields and assagais,
and so terrifying the doomed animals that they dash blindly forward, and fall into the pit.
It is useless for those in front to recoil when they see their danger, as they are pushed
onwards by their comrades, and in a few minutes the pit is full of dead and dying
animals. Many of the herd escape when the pit is quite full, by passing over the bodies
of their fallen companions, but enough are taken to feast the whole tribe for a consider-
able time. Those on the outskirts of the herd often break wildly away, and try to make
their escape through the cordon of armed hunters, Many of them succeed in their
endeavours, but others fall victims to the assagais which are hurled at them upon
all sides.
Even such large game as the giraffe, the buffalo, and the rhinoceros have been taken
in this ingenious and most effective trap. Dr. Livingstone mentions that the small sub-
tribe called the Bakawas took from sixty to seventy head of cattle per week in the
various hopos which they constructed.
The animated scene which takes place at one of these hunts is well described by
Mr. H. H. Methuen, in his " Life in the Wilderness." After mentioning the pitfall and
the two diverging fences, between which a herd of quaggas had been enclosed, he proceeds
as follows : " Noises thickened round me, and men rushed past, their skin cloaks
streaming in the wind, till, from their black naked figures and wild gestures, it wanted
no Martin to imagine a Pandemonium.
" I pressed hard upon the flying animals, and galloping down the lane, saw the pits
choke-full ; while several of the quaggas, noticing their danger, turned upon me, ears back,
and teeth showing, compelling me to retreat with equal celerity from them. Some natives
standing in the lane made the fugitives run the gauntlet with their assagais. As each
quagga made a dash at them, they pressed their backs into the hedge, and held their
hard ox-hide shields in his face, hurling their spears into his side as he passed onward.
One managed to burst through the hedge and escape ; the rest fell pierced with assagais,
like so many porcupines. Men are often killed in these hunts, when buffaloes turn back
in a similar way.
" It was some little time before Bari and I could find a gap in the hedge and get round
to the pits, but at length we found one, and then a scene -exhibited itself which baffles
description. So full were the pits that many animals had run over the bodies of their
comrades, and got free. Never can I forget that bloody, murderous spectacle ; a moaning,
wriggling mass of quaggas, huddled and jammed together in the most inextricable
confusion ; some were on their backs, with their heels up, and others lying across them }
134
T11K KAITIK.
some had taken a dive and only displayed their tails ; all lay interlocked like a bucket
full of eels.
"The savages, 1'rantie. with exeitement, yelled round them, thrusting their assagais
with smiles of satisfaction into the tipper ones, and leaving them to suffocate those
beneath, evidently rejoicing in the agony of their victims. Moseleli, tlie chid', was there
in ])erson, and after the lapse of half an hour, the poles at the entrance of the pits heing
removed, the dead bodies, in all the contortions and stiffness of death, were drawn out by
hooked stakes secured through the main sinew of the neck, a rude song, with extemporary
Avon Is, being chanted the. while."
The narrator mentions that out of one pit, only twelve feet square and six deep, he
saw twenty quaggas extracted.
Sometimes pitfalls are constructed for the reception of single animals, such as the
elephant, the hippopotamus, and the rhinoceros.
These arc made chiefly in two modes. The pitfalls which are intended for catching
the three last-mentioned animals are tolerably large, but not very dee]), because the size
and weight of the prisoners prevent them from making their escape. Moreover, a stout
stake, some five feet or more in length, and sharpened at the top, is placed in the middle
of the pit, so that the animal falls upon it and is impaled. The pits arc neatly covered
with sticks, leaves, and earth, so ingeniously disposed that they look exactly like the sur-
face of the ground, and are dangerous, not only to the beasts which they are intended to
catch, but to men and horses. So many accidents have happened by means of these pits,
that when a traveller goes from one district to another he sends notice of his coining, so that
all the pitfalls that lie in his way may be opened.
Elephants are, of course, the most valuable
game that can be taken in these traps, because
their tusks can be sold at a high price, and their
flesh supplies a vast quantity of meat. As the
elephant is a terrible enemy to their cornfields
and storehouses, the natives are in the habit of
guarding the approaches by means of these pitfalls,
and at first find their stratagem totally successful.
But the elephants are so crafty that they soon
learn caution from the fate of their comrades, and
it is as difficult to catch an elephant in a pitfall
as it is to catch an old rat in a trap. Having been
accustomed to such succulent repasts, the elephants
do not like to give up their feasts altogether, and
proceed on their nocturnal expeditions much as
usual.
But some of the oldest and wariest of the herd
go in front, and when they come near the culti-
vated ground, they beat the earth with their trunks,
not venturing a step until they have ascertained
that their footing is safe. As soon as they come
to a pitfall, the hollow sound warns them of danger. They instantly stop, tear the
covering of the pitfall to pieces, and, having thus unmasked it, proceed on their way.
The pitfall which is made for the giraffe is constructed on a different principle.
Owing to the exceedingly long limbs of the animal, it is dug at least ten feet in depth.
But, instead of being a mere pit, a wall or bank of earth is left in the middle, about seven
feet in height, and shaped much like the letter A. As soon as a giraffe tumbles into the
pit, its fore and hind legs fall on opposite sides of the wall, so that the animal is balanced
on its belly, and wastes its strength in plunging about in hopes of finding a foothold.
Sometimes a number of Kaffirs turn out for the purpose of elephant hunting. By
dint of the wary caution which they can always exercise when in pursuit of game, they
find out the animal which possesses the finest tusks, and mark all his peculiarities; they
then watch the spot where he treads, and, by means of a lump of soft clay, they take an
GIRAFFE.
Seetion Showing form of Pit.
PITFALLS.
135
impression of his footmarks. The reason for doing so is simple enough, viz. that if they
should have to chase him, they may not run the risk of confounding his footmarks with
those of other elephants. The sole of every elephant's foot is traversed by a number of
indented lines, and in no two specimens are these lines alike. The clay model of the
GIRAFFES IN PITFALL.
footprints serves them as a guide whereby they may assure
the right track whenever they come to the neighbourhood of water where
soft, and where the footprints of many elephants are sure to be f
Their next endeavour is to creep near enough to the elephant t
wound upon it, an object which is generally attained by a number of e daik
gliding among' the trees, and simultaneously hurling their spears at the ui wpecUn
Lima! The wounded elephant is nearly certain to charge ^ectly at, * SP°* ±ro™
which he fancies that the isault has been made and his shriek of m^ ed ra e ana
alarm is sure to cause the rest of the herd to rush off m terror. The hunte
136 THE KAFFIR.
by various stratagems to isolate tlie wounded animal from its comrades, and to prevent
him from rejoining them, while at every opportunity fresh assagais are thrown, and the
elephant is never permitted to rest.
As a wounded elephant always makes for the Lush, it would be quite safe from
white hunters, though not so from the lithe and naked Kaffirs, who glide through Ilie
underwood and between the trees faster than the elephant can push its way through
them. Every now and then it will turn and charge madly at its foes, but it expends its
-strength in vain, as they escape by nimbly jumping behind trees, or, in critical cases, by
• climbing up them, knowing that an elephant never seems to comprehend that a foe can
be anywhere but on the ground.
In this kind of chase they are much assisted by their dogs, which bark incessantly at
the animal, and serve to distract its attention from the hunters. It may seem strange
that so huge an animal as the elephant should be in the least impeded by such small
creatures as dogs, which, even if he stood still and allowed them to bite his legs to their
hearts' content, could make no impression on the thick and tough skin which defends
them. But the elephant has a strange terror of small animals, and especially dreads the
dog, so that, when it is making up its mind to charge in one direction, the barking of a
contemptible little cur will divert it from its purpose, and enable its intended victim either
to secure himself behind a tree, or to become the assailant, and add another spear to the
number that are already quivering in the animal's vast body.
The slaughter of an elephant by this mode of hunting is always a long and a cruel
process. Even when the hunters are furnished with the best fire-arms, a number of wounds
are genera.1 ly inflicted before it dies, the exceptional case, when it falls dead at the first
shot, being very rare indeed. Now, however powerful may be the practised aim of a Kaffir,
and sharp as may be his weapon, he cannot drive it through the inch-thick hide into a
vital part, and the consequence is that the poor animal is literally worried to death by a
multitude of wounds, singly insignificant, but collectively fatal.
At last the huge victim falls under the loss of blood, and great are the rejoicings if
it should happen to sink down in its ordinary kneeling posture, as the tusks can then be
extracted with comparative ease, and the grove of spears planted in its body can be drawn
out entire ; whereas, when the elephant falls on one side, all the spears upon that side are
shattered to pieces, and every one must be furnished with a new shaft.
The first proceeding is to cut off the tail, \\7hich is valued as a trophy, and the next
is to carve upon the tusks the mark of the hunter to whom they belong, and who is
always the man who inflicted the first wound. The next proceeding is to cut a large
hole in one side, into which a number of Kaffirs enter, and busy themselves by taking out
the most valuable parts of the animal. The inner membrane of the skin is saved for
water- sacks, which are made in a vsry primitive manner, a large sheet of the membrane
being gathered together, and a sharp stick thrust through the corners. The heart is then
taken out, cut into convenient pieces, and each portion wrapped in a piece of the ear.
If the party can encamp for the night on the spot, they prepare a royal feast, by baking
one or two of the feet in the primitive but most effective oven which is in use, not only
in Southern Africa, but in many other parts of the world.
A separate oven is made for each foot, and formed as follows : — A hole is dug in the
ground, considerably larger than the foot which is to be cooked, and a fire is built in it.
As soon as it burns up, a large heap of dry wood is piled upon it, and suffered to burn
down. When the heap is reduced to a mass of glowing ashes, the Kaffirs scrape out the
embers by means of a long pole, each man taking his turn to run to the hole, scrape away
until he can endure the heat no longer, and then run away again, leaving the pole for
his successor.
The hole being freed from embers, the foot is rolled into it, and covered with green
leaves and twigs. The hot earth and embers are then piled over the hole, and another
great bonfire lighted. As soon as the wood has entirely burned itself out, the operation
of baking is considered as complete, and the foot is lifted out l>y several men furnished
with long sharpened poles. By means of this remarkable oven the meat is cooked more
thoroughly than could be achieved in any oven of more elaborate construction, the whole
COOKING ELEPHANT'S FOOT.
of the tendons, the fat, the immature bone, and similar substances being converted into
a gelatinous mass, which the African hunter seems to prefer to all other dishes, excepting,
perhaps, the marrow taken from the leg-bones of the giraffe or eland.
Sometimes the trunk is cut into thick slices, and baked at the same time with the feet.
Although this part of the elephant may not be remarkable for the excellence of its flavour,
138 THE KAFFIR.
it has, at all events, the capability of being made fender by cooking, which is by no means
the case with the meat that is usually obtained iVom the animals which inhabit Southern
Africa. Kven the skull itself is broken up for the sake of the oily fat which fills the
honeycomb-like cells which intervene between the plates of the skull. The rest of the
meat is converted into " biltongue," by cutting it into strips and drying it in the sun, as
has already been described. As a general rule, the Kailirs do not like to leave an animal
until they have dried or consumed the whole of the meat. Under the ready spears and
powerful jaws of the natives, even an elephant is soon reduced to a skeleton, as may be
imagined from the fact that five Kaffirs can eat a buffalo in a day and a half.
The, skull and tusks can generally be left on the spot for some time, as the hunters
respect each other's marks, and will not, as a rule, take the tusks from an elephant that
has been killed and marked by another. The object in allowing the head to remain un-
touched is, that putrefaction may take place, and render the task of extracting the tusks
easier than is the case when they are taken out at once. It must be remembered that the
tusks of an elephant are embedded in the skull for a considerable portion of their length,
and that the only mode of extracting them is by chopping away their thick bony sockets,
which is a work of much time and labour. However, in that hot climate putrefaction
takes place very readily, and by the time that the hunters have finished the elephant the
tusks can be removed. Sometimes the flesh becomes more, than " high," but the Kailirs,
and indeed all African savages, seem rather to prefer certain meats when in the incipient
stage of putrefaction.
Careless of the future as are the natives of Southern Africa, they are never wasteful
of food, and, unlike the aborigines of North America, they seldom, if ever, allow the
body of a slain animal to 'become the prey of birds and beasts. They will eat in two
days the food that ought to serve them for ten, and will nearly starve themselves to death
during the remaining eight days of famine, but they will never throw away anything
that can by any possibility be eaten. Even the very blood is not wasted. If a large
animal, such as a rhinoceros, be killed, the black hunters separate the ribs from the spine,
as the dead animal lies on its side, and by dint of axe-blades, assagai-heads, and strong-
arms, soon cut a large hole in the side.
Into this hole the hunters straightway lower themselves, and remove the intestines
of the animal, passing them to their comrades outside, who invert them, tie up the
end, and return them. By this time a great quantity of blood has collected, often
reaching above the ankles of the hunters. This blood they ladle with their joined hands
into the intestines, and so contrive to make black puddings on a gigantic scale.
The flesh of the rhinoceros is not very tempting. That of an old animal is so very
tough and dry that scarcely anyone except a native can eat it ; and even that of the young
animal is only partly eatable by a white man. When a European hunter kills a young
rhinoceros, he takes a comparatively small portion of it, — namely, the hump, and a layer
ot fat and flesh which lies between the skin and the ribs. The remainder he abandons
to his native assistants, who do not seem to care very much whether meat be tough or
tender, so long as it is meat.
The layer of fat and lean on the ribs is only some two inches'in thickness, so that
the attendants have the lion's share, as far as quantity is concerned. Quality they leave
to the more fastidious taste of the white man.
The intestines of animals are greatly valued by the native hunters, who laugh at
white men for throwing them away. They state that, even as food, the intestines are the
best parts of the animal, and those Europeans who have had the moral courage to follow
the example of the natives have always corroborated their assertion. The reader may
perhaps remember that the backwoodsmen of America never think of rejecting tl
dainty morsels, but have an odd method of drawing them slowly through the fire, and
thus eating them as fast as they are cooked. Moreover, the intestines, as well as the
paunch, are always useful as water-vessels. This latter article, when it is taken from
a small animal, is always reserved for cooking purposes, being filled with scraps of meat,
fat, blood, and other ingredients, and then cooked. Scotch travellers have compared
this dish to the " haggis " of their native land.
DAINTY MORSELS. 139
The illustration on page 137 represents the wild and animated scene which accom-
panies the death of an elephant. Some two or three hours are supposed to have elapsed
since the elephant was killed, and the chief has just arrived at the spot. He is shown
seated in the foreground, his shield and assagais stacked behind him, while his page
is holding a cup of beer, and two of his chief men are offering him the tusks of the
elephant.
In the middle distance are seen the Kaffirs preparing the oven for the reception of
the elephant's foot. Several men are seen engaged in raking out the embers from the
hole, shielding themselves from the heat by leafy branches of trees, while one of the
rakers has just left his post, being scorched to the utmost limit of endurance, and is in
the act of handing over his pole to a comrade who is about to take his place at the fire.
Two more Kaffirs are shown in the act of rolling the huge foot to the oven, and strips
of the elephant's fiesh are seen suspended from the boughs in order to be converted into
"biltongue." It is a rather remarkable fact that this simple process of cutting the meat
into strips and drying it in the air has the effect of rendering several unsavoury meats
quite palatable, taking away the powerful odours which deter even a Kaffir, and much
more a white man, from eating them in a fresh state.
In the extreme distance is seen the nearly demolished body of the elephant, at which
a couple of Kaffirs are still at work. It may here be mentioned that after an elephant
is killed, the Kaffirs take very great pains about making the first incision into the body.
The carcase of the slain animal generally remains on the ground for an hour or two until
the orders of the chief can be received ; and even in that brief space of time the hot
African sun produces a partial decomposition, and causes the body of the animal to swcil
by reason of the quantity of gas which is generated.
The Kaffir who takes upon himself the onerous task of making the first incision
chooses his sharpest and weightiest assagai, marks the direction of the wind, selects the
best spot for the operation, and looks carefully round to see that the coast is clear.
Having made all his preparations, he hurls his weapon deeply into the body of the
elephant, and simultaneously leaps aside to avoid the result of the stroke, the enclosed
g:is escaping with a loud report, and pouring out in volumes of such singularly offensive
odour that even the nostrils of a Kaffir are not proof against it.
I have more than once witnessed a somewhat similar scene when engaged in the
pursuit of comparative anatomy, the worst example being that of a lion which had been
dead some three or four weeks, and which was, in consequence, swollen out of all shape.
We fastened tightly all the windows which looked upon the yard in which the body of
the animal was lying, and held the door ready to be closed at a moment's notice. The
adventurous operator armed himself with a knife and a lighted pipe, leaned well to the
opposite side of the animal, delivered his stab, and darted back to the door, which was
instantly closed. The result of the operation was very much like that which has been
mentioned when performed on the elephant, though on a smaller scale, and in a minute
or so the lion was reduced to its ordinary size.
Sometimes a great number of hunters unite for the purpose of assailing one of the
vast herds of animals which have already been mentioned. In this instance, they do not
resort to the pitfall, but attack the animals with their spears. In order to do so effec-
tually, they divide themselves into two parties, one of which, consisting chiefly of the
younger men, and led by one or two of the old and experienced hunters, sets off towards
the herd, while the others, armed with a large supply of assagais and kerries, proceed to
one of the narrow and steep-sided ravines which are so common in Southern Africa.
The former party proceed very cautiously, availing themselves of every cover, and
being very careful to manoeuvre so as to keep on the leeward side of the herd, until they
have fairly placed the animals between themselves and the ravine. Meanwhile, sentries
are detached at intervals, whose duty it is to form a kind of lane towards the ravine,
and to prevent the herd from taking a wrong course. When all the arrangements are
completed, the hunters boldly show themselves in the rear of the animals, who imme-
diately move forward in a body — not very fast at first, because they are not quite sure
whether they are going to be attacked. As they move along, the sentinels show them-
MO
THE KAFFIR
sehvs at cither si;' io direct them towards the ravine; and when the van of the
herd ha* entered, the remainder are sun; to follow.
Then (Mines a most animated and stirring scene. Knowing that when the leaders of
the herd have entered the ravine, the rest are sure to follow, the driving party rushes for-
ward with loud yells, beating their shields, and terrifying the animals to such a decree
that they dash madly forward in a mixed concourse of antelopes, quaggas, giraffes, and
often a stray ostrich or two.. Thick and fast the assagais rain upon the affrighted
animals as they try to rush out of the ravine, but when they reach the end they find their
exit barred by a strong party of hunters, who drive them back with shouts and spears.
HUNTING SCENE.
Some of them charge boldly at- the hunters, and make their escape, while others rush back
again through the kloof, hoping to escape by the same way as they had entered. This
entrance is, however, guarded by the driving party, and so the wretched animals are sent
backwards and forwards along this deadly path until the weapons of their assailants are
exhausted, and the survivors are allowed to escape.
These "kloofs" form as characteristic features of Southern Africa as do the table
mountains. They have been well denned as the re-entering elbows or fissures in a- range
of hills ; and it is a remarkable fact that the kloof is mostly clothed with thick bush,
whatever may be the character of the surrounding country. In Colonel E. Napier's
" Excursions in Southern Africa," there is so admirable a description of the kloof and the
bush that it must be given in the language of the writer, who has drawn a most per-
fect word-picture of South African scenery : —
" The character of the South African ' bush ' has features quite peculiar in itself, and
KLOOFS.
141
sometimes unites — while strongly contrasting — the grand and sublime with the grotesque
and ridiculous. "When sewi afar from a commanding elevation — the undulating sea of
verdure extending for miles and miles, with a bright sun shining on a green, compact,
unbroken surface— it conveys to the mind of a spectator nought save images of repose,
peace, and tranquillity. He forgets that, like the hectic bloom of a fatal malady, these
smilin0' seas of verdure often in their entangled depths conceal treacherous, death-dealing
FALLS ON THE RIVER UMZIMVUBU.
reptiles, ferocious beasts of prey, and the still more dangerous, though no less crafty, and
more cruel Kaffir.
" On a nearer approach, dark glens and gloomy kloofs are found to fence the mountain
sides. These often merge downwards into deep ravines, forming at their base sometimes tho
bed of a clear, gurgling brook, or that of a turbid, raging torrent, generally shadowed and
overhung by abundant vegetation, in all the luxuriance of tropical growth and profusion.
" Noble forest trees, entwined with creepers, encircled by parasitical plants and with
long grey mantles of lichen, loosely and beardlike floating from their spreading limbs,
142 THE KAFFIR
throw the ' brown horrors ' of a shadowy gloom o'er the dark, secluded, druidical-looking
dells. But jabbering apes, or large, satyr-like baboons, performing grotesque antics and
uttering unearthly yells, grate strangely on the ear, and sadly mar the solemnity of tin-
scene ; whilst lofty, leafless, and fantastic euphorbia, like huge candelabra, shoot up in bare
profusion from the grey, rocky cliffs, pointing as it were in mockery their skeleton arms
at the dark and luxuriant foliage around. Other plants of the cactus and milky tribes —
of thorny, rugged, or smooth and fleshy kinds — stretch forth in every way their bizarre,
mis-shapen forms; waving them to the breeze, from yon high, beetling crags, so thickly
clothed to their very base with graceful nojebooms, and drooping, palm-like aloes : whose
tall, slender, and naked stems spring up from amidst the dense verdure of gay and
flowering mimosas.
" Emerging from such darksome glens to the more sunny side of the mountain's brow,
there we still find an impenetrable bush, but differing in character from what, we have
just described — a sort of high, thorny underwood, composed chiefly of the mimosa and
portulacacia tribe ; taller, thickcv, more impenetrable, and of ID ore rigid texture than even
the tiger's accustomed lair in the far depths of an Indian jungle; but, withal, so mixed
and mingled with luxuriant, turgid, succulent plants and parasites, as — even during the
driest weather — to be totally impervious to the destroying influence of fire.
"The bush is, therefore, from its impassable character, the Kaffir's never-failing place
of refuge, both in peace and war. In his naked hardihood, he either, snake-like, twines
through and creeps beneath its densest masses, or, shielded with the kaross, securely delics
their most thorny and abrading opposition. Under cover of the bush, in war, he, panther-
like, steals upon his foe; hi peace, upon the farmer's flock. Secure, in both instances, from
pursuit, he can in the bush set European power, European skill, and European discipline
at nought ; and hitherto, vain has been every effort to destroy by fire this, his impreg-
nable— for it is impregnable to all save himself — stronghold."
A good example of the grandeur of South African scenery, which is mentioned by
Colonel Napier, is afforded by the illustration on page 141, which represents a waterfall
on the Umzimvubu Kiver. The drawing was taken from a sketch kindly furnished by
Captain Drayson, RA.
After a successful hunt, such as has just been described, there are great rejoicings, tin1
chief of the tribe having all the slaughtered game laid before him, and giving orders for a
grand hunting dance.
The chief, who is generally too fat to care about accompanying the hunters, takes his
seat in some open space, mostly the central enclosure of a kraal, and there, in company
with a huge bowl of beer and a few distinguished guests, awaits the arrival of the game.
The animals have hardly fallen before they are carried in triumph to the chief, and laid
before him. As each animal is placed on the ground, a little Kaffir boy comes and lays
himself over his body, remaining in this position until the dance is over. This curious
custom is adopted from an idea that it prevents sorcerers from throwing their spells upon
the game. The boys who are employed for this purpose become greatly disfigured by the
blood of the slain animals, but they seem to think that the gory stains are ornamental
rather than the reverse.
At intervals, the hunting dance takes place, the hunters arranging themselves in
regular lines, advancing and retreating with the precision of trained soldiers, shouting,
leaping, beating their shields, brandishing their weapons, and working themselves up to a
wonderful pitch of excitement. The leader of the dance, who faces them, is, if possible,
even more excited than the men, and leaps, stamps, and shouts with an energy that seems
to be almost maniacal. Meanwhile, the chief sits still, and drinks his beer, and signifies
occasionally his approval of the dancers.
Besides those animals which the Kaffir kills for food, there are others which he only
attacks for the sake of their trophies, such as the skin, claws, and teeth. The mode
adopted in assailing the fierce and active beasts, such as the lion, is very remarkable.
Each man furnishes himself, in addition to bis usual weapons, with an assagai, to the butt
end of which is attached a large bunch of ostrich feathers, looking very much like the
feather brushes with which ladies dust delicate furniture. They then proceed to the spot
LION HUNTING.
143
where the lion is to be found, and .spread themselves so as to make a circle round him.
The lion is at first rather disquieted at this proceeding, and, according to his usual custom,
tries to slip oil' unseen.
When, however, he finds that he cannot do so, and that the circle of enemies is closing
on him, he becomes angry, turns to bay, and with menacing growls announces his inten-
tion of punishing the intruders on his domain. One of them then comes forward, and
incites the lion to charge him, and as sooli as the animal's attention is occupied by one
ohji'et, the hunters behind him advance, and hurl a shower of assagais at him. With a
terrible roar the -lion springs at the bold challenger, who sticks his plumed assagai into
the ground, leaping at the same time to one side. In his rage and pain, the lion docs
not at the moment comprehend the deception, and strikes with his mighty paw at the
HUNTING DANCE.
bunch of ostrich plumes, which he takes for the feather-decked head of his assailant.
Finding himself baffled, he turns round, and leaps on the nearest hunter, who repeats the
same process ; and as at every turn the furious animal receives fresh wounds, he succumbs
at last to his foes.
It is seldom that in such an affray the hunters come off scathless. The least hesita-
tion in planting the plumed spear and leaping aside entails the certainty of a severe
wound, and the probability of death. But, as the Kaffirs seldom engage in such, a hunt
without the orders of their chief, and are perfectly aware that failure to execute his com-
mands is a capital offence, it is better for them to run the risk of being swiftly killed by
the lion's paw than cruelly beaten to death by the king's executioners.
That sanguinary monarch, Dingaii, used occasionally to send a detachment with orders
to catch a lion alive, and bring it to him. They executed this extraordinary order much
in the same manner1 as has been related. But they were almost totally unarmed, having
no weapons but their shields and kerries, and, as soon as the lion was induced to charge,
the bold warriors threw themselves upon him in such numbers that they fairly over-
whelmed him, and brought him into the presence of Dingan, bound and gagged, though
sLill furious with rage, arid without a wound. Of course, several of the soldiers lost their
lives in the assault, but neither their king nor1 their comrades seemed to think that any-
144 THE KAFFIK.
tiling out of the ordinary course of things had been done. On one occasion, Dingan con-
descended to play a practical joke upon his soldiers.
A traveller had gone to see him, and had turned loose his horse, which was quietly
grazing at a distance. At that time horses had not been introduced among the Kaffirs,
and many of the natives had never even seen such an animal as a horse. It so happened
that among the soldiers that surrounded Dingan were some who had come from a distant
part of the country, and who were totally unacquainted with horses. Dingan called them
to him, and pointing to the distant horse, told them to bring him that lion alive. They
instantly started off, and, as usual, one stood in advance to tempt the animal to charge,
while the others closed in upon the supposed lion, in order to seize it when it had made
its leap. They soon discovered their mistake, and came back looking very foolish, to the
great delight of their chief.
The buffalo is, however, a more terrible foe than the lion itself, as it will mostly take
the initiative, and attack before its presence is suspected. Its habit of living in the
densest and darkest thicket renders it a peculiarly dangerous animal, as it will dash from
its concealment upon any unfortunate man who happens to pass near its lair; and as its
great weight and enormously solid horns enable it to rush through the bush much faster
than even a Kaffir can glide among the matted growths, there is but small chance of
escape. Weapons are but of little use when a buffalo is in question, as its armed front is
scarcely pervious to a rifle ball, and perfectly impregnable against such weapons as the
Kaffir's spear, and the suddenness of the attack gives but little time for escape.
As the Kaffirs do not particularly care for its flesh, though of course they will eat
it when they can get nothing better, they will hunt the animal for the sake of its
hide, from which they make the strongest possible leather. The hide is so tough that,
except at close quarters, a bullet which has not been hardened by the admixture of some
other metal will not penetrate it. Sometimes the Kaffir engages very unwillingly in war
with this dangerous beast, being attacked unawares when passing near its haunts. Under
these circumstances the man makes for the nearest tree, and if he can find time to ascend
it he is safe from the ferocious brute, who would only be too glad to toss him in the air
first, and then to pound his body to a jelly bv trampling on him.
CHAPTER XIV.
AGKICULTUKE.
DIVISION OF LABOUR HOW LAND IS PREPARED FOR SEED CLEARING THE LAND AND BREAKING
UP THE GROUND EXHAUSTIVE SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURE — CROPS CULTIVATED BY KAFFIRS —
THE STAFF OF LIFE WATCH-TOWERS AND THEIR USES — KEEPING OFF THE BIRDS — ENEMIES
OF THE CORN-FIELD — THE CHACMA AND ITS DEPREDATIONS THE BABIANA ROOT USES OF
THE CHACMA THE HIPPOPOTAMUS AND ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWERS THE ELEPHANT SINGULAR
PLAN OF TERRIFYING IT ANTELOPES, BUFFALOES, AND WILD SWINE ELABORATE FORTIFICATION
BIRD KILLING THE LOCUST CURIOUS KAFFIR LEGEND — FRUITS CULTIVATED BY THE KAFFIR
— FORAGE FOR CATTLE BURNING THE BUSH AND ITS RESULTS.
As by the chase the Kaffirs obtain the greater part of their animal food, so by agriculture
they procure the chief part of their vegetable nourishment. The task of providing food
is divided between the two sexes, the women not being permitted to take part in the
hunt, nor to meddle with the cows, while the men will not contaminate their warrior
hands with the touch of an agricultural implement. They have no objection to use
edge-tools, such as the axe, and will cut down the trees and brushwood which may be in
the way of cultivation ; but they will not carry a single stick off the ground, nor help
the women to dig or clear the soil.
When a new kraal is built, the inhabitants look out for a convenient spot in the im-
mediate neighbourhood, where they may cultivate the various plants that form the staple
of South African produce. As a general rule, ground is of two kinds, namely, bush and
open ground, the former being the more fertile, and the latter requiring less trouble ill
clearing. The experienced agriculturist invariably prefers the former, although it costs him
a little more labour at first, and although the latter is rather more inviting at first sight.
This favourable impression soon vanishes upon a closer inspection, for, as a general rule,
where it is not sandy, it is baked so hard by the sun that a plough would have no
chance against it, and even the heavy picks with which the women work cannot make
an impression without much labour. Moreover, it requires much more water than is
supplied from natural sources, and, even when well moistened, is not, very remarkable for
its fertility. Bush land is of a far better quality, and is prepared for agriculture as
follows : —
The men set to work with their little axes, and chop down all the underwood and
small trees, leaving the women to drag the fallen branches out of the space intended for
the field or garden. Large trees they cannot fell with their imperfect instruments, and so
they are obliged to content themselves with cutting off as many branches as possible, and
then bringing the tree down by means of fire. The small trees and branches that are
felled are generally arranged round the garden, so as to form a defence against the nume-
rous enemies which assail the crops. The task of building this fence belongs to the men,
and when they have completed it their part of the work is done, and they leave the rest
to the women.
Furnished with the heavy and clumsy hoe, the woman breaks up the ground by
sheer manual labour, and manages, in her curious fashion, to combine digging and sowing
in one operation. Besides her pick, laid over her shoulder, and possibly a baby slung
VOL. i. L
140 THE KAFFIR.
on her back, she carries to the field a large basket of seed balanced on her head. When
she arrives at the scene of her labours, she begins by scattering the seed broadcast over
tin1 ground, and then pecks up the earth with her hoe to a depth of some, three, or four
inches. The larger roots and grass tufts are then picked out by hand and removed, but
the smaller are not considered worthy of special attention.
This constitutes the operation of sowing, and in a wonderfully short time a mixed crop
of corn and weeds shoots up. When both are about a month old, the ground is again hoed,
ami the weeds are then pulled up and destroyed. Owing to the very imperfect mode of
cultivation, the soil produces uncertain results, the corn coming up thickly and rankly
in some spots, while in others not a blade of corn has made its appearance.
When the Kallir chooses the open ground for his garden, he does not always trouble
himself to build a fence, but contents himself with marking out and sowing a patch of
ground, trusting to good fortune that it may not be devastated by the numerous foes with
which a KalhYs garden is sure to be infested.
The Kallir seems to have very little idea of artificial irrigation, and none at all of re-
novating the ground by manure. Irrigation he leaves to the natural showers, and, beyond
paying a professional "rain-maker" to charm the clouds for him, he takes little, if any,
trouble about this important branch of agriculture. As to manuring soil, he is totally
ignorant of such a proceeding, although the herds of cattle which are kept in every kraal
would enable him to render his cultivated land marvellously fertile. The fact is, that
land is so plentiful that when one patch of land is exhausted he leaves it, and goes to
another ; and for this reason, abandoned gardens are very common, their position being
marked out by remnants of the fence which encircled them, and by the surviving maize
or pumpkin plants which have contrived to maintain an unassisted existence.
Four or five gardens are often to be seen round a kraal, each situated so as to suit
some particular plant. Various kinds of crops are cultivated by the Kaffirs, the prin-
cipal being maize, millet, pumpkins, and a kind of spurious sugar-cane in great use
throughout Southern Africa, and popularly known by the name of " sweet reed." The
two former constitute, however, the necessaries of life, the latter belonging rather to the
class of luxuries. The maize, or, as it is popularly called when the pods are severed from
the stem, " mealies," is the very staff of life to a Kaffir, as it is from the mealies that is
made the thick porridge on which the Kaffir chiefly lives. If a European hires a Kaffir,
whether as guide, servant, or hunter, he is obliged to supply him with a stipulated quan-
tity of food, of which the maize forms the chief ingredient. Indeed, so long as the
native of Southern Africa can get plenty of porridge and sour milk, he is perfectly
satisfied with his lot. When ripe, the ears of maize are removed from the stem, the leafy
envelope is stripped off, and they are hung in- -pairs over sticks until they are dry enough
to be taken to the storehouse.
A watch-tower is generally constructed in these gardens, especially if they are of
considerable size. The tower is useful for two reasons : it enables the watcher to see to
a considerable distance, and acts as a protection against the wild boars and other enemies
which are apt to devastate the gardens, especially if they are not guarded by a fence, or
if the fence should be damaged. If the spot be unfenced, a guard is kept on it day and
night, but a properly defended garden needs no night watchers except in one or two weeks
of the year.
The watch-tower is very simply made. Four stout poles are fixed firmly in the
ground, and a number of smaller poles are lashed to their tops, so as to make a flat plat-
form. A small hut is built on part of the platform as a protection against the weather,
so that the. inmate can watch the field while ensconced in the hut, and, if any furred or
feathered robbers come within its precincts, can run out on the platform and frighten them
away by shouts and waving of arms. The space between the platform and ground is
wattled on three sides, leaving the fourth open. The object of this wattling is twofold.
In the first place, the structure is rendered more secure; and in the second, the inmate of
the tower can make a fire and cook food without being inconvenienced by the wind.
The task of watching the fields is committed to the women and young girls, the men
thinking such duties beneath them. In order to keep off the birds from the newly-
BABOONS.
147
sprouted corn-blades, or from the just ripening grain, a very ingenious device is employed.
A great number of tall, slender posts are stuck at intervals all over the piece of land, and
strings made of bark are led from pole to pole, all the ends being brought to the top of
the watch-tower, where they are firmly tied. As soon as a flock of birds alight on the
field, the girl in charge of the tower pulls the strings violently, which sets them all
vibrating up and down, and so the birds are frightened, and fly away to* another spot. A
system almost identical with this is employed both in the Chinese and Japanese empires,
and the complicated arrangement of poles and strings, and the central "watch-tower, is a
favourite subject for illustration in the rude but graphic prints which both nations pro-
duce with such fertility.
The enemies of the corn-field are innumerable. There are, in the first place, hosts of
winged foes, little birds and insects, which cannot be prohibited from entering, and can
only be driven away when they have entered. Then there are certain members of the
monkey tribes, notably the baboons, or chacmas, which care very little more for a fence than
do the birds, and which, if they find climbing the fence too troublesome, can generally
insinuate themselves through its inter-
stices. This cunning and active animal
is at times too clever even for the
Kaffir, and will succeed in stealing un-
observed into his garden, and carrying
off the choicest of the crops. What-
ever a man will eat a chacma will eat,
and the creature knows as well as the
man when the crops are in the best
order. Whether the garden contain
maize, millet, pumpkins, sweet seeds,
or fruits, the chacma is sure to select
the best ; and even when the animals
are detected, and chased out of the
garden, it is very annoying to the pro-
prietor to see them go off with a quan-
tity of spoil, besides the amount which
they have eaten.
The ordinary food of the chacma is
a plant called Babiana, from the use
which the baboons make of it. It is
a subterranean root, which has the
property of being always full of watery
juice in the driest weather, so that it is
of incalculable value to travellers who
have not a large supply of water with
them, or who find that the regular fountains are dried up. Many Kaffirs keep tame
chacmas which they have captured when very young, and which have scarcely seen any
of their own kind. These animals are very useful to the Kaffirs, for, if they come
upon a plant or a fruit which they do not know, they offer it to the baboon ; and if he
eats it, they know that it is suitable for human consumption.
On their journeys the same animal is very useful in discovering water, or, at all
events, the babiana roots, which supply a modicum of moisture to the system, and serve-
to support life until water is reached. Under these circumstances, the baboon takes the
lead of the party, being attached to a long rope, and allowed to run about as it likes.
When it comes to a root of babiana, it is held back until the precious vegetable can be
taken entire out of the ground, but, in order to stimulate the animal to further exertions,
it is allowed to eat a root now and then.
The search for water is conducted in a similar manner. The wretched baboon is in-
tentionally kept without drink until it is half mad with thirst, and is then led by a cord
as before mentioned. It proceeds with great caution, standing occasionally on its hind
BABOON FINDING WATER-ROOTS.
118 THE KAFFIH.
legs to sniff the breeze, and looking at and smelling every tuft of grass. By what signs
the animal is guided no one can even conjecture ; but if water is in the neighbourhood
th*1 baboon is sure to find it. So, although this animal is an inveterate foe of the field and
garden, it is not without its uses to man when its energies are rightly directed.
If the gardens or fields should happen to be near the river side, there is no worse foe
for them than the hippopotamus, which is only too glad to exchange its ordinary food for
the rich banquet which it finds in cultivated grounds. If a single hippopotamus should
once succeed in getting into a garden, a terrible destruction to the crop takes place. In the
first place, the animal can consume an almost illimitable amount of green food ; and when
it gets among such dainties as corn-fields and pumpkin patches, it indulges its appetite in-
ordinately. Moreover, it damages more than it eats, as its broad feet and short thick legs
trample their way through the crops. The track of any large animal would be injurious
to a standing crop, but that of the hippopotamus is doubly so, because the legs of either
side are so wide apart that the animal maizes a double track, one being made with the
feet of the right side, and the other with those of the left.
Against these heavy and voracious foes, a fence would be of little avail, as the hippo-
potamus could force its way through the barrier without injury, thanks to its thick hide.
The owner of the field therefore encloses it within a tolerably deep ditch, and furthermore
defends the ditch by pointed stakes ; so that, if a hippopotamus did happen to fall into
the trench, it would never come out again alive.
A similar defence is sometimes made against the inroads of the elephants. Those
animals do not often take it into their heads to attack a garden in the vicinity of human
habitations ; but when they do so, it is hardly possible to stop them, except by such an
obstacle as a ditch. Even the ordinary protection of a fence and the vicinity of human
habitations is worthless, when a number of elephants choose to make an inroad upon
some field; and, unless the whole population turns out of the kraal and uses all
means at their command, the animals will carry out their plans. The elephant always
chooses the night for his marauding expeditions, so that the defenders of the crops have
double disadvantages to contend against.
One weapon which they use against the elephant is a very singular one. They have
an idea that the animal is terrified at the shrill cry of an infant, and as soon as elephants
approach a kraal, all the children are whipped, in hopes that the elephants may be dis-
mayed at the universal clamour, and leave the spot.
Antelopes of various kinds are exceedingly fond of the young corn-blades, and, if the
field be without a fence, are sure to come in numbers, and nibble every green shoot down
to the very ground.
Near the bush the buffalo is scarcely less injurious, arid more dangerous to meddle
with ; and even the porcupine is capable of working much damage. The wild swine,
however, are perhaps the worst, because the most constant invaders, of the garden. Even
a fence is useless against them, unless it be perfect throughout its length, for the pigs can
force themselves through a wonderfully small aperture, owing to their wedge-shaped head,
while their thick and tough skins enable them to push their way through thorns and
spikes without suffering any damage.
The "pigs," as the wild swine are popularly called, always come from the bush; and
when several kraals are built near a bush, the chiefs of each kraal agree to make a fence
from one to the other, so as to shut out the pigs from all the cultivated land. This fence
is a very useful edifice, but, at the same time, has a very ludicrous aspect to a
European. The reader has already been told that the Kaffir cannot draw a straight line,
much less build a straight fence ; and the consequence is, that the builders continually
find that the fence is assuming the form of a segment of a circle in one direction, and
then try to correct the error by making a segment of a circle in the opposite direction,
thus making the fence very much larger than is necessary, and giving themselves a vast
amount of needless trouble.
As to the winged enemies of the garden, many modes of killing them or driving them
away are employed. One method for frightening birds has already been described, and
is tolerably useful when the corn is young and green ; but when it is ripe, the birds are
BIED KILLING. 140
nmeli ton busy to be deterred by such flimsy devices, and continue to eat the corn in
spite of the snaking strings.
Under such circumstances, war is declared against the birds, and a number of Kaffirs
surround the enclosure, each being furnished with a number of knob-kernes. A stone is
then flung into the corn for the purpose of startling the birds, and as they rise in a dense
flock, a shower of kerries is rained upon them from every side. As every missile is
sure to go into the flock, and as each Kaffir contrives to hurl four or five before the birds
can get out of range, it may be imagined that the slaughter is very great. Tchaka, \vho
wu.i not above directing the minutiae of domestic life, as well as of leading armies,
APPROACH OF ELEPHANTS.
subsidizing nations, and legislating for an empire, ordered that the birds should be con-
tinually attacked throughout his dominions; and, though he did not succeed in killing
them all, yet he thinned their numbers so greatly, that during the latter years of his life
thQ. graminivorous birds had become scarce instead of invading the fields in vast flocks.
Locusts, the worst of the husbandman's enemies, could not be extirpated, and, indeed,
the task of even thinning their numbers appeared impracticable. The only plan that
seems to have the least success is that of burning a large heap of grass, sticks, and leaves
well to windward of the fields, as soon as the locusts are seen in the distance. These
insects always fly with the wind, and when they find a tract of country covered with
smoke, they would naturally pass on. until they found a spot which was not defiled with
smoke, and on which they might settle.
It is said that locusts were not known in the Zulu territories until 1829, and that
they were sent by the supernatural power of Sotshangana, a chief in the Delagoa district,
whom Tchaka attacked, and by whom the Zulu warriors were defeated, as has already
been mentioned on page 126. The whole story was told to Mr. Shooter, who narrates it
in the following words : —
"When they had reached Sotshangana's country, the Zulus were in great want of
food, and a detachment of them coming to a deserted kraal, began, as usual, to search for
it. In so doing, they discovered some large baskets, used for storing corn, and their
hungry stomachs rejoiced at the prospect of a meal. But when a famished warrior
impatiently removed the cover from one of them, out rushed a multitude of insects, and
the anticipated feast flew about their ears.
"Astonishment seized the host, for they had never beheld such an apparition before;
150 THE KAFFIR
y
every man asked his neighbour, but none could 'tell its quality or name.' One of their
number at last threw some light on the mystery. lie had seen the insects in Makazana's
country, and perhaps he told his wandering companions that they had been collected for
food. But they soon learned this from the people of the kraal, who had only retired to
escape the enemy, and whose voices were heard from a neighbouring rock. In no case
would the fugitives have been likely to spare their lungs, since they could rail and boast
and threaten with impunity ; but when they saw that their food was in danger, they
lifted up their voices with desperate energy, and uttered the terrible threat that if the
invaders ate their locusts, others should follow them home, and carry famine in their
train. The Zulus were too hungry to heed the woe, or to be very discriminating in the
choice of victuals, and the locusts were devoured. But when the army returned home,
the scourge appeared, and the threatening was fulfilled."
How locusts, the destroyers of food, are converted into food, and become a benefit
instead of a curse to mankind, will be seen in the next chapter.
As to the fruits of this country, they are tolerably numerous, the most valued being
the banana, which is sometimes called the royal fruit ; a Kaffir monarch having laid
claim to all bananas, and forced his subjects to allow him to take his choice before they
touched the fruit themselves. In some favoured districts the banana grows to a great
size, a complete bunch being a heavy load for a man.
Next in importance to food for man is forage for cattle, and this is generally found in
great abundance, so that the grazing of a herd costs their owner nothing but the trouble
of driving his cattle to and from the grass land. In this, as in other hot countries, the
grass grows with a rapidity and luxuriance that tends to make it too rank for cattle to
eat. When it first springs up, it is green, sweet, and tender ; but when it has reached a
tolerable length it becomes so harsh that the cattle can hardly eat it. The Kaffir,
therefore, adopts a plan by which he obtains as much fresh grass as he likes throughout
the season.
When a patch of grass has been fed upon as long as it can furnish nourishment to the
cattle, the Kaffir marks out another feeding-place. At night, when the cattle are safely
penned within the kraal, the Kaffir goes out with a firebrand, and, when he has gone well
to windward of the spot which he means to clear, he sets fire to the dry grass. At first,
the flame creeps but slowly on, but it gradually increases both in speed and extent, and
sweeps over the plain in obedience to the wind. On level ground, the fire marches in a
tolerably straight line, and is of nearly uniform height, except when it happens to seize
upon a clump of bushes, when it sends bright spires of flame far into the sky.
But when it reaches the bush-clad hills, the spectacle becomes imposing. On rushes
the mass of flame, climbing the hill with fearful strides, roaring like myriads of Hags
ruffled in the breeze, and devouring in its progress every particle of vegetation. Not an
inhabitant of the bush or plain can withstand its progress, and the fire confers this benefit
on the natives, that it destroys the snakes and the slow-moving reptiles, while the swifter
antelopes are able to escape.
When the fire has done its work, the tract over which it has passed presents a most
dismal spectacle, the whole soil being bare and black, and the only sign of former vege-
tation being an occasional stump of a tree which the flames had not entirely consumed.
But, in a very short time, the wonderfully vigorous life of the herbage begins to assert
itself, especially if a shower of rain should happen to fall. Delicate green blades show
their slender points through the blackened covering, and in a short time the whole tract
is covered with a mantle of uniform tender green. Nothing can be more beautiful than
the: i'lvsh green of the young blades, as they are boldly contrasted with the deep black
line of the ground. The nearest approach to it is the singularly beautiful tint of our
hedgerows in early spring — a tint as fleeting as it is lovely.
The charred ashes of the burned grass form an admirable top-dressing to the new
grass, which springs up with marvellous rapidity, and in a very short time affords pasture
to the cattle.
The Kaffir is, of course, careful not to burn too much at once; but by selecting
different spots, and burning them in regular succession, he is able to give his beloved cows
fresh pasturage throughout the year.
CHAPTETl XV.
FOOD.
THE STAFF OF LIFE IN KAFFIRLAND — HOW A DINNER IS COOKED BOILING AND GRINDING CORN
TIIK KAFFIR MILL, AND MODE OF USING IT FAIR DIVISION OF LABOUR A KAFFIR DINNER-
PARTY SINGING IN CHORUS ACCOUNT OF A KAFFIR MEETING AND WAR-SONG HISTORY OF
THE WAR-SONG, AND ITS VARIOUS POINTS EXPLAINED TCHAKA's WAR-SONG — SONG IN HONOUR
OF PANDA HOW PORRIDGE IS EATEN VARIOUS SPOONS MADE BY THE NATIVES A USEFUL
COMBINATION OF SPOON AND SNUFF-BOX THE GIRAFFE SPOON HOW THE COLOURING IS
MANAGED — PECULIAR ANGLE OF THE BOWL AND REASONS FOR IT KAFFIR ETIQUETTE IN DINING
INNATE LOVE OF JUSTICE A GIGANTIC SPOON — KAFFIR LADLES LOCUSTS EATEN BY KAFFIRS
THE INSECT IN ITS DIFFERENT STAGES THR LOCUST ARMIES AND THEIR NUMBERS DESTRUCTIVE-
NESS OF THF, INSECT DESCRIPTION OF A FLIGHT OF LOCUSTS EFFECT OF WIND ON THE LOCUSTS
— HOW THE INSECTS ARE CAUGHT, COOKED, AND STORED — GENERAL QUALITY OF THE MEAT
OBTAINED IN KAFFIR-LAND — JERKED MEAT, AND MODE OF COOKING IT — THE HUNGER-BELT AND
ITS USES EATING SHIELD — CEREMONIES IN EATING BEEF VARIOUS DRINKS USED BY THE
KAFFIR HOW HE DRINKS WATER FROM THE RIVER INTOXICATING DRINKS OF DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES HOW BEER IS BREWED IN SOUTHERN AFRICA MAKING MAIZE INTO MALT FKR-
MENTATION, SKIMMING, AND STRAINING — QUANTITY OF BEER DRUNK BY A KAFFIR VESSELS IN
WHICH BEER IS CONTAINED BEER-BASKETS — BASKET STORE-HOUSES THE KAFFIR'S LOVE FOR
HONEY HOW HE FINDS THE BEES' NEST THE HONEY-GUIDE AND THE HONEY-RATEL
POISONOUS HONEY POULTRY AND EGGS — FORBIDDEN MEATS THE KAFFIR AND THE CROCODILE.
WE have now seen how the Kaffirs obtain the staple of their animal food by the cattle-
pen and the hunting-field, and how they procure vegetable food by cultivating the soil.
We will next proceed to the various kinds of food used by the Kaffirs, and to the method
by which they cook it. Man, according to a familiar saying, lias been defined as par
twllence the cooking animal, and we shall always find that the various modes used in
preparing food are equally characteristic and interesting.
The staff of life to a Kaffir is grain, whether maize or millet, reduced to a pulp
by careful grinding, and bearing some resemblance to the oatmeal porridge of Scotland.
When a woman has to cook a dinner for her husband, she goes to one of the grain
stores, and takes out a sufficient quantity of either maize or millet, the former being
called umbila, and the latter amabele. The great cooking pot is now brought to the
circular fireplace, and set on three large stones, so as to allow the fire to burn beneath it.
Water and maize are now put into the pot, the cover is luted down, as has already been
mentioned, and the fire lighted. The cooking pot is made of clay, which is generally
procured by pounding the materials of an ant-hill and kneading it thoroughly with
water.
Her next proceeding is to get her mill ready. This is a very rude apparatus, and
requires an enormous amount of labour to produce a comparatively small effect. It
consists of two parts, namely, the upper and lower millstones, or the bed and the stone.
The bed is a large, heavy stone, which has been flat on the upper surface, but which has
been slightly hollowed and sloped. The stone is oval in shape, and about eight or nine
152
THE KAFFIR
inches in length, and is, in fact, that kind of stone which is popularly known under the
name of " cobble."
When the corn is sufficiently boiled, and the woman is ready to grind it, she takes it
from the pot, and places it on the stone, under which she has spread a mat. She then
kneels at the mill, takes the stone in both hands, and with a peculiar rocking and
grinding motion reduces it to a tolerably consistent paste. As fast as it is ground, it is
forced down the sloping side of the stone, upon a skin which is ready to receive it. This
form of mill is perhaps the earliest with which we are acquainted, and it maybe found in
many parts of the world. In Mexico, for example, the ordinary mill is made on precisely
the same principle, though the lower stone is rudely carved so as to stand on three legs.
It is more than probable that the operation of grinding corn, which is so often men-
tioned in the earlier Scriptures, was performed in just such a mill as the Kaffir woman
GRINDING CORN, AND MIXING IT WITH AMASI.
uses. The labour of grinding the corn is very severe, the whole weight of the body
being thrown on the stone, and the hands being fully occupied in rolling and rocking the
upper stone upon the lower. Moreover, the labour has to be repeated daily, and often-
times the poor hard-worked woman is obliged to resume it several times in the day.
Only sufficient corn is ground for the consumption of a single meal ; and therefore, so
often as the men are hungry, so often has she to grind corn for them.
The boiled and ground corn takes a new name, and is now termed isicaba ; and when
a sufficient quantity has been ground, the woman takes it from the mat, puts it into a
basket, and brings it to her husband, who is probably asleep or smoking his pipe. She
then brings him a bowl and some clotted milk, and his favourite spoon, and leaves him to
mix it for himself and take his meal, she not expecting to uartake with him, any more
than she would expect him to help her in grinding the corn.
The above illustration delineates a scene very common in Kaffirland. A "boy"
happens to be hungry, and one of the married women hastens to supply his wants.
On her left hand are the pots in which she has brought the boiled maize from the cooking
pot, and she is hard at work with her primitive mill, grinding the softened corn into
a paste. The boy, who is a notable hunter, as may be seen by the leopard's tooth
DINNEE-PARTY.
153
necklace, has two vessels before him. That on his left contains amasi, and into the other
the corn is put as fast as it is ground, and falls upon the hide which is spread in front of
the mill. As for the hard-worked woman, who boils the grain, makes the amasi, and
grinds the corn, she will probably be rewarded with the fragments of the meal left by
the member of the nobler sex. But, as a young Kaffir has a fine appetite, the amount
which will be left for her is never very great, and, as a general rule, he can mix and eat
"the porridge rather faster than she can supply him with the materials.
As, however, the Kaffir is eminently a social being, he likes to take his meals in
company, and does so in a very orderly fashion.
A KAFFIR DINNER-PARTY.
When a number of Kaffirs meet for a social meal, they seat themselves round the
fire, squatted in their usual manner, and always forming themselves into a circle, Kaffir
fashion. If they should be very numerous, they will form two or more concentric circles,
all close to each other, and all facing inwards. The pot is then put on to boil, and while
the " mealies," or heads of maize, are being cooked, they all strike up songs, and sing
them until the feast is ready. Sometimes they prefer love songs, and are always fond of
songs that celebrate the possession of cattle.
These melodies have a chorus that is perfectly meaningless, like the choruses of many
of our own popular songs, but the singers become quite infatuated with them. In a well-
known cattle song, the burden of which is E-e-e-yu-yu-yu, they all accompany the words
with gestures. Their hands are clenched, with the palms turned upwards ; their arms
bent, and at each E-e-e they drive their arms out to their full extent; and at each
repetition of the syllable "yu," they bring their elbows against their sides, so as to give
additional emphasis to the song. The above illustration represents such a
154 THE KAFFIR.
and is drawn from a sketch by Captain Drayson, R. A., who has frequently been present in
such scenes, and learned to take his part in the wild chorus. As to the smoke of the
fire, the Kaffirs care nothing for it, although no European singer would be able to utter
two notes in such a choking atmosphere, nor to see what he was doing in a small hut
without window or chimney, and filled with wood smoke. Some snuff gourds are seen
on the ground, and on the left hand, just behind a pillar, is the Induna, or head of the
kraal, who is the founder of the feast.
The number of Kaffirs that will crowd themselves into a single small hut is almost
incredible. Even in the illustration they seem to be tolerably close together, but the fact
is, that the artist was obliged to omit a considerable number of individuals in order to
give a partial view of the fire-place and the various utensils.
O'ne African traveller gives a very amusing account of a scene similar to that which
is depicted on page 153. In the evening he heard a most singular noise of many voices
rising and falling in regular rhythm, and found it to proceed from an edifice which he had
taken for a haycock, but which proved to be a Kaffir hut. He put his head into the
door, but the atmosphere was almost too much for him, and he could only see a few dying-
embers, throwing a ruddy glow over a number of Kaffirs squatting round the fire-
place, and singing with their usual gesticulations. He estimated their number at ten,
thinking that the hut could not possibly hold, much less accommodate, more than that
number. However, from that very hut issued thirty-five tall and powerful Kaffirs, and
they did not look in the least hot or uncomfortable.
The song which they were singing with such energy was upon one of the only two
subjects which seem to inspire a Kaffir's muse, namely, war and cattle. This particular
composition treated of the latter subject, and began with " All the calves are drinking
water."
A very graphic account of the method in which the Kaffirs sing in concert is given by
Mr. Mason, who seems to have written his description immediately after witnessing the
scene, and while the impression was still strong on his mind :— =-
"By the light of a small oil lamp I was completing my English journal, ready for the
mail which sailed next day ; and, while thus busily employed, time stole away so softly
that it was late ere I closed and sealed it up. A fearful shout now burst from the
recesses of the surrounding jungle, apparently within a hundred yards of our tent ; in a
moment all was still again, and then the yell broke out with increased vigour, till
it dinned in our ears, and made the very air shake and vibrate with the clamour.
" At first we were alarmed, and looked to the priming of our pistols ; but, as the sounds
approached no nearer, I concluded that it must be part of some Kaffir festival, and deter-
mined, on ascertaining its meaning ; so, putting by the pistol, I started, just as I was,
without coat, hat, or waistcoat, and made my way through the dripping boughs of the
jungle, towards the spot from whence the strange sounds proceeded.
" By this time the storm had quite abated ; the heavy clouds were rolling slowly from
over the rising moon ; the drops from the lofty trees fell heavily on the dense bush
below ; thousands of insects were chirping merrily ; and there, louder than all the rest,
was the regular rise and fall of some score of Kaffirs.
" I had already penetrated three hundred yards or more into the bush, when I dis-
covered a large and newly-erected Kaffir hut, with a huge fire blazing in its centre, just
visible through the dense smoke that poured forth from the little semicircular aperture
that served for a doorway. These huts of the Kaffirs are formed of trellis- work, and
thatched ; in appearance they resemble a well-rounded haycock, being, generally eight or
ten feet high at the vertex, circular in form, and from twenty to twenty-five feet broad,
with an opening like that of a beehive for a doorway, as before described.
" But, as it was near midnight, it seemed to me that my visit might not be altogether
seasonable. However, to have turned back when so near the doorway might have
brought an assagai after me, since the occupants of the hut would have attributed
a rustling of the bushes, at that late hour, to the presence of a thief or wild beast.
" I therefore coughed aloud, stooped down, and thrust my head into the open doorway,
where a most interesting sight presented itself.
WAR-SONG.
15'
"Fancy three rows of jet-black Kaffirs, ranged in circles round the interior of the hr.if,
sitting knees and nose altogether, waving their well-oiled, strongly-built frames back-
wards and forwards, to keep time in their favourite 'Dingan's war-song;' throwing their
arms about, and brandishing the glittering assagai, singing and shouting, uttering a shrill
piercing whistle, beating the ground to imitate the heavy tramp of marching men, and
making the very woods echo again with their boisterous merriment.
" My presence was unobserved for a moment, until an old grey-headed Kaffir (an
Umdodie) pointed his ringer towards me. In an instant, the whole phalanx of glaring
eyes was turned to the doorway ; and silence reigned throughout the demoniac-looking
group. A simultaneous ejcclamation of ' Molonga i Molonga ! ' (white man ! white man !)
was succeeded by an universal beckon for me to come in and take a place in the ring.
This of course I complied with ; and, having seen me comfortably seated, they fell to
work again more vociferously than ever, till I was well near bewildered with the din, and
stifled with the dense smoke issuing from the huge fire in the centre of the ring."
Dingan's war-song, which is here mentioned, is rather made in praise of Dingan's war-
like exploits. To a Kaffir, who understands all the allusions made by the poet, it is a
marvellously exciting composition, though it loses its chief beauties when translated into a
foreign language, and deprived of the peculiar musical rhythm and alliteration which
form the great charms of Kaffir poetry. The song was as follows : —
: Thou needy offspring of Umpikazi,
Eyer of the cattle of men.
Bird of Maube, fleet as a bullet,
Sleek, erect, of beautiful parts.
Thy cattle like the comb of the bees,
O head too large, too huddled to move.
Devourer of Moselekatze, son of Machobana,
Devourer of 'Swazi, son of Sobuza.
Breaker of the gates of Machobana.
Deyourer of Gundave of Machobana.
A monster in size, of mighty power.
Devourer of Ungwati of ancient race ;
Devourer of the kiagly Uomape ;
Like heaven above, raining and shining."
If the reader will refer to the song in honour of Panda, which is given on page 89, he
will see the strong resemblance that exists between the two odes, each narrating some
events of the hero's early life, then diverging into a boast of his great wealth, and ending
with a list of his warlike achievements.
Mr. Shooter mentions a second song which was made in honour of Tchaka, as, indeed,
he was told by that renowned chief himself. It was composed after that warlike despot
had made himself master of the whole of Kaffirland, and the reader will not fail to notice
the remarkable resemblance between the burden of the song, " Where will you go out to
battle now ? " and the lament of Alexander, that there were no more worlds to conquer.
' Thou hast finished, finished the nations !
Where will you go out to battle now ?
Hey ! where will you go out to battle now ?
Thou hast conquered kings !
"Where are you going to battle now ?
Thou hast finished, finished the nations !
Where are you going to battle now ?
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! Hurrah !
Where are you going to battle now ? "
I have already mentioned that in eating his porridge the Kaffir uses a spoon. He
takes a wonderful pride in his spoon, and expends more trouble upon it than upon any
other article which he possesses, not even his " tails," pipes, or snuff-box, being thought
worthy of so much labour as is lavished upon his spoons. Although there is a great
variety of patterns among the spoons manufactured by the Kaffir tribes, there is a character
about them which is quite unmistakeable, and which points out the country of the
maker as clearly as if his name were written on it. The bowl, for example, instead
of being almost in the same line with the stem, is bent forwards at a slight angle, and,
instead of being rather deep, is quite shallow. It is almost incapable of containing
liquids, and is only adapted for conveying to the mouth the thick porridge which has
already been described. A number of these spoons are given in the following illustra-
tions, all taken from specimens in my collection.
Fig. 1 on the next page is a spoon rather more than two feet in length, cut from a stout
nranch of a tree, as is shown by the radiating circles, denoting the successive annual de-
posits of woody fibre. The little dark mark in the bowl shows the pithy centre of the
branch. The end of the handle is made to represent the head of an assagai, and the peculiar
convexity and concavity of that weapon is represented by staining one side of the blade
156
THE KAFFIR.
black. This staining process is very simply managed by heating a piece of iron or a
stone, and charring the wood with it. so as to make an indelible black mark. Part of the
under side of the bowl is stained black in a similar manner,
and so is a portion of the handle, this expeditious and <>usy
mode of decoration being in great favour among the Kallirs,
when they are- making any article of wood. The heads of the
wooden assagais shown on page 103, are stained in the same
fashion. According to English ideas, the bowl is of un-
pleasantly large dimensions, being three inches and a quarter
in width. But a Kaffir mouth is a capacious one, and he can
use this gigantic instrument without inconvenience.
Fig. 2 represents a singularly elaborate example of a spoon,
purchased from a native by the late H. Jackson, Esq. It is
more than three feet in length and is slightly curved, whereas
the preceding example is straight. The wood of which it is
made is much harder than that of the other spoon, and is
therefore capable of taking a tolerably high polish.
The maker of this spoon has ornamented it in a very
curious manner. Five rings are placed round the stem, and
these rings are made of the wire -like hairs frdm the elephant's
tail. They are plaited in the manner that is known to sailors
as the " Turk's head knot," and are similar to those that have
been mentioned on page 102, as being placed on the handle of
the assagai. In order to show the mode in which these rings
are made, one of them is given on an enlarged scale.
At the end of the handle of the spoon may be seen a
globular knob. This is carved from the same piece of wood
as the spoon, and is intended for a snuff-box, so that the
owner is doubly supplied with luxuries. It is cut in order
to imitate a gourd, and, considering the very rude tools which
a Kaffir possesses, the skill displayed in hollowing it is very
great. Round the neck of the opening is one of the elephant's
hair rings, and at the bottom there is some rather deep carving.
This odd -snuff-box is ornamented by being charred, as is the
bowl and the greater part of the stern.
Sometimes the Kaffirs exert great ingenuity in carving
the handles of their spoons into rude semblances of various
animals. On account of its long neck and legs and sloping back,
the giraffe is the favourite. Fig. 1 on the next page shows one
of these spoons. It is rather more than a foot in length, and
represents the form of the animal better than might be sup-
posed from the illustration, which is taken from the front,
and therefore causes its form to be foreshortened and the
characteristic slope of the back to be unseen. It is made of
the acacia wood, that being the tree on which the giraffe loves
to feed, and which is called by the Dutch settlers " Kameel-
dorn," or camel-thorn, in consequence. The peculiar attitude
of the head is a faithful representation of the action of the
giraffe when raising its head to browse among the foliage, and
the spotted skin is well imitated by application of a red-hot iron.
In some examples of the giraffe-spoon, the form of the
animal is much better shown, even the joints of the legs being
carefully marked, and their action indicated. Sometimes
the Kaffir does not make the whole handle into the form of
an animal, but cuts the handle of the usual shape, and leaves
8P°°po/RiDGEEATING at the end a large block of solid wood, which he can carv§
LOVE OF JUSTICE.
157
into the required shape. The hippopotamus is frequently chosen for this purpose, and
so is the rhinoceros, while the hyaena is always a favourite, apparently because its
peculiar outline can easily be imitated in wood.
The reader will probably have noticed the angle at which the shallow bowl is set, and
it appears to make the spoon a most inconvenient instrument. If held after the European
fashion, the user would scarcely be able to manage it at all, but the Kaffir has his QWII
way of holding it, which is perfectly effective.
Instead of taking it between the thumb and the forefinger, he grasps the stem with the
whole hand, having the bowl to the left, and the handle to the right. He then dips the
shallow bowl into the tenacious porridge, takes up as much as it
will possibly hold, and inserts the whole of the bowl into his
mouth, the convex side being uppermost. In this position the
tongue can lick the spoon quite clean, so as to be ready for the
next visit to the porridge.
If a number of Kaffirs are about to partake of a common
meal, they always use a common spoon. Were each man to bring
his own with him, and all to dip in the pot at once, it is evident
that he who had the largest spoon would get the largest share,
than which nothing would be more distasteful to the justice-loving
Kaffir, besides giving rise to a scene of hurry, and probably con-
tention, which would be a breach of good manners. So the chief
man present takes the spoon, helps himself to a mouthful, and
hands the clean spoon to his next neighbour. Thus the spoon goes
round in regular order, each man having one spoonful at a time, and
none having more than another.
This love of justice pervades all classes of Kaffirs, and even
adheres to them when they are partially civilized — a result which
does not always take place when the savage has taken his first
few lessons in the civilization of Europe. Some time ago, when
a visitor was inspecting an English school for Kaffir children, he
was struck by the method adopted in giving the scholars their
meals. Porridge was prepared for them, and served out by one of
their own nation, who used the most scrupulous accuracy in divi-
ding the food. She was not content with giving to each child an
apparently equal share, but went twice or thrice round the circle,
adding to one portion, and taking away from another, until all
were equally served. Not until she was satisfied that the distribu-
tion was a just one, did the dusky scholars think of beginning their meal.
Sometimes the Kaffirs will amuse themselves by making spoons of the most por-
tentous dimensions, which would battle even the giants of our nursery tales, did they
endeavour to use such implements. One of these gigantic spoons is in the collection of
Colonel Lane Fox. It is shaped much like fig. 1, on the illustration at page 156, and if
very much reduced in size would be a serviceable Kaffir spoon of the ordinary kind. But
it is between five and six feet in length, its stem is as thick as a man's arm, and its bowl
large enough to accommodate his whole head.
At fig. 2 of the above illustration may be seen an article which looks like a spoon,
but rather deserves the name of ladle, as it is used for substances more liquid than the
porridge. It is carved from a single piece of wood, and it is a singular fact that the maker
should have been able to carve the deeply-grooved handle without the aid of a lathe. If
this handle be turned round on its axis, so that the eye can follow the spiral course of the
grooves, it becomes evident that they have been cut without the use of any machinery.
But the truth of their course is really wonderful, and the carver of this handsome handle
has taken care to darken the spiral grooves by the application of a hot iron. This remark-
able specimen was brought from Africa by the Rev. J. Shooter, and the illustration has
been taken from the specimen itself.
Two more examples of similar ladles are given in the next illustration. The
SPOONS FOB EATING
PORRIDGE.
THE KAFFIR.
2, 5, SPOON AND LADLE.
3, 4, SKIMMERS.
uppermost figure represents a ladle about fourteen inches in length. The pattern has no
vrctenee to elaborate detail ; but the whole form is very bold and decided, and the carver
vidently done his work thoroughly, and on a definite plan. The black marks on
the stem and handle are made by a hot iron, and the under surface of the bowl is
decorated with two triangular marks made in the same manner.
At fig. 5 of the same illustration
is shown a rather remarkable ladle.
It is eighteen inches in length, and
the bowl is both wide and deep. It
is made from the hard wood of the
acacia, and must have cost the carver
a considerable amount of trouble. In
carving the ladle, the maker has set
himself to shape the handle in such
a manner that it resembles a bundle
of small sticks tied together by a
band at the end and another near
the middle. So well has lie achieved
this feat that, when I first saw this
ladle, in a rather dim light, I really
thought that some ingenious artificer had contrived to make a number of twigs start
from one part of a branch, and had carved that portion of the branch into the bowl,
and had tied the twigs together to form the handle. He has heightened the deception by
charring the sham bands black, while the rest of the handle is left of its natural colour.
Figs. 3 and 4 of the same illustration will be presently described.
THERE is an article of»food which is used by the natives, in its proper season, and does
not prepossess a European in its favour. This is the locust, the well-known insect which
sweeps in such countless myriads over the land, and which does such harm to the crops
•and to everything that grows.
The eggs of the locust are laid in the ground, and at the proper season the young
make their appearance. They are then very small, but they grow with great rapidity — as,
indeed, they ought to do, considering the amount of food which they consume.
Until they have passed a considerable time in the world, they have no wings, and can
only crawl and hop. The Kaffirs call these imperfect locusts " boyane," and the Dutch
settlers term them " voet-gangers," or " foot-goers," because they cannot fly. Even in this
stage they are terribly destructive, and march steadily onwards, consuming every green
thing that they can eat.
Nothing stops them in their progress short of death, and, on account of their vast
myriads, the numbers that can be killed form but an insignificant proportion of the whole
army. A stream of these insects, a mile or more in width, will pass over a country, and
scarcely anything short of a river will stop them. Trenches are soon filled up with their
bodies, and those in the rear march over the carcases of their dead comrades. Sometimes
tiie trenches have been filled with fire, but to no purpose, as the fire is soon put out by
t'ic locusts that come crowding upon it. As for walls, the insects care nothing for them,
but surmount them, and even the very houses, without suffering a check.
When they become perfect insects and gain their wings, they proceed, as before, in
vast myriads ; but this time, they direct their course through the air, and not merely on
land, so that not even the broadest river can stop them. They generally start as soon as
the sun has dispelled the dews and warmed the air, which, in its nightly chill, paralyses
them, and renders them incapable of flight and almost unable even to walk. Towards
evening they always descend, and perhaps in the daytime also ; and wherever they alight,
every green thing vanishes. The sound of their jaws cutting down the leaves and eating
them can be heard at a great distance. They eat everything of a vegetable nature.
Mr. Moffatt saw a whole field of maize consumed in two hours, and has seen them cut
linen, flannel, and even tobacco. When they rise for another flight, the spot which they
FLIGHT OF LOCUSTS. l/,9
have left is as bare as if it were desert land, and not a vestige of any kind of verdure is
tol ip seen upon it.
A very excellent description of a flight of locusts is given by Mr. Cole, in his work
on South Africa : —
'• Next day was warm enough, but the wind was desperately high, and, much to my
disgust, right in my face as I rode away on my journey. After travelling some ten milt s,
having swallowed several ounces of sand meanwhile, and been compelled occasionally to
remove the sand-hills that were collecting in my eyes, I began to fall in with some locusts.
At first they came on gradually and in small quantities, speckling the earth here and
there, and voraciously devouring the herbage.
" They were riot altogether pleasant, as they are weak on the wing, and quite at the
mercy of the wind, which uncivilly dashed many a one into my face with a force that
made my cheeks tingle. By degrees they grew thicker and more frequent. My progress
was now most unpleasant, for they flew into my face every instant. Flung against me
and my horse by the breeze, they clung to us with the tightness of. desperation, till \ve
were literally speckled with locusts. Each moment the clouds of them became denser,
till at length — I am guilty of no exaggeration in saying — they were as thick in the air as
the flakes of snow during a heavy fall of it; they covered the grass and the road, so that
at every step my horse crushed dozens ; they were whirled into my eyes and those of my
poor nag, till at last the latter refused to face them, and turned tail in spite of whip and
spur. They crawled about my face and neck, got down my shirt collar and up my sleeves
—in a word, they drove me to despair as completely as they drove my horse to stubborn-
ness, and I was obliged to ride back a mile or two, and claim shelter from them at a
house I had passed on my route; fully convinced that a shower of locusts is more unbear-
able than hail, rain, snow, and sleet combined.
" I found the poor farmer in despair at the dreadful visitation which had come upon
him — and well he might be so. To-day he had standing crops, a garden, and wide pasture
lands in full verdure ; the next day the earth was as bare all round as a macadamized
road.
" I afterwards saw millions of these insects driven by the wind into the sea at Algoa
Bay, and washed on shore again in such heaps, that the prisoners and coolies in the town
were busily employed for a day or two in burying the bodies, to prevent the evil conse-
quence that would arise from the putrefying of them close to the town. No description
of these little plagues, or of the destruction they cause, can well be an exaggeration.
Fortunately, their visitations are not frequent, as I only remember three during my five
years' residence in South Africa. Huge fires are sometimes lighted round coin-lands and
gardens to prevent their approach ; and this is an effective preventive when they can steer
their own course ; but when carried away by such a wind as I have described, they can
only go where it drives them, and all the bonfires in the world would be useless to stay
their progress. The farmer thus eaten out of house and home (most literally) has nothing
to do but to move his stock forthwith to some other spot which has escaped them— happy
if he can find a route free from their devastation, so that his herds and flocks may not
perish by the way.'
Fortunately, their bodies being heavy in proportion to their wings, they cannot fly
against the wind, and it often happens that, as in the old Scripture narrative, a country
is relieved by a change of wind, which drives the insects into the sea, where they are
drowned ; and, as Mr. Cole observes, they were driven by the wind into his face or upon
his clothes, as helplessly as the cockchafers on a windy summer evening.
Still, terrible as are the locusts, they have their uses. In the first place, they afford
food to innumerable animals. As they fly, large flocks of birds wait on them, sweep
among them and devour them on the wing. While they are on the ground, whether in
their winged or imperfect state, they are eaten by various animals ; even the lion and
other formidable carnivora not disdaining so easily-gained a repast. As the cool air
of the night renders the locusts incapable of moving, they can be captured without
difficulty.
Even to mankind the locusts are serviceable, being a favourite article of food. It is
1GO
THE KAFFIR.
tme that those insects devour whole crops, but it may be doubted whether they do not
confer a benefit mi the dusky cultivators rather than inilict an injury.
As soon as the shades of evening render the locusts helpless, the natives turn out in
a body, with sacks, skins, and everything that can hold the expected prev, those who
possess such animals bringing pack oxen in order to bear the loads home. * The locusts
are swept by millions into the sacks, without any particular exertion on the part'of the
natives, though not without some danger, as venomous serpents are apt to come for the
purpose of feeding on the insects, and are sometimes roughly handled in the darkness.
COOKING THE LOCUSTS.
When the locusts have been brought home, they are put into a large covered pot, such
as has already been described, and a little water added to them. The fire is then lighted
under the pot, and the locusts are then boiled, or rather steamed, until they are sufficiently
cooked. They are then taken out of the pot, and spread out in the sunbeams until they
are quite dry; and when this part of the process is completed, they are shaken about in
the wind until the legs and wings fall off, and are carried away just as the chaff is carried
away by the breeze when corn is winnowed. When they are perfectly dry, they are
stored away in baskets, or placed in the granaries just as if they were corn.
Sometimes the natives eat them whole, just as we eat shrimps, and, if they can afford
such a luxury, add a little salt to them. Usually, however, the locusts are treated much
in the same manner as com or maize. They are ground to powder by the mill until they
are reduced to meal, which is then mixed with water, so as to form a kind of porridge.
A good locust season is always acceptable to the natives, who can indulge their enormous
appetites to an almost unlimited extent, and in consequence become quite fat in com-
parison with their ordinary appearance." So valuable, indeed, are the locusts, that i-4;' a
native conjurer can make his companions believe that his incantations have brought the
locusts, he is sure to be richly rewarded by them.
HUNGER-BELT.
161
Meat, when it can ho. obtained, is the great luxury of a Kaffir. Beef is his favourite
meat ; but he will eat that of many of the native animals, though there are some, including
all kinds of fish, which he will not touch. With a very few exceptions, such as the
eland, the wild animals of Southern Africa do not furnish very succulent food. Venison
when taken from a semi-domesticated red deer, or a three-parts domesticated fallow deer,
is a very different meat when ohtained from a wild deer or antelope. As a general rule,
such animals have very little fat about them, and their flesh, by reason of constant
exercise and small supply of food, is exceedingly tough, and would baffle the jaws of any
but a very hungry man.
Fortunately for the Kaffirs, their
teeth and jaws are equal to any task
that can he imposed upon them in the
way of mastication, and meat which an
European can hardly manage to eat
is a dainty to his dark companions. The
late Gordon Gumming, who had as
much experience in hunter life as most
men, used to say that a very good idea
of the meat which is usually obtained
by the- gun in Kaffirland may be
gained by taking the very worst part of
the toughest possible beef, multiplying
the toughness by ten, and subtracting
all the gravy.
The usual plan that is adopted is,
to eat at once the best parts of an
animal, and to cure the rest by drying-
it in the sun. This process is a very
simple one. The meat is cut into thin,
long strips, and hung on branches in
the open air. The burning sunbeams
soon have their effect, and convert the
scarlet strips of raw meat into a sub-
stance that looks like old shoe-leather,
and is nearly as tough. The mode of
dressing it is, to put it under the ashes
of the fire, next to pound it between two
stones, and then to stew it slowly in a
pot, just as is done Avith fresh beef. Of
course, this mode of cooking meat is
only employed on the march, when the
soldiers are unable to take with, them
the cooking-pots of domestic life.
Sometimes, especially when re-
turning from an unsuccessful war,
the Kaffirs are put to great straits for
want of food, and have recourse to
the strangest expedients for allaying
hunger. They begin by wearing a "hunger-belt," i.e. a belt passed several times round
the body, and arranged so as to press upon the stomach, and take off for a time the feeling
.of faint sickness that accompanies hunger before it developes into starvation. As the
hours pass on, and the faintness again appears, the hunger-belt is drawn tighter and
tighter. This curious remedy for hunger is to be found in many parts of the world, and
has long been practised by the native tribes of North America.
The hungry soldiers, when reduced to the last straits, have been known to eat their
hide-shields, and, when these were finished, to consume even the thongs which biud the
VOL. I. M
SOLDIERS WITH HUNGER-BELT.
102
THE KAFFIR.
head of the assagai to the shaft. The same process of cooking is employed in making
the tough skin eatable ; namely, partial broiling under ashes, then pounding between stones,
and then stewing, or boiling, it' any substitute for a cooking-pot can be found. One of the
missionaries relates, in a manner that shows the elastic spirit which animated him, how
he and his companions were once driven to eat a box which he had made of rhinoceros
hide, and seems rather to regret the loss of so excellent a box than to demand any
sympathy for the hardships which he had sustained.
\Vi-: now come to the question of the liquids which a Kaffir generally consumes.
Ordinary men are forced to content themselves with water, and there are occasions when
they would only be too glad to obtain even water. Certain ceremonies demand that the
warriors shall be fed plenteously with beef during the night, but that they shall not
be allowed to drink until the dawn of the following day. At the beginning of the feast
SOLDIERS LAPPING WATEB.
they are merry enough ; for beef is always welcome to a Kaffir, and to be allowed to eat
as much as he can possibly manage to accommodate is a luxury which but seldom occurs.
However, the time comes, even to a hungry Kaffir, when he cannot possibly eat any
more, and he craves for something to drink. This relief is strictly prohibited, no one
being allowed to leave the circle in which they are sitting. It generally happens that
some of the younger " boys," who have been but recently admitted into the company
of soldiers, find themselves unable to endure such a privation, and endeavour to slip away
unobserved. But a number of old and tried warriors, who have inured themselves to
thirst as well as hunger, and who look with contempt on all who are less hardy than
themselves, are stationed at every point of exit, and, as soon as they see the dusky form
BREWING. ir,3
of n deserter approach the spot which they are guarding, they unceremoniously attack
him with their sticks, aiid beat him back to his place in the circle.
On the march, if a Kaffir is hurried, and comes to a spot where there is water, lie
stoops down, and with his curved hand flings the water into his mouth with movements
almost as rapid as those of a cat's tongue when she laps milk. Sometimes, if he comes
to a. river, which he has to ford, he will contrive to slake his thirst as he proceeds, with-
out once checking his speed. This precaution is necessary if he should be pursued, or if
the river should happen to be partially infested with crocodiles and other dangerous
reptiles.
Kaffirs are also very fond of a kind of whey, which is poured off from the milk
when it is converted into " amasi," and which is something like our buttermilk to the
taste. Still, although the Kaffirs can put up with water, and like their buttermilk, they
have a craving for some fermented liquor. Water and buttermilk are very well in their
way; but they only serve for quenching thirst, and have nothing sociable about them.
Xo\v the Kaffir is essentially a sociable being, as has already been mentioned, and he
likes nothing better than sitting in a circle of friends, talking, grinding snuff or taking
it, smoking, and drinking. And, when he joins in such indulgences, he prefers that hi.s
drink should be of an intoxicating nature, therein following the usual instincts of
mankind all over the world.
There are few nations who do not know how to make intoxicating drinks, and the
Kaffir is not likely to be much behindhand in this respect. The only fermented drink
which the genuine Kaffirs use is a kind of beer, called in the native tongue " outchualla."
Lik;' all other savages, the Kaffirs very much prefer the stronger potations that are made
by Europeans; and their love for whisky, rum, and brandy has been the means of ruining,
and almost extinguishing, many a tribe — just as has been the case in Northern America.
The quantity of spirituous liquid that a Kaffir can drink is really astonishing ; and the
strangest thing is, that he will consume nearly a bottle of the commonest and coarsest
spirit, and rise at daybreak on the next morning without even a headache.
The beer which the Kaffirs make is by no means a heady liquid, and seems to have
rather a fattening than an intoxicating quality. All men of note drink large quantities of
beer, and the chief of a tribe rarely stirs without having a great vessel of beer at hand,
tog.'ther with his gourd-cup and ladle. The operations of brewing are conducted entirely
by the women, and are tolerably simple, much resembling the plan which is used in
England. Barley is not employed for this purpose, the grain of maize or millet being
substituted for it.
The grain is first encouraged to a partial sprouting by being wrapped in wTet mats, and
is then killed by heat, so as to make it into malt, resembling that which is used in our
own country. The next process is to put it into a vessel, and let it boil for some time,
and afterwards to set it aside for fermentation. The Kaffir has no yeast, but employs a
rather curious substitute for it, being the stem of a species of ice-plant, dried and kept
ready for use.
As the liquid ferments, a scum arises to the top, which is-carefully removed by means
of an ingenious instrument, shown at figs. 3 and 4, on page 158. This skimmer is very -much
like those wire implements used by our cooks for taking vegetables out of hot water,
and is made of grass stems very neatly woven together ; a number of them forming the
handle, and others spreading out like the bowl of a spoon. The bowls of these skimmers
are set at different angles, so as to suit the vessel in which fermentation is carried on.
When the beer is poured into the vessel in which it is kept for use, it is passed through
a strainer, so as to prevent any of the malt from mixing with it. One of these strainers is
shown at fig. 3, on page 63. The specimen from which the drawing was taken is in my
own collection, and is a good sample of the Kaffir's workmanship. It is made of reeds,
split and flattened ; each reed being rather more than the fifth of an inch wide at
the opening and the twelfth of an inch at the smaller end, and being carefully
graduated in width. In shape it resembles a jelly-bag, and, indeed, has much the
same office to perform. The reeds are woven in the " under three and over three "
fashion, so as to produce a zigzag pattern; and the conical shape of the strainer is
M2
104
TI1K KAFFIR.
obtained, not by any alteration in the mode of weaving, but by the gradual diminution
of the reeds.
These strainers are of various sizes ; but my own specimen, which is of the average
dimensions, measures fifteen inches in length, and nine in width across the opening.
Beer, like milk, is kept in baskets, which the Kaffirs are capable of making so
elaborately, that they can hold almost any liquid as well as if they were casks made
In Hie best European coopers. Indeed, the fineness and beauty of the Kaffir basket-
work may excite the admiration, if not the envy, of civilized basket-makers, who, however
artistic may be the forms which they produce, would be sadly puzzled if required to make
a basket that would hold beer, wine, or even milk.
KAFFIR WOMEN BREWING BEER.
One of the ordinary forms of beer-basket may be seen in the illustration on page 46,
the small mouth being for the greater convenience of pouring it out. Others can be seen
in the illustration on page 56, representing the interior of a Kaffir hut. Beer-baskets of
various sizes are to be found in every kraal, and are always kept in shady places, to
prevent the liquid from being injured by heat. A Kaffir chief hardly seems to be able to
support existence without his beer. Within his own house, or in the shadow of a friendly
screen, he will sit by the hour together, smoking his enormous pipe continually, and
drinking his beer at tolerably constant intervals, thus contriving to consume a considerable
amount both of tobacco and beer. Even if he goes out to inspect his cattle, or to review
his soldiers, a servant is sure to be with him, bearing his beer-basket, stool, and other
luxurious appendages of state.
He generally drinks out of a cup, which he makes from a gourd, and which, in shape
and size, much resembles an emu's egg with the top cut off. For the purpose of taking
the beer out of the basket, and pouring it into the cup, he uses a ladle of some sort. The
form which is most generally in use is that which is made from a kind of gourd ; not egg-
shaped, like that from which the cup is made, but formed very much like an onion with
the stalk attached to it. The bulb of the onion represents the end of the gourd, and it
will be seen that when a slice is cut off this globular end, and the interior of the gourd
removed, a very neat ladle can be produced. As the outer skin of the gourd is of a fine
yellow colour, and has a high natural polish, the cup and ladle have a very pretty
appearance.
Sometimes the Kaffir carves his ladles out of wood, and displays much skill and taste
in their construction, as may be seen by the specimens.
Occasionally the beer bowl is carved from wood as well as the ladle ; but, on account of
its weight when empty, and the time employed in making it, none but a, chief is likely to
BASKET-MAKIKG
165
make use of such a "howl One of these wooden bowls is shown at fig. 2, in the illustration
on page 03, and is drawn from a specimen brought from Southern Africa by Mr. H.
Jackson. It is of large dimensions, as may be seen by comparing it with the milk-pail at
fig. 1 . The colour of the bowl is black.
It is rather remarkable that the Kaffir who carved this bowl has been so used to
baskets as beer vessels that he has not been able to get the idea out of his mind. The
bowl is painfully wrought out of a single block of wood, and must have cost an enormous
amount of labour, considering the rudeness of the tools used by the carver. According to
our ideas, the bowl ought therefore to show that it really is something more valuable than
usual, and as unlike the ordinary basket as possible. But so wedded has been the maker
to the notion that a basket, and nothing but a basket, is the proper vessel for beer, that he
has taken great pains to carve the whole exterior in imitation of a basket. So well and
regularly is this decoration done, that when the bowl is set some little distance, or placed
in the shade, many persons mistake it for a basket set on three wooden legs, and stained
black.
STOREHOUSES.
At fig. 5 of the same illustration is an example of the Kaffir's basket-work. This is
one of the baskets used by the women when they have been to the fields, and have to
carry home the ears of maize or other produce. This basket is very stout and strong, and
will accommodate a quantity of corn which would form a good load for an average English
labourer. But she considers this hard work as part of woman's mission, asks one of her
companions to assist in placing it on her head, and goes off with her burden, often light-
ening the heavy task by joining in a chorus with her similarly-laden friends. Indeed, as
has been well said by an experienced missionary, in the normal state of the Kaffir tribes
the woman serves every office in husbandry, and herself fulfils the duties of field-labourer,
plough, cart, ox, and "horse.
Basket-work is used for an infinity of purposes. It is of basket-work, for example,
that the Kaffir makes his curious and picturesque storehouses, in which he keeps the
corn that he is likely to require for household use. These storehouses are always raised
some height from the ground, for the double purpose of keeping vermin from devastating
them, and of allowing a free passage to the air round them, and so keeping their contents
106 THE KAFFIR
dry and in good condition. Tndead, the very houses are formed of a sort of basket-work,
as may be seen by reference to Chapter VII. ; and even their kraals, or villages, are little
more than basket-work on a very large scale.
Almost any kind of flexible material seems to answer for baskets, and the Kailir
workman impresses into his service not only the twigs of pliant bushes, like the osier and
willow, but uses grass stems, grass leaves, rushes, flags, reeds, bark, arid similar materials.
When he makes those that are used for holding liquids, he always uses fine materials, and
closes the spaces between them by beating down each successive row with an instrument
that somewhat resembles a very stout ^paper-knife, and that is made either of wood, bone,
or ivory. As is the case with casks, pails, quaighs, and all vessels that are made with
staves, the baskets must be well soaked before they become thoroughly water-tight.
KAFFIR WOMEN BASKET MAKING.
One of these baskets is in my own collection. It is most beautifully made, and
certainly surpasses vessels of wood or clay in one respect ; namely, that it will bear very
rough treatment without breaking. The mode of weaving it is peculiarly intricate. A vast
amount of grass is employed in its construction, the work is very close, and the ends of
the innumerable grass blades are so neatly woven into the i'abric as scarcely to be
distinguishable.
This basket is delineated in the next illustration. Soon after it came into my
possession, I sent it to a conversazione, together with a large number of ethnological
curiosities, and, knowing that very few would believe in its powers without actual proof,
I filled it with milk, and placed it on the table. Although it had been in England for
some time, and had evidently undergone rather rough treatment, it held the milk very
well. There was a very slight leakage, caused by a mistake of the former propiietor, who
had sewed a label upon it with a very coarse needle, leaving little holes, through which
a few drops of milk gradually oozed. With this exception, however, the basket was as
serviceable as when it was in use among the Kaffir huts.
Honey is a very favourite food with the Kaffirs, who are expert at attacking the nests,
and removing the combs in spite of the attacks of the bees. They detect a bees' nest in
many ways, and, among other plans for finding the nest, they set great value on the bird
called the Honey-guide.
There are several species of honey-guide, two of which are tolerably common in
Southern Africa, and all of which belong to the cuckoo family. These birds are remark-
able for the trust which they instinctively repose in mankind, and the manper in, whit'1:
THE HONEY-GUIDE. 167
they act as guides to the nest. Whenever a Kaffir hears a bird utter a peculiar cry, which
\lias been represented by the word " Chen- ! cherr ! " he looks out for the singer, and goes
in the direction of the voice. The bird, seeing that the man is following, begins to
approach the bees' nest, still uttering its encouraging cry, and not ceasing until the nest
is found.
The Kaffirs place great reliance on the bird, and never eat all the honey, but make a
point of leaving some for the guide that conducted them to the sweet storehouse. They
say that the honey-guide voluntarily seeks the help of man, because it would otherwise be
unable to get at the bee-combs, which are made in hollow trees, thus being protected in
secure fortresses, which the bird could not penetrate without the assistance of some being
stronger than itself. And as the bird chiefly wants the combs which contain the bee-
grubs, and the man wants only those which contain honey, the Kaffir leaves all the
grub-combs for the bird, and takes all the honey-combs himself; so that both parties are
equally pleased.
MILK BASKET.
Whether this be the case or not, it is certain that the bird does perform this service to
mankind, and that both the Kaffir and the bird seem to understand each other. The
Honey Eatel, one of the largest species of the weasel tribe, and an animal which is extremely
fond of bee-combs, is said to share with mankind the privilege of alliance with the honey-
guide, and to requite the aid of the bird with the comb which it tears out of the hollow
tree. It is remarkable that both the ratel and the honey-guide are so thickly defended,
the one with fur, and the other with feathers, that the stings of the bees cannot penetrate
through their natural armour.
It is rather curious, however, that the honey-guide does not invariably lead to the
nests of bees. It has an odd habit of guiding the attention of mankind to any animal
which may be hiding in the bush, and the wary traveller is always careful to have his
weapons ready when he follows the honey-guide, knowing that, although the biid generally
leads the way to honey, it has an unpleasant custom of leading to a concealed buffalo, or
lion, or panther, or even to the spot where a cobra or other poisonous snake is reposing.
Although honey is much prized by the Kaffirs, they exercise much caution in eating it ;
and before they will trust themselves to taste it, they inspect the neighbourhood, with the
purpose of seeing whether certain poisonous plants grow in the vicinity, as in that cas«
the honey is sure to be deleterious. The euphorbia is one of these poisonous plants, and
belongs to a large order, which is represented in England by certain small plants known
by the common denomination of spurge. One of them, popularly called milky-weed, sun-
spurge, or wort-spurge, is well known for the white juice which pours plentifully from
the wounded stem, and which is used in some places as a means of destroying warts.
168
THE XAFFIIL
In our own country the juice is only remarkable, for its milky appearance and its hot
acrid taste, which abides in the mouth for a Avonderiully long time; but in Africa the
euphorbias grow to the dimensions of trees, and the juice is used in many parts of that
continent as a poison for arrows. Some of them look so like the cactus group that they
might be mistaken for those plants; but they are easily known by the milky juice that
pours from them when wounded, and by the fact that their thorns, when they have any,
grow singly, and not in clusters, like those of the cactus. The white juice furnishes, when
evaporated, a highly-poisonous drug, called euphorbium.
jf Honey is often found in very singular places. A swarm has been known to take
possession of a human skull, and combs have been discovered in the skeleton framework
of a dead elephant.
Like many other nations, the Zulus use both poultry and their eggs for food, and
both are employed as objects of barter. The unfortunate fowls that are selected for this
purpose must be singularly uncomfortable ;
for they are always tied in bundles of
three, their legs being firmly bound to-
gether. "While the bargaining is in pro-
gress, the fowls are thrown heedlessly on
the ground, where they keep up a con-
tinual cackling, as if complaining of their
hard treatment. The Kaffir does not intend
to be cruel to the poor birds ; but he has
really no idea that he is inflicting pain on
them, and will carry them for miles by the
legs, their heads hanging down, and their
legs cut by the cords.
The accompanying illustration repre-
sents one of the 'ingenious houses which
the Kaffirs build for their poultry. The
house is made of rough basket work, and
is then plastered thickly with clay, just
like the low walls of the cooking-house
mentioned on page 146. By the side of
the henhouse is an earthenware jar, with
an inverted basket by way of cover. This
jar holds corn, and in front of it is one
of the primitive grain mills. A beer bowl
and its ladle are placed near the mill.
It is a curious fact that nothing can induce the Kaffirs to eat fish, this prejudice being
shared by many nations, while others derive a great part of their subsistence from the sea
and the river. They seem to feel as much disgust at the notion of eating fish as we do
at articles of diet such as caterpillars, earthworms, spiders, and other creatures, which are
considered as dainties in some parts of the world.
In the article of diet the Zulus are curiously particular, rejecting many articles of
food which the neighbouring tribes eat without scruple, and which even the European
settlers do not refuse. As has already been mentioned, fish of all kinds is rejected, and
so are reptiles. The true Zulu will not eat any species of monkey nor the hyaena, and in
this particular we can sympathise with them. But it is certainly odd to find that the
prohibited articles of food include many of the animals which inhabit Africa, and which
are eaten not only by the other tribes, but by the white men. The most extraordinary
circumstance is, that the Zulus will not eat the eland, an animal whose flesh is far
superior to that of any English ox, is preferred even to venison, and can be procured in
large quantities, owing to its size.
Neither will the Zulus cat the zebra, the gnu, the hartebeest, nor the rhinoceros ; and the
warriors refrain from the flesh of the elephant, the hippopotamus, and the wild swine.
The objection to eat these animals seems to have extended over a considerable portion of
FOWL HOUSE.
FORBIDDEN MEATS. 169
uthern Africa ; but when Tclmka overran the country, and swept off all the herds of
cattle, the vanquished tribes were obliged either to eat the hitherto rejected animals or
to starve, and naturally preferred the former alternative.
It is probable that the custom of repudiating certain articles of food is founded upon
some of the superstitious ideas which take the place of a religion in the Kaffir's mind.
It is certain that superstition prohibits fowls, ducks, bustards, porcupines, and eggs,
to all except the very young and the old, because the Kaffirs think that those who
eat such food will never enjoy the honourable title of father or mother ; and, as is well
known, a childless man or woman is held in the supremest contempt.
There is perhaps no article of food more utterly hateful to the Kaffir than the flesh of
the crocodile, and it is doubtful whether even the pangs of starvation would induce a
Zulu Kaffir to partake of such food, or to hold friendly intercourse with any one who had
done so.
An amusing instance of this innate horror of the crocodile occurred some few years
ago. An European settler, new to the country, had shot a crocodile, and having heard
much of the properties possessed by the fat of the reptile, he boiled some of its flesh for
the purpose of obtaining it. Unfortunately for him, the only vessel at hand was an iron
pot. in which his Kaffir servants were accustomed to cook their food, and, thinking no
harm, he used the pot for his purpose. He could not have done anything more calculated
to shock the feelings of the Kaffirs, who deserted him in a body, leaving the polluted
vessel behind them.
It has already been mentioned that none but a Kaffir can either drive or milk the
ii.itive cattle, and the unfortunate colonist was obliged to visit all the kraals within reach
in order to hire new servants. But the news had spread in all directions, that the white
man cooked crocodile in his porridge pot, and not a single Kaffir would serve him. At
List he was forced to go to a considerable distance, and visited a kraal which he thought
was beyond the reach of rumour. The chief man received him hospitably, promised to
send one of his " boys" as a servant, and volunteered permission to beat the " boy" if he
were disobedient. He finished by saying that he only made one stipulation, and that
was, that the " boy " in question should not be obliged to eat crocodile.
It will be understood that these peculiarities regarding food apply only to the Zulu
tribe, and that, even in that tribe, great modifications have taken place in later years.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE UNIVERSAL LOVE OF TOBACCO — SNUFFING AND SMOKING HOW A KAFFIR MAKES HIS SNUFF
HOW A KAFFIR TAKES SNUFF THE SNUFF- SPOON, ITS FORMS, AND MODE OF USING IT —
ETHJUKTTE OF SNUFF-TAKING — BEGGING AND GIVING SNUFF — COMPARISON WITH OUR ENGLISH
CUSTOM DELICACY OF THE KAFFIR'S OLFACTORY NERVES VARIOUS FORMS OF SNUFF-BOX — THK
EAR-BOX THE SINGULAR BLOOD-BOX A KAFFIR'S CAPACITY FOR MODELLING — GOURD SNUFF-
BOX THE KAFFIR AND HIS PIPE — PIPE LOVERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD A SINGH. All
INLAID PIPE THE WATER-PIPE OF THE KAFFIR HEMP, OR DAGHA, AND ITS OPERATION ON
THK SYSTEM THE POOR MAN'S PIPE CURIOUS ACCOMPANIMENT OF SMOKING MAJOR ROSS
KING'S SMOKING ADVENTURE — CULTIVATION AND PREPARATION OF TOBACCO.
AFTER the food of the Kaffir tribes, we naturally come to their luxuries. One of these
luxuries, namely, beer, is scarcely considered as such by them, but is reckoned as one of
the necessaries of life. There is, however, one gratification in which the Kaffir indulges
whenever he can do so, and that is the use of tobacco, either in the form of smoke or
snuff.
The love of tobacco, which is universally prevalent over the world, is fully developed in
the Kaffir, as in all the savage tribes of Africa. For tobacco the native undergoes
exertions which no other reward would induce him to undertake. He is not at all
particular about the quality, provided that it be strong, and it is impossible to produce
tobacco that can be too coarse, rough, or powerful for his taste. He likes to feel its effects
on his system, and would reject the finest flavoured cigar for a piece of rank stick
tobacco that an English gentleman would be unable to smoke.
He uses tobacco in two forms, namely, smoke and snuff, and in both cases likes to
feel that he has the full flavour of the narcotic.
His snuff is made in a very simple manner, and is mostly manufactured by the
women. The first process is to grind the tobacco to powder between two stones, and
when it is partially rubbed down a little water is added, so as to convert it into a paste.
Meanwhile, a number of twigs are being carefully burnt to ashes, a pure white feathery
ash being one of the chief ingredients. The leaf of the aloe, previously dried, is often
used for this purpose, and by connoisseurs is preferred to any other material. "When the
snuff-maker judges that the tobacco is sufficiently ground, she spreads the paste upon a
flat stone, and places it in the rays of the sun. The great heat soon dries up the caked
tobacco, which is then rubbed until it becomes a very fine powder. A certain proportion
of wood-ash is then added and carefully mixed, and the snuff is made. The effect of
the ashes is to give a pungency to the snuff, such as cannot be obtained from the pure
tobacco.
Of this snuff the Kaffirs are immoderately fond, and even European snuff-takers often
prefer it to any snuff that can be purchased. I know one African traveller, who acquired
the habit of snuff-taking among the Kaffirs, and who, having learned to make snuff ii\
Kaffir fashion, continues to manufacture his own snuff, thinking it superior to any tlir.!:
can be obtained at the tobacconists' shops.
SNUFF-TAKING.
171
i.
The manner of taking snuff is, among the Kaffirs, by no means the simple process in
use among ourselves. Snuff-taking almost assumes the character of a solemn rite, and is
never performed with the thoughtless levity of an European snuff-taker. A Kaffir never
thinks of taking snuff while standing, but must needs sit down for the purpose, in some
place and at some time when he will not be disturbed.
If he happens to be a man tolerably well off, he will have a snuff-spoon ready stuck
in his hair, and will draw it out. These snuff-spoons are very similar in form, although
they slightly differ in detail. They are made of bone
or ivory, and consist of a small bowl set on a deeply
pronged handle. Some spoons have two prongs, but
the generality have three. The bowl is mostly hemi-
spherical, but in some specimens it is oblong. I pos-
sess specimens of both shapes, which are shown
in the accompanying illustration ; and I have also a
snuff spoon from Madagascar, which is very similar
both in shape and size to that which is used by the
Kaffir.
Supposing him to have a spoon, he takes his snuff-
box out of his ear, or from his belt, and solemnly fills
the bowl of the spoon. He then replaces the box,
inserts the bowl of the spoon into his capacious nostrils,
and with a powerful inhalation exhausts the contents.
The pungent snuff causes tears to pour down his cheeks ;
and as if to make sure that they shall follow their proper
course, the taker draws the edges of his thumbs down
his face, so as make a kind of groove in which the tears
can run from the inner angle of the eyes to the corner
of the mouth. This flood of tears constitutes the Kaffir's
great enjoyment in snuff-taking, and it is contrary
to all etiquette to speak to a Kaffir, or to disturb him
in any way, while he is taking his snuff.
If, as is often the case, he is not rich enough to pos-
sess a spoon, he manages it in another fashion. Taking
care to seat himself in a spot which is sheltered from
the wind, he pours the snuff on the back of his hand,
making a little conical heap that exactly coincides
with his wide nostrils. By putting the left side of his
nose on the snuff heap, and closing the other nostril
with his forefinger, he contrives to absorb it all% without losing a grain of the precious
substance — an act which he would consider as the very acme of folly.
The rules of etiquette are especially minute as regards snuff taking.
It is considered bad manners to offer snuff to another, because to offer a gift implies
superiority ; the principal man in each assembly being always called upon to give snuff to
the others.
There is an etiquette even in asking for snuff. If one Kaffir sees another taking
snuff, he does not ask directly for it, but puts a sidelong question, saying, " What are you
eating ? " The first answer to this question is always to the effect that he is not eating
anything, which is the polite mode of refusing the request — a refusal to the first appli-
cation being part of the same singular code of laws. When a second request is made in
the same indirect manner as the former, he pours a quantity of snuff into the palm of
his left hand, and holds it out for the other to help himself, and, at the same time, looks
carefully in another direction, so that he may not seem to watch the quantity which is
taken, and to appear to grudge the gift. Or, if several be present, and he is a rich
man, he helps himself first, and then throws the box to his guests, abstaining, as before,
from looking at them as they help themselves. When a chief has summoned his
dependants, he calls a servant, who holds his two open hands together, so as to form a
THREE KINDS OF SNUFF SPOONS .
172
THE KAFFIR.
cup. The chief tlion fills his hands with snuff, and the servant carries the valued gifl to
the guests as they sit around.
It has aliva;!v been mentioned thai \vhen a Kaffir takes snuff he sits on the ground.
This is one of the many small points of etiquette which the natives observe with the
minutest care. Its infringement is looked upon not only as an instance of bad manners,
but as a tacit acknowledgment that the man who stands up while he i 1 with his
snuff with another is trying to take an advantage of him. Mr. Shooter remarks that
many a man has been murdered by being entrapped into snuff-taking, and then stalled
while in a drfem-elrss position. The very act of holding out one hand, tilled with snuff,
while the other is occupied with the snuff-box, prevents the donor from using his weapons,
so that he might be easily overpowered by any one who was inclined to be treacherous.
GIVING AND TAKING SNUFF.
The reader will probably have observed the analogy between this custom and an
ancient etiquette of our own land, a relic of which still survives in the " grace cup "
handed round at municipal banquets.
There are few points in Kaffir life more remarkable than the minute code of etiquette
concerning the use of tobacco. It must have been of very recent growth, because tobacco,
although much cultivated in Africa, is not indigenous to that country, and has been
introduced from America. It almost seems as if some spirit of courtesy were inherent
in the plant, and thus the African black man and the American red man are perforce
obliged to observe careful ceremonial in its consumption.
It might naturally be thought that the constant inhalations of such quantities of
snuff, and that of so pungent a character, would injure, the olfactory nerves to such an
extent that they would be scarcely able to perform their office. Such, however, is not
the case. The Kaffir's nose is a wonderful organ. It is entirely unaffected by the
abominable scent proceeding from the rancid grease with which the natives plenteously
besmear themselves, and suffers no inconvenience from the stifling atmosphere of the
hut where many inmates are assembled. But, notwithstanding all these assaults upon
it, conjoined with the continual snuff-taking, it can detect odours which are quite
SNUFF-BOXES. 173
iin perceptible to European nostrils, and appears to be nearly as sensitive as that of the
bloodhound.
Being so fond of their snuff, the Kaffirs lavish all their artistic powers on the boxes
in which they carry so valuable a substance. They make their snuff-boxes of various
materials, such as wood, bone, ivory, horn ; and just as Europeans employ gems and the
precious metals in the manufacture of their snuff-boxes, so do the Kaffirs use for the
same purpose the materials which they most value, and exhaust upon them the utmost
resources of their simple arts.
One of the commonest forms of snuff-box is a small tube, about three inches in length,
and half an inch in diameter. This is merely a joint of reed, with its open end secured
by a plug. The natural colour of the reed is shining yellow ; but the Kaffir mostly
decorates it with various patterns, made by partially charring the surface. These patterns
are differently disposed ; but in general form they are very similar, consisting of diamonds
and triangles of alternate black and yellow. This box answers another purpose beside
that of holding the snuff, and is used as an ornament. The correct method of wearing
it is to make a hole in the lobe of the ear, and push the snuff-box into it. In that
position it is always at hand, and the bold black and yellow pattern has a good effect
against the dark cheek of the wearer. This box is seen at fig. 6 on page 43.
Another form of snuff-box is shown at fig. 5 on the same page. This is a small
article, and is cut out of solid ivory. Much skill is shown in the external shaping of it,
and very great patience must have been shown in scraping and polishing its surface. But
this is mere child's play contrasted with the enormous labours of hollowing it with the
very imperfect tools possessed by a Kaffir workman. These two snuff-boxes ought to
have been placed with those on-page 43 ; but the draughtsman was not aware of their
object, and so placed them among the articles of dress and ornament, to which, in a
degree, they certainly do belong.
The common bottle-gourd is largely used in the manufacture of snuff-boxes. Some-
times it is merely hollowed, and furnished with a plaited leathern thong, whereby it
may be secured to the person of the owner. The hollowing process is very simple, and
consists of boring a hole in the end as the gourd hangs on the tree, and leaving it to
itself. In process of time the whole interior decomposes, and the outer skin is baked
by the sun to a degree of hardness nearly equal to that of earthenware. This form of
snuff-box is much used, and is seen at fig. 1 in the accompanying illustration. As the
bottle-gourd obtains a large size, it is generally employed as a store-box, in which snuff
is kept in stock, or by a chief of liberal ideas, who likes to hand, round a large supply
among his followers. One of the large ornamented gourds is drawn at fig. 1, page 50.
In the generality of cases it is ornamented
in some way or other. Sometimes the Kaffir
decorates the whole exterior with the angular
charred pattern which has already been men-
tioned ; but his great delight is to cover it with
beads, the ornaments which his soul loves.
These beads are most ingeniously attached to
the gourd, and fit it as closely as the protective
envelope covers a Florence oil flask.
One favourite kind of snuff-box is made
from the bone of a cow's leg. The part which
is preferred is that just above the fore foot. The
foot being removed, the Kaffir measures a piece SNUFF-BOXES.
of the leg some four inches in length, and cuts
it off. From the upper part he strips the skin, but takes care to leave a tolerably broad
belt of hide at the wider end. The bone is then polished, and is generally decorated with
a rudely engraved but moderately regular pattern, somewhat similar to that which has
been already described as placed upon the gourd. The natural hollow is much enlarged,
and the opening being closed with a stopper, the snuff-box is complete. This box is seen
at fig. 2 on page 50,
174
THK KAFFIR
Sometimes the Kaffir makes his snuff-box out of the horn of a young ox ; but he will
occasionally go to the trouble of cutting it out of the horn of a rhinoceros. Such a box
is a valuable one, for the bone of the rhinoceros is solid, and therefore the hollow must
be made by sheer labour, whereas that of the ox is already hollow, and only needs to In-.
polished. Moreover, it is not so easy to procure the horn of a rhinoceros as that of an ox,
inasmuch as the former is a powerful and dangerous animal, and can only be obtained
at the risk of life, or by the laborious plan of digging a pitfall
There is one form of snuff-box which is, as far as I know, peculiar to the tribes of
Southern Africa, both in shape and material. A good specimen of these remarkable
boxes is shown in the illustration, the original being in my own collection.
The Kaffir begins by making a clay model of some animal, and putting it in the sun
to dry. He is very expert at this art, and, as a general rule, can imitate the various
animals with sivch truth that they can be immediately recognised. Of course lie has
but little delicacy, and does not aim at any artistic effect ; but he is thoroughly
acquainted with the salient points of the animal which he is modelling, and renders
them with a force that frequently passes into rather ludicrous exaggeration.
The next process is a very singular one.
When a cow is killed, the
Kaffir removes the hide, and
lays it on the ground with the
hair downwards. With the
sharp blade of his assagai he
then scrapes the interior of the
hide, so as to clean off the co-
agulated blood which adheres
to it, and collects it all in one
place. With this blood he
mixes some powdered earth, and
works the blood and the powder
into a paste. Of course a
small quantity of animal fibre
is scraped from the hide and
mixed with the paste, and
aids to bind it more closely
together.
The paste being ready, the Kaffir rubs it over the clay model, taking care to lay it on of
a uniform thickness. A few minutes in the burning sunshine suffice to harden it tolerably,
and then a second coat is added. The Kaffir repeats this process until he has obtained a
coating about the twelfth of an inch in thickness. Just before it has become quite hard,
lie takes his needle or a very finely pointed assagai, and raises a kind of coarse nap on
the surface, so as to bear a rude resemblance to hair.
When it is quite dry, the Kaffir cuts a round hole in the top of the head, and with
his needle, aided by sundry implements made of thorns, picks out the whole sof the clay
model, leaving only the dry coating of paste. By this time the plastic paste has
hardened into a peculiar consistency. It is very heavy in proportion to its bulk, partly
on account of the earthy matter incorporated with it, and partly on account of its
extremely compact nature. It is wonderfully strong, resisting considerable violence
without suffering any damage. It is so hard that contact with sharp stones, spear heads,
or a knife blade is perfectly innocuous, and so elastic, that if it were dropped from the
clouds upon the earth, it would scarcely sustain any injury.
My own specimen represents an elephant, the leathern thong by which the plug
is retained being ingeniously contrived to play the part of the proboscis. But the Kaffirs
are singularly ingenious in their manufacture of these curious snuff-boxes, and imitate
the form of almost every animal of their own country. The ox and the elephant are
their favourite models : but they will sometimes make a snuff-box in the form of a
rhinoceros ; and the very best specimen that I have as yet seen was in the shape of
r
SNUFF-BOX MADE OF COWS BLOOD. SMALL GOURD SNUFF-BOX.
MODELLING. 175
a hartebeest, the peculiar recurved horns, and shape of the head, being rendered with
wonderful truth.
Modelling must naturally imply a mind with some artistic powers ; and it is evident
that any one who can form in clay a recognisable model of any object, no matter how
rude it may be, has within him some modicum of the sculptor's art. This implies
a portion of the draughtsman's art also, because in the mind of the modeller there must
exist a tolerably accurate conception of the various outlines that bound the object which
he models. Now the example just given of the snuff-boxes shows plainly that a Kaffir can
make in clay a recognisable model of certain given animals, and, therefore, must be some-
thing of an artist. He can also carve very respectably in wood ; and, as we have seen
when we came to the question of a Kaffir's food, and how he eats it, he can carve his
spoons into very artistic forms, and sometimes to the shape of certain objects, whether
artificial or natural. There is now before me an admirably executed model of the head
of a buffalo, carved by a Kaffir out of a rhinoceros horn, the peculiar sweep and curve of
the buffalo's enormous horn being given with a truth and freedom that are really wonderful.
Yet it is a most remarkable fact that a Kaffir, as a general rule, is wholly incapable
of understanding a drawing that includes perspective. An ordinary outline he can
understand well enough, and will recognise a sketch of an animal, a house, or a man, and
will sometimes succeed in identifying the individual who is represented. Yet even this
amount of artistic recognition is by no means universal ; and a Kaffir, on being shown a
well-executed portrait of a man, has been known to assert that it was a lion.
But when perspective is included, the Kaffir is wholly at a loss to comprehend it.
One of my friends, who was travelling in South Africa, halted at a well-known spot, and
while there received a copy of an illustrated newspaper, in which was an engraving of
the identical spot. He was delighted at the opportunity, and called the Kaffirs to come
and look at the print. Not one of them could form the slightest conception of its
meaning, although, by a curious coincidence, a wagon had been represented in exactly
the situation which was occupied by that in which they were travelling. In vain did he
explain the print. Here was the wagon — there was that clump of trees — there was that
flat-topped hill — down in that direction ran that ravine — ancl so forth. They listened
very attentively, and then began to laugh, thinking that he was joking with them. The
wagon, which happened to be in the foreground, they recognised, but the landscape they
ignored. " That clump of trees," said they, " is more than a mile distant ; how can it
be on this flat piece of paper?" To their minds the argument was ended, and there was
no room for further discussion.
I have another snuff-box, which is remarkable as being a combination of two arts ;
namely, modelling and bead-work. The author of this composition does not seern to
have been a man of original genius, or to have possessed any confidence in his power of
modelling. Instead of making a clay model of some animal, he has contented himself
with imitating a gourd, one of the easiest tasks that a child of four years old could
perform. There is nothing to do but to make a ball of clay, for the body of the box, and
fix to it a small cylinder of clay for the neck. The ball need not be exactly spherical,
nor the neck exactly cylindrical, so that the exigences of art are easily satisfied. This
specimen is shown at fig. 2, on page 173.
The maker of this snuff-box has been scarcely more successful in the ornamental
cover than in the box itself. With great labour he has woven an envelope made of
beads, and up to a certain point has been successful. He has evidently possessed beads
of several sizes, and has disposed them with some ingenuity. The larger are made into
the cover for the neck of the box, a number of the very largest beads being reserved to
mark the line where the neck is worked into the body of the bottle. All the boads are
strung upon threads made of sinews, and are managed so ingeniously that a kind
of close network is formed, which fits almost tightly to the box. But the maker has
committed a slight error in his measurements, and the consequence is that, although the
cover fits closely over the greater part of the box, it forms several ungainly wrinkles here
and there ; the maker having forgotten that, owing to the globular shape of the box, the
diameter of the bead envelope ought to have been contracted with each row of beads.
176
THE KAF.FI1!.
The colours of the brails an* only three — namely, chalk white, garnet, and blur; the
two latter being translucent. The groundwork is formed of the opaque white beads,
while those of the other two colours are disposed in bands running in a slightly spiral
direction.
There is now before me a most remarkable snuff-box, or "iquaka," as the Kaffirs call
it, which perplexed me exceedingly. The form is that of a South African gourd, and it
is furnished with a leathern thong, after the pure African fashion. But the carving with
which it is almost entirely covered never was designed by a Kaffir artist. The upper
portion is cut so as to resemble the well-known concentric ivory balls which the Chinese
cut with such infinite labour, and a similar pattern decorates the base. But the body of
the gourd is covered with outline carvings, one of which represents a peacock, a bird
which does not belong to Kaffirland, and the rest of which are very fair representations of
the rose, thistle, and shamrock. The peacock
is really well drawn, the contrast between the
close plumage of the body and the loose,
decomposed feathers of the train being very
boldly marked ; while the attitude of the
bird, as it stands on a branch, with reverted
head, is very natural. Major lioss King, to
whose collection it belongs, tells me that if he
had not seen it taken from the body of a slain
warrior, he could hardly have believed that it
came from Southern Africa. He thinks that it
must have been carved by a partially civilized
Hottentot, or Kaffir of exceptional intelligence,
and that the design must have been copied from
some English models, or have been furnished
by an Englishman to the Kaffir, who afterwards
transferred it to the gourd.
This remarkable gourd was brought from
Africa by Major W. Eoss King, late 74th
Highlanders. The same gentleman has also
forwarded to me another gourd of the same
shape, but of much larger size, which has been
used for holding amasi, or clotted milk. This
specimen is chiefly remarkable from the fact
that an accident has befallen it, and a hole made
in its side.
The owner has evidently valued the gourd, and has ingeniously filled up the hole with
a patch of raw hide. The stitch much resembles that which has already been described
when treating of Kaffir costume. A row of small holes has been drilled through the
fracture, and by means of a sinew thread the patch has been fastened over the hole. The
piece of hide is rather larger than the hole which it covers, and
as it has been put on when wet, the junction has become quite
watertight, and the patch is almost incorporated with the gourd.
The usual form of the amasi gourd is shown in the accompany-
ing illustration, which represents a remarkably fine specimen in my
own collection. The gourd is prepared in the very simple manner
that is in use among the Kaffirs — namely, by cutting off a small
portion of the neck, so as to allow the air to enter, and thus to
cause the whole of the soft substance of the interior to decay.
The severed portion of the neck is carefully preserved, and the
stopper is fixed to it in such a manner that when the gourd is closed
it seems at first sight to be entire. These gourds are never washed,
but fresh milk is continually added, in order that it may be
converted into amasi by that which is left in the vessel
GOURD.
AMASI GOURD.
PIPE-MARINO.
177
GREENSTONE
PIPE.
NEXT to his snuff-box, the Kaffir values his pipe. There is quite as much variety in
pipes in Kaffirland as there is in Europe, and, if possible, the material is even more
varied. Reed, wood, stone, horn, and bone are the principal materials, and the reader will
see that from them a considerable variety can be formed.
The commonest pipes are made out of wood, and are formed on the same principle as
the well-known wooden pipes of Europe. But the Kaffir has no lathe in which he
can turn the bowl smooth on the exterior, and gouge out the wood to make its cavity.
Neither has he the drills with which the European maker pierces the stem, nor the deli-
cate tools which give it so neat a finish. He has scarcely any tools but his assagai and
his needle, and yet with these rude implements he succeeds in making a very serviceable,
though not a very artistic pipe.
One of the principal points in pipe-making among
the Kaffirs is, to be liberal as regards the size of the bowl.
The smallest Kaffir pipe is nearly three times as large as
the ordinary pipe of Europe, and is rather larger than the
great porcelain pipes so prevalent in Germany. But the
tobacco used by the Germans is very mild, and is employed
more for its delicate flavour than its potency ; whereas the
tobacco which a Kaffir uses is rough, coarse, rank, and ex-
tremely strong. Some of the pipes used by these tribes are
so large that a casual observer might easily take them for
ladles, and they are so heavy and unwieldy, especially
towards the bowl, that on an emergency a smoker might
very effectually use his pipe as a club, and beat off either
a wild beast or a human foe with the improvised weapon.
Generally, the bowl is merely hollowed, and then used
as soon as the wood is dry; but in some cases the dusky
manufacturer improves his pipe, or at least thinks that he
does so, by lining it with a very thin plate of sheet iron.
Sometimes, though rather rarely, a peculiar kind of stone
is used for the manufacture of pipes. This stone is of a green colour, with a wavy kind
of pattern, not unlike that of malachite. Many of the natives set great store by this
stone, and have almost superstitious ideas of its value and properties.
The Kaffir possesses to the full the love of his own especial pipe, which seems to
distinguish every smoker, no matter what his country may be. The Turk has a plain
earthen bowl, but encrusts the stem with -jewels, and forms the mouthpiece of the
purest amber. The German forms the bowl of the finest porcelain, and adorns it with
his own coat of arms, or with the portrait of some bosom friend, while the stem is
decorated with silken cords and tassels of brilliant and symbolical colours.
Even the Englishman, plain and simple as are the tastes on which he values himself,
takes a special pride in a good meerschaum, and decorates his favourite pipe with gold
mounting and amber mouthpiece.
Some persons of simple taste prefer the plain wooden or clay pipe to the costliest
specimen that art can furnish ; but others pride themselves either upon the costly
materials with which the pipe is made, or the quantity of gold and silver wherewith
it is decorated. Others, again, seem to prefer forms as grotesque and fantastic as
any that are designed by the Western African negro, as is shown by the variety of
strangely-shaped pipes exhibited in the tobacconists' windows, which would not be so
abundantly produced if they did not meet with a correspondingly large sale.
The North American Indian lavishes all his artistic powers upon his pipe. As
a warrior, upon a campaign he contents himself with a pipe " contrived a double debt to
pay," his tomahawk being so fashioned that the pipe bowl is sunk in the head, while the
handle of the weapon is hollowed, and becomes the stem. But, as a man of peace,
he expends his wealth, his artistic powers, and his time upon his pipe. He takes
a journey to the far distant spot in which the sacred redstone is quarried. He utters
invocations to the Great Spirit; gives offerings, and humbly asks permission to take
VOL. i. N
178 THE KAFFIR.
some of the venerated stone. He returns home with his treasure, carve? tho howl with
infinite pains, makes a most elaborate stem, and decorates it with the wampum and
feathers which are the jewellery of a savage Indian. The inhabitant of Vancouver's
Island shapes an entire pipe, bowl and stem included, out of solid stone, covering it with
an infinity of grotesque images that must take nearly a lifetime of labour. The native
of India forms the water-pipe, or "hubble-bubble," out of a cocoa-nut shell and a pien-
of bamboo and a clay bowl; and as long as he is a mere labourer, living on nothing but
rice, he contents himself with this simple arrangement. But, in proportion as he becomes
rich, he indicates his increasing wealth by the appearance of his pipe ; so that when he
has attained affluence, the cocoa-nut shell is encased in gold and silver filagree, while the
stem and mouthpiece are covered with gems and the precious metals.
It is likely, therefore, that the Kaffir will expend both time and labour
upon the decoration of his pipe. Of artistic beauty he has very little idea,
and is unable to give to his pipe the flowing curves which are found
in the handiwork of the American Indian, or to produce the rude yet vigorous
designs which ornament the pipe of New Caledonia, The form of the Kaffir's
pipe seldom varies from that which is sho\vn on page 177, fig. 1, and th<;
whole energies of the owner seem to be concentrated on inlaying the bowl with
lead. The patterns which he produces are not remarkable either for beauty
or variety, and, indeed, are little more than repetitions of the zigzag engravings
upon the snuff-boxes.
There is now before me a pipe which has evidently belonged to a Kaffir
who was a skilful smith, and on which the o\Mter has expended all Irs
metallurgic knowledge. The entire stem and the base of the bowl are made
of lead, and the edge of the bowl is furnished with a rim of the same metal.
The pattern which is engraved upon it is composed of lead, and it is a
remarkable fact that the lead is not merely let into the wood, but that the
bowl of the pipe is cut completely through, so that the pattern is seen in the
inside as well as on the exterior. This pipe has never been smoked, and the
pattern seems to be unfinished.
The skill which has been employed in making this pipe is very great, for
it must require no small amount of proficiency both in wood carving and
metal working, to combine the two materials together so perfectly as to bo
air-tight. This curious pipe is represented in the accompanying illustration,
and is sketched from a specimen in the collection ot
Major Ross King.
The hookah, or at least a modification of it, is in
great use among the Kaffir tribes, and is quite as in-
genious a piece of art as the " hubble-bubble" of the
Indian peasant. It is made of three distinct parts.
First, there is the bowl, which is generally carved
out of stone, and is often ornamented with a deeply
INLAID PIPE engraved pattern. The commonest bowls, however,
are made from earthenware, and are very similar in
shape to that of the Indian pipe. Their form very much resembles that of a barrel, one
end having a large and the other a small aperture.
The next article is a reed, some four or five inches in length, which is fitted tightly
into the smaller aperture of the bowl ; the last, and most important part, is the body of
the pipe, which is always made of the horn of some animal, that of the ox being most
usually found. The favourite horn, however, and that which is most costly, is that
of the koodoo, the magnificent spiral-horned antelope of Southern Africa. A hole is
bored into the horn at some little distance from the point, arid the reed, which has alreadv
been attached to the bowl, is thrust into it, the junction of the reed and horn being mad a
air-tight.
The bowl is now filled with tobacco, or with another mixture that will be described,
and the horn nearly filled with water. In order to smoke this pipe, the native places his
A SMOKING PARTY.
179
mouth to the broad open end of the horn, presses the edge of the opening to his cheeks,
so as to exclude the air, and then inhales vigorously. The smoke is thus obliged to pass
through the water, and is partially freed from impurities before it reaches the lips of the
smoker. During its passage through the water, it causes a loud bubbling sound, which is
thought to aid the enjoyment of the smoker.
Pure tobacco is, however, seldom smoked in this pipe, and, especially among the
Damara tribe, an exceedingly potent mixture is employed. Tobacco is used for the
purpose of giving the accustomed flavour, but the chief ingredient is a kind of hemp,
called "dagha," which possesses intoxicating powers
like those of the well-known Indian hemp. Smoking
this hemp is exalted into an important ceremony among
this people, and is conducted in the following manner : —
A number of intending smokers assemble together
and sit in a circle, having only a single water pipe, to-
gether with a supply of the needful tobacco and the
prepared hemp, called "dagha" by the natives. The
first in rank fills the pipe, lights it, and inhales as
much smoke as his lungs can contain, not permitting any
of it to escape. He then hands the pipe to the man
nearest him, and closes his mouth to prevent the srnoke
from escaping. The result of this proceeding is not
long in manifesting itself. Convulsions agitate the
body, froth issues from the mouth, the eyes seem to
start from the head, while their brilliancy dies away,
and is replaced by a dull, film-like aspect, and the
features are contorted like those of a person attacked
with epilepsy.
This stage of excitement is so powerful that the
human frame cannot endure it for any length of time,
and in a minute or two the smoker is lying insensible
on the ground. As it would be dangerous to allow a
man to remain in this state of insensibility, he is
roused by his still sober comrades, who employ means,
not the most gentle, to bring him to his senses. They
pull his woolly hair, they box his ears, and they throw
water over him, not in the most delicate manner, and thus awake him from his lethargy.
There are, however, instances where these remedial means have failed, and the senseless
smoker has never opened his eyes again in this world. Whence the gratification arises is
hard to say, and the very fact that there should be any gratification at all is quite
inexplicable to a European. These dusky smokers, however, regard the pipe .as sup-
plying one of the greatest luxuries of life, and will sacrifice almost everything to
possess it.
Although the Damara tribe are special victims to this peculiar mode of smoking, it
is practised to some extent by the Kaffirs. These, however, are not such slaves to the
pipe as the Damaras, neither do they employ the intoxicating hemp to such an extent, but
use tobacco. Their water pipes are mostly made of an ox horn, one or two of which are
in my collection. They sometimes fasten the bowl permanently in its place by means of
a broad strap of antelope hide, one part of which goes round the bowl, and the other
round the stem, so as to brace them firmly together by its contraction. The hair of the
antelope is allowed to remain on the skin, and, as the dark artist has a natural eye for
colour, he always chooses some part of the skin where a tolerably strong contrast of
hue exists. This is the case in the pipe which has been drawn above. The figure
i.s taken from a specimen in the museum attached to the Nottingham Mechanics'
Institute.
There is a very singular kind of pipe which seems to be in use over a considerable
portion of Southern Africa. The native of this country is never at a loss for a pipe, and
N 9.
WATER PIPE.
180
THE KAFFIR
if he does not happen to possess one of the pipes in ordinary use, lie can make one in a
few minutes, wherever he may be. For this purpose he needs no tools, and requires no
wood, stone, nor other material of which pipes are generally made. There is a certain
grandeur about his notion of a pipe, for he converts the earth into that article, and the
world itself becomes his tobacco-pipe.
The method of making this pipe is perfectly simple. First, he pours some water on
the ground, and makes a kind of mud pie. The precise manner in which this pie
is made is depicted in Hogarth's well-known plate of the " Enraged Musician." He now
lays an assagai or a knob-kerrie on the ground, and kneads the mud over the end of the
shaft so as to form a ridge some few inches in length, having a rather large lump of mud
at the end. This mud ridge is the element of the future pipe. The next proceeding is
to push the finger into the lump of mud until it reaches the spear shaft, and then to
work it about until a cavity is made, which answers the purpose of the bowl. The
assagai is then carefully with-
drawn, and the pipe is complete,
the perforated mud ridge doing
duty for the stem.
A few minutes in the burning
sunbeams suffice to bake the mud
into a hard mass, and the pipe
is ready for use. The ingenious
manufacturer then fills the bowl
with tobacco and proceeds to
smoke. This enjoyment he man-
ages to secure by lying on his
face, putting his lips upon the
small "orifice, and at the same
time applying a light to the to-
bacco in the bowl.
In some places the pipe is
made in a slightly different man-
ner. A shallow hole is scooped
in the ground, some ten or twelve
inches in diameter, and two or
three deep, and the earth that has
been removed is then replaced in
the hole, moistened and kneaded into a compact mud. A green twig is then taken, bent
in the form of a half circle, and the middle of it pressed into the hole, leaving the ends
projecting at either side. Just before the mud has quite hardened, the twig is carefully
withdrawn, and at the same time the bowl is made by pushing the finger after the twig
and widening the hole.
In such case the pipe is of such a nature that a European could not smoke it, even
if he could overcome the feeling of repugnance in using it. His projecting nose would
be in the way, and his small thin lips could not take a proper hold. But the broad nose,
and large, projecting lips of the South African native are admirably adapted for the pur-
pose, and enable him to perform with ease a task which would be physically impracticable
to the European.
It is a remarkable fact that in some parts of Asia the natives construct a pipe on
the same principle. This pipe wilt be described in its proper place.
When the Kaffirs can assemble for a quiet smoke, they have another curious custom.
The strong, rank tobacco excites a copious flow of saliva, and this is disposed of in a
rather strange manner. The smokers are furnished with a tube about a yard in length,
and generally a reed, or straight branch, from which the pith has been extracted. A
peculiarly handsome specimen is usually covered with the skin of a bullock's tail.
Through this tube the smokers in turn discharge the superabundant moisture, and it i.s
thought to be a delicate compliment to select the same spot that has been previously used
THE POOR MAN'S PIPE.
TOBACCO CULTIVATION.
181
by another. Sometimes, instead of a hole, a circular trench is employed, but the mode
of using it is exactly the same.
The accompanying illustration represents a couple of well-bred gentlemen — a married
man and a "boy "--indulging in a pipe in the cool of the evening. The man has taken
his turn at the pipe, and handed it to his comrade, who inhales the smoke while ho
himself is engaged with the tube above-mentioned. Wishing to give some little variety
to the occupation, he has drawn an outlined figure of a kraal, and is just going to form
one of the huts. Presently, the boy will hand the pipe back again, exchange it for the
tube, and take his turn at the manufacture of the kraal, which will be completed by the
time that the pipe is finished.
KAFFIR GENTLEMEN SMOKING.
Major Eoss King describes this curious proceeding in a very amusing manner.
" Retaining the last draught of smoke in his mouth, which he fills with a decoction of
bark and water from a calabash, he squirts it on the ground by his side, through a long
ornamented tube, performing thereon, by the aid of a reserved portion of the liquid, a sort
of boatswain's whistle, complacently regarding the soap-like bubbles, the joint production
of himself and neighbour.
" On this occasion, finding a blanketed group sitting apart in a circle, smoking the
dagha before described, at their invitation I squatted down cross-legged in tl e ring, and
receiving the rude cow-horn pipe in my turn, took a pull at its capacious mouth, coughing
violently at the suffocating fumes, as indeed they all did more or less, and after tasting
the nasty decoction of bark which followed round in a calabash, took the politely-offered
spitting-tube of my next neighbour, signally failing, however, in the orthodox whistle,
to the unbounded delight of the Fingoes, whose hearty, ringing laughter was most
contagious."
Tobacco is cultivated by several of the tribes inhabiting Southern Africa, and is
prepared in nearly the same method as is employed in other parts of the world, the
ives being gathered, " sweated," and finally dried. Still, they appreciate the tobacco
fhich they obtain from Europeans, and prefer it to that which is manufactured by
"lemselves.
182 THE KAFFIR
Some of the Kaffirs are very successful in their cultivation of tobacco, -and find that
a good crop is a very valuable property. A Kaffir without tobacco is a miserable being,
and, if it were only for his own sake, the possession of a supply which will last him
throughout the year is a subject of congratulation. But any tobacco that is not needed
for the use of himself or his household is as good as money to the owner, as there are
few things which a Kaffir loves that tobacco cannot buy. If he sees a set of beads that
particularly pleases him, and the owner should happen to be poorer than himself, he can
purchase the finery by the sacrifice of a little of his fragrant store. Also, he can gain
the respect of the " bpys," who seldom possess property of any kind except their shield
and spears, and, by judicious gifts of tobacco, can often make them his followers, this
being the first step towards chieftainship. Generally, a Kaffir makes up the crop of each
garden into a single bundle, sometimes weighing fifty or sixty pounds, and carefully
encases it with reeds, much after the fashion that naval tobacco is sewn up in canvas.
He is sure to place these rolls in a conspicuous part of the house, in order to extort
the envy and admiration of his companions.
KAFFIR STAFF.
CHAPTER XVII.
RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION.
IMPERFECT RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE KAFFIB HIS IDEA OF A CREATOR HOW DEATH CAME INTO
THE WORLD LEGENDS AND TRADITIONS BELIEF IN THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL THK
SPIRITS OF THE DEAD, AND THEIR SUPPOSED INFLUENCE TCHAKA's VISION A KAFFIR SEKU
AND HIS STORY PURSUITS OF DEPARTED SPIRITS THE LIMITS OF THEIR POWER ANIMALS
USKD FOR SACRIFICE TO THEM TEMPORARY TRANSMIGRATION VARIOUS OMENS, AND MEANS
FOR AVERTING THEM WHY SACRIFICES ARE MADE A NATIVE'S HISTORY OF A SACRIFICE, AND
ITS OBJECTS THE FEAST OF FIRST-FBUITS SACBIFICE OF THE BULL, AND THE STRANGE CERE-
MONIES WHICH ATTEND IT KAFFIR PROPHETS AND THEIR OFFICES — HEREDITARY TRANSMISSION
OF PROPHECY — PROGRESS OF A PROPHET THE CHANGE — INTERVIEW WITH AN OLD PROPHET
— THE PROBATIONARY STAGES OF PROPHECY A PROPHET'S RETURN TO HIS FAMILY — SCHOOL
OF THE PROPHETS — SEARCH FOR THE SPIRITS THE GREAT SACRIFICE, AND RECEPTION INTO
THE COMPANY OF PROPHETS THE WAND OF OFFICE DRESS OF A PROPHET.
IT is not very easy to say whether a Kaffir possesses any religion at all, in our sense
of the word. With superstition he is deeply imbued, and passes his lifetime in con-
siderable dread of witchcraft and of evil spirits. But religion which conveys any sense
of moral responsibility, seems to be incomprehensible to the ordinary Kaffir, and even
his naturally logical mind inclines him to practical atheism.
As far as is known, the Kaffir tribes have a sort of tradition concerning a Creator,
whom they call by a compound word that may be translated as the Great-Great, and to
whom they attribute the first origin of all things. But it is certain that they offer him
no worship, and make no prayers to him, and have no idea that they are personally
responsible to him for their acts.
Moreover many of the tribes do not even possess this imperfect knowledge ; and
even in those cases where it does exist, its origin is very uncertain, and it is impossible
to ascertain whether the tradition may not be a corrupted recollection of instruction
received from some European. Such, indeed, has been known to be the case among the
Kaffirs, and it is probable that the knowledge of a Creator is really derived from European
sources. At all events, such knowledge is by no means universal, arid exercises such
small influence on the people that it is scarcely worthy of mention.
There are, indeed, one or two legendary stories concerning the Great-Great, relating
to the creation of man, and to the duration of human life. The man is supposed to Lave
been created by splitting a reed, from which the first parents of the human race proceeded.
This legend is probably due to a double meaning of the words signifying " origin " and
"create," which also signify "reed" and "splitting." Another form of the tradition
deprives the Great-Great of all creatorship, and makes him to be one of the two who
issued from the split reed, so that he is rather the great ancestor of the human race than
its creator.
The tradition concerning the infliction of death upon the human race is a very
curious one, and was related to the missionaries by a native who had been converted to
Christianity.
184 THK KA1-TIR
When mankind had increased upon the earth, the Great-Great took counsel with
himself, and sent two messengers to them, one the giver of life, the other the herald
of death. The first messenger was the chameleon, who was ordered to go and utter the
proclamation, "Let not the people die!" The chameleon set off on its mission, but
lingered on the road, stopping occasionally to eat by the way, and walking leisurely instead
of running. The second messenger was the salamander, who was commanded to proclaim,
" Let the people die ! " But the latter was the more obedient, and ran the whole of the
journey, until he reached the habitation of men, when he proclaimed his message
of death.
Shortly afterwards, the chameleon arrived and delivered his message, when the
salamander beat him and drove him away, as having failed in his duty to his Master.
Then the people lamented because they had received the message of death before that
of life, and from that time men have been subject to the power of death.
The consequence is, that both animals are detested by the Kaffirs, who kill the cha-
meleon when they find it, because it lingered on the way, and lost thorn the gift of
immortality. And they are equally sure to kill the salamander, because, when it was
charged with such a dread message, it hastened on its journey, and anticipated the
chameleon in its message of life. There are many variations of this story, but in its
main points it is current throughout many parts of Southern Africa.
Although the Kaffir's ideas of the Creator are so vague and undefined, he has at all
events a very firm belief in the existence of the soul and its immortality after death.
Tchaka once made use of this belief in a very ingenious manner. The people had become
rather tired of war, and required some inducement to make them welcome the order for
battle as heretofore. Whereupon, Tchaka had a vision of Umbia, a well-known chief,
who had served under his father, and who appeared to Tchaka to tell him that his father
was becoming angry with the Zulu tribe because they had become lazy, and had not gone
to war against the remaining unconquered tribes. This laziness on the part of the Zulus
who still inhabited the earth was displeasing to the spirits -of the dead, who would be
very comfortable below ground, with plenty of wives and cattle, as soon as they saw
their tribe in supreme authority over the whole land, from the Draakensberg to the sea.
In honour of this messenger from the shades, Tchaka ordered numbers of cattle to ln>,
slaughtered in all his military kraals, gave sumptuous feasts, and raised the descendants
of Umbia to the rank of Indunas.
Of course, the name of Umbia was in all mouths, and, while the excitement was at
its height, an old man suddenly disappeared from his hut, having been dragged away,
according to his wife's account, by a lion. The affair was reported to Tchaka in council,
but he affected to take no notice of it. After the lapse of three months, when the
immediate excitement had died away, the old man reappeared before Tchaka with his
head-ring torn off, and clothed in a wild and fantastic manner.
He said that the lion had dragged him away to its den, when the earth suddenly
opened and swallowed them both up. The lion accompanied him without doing him
any harm, and brought him to a place where there was some red earth. This also gave
way, and he fell into another abyss, where he lay stunned by the fall. On recovering,
he found himself in a pleasant country, and discovered that it was inhabited by the
spirits of Zulus who had died, and whom he had known in life. There was Senzan-
gakona, the father of Tchaka, with his councillors, his chiefs, his soldiers, his wives, and
his cattle.
Umbia was also there, and enjoyed himself very much. Since his departure into
the shades, he had become a great doctor, and was accustomed to stroll about at night,
instead of staying at home quietly with his family. No one seemed to know where he
had gone, but he told the narrator that he used to revisit earth in order to see his friends
and relatives. For three months the narrator was kept in the shades below, and was
then told to go back to his tribe and narrate what he had seen.
Tchaka pretended to disbelieve the narrative, and publicly treated with contempt the
man, denouncing him as a liar, and sending for prophets who should " smell " him, and
discover whether he had told the truth. The seers arrived, performed their conjurations,
LEGENDS AND TEADITIONS.
185
suR- the man, and stated that he had told the truth, that he had really visited the
spirits of the dead, and that he had been fetched by the lion because the people did
not believe the vision that had appeared to Tchaka. It is needless to observe that the
whole business had been previously arranged by that wily chief, in order t
his ambitious purposes.
Unbounded as is in one respect their reverence for the spirits of their ancestors, they
attribute to those same spirits a very limited range of power. A Kaffir has the very
highest respect for the spirits of his own ancestors, or those of his chief, but pays n
the least regard to those which beloi^ to other families. The spirit of a departed Kaffir
; supposed to have no sympathy except with relations and immediate descendants.
It has been already mentioned that, after the death of a Kaffir, his spirit is supposed
to dwell in the shade below, and to have the power of influencing the survivors ot his
own family, whether for good or evil. He likes cattle to be sacrificed to his name,
because, in that case, he adds the spirits of the dead cattle to his herd below while his
friends above eat the flesh, so that both parties are well p eased. Sometimes, it he thinks
that he has been neglected by them, he visits his displeasure by afflicting them with
various diseases, from which they seldom expect to recover without the sacrifice of cattle
If the ailment is comparatively trifling, the sacrifice of a goat is deemed sufficient ; but
the malady be serious, nothing but an ox, or in some cases several oxen, are required
before the offended spirits will relent. Sheep seem never to be used for this purpose.
If the reader will refer to page
76, he will see that the sacrifice of
cattle in case of sickness forms
part of a guardian's duty towards
a young girl, and that, if her tem-
porary guardian should have com-
plied with this custom, her rela-
tives, should they be discovered,
are bound to refund such cattle.
That the spirits of the dead
are allowed to quit their shadowy
home below and to revisit their
friends has already been men-
tioned. In some instances, as in
the case of Urnbia, they are sup-
posed to present themselves in
their own form. But the usual
plan is, for them to adopt the
shape of some animal which is
not in the habit of entering human
dwellings, and so to appear under
a borrowed form. The serpent or
the lizard shape is supposed to be the favourite mark under which the spirit conceals its
identity, and the man whose house it enters is left to exercise his ingenuity in guessing
the particular spirit that may be enshrined in the strange animal. In order to ascertain
precisely the character of the visitor, he lays a stick gently on its back ; and if it shows
no sign of anger, he is quite sure that he is favoured with the presence of one of his dead
ancestors. There are few Kaffirs that will make such a discovery, and will not offer
a sacrifice at once, for the prevalent idea in their mind is, that an ancestor would not
have taken the trouble to come on earth, except to give a warning that, unless he were
treated with more respect, some evil consequence would follow. In consequence of this
belief, most of the Kaffirs have a great dislike to killing serpents and lizards, not knowing
whether they may not be acting rudely towards some dead ancestor who will avenge
himself upon them for their want of respect.
Should a cow or a calf enter a hut, the Kaffir would take no notice of it, as these
animals are in the habit of entering human dwellings ; but if a sheep were to do so, he
FINDING A SNAKE.
186 THE KAFFIR
would immediately fancy that it was inspired with the shade of one of his ancestors.
The same would be the case with a wild animal of any kind, unless it were a beast of
prey, in which case it might possibly have made its way into the hut in search of food.
A similar exception would be made with regard to antelopes and other animals which
had been hunted, and had rushed into the kraal or crept into the hut as a refuge from
their foes.
Sacrifices are often made, not only to remove existing evils, but to avert impending
danger. In battle, for example, a soldier who finds that the enemy are getting the upper
hand, will make a vow to his ancestors that if he comes safely out of the fight, he will
make a sacrifice to them, and this vow is always kept. Even if the soldier should be a
" boy," who has no cattle, his father or nearest relation would think himself bound to
fulfil the vow. Now and then, if he should find that the danger was not so great as was
anticipated, he will compromise the matter by offering a goat. Unless a sacrifice of some
kind were made, the vengeance of the offended spirits would be terrible, and no Kaffir
would willingly run such a risk.
Sacrifices are also offered for the purpose of obtaining certain favours. For example,
as has been already mentioned, when an army starts on an expedition, sacrifices are
made to the spirits, and a similar rite is performed when a new kraal is built, or a new
field laid out. Eelatives at home will offer sacrifices in behalf of their absent friends ;
and when a chief is away from home in command of a war expedition, the sacrifices for
his welfare occur almost daily. Sacrifices or thank-offerings ought also to be made
when the spirits have been propitious ; and if the army is victorious, or the chief returned
in health, it is thought right to add another sacrifice to the former, in token of acknow-
ledgment that the previous offering has not been in vain.
The Kaffir generally reserves the largest and finest ox in his herd for sacrifice under
very important circumstances, and this animal, which is distinguished by the name of
" Ox of the Spirits," is never sold except on pressing emergency.
Mr. Shooter, who has given great attention to the moral culture of the Kaffir tribes,
remarks with much truth, that the Kaffir's idea of a sacrifice is simply a present of food
to the spirit. For the same reason, when an ox is solemnly sacrificed, the prophet in
attendance calls upon the spirits to come and eat, and adds to the inducement by placing
baskets of beer and vessels of snuff by the side of the slaughtered animal. Indeed,
when a man is very poor, and has no cattle to sacrifice, he contents himself with these
latter offerings.
The account of one of these sacrifices has been translated by Mr. Grout, from the
words of a native. After mentioning a great variety of preliminary rites, he proceeds to
say, " Now some one person goes out, and when he has come abroad, without the kraal,
all who are within their houses keep silence, while he goes round the kraal, the outer
enclosure of the kraal, and says, ' Honour to thee, lord ! ' (inkosi.) Offering prayers to
the shades, he continues, 'A blessing, let a blessing come then, since you have really
demanded your cow ; let sickness depart utterly. Thus we offer your animal.'
" And on our part we say, ' Let the sick man come out, come forth, be no longer sick,
and slaughter your animal then, since we have now consented that he may have it for
his own use. Glory to thee, lord ; good news ; come then, let us see him going about like
other people. Now then, we have given you what you want ; let us therefore see whether
or not it was enjoined in order that he might recover, and that the sickness might
pass by.'
" And then, coming out, spear in hand, he enters the cattle fold, comes up and stabs
it. The cow cries, says yeh ! to which he replies, ' An animal for the gods ought to
show signs of distress ; ' it is all right then, just what you required. Then they skin it,
eat it, finish it." Sometimes the gall is eaten by the sacrificer, and sometimes it is rubbed
over the body.
Another kind of sacrifice is that which is made by the principal man of a kraal, or
even by the king himself, about the first of January, the time when the pods of the
maize are green, and are in a fit state for food. No Kaffir will venture to eat the produce
of the new year until after the festival, which may be called the Feast of First-fruits.
SACRIFICING.
187
The feast lasts for several days, and in order to celebrate it, the whole army assembles,
together with the young recruits who have not yet been entrusted with shields. The,
prophets also assemble in great force, their business being to invent certain modes of
preparing food, which will render the body of the consumer strong throughout the year.
At this festival, also, the veteran soldiers who have earned their discharge are formally
released from service, while the recruits are draughted into the ranks.
The first business is, the sacrifice of the bull. For this purpose a bull is given to the
warriors, who are obliged to catch it and strangle it with their naked hands. They
are not even allowed a rope with which to bind the animal, and the natural conse-
quence is, that no small amount of torture is inflicted upon the poor animal, while the
warriors are placed in considerable jeopardy of their lives. When the bull is dead, the
SACEIFICING THE BULL.
chief prophet opens it, and removes the gall, which he mixes with other medicines and
gives to the king and his councillors. The dose thus prepared is always as unsavoury a
mixture as can well be conceived, but the Kaffir palate is not very delicate, and suffers
little under the infliction.
The body of the bull is next handed over to the " boys," who eat as much as they
can, and are obliged to burn the remainder. As a general rule, there is very little to be
burned. The men do not eat the flesh of this animal, but they feast to their heart's
content on other cattle, which are slaughtered in the usual manner. Dancing, drinking,
and taking snuff now set in, and continue in full force for several days, until not even
Kaffir energy can endure more exertion.
Then comes the part of the king. The subjects form themselves into a vast ring,
into which the king, dressed in all the bravery of his dancing apparel, enters with a
bound, amid shouts of welcome from the people. He proceeds to indulge in one of the
furious dances which the Kaffirs love, springing high into the air, flourishing his stick of
office, and singing songs in his own praises, until he can dance and sing no longer.
Generally, this dance is not of very long duration, as the king is almost invariably a fat
and unwieldy man, and cannot endure a prolonged exertion.
The crowning incident of the feast now takes place. The king stands in the midst
of his people — Dingaii always stood on a small mound of earth — takes a young and green
188 THE KAFFIR.
calabash in his hands, and dashes it upon the ground, so as to break it in pieces ; by this
act declaring the harvest begun, and the people at liberty to eat of the fruits of the new
year. A very similar ceremony takes place among the tribes of American Indians, 1 In-
consequence of which is frequently that the people abuse the newly-granted permission,
and in a few days consume all the maize that ought to have served them for the cold
months of winter.
The Kaffir has a strong belief in omens ; though perhaps not stronger than similar
credulity in some parts of our own land. He is always on the look-out for omens, and
has as keen an eye for them and their meaning as an ancient augur. Anything that
happens out of the ordinary course of events is an omen, either for good or evil, and thtf
natural constitution of a Kaffir's mind always inclines him to the latter feeling. As in
the ancient days, the modern Kaffir finds most of his omens in the actions of animals.
One of the worst of omens is the bleating of a sheep as it is being slaughtered.
Some years ago this omen occurred in the kraal belonging to one of Panda's " indunas,"
or councillors. A prophet was immediately summoned, and a number of sacrifices offered
to avert the evil omen. Panda himself was so uneasy that he added an ox to tho
sacrifices, and afterwards came to the conclusion that a man whose kraal could be visited
by such an infliction could not be fit to live. He accordingly sent a party of soldiers to
kill the induna, but the man, knowing the character of his chief, took the alarm in time,
and escaped into British territory in Natal.
If a goat were to leap on a hut, nothing would be thought of it ; but if a dog or a
sheep were to do so, it would be an omen. It is rather remarkable that among the North
American tribes the roofs of houses form the usual resting-place of the dogs which swarm
in every village. If a cow were to eat grain that had been spilled on the ground, it would
be no omen ; but if she were to push off the cover of a vessel containing grain, and eat
the contents, the act would be considered ominous.
MENTION has been made once or twice of the prophets, sometimes, but erroneously, called
witch doctors. These personages play a most important part in the religious system of
the Kaffir tribes ; and although their office varies slightly in detail, according to the
locality to which they belong, their general characteristics are the same throughout the
country. Their chief offices are, communicating with the spirit of the departed, and
ascertaining their wishes ; discovering the perpetrators of crimes ; reversing spells thrown
by witchcraft ; and lastly, and most important, rain-making.
The office of prophet cannot be assumed by any one who may be ambitious of such a
distinction, but is hedged about with many rites and ceremonies. In the first place, it is
not every one who is entitled even to become a candidate for the office, whicli is partly
hereditary. A prophet must be Descended from a prophet, though he need not be a
prophet's son. Indeed, as a general rule, the sons of prophets do not attain the office
which their fathers held, the supernatural afflatus generally passing over one generation,
and sometimes two. In the next place, a very long and arduous preparation is made for
the office, and the candidate, if he passes successfully through it, is solemnly admitted
into the order by a council of seers, who meet for the purpose.
When first the spirit of prophecy manifests itself to a Kaffir, he begins by losing all
his interest in the events of every-day life. He becomes depressed in mind; prefers
solitude to company ; often has fainting fits ; and, what is most extraordinary of all, loses
his appetite. He is visited by dreams of an extraordinary character, mainly relating to
serpents, lions, hyaenas, leopards, and other wild beasts. Day by day he becomes more
and more possessed, until the perturbations of the spirit manifest themselves openly.
In this stage of his novitiate, the future prophet utters terrible yells, leaps here and
there with astonishing vigour, and runs about at full speed, leaping and shrieking all the
time. When thus excited he will dart into the bush, catch snakes (which an ordinary
Kaffir will not touch), tie them round his neck, boldly fling himself into the water, and
perform all kinds of insane feats.
This early stage of a prophet's life is called by the Kaffirs Twasa, a word which
signifies the change of the old moon to the new, and the change of winter to spring in
PREPARATIONS FOR PROPHETSHIP.
189
the beginning of the year. During its progress, the head of his house is supposed to feel
great pride in the fact that a prophet is to be numbered among the family, and to offer
sacrifices for the success of the novice. When the preliminary stage is over, the future
prophet goes to some old and respected seer, gives him a goat as a fee, and remains under
his charge until he has completed the necessary course of instruction. He then assumes
the dress and character of a prophet, and if he succeeds in his office he will rise to
unbounded power among his tribe. But should his first essay be unsuccessful, he is
universally contemned as one whom the spirits of the departed think to be unworthy
of their confidence.
Mr. Shooter gives a very graphic account of the preparation of a prophet, who was
father to one of his own servants. The reader will not fail to notice that the man in
question was entitled by birth to assume the prophet's office.
THE PROPHETS RETURN.
" Some of the particulars may be peculiar to his tribe, and some due to the caprice of
the individual. A married man (whose mother was the -daughter of a prophet) had
manifested the symptoms of inspiration when a youth ; but his father, not willing to
slaughter his cattle as custom would have required, employed a seer of reputation to
check the growing ' change.' The dispossession was not, however, permanent ; and when
the youth became a man, the inspiration returned. He professed to have constantly
recurring dreams about lions, leopards, elephants, boa-constrictors, and all manner of
wild beasts ; he dreamed about the Zulu country, and (strangest thing of all) that he had
a vehement desire to return to it.
" After a while he became very sick ; his wives, thinking he was dying, poured cold
water over his prostrate person ; and the chief, whose induna he was, sent a messenger
THE KAFFIR
to a prophet. The latter declared that the man was becoming inspired, and directed the
chief to supply an ox for sacrifice. This was disagreeable, but that personage did not
dare to refuse, and the animal was sent ; he contrived however to delay the sacrifice, and
prudently ordered that, if the patient died in the meantime, the ox should be returned.
Having begun to recover his strength, our growing prophet cried and raved like a delirious
being, suffering no one to enter his hut, except two of his younger children — a girl and a
boy. Many of the tribe came to see him, but he did not permit them to approach his
person, and impatiently motioned them away.
" In a few days he rushed out of his hut, tore away through the fence, ran like a
maniac across the grass, and disappeared in the bush. The two children went after him ;
and the boy (his sister having tired) eventually discovered him on the sea-shore. Before
THE PROPHET'S SCHOOL.
the child could approach, the real or affected madman disappeared again, and was seen na
more for two or three days. He then returned home, a strange and frightful spectacle :
sickness and fasting had reduced him almost to a skeleton ; his eyes glared and stood
out from his shrunken face ; the ring had been torn from his head, which he had covered
with long shaggy grass, while, to complete the hideous picture, a living serpent was
twisted round his neck. Having entered the kraal where his wives were in tears, and all
the inmates in sorrow, he saluted them with a wild howl to this effect : ' People call me
mad, I know they say I am mad ; that is nothing ; the spirits are influencing me — the
spirits of Majolo, of Unhlovu, and of my father.'
" After this a sort of dance took place, in which he sung or chanted, ' I thought I was
dreaming while I was asleep ; but, to my surprise, I was not asleep.' The women
(previously instructed) broke forth into a shrill chorus, referring to his departure from
home, his visit to the sea, and his wandering from river to river ; while the men did their
part by singing two or three unmeaning syllables. The dance and the accompanying
chants were several times repeated, the chief actor conducting himself consistently with
his previous behaviour.
" His dreams continued, and the people were told tha.t he had seen a boa- constrictor
in a vision, and could point out the spot where it was to be found. They accompaniec"
him ; and, when he had indicated the place, they dug, and discovered two of the reptile
191
He endeavoured to seize one, but the people held him back, and his son struck the animal
with sufficient force to disable but not to kill it. He was then allowed to take the
serpent, which he placed round his neck, and the party returned home. Subsequently
having (as he alleged) dreamed about a' leopard, the people accompanied him, and found
it. The beast was slain, and carried in triumph to the kraal.
" When our growing prophet returned home after his absence at the sea, he began to
slaughter his cattle, according to custom, and continued doing so at intervals until the
whole were consumed. Some of them were offered in sacrifice. As the general rule,
when there is beef at a kraal the neighbours assemble to eat it ; but, when an embryo-
seer slays his cattle, those who wish to eat must previously give him something. If
however the chief were to give him a cow, the people of the tribe would be free to go.
In this case the chief had not done so, and the visitors were obliged to buy their
entertainment, one man giving a
knife, another a shilling. An in-
dividual, who was unable or un-
willing to pay, having ventured
to present himself with empty
hands, our neophyte was exceed-
ingly wroth, and, seizing a stick,
gave the intruder a significant
hint, which the latter was not slow
to comprehend.
"During the consumption of
his cattle, the neophyte disap-
peared again for two days. When
it was finished he went to a
prophet, with whom he resided
two moons — his children taking
him food ; and afterwards, to re-
ceive further instruction, visited
another seer. He was then con-
sidered qualified to practise."
The reader may remember that
the novitiate prophet occasionally
flings himself into water. He
chooses the clearest and deepest
pool that he can find, and the
object of doing so is to try whether
any of the spirits will reveal them-
selves to him at the bottom of the
water, though they would not do
so on dry land.
In the foregoing story of a
prophet's preparation, the narrator
does not touch upon the space that
intervenes between the novitiate
and the admission into the pro-
phetic order. This omission can
be supplied by an account given
to Mr. Grout, by a native who was
a firm believer in the supernatural powers of the prophets.
The state of " change " lasts for a long time, and is generally terminated at the begin-
ning of the new year. He then rubs himself all over with white clay, bedecks himself
with living snakes, and goes to a council of seers. They take him to the water — the sea,
if they should be within reach of the coast — throw him into the water, and there leave
him. He again goes off into solitude, and, when he returns, he is accompanied by the
PROPHET AND WIFE.
192
THE KAFFIR.
people of his kraal, bringing oxen and goats for sacrifice. Ho does not sacrifice sheep,
because they are silent when killed, whereas an ox lows, arid a goat bleats, and it is
needful that any animal which is slaughtered as a sacrifice must cry out.
As they are successively sacrificed, he takes out the bladders and gall-bags, inflates them
OLD PROPHETS.
with air, and hangs them about his body, as companions to the snakes which he is already
wearing. " He enters pools of water, abounding in serpents and alligators. And now, if he
catches a snake, he has power over that ; or if he catches a leopard, he has power over
the leopard ; or if he catches a deadly-poisonous serpent, he has power over the most
ZULU PROPHET. 193
poisonous serpent. And thus he takes his degrees, the degree of leopard, that he may
catch leopards, and of serpents, that he may catch serpents." Not until he has completed
these preparations does he begin to practise his profession, and to exact payment from
those who come to ask his advice.
The illustration on page 191 is taken from a photograph which represents a Zulu
prophet and his wife. He is not dressed in his official costume, a specimen of which may
be seen in the next illustration, but is merely clad in the ordinary dress of every-day life.
This group is particularly valuable, as showing the singular contrast between the two
sexes, the husband and wife scarcely seeming to belong to the same race of mankind.
This, indeed, is generally the case throughout the Kaffir tribes. The Kaffir prophet
always carries a wand of office — generally a cow's tail, fastened to a wooden handle — and
in his other hand he bears a miniature shield and an assagai
The next engraving represents two prophets, in the full costume of their profession.
These were both celebrated men, and had attained old age when their portraits were
taken. One of them was peculiarly noted for his skill as a rain-maker, and the other was
famous for his knowledge of medicine and the properties of herbs. Each is arrayed in
the garments suitable to the business in which he is engaged. Although the same man is
generally a rain-maker, a witch-finder, a necromancer, and a physician, he does not wear
the same costume on all occasions, but indues the official dress which belongs to the
department, and in many cases the change is so great that the man can scarcely be
recognised.
In one case, he will be dressed merely in the ordinary Kaffir kilt, with a few inflated
gall-bladders in his hair, and a snake-skin wound over his shoulders. In another, he will
have rubbed his face and body with white earth, covered his head with such quantities of
charms that his face can hardly be seen under them, and fringed his limbs with the tails
of cows, the long hair-tufts of goats, skins of birds, and other wild and savage adornments ;
while a perpetual clanking sound is made at every movement by numbers of small
tortoise-shells strung on leathern thongs. His movements are equally changed with his
clothing ; and a man who will, when invoking rain, invest every gesture with solemn and
awe-struck grace, will, when acting as witch-finder, lash himself into furious excitement,
leap high in the air, flourish his legs and arms about as if they did not belong to him, fill
the air with his shrieks, and foam at the mouth as if he had been taken with an epileptic
fit. It is rather curious that, while in some Kaffir tribes a man who is liable to fits is
avoided and repelled, among others he is thought to be directly inspired by the souls
of departed chiefs, and is ipso facto entitled to become a prophet, even though he be not
of prophetical descent. He is one who has been specially chosen by the spirits, and may
transmit the prophetical office to his descendants.
VOL. 1.
CHAPTER XVIII.
KELIGION AND SUPERSTITION— Continued.
DUTIES OF THE PROPHET A PROPHET AND HIS CLIENTS — PROBABLE RESULT OF THE INQUIRY
A KAFFIR'S BELIEF IN CHARMS — CHARM-STICKS AND THEIR VARIOUS PROPERTIES — COURAGE
AND THUNDER CHARMS A SOUTH AFRICAN THUNDERSTORM LOVE, LION, AND FATIGUE CHARMS
THE KAFFIR CATTLE DOCTOR ILLNESS OF A CHIEF THE WIZARD SUMMONED SMELLING
THE WIZARD A TERRIBLE SCENE KONA's ILLNESS AND ITS RESULTS A FEMALE PROPHET
AND HER PROCEEDINGS — INGENIOUS MODE OF EXTORTION — THE IMPOSTURE DETECTED HERE-
DITARY CHARACTER OF PROPHECY — A PROPHETESS AT HOME DEMEANOUR OF FEMALE PROPHETS
— SURGERY AND MEDICINE — A PRIMITIVE MODE OF CUPPING — A FALSE PROPHET AND HIS FATE
A SINGULAR SUPERSTITION KAFFIR VAMPIRES THE NIGHT CRY PROCURING EVIDENCE.
THE object for which the Kaffir prophet is generally consulted is the discovery of witch-
craft. Now, the reader must understand that the belief in witchcraft is universal through-
out Africa, and in no part of that continent is it so strong as in Kaffirland. There is
scarcely an ill that can befall mankind which is not believed to be caused by witchcraft,
and, consequently, the prophet has to find out the author of the evil. The most harmless
discovery that he can make is, that the charm has not been wrought by any individual,
but has been the work of offended spirits. All illness, for example, is thought to be
caused by the spirits of the departed, either because they are offended with the sufferer,
or because they have been worked upon by some necromancer.
Mr. Shooter has so well described the course of proceeding in such a case that his own
words must be given : —
" When people consult a prophet, they do not tell him on what subject they wish to
be enlightened. He is supposed to be acquainted with their thoughts, and they merely
intimate that they wish to have the benefit of his knowledge. Probably he will ' take
time to consider/ and not give his responses at once. Two young men visiting him, in
consequence of their brother's illness, found the prophet squatting by his hut, and saluted
him. He then invited them to sit down, and, retiring outside the kraal, squatted near the
gate, to take snuff and meditate. This done to his satisfaction, he sends a boy to call the
visitors into his presence ; when they immediately join him, and squat.
" The prophet asks for his ' assagai ' — a figurative expression for his fee — when the
applicants reply that they have nothing to give at present ; after a while, they will seek
something to pay him with. ' No/ answers the prophet, riot disposed to give credit ; ' you
want to cheat me — everybody tries to do so now. Why don't you give me two shillings ? '
They offer him a small assagai ; but he is not satisfied with the weapon, and, pointing to
a larger one, says, ' That is mine.' The man who had brought this excuses himself by
saying that it does not belong to him ; but the prophet persists, and it is given.
" Having no hope of extorting a larger fee, the prophet says, ' Beat and hear, my
people.' Each of the applicants snaps his fingers, and replies, ' I hear.' The beating is
sometimes, and perhaps more regularly, performed by beating the ground with sticks.
THE PEOPHET AND HIS CLIENTS.
195
•' The prophet now pretends to have a vision, indistinct at first, but becoming eventually
clearer, until he sees the actual thing which has occurred. This vision he professes to
describe as it appears to him. We may imagine him saying, for instance, 'A cow is
sick — no, I see a man ; a man has been hurt.' While he runs on in this way, the appli-
cants reply to every assertion by beating, as at first, and saying, ' I hear.' They carefully
abstain from saying whether he is right or wrong ; but when he approaches the truth, the
simple creatures testify their joy by beating and replying with increased vigour.
" The prophet's simulated vision is not a series of guesses, in which he may possibly
hit upon the truth, but a systematic enumeration of particulars, in which he can scarcely
miss it. Thus, he may begin by saying that the thing which the applicants wish to know
relates to some animal with hair, and, going through each division of that class, suggests
whatever may be likely to occur to a cow, a calf, a dog. If he find no indication that the
PROPHET AND INQUIRERS.
matter relates to one ot this class, he takes another, as human beings, and proceeds
through it in the same manner. It is obvious that a tolerably clever practitioner may, in
this way, discover from the applicants whatever may have happened to them, and send
them away with a deep impression of his prophetic abilities, especially if he have any
previous knowledge of their circumstances. The following sketch will give the reader a
general idea of the prophet's manner of proceeding. A few particulars only, as being
sufficient for illustration, are given : —
" ' Beat and hear, my people.'
" They snap their fingers, and say, ' I hear.'
" ' Attend, my people.'
" They beat, and say, ' I hear.
'' I don't know what you want ; you want to know something about an animal with
hair. A cow is sick ; what's the matter with her ? I see a wound on her side — no ; I'm
wrong. A cow is lost ; I see a cow in the bush. Nay, don't beat, my people ; I'm wrong.
It's a dog ; a dog has ascended a hut.* Nay, that's not it. I see now — beat vigorously ;
the thing relates to people. Somebody is ill — a man is ill — he is an old man. No ; I see
A woman— she has been married a year : where is she ? I'm wrong ; I don't see yet.'
^This, it will be remembered, is one of the evil omens which a Kaffir fears.
19G THE KAFFIR
" Perhaps he takes snuff, and rests a while.
" ' Beat and hear, my people. I see now ; it's a boy — beat vigorously. He is sick.
Where is he sick? Let me see — there' (placing his hand on some part, of his own person).
' No — beat and attend, my people — I see now. THERE ! ' (indicating the actual place).
' Where is he ? Not at his kraal ; he is working with a white man. How lias he been
hurt ? I see him going to the bush — he has gone to fetch wood ; a piece of wood falls
upon him ; he is hurt — he cannot walk. I see water ; what's the water for ? They are
pouring it over him ; he is fainting — he is very ill. The spirits are angry with him — his
father is angry ; he wants beef. The boy received a cow for his wages ; it was a black
cow. No ; I see white. Where is the white ? a little on the side. The spirit wants that
cow ; kill it, and the boy will recover.' "
Fortunate indeed are the spectators of the scene if the necromancer makes such an
announcement, and any one of these would be only too glad to compound for the
sacrifice of a cow, if he could be sure of escaping accusation as a wizard. In the case
of a " boy," or even of a married man of no great rank or wealth, such will probably be
the result of the inquiry — the prophet will get his fee, the spectators will get a feast, and
the patient may possibly get better.
But when a chief is ill the probability is that some one will be accused of witchcraft,
and if the king is ailing such an accusation is a matter of certainty.
In the eye of a Kaffir, any one may be a witch or a wizard — both sexes being equally
liable to the impeachment — and on that subject no man can trust his neighbour. A
husband has no faith in his own wife, and the father mistrusts his children. As a natural
consequence, the faith in charms is co-extensive with the belief in witchcraft, and there
is scarcely a Kaffir who does not carry with him a whole series of charms, each being
destined to avert some particular evil The charms are furnished to them by the prophets,
and as they never are of the least intrinsic value, and are highly paid for, the business of
a prophet is rather a lucrative one. Anything will serve as a charm, — bits of bone, scraps
of skin, feathers, claws, teeth, roots, and bits of wood.
A Kaffir will often have a whole string of such charms hung round his neck, and, to
a European, a superstitious Kaffir has often a very ludicrous aspect. One man, who
seems to have been peculiarly impressible to such observances, had bedecked his head
with pigs' bristles set straight, so as to stand out on all sides like the quills of a hedgehog,
while round his neck he had strung a quantity of charms, the principal of which were
pieces of bone, the head of a snake, a tooth of a young hippopotamus, and a brass door-
handle. Sometimes the charms are strung on the same thong with the beads, needles,
knives, snuff-boxes, and other decorations of a Kaffir's toilet, but generally they are
considered worthy of a string to themselves.
But the generality of charms are made of various roots and bits of wood, which are
hung round the neck, and nibbled when the wearer feels a need of their influence. One
powerful set of charms is intended for the purpose of securing the wearer against the
ieeling of fear, and the prophets have very ingeniously managed to invent a separate
charm for every kind of fear. For example, if a Kaffir has to go out at night, and is
afraid of meeting ghosts, he has recourse to his ghost-charm, which he nibbles slightly,
and then sallies out in bold defiance of the shades below. When he has come to his
journey's end, he finds that he has met no ghosts, and, consequently, he has unlimited
faith in his charm.
If he should go into action as a soldier, he takes care to have his enemy-charm ready
for use, and just before he enters the battle bites off a portion of the wood, masticates it
thoroughly, and then blows the fragments towards the foe, confident that he is thus taking
away from the courage of the enemy, and adding the subtracted amount to his own. The
only misgiving which disturbs his mind is, that the enemy is doing exactly the same
thing, and he cannot be quite sure that the opposing charm may not be more potent than
his own. The prophet rather fosters than discourages this feeling, because the soldier —
knowing that, if he retreats, he will be executed as a coward — is so anxious to possess a
double share of courage that he will pay largely in order to secure a powerful charm.
Frequently, when a soldier has been thus disgraced, his friends abuse the prophet for
SOUTH AFEICAN THUNDEESTOEM. 197
furnishing so impotent a charm. His reply, however, is always easy: " He only gave me
a goat, and could only expect goat-charms ; if he wanted ox-charms, he ought to have
given me a cow, or at least a calf." Even if an adequate fee has been paid, the answer
is equally ready — the man was a wizard, and the spirits of his ancestors were angry with
him for troubling them so much with his conjurations.
Very few Kaffirs will venture out during the stormy season without a thunder-charm
as a preservative against lightning. This object looks just like any other charm, and is,
in fact, nothing more than a small piece of wood or root. The Kaffir's faith in it is
unbounded, and, in consequence of the awful severity of thunderstorms, the sale of such
charm is a very lucrative part of the prophet's business. We can scarcely wonder that
the Kaffir has recourse to such preservatives, for he well knows that no art of man can
avail against the terrific storms of that country.
Even in England we often witness thunderstorms that fill the boldest with awe, while
the weaker-minded of both sexes cower in abject fear at the crashing thunder and the
vivid lightning streaks. But the worst storm that has been known in England is as
nothing compared to the ordinary thunderstorms of Southern Africa — storms in which
the native, who has been accustomed to them all his life, can do nothing but crouch to
the ground, and lay his hand on his mouth in silence. What an African storm can be
may be imagined from the following account by Mr. Cole : —
" Emerging after a few days from these freezing quarters, I found myself in the plains
of the- Graaf-Eeinet district. It was pleasant to feel warm again, but what I gained in
caloric I decidedly lost in the picturesque : never-ending plains of burnt grass, treeless,
riverless, houseless — such were the attractions that greeted rny eyes. How anything in
the vegetable or animal kingdom could exist there seemed a perfect mystery. Yet the
mystery is soon explained. I was there when there had been a long-continued drought
— one of those visitations to which these districts are especially subject. One day the
clouds began to gather, the wind fell, the air became oppressively sultry, and all gave
notice of an approaching storm.
" My horses became restive and uneasy, and for myself I felt faint and weary to
excess. My after-rider looked alarmed, for truly the heavens bore a fearful aspect. I
can conceive nothing more dismal than the deep, thick, black, impenetrable masses of
clouds that surrounded us. It might have been the entrance to the infernal regions
themselves that stood before us. Suddenly we saw a stream of light so vivid, so intensely
bright, and of such immense height (apparently), that for a moment we were half blinded,
while our horses snorted and turned sharp round from the glare. Almost at the same
instant burst forth a peal of thunder, like the artillery of all the universe discharged at
once in our ears.
" There was no time to be lost : we struck spurs to our horses' flanks, and galloped to
a mountain side, a little way behind us, where the quick eye of my Hottentot had observed
a cave. In a few minutes — moments rather — we were within it, but not before the storm
had burst forth in all its fury. One moment the country round us was black as ink — the
next it was a sheet of living flame, whiter than the white heat of the furnace. One long-
continued, never-ceasing roar of thunder (not separate claps as we hear them in England)
deafened our ears, and each moment we feared destruction ; for, more than once, huge
masses of rock, detached by the lightning-blast from the mountain above us, rolled down
past our cavern with the roar of an avalanche. The Hottentot lay on his face, shutting
out the sight, though he could not escape the sound.
" At length the rain-spouts burst forth, and to describe how the water deluged the
earth would be impossible ; suffice it, that though we had entered the cave from the road
without passing any stream, or apparently any bed of one, when we again ventured forth
from our place of shelter, three hours later, a broad and impassable torrent flowed
between ourselves and the road, and we had to crawl along the mountain sides on foot,
with great difficulty, and in the momentary danger of losing our footing on its slippery
surface, and being dashed into the roaring torrent, for about two miles ere we could find
a fordable spot. Two days later these plains were covered with a lovely verdure."
Other charms are intended for softening the heart of a girl whom a man wants to
198 THE KAFFIR
marry, or of her lather, in order to induce him to be moderate in his demand for cows,
or of the chief if he should have to prefer a request. All these charms are exactly alike
to the look, and it is needless to say that they do not possess the least efficacy in one way
or another.
There are some charms which undoubtedly do possess some power, and others which
owe their force to the imagination of the user. The many charms which they possess
against various kinds of fear belong to this class. For example, if a man meets a lion or
a leopard, and nibbles a little scrap of wood, it is plain that the efficiency of these
charms is wholly imaginary. In many instances this is undoubtedly the case. If
a man, meeting a lion, nibbles a little piece of lion-charm, and the animal moves off,
leaving him unmolested, his fears are certainly allayed by the use of the charm, though
his escape is due to the natural dread of man implanted in the nature of the inferior
animal, and not to the power of the charm. In battle, too, a man who thinks that his
charms will render the enemy afraid of him is much more likely to fight with doubled
valour, and so to bring about the result attributed to the charm. In cases of illness, too,,
we all know how powerful is the healing effect of the imagination in restoration of health.
But there are many instances where the material used as a charm possesses medicinal
properties, of which the prophet is perfectly aware. There is, for example, one charm
against weariness, the efficacy of which clearly depends upon the properties of the
material. One of my friends, who was quite weary after a day's hard hunting, was per-
suaded by one of his Kaffir servants to eat a little of his fatigue-charm. It was evidently
made from the root of some tree, and was very bitter, though not unpleasantly so. He
tried it, simply from curiosity, and was agreeably surprised to find that in a few minutes
he felt his muscular powers wonderfully restored, so that he was enabled to resume his-
feet, and proceed briskly homewards, the extreme exhaustion having passed away.
Imagination in this case had nothing to do with the success of the charm, and it is
evident that the prophet who sold it to the Kaffir was aware of its medicinal properties.
So deeply-rooted in the Kaffir mind is the idea that all sickness is caused by witch-
craft of some kind or other, that even if cattle are ill, their sickness is supposed to have
been caused by some supernatural power
The first course that is taken is necessarily the propitiation of the spirits, in order that
they may overrule the machinations of the evil-doer, and preserve the cattle, which con-
stitute the wealth and strength of the kraal. One of the best oxen is therefore sacrificed
to them with the usual ceremonies, and, when it is dead, the gall and contents of the
stomach are scattered over the cattle pen, and the spirits are solemnly invoked.
Here is one of these curious prayers, which was obtained from a Kaffir. "Hail!
friend ! thou of this kraal, grant us a blessing, beholding what we have done. You see
this distress ; remove it, since we have given you an animal. We know not what more
you want, whether you still require anything more, or not. Grant us grain that it may
be abundant, that we may eat, and not be in want of anything, sinee we have given you
what you want. This kraal was built by yourself, father, and now why do you diminish
your own kraal ? Build on, as you have begun, let it be larger, that your offspring, still
here about, may increase, increasing knowledge of you, whence cometh great power."
The flesh of the slaughtered ox is then taken into a hut, the door is closed, and no one
is allowed to enter for a considerable time, during which period the spirits are supposed to
be eating the beef. The door is then opened, the beef is cooked, and all who are present
partake of it.
If the propitiatory sacrifice fails, a prophet of known skill is summoned, and the herd
collected in the isibaya, or central enclosure, in readiness against his arrival. His first
proceeding is to light a fire in the isibaya and burn medicine upon it, taking care that
the smoke shall pass over the cattle. He next proceeds to frighten the evil spirit out of
them by a simple though remarkable proceeding. He takes a firebrand in his hand,
puts a lump of fat in his mouth, and then walks up to one of the afflicted oxen. The
animal is firmly held while he proceeds to masticate the fat, and then to eject it on the
firebrand. The mixed fat and water make a great sputtering in the face of the ox, which
is greatly terrified, and bursts away from its tormentors.
SMELLING FOR A WIZARD.
199
This process is repeated upon the entire herd until they are all in a state of furious
excitement, and, as soon as they have reached that stage, the gate of the enclosure
is thrown open, and the frightened animals dash out of it. All the inhabitants of the
kraal rush after them, the men beating their shields with their knob-kerries, the
women rattling calabashes with stones in them, and all yelling and shouting at the top
of their voices. The cattle, which are generally treated with peculiar kindness, are quite
beside themselves at such a proceeding, and it is a considerable time before they can
recover their equanimity.
This may seem to be rather a curious method of treating the cattle disease, but, as tha
fee of the prophet is forfeited if the animals are not cured, it is to be presumed that the
remedy is more efficacious than it appears to be.
When a chief of rank happens to be ill, and especially if the king himself should be
ailing, no one has the least doubt that sorcery was the cause of the evil. And, as the
CUBING CATTLE.
chiefs are given to eating and drinking, and smoking and sleeping, until they are so fat
that they can hardly walk, it is no wonder that they are very frequently ill. It thus
becomes the business of the prophet to find out the wizard, or " evil-doer," as he is called,
by whom the charm was wrought.
To doubt that the illness was caused by witchcraft would be a sort of high treason,
and afford good grounds for believing that the doubter was himself the wizard. For
a Kaffir chief always chooses to think himself above the common lot of humanity — that
he is superior to others, and that he cannot die like inferior men. It is evident, therefore,
that any ailment which may attack him must be caused by witchcraft, and that, if the evil-
doer can be detected, the spell will lose its potency, and the sufferer be restored to health.
Charms which cause ill-health are usually roots, tufts of hair, feathers, bits of bone,
200 . , THE KAFFIR
or similar objects, which have been in the possession of the victim, or at least have boon
touched by him. These are buried in some secret spot by the wizard, who mutters spoils
over them, by means of which the victim droops in health in proportion as the buried
charm decays in the ground. The object of the prophet, therefore, is twofold ; first, to
point out the wizard, and, secondly, to discover the buried charms, dig them up, and
reverse the spell.
The " evil-doer" is discovered by a process which is technically named " smelling."
A large circle is formed of spectators, all of whom squat on the ground, after the
usual manner of Kaffirs. When all is ready, the prophet clothes himself in his full
official costume, and proceeds into the circle, where he is received with a great shout of
welcome. Though every one knows that before an hour has elapsed one at least of their
number will be accused of witchcraft, and though no one knows whether he himself may
not be the victim, no one dares to omit the shout of welcome, lest he should be suspected
as the wizard.
The prophet then begins to pace slowly in the circle, gradually increasing his speed,
until at last he breaks into a dance, accompanying his steps with a measured chant.
Louder and louder peals the chant, quicker and wilder become the steps of the magic
dancer, until at last the man lashes himself into a state of insane fury, his eyes rolling,
tears streaming down his cheeks, and his chant interrupted by shrieks and sobs, so that
the spectators may well believe, as they most firmly do, that he is possessed by the spirits
of departed chiefs.
Then comes the anxious part of the ceremony. The prophet leaps in great bounds
over the arena, first rushing to one part and then to another, inhaling his breath
violently, like a dog trying to discover a lost scent, and seeming to be attracted to
or repelled from certain individuals by a power not his own. Each Kaffir sits in
trembling awe, his heart sinking when he sees the terrible prophet coming towards him,
and his courage returning as the seer turns off in another direction.
At last the choice is made. The prophet stops suddenly opposite one portion of
the circle, and begins to sniff violently, as if trying to discover by the sense of smell who
the offender may be. The vast assembly look on in awe-struck silence, while the
prophet draws nearer and nearer, as if he were supernaturally attracted to the object
of which he was in search. Suddenly he makes a dash forward, snatches his wand of
office out of his belt, touches the doomed man with it and runs off.
The hapless victim is instantly seized by the executioners, and hurried off before the
chief in order to be examined.
In the illustration on the next page the doomed victim — a man of some consequence
—is seen in the foreground, shrinking from the approach of the prophet, who is crawling
towards him. The chief who summoned him is smoking his pipe in the background, and
behind him are the young men who act as executioners, each armed with a knob-kerrie,
and ready to run and arrest the unfortunate individual who may be pointed out by the
prophet.
In the meanwhile, the prophet is followed by a number of people who wish to
see him discover the buried charm. This part of the proceeding is very similar to that
which has been mentioned. He dances through the kraal, entering hut after hut, and
pretending to be satisfied by the sense of smell that the charm is not to be found in each
place. By degrees he approaches nearer the right spot, on which he throws his assagai,
and tells the people to dig and find the charm, which, of course, he has previously taken
care to place there. How this part of the performance is sometimes managed will
be presently narrated.
The wretched man who is once accused openly as being accessory to the illness of
his king has no hope of mercy, and yields to the dreadful fate that awaits him. The
nominal examination to which he is subjected is no examination at all, but merely a
succession of the severest tortures that human ingenuity can suggest, prolonged as long
as life is left in him. Ho, is asked to confess that he has used witchcraft against his
king, but invariably denies his guilt, though he well knows the result of his answer.
Torture after torture is inflicted upon him, fire applied in various ways being the prin-
KAFFIR CEUELTY.
201
cipal instrument employed. The concluding torture is generally the same, namely,
breaking a hole in an ant's nest, tying him hand and foot and thrusting him into the
interior, or fastening him in the ground, and breaking upon him a nest of large ants,
noted for the fierceness of their tempers, and the agonizing venom of their stings.
How ruthlessly cruel a Kaffir can be when he is excited by the fear of witchcraft can
be imagined from the following account of the trial and execution of a supposed wizard.
The reader must, moreover, be told that the whole of the details are not mentioned. The
narrative is taken from Major W. Eoss King's interesting " Campaigning in Kaffirland,"
a work which describes the Kaffirs of 1851-2 : —
" The same Kona, some years before, having fallen sick, a ' witch doctor ' was con-
sulted, according to custom, to ascertain the individual under whose evil influence he
was suffering ; and, as usual, a man of property was selected, and condemned to forfeit
his life for his alleged crime.
SMELLING FOR A WIZARD.
" To prevent his being told of his fate by his friends, a party of men left Macomo's
kraal early in the morning to secure the recovery of the sick young chief by murdering
one of his father's subjects. The day selected for the sacrifice appeared to have been
a sort of gala day with the unconscious victim ; he was in his kraal, had just slaughtered
one of his cattle, and was merrily contemplating the convivialities of the day before him,
over which he was about to preside. The arrival of a party of men from the 'great
place ' gave him no other concern than as to what part of the animal he should offer
them as his guests. In a moment, however, the ruthless party seized him in his kraal ;
when he found himself secured with a rheim round his neck, he calmly said, ' It is my
misfortune to be caught unarmed or it should not be thus.'
" He was then ordered to produce the matter with which he had bewitched the son of
his chief. He replied, ' I have no bewitching matter ; but destroy me quickly, if my
chief has consented to my death.' His executioners said they must torture him until he
produced it, to which he answered, ' Save yourselves the trouble, for torture as you will
I cannot produce what I have not.' He was then held down on the ground, and several
men proceeded to pierce his body all over with long Kaffir needles. The miserable
victim bore this with extraordinary resolution ; his tormentors tiring, ancl complaining of
the pain it gave their hands, and of the needles or skewers bending.
202 THE KAFFIR
" During this time a fire had been kindled, in which large flat stones were placed to
heat ; the man was then directed to rise, they pointed out to him the fire, telling him it
was for his further torture unless he produced the bewitching matter. He answered, ' I
told you the truth when I said, Save yourselves the trouble ; as for the hot stones, I can
bear them, for I am innocent ; I would pray to be strangled at once, but that you would
say I fear your torture.' Here his wife, who had also been seized, was stripped perfectly
naked, and cruelly beaten and ill-treated before his eyes.
" The victim was then led to the fire, where he was thrown on his back, stretched out
with his arms and legs tied to strong pegs driven into the ground, and the stones, now
red hot, were taken out of the fire arid placed on his naked body — on the groin, stomach,
and chest, supported by others on each side of him, also heated and pressed against his
body. It is impossible to describe the awful effect of this barbarous process, the stones
slipping off the scorched and broiling flesh, being only kept in their places by the sticks
of the fiendish executioners.
" Through all this the heroic fellow still remained perfectly sensible, and when asked
if he wished to be released to discover his hidden charm, said, ' Eelease me.' They did
so, fully expecting they had vanquished his resolution, when, to the astonishment of all,
he stood up a ghastly spectacle, broiled alive ! his smoking flesh hanging in pieces from
his body! and composedly asked his tormentors, 'What do you wish me to do now?'
They repeated their demand, but he resolutely asserted his innocence, and begged them
to put him out of his misery; and as they were now getting tired of their labour, they
made a running noose on the rheim around his neck, jerked him to the ground, and
savagely dragged him about on the sharp stones, then placing their feet on the back of
his neck, they drew the noose tight, and strangled him. His mangled corpse was taken
into his own hut, which was set ori fire and burnt to ashes. His sufferings commenced
at ten A.M. and only ended at sunset."
Kona, whose illness was the cause of this fearful scene, was a son of Macomo, the
well-known Kaffir chief, who resisted the English forces for so long a time.
It seems strange that the Kaffir should act in this manner ; naturally, he is by no
means of a vindictive or cruel nature. Hot-tempered he is, and likely enough to avenge
himself when offended, by a blow of a club or the point of an assagai. But, after the
heat of the moment has passed away, his good humour returns, and he becomes as
cheerful and lively as ever. Even in war, as has already been mentioned, he is not
generally a cruel soldier, when not excited by actual combat, and it seems rather strange
that when a man towards whom he has felt no enmity, and who may, perhaps, be his
nearest relative, is accused of a crime — no matter what it may be — he should be guilty,
in cold blood, of deliberate cruelty too terrible to be described.
The fact is, this conduct shows how great is his fear of the intangible power of witch-
craft. Fear is ever the parent of cruelty, and the simple fact that a naturally kind-
hearted and good-tempered man will lose all sense of ruth, and inflict nameless tortures
on his fellow, shows the abject fear of witchcraft which fills a Kaffir's mind.
Sometimes the prophet is not able to hide a charm in a convenient place, and is
obliged to have recourse to other means. If, for example, it would be necessary to show
that the " evil-doer " had buried the charm in his own hut, the prophet would not be
able to gain access to the spot, and would therefore have the earth dug up, and try to
convey surreptitiously some pieces of root or bone into the hole. Mr. Isaacs once detected
a notable prophetess in this proceeding, and exposed the trick before the assembled people.
Some of his immediate followers were ill, and they sent for a prophetess who knew
that the white man did not believe in her powers. So she sent him a message, saying
that, if he would give her a cow, she would detect the charms that were destroying his
people, and would allow him to be present when she dug up the enchanted roots. So he
sent a cow, and two days afterwards had another message, stating that the cow was too
small, and she must have a larger one, or that the difference must be made up in calico.
At the same time she asked for the services of one of his men, named Maslamfu. He
sent the calico, but declined the latter portion of the request, knowing that the man was
only wanted as a means of gaining information.
AN AEROGANT PEOPHETESS.
203
The expected day arrived, and, on account of the celebrity of the prophetess, vast
numbers of men belonging to various tribes came in bodies, each headed by a chief of a
kraal. Messenger after messenger came to announce her advance, but she did not make
her appearance, and at last a courier came to say that the spirit would not allow her to
proceed any further until some beads were sent to her. The chiefs, of whose arrival she
had heard, and on whose liberality she doubtlessly depended, made a collection straight-
way, got together a parcel of beads, and sent the present by the messenger.
The beads having softened her heart, she made her solemn entry into the kraal, fol-
lowed by a guard of fifty warriors, all in full panoply of war. The procession moved in
solemn march to the centre of the isibaya, and then the warriors formed themselves in a
line, their large shields resting on the ground and covering the body as high as the chin,
APPROACH OF THE PROPHETESS.
and their assagais grasped in their right hands. She was also accompanied by Maslamfu,
the very man whom she had asked for, and who was evidently an old attendant of her own.
The prophetess was decorated in the usual wild and extravagant manner, and she had
improved her complexion by painting her nose and one eyelid with charcoal, and the
other eyelid with red earth. She had also allowed all her hair to grow, and had plastered
it together with a mixture of charcoal and fat. The usual tufted wand of office was
in her hand.
Having now made her appearance, she demanded more beads, which were given to
her, in order that she should have no excuse for declining to proceed any further in her
incantations. She then began her work in earnest, leaping and bounding from one side of
the enclosure to the other, and displaying the most wonderful agility. During this part
of the proceedings she sang a song as an accompaniment to her dance, the words of the
204 THE KAFFIR.
song itself either having no meaning, or being quite incomprehensible to the hearers. The
burden of each stanza was, however, simple enough, and all the assembled host of Kaffirs
joined in it at the full stretch of their lungs.
After rushing to several huts, and pretending to smell them, she suddenly stopped
before the white men, who were carefully watching her, and demanded another cow, on
the plea that if the noxious charm were dug up without the sacrifice of a second cow, the
spirits would be offended. At last she received the promise of a cow, under the proviso
that the rest of the performance was to be satisfactory.
After a variety of strange performances, she suddenly turned to her audience, and
appointed one of them to dig up the fatal soil. The man was a great muscular Kaffir, but
he trembled like a child as he approached the sorceress, and was evidently so terrified
that she was obliged to lay a spell upon him which would counteract the evil influence of
the buried charm. She gave him an assagai by way of a spade, a pot for the roots, and
directed him successively to three huts, making him dig in each, but was baffled by the
vigilant watch which was kept upon all her movements.
After she had vainly searched the three huts, she suddenly turned and walked quickly
out of the kraal, followed by the still terrified excavator, her husband, and Maslamfu, and
proceeded to a garden, into which she flung an assagai, and told her man to dig up the
spot on which the spear fell. " Being now outdone, and closely followed by us, and
finding all her efforts to elude our vigilance were vain, for we examined into all her tricks
with the most persevering scrutiny, she suddenly turned round, and at a quick pace pro-
ceeded to the kraal, where she very sagaciously called for her snuff-box.
" Her h'lisband ran to her, and. presented one. This attracted my notice, as Maslamfu
had hitherto performed the office of snuff-box bearer, and I conjectured that, instead of
snuff in the box, her husband had presented her with roots. I did not fail in my pre-
diction ; for, as she proceeded to the upper part of the kraal, she took the spear from the
man appointed to dig, and dug herself in front of the hut where the people had 1 ean sick,
took some earth, and added it to that in the pot ; then proceeded as rapidly as possible
to the calf kraal, where she dug about two inches deep, and applied two fingers of the left
hand to scoop a little earth out, at the same time holding the roots with her other two
fingers ; then, in a second, closed her hand, mixing the roots with the earth, and putting
them into the pot, saying to the man, ' These are the things you have been looking for.' "
The natural end of this exposure was, that she was obliged to escape out of the
turmoil which was caused by her manifest imposture ; and it is needless to say that she
did not ask for the cows.
The female professors of the art of witchcraft go through a series of ceremonies exactly
similar to those which have been already described, and are capable of transmitting to
any of their descendants the privilege of being admitted to the same rank as themselves.
As may be gathered from the preceding account, they perform the ordinary duties of life
much as do other women, whether married or single ; and it is, perhaps, remarkable that,
so far from celibacy being considered a necessary qualification for the office, neither men
nor women seem to be eligible for it unless they are married.
When once admitted into the college of prophets, the members of it always endeavour
to inspire awe into the public by the remarkable style of adornment which they assume ;
and they are considered at liberty to depart from the usual sumptuary laws which are so
strictly enforced among the Kaffir tribes, and to dress according to their individual
caprice. One of the female prophets was visited by Captain Gardiner, and seems to have
made a powerful impression upon him, both by her dress and her demeanour.
" This woman may be styled a queen of witches, and her appearance bespeaks her
craft. Large coils of entrails stuffed with fat were suspended round her neck ; while her
thick and tangled hair, stuck over in all directions with the gall-bladders of animals, gave
to her tall figure a very singularly wild and grotesque appearance. One of her devices,
which occurred about six months ago, is too characteristic to be omitted. Tpai had
assembled his army, and was in the act of going out to war, a project which, for some
reason, she thought it necessary to oppose.
" Finding that all her dissuasions were ineffectual, she suddenly quitted the place,
DEMEANOUR OF FEMALE PROPHETS.
and, accompanied only by a little girl, entirely concealed herself from observation. At
the expiration of three or four days, she as mysteriously returned ; and holding her side,
apparently bleeding from an assagai-wound, pretended to have been received, in her
absence, from the spirit of her late husband Maddegan, she presented herself before Tpai.
' Your brother's spirit,' she exclaimed, ' has met me, and here is the wound he has made
in my side with an assagai ; he reproached me for remaining with people who had treated
me so ill.'
" Tpai, either willingly or actually imposed upon by this strange occurrence, counter-
manded the army ; and, if we are to credit the good people in these parts, the wound
immediately healed ! For several months subsequent to this period, she took it into her
head to crawl about upon her hands and knees ; and it is only lately, I understand, that
she has resumed her station in society as a biped."
One of the female prophets had a curious method of discovering an " evil-doer." She
came leaping into the ring of assembled Kaffirs, with great bounds of which a woman
seems hardly capable. It is possible that she previously made use of some preparation
which had an exciting effect on the brain, and assisted in working herself up to a pitch oi
terrible frenzv
With her person decorated with snakes, skulls, heads and claws of birds, and
other strange objects— with her magic rattle in one hand, and her staff of office in the
other— she flew about the circle with such erratic rapidity that the eye could scarcely
follow her movements, and no one could in the least anticipate what she would do next.
Her eyes seemed starting from her head, foam flew from her clenched jaws, while at
intervals she uttered frantic shrieks and yells that seemed scarcely to belong to humanity.
206 THE KAFFIR.
In short, her appearance was as terrible as can well be imagined, and sure to inspire
awe in the simple-minded and superstitious audience which surrounded her.
She did not go through the usual process of smelling and crawling, but pursued her
erratic course about the ring, striking with her wand of office the man who happened to
be within its reach, and running off with an almost incredible swiftness.
The illustration on page 205 represents her engaged in her dread office. She has
been summoned by a rich chief, who is seen in the distance, lying on his mat, and attended
by his wives. The terrified culprit is seen in the foreground, his immediate neighbours
shrinking from him as the prophetic wand touches him, while others are pointing him out
to the executioners.
There is very marked distinction between the Kaffir prophetess and an ordinary
woman, and this distinction lies principally in the gait and general demeanour. As has
already been observed, the women and the men seem almost to belong to different races,
the former being timid, humble, and subdued, while the latter are bold, confident, and
almost haughty. The prophetess, however, having assumed so high an office, takes upon
herself a demeanour that shows her appreciation of her own powers, and walks about with
a bold, free step, that has in it something almost regal.
In one point, both sexes are alike when they are elevated to prophetical rank. They
become absolutely ruthless in their profession, and lost to all sense of mercy. No one is
safe from them except the king himself; and his highest and most trusted councillor
never knows whether the prophetic finger may not be pointed at him, and the prophetic
voice denounce him as a wizard. Should this be the case, his rank, wealth, and character
will avail him nothing, and he will be seized and tortured to death as mercilessly as if he
were one of the lowest of the people.
Mixed up with these superstitious deceptions, there is among the prophets a consider-
able amount of skill both in surgery and medicine. Partly from the constant slaughter and
cutting-up of cattle, and partly from experience in warfare and executions, every Kaffir
has a tolerable notion of anatomy — far greater, indeed, than is possessed by the generality
of educated persons in our own country. Consequently, he can undertake various surgical
operations with confidence, and in some branches of the art he is quite a proficient. For
'xainple, a Kaffir prophet has been known to operate successfully in a case of dropsy, so
hat the patient recovered ; while in the reducing of dislocated joints, the setting of frac-
ured bones, and the treatment of wounds, he is an adept.
A kind of cupping is much practised by the Kaffirs, and is managed in much the
same way as among ourselves, though with different and ruder instruments. Instead of
cupping glasses, they use the horn of an ox with a hole bored through the smaller end.
The operator begins his work by pressing the large end of the horn against the part which
is to be relieved, and, applying his mouth to the other end, he sucks vigorously until he-
has produced the required effect. A few gashes are then made with the sharp blade of an
assagai, the horn is again applied, and suction employed until a sufficient amount of
blood has been extracted.
As the Kaffirs are acquainted with poisons, so are they aware of the medicinal pro-
perties possessed by many vegetable productions. Their chief medicines are obtained
from the castor-oil plant and the male fern, and are administered for the same complaints
as are treated by the same medicines in Europe. Sometimes a curious mixture of surgery
and medicine is made by scarifying the skin, and rubbing medicine into it. It is probable
the " witch doctors " have a very much wider acquaintance with herbs and their pro-
perties than they choose to make public ; and this conjecture is partly carried out by the
efficacy which certain so-called charms have on those who use them, even when imagina-
tion does not lend her potent aid.
Possessing such terrible powers, it is not to be wondered at that the prophets will
sometimes use them for the gratification of personal revenge, or for the sake of gain. In
the former case of action, they are only impelled by their own feelings ; but to the latter
they are frequently tempted by others, and an unprincipled prophet will sometimes
accumulate much wealth by taking bribes to accuse certain persons of witchcraft.
How Tchaka contrived to work upon the feelings of the people by means of the
THE NIGHT-CRY. / 207
prophets has been already mentioned. Mr. Shooter narrates a curious instance where a
false accusation was made by a corrupt prophet. One man cherished a violent jealousy
against another named Umpisi (i.e. The Hysena), and, after many attempts, succeeded in
bribing a prophet to accuse his enemy of witchcraft. This he did in a very curious
manner, namely, by pretending to have a vision in which he had seen a wizard scattering
poison near the hut. The wizard's name, he said, was Nukwa. Now, Nukwa is a word
used by women when they speak of the hyeena, and therefore signified the same as
Umpisi. Panda, however, declined to believe the accusation, and no direct indictment was
made. A second accusation was, however, more successful, and the unfortunate man was
put to death. Afterwards, Panda discovered the plot, and in a rude kind of way did justice,
by depriving the false prophet of all his cattle, forbidding him to practise his art again, and
consigning the accuser to the same fate which he had caused to be inflicted on his victim.
The Kaffirs very firmly believe in one sort of witchcraft, which is singularly like some
of the superstitions of the Middle Ages. They fancy that the wizards have the power of
transforming the dead body of a human being into a familiar of their own, which will do
all their work, and need neither pay nor keep.
The " evil-doer " looks out for funerals, and when he finds that a body has been
interred upon which he can work his spell without fear of discovery, he prepares his
charms, and waits until after sunset. Shielded by the darkness of midnight, he digs up
the body, and, by means of his incantations, breathes a sort of life into it, which enables
the corpse to move and to speak ; the spirit of some dead wizard being supposed to have
entered into it. He then heats stones or iron in the fire, burns a hole in the head, and
through this aperture he extracts the tongue. Further spells are then cast around the
revivified body, which have the effect of changing it into the form of some animal, such
as a hyaena, an owl, or a wild-cat ; the latter being the form most in favour with such
spirits. This mystic animal then becomes his servant, and obeys all his behests, whatever
they be. By day, it hides in darkness ; but at night it comes forth to do its master's
bidding. It cuts wood, digs and plants the garden, builds houses, makes baskets, pots,
spears, and clubs, catches game, and runs errands.
But the chief use to which it is put is to inflict sickness, or even death, upon persons
who are disliked by its master. In the dead of night, when the Kaffirs are all at home,
the goblin servant glides towards the doomed house, and, standing outside, it cries out,
" Woe ! woe ! woe ! to this house ! " The trembling inmates hear the dread voice ; but none
of them dares to go out or to answer, for they believe that if they so much as utter a sound,
or move hand or foot, they will die, as well as the person to whom the message is sent.
Should the wizard be disturbed in his incantations, before he has had time to trans-
form the resuscitated body, it wanders through the country, powerful, a messenger of evil,
but an idiot, uttering cries and menaces, but not knowing their import.
In consequence of this belief, no Kaffir dares to be seen in communication with any
creature except the recognised domestic animals, such as cattle and fowls. Any attempt
to tame a wild animal would assuredly cause the presumptuous Kaffir to be put to death
as an " evil-doer." A rather curious case of this kind occurred in Natal.
A woman who was passing into the bush in order to cut wood, saw a man feeding a
wild-cat— the animal which is thought to be specially devoted to the evil spirit. Terrified
at the sight, she tried to escape unseen ; but the man perceived her, pushed the animal
aside, and bribed her to be silent about what she had seen. However, she went home,
and straightway told the chief's head-wife, who told her husband, and from that moment
the man's doom was fixed.
Evidence against a supposed wizard is always plentiful, and on this occasion it was
furnished liberally. One person had overheard a domestic quarrel, in which the man had
beaten his eldest wife, and she threatened to accuse him of witchcraft ; but he replied
that she was as bad as himself, and that if he was executed, she would suffer the same
fate. Another person had heard him say to the same wife, that they had not been found
out, and that the accusers only wanted their corn. Both man and wife were summoned
before the council, examined after the usual method,, and, as a necessary consequence^
executed on the spot.
CHAPTER XIX.
SUPERSTITION-
RAIN-MAKING - EFFECTS OF A DROUGHT - THE HIGHEST OFFICE OF A KAFFIR PROPHET, ITS
REWARDS AND ITS PERILS - HOW THE PROPHET " MAKES RAIN " - INGENIOUS EVASIONS —
MR. MOFFATT'S ACCOUNT OF A RAIN-MAKER, AND HIS PROCEEDINGS — SUPPOSED POWERS OF
EUROPEANS - KAFFIR PROPHETS IN 1857 - PROGRESS OF THE WAR, AND GRADUAL REPULSK OK
THE KAFFIRS — KRELI, THE KAFFIR CHIEF, AND HIS ADVISERS - STRANGE PROPHECY AND ITS
RESULTS - THE PROPHETS' BELIEF IN THEIR OWN POWERS - MORAL INFLUENCE OF THE PROPHETS
- THE CELEBRATED PROPHET MAKANNA AND HIS CAREER — HIS RISE, CULMINATION, AND FALL —
MAKANNA'S GATHERING SONG — TALISMANIC NECKLACE — THE CHARM-STICK OF THE KAFFIRS — WHY
THE PROPHETS ARE ADVOCATES OF WAR — A PROPHET WHO TOOK ADVICE.
THE highest and most important duty which falls to the lot of the prophets is that oi
rain-making. In Southern Africa, rain is the very life of the country ; and, should it be
delayed beyond the usual time, the dread of famine runs through the land. The Kaffirs
certainly possess storehouses, but not of sufficient size to hold enough grain for the sub-
sistence of a tribe throughout the year — nor, indeed, could the Kaffirs be able to grow
enough food for such a purpose.
During a drought, the pasture fails, and the cattle die ; thus cutting off the supply of
milk, which is almost the staff of life to a Kaffir — certainly so to his children. The very
idea of such a calamity makes every mother in Kaffirland tremble with affright, and there
is nothing which they would not do to avert it, even to the sacrifice of their own lives.
Soon the water-pools dry up, then the wells, and lastly the springs begin to fail ; and con-
sequently disease and death soon make dire havoc among the tribes. In England, we can
form no conception of such a state of things, and are rather apt to suffer from excess of
rain than its absence ; but the miseries which even a few weeks' drought in the height of
summer can inflict upon this well-watered land may enable us to appreciate some of the
horrors which accompany a drought in Southern Africa.
Among the prophets, or witch-doctors, there are some who claim the power of forcing
rain to fall by their incantations. Rain-making is the very highest office which a Kaffir
prophet can perform, and there are comparatively few who will venture to attempt it,
because, in case of failure, the wrath of the disappointed people is sometimes known
to exhibit itself in perforating the unsuccessful prophet with an assagai, knocking out his
brains with a knob-kerrie, or the more simple process of tearing him to pieces. Those,
however, who do succeed, are at once raised to the very summit of their profession. They
exercise almost unlimited sway over their own tribe, and over any other in which there is
not a rain-maker of equal celebrity. The king is the only man who pretends to exercise
any authority over these all powerful beings ; and even the king, irresponsible despot
though he be, is obliged to be submissive to the rain-maker while he is working his
incantations.
It is, perhaps, not at all strange that the Kaffirs should place implicit faith in the
power of the rain-makers ; but it is a strange fact that the operators themselves believe
INGENIOUS EVASIONS.
in their own powers. Of course there are many instances where a rain-maker knowingly
practises imposture ; but in those cases he is mostly driven to such a course by the
menaces of those who are employing him ; and, as a general fact, the wizard believes in
the efficacy of his own charms quite as firmly as any of his followers.
A prophet who has distinguished himself as a rain-maker is soon known far and wide,
and does not restrict his practice to his own district. Potentates from all parts of the
country send for him when the drought continues, and their own prophets fail to produce
rain. In this, as in other countries, the prophet has more honour in another land than in
his own, and the confidence placed in him is boundless.
This confidence is grounded 011 the fact that a rain-maker from a distant land
CUU UN ING RAIN.
<dll often produce rain when others at home have failed. The reason is simple enough,
Mough the Kaffirs do not see it. By the time that the whole series of native prophets
hive gone through their incantations, the time of drought is comparatively near to a close ;
a'ld, if the prophet can only manage to stave off the actual production of rain for a few
cj jys, he has a reasonable chance of success, as every hour is a positive gain to him.
It is needless to mention that the Kaffirs are well acquainted with the signs of the
v. Gather, as is always the case with those who live much in the open air. The prophets,
evidently, are more weather-wise than the generality of their race, and, however much a
rain-maker may believe in himself, he never willingly undertakes a commission when the
signs of the sky portend a continuance of drought. Should he be absolutely forced into
undertaking the business, his only hope of escape from the dilemma is to procrastinate as
much as possible, while at the same time he keeps the people amused. The most common
mode of procrastination is by requesting certain articles, which he knows are almost
unattainable, and saying that until he has them his incantations will have no effect. Mr.
Moffatt narrates a very amusing instance of the shifts to which a prophet is sometimes
pi t, when the rain will not fall, and when he is forced to invoke it.
" The rain-maker found the clouds in our country rather harder to manage than those
L had left. He complained that secret rogues were disobeying his proclamations.
VOL. I. fc
210 THE KAFFIR
"When urged to make repeated trials, lie would reply, 'You only give me sheep and goats
to kill, therefore I can only make goat-rain; give me for slaughter oxen, and I shall
let you see ox-rain.' One day, as he was taking a sound sleep, a shower fell, on which
one of the principal men entered his house to congratulate him, but to his utter amaze-
ment found him totally insensible to what was transpiring. ' Helaka rare ! ' (Hallo, by
my father !) ' I thought you were making rain,' said the intruder, when, arising from his
slumbers, and seeing his wife sitting on the floor shaking a milk-sack in order to obtain
.. a little butter to anoint her hair, he replied, pointing to the operation of churning, 'Do
' you not see my wife churning rain as fast as she can ? ' This reply gave entire satisfac-
tion, and it presently spread through the length and breadth of the town, that the rain-
maker had churned the shower out of a milk-sack.
" The moisture caused by this shower was dried up by a scorching sun, and many long
weeks followed without a single cloud, and when these did appear they might sometimes
be seen, to the great mortification of the conjurer, to discharge their watery treasures at an
immense distance. This disappointment was increased when a heavy cloud would pass
over with tremendous thunder, but not one drop of rain. There had been several succes-
sive years of drought, during which water had not been seen to flow upon the ground ;
and in that climate, if rain does not fall continuously and in considerable quantities, it is
all exhaled in a couple of hours. In digging graves we have found the _earth as dry
as dust at four or five feet depth, when the surface was saturated with rain. "
" The women had cultivated extensive fields, but the seed was lying in the_soiLas 4tr
had been thrown from the hand ; the cattle were dying for want of pasture, and hundreds
of living skeletons were seen going to the fields in quest of unwholesome roots and
reptiles, while many were dying with hunger. Our sheep, as before stated, were soon
likely to be all devoured, and finding their number daily diminish, we slaughtered the
remainder and put the meat in salt, which of course was far from being agreeable in such
a climate, and where vegetables were so scarce.
"All these circumstances irritated the rain-maker very much; but he was often
puzzled to find something on which to lay the blame, for he had exhausted his skill.
One night, a small cloud passed over, and the only flash of lightning, from which a heavy
peal of thunder burst, struck a tree in the town. Next day, the rain-maker and a
number of people assembled to perform the usual ceremony on such an event. It was
ascended, and ropes of grass and grass roots were bound round different parts of the
trunk, which in the Acacia giraffa is seldom much injured, A limb may be torn off, but
of numerous trees of that species which I have seen struck by lightning, the trunk
appears to resist its power, as the fluid produces only a stripe or groove along the bark to
the ground. When these bandages were made he deposited some of his nostrums, and
got quantities of water handed up, which he poured with great solemnity on the wounded
tree, while the assembled multitude shouted ' Pula pula.' This done the tree was hewn
down, dragged out of the town, and burnt to ashes. Soon after this unmeaning cere-
mony, he got large bowls of water, with which was mingled an infusion of bulbs. All
the men of the town then came together, and passed in succession before him, when he
sprinkled each with a zebra's tail which he dipped in the water.
" As all this and much more did not succeed, he had recourse to another stratagem. He
knew well that baboons were not very easily caught among the rocky glens and shelving
precipices, there fore,in order to gam time, he informed the men that, to make rain, he
must have a baboon; that the animal must be without a blemish, not a hair was to be
wanting on its body. One would have thought any simpleton might have seen through
his tricks, as their being able to present him with a baboon in that state was impossible,
even though they caught him asleep. Forth sallied a band of chosen runners, who
ascended the neighbouring mountain. The baboons from their lofty domiciles had been
in the habit of looking down on the plain beneath at the natives encircling and pursuing
the quaggas and antelopes, little dreaming that one day they would themselves be objects
of pursuit. They hobbled off in consternation, grunting, and screaming and leaping
from rock to rock, occasionally looking down on their pursuers, grinning and gnashing
their teeth. After a long pursuit, with wounded limbs, scratched bodies, and broken
ACCOUNT OF A RAIN-MAKER'S PROCEEDINGS.
211
toes, a young one was secured, and brought to the town, the captors exulting as if they
had obtained a great spoil. The wily rogue, on seeing the animal, put on a countenance
exhibiting the most intense sorrow, exclaiming, ' My heart is rent in pieces ; I am dumb
with grief;' and pointing to the ear of the baboon, which was scratched, and the tail,
which had lost some hairs, added, 'Did I not tell you I could not make rain if there was
one hair wanting ? '
" After some days another was obtained ; but there was still some imperfection, real
or alleged. He had often said that, if they would procure him the heart of a lion, he
would show them that he could make rain so abundant that a man might think himself
well off to be under shelter, as when it fell it might sweep whole towns away. He had
BRINGING THE BABOON.
discovered that the clouds required strong medicine, and that a lion's heart would do the
business. To obtain this the rain-maker well knew was no joke. One day it was
announced that a lion had attacked one of the cattle outposts, not far from the town, and
a party set off for the twofold purpose of getting a key to the clouds and disposing of a
dangerous enemy. The orders were imperative, whatever the consequences might be,
which, in this instance, might have been very serious, had not one of our men shot the
terrific animal dead with a gun.
" This was no sooner done than it was cut up for roasting and boiling ; no matter if it
had previously eaten some of their relations, they ate it in its turn. Nothing could
exceed their enthusiasm when they returned to the town, bearing the lion's heart, and
singing the conqueror's song in full chorus ; the rain-maker prepared his medicines,
kindled his fires, and might be seen upon the top of the hill, stretching forth his puny
hands, and beckoning the clouds to draw near, or even shaking his spear, and threatening
P2
212 THE KAFFIR.
that, if they disobeyed, they should feel his ire. The deluded populace believed all this,
and wondered the ruins would not fall.
"Asking an experienced and judicious man, the king's uncle, how it was that so great
an operator on the clouds could not succeed, 'Ah,' ho replied, with apparent feeling,
'there is a cause for the hardheartedness of the clouds if the rain-maker could only iind
it out.' A scrutinising watch was kept upon everything done by the missionaries.
Some weeks after my return from a visit to Griqua Town, a grand discovery was made,
that the rain had been prevented by my bringing a bag of salt from that place in my
wugon. The charge was made by the king and his attendants, with great gravity and
form. As giving the least offence by laughing at their puerile actions ought always to
be avoided when dealing with a people who are sincere though deluded, the case was on
my part investigated with more than usual solemnity. Mothibi and his aide-de-camp
accompanied me to the storehouse, where the identical bag stood. It was open, with the
white contents full in view. ' There it is,' he exclaimed, with an air of satisfaction. But
finding, on examination, that the reported salt was only white clay or chalk, they could
not help laughing at their own incredulity."
An unsuccessful Kaffir prophet is never very sorry to have white men in the country,
because he can always lay the blame of failure upon them. Should they be missionaries,
the sound of the hymns is quite enough to drive away the clouds ; and should they be
laymen, any habit in which they indulged \vould be considered a sufficient reason for the
continuance of drought. The Kaffir always acknowledges the superior powers of the
white man, and, though he thinks his own race far superior to any that inhabit the
earth, he fancies that the spirits which help him are not so powerful as those who aid the
white man, and that it is from their patronage, and not from any mental or physical
superiority, that he has obtained his pre-eminence.
Fully believing in his own rain-making powers, he fancies that the white men are
as superior in this art as in others, and invents the most extraordinary theories in order to
account for the fact. After their own prophets have failed to produce rain, the Kaffirs
are tolerably sure to wait upon a missionary, and ask him to perform the office. The
process of reasoning by which they have come to the conclusion that the missionaries can
make rain is rather a curious one. As soon as the raw, cold winds begin to blow and
to threaten rain, the missionaries were naturally accustomed to put on their overcoats
when they left their houses. These coats were usually of a dark colour, and nothing could
persuade the natives but that the assumption of dark clothing was a spell by which rain
was compelled to fall.
It has just been mentioned that the prophets fully believe in their own supernatural
powers. Considering the many examples of manifest imposture which continually take
place, some of which have already been described, most Europeans would fancy that the
prophets were intentional and consistent deceivers, and their opinion of themselves was
something like that of the old Eoman augurs, who could even look in each other's faces
without smiling. This, however, is not the case. Deceivers they undoubtedly are, and in
many instances wilfully so, but it is equally certain that they do believe that they are the
means of communication between the spirits of the dead and their living relatives.
No better proof of this fact can be adduced than the extraordinary series of events
which took place in 1857, in which not only one prophet, but a considerable number of
them took part, and in which their action was unanimous.
In that year, the Kaffir tribes awoke to the conclusion that they had been gradually
but surely yielding before the European settlers, and they organized a vast conspiracy
by which they hoped to drive every white man out of Southern Africa, and to re-
establish their own supremacy. The very existence of the colony of Natal was a thorn
in their sides, as that country was almost daily receiving reinforcements from Europe, and
was becoming gradually stronger and less likely to be conquered. Moreover, there were
continual defections of their own race ; whole families, and even the population 6*f entire
villages, were escaping from the despotic sway of the native monarch, and taking refuge
in the country protected by the white man's rifle. Several attempts had been previously
made under the celebrated chief Sandilli, and the equally famous prophet-warrior.
KAFFIR PROPHETS IN 1857. 213
Mukanna, to dispossess the colonists, and in every case the Kaffir tribes had been repulsed
with great loss, and were at last forced to offer their submission.
In 1857, however, a vast meeting was convened by Kreli, in order to organize a
regularly planned campaign, and at this meeting a celebrated prophet was expected to be
present. He did not make his appearance, but sent a messenger, saying that the spirit
had ordered the Kaffirs to kill all their cattle. This strange mandate was obeyed by
many of the people, but others refused to obey the prophet's order, and saved their cattle
alive.
Angry that his orders had been disobeyed, the prophet called another meeting, and
had a private interview with Kreli, in which he said that the disobedience of the people
was the reason why the white men had not been driven out of the land. But, if they
would be obedient, and slay every head of cattle in the country, except one cow and one
goat, the spirits of the dead would be propitiated by their munificence, and would give
their aid. Eight days were to be allowed for doing the murderous work, and on the
eighth — at most on the ninth day — by means of spells thrown upon the surviving cow
and goat, the cattle would all rise again, and they would repossess the wealth which they
had freely offered. They were also ordered to throw away all the corn in their granaries
and storehouses. As a sign that the prophecy would be fulfilled, the sun would not rise
until half-past eight, it would then turn red and go back on its course, and darkness, rain,
thunder, and lightning would warn the people of the events that were to follow.
WAILING OF DECEIVED KAFFIRS.
The work of slaughter then began in earnest ; the goats and cattle were exterminated
throughout the country, and, except the two which were to be the reserve, not a cow or a
goat was left alive. With curious inconsistency, the Kaffirs took the hides to the trading
stations and sold them, and so fast did they pour in that they were purchased for the
merest trifle, and many thousands could not be sold at all, and were left in the interior of
the country.
The eighth day arrived, and no signs were visible in the heavens. This did not disturb
the Kaffirs very much, as they relied on the promised ninth day. On that morning not a
Kaffir moved from his dwelling, but sat in the kraal, anxiously watching the sun. From
six in the morning until ten they watched its course, but it did not change colour or alter its
course, and neither the thunder, lightning, nor rain came on in token that the prophecy
was to be fulfilled.
The deluded Kaffirs then repented themselves, but too late, of their credulity. They
had killed all their cattle and destroyed all their corn, and without these necessaries of
life they knew that they must starve. And they did indeed starve. Famine in its worst
set in throughout the country ; the children died by hundreds ; none but those of the
214 THE KAFFIR
strongest constitutions survived, and even these were mere skeletons, worn away "by
privations, and equally unable to work or to fight. By this self-inflicted blow the Kaffirs
suffered far more than they would have done in the most prolonged war, and rendered
themselves incapable of resistance for many years.
That the prophets who uttered such strange mandates must have been believers in the
truth of tlteir art is evident enough, for they sacrificed not only the property of others,
but their own, and we have already seen how tenaciously a Kaffir clings to his flocks
and herds. Moreover, in thus destroying all the food in the country, they knew that
they were condemning to starvation not only the country in general, but themselves and
their families, and a man is not likely to utter prophecies which, if false, would reduce
him from wealth to poverty, and condemn himself, his family, and all the country to the
miseries of famine, did he not believe those prophecies to be true.
Although the influence exercised by the prophets is, in many cases, wielded in an
injurious manner, it is not entirely an unmixed evil. Imperfect as their religious system
is, and disastrous as are too often the consequences, it is better than no religion at all,
and at all events it has two advantages, the one being the assertion of the immortality of
the soul, and the second the acknowledgment that there are beings in the spiritual world
possessed of far greater powers than their own, whether for good or evil.
One of the most extraordinary of these prophets was the celebrated Makanna, who
united in his own person the offices of prophet and general, and who ventured to oppose
the English forces, and in person to lead an attack on Grahamstown.
This remarkable man laid his plans with great care arid deliberation, and did not
strike a blow until all his plots were fully developed. In the first place he contrived
to obtain considerable military information by conversation with the soldiers, and espe-
cially the officers of the regiments who were quartered at Grahamstown, and in this
manner contrived to learn much of the English military system, as well as of many
mechanical arts.
The object which he proposed to himself is not precisely known, but as far as can be
gathered from his actions, he seems to have intended to pursue a similar course to that
which was taken by Tchaka among the more northern Zulus, and to gather together the
scattered Amakosa tribes and to unite them in one great nation, of which he should be
sole king and priest. But his ambition was a nobler one than that of Tchfcka, whose only
object was personal aggrandizement, and who shed rivers of blood, even among his own
subjects, in order to render himself supreme. Makanna was a man of different mould,
and although personal ambition had much to do with his conduct, he was clearly inspired
with a wish to raise his people into a southern nation that should rival the great Zulu
monarchy of the north, and also, by the importation of European ideas, to elevate the
character of his subjects, and to assimilate them as far as possible with the white men,
their acknowledged superiors in every art.
That he ultimately failed is no wonder, because he was one of those enthusiasts who
do not recognise their epoch. Most people fail in being behind their day, Makanna
failed in being before it. Enjoying constant intercourse with Europeans, and invariably
choosing for hie companions men of eminence among them, his own mind had become
sufficiently enlarged to perceive the infinite superiority of European civilization, and to
know that if he could only succeed in infusing their jdeas into the minds of his subjects,
the Kosa nation would not only be the equal of, but be far superior to the Zulu empire,
which was erected by violence and preserved by bloodshed.
Conscious of the superstitious character of his countrymen, and knowing that he
would not be able to gain sufficient influence over them unless he laid claim to super-
natural powers, Makanna announced himself to be a prophet of a new kind. In this
part of his line of conduct, he showed the same deep wisdom that bad characterised his
former proceedings, and gained much religious as well as practical knowledge from the
white men, whom he ultimately intended to destroy. He made a point of conversing as
much as possible with the clergy, and, with all a Kaffir's inborn love of argument,
delighted in getting into controversies respecting the belief of the Christians, and the
inspiration of the Scriptures.
ATTACK ON GRAHAMSTOWN. 215
Keen and subtle of intellect, and possessed of wonderful oratorical powers, he would
at one time ask question after question for the purpose of entangling his instructor in a
sophism, and at another would burst into a torrent of eloquence in which he would
adroitly make use of any unguarded expression, and carry away his audience by the
spirit and fire of his oratory.
In the meanwhile he was quietly working upon the minds of his countrymen so as
.to prepare them for his final step; and at last, when he had thoroughly matured his
plans, he boldly announced himself as a prophet to whom had been given a special
commission from Uhlanga, the Great Spirit.
Unlike the ordinary prophets, whose utterances were all of blood and sacrifice, either
of men or animals, he imported into his new system of religion many ideas that he had
obtained from the Christian clergy, and had the honour of being the first Kaffir prophet
who ever denounced vice and enforced morality on his followers. Not only did he
preach against vice in the abstract, but he had the courage to denounce all those who
led vicious lives, and was as unsparing towards the most powerful chiefs as towards the
humblest servant.
One chief, the renowned Gaika, was direfully offended at the prophet's boldness,
whereupon Makanna, finding that spiritual weapons were wasted on such a man, took to
the spear and shield instead, led an extemporised force against Gaika, and defeated him.
Having now cleared away one of the obstacles to his course of ambition, he thought
that the time had come when he might strike a still greater blow. The English had
taken Gaika under their protection after his defeat, and Makanna thought that he could
conquer the British forces as he had those of his countryman.
Accordingly, he redoubled his efforts to make himself revered by the Kaffir tribes.
He seldom showed himself, passing the greater part of his time in seclusion ; and when
he did appear in public, he always maintained a reserved, solemn, and abstracted air, such
as befitted the character which he assumed, namely, a prophet inspired, not by the spirits
of the dead, but by the Uhlanga, the Great Spirit himself. Now and then he would
summon the people about him, and pour out torrents of impetuous eloquence, in which
he announced his mission from above, and uttered a series of prophecies, wild and
extravagant, but all having one purport ; namely, that the spirits of their fathers would
fight for the Kaffirs, and drive the inhabitants into the sea.
Suddenly he called together his troops, and made a descent upon Grahamstown, the
whole attack being so unexpected that the little garrison were taken by surprise ; and the
commander was nearly taken prisoner as he was riding with some of his officers.
More than 10,000 Kaffir warriors were engaged in the assault, while the defenders
numbered barely 350 Europeans and a few disciplined Hottentots. The place was very
imperfectly fortified, and, although a few field-guns were in Grahamstown, they were
not in position, nor were they ready for action.
Nothing could be more gallant than the conduct of assailants and defenders. The
Kaffirs, fierce, warlike, and constitutionally brave, rushed to the attack with wild war
cries, hurling their assagais as they advanced ; and when they came to close quarters,
breaking their last weapon, arid using it as a dagger. The defenders on the other hand
contended with disciplined steadiness against such fearful odds, but the battle might
have gone against them had it not been for a timely succour.
Finding that the place could not be taken by a direct assault, Makanna detached
several columns to attack it both in flank and rear, while he kept the garrison fully
employed by assailing it in front. Just at that moment, an old experienced Hottentot
captain, named Boezak, happened to arrive at Grahamstown with a party of his men.
"Without hesitation he led his little force against the enemy, and, being familiar with
Kaffir warfare, and also practised marksmen, he and his followers neglected the rank
and file of the enemy, and directed their fire upon the leaders who were conducting the
final charge. In a few seconds a number of the most distinguished chiefs were shot
down, and the onset received a sudden check.
The Amakosa warriors soon recovered themselves and returned to the charge, but the
English had taken advantage of the brief respite, and brought their field-guns to bear.
216
THE KAFFIR.
Volley after volley of grape-shot was poured into the thickest columns of the enemy,
and the front ranks fell like grass before the mower's scythe.
Still, the courage of the Kaffirs, stimulated by the mystic utterances of their prophet-
general, was not quelled, and the undaunted warriors charged up to the. very mouth of
the guns, stabbing with their last spears at the artillerymen. But brave as they might
be, they could not contend against the deadly hail of grape-shot and musketry that
ceaselessly poured into their ranks, while as soon as a leader made himself conspicuous,
he was shot by Boezak and his little vbody of marksmen. Makanna rallied his forces
several times, but at last they were put to flight, and he was obliged to accompany his
discomfited soldiers.
Short as was this battle, it was a terrible one for the Kaffirs. Fourteen hundred
bodies were found dead on the field, while at least as many more died of their wounds.
After this decisive repulse, Makanna surrendered himself to the English, and was
sent as a prisoner to Robben Island. Here he remained for a year, with a few followers
and slaves whom he was permitted to retain. One day he disarmed the guard, and tried
to escape in a boat, but was drowned in the attempt.
The subjoined spirited rendering of Makanna's gathering song is by Mr. Pringle, the
poet-traveller in Southern Africa.
MAKANNA'S GATHERING.
" WAKE ! Atnakosa, wake !
And arm yourselves for war,
As coming winds the forest shake,
I hear a sound from far :
It is not thunder in the sky,
Nor lion's roar upon the hill,
But the voice of him who sits on high,
And bids me speak his will !
" He. bids me call you forth,
Bold sons of Kahabee,
To sweep the White Man from the earth,
And drive them to the sea :
The sea, which heaved them up at first,
For Amakosa's curse and bane,
Howls for the progeny she nursed,
To swallow them again.
" Then come, ye chieftains bold,
With war- plumes waving high ;
Come, every warrior young and old,
With club and assagai.
Remember how the spoiler's host
Did through the land like locusts range !
Your herds, your wives, your comrades lost,-
Remember, and revenge !
" Fling your broad shields away,
Bootless against such foes ;
But hand to hand we'll fight to-day,
And with the bayonets close.
Grasp each man short his stabbing spea
And, when to battle's edge we come,
Rush on their ranks in full career,
And to their hearts strike home !
" Wake ! Amakosa, wake !
And muster for the war :
The wizard-wolves from Keisi's brake,
The vultures from afar,
Are gathering at UHLANGA'S call,
And follow fast our westward way —
For well they know, ere evening fall,
They shall have glorious prey ! "
NECKLACE MADE OP HUMAN FINGER-BONES.
There is now before me a remarkable necklace, which was taken from the neck of a
Kaffir who was killed in the attack of the 74th Highlanders on the Iron Mount. This
stronghold of the dark enemies was peculiarly well adapted for defence, and the natives
THE DAGHASAC.
217
had therefore used it as a place wherein they could deposit their stores but, by a false
move on their part, they put themselves between two fires, and after severe loss had to
abandon the post. The necklace belongs to the collection of Major Ross King, who led
the 74th in the attack.
It has evidently been used for superstitious purposes, and has belonged to a Kaffir
who was either one of the prophets or who intended to join that order. It is composed
of human finger bones, twenty-seven in number, and as only the last joint of the finger is
used, it is evident that at least three men must have supplied the bones in question. From
the nature of the ornament, it is likely that it once belonged to that class of which doctors
make a living, by pretending to detect the evil-doers who have caused the death of chiefs
and persons of rank.
As another exampie of the superstitious ideas of the Kaffirs, I may here describe the
article which is represented in the
annexed illustration.
This is one of the small bags
which are sometimes called knap-
sacks, and sometime " daghasacs,"
the latter name being given to
them because their chief use is to
hold the dagha, or preparation of
hemp which is so extensively used
for smoking, and which was pro-
bably the only herb that was used
before the introduction of tobacco
from -America.
Sometimes the daghasac is
made of the skin of some small
animal, taken off entire; but in
this instance it is made of small
pieces of antelope-skin neatly
joined together, and having some
of the hair still left in the interior.
The line of junction between the
upper and lower pieces of skin is
ingeniously concealed by the strings
of black and white beads which
are attached to it ; and the same THE DAGHASAC.
beads serve also to conceal a patch
which is let in in one side. The bag
is suspended over the shoulders of the wearer by means of a long chain formed ot iron
wire, the links of which are made so neatly that, but for a few irregularities, they would
be taken for the handiwork of a European wire- worker.
From the end of the bag hang two thongs, each of which bears at the extremity a
valued charm. One of these articles is a piece of stick, about three inches in length, and
about as thick as an artist's pencil ; and the other is a small sea-shell. The bone
necklace, which has just been described, does really look like a charm or an amulet ; but
these two objects are so perfectly harmless in appearance that no one would detect their
character without a previous acquaintance with the manners and customs of the natives.
The stick in question is formed of a sort of creeper, which seems to be invariably used
in the manufacture of certain charms. It has small dark leaves and pale blue flowers,
and is found plentifully at the Cape, growing among the "Boerbohne" and other bushes,
and twining its flexible shoots among their branches.
Major King, to whose collection the daghasac belongs, possesses a large specimen of
the same stick, five feet in length and perfectly straight. It was taken fre*" the
centre of a bundle of assagais that had fallen from the grasp of a Kaffir, who >«*,
killed in a skirmish by the Highlanders. This stick was employed as a war char«i, an-i
218 THK KAFFIR.
probably was supposed to have the double effect of making certain the aim of the ass;i
and of guarding the owner from harm.
Vast numbers of those wooden charms were issued to the soldiers by the celebrated
prophet Umlaugeni, who prophesied that by his incantations the bullets of the white man
would turn to water as soon as they were fired. As the charm cost nothing except the
trouble of cutting the stick to the proper length, and as he never issued one without
a fee of some kind, it is evident that the sacred office became in his hands a very
profitable one.
As war occupies so much of the Kaffir's mind, it is to be expected that the prophets
encourage rather than suppress the warlike spirit of the nation.
During times of peace, the objects for which the prophet will be consulted are com-
paratively few.
Anxious parents may come to the prophet for the purpose of performing some
ceremony over a sick child ; or, with much apparent anxiety, a deputation from the
tribe may call him to attend upon the chief, who has made himself ill by eating too much
beef and drinking too much beer ; or he may be summoned in case of sickness, which is
always a tolerably profitable business, and in which his course of treatment is sure to be
successful ; or if he should enjoy the high but perilous reputation of being a rain-maker,
he may be called upon to perform his incantations, and will consequently receive a goodly
number of presents.
These, however, are the sum of the prophet's duties in times of peace, and he is
naturally inclined to foster a warlike disposition among the people. The reader will
remember that when Tchaka found that his subjects were in danger of settling down to a
quiet agricultural life, he induced one of the prophets to stir up a renewal of the old martial
spirit. And we may be sure that he found no unwilling agents in the prophets, at least
three of whom must have been engaged in the deception.
In war, however, the prophet's services are in constant demand, and his influence and
his wealth are equally increased. He retains all the privileges' which he enjoyed in time
of peace, in addition to those which belong to him as general adviser in time of war.
From the beginning to the end of the war every one consults the prophet. When
the king forms the conception of making war, he is sure to send for the prophet, and
ask him to divine the result of the coming contest, and whatever his advice may be
it is implicitly followed Then, after war has been announced, another ceremony is
necessary in order to propitiate the spirits of ancestors, arid cause them to fight for their
descendants, who sacrifice so many oxen to them, and thus enrich their cattle-pen in the
shades below. Next comes the grand series of ceremonies when the troops are mustered,
and another, scarcely less grand, when they inarch off.
In the meantime almost every soldier will want a charm of some kind or other, and
will pay for it. Moreover, he will generally owe the sacrifice of a cow, or at least a goat,
if he return home safely at the end of a campaign, and of all sacrifices the prophet gets
his share. The old men and wives who remain at home, and are sure to feel anxious about
their husbands and children who are with the army, are equally sure to offer sacrifices
as propitiations to the spirits.
When the army returns the prophet is still in request, as he has to superintend the
various sacrifices that have been vowed by the survivors and their friends. As to those
who fell they have already paid their fees, and for the failure of the charm there is always
some excuse, which the simple people are quite ready to believe.
Mr. Baines has kindly sent me an account of one of these prophets, and the manner in
which he performed his office. Besides the snakes, skins, feathers, and other strange
ornaments with which a Kaffir prophet is wont to bedeck himself, he had hung round
his neck a string of bones and skulls, an amulet of which he evidently was exceedingly
proud. He was consulted by some of the soldiers about the result of the expedition, and
straightway proceeded to work. Taking off the necklace he flung it on the ground, and
then squatted down beside it. scanning carefully the attitude assumed by every bone, and
drawing therefrom his conclusions. At last he rose, and stated to his awe-struck clients
that before the war was over many of them \\ould eat dust, i.e. be killed.
UNFAVOUKABLE PROPHECY.
219
This announcement had a great effect upon the dark soldiers, and their spirits were
sadly depressed by it. The commander, however, was a man who was independent of
such actions, and did not intend to have his men disheartened by any prophet. So he
sent for the seer in question, and very plainly told him that his business was to foretell
UNFAVOURABLE PROPHECY.
success, and not failure ; and that, if he did not alter his line of prophecy, he must be
prepared to take the consequences. Both the seer and the spirits of departed chiefs took
this rather strong hint, and after that intimation the omens invariably proved to be
favourable, and the soldiers recovered their lost equanimity.
CHAPTER XX.
FUNERAL RITES.
BTTBIAL OF THE DEAD LOCALITIES OF THE TOMBS THE CHIEF'S LAST RESTING-PLACE SACRIFICES
AND LUSTRATION BODIES OF CRIMINALS REPUGNANCE TOWARDS DEAD BODIES — ORDINARY
RITES FUNERAL OF A CHILD — THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF MNANDE HER GENERAL CHARACTER,
AND SUSPICIOUS NATURE OF HER ILLNESS TCHAKA's BEHAVIOUR — ASSEMBLAGE OF THE PEOPLE
AND TERRIBLE MASSACRE — MNANDE*S COMPANIONS IN THE GRAVE — THE YEAR OF WATCHING —
A STRANGE ORDINANCE — HOW TCHAKA WENT OUT OF MOURNING — A SUMMARY MODE OF SEPULTURE
ABANDONMENT OF THE AGED SICK — MR. GALTON'S STORY.
CLOSELY connected with the religion of any country is the mode in which the bodies of
the dead are disposed of.
Burial in the earth is the simplest and most natural mode of disposing of a dead body,
and this mode is adopted by the Kaffirs. There are slight variations in the method of
interment and the choice of a grave, but the general system prevails throughout Kaffir-
land. The body is never laid prostrate, as among ourselves; but a circular hole is dug
in the ground, and the body is placed in it in a sitting position, the knees being brought
to the chin and the head bent over them. Sometimes, and especially if there should be
cause for haste, the Kaffirs select for a grave an ant-hill, which has been ransacked by
the great ant-bear or aard-vark, and out of which the animal has torn the whole interior
with its powerful claws, leaving a mere oven-shaped shell as hard as a brick. Generally,
however, a circular hole is dug, and the body is placed in it, as has been already
mentioned.
As to the place of burial, that depends upon the rank of the dead person. If he be
the head man of a kraal he is always buried in the isibaya, or cattle enclosure, and the
funeral is conducted with much ceremony. During the last few days of illness, when it
is evident that recovery is impossible, the people belonging to the kraal omit the usual
care of the toilet, allowing their hair to grow as it likes, and abstaining from the use of
grease or from washing. The worst clothes are worn, and all ornaments are removed.
They also are bound to fast until the funeral, and there is a humane custom that the
children are first supplied with an abundant meal, and not until they have eaten are they
told of their father's death.
The actual burial is performed by the nearest relatives, and on such an occasion it is
not thought below the dignity of a man to assist in digging the grave. The body is then
placed in the grave ; his spoon, mat, pillow, and spears are laid beside him : the shafts
of the latter are always broken, and the iron heads bent, perhaps from some vague idea
that the spirit of the deceased will come out of the earth and do mischief with them.
Should he be a rich man, oxen are also killed and placed near him, so that he may go
into the land of spirits well furnished with cattle, implements, and weapons. If the
person interred should not be of sufficient rank to be entitled to a grave in the isibaya,
he is buried outside the kraal, and over the grave is made a strong fence of stones or
thorn-bushes, to prevent the corpse from being disturbed by wild beasts or wizards.
FUNERAL OF A CHILD. 2i>l
As soon as the funeral party returns, the prophets send the inhabitants of the kraal to
the nearest stream, and after they have washed therein he administers some medicine to
them, and then they are at liberty to eat and drink, to milk their cattle, and to dress their
hair. Those^ however, who dug the grave and handled the body of the dead man are
obliged to undergo a double course of medicine and lustration before they are permitted
to break their fast.
It is not every Kaffir who receives the funeral rites. Those who have been killed by order
of the king are considered unworthy of receiving honourable sepulture, and no matter what
may be the crime of which they are accused, or whether indeed they have not been killed
through some momentary caprice of the despot, their bodies are merely dragged away by
the heels into the bush, and allowed to become the prey of the vultures and hyaenas.
Except when heated by conflict, the Kaffir has an invincible repugnance to touching
a dead body, and nothing can show greater respect for the dead than the fact that the
immediate relatives conquer this repugnance, and perform the last office in spite of their
natural aversion to such a duty, and with full knowledge of the long and painful fast
which they must undergo.
The friends of the family then assemble near the principal hut, and loudly bewail the
loss which the kraal has sustained. An ox is killed, and its flesh cooked as a feast for
the mourners, the animal itself being offered as a sacrifice to the departed chief. Having
finished their banquet, and exhausted all their complimentary phrases towards the dead,
they generally become anything but complimentary to the living.
Addressing the eldest son, who has now succeeded to his father's place, they bewail
his inexperience, condole with the wives upon their hard lot in being under the sway of
one so inferior in every way to the deceased, and give the son plenty of good advice,
telling him not to beat any of his mothers if he can keep them in order without manual
correction, to be kind to all his brothers and sisters, and to be considerate towards the
dependants. They enforce their arguments by copious weeping. Tears always come
readily to a Kaffir, but, if there should be any difficulty in shedding them, a liberal use of
pungent snuff is sure to produce the desired result.
Such is the mode in which ordinary men and chiefs are buried. The funerals of
children are conducted in a much quicker and simpler manner, as may be seen by the
following extract from Gardiner's work on Southern Africa. He is describing the funeral
of a child belonging to a Kaffir with whom he was acquainted : —
" After threading an intricate path, and winding about for some little distance, they
stopped. Inquiring if that was the spot they had chosen, Kolelwa replied, 'You must
show us.' On being again told that it was left entirely forliis decision, they proceeded a
few paces further, and then commenced one of the most distressing scenes I ever witnessed,
a father with his own hand opening the ground with his hoe. and scooping out a grave for
his own child, assisted only by one of his wives— while the bereaved mother, in the bitter-
ness of her grief, seated under some bushes like another Hagar, watched every movement,
but dared not trust herself nearer to the mournful spot.
" When all was prepared Kolelwa returned, with the wife who had assisted him, for
the body — Nombuna, the mother, still remaining half concealed among the trees. Every-
thing was conducted so silently that I did not perceive their return, until suddenly turn-
ing to the spot I observed the woman supporting the body so naturally upon her lap, as
she sat on the ground, that at first I really supposed it had been a living child.
" Dipping a bundle of leafy boughs into a calabash of water, the body was first washed
by the father, and then laid by him in the grave ; over which I read a selection from the
Burial Service (such portions only as were strictly applicable) ; concluding with a short
exhortation to those who were present. The entire opening was then filled in with large
fagots, over which earth was thrown, and above all a considerable pile of thorny boughs
and branches heaped, in order to render it secure from the approach of wild animals."
In strange contrast with this touching and peaceful scene stands the terrible rites by
which Tchaka celebrated the funeral of his mother Mnande.
It has already been mentioned, on page 127, that Tchaka was suspected, and not
without reason, of having been accessory, either actively or passively, to his mother's
222 THE KAFFIR
death ; and it was no secret that she was a turbulent, quarrelsome, bad-tempered woman,
and that Tchaka was very glad to be rid of her. Now, although a Kaffir is much despised
if he allows his mother to exercise the least authority over him when he has once reached
adult age, and though it is thought rather a praiseworthy act than otherwise for a young
man to beat his mother, as a proof that he is no more a child, the murder of a parent is
looked upon as a crime for which no excuse could be offered.
Irresponsible despot as was Tchaka, he was not so utterly independent of public
opinion that he could allow himself to be spoken of as a patricide, and accordingly, as
soon as his mother was beyond all chance of recovery, he set himself to work to make his
people believe that he was really very sorry for his mother's illness. In the first place,
he cut short a great elephant-hunting party at which he was engaged ; and although he
was fully sixty miles from the kraal in which his mother was residing, he set off at once,
and arrived at home in the middle of the following day. At Tchaka's request, Mr. Fynn
went to see the patient, and to report whether there was any chance of her recovery. His
account of the interview and the subsequent ceremonies is as follows : —
" I went, attended by an old chief, and found the hut filled with mourning women,
and such clouds of smoke that I was obliged to bid them retire, to enable me to breathe
within it. Her complaint was dysentery, and I reported at once to Tchaka that her case
was hopeless, and that I did riot expect that she would live through the day. The regi-
ments which were then sitting in a semicircle around him were ordered to their barracks :
while Tchaka himself sat for about two hours, in a contemplative mood, without a word
escaping his lips ; several of the elder chiefs sitting also before him.
" When the tidings were brought that she had expired, Tchaka immediately arose and
entered his dwelling ; and having ordered the principal chiefs to put on their war dresses,
he in a few minutes appeared in his. As soon as the death was publicly announced, the
women and all the men who were present tore instantly from their persons every descrip-
tion of ornament.
" Tchaka now appeared before the hut in which the body lay, surrounded by his
principal chiefs, in their war attire. For about twenty minutes he stood in a silent,
m nirnful attitude, with his head bowed upon his shield, on which I saw a few large tears
fall. After two or three deep sighs, his feelings becoming ungovernable, he broke out into
frantic yells, which fearfully contrasted with the silence that had hitherto prevailed. This
signal was enough : the chief and people, to the number of about fifteen thousand, com-
menced the most dismal and horrid lamentations. . . .
" The people from the neighbouring kraals, male and female, came pouring in ; each
body, as they appeared in sight, at the distance of half a mile, joining to swell the terrible
cry. Through the whole night it continued, none daring to take rest or refresh themselves
with water ; while, at short intervals, fresh bursts were heard as more distant regiments
approached.
" The morning dawned without any relaxation, and before noon the number had
increased to about sixty thousand. The cries became now indescribably horrid. Hundreds
were lying faint from excessive fatigue and want of nourishment ; while the carcases of
forty oxen lay in a heap, which had been slaughtered as an offering to the guardian
spirits of the tribe.
" At noon the whole force formed a circle, with Tchaka in their centre, and sang a
war song, which afforded them some relaxation during its continuance. At the close of it,
Tchaka ordered several men to be executed on the spot, and the cries became, if possible,
more violent than ever. No further orders were needed ; but, as if bent on convincing
their chief of their extreme grief, the multitude commenced a general massacre — many of
them received the blow of death while inflicting it on others, each taking the opportunity
of revenging his injuries, real or imaginary. Those who could no more force tears from
their eyes — those who were found near the river, panting for water — were beaten to death
by others mad with excitement.
" Toward the afternoon I calculated that not fewer than seven thousand people had
fallen in this frightful, indiscriminate massacre. The adjacent stream, to which many
had fled exhausted to wet their parched tongues, became impassable from the number of
GIELS BUPJED ALIVE.
22:5
dead corpses which lay on each side of it ; while the kraal in which the scene took place
was flowing with blood."
On the second day after Mnande's death her body was placed in a large grave, near
the spot where she had died, and ten of the best-looking girls in the kraal were enclosed
alive in the same grave. Twelve thousand men, all fully armed, attended this dread
BURIAL Of TCHAK.VS MOTHER
ceremony, and were stationed as a guard over the grave for a whole year. They were
maintained by voluntary contributions of cattle from every Zulu who possessed a herd,
however small it might be. Of course, if Tchaka could celebrate the last illness and
death of his mother with such magnificent ceremonies, no one would be likely to think
that he had any hand in her death.
Extravagant as were these rites, they did not quite satisfy the people, and the chiefs
unanimously proposed that further sacrifices should be made, They proposed that every
one should be killed who had not been present at Mnande's funeral ; and this horrible
suggestion was actually carried out, several regiments of soldiers being sent through the
country for the purpose of executing it.
L'24 Till; Iv
Their next proposal was that the very earth should unite in the general mourning, and
should not be cultivated for a whole year ; and that no one should be allowed either to
make or eat aniasi, but that the milk should be at onee poured out on the earth. These
suggestions were accepted ; but, after a lapse of three months, a composition was made by
large numbers of oxen offered to Tchaka by the chiefs.
The last, and most astounding, suggestion was, that if during the ensuing year any
child should be born, or even if such an event were likely to occur, both the parents and
the child should be summarily executed. As this suggestion was, in fact, only a carrying
out, on a large scale, of the principle followed by Tchaka in his own households, he readily
gave his consent ; and during the whole of the year there was much innocent blood shed.
After the year had expired, Tchaka determined upon another expiatory sacrifice, as a
preliminary to the ceremony by which he went out of mourning. This, however, did not
take place, owing to the remonstrances of Mr. Fynn, who succeeded in persuading the
despot to spare the lives of his subjects. One reason why Tchaka acceded to the request
was his amusement at the notion of a white man pleading for the life of " dogs."
The whole of the able-bodied part of the population had taken warning by the
massacre of the previous year, and presented themselves at the ceremony. They were
arranged in regiments, and, as soon as the chief made his appearance, they moved simul-
taneously to the tops of the hills that surrounded the great kraal in which the ceremony
was to take place. Upwards of a hundred thousand oxen were brought together to grace
the ceremony, their bellowing being thought to be a grateful sound to the spirits of the
dead. Standing amidst this savage accompaniment to his voice, Tchaka began to weep
and sob loudly, the whole assembly echoing the sound, as in duty bound, and making a
most hideous din. This noisy rite began in the afternoon, and closed at sunset, when
Tchaka ordered a quantity of cattle to be killed for a feast.
Next day came the ceremony by which Tchaka was released from his state of mourning.
Every man who owned cattle had brought at least one calf with him, and when the king
took his place in the centre of the kraal, each man cut open the right side of the calf, tore
out the gall-bladder, and left the wretched creature to die. Each regiment then moved
in succession before Tchaka, and, as it marched slowly round him, every man sprinkled
gall over him. After he had been thus covered with gall, he was washed by the prophets
with certain preparations of their own ; and with this ceremony the whole proceedings
ended, and Tchaka was out- of mourning.
It has already been mentioned that in some instances, especially those where the dead
have been murdered by command of the king, or have been tortured to death as wizards,
the bodies are merely dragged into the bush, and are left to be devoured by the hyaenas
and the vultures. Cases are also known where a person on the point of death has been
thrown into the river by the relatives before life was quite extinct. The actors in these
strange tragedies seemed to have thought that the dying person need not be particular
about an hour more or less in the world, especially as by such a proceeding they freed
themselves from the hated duty of handling a dead body.
Sometimes those who are sick to death receive even a more horrible treatment than
the comparatively merciful death by drowning, or by the jaws of crocodiles; the dying
and the very old and infirm being left to perish, with a small supply of food and drink
enough to sustain life for a day or two. Mr. Galton relates one such instance that occurred
within his own experience.
" I saw a terrible sight on the way, which has often haunted me since. We had taken
a short cut, and were a day and a half from our wagons, when I observed some smoke in
front, and rode to see what it was. An immense black thorn tree was smouldering, and,
from the quantity of ashes about, there was all the appearance of its having burnt for a
long time. By it were tracks that we could make nothing of — no footmarks, only an
impression of a hand here and there. We followed them, and found a wretched woman,
most horribly emaciated ; both her feet were burnt quite off, and the wounds were open
and unhealed.
" Her account was that, many days back,- she and others were encamping there ; and
when she was asleep, a dry but standing tree, which they had set fire to, fell down and
ABANDONMENT OF THE AGED. 225
entangled her among its branches : there she was burnt before she could extricate herself,
and her people left her. She had since lived on gum alone, of which there were vast
quantities about : it oozes down from the trees, and forms large cakes in the sand. There
was water close by, for she was on the edge of a river-bed. I did not know what to do
with her ; I had no means of conveying her anywhere, or any place to convey her to.
" The Damaras kill useless and worn-out people — even sons smother their sick fathers ;
and death was not far from her. I had three sheep with me ; so I off-packed, and killed
one. She seemed ravenous ; and, though I purposely had off-packed some two hundred
yards from her, yet the poor wretch kept crawling and dragging herself up to me, and
would not be withheld, for fear I should forget to give her the food I promised.
" When it was ready, and she had devoured what I gave her, the meat acted as it
often does in such cases, and fairly intoxicated her ; she attempted to stand, regardless of
the pain, and sang, and tossed her lean arms about. It was perfectly sickening to witness
the spectacle. I did the only thing I could ; I cut the rest of the meat in strips, and
hung it within her reach, and where the sun would jerk (i.e. dry and preserve) it. It was
many days' provision for her. I saw she had water, firewood, and gum in abundance, and
then I .left her to her fate."
This event took place among the Damaras; but Captain Gardiner mentions that
among the Zulus a dying woman was carried into the bush, and left there to perish in
solitude. That such a custom does prevail is evident, and it is likely that it may be more
frequently practised than is generally supposed. People of rank are tended carefully
enough during sickness ; but men and women of low condition, especially if they are old
and feeble, as well as prostrated with sickness, are not likely to have much chance of
being nursed in a country where human life is so little valued.
CIRCULAR KAFFIR SHIELD.
(Fron the late Gordon Gumming' s colUctitit.)
rm. r
CHAPTER XXI.
DOMESTIC LIFE.
SLEEPING ACCOMMODATION HOW SOLDIERS ON THE CAMPAIGN SLEEP — THE KAFFIR'S BED — IGNORANCE
OF WEAVING PORTABLE FURNITURE A SINGULAR PROJECTILE THE KAFFIR'S PILLOW ITS
MATERIAL AND USUAL SHAPE A KAFFIR'S IDEAS OF ORNAMENT MODE OF REPOSING DINGAN AT
HOME — DOMESTIC DISCIPLINE — KAFFIR MUSIC ENERGETIC PERFORMANCE SOME NATIVE MELO-
DIES— QUALITY OF VOICE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS THE " HARP " AND MODE OF PLAYING IT
PECULIAR TONES OF THE HARP THE KAFFIR'S FLUTE EARTHENWARE AMONG THE KAFFIRS —
WOMEN THE ONLY POTTERS — HOW THE POTS ARE MADE — GENERAL FORM OF THE POTS AND THEIR
USES EARTHEN GRAIN-STORES — THRASHING OUT GRAIN BEFORE STOWAGE THE TREES OF
AFRICA THE THORNS AND THEIR PROPERTIES THE GRAPPLE-PLANT THJE WAIT-A-BIT, AND
HOOK- AND -SPIKE THORNS — MONKEY-ROPES — VARIOUS TIMBERS.
THE sleeping accommodation of a Kaffir is of the simplest kind, and to European minds
forms about as uncomfortable a set of articles as can be imagined. Indeed, with many
of the young unmarried men, the only permanent accommodation for sleeping is that
which is furnished by the floor of the hut, or the ground itself if they should be forced to
sleep in the open air.
Soldiers on a campaign always sleep on the ground, and as they are forced to leave all
their clothes behind them, they seek repose in the most primitive manner imaginable.
It has already been mentioned that, in order to secure celerity of movement, a Kaffir
soldier carries nothing but his weapon, and is not even encumbered by dress. Hence he
has a notable advantage over European soldiers, who would soon perish by disease were
they obliged to go through a campaign without beds, tents, kit, or commissariat.
Oar Highland soldiers are less dependent on accessory comforts than most European
regiments, and will contentedly wrap themselves in their plaids, use their knapsacks as
pillows, and betake themselves to sleep in the open air. But they have at all events their
plaid, while the Kaffir warrior has nothing but his shield, which he may use as a bed if
he likes, and it is, perhaps, fortunate for him that long training in hard marches renders
him totally indifferent as to the spot on which he is to lie. His chief care is that the
place which he selects should not be wet, or be in the close neighbourhood of ants' nests
or snakes' haunts, and his next care is to arrange his body and limbs so as to fit the
inequalities of the ground. As to the hardness of his extemporized couch, he thinks little
or nothing of it.
But when our Kaffir lad is admitted into the ranks of the men, and takes to himself
his first wife, he indulges in the double luxury of a bed and a pillow — the former being
made of grass -stems and the latter of wood.
At fig. 3 in the accompanying illustration is represented the ordinary bed of a Kaffir.
This article of furniture is almost the same throughout Southern Africa, and, among the
true Kaffir tribes, the bed of the king himself and that of his meanest subject are identical
in material and shape. The figure is drawn from a specimen in my own collection, and
gives a very good idea of the Kaffir's bed and furniture.
SLEEPING ACCOMMODATION.
227
It is made of the stems of grasses, some three feet in length, and about as thick
as crowquills. These are laid side by side, and are fastened together by means of double
strings which pass round the grass-stems, and are continually crossed backwards and
forwards so as to form them into a mat about three feet in width and six in length. This
method of tying the grass-stems together is almost identical with that which is employed
by the native tribes that inhabit the banks of the Essequibo River, in tying together the
slender arrows which they project through their blow-guns. The ends of the grass-stems
are all turned over and firmly bound down with string, so as to form a kind of selvage,
which protects the mat from being unravelled.
KAFFIR BED FURNITURE.
Fio. 1, 2, Pillows. 3, The bed partly rolled up.
On looking at one of these sleeping mats, the observer is apt to fancy that a vast
amount of needless trouble has been taken with it — that the maker would have done his
work quicker and better, and that the article itself would have looked much more elegant,
had he woven the materials instead of lashing them with string. But the Kaffir has not
the faintest idea of weaving, and even the primitive hand-loom, which is so prevalent in
different parts of the world, is not to be found in Southern Africa.
The Kaffir can dress skins as well as any European furrier. He can execute basket
work which no professional basket-maker can even imitate, much less rival. He can
make spear blades and axes which are more suitable to his country than the best
specimens of European manufacture. But he has not the least notion of the very simple
operation of weaving threads into cloth. This ignorance of an almost universal art is the
more remarkable because he can weave leather thongs and coarse hairs into elaborate
ornaments, and can string beads together so as to form flat belts or even aprons. Still,
such is the fact, and a very curious fact it is.
When the sleeper awakes in the morning, the bed is rolled up into a cylindrical form,
lashed together with a hide thong, and suspended out of the way in the hut. A bed thus
suspended may be seen in the illustration on page 115. The student of Scripture will
naturally be reminded of the command issued to the paralytic man, to " take up his bed
and walk," the bed in question being the ordinary thin mattress in use in the East,
which is spread flat on the ground when in use, arid is rolled up and put away as soon
as the sleeper rises from his couch.
If a Kaffir moves from one residence to another, his wife carries his bed with her,
sometimes having her own couch balanced on the top of her head, and her husband's
strapped to her shoulders. This latter mode of carrying the bed may be seen, iu the
Q2
228 THE KAFFIR
illustration on page 26, where the woman is shown with the bed partly hidden under her
kaross.
Should the Kaffir be a man of rather a luxurious disposition, he orders his wife to
pluck a quantity of grass or fresh leaves, and by strewing them thickly on the ground
and spreading the mat over them, he procures a bed which even an ordinary European
would not despise.
Although the bed is large enough to accommodate a full- sized man, it is wonderfully
light. My own specimen, which is a very fair example of a Kaffir bed, weighs exactly
two pounds and one ounce, so that the person who carries it is incommoded not so much
by its weight as by its bulk. The bulk is, however, greatly diminished by the firmness
with which it is rolled up, so that it is made into a cylinder only three or four inches in
diameter. The reader may remember a story of a runaway bride, named Uzinto, who
rather astonished a Kaffir chief by pitching her bed headlong through the door of the
hut. On reference to the illustration on page 229, it is easy to see how readily the bed
could be thrown through the narrow entrance, and how sharp a blow could be struck by
it if thrown with any force.
The pillow used by the Kaffir is even less comfortable than his bed, inasmuch as it
consists of nothing but a block of wood. The shape and dimensions of these pillows are
extremely variable, but the most common shape is that which is shown in figs. 1 and 2 on
page 227. Both drawings were made from specimens now before me. Their length is
fifteen inches, and their height nearly six, and, as they are cut out of solid blocks of the
acacia tree, the weight is considerable.
Upon the pillow No. 1 the maker has bestowed great pains, and has carved the eight
legs in a very elaborate manner, cutting them into pyramidal patterns, and charring the
alternate sides of each little pyramid, so as to produce the contrast of black and white
which seems to be the Kaffir's ideal of beauty in wood-carving.
It may here be noticed that the Kaffir is not at all inventive in patterns, and that
a curious contrast exists between his architecture and his designs'. The former, it may
be remarked, is all built upon curved lines, while in the latter the lines are nearly straight.
It is very seldom indeed that an uncivilized Kaffir draws a pattern which is not based
upon straight lines, and even in those instances where he introduces circular patterns the
circles are small.
Comfortless as these pillows seem to us, they are well enough suited to the Kaffir, and
even the married men, whose heads are closely shaven, and who have not even the pro-
tection of their hair against the hardness of the wood, are far better pleased with their
pillow than they would be with the softest cushion that could be manufactured out of
down and satin.
Nor is this taste peculiar to the Kaffir, or even to the savage. No Englishman who
has been accustomed to a hard and simple mattress would feel comfortable if obliged to
sleep in a feather bed ; and many travellers who have been long accustomed to sleep on
the ground have never been able to endure a bed afterwards. I have known several such
travellers, one of whom not only extended his dislike of English sleeping accommoda-
tion to the bed, but to the very pillow, for which article he always substituted a block of
oak, slightly rounded at the top.
The accompanying illustration represents the mode in which a Kaffir reposes. The
individual who is reclining is the great Kaffir monarch, Dingan, and the reader will
observe that his bed is a mere mat, and that his pillow is only a block of wood. The hut
which is here represented is the celebrated one which he built at his garrison town
Ukunginglove, and it was specially noted because it was supported by twenty pillars.
The fireplace of this hut was remarkable for its shape, which, instead of being the simple
circle in general use among the Kaffirs, resembled in form that ornament which is known
to architects by the name of quatrefoil.
A few of his wives are seen seated round the apartment, and, as Dingan was so great
a man, they were not permitted to stand upright, or even to use their feet in any way, so
that if they wished to move from one part of the hut to another, they were obliged to
shuffle about on their knees. The illustration is taken from a sketch by Captain Gardiner,
KAFFIR MUSIC.
229
who was invited by Dingan to an interview in the house, and during which interview he
rather astonished his guest by retiring for a short time, and then presenting himself with
his face, limbs, and body entirely covered with red and white spots, like those on toy
horses.
The reader can form, from the contemplation of this drawing, a tolerably accurate idea
of the luxuries afforded by the wild, savage life which some authors are so fond of
praising.
DINGAN AT HOME.
As to music, the Kaffir has rather curious ideas on the subject. His notion of melody is
but very slight, while his timing is perfection itself. The songs of the Kaffir tribes have
already been mentioned, and the very fact that several hundred men will sing the various
war songs as if they were animated with a single spirit shows that they must all keep
the most exact time.
In this point they aid themselves by the violent gestures in which they indulge. A
Kaffir differs from an European vocalist in this point, namely, that he always, if possible,
sits down when he sings. He and his companions will squat in a circle, sometimes three
or four rows deep, and will shout some well-known song at the top of their voices,
swaying their polished bodies backwards and forwards as if they were one man, and
aiding the time by thumping the ground with their knob-kernes, and bringing their
elbows violently against their ribs so as to expel the notes from their lungs with double
emphasis.
230
THE KAFFIR.
Some of the tunes which are sung by the Kaffirs at their dances are here given, the
music being taken from the Rev. J. Shooter's work. The reader will at once see how
boldly the time is marked in them, and how well they are adapted for their purpose.
I.
II.
Lively ^
Neither are they entirely destitute of tune, the last especially having a wild and quaint
sort of melody, which is calculated to take a strong hold of the ear, and to haunt the
memories of those who have heard it sung as only Kaffirs can sing it. Among some of
the Bosjesman tribes a sort of harmony — or rather sustained discord — is employed, as
will be seen in a succeeding page, but the Zulus seem to excel in unison songs, the force
of which can be imagined by those who are familiar with the grand old hymns and
Gregorian tunes that have been suffered to lie so long in obscurity.
Of course, the quality of a Kaffir's voice is not that which would please an European
vocalist. Like all uncultivated songsters, the Kaffir delights in strong contrasts, now
using a high falsetto, and now dropping suddenly into a gruff bass. It is a very remarkable
fact that this method of managing the voice is tolerably universal throughout the world,
and that the accomplished vocalist of Kaffirland, of China, of Japan, of Persia, and of
Arabia, sings with exactly that falsetto voice, that nasal twang, and that abrupt transition
from the highest to the lowest notes, which characterize our uneducated singers in rural
districts. Put a Wiltshire labourer and a Chinese gentleman into different rooms, shufe
the doors so as to exclude the pronunciation of the words, ask them to sing one of their
ordinary songs, and the hearer will scarcely be able to decide which room holds the
English and which the Chinese vocalist. In the specimens of music which have been
given, the reader will notice in several places the sudden rise or drop of a whole octave,
and also the curiously jerking effect of many passages, both eminently characteristic of
music as performed in country villages where modern art has not modified the voice.
The musical instruments of the Kaffir are very few, and those of the most simple
kind. One is the whistle, which has already been described and figured on page 64, and
which is often diverted from its normal duty as a mere whistle, to become a musical
instrument, which, although it has no range of notes, can at all events make itself heard
through any amount of vocal accompaniment. And, as a Kaffir thinks that a song is no
song unless it is to be sung with the whole power of the lungs, so does he think that the
whistle in question is a valuable instrument in his limited orchestra.
There is, however, one musical instrument which is singularly soft and low in its
tones, and yet which is in great favour with the Kaffir musicians. This is the instru-
ment which is sometimes called a harp, sometimes a guitar, and sometimes a fiddle, and
which has an equal right to either title, inasmuch as it has not the least resemblance to
either of those instruments. For the sake of brevity, v7e will take the 4r?t of these
names, and call it a harp.
HARP.
231
At first sight, the spectator would probably take it for an ordinary bow, to which a
gourd had been tied by way of ornament, and, indeed, I have known the instrument
to be thus described in a catalogue.
The instrument which is represented in the illustration is taken from a specimen
which was brought from the Natal district by the late H. Jackson, Esq., to whom I am
HARP.
indebted for so many of the weapons and implements which appear in this work. Th«
bow is about five feet in length, and is made exactly as if it were intended to be used for
propelling arrows. The true Kaffir,
however, never uses the bow in
warfare, or even in hunting, thinking
it to be a cowardly sort of weapon,
unworthy of the hand of a warrior,
and looking upon it in much the
same light as the knights of old
looked first on the cross-bows, and
afterwards on fire-arms, neither of
which weapons give fair play for a
warrior's skill and strength.
The cord is made of twisted hair,
and is much longer than the bow,
so that it can be tightly or loosely
strung according to the tone which
the dusky musician desires to pro-
duce. Near one end of the bow a
round hollow gourd is firmly lashed
by means of a rather complicated
arrangement of leathern thongs.
When the gourd is in its place, and
the string is tightened to its proper
tension, the instrument is complete.
When the Kaffir musician desires
to use it, he holds it as represented
in the illustration, and strikes the
cord with a small stick, producing a
series of sounds which are certainly
rather musical than otherwise, but
which are so faint as to be scarcely
audible at the distance of a few
yards. Although the sound is so
feeble, and the instrument is in-
tended for time rather than tone, the
Kaffirs are very fond of it, and will
play on it by the hour together,
their enthusiasm being quite unin- KAFFIR MUSICIAN.
telligible to an European ear.
232
THE KAFFIR.
Generally the performer is content with the tones which he obtains by stringing
the bow to a certain note, but an expert player is not content with such an arrangement.
He attaches a short thong to the string, just opposite the place which is occupied by the
left hand, and to the end of the thong he fastens a ring. The forefinger of the left hand is
passed through the ring, and the performer is able as he plays to vary the tone by altering
the tension of the string. The object of the calabash is to give depth arid resonance to the
sound, and it is remarkable that a similar contrivance is in use in many parts of the
world, hollow bamboo tubes, earthenware drums, and brass vessels being used for the
same purpose.
The reader may perhaps remember that in the middle ages, and indeed in some
districts up to a comparatively later time, a single-stringed fiddle was used in the country.
\t was simply a bow, with a blown bladder inserted between the string and the staff, and
WOMEN MAKING POTS.
looked very much like the Kaffir instrument with the gourd turned inside, so as to
allow the string to pass over it. Instead of being merely struck with a small stick, it
was played with a rude kind of bow; but, even in the hands of the most skilful
performer, its tones must have been anything but melodious.
The Kaffir harp is used both by men and women. • There is also a kind of rude
flageolet, or flute, made of a reed, which is used by the Kaffirs. This instrument is,
however, more general among the Bechuanas, and will be described in a future page.
IN the course of the work, mention has been made of the earthenware pots used by the
Kaffirs. These vessels are of the rudest imaginable description, and afford a curious
contrast to the delicate and elaborate basket-work which has been already mentioned.
POT-MAKING. 233
"When a Kaffir makes his baskets, whether he be employed upon a small milk-vessel or
a large store-house, he invents the most delicate and elaborate patterns, and, out of the
simplest possible materials, produces work which no European basket-maker can surpass.
But when vessels are to be made with clay the inventive powers of the maker seem to
cease, and the pattern is as inferior as the material.
Perhaps this inferiority may be the result of the fact that basket-making belongs to
the men, who are accustomed to cut patterns of various kinds upon their spoons and
gourds, whereas the art of pottery, which implies really hard work, such as digging and
kneading clay, is handed over to the women, who are accustomed to doing drudgery.
The illustration shows a number of women engaged in making earthen pots.
The Kaffir has no knowledge of machinery, and, just as he is ignorant of the rudest
form of a loom for weaving thread into fabrics, so is he incapable of making the simplest
kind of a wheel by which he may aid the hand in the shaping of pottery. This is
perhaps the more remarkable, as the love of the circular form is so strong in the Kaffir
mind that we might naturally imagine him to invent a simple kind of wheel like that
which is employed by the peasants of India. But, as may be conjectured from the
only attempts at machinery which a Kaffir makes, namely, a bellows wrhereby he saves
his breath, and the extremely rude mill whereby he saves his teeth, the construction of a
revolving wheel is far beyond him.
In making their pots the women break to pieces the nests of the white ant, and,
after pounding the material to a fine powder, mix it with water, and then knead it until
it is of a proper consistency. They then form the clay into rings, and build up the pots
by degrees, laying one ring regularly upon another until the requisite shape is obtained.
It is evident therefore, that the manufacture of a tolerably large pot is a process which
occupies a considerable time, because it has to be built up very slowly, lest it should sink
under its own weight.
The only tool which is used in the manufacture of Kaffir pottery is a piece of wood,
with which the operator scrapes the clay rings as she applies them, so as to give a
tolerably smooth surface, and with which she can apply little pieces of clay where there
is a deficiency.
The mode in which the various operations are conducted can be seen by reference to
the illustration. The young girl who is coming forward is bringing newly-kneaded clay
for the use of the principal operator.
The shapes of these pots and pans are exceedingly clumsy, and their ungainly look
is increased by the frequency with which they become lop-sided in consequence of
imperfect drying. Examples of these articles may be seen in several parts of this work.
At the farther end of the illustration on page 50 may be seen several of the larger
pots, which are used for holding grain after it has been husked.
The operation of husking, by the way, is rather a peculiar one, and not at all pleasant
for the spectators who care for their eyes or faces. The dry heads of maize are thrown in
a heap upon the hard and polished floor of the hut, and a number of Kaffirs sit in a circle
round the heap, each being furnished with the ever-useful knob-kerry. One of them
strikes up a song, and the others join in full chorus, beating time with their clubs upon
the heads of maize. This is a very exciting amusement for the performers, who shout
the noisy chorus at the highest pitch of their lungs, and beat time by striking their
knob-kerries upon the grain. With every blow of the heavy club, the maize grains are
struck from their husks, and fly about the hut in all directions, threatening injury, if not
absolute destruction, to the eyes of all who are present in the hut.
Yet the threshers appear to enjoy an immunity which seems to be restricted to them-
selves and blacksmiths ; and while a stranger is anxiously shading his eyes from the
shower of hard maize grains, the threshers themselves do not give a thought to the
safety of their eyes, but sing at the top of their voice, pound away at the corn cobs, and
make the grains fly in all directions, as if the chorus of the song were the chief object
in life, and the preservation of their eyesight were unworthy of a thought.
After the maize has been thus separated from the husk, a large portion is hidden
away in the subterranean granaries, which have already been mentioned, while a con-
234
THE KAFFIR.
siderable quantity is placed in their large earthen jars for home consumption. The
narrow-mouthed vessels in this illustration are not jars, but milk baskets. The general
shape of those which are used for cooking is seen in the accompanying illustration. In
order to show the form of the actual cooking vessel, a smaller specimen is placed in the
foreground. In boiling meat, two pots are employed, one being used as a cover inverted
over° the other, and the two are luted tightly together so as to preserve the flavour of
the meat. Except for the three purposes of preserving grain, cooking food, and boiling
beer, the Kaffir seldom uses earthenware vessels, his light baskets answering every
purpose, and being very much more convenient for handling.
WOMEN QUARRELLING.
From the preceding pages, the reader may form a tolerable idea of the habits and
customs of the tribes which inhabit this portion of the world, and of whom one race has
been selected as the typical example Of the many other tribes but slight notice will be
taken, and only the most salient points of their character will be mentioned.
On the whole it will be seen that the life of a South African savage is not so repul-
sive as is often thought to be the case, and that, bating a few particulars, a Kaffir lives
a tolerably happy and peaceful life. He is of course called upon to serve in the army for
a certain time, but he shares this liability with inhabitants of most civilized nations of
Europe, and when he returns after the campaign he is rewarded for good conduct by a
step in social rank, and the means whereby to maintain it.
Domestic life has, of course, its drawbacks among savages as among civilized nations
and there are, perhaps, times when the gallant soldier, who has been rewarded with a wife
or two for his courage in the field, wishes himself once more engaged on a war march.
The natural consequence of the low esteem in which the women are viewed, and the
state of slavery in which they are held, is that they are apt to quarrel fiercely among
THOENS.
235
themselves, and to vent upon each other any feelings of imitation that they are forced to
suppress before their lords and masters.
Even among ourselves we see how this querulous spirit is developed in proportion to
want of cultivation, and how, in the most degraded neighbourhoods, a quarrel starts up
between two women on the very slightest grounds, and spreads in all directions like fire
in tow. So, in a Kaffir kraal, a couple of women get up a quarrel, and the contagion
immediately spreads around. Every woman within hearing must needs take part in the
quarrel, just like dogs when they hear their companions fighting, and the scene in the
kraal becomes, as may be seen by the illustration, more lively than pleasant.
Even this drawback to domestic life is not without its remedy, which generally takes
the shape of a stick, so that the men, at least, pass tolerably tranquil lives. Their chief
characteristics are the absolute power of their king, and their singular subservience to
superstition ; but, as they have never been accustomed to consider their lives or their
property their own, they are quite happy under conditions which would make an
Englishman miserable.
ANY account of Southern Africa would be imperfect without a short description of
one or two of the conspicuous trees, especially of the thorns which render the " bush " so
THORNS OF ACACIA.
impervious to an European, but which have no effect on the naked and well-oiled skin of
a Kaffir. Fiequently the traveller will pursue his journey for many days together, and
will see scarcely a tree that does not possess thorns more or less formidable. These thorns
may be roughly divided into two groups, namely, the straight and the hooked ; and in the
accompanying illustrations examples are shown of both kinds.
The straight thorns are produced by trees belonging to the great group of Acacias, in
which Southern Africa is peculiarly rich. They are too numerous to be separately noticed,
and it is only needful to say that the two chief representatives of this formidable tree are
the Kameel-dorn (Acacia gira/ce) and the Karroo-dorn (Acacia Capensis). The former tree
has sharp brown thorns, very thick and strong, and is remarkable for the fact that its pod
does not open like that of most trees of the same group. It is called by the Dutch
colonists the Kameel-dorn, because the giraffe, or kameel, grazes upon its delicate leaves ;
but its native name is Mokaala, and by that title it is known throughout the greater part
of Southern Africa.
The wood of the Kameel-dorn varies in colour, being pale red towards the circum-
236 THE KAFFIR.
ference of the trunk, and deepening towards the centre into dark reddish brown. The
very heart of the tree, which is extremely heavy, and of a very dark colour, is used in the
manufacture of knob-kerries, and similar articles, the chief of which are the handles of the
feather-headed sticks, which have already been mentioned in the chapter upon hunting.
The tree is found almost exclusively on rich sandy plains where is little water.
The other species, which is known by the name of Karroo- dorn, or White-thorn, is
generally found on the banks of rivers or water-courses, and is therefore a most valuable
tree to the thirsty traveller, who always looks out for the Karroo-thorn tree, knowing that
it is generally on the bank of some stream, or that by digging at its foot he may find
water. The leaves of this tree are extremely plentiful ; but they are of so small a size
that the tree affords but very little shade, and the effect of the sunbeams passing through
a thick clump of these trees is most singular.
Several stems generally rise from the same root, and it is a remarkable fact that the
older trees can easily be known by the dead branches, which snap across, and then fall
downward, so that their tips rest on the ground, while at the point of fracture they are
still attached to the tree. Insects, especially the wood-devouring beetles, are supposed to
be the cause of this phenomenon, as the dead branches are always found to be perforated
with their burrows.
Every branch and twig of this tree is covered with the sharp white thorns, which
grow in pairs, and vary much in length, averaging generally from two to four inches.
Those which are represented in the illustration are longer and larger than usual. The
slender pair are nearly seven inches in length, and are as sharp as needles. The stouter
pair are five inches in length, but their deficiency in length is more than compensated by
their great thickness, one of them measuring nearly two inches in circumference. They
are white in colour, and are hollow, the thickness of their walls scarcely exceeding that of
a quill.
They are, however, exceedingly strong, and are most formidable impediments to any
who encounter them. There is a story of a lion, which I could not bring myself to believe
until I had seen these thorns, but which now seems perfectly credible. The lion had
sprung at his prey, but had slipped in his spring, and fallen into a thorn-bush, where he
lay impaled among the sharp spikes, and so died from the effects of his many wounds.
If the bush should have been composed of such thorns as those which have been
described, it would have been a much more wonderful thing for him to have escaped than
to have perished.
The danger, as well as annoyance, which are caused by these thorns may be imagined
from an accident which befel one of Le Vaillaiit's oxen. The animal happened to be
driven against an acacia, and some of the thorns penetrated its breast, of course breaking
into the wound. All those which could be seen were extracted with pincers ; but several
of them had broken beneath the skin, and could not be touched. These caused so violent
an inflammation that, after waiting for twenty-four hours in hopes of saving its life, it was
found necessary to put it to death.
This thorn is very useful for various reasons. In the first place, its bark is employed
in the manufacture of the strings with which the natives weave their mats together, and
which they often use in tying together the flexible sticks which form the framework of
their huts. From the thorns of the tree the young maidens form various ornaments, and
with these thorns they decorate their heads, if they should not be fortunate enough to
procure the quills of the porcupine for that purpose. Moreover, the dried wood makes an
excellent fire, burning easily and rapidly, and throwing out a brisk and glowing, though
rather transient heat.
Several of the acacias are useful even as food-providers, the gum which exudes from
them being eaten as a regular article of diet. The reader may remember that the poor
Damara woman, who was left to die in the wilderness, was supplied with gum as an
article of food. Several of the trees supply the gum in very large quantities. Mr. Burchell,
the well-known traveller, thinks that the gum which exudes from these trees is so clear
and good that it might largely take the place of the gum-arabic of commerce, and form as
THE THORNY ACACIA.
237
regular article of merchandise as the ivory, hides, and feathers which form the staple of
South African trade.
" On the branches of these acacias, which have so great a resemblance to the true
acacia of the ancients, or the tree which yields the gum-arabic, as to have been once con-
sidered the same species, I frequently saw large lumps of very good and clear gum.
" Wherever they had been wounded by the hatchets of the natives, there most com-
monly the gum exuded; and by some similar operations it is probable that the trees
might, without destroying them, be made to produce annually a large crop. And if a
computation could be made of the quantity that might be obtained from those trees only
which line the banks of the Gariep and its branches, amounting to a line of wood
(reckoning both sides) of more than two thousand miles, one would feel inclined to sup-
pose that it might be worth while to teach and encourage the natives to collect it. This
they certainly would be ready to do, if they heard that tobacco could always be obtained
in exchange.
" But if to the acacias of the river are added the myriads which crowd almost every
river in extra-tropical Southern Africa, or even between the Cape and the Gariep only, we
may feel satisfied that there
are trees enough to supply a
quantity of this drug more
than equal to the whole con-
sumption of Great Britain.
Of the productiveness of the
Acacia Capensis, as compared
with that of the Acacia vera,
I have no information that
enables me to give an opinion
but with respect to the quality,
I think we may venture to
pronounce it to be in no way
inferior."
These are fair representa-
tives of the straight-thorned
plant of Southern Africa. The
best example of the hook-
thorned vegetation is that
which is described by Burchell
as the Grapple-plant; but it
is better known by the expres-
sive name of Hook-thorn. The
scientific title of this plant is Uncaria procumbens, the former name being given to it on
account of the hooks with which it is armed, and the latter to the mode in which it
grows along the ground.
When in blossom, this is a singularly beautiful plant, the large flowers being of a rich
purple hue, and producing a most lovely effect as they spread themselves over the ground,
or hang in masses from the trees and shrubs. The long, trailing branches are furnished
throughout their length with sharp barbed thorns, set in pairs. Unpleasant as are the
branches, they become worse when the purple petals fall and the seed-vessels are
developed. Then the experienced traveller dreads its presence, and, if he can do so, keeps
clear of the ground which is tenanted by such a foe. The large seed-vessels are covered
with a multitude of sharp and very strong hooked thorns, the form of which can be seen
by reference to the illustration.
When the seed is ripe, the vessel splits along the middle, and the two sides separate
widely from each other, so that they form an array of hooks which reminds the observer
of the complicated devices used by anglers in pike-fishing. The illustration represents a
still closed seed-vessel, and, formidable as it looks, its powers are more than doubled when
it is open and dry, each half being covered with thorns pointing in opposite directions — •
GRAPPLE PLANT.
238 THE KAFFIR
thorns as sharp as needles, and nearly as strong as if they were made of the same
material.
The reader may easily imagine the horrors of a bush which is beset with such
weapons. No one who wears clothes has a chance of escape from them. If only one
hooked thorn catches but his coat-sleeve, he is a prisoner at once. The first movement
bends the long, slender branches, and hook after hook fixes its point upon him. Strug-
gling only trebles the number of his thorned enemies, and the only mode by which
he can free himself is to " wait-a-bit," cut off the clinging seed-vessels, and, when
he is clear of the bush, remove them one by one. This terrible plant was most fatal to
our soldiers in the last Kaffir wars, the unwieldy accoutrements and loose clothing of the
soldier being seized by the thorns, and holding the unfortunate man fast, while the naked
Kaffir could glide among the thorns unharmed, and deliver his assagai with impunity.
If the reader would like to form an idea of the power of these thorns, he can do so by
thrusting his arm into the middle of a thick rose-bush, and mentally multiplying the
number of thorns by a hundred, and their size by fifty. In shape the thorns have a
singular resemblance to the fore-claws of the lion, and they certainly, though inanimate,
are scarcely less efficacious.
There is one of the acacia tribe (Acacia detinens} which is nearly as bad in its way as
the grapple-plant. In Burchell's " Travels " there is a very good account of this shrub,
which is known to the colonists by the title of Vacht-een-bidgte, or Wait-a-bit thorn. " The
largest shrubs were about five feet high — a plant quite unknown to me, but well known
to the Klaarwater people . . . and is the same thorny bush which gave us so much annoy-
ance the night before, where it was above seven feet high.
" I was preparing to cut some specimens of it, which the Hottentots observing, warned
me to be very careful in doing so, otherwise I should be certainly caught fast in its
branches. In consequence of this advice, 1 proceeded with the utmost caution ; but, with
all my care, a small twig got hold of one sleeve. While thinking to disengage it quietly
with the other hand, both arms were seized by these rapacious thorns; and the more
I tried to extricate myself, the more entangled I became ; till at last it seized my hat also,
and convinced me that there was no possibility for me to free myself but by main force,
and at the expense of tearing all my clothes.
" I therefore called out for help, and two of my men came and released me by cutting
off the branches by which I was held. In revenge for the ill-treatment, I determined to
give to the tree a name which should serve to caution future travellers against allowing
themselves to venture within its clutches." The monitory name to which allusion has
been made is that of detinens, as applied to that particular species of acacia.
Besides these plants, there is one which deserves a brief mention, on account of its
remarkable conformation. This is the Three-thorn, a species of RMgozum, which is very
common in parts of Southern Africa. It is a low shrub, somewhere about three or four
feet in height, and its branches divide very regularly into threes, giving it a quaint and
altogether singular aspect.
There is another remarkable species, called the Haak-een-steek, or the Hook-and-prick
thorn. In this species the thorns are very curiously arranged. First comes a short,
hooked thorn ; and if the traveller contrives to be caught by this hook, and tries to pull
himself away, he forces down upon himself a pair of long, straight thorns, two inches in
length, and as sharp as needles.
It will be seen that the variety of thorns which beset the traveller is very great
indeed. Dr. Kirk ingeniously divides them into three classes, namely, those which tear
the flesh, those which tear the clothes, and those which tear both — this last class being by
far the largest.
The reader may remember that the " Stink-wood" has occasionally been mentioned.
This same tree with the unsavoury name seems to have been rather neglected, if we may
believe the account written by Le Vaillant nearly a century ago. He remarks of this
tree, that it grows plentifully in several parts of Southern Africa, and is found near
Algoa Bay, whence it is transported to the Cape, and there used in the manufacture of
furniture.
PAEASITIC TEEES. 239
The tree is a very slow-growing one, and, like such trees, produces wood of a very
hard texture. When freshly cut it is pale, but after the lapse of time it gradually
darkens into a rich chestnut varied with black. Like the hard woods, it is susceptible
of a very high polish, and possesses besides the invaluable property of being free from
worms, which seem to perceive even in the dried wood the unpleasant odour which dis-
tinguishes it when green. In general look and mode of growth this tree much resembles
the oak of our own country.
When a traveller first enters a South African forest, he is rather surprised by two
circumstances ; the first being that the trees do not surpass in size those which grace an
ordinary English copse, and that in many cases they are far inferior both in size and
beauty. The next point that strikes his attention is, the vast number of creepers which
spread their slender branches from tree to tree, and which, in some instances, envelop the
supporting tree so completely that they wholly hide it from view. They have the faculty
of running up the trunks of trees, pushing their branches to the very extremity of the
boughs, and then letting drop their slender filaments, that are caught by lower boughs
and hang in festoons from them.
At first the filaments are scarcely stronger than packthread, but by degrees they
become thicker and thicker, until they are as large as a man's arm. These creepers
multiply in such profusion that they become in many places the chief features of the
scenery, all the trees being bound together by the festoons of creepers which hang from
branch to branch.
The Dutch settlers call them by the name of Bavians-tow, or Baboon-ropes, because
the baboons and monkeys clamber by means of them to the extremities of the branches
where the fruit grows. The scientific name for the plant is Cynanchum dbtusifolium.
The natives, ever watchful for their own interests, make great use of these creepers,
and the Kaffirs use them largely in lashing together the various portions of their huts.
The fruit of the Bavians-tow is only found at the extremity of the branches, where the
young filaments shoot out. When ripe it is something like a cherry, and is of a bright
crimson colour. It goes by the popular name of " wild grape," and is much liked by
monkeys, birds, and men. From the fruit a kind of spirit is distilled, and a very good
preserve can be made from it.
These baboon-ropes are not the only parasitic growths upon trees. In many parts
of the country there is a kind of long, fibrous moss which grows upon the trees, and is
oiten in such profusion that it completely covers them, hiding not only the trunk and
branches, but even the twigs and leafage. This mossy growth extends to a considerable
length, in some cases attaining as much as ten or twelve feet. It is yellow in colour, and
when short is very soft and fine, so that it can be used for most of the purposes to which
cotton or tow are applied. But, when it reaches the length of six or seven feet, it becomes
hard and wiry, and is comparatively useless. I have now before me a quantity of this
tow-like lichen, which had been used in packing a large box full of Kaffir weapons and
implements. There is a tree which furnishes a very useful timber, called from its colour,
" Geele-hout," a yellow wood. This tree is a species of Texus, but there are at least two
species which produce the wood. The timber is much used for beams, planks, and
building purposes generally.
Many travellers have thought that these and several other trees would form valuable-
articles of merchandise, and that they might be profitably brought over to Europe. That
they afford really valuable woods, and that some of them would be extremely useful in
delicate and fancy work, is indisputable. The only difficulty is, that to cut and transport
them at present involves so much expense that the arrangement would hardly be
sufficiently profitable for the investment of so much capital.
CHAPTEE XXII.
THE HOTTENTOT EACES.
THE CONTRASTED RACES — MUTUAL REPULSION BETWEEN THE KAFFIR AND THE HOTTENTOT
NATIVE ALLIES APPEARANCE OF THE HOTTENTOT RACE ; THEIR COMPLEXION AND FEATURES
RESEMBLANCE TO THE CHINESE THE SUN AND ITS SUPPOSED EFFECT ON COLOUR THE
HOTTENTOT IN YOUTH AND AGE RAPID DETERIORATION OF FORM SINGULAR FORMATION OF
HOTTENTOT WOMEN PORTRAIT-TAKING WITH A SEXTANT GROWTH OF THE HAIR — GENERAL CHA-
RACTER OF THE HOTTENTOTS — DRESS OF THE MEN — WOMEN'S DRESS AND ORNAMENTS — OSTRICH
EGG-SHELLS USED AS AN ORNAMENT A CURIOUS FRONTLET — GREASE, 8IBILO, AND BUCHU —
NATURE OF THE SIBILO, AND THE MODE IN WHICH IT IS PROCURED USE OF THE BUCHU —
MODE OF PREPARING SKINS — THE TANNING- VAT HOPE-MAKING BOWLS AND JARS HIDE
ROPES AND THEIR MANUFACTURE — THE HOTTENTOT SPOON — A NATIVE FLY-TRAP — MAT-MAKING
— HOTTENTOT ARCHITECTURE SIMPLE MODE OF AVOIDING VERMIN NOMAD HABITS OF THE
HOTTENTOTS THE DIGGING-STICK.
BEFORE proceeding with the general view of the remaining tribes which inhabit Africa,
it will be necessary to give a few pages to the remarkable race which has lived for ;-o
long in close contact with the Kaffir tribes, and which presents the curious phenomena
of a pale race living in the same land with a black race, and yet having preserved its
individuality.
About three centuries ago, the whole of Southern Africa was inhabited by various tribes
belonging to a large and powerful nation. This nation, now known collectively under
the name of Hottentot, was at that time the owner and master of the land, of which it
had held possession for a considerable period. Whether or not the Hottentots were the
aboriginal inhabitants of Southern Africa, is rather doubtful ; but the probability is, that
they came from a distant source, and that they dispossessed the aborigines, exactly
as they themselves were afterwards ejected by the Kaffirs, and the Kaffirs supplanted by
the Europeans.
The Hottentots have a deadly and almost instinctive hatred of the Kaffir race. The
origin of this feeling is evidently attributable to the successive defeats which they
suffered at the hands of the Kaffirs, and caused them to become merely tolerated
inhabitants of a land in which they were formerly the masters. The parents have
handed down this antipathy to their children, and, as is often the case, it seems to have
grown stronger in each generation, so that the semi-civilized Hottentot of the present
day, though speaking our European language, and wearing European clothing, hates the
Kaffirs as cordially as did his wild ancestors, and cannot even mention their name without
prefixing some opprobrious epithet.
In consequence of this feeling, the Hottentot is an invaluable cow-herd, in a land
where Kaffirs are professional cow-stealers. He seems to detect the presence of a Kaffir
almost by intuition, and even on a dark night, when the dusky body of the robber can
hardly be seen, he will discover the thief, work his stealthy way towards him, and kill
him noiselessly with a single blow. In the late South African war, the Hottentots
became most useful allies. They were docile, easily disciplined, and were simply
invaluable in bush-fighting, wrhere the English soldier, with all his apparatus of belts and
accoutrements, was utterly useless.
APl'EAKANCE OF THE HOTTENTOT ItACE.
241
It is rather a remarkable fact that, in every country into which we have carried our
arms, the natives have become our best allies against their own countrymen, and have
rendered services without which we could scarcely have kept our footing. No one can
track up and capture the Australian native rebel so effectually as a native policeman.
The native African assists us against those who at all events inhabit the same land,
though they may not happen to belong to the same race. The natives of China gave us
great assistance in the late Chinese war, and the services which were rendered to us by
native forces during the great Indian mutiny can hardly be overrated.
However much the Hottentot may dislike the Kaffir, the feeling of antagonism is
reciprocal, and the vindictive hatred borne by the defeated race towards their conquerors
is scarcely less intense than the contemptuous repugnance felt by the victors towards
the vanquished.
Neither in colour nor general aspect do the Hottentots resemble the dark races around
them. Their complexion is sallow, and much like that of a very dark person suffering
from jaundice. Indeed, the com-
plexion of the Hottentots much
resembles that of the Chinese, and
the general similitude between
the two nations is very remarkable.
One of my friends who lived long
in South Africa, had a driver who
dressed like a Hottentot, and who,
to all appearance, was a Hottentot.
One day, however, he astonished
his master by declaring himself a
Chinese, and proving the assertion
by removing his hat, and showing
the long pig-tail twisted round his
head. He was, in fact, a Chinese
Coolie, who had been imported
into Southern Africa, and who,
after the fashion of his people,
had accommodated himself to the
manners and customs of those
among whom lie lived. Mr. Moffatt,
the missionary author, mentions
that he saw two Chinese children,
whom he would have taken for
Hottentots had he not been in-
formed of their true character.
The existence of this light-
coloured race in such a locality
affords a good proof that com-
plexion is not entirely caused by
the sun. There is a very popular
idea that the hot sun of tropical
countries produces the black
colour of the negro and other
races, and that a low temperature
bleaches the skin. Yet we have
the Hottentots and their kindred
tribes exhibiting pale skins in a
country close to the tropics, while
the Esquimaux, who live amid eternal ice, are often so dark that they might almost
be mistaken for negroes,, but for the conformation of their faces and the length of
their hair.
VOL. I. R
HOTTENTOT YOUNG MAN.
242
THE HOTTENTOT.
The shape of the Hottentot face is very peculiar, as may be seen by reference to any
engravings which illustrate scenes in Hottentot life. The cheek-bones project sharply
from the face, and the long chin is narrow and pointed. These characteristics are not so
visible in youth, but seem to grow stronger with age. Indeed, an old Hottentot, whether
man or woman, seems to have scarcely any real face, but to be furnished with a mere
skin drawn tightly over the skull.
What were the manners and customs of the Hottentots before they were dispossessed
by the Kaffirs, or deteriorated by contact with bad specimens of European civilization, is
extremely difficult to say, as no trustworthy historian of their domestic economy has lived
among them. Kolben, whose book
of travels has long been accepted
as giving a true account of the
Hottentot, is now known to be
utterly unworthy of belief, inso-
much as his information is second-
hand, and those from whom he
obtained it have evidently amused
themselves by imposing upon his
incredulity.
As this work treats only of
the normal habits and customs of
the various parts of the world, and
has nothing to do with the modi-
fications of civilization, the account
of the Hottentot will be neces-
sarily brief.
In shape the Hottentots alter
strangely according to their age.
When children, they are not at all
agreeable objects — at least, to an
unaccustomed eye, being thin in
the limbs, with an oddly projecting
stomach, and a corresponding fall
in the back. If tolerably well
fed, they lose this strange shape
when they approach the period
of youth, and as young men and
girls are almost models of per-
fection in form, though their
faces are not entitled to as much
praise.
But they do not retain this
beauty of form for any long period,
some few years generally compre-
hending its beginning and its end.
" In five or six years after their
arrival at womanhood," writes
Burchell, " the fresh plumpness of
youth has already given way to
the wrinkles of age ; and, unless we viewed them with the eye of commiseration and
philanthropy, we should be inclined to pronounce them the most disgusting of human
beings." Their early, and, it may be said, premature symptoms of age, may perhaps, with
much probability, be ascribed to a hard life, an uncertain and irregular supply of food,
exposure to every inclemency of weather, and a want of cleanliness, which increases
with years. These, rather than the nature of the climate, are the causes of this quick
fading and decay of the bloom and grace of youtl?.
HOTTENTOT WOMAN.
SCIENTIFIC POKTRAITUKE. 24:j
The appearance of an ordinary Hottentot woman can been seen by reference to the accom-
panying illustration, taken from a sketch by the author whose words have just been
quoted.. The subject of the drawing looks as if she were sixty years old at the very
least, though, on account of the early deterioration of form, she might be any age from
twenty-seven upwards. It is hardly possible to conceive that so short a period would
change the graceful form of the Hottentot girl, as shown on page 246, with the withered
and wrinkled hag who is here depicted, but such is really the case, and the strangest part
is, that it is scarcely possible to tell whether a woman be thirty or sixty years of age by
her looks alone.
Not the least remarkable point in the Hottentot women is the singular modification of
form to which they are often, though not universally, subject — a development of which
the celebrated " Hottentot Venus " afforded an excellent example. A very amusing
description of one of these women is given by Mr. Galton, in his well-known work on
Southern Africa : —
" Mr. Hahn's household was large. There was an interpreter and a sub-interpreter, and
again others, but all most excellently well behaved, and showing to great advantage the
influence of their master. These servants were chiefly Hottentots, who had migrated with
Mr. Hahn from Hottentot-land, and, like him, had picked up the language of the Damaras.
" The sub-interpreter was married to a charming person, not only a Hottentot in
figure, but in that respect a Venus among Hottentots. I was perfectly aghast at her
development, and made inquiries upon that delicate point as far as I dared among my
missionary friends. The result is. that I believe Mrs. Petrus to be the lady who ranks
second among all the Hottentots for the beautiful outline that her back affords, Jonker's
wife ranking as the first • the latter, however, was slightly passee, while Mrs. Petrus was
in full embonpoint.
" I profess to be a scientific man, and was exceedingly anxious to obtain accurate
measurement of her shape ; but there was a difficulty in doing this. I did not know a
word of Hottentot, and could never, therefore, explain to the lady what the object of my
foot-rule could be ; and I really dared not ask my worthy missionary host to interpret for
me. I therefore felt in a dilemma as I gazed at her form, that gift of bounteous nature to
this favoured race, which no mantua-maker, with all her crinoline and stuffing, can do
otherwise than humbly imitate.
" The object of my admiration stood under a tree, and was turning herself about to all
points of the compass, as ladies who wish to be admired usually do. Of a sudden my eye
fell upon my sextant ; the bright thought struck me, and I took a series of observations
upon her figure in every direction, up and down, crossways, diagonally, and so forth, and I
registered them carefully upon an outline drawing for fear of any mistake. This being
done, I boldly pulled out my measuring tape, and measured the distance from where I was
to the place she stood, and, having thus obtained both base and angles, I worked out the
result by trigonometry and logarithms."
This remarkable protuberance, which shakes like jelly at every movement of the
body, is not soft as might be imagined, but firm and hard. Mr. Christie, who is rather
above the middle size, tells us that he has sometimes stood upon it without being sup-
ported by any other part of the person. The scientific name for this curious development
is Steatopyga. It does not cause the least inconvenience, and the women find it rather
convenient as affording a support whenever they wish to carry an infant.
Another peculiarity in this curious race is the manner in which the hair grows on the
head. Like that of the negroes it is short, crisp, and woolly, but it possesses the pecu-
liarity of not covering the entire head, but growing in little patches, each about as large
as a pea. These patches are quite distinct, and in many instances are scattered so sparingly
over the head, that the skin can be plainly seen between them. Perhaps this odd growth
of the hair affords a reason for the universal custom of wearing a cap, and of covering the
head thickly with grease and mineral powder. The original manners and customs of
the Hottentots have entirely vanished, and, unlike the fiercer and nobler Kaffir tribes,
they have merged their own individuality in that of the white settlers. They always
dress in European apparel, but it has been noticed by those who have lived in the
244
THE HOTTENTOT.
country, that the Hottentot, though fully clothed, is far less modest in appearance than
the Kaffir, who wears scarcely any clothing at all. In this point seems to be one of the
great distinctions between the Hottentot and other races. It is quite true that Le
Vaillant and travellers antecedent to him have written of the Hottentots in the most
glowing terms, attributing to them almost every virtue that uncivilized man is likely to
possess, and praising them for the absence of many vices that disgrace civilized
humanity.
Now, the fact is, that Le Vaillant was evidently a man of exceptional abilities in the
management of inferiors, and that he possessed an intuitive knowledge of character that
is very seldom to be found. Consequently, the men who were submissive, docile, and
affectionate under his firm, yet
determined sway, might have been
captious, idle, and insubordinate
under a less judicious leader. They
looked upon him as a being in-
finitely superior to themselves, un-
touched by the impulsive and
unreasoning motives by which
these children of nature are led,
and in consequence yielded to the
subtle and all-powerful influence
which a higher nature exercises
over a lower.
The Hottentots with whom
our author came in contact were
free from the many vices which
degrade the Hottentot of the
present day, but it is clear that
they were innocent simply because
they were ignorant. Those of the
present time have lost all their
ancient simplicity, and have con-
trived to imbue themselves with
the vices in which the advent of
the white men enabled them to
indulge, without at the same time
improving their intellectual or
social condition.
We will now endeavour to see
the Hottentot as he used to be
before he was conquered by the
Kaffirs, and reduced to servitude
by the European colonists.
The general appearance of the
Hottentot may be seen by refer-
ence to the illustration, which re-
presents a young man named
Klaas, who was the favourite at-
tendant of Le Vaillant, and of
whom the traveller speaks in the highest terms. He has, therefore, been selected as a
favourable specimen of his nation. The reader will understand that in the following
account of the Hottentot tribes, they are described as they used to be, and not as they
are at the present day.
The ordinary dress of a Hottentot man can be tolerably imagined from the portrait
of Klaas. Over his shoulder is thrown a large mantle, or kaross, made of cow-hide
tanned and softened, and worn with the fur inwards. This mantle is most in fashion
HOTTENTOT IN FULL DRESS.
DRESS AND ORNAMENT.
245
and when engaged in his ordinary occupations the Hottentot throws it off, so as to be
unencumbered.
Around his waist are a number of leathern thongs, mingled with strings of beads and
other ornaments, and to one of these thongs are fastened two aprons, one in front and the
other behind. That one in front is called the " jackal," because it is generally made of a piece
of jackal skin or similar fur. The second apron, if it maybe so named, is not universally
worn, though a Hottentot of taste does not consider himself dressed without it. It is
simply a triangular flap of leather, barely a foot in length, two inches in width at the top,
where it joins the girdle, and widening to four inches at the bottom. This curious
appendage is ornamented with bits of metal, steel, beads, and other decorations, and the
owner seems to take a great pride in this odd article of dress. Of course it is not of the
least use, and may be compared to the tails of a modern dress-coat, or the bag attached to
the collar of a court suit.
Some families among the Hottentots vary the shape of the " staart-rheim," as the
Dutch colonists call it, and make it of different forms. Some have it square, and others
circular or oblong, while some, who are possessed of more than ordinary ingenuity, make
it into the form of a cresent or a cross,
the African tribes, as will be seen on a future page.
This article of dress still survives among some of
SANDALS.
Round the ankles are fastened thongs of hide. These articles gave rise to the absurd
statement that Hottentots wore the intestines of animals until they became softened by
putridity, and then ate them, carefully keeping up the supply by adding fresh thongs in
the place of those which were eaten. The real fact is, that these leathern bands act as a
defence against the thorns among which the Hottentots have to walk, and for that purpose
they are used by both sexes.
It is true that, in some cases, the wearers have been reduced to such a state of starva-
tion that they have been obliged to eat the hide circlets from their limbs, and eat them
with the aid of what rude cooking could be extemporised. But it will be remarked that
the Kaffir soldiers have been reduced to eat their shields and the leathern thongs which
bound the assagai-heads to the shaft, and no one would therefrom infer that the Kaffirs
made their shields an ordinary article of diet.
The feet are protected from sharp stones and thorns by a simple kind of shoe, or sandal,
which is little more than a piece of stout leather, rather larger than the sole of the
foot, and tied on by thongs. This sandal, however, is not worn when the Hottentot is
engaged in his ordinary vocations, and is only employed when he is on a journey, and the
246
THE HOTTENTOT.
ground which he has to traverse is exceptionally rough and thorny. These sandals arc
in use throughout a large portion of Southern Africa, and the best are made by the
Bachapins, a sub-tribe of the Bechuanas.
The dress of the women is essentially the same as that of the men, although it is more
complicated, and there is more of it. As is the case with the Kaffir, the children of both
sexes wear no clothing at all until they are eight or nine years old, and then the o-Jrls
assume the little leathern apron called the " makkabi." This portion of dress is some-
what similar to that which is
. worn by the Kaffir girls, and is
simply a flat piece of leather cut
^ - IPJ into thin strips.
The thongs are generally longer
than those worn by the Kaffir, and
sometimes reach nearly to the
knee. Over this is sometimes,
but not universally, worn a second
apron of skin, ornamented with
beads, bits of shining metal, and
similar decorations. The beads are
arranged in patterns, an idea of
which can be gained from the
accompanying illustration, which
represents a Gonaqua Hottentot
girl, about sixteen years of age.
This girl was a special favourite
of LeVaillant's,andcertainly seems
from his account to have been a
singularly favourable instance of
unsophisticated human nature.
The attitude in which she is de-
picted is a very characteristic one,
being that which the Hottentot
girls are in the habit of assuming.
It is remarkable, by the way,
that the pleasing liveliness for
which the Hottentot youth are
notable departs together with
youth, the demeanour of the men
and women being sedate and almost
gloomy.
Around the loins is fastened a
much larger apron without any
decoration. This is of variable
size and shape, but the usual form
is that which is shown in the
illustration. Its name is "musesi,"
and, like the " staart-rheim " of the men, is not thought to be a necessary article of
clothing, being put on more for ceremony than for use. This apron is also variable in
size, sometimes being so long as nearly to touch the ground, and sometimes barely reach-
ing to the knee. The Dutch settlers call these aprons the "fore-kaross," and "hind-kaross,"
words which sufficiently explain themselves.
The leather thongs which encircle the leg are mostly ornamented with wire twisted
round them, and sometimes a woman will wear on her legs one or two rings entirely
composed of wire. Sometimes there are so many of these rings that the leg is covered
with them as high as the knee, while in a few instances, four or five rings are even worn
above the knee, and must be extremely inconvenient to the wearer. Beads of various
HOTTENTOT GIRL.
DKESS AXD ORNAMENT.
247
colours are also worn profusely, sometimes strung together on wire and hung round the
neck, waist, wrists, and ankles, and sometimes sewn upon different articles of apparel.
Before beads were introduced from Europe, the natives had a very ingenious method
of making ornaments, and even after the introduction of beads, the native ornament was
much prized. It was made by laboriously cutting ostrich-shells into thin circular discs,
varying in size from the sixth of an inch to nearly half an inch in diameter, and pierced
through the middle. Many hundreds of these discs are closely strung together, so as to
form a sort of circular rope, white as if made of ivory. Sometimes this rope is long
enough to pass several times round the body, against which the shining white discs
produced a very good effect.
Burchell mentions a curious kind of ornament which was worn by a young Hottentot
girl, and which seemed to be greatly prized by her. It consisted of three pieces of ivory
aboiit the size and shape of sparrow's eggs, each tied to the end of a thong, and so
FRONTLET.
arranged that one of them hung over the nose and another on each cheek. As she moved
her head in conversation these ivory beds swung about from side to side, and in her
estimation produced a very telling effect. I have in my collection a good specimen of a
similar frontlet, which is shown in the accompanying illustration.
It consists of a leathern thong three feet in length, at each end of which is a cowrie
shell. One foot in length of its centre is composed of a double row of the ostrich egg-
rope which has just been described, so that, when the frontlet is tied on the head, the
white egg-shell ropes cross the forehead. From the exact centre fall six short thongs, at
the end of each of which is an ornament of pearly-shell or tortoise-shell. Four of these
thongs are covered with native beads, made from the bone of the ostrich, and are further
ornamented with a large scarlet seed in the middle. At each end of the egg-shell rope
are two shell-clad thongs, exactly like those which have been described, and when the
frontlet is in its place, these ornaments hang upon each cheek. The illustration shows the
frontlet as it appears when bound upon the head of a Hottentot belle. This excellent
specimen was presented to me by Mr. E. Wilkinson.
248 THE HOTTENTOT.
The dress of the married woman is, of course, more elaborate than that of the young
girl. Although they sometimes appear with a very slight costume, they usually prefer to
be tolerably well clad. With married women both the aprons are larger than with the
girls, and they wear besides a shorter apron over the breast. Their kaross, too, is of
comparatively large size.
The Hottentot females always wear a cap of some kind, the usual material being
leather, which is dressed in the same manner as the skin of which the kaross and the
aprons are made.
The hair is plentifully imbued with grease, in which has been mixed a quantity of
the metallic powder of which the Hottentots are immoderately fond, and which is called
by the Dutch colonists " Black-klip," or Shining Eock, on account of its glittering appear-
ance. The natives call it by the name of Sibilo, which is pronounced as if it were
written Sibeelo.
The sibilo is extremely local, being only known to exist in one part of Africa, and is
dug from a rock called Sensavan. It seems to be a very friable kind of iron ore, plentifully
interspersed with minute particles of mica, the union of these two substances giving it the
appearance which is so much admired by the natives.
This substance is a " shining, powdery iron ore, of a steel-grey or bluish lustre, soft
and greasy to the touch, its particles adhering to the hands or clothes, and staining them
of a dark red or ferruginous lustre. The skin is not easily freed from these glossy particles,
even by repeated washings, and whenever this substance is used everything becomes con-
taminated, and its glittering nature betrays it on every article which the wearer handles."
Burchell goes on to say that oxidization gives to the iron ore that peculiar rust-red of
which the Hottentots are so fond, while the micaceous particles impart to it that sparkling
glitter which is scarcely Jess prized.
To the Sensavan rock come all the surrounding tribes for a supply of this precious
substance, and those who are nearest are in the habit of digging it, and using it as a means
of barter with more distant tribes. By degrees the rock has been quarried so deeply that
a series of caverns have been worked into it, some penetrating for a considerable distance.
Burchell relates an anecdote of a party of Hottentots who were engaged in digging the
sibilo, and who were overwhelmed by the fall of the cavern in which they were working.
The various caverns are never without inhabitants, for by day they are -full of bats, and
by night they form the resting-place of pigeons.
Besides the sibilo, another substance called Buchu is in universal use among the
Hottentots. This is also a powder, but it is of vegetable, and not of mineral origin. It
is not nearly as valuable as the sibilo, although considered to be nearly as necessary an
article of adornment, so that any one who is not bedaubed with sibilo, and perfumed
with buchu, is considered unworthy of entrance into polite society. Sibilo, as the reader
may remember, is to be obtained only from one spot, and is therefore a peculiarly valuable
material, whereas the buchu can be obtained from several sources, and is accordingly held
in lower esteem.
Buchu (pronounced Bookod) is mostly obtained from a species of Diosma, and is made
by reducing the plant to a powder. It possesses a strong odour, which to the nostrils of
a Hottentot is extremely agreeable, but which has exactly the opposite effect upon the
more sensitive organs of an European. When a number of Hottentots are assembled in
one of their rude huts, the odour of the buchu, with which the karosses as well as the
hair of the natives are plentifully imbued, is so exceedingly powerful, that no one except
a native can breathe in such an atmosphere.
The Hottentots have a wonderful veneration for this plant, and use it for various pur-
poses. It is thought to form an admirable application to a wound, and for this purpose
the leaves of the plant are infused in strong vinegar, and are generally steeped for so long
a time that they form a kind of mucilage.
There are several species of plants from which the indispensable buchu is made, and
one of them is a kind of fragrant croton, named by Burchell Croton gratissimum, from its
pleasant aromatic odour. It is a handsome bushy shrub, from four to seven feet in height.
Both flowers and leaves possess an agreeable scent, and the buchu is made by drying and
TANNING.
249
pounding the latter, which are lance-shaped, green above, and whitish below. The powder
is used as a perfume, which to the nostrils of the Hottentot is highly agreeable, but to the
European is simply abominable, especially when mingled with the odour of rancid grease
and long- worn skin dresses.
Skins are prepared in some places after a different manner to that which has been
described when treating of the Kaffirs, and undergo a kind of tanning process. When a
Hottentot wishes to make a leathern robe, or other article of dress, he deprives the skin
of its hair by rolling it up with the furry side inwards, and allowing it to undergo a partial
putrefaction. In the meanwhile he prepares his tanning- vat, by fixing four stakes into
the ground, connecting their tops with cross-bars, and lashing a tolerably large hide loosely
to them, so as to form a rude kind of basin or tub.
HOTTENTOTS PREPARING
A quantity of the astringent bark of the karroo thorn is placed in the vat together
with the skin, and a sufficient quantity of ley is poured over them until the vessel is full.
The bark of this acacia not only possesses a powerful tanning principle, but at the same
time imparts to the leather that reddish hue which is so much admired by Hottentots,
and which is afterwards heightened by the sibilo and buchu which are rubbed upon it.
Mr. Baiues is, however, of opinion that this mode of preparing skins, primitive as it
may appear, is not the invention of the Hottentot race, but is due to the superiority of the
white settlers. The tanning- vat of hide appears simple enough to have been invented by
a savage race, but, as it is only used near European settlements, the idea has probably been
borrowed by the Hottentots. In places remote from the white settlers, and where their
influence is not felt, the Hottentots do not tan the hides by steeping them in ley, but
prepare them by manual labour in a manner somewhat similar to that which is used by
the Kaffir.
When a large cow-hide is to be prepared, several men take part in the proceeding, and
make quite a festival of it. They sit in a circle, with the hide in their midst, and work
it with their hands, occasionally rubbing in some butter or other grease. They sing songs
the while, and at regular intervals they grasp the hide with both hands, and give it a
violent pull outwards, so as to stretch it equally in every direction.
250 THE HOTTENTOT.
The cord or string of which the Hottentots make so much use is twisted in a very
simple manner.
The bark of the ever-useful acacia is stripped from the branches, and divided into
fibres by being steeped in water, and then pounded between two stones. Sometimes the
rope-maker prefers to separate the fibres by chewing the bark, which is thought to have
an agreeable flavour.
When a sufficient quantity of fibre has been prepared, the workwoman seats herself
on the ground, takes two yarns of fibre, and rolls them with the palm of her hand upon
the thigh. She then brings them together, gives them a quick roll in the opposite direc-
tion, and thus makes a two-stranded rope with a rapidity that could hardly be conceived,
seeing that no tools of any kind are used. If any of my readers should happen to be
skilled in nautical affairs, they will see that this two-stranded rope made by the Hot-
tentots is formed on exactly the same principle as the " knittles " which are so important
in many of the nautical knots and splices.
Hope-making is entirely a woman's business, and is not an agreeable one. Probably
it is remitted to the women for that very reason. The friction of the rope against the
skin is apt to abrade it, and makes it so sore that the women are obliged to relieve them-
selves by rolling the rope upon the calf of the leg instead of the thigh, and by the time
that the injured portion has recovered the other is sore ; and so the poor women have to
continue their work, alternating between one portion and another, until by long practice
the skin becomes quite hard, and can endure the friction without being injured by it.
Among all the tribes of Southern Africa the taste for hide ropes is universal. Ropes
of some kind are absolutely necessary in any country, and in this part of the world, as
well as in some others, ropes made of hide are very much preferred to those which are
formed from any other material. The reason for this preference is evidently owing to the
peculiarities of the country. There are plenty of fibrous plants in Southern Africa which
would furnish ropes quite equal to those which are in use in Europe, but ropes formed of
vegetable fibre are found to be unsuitable to the climate, and, as a natural consequence,
they have been abandoned even by European colonists.
The mode of preparing the hide ropes varies but little, except in unimportant details,
and is briefly as follows : —
The first process is to prepare a vessel full of ley, which is made by steeping the
ashes of several plants, known under the generic title of Salsola. The young shoots of
these plants are collected for the purpose, burned, and the ashes carefully collected. When
an ox is killed, the hide is cut into narrow strips, and these strips are placed in the tub
of ley and allowed to soak for some four-and-twenty hours. At the expiration of that
time, a sufficient number of the strips are joined together, loosely twisted, and passed
over the horizontal branch of a tree, a heavy weight being suspended from each end, so
as to keep the thongs always on the stretch. A couple of natives then set to Avork, one
stationing himself at each end of the rope, and twisting it by means of a short stick
passed between the strands, while by the aid of the sticks they drag the rope backwards and
forwards over the bough, never allowing it to rest on the same spot for any length of time,
and always twisting the sticks in opposite directions. The natural consequence is, that
the rope becomes very pliant, and at the same time is equally stretched throughout its
length, the regularity of the twist depending on the skill of the two rope-makers. No other
treatment is required, as the powerful liquid in which the raw thongs have been steeped
enacts the part of the tanning " fat," and the continually dragging over the branch serves
to make it pliant, and to avoid the danger of " kinking."
The use of this rope among the European settlers affords a good example of the
reaction that takes place when a superior race mingles with an inferior. The white men
have taught the aborigines many useful arts, but at the same time have been obliged to
them for instruction in many others, without which they could not maintain their hold
of the country.
The reader will notice that the hide ropes are made by men, because they are formed
from that noble animal, the ox, whereas ropes made of ignoble vegetable fibre are handed
over to the women.
BOWLS AND JARS. 251
A remarkable substitute for a spoon is used by this people. It consists of the stem
of a fibrous plant, called Umphombo, and is made in the following manner. The stem,
which is flattish, and about an inch in width, is cut into suitable lengths and soaked in
water. It is then beaten between two stones, until the fibres separate from each other,
so as to form a sort of brush. This is dipped in the liquid, and conveys a tolerable
portion to the mouth.
The mention of this brush-spoon recalls a curious method of catching flies. The reader
may remember that in Southern Africa, as well as in other hot parts of the world, the
flies are so numerous as to become a veritable plague. They come in swarms into the
houses, and settle upon every article of food, so that the newly-arrived traveller scarcely
knows how to eat his meals. Being thirsty creatures, they especially affect any liquid,
and will plunge into the cup while its owner is in the act of drinking.
The natives contrive to lessen this evil, though they cannot entirely rid themselves
of it, and mostly do so by the following ingenious contrivance : —
They first shut the doors of the hut, and then dip a large wisp of hay in milk, and
hang it to the roof. All the flies are attracted to it, and in a few seconds nothing can be
seen but a large, seething mass of living creatures. A bag is then gently passed over
them, and a smart shake given to the trap, which causes all the flies to fall in a mass to
the bottom of the bag. The bag is then removed, so as to allow a fresh company of flies
to settle on the hay wisp, and by the time that the first batch of flies is killed, another is
ready for immolation. Sometimes nearly a bushel of flies will be thus taken in a day.
It is most likely that the natives were led to this invention by seeing the flies cluster
round their brush-spoons when they had been laid aside after use.
In some parts of the country, the flies are captured by means of the branches of a bush
belonging to the genus Roridula. This is covered with a glutinous secretion, and, when-
ever the flies settle upon it, they are held fast and cannot escape. Branches of this useful
plant are placed in different parts of the hut, and are very effective in clearing it of the
litttle pests. Many of these flies are
identical with the common house-fly of
England, but there are many other
species indigenous to the country.
The Hottentot is a tolerably good
carver in wood, not because he has
much idea of art, but because he has
illimitable patience, and not the least
idea of the value of time.
Bowls and jars are carved from
wood, mostly that of the willow tree,
and the carver prefers to work while the
sap is still in the wood. A kind of KNIFE, JAR, AND BOWL.
willow grows by the water side, as is
the case in this country, and this is cut down with the odd little hatchets which are used
in this part of the world. These hatchets are made on exactly the same principle
as the hoes which have been so often mentioned, and which are represented on pages
53, 91, &c. The head, however, is very much smaller, and the blade is set in a line with
the handle instead of transversely. They are so small and feeble, that the labour of several
men is required to cut down a tree only eighteen inches or so in diameter ; and the work
which an American axeman would complete in a few minutes occupies them a day or two.
When the trunk has been at last severed, it is cut into convenient lengths by the same
laborious process, and the different portions are mostly shaped by the same axe. If a bowl
is the article to be made, it is partly hollowed by the axe, and the remainder of the work
is done with a knife bent into a hook -like shape, as is seen in the accompanying illus-
tration. These bowls are, on the average, a foot or eighteen inches in diameter.
Making bowls is a comparatively simple business, but the carving of a jar, such as
seen by the bowl, is a most laborious task. In making jars, the carver is forced to
depend almost entirely upon the bent knife, and from the shape of the article it is evident
252 THE HOTTENTOT.
that, when it is hollowed, the carver must work in a very constrained manner. Still,
as time is of no value, the jar is at last completed, and, like the bowl, is well mbbi'd
with fat, in order to prevent it from splitting. Generally, these jars hold about a gallon,
but some of them are barely a quarter of that size, while others are large enough to con-
tain five gallons. An European, with similar tools, would not be able to make the smaller
sizes of these jars, as he would not be able to pass his hand into the interior. The hand
of the Hottentot is, however, so small and delicate, that he finds no difficulty in the task.
The jar is called Bambus in the Hottentot language.
Unlike the Kaffirs, the Hottentots are rather a nomad race, and their huts are so made
that they can be taken to pieces and packed for transportation in less than an hour, while
a couple of hours' labour is all that is required for putting them up afresh, even win n
the architect works as deliberately as is always the case among uncivilized natives. Con-
sequently, when a horde of Hottentots travels from one place to another, a village seems
to spring up almost as if by magic, and travellers who have taken many Hottentots in
their train have been very much astonished at the sudden transformation of the scene.
In general construction, the huts are made on the same principle as those of the
Kaffir, being formed of a cage-like framework, covered with lighter material. The Kaffir,
however, interweaves the withes and reeds of which the hut is made among the frame-
work, and binds them together with ropes, when, if he is going to settle determinately in
one spot, or if he builds a hut in a well-established kraal, he plasters the interior with clay,
so as to make the structure firm and impervious to weather.
The Hottentot, on the contrary, covers his hut with reed mats, which look very much
like the sleeping-mats of the Kaffirs, and can be easily lashed to the framework, and as
easily removed. These mats are made of two species of reed, one of which is soft, and
can be easily manipulated, while the other is hard, and gives some trouble to the maker.
But the former has the disadvantage of being very liable to decay, and of lasting but a
short time, whereas the latter is remarkable for its powers of endurance. These plants
are called respectively the Soft Reed and the Hard Reed, and their scientific titles are
Cyperus textilis and Scriptus teyetalis.
The method of making the mats is somewhat similar to that which is employed by
the Kaffirs. The reeds are cut so as to measure six feet in length, and are placed in a
heap by the side of the mat-maker, together with a quantity of the bark-string which has
already been mentioned. He then pierces them with a bone or metal needle, or with a
mimosa thorn if he does not possess a needle, and passes the string through the holes,
so as to fasten the reeds together. Even considering the very slow and deliberate manner
in which the Hottentot works, the mats can be made with considerable rapidity, and
it is needless to observe that three Hottentots do not get through nearly as much work
as an average Englishman.
In some cases, the Hottentot substitutes the skins of sheep or oxen for mats, but the
latter are most generally in use— probably because the skins are too valuable as articles of
apparel to be employed for the mere exterior of a house. Owing to the manner in which
these huts are made, they are more impervious to weather than those of the Kaffir, and, as
a necessary consequence, are less capable of letting out the smoke. An European can, on
a pinch, exist in a Kaffir hut, but to do so in a skin-covered Hottentot house is almost
impossible.
To a restless and ever-moving people like the Hottentots, these mats are absolute
neccessaries. A hut of ordinary size can be packed on the back of an ox, while another
ox can carry all the simple furniture and utensils, together with the young children; and
thus a whole family can be moved at a few minutes' notice, without much inconvenience.
The huts are, in fact, nothing but tents made of mats, and resemble, in many particulars,
the camel-hair tents of the equally nomad Arabs.
No one — not even the owner — knows, on seeing a Hottentot hut, whether he will find
it in the same place after a few hours have elapsed. Sometimes, a Hottentot wife will set
to work, pull the hut to pieces, but, instead of packing it on the back of an ox, rebuild
her house within twenty or thirty yards of its original locality. The object of this strange
conduct is to rid herself and family from the fleas, which, together with other vermin,
SIMPLE MODE OF AVOIDING VE1LM1N.
253
HOTTENTOT KRAAL.
swarm exceedingly in a Hottentot's house, and drive the inmates to escape in the manner
ese unpleasant parasites are generally attacked in ^ the yearly morning >^
sheepskins, mats, and other articles, being taken outside the hut, and beaten soundlj wrfh
a stick. Sufficient, however, remain to perpetuate the breed and at last, as has
seen, they force the Hottentot fairly to remove the house altogether.
254 THE HOTTENTOT.
As to the Hottentots themselves, they suffer but comparatively little inconvenience
from the bites of these creatures, against which the successive coatings of grease, buchu,
and sibilo act as a partial defence. But, whenever the insects are fortunate enough to
nttack a clean-skinned European, they take full advantage of the opportunity, and drive
him half mad. Gordon Gumming relates an amusing account of a small adventure which
happened to himself in connexion with these insects. He was extremely tired, and fell
asleep among his followers, one of whom compassionatety took off the kaross which he
was wearing, and spread it over him. Presently the sleeper started up in a state of un-
bearable irritation from the bites of the numerous parasites with which the kaross was
stocked. He was obliged instantly to remove every single article of apparel, and have
them all beaten and searched before he could again resume them.
As may be seen by inspection of the illustration, the huts are not of quite the same
shape as those belonging to the Kaffirs, the ends being flattened, and the apertures square
instead of rounded, the door, in fact, being simply made by the omission of one mat.
The nomad life of the Hottentots is necessitated by their indolent habits, and their utter
want of forethought. The Kaffir is not remarkable for the latter quality, as indeed, is
the case with most savage nations. But the Kaffir is, at all events, a tolerable agricul-
turist, and raises enough grain to supply his family with food, besides, in many cases,
inclosing patches of ground in which to plant certain vegetables and fruits. The Hot-
tentot, however, never had much notion of agriculture, and what little he attempts is of
the rudest description.
DIGGING-STICK.
The unwieldy hoe with which the Kaffir women break up the ground is a sufficiently
rude and clumsy instrument, but it is perfection itself when compared with the digging
stick of the Hottentot. This is nothing more than a stick of hard wood sharpened at one
end, and weighted by means of a perforated stone through which it is passed, and which
is held in- its place by a wedge. With this rude instrument the Hottentot can break up
the ground faster than might be imagined, but he oftener uses it for digging up wild
plants, and unearthing sundry burrowing animals, than for any agricultural purposes.
The life of a Hottentot does not tie him to any particular spot. A sub-tribe or horde,
which tolerably corresponds with the kraal of the Kaffir, settles down in some locality
which they think will supply nourishment, and which is near water. Here, if the spot
be favourable, they will sometimes rest for a considerable time, occasionally for a space of
several years. Facility for hunting has much to do with the length of time that a horde
remains in one spot, inasmuch as the Hottentots are admirable hunters, and quite rival
the Kaffirs in this respect, even if they do not excel them. They are especially notable
for the persevering obstinacy with which they will pursue their game, thinking a whole day
well bestowed if they succeed at last in bringing down their prey.
CHAPTER XXIII.
WEAPONS OP THE HOTTENTOT AND THEIR USE HIS VORACITY, AND CAPABILITY OF BEARING HUNGER
MODE OF COOKING — POWER OF SLEEP DISTINCTION BETWEEN HOTTENTOTS AND KAFFIRS —
CATTLE AND THEIR USES — THE BAKELEYS OR FIGHTING OXEN — A HOTTENTOT'S MEMORY FOR A
COW — MARRIAGE — POLYGAMY NOT OFTEN PRACTISED WANT OF RELIGION — LANGUAGE OF THE
HOTTENTOTS THE CHARACTERISTIC " CLICKS " AMUSEMENTS OF THE HOTTENTOTS SINGING AND
DANCING — SUBJECT OF THEIR SONGS THE MAN'S DANCE — ALL AMUSEMENTS RESTRICTED TO NIGHT
— THE MELON DANCE " CARD -PLAYING " LOVE OF A PRACTICAL JOKE INABILITY 10 MEASURE
TIME WARFARE — SICKNESS, DEATH, AND BURIAL.
THE weapons which the Hottentots use are mostly the bow and arrow. These weapons
are almost identical with those employed by the Bosjesmans, and will be described in a
future page. They also employ the assagai, but do not seem to be particularly fond of it,
lacking the muscular strength which enables the Kaffir to make such terrible use of it.
Moreover, the Hottentot does not carry a sheaf of these weapons, but contents himself
with a single one, which he does not throw until he is at tolerably close quarters.
He is, however, remarkable for his skill in throwing the knob-kerry, which is always
of the short form, so that he can carry several of them in his belt. In fact, he uses the
kerry much as the Kaffir uses the assagai, having always a quantity of them to his hand, and
hurling them one after the other with deadly accuracy of aim. With these weapons, so
useless in the hands of an ordinary European, he can match himself against most of the
ordinary animals of Southern Africa, excepting, of course, the larger elephants, rhinoceros,
and hippopotamus, and the predacious felidse, such as the lion or leopard. These, how-
ever, he can destroy by means of pitfalls and other ingenious devices, and if a Hottentot
hunter sets himself determinedly to kill or capture any given animal, that creature's
chances of life are but small.
When he has succeeded in killing game, his voracity is seen to equal his patience.
Hunger he can endure with wonderful indifference, tightening his belt day by day, and
contriving to support existence on an almost inappreciable quantity of food. But, when
he can only procure meat, he eats with a continued and sustained voracity that is almost
incredible. For quality he cares but little, and so that he can obtain unlimited supplies of
meat, he does not trouble himself whether it be tough or tender. Whenever one of a horde
of Hottentots succeeds in killing a large animal, such as an elephant or hippopotamus, and
it happens to be at a distance from the kraal, the inhabitants prefer to strike their tent-
like houses and to remove them to the animal rather than trouble themselves by making
repeated journeys to and fro. The chief reason for this strange conduct is, that if they
took the latter alternative, they would deprive themselves of one of the greatest luxuries
which a Hottentot can enjoy. Seldom tasting meat, they become semi-intoxicated under
its influence, and will gorge themselves to the utmost limit of endurance, sleeping after
the fashion of a boa-constrictor that has swallowed a goat, and then awaking only to
gorge themselves afresh, and fall asleep again.
There is an excuse for this extraordinary exhibition of gluttony, namely, that the hot
climate causes meat to putrefy so rapidly that it must be eaten at once if it is eaten at all.
THE HOTTENTOT.
Even as it is, the Hottentots are often obliged to eat meat that is more than tainted, and
from which even the greatest admirer of high game would recoil with horror. They do
not, however, seem to trouble themselves about such trifles, and devour the tainted meat
as eagerly as if it were perfectly fresh.
Whatever may be the original quality of the meat, it owes nothing to the mode in
which it is dressed, for the Hottentots are perhaps the very worst cooks in the world. They
take an earthen pot, nearly fill it with water, put it on the fire, and allow it to boil. They
then cut up their meat into lumps as large as a man's fist, throw them into the pot, and
permit them to remain there until they are wanted. Sometimes, when the feasters are
asleep themselves, they allow the meat to remain in the pot for half a day or so, during
which time the women are obliged to keep the water continually boiling, it may be
imagined the ultimate result of their cooking is not particularly palateable.
It has already been mentioned that the Hottentot tribes are remarkable for their
appetite. They are no less notable for their power of sleep.
A thorough-bred Hottentot can sleep at any time, and it is almost impossible to place
him under conditions in which he will not sleep. If he be pinched with hunger, and can
see no means of obtaining food either by hunting or from the ground, he lies down, rolls
himself up in his kaross, and in a few moments is wrapped in slumber. Sleep to him
almost answers the purpose of food, and he can often say with truth that " he who sleeps
dines." When he sleeps his slumber is truly remarkable, as it appears more like a
lethargy than sleep, as we under-
stand the word. A gun may be
fired close to the ear of a sleeping
Hottentot and he will not notice it,
or, at all events, will merely turn
himself and sink again to repose.
Even in sleep there is a distinc-
tion between the Kaffir and the
Hottentot. The former lies at full
length on his mat, while the other
coils himself up like a human hedge-
hog. In spite of the evil atmosphere
of their huts, the Hottentots are
companionable even in their sleep,
and at night the floor of a hut will
be covered with a number of Hot-
tentots, all lying fast asleep, and so
mixed up together that it is scarcely
possible to distinguish the various
bodies to which the limbs belong.
The cattle of the Hottentots have several times been mentioned. These, like the
Kaffir oxen, are used as beasts of burden and for riding, and are accoutred in the same
manner, i.e. by a leathern rope passed several times round the body, and hauled tight by
men at each end. Perhaps the reader may remember that in days long gone by, when the
Hottentots were a powerful nation and held the command of Southern Africa, their kraals
or villages were defended by a peculiar breed of oxen, which were especially trained for
that purpose, and which answered the same purpose as the watch-dogs which now beset
the villages.
These oxen were said to be trained to guard the entrance of the kraal, and to know
every inhabitant of the village, from the oldest inhabitant down to the child which could
only just crawl about. Strangers they would not permit to approach the kraal except
when escorted by one of the inhabitants, nor would they suffer him to go out again except
under the same protection.
This story is generally supposed to be a mere fabrication, and possibly may be so. There
is, however, in my collection an ox-horn which was brought from Southern Africa by the
Rev. Mr. Shooter, and of which no one could give an account. It is evidently very old,
HOTTENTOTS ASLEEP.
LANGUAGE OF THE HOTTENTOTS. 257
and, although the horn of a domesticated variety of cattle, is quite unlike the horns of
the oxen which belong to the native tribes of the present day, being twice as large, and
having altogether a different aspect. It is just such a horn as might have belonged to the
oxen aforesaid, and, although it cannot be definitely said to have grown on the head of
one of these animals, there is just a possibility that such may have been the case.
Like the Kaffir, the Hottentot has a wonderful recollection of an ox. If he but sees one
for a minute or two he will remember that ox again, wherever it may be, and even after
the lapse of several years. He will recognise it in the midst of a herd, even in a strange
place, where he could have no expectation of meeting it, and he will remember its
" spoor," and be able to trace its footsteps among the tracks of the whole herd. He has
even been known to discover a stolen cow by seeing a calf which she had produced after
she was stolen, and which he recognised from its likeness to its mother.
The marriages of the Hottentots are very simple affairs, and consist merely in paying
a certain price and taking the bride home. In Kolben's well-known work there is a most
elaborate and circumstantial description of a Hottentot marriage, detailing with needless
precision a number of extraordinary rites performed by the priest over the newly-wedded
pair. Now, inasmuch as the order of priests is not known to have existed among the
Hottentots, and certainly did not exist in Kolben's time, the whole narrative falls to the
ground. The fact is, that Kolben found it easier to describe secondhand than to investi-
gate for himself, and the consequence was, that the Dutch colonists, from whom he
gained his information, amused themselves by imposing upon his credulity.
Polygamy, although not prohibited among the Hottentots, is but rarely practised.
Some men have several wives, but this is the exception, and not the rule.
As they have no priests, so have they no professional doctors. They are all adepts in
the very slight amount of medical and surgical knowledge which is required by them, and
have no idea of a separate order of men who practise the healing art. Unlike the Kaffirs,
who are the most superstitious of mankind, the Hottentots are entirely free from superstition,
inasmuch as they have not the least conception of any religious sentiments whatsoever.
The present world forms the limit of all their ideas, and they seem, so far as is known, to
be equally ignorant of a Creator and of the immortality of the soul.
The language of the Hottentot races is remarkable for a peculiarity which is, I
believe, restricted to themselves and to the surrounding tribes, who have evidently learned it
from them. This is the presence of the " click," which is found in almost all the tribes
that inhabit Southern Africa, with the exception of the Amazulu, who are free from this
curious adjunct to their language, and speak a tongue as soft as Italian.
There are three of these " clicks," formed by the tongue, the teeth, and the palate, and
each of them alters the signification of the word with which it is used.
The first, which is in greatest use, is made by pressing the tip of the tongue against the
upper front teeth, and then smartly disengaging it. The sound is exactly like that which
is produced by some persons when they are annoyed.
The second click is formed by pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth, and
then sharply withdrawing it, so as to produce a sound like that which is used by grooms
when urging a horse. It has to be done, however, with the least possible force that will
produce the effect, as otherwise the click and the syllable to which it i-s joined cannot
be sounded simultaneously.
The last click is much louder than the others, and is formed by drawing the tongue
back as far as possible, and pressing the tip against the back of the palate. It is then
forced rapidly towards the lips, so as to produce a much deeper and more sonorous sound
than can be obtained by the two former modes.
In the few words which can be given to this branch of the subject, we will distinguish
these several sounds by the titles of " clack," " click," and "• cluck." The reader will find
it very difficult to produce either of these sounds simultaneously with a part of a word,
but, if he should desire to make himself understood in the Hottentot dialect, it is abso-
lutely necessary that he should do so. How needful these curious adjuncts are has been
well shown by Le Vaillant. For instance, the word Aap, without any click at all, signi-
fies a horse, but with the click it signifies an arrow, and with the clack it becomes the
VOL. I. 8
258 THE HOTTENTOT.
name of a river. It is, of course, impossible to reduce this language to any known
alphabet, and the necessary consequence is that hardly any two travellers who have
written accounts of the Hottentot tribes have succeeded in spelling words so that they
should be recognised, or in such a manner that the reader should be able to pronounce
them. The general mode of expressing these clicks is by prefixing the letters ts or y
to the word, and the reader may find a very familiar example in the word Gnoo, which
ought really to be spelt without the g, and with some prefix which would denote the
kind of click which is used with it.
The amusements of the Hottentots consist chiefly of singing and dancing, together
with playing on a curious instrument called the Goura. This instrument, hQwever,
belongs rather to the Bosjesman group of the Hottentot race, and will therefore be described
in a future page.
Their songs are also evidently derived from the same source, and their melodies are
identical. Examples of Bosjesman songs will be presently given, together with the descrip-
tion of the Goura. In the words of the songs, however, the Hottentots have the advantage,
as they always have some signification, whereas those of the Bosjesmans have not even
the semblance of meaning, and are equivalent to the do, re, mi, &c. of modern music.
Le Vaillant mentions that the subject of the songs which the Hottentots sang was
almost always some adventure which had happened to themselves, so that, like the negroes,
they can sing throughout the whole night, by the simple expedient of repeating the words
of their song over and over again. They prefer the night to the day for this purpose,
because the atmosphere is cooler, and the tasks of the day are over.
" When they are desirous of indulging in this amusement, they join hands and form a
circle of greater or less extent, in proportion to the number of male and female dancers,
who are always mixed with a kind of symmetry. When the chain is made, they turn
round from one side to another, separating at certain intervals to mark the measure, and
from time to time clap their hands without interrupting the cadence, while with their
voices they accompany the sound of the instrument, and continually chant ' Hoo ! Hoo ! '
This is the general burden of their song.
" Sometimes one of the dancers quits the circle, and going to the centre, performs there
alone a few steps after the English manner, all the merit and beauty of which consist in
performing them with equal quickness and precision, without stirring from the spot
where he stands. After this they all quit each other's hands, follow one another carelessly
with an air of terror and melancholy, their heads leaning to one shoulder, and their eyes
cast down towards the ground, which they look at with attention ; and in a moment after
they break forth in the liveliest demonstration of joy, and the most extravagant merriment.
" They are highly delighted with this contrast when it is well performed. All this is
at bottom but an alternate assemblage of very droll and amusing pantomime. It must
be observed that the dancers make a hollow monotonous kind of humming, which never
ceases, except when they join the spectators and sing the wonderful chorus ' Hoo ! Hoo! '
which appears to be the life and soul of this magnificent music.
" They usually conclude with a general ball ; that is to say, the ring is broken and they
all dance in confusion as each chooses, and upon this occasion they display all their
strength and agility. The most expert dancers repeat, by way of defiance to each other,
those dangerous leaps and musical quivers of our grand academies, which excite laughter
as deservedly as the ' Hoo ! Hoo ! ' of Africa."
Whether for singing, dancing, or other relaxation, the Hottentots never assemble
except by night, the day being far too precious for mere amusement During the day the
men are engaged in the different pursuits of their life, some being far from their home on
the track of some animal which they are hunting, and whose flesh is devoted to the
support of themselves and their families. Others are laboriously making snares, digging
pitfalls, or going the rounds of those which are already made, so that animals which
have been captured may be removed, and the snares reset. They have also to make their
bows, arrows, spears, and clubs, operations which absorb much time, partly because their
tools are few and imperfect, and partly because all their work is undertaken with a degree
of deliberation which is exceedingly irritating to a European spectator.
SINGING AND DANCING. 259
The women, too, are engaged in their own occupations, which are infinitely more labo-
rious than those of the men, and consist of all kinds of domestic work, including taking
down and putting up the huts, collecting wood for the evening fires, and preparing the
food for the men when they return home.
With the shades of evening all attempts at industry are given up, and the Hottentots
amuse themselves throughout nearly the entire night. The savage does not by any means
go to bed with the birds and arise with them, as is popularly supposed, and almost
invariably is an incorrigible sitter-up at night, smoking, talking, singing, dancing, and
otherwise amusing himself, as if he had done nothing whatever all day.
'Perhaps he may owe the capability of enduring such constant dissipation to the fact that
he can command sleep at will, and that his slumber is so deep as to be undisturbed by
the clamour that is going on around him. If, for example, a Hottentot has been hunting
all day, and has returned home weary with the chase and with carrying the animals,
he will not think of sleeping until he has had his supper, smoked his pipe, and enjoyed
an hour or two of dancing and singing. But, as soon as he feels disposed to cease from
his amusements, he retires from the circle, rolls himself up in his kaross, lies down, and in
a few seconds is fast asleep, unheeding the noise which is made close to his ears by his
companions who are still pursuing their revels.
There is a singular dance which is much in vogue among the young Hottentot girls,
and which is, as far as I know, peculiar to them. As a small melon is the chief object of
the sport, it goes by the name of the Melon Dance, and is thus performed : —
In the evening, when the air is cool, the girls assemble and choose one of their number
as a leader. She takes a small round melon in her hands, and begins to run in a circle,
waving her arms and flinging about her limbs in the wildest imaginable way. The others
follow her and imitate her movements, and, as they are not impeded by many trammels of
dress, and only wear the ordinary cap and girdle of leathern thongs, their movements are
full of wild grace.
As the leader runs round the course, she flings the melon in the air, catches it, flings
it again, and at last stoops suddenly, leaps into the air, and throws the melon beneath her
towards the girl who follows her. The object of this dance is twofold. The second
girl has to catch the melon without ceasing from her course, and the first has to throw it
when she fancies that the second is off her guard. Consequently, she makes all kinds of
feints, pretending to throw the melon several times, and trying to deceive by every means
in her power. If the second girl fails in catching the melon the first retains her leader-
ship, but if she succeeds she becomes leader, and goes through the same manoeuvres.
In this way the melon goes round and round, and the sport is continued until the
dancers are too fatigued to continue it.
From the above description some persons might fancy that this dance offends the sense
of decorum. It does not so. It is true that the style of clothing which is worn by the
dancers is not according to European notions, but, according to their own ideas, it is
convenient and according to usage. Neither is there anything in the dance itself which
ought to shock a rightly constituted mind. It is simply an ebullition of youthful spirits,
and has nothing in common with dances in many parts of the world which are avowedly
and intendedly licentious, and which, whether accompanied by more or less clothing than
is worn by these Hottentot girls, are repulsive rather than attractive to any one who
possesses any amount of self-respect.
In this instance the dance is conducted in perfect innocence, and the performers have
no more idea of impropriety in the scanty though graceful and artistic dress they wear,
than has an English lady at appearing with her face unveiled. As long as clothing is not
attempted, it does not seem to be required, but, when any portion of European clothing is
assumed, the whole case is altered. Mr. Baines narrates a little corroborative incident.
He was travelling in a wagon, accompanied, as usual, by Hottentots and their families.
The latter, mostly females, were walking by the side of the wagon, wearing no costume
but the slight leathern girdle.
It so happened that some old shoes were thrown out of the wagon, and immediately
appropriated by the women, who have an absurd hankering after European apparel No
s2
2GO
THE HOTTENTOT.
sooner had they put on shoes than they looked naked. They had not done so before, but
even that slight amount of civilized clothing seemed to suggest that the whole body had
to be clothed also, and so strong was this feeling that Mr. Baines found means of removing
the obnoxious articles of apparel.
The Hottentots have a remarkable game which they call by the name of Card-playing,
apparently because no cards are used in it. This game is simply an exhibition of activity
and quickness of hand, being somewhat similar in principle to our own boy's game of Odd
and Even. It is thus described by Burchell : —
" At one of the fires an amusement of a very singular and nearly unintelligible kind
was the source of great amusement, not only to the performers themselves, but to all the
CARD-PLAYING.
bystanders. They called it Card-playing, a word in this instance strangely misapplied.
Two Hottentots, seated opposite each other on the ground, were vociferating, as if in a
rage, some particular expressions in their own language : laughing violently, throwing
their bodies on either side, tossing their arms in all directions — at one moment with their
hands close together, at another stretched out wide apart ; up in the air at one time, or
in an instant down to the ground ; sometimes with them closed, at other times exhibiting
them open to their opponent.
"Frequently in the heat of the game they started upon their knees, falling back
immediately on the ground again ; and all this in such a quick, wild, extraordinary
manner, that it was impossible, after watching their motions for a long time, to discover
the nature of their game, or to comprehend the principle on which it was founded, any
more than a person entirely ignorant of the moves at chess could learn that by merely-
looking on.
" This is a genuine Hottentot game, as every one would certainly suppose, on seeing
the uncouth manner in which it is played. It is, they say, of great antiquity, and at
present practised only by such as have preserved some portion of their original customs,
and they pretend that it is not every Hottentot who possesses the talent necessary for
playing it in perfection.
" I found some difficulty in obtaining an intelligible explanation, but learned at last
that the principle consists in concealing a small piece of stick in one hand so
INABILITY TO MEASURE TIME. 261
dexterously that the opponent shall not be able, when both closed hands are presented to
him, to distinguish in which it is held, while at the same time he is obliged to decide by
some sign or motion either on one or the other. As soon as the opponent has gained a
certain number of guesses, he is considered to have won a game, and it then becomes his
turn to take the stick, and display his ingenuity in concealing it and in deceiving the
other.
" In this manner the games are continued alternately, often the whole night long, or
until the players are exhausted with fatigue. In the course of them various little inci-
dents, either of ingenuity or of mistake, occur to animate their exertions, and excite the
rude, harmless mirth of their surrounding friends." The reader will probably see the close
resemblance between this game played by the Hottentots of Southern Africa and the well-
known game of " Morro," that is so popular in several parts of Southern Europe.
The Hottentot seems to be as fond of a practical joke as the Kaffir, and to take it
as good-humouredly. On one occasion, when a traveller was passing through Africa with
a large party, several of the Hottentots, who ought to have been on the watch, contrived to
draw near the fire, and to fall asleep. Some of their companions determined to give them
a thorough fright, and to recall to their minds that they ought to have been watching and
not sleeping. Accordingly, they went off to a little distance, and shot a couple of Bosjes-
nian arrows close to the sleepers.
Deep as is a Hottentot's slumber, he can shake off sleep in a moment at the approach
of danger, and, although the loudest sound will not wake him, provided that it be of a
harmless character, an almost inaudible sound will reach his ears, provided that it pre-
sage danger. As soon as the sleeping Hottentots heard the twang of the bow, they sprang
up in alarm, which was not decreased by the sight of the arrows falling close to them,
sprang to the wagon for their arms, and were received with a shout of laughter.
However, they soon had their revenge. One dark evening, the young men were amusing
themselves with setting fire to some dried reeds a few hundred yards from the camp.
While they were enjoying the waves of fire as they rolled along, driven by the wind,
the Hottentots stole behind the reeds, and with the shell of an ostrich egg imitated the
roar of an approaching lion so accurately, that the young men began to shout in order
to drive the lion away, and at last ran to the camp screaming with terror. Of course
the songs that were sung in the camp that night were full of reference to Bosjesmans
and lions.
The Hottentot has a constitutional inability to compute time. A traveller can never
discover the age of a Hottentot, partly because the man himself has not the least notion
of his age, or indeed of annual computation at all, and partly because a Hottentot looks
as old at thirty-five as at sixty-five. He can calculate the time of day by the position of
the sun with regard to the meridian, but his memory will not serve him so far as to
enable him to compute annual time by the height of the sun above the horizon.
As is the case with most savage races, his unit of time is the new moon, and he makes
all his reckonings of time to consist of so many moons. An amusing instance of this
deficiency is given by Dr. Lichtenstein, in his " Travels in South Africa :" —
" A Hottentot, in particular, engaged our attention by the simplicity with which he
told his story.
" After he had harangued for a long time in broken Dutch, we collected so much as
that he had agreed with a colonist to serve him for a certain time, at fixed wages, as
herdsman, but before the time expired they had parted by mutual agreement. The dis-
pute was how much of the time remained ; consequently, how much wages the master had
a right to deduct from the sum which was to have been paid for the whole time.
" To illustrate this matter, the Hottentot gave us the following account : — ' My Baas/
said he, 'will have it that I was to serve so long ' (and here he stretched out his left arm.
and hand, and laid the little finger of his right hand directly under the arm) ; 'but I say
that I only agreed to serve so long,' and here he laid his right hand upon the joint of the
left. Apparently, he meant by this to signify that the proportion of the time he had served
with that he had agreed to serve was the same as the proportion of what he pointed out
of the arm to the whole length of it. At the same time he showed us a small square
262 THE HOTTENTOT.
stick, in which, at every full moon, he had made a little notch, with a double one at the
full moon when he quitted the colonist's service.
" As the latter was present, and several of the colonists and Hottentots, who attended
as auditors, could ascertain exactly the time of entering on the service, the conclusion
was, as is very commonly the case, that both the master and the servant were somewhat
in the wrong ; that the one reckoned too much of the time expired, the other too little ;
and that, according to the Hottentot's mode of measuring, the time expired came to about
the knuckle.
" The Hottentots understand no other mode of measuring time but by lunar months
and days ; they have no idea of the division of the day into hours. If a man asks a
Hottentot how far it is to such or such a place, he either makes no answer, or points
to a certain spot in the heavens, and says : ' The sun will be there when you get to it.' "
Warfare among the Hottentots scarcely deserves the name, because we can hardly
use auch a term as warfare where there is no distinction of officer or private, where
there is no commander, and no plan of action. The men who are able to wield the
bow and arrow advance in a body upon the enemy, and are led by any one who thinks
himself brave enough to take the command. When they come to close quarters with
the enemy, every one rights in the way that suits himself best, without giving support to
those of his own side, or expecting it from his comrades. Even the chief man of a horde
is not necessarily the leader, and indeed his authority over the horde is more nominal
than real. A mere boy may assume the leadership of the expedition, and, if he is
courageous enough to take the lead, he may keep it until some still braver warrior comes
to the front.
It is evident that such warfare is merely a succession of skirmishes or duels, much
as was the case in the days of Hector and Achilles, each soldier selecting his own parti-
cular adversary, and fighting him until one of the two is killed, runs away, or renders
himself prisoner.
As far as is known, the Hottentots never made war, according to the usual acceptation
of the word. If insulted or aggrieved by having their cattle stolen, they would go off and
make reprisals, but they had no idea of carrying on a war for any political object. This
is probably the reason why they were so completely overcome by the Kaffir tribes, who
had some knowledge of warfare as an art, and who drove them further and further away
from their own domains, until their nationality was destroyed, and they were reduced to
a mere aggregation of scattered tribes, without unity, and consequently without power.
However nationally unwarlike the Hottentot may be, and however incapable he may
be of military organization, he can be made into a soldier who is not only useful, but
unapproachable in his own peculiar line. Impatient, as a rule, of military discipline, he
hates above all things to march in step, to go through the platoon exercise, and to perform
those mechanical movements which delight the heart of a drill-sergeant.
He is, as a rule, abhorrent of anything like steady occupation, and this tendency of
mind incapacitates him from being an agriculturist, while it aids in qualifying him for
the hunter's life. Now, as a rule, a good hunter makes a good soldier, especially of the
irregular kind, and the training which is afforded by the pursuit of the fleet, powerful,
and dangerous beasts of Africa, makes the Hottentot one of the best irregular soldiers in
the world.
But he must be allowed to fight in his own way, to choose his own time for attack,
to make it in the mode that suits him best, and to run away if flight happens to suit
him better than battle. He has not the least idea of getting himself killed or wounded
on mere points of honour ; and if he sees that the chances of war are likely to go much
against him, he quietly retreats, and " lives to fight another day." To this mode of action
he is not prompted by any feeling of fear, but merely by the common-sense view of the
case. His business is to kill the enemy, and he means to do it. But that desirable object
cannot be attained if he allows them to kill him, and so he guards himself against the
latter event as much as possible.
Indeed, if he is wounded when he might have avoided a wound, he feels heartily
ashamed of himself for having committed such an error ; and if he succeeds in killing or
TENACITY OF LIFE. 263
wounding an enemy without suffering damage himself, he glories in his superior ingenuity,
and makes merry over the stupidity of his foe.
Fear — as we understand the word — has very little influence over the Hottentot soldier,
whether he be trained to fight with the white man's fire-arms, or whether he uses the bow
and arrow of his primitive life. If he must fight, he will do so with a quiet and dogged
valour, and any enemy that thinks to conquer him will find that no easy task lies
before him.
Mr. Christie has narrated to me several incidents which show the obstinate courage
with which a Hottentot can fight when pressed. One of them is as follows :— «•
"During the Kaffir war of 1847, a body of Hottentots were surrounded by a large
party of Kaffirs, and, after a severe struggle, succeeded in cutting their way through their
dark foes. One of the Hottentots, however, happened to be wounded near the spine, so
that he lost the use of his legs, and could not stand. Even though suffering under this
severe injury, he would not surrender, but dragged himself to an ant-hill, and supported
his back against it, so that his arms were at liberty.
"In this position he continued to load and fire, though completely exposed to the
bullets tnd assagais of the Kaffirs. So true was his aim, even under these circumstances,
that he killed and wounded a considerable number of them ; and, when a reinforcing
party came to their help, the brave fellow was at the point of death, but still breathing,
though his body was completely riddled with bullets, and cut to pieces with spears."
This anecdote also serves to show the extraordinary tenacity of life possessed by this
race — a tenacity which seems to rival that of the lower reptiles. On one occasion, Mr.
Clristie was in a surgeon's house in Grahamstown, when a Hottentot walked in, and
asled the surgeon to look at his head, which had been damaged on the previous night
bv a blow from a knob-kerry.
He took off his hat and the handkerchief which, according to custom, was wrapped
:ound his head, and exhibited an injury which would have killed most Europeans on the
spot, and certainly would have prostrated them utterly. On the crown of his head there
was a circular wound, about an inch in diameter, and more than half an inch deep, the
bone having been driven down on the brain by a blow from the heavy knob of the
weapon.
The depressed part of the skull was raised as well as could be done, and the re-
mainder cut away. The operation being over, the man replaced his hat and handkerchief,
and walked away, apparently little the worse for his accident, or the operation which
succeeded it.
On another occasion, the same gentleman saw a Hottentot wagon-driver fall from his
seat under the wheels. One of the fore-wheels passed over his neck, and, as the wagon
was loaded with some two tons of firewood, it might be supposed that the man was
killed on the spot. To the surprise of the beholder, he was not only alive when free of
the wheel, but had presence of mind to roll out of the way of the hind wheel, which
otherwise must have gone over him. Mr. Christie ran to him, and helped him to his feet.
In answer to anxious questions, he said that he was not much hurt, except by some
small stones which had been forced into his skin, and which he asked Mr. Christie to
remove. Indeed, these men seem not only to be tenacious of life, but to suffer very little
pain from injuries that would nearly kill a white man, or at all events would cause him
to be nearly dead with pain alone.
Yet, callous as they are to bodily injuries, they seem to be peculiarly susceptible to
poison that mixes with the blood, and if bitten by a snake, or wounded by a poisoned
arrow, to have very much less chance of life than a European under similar conditions.
We will conclude this history of the Hottentots with a few remarks on their treatment
of sickness and their burial of the dead.
When Hottentots are ill they obey the instinct which seems to be implanted equally
in man and beast, and separate themselves from their fellows. Sometimes they take the
trouble to have a small hut erected at a distance from the kraal, but in all cases they keep
themselves aloof as far as possible, and do not mix with their companions until their
health is restored. Of professional physicians they know nothing, and have in this respect
264 THE HOTTENTOT.
a decided advantage over the Kaffirs, who are horribly tormented in their hours of sickness
by the witch-doctor, who tries, by all kinds of noisy incantations, to drive out the evil
spirit which is tormenting the sick man.
There are certainly some men among them who possess a kind of knowledge of
pharmacy, and these men are liberal enough of their advice and prescriptions. But they
do not form a distinct order of men, nor do they attempt to work cures by superhuman
means. They are more successful in treating wounds and bodily injuries than in the
management of diseases, because in the former case there is something tangible with
which they can cope, whereas they cannot see a disease, nor can they produce any imme-
diate and visible effect, as is the case with a bodily injury.
Sometimes a curious kind of ceremony seems to be performed, which is probably
analogous to the shampooing that is in vogue in many parts of the earth. The patient
lies prostrate while a couple of women, one on either side, pound and knead hin with
their closed fists, at the same time uttering loud cries close to his ear. This apparently
rough treatment seems to have some amount of efficacy in it, as Sparrman mentions that
he has seen it practised on the apparently lifeless body of a young man who eveitually
recovered.
Of all diseases the Hottentots dread nothing so much as the small-pox ; and if a single
member of the horde be taken with it they leave him in his hut, strike all their habita-
tions, and move off into the desert, where they remain until they think that the danger is
past. All ties of relationship and affection are broken through by this dread malady, for
which they know no cure, and which always rages with tenfold violence among savages.
The husband will abandon his wife, and even the mother her children, in the hope »f
checking the spread of the disorder, and the wretched sufferers are left to perish eitha*
from the disease itself or from privation.
When a Hottentot dies the funeral is conducted without any ceremony. The body is
disposed in as small a compass as possible, — indeed, into the attitude that is assumed
during sleep, and the limbs and head are firmly tied together. A worn-out kaross is
then rolled round the body, and carefully arranged so as to conceal it entirely. The place
of burial is, with certain exceptions, chosen at a distance from the kraal, and the corpse is
then placed in the grave, which is never of any great depth.
Earth is then thrown on the body ; and if there are any stones near the spot, they are
mixed with the earth, and heaped above the grave in order to defend it from the hyaenas
and jackals, which are sure to discover that an interment has taken place. If stones
cannot be found, thorn-bushes are used for the same purpose. Generally, the grave is so
shallow, and the stones are so few, that the whole process of burial is practically rendered
nugatory, and before another day has dawned the hysenas and jackals have scattered the
frail defences, dug up the body, and devoured it.
Should the head-man of the kraal die, there are great wailings throughout the kraal.
These cries are begun by the family, taken up by the inhabitants of the village, and the
whole night is spent in loud bowlings and lamentation. His body is usually buried in
the middle of the cattle-pen, as it is a safe place as long as the cattle are in it, which are
watched throughout the night, and over his remains a considerable pile of stones is
raised.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
QBIG1N OF THE NAME THEORIES RESPECTING THEIR ORIGIN THEIR LANGUAGE AND ITS PECU-
LIARITIES THE GESTURE-LANGUAGE — SMALL SIZE OF THE BOSJESMANS — THEIR COMPLEXION
AND GEJfERAL APPEARANCE A STRANGE VISITOR THE BOSJESMAN's PIPE AND MODE OF SMOKING
— SAID TO HAVE NO NAMES, AND NO DISTINCTIONS OF RANK SOCIAL LIFE AMONG THE
BOSJESMANS — MATRIMONY AND ITS TROUBLES INDIVIDUALITY OF THE BOSJESMAN — HIS INDIF-
FERENCE TO PAIN — A CULPRIT AND HIS PUNISHMENT — DRESS OF BOTH SEXES — THE BOSJESMAN
FROM INFANCY TO AGE.
WE now come to a singular race of human beings, inhabiting various parts of Southern
Africa, and being evidently allied to the Hottentots. They are called Bosjesmans by
the Dutch settlers. This word is pronounced Bushes-man, and is popularly contracted
into Bushman, — a word which is, indeed, an exact translation of the Dutch title. As,
however, several groups of savages in different parts of the world are called Bushmen, we
will retain the original Dutch name.
Respecting the precise relationship there are three distinct theories. The first is, that
they are the aboriginal inhabitants upon whom the Hottentots have improved ; the second
is, that they are degenerate offshoots of the Hottentot race ; and the third is, that they
form a totally distinct group of mankind. On the whole, I am inclined rather to accept
the theory that they are a variety of the Hottentot race, which they closely resemble in
many particulars. The peculiar form of the countenance, the high cheek-bones, the little
contracted eyes, and the long narrow chin, are all characteristics of the Hottentot race.
The colour of the skin, too, is not black, but yellow, and even paler than that of the
Hottentot, and the women are notable for that peculiarity of form which has already been
noticed.
Their language much resembles that of the Hottentots in sound, the characteristic
" click " being one of its peculiarities. But, whereas the Hottentots generally content
themselves with one click in a word, the Bosjesman tribes employ it with every syllable,
and have besides a kind of croaking sound produced in the throat, which is not used by
the Hottentots, and which they find the greatest difficulty in imitating.
But though their tongue resembles the language of the Hottentots in sound, the words
of the two languages are totally different, so that a Hottentot is quite as much at a loss to
understand a Bosjesman as would be a European. Even the various tribes of Bosjesmans
differ much in their language, each tribe having a dialect of their own, and even changing
their dialect in the course of a few years. This is accounted for by the fact that the
hordes or families of Bosjesmans have but little intercourse with each other, and remain
as widely separated as possible, so that they shall not interfere with the hunting-grounds
of their fellow-tribesmen.
In their conversation among each other also, they are continually inventing new
words. Intellectually, they are but children, and, like children, the more voluble eonde-
266
THE BOSJESMAN OB*BUSHMAN.
scend to the weakness of those who cannot talk as well as themselves, and accept their
imperfect words as integral parts of their language. So imperfect, indeed, is the language
of the Bosjesmans, that even those of the same horde often find a difficulty in under-
standing each other without the use of gesture ; and at night, when a party of Bosjesmans
are smoking, dancing, and talking, they are obliged to keep up a fire so as to be able by
its light to see the explanatory gestures of their companions.
Like many other savage nations, they possess a gesture-language which is univer-
sally understood, even where words are quite unintelligible, and by means of this language
a European can make himself understood by them, even though he does not know a
GROUP OF BOSJESMANS AND CAMP.
word of their spoken language. When a Bosjesman is speaking, he uses a profusion of
gestures, animated, graphic, and so easily intelligible that a person who is wholly ignorant
of the language can readily follow his meaning. I have heard a Bosjesman narrate the
manner in which he hunted different animals, and, although the precise words which he
employed were unknown to me, the whole process of the chase was rendered perfectly
intelligible. Perhaps some of my readers may remember that the late Gordon Gumming
was accompanied by a Bosjesman named Ruyter. This little man survived the perils of
the desert, he escaped from the claws of a lion which dragged his companion from the
blanket in which the two were rolled, and lived for some years in England. He was an
admirable actor, and would sometimes condescend to display his wonderful powers. It is
scarcely possible to imagine anything more graphic than Ruyter's acted description of a
lion stealing into the camp, and the consternation of the different animals which found
themselves in such close proximity to their dreaded enemy. The part of each animal was
COMPLEXION AND GENERAL APPEARANCE, * 267
enacted in turn by Ruyter, whose oest roles were those of the lion himself and a tame
baboon — the voices and action of both animals being imitated with startling accuracy.
The Bosjesmans differ from the true Hottentots in point of size, being so small as to
deserve the name of a nation of pigmies, being, on the average, very little above five feet
in height, while some of the women are seven or eight inches shorter. This does not
apply to the Kora Bosjesmans, who are about five feet four or five inches in height. Still,
small as they are, there is no proof either that they have degenerated from the ancient
stock, which is represented by the true Hottentot, or that they represent the original
stock, on which the Hottentots have improved, and it is more likely that they simply
constitute a group of the Hottentot race.
It has been mentioned that their colour is rather more yellow than dark. This curious
fairness of complexion in a South African race is even more strongly marked than is the
case among the Hottentots, although in their native state it is scarcely so conspicuous.
The fact is. that the Bosjesmans think fresh water far too valuable to be used for
ablutions, and, by way of a succedaneum for a bath, rub themselves with grease, not
removing the original layer, but adding a fresh one whenever they make their toilets.
Thus they attract the smoke of the fire over which they love to crouch at night, and when
they are performing the operation which they are pleased to consider as cooking, the
smoke settles on their bodies, and covers them with a sooty-black hue that makes them
appear nearly as dark as the Kaffirs.
There is generally, however, a tolerably clean spot under each eye, which is caused by
the flow of tears consequent on snuff-taking. But when well washed, their skins are
wonderfully fair, and therefore the Bosjesmans who visit this country, and who are obliged
to wash themselves, give very little idea of the appearance of these curious beings in their
native state.
Of the ordinary appearance of the Bosjesman in his normal state, a good description
is given by Dr. Lichsteustein, in his well-known work on Southern Africa : —
" After some hours two Bosjesmans appeared, who saluted us with their T'abeh, asked
for tobacco, and having received it, seated themselves behind a bush, by a little fire, to
revel at their ease in the delights of smoking. I devoted a considerable time to observing
these men very accurately, and cannot forbear saying that a Bosjesman, certainly in his
mien and all his gestures, has more resemblance to an ape than a man.
" One of our present guests, who appeared about fifty years of age, had grey hair and
a bristly beard ; his forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin were all smeared over with black
grease, having only a white circle round the eye, washed clean with the tears occasioned
by smoking. This man had the true physiognomy of the small blue ape of Kaffraria.
" What gave the more verity to such a comparison was the vivacity of his eyes, and
the flexibility of his eyebrows, which he worked up and down with every change of
countenance. Even his nostrils and the corners of his mouth, even his very ears moved
involuntarily, expressing his hasty transitions from eager desire to watchful distrust.
TJiere was not, on the contrary, a single feature in his countenance that evinced a
consciousness of mental powers, or anything that denoted emotions of the mind of a
milder character than belongs to man in his mere animal nature.
" When a piece of meat was given him, half rising, he stretched out a distrustful arm,
snatched it hastily, and stuck it immediately into the fire, peering around with his little
keen eyes, as if fearing lest some one should take it away again. All this was done with
such looks and gestures, that any one must have been ready to swear that he had taken
the example of them entirely from an ape.
" He soon took the meat from the embers, wiped it hastily upon his left arm, and tore
out with his teeth large half-raw bits, which I could see going entire down his meagre
throat. At length, when he came to the bones and sinew, as he could not manage these
with his teeth, he had recourse to a knife which was hanging round his neck, and with
this he cut off the piece which he held in his teeth, close to the mouth, without touching
his nose or eyes — a feat of dexterity which a person with a Celtic countenance could not
easily have performed.
" When the bone was picked clean, he stuck it again into the fire, and, after beating
268 THE HOTTENTOT.
it between two stones, sucked out the marrow. This done, he immediately filled the
emptied bone with tobacco.
" I offered him a clay pipe, which he declined, and, taking the thick bone a long way
into his mouth, he drew in the smoke by long draughts, his eyes sparkling like those of a
person who, with more than usual pleasure, drinks a glass of costly wine. After three or
four draughts, he handed the bone to his countryman, who inhaled three or four mouth-
fuls in like manner, and then stuck it, still burning, into his pouch, to be reserved for
future occasions."
This very simple pipe is preferred by the Bosjesman to any other, probably because he
can take in a larger quantity of smoke at a single inhalation than could be the case if he
were to use the small-bored pipe of civilization. Reeds, hollow sticks, and similar objects
are used for the same purpose. Sometimes the Bosjesman inhales the whole of the smoke
into his lungs, and takes draught after draught with such eagerness, that he falls down in
a state of insensibility, and has to be restored to consciousness by being rolled on the
ground, and having water thrown over him.
This is certainly an economical mode of consuming the tobacco, as, in this manner, a
single pipeful will serve to intoxicate several smokers in succession. As is the case with
other savages, the Bosjesman has but little idea of using a luxury in moderation. The
chief value of tobacco is, in a Bosjesman's eyes, its intoxicating power, and he therefore
smokes with the avowed intention of being intoxicated as soon as possible, and with the
least expenditure of material.
It is stated by old travellers who have had much intercourse with the Bosjesmans, that
they have no names by which different individuals are distinguished. This may possibly
be the case, and if so, it denotes a depth of degradation which can scarcely be conceived.
But as the Bosjesmans are not without the average share of intellect which, in their pecu-
liar conditions, they could be expected to possess, it is possible that the statement may
be rather too sweeping. It is well known that among many savage nations in different
parts of the earth, there is a great disinclination to allow the name to be known.
As has already been mentioned, the Kaffirs will not allow a stranger to hear their
true names, and, if asked for cheir names, will only entrust him with their titles, but never
with their true names. It is therefore very probable that the Bosjesmans may be actuated
by similar motives, and pretend to have no names at all, rather than take the trouble of
inventing false ones. They have not the least objection to take European names, mostly
preferring those of Dutch parentage, such as Euyter, Kleinboy, Andries, Booy, &c. ; and
as they clearly comprehend that those names are used in order to distinguish them
from their fellows, it seems scarcely possible to believe that they have not some nomen-
clature among themselves.
Whatever may be the case with regard to their names, it is certain that the Bosjes-
mans have no idea of distinctions in rank, differing, however, from the natives which
surround them. The Kaffir tribes are remarkable for the elaborate code of etiquette
which they possess, and which could not exist unless social distinctions were definitely
marked. The Hottentots have their head-men, who possess supreme power in the kraal,
though they do not exhibit any external mark of dignity. But the Bosjesman has not
the least notion of rank, and affords the most complete example of anarchic life that
can be conceived.
In the small hordes of Bosjesmans who wander about the country, there is no chief,
and not even a head-man. Each horde, as a general rule, consists of a single family,
unless members of other hordes may choose to leave their own friends and join it. But
the father of the family is not recognised as its head, much less does he exercise any
power. The leadership of the kraal belongs to the strongest, and he only holds it until
some one stronger than himself dispossesses him.
It is the same with the social relations of life.
Among the Kaffirs and Hottentots — especially among the former — the women are
jealously watched, and infidelity to the marriage compact is severely punished. This,
however, is not the case with the Bosjesmans, who scarcely seem to recognise any such
compact, the marriage tie being dissoluble at the will of the husband. Although the man
WAGON-DKIVING. 269
can divorce his wife whenever he chooses, the woman does not possess the same
power — not because either party has any regard to the marriage tie, but because
he is the stronger of the two, and would beat her if she tried to go away without his
permission.
Even if a couple should be pleased with each other, and do not wish to separate, they
cannot be sure that they will be allowed to remain together ; for if a man who is stronger
than the husband chooses to take a fancy to the wife, he will take her away by force, and
keep her, unless some one still stronger than himself happens to think that sne will suit
his taste. As to the woman herself, she is not consulted on the subject, and is either
given up or retained without the least reference to her feelings. It is a curious fact, that
in the various dialects of the Bosjesmans, there are no words that express the distinction
between an unmarried girl or wife, one word being indiscriminately used.
In this extraordinary social condition the Bosjesman seems to have lived for centuries,
and the earliest travellers in Southern Africa, who wrote accounts of the inhabitants of
that strange land, have given descriptions which exactly tally with narratives which have
been published within the last few years.
The character of the true Bosjesman seems to have undergone no change for many
hundreds of years. Civilization has made no impression upon him. The Kaffirs, the
Dutch, and the English have in turn penetrated into his country, and have driven him
further into the wilderness, but he has never submitted to either of these powerful foes,
nor has he condescended to borrow from them any of the arts of civilization.
Both Kaffirs and Hottentots have been in so far subjected to the inroads of civilization
that they have placed themselves under the protection of the white colonists, and have
learned from them to -substitute the blanket for the kaross, and the gun for the spear or
arrow. They have also acted as domestic servants to the white men, voluntarily hiring
themselves for pay, and performing their work with willingness. But the Bosjesman has
preserved his individuality, and while the Hottentots have become an essentially sub-
servient race, and the Kaffirs have preferred vassalage to independence, he is still the wild
man of the desert, as free, as untameable, as he was a thousand years ago.
Kaffirs, Dutch, and English have taken young Bosjesmans into their service. The
two former have made them their slaves ; the latter has tried to educate them into paid
servants. But they have been equally unsuccessful, and the Bosjesman servant cannot,
as the saying is, be trusted further than he can be seen, and, by a wise master, not so far.
His wild nature is strong within him, and, unless closely watched, he is apt to throw
off all appearance of civilization, and return to the privations and the freedom of his
native state.
The principal use to which a Bosjesman servant is put is to serve the office of " fore-
louper," i. e. the guide to the oxen.
When a wagon is harnessed with its twelve or fourteen oxen, the driver sits on the
box — which really is a box — and wields a most formidable whip, but has no reins, his
office being to urge, and not to guide. His own department he fulfils with a zest all
his own. His terrific whip, with a handle like a salmon-rod, and a lash nearly as long
as its line, can reach the foremost oxen of the longest team, and, when wielded by an
experienced driver, can cut a deep gash in the animal's hide, as if a knife, and not a
whip, had been used.
A good driver can deliver his stroke with equal certainty upon the furthest ox or upon
those that are just beneath him, and so well are the oxen aware of this, that the mere
whistle of the plaited cord through the air, or the sharp crack of its lash, will cause every
ox in the team to bend itself to its work, as if it felt the stinging blow across its back,
and the hot blood trickling down its sides.
But the driver will not condescend to guide the animals, that task being considered
the lowest to which a human being can be put, and which is in consequence handed over
to a Hottentot boy, or, preferably, to a Bosjesman. The " fore-louper's " business is to
walk just in front of the leading oxen, and to pick out the track which is most suitable for
the wheels. There is now before me a beautiful photograph of a harnessed wagon, with
the driver on his seat, and the fore-louper in his place in front of the oxen. He is a very
270 THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
little man, about four feet six inches in height, and, to judge from his face, may be of any
age from sixteen to sixty.
How the fore-louper will sometimes behave, if he thinks that his master is not an
experienced traveller, may be seen from the following account by a traveller who has
already been quoted : —
" My ' leader ' (as the boy is called who leads the two front oxen of the span), on my
first wagon journey, was a Bushman ; he was about four feet high, and decidedly the
ugliest specimen of the human race I ever beheld, without being deformed in body or
limbs ; the most prominent feature in his face was the mouth, with its huge, thick, sensual
lips. The nose could scarcely be called a projection ; at all events, it was far less distin-
guishable in the outline of the side face than the mouth ; it was an inverted (or concave)
Roman, — that is to say, the bridge formed a curve inwards ; the nostrils were very wide
and open, so that you seemed, by means of them, to look a considerable distance into
his head.
" With regard to the eyes, I am guilty of no exaggeration when I assert that you
could not see the eyeballs at all as you looked at his profile, but only the hollows which
contained them ; it was like looking at a mask when the eyes of the wearer are far re-
moved from the orifices cut for them in the pasteboard. The cheek-bones were immense,
the cheeks thin and hollow ; the forehead was low and shelving — in fact, he could scarcely
be said to have a forehead at all. He was two or three shades from being black, and he
had even less hair on his head than his countrymen generally ; it was composed of little
tight woolly knots, with a considerable space of bare skin between each.
" So much for the young gentleman's features. The expression was diabolically bad,
and his disposition corresponded to it. I firmly believe that the little wretch would have
been guilty of any villany, or any cruelty, for the mere love of either. I found the only
way to keep him in the slightest control was so inspire him with bodily fear — no easy
task, seeing that his hide was so tough that your arms would ache long before you pro-
duced any keen sense of pain by thrashing him.
" On one occasion the wagon came to the brow of a hill, when it was the duty of the
leader to stop the oxen, and see that the wheel was well locked. It may readily be
imagined that a wagon which requires twelve oxen to draw it on level ground could not
be held back by two oxen in its descent down a steep hill, unless with the wheel locked.
My interesting Bushman, however, whom I had not yet offended in any manner, no sooner
found himself at the top of the hill, than he let go the oxen with a yell and ' whoop/
which set them off at a gallop down the precipitous steep. The wagon flew from side to
side of the road, destined, apparently, to be smashed to atoms every moment, together with
myself, its luckless occupant. I was dashed about, almost unconscious of what could be
the cause, so suddenly had we started on our mad career. Heaven only knows how I
escaped destruction, bnt we positively reached the bottom of the hill uninjured.
" The Bushman was by the wagon-side in an instant, and went to his place at the
oxen's heads as coolly and unconcernedly as if he had just performed part of his ordinary
duties. The Hottentot driver, on the contrary, came panting up, and looking aghast with
horror at the fear he had felt. I jumped out of the wagon, seized my young savage by
the collar of his jacket, and with a heavy sea-cowhide whip I belaboured him with all
my strength, wherein, I trust, the reader will think me justified, as the little wretch had
made the most barefaced attempt on my life. I almost thought my strength would be
exhausted before I could get a sign from the young gentleman that he felt my blows, bnt
at length he uttered a yell of pain, and I knew he had had enough. Next day I dropped
him at a village, and declined his further services."
Missionaries have tried their best to convert the Bosjesman to Christianity, and have
met with as little success as those who have endeavoured to convert him to civilization.
Indeed, the former almost presupposes some amount of the latter, and whatever may be
done by training up a series of children, nothing can be done with those who have once
tested of the wild ways of desert life.
The dress of the Bosjesman bears some resemblance to that of the Hottentot, but is,
if possible, even more simple.
DRESS OF BOTH SEXES. 271
Like the Hottentot, the Bosjesman likes to cover his head, and generally wears a head-
dress made of skin. Sometimes he pulls out the scanty tufts of hair to their fullest
extent — an inch at the most — and plasters them with grease until they project stiffly from
the head. Sometimes also he shaves a considerable portion of the head, and rubs red
clay and grease so thickly into the remaining hair that it becomes a sort of a felt cap.
To this odd head-dress he suspends all kinds of small ornaments, such as beads, fragments
of ostrich shells, bright bits of metal, and other objects.
When a Bosjesman kills a bird, he likes to cut off the head, and fasten that also to
his hair-cap in such a manner that the beak projects over his forehead. Mr. Baines men-
tions two Bosjesmans, one of whom wore the head of a secretary bird, and the other that
of a crow. One of these little men seemed to be rather a dandy in his costume, as
he also wore a number of white feathers, cut short, and stuck in his hair, where they
radiated like so many curl-papers.
As for dress, as we understand the word, all that the Bosjesman cares for is a kind
of small triangular apron, the broad end of which is suspended to the belt in front, and
the narrow end passed between the legs and tucked into the belt behind. Besides this
apron, if it may be so called, the Bosjesman has generally a kaross, or mantle, made from
the skin of some animal. This kaross is generally large enough to hang to nearly the
feet when the wearer is standing upright, and its chief use is as an extemporized bed.
Like the Hottentot, the Bosjesman rolls himself up in his kaross when he sleeps, gathering
himself together into a very small compass, and thus covering himself completely with
a mantle which would be quite inadequate to shelter a European of equal size.
As to the wcmen, their dress very much resembles that of the Hottentot. They wear
a piece of skin wrapped round their heads, and the usual apron, made of leather cut into
narrow thongs. They also have the kaross, which is almost exactly like that of the men.
These are the necessities of dress, but the female sex among this curious race are
equally fond of finery with their more civilized sisters. Having but little scope for orna-
ment in the apron and kaross, they place the greater part of their decoration on the head,
and ornament their hair and countenances in the most extraordinary way. Water, as
has been already observed, never touches their faces, which are highly polished with
grease, so that they shine in the sunbeams with a lustre that is literally dazzling. To
their hair they suspend various small ornaments, like those which have been mentioned
as forming part of the men's dress. Among these ornaments, the money-cowrie is often
seen, and is much valued, because this shell does not belong to the coast, but is used as
money, and is thus passed over a very great portion of Southern Africa as a sort of
currency.
A curious and very inconvenient ornament is mentioned by Burchell, and the reader
will see that it bears some resemblance to the frontlet which is drawn on page 247.
The girl who was wearing it had evidently a great idea of her own attractions, and
indeed, according to the writer, she had some grounds for vanity. She had increased the
power of her charms by rubbing her whole dress and person thickly with grease, while
her arms and legs were so loaded with leathern rings, that she evidently had an admirer
who was a successful hunter, as in no other way could she obtain these coveted decora-
tions. Her hair was clotted with red ochre, and glittering with sibilo, while her whole
person was perfumed with buchu.
Her chief ornament, however, was a frontlet composed of three oval pieces of ivory,
about as large as sparrow's eggs, which were suspended from her head in such a way that
one fell on her nose, and the other two on her cheeks. As she spoke, she coquettishly
moved her head from side to side, so as to make these glittering ornaments swing about
in a manner which she considered to be very fascinating.
However, as the writer quaintly observes, " her vanity and affectation, great as they
were, did not, as one may sometimes observe in both sexes in other countries, elate her,
or produce any alteration in the tone of her voice, for the astonishing quantity of meat
wrhich she swallowed down, and the readiness with which she called out to her attendants
for more, showed her to be resolved that no squeamishness should interfere on this
occasion."
272
THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
As is the case with the Hottentots, the Bosjesman female is slightly and delicately
formed while she is young, and for a few years is almost a model of symmetry. But the
season of beauty is very short, and in a few years after attaining womanhood the features
are contracted, sharpened, and wrinkled, while the limbs look like sticks more than arms
and legs of a human being. The accompanying illustration, which represents a Bosjes-
man woman with her child, will give a good idea of the appearance which these people
present.
Even naturally, the bloom of youth would fade quickly, but the decay of youth is
accelerated by constant hardships, uncertain supply of food, and a total want of personal
cleanliness. The only relic of beauty that
remains is the hand, which is marvellously
small and delicate, and might be envied
by the most refined lady in civilized
countries, and which never becomes coarse
or disfigured by hard work.
The children of the Bosjesmans are
quite as repulsive in aspect as their elders,
though in a different manner, being as
stupendously thick in the body as their
elders are shapelessly thin. Their little
eyes, continually kept nearly closed, in
order to exclude the sandflies, look as if
they had retreated into the head, so com-
pletely are they hidden by the projecting
cheek-bones, and the fat that surrounds
them. Their heads are preternaturally
ugly, the skull projecting exceedingly be-
hind, and the short woolly hair growing
so low down on the forehead that they
look as if they were afflicted with hydro-
cephalus. In fact, they scarcely seem to
be human infants at all, and are abso-
lutely repulsive, instead of being winning
or attractive. They soon quit this stage of formation, and become thin-limbed and pot-
bellied, with a prodigious fall in the back, which is, in fact, a necessary consequence of
the former deformity.
It is astonishing how soon the little things learn to lead an independent life. At a
lew months of age they crawl on the sand like yellow toads of a larger size than usual,
and by the time that they are a year old they run about freely, with full use of arms as
well as legs. Even before they have attained this age, they have learned to search for
water bulbs which lie hidden under the sand, and to scrape them up with their hands
and a short stick.
From eight to fourteen seems to be the age at which these people are most attrac-
tive. They have lost the thick shapelessness of infancy, the ungainliness of childhood,
and have attained the roundness of youth, without having sunk into the repulsive
attributes of age.
At sixteen or seventeen they begin to show marks of age, and from that time to the
end of their life seem to become more and more repulsive. At the age when our youths
begin to assume the attributes of manhood, and to exhibit finely-knit forms and well-
developed muscles, the Bosjesman is beginning to show indications of senility. Furrows
appear on his brow, his body becomes covered with wrinkles, and his abdomen falls loosely
in successive folds. This singularly repulsive development is partly caused by the nature
of the food which he eats, and of the irregularity with which he is supplied. He is always
either hungry or gorged with food, and the natural consequence of such a mode of life is
the unsightly formation which has been mentioned. As the Bosjesman advances in years,
the wrinkles on his body increase in number and depth, and at last his whole body is so
WOMAN AND CHILD.
PECULIARITY OF THE SENSES. 273
covered with hanging folds of loose skin, that it is almost impossible for a stranger to
know whether he is looking at a man or a woman.
It has already been mentioned that the eyes of the Bosjesman are small, deeply sunken
in the head, and kept so tightly closed that they are scarcely perceptible. Yet the sight
of the Bosjesman is absolutely marvellous in its penetration and precision. He needs no
telescope, for his unaided vision is quite as effective as any ordinary telescope, and he has
been known to decide upon the precise nature of objects which a European could not
identify, even with the assistance of his glass.
This power of eyesight is equalled by the delicacy of two other senses, those of hearing
and smell. The Bosjesman's ear catches the slightest sound, and his mind is instantly
ready to take cognizance of it. He understands the sound of the winds as they blow over
the land, the cry of birds, the rustling of leaves, the hum of insects, and draws his own
conclusions from them. His wide, flattened nostrils are equally sensitive to odours, and
in some cases a Bosjesman trusts as much to his nose as to his eyes.
Yet these senses, delicate as they may be, are only partially developed. The sense of
smell, for example, which is so sensitive to odours which a civilized nose could not per-
ceive, is callous to the abominable emanations from his own body and those of his
comrades, neither are the olfactory nerves blunted by any amount of pungent snuff. The
sense of taste seems almost to be in abeyance, for the Bosjesman will eat with equal relish
meat which has been just killed, and which is tough, stringy, and juiceless, or that which
has been killed for several days, and is in a tolerably advanced state of putrefaction.
Weather seems to have little effect on him, and the sense of pain seems nearly as blunt
as it is in the lower animals, a Bosjesman caring nothing for injuries which would at
once prostrate any ordinary European.
CHAPTER XXV.
THE BOSJESMAN— Continued.
HOMES OF THE BOSJESMANS THE ROCK-CAVE THE BUSH-HOUSE TEMPORARY HABITATIONS
FOOD, AND MODE OF OBTAINING IT HUNTING — CHASE OF THE OSTRICH A SINGULAR STRATA-
GEM OSTRICH FEATHERS, AND METHOD OF PACKING THEM — USES OF THE OSTRICH EGG-SHELL
— CUNNING ROBBERS CATTLE-STEALING — WARFARE PETTY SKIRMISHING BOSJESMANS AT BAY
— SWIMMING POWERS OF THE BOSJESMANS THE " WOODEN HORSE " BENEVOLENT CONDUCT
OF BOSJESMANS THE WEAPONS OF THE BOSJESMANS — THE ARROW, AND ITS CONSTRUCTION —
HOW ARROWS ARE CARRIED — POISON WITH WHICH THE ARROW IS COVERED — VARIOUS METHODS
OF MAKING POISON — IRRITATING THE SERPENT — THE N*GWA, K'AA, OR POISON GRUB, AND ITS
TERRIBLE EFFECTS THE GRUB IN ITS DIFFERENT STAGES ANTIDOTE POISONED WATER
UNEXPECTED CONDUCT OF THE BOSJESMANS THE QUIVER, SPEAR, AND KNIFE.
HAVING now glanced at the general appearance of the Bosjesman, we will rapidly leview
the course of his ordinary life.
Of houses or homes he is nearly independent. A rock cavern is a favourite house
with the Bosjesman, who finds all the shelter he needs, without being obliged to exert any
labour in preparing it. But there are many parts of the country over which he roams, in
which there are no rocks, and consequently no caves.
In such cases, the Bosjesman imitates the hare, and makes a " form " in which he
conceals himself. He looks out for a suitable bush, creeps into it, and bends the boughs
down so as to form a tent-like covering. The mimosa trees are favourite resorts with the
Bosjesman, and it has been well remarked, that after a bush has been much used, and the
young twigs begin to shoot upwards, the whole bush bears a great resemblance to a huge
bird's nest. The resemblance is increased by the habit of the Bosjesman of lining these
primitive houses with hay, dried leaves, wool, and other soft materials. The Tarconanthus
forms the usual resting-place of these wild men, its pliant branches being easily bent into
the required shape.
These curious dwellings are not only used as houses, but are employed as lurking-
places, where the Bosjesman can lie concealed, and whence he launches his tiny but deadly
arrows at the animals that may pass near the treacherous bush. It is in consequence of
this simple mode of making houses that the name of Bosjesman, or Bushman, has been
given to this group of South African savages. This, of course, is the Dutch title ; their
name, as given by themselves, is Saqua.
In places where neither rocks nor bushes are to be found, these easily contented people
are at no loss for a habitation, but make one by the simple process of scratching a hole in
the ground, and throwing up the excavated earth to windward. Sometimes they become
rather luxurious, and make a further shelter by fixing a few sticks in the ground, and
throwing over them a mat or a piece of hide, which will answer as a screen against
the wind. In this hole a wonderful number of Bosjesmans will contrive to stow them-
selves^ rolling their kaross round their body in the peculiar manner which has already been
TEMPOPtARY CAMP.
275
mentioned. The slight screen forms their only protection against the wind — the kaross
their sole defence against the rain.
When a horde of Bosjesmans has settled for a time in a spot which promises good
hunting, they generally make tent-like houses by fixing flexible sticks in the ground,
bending them so as to force them to assume a cage-like form, and then covering them with
simple mats made of reeds. These huts are almost exactly like the primitive tents in
which the gipsies of our own country invariably live, and which they prefer to the most
sumptuous chamber that wealth, luxury, and art can provide.
So much for his houses. As to his food, the Bosjesman finds no difficulty in sup-
plying himself with all that he needs. His wants are indeed few, for there is scarcely
anything which a human being can eat without being poisoned, that the Bosjesman does
not use for food, He has not the least prejudice against any kind of edible substance
TEMPORARY CAMP.
and, provided that it is capable of affording nourishment, he asks nothing more. His
luxuries are comprised in two words — tobacco and brandy ; but food is a necessary of
life, and is not looked upon in any other light.
There is not a beast, and I believe not a bird, that a Bosjesman will not eat. Snakes
and other reptiles are common articles of diet, and insects are largely used as food by this
people. Locusts and white ants are the favourite insects, but the Bosjesman is in no wise
fastidious, and will eat almost any insect that he can catch. Roots, too, form a large
portion of the Bosjesman's diet, and he can discover the water-root without the
assistance of a baboon.
Thus it happens that the Bosjesman can live where other men would perish, and to
him the wild desert is a congenial home. All that he needs is plenty of space, because
he never cultivates the ground, nor breeds sheep or cattle, trusting entirely for his food to
the casual productions of the earth, whether they be animal or vegetable.
It has already been mentioned that the Bosjesman obtains his meat by hunting.
Though one of the best hunters in the world, the Bosjesman, like the Hottentot, to
whom he is nearly related, has no love of the chase, or, indeed, for any kind of exertion,
and would not take the trouble to pursue the various animals on which he lives, if he
276 THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
could obtain their flesh without the trouble of hunting them. Yet, when he has fairly
started on the chase, there is no man more doggedly persevering ; and even the Esquimaux
seal-hunter, who will sit for forty-eight hours with harpoon in hand, cannot surpass him
in endurance.
Small as he is, he will match himself against the largest and the fiercest animals
of Southern Africa, and proceeds with perfect equanimity and certainty of success to the
chase of the elephant, the rhinoceros, the lion, and the leopard. The former animals,
whose skins are too tough to be pierced with his feeble weapons, he entraps by sundry
ingenious devices, while the latter fall victims to the deadly poison with which his arrows
are imbued. The skill of the Bosjesman is severely tested in the chase of the ostrich, a
bird which the swiftest horse can barely overtake, and which is so wary as well as swift,
that a well-mounted hunter, armed with the best rifle, thinks himself fortunate when he
can kill one.
The little Bosjesman has two modes of killing these birds. If he happens to find one
of their enormous nests while the parent birds are away, he approaches it very cautiously,
lest his track should be seen by the ever- watchful ostrich, and buries himself in the sand
among the eggs. The reader will doubtless remember that several ostriches deposit their
eggs in one nest, and that the nest in question is simply scraped in the sand, and is of
enormous dimensions.
Here the tiny hunter will lie patiently until the sun has gone down, when he knows
that the parent birds will return to the nest. As they approach in the distance, he care-
fully fits a poisoned arrow to his bow, and directs its point towards the advancing
ostriches. As soon as they come within range, he picks out the bird which has the
plumpest form and the most luxuriant plumage, and with a single arrow seals its fate.
The chief drawback to this mode of hunting is, that the very act of discharging the
arrow reveals the form of the hunter, and frightens the other birds so much that a second
shot is scarcely to be obtained, and the Bosjesman is forced to content himself with one
dead bird and the whole of the eggs.
Fortunately, he is quite indifferent as to the quality of the eggs. He does not very
much care if any of them should be addled, and will eat with perfect composure an egg
which would alarm an European at six paces distance. Neither does he object to the eggs
if they should be considerably advanced in hatching, and, if anything, rather fancies him-
self fortunate in procuring a young and tender bird without the trouble of chasing and
catching it. Then the egg-shells, when the contents are removed, are most valuable for
many purposes, and specially for the conveyance of water.
For this latter purpose they are simply invaluable. The Bosjesmans always contrive
to have a supply of water, but no one except themselves has the least notion where it is
stored. If a Bosjesman kraal is attacked, and the captives interrogated as to the spot
where the supply of water has been stored, they never betray the precious secret, but
always pretend that they have none, and that they are on the point of dying with
thirst. Yet, at some quiet hour of the night, a little yellow woman is tolerably sure to
creep to their sides, and give them a plentiful draught of water, while their captors are
trying to lull their thirst by sleep.
How they utilize their egg-shells of water, the reader will see in another place.
The eyes of the ostrich are keen enough, but those of the Bosjesman are keener, and
if the small hunter, perched on his rocky observatory, happens to catch a glimpse of
a number of ostriches in the far distance, he makes up his mind that in a few hours
several of those birds will have fallen before the tiny bow and the envenomed arrow
which it projects.
He immediately creeps back to his apology for a hut, and there finds a complete
hunter's suit, which he has prepared in readiness for such an occasion. It consists of the
skin of an ostrich, without the legs, and having a stick passed up the neck. The skin
of the body is stretched over a kind of saddle, which the maker has adapted to his own
shoulders.
He first rubs his yellow legs with white chalk, and then fixes the decoy skin on his
back, taking care to do it in such a manner, that although it is quite firm as long as it
OSTEICH HUNTING.
27
has to be worn, it can be thrown off in a moment. The reason for this precaution will
be seen presently.
He then takes his bow and arrows, and sets off in pursuit of the ostriches, using all
possible pains to approach them in such a direction that the wind may blow from them
to him. Were he to neglect this precaution, the watchful birds would soon detect him
by the scent, and dash away where he could not possibly follow them.
As soon as the ostriches see a strange bird approaching, they cease from feeding,
OSTKICH HUNTING.
gather together, and gaze suspiciously at their supposed companion. Were the disguised
hunter to approach at once, the birds would take the alarm, so he runs about here and
there, lowering the head to the ground, as if in the act of feeding, but always contriving
to decrease the distance between himself and the birds. At last he manages to come
within range, and when he has crept tolerably close to the selected victim, he suddenly
allows the head of the decoy-skin to fall to the ground, snatches up an arrow, speeds it
on its deadly mission, and instantly raises the head again.
The stricken bird dashes off in a fright on receiving the wound, and all its com-
panions run with it, followed by the disguised Bosjesman. Presently the wounded bird
begins to slacken its speed, staggers, and falls to the ground, thus allowing the hunter to
come up to the ostriches as they are gazing on their fallen companion, and permitting him
to secure another victim. Generally, a skilful hunter will secure four out of five ostriches
by this method of hunting, but it sometimes happens that the birds discover that there
js something wrong, and make an attack on the apparent stranger, An assault from so
278 THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
powerful a bird is no trifle, as a blow from its leg is enough to break the limb of a powerful
man, much more of so small and feeble a personage as a Bosjesman hunter.
Then comes the value of the precaution which has just been mentioned. As soon as
he finds the fraud discovered, the hunter runs round on the windward side of the ostriches,
so as to give them his scent. They instantly take the alarm, and just in that moment
when they pause in their contemplated attack, and meditate immediate flight, the Bosjes-
man flings off the now useless skin, seizes his weapons, and showers his arrows with
marvellous rapidity among the frightened birds.
In this way are procured a very large proportion of the ostrich feathers which are sent
to the European market, and the lady who admires the exquisite contour and beautiful
proportions of a good ostrich plume, has seldom any idea that it was procured by a little
yellow man disguised in an ostrich skin, with bow and arrows in his hand, and his legs
rubbed with chalk.
After he has plucked the feathers, he has a very ingenious mode of preserving them
from injury. He takes hollow reeds, not thicker than an ordinary drawing pencil, and
pushes the feathers into them as far as they will go. He then taps the end of the reeds
against the ground, and, by degrees, the feather works its own way into the protecting
tube. In this tube the feathers are carried about, and it is evident that a considerable
number of them can be packed so as to make an easy load for a man.
When they kill an ostrich, they prepare from it a substance of a rather remarkable
character. Before the bird is dead, they cut its throat, and then tie a ligature firmly
over the wound, so as to prevent any blood from escaping. The wretched bird thus bleeds
inwardly, and the flow of blood is promoted by pressing it and rolling it from side to
side. Large quantities of mixed blood and fat are thus collected in the distensible crop,
and, Avhen the bird happens to be in- particularly good condition, nearly twenty pounds of
this substance are furnished by a single ostrich. The natives value this strange mixture
very highly, and think that it is useful in a medicinal point of view.
The shell of the ostrich egg is nearly as valuable to the Bosjesman as its contents, and
in some cases is still more highly valued. Its chief use is as a water vessel, for which it
is admirably adapted. The women have the task of filling these shells ; a task which is
often a very labourious one when the water is scanty.
In common with many of the kindred tribes, they have a curious method of obtaining
water when there is apparently nothing but mud to be found. They take a long reed,
and tie round one end of it a quantity of dried grass. This they push as deeply as they
conveniently can into the muddy soil, and allow it to remain there until the water has
penetrated through the primitive filter, and has risen in the tube. They then apply their
lips to the tube, and draw into their mouths as much water as they can contain, and then
discharge it into an empty egg-shell by means of another reed ; or, if they do not possess
a second reed, a slight stick will answer the purpose if managed carefully.
When filled, the small aperture that has been left in each egg is carefully closed by
a tuft of grass very tightly forced into it, and the women have to undertake the labour of
carrying their heavy load homewards.
There is one mode of using these egg-shells which is worthy of mention.
The Bosjesmans are singularly ingenious in acting as spies. They will travel to great
distances in order to find out if there is anything to be stolen, and they have a method
of communicating with each other by means of the smoke of a fire that constitutes a very
perfect telegraph. The Australian savage has a similar system, and it is really remarkable
that two races of men, who are certainly among the lowest examples of humanity, should
possess an accomplishment which implies no small amount of mental capability.
Property to be worth stealing by a Bosjesman must mean something which can be
eaten, and almost invariably takes the shape of cattle. Thus, to steal cattle is perhaps
not so difficult a business, but to transport them over a wide desert is anything but
easy, and could not be accomplished, even by a Bosjesman without the exercise of much
forethought.
In the first place, the Bosjesman is very careful of the direction in which he makes
his raids, and will never steal cattle in places whence he is likely to be followed by the
CATTLE STEALING.
279
aggrieved owners. He prefers to carry off animals that are separated from his own district
by a dry and thirsty desert, over which horses cannot pass, and which will tire out any
pursuers on foot, because they cannot carry with them enough water for the journey.
When his plans are laid, and his line of march settled, he sends the women along it,
with orders to bury ostrich egg-shells full of water at stated distances, the locality of each
being signified by certain marks which none but himself can read. As soon as this pre-
caution is taken, he starts off at his best pace, and, being wonderfully tolerant of thirst,
he and his companions reach their destination without making any very great diminution
in the stock of water. They then conceal themselves until nightfall, their raids never
taking place in the day-time.
SHOOTIJJG CATTLE.
In the dead of night they slink into the cattle pen, silently killing the watchman, if
one should be on guard, and select the best animals, which they drive off. The whole of
the remainder they either kill or maim, the latter being the usual plan, as it saves their
arrows. But, if they should be interrupted in their proceedings, their raid is not the less
fatal, for, even in the hurry of flight, they will discharge a poisoned arrow into every
animal, so that not one is left.
We will suppose, however, that their plans are successful, and that they have got
fairly off with their plunder.
They know that they cannot conceal the tracks of the cattle, and do not attempt to
do so, but push on as fast as the animals can be urged, so as to get a long start of their
pursuers. When they are fairly on the track, some of their number go in advance, to
the first station, dig up the water-vessels, and wait the arrival of the remainder. The
280 THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
cattle are supplied with as much water as can be spared for them, in order to give them
strength and willingness for the journey ; the empty vessels are then tied on their backs,
and they are again driven forward. In this manner they pass on from station to station
until they arrive at their destination.
Should, however, the pursuers come up with them, they abandon the cattle at once ;
invariably leaving a poisoned arrow in each by way of a parting gift, and take to flight
with such rapidity, that the pursuers know that it is useless to follow them.
The needless destruction which they work among the cattle, which to a Hottentot or
a Kaffir are almost the breath of life, has exasperated both these people to such a degree
that they will lay aside for a time their differences, and unite in attacking the Bosjesman,
who is equally hated by both. This, however, they do with every precaution, knowing full
well the dangerous character of the enemies against whom they are about to advance, and
not attempting any expedition unless their numbers are very strong indeed.
Of systematic warfare the Bosjesmans know nothing, although they are perhaps the
most dangerous enemies that a man can have, his first knowledge of their presence being
the .clang of the bow, and the sharp whirring sound of the arrow. Sometimes a horde of
Bosjesmans will take offence at some Hottentot or Kaffir tribe, and will keep up a
desultory sort of skirmish for years, during which time the foe knows not what a quiet
night means.
The Bosjesmans dare not attack their enemies in open day, neither will they venture
to match themselves in fair warfare against any considerable number of antagonists. But
not a man dares to stray from the protection of the huts, unless accompanied by armed
comrades, knowing that the cunning enemies are always lurking in the neighbourhood,
and that a stone, or bush, or tree, will afford cover to a Bosjesman. These tiny but
formidable warriors will even conceal themselves in the sand, if they fancy that stragglers
may pass in that direction, and the puff-adder itself is not more invisible, nor its fangs
more deadly, than the lurking Bosjesman.
On the bare cliffs they can conceal themselves with marvellous address, their yellow
skins being so like the colour of the rocks that they are scarcely visible, even when there
is no cover. Moreover, they have a strange way of huddling themselves up in a bundle,
so as to look like conical heaps of leaves and sticks, without a semblance of humanity
about them.
Open resistance they seldom offer, generally scattering and escaping in all directions if
a direct charge is made at them, even if they should be assailed by one solitary enemy
armed only with a stick. But they will hang about the outskirts of the hostile tribe for
months together, never gathering themselves into a single band which can be assaulted
and conquered, but separating themselves into little parties of two or three, against whom
it would be absurd for the enemy to advance in force, which cannot be conquered by equal
numbers, and yet which are too formidable to be left unmolested.
The trouble and annoyance which a few Bosjesmans can inflict upon a large body of
enemies is almost incredible. The warriors are forced to be always on the watch, and
never venture singly without their camp, while the women and children have such a
dread of the Bosjesmans, that the very mention of the name throws them into paroxysms
of terror.
The difficulty of attacking these pertinacious enemies is very much increased by the
nomad character of the Bosjesmans. The Hottentot tribes can move a village in half a
day, but the Bosjesmans, who can exist without fixed habitations of any kind, and whose
most elaborate houses are far simpler than the worst specimens of Hottentot architecture,
can remove themselves and their habitations whenever they choose ; and, if necessary,
can abolish their rude houses altogether, so as not to afford the least sign of their
residence.
Sometimes, but very rarely, the Kaffirs, exasperated by repeated losses at the hands
of the Bosjesmans, have determined to trace the delinquents to their home, and to extirpate
the entire community. The expedition is one which is fraught with special danger, as
there is no weapon which a Kaffir dreads more than the poisoned arrow of the Bosjesman.
In such cases the overwhelming numbers of the assailants and the absolute necessity of
COURAGE OF THE BOSJESMANS.
281
the task which they have set themselves, are sure to lead to ultimate success, and neither
men nor women are spared.
The very young children are sometimes carried off and made to act as slaves, but, as
a general rule, the Kaffirs look upon the Bosjesmans much as if they were a set of
venomous serpents, and kill them all with as little compunction as they would feel in
destroying a family of cobras or puff- adders.
It has been mentioned that the Bosjesmans will seldom offer any resistance in open
fight. Sometimes however, they will do so, but only in case of being driven to bay,
preferring usually to lie in wait, and in the dead of night to steal upon their foes, send
a few poisoned arrows among them, and steal away under cover of the darkness.
KAFFIRS AND BOSJESMAXS.
Yet when flight is useless, and they are fairly at bay, they accept the position, and
become as terrible foes as can be met ; losing all sense of fear, and fighting with desperate
courage. A small band of them has often been known to fight a large party of enemies,
and to continue their struggles until every man has been killed. On one such occasion,
all had been killed except one man, who had ensconced himself so closely behind a stone
that his enemies could not manage to inflict a mortal wound. With his bow he drew
towards him the unspent arrows of his fallen kinsmen, and, though exhausted by loss
of blood from many wounds on his limbs, he continued to hurl the arrows at his foes,
accompanying each with some abusive epithet. It was not until many of his enemies
had fallen by his hand, that he exposed himself to a mortal blow.
On reference to the illustration, the reader will see that several of the fallen warriors
have arrows stuck in their head-dress. This is a curious custom of the Bosjesman,
who likes to have his arrows ready to hand, and for this purpose carries them in his
282 THE BOSJESMAN OE BUSHMAN.
head-dress, just as an old-fashioned clerk carries his pen behind his ear. Generally
he keeps them in his quiver with their points reversed, but, when he is actively eng:vgvd
in fighting, he takes them out, turns the points with their poisoned ends outwards,
and arranges them at each side of his head, so that they project like a couple of skeleton
fans.
They give a most peculiar look to the features, and are as sure an indication of danger
as the spread hood of the cobra, or the menancing " whirr " of the rattlesnake. He makes
great use of them in the war of words, which in Southern Africa seems invariably to
accompany the war of weapons, and moves them just as a horse moves his ears. With
one movement of the head he sends them all forward like two horns, and with another
he shakes them open in a fan-like form, accompanying each gesture with rapid frowns
like those of an angry baboon, and with a torrent of words that are eloquent enough to
those who understand them.
He does not place all his arrows in his head-dress, but keeps a few at hand in the
quiver. These he uses when he has time for a deliberate aim. But, if closely pressed,
he snatches arrow after arrow out of his head-dress, fits them to the string, and shoots
them with a rapidity that seems almost incredible. I have seen a Bosjesman send three
successive arrows into a mark, and do it so quickly that the three were discharged in
less than two seconds. Indeed, the three sounds followed one another as rapidly as three
blows could have been struck with a stick.
Traversing the country unceasingly, the Bosjesman would not be fit for his ordinaiy
life if he could be stopped by such an obstacle as a river ; and it is accordingly found that
they can all swim. As the rivers are often swift and strong, swimming across them in
a straight line would be impossible but for an invention which is called " Houte-paard,"
or wooden horse. This is nothing more than a piece of wood six or seven feet in length,
with a peg driven into one end. When the swimmer crosses a stream, he places this peg
against his right shoulder so that the wood is under his body, and helps to support it. How
this machine works may be seen from the following anecdote by Dr. Lichstenstein, which
not only illustrates the point in question, but presents the Bosjesmans in a more amiable
light than we are generally accustomed to view them.
" A hippopotamus had been killed, and its body lashed to the bank with leathern
ropes. The stream, however, after the fashion of African streams, had risen suddenly,
and the current swept downwards with such force, that it tore asunder the ropes in
question, and carried off the huge carcase. Some Bosjesmans went along the bank to
discover the lost animal, and at last found it on the other bank, and having crossed the
river, carrying with them the ends of some stout ropes, they tried unsuccessfully to tow
the dead animal to the other side.
" Some other means of accomplishing the proposed end were now to be devised, and
many were suggested, but none found practicable, The hope of retrieving the prize,
however, induced a young colonist to attempt swimming over ; but, on account of the vast
force of the stream, he was constrained to return ere he had reached a fourth part of the
way. In the meantime, the two Bosjesmans who had attained the other side of the water,
having made a large fire, cut a quantity of the fat off the monster's back, which they
baked and ate most voraciously.
" This sight tempted five more of the Bosjesmans to make a new essay. Each took
a light flat piece of wood, which was fastened to the right shoulder, and under the arm ;
when in the water the point was placed directly across the stream, so that the great force
of water must come upon that, while the swimmer, with the left arm and the feet,
struggled against the stream, in the same manner as a ship with spread sails, when,
according to the sailor's language, it sails before the wind. They arrived quicker than
the first, and almost without any effort, directly to the opposite point, and immediately
applied all their strength, though in vain, to loosening the monster from the rock on
which it hung.
" In the meantime, a freed slave, belonging to the Governor's train, an eager, spirited
young fellow, and a very expert swimmer, had the boldness to attempt following the
savages without any artificial aid, and got, though slowly, very successfully about half-
SWIMMING POWERS. 2o3
way over. Here however, his strength failed him ; he was carried away and sunk, but
appeared again above the water, struggling with his little remaining powers to reach the
shore. All efforts were in vain ; he was forced to abandon himself to the stream ; but
luckily, at a turn in the river, which soon presented itself, he was carried to the land
half dead.
"The Bosjesmans, when they saw his situation, quitted their fire, and hastening to his
assistance, arrived at the spot just as he crawled on shore, 'exhausted with fatigue, and
stiffened with cold. It was a truly affecting sight to behold the exertions made by the
savages to recover him. They threw their skins over him, dried him, and rubbed him
with their hands, and, when he began somewhat to revive, carried him to the fire and
laid him down by it. They then made him a bed with their skins, and put more wood
on the fire, that he might be thoroughly warmed, rubbing his benumbed limbs over with
the heated fat of the river-horse. But evening was now coming on, and, in order to
wait for the entire restoration of the unfortunate adventurer, it was necessary for the
whole party to resolve on passing the night where they were. Some of the Bosjesmans
on this side exerted themselves to cany the poor man's clothes over to him, that
he might not be prevented by the cold -from sleeping, and recovering strength for
his return.
" Early the next morning the Bosjesmans were seen conducting their protege along the
side of the stream, to seek out some more convenient spot for attempting to cross it.
They soon arrived at one where there was a small island in the river, which would of
course much diminish the fatigue of crossing ; a quantity of wood was then fastened
together, on which he was laid, and thus the voyage commenced.
" The young man, grown timid with the danger from which he had escaped, could not
encounter the water again without great apprehension ; he with the whole party, however,
arrived very safely and tolerably quick at the island, whence, with the assistance of his
two friends, he commenced the second and most toilsome part of the undertaking. Two
of the Bosjesmans kept on each side of the bundle of wood, while the young man himself
exerted all his remaining powers to push on his float.
" When they reached a bank in the river, on which they were partially aground,
having water only up to the middle, he was obliged to stop and rest awhile ; but by this
time he was so completely chilled, and his limbs were so benumbed with the cold, that it
seemed almost impossible for him to proceed. In vain did his comrades, who looked
anxiously on to see the termination of the adventure, call to him to take courage, to make,
without delay, yet one more effort; he, as well as an old Bosjesman, the best swimmer of
the set, seemed totally to have lost all thought or presence of mind.
" At this critical moment, two of the Bosjesmans who had remained on our side of the
water were induced, after some persuasion, to undertake the rescue of these unfortunate
adventurers. A large bundle of wood was fastened together with the utmost despatch ; on
the end of this they laid themselves, and to the middle was fastened a cord ; this was
held by those on shore, so that it might not fall into the water and incommode them in
swimming.
" It was astonishing to see with what promptitude they steered directly to the right
spot, and came, notwithstanding the rapidity of the stream, to the unfortunate objects they
sought. The latter had so far lost all coolness and presence of mind, that they had not the
sense immediately to lay hold of the cord, and their deliverers were in the utmost danger
of being carried away the next moment by the stream. At this critical point, the third,
who was standing on the bank, seized the only means remaining to save his companions.
He pushed them before him into the deep water, and compelled them once more, in
conjunction with him. to put forth all their strength, while the other two struggled with
their utmost might against the stream. In this manner he at length succeeded in making
them catch hold of the rope, by means of which all five were ultimately dragged in safety
to the shore."
We will now proceed to the weapons with which the Bosjesman kills his prey and
fights his enemies.
The small but terrible arrows which the Bosjesman uses with such deadly effect are
284
THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
a. e.
constructed with very great care, and the neatness with which they are made is really
surprising, when we take into consideration the singularly inefficient tools which are
used.
The complete arrow is about eighteen inches in length, and it is made of four distinct
parts. First, we have the shaft, which is a foot or thirteen inches long, and not as thick
as an ordinary black-lead pencil. This is formed from the common Kaffir reed, which,
when dry, is both strong and light. At either end it is bound firmly with the split and
flattened intestine of some animal, which is put on when wet, and when dry, shrinks
closely, and is very hard and stiff. One end is simply cut off transversely, and the other
notched in order to receive the bowstring.
Next comes a piece of bone, usually that of the
ostrich, about three inches in length. One end of it
is passed into the open end of the shaft, and over the
other is slipped a short piece of reed, over which
a strong "wrapping" of intestine has been placed.
This forms a socket for the time head of the arrow—
the piece of ostrich bone being only intended to give
the needful weight to the weapon.
The head itself is made of ivory, and is shaped
much like the piece of bone already described. One
end of it is sharpened, so that it can be slipped into
the reed socket, and the other is first bound with
intestine, and then a notch, about the eighth of an
inch deep, is made in it. This notch is for the recep-
tion of the triangular piece of flattened iron, which
we may call the blade.
The body of the arrow is now complete, and all
that is required is to add the poison which makes it
so formidable. The poison, which is first reduced to
the consistency of glue, is spread thickly over the
entire head of the arrow, including the base of the
head. Before it has quite dried, a short spike of iron
or quill is pushed into it, the point being directed
backwards, so as to form a barb. If the arrow
strikes a human being, and he pulls it out of the
wound, the iron blade, which is but loosely attached
to the head, is nearly sure to come off and' remain
in the wound. The little barb is added for the same
purpose, and, even if the arrow itself be immediately
extracted, enough of the poison remains in the wound
to cause death.
But it is not at all likely that the arrow will be
extracted. The head is not fastened permanently to
the shaft, but is only loosely slipped into it. Con-
sequently the shaft is pulled away easily enough, but
the head is left in the wound, and affords no handle
whereby it can be extracted. As may be seen from
the illustration, a considerable amount of the poison
is used upon each arrow.
This little barb, or barblet, if the word may be
used, is scarcely as large as one nib of an ordinary-
quill pen, and lies so close to the arrow that it
would not be seen by an inexperienced eye. In form it is triangular, the broader end
being pressed into the poison, and the pointed end directed backwards, and lying almost
parallel with the shaft. It hardly seems capable of being dislodged in the wound, but
the fact is, that the poison is always soft in a warm climate, and so allows the barb,
BOSJESMAN QUIVER AND ARROWS.
METHODS OF PROCURING POISON. 285
which is very slightly inserted, to remain in the wound, a portion of poison of course
adhering to its base.
This is the usual structure of a good arrow, but the weapons are not exactly alike.
Some of them have only a single piece of bone by way of a head, while many are
not armed with the triangular blade. Arrows that possess this blade are intended
for war, and are not employed in the peaceful pursuit of game. Hunting arrows
have the head shaped much like a spindle, or, to speak more familiarly, like the street
boy's " cat/' being tolerably thick in the middle and tapering to a point at each end.
When not in actual use, the Bosjesman reverses the head, so that the poisoned end is
received into the hollow shaft, and thus is debarred from doing useless harm. These
heads are not nearly as thick as those which are used for war, neither do they need as
much poison.
The specimens which are shown in the illustration were taken from the dead body of
their owner, and were kindly sent to me by H. Dennett, Esq. They are peculiarly
valuable, because they are in all stages of manufacture, and show the amount of labour
and care which is bestowed on these weapons. There is first the simple reed, having both
ends carefully bound with sinew to prevent it from splitting. Then comes a reed with a
piece of bone inserted in one end. On the next specimen a small socket is formed at the
end of the bone, in order to receive the ivory head ; and so the arrows proceed until the
perfect weapon is seen.
As to the poison which is used in arming the arrows, it is of two kinds. That which
is in ordinary use is made chiefly of vegetable substances, such as the juice of certain
euphorbias, together with the matter extracted from the poison-gland of the puff adder,
cobra, and other venomous serpents. In procuring this latter substance they are singularly
courageous.
When a Bosjesman sees a serpent which can be used for poisoning arrows, he does not
kill it at once, but steals quietly to the spot where he is lying, and sets his foot on his
neck. The snake, disturbed from the lethargic condition which is common to all reptiles,
starts into furious energy, and twists and struggles and hisses, and does all in its power to
inflict a wound on its foe. This is exactly what the Bosjesman likes, and he excites the
serpent to the utmost pitch of fury before he kills it. The reason of this conduct is, that
the desire to bite excites the poison-gland, and causes it to secrete the venomous substance*
in large quantities.
The Bosjesmans say that not only is the poison increased in volume, but that ife
venomous properties are rendered more deadly by exciting the anger of the reptile before
it is killed. The materials for making this poison are boiled down in a primitive kind of
pot made of a hollowed sandstone, and when thoroughly inspissated, it assumes the colour
and consistency of pitch. It is put on very thickly, in some parts being about the eighth
of an inch thick, In some arrows, the little triangular head is only held in its place by
the poison itself, being merely loosely slipped into a notch and then cemented to the shaft
with the poison. In this case it acts as a barb, and remains in the wound when the arrow
is withdrawn.
In this climate the poison becomes hard, and is exceedingly brittle, cracking in various
directions, and being easily pulverized by being rubbed between the fingers. But in the
comparatively hot temperature of Southern Africa it retains its soft tenacity, and even in
this country it can be softened before a fire and the cracked portions mended. It is very
bitter, and somewhat aromatic in taste, and in this respect much resembles the dreaded
wourali poison of tropical Guiana.
In some places the poison bulb is common, and in its prime it is very conspicuous,
being recognised at a considerable distance by the blue undulated leaves which rise, as
it were, out of the ground, and spread like a fan. Soon, however, the leaves fall off and
dry up, and nothing is seen but a short, dry stalk, which gives little promise oi the bulb
below.
In some parts of the Bosjesmans' country, the juice of amaryllis is used for poisoning
arrows, like that of euphorbia, and is then mixed with the venom extracted from a large
black spider, as well as that which is obtained from serpents. An antidote for this mixed
286 THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
poison is not at present known to white men, and whether the Bosjesmans are acquainted
with one is at present unknown.
It would be a great boon, not only to science, but to the inhabitants of that part of
Africa, if a remedy could be discovered, inasmuch as such a discovery would at once
deprive the Bosjesmans of the only means \vhereby he can render himself terrible to
those who live in his neighbourhood. Property would then be rendered comparatively
safe, and the present chronic state of irregular warfare would be exchanged for peace and
quiet.
The two-fold nature of the poison, however, renders such a discovery a matter of
exceeding difficulty, as the antidote must be equally able to counteract the vegetable-
poison as well as the animal venom.
Terrible as is this mixed poison, the Bosjesman has another which is far more cruel in
its effects. If a human being is wounded with an arrow armed with this poison, he
suffers the most intolerable agony, and soon dies. Even if a small portion of this poison
should touch a scratch in the skin, the result is scarcely less dreadful, and, in Living-
stone's graphic words, the sufferer " cuts himself, calls for his mother's breast, as if he wen;
returned in idea to his childhood again, or flies from human habitations a raging maniac."
The lion suffers in much the same way, raging through the woods, and biting the trees and
the ground in the extremity of his pain.
The poison which produces such terrible effects is simply the juice which exudes from
a certain grub, called the N'gwa, or K'aa — the former title being used by Dr. Livingstone,
and the latter by Mr. Baines, who has given great attention to this dread insect. His
account of the insect is as follows : —
There is a tree called the Maruru papeerie, which is about the size of an ordinary elm,
but which has its stems and branches covered with: thorns. The wood of this tree is of
very soft texture. Upon the Maruru papeerie are found the poison grubs, which are of a
pale flesh colour, something like that of the silkworm, and about three-quarters of an inch
in length.
One curious point in its habits is the singular covering with which it is invested.
" We were much puzzled by a covering of green matter similar in colour to the leaf it
feeds on. At first we thought it was the first skin peeling off, as it lay in loose rolls
parallel to the muscular rings of the body ; it seemed gradually driven forward towards
the head, where it formed a shield or hood, portions breaking off as it dried, and being
replaced by fresh. At length we were enabled to decide that it must be the excrement of
the creature, issuing not only in the usual manner, but from the pores that are scattered
over nearly the whole of its body.
" When the grub attains a length of three-quarters of an inch, this matter is more
sparingly distributed, and is of a brownish colour. In a short time the grub drops from
the tree, and, burying itself about two feet below the surface, forms its cocoon of a thin
shell of earth agglutinated round its body. Its entrails, or rather, the whole internal juices
are, in all stages of its grubdom, of the most deadly nature, and if brought in contact with
a cut, or sore of any kind, cause the most excruciating agony."
Through the kindness of Mr. Baines, who enriched my collection
with some specimens of the N'gwa, I am enabled to present my
readers with some figures of this dread insect. Fig. 1 shows the
N'gwa, or K'aa, of its natural size. The specimen was dry,
shrivelled, and hard, but a careful administration of moisture caused
it to relax its stiffened segments, and the wrinkled skin to become
POISON GRUB plump as in life.
Fig. 1 shows the under surface of the grub, as it appears when
lying on its back, and exhibits its six little legs, the dark head and thorax, and the row of
spiracles, or breathing apertures, along the sides. Fig. 2 exhibits the same grab, as it
appears when coiled up inside its cocoon, and serves also to show the flattened form of
the N'gwa in this stage of existence.
Fig. 3 represents the cocoon itself. This domicile is made of grains of dark brown
earth or sand, agglutinated together by the grub, and is wonderfully hard, strong, and
THE N'GWA, OR POISON GRUB. 287
compact, although its walls are exceedingly thin. When entire, it is so strong that it will
bear rather rough handling without injury, but when it is broken, it tumbles into
fragments almost at a touch. The specimens are represented of their natural size.
When the Bosjesman wishes to poison an arrow-head, he first examines his hands with
the minutest care, so as to be certain that his skin is not broken even by a slight scratch.
He then takes a grub between his fingers, and squeezes it so as to force out the whole
contents of the abdomen, together with the juices of the body. These he places in littlo
drops upon the arrow-point, arranging them a tolerably regular distance from each other ;
and when this is done, the dreadful process is complete.
It is no wonder that people who wield such weapons as these should be equally feared
and hated by all around them. It is bad enough to be shot with arrows which, like those
of the Macoushies, cause certain death, but the terrors of the poison are aggravated a
hundred-fold when it causes fearful agony and absolute mania before death relieves the
sufferer. The accompanying illustration is from a sketch by Mr. Baines, showing the
manner in which the poison is placed on the arrow.
I have also one of the arrows poisoned by the grub, for which I am indebted to the
same eminent traveller and artist. It has, however, been kept in a damp place, and
accordingly the poison has liquefied, and the little spots of dried juice have spread
irregularly over the ivory head. In the illustration, the upper figure represents the
war-arrow, with its iron tip, the middle figure is the slender hunting arrow, and the third
shows the same arrow-head, reversed in the hollow shaft for safety.
A question now naturally arises, namely, the existence of any antidote to this dreadful
poison. Probably there is an antidote to every poison if it were but known, and it is
likely, therefore, that there is one for the N'gwa. The Kaffirs say that the only anti-
dote is fat. They have a theory that the N'gwa requires fat, and that it consumes the
life of the wounded beings in its attempts to find fat. Consequently, when a person is
wounded with a poisoned arrow, they saturate the wound with liquid fat, and think
that, if it can be applied in time, and in sufficient quantities, it satisfies the N'gwa, and
saves the man's life.
The Bosjesmans themselves deny that there is any antidote, but this they might be
expected to do, from their natural unwillingness to part with so valuable a secret. It is
no light matter to possess a poison which keeps every enemy in terror, as well it may,
when we consider its effects. Dr. Livingstone mentions that the efficiency of this poison
is so great that it is used against the lion. After watching the lion make a full meal,
two Bosjesman hunters creep up to the spot where the animal is reposing, according to his
custom, and approaches so silently that not even a cracked stick announces the presence
of an enemy.
One of them takes off his kaross, and holds it with both hands, while the other pre-
pares his weapons. When all is ready, a poisoned arrow is sent into the lion's body, and,
simultaneously with the twang of the bowstring, the kaross is flung over the animal's
head, so as to bewilder him when he is so unceremoniously aroused, and to give the bold
hunters time to conceal themselves. The lion shakes off the blinding cloak, and bounds
off in terror, which soon gives way to pain, and in a short time dies in convulsive
agonies.
When the N'gwa is used for poisoning arrows, no other substance is used, and in con-
sequence the head of the weapon presents a much neater ap'pearance than when it is
armed with the pitch-like euphorbia or serpent poison.
This substance being of so terrible a character, its possessors would naturally be
anxious to discover some antidote which they might use in case of being accidentally
wounded, and to give foreigners the idea that no antidote existed. Consequently Mr.
Baines and his companions found that they persistently denied that they knew of any
antidote, but when they mentioned the very name of the plant which they had heard
was used by them for that purpose, the Bosjesmans yielded the point, said that white men
knew everything, and that it was useless to conceal their knowledge.
The antidote is called by the name of Kala haetlwe, and is chiefly made from a small
soft-stemmed plant. The flower is yellow, star-shaped, and has five petals. The stamens
2b8 THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
arc numerous, and the calyx is divided into two sepals. The root is " something between
a bulb and a tuber, rough and brown outside, and when cut is seen marked with con-
centric lines of light reddish brown and purple." The leaves are two inches and a half
in length, and only a quarter of an inch wide. The mid-rib of the leaf projects on the
under surface, and forms a depression on the upper. There are, however, two other plants
which bear the same title, and are used for the same purpose. One of them has a broader
leaf and a larger flower, and tastes something like sorrel, while the third has a waved
or wrinkled leaf.
When the Kala haetlwe is used, the root or bulb is chewed and laid on the wound,
and is followed by the application of plenty of fat. I may here mention that the word
" kala" signifies " friend," and is therefore very appropriate to the plant.
In the illustration on page 266, a Bosjesman may be seen as he appears when poisoning
his arrows. He is seated on the ground, and has the arrow in one hand, and the poison-
grub in the other. By his side are a number of arrows which he has already poisoned,
and which he has ranged upon a stick, in order to prevent the poison from touching the
ground. Behind him, and slung to the branch of a tree, is his bow-case. This consists
of the skin of some small antelope, stripped off and prepared in such a way that it forms
a bag, in which the bow and quiver can lie comfortably. The legs are used as straps,
and serve to suspe'nd it from the shoulders, or from a bough, if its owner is resting.
To another branch of the same tree is hung the water-bag, which is generally made
out of the paunch of some animal. The crop of the ostrich is also used for this purpose.
Another water vessel, namely, the shell of an ostrich, lies on the ground, the opening
being filled up with a wisp of grass. In the middle distance is seen the tree on which
the poison-grub feeds, namely, the Maruru papeerie, with its scanty foliage and thorn-
studded trunk.
Opposite to this Bosjesman is another who has succeeded in killing an ostrich, and is
putting the feathers into hollow reeds, as has already been mentioned on page 278.
Whenever the Bosjesman offers a feather for sale, he always draws it through a reed before
presenting it for inspection, this process giving it a glossy appearance. The reader is
especially requested to notice the singular curve in the back of the sitting Bosjesman.
This is peculiar to the race, and in some instances is so strongly marked, that the Bos-
jesman appears to a stranger as if he were hump-backed. The arms are very slender, but
the development of the lower limbs is disproportionately large.
A favourite attitude of the Bosjesman is shown in the recumbent figure who is
watching his companions. For the sketch of this illustration, I am indebted to Mr.
Baines.
This is not the only use which they make of poisons. If they are retreating over a
district which they do not intend to visit for some time, they have an abominable custom
of poisoning every water-hole in their track. Sometimes they select one fountain, and
mix its waters with poison for the purpose of destroying game.
Mr. Moffatt nearly fell a victim to this custom. After a long and tedious ride under
the hot sunbeams, he approached a Bosjesman village, near which his horse discovered a
small pool of water surrounded with bushes. Pushing his way through them, Mr. Moffatt
lay down and took a long draught at the water, not having understood that the sur-
rounding bushes were in fact a fence used to warn human beings from the water. As
soon as he had drunk, he perceived an unusual taste, and then found that the water had
been poisoned.
The effects of the poison were rather irritable, though not so painful as might have
been imagined. " I began to feel a violent turmoil within, and a fulness of the system,
as if the arteries would burst, while the pulsation was exceedingly quick, being accom-
panied by a slight giddiness in the head." Fortunately, a profuse perspiration came on,
and he recovered, though the strange sensations lasted for several days.
To the honour of the Bosjesmans, it must be said that they displayed the greatest
solicitude on this occasion. One of them came running out of the village, just after the
water had been drunk, and, not knowing that the mischief had already been done,
tried to show by gestures that the water must not be drunk. They then ran about in all
BOSJESMAN ARROWS. 28'J
directions, seeking for a remedy ; and when they found that the result would not be fatal.
they showed extravagant joy.
The escape was a very narrow one, as a zebra had died on the previous day from
drinking at the same fountain.
This anecdote, when taken in conjunction with Dr. Lichtenstein's narrative, shows
that this despised race of people are not, as some seem to think, devoid of all human
affections, and thereby degraded below the level of the brute beasts. Subjected, as they
are, to oppression on, every side, and equally persecuted by the Hottentots, the Kaffirs, and
the white colonists, it is not to be supposed that they could be remarkable for the bene-
volence of their disposition, or their kindly feelings towards the hostile people with whom
they are surrounded ; and, whenever they find an opportunity for retaliation, it is but
natural that they should take ad-
vantage of it.
Small, few, and weak, they
would have been long ago exter-
minated but for their one weapon,
the poisoned arrow, and, through
its possession, they have exacted
from their many foes the same . ( .
feeling of respectful abhorrence -t _jj_j-^^-^^^--ln
which we entertain towards a
hornet or a viper. All hate and
"
flip "RnsipcimflTi Vmf no miP I. Barbed Arrow-head, full sise. 2. Unbarbed ditto, reversed in shaft
>osj esman p 3 Ditto> wUh pttimud point owtoards._See page asr.
dares to despise him. How-
ever powerful may be a tribe of Kaffirs or Hottentots, or however carefully an European
settlement may be protected, a single Bosjesman will keep them in constant alarm.
Sentries are almost useless when a Bosjesman chooses to make a nocturnal attack, for he
can crawl unseen within a few yards of the sentinel, lodge a poisoned arrow in his body,
and vanish as imperceptibly as he arrived. As to finding the retreat in which he hides
himself by day, it is almost impossible, even to a Hottentot, for the Bosjesman is mar-
vellously skilful in obliterating tracks, and making a false spoor, and has besides the art
of packing his tiny body into so small a compass, that he can lie at his ease in a hole
which seems hardly large enough to accommodate an ordinary rabbit.
Yet, though he is hunted and persecuted like the hornet and the viper, and, like those
creatures, can use his venomed weapon when provoked, it is evident that he is not inca-
pable of gratitude, and that he can act in a friendly manner towards those who treat him
kindly. Vindictive he can be when he thinks himself offended, and he can wreak a most
cruel vengeance on those who have incurred his wrath. But that he is not destitute of
the better feelings of humanity is evident from the above-mentioned accounts, and we
ought to feel grateful to the writer for giving, on undoubted authority, a better character
to the Bosjesman than he was thought to have deserved.
The substance that is used for poisoning water is generally of a vegetable nature.
The bulb of the poison-root (Amaryllis toxicaria) is much employed, and so is the juice
of the euphorbia.
The shape of the arrows, together with the want of feathers, and the feeble nature of
the bow, implies that they are not intended for long ranges. The Bosjesman is, indeed, a
very poor marksman, and does not care to shoot at an object that is more than thirty or
forty yards from him, preferring a distance of eight or ten yards, if he can manage to
creep so near. In order to test the Bosjesman's marksmanship, Mr. Burchell hung on a
pole an antelope-skin kaross, nearly seven feet square. One of the men took his bow
arid arrows, crept towards it until he was within twenty yards, and missed it with his
first arrow, though he struck it with the second.
The quiver, which seems to be a necessary accompaniment to the bow and arrow in all
nations which use these weapons, is sometimes made of wood, and sometimes of leather.
The example which is shown on page 284, is of the latter material, and is drawn from
a specimen in my own collection. It is made very strongly, and is an admirable
VOL I. U
290 THE JKJS.IKSMAN OE r.rMJMAN.
example of Bosjesman workmanship. The hide of which it is made is that of some
large animal, such as the ox or the eland, but as the hair has been carefully removed, no
clue is left as to the precise animal which furnished the skin.
The wooden quivers are almost invariably made from one of the aloes (Aloe dirlwtoma\
which has therefore received from the Dutch colonists the name of " Kokerboom," or
Quiver-tree. Occasionally, however, they are made from the karree tree, a species of
Khus, which grows on the banks of rivers, and in habits and appearance much resembles
the English willow.
The Bosjesman has a veiy ingenious method of carrying his weapons when upon a
journey, the bow, quiver, and knob-kerry being tied together, and the whole group slung
over the back. A perfectly-equipped Bosjesman, however, has a kind of skin case, in
which he places his weapons. Sometimes it is merely a leathern bag, but in its best
form it is composed of an entire antelope-skin, the body of which forms the case, and
the legs acting as straps by which it can be hung on the back. One of these bow-cases
£an be seen in the illustration on page 275.
The bow is extremely small and simple, inasmuch as the Bosjesman cares little about
its strength, because he never shoots at objects at more than a few yards' distance. It
is mostly made of a species of Tarchonanthus, but the Bosjesman is not particular about
its material, so that it be tolerably elastic. Neither is he fastidious about its size, which
is seldom more than four feet in length, and,, often less; nor about its shape, for the
curve is often extremely irregular, the thickest portion of the bow not having been kept
in the centre. Any little boy can make, with a stick and a string, a bow quite as good
as that which is used by the Bosjesman.
In using it, the Bosjesman does not hold it vertically, after the manner of the ordinary
long-bow, but horizontally, as if it were a cross-bow — a fact which explains the extremely
indifferent aim which 'can be taken with it. The Bosjesman generally carries an assagai,
but it is not of his own manufacture, as he is quite ignorant of the blacksmith's art.
Even the little triangular tips which are placed on the arrow-heads are hammered with
infinite labour, the iron being laid cold on one stone, and beaten perseveringly with
another, until it is at last flattened. Of softening it by heat the Bosjesman knows
nothing, nor does he possess even the rude instruments which are necessary for heating
the iron to the softening point.
The assagai is usually the work of the Bechuanas, and is purchased from them by
the Bosjesman. Now and then, an ordinary Kaffir's assagai is seen in the hand of the
Bosjesman, and in this case it is generally part of the spoils of war, the original owner
having been killed by a poisoned arrow. From the same source also is derived the knife
which the Bosjesman usually wrears -hanging by a thong round his neck, the instrument
being almost invariably of Bechuana manufacture.
The Bosjesman, indeed, makes nothing with his own hands which is not absolutely
necessary to him. The assagai and the knife are rather luxuries than necessaries, and
are obtained from strangers. The bow and poisoned arrow, however, with which he fights
human enemies, or destroys the larger animals, are absolutely necessary to him, and so is
the knob-kerry, with which he obtains the smaller animals and birds. He also beats his
\vife with it, and perhaps considers it a necessary article of property on that score also.
These, therefore, every Bosjesman can make for himsel£ and considers himself sufficiently
equipped when he possesses them.
CHAPTEE XXVI.
THE BOSJESMAN— Concluded.
THE AMUSEMENTS OP THE BOSJESMAN — HOW HE SMOKES HIS DANCE — CURIOUS ATTITUDES —
DANCING-RATTLES — THE WATER-DRUM SPECIMENS OF BOSJESMAN MUSIC — ITS SINGULAR SCALE
AND INTERVALS SUCCEDANEUM FOR A HANDKERCHIEF A TRAVELLER'S OPINION OF THE DANCE
AND SONG THE GOURA ITS CONSTRUCTION, AND MODE OF USING IT QUALITY OF THE TONES
PRODUCED BY IT — A BOSJESMAN MELODY AS PERFORMED ON THE GOURA THE JOUM-JOUM
AND THE PERFORMER SOOTHING EFFECT OF THE INSTRUMENT ART AMONG THE BOSJESMANS~
— MR. CHRISTIE'S DESCRIPTIVE SKETCH — THE BOSJESMAN'S BRUSH AND COLOURS — HIS APPRE-
CIATION OF A DRAWING — ANECDOTES OF BOSJESMAN8.
THE amusements of the Bosjesmans are very similar to those of the Hottentots, and can
be generally comprised in two words, namely, singing and dancing. Both these words
are to be understood in their South African sense, and are not to be taken in our European
signification.
Perhaps smoking ought to be included in the category of amusements. How a Bos-
jesman smokes after a meal has already been narrated. But there are seasons when he
does not merely take a few whiffs as a conclusion to a meal, but deliberately sets to work
at a smoking festival. He then takes the smoke in such quantities, swallowing instead
of ejecting it, that he is seized with violent coughing fits, becomes insensible, and falls
down in convulsions. His companions then take upon themselves the duty of restoring
him, and do so in a rather singular manner.
As is usual in smoking parties, a supply of fresh water is kept at hand, together with
reeds, through which the smokers have a way of discharging the smoke and water after
a fashion which none but themselves can perfectly accomplish. When one of their
number falls down in a fit of convulsions, his companions fill their mouths with water,
and then spirt it through the tube upon the back of his neck, blowing with all their force,
so as to produce as great a shock as possible. This rather rough treatment is efficacious
enough, and when the man has fairly recovered, he holds himself in readiness to perform
the like office on his companions.
The dance of the Bosjesman is of a very singular character, and seems rather oddly
calculated for producing amusement either in performers or spectators. " One foot,"
writes Burchell, " remains motionless, while the other dances in a quick, wild, irregular
manner, changing its place but little, though the knee and leg are turned from side to side
as much as the attitude will allow. The arms have but little motion, their duty being
to support the body.
" The dancer continues singing all the while, and keeps time with every movement,
sometimes twisting the body in sudden starts, until at last, as if fatigued by the extent
of his exertions, he drops upon the ground to recover breath, still maintaining the spirit
of the dance, and continuing to sing and keep time, by the motion of his body, to the
voices and accompaniments of the spectators. In a few seconds he starts up again, and
proceeds with increased vigour.
u2
292
THE BOSJESMAN OR BUSHMAN.
2.
" \Vhen one foot is tired out, or has done its share of the dance, the other comes for-
and performs the same part; and thus, changing legs from time to time, it seemed
as though he meant to convince his friends that he could dance for ever."
Wlu-n the Bosjesman dances in a house he is not able to stand upright, and conse-
quently is obliged to support himself between two sticks, on which he leans with his body
bent forward. Very little space is required for such a dance, and in consequence the hut
is nearly filled with spectators, who squat in a circle, leaving just space enough in the
centre for the dancer to move in.
In order to assist him in marking time, he has a set of rattles which he ties round his
ankles. These rattles are shown in the accompanying illustration. They are made of
the ears of the spring-bok, the edges being sewn together, and some fragments of ostrich
shell placed loosely in the interior. As may be seen on reference to the drawing, they are
tied on the outside of the ankle.
The dances which I have seen performed by the Bosjesmans resembled those described
by Burchell, the dancer supporting himself on a long stick, though he was in the open air,
and occasionally beating time with
the stick upon the ground to the
peculiar Bosjesman measure.
The spectators, whether men or
women, accompany the dancer in his
song by a sort of melody of their own,
and by clapping their hands, or beat-
ing sticks on the ground, in time
with his steps.
They also beat a simple instru-
ment called the Water-Drum. This
is nothing more than a wooden bowl,
or " bambus," such as is shown on
page 251, on which a piece of skin
has been tightly stretched. A little
water is previously poured into the
bowl, and by its aid the skin is kept
continually wet. It is beaten with
the forefinger of the right hand, and is kept to the proper pitch by pressing the thumb
and forefinger of the left hand upon the skin.
Not being skilled in the Bosjesmans' language, I was unable to distinguish a single
syllable used by the Bosjesman in dancing, but Mr. Burchell gives them as follows,
The dancer uses the word " Wawa-koo," repeated continually, while the spectators sing
" Aye-0," separating the hands at the first syllable, and bringing them sharply together
at the second. The effect of the combined voices and dances may be seen by the following
notation, which was taken by Burchell. This strange combination of sounds, which
is so opposed to our system of music, is grateful to the ear of most South Africans, and
in principle is prevalent among many of the tribes, though there are differences in their
modes and measures.
EJ U IP i?
DANCING RATTLES.
SPECTATORS.
DANCER.
WATKH-DEUM.
Wawa koo wawa koo wawa koo wawa koo wawa koo wawa koo
_£__£
-r
£=£
ad infinitum
BOSJESMAN MUSIC.
293
When engaged in this singular performance, the dancer seems so completely wrapped
up in his part, that he has no thought except to continue his performance in the most
approved style. On the occasion above mentioned, the dancer did not interrupt his
movement for a single moment when the white man made his unexpected entrance
into the hut, and, indeed, seemed wholly unconscious of his presence.
Shaking and twisting each leg alternately until it is tired does not seem to our eyes
to be a particularly exhilarating recreation, especially when the performer cannot stand
upright, is obliged to assume a stooping posture, and has only a space of a foot or two
in diameter in which he can move. But the Bosjesman derives the keenest gratification
from this extraordinary amusement, and the more he fatigues himself, the more he seems
to enjoy it.
As is likely in such a climate, with such exertions, and with an atmosphere so close
and odorous that an European can scarcely live in it, the perspiration pours in streams
from the performer, and has, at all events, the merit of acting as a partial ablution. By
way of a handkerchief, the dancer carries in his hand the bushy tail of a jackal fastened
to a stick, and with this implement he continually wipes his countenance. He seems to
have borrowed this custom from the Bechuanas, who take great pains in their manufacture
of this article, as will be seen when we come to treat of their habits.
After dancing until he is unable even to stand, the Bosjesman is forced to yield his
place to another, and to become one of the spectators. Before doing so, he takes off the
rattles, and passes them to his successor, who assumes them as an essential to the dance,
and wears them until he, in his turn, can dance no longer.
Here is another dancing tune taken down by Mr. Burchell on the same evening : —
THE COMPANY.
DANCER. «<
WATER-DRUM.
/ik^fT*/ — \ r ? c — J — ^~
— P 1 HS
-f— d — ; — * r
f-f — i i - 1
-M *^_J . «*-
•-*- — d—
Aye 0 aye 0 ay
H
3 0 aye eh ayt
•
000
i/Jfji . i •
i m
^hr4H— =1 -i P F
l-i ' P — F—
-J P — F—
W)-JiJ^ ! m j 1 ! —
+-• 1 1 ' —
-• • 1 ! —
Lok a tay
Lok a tay
Lok a tay
^%R-=i-f-f — f — f — p-
--* • • p-
rf — f — f — f"
L I 1) ( j f-
-1-) — j — 1 — r
bf r \ p
It may seem strange that such odd music could have any charms for an European
who knew anything of music. Yet that such can be the case is evident from the words
of the above-mentioned traveller. " I find it impossible to give, by means of mere
description, a correct idea of the pleasing impressions received while viewing this scene,
or of the kind of effect which the evening's amusements produced upon my mind and
feelings. It must be seen, it must be participated in, without which it would not be
easy to imagine its force, or justly to conceive its nature.
" There was in this amusement nothing which can make me ashamed to confess that
I derived as much enjoyment from it as the natives themselves. There was nothing in
it which approached to vulgarity, and, in this point of view, it would be an injustice to
these poor creatures not to place them in a more respectable rank than that to which the
notions of Europeans have generally admitted them. It was not rude laughter and
boisterous mirth, nor drunken jokes, nor noisy talk, which passed their hours away, but
the peaceful, calm emotion of harmless pleasure.
" Had I never seen and known more of these savages than the occurrences of this
day, and the pastimes of the evening, I should not have hesitated to declare them the
happiest of mortals. Free from care, and pleased with a little, their life seemed flowing
on, like a smooth stream gliding through flowery meads.
" Thoughtless and unreflecting, they laughed and smiled the hours away, heedless of
futurity, and forgetful of the past. Their music softened all their passions, and thus they
294 THE BOSJESMAN OK BUSHMAN.
lulled themselves into that mild and tranquil state in which no evil thoughts approach
the mind. The soft and delicate voices of the girls, instinctively accordant to those o!'
the women and the men ; the gentle clapping of the hands ; the rattles of the dancer ;
and the mellow sound of the water drum, all harmoniously attuned, and keeping time
together ; the peaceful, happy countenances of the party, and the cheerful light of tlie
fire, were circumstances so combined and fitted to produce the most soothing effects on
the senses, that I sat as if the hut had been my home, and felt in the midst of this horde
as though I had been one of them ; for some few moments ceasing to think of sciences or
of Europe, and forgetting that I was a lonely stranger in a land of untutored men."
Nor is this a solitary example of the effect of native music in its own land, for other
travellers have, as we shall see, written in equally glowing terms of the peculiar charms
of the sounds m-oduced by the rude instruments of Southern Africa, accompanied by the
human voice.
We now come to the instrument which is, par excellence, the characteristic instrument
of Southern Africa.
The water-drum is a rather curious musical instrument, but there is one even more
remarkable in use among the Bosjesmans, which is a singular combination of the stringed
and wind principles. In general form it bears a great resemblance to the Kaffir harp, but
it has no gourd by way of a sounding-board, and the tones are produced in a different
manner. This instrument is called the Goura, and is thus described by Le Vaillant : —
" The goura is shaped like the bow of a savage H ottentot. It is of the same size, and
a string made of intestines, fixed to one of its extremities, is retained at the other by a
knot in the barrel of a quill which is flattened and cleft. This quill being opened, forms
a very long isosceles triangle, about two inches in length ; and at the base of this triangle
the hole is made that keeps the string fast, the end of which, drawn back, is tied at the
other end of the bow with a very thin thong of leather. This cord may be stretched so
us to have a greater or less degree of tension according to the pleasure of the musician,
but when several gouras play together, they are never in unison.
QUILL OF GOU'RA.
"Such is the first instrument of a Hottentot, which one would not suppose to be a
wind instrument, though it is undoubtedly of that kind. It is held almost in the same
manner as a huntsman's horn, with that end where the quill is fixed towards the per-
former's mouth, which he applies to it, and either by aspiration or inspiration draws from
it very melodious tones. The savages, however, who succeed best on this instrument,
cannot play any regular tune ; they only emit certain twangs, like those drawn in a
particular manner from a violin or violoncello.
"I took great pleasure in seeing one of my attendants called John, who was accounted
an adept, regale for whole hours his companions, who, transported and ravished, inter-
rupted him every now and then by exclaiming ' Ah ! how charming it is ; begin that
again.' John began again, but his second performance had no resemblance to the first :
for, as I have said, these people cannot play any regular tune upon this instrument, the
tunes of which are only the effect of chance, and of the quality of the quill.
" The best quills are those which are taken from the wings of a certain species ot
bustard, and whenever I happened to kill one of these birds, I was always solicited to
make a small sacrifice for the support of our orchestra."
In playing this remarkable instrument, the performer seats himself, brings the quill
to his mouth, and steadies himself by resting his elbows on his knees, and putting the
right forefinger into the corresponding ear, and the left forefinger into his wide nostril
PLAYING THE GOUKA.
A good performer uses much exertion in order to bring out the tones properly, and it is
a curious fact, that an accomplished player contrives to produce octaves by blowino- with
increased strength, just as is done with the flute, an instrument on which the sound of
tht goura can be tolerably represented.
And' -nte
I
J>*
!_j 1 _ f .._• j • _ g
I 11,1 I
i • r> ' > i • > i i i i i i i
L_4^LJLJ* ^ f , J- J ^J-jJj:
-——r * ~
E^piry-p-^
-4— -1— j f — i 1 1
I.*
_• i •
J
r • 1
r~
r
•
* -» ' R
=B
f-r
k=P
=f=F=t
1
^=^
' 1
rr1' jl
The same traveller contrived to write down the air which was played by a celebrated
performer, and found that he always repeated the same movement. The time occupied in
playing it through was seventy seconds.
" When a woman plays the goura, it changes its name merely because she changes the
manner of playing it, and it is then transformed into a, joum-joum. Seated on the ground,
she places it perpendicularly before her,
in the same manner as a harp is held
in Europe. She keeps it firm in its
position by putting her foot between
the bow and the string, taking care not
to touch the latter.
" With the right hand she grasps the
bow in the middle, and while she blows
with her mouth in the quill, she strikes
the string in several places with a small
stick five or six inches in length, which
she holds in the other hand. This pro-
duces some variety in the modulations,
but the instrument must be brought
close to the ear before one can catch
distinctly all the modulations of the
sounds. This manner of holding the
goura struck me much, especially as it
greatly added to the graces of the female
who performed on it."
The reader will see from this descrip-
tion that the tunes of the goura are not
unlike those of the jew's-harp, though
inferior both in volume and variety to PLA™G GOUBA'
those which can be produced from a
tolerably good instrument. Both the Hottentots and Bosjesraans soon learn to manage
296 THE BOSJESMAX Oil BUSHMAN.
the jew's-harp, and, on account of its small size and consequent portability, it has almos
superseded the native goura.
Two more musical instruments are or were used by -these people.
One is the native guitar, or Rabouquin, which somewhat resembles the familiar
"banjo" of the negro. It consists of a triangular piece of board, furnished with a bridge,
over which are stretched three strings, made of the twisted intestines of animals. The
strings are attached to pegs, by which they can be tightened or loosened so as to produce
the required note. As Le Vaillant quaintly observes : " Any other person might perhaps
produce some music from it and render it agreeable, but the native is content vith
drumming on the strings with his fingers at random, so that any musical effect is simply
a matter of chance."
The last instrument which these natives possess is a kind of drum, made of a hollowed
log over one end of which a piece of tanned skin is tightly stretched. The drum is some-
times beaten with the fists and sometimes with sticks, and a well-made drum will give
out resonant notes which can be heard at a considerable distance. This drum is called
by the name of Romelpot.
The effect of native music on an European ear has already been mentioned on page 293.
Dr. Lichtenstein, himself a good musician, corroborates Burchell's account, and speaks no
less highly, though in more technical and scientific language, of that music, and the
peculiar scale on which it is formed.
" We were by degrees so accustomed to the monotonous sound that our sleep was
never disturbed by it ; nay, it rather lulled us to sleep. Heard at a distance, there is
nothing unpleasant in it, but something plaintive and soothing. Although no more than
six tones can be produced from it. which do not besides belong to our gamut, but form
intervals quite foreign to it, yet the kind of vocal sound of these tones, tlie uncommon
nature of the rhythm, and even the oddness, I may say wildness, of the harmony, give to
this music a charm peculiar to itself.
" I venture to make use of the term ' harmony/ for so it may indeed be called, since,
although the intervals be not the same as ours, they stand in a proportion perfectly regular
and intelligible, as well as pleasing to the ear.
" Between the principal tones and the octave lie only three intervals ; the first is at
least somewhat deeper than our great third ; the second lies in the middle, between the
little and great fifth ; and the third between the great sixth and little seventh ; so that a
person might imagine he hears the modulation first in the smallest seventh accord. Yet
every one lies higher in proportion to the principal tone ; the ear feels less the desire of
breaking off in the pure triple sound ; it is even more satisfied without it.
" Practised players continue to draw out the second, sometimes even the third, interval,
in the higher octave. Still these high tones are somewhat broken, and seldom pure octaves
of the corresponding deep tones. Melodies, properly speaking, are never to be heard ; ife
is only a change of the same tones long protracted, the principal tone being struck before
every one. It deserves to be remarked, that the intervals in question do not properly
belong to the instrument ; they are, in truth, the psalmodial music of the African savages."
There is nothing more easy than to theorize, and nothing more difficult than to make
the theory " hold water," as the saying is. I knew a learned philologist, who elaborated
a theory on the structure of language, and illustrated it by careful watching of his suc-
cessive children, and noting the mode in which they struggled through their infantile
lispings into expression.
First came inarticulate sounds, which none but the mother could understand, analogous
to the cries of the lower animals, and employed because the yet undeveloped mind had
not advanced beyond the animal stage of existence. Then came onomatopreia, or imi-
tative sounds, and so, by regular degrees, through substantives, verbs, adjectives, and pro-
nouns, the powers of language were systematically developed. This theory answered very
well with the first two children, but broke down utterly with the third, whose first utter-
ance was, " Don't tease, go away."
So has it been with the Bosjesman race ; and while they have been described as the
most degraded of the great human family, signs have been discovered which show that they
PAINTING. 297
have some knowledge of the rudiments of art. I allude here to the celebrated Bosjesman
paintings which are scattered through the country, mostly in caves and on rocks near water
springs, and which are often as well drawn as those produced so plentifully by the
American Indians. They almost invariably represent figures of men and beasts, and in
many cases the drawing is sufficiently good to enable the spectator to identify the par-
ticular aninials which the native artist has intended to delineate.
The following account of some of 'these drawings is taken from the notes of Mr. Christie,
which he has liberally placed at my disposal : —
" I cannot add much to what is written of them, except to allude to what are termed
Bushman paintings, found in caverns and on flat stone surfaces near some of their perma-
nent water supplies. I have only met with two instances of the former paintings, and
they were in a cave in the side of a krantz, in the north part of the Zvvart Ruggens. I
came upon them while hunting koodoos.
" One side of the cavern was covered with outlines of animals. Only the upper part
was distinguishable, and evidently represented the wildebeest, or gnoo, the koodoo,
quagga, &c. The figures were very rudely drawn, and the colours used were dull red and
black, and perhaps white ; the latter may possibly have been a stalactite deposition from
water.
" The other instance was near an outspan place on the Karroo road to Graff Reinet,
known as Pickle Fountain, where there is a permanent spring of fresh water, near the
course of an ancient stream now dry. On a flat piece of sandstone which had once formed
part of the bank of the stream were the remains of a drawing, which may have been the
outline of a man with a bow and arrow, and a dog, but it was so weather-worn that little
more could be made out than the fact of its being a drawing. The colours used, as in the
cave, were red and black.
" At the time of my seeing the drawings, I had with me a Bushman, named Booy (who
was born near what is marked in the map as the Commissioners' Salt Pan), but he could
give me no information on the subject of the paintings, and I am rather inclined to think
that they are' the work of one of the Hottentot tribes now extinct.
" My Bushman was a veiy shrewd fellow, but, although I had been at that time for
some years among the natives, I had not become aware of the poverty of their intellect.
I had shown them drawings numberless times, had described them, and listened to their
remarks, but had not then discovered that even the most intelligent had no idea of a
picture beyond a simple outline. They cannot understand the possibility of perspective,
nor how a curved surface can be shown on a flat sheet of paper."
Together with this account, Mr. Christie kindly transmitted a copy of a similar
drawing found in a cavern in the George district. The colour used in the drawings is red,
upon a yellow ground — the latter tint being that of the stone on which they were de-
lineated. The diagonal marks represent veins in the rocks.
BOSJESMAN PAINTING.
The subject of the drawing is rather obscure. The figures are evidently intended to
Represent men, but they are unarmed, and present the peculiarity of wearing head-dresses.
208 THE BOSJESMAN (.)li BUSHMAN.
such as are not used by any of the tribes with whom the Bosjesmans could have come in
contact. They might have often seen the Kaffirs, with their war ornaments of feathers,
and the Hottentots, with their ru<V-skin caps, but no South African tribe wears a head-
dress which could in any way be identified with those which are represented in the
drawing.
Partly on this account, and partly because the figures are not armed with. bows and
arrows, as is usual in figures that are intended to represent Bosjesmans, Mr. Christie is of
opinion that many years ago a boat's crew may have landed on the coast, and that the
Bosjesmans who saw them recorded the fact by this rock-picture.
The tools of the Bosjesman artist are simple enough, consisting of a feather dipped in
grease, in which he has mixed coloured clays, and, as Mr. Baines well observes, he never
fails to give the animals which he draws the proper complement of members. Like a
child, he will place the horns and ears half down the neck, and distribute the legs im-
partially along the body ; but he knows nothing of perspective, and has not the least idea
of foreshortening, or of concealing one limb or horn behind another, as it would appear
to the eye.
The same traveller rather differs from Mr. Christie in his estimation of the artistic
powers of the Bosjesman, and his capability for comprehending a picture. According to
him, a Bosjesman can understand a coloured drawing perfectly. He can name any tree,
bird, animal, or insect, that has been drawn in colours, but does not seem to appreciate a
perspective drawing in black and white. " When I showed them the oil-painting of the
Damara family, their admiration knew no bounds. The forms, dress, and ornaments of
the figures were freely commented on, and the distinctive characteristics between them
and the group of Bushmen pointed out. The dead bird was called by its name, and, what
1 hardly expected, even the bit of wheel and fore part of the wagon was no difficulty to
them. They enjoyed the sketch of Kobis greatly, and pointed out the figures in the group
of men, horses, and oxen very readily. Leaves and flowers they had no difficulty with,
and the only thing they failed in was the root of the markwhae. But when it is con-
sidered that if this, the real blessing of the desert, were lying on the surfece, an inex-
perienced Englishman would not know it from a stone at a little distance, this is not to
be wondered at. The dead animals drawn in perspective and foreshortened were also
named as fast as I produced them, except a half-finished, uncolowed sketch of the
brindled gnoo. They had an idea of its proper name, but, said they, ' We can see only
one horn, and it may be a rhinoceros or a wild boar.' "
THE following anecdotes have been kindly sent to me by Captain Drayson, RA., who
was engaged in the late Kaffir war : —
"The habits of the Bushman are those of a thoroughly wild hunter ; to him cattle are
merely an incumbrance, and to cultivate the soil is merely to do himself what Nature will
do for him. The country in which he resides swarms with game, and to kill this is to
a Bushman no trouble. His neighbours keep cattle, and that is as a last resource a means
of subsistence ; but, as the Bushman wanders over the country, and selects those spots in
which the necessaries of life abound, he rarely suffers from want.
" If a young Bushman be captured, as sometimes happens when the Dutch Boers set
out on an expedition against these thieves, the relatives at once track the captive to its
prison, and sooner or later recover it. I once saw a Bushboy who had been eight years
in a Dutchman's family, had learned to speak Dutch, to eat with a knife and fork, and to
wear clothes ; but at the end of that time the Bushboy disappeared. His clothes were
found in the stables in the place of a horse wThich he had taken with him. The spool-
being rapidly followed, was found to lead to the Draakensburg Mountains, among the fast-
nesses of which the Boers had no fancy to follow, for from eveiy cranny and inaccessible
ridge a poisonous arrow might be discharged, as the youth had evidently rejoined his long-
lost relatives.
" It was a great surprise to notice the effect on our Dutch sporting companions of the
intimation of ' Bushmen near.' We were riding on an elevated spur of the Draakensburg,
near the Mooi Eiver, when a Boer suddenly reined up Jiis horse, and exclaimed :
ANECDOTES OF BUSHMEN. 299
" ( Cess, kek die spoor von verdamt Boschmen ! '
" Jumping off his horse he examined the ground, and then said : ' A man it is ; one
naked foot, the other with a velschoen.' The whole party immediately became intensely
excited, they scattered in all directions like a pack of hounds in cover ; some galloped
to the nearest ridge, others followed on the spoor, all in search of the Bushman. ' He has
not long gone,' said one of my companions ; ' be ready.'
" ' Eeady for what ? ' I inquired.
" ' Heady to shoot the schelm.
" ' Would you shoot him ? ' I asked. -
" ' Just so as I would a snake/
" And then my companion explained to me that he had not long since bought at a
great price a valuable horse which he had taken to his farm. In three weeks the horse
was stolen by Bushmen. He followed quickly, and the animal being fat, begun to tire,
so two Bushmen who were riding it jumped off, stabbed it with their arrows, and left it.
The horse died that night. Again, a neighbour had about twenty oxen earned off. The
Bushmen were the thieves, and on being followed closely stabbed all the oxen, most of
which died.
" Many other similar tales were told, our informant winding up with these remarks : —
" ' I have heard that every creature God makes is useful, and I think so too ; but it is
only useful in its place. A puff-adder is useful where there are too many toads or frogs ;
but when he comes into my house he is out of place, and I kill him. A Bushman near
my farm is out of place, and I shoot him ; for if I let him alone he poisons my horses and
cattle, and very likely me too.'
" Only twice did I ever see the Bushman at home ; on the first occasion it was just
after a fearful storm, and they had sought shelter in a kloof near our quarters. They
emerged about 300 yards in advance of us, and immediately made off like the wind. Not
to be unconventional, we sent a bullet after them, but high over their head : they stayed
not for another.
" On a second occasion I was close to them, and was first made aware of their presence
in consequence of an arrow striking a tree near ; not aimed at me, but at some Daas, or
rock-rabbits, which were on the rocks close by. With no little care and some speed I
retreated from the neighbourhood of such implements as poisoned arrows, and then by aid
of a glass saw the Bushmen first find their arrow and then my spoor, at which latter they
took fright, and disappeared in a neighbouring kloof."
CHAPTEB XXVII.
THE KORANNAS AND NAMAQUAS.
NOMAD CHABACTEE OP THE TRIBE THEIR GENEBAL CHARACTER DISTINCT FROM THE BOSJE8MAN
TRIBE THEIR HORSES AND CATTLE — GOVERNMENT — DRESS OF THE KORANNAS — SINGULAR MODE
OF DANCING DESIRE OF OBTAINING KNOWLEDGE THK MUSICAL ALPHABET " AULD LANG SYNE "
— TENACIOUS MEMORY OF A YOUNG KORANNA — HIS GROTESQUE APPEARANCE — FONDNESS FOR
MEDICINE — THE NAMAQUA TRIBE — CHARACTER OF GREAT NAMAQUA-LAND — VICISSITUDES OF THE
CLIMATE — EFFECT ON THE INHABITANTS — AFRICANER, AND HIS HISTORY DRESS OF THE NAMA-
QUAS THEIR IDEAS OF RELIGION SUPERSTITIONS STORY OF A NAMAQUA HUNTER AND A
BOSJESMAN WOMAN — RAIN-MAKING HEALING THE SICK — THE DOCTOR'S PANACEA POLYGAMY
AND DIVORCE — CATTLE-TRAINING CRUELTY TOWARDS THE INFIRM AND AGED ADOPTION OF
PARENTS.
IN accordance with the plan of this work, we will now glance slightly at a few of the
more conspicuous tribes which inhabit Southern Africa from the Cape to that part of the
continent which is occupied by the negro races.
Among the offshoots of the Hottentots is a tribe called indifferently Kora, Koraqua,
Korans, or Korannas. On account of their nomad habits, it is impossible to fix any
particular locality for them, and besides it often happens that they extend their pere-
grinations into the territories of tribes more adherent to the soil, and for a time are as
completely mixed up with them as if they belonged to the same tribe. Owing to their
want of civilization, and general manners, some travellers have considered them as a rude
tribe of Bosjesmans, but they have been satisfactorily proved to belong to the Hottentots.
They seem to be quiet and well-behaved, and possessed of much curiosity. Burchell
relates one or two anecdotes of the latter quality, and gives an amusing description of
their astonishment at the sight of a coloured drawing which he had made of a yellow
fish. One of them had struck one of these fishes, and Burchell had borrowed it in order
to make a coloured drawing of it.
When the owner came to take it back, he happened to glance at the drawing, and was
struck dumb with amazement, gazing at it with mouth and eyes wide open. At last he
found his tongue, and called his companions to see the new wonder. At the sight of the
drawing, they behaved much as a company of monkeys might be supposed to conduct
themselves, turning the paper to look at the back of it, feeling it with their fingers, and
being quite unable to comprehend how an object could at once be rounded to the eye,
and flat to the touch.
Of the general character of the Koranna Hottentots, Dr. Lichtenstein has written
so admirable an analysis in so small a compass, that I cannot do better than give his
own words: —
" These Korans are the oldest original inhabitants of the country ; they are a tolerably
numerous race, mild, and well-disposed, speaking almost the same language that was
formerly spoken by the Hottentot tribes within the colony, but which has not hitherto
GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE KORANNAS. 301
been sufficiently known by the Europeans to acquire from it much insight into the
ancient customs and habits of the people. They still live, after the manner of their
forefathers, in small villages or kraals, in huts of a hemispherical form, and are slothful
by nature, so that they are not so successful in breeding cattle — though their country
is extremely well adapted to it, as the stronger and more industrious Kaffir tribes. With
these, who are their nearest neighbours, they live on very good terms ; but a perpetual
warfare subsists between them and the Bosjesmans ; the latter are hated by them
to excess.
" The Korans have hitherto been very erroneously confounded with the Bosjesmans,
but they are a totally distinct people, having their principal residence on the banks of the
Narb and Vaal rivers, north-east from where we now were, and south of the Bechuana
country. They are divided into several tribes, the principal of which are called the
Kliaremankis and the Khuremankis. In their size and corporeal structure they resemble
the Hottentots very much, but the cheek and chin bones are less prominent, and the
whole face is more oval than some other of the Hottentot tribes.
" They have all a kind of voluptuous expression about the mouth, which, united with
a peculiar wild roll of the eye, and a rough, broken manner of speaking, give them
altogether the appearance of intoxication, nor indeed are they falsified by it, since they
are truly a voluptuous race, deficient in bodily strength, and destitute of martial courage.
" Their clothing consists of a mantle of prepared skin, made either from the hides of
their cattle, or from those of the antelopes : it is smaller, and of a some\vhat different
form from that worn by the Bechuanas, and is never made of several small skins sewed
together. A favourite mode with them is to scrape figures of various kinds on the hairy
side of these mantles. They trade with the Bechuanas for ornaments for the ears, neck,
and arms.
" The cattle are held in high estimation by them ; they take much more care of
these creatures than the other tribes, or than most of the colonists. They are so much
celebrated for training the oxen as ridiftg and draught animals, that the Bechuanas
acknowledge them to be in this instance their masters, and purchase of them those
that they use for riding. These animals go an exceedingly good trot or gallop, and clear
a great deal of ground in a very short time. There is no occasion ever to be harsh with
them ; 'tis sufficient to touch them with a thin osier. The rider never neglects, when he
dismounts, to have the animals led about slowly for a quarter of an hour, that he may
cool by degrees. The bridle is fastened to a wooden pin, stuck through the nose, and
a sheep's or a goat's skin serves as a saddle. On this the rider has so firm a seat, that he
is in no danger of being thrown by even the wildest ox.
" The Korans do not apply themselves at all to agriculture ; their dwellings are
spherical huts, very much like those of the Koossas, but not so spacious. Some skins
and mats, on which they sleep, some leather knapsacks, and a sort of vessel somewhat
in the form of cans, which are cut out of a piece of solid wood, with some calabashes and
bamboo canes, compose the whole of their household furniture. Most of them wear a
knife of the Bechuana manufactory, in a case slung round their necks, with a small
leather bag, or the shell of a tortoise, in which is the pipe, the tobacco, and the flint for
striking fire.
" They have no fixed habitation, but often move from one place to another, always
carrying with them, as is the custom among the other tribes, the staves and mats of
which their huts are built. All the goods and chattels are packed together within a very
small compass on the back of the patient ox ; and thus a whole Koran village is struck,
and in full march in a few moments. Their form of government is the same as with the
other Hottentot tribes ; the richest person in the kraal is the captain or provost ; he is the
leader of the party, and the spokesman on all occasions, without deriving from this office
any judicial right over the rest. His authority is exceedingly circumscribed, and no
one considers himself as wholly bound to yield obedience to him, neither does he himself
ever pretend to command them. Only in case of being obliged to defend themselves
against a foreign enemy he is the first, because, being the richest, he suffers most from
the attack.
THE KOUAXXAS.
"Plurality of wives is not contraiy to their institutions; yet I never heard of
anybody who had more than one wife. They are by nature good-tempered ; but they
are indolent, and do not take any great interest for others ; less cunning than the
Hottentot, therefore easy to be deceived in trafficking with them; and, from their
simplicity, easily won to any purpose by the attraction of strong liquors, tubacco, and the,
like luxuries."
The accompanying illustration represents a Koranna chief dressed as described by
Lichtensteiu. The kaross worn by the individual from whom the portrait was taken
was so plentifully bedaubed with
red earth and grease, that it left
traces of his presence wherever
he went, and if the wearer hap-
pened to lean against anything, he
caused a stain which could not
easily be removed. Suspended to
his neck is seen the all-pervading
Bechuana knife, and exactly in
front is the shell of a small tortoise,
in which he kept his snuff.
The leathern cap is universal
among them as among other Hot-
tentots, and as the fur is retained,
it can be put on with some degree
of taste, as may be seen by re-
ference to the portrait. The use
of sibilo is common among the
Korannas, and, like other Hot-
tentot tribes, the women load their
hair so thickly with this substance,
that they appear to be wearing a
metal cap. Their language is full
of clicks, but not so thickly studded
with them as that of the Hotten-
tots, and in a short time any person
who understands the ordinary Hot-
tentot dialect will be able to learn
that of the Korannas.
These tribes have a dance which
is very similar to that of Bosjes-
mans, a drum being used, made
of a joint of aloe over which an
undressed sheepskin is stretched.
The women sit on the ground in a
circle, with their arms stretched
towards the dancer, and singing a
song very much resembling the
" Aye, 0," of the Bosjesmans. The
dancer leans against two sticks, as if they were crutches, twines his arms around his body,
and sways himself backwards and forwards, bending first towards one of the women, and
then towards another, until he loses his balance, and as he falls is caught in the out-
stretched arms of the woman who happens to be nearest to him.
Of course, she falls on the ground with the shock, and as soon as they can rise to
their feet he resumes his place in the circle, replaces the sticks under his arms, and
dances with renewed vigour, while she takes her seat again, in order to catch him if lie
should happen to fall again in her direction.
The women, by the way, are liable to that extraordinary conformation which has
PORTRAIT OF KORAXNA CHIEF.
MUSICAL ALPHABET. 303
already been mentioned when treating of the Hottentot, and to European eyes their beauty
is not increased by it, though a native sees nothing remarkable in it. It is a curious fact
that this development should occur in the country which produces an analogous formation
in the sheep, whose bodies are thin and meagre, but whose tails are of enormous size,
and little but masses of pure fat.
Their names are, as far as can be ascertained, nicknames, given to them* on account
of any remarkable incident that may have happened to them, and in consequence,
variable from day to day.
Mr. Moffatt, speaking as a missionary, has a very high opinion -of the Koranna tribe.
He found them docile, good-tempered, and not only willing, but impatiently desirous of
gaining knowledge. After preaching and attending the sick all day, in the evening he
began to teach some of the younger Korannas the rudiments of learning, when some
of the principal men heard of the proceedings, and insisted on being taught also. The
whole scene which followed was very amusing.
" It was now late, and both mind and body were jaded, but nothing would satisfy
them ; I must, teach them also. After a search, I found among some waste paper a large
sheet alphabet with a corner and two letters torn off. This was laid on the ground, when all
knelt in a circle round it, and of course the letters were viewed by some just upside .down.
" I commenced pointing with a stick, and when I pronounced one letter, all hallooed
out to some purpose. When I remarked that perhaps we might manage with somewhat
less noise, one replied that he was sure the louder he roared, the sooner would his tongue
get accustomed to the ' seeds,' as he called the letters.
" As it was growing late. I rose to straighten my back, which was beginning to tire,
when I observed some young folks coming dancing and skipping towards me, who,
without any ceremony, seized hold of me. ' Oh 1 teach us the ABC with music,' every
one cried ; giving me no time to tell them it was too late. I found they had made this
discovery through one of my boys. There were presently a dozen or more surrounding
me, and resistance was out of the question. Dragged and pushed, I entered one of the
largest native houses, which was instantly crowded. The tune of ' Auld Lang Syne ' was
pitched to ABC, each succeeding round was joined by succeeding voices until every
tongue was vocal, and every countenance beamed with heartfelt satisfaction. The longer
the song, the more freedom was felt, and ' Auld Lang Syne ' Avas echoed to the farthest
end of the village. The strains which inspire pleasurable emotions into the sons of the
North were no less potent among the children of the South.
" Those who had retired to their evening's slumber, supposing that we were holding
a night service, came ; for music, it is said, charms the savage ear. It certainly does,
particularly the natives of Southern Africa, who, however degraded they may have
become, still retain that refinement of taste which enables them to appreciate those tunes
which are distinguished by melody and softness.
" After two hours' singing and putting, I obtained permission, though with some
difficulty of consent, and greater of egress, to leave them, nowr comparatively proficient.
It was between two and three in the morning. Worn out in mind and body, I laid
myself clown in my wagon, cap and shoes and all, just to have a few hours sleep pre-
paratory to departure on the coming day. As the 'music-hall' was not far from my
pillow, there was little chance of sleeping soundly, for the young amateurs seemed
unwearied, and A B C to ' Auld Lang Syne ' went on till I was ready to wish it at
John o' Groat's House.
" The company at length dispersed, and, awaking in the morning after a brief repose,
I was not a little surprised to hear the old tune in every corner of the village. The
nvu'ds milking the cows, and the boys tending the calves, were humming the alphabet
over again." Perhaps this fine old tune may be* incorporated into Koranna melodies, just
as the story of " Jane Eyre " has taken a place among Arab tales.
During this sojourn among the Korannas, Mr. Moffatt observed a singular instance of
retentive memory. He had just finished a sermon, and w~as explaining portions of it to
groups of hearers, when his attention was attracted by a young man who wras holding
forth to a crowd of attentive hearers. On approaching the spot, he was more than
3U4 THE NAMAQUAS.
surprised to find that this young man was preaching the sermon second-hand to his
audience, and, more than this, was reproducing, with astonishing fidelity, not only the
words of a discourse which he had heard but once, but even the gestures of the speaker.
When complimented on his wonderful powers of memory, he did not seem at all flattered,
but only touched his forehead with his finger, saying, that when he heard anything
great, there it remained.
This remarkable youth died soon afterwards, having been previously converted to
Christianity. When preaching, he presented a singular, not to say grotesque appearance,
being dressed in part of one leg of a quondam pair of trousers, a cap made of the skin
stripped from a zebra's head, with the ears still attached, and some equally fantastic
ornament about his neck. The contrast between the wild figure and the solemnity of the
subject, which he was teaching with much earnestness, was most remarkable.
It has been mentioned that Mr. Motfatt was engaged in attending upon the sick. This
is an invariable part of a missionary's duties, as the natives have unbounded faith in the
medicinal powers of all white men, and naturally think that those who come to heal their
souls must know how to heal their bodies. Fortunately, their faith makes them excellent
patients, and is in itself the best cure for affections of a nervous character, to which all
men seem liable, no matter what may be the colour of their skin.
They are passionately desirous of medicine, and it is impossible to mix a draught that
can be too nauseous for them; in fact, the more distasteful it is, the greater they think
its efficacy. On one occasion, a woman came for some medicine for her husband who was
ill, and two very little doses were given her, one to be taken at sunset and the other at
midnight. However, she settled that point by immediately taking both draughts herself,
stating that it would equally benefit her husband whether he or she happened to take it.
THE NAMAQUAS.
THE termination of the word Namaquas shows that it is a Hottentot term, and conse-
quently that the people who bear that name belong to the Hottentot nation. The suffix
Qua is analogous among the Hottentots to the prefix Ama among the Kaffir tribes, and
signifies " men." Thus the terms Namaqua, Griqua, Koraqua, Gonaqua, &e. signify that
those tribes are branches of the Hottentot nation. Namaquas themselves, however, prefer
to be called by the name of Oerlam, a word of uncertain derivation.
The Namaquas, unlike the Korannas, can be referred to a totally distinct locality, their
habitation being a large tract of country on the south-west coast of Africa, lying north
of the Orange River, or Gariep, and being called from its inhabitants Great Namaqua-
land.
It is a wild and strange country — dry, barren, and rugged, and therefore with a
very thinly scattered population, always suffering from want of water, and at times
seeming as parched as their own land. For several consecutive years it often happens
that no rain falls in a large district, and the beds of the streams and rivers are as dry as
the plains. Under these circumstances, the natives haunt the dried water-courses, and,
by sinking deep holes in their beds, contrive to procure a scanty and precarious supply
of water at the cost of very great labour. Sometimes these wells are dug to the depth of
twenty feet, and even when the water is obtained at the expense of so much labour, it is
in comparatively small quantities, and of very inferior quality. Branches of trees are
placed in these pits by way of ladders, and by their means the Namaquas hand up the
water in wooden pails, first filling their own water-vessels, and then supplying their cattle
by pouring the water into a trough. This scene is always an animated one, the cattle,
half mad with thirst, bellowing with impatience, crowding round the trough, and thrust! no
one another aside to partake of its contents. A similar scene takes place if a water- hole
AFRICANER. 305
is discovered on the march. A strong guard, mostly of women, is placed round the
precious spot, or the cattle would certainly rush into it in their eagerness to drink what
water they could get, and trample the rest into undrinkable mud.
In this strange country, the only supplies of rain are by thunderstorms, and, mucli
as the natives diead the lightning, they welcome the distant rumble of the thunder, and
look anxiously for its increasing loudness. These thunderstorms are of terrific violence
when they break over a tract of country, and in a few hours the dry watercourses are
converted into rushing torrents, and the whole country for a time rejoices in abundant
moisture.
The effect on vegetation is wonderful. Seeds that have been lying in the parched
ground waiting in vain for the vivifying moisture spring at once into life, and, aided by
the united influence of a burning sun and moist ground, they spring up with marvellous
rapidity. These storms are almost invariably very partial, falling only on a limited strip
of country, so that the traveller passes almost at a step out of a barren and parched
country, with scarcely a blade of grass or a leaf of herbage, into a green tract as luxuriant
as an English meadow.
The geological formation is mostly granite, and the glittering quartz crystals are
scattered so profusely over the surface, that a traveller who is obliged to pursue his journey
at noon can scarcely open his eyes sufficiently to see his way, so dazzling are the rays
reflected on every side. In many parts the ground is impregnated with nitre, which forms
a salt-like incrustation, and crumbles under the feet, so that vegetation is scarcely possible,
even in the vicinity of water. There seem to be few inhabited lands which are more
depressing to the traveller, and which cause more wonder that human beings can be found
who can endure for their whole lives its manifold discomforts. Yet they appear to be
happy enough in their own strange way, and it is very likely that they would not exchange
their dry and barren land for the most fertile country in the world.
The euphorbia best flourishes in the ravines, but, from its poisonous nature, adds little
to the comfort of the traveller. Even the honey which the wild bees deposit in the rocks
is tainted with the poison of the euphorbia flowers, and, if eaten, causes most painful
sensations. The throat first begins to feel as if cayenne-pepper had been incautiously
swallowed, and the burning heat soon spreads and becomes almost intolerable. Even in a
cool country its inward heat would be nearly unendurable, but in such a place as Namaqua-
land, what the torture must be can scarcely be conceived. Water seems to aggravate
instead of allaying the pain, and the symptoms do not go off until after the lapse of
several days.
On account of their privations, which they are constantly obliged to endure, the
inhabitants are, as a rule, almost hopelessly ignorant, and without the martial spirit which
distinguishes so many tribes which inhabit Southern Africa.
Still, the celebrated chief, Africaner, contrived to make good soldiers out of the
Namaquas, and under his leadership they made his name dreaded throughout a large
portion of South-western Africa. He revolutionized the ordinary system of warfare,
which consisted in getting behind bushes and shooting arrows at each other, by which
much time was consumed and little harm done, and boldly led his men on at the run,
driving his astonished antagonists out of their sheltering places. In this way he subdued
the neighbouring tribes, especially the Damaras, who looked upon him as a sort of wild
beast in human form.
Not only did he fight against native enemies, but matched himself successfully against
the Dutch boers, in this case having recourse to stratagem when he knew he could not
succeed by open force in face of such an enemy. On one occasion, when the Dutch forces
had made a raid on Africaner's territory, and carried off all his cows, he pursued them,
swam a river at dead of night, fell upon the unsuspecting enemy as they slept, killed
numbers of them, and recovered all his own cattle, together with those belonging to the
assailants. It will be seen therefore that the military spirit is not wanting in the
Namaqua character, but that it merely slumbers for want of some one to awake it.
In former days they may possibly have been a warlike nation, inasmuch as they
possessed rather peculiar weapons, namely, the bow and arrow, and an enormous shield
VOL. i. x
H06 THE NAMAQUAS.
made of the entire skin of an ox, folded singly. They also used the assagai, but in the
present day civilization has so far penetrated among them that the only weapon which
they use is the gun, and it is many years since a Namaqua has been seen with the
ancient weapons of his nation.
Like other Hottentots, the Namaquas are fond of wearing European apparel, and, as
usual in such cases, look very bad in it. The men are merely transformed from respect-
able savages into disreputable vagabonds, and to them it is not so very unsuitable, but to
the women it is peculiarly so, owing to the odd manner in which they paint their faces.
A girl, dressed in her little skin apron and ornamented with coils of leathern thongs, may
paint her face as much as she pleases without appearing grotesque. But nothing can
look more ridiculous than a girl in a striped cotton dress, with a red handkerchief round
her head, and the outlines of her cheeks, nose, and eyelids defined with broad stripes of
blue paint. The costume of the men resembles that of the women, minus the skin apron,
the place of which is taken by the ends of the leathern thongs. The Namaquas are very
fond of bead-work, and display some taste in their designs. They are not contented with
buying glass beads from Europe, but manufacture those ornaments themselves. The
mode of manufacture is simple enough. A resinous gum is procured, moistened thoroughly,
and kneaded with charcoal. It is then rolled between the hands into long cylinders,
which are cut up into small pieces, and again rolled until a tolerably spherical shape is
obtained. They also have a great love for glittering ornaments made of metal, and
decorate themselves profusely with native jewellery, made of polished iron, brass, and
copper. They also tattoo their skins, and make great use of the buchu perfume.
As the Namaquas have not been accustomed to exercise their minds on any subject
except those immediately connected with themselves, it is found very difficult to drive
any new ideas into their heads.
Some writers say that miny of them have no names, and not a single one has the
least idea of his own age, or of counting time by years. Indeed, counting at all is an
intellectual exertion that is positively painful to them, and a man who knows the number
of his fingers is scarcely to be found among them. Such statements are often the result
of ignorance, not of the savages but of their visitors, who must needs live among them
for years, and be thoroughly acquainted with their language, before they can venture to
generalize in so sweeping a fashion. Mr. Moffatt, who did live among the Namaquas, and
knew their language intimately, says that he never knew a man who had not a name, and
that mere children are able to count beyond the number ten.
Of religion they appear to have but the faintest glimmering, and it is more than
suspected that even their rude and imperfect ideas on the subject are corruptions of
information obtained from Europeans. Superstitions they have in plenty, some of them
resembling those which are held by the tribes which have already been mentioned.
Their idea of the coming of death into the world is one of these odd notions. It
seems that in former days, when men were first made, the hare had no cleft in its lip.
The moon sent a hare to the newly created beings with this message, " As I die, and am
born again, so you shall die and be born again." The hare, however, delivered the message
wrongly, "As I die and am not born again, so you shall die and not be born again." The
moon, angry at the hare's disobedience, threw a stick at it as it fled away from his wrath,
and split its lip open. From that time the hare has a cleft lip, and is always running
I away.
In consequence of this legend, the Namaquas will not eat the hare. They have such
a horror of it, that if a man should happen even to touch a fire at which a hare has been
cooked he is banished from his community, and not readmitted until he has paid
a fine.
During the terrible thunderstorms which occasionally pass over the country, the
Namaquas are in great dread of the lightning, and shoot their poisoned arrows at the
clouds in order to drive it away. As may be imagined, there is no small danger in this
performance, and a man has been killed by the lightning flash, which was attracted by his
pointed arrow. Other tribes have a similar custom, being in the habit of throwing stones
or other objects at the clouds.
SUPEKSTITION.
sor
As far as can be ascertained, their only notion of a supreme being is one who is the
author of death and inflicter of pain, and one consequently whom they fear, but cannot
love. Still, all statements of this nature made by savages must be received with very
great caution, owing to the invincible repugnance which they feel towards revealing
any portion of their religious system. They will rather state anything than the truth,
and will either invent a series of imaginative stories on the spur of the moment, or say
whatever they think is likely to please their interrogator. Even if they are converted to
Christianity, sufficient of the old nature remains to render them averse to speaking on
their former superstition, and they will mostly fence with the question or evade it rather
than tell the whole truth.
SHOOTING AT THE STORM.
Being superstitious, they have, of course, sorcerers in plenty. Besides the usual pre-
tensions of such personages, they claim the power of voluntary transmigration, and their
followers implicitly believe that they can assume the form of any beast which they
choose to select
They fancy, however, that their own sorcerers or witch-doctors share this power with
the Bosjesman race. Sir J. E. Alexander narrates the following legend in support of this
statement. " Once on a time a certain Namaqua was travelling in company with a Bush-
woman carrying a child on her back. They had proceeded some distance on their journey
when a troop of wild horses (zebras) appeared, and the man said to the woman, ' I am
hungry, and as I know you can turn yourself into a lion, do so now, and catch us a wild
horse that we may eat.' The woman answered, ' You will be afraid.'
" ( No, 110,' said the man, ' I am afraid of dying of hunger, but not of you/
308 THE NAMAQUAS.
" Whilst he was speaking, hair began to appear at the back of the woman's neck, her
nails assumed the appearance of claws, and her features altered. She set down the child.
" The man, alarmed at the change, climbed up a tree close by, while the woman glared
at him fearfully ; and going to one side, she threw oft' her skin petticoat, when a perfect
lion rushed out into the plain. It bounded and crept among the bushes towards the wild
horses, and, springing on one of them, it fell, and the lion lapped its blood. The lion
then came back to the place where the child was crying, and the man called from the
tree, ' Enough ! enough ! Do not hurt me. Put off your lion's shape. I will never ask
to see this again/
" The lion looked at him and growled. ' I'll remain here till I die ! ' exclaimed the
man, ' if you do not become a woman again.' The mane and tail began to disappear, the
lion went towards the bush where the skin petticoat lay ; it was slipped on, and the
woman in her proper shape took up the child. The man descended, partook of the
horse's flesh, but never again asked the woman to catch game for him."
Their notions about the two chief luminaries seem rather variable, though there is
certainly a connecting link between them. One account was, that the sun was made of
people living in the sea, who cut it in pieces every night, fried the fragments, put them
together again, and sent it afresh on its journey through the sky. Another story, as told
to Mr. Anderson, is to the effect that the sun is a huge lump of pure fat, and that when
it sinks below the waves, it is seized by the chief of a white man's ship, who cuts off a
piece of it, and then gives it a kick which throws it into the sky again. It is evident
that this story has at all events received some modification in recent times.
As to worship, the Namaquas seem to have little idea of it. They are very much
afraid of a bad spirit, but have no conception of a good one, and therefore have no
worship. Of praise they have not the least conception. So far are they from feeling
gratitude to a supreme being, that their language does not possess a word or a phrase by
which they can express their thanks to their fellow-creatures. Some travellers who have
lived among them say that they not only do not express, but do not feel gratitudej nor
feel kindness, and that, although they will feign friendship for a superior in order to get
what they can from him, they will desert him as soon as he can give no more, and
ridicule him for his credulity. In short, " they possess every vice of savages, and none
of their noble qualities."
This, however, seems rather too sweeping an assertion, especially as it is contradicted
by others of equal experience, and we may therefore calculate that the Namaqua
Hottentot is, in his wild state, neither worse nor better than the generality of savages,
and that higher feelings cannot be expected of him until they have been implanted in
him by contact with a higher race.
Rain-making is practised by Nam aqua witch-doctors, as well as by the prophets of the
Kaffir tribes, and the whole process is very similar, deriving all its efficacy from the
amount of the fee which the operator receives. These men also practise the art of
healing, and really exercise no small amount of ingenuity. They have a theory, and
like theorists in general, they make their practice yield to their theory, which is,
that the disease has insinuated itself into the patient in the guise of some small reptile,
and must be expelled. They seem to be clever conjurers, for they perform the task of
exorcism with such ingenuity >hat they have deceived, not only the credulous, but the
sharper gaze of Europeans.
One such performance was witnessed by a Dutchman, who fully believed that the
operation was a genuine one. A sheep was killed as soon as the doctor arrived, and the
sinews of the back rolled up and made into a kind of pill, which was administered to
the patient, the rest of the animal being the fee of the doctor. The mysterious pill was
then left for a day or two to transform the disease into a visible shape, so that it could be
removed before the eyes of the spectators. On the return of the doctor, he solemnly cut
some little holes in the stomach of the patient, from which there issued, first a small
snake, then a lizard, and then a whole series of smaller creatures.
As is the case among the Kaffirs, the richer a patient is, the larger is the animal
required for the production of the sacred pill. If he be a man of no particular conse-
HEALING THE SICK
309
quence, a goat or a sheep will work the charm, while, if he should happen to be a chief,
not a disease will condescend to assume bodily form unless instigated by an ox or a cow.
The witch-doctors have another theory of disease, namely, that a great snake has shot
an invisible arrow into the sufferer. Of course, this ailment has to be treated in a similar
manner. The reader may perhaps call to mind the very similar superstition which once
prevailed in our own country, namely, that cattle were sometimes shot with fairy arrows,
which had to be extracted by the force of counter charms.
The great panacea for diseases is, however, a sort of charm which requires several
years for its production, and which has the property of becoming more powerful every
year. When a man is initiated into the mysteries of the art, he puts on a cap, which he
wears continually. In the course of time it becomes saturated with grease, and is in a
terribly filthy condition. Not until then is it thought to possess healing properties ; but
when it is in such a state that no one with ordinary feelings of cleanliness would touch
it, the hidden virtues are supposed to be developed. The mode of administering the
remedy is by washing a little portion of the cap, and giving the patient the water to
drink. One of the chiefs, named Amral, assured Mr. Anderson that he possessed a cap
of this kind, which was absolutely infallible. He would not use it unless every other
remedy failed, but, whenever he did so, the cure was certain.
The Namaquas have great faith in amulets and charms of various kinds, the strangest
of which is a rather curious one. When a chief dies, cattle are sacrificed, in order to
furnish a great feast. One of the sons of the deceased succeeds his father in the chieftain-
ship, and, in recognition of his new rank, the fat and other choice portions are brought to
him as they had been to his father in his lifetime. The young chief places the fat on his
head, and allows it to remain there until the fat has been melted out of it by the sun's
rays, and only the inclosing membrane remains, dry and shrivelled. This is thought to
be a powerful charm, and is held in great estimation. The reader will notice the fact
that there seems to be in the mind of the Namaquas some connexion between the head
and the power of charming.
On the tombs of chiefs the Namaquas have a habit of flinging stones, each throwing
one stone upon it whenever he passes by. Why they do so, they either cannot or will
not tell — probably the latter ; but in process of time, the heap attains a considerable size.
This is the only superstition which
gives any indication of their belief
in a future life, for they have a
kind of dim notion about an in-
visible, but potent being, whom
they name Heitjeebib, or Heit-
jekobib, who, they think, is able
to grant or withhold prosperity.
Spirit though he be, they localize
him in the tombs, and the casting
of stones has probably some re-
ference to him.
Like other savage nations, they
have certain ceremonies when their
youth attain manhood, and at that
time the youth is instructed in the
precepts which are to govern his
life for the future. These are rather
of a negative than a positive na-
ture, and two very important en- SUCKING GOATS.
actments are, that he must never
eat the hare, and must cease from
sucking the goats. The latter injunction requires a little explanation. As long as the
Namaquas are children, they are accustomed to visit the female goats, drive away
the kids, and take their place. This, however, is considered to be essentially a
310 THE NAMAQUAS.
clii'ldish occupation, to be abandoned for ever when the boy seeks to be admitted among
the men.
As far as is known, there are few, if any, matrimonial ceremonies among the Namaqua
Hottentots. When a man wishes to marry any particular woman, he goes to her parents
and simply demands her. If the demand is acceded to, an ox is killed outside the door
of the bride's house, and she then goes home to her new husband. Polygamy is per-
mitted among this people, and, as is the case in other countries, has its drawbacks as well
as its advantages. In a country where the whole 'of the manual labour is performed by
the women, such a state is necessary, each woman being a sort of domestic servant, and
in no sense the equal companion of the man. Its drawbacks may be summed up in the
word "jealousy," that being a failing to which the Namaqua women are very subject, and
which generally finds its vent in blows.
If a man becomes tired of his wife, he needs no divorce court, but simply cuts the
conjugal knot by sending the woman back to her family. She has no redress ; and, how-
ever much she and her parents may object to the proceeding, they cannot prohibit it.
In peaceful arts they have some skill, especially in training oxen. This is a difficult
process, and is managed with great care. The young animal is first induced to step into
the noose of a rope which is laid on the ground, and as soon as it has done so, a number
of men seize the other end of the rope, and, in spite of his struggles, hold the animal
tightly. Sometimes the infuriated animal charges at them, and in that case they let go
the rope and scatter in all directions, only to renew their hold when the fury of the
animal is exhausted.
Another rope is then thrown over his horns, and by sharply pulling this and his tail,
and at the same time jerking his leg off the ground, the trainers force the animal to fall.
His head is then held on the ground, and a sharp stick thrust through his nostrils, a
tough leathern thong being then attached to each end of the stick, and acting as
a bridle.
The more an ox struggles and fights, the more docile he becomes afterwards, and the
more is he valued, while an ox which is sulky, especially if he lies down and declines to
rise, is never of much use. Loads, carefully graduated, are then fastened on his back,
beginning with a simple skin or empty bag, and ending with the full burden which an ox
is supposed to carry. The hide rope with which the burden is lashed on the back of the
ox is often one hundred and fifty feet in length, and consequently passes round and
round the body of the animal.
The chief difficulty is, to train an ox that will act as leader. The ox is naturally a
gregarious animal, and when he is associated with his fellows, he never likes to walk for
any distance unless there is a leader whom he can follow. In a state of nature the leader
would be the strongest bull, but in captivity he finds that all are very much alike in
point of strength, while their combative powers have been too much repressed to allow
any one animal to fight his way to the leadership. Very few oxen have the qualities
which enable them to be trained as leaders, but the Namaquas, who have excellent eyes
for the chief points of an ox, always select for this purpose the animals of lightest build
and most sprightly look, so that they may keep their followers at a brisk pace when on
the march. Their activity would naturally induce them to keep ahead of their companions,
so that the Namaquas merely assist nature when they select such animals to serve as
leaders.
The dreadful practice of abandoning the aged prevails in Namaqualand. A slight
fence is built round the unfortunate victim of so cruel a custom, who is then abandoned,
having been furnished with a little food, fire, and water, which are destined to play the
part of the bread and water placed in the tomb of an offending vestal. Travellers
through this country sometimes come upon the remains of a small fence, within which
are a heap of ashes, the remains of a water vessel, and a heap of whitened bones, and they
know that these are the memorials of an old Namaqua who has been left to perish with
hunger and thirst. Such persons must be very old when they succumb to such a death,
for some have been known to live to the age of ninety, and now and then a centenarian
is found.
ADOPTION OF PARENTS. 311
It is hardly credible, though true, that the Namaquas are so used to this parricidal
custom that they look at it with indifference. They expect no other fate if they them-
selves should happen to live until they are so old as to be an encumbrance to their
people, and the strangest thing is the acquiescence with which those who are thus
abandoned resign themselves to their fate. Mr. Moffatt mentions an instance where an
old woman, whom he found in a most pitiable state of suffering, refused to be taken away
by him and fed. It was the custom of the tribe, she said ; she was already nearly dead,
and did not want to die twice.
Their amusements are so similar to those which have already been mentioned that there
is no need to describe them separately. As to work, the men do little or nothing, preferring
to lounge about in the sun for days together, and will sit half dead with hunger and thirst,
rather than take the trouble to go and look for food and water. They have an odd way
of comparing a man who works with the worms of the ground, and that comparison is
thought to be a sufficient reason why a man should not work.
One very curious custom prevails among the Namaquas. Those who visit them are
expected to adopt a father and mother, and the newly-made relations are supposed to
have their property in common. This is probably a native practice, but the Namaquas
have had no scruples in extending it to Europeans, finding that in such cases a community
of goods becomes rather a lucrative speculation.
4FBICAN AXE FOR CHOPPING WOOD.
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE BECHUANAS,
THEIR NAME AND LANGUAGE THEIR DRESS SKILL IN THE ARTS OF PEACE THE BECHtJANA
KNIFE SKILL IN CARVING — THE BECHUANA ASSAGAI, OR " KOVEH " INGENIOUS BELLOWS —
A METAL APRON — DRESS OF THE WOMEN, AND THEIR FONDNESS FOR METALLIC ORNAMENTS —
CHARACTER OF THE BECHUANAS — THEIR TENDENCY TOWARDS LYING AND THIEVING DISREGARD
FOR HUMAN LIFE REDEEMING QUALITIES OF THE BECHUANAS — MODE OF GOVERNMENT — THE
NATIVE PARLIAMENT — MR. MOFFATT's ACCOUNT OF A DEBATE — CUSTOMS AFTER BATTLE — THE
ORDER OF THE SCAR, AND MODE OF CONFERRING IT— A DISAPPOINTED WARRIOR AN UNPLEASANT
CEREMONY MODE OF MAKING WAR THE BECHUANA BATTLE-AXE.
WE now leave the Hottentot race, and take a passing glance at the appearance of a few
other tribes. Chief among these is the veiy large tribe called by the name of Bechuana,
which includes a considerable number of sub-tribes. Just as the Hottentot names are
recognised by the affix Qua, so are the Bechuanas by the prefix Ba. Thus, the Bak wains,
Barolongs, Batlapis, and Bahurotsi, all belong to the great Bechuana tribe. It is rather
curious that in this language prefixes are used where suffixes, or even separate words,
might be expected. Thus, a man will speak of himself as Mochuana, i.e. a Chuana man;
the tribe is called Bechuanan, i.e. the Chuana men, and they speak Sichuana, i.e. the Chuana
language. Nearly every syllable ends with a vowel, which gives the language a softness
of pronunciation hardly to be expected in such a country. The love of euphony among
the Bechuana tribes causes them to be very indifferent about substituting one letter for
another, provided that by so doing a greater softness of pronunciation can be obtained.
In appearance they are a fine race of men, in some respects similar to the Kaffirs,
with whom they have many customs in common. Their dress is not very remarkable,
except that they are perhaps the best dressers of skins that are to be found in Africa, the
pliancy of the skin and the neatness of the sewing being unrivalled. They are good workers
in metal, and supply many of the surrounding tribes both with ornaments and weapons.
Perhaps the Bechuana knife is the most common of all the implements made by this
ingenious tribe. The general form of this knife may be seen from the two figures on page
313, one of which was taken from a specimen in my own collection. It is ten inches in
length inclusive of the handle, and the blade, which is double-edged, is nearly flat, being a
little thicker along the middle than at the edges. In fact, it is simply a spear-head inserted
into a handle. The sheath is made of two pieces of wood, hollowed just sufficiently to
receive the blade tightly, and then lashed firmly together with sinews. On one side of the
sheath a kind of loop is carved out of the solid wood, through which the wearer can pass
the string by which he hangs it to his neck.
The ordinary forms are simply a handle, sheath, and blade, all without any ornament,
but the ingenious smith often adds a considerable amount of decoration. One favourite
mode of doing so is to make the handle of ivory, and carve it into the form of some
animal. My own specimen represents a hyaena, and. in spite of the rudeness of the
THE BECHUANA KNIFE.
313
sculpture, no naturalist could possibly mistake the animal for which it is intended. The
handle is often cut into the form of the hippopotamus or the giraffe, and in all cases the
character of the animal is hit off exactly by the native carver. Along the sheath is
generally a pattern of some nature, and in many instances it is really of an artistic
character, worthy to be transferred to European weapons. A thong of leather passes
along the opposite si le of the sheath, and is attached by the same sinews which bind the
two halves of the sheath together. All the Hottentot and Bosjesman tribes use this
peculiar knife, as do sundry other inhabitants of Southern Africa. They always suspend
it to their necks, and use it for a variety of purposes, the chief of which is cutting up
meat when they are fortunate enough to procure any.
• il
iFrom Colonel Lane Fox's Collection.)
BECHUANA KNIVES.
(Fro-n my own Specimen.
The carved work of the knife, sheath, and handle is, however, not done with this kind
of knife, but with one which has a very short blade and a tolerably long handle. One of
these knives is shown in the illustration on page 314, and in this instance the handle
is made of the end of an antelope's horn. With this simple instrument are cut the
various patterns with which the Bechuanas are so fond of decorating their bowls, spoons,
and other articles of daily use, and with it are carved the giraffes, hyaenas, and other
animals, which serve as hilts for their dagger- knives, and handles to their spoons.
Sometimes the bowls of the spoons are covered on the outside with carved patterns of
a singularly artistic character, some of them recalling to the spectator the ornaments on
old Etruscan vases. They have a way of bringing out the pattern by charring either the
314
THE BECHUANAS.
plain surface or the incised pattern, so that in the one case the pattern is white on a
black ground, and sometimes vice versd. The pattern is generally a modification of the
zigzag, but there are many instances where curved lines are used without a single angle in
them, and when the curves are traced with equal truth. and freedom.
One of the best specimens of Bechuana art is a kind of assagai which they forge, and
which is equally to be praised for its ingenuity and execrated for its abominable cruelty.
KNIFE AND ASSAGAI HEADS.
Two forms of this dreadful weapon are given in the accompanying illustration. The
upper figure shows the entire head of the assagai and parts of the shaft, while the other
are representations of the barbs on a larger scale.
On examining one of these weapons carefully, it is seen that the neck of the assagai
has first been forged square, and then that the double barbs have been made by cutting
diagonally into the metal and turning up the barbs thus obtained. This is very clear
with the upper assagai, and is still better seen in the enlarged figure of the same weapon.
But the other is peculiarly ingenious, and exhibits an amount of metallurgic skill which
could hardly be expected among savage nations.
These assagais bear a curious resemblance to some arrows which are made in Central
Africa, and which will be figured in a- future page. Indeed, the resemblance is so great,
that an arrow if enlarged would serve admirably as an assagai. This resemblance —
unknown to Mr. Burchell — confirms his idea that the art of making these weapons came
from more northern tribes.
The use to which these terrible weapons are put is, of course, to produce certain death,
as it is impossible that the assagai can either be drawn out of the wound, or removed by
being pushed through it, as done with other barbed weapons. As, however, the temporary
loss of the weapon is necessarily involved in such a case, the natives do not use it except
on special occasions. The native name for it is " koveh," and it is popularly called the
" assagai of torture." It is generally used by being thrust down the throat of the victim
— generally a captured chief — who is then left to perish miserably.
The bellows used by the Bechuana blacksmith are singularly ingenious. In all the
skin bellows used by the natives of Southern Africa there is one radical defect, namely,
the want of a valve. In consequence of this want the bellows cannot be worked quickly,
as they would draw the fire, or, at all events, suck the heated air into their interior, and
so destroy the skin of which they are made. The Bechuana, however, contrives to avoid
this difficulty. The usual mode of making a bellows is to skin a goat, then sew up the
skin, so as to make a bag, insert a pipe — usually a horn one — into one of the legs, and
then use it by alternately inflating and compressing the bag.
Bellows of this kind can be seen in the illustration on page 98.
METALLIC ORNAMENTS.
315
The Bechuana smith, however, does not use a closed bag, but cuts it completely open
on one side, and on either side of the slit he fastens a straight stick. It is evident that
by separating these sticks he can admit the air into the bag without drawing the fire into
the tube, and that when he wants to eject the air, he has only to press the sticks together.
This ingenious succedaneum for a valve allows the smith to work the bellows as fast as
his hands can move them, and, in consequence, he can produce a much fiercer heat than
can be obtained by the ordinary plan.
The accompanying figure is an example of the skill with which they can work in
metals. It is a woman's apron, about a foot square, formed of a piece of leather entirely
covered with beads. But, instead of
using ordinary glass beads, the maker
has preferred those made of metal.
The greater part of the apron is formed
of iron beads, but those which pro-
duce the pattern are made of brass,
and when worn the owner took a
pride in keeping the brass beads
polished as brilliantly as possible.
In shape and general principle of
structure, this apron bears a close
resemblance to that which is shown
on page 25, fig. 2. This specimen is
in the collection of Col. Lane Fox.
In the same collection is an orna-
ment ingeniously made from th'i
spoils of slain monkeys. A part of
the upper jaw, containing the incisive
and canine teeth, has been cut olf,
cleaned, and dried. A whole row of
these jaws has then been sewn on
a strip of leather, each overlapping
its predecessor, so as to form a con-
tinuous band of glittering white
teeth.
As to dress, the Bechuanas, as a
rule, use more covering than many
of the surrounding tribes. The women
especially wear several aprons. The
first is made of thongs, like those
of the Kaffirs, and over that is gene-
rally one of skin. As she can afford
it she adds others, but always con-
trives to have the outside apron deco-
rated with beads or other adornments.
This series of aprons, however, is
all that a Bechuana woman considers
necessary in the way of dress, the kaross being adopted merely as a defence against the
weather, and not from any idea that covering to the body is needed for the purpose of
delicacy. In figure they are not so prepossessing as many of the surrounding tribes, being
usually short, stout, and clumsy, which latter defect is rendered still more conspicuous by
the quantities of beads which they hang in heavy coils round their waists and necks, and
the multitude of metal rings with which they load their arms and ankles. They even load
their hair as much as possible, drawing it out into a series of little twists, and dressing
them so copiously with grease and sibilo, that at a few yards they look as if their heads
were covered with a cap composed of metallic tags, and at a greater distance as if they
were wearing bands of polished steel on their heads.
APRON.
ORNAMENTS MADE
OF MONKEYS' TEETH.
316 THE BECHUANAS.
They consider a plentiful smearing of grease and red ochre to be the very acme of a
fashionable toilet, and think that washing the body is a disgusting custom. Women are
the smokers of the tribe, the men preferring snuff, and rather despising the pipe as a
woman's implement.
The Bechuanas can hardly be selected as examples of good moral character. No one
who knows them can believe a word that they say, and they will steal everything that
they can carry. They are singularly accomplished thieves, and the habit of stealing is so
ingrained in their nature, that if a man is detected in the very act he feels not the least
shame, but rather takes blame to himself for being so inexpert as to be found out. Small
articles they steal in a most ingenious manner. Should it be hanging up, they contrive
to handle it carelessly and let it fall on the ground, and then they begin active operations.
Standing near the coveted article, and trying to look as if they were not aware of its
existence, they quietly scrape a hole in the sand with one of, their feet, push the object of
their desire into the hole, cover it up again with sand, and smooth the surface so as to
leave no trace that the ground has been disturbed.
They steal each other's goods, whenever they can find an opportunity, but they are
only too glad to find an opportunity of exercising their art on a white man, whose pro-
perty is sure to be worth stealing. A traveller in their country has therefore a hard life,
for he knows that there is not a single article in his possession which will not vanish if
he leaves it unguarded for a few minutes Indeed, as Mr. Baines well observes, there is
not an honest nerve or fibre in a Bechuana's body ; from the root of his tongue to the tips
of his toes, every muscle is thoroughly trained in the art of thieving. If they merely sit
near an article of moderate size, when they move off it moves off with them, in a manner
that no wearer of trousers can conceive.
Even Mr. Moffatt, who had a singular capacity for discovering good qualities which
had lain latent and unsuspected, writes in very forcible terms respecting the utter dis-
honesty of the Bechuanas : —
" Some nights, or rather mornings, we had to record thefts committed in the course of
twenty-four hours, in our houses, our smith-shop, our garden, and among our cattle in the
field. These they have more than once driven into a bog or mire, at a late hour informing
us of the accident, as they termed it ; and, as it was then too dark to render assistance,
one or more would fall a prey to the hyaenas or hungry natives One night they entered
our cattle-fold, killed one of our best draught oxen, and carried the whole away, except
one shoulder.
" We were compelled to use much meat, from the great scarcity of grain and vege-
tables; our sheep we had to purchase at a distance, and very thankful might we be if
out of twenty we secured the largest half for ourselves They would break their legs, cut
off their tails, and more frequently carry off the whole carcase.
" Tools, such as saws, axes, and adzes, were losses severely felt, as we could not at that
time replace them, when there was no intercourse whatever with the colony. Some of our
tools and utensils which they stole, on finding the metal not what they expected, they
w(jjjld bring back beaten into all shapes, and offer them in exchange for some other article
of value. Knives were always eagerly coveted ; our metal spoons they melted ; and when
we were supplied with plated iron ones, which they found not so pliable, they supposed
them bewitched.
" Very often, when employed working at a distance from the house, if there was no
one in whom he could confide, the missionary would be compelled to carry them all to
the place where he went to seek a draught of water, well knowing that if they were left
they would take wings before he could return.
" The following ludicrous circumstance once happened, and was related to the writer
bvy a native in graphic style. Two men had succeeded in stealing an iron pot. Having
just taken it from the fire, it was rather warm for handing conveniently over a fence, and
by doing so it fell on a stone, and was cracked. ' It is iron,' said they, and off they went
with their booty, resolving to make the best of it : that is, if it would not serve for cooking,
they would transform it into knives and spears.
" After some time had elapsed, and the hue and cry about tfye missing pot had nearly
DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE. 317
died away, it was brought forth to a native smith, who had laid in a stock of charcoal for
the occasion. The pot was further broken to make it more convenient to lay hold of
with the tongs, which are generally made of the bark of a tree. The native Vulcan, unac-
quainted with cast iron, having with his small bellows, one in each hand, produced a good
heat, drew a piece from the fire. To his utter amazement, it flew into pieces at the first
stroke of his little hammer. Another and another piece was brought under the action of
the fire, and then under the hammer, with no better success. Both the thief and the smith,
gazing with eyes and mouth dilated on the fragments of iron scattered round the stone
anvil, declared their belief that the pot was bewitched, and concluded pot-stealing to bo
a bad speculation."
To the thieving propensities of these people there was no end. They would peep
into the rude hut that was used for a church, in order to see who was preaching, and would
then go off to the preacher's house, and rob it at their ease. When the missionaries, at
the expense of great labour, made a series of irrigating canals, for the purpose of watering
their gardens, the women would slily cut the banks of the channels, and divert the water.
They even broke down the darn which led the water from the river, merely for the sake
of depriving somebody of something ; and when, in spite of all their drawbacks, some
vegetables had been grown, the crops were stolen, even though a constant watch was kept
over them.
These accomplished thieves have even been known to steal meat out of the pot in
which it was being boiled, having also the insolence to substitute a stone for the pilfered
meat. One traveller found that all his followers were so continually robbed by the
Bechuanas, that at last he ceased from endeavouring to discover the thieves, and threatened
instead to punish any man who allowed an article to be stolen from him. They do not
even spare their own chief, and would rob him with as little compunction as if he were
a foreigner.
Dr. Lichtenstein, who certainly had a better opinion of the Bechuanas than they
deserved, was once cheated by them in a very ingenious manner. He had purchased three
ivory rings with some tobacco, but when he left the place he found that the same ring
had been sold to him three successive times, the natives behind him having picked his
pocket with the dexterity of a London thief, and then passed the ring to their companions
to be again offered for sale.
Altogether, the character of the Bechuanas does not seem to be an agreeable one, and
even the missionaries who have gone among them, and naturally are inclined to look on
the best side of their wild flocks, have very little to say in their favour, and plenty to say
against them. They seem to be as heartless towards the infirm and aged as the Namaquus,
and if one of their number is ill or wounded, so that he cannot wait upon himself, he is
carried outside the camp, and there left until he recovers or dies. A small and frail hut
is built for him, a portion of food is given to him daily, and in the evening a fire is made,
and fuel placed near so that it may be kept up. On one occasion the son of the chief was
wounded by a buffalo, and, according to ancient custom, was taken out of the camp. The
fire happened to go out, and in consequence a lion came and carried off the wounded man
in the night.
It was once thought that this cruel custom arose from the fear of infection, but this
is evidently not the case, as persons afflicted with infectious diseases are not disturbed as
long as they can help themselves. Superstition may probably be the true reason for it.
They have but little regard for human life, especially for that of a woman, and a
husband may kill his wife if he likes, without any particular notice being taken of it
One traveller mentions that a husband became angry with his wife about some trifling
matter, seized his assagai, and killed her on the spot. The body was dragged out by the
heels, and thrown into the bush to be devoured by the hysenas, and there was an end of the
whole business. The traveller, being horrified by such an action, laid an information
before the chief, and was only laughed at for his pains, the chief thinking that for any
one to be shocked at so ordinary an occurrence was a very good joke.
Still, the Bechuana has his redeeming qualities. They are not quarrelsome, and
Burchel] remarks that, during all the time which he spent among them, he never saw two
318
THE BECHUANAS.
men openly quarrelling, nor any public breach of decorum. They are persevering and
industrious in the arts of peace, and, as has been seen, learn to work in iron and to carve
wood with a skill that can only be attained by long and careful practice. They are
more attached to the soil than many of the neighbouring tribes, cultivating it carefully,
and in this art far surpassing the Kaffirs. Their houses, too, are of elaborate construction,
and built with a care and solidity which show that the inhabitants are not nomads, but
residents on one spot.
The government of the Bechuanas is primarily monarchical, but not entirely despotic.
The king has his own way in most matters, but his chiefs can always exercise a check
upon him by summoning a parliament, or " Picho," as it is called.
The Picho affords a truly wild and picturesque spectacle. The warriors in their full
panoply of war, seat themselves in a circle, in the midst of which is the chair of the king.
The various speakers take their turns at addressing the assembly, and speak with the
greatest freedom, not even sparing the king himself, but publicly arraigning him for any
shortcomings, real or fancied, and sometimes gaining their point. As to the king himself,
BECHUANA PARLIAMENT.
he generally opens the parliament with a few sentences, and then remains silent until all
the speeches have been delivered. He then answers those that have been made against
himself, and becomes greatly excited, leaping about the ring, brandishing his spear and
shield, and lashing himself into an almost frantic state. This is the usual procedure
among savages, and the more excited that a man becomes, the better he is supposed to
speak afterwards.
An extract from Mr. Moffatt's account of a Picho will give a good idea of the pro-
ceedings : —
" Although the whole exhibits a very grotesque scene, business is carried on with the
most perfect order. There is but little cheering, and still less hissing, while every speaker
fearlessly states his own sentiments. The audience is seated on the ground (as represented
in the accompanying sketch), each man having before him his shield, to which is attached
a number of spears. A quiver containing poisoned arrows is hung from the shoulder,
and a battle-axe is held in the right hand. Many were adorned with tiger-skins and tails,
MR MOFFATT'S ACCOUNT OF A DEBATE. 319
and bad plumes of feathers waving on their heads. In the centre a sufficient space was
left for the privileged — those who had killed an enemy in battle — to dance and sing, in
which they exhibited the most violent and fantastic gestures conceivable, which drew
forth from the spectators the most clamorous applause.
" When they retire to their seats, the speaker commences by commanding silence.
'Be silent, ye Batlapis, be silent, ye Barolongs,' addressing each tribe distinctly, not ex-
cepting the white people, if any happen to be present, and to which each responds with
a groan. He then takes from his shield a spear, and points it in the direction in which
the enemy is advancing, imprecating a curse upon them, and thus declaring war by re-
peatedly thrusting his spear in that direction, as if plunging it into an enemy. This
receives a loud whistling sound of applause. He next directs his spear towards the
Bushman country, south and south-west, imprecating also a curse on those ' ox-eaters/ as
they are called.
" The king, on this, as on all similar occasions, introduced the business of the day by
' Ye sons of Molchabanque ' — viewing all the influential men present as the friends or
allies of his kingdom, which rose to more than its former eminence under the reign of
that monarch, his father — ' the Mantatees are a strong and victorious people ; they have
overwhelmed many nations, and they are approaching to destroy us. We have been
apprised of their manners, their deeds, their weapons, and their intentions. We cannot
stand against the Mantatees ; we must now concert, conclude, and be determined to stand.
The case is a great one. . . .
" ' I now wait to hear what the general opinion is. Let every one speak his mind,
and then I shall speak again/ Mothibi manoeuvred his spear as at the commence-
ment, and then pointing it towards heaven, the audience shouted, ' Pula ' (rain), on which
he sat down amidst a din of applause. Between each speaker a part or verse of a
war-song is sung, the same antics are then performed, and again universal silence is
commanded. . . .
"When several speakers had delivered their sentiments, chiefly exhorting to
unanimity and courage, Mothibi resumed his central position, and after the usual gesti-
culations, commanded silence. Having noticed some remarks of the preceding speakers,
he added : ' It is evident that the best plan is to proceed against the enemy, that they
come no nearer. Let not our towns be the seat of war ; let not our houses be the scenes
of bloodshed and destruction. No ! let the blood of the enemy be spilt at a distance from
our wives and children.' Turning to the aged chief, he said : ' I hear you, my father ; I
understand you, my father ; your words are true, they are good for the ear ; it is good
that we be instructed by the Makooas ; I wish those evil who will not obey ; I wish that
they may be broken in pieces.'
" Then addressing the warriors, ' There are many of you who do not deserve to eat
out of a bowl, but only out of a broken pot ; think on what has been said, and obey
without murmuring. I command you, ye chiefs of the Batlapis, Batlares, Bamairis,
Barolongs, and Bakotus, that you acquaint all your tribes of the proceedings of this day ;
let none be ignorant ; I say again, ye warriors, prepare for the battle ; let your shields be
strong, your quivers full of arrows, and your battle-axes as sharp as hunger.' ' Be silent,
ye kidney-eaters' (addressing the old men), 'ye are of no farther use but to hang about
for kidneys when an ox is slaughtered. If your oxen are taken, where will you get any
more ?' Turning to the women, he said, ' Prevent not the warrior from going out to battle
by your cunning insinuations. No, rouse the warrior to glory, and he will return with
honourable scars, fresh marks of valour will cover his thighs, and we shall then renew
the war song and dance, and relate the story of our conquest.' At the conclusion of this
speech the air was rent with acclamations, the whole assembly occasionally joining in the
dance ; the women frequently taking the weapons from the hands of the men and
brandishing them in the most violent manner, people of all ages using the most
extravagant and frantic gestures for nearly two hours."
In explanation of the strange word, " kidney-eaters," the reader must be made aware
that kidneys are eaten only by the old of both sexes. Young people will not taste them
on any account, from the superstitious idea that they can have no children if they do so.
J20 THE BECHUANAS.
The word of applause, " pula," or rain, is used metaphorically to signify that the words of
the speaker are to the hearers like rain on a thirsty soil.
In the last few lines of the king's speech, mention is made of the " honourable scars
upon the thighs." He is here alluding to a curious practice among the Bechuanas.
After a battle, those who have killed an enemy assemble by night, and, after exhibiting
the trophies of their prowess, each goes to the prophet or priest, who takes a sharp assagai
and makes a long cut from the hip to the knee. One of these cuts is made for each
enemy that has been slain, and some distinguished warriors have their legs absolutely
striped with scars. As the wound is a tolerably deep one, and as ashes are plentifully
rubbed into it, the scar remains for life, and is more conspicuous than it would be in an
European, leaving a white track upon the dark skin.
In spite of the severity of the wound, all the successful warriors join in a dance,
which is kept up all night, and only terminates at sunrise. No one is allowed to make
the cut for himself, and any one who did so would at once be detected by the jealous
eyes of his companions. Moreover, in order to substantiate his claim, each warrior is
obliged to produce his trophy — a small piece of flesh with the skin attached, cut from
the body of his foe.
When the ceremony of investiture with the Order of the Scar takes place, a large fire
is made, and around it is built a low fence, inside which no one may pass except the
priest and those who can show a trophy. On the outside of the fence are congregated
the women and all the men who have not been fortunate enough to distinguish them-
selves. One by one the warriors advance to the priest, show the trophy, have it approved,
and then take their place round the fire. Each man then lays the trophy on the glowing
coals, and, when it is thoroughly roasted, eats it. This custom arises from a notion that
the courage of the slain warrior then passes into the body of the man who killed him,
and aids also in making him invulnerable.
The Bechuanas do not like this custom, but, on the contrary, view it with nearly as
much abhorrence as Europeans can do, only yielding to it from a desire not to controvert
the ancient custom of their nation.
It may well be imagined that this ceremony incites the warriors, both old and young,
to distinguish themselves in battle, in order that they may have the right of entering
the sacred fence, and be publicly invested with the honourable scar of valour. On one
such occasion, a man who was well known for his courage could not succeed in killing
any of the enemy, because their numbers were so comparatively small that all had been
killed before he could reach them.
At night he was almost beside himself with anger and mortification, and positively
wept with rage at being excluded from the sacred enclosure. At last he sprang
away from the place, ran at full speed to his house, killed one of his own servants,
and returned to the spot, bringing with him the requisite passport of admittance. In
this act he was held to be perfectly justified, because the slain man was a captive taken
in war, and therefore, according to Bechuanan ideas, his life belonged to his master, and
could be taken whenever it might be more useful to him than the living slave.
In war, the Bechuanas are but cruel enemies, killing the wounded without mercy, and
even butchering the inoffensive women and children. The desire to possess the coveted
trophy of success is probably the cause of their ruthlessness. In some divisions of the
Bechuana tribes, such as the Bachapins, the successful warriors do not eat the trophy,
but dry it and hang it round their necks, eating instead a portion of the liver of the
slain man. In all cases, however, it seems that some part of the enemy has to be
eaten.
The weapons used in war are not at all like those which are employed by the Kaffirs.
The Bechuanan shield is much smaller than that of the Kaffirs, and on each side a
semicircular piece of leather is cut out. The reader may remember that in the Kaffir
shield, as may be seen by the illustration page 111, there is a slight depression on each
side. In the Bechuanan shield, however, this depression is scooped out so deeply that the
shield is almost like an hour-glass in shape.
The assagai, which has already been described, is not intended to be used as a missile,
BATTLE-AXES.
321
but as a weapon for hand-to-hand combat. Indeed, the amount of labour which is
bestowed upon it renders it too valuable to be flung at an enemy, who might avoid the
blow, and then seize the spear and keep it.
The Bechuanas have one weapon which is very effective at close quarters. This is
the battle-axe, several examples of which are given in the accompanying illustration.
Various as are the shapes of the heads, the reader will see that they are all made on one
principle, and that, in fact, an axe is nothing more than an enlarged spear-head fixed
transversely on the handle. The ordinary battle-axes have their heads fastened to
wooden handles, but the best examples have the handles made of rhinoceros horn.
A remarkably fine specimen of these battle-axes is now before me. It is simply a
knob-kerry made of rhinoceros horn, through the knob of which the shank of the head
has been passed. The object of this construction is twofold. In the first place, the
increased thickness of the handle prevents, in a great measure, the liability to split when
a severe blow is struck ; and secondly, the increased weight adds force to the stroke.
In some of these axes the knob at the end of the handle seems disproportionately largo.
The axe is carried, together with the shield, in the left hand, while the right is at liberty
to hold the assagai. But, if the warrior is driven to close quarters, or if his spear should
be broken, he snatches the axe from the shield, and is then armed anew.
L Axejbr chopping wood ; 2, 3, 4. Battle-axe$.
CHAPTER XXIX.
BECHUANAS— Concluded.
BELTOION AND SUPERSTITION A NATIVE CONJUROR, AND HIS DEXTERITY — CURING A SICK MAN
THE MAGIC DICE — AMULETS SPARTAN PRACTICES — THE GIRI/S ORDEAL — A SINGULAR PRIVILEGE
FOOD OF THE BECHUANAS — THE MILK-BAG — MUSIC AND DANCING THE HEED PIPE, OR
LICHAKA THE BECHUANAN DANCE REMARKABLE CAP WORN BY THE PERFORMERS — THE SUB-
STITUTE FOR A HANDKERCHIEF — ARCHITECTURE OF THE BECHUANAS, AND ITS ELABORATE
CHARACTER — CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUSES — CONCENTRIC MODE OF BUILDING MR. BAINES's
TISIT TO A BECHUANA CHIEF BURIAL OF THE DEAD, AND ATTENDANT CEREMONIES.
OF religion the Bechuanas know nothing, though they have plenty of superstition, and are
as utter slaves to their witch-doctors as can well be conceived. The life of one of these
personages is full of danger. He practises his arts with the full knowledge that if he
should fail death is nearly certain to be the result. Indeed, it is very seldom that a
witch-doctor, especially if he should happen to be also a rain-maker, dies a natural death,
he generally falling a victim to the clubs of his quondam followers.
These men evidently practise the art of conjuring, as we understand the word, and
they can perform their tricks with great dexterity. One of these men exhibited several
of his performances to Mr. Baines, and displayed no small ingenuity in the magic art.
His first trick was to empty, or to appear to empty, a skin-bag and an old hat, and
then to shake the bag over the hat, when a piece of meat or hide fell from the former
into the latter. Another performance was to tie up a bead necklace in a wisp of grass,
and hand it to one of the white spectators to burn. He then passed the bag to the most
incredulous of the spectators, allowed him to feel it and prove that it was empty, while
the hat was being examined by Mr. Baines and a friend. Calling out to the holder of
the bag, he pretended to throw something through the air, and, when the bag was duly
shaken, out fell the beads into the hat.
This was really a clever trick, and, though any of my readers who have some practical
acquaintance with the art of legerdemain can see how it was done, it is not a little
surprising to see such dexterity possessed by a savage. The success of this trick was
the more remarkable because the holder of the bag had rather unfairly tried to baulk the
performer.
On a subsequent occasion, however, the conjuror attempted the same trick, varying it
by requesting that the beads ^hould be broken instead of burned. The holder of the
beads took the precaution of marking them with ink before breaking them, and in
consequence all the drumming of the conjuror could not reproduce them until after dark,
when another string of beads, precisely similar in appearance, was found under the
wagon. Being pressed on the subject, the conjuror admitted that they were not the same
beads, but said that they hai been sent supernatural!)' io replace those which had been
broken.
MAGIC DICE 323
The same operator was tolerably clever at tricks with cord, but had to confess that a
nautical education conferred advantages in that respect to which his supernatural powers
were obliged to yield. He once invited Mr. Baines to see him exhibit his skill in the
evening. " A circle of girls and women now surrounded the wizard, and commenced a
pleasing but monotonous chant, clapping their hands in unison, while he, seated alternately
on a carved stool and on a slender piece of reed covered with a skin to prevent its
hurting him, kept time for the hand-clapping, and seemed trying to work himself up to
the required state of inspiration, till his whole flesh quivered like that of a person iii
the ague.
" A few preparatory anointings of the joints of all his limbs, his breast and forehead,
as well as of those of his choristers, followed ; shrill whistlings were interchanged
with spasmodic gestures, and now I found that the exhibition of the evening was a bond
fide medical operation on the person of a man who lay covered with skins outside of the
circle. The posterior portion of the thigh was chosen for scarification, but, as the fire
gave no light in that direction, and the doctor and the relatives seemed not to like my
touching the patient, I did not ascertain how deep the incisions were made. Most
probably, from the scars I have seen of former operations of the kind, they were merely
deep enough to draw blood.
" The singing and hand-clapping now grew more vehement, the doctor threw himself
upon the patient, perhaps sucked the wound, at all events pretended to inhale the disease.
Strong convulsions seized him, and, as he was a man of powerful frame, it required no
little strength to hold him. At length, with upturned eyes and face expressive of suffoca-
tion, he seized his knife, and thrusting it into his mouth, took out a large piece apparently
of hide or flesh, which his admiring audience supposed him to have previously drawn
from the body of the patient, thus removing the cause of the disease."
Sometimes the Bechuana doctor uses a sort of dice, if such a term may be used when
speaking of objects totally unlike the dice which are used in this country. In form they
are pyramidal, and are cut from the
cloven hoof of a small antelope.
These articles do not look very valu-
able, but they are held in the highest
estimation, inasmuch as very few know
how to prepare them, and they are
handed down from father to son through
successive generations. The older they
are, the more powerful are they sup-
posed to be, and a man who is for-
tunate enough to possess them can ^^_
scarcely be induced to part with them. MAGIC DICE
Those which are depicted in the illus-
tration are taken from specimens that
were, after a vast amount of bargaining, purchased by Dr. lichtenstein, at the price of an
ox for each die.
These rnagic dice are used when the proprietor wishes to know the result of some
undertaking. He smooths a piece of ground with his hand, holds the die between his
fingers, moves his hands up and down several times, and then allows them to fall. He
then scans them carefully, and judges from their position what they foretell. The reader
may remember the instance where a Kaffir prophet used the magic necklace for the same
purpose, and in a similar manner. The characters or figures described on the surface have
evidently some meaning, but what their signification was the former possessor either
did not know, or did not choose to communicate.
The children, when they first begin to trouble themselves and their parents by the
process of teething, are often furnished with a kind of amulet, which is shown in the
illustration on page 324. It is made of a large African beetle, called scientifically,
Brachycerus apterus. A number of them are killed, dried, and then strung on leathern
thongs, so as to be worn round the neck, These objects have been mistaken for whistles.
Y2
324
THE BECHUANAS.
The Bechuanas have great faith in their powers when used for teething, and think that
they are efficacious in preventing various infantine disorders.
Like the Kaffirs, the Bechuanas make use of certain religious ceremonies before they
go to war. One of these rites consists in laying a charm on the cattle, so that they shall
not be seized by the enemy. The oxen are brought singly to the priest, if we may so
call him, who is furnished with a pot of black paint, and a jackal's tail by way of a brush.
"With this primitive brush he makes a certain mark upon the hind leg of the animal,
while at the same time, an assistant, who kneels behind him, repeats the mark in
miniature upon his back or arms.
To this ceremony they attribute great value ; and, as war is almost invariably made
for the sake of cattle, the Bechuanas may well be excused for employing any rite which
they fancy will protect such valued possessions.
Among one branch of the Bechuana tribe, a very
remarkable ceremony is observed when the boys seek
to be admitted into the rank of men. The details
are kept very secret, but a few of the particulars have
been discovered. Dr. Livingstone, for example, hap-
pened once to witness the second stage of the cere-
monies, which last for a considerable time.
A number of boys, about fourteen years of age,
without a vestige of clothing, stood in a row, and
opposite those was an equal number of men, each
having in his hand a long switch cut from a bush be-
longing to the genus Grewia, and called in the native
language moretloa. The twigs of this bush are very
strong, tough, and supple. Both the men and boys
were engaged in an odd kind of dance, called " koha,"
which the men evidently enjoyed, and the boys had
to look as if they enjoyed it too. Each boy was
furnished with a pair of the ordinary hide sandals,
which he wore on his hands instead of his feet.
At stated intervals, the men put certain questions
to the boys, respecting their future life when admitted
into the society of men. For example :
" Will you herd the cattle well ? " asks the man.
" I will," answers the boy, at the same time lifting
his sandalled hands over his head.
The man then leaps forward, and with his full force
strikes at the boy's head. The blow is received on
the uplifted sandals, but the elasticity of the long
switch causes it to curl over the boy's head with such
force that a deep gash is made in his back, some
twelve or eighteen inches in length, from which the blood spirts as if it were made with
a knife.
Ever afterwards, the lesson that he is to guard the cattle is supposed to be indelibly
impressed on the boy's mind.
Then comes another question, " Will you guard the chief well ? "
" I will," replies the boy, and another stroke impresses that lesson on the boy's mind.
And thus they proceed, until the whole series of questions has been asked and properly
answered. The worst part of the proceeding is, that the boys are obliged, under penalty
of rejection, to continue their dance, to look pleased and happy, and not to wince at the
terrible strokes which cover their bodies with blood, and seam their backs with scars that
last throughout their lifetime.
Painful as this ordeal must be, the reader must not think that it is nearly so formid-
able to the Bechuanas as it would be to Europeans. In the first place, the nervous
system of an European is far more sensitive than that of South African natives, and
AMULETS FOR CHILDREN.
SPARTAN PRACTICES.
325
injuries which would lay him prostrate have but little effect upon them. Moreover,
their skiu, from constant exposure to the elements, is singularly insensible, so that the
stripes do not inllict a tenth part of the pain that they would if suffered by an
European.
Only the older men are allowed to take part in this mode of instruction of the boys,
and if any man should attempt it who is not qualified, he is unpleasantly reminded of
his presumption by receiving on his own back the stripes which he intended to inflict on
the boys, the old men being in such a case simultaneously judges and executioners. No
SPARTAN PRACTICES.
elevation of rank will allow a man to thus transgress with impunity, and on one occasion,
Sekomi himself, the chief of the tribe, received a severe blow on the leg from one of his
own people.
This kind of ordeal, called the Sechu, is only practised among three tribes, one of
which is the Bamangwato, of which Sekomi was the chief.
The reader will probably see that the ceremony is rather of a civil than a religious
character. The other stage of the rite, which is called by the general name of Boguera,
is also of a secular character.
It takes place every six or seven years, so that a large number of boys are collected.
These are divided into bands, each of which is under the command of one of the sons of
the chief, and each member is supposed to be a companion of his leader for life. They
are taken into the woods by the old men, where they reside for some time, and where, to
judge from their scarred and seamed backs, their residence does not appear to be of the
most agreeable description. When they have passed through the different stages of the
boguera, each band -becomes a regiment or "mopato," and goes by its own name,
326
THE BECHUANAS.
According to Dr. Livingstone, "they recognise a sort of equality and partial com-
munion afterwards, and address each other by the name of Molekane, or comrade. In
cases of offence against their rules, as eating alone when any of their comrades are within
call, or in cases of dereliction of duty, they may strike one another, or any member of a
younger mopato, but never one of an older band ; and when three or four companies
have been made, the oldest no longer takes the field in time of war, but remains as a
guard over the women and children. When a fugitive comes to a tribe, he is directed to
the mopato analogous to that to which in his own tribe he belongs, and does duty as
a member."
THE GIRLS' ORDEAL.
The girls have to pass an ordeal of a somewhat similar character before they are
admitted among the women, and can hope to attain the summit of an African girl's
hopes, namely, to be married. If possible, the details of the ceremony are kept even
more strictly secret than is the case with the boys, but a part of it necessarily takes place
in public, and is therefore well known.
The girls are commanded by an old and experienced woman, always a stern and
determined personage, who carries them off into the woods, and there instructs them in
all the many arts which they will have to practise when married. Clad in a strange
costume, composed of ropes made of melon-seeds and bits of quill, the ropes being passed
over both shoulders and across their bodies in a figure-of-eight position, they are drilled
into walking with large pots of water on their heads. Wells are purposely chosen which
are at a considerable distance, in order to inure the girls to fatigue, and the monitress
always chooses the most inclement days for sending them to the greatest distance.
They have to carry heavy loads of wood, to handle agricultural tools, to build houses,
and, in fact, to practise before marriage those tasks which are sure to fall to their lot
MILK-BAGS.
327
afterwards. Capability of enduring pain is also insisted upon, and the monitress tests
their powers by scorching their arms with burning charcoal. Of course, all these severe
labours require that the hands should be hard and horny, and accordingly, the last test
which the girls have to endure is holding in the hand for a certain time a piece of
hot iron.
Kough and rude as this school of instruction may be, its purport is judicious enough ;
inasmuch as when the girls are married, and enter upon their new duties, they do so with
a full and practical knowledge of them, and so escape the punishment which they would
assuredly receive if they were to fail in their tasks. The name of the ceremony is called
" Bogale."
During the time that it lasts, the girls enjoy several privileges, one of which is highly
prized. If a boy who has not passed through his ordeal should come in their way,
he is at once pounced upon, and held down by some, while others bring a supply of thorn-
DANCING-CAP AND MILK-BAG.
branches, and beat him severely with this unpleasant rod. Should they be in sufficient
numbers, they are not very particular whether the trespasser be protected by the boguera
or not ; and instances have been known when they have captured adult men, and dis-
ciplined them so severely that they bore the scars ever afterwards.
In their feeding they are not particularly cleanly, turning meat about on the fire with
their fingers, and then rubbing their hands on their bodies, for the sake of the fat which
adheres to them. Boiling, however, is the usual mode of cooking ; and when eating it,
they place a lump of meat in the mouth, seize it with the teeth, hold it in the left hand so
as to stretch it as far as possible, and then, with a neat upward stroke of a knife or spear-
head, cut off the required morsel. This odd mode of eating meat may be found among
the Abyssinians and the Esquimaux, and in each case it is a marvel how the men avoid
cutting off their noses.
Here is a representation of one of the milk-bags. It is made from the skin of some
large animal, such as an ox or a zebra, arid is rather more than two feet in length, and
one in width. It is formed from a tough piece of hide, which is cut to the proper shape,
and then turned over and sewn, as shown in the illustration ; the seams being particularly
firm and strong. The hide of the quagga is said to be the best, as it gives to the milk a
peculiar flavour, which is admired by the natives. The skin is taken from the back of the
animal, that being the strongest part. It is first stretched on the ground with wooden
pegs, and the hair scraped off with an adze. It is then cut to the proper shape, and
soaked in water until soft enough to be worked. Even with care, these bags are rather
32? THE BECHUANAS.
perishable articles ; and when used for water, they do not last so long as when they are
employed for milk.
A rather large opening is left at the top, and a small one at the bottom, both of which
are closed by conical plugs. Through the upper orifice the milk is poured into the bug
in a fresh state, and removed when coagulated ; and through the lower aperture the wliey
is drawn off as wanted. As is the case with the Kaffir milk-baskets, the Bechuana milk-
bags are never cleaned, a small amount of sour milk being always left in them, so as to
aid in coagulating the milk, which the natives never drink in a fresh state.
When travelling, the Bechuanas hang their milk-bags on the backs of oxen ; and it
sometimes happens that the jolting of the oxen, and consequent shaking of the bag, causes
the milk to be partially churned, so that small pieces of butter are found floating in it.
The butter is very highly valued ; but it is not eaten, being reserved for the more impor-
tant office of greasing the hair or skin.
The spoons which the Bechuanas use are often carved in the most elaborate manner.
In general shape they resemble those used by the Kaffirs — who, by the way, sometimes
purchase better articles from the Bechuanas — but the under surface of the bowl is entirely
covered with designs, which are always effective, and in many cases are absolutely artistic
from the boldness and simplicity of the designs. I have several of these spoons, in all of
which the surface has first been charred and polished, and then the pattern cut rather
deeply, so as to leave yellowish white lines in bold contrast with the jetty black of the
uncut portion.
Sometimes it happens that, when they are travelling, and have no spoons with them,
the Bechuanas rapidly scoop up their broth in the right hand, throw it into the palm of
the left, and then fling it into the mouth, taking care to lick the hands clean after the
operation.
Music is practised by the Bechuana tribes, who do not use the goura, but merely
employ a kind of reed pipe. The tunes that are played upon this instrument are of a
severely simple character, being limited to a single note, repeated as often as the per-
former chooses to play it. A very good imitation of Bechuanan instrumental music may be
obtained by taking a penny whistle, and blowing it at intervals. In default of a whistle,
a key will do quite as well.
Vocal music is known better among the Bechuanas than among the preceding tribes —
or, at all events, is not so utterly opposed to European ideas of the art. The melody is
simple enough, consisting chiefly of descending and ascending by thirds ; and they have a
sufficient appreciation of harmony to sing in two parts without producing the continuous
discords which delight the soul of the Hottentot tribes.
These reed pipes, called " lichaka," are of various lengths, and are blown exactly like
Pandean pipes, i. e. transversely across the orifice, which is cut with a slight slope. Each
individual has one pipe only, and, as above stated, can only play one note. But the
Bechuanas have enough musical ear to tune their pipes to any required note, which they
do by pushing or withdrawing a moveable plug which closes the reed at the lower end.
When a number of men assemble for the purpose of singing and dancing, they tune their
pipes beforehand, taking great pains in getting the precise note which they want, and
being as careful about it as if they belonged to an European orchestra. The general effect
of these pipes, played together, and with certain intervals, is by no means inharmonious,
and has been rather happily compared to the sound of sledge or wagon bells.
The correct method of holding the pipe is to place the thumb against the cheek, and
the forefinger over the upper lip, while the other three fingers hold the instrument firmly
in its place. These little instruments run through a scale of some eleven or twelve notes.
The dances of the Bechuanas are somewhat similar to those of the Amakosa and other
Kaffirs ; but they have the peculiarity of using a rather remarkable head-dress when they
are in full ceremonial costume.
This is made from porcupine quills, arranged in a bold and artistic manner, so as to
form a kind of coronet. None of the stiff and short quills of the porcupine are used for
this purpose, but only the long and slender quills which adorn the neck of the animal, and,
in consequence of their great proportionate length, bend over the back in graceful curves.
SUBSTITUTE FOR HANDKERCHIEF.
329
These head-dresses are worn by the men, who move themselves about so as to cause the
pliant quills to wave backwards and forwards, and so contrive to produce a really graceful
effect. The head-dress is not considered an essential part of the dance, but is used on
special occasions.
When dancing, they arrange themselves in a ring, all looking inwards, but without
troubling themselves about their number or any particular arrangement. The size of the
ring depends entirely upon the number of dancers, as they press closely together. Each is
at liberty to use any step which he may think proper to invent, and
to blow his reed pipe at any intervals that may seem most agreeable
to him. But each man contrives to move very slowly in a slanting
direction, so that the whole ring revolves on the same spot, making,
on an average, one revolution per minute.
The direction in which it moves seems perfectly indifferent, as
at one time it will revolve from right to left, and then, without any
apparent reason, the motion is reversed. Dancers enter and leave
the ring just as they feel inclined, some of the elders only taking
part in the dance for a few minutes, and others dancing for hours
in succession, merely retiring occasionally to rest their wearied limbs.
The dancers scarcely speak at all when engaged in this absorbing
amusement, though they accompany their reed whistles with native
songs.
Round the dancers is an external ring of women and girls, who
follow them as they revolve, and keep time to their movements by
clapping their hands.
As is usual in this country, a vast amount of exertion is used in
the dance, and, as a necessary consequence, the dancers are bathed
in perspiration, and further inconvenienced by the melting of the
grease with which their heads and bodies are thickly covered. A
handkerchief would be the natural resort of an European under such
circumstances ; but the native of Southern Africa does not possess
such an article, and therefore is obliged to make use of an implement
which seems rather ill adapted for its purpose. It is made from
the bushy tail of jackals, and is prepared as follows : The tails are
removed from the animals, and, while they are yet fresh, the skin is
stripped from the bones, leaving a hollow tube of fur-clad skin. Three
or four of these tails are thus prepared, and through them is thrust
a stick, generally about four feet in length, so that the tail forms a
sort of large and very soft brush. This is used as a handkerchief,
not only by the Bechuanas, but by many of the neighbouring tribes,
and is thought a necessary part of a Bechuana's wardrobe. The stick
on which they are fixed is cut from the very heart of the kanieel-
dorn acacia, where the wood is peculiarly hard and black, and a
very great amount of labour is expended on its manufacture. The
name of this implement is Kaval-klusi, or Kaval-pukoli, according
to the animal from which it is made; the "klusi" being apparently
the common yellow jackal, and the "pukoli" the black-tailed jackal.
The natives fancy that the jackal possesses some quality which
benefits the sight, and therefore they may often be seen drawing
the kaval-klusi across their eyes.
A chief will sometimes have a far more valuable implement,
which he uses for the same purpose. One of these fans or
handkerchiefs is represented in the illustration. Instead of being
made of mere jackal tails, it is formed from ostrich feathers. It was the property of the
king of the Bechuana tribe, and was given by him to Dr. Lichtenstein.
The remarkable excellence of the Bechuanas in the arts of peace has already been
mentioned. They are not only the best fur-dressers and metal-workers, but they are pre-
FEATHER HANDKER-
CHIEF.
330
THE BECHUANAS.
eminent among all the tribes of that portion of Africa in their architecture. Not being a
nomad people, and being attached to the soil, they have no idea of contenting themselves
with the mat-covered cages of the Hottentots, or with the simple wattle-and-daub huts of
the Kaffirs. They do not merely build huts, but erect houses, and display an ingenuity
in their construction that is perfectly astonishing. Whence they derived their architec-
tural knowledge, no one knows. Why the Kaffirs, who are also men of the soil, should
not have learned from their neighbours how to build better houses, no one can tell. The
fact remains, that the Bechuana is simply supreme in architecture, and there is no neigh-
bouring tribe that is even worthy to be ranked in the second class.
FEMALE ARCHITECTS.
We have already seen that the house of Dingan, the great Kaffir despot, was exactly
like that of any of his subjects, only larger, and the supporting posts covered with beads.
Now a Bechuana of very moderate rank would be ashamed of such an edifice by way of
a residence ; and even the poor — if we may use the word — can build houses for them-
selves quite as good as that of Dingan.
Instead of being round-topped, like so many wickerwork ant-hills, as is the case with
the Kaffir huts, the houses of the Bechuanas are conical, and the shape may be roughly
defined by saying that a Bechuana's hut looks something like a huge whipping-top with
its point upwards.
A man of moderate rank makes his house in the following manner — or, rather, orders
his wives to build it for him, the women being the only architects. First, a number of
posts are cut from the kameel-dom acacia-tree, their length varying according to the office
which they have to fulfil. Supposing, for example, that the house had to be sixteen or
twenty feet in diameter, some ten or twelve posts are needed, which will be about nine
CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUSES. 331
feet hi height when planted in the ground. These are placed in a circle, and firmly fixed
at tolerably equal distances.
Next conies a smaller circle of much taller posts, which, when fixed in the ground,
measure from fifteen to eighteen feet in height, one of them being longer than the rest.
Both the circles of posts are connected with beams which are fastened to their tops.
The next process is to lay a sufficient quantity of rafters on these posts, so that they
all meet at one point, and these are tightly lashed together. This point is seldom in the
exact centre, so that the hut always looks rather lop-sided. A roof made of reeds is then
placed upon the rafters, and the skeleton of the house is complete.
The thatch is held in its place by a number of long and thin twigs, which are bent,
and the ends thrust into the thatch. These twigs are set in parallel rows, and hold the
thatch firmly together. The slope of the roof is rather slight, and is always that of a
depressed cone, as may be seen by reference to the illustration.
Next come the walls. The posts which form the outer circle are connected with a
wall sometimes about six feet high, but frequently only two feet or so. But the wall
which connects the inner circle is eight or ten feet in height, and sometimes reaches
nearly to the roof of the house. These walls are generally made of the mimosa thorns,
which are so ingeniously woven that the garments of those who pass by are in no danger,
while they effectually prevent even the smallest animal from creeping through. The
inside of the wall is strengthened as well as smoothed by a thick coating of clay. The
BECHUANA HOUSE.
family live in the central compartment of the house, while the servants inhabit the outer
portion, which also serves as a verandah in which the family can sit in the day time, and
enjoy the double benefit of fresh air and shade.
The accompanying illustration gives an idea of the ordinary construction of a
Bechuana hut. Around this house is a tolerably high paling, made in a similar fashion
of posts and thorns, and within this enclosure the cattle are kept, when their owner is
rich enough to build an enclosure for their especial use.
This fence, or wall, as it may properly be called, is always very firmly built, and
sometimes is of very strong construction. It is on an average six feet high, and is about
two feet and a half wide at the bottom, and a foot or less at the top. It is made almost
entirely of small twigs and branches, placed upright, and nearly parallel with each other,
but so firmly interlaced that they form an admirable defence against the assagai, while
near the bottom the wall is so strong as to stop an ordinary bullet. A few inches from
the top, the wall is strengthened by a double band of twigs, one band being outside, and
the other in the interior.
The doorways of a Bechuana hut are rather curiously constructed. An aperture is
made in the wall, larger above than below, so as to suit the shape of a human being,
whose shoulders are wider than his feet. This formation serves two purposes. In the
332
THE BECHUANAS.
first place it lessens the size of the aperture, and so diminishes the amount of draught,
and, in I he next place, it forms a better defence against an adversary than if it were of
larger sixe, and reaching to the ground.
The fireplace is situated outside the hut, though within the fence, the Bechuanas
1 laving a very wholesome dread of fire, and being naturally anxious that their elaborately-
built houses should not be burned down. Outside the house, but within the enclosure, is
the corn-house. This is a smaller hut, constructed in much the same manner as the
dwelling-house, and containing the supply of corn. This is kept in jars, one of which is
of prodigious size, and would quite throw into the shade the celebrated oil jars in which
the "Forty Thieves" hid themselves. There is also a separate house in which the
servants sleep.
This corn-jar is made of twigs plaited and woven into form, and strengthened by
sticks thrust into the ground, so that it is irremovable, even if its huge dimensions did
not answer that purpose. The jar is plastered both on the outside and the interior with
clay, so that it forms an admirable protection for the corn. The height of these jars is
sometimes six feet in height and three in width, and their shape almost exactly resembles
that of the oil jars of Europe. The best specimens are raised six or seven inches from
the ground, the stakes which form their scaffolding answering the purpose of legs.
Every house has one such jar ; and in the abode of wealthy persons there is generally one
large jar and a number of smaller ones, all packed together closely, and sometimes
entirely filling the store-house.
SECTION OF A HOUSE.
As is the case with the Kaffirs, the Bechuanas build their houses and walls in a
circular form, and have no idea of making a wall or a fence in a straight line.
Mr. Burchell accounts for it by suggesting that they have discovered the greater capacity
of a circle compared with any other figure of equal circumference, and that they make
circular houses and cattle-pens in order to accommodate the greatest number of men or
cattle in the least possible space. I rather doubt the truth of this theory, because these
people cannot build a straight wall or a square house, even if they wished to do so, and
believe that the real cause must be looked for in their mental conformation.
We will now examine the accompanying illustrations, which exhibit a plan and a
section of the house belonging to a Bechuana chief named Molemmi. It is taken from
Burchell's valuable work.
Encircling the whole is the outer wall, and it will be seen that the enclosure is
divided by means of cross walls, one of which has a doorway. At the top of the plan is
the corn-house, in which is one large jar and one of the smaller sort. The shaded portion
represents that part of the building which is covered by the roof. The servants' house is
also separate, and may be seen on the right of the plan. The fireplace is shown by the
small circle just below the cross wall on the right hand of the plan. In the middle is
the house itself, with its verandahs and passages covered by a common roof. In the very
centre is the sleeping place of the family ; immediately outside it is the passage where the
servants sit, and outside it again is the verandah. The little circles upon the plan repre-
sent the places occupied by the posts.
ME. BAINES'S VISIT.
333
Above is the section of the same house, the line of section passing nearly through
the centre of the plan, from the top to the bottom. On the left is the entrance into the
outer enclosure, and next we see the successive passages, with their oddly-shaped door-
ways, the little cylindrical room in the centre being the sleeping-place of the chief. The
corn-house occupies the extreme right, and, as may be seen, the line of section passes
completely through the large corn-jar.
In further explanation of the exceeding care that a Bechuana bestows on his house, I
here give a portion of a letter kindly sent to ine by Mr. T. Baines, the eminent African
traveller.
"About 1850, while that which is now
the Free State was then the Orange River
Sovereignty, my friend Joseph Macabe and
I were lying at Coqui's Drift on the Vaal
(or Yellow-dun) I^iver, and, needing corn and
other supplies, we spanned-in the cattle and
proceeded to the village. This we found
very prettily situated among bold and toler-
ably well-wooded hills, against whose dark
sides the conical roofs, thatched with light
yellowish reeds, contrasted advantageously.
" As usual, the tribe was beginning to lay
desolate the surrounding country by reck-
lessly cutting down the wood around their
dwellings, a process by which in many in-
stances they have so denuded the hills that
the little springs that formerly flowed from
them are no longer protected by the overhang-
ing foliage, and are evaporated by the fierce
heat of the sun upon the unsheltered earth.
Of this process, old Lattakoo, the former
residence of the missionary Moffatt, is a nota-
ble example, and it is proverbial that when-
ever a native tribe settles by a little rivulet, the water in a few years diminishes and
dries up.
" The women and children, as usual in villages out of the common path of travellers,
fled half in fear and half in timidity at our approach, and peeped coyly from behind the
fences of mud or reeds as we advanced.
" We left our wagon in the outskirts of the village, and near to the centre found
the chief and his principal men seated beneath a massive bower or awning of rough
timber, cut with the most reckless extravagance of material, and piled in forked trunks
still standing in the earth, as if the design of the builders had been to give the least
possible amount of shade with the greatest expenditure of material. . . .
" Most of the men were employed in the manufacture of karosses or skin-cloaks from
the spoils of various animals killed in the chase. Some were braying or rubbing the
skins between the hands to soften them, others were scraping the inner surface, so as to
raise the nap so much prized by the natives, and others, having cut the skins into shape
with their knives or assagais, were slowly and carefully sewing them together. One man
was tinkling with a piece of stick on the string of a bow, to which a calabash had been
tied in order to increase the resonance, and all looked busy and happy. Our present of
snuff was received with intense gratification, but very few of them were extravagant
enough to inhale the precious stimulant in its pure state, and generally a small portion
was placed upon the back of the left hand, and then a quantity of dust was lifted
with a small horn spoon, carefully mixed with the snuff, and inhaled with infinite
satisfaction.
" Their habitations were arranged in concentric circles, the outermost of which encloses
a more or less spacious court or yard, fenced either with tall straight reeds, or with a wall
PLAN OF HOUSE.
334
THE BECHUANAS.
of fine clay, carefully smoothed and patted up by the hands of the women. It is after-
wards covered with transverse lines, the space between which are variously etched with
parallel lines, either straight, waved, or zigzag, according to fancy. The floor of this
court is also smoothed with clay, and elevations of the same material in the form of
segments of a circle serve for seats, the whole being kept so clean that dry food might be
ftiten from the floor without scruple.
" The walls of the hut are also of clay, plastered upon the poles which support the,
conical roof, but the eaves project so as to form a low verandah all around it. Low poles
at intervals give this also an additional support, and a " stoep " or elevation, about nine
inches high and three feet broad, surrounds the house beneath it.
" The doorway is an arch about three feet high. The inside of the wall, as may be
perceived from the drawing, is scored and etched into compartments by lines traced with
the fingers or a pointed stick. Sometimes melon or pumpkin seeds are stuck into the
clay in fanciful patterns, and after-
wards removed, leaving the hol-
lows lined with their slightly lus-
trous bark.
" Within this again is another
wall, enclosing a still smaller
room, which, in the case of the
chief's hut, was well stored with
soft skin mantles, and, as he said,
must have been most agreeably
warm as a sleeping apartment in
the .cold weather, more especially
as the doorway might be wholly
or partially closed at pleasure.
Pilasters of clay were wrought
over the doorway, mouldings were
run round it, and zigzag ornaments
in charcoal, or in red or yellow
clay, were plentifully used. The
circular mouldings seen upon
what may be called the ceiling are
really the bands of reeds upon
the underside of the roof, by which those that form the thatch are secured.
" The space between the inner chamber and the outer wall extended all round the hut,
and in it, but rather in the rear, were several jars and calabashes of outchualla, or nativ e
beer, in process of fermentation. My first impression of this beverage was, that it re-
sembled a mixture of bad table-beer and spoiled vinegar, but it is regarded both as food
and drink by the natives and travellers who have become accustomed to it. A host con-
siders that he has fulfilled the highest duties of hospitality when he has set before his
guest a jar of beer. It is thought an insult to leave any in the vessel, but the guest may
give to his attendants any surplus that remains after he has satisfied himself."
The burial of the dead is conducted, after a rather curious manner. The funeral cere-
monies actually begin before the sick person is dead, and must have the effect of hastening
dissolution. As soon as the relations of the sick man see that his end is near, they throw
over him a mat, or sometimes a skin, and draw it together until the enclosed individual
is forced into a sitting, or rather a crouching posture, with the arms bent, the head bowed,
and the knees brought into contact with the chin. In this uncomfortable position the
last spark of life soon expires, and the actual funeral begins.
The relatives dig a grave, generally within the cattle-fence, not shaped as is the case
in Europe, but a mere round hole, about three feet in diameter. The interior of this
strangely-shaped grave is then rubbed with a bulbous root. An opening is then made in
the fence surrounding the house, and the body is carried through it, still enveloped in the
mat, and with a skin thrown over tbe head. It is then lowered into the grave, and great
INTERIOB OP CHIEF'S HOUSE.
FUNERAL RITES.
335
pains are taken to place it exactly facing the north, an operation which consumes much
time, but which is achieved at last with tolerable accuracy.
When they have settled this point to their satisfaction, they bring fragments of an
ant-hill, which, as the reader may remember, is the best and finest clay that can be pro-
cured, and lay it carefully about the feet of the corpse, over which it is pressed by two
men who stand in the grave for that purpose. More and more clay is handed down in
wooden bowls, and stamped firmly down, the operators raising the mat in proportion as the
earth rises. They take particular care that not even the smallest pebble shall mix with
the earth that surrounds the body, and, as the clay is quite free from stones, it is the
fittest material for their purpose.
BECHUANA FUNERAL.
As soon as the eatth reaches the mouth, a branch of acacia is placed in the grave, and
some roots of grass laid on the head, so that part of the grass projects above the level of
the ground. The excavated soil is then scooped up, so as to make a small mound, over
which is poured several bowls full of water, the spectators meanwhile shouting out,
" Pula ! Pula ! " as they do when applauding a speaker in the parliament. The weapons
and implements of the deceased are then brought to the grave, and presented to him, but
they are not left there, as is the case with some tribes. The ceremony ends by the whole
party leaving the ground, amid the lamentations of the women, who keep up a continual
wailing crying.
These are the full ceremonials that take place at the death of a chief, — at all events,
of a man of some importance, but they vary much according to the rank of the individual.
Sometimes a rain-maker has forbidden all sepulchral rites whatever, as interfering with
336 THE BEC'HUANAS.
the production of rain, and during the time of this interdict every corpse is dragged into the
bush to be consumed by the hyaenas. Even the very touch of a dead body is forbidden, and
under this strange tyranny, a son has been seen to fling a leathern rope round the leg
of his dead mother, drag her body into the bush, and there leave it, throwing down tho
rope and abandoning it, because it had been defiled by the contact of a dead body, and
he might happen to touch the part that had touched the corpse.
The concluding scene in a Bechuana funeral is shown in the illustration oir
page 335.
In the background is seen the fence of the kraal, in which a hole has been broken
through which the body of the deceased has been carried. Behind the men who are
lowering the body into the grave is a girl bearing in her hands the branch of acacia
which is to be placed on the head of the corpse — evidently a relic of some tradition long
ago forgotten, or at all events, of which they profess to be ignorant. At the side stands
the old woman who bears the weapons of the deceased chief — his spears, axe, and bow —
and in the foreground are the bowl of water for lustration, and the hoes with which the
grave has been dug.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE DAMAKA TEIBE.
LOCALITY AND ORIGIN OF THE DAMARAS DIVISIONS OF THE TRIBE THE HICH AND POOR DAMARAS
CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY APPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE THEIR PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION
MAN'S DRKSS — THE PECULIAR SANDALS, AND MODE O'F ADORNING THE HAIR — WOMEN'S DRESS
COSTUME OF THE GIRLS PORTRAIT OF A DAMARA GIRL RESTING HERSELF — SINGULAR CAP OF THTC
MARRIED WOMEN — FASTIDIOUSNESS CONCERNING DRESS — CATTLE OF THE DAMARAS "CROWING"
FOR ROOTS AND WATER ARCHITECTURE AND FURNITURE INTELLECT OF THE DAMARAS
ARITHMETICAL DIFFICULTIES WEAPONS THE DAMARA AS A SOLDIER THE DIFFERENT CASTES
OR EANDAS — FOOD, AND MODE OF COOKING DAMARA DANCES AND MUSIC MATRIMONIAL AFFAIRS
VARIOUS SUPERSTITIONS — THE SACRED FIRE AND ITS PRIESTESS APPARITIONS — DEATH AND
BURIAL OF A CHIEF — CEREMONIALS ON THE ACCESSION OF HIS SON THE DAMARA OATH.
IF the reader will refer to the map on page 36, and look at the western coast of Africa,
just below lat. 20° S., he will see that a large portion of the country is occupied by a
people called Damaras, this word being a euphonious corruption of the word Damup,
which signifies " The People." Who the Damaras originally were, how long they have
occupied the land, and the place where they originally came from, are rather dubious, and
they themselves can throw no light on the subject.
The tribe is a very interesting one. Once of great power and importance, it spread
over a vast tract of country, and developed its own peculiar manners and customs, some
of which, as will be seen, are most remarkable. Its day of prosperity was, however, but
a short one, as is the case with most tribes in this part of the world. It has rapidly
sunk from its high estate, has suffered from the attacks of powerful and relentless
enemies, and in a few more years will probably perish off the face of the earth. So rapid
have been the changes, that one traveller, Mr. Anderssen, remarks that within his own
time, it has been his fate to witness the complete ruin and downfall of the once great
Damara nation.
Such being the case, it is my intention to give a brief account of the tribe, noticing
only those peculiarities which serve to distinguish it from other tribes, and which might
in the course of a few years be altogether forgotten. The account given in the following
pages has been partly taken from Mr. Anderssen's " Lake Kgami," partly from Mr. Gallon's
work on Southwestern Africa, and partly from the well-known book by Mr. Baines, to
whom I am also indebted for many sketches, and much verbal and written information.
As far as can be ascertained, the aborigines were a race called, even by themselves, the
Ghou Damup — a name quite untranslatable to ears polite, and therefore euphonized by
the colonists into Hill Damaras, though in reality there is no connexion between them.
The Ghou Damup say that their great ancestor was a baboon, who married a native lady,
and had a numerous progeny. The union, however, like most unequal matches, was not
a happy one, the mother priding herself on her family, and twitting her sons with
VOL. i. z
338 THE DAMARAS.
their low connexions on the paternal side. The end of the matter was, that a split took
place in the family, the sons behaving so badly that they dared no longer lace their high-
born Hottentot connexions, and fled to the hills, where they have ever since dwelt.
The Damaras may be roughly divided into two bodies, the rich and the poor, the
former being those who possess cattle, and live chiefly on the milk, arid the latter
those who have either no cattle, or only one or two, and who, in consequence, live by
the chase and on the wild roots which they dig. For the Damaras are not an agricul-
tural people, probably because their soil is not, as a general rule, adapted for the raising
of crops.
The poor Damaras, called Ovatjumba, are looked down upon by the richer sort, and,
in fact, treated as if they were inferior beings. Their usual position is that of servitude
to the wealthy, who consider them .rather as slaves than servants, punish them with great
severity, and do not hesitate even to take their lives. It will be seen from this fact that
the primitive simplicity of the savage life is not precisely of an Arcadian character ; and
that savages are not indebted to Europeans for all their vices. For some undoubtedly
they are, and display a singular aptitude in acquiring them ; but most of the greatest
evils of the world, such as drunkenness, cruelty, immorality, dishonesty, lying, slavery,
and the like, are to be found in full vigour among savage nations, and existed among
them long before they ever saw an European.
To say that the vices above mentioned were introduced to savages by Europeans is a
libel on civilization. Whenever a savage can intoxicate himself he will do so, no matter
in what part of the world he lives. So determinedly is he bent on attaining this result,
that he will drink vast quantities of the native African beer, which is as thick as ordi-
nary gruel, or he will drink the disgustingly-prepared kava of Polynesia; or he will
smoke hemp in a pipe, or chew it as a sweetmeat ; or swallow tobacco smoke until he is
more than half choked, or he will take opium if he can get it, and intoxicate himself
with that.
Similarly, the savage is essentially cruel, not having the least regard for the sufferings
of others, and inflicting the most frightful tortures with calm enjoyment. As for morality,
as we understand the word, the true savage has no conception of it, and the scenes which
nightly take place in savage lands are of such a nature that travellers who have witnessed
them are obliged to pass them over in discreet silence. Honesty, in its right sense, is
equally unknown, and so is truthfulness, a successful theft and an undetected falsehood
being thought evidences of skill and ingenuity, and by no means a disgrace. Slavery,
again, thrives mightily among savages, and it is a well-known fact that savages are the
hardest masters towards their slaves on the face of the earth.
The land in which the Damaras live is rather a remarkable one, and, although it is of
very large extent, only a small portion is habitable by human beings. The vegetation is
mostly of the thorny kind, while water is scarce throughout a great portion of the year,
the rainy season bringing with it sudden floods, which are scarcely less destructive than
the previous drought. " Being situated in the tropic of Capricorn, the seasons are
naturally the reverse of those in Europe. In the month of August, when our summer
may be said to be at an end, hot westerly winds blow, which quickly parch up and
destroy the vegetation. At the same time, whirlwinds sweep over the country with
tremendous velocity, driving along vast columns of sand, many feet in diameter, and
several hundred in height. At times, ten or fifteen of these columns may be seen chasing
each other. The Damaras designate them Orukumb'ombura, or, Kain-bringers, a most
appropriate name, as they usually occur just before the first rains fall.
" Showers, accompanied by thunder and vivid lightning, are not unusual in the months
of September and October ; but the regular rains do not set in till December and January,
when they continue, with but slight intermission, till May. In this month and June,
strong easterly winds prevail, which are not only disagreeable but injurious to health.
The lips crack, and the skin feels dry and harsh. Occasionally at this time, tropical rains
fall, but they do more harm than good, as sudden cold, which annihilates vegetation, is
invariably the result. In July and August the nights are the coldest, and it is then no
unusual thing to find ice half an inch thick."
PHYSICAL CONSTITUTION.
339
The Damaras have a very odd notion of their origin, thinking that they sprang from
a tree, which they call in consequence the Mother Tree. All the animals had the same
origin ; and, after they had burst from the parent tree, the world was all in darkness. A
Damara then lighted a fire, whereupon most of the beasts and birols fled away in terror,
while a few remained, and came close to the blaze. Those which fled became wild
animals, such as the gnoo, the giraffe, the zebra, and others, while those which remained
were the sheep, the ox, the goat, and dog, and became domesticated. The individual tree
DAMARA WARRIOR AND WIFE.
is said still to exist at a place called Omariera, but, as it happens, every sub-tribe of the
Damaras point to a different tree, and regard it with filial affection as their great
ancestor.
The natives call this tree Motjohaara, and the particular individual from which they
believe that they sprung by the name of Omumborombonga. The timber is very heavy,
and of so close and hard a texture, that it may be ranked among the ironwoods.
In appearance the Damaras are a fine race of men, sometimes exceeding six feet in
height, and well proportioned. Their features are tolerably regular, and they move with
340 THE DAMARAS.
grace and freedom. They arc powerful, as becomes their bulk ; but, as is the case with
many savages, although they can put forth great strength on occasions, they are not
capable of long and continued exertion.
The bodily constitution of the Damaras is of the most extraordinary character. Pain
for them seems almost non-existent, and an injury which would be fatal to the more
nervously constituted European has but little effect on the Damara. The reader may
remember the insensibility to pain manifested by the Hottentots, but the Damaras even
exceed them in this particular. Mr. Baines mentions, in his MS. notes, some extra-
ordinary instances of this peculiarity. On one occasion a man had broken his leg, and
the fractured limb had been put up in a splint.
One day, while the leg was being dressed, Mr. Baines heard a great shout of laughter,
and found that a clumsy assistant had let the leg fall, and had re-broken the partially
united bones, so that the leg was hanging with the foot twisted inwards. Instead of
being horrified at such an accident, they were all shouting with laughter at the abnormal
shape of the limb, and no one seemed to think it a better joke, or laughed more heartily,
than the injured man himself. The same man, when his injuries had nearly healed, and
nitrate of silver had to be applied freely to the parts, bore the excruciating operation so
well that he was complimented on his courage. However, it turned out that he did not
feel the application at all, and that the compliments were quite thrown away.
On another occasion, a very remarkable incident occurred. There had been a mutiny,
which threatened the lives of the whole party, and the ringleader was accordingly con-
demned to death, and solemnly executed by being shot through the head with a pistol,
the body being allowed to lie where it fell. Two or three days afterwards, the executed
criminal made his appearance, not much the worse for the injury, except the remains of a
wound in his head. He seemed to think that he had been rather hardly used, and asked
for a stick of tobacco as compensation.
Yet, although so indifferent to external injuries, they are singularly sensitive to illness,
and are at once prostrated by a slight indisposition, of which an European would think
nothing at all.
Their peculiar constitution always shows itself in travelling. Mr. Baines remarks
that a savage is ready to travel at a minute's notice, as he has nothing to do but to pick
up his weapons and start. He looks with contempt upon the preparation which a white
man makes, and for two or three days' " fatigue " work will beat almost any European.
Yet in a long, steady march, the European tires out the savage, unless the latter conforms
to the usages which he despised at starting.
He finds that, after all, he will require baggage and clothing of some kind. The heat
of the mid-day sun gives him a headache, and he is obliged to ask for a cap as a protec-
tion. Then his sandals, which were sufficient for him on a sandy soil, are no protection
against thorns, and so he has to procure shoes. Then, sleeping at night without a rug or
large kaross cannot be endured for many nights, and so he has to ask for a blanket.
His food again, such as the ground nuts, on which the poorer Damaras chiefly live, is not
sufficiently nutritious for long-continued exertion, and he is obliged to ask for his regular
rations. His usual fashion is to make a dash at work, to continue for two or three days,
and then to cease altogether, and recruit his strength by passing several days in inaction.
The dress of the Damaras is rather peculiar — that of the women especially so.
The principal part of a man's dress is a leathern rope of wonderful length, seldom
less than a hundred feet, and sometimes exceeding four or even five hundred. This is
wound in loose coils round the waist, so that it falls in folds which are not devoid of
grace. In it the Damara thrusts his axes, knob-kerries, and other implements, so that it
serves the purpose of a belt, a pocket, and a dress. His feet are defended by sandals,
made something like those of the Bechuanas, and fastened to the feet in a similar manner,
but remarkable for their length, projecting rather behind the heel, and very much before
the toes, in a way that reminds the observer of the long-toed boots which were so
fashionable in early English times. Sometimes he makes a very bad use of these sandals,
surreptitiously scraping holes in the sand, into which he pushes small articles of value
that may have been dropped, and then stealthily covers them up with the sand.
DRESS
341
They are very fond of ornament, and place great value on iron for this purpose,
fashioning it into various forms, and polishing it until it glitters brightly in the sunbeams.
Beads, of course, they wear, and they are fond of ivory beads, some of which may be
rather termed balls, so large are they. One man had a string of these beads which hung
from the back of his head nearly to his heels. The uppermost beads were about as large
as billiard balls, and they graduated regularly in size until the lowest and smallest were
barely as large as hazel-nuts. He was very proud of this ornament, and refused to sell
it, though he kindly offered to lend it for a day or two.
His head-dress costs him much trouble in composing, though he does not often go
through the labour of adjusting it. He divides his hair into a great number of strands,
which he fixes by imbuing them
with a mixture of grease and red
ochre, and then allows them to
hang round his head like so many
short red cords. A wealthy man
will sometimes adorn himself with
a single cockle-shell in the centre
of the forehead, and Mr. Baines
remarks, that if any of his friends
at home would only have made
a supper on a few pennyworth of
cockles, and sent him the shells,
he could have made his fortune.
The men have no particular hat
or cap; but, as they are very fas-
tidious about their hair, and as
rain would utterly destroy all the
elaborately-dressed locks, they use
in rainy weather a piece of soft
hide, which they place on their
heads, and fold or twist into any
form that may seem most con-
venient to them. The fat and red
ochre with which he adorns his
head is liberally bestowed on the
whole body, and affords an index
to the health and general spirits
of the Damara. When a Damara
is well and in good spirits he is
all red and shining like a mirror,
and whenever he is seen pale arid
dull he is sure either to be in low
spirits or bad circumstances. As
a rule, the Damaras do not wash
themselves, preferring to renew
their beauty by paint and grease,
and the natural consequence is,
that they diffuse an odour which
is far from agreeable to European
nostrils, though their own seem
to be insensible to it. Indeed, so
powerful are the odours of the African tribes, that any one who ventures among them
must boldly abnegate the sense of smell, and make up his mind to endure all kinds of
evil odours, just as he makes up his mind to endure the heat of the sun and the various
hardships of travel in a foreign land.
The dress of the women is most remarkable, not to say unique.
DAMA.RA GIRL RESTING.
342 THE DAMARAS.
As children, they have no clothing whatever; and, until they are asked in marriage
they wear the usual costume of Southern Africa, namely, the Cringe-apron, and perhaps a
piece of leather tied round the waist, these and beads constituting their only dress.
The illustration on page 341 is from a drawing by Mr. Baines, which admirably
shows the symmetrical and graceful figures of the Damara girls before they are married,
and their contours spoiled by hard work.
The drawing was taken from life, and represents a young girl as she appears while
resting herself. It seems rather a strange mode of resting, but it is a point of honour with
the Damara girls and women not to put down a load until they have conveyed it to its
destination, and, as she has found the heavy basket to fatigue her head, she has raised it
on both her hands, and thus " rests " herself without ceasing her walk or putting down
her burden.
Not content with the basket load upon her head, she has another load tied to- her
back, consisting of some puppies. The Damara girls are very fond of puppies, and make
great pets of them, treating them as if they were babies, and carrying them about exactly
as the married women carry their children.
As soon as they have been asked in marriage, the Damara woman assumes the
matron's distinctive costume. This is of the most elaborate character, and requires a
careful description, as there is nothing like it in any part of the world.
Round her waist the woman winds an inordinately long hide rope, like that worn by
her husband. This rope is so saturated with grease that it is as soft and pliable as silk,
but also has the disadvantage of harbouring sundr}* noxious insects, the extermination of
which, however, seems to afford harmless amusement to the Damara ladies. Also, she
wears a dress made of skin, the hair being worn outwards, and the upper part turned over
so as to form a sort of capa
Many Damara women wear a curious kind of bodice, the chief use of which seems
to be the evidence that a vast amount of time and labour has been expended in producing
a very small result. Small flat discs of ostrich-shell are prepared, as has already been
mentioned when treating of the Hottentots, and strung together. A number of the
strings are then set side by side so as to form a wide belt, which is fastened round the
body, and certainly affords a pleasing contrast to the shining red which is so liberally
used, and which entirely obliterates the distinctions of dark or fair individuals.
Round their wrists and ankles they wear a succession of metal rings, almost invariably
iron or copper, and some of the richer sort wear so many that they can hardly walk with
comfort, and their naturally graceful gait degenerates into an awkward waddle. It is
rather curious that the women should value these two metals so highly, for they care
comparatively little for the more costly metals, such as brass or even gold. These rings
are very simply made, being merely thick rods cut to the proper length, bent rudely into
form, and then clenched over the limb by the hammer. These ornaments have cost some
of their owners very dear, as we shall presently see.
The strangest part of the woman's costume is the head-dress, which may be seen by
reference to the illustration on page 339.
The framework of the head-dress is a skull-cap of stout hide, which fits closely to
the head, and which is ornamented with three imitation ears of the same material, one
being on each side, and the third behind. To the back of this cap is attached a flat tail,
sometimes three feet or more in length, and six or eight inches in width. It is composed
of a strip of leather, on which are fastened parallel strings of metal beads, or rather
" bugles," mostly made of tin. The last few inches of the leather strip are cut into
thongs so as to form a terminal fringe. The cap is further decorated by shells, which are
sewn round it in successive rows according to the wealth of the wearer. The whole of
the cap, as well as the ears, is rubbed with grease and red ochre.
So much for the cap itself, which, however, is incomplete without the veil. This is a
large piece of thin and very soft leather which is attached to the front of the cap, and, if
allowed to hang freely, would fall over the face and conceal it. The women, however,
only wear it thus for a short time, and then roll it back so that it passes over the fore-
head, and then falls on either shoulder.
"CEO WING" FOE EOOTS AND WATER Z±'6
Heavy and inconvenient as is this cap, the Damara woman never goes without it,
and suffers all the inconvenience for the sake of being fashionable. Indeed, so highly is
this adornment prized by both sexes that the husbands would visit their wives with their
heaviest displeasure (i.e. beat them within an inch of their lives) if they ventured to appear
without it. One woman, whose portrait was being taken, was recommended to leave her
head-dress with the artist, so that she might be spared the trouble of standing while the
elaborate decorations were being drawn. She was horrified at the idea of laying it aside,
and said that her husband would kill her if she was seen without her proper dress. If
she wishes to carry a burden on her head, she does not remove her cap, but pushes it off
her forehead, so that the three pointed ears come upon the crown instead of the top
of the head, and are out of the way.
However scanty may be the apparel which is worn, both sexes are very particular
about wearing something, and look upon entire nudity much in the same light that we
do. So careful are they in this respect that an unintentional breach of etiquette gave its
name to a river. Some Damara women came to it, and, seeing that some berries were
growing on the opposite side, and that the water was not much more than waist-deep,
they left their aprons on the bank and waded across. While they were engaged in
gathering the berries, a torrent of water suddenly swept down the river, overflowed its
banks and carried away the dresses. Ever afterwards the Damaras gave that stream the
name of Okaroscheke, or " Naked Eiver."
They have a curious custom of chipping the two upper front teeth, so as to leave a
V-shaped space between them. This is done with a flint, and the custom prevails, with
some modifications, among many other tribes.
It has been mentioned that the Damaras have many cattle. They delight in having
droves of one single colour, bright brown being the favourite hue, and cattle of that
colour being mostly remarkable for their enduring powers. Damara cattle are much
prized by other tribes, and even by the white settlers, on account of their quick step,
strong hoofs, and lasting powers. They are, however, rather apt to be wild, and, as their
horns are exceedingly long and sharp, an enraged Damara ox becomes a most dangerous
animal. Sometimes the horns of an ox will be so long that the tips are seven or eight
feet apart. The hair of these cattle is shining and smooth, and the tuft at the end of
the tail is nearly as remarkable for its length as the horns. These tail-tufts are much
used in decorations, and are in great request for ornamenting the shafts of the assagais.
As is generally the case with African cattle, the cows give but little milk daily, and if
the calf should happen to die, none at all. In such cases, the Damaras stuff the skin of the
dead calf with grass, and place it before the cow, who is quite contented with it. Sometimes
a rather ludicrous incident has occurred. The cow, while licking her imagined offspring,
has come upon the grass which protrudes here and there from the rudely stuffed skin, and,
thrusting her nose into the interior, has dragged out and eaten the whole of the grass.
It has been mentioned that the Damaras find much of their subsistence in the ground.
They are trained from infancy in digging the ground for food, and little children who
cannot fairly walk may be seen crawling about, digging up roots and eating them. By
reason of this diet, the figures of the children are anything but graceful, their stomachs
protruding in a most absurd manner, and their backs taking a corresponding curve.
Their mode of digging holes is called " crowing," and is thus managed : they take a
pointed stick in their right hand, break up the ground with it, and scrape out the loose
earth with the left. They are wonderfully expeditious at this work, having to employ
it for many purposes, such as digging up the ground-nuts, on which they feed largely,
excavating for water, and the like. They will sometimes " crow " holes eighteen inches
or more in depth, and barely six inches in diameter. The word " crow " is used very
frequently by travellers in this part of Africa, and sadly puzzles the novice, who does
not in the least know what can be meant by " crowing " for roots, " crow-water," and the
like. Crow-water, of course, is that which is obtained by digging holes, and is never so
good as that which can be drawn from some open well or stream.
" Crowing " is very useful in house-building. The women procure a number of
tolerably stout, but pliant sticks, some eight or nine feet long, and then " crow " a corre-
344 THE DAMAKAS.
spending number of holes in a circle about eight feet in diameter. The sticks are planted
in the holes, the tops bent down and lashed together, and the framework of the house is
complete. A stout pole, with a forked top, is then set in the middle of the hut, and
supports the roof, just as a tent-pole supports the canvass. Brushwood is then woven in
and out of the framework, and mud plastered upon the brushwood. A hole is left at the
side by way of a door, and another at the top to answer the purpose of a chimney.
When the fire is not alight, an old ox-hide is laid over the aperture, and kept in its place
by heavy stones. Moreover, as by the heat of the fire inside the hut, and the rays of the
sun outside it, various cracks make their appearance in the roof, hides are laid here and
there, until at last, an old Damara hut is nearly covered with hides. These act as ven-
tilators during the day, but are carefully drawn and closed at night, the savage, who
spends all his day in the open air, almost invariably shutting out every breath of air
during the night, and seeming to have the power of existing for six or eight hours without
oxygen. As if to increase the. chance of suffocation, the Damaras always crowd into
these huts, packing themselves as closely as possible round the small fire which occupies
the centre.
As to furniture, the Damaras trouble themselves little about such a superfluity.
Within the hut may usually be seen one or two clay cooking pots, some wooden vessels,
a couple of ox-hides by way of chairs, a small bag of grease, another of red ochre, and
an axe for chopping wood. All the remainder of their property is either carried on their
persons, or buried in some secret spot so that it may not be stolen.
The intellect of the Damaras does not seem to be of a very high order, or, at all
events, it has not been cultivated. They seem to fail most completely in arithmetic, and
cannot even count beyond a certain number. Mr. Galton gives a very amusing descrip-
tion of a Damara jin difficulties with a question of simple arithmetic.
" We went on y three hours, and slept at the furthest watering-place that Hans and
I had explored. Now we had to trust to the guides, whose ideas of time and dis-
tance were most provokingly indistinct ; besides this, they have no comparative in their
language, so that you cannot say to them, ' Which is the longer of the two, the next
stage or the last one ? ' but you must say, ' The last stage is little ; the next, is it
great ? ' the reply is not, it is a ' little longer,' ' much longer/ or ' very much longer,'
but simply, ' It is so,' or ' It is not so.' They have a very poor notion of time. If
you say, ' Suppose we start at sunrise, where will the sun be when we arrive ? ' they
make the wildest points in the sky, though they are something of astronomers, and give
names to several stars. They have no way of distinguishing days, but reckon by the
rainy season, the dry season, or the pig-nut season.
" When inquiries are made about how many days' journey off a place may be, their
ignorance of all numerical ideas is very annoying. In practice, whatever they may
possess in their language, they certainly use no numeral greater than three. When they
wish to express four, they take to their fingers, which are to them as formidable instru-
ments of calculation as a sliding rule is to an English school-boy. They puzzle very
much after five, because no spare hand remains to grasp and secure the fingers that are
required for 'units.' Yet they seldom lose oxen: the way in which they discover the
loss of one is not by the number of the herd being diminished, but by the absence of a
face they know.
" When bartering is going on, each sheep must be paid for separately. Thus, suppose
two sticks of tobacco to be the rate of exchange for one sheep, it would sorely puzzle a
Damara to take two sheep and give him four sticks. I have done so, and seen a man first
put two of the sticks apart, and take a sight over them at one of the sheep he was about
to sell. Having satisfied himself that that one was honestly paid for, and finding to his
surprise that exactly two sticks remained in hand to settle the account for the other sheep,
he would be afflicted with doubts ; the transaction seemed to come out too ' pat ' to be
correct, and he would refer back to the first couple of sticks; and then his mind got hazy
and confused, and wandered from one sheep to the other, and he broke off the transaction
until two sticks were put into his hand, and one sheep driven away, and then the other
two sticks given him, and the second sheep driven away.
WEAPONS. 345
" When a Damara's mind is bent upon number, it is too much occupied to dwell upon
quantity ; thus a heifer is bought from a man for ten sticks of tobacco, his large hands
being both spread out upon the ground, and a stick placed upon each finger. He gathers
up the tobacco, the size of the mass pleases him, and the bargain is struck. You then
want to buy a second heifer ; the same process is gone through, but half sticks instead
of whole sticks are put upon his fingers ; the man is equally satisfied at the time, but
occasionally finds it out, and complains the next day.
" Once, while I watched a Damara floundering hopelessly in a calculation on one side
of me, I observed Dinah, my spaniel, equally embarrassed on the other. She was over-
looking half a dozen of her new-born puppies, which had been removed two or three
times from her, and her anxiety was excessive, as she tried to find out if they were all
present, or if any were still missing. She kept puzzling and running her eyes over them
backwards and forwards, but could not satisfy herself. She evidently had a vague notion
of counting, but the figure was too large for her brain. Taking the two as they stood, dog
and Damara, the comparison reflected no great honour on the man.
" Hence, as the Damaras had the vaguest notions of time and distance, and as their
language was a poor vehicle for expressing what ideas they had, and lastly, as truth-
telling was the exception and not the rule, 1 found their information to be of very little
practical use."
Although the Damaras managed to overrun the country, they cannot be considered a
warlike people, neither have they been able to hold for any length of time the very
uninviting land they conquered. Their weapons are few and simple, but, such as they
are, much pains are taken in their manufacture, and the Damara warrior is as careful to
keep his rude arms in good order as is the disciplined soldier of Europe.
The chief and distinctive weapon of the Damara is the assagai, which has little in
common with the weapons that have already been described under that name. It is
about six feet in length, and has an enormous blade, leaf-shaped, a foot or more in length,
and proportionately wide. It is made of soft steel, and can be at once sharpened by
scraping with a knife or stone. The shaft is correspondingly stout, and to the centre is
attached one of the flowing ox-tails which have already been mentioned. Some of these
assagais are made almost wholly of iron, and have only a short piece of wood in the
middle, which answers for a handle, as well as an attachment for the ox-tail, which seems
to be an essential part of the Damara assagai.
The weapon is, as may be conjectured, an exceedingly inefficient one, and the blade is
oftener used as a knife than an offensive weapon. It is certainly useful in the chase of
the elephant and other large game, because the wound which it makes is very large, and
causes a great flow of blood ; but against human enemies it is comparatively useless.
The Damara also carries a bow and arrows, which are wretchedly ineffective weapons, the
marksman seldom hitting his object at a distance greater than ten or twelve yards. The
weapon which he really handles well is the knob-kerry or short club, and this he can use
either as a club at short quarters, or as a missile, in the latter case hurling it with a force
and precision that renders it really formidable. Still, the Damara's entire armament
is a very poor one, and it is not matter of wonder that when he came to match himself
against the possessors of fire-arms he should be hopelessly defeated.
In their conflicts with the Hottentots, the unfortunate Damaras suffered dreadfully.
They were literally cut to pieces by far inferior forces, not through any particular valour
on the part of the enemy, nor from any especial cowardice on their own, but simply
because they did not know their own powers. Stalwart warriors, well armed with their
broad-bladed assagais, might be seen paralysed with fear at the sound and effects of the
muskets with which the Hottentots were armed, and it was no uncommon occurrence for
a Damara soldier to stand still in fear and trembling while a little Hottentot, at twenty
paces distance, deliberately loaded his weapon, and then shot him down.
Being ignorant of the construction and management of fire-arms, the Damaras had
no idea that they were harmless when discharged (for in those days breech-loaders and
revolvers were alike unknown to the Hottentots), and therefore allowed themselves to be
deliberately shotj, while the enamy was really at their mercy.
346 THE DAMARAS.
If the men suffered death in the field, the fate of the women was worse. According
to the custom of the Damara tribe, they carried all their wealth on their persons, in the
shape of beads, ear-rings, and especially the large and heavy metal rings with which
their ankles and wrists were adorned. Whenever the Hottentot soldiers came upon a
Damara woman, they always robbed her of every ornament, tearing off all her clothing
to search for them, and, as the metal rings could not be unclenched without some trouble
they deliberately cut off the hands and feet of the wretched woman, tore off the rings,
and left her to live or die as might happen.
Strangely enough they often lived, even after undergoing such treatment ; and, after
stanching the flowing blood by thrusting the stumps of their limbs into the hot sand,
some of them contrived to crawl for many miles until they rejoined their friends. For
some time after the war, maimed Damara women were often seen, some being without
feet, others without hands, and some few without either — these having been the richest
when assaulted by their cruel enemies.
The Damaras are subdivided into a number of eandas — a word which has some
analogy with the Hindoo " caste " — each eanda having its peculiar rites, superstitions, &c.
One eanda is called Ovakueyuba, or the Sun-children ; another is Ovakuenombura, or the
Eain-children ; and so on. The eandas have special emblems or crests — if such a word
may be used. These emblems are always certain trees or bushes, which represent the
eandas just as the red and white roses represented the two great political parties of
England. Each of these castes has some prohibited food, and they will almost starve
rather than break the law. One eanda will not eat the flesh of red oxen — to another,
the draught oxen are prohibited ; and so fastidious are they, that they will not touch the
vessels in which such food might have been cooked, nor even stand to leeward of the fire,
lest the smoke should touch them. These practices cause the Damaras to be very trouble-
some as guides, and it is not until the leader has steadily refused to humour them that
they will consent to forego for the time their antipathies.
This custom is the more extraordinary, as the Damaras are by nature and education
anything but fastidious, and they will eat all kinds of food which an European would
reject with disgust. They will eat the flesh of cattle or horses which have died of disease,
as well as that of the leopard, hysena, and other beasts of prey.
In spite of their unclean feeding, they will not eat raw, or even underdone meat, and
therein are certainly superior to many other tribes, who seem to think that cooking is a
needless waste of time and fuel. Goats are, happily for themselves, among the prohibited
animals, and are looked upon by the Damaras much as swine are by the Jews.
Fond as they are of beef, they cannot conceive that any one should consider meat as
part of his daily food. On special occasions they kill an ox, or, if the giver of the feast
should happen to be a rich man, six or seven are killed. But, when an ox is slaughtered,
it is almost common property, every one within reach coming for a portion of it, and, if
refused, threatening to annihilate the stingy man with their curse. They are horribly
afraid of this curse, supposing that their health will be blighted and their strength
fade away.
Consequently, meat is of no commercial value in Damara-land, no one caring to
possess food which practically belongs to every one except himself. Cows are kept for
the sake of their milk, and oxen (as Mr. Galton says) merely to be looked at, just as deer
are kept in England, a few being slaughtered on special occasions, but not being intended
to furnish a regular supply of food. Much as the Damaras value their oxen when alive —
so much so, indeed, that a fine of two "oxen is considered a sufficient reparation for murder
— they care little for them when dead, a living sheep being far more valuable than a
dead ox.
These people know every ox that they have ever seen. Their thoughts run on oxen
all day, and cattle form the chief subject of their conversation. Mr. Galton found that,
whenever he came to a new station, the natives always inspected his oxen, to see if
any of their own missing cattle were among them ; and if he had by chance purchased one
that had been stolen, its owner would be sure to pick it out, and by the laws of the land
is empowered to reclaim it. Knowing this law, he always, if possible, bought his oxen
MUSIC AND DANCING.
347
from men in whose possession they had been for several years, so that no one would be
likely to substantiate a claim to any of them.
When the Damaras are at home, they generally amuse themselves in the evening by
singing and dancing.
Their music is of a very simple character, their principal, if not only instrument being
the bow, the string of which is tightened, and then struck with a stick in a kind of
rhythmic manner. The Damara musician thinks that the chief object of his performance
DAMARA DANCE.
is to imitate the gallop or trot of the various animals. This he usually does with great
skill, the test of an accomplished musician being the imitation of the clumsy canter of
the baboon.
Their dances are really remarkable, as may be seen by the following extract from the
work of Mr. Baines, who has also kindly supplied the sketch from which the illustration
was taken : —
" At night, dances were got up among the Damaras, our attention being first drawn
to them by a sound between the barking of a dog and the efforts of a person to clear
something out of his throat, by driving the breath strongly through it. We found four
men stooping with their heads in contact, vying with each other in the production of
these delectable inarticulations, while others, with rattling anklets of hard seed-shells,
danced round them.
" By degrees the company gathered together, and the women joined the performers,
standing in a semicircle. They sang a monotonous chant, and clapped their hands, while
the young men and boys danced up to them, literally, and by no means gently, ' beating
the ground with nimble feet,' raising no end of dust, and making their shell anklets sound,
348 THE DAMARAS.
in their opinion, most melodiously. Presently the leader snatched a brand from the fire,
and, after dancing up to the women as before, stuck it in the ground as he retired, per-
forming the step round and over it when he returned, like a Highlander in the broadsword
dance, without touching it. Then came the return of a victorious party, brandishing their
broad spears ornamented with flowing ox-tails, welcomed by a chorus of women, and occa-
sionally driving back the few enemies who had the audacity to approach them.
" This scene, when acted by a sufficient number, must be highly effective. As it was,
the glare of the fire reflected from the red helmet- like gear and glittering ornaments of
the women, the flashing blades and waving ox-tails of the warriors, with the fitful glare
playing on the background of huts, kraal, and groups of cattle, was picturesque enough.
The concluding guttural emissions of sound were frightful; the dogs howled simul-
taneously ; and the little lemur, terrified at the uproar, darted wildly about the inside of
the wagon, in vain efforts to escape from what, in fact, was his only place of safety."
In Damara-land, the authority of the husband over the wife is not so superior as in
other parts of Africa. Of course, he has the advantage of superior strength, and, when
angered, will use the stick with tolerable freedom. But, if he should be too liberal with
the stick, she has a tacit right of divorce, and betakes herself to some one who will not
treat her so harshly. Mr. Galton says that the women whom he saw appeared to have but
little affection either for their husbands or children, and that he had always some little
difficulty in finding to which man any given wife happened for the time to belong.
The Damara wife costs her husband nothing for her keep, because she " crows " her
own ground-nuts, and so he cannot afford to dispense with her services, which are so
useful in building his house, cooking his meals, and carrying his goods from place to place.
Each wife has her own hut, which of course she builds for herself ; and, although polygamy
is in vogue, the number of wives is not so great as is the case with other tribes. There is
always one chief wife, who takes precedence of the others, and whose eldest son is con-
sidered the heir to his father's possessions.
Though the Damaras have no real religion, they have plenty of superstitious practices,
one of which bears a striking resemblance to the sacred fire of the ancients. The chief's
hut is distinguished by a fire which is always kept burning, outside the hut in fine
weather, and inside during rain. To watch this fire is the duty of his daughter, who is
a kind of priestess, and is called officially, Ondangere. She performs various rites in
virtue of hei» office ; such as sprinkling the cows with water, as they go out to feed ; tying
a sacred knot in her leathern apron, if one of them dies ; and other similar duties.
Should the position of the village be changed, she precedes the oxen, carrying a burn-
ing brand from the consecrated fire, and taking care that she replaces it from time to time.
If by any chance it should be extinguished, great are the lamentations. The whole tribe
are called together, cattle are sacrificed as expiatory offerings, and the fire is re-kindled
by friction. If one of the sons, or a chief man, should remove from the spot, and set up a
village of his own, he is supplied with some of the sacred fire, and hands it over to his
own daughter, who becomes the Ondangere of the new village.
That the Damaras have some hazy notion of the immortality of the soul is evident
enough, though they profess not to believe in such a doctrine ; for they will sometimes go
to the grave of a deceased friend or chief, lay down provisions, ask him to eat, drink, and
be merry, and then beg him, in return, to aid them, and grant them herds of cattle and
plenty of wives. Moreover, they believe that the dead revisit the earth, though not in
the human form : they generally appear in the shape of some animal, but are always dis-
tinguished by a mixture of some other animal. For example, if a Damara sees a dog
with one foot like that of an ostrich, he knows that he sees an apparition, and is respectful
accordingly. If it should follow him, he is dreadfully frightened, knowing that his death
is prognosticated thereby. The name of such an apparition is Otj-yuru.
When a Damara chief dies, he is buried in rather a peculiar fashion. As soon as life
is extinct — some say, even before the last breath is drawn — the bystanders break the
spine by a blow from a large stone. They then unwind the long rope that encircles the
loins, and lash the body together in a sitting posture, the head being bent over the knees.
Ox-hides are then tied over it, and it is buried with its face to the north, as already
FUNERAL CEREMONIES.
described when treating of the Bechuanas. Cattle are then slaughtered in honour of
the dead chief, and over the grave a post is erected, to which the skulls and hair w.
attached as a trophy. The bow, arrows, assagai, and clubs of the deceased are hung on
the same post. Large stones are pressed into the soil above and around the grave,
and a large pile of thorns is also
heaped over it, in order to keep off
the hyaenas, who would be sure to
dig up and devour the body before
the following day. Now and then
a chief orders that his body shall
be left in his own house, in which
case it is laid on an elevated plat-
form, and a strong fence of thorns
and stakes built round the hut.
The funeral ceremonies being
completed, the new chief forsakes
the place, and takes the whole of
the people under his command.
He remains at a distance for seve-
ral years, during which time he
wears the sign of mourning, i.e. a
dark-coloured conical cap, and
round the neck a thong, to the
ends of which are hung two small
pieces of ostrich-shell.
When the season of mourning
is over, the tribe return, headed by
the chief, who goes to the grave of
his father, kneels over it, and
whispers that he has returned,
together with the cattle and wives
which his father gave him. He
then asks for his parent's aid in all
his undertakings, and from that
moment takes the place which his
father filled before him. Cattle
are then slaughtered and a feast
held to the memory of the dead
chief, and in honour of the living
one ; and each person present par-
takes of the meat, which is dis-
tributed by the chief himself. The
deceased chiet symbolically par- GRAVE AND MONUMENT OF A DAMABA CHIEF.
takes of the banquet. A couple of
twigs cut from the tree of the
particular eanda to which the deceased belonged are considered as his representative,
and with this emblem each piece of meat is touched before the guests consume it. In like
manner, the first pail of milk that is drawn is taken to the grave, and poured over it.
These ceremonies being rightly performed, the village is built anew, and is always
made to resemble that which had been deserted ; the huts being built on the same ground,
and peculiar care being taken that the fireplaces should occupy exactly the same positions
that they did before the tribe went into voluntary exile. The hut of the chief is always
upon the east side of the village.
The Damaras have a singular kind of oath, or asseveration — " By the tears of my
mother ! " — a form of words so poetical and pathetic, that it seems to imply great moral
capabilities among a people that could invent and use it.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE OVAMBO OR OVAMPO TRIBE.
LOCALITY OF THE TRIBE — THEIR HONESTY — KINDNESS TO THE SICK AND AGED DOMESTIC HABITS
CURIOUS DRESS — THEIR ARCHITECTURE WOMEN'S WORK AGRICULTURE — WEAPONS — MODE
OF CAMPING— FISH-CATCHING INGENIOUS TRAPS — ABSENCE OF PAUPERISM — DANCES GOVERN-
MENT OF THE OVAMBO THEIR KING NANGORO — HIS TREACHEROUS CHARACTER MATRIMONIAL
AFFAIRS — THE LAW OF SUCCESSION THEIR FOOD CURIOUS CUSTOM AT MEAL-TIMES MODE
OF GREETING FRIENDS.
THERE is a rather remarkable tribe inhabiting the country about lat. 18° S. and long.
15° E., called by the name of OVAMPO, or OVAMBO, the latter being the usual form. In
their own language their name is Ovaherero, or the Merry People.
They are remarkable for their many good qualities, which are almost exceptional in
Southern Africa. In the first place, they are honest, and, as we have already seen,
honesty is a quality which few of the inhabitants of Southern Africa seem to recognise,
much less to practise.
A traveller who finds himself among the Damaras, Namaquas, or Bechuanas must
keep a watchful eye on every article which he possesses, and if he leaves any object
exposed for a moment, it will probably vanish in some mysterious manner, and never be
seen again. Yet Mr. Anderssen, to whom we owe our chief knowledge of the Ovambo
tribe, mentions that they were so thoroughly honest that they would not even touch any
of his property without permission, much less steal it ; and, on one occasion, when his
servants happened to leave some trifling articles on the last camping ground, messen-
gers were despatched to him with the missing articles. Among themselves, theft is fully
recognised as a crime, and they have arrived at such a pitch of civilization that certain
persons are appointed to act as magistrates, and to take cognisance of theft as well as of
other crimes. If a man were detected in the act of stealing, he would be brought before
the house of the king, and there speared to death.
They are kind and attentive to their sick and aged, and in this respect contrast most
favourably with other tribes of Southern Africa. Even the Zulus will desert those who
are too old to work, and will leave them to die of hunger, thirst, and privation, whereas
the Ovambo takes care of the old, the sick, and the lame, and carefully tends them. This
one fact alotie is sufficient to place them immeasurably above the neighbouring tribes,
and to mark an incalculable advance in moral development.
It is a remarkable fact that the Ovambos do not live in towns or villages, but in
separate communities dotted over the land, each family forming a community. The corn
and grain, on which they chiefly live, are planted round the houses, which are surrounded
with a strong and high inclosure. The natives are obliged to live in this manner on
account of the conduct of some neighbouring tribes, which made periodical raids upon
them, and inflicted great damage upon their cottages. And, as the Ovambos are a
OVAMBO ARCHITECTURE.
351
singularly peaceable tribe, and found that retaliation was not successful, they hit upon
this expedient, and formed each homestead into a separate fort.
Probably for the same reason, very few cattle are seen near the habitations of the
Ovambos, and a traveller is rather struck with the fact that although this tribe is
exceptionally rich in cattle, possessing vast herds of them, a few cows and goats are their
only representatives near the houses. The fact is, the herds of cattle are sent away to a
distance from the houses, so that they are not only undiscernible by an enemy, but can
find plenty of pasturage and water. It is said that they also breed large herds of swine,
and have learned the art of fattening them until they attain gigantic dimensions. The
HOUSES.
herds of swine, however, are never allowed to come near the houses, partly for the reasons
already given, and partly on account of their mischievous propensities.
The accompanying illustration represents the architecture of the Ovambos. The houses,
with their flat, conical roofs, are so low that a man cannot stand upright in them. But
the Ovambos never want to stand upright in their houses, thinking them to be merely
sleeping-places into which they can crawl, and in which they can be sheltered during the
night. Two grain-stores are also seen, each consisting of a huge jar, standing on supports,
and covered with a thatch of reeds. In the background is a fowl-house. Poultry are
much bred among the Ovambos, and are of a small description, scarcely larger than an
English bantam. They are, however, prolific, and lay an abundance of eggs.
The dress of the Ovambos, though scanty, is rather remarkable. As to the men, they
generally shave the greater part of the head, but always leave a certain amount of their
short, woolly hair upon the crown. As the skull of the Ovambos is rather oddly formed,
projecting considerably behind, this fashion gives the whole head a very curious effect.
The rest of the man's dress consists chiefly of beads and sandals, the former being princi-
pally worn as necklaces, and the latter almost precisely resembling the Bechuanan sandals,
which have already been described.
They generally carry a knife with them, stuck into a band tied round the upper part
of the arm. The knife bears some resemblance in general make to that of the Bechuanas
352
THE OVAMBO OR OVAMPO TRIBE.
and is made by themselves, they being considerable adepts in metallurgy. The bellows
employed by the smiths much resembles that which is in use among the Bechuanas, and
they contrive to procure a strong and steady blast of wind by fixing two sets of bellows
at each forge, and having them worked by two assistants, while the chief smith attends to
the metal and wields his stone hammer. The metal, such as iron and copper, which they
OVAMBO GIRLS.
use, they obtain by barter from neighbouring tribes, and work it with such skill that their
weapons, axes, and agricultural tools are employed by them as a medium of exchange to
the very tribes from whom the ore had been purchased.
The women have a much longer dress than that of the other sex, but it is of rather
scanty dimensions. An oddly-shaped apron hangs in front, and another behind, the
ordinary form much resembling the head of an axe, with the edge downwards.
The accompanying portrait is taken from a sketch by Mr. Baines, and represents the
only true Ovambo that he ever saw. While he was at Otjikango Katiti, or " Little
Barman," a Hottentot chief, named Jan Aris, brought out a young Ovambo girl, saying
that she was entrusted to him for education. Of course, the real fact was, that she had
WOMEN'S WOBK. 353
been captured in a raid, and was acting as servant to his wife, who was the daughter of
the celebrated Jonker, and was pleased to entitle herself the Victoria of Damara-land.
The girl was about fourteen, and was exceedingly timid at the sight of the stranger,
turning her back on him, hiding her face, and bursting into tears of fright. This attitude
gave an opportunity of sketching a remarkable dress of the Ovambo girl, the rounded
piece of hide being decorated with blue beads. When she was persuaded that no harm
would be done to her, she turned round and entered into conversation, thereby giving
an opportunity for the second sketch. Attached to the same belt which' sustains the
cushion was a small apron of skin, and besides this no other dress was worn. She was
a good-looking girl, and, if her face had not been disfigured by the tribal marks, might
have even been considered as pretty.
The head-dress of the women consists chiefly of their own hair, but they continually
stiffen it with grease, which they press on the head in cakes, adding a vermilion-coloured
clay, and using both substances in such profusion that the top of the head looks quite flat,
and much larger than it is by nature. The same mixture of grease and clay is abundantly
rubbed over the body so that a woman in full dress imparts a portion of her decorations
to every object with which she comes in contact.
Round their waists they wear such masses of beads, shells, and other ornaments, that
a solid kind of cuirass is made of them, and the centre of the body is quite covered with
these decorations. Many of the women display much taste in the arrangement of the
beads and shells, forming them into patterns, and contrasting their various hues in quite
an artistic manner. Besides this bead cuirass, they wear a vast number of necklaces and
armlets made of the same materials. Their wrists and ankles are loaded with a profusion
of huge copper rings, some of which weigh as much as three pounds ; and, as a woman will
sometimes have two of these rings on each ankle, it may be imagined that the grace of
her deportment is not at all increased by them.
Young girls, before they are of sufficient consequence to obtain these ornaments, and
while they have to be content with the slight apparel of their sex, are as graceful as needs
be, but no woman can be expected to look graceful or to move lightly when she has to
carry about with her such an absurd weight of ornaments. Moreover, the daily twelve
hours' work of the women tends greatly towards the deterioration of their figures.
To them belongs, as to all other South African women, the labour of building the
houses.
The severity of this labour is indeed great, when we take into consideration the dimen-
sions of the enclosures. The houses themselves do not require nearly so much work
as those of the Bechuanas, for, although they are of nearly the same dimensions, i.e.
from fourteen to twenty feet in diameter, they are comparatively low pitched, and there-
fore need less material and less labour. A number of these houses are placed in each
enclosure, the best being for the master and his immediate family, and the others for the
servants. There are besides, grain-stores, houses for cattle, fowl-houses, and even sties for
pigs, one or two of the animals being generally kept in each homestead, though the
herds are rigidly excluded. Within the same enclosure are often to be seen a number of
ordinary Bosjesman huts. These belong to members of that strange tribe, many of whom
have taken up their residence with the Ovambos, and live in a kind of relationship with
them, partly considered as vassals, partly as servants, and partly as kinsfolk.
Moreover, within the palisade is an open space in which the inhabitants can meet for
amusement and consultation, and the cultivated ground is also included, so that the
amount of labour expended in making the palisade can easily be imagined. The palisade
is composed of poles at least eight feet in length, and of corresponding stoutness, each
being a load for an ordinary labourer. These are fixed in the ground at short intervals
from each other, and firmly secured by means of rope lashing.
As to the men, they take the lighter departments of field work, attend to the herds of
cattle, and go on trading expeditions among the Damaras and other tribes.
The first of these labours is not very severe, as the land is wonderfully fertile. The
Ovambos need not the heavy tools which a Kaffir woman is obliged to use, one hoe being
a tolerable load. The surface of the ground is a flinty sand soil, but at a short distance
VOL. I. A A
354
THE OVAMBO OE OVAMPO TPJBE.
beneath is a layer of blue clay, which appears to be very rich, and to be able to nourish
the plants without the aid of manures. A very small hoe is used for agriculture, and
instead of digging up the whole surface, the Ovambos merely dig little holes at intervals,
drop a handful of corn into them, cover them up, and leave them. This task is always
performed at the end of the rainy season, so that the ground is full of moisture, and the
young blades soon spring up. They are then thinned out, and planted separately.
WOMEN POUNDING CORN.
When the corn is ripe, the women take possession of it, and the men are free to catch
the elephants in pitfalls for the sake of their tusks, and to go on trading expeditions with
the ivory thus obtained. When the grain is beaten out of the husks, it is placed in the
storehouses, being kept in huge jars made of palm leaves and clay, much resembling
those of the Bechuanas, and, like them, raised a foot or so from the ground. Grinding, or
rather pounding the grain, also falls to the lot of the women, and is not done with stones,
but by means of a rude mortar. A tree-trunk is hollowed out, so as to form a tube, and
into this tube the grain is throwa A stout and heavy pole answers the purpose of a
AGRICULTURE. 355
pestle, and the whole process much resembles that of making butter in the old-fashioned
churn.
The illustration on page 354 is from an original sketch by T. Baines, Esq., and
exhibits a domestic scene within an Ovambo homestead. Two women are pounding corn
in one of their mortars, accompanied by their children. On the face of one of them may
be seen a series of tribal marks. These are scars produced by cutting the cheeks and
rubbing clay into the wounds, and are thought to be ornamental.
In the foreground lies an oval object pierced with holes. This is a child's toy, made
of the fruit of a baobab. Several holes are cut in the rind, and the pulp squeezed out.
The hard seeds are allowed to remain within the fruit, and when dry they produce a
rattling sound as the child shakes its simple toy. In a note attached to his sketch, Mr.
Baines states that this is the only example of a child's toy that he found throughout the
whole of Southern Africa. Its existence seems to show the real superiority of this
remarkable tribe. In the background are seen a hut and two granaries, and against the
house is leaning one of the simple hoes with which the ground is cultivated. The reader
will notice that the iron blade is set in a line with the handle, and not at right angles to
it. A water-pipe lies on the ground, and the whole is enclosed by the lofty palisades
lashed together near the top.
The weapons of the Ovambo tribe are very simple, as it is to be expected from a
people who are essentially peaceful and unwarlike. They consist chiefly of an assagai
with a large blade, much like that of the Damaras, and quite as useless for warlike purposes,
bow and arrows, and the knob-kerry. None of them are very formidable weapons, and
the bow and arrows are perhaps the least so of the three, as the Ovambos are wretched
marksmen, being infinitely surpassed in the use of the bow by the Damaras and the
Bosjesmans, who obtain a kind of skill by using the bow in the chase, though they would
be easily beaten in range and aim by a tenth-rate English amateur archer.
When on the march they have a very ingenious mode of encamping. Instead of
lighting one large fire and lying round it, as is the usual custom, their first care is to
collect a number of stones about as large as bricks, and with these to build a series of
circular fireplaces, some two feet in diameter. These fireplaces are arranged in a double
row, and between them the travellers make up their primitive couches.
This is a really ingenious plan, and especially suited to the country. In a place where
large timber is plentiful, the custom of making huge fires is well enough, though on a
cold windy night the traveller is likely to be scorched on one side and frozen on the
other. But in Ovambo-land, as a rule, sticks are the usual fuel, and it will be seen that,
by the employment of these stones, the heat is not only concentrated but economised, the
stones radiating the heat long after the fire has expired. These small fires are even safer
than a single large one, for when a large log is burned through and falls, it is apt to scatter
burning embers to a considerable distance, some of which might fall on the sleepers and
set fire to their beds.
The Ovambos are successful cultivators, and raise vegetables of many kinds. The
ordinary Kaffir corn and a kind of millet are the two grains which are most plentiful, and
they possess the advantage of having stems some eight feet in length, juicy and sweet.
When the corn is reaped, the ears are merely cut off, and the cattle then turned into the
field to feed on the sweet stems, which are of a very fattening character.
Beans, peas, and similar vegetables are in great favour with the Ovambos, who also
cultivate successfully the melon, pumpkins, calabashes, and other kindred fruits. They
also grow tobacco, which, however, is of a very poor quality, not so much on account of
the inferior character of the plant, as of the imperfect mode of curing and storing it.
Taking the leaves and stalks, and mashing them into a hollow piece of wood is not
exactly calculated to improve the flavour of the leaf, and the consequence is, that the
tobacco is of such bad quality that no one but an Ovambo will use it.
There is a small tribe of the Ovambos, called the Ovaquangari, inhabiting the banks
of the Okovango river, who live much on fish, and have a singularly ingenious mode
of capturing them. Mr. Anderssen gives the following account of the fish-traps employed
by the Ovoquangari : — " The river Okovango abounds, as I have already said, in fish, and
A A2
356 THE OVAMBO OR OVAMK) TKIBE.
that in great variety. During my very limited stay on its banks, I collected nearly twenty
distinct species, and might, though very inadequately provided with the means of pre-
serving them, unquestionably have doubled them, had sufficient time been afforded me.
All I discovered were not only edible, but highly palatable, some of them possessing even
an exquisite flavour.
" Many of the natives devote a considerable portion of their time to fishing, and
employ various simple, ingenious, and highly effective contrivances for catching the finny
tribe. Few fish, however, are caught in the river itself. It is in the numerous shallows
and lagoons immediately on its borders, and formed by its annual overflow, that the great
draughts are made. The fishing season, indeed, only commences in earnest at about the
time that the Okovango reaches its highest water-mark, that is, when it has ceased to ebb,
and the temporary lagoons or swamps alluded to begin to disappear.
" To the best of my belief, the Ovaquangari do not employ nets, but traps of various
kinds, and what may not inaptly be called aquatic yards, for the capture of fish. These
fishing yards are certain spots of eligible water, enclosed or fenced off in the following
manner : — A quantity of reeds, of such length as to suit the water for which they are
intended, are collected, put into bundles, and cut even at both ends. These reeds are then
spread in single layers flat on the ground, and sewn together very much in the same way as
ordinary mats, but by a less laborious process. It does not much matter what the length
of these mats may be, as they can be easily lengthened -or shortened as need may require.
" When a locality has been decided on for fishing operations, a certain number of these
mattings are introduced into the water on their ends, that is, in a vertical position, and
are placed either in a circle, semicircle, or a line, according to the shape of the lagoon or
shallow which is to be enclosed. Open spaces, from three to four feet wide, are, however,
left at certain intervals, and into these apertures the toils, consisting of beehive-shaped
masses of reeds, are introduced. The diameter of these at the mouth varies with the
depth to which they have to descend, the lower side being firmly fastened to the bottom
of the water, whilst the upper is usually on a level with its surface, or slightly rising
above it. In order thoroughly to disguise these ingenious traps, grasses and weeds are
thrown carelessly over and around them."
The Ovambos are fond of amusing themselves with a dance, which seems to be ex-
ceedingly agreeable to the performers, but which could not be engaged in. by those who
were not well practised in its odd evolutions. The dancers are all men, and stand in a
double row, back to back. The music, consisting of a drum and a kind of guitar, then
strikes up, and the performers begin to move from side to side, so as to pass and repass
each other. Suddenly, one of the performers spins round, and delivers a tremendous "kick
at the individual who happens then to be in front of him ; and the gist of the dance
consists in planting your own kick and avoiding that of others. This dance takes place
in the evening, and is lighted by torches made simply of dried palm branches. Nangoro
used to give a dance every evening in his palace yard, which was a most intricate building,
a hundred yards or so in diameter, and a very labyrinth of paths leading to dancing-floors,
threshing-floors, corn-stores, women's apartments, and the like.
Among the Ovambos there is no pauperism. This may not seem to be an astonishing
fact to those who entertain the popular idea of savage life, namely, that with them there
is no distinction of rich and poor, master a,nd servant. But, in fact, the distinctions of rank
and wealth are nowhere more sharply defined than among savages. The king or chief is
approached with a ceremony which almost amounts to worship ; the superior exacts
homage, and the inferior pays it. AVealth is as much sought after among savages as among
Europeans, and a rich man is quite as much respected on account of his wealth as if
he had lived in Europe all his life. The poor become servants to the rich, and, prac-
tically, are their slaves, being looked down upon with supreme contempt. Pauperism is
us common in Africa as it is in Europe, and it is a matter of great credit to the Ovambos
that it is not to be found among them.
The Ovambos are ruled by a king, and entertain great contempt for all the tribes who
do not enjoy that privilege. They acknowledge petty chiefs, each head of a family
taking rank as such, but prefer monarchy to any other form of government. As is the
CHARACTER OF NANGORO. 357
case with many other tribes, the king becomes enormously fat, and is generally the only
obese man in the country. Nangoro, who was king some few years ago, was especially
remarkable for his enormous dimensions, wherein he even exceeded Panda, the Kaffir
monarch. He was so fat that his gait was reduced to a mere waddle, and his breath
was so short that he was obliged to halt at every few paces, and could not speak two
consecutive sentences without suffering great inconvenience, so that in ordinary conver-
sation his part mostly consisted of monosyllabic grunts.
His character was as much in contrast to those of his subjects as was his person.
He was a very unpleasant individual, — selfish, cunning, and heartless. After witnessing
the effect of the firearms used by his white visitors, he asked them to prove their weapons
by shooting elephants. Had they fallen into the trap which was laid for them, he would
have delayed their departure by all kinds of quibbles, kept up the work of elephant-
shooting, and have taken all the ivory himself.
After they had left his country, Nangoro despatched a body of men after them, with
orders to kill them all. The commander of the party, however, took a dislike to his
mission — probably from having witnessed the effect of conical bullets when fired by the
white men— and took his men home again. One party, however, was less fortunate, and
a fight ensued. Mr. Green and some friends visited Nangoro, and were received very
hospitably. But, just before they were about to leave the district, they were suddenly
attacked by a strong force of the Ovambos, some six hundred in number, all well armed
with their native weapons, the bow, the knofo-kerry, and the assagai, while the armed
Europeans were only thirteen in number.
Fortunately, the attack was not entirely unsuspected, as sundry little events had hap-
pened which put the travellers on their guard. The conflict was very severe, and in the
end the Ovambos were completely defeated, having many killed and wounded, and among
the former one of Nangoro's sons. The Europeans, on the contrary, only lost one man,
a native attendant, who was treacherously stabbed before the fight began. The most re-
markable part of this fight was, that it caused the death of the treacherous king, who was
present at the battle. Although he had seen firearms used, he had a poor opinion of their
power, and had, moreover, only seen occasional shots fired at a mark. The repeated dis-
charges that stunned his ears, and the sight of his men falling dead and dying about him,
terrified him so exceedingly that he died on the spot from sheer fright.
The private character of this cowardly traitor was by no means a pleasant one, and he
had a petty way of revenging himself for any fancied slight. On one occasion, when some
native beer was offered to Mr. Anderssen, and declined in consequence of an attack of
illness, Nangoro, who was sitting in front of the traveller, suddenly thrust at him violently
with his sceptre, and caused great pain. This he passed off as a practical joke, though, as
the sceptre was simply a pointed stick, the joke was anything but agreeable to its victim.
The real reason for this sudden assault was, that Mr. Andersseu had refused to grant the
king some request which he had made.
He became jealous and sulky, and took a contemptible pleasure in thwarting his white
visitors in every way. Their refusal to shoot elephants, and to undergo all the dangers of
the hunt, while he was to have ail the profits, was a never-failing source of anger, and
served as an excuse for refusing all accommodation. They could not even go half-a-mile
out of camp without first obtaining permission, and when they asked for guides to direct
them on their journey, he refused, saying that those who would not shoot elephants for
him should have no guides from him. In fine, he kept them in his country until he had
exacted from them everything which they could give him, and, by way of royal remu-
neration for their gifts, once sent them a small basket of flour. He was then glad to get
rid of them, evidently fearing that he should have to feed them, and by way of extraor-
dinary generosity, expedited their departure with a present of corn, not from his own stores,
but from those of his subjects, and which, moreover, arrived too late. His treacherous
conduct in sending after the European party, and the failure of his plans, have already
been mentioned.
The Ovambo tribe are allowed to have as many wives as they please, provided that
they can be purchased at the ordinary price. This price differs, not so much from the
charms or accomplishments of the bride, as from the wealth of the suitor. The price of
wives is much lovvor than among the Kaffirs, two oxen and one cow being considered
the ordinary sum which a man in humble circumstances is expected to pay, while a man
of some wealth cannot purchase a wife under three oxen and two" cows. The only ex-
ception to this rule is afforded by the king himself, who takes as many wives as he pleases
without paying for them, the honour of his alliance being considered a sufficient remune-
ration. One wife always takes the chief place, and the successor to the rank and property
of his father is always one of her children. The law of royal succession is very simple.
When the king dies, the eldest son of his chief wife succeeds him, but if she has no son,
then the daughter assumes the sceptre. This was the case with the fat king, Nangoro,
whose daughter Chipanga was the heir apparent, and afterwards succeeded him.
It is, however, very difficult to give precise information on so delicate a subject. The
Ovambo tribe cannot endure to speak, or even to think, of the state of man after death,
and merely to allude to the successor of a chief gives dire offence, as the mention of an
heir to property, or a successor to rank, implies the death of the present chief. For the
same reason, it is most difficult to extract any information from them respecting their
ideas of religion, and any questions upon the subject are instantly checked.
That they have some notions of religion is evident enough, though they degrade it
into mere superstition. Charms of various kinds they value exceedingly, though they
seem to be regarded more as safeguards against injury from man or beast than as possessing
any sanctity of their own. Still, the constitutional reticence of the Ovambo tribe on such
subjects may cause them to deny such sanctity to others, though they acknowledge it
among themselves.
As is the case with many of the South African tribes, the Ovambos make great use
of a kind of coarse porridge. They always eat it hot, and mix with it a quantity of
clotted milk or semi-liquid butter. _ They are quite independent of spoons at their meals,
and, in spite of the nature of their food, do not even use the brush-spoon that is employed
by the Hottentots.
Mr. Anderssen, while travelling in the land of the Ovambos, was hospitably received
at a house, and invited to dinner. No spoons were provided, and he did not see how he
was to eat porridge and milk without such aid. " On seeing the dilemma we were in,
our host quickly plunged his greasy fingers into the middle of the steaming mass, and
brought out a handful, which he dashed into the milk. Having stirred it quickly round
with all his might, he next opened his capacious mouth, in which the agreeable mixture
vanished as if by magic. He finally licked his fingers, and smacked his lips with evident
satisfaction, looking at us as much as to say, ' That's the trick, my boys ! '
" However unpleasant this initiation might have appeared to us, it would have been
ungrateful, if not offensive, to refuse. Therefore we commenced in earnest, according to
example, emptying the dish, and occasionally burning our fingers, to the great amusement
of our swarthy friends."
On one occasion, the same traveller, who was accompanied by some Damaras, fell in
with a party of the Ovambos, who gave them a quantity of porridge meal of millet in
exchange for meat. Both parties were equally pleased, the one having had no animal
food for a long time, and the other having lived on flesh diet until they were thoroughly
tired of it. A great feast was the immediate result, the Ovambos revelling in the unwonted
luxury of meat, and the Europeans and Damaras only too glad to obtain some vegetable
food.
The feast resembled all others, except that a singular ceremony was insisted upon
by the one party, and submitted to by the other. The Damaras had a fair share of the
banquet, but, before they were allowed to begin their meal, one of the Ovambos went
round to them, and, after filling his mouth with water, spirted a little of the liquid into
their faces.
This extraordinary ceremony was invented by the king Nangoro when he was a young
man. Among their other superstitions, the Ovambos have an idea that a man is peculiarly
susceptible to witchcraft at meal times, and that it is possible for a wizard to charm
away the life of any one with whom he may happen to eat. Consequently, all kinds of
PLEASANT CUSTOMS.
359
counter-charms are employed, and as the one in question was invented by the king, it
was soon adopted by his loyal subjects, and became fashionable throughout the land. °So
wedded to this charm was Nangoro himself, that when Mr. Galton first visited him
he was equally alarmed and amazed at the refusal of the white man to submit to the
aspersion. At last he agreed to compromise the matter by anointing his visitor's head
with butter, but, as soon as beer was produced, he again became suspicious, and would
not partake of it, nor even remain in the house while it was being drunk.
He would not even have consented to the partial compromise, but for a happy idea
that white men were exceptional beings, not subject to the ordinary laws of Nature.
That there was a country where they were the lords of the soil he flatly refused to
believe, but, as Mr. Galton remarks, considered them simply as rare migratory animals of
considerable intelligence.
OVAMBO DINNER-PARTY.
It is a rather curious fact that, although the Damaras are known never to take salt
with their food, the Ovambos invariably make use of that condiment.
They have a rather odd fashion of greeting their friends. As soon as their guests are
seated, a large dish of fresh butter is produced, and the host or the chief man present
rubs the face and breast of each guest with the butter. They seem to enjoy this process
thoroughly, and cannot understand why their white guests should object to a ceremony
which is so pleasing to themselves. Perhaps this custom may have some analogy with
their mode of treating the Damaras at meal-times. The Ovambos still retain a ceremony
which is precisely similar to one which prevails through the greater part of the East.
If a subject should come into the presence of his king, if a common man should appeal-
before his chief, he takes off his sandals before presuming to make his obeisance.
The reader may remember that on page 348, certain observances connected with fire
are in use among the Damaras. The Ovambo tribe have a somewhat similar idea on the
subject, for when Mr. Anderssen went to visit Nangoro, the king of the Ovambos, a
messenger was sent from the king bearing a brand kindled at the royal fire. He first
extinguished the fire that was already burning, and then re-kindled it with the glowing
brand, so that the king and his visitor were supposed to be warmed by the same fire.
In this ceremony there is a delicate courtesy, not unmixed with poetical feeling.
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE.
RISE AND FALL OF AFRICAN TRIBES ORIGIN OF THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE — ORGANIZATION BY SEBITUANE
INCAPACITY OF HIS SUCCESSOR, SEKELETU — MODE OF GOVERNMENT — APPEARANCE OF THE
MAKOLOLO THEIR GENERAL CHARACTER HONESTY GRACEFUL MODE OF MAKING PRESENTS —
MODE OF SALUTATION FOOD AND COOKING A MAKOLOLO FEAST ETIQUETTE AT MEALS —
MANAGEMENT OF CANOES — THE WOMEN, THEIR DRESS AND MANNERS THEIR COLOUR — EASY
LIFE LED BY THEM. HOUSE-BUILDING CURIOUS MODE OF RAISING THE ROOF — HOW TO HOUSE
A VISITOR LAW-SUITS AND SPECIAL PLEADING GAME LAWS CHILDREN'S GAMES — A MAKOLOLO
VILLAGE M'BOPO AT HOME TOBY FILLPOT — MAKOLOLO SONGS AND DANCES — HEMP-SMOKING,
AND ITS DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS — TREATMENT OF THE SICK, AND BURIAL OF THE DEAD.
IN the whole of Africa south of the equator, we find the great events of the civilized
world repeated on a smaller scale. Civilized history speaks of the origin and rise of
nations, and the decadence and fall of empires. During a course of many centuries,
dynasties have arisen and held their sway for generations, fading away by degrees before
the influx of mightier races. The kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Koine,
Persia, and the like, have lasted from generation after generation, and some of them still
exist, though with diminished powers. The Pharaohs have passed from the face of the
earth, and their metropolis is a desert ; but Athens and Rome still retain some traces of
their vanished glories.
In Southern Africa, however, the changes that take place, though precisely similar
in principle, are on a much smaller scale, both of magnitude and duration, and a
traveller who passes a few years in the country may see four or five changes of dynasty
in a few years. Within the space of an ordinary life-time, for example, the fiery genius
of Tchaka gathered a number of scattered tribes into a nation, aDd created a dynasty,
which, when deprived of its leading spirit, fell into decline, and has yearly tended to return
to the original elements of which it was composed. Then the Hottentots have come from
some unknown country, and dispossessed the aborigines of the Cape so completely that
no one knows what those aborigines were. In the case of islands, such as the Polynesian
group, or even the vast island of Australia, we know what the aborigines must have been ;
but we have no such knowledge with regard to Southern Africa, and in consequence the
extent of our knowledge is, that the aborigines, whoever they might have been, were
certainly not Hottentots. Then the Kaffirs swept down and ejected the Hottentots, and
the Dutch and other white colonists ejected the Kaffirs.
So it has been with the tribe of the Makololo, which, though thinly scattered, and
by no means condensed, has contrived to possess a large portion of Southern Africa.
Deriving their primary origin from a branch of the great Bechuana tribe, and therefore
retaining many of the customs of that tribe together with its skill in manufactures, they
CONSTRUCTION OF THE EMPIRE. 361
were able to extend themselves far from their original home, and by degrees contrived
to gain the dominion over the greater part of the country as far as lat. 14° S. Yet, in
1861, when Dr. Livingstone passed through the country of the Makololo, he saw symptoms
of its decadence.
They had been organized by a great and wise chief named Sebituane, who carried out
to the fullest extent the old Roman principle of mercy to the submissive, and war to the
proud.
Sebituane owed much of his success to his practice of leading his troops to battle in
person. When he came within sight of the enemy, he significantly felt the edge of his
battle-axe, and said, " Aha ! it is sharp, and whoever turns his back on the enemy will
feel its edge." Being remarkably fleet of foot, none of his soldiers could escape from him,
and they found that it was far safer to fling themselves on the enemy with the chance of
repelling him, than run away with the certainty of being cut down by the chief's battle-
axe. Sometimes a cowardly soldier skulked, or hid himself. Sebituane, however, was
not to be deceived, and, after allowing him to return home, he would send for the
delinquent, and after mockingly assuming that death at home was preferable to death on
the field of battle, would order him to instant execution.
He incorporated the conquered tribes with his own Makololo, saying that, when they
submitted to his rule, they were all children of the chief, and therefore equal ; and he
proved his words by admitting them to participate • in the highest honours, and causing
them to intermarry with his own tribe. Under him was an organized system of head
chiefs, and petty chiefs and elders, through whom Sebituane knew all the affairs of his
kingdom, and guided it well and wisely.
But, when he died, the band that held together this nation was loosened, and bid fair
to give way altogether. His son and successor, Sekeletu, was incapable of following the
example of his father. He allowed the prejudices of race to be again developed, and
fostered them himself by studiously excluding all women except the Makololo from his
harem, and appointing none but Makololo men to office.
Consequently, he became exceedingly unpopular among those very tribes whom his
father had succeeded in conciliating, and, as a natural consequence, his chiefs and elders
being all Makololo men, they could not enjoy the confidence of the incorporated tribes,
and thus the harmonious system of Sebituane was broken up. Without confidence
in their rulers, a people cannot retain their position as a great nation; and Sekeletu,
in forfeiting that confidence, sapped with his own hands the foundation of his throne.
Discontent began to show itself, and. his people drew unfavourable contrasts between
his rule and that of his father, some even doubting whether so weak and purpose-
less a man could really be the son of their lamented chief) the " Great Lion," as they
called him.
" In his days," said they, " we had great chiefs, and little chiefs, and elders, to carry on
the government, and the great chief, Sebituane, knew them all, and the whole country
was wisely ruled. But now Sekeletu knows nothing of what his underlings do, and they
care not for him, and the Makololo power is fast passing away."
Then Sekeletu fell ill of a horrible and disfiguring disease, shut himself up in his
house, and would not show himself; allowing no one to come near him but one favourite,
through whom his orders were transmitted to the people. But the nation got tired of
being ruled by deputy, and consequently a number of conspiracies were organized, which
never could have been done under the all-pervading rule of Sebituane, and several of the
greater chiefs boldly set their king at defiance. As long as Sekeletu lived, the kingdom
retained a nominal, though not a real existence, but within a year after his death, which
occurred in 1864, civil wars sprang up on every side ; the kingdom thus divided was
weakened, and unable to resist the incursions of surrounding tribes, and thus, within the
space of a very few years, the great Makololo empire fell to pieces.
According to Dr. Livingstone, this event was much to be regretted, because the
Makololo were not slave-dealers, whereas the tribes which eventually took possession of
their land were so ; and, as their sway extended over so large a territory, it was a great;
boon that the abominable slave traffic was not permitted to exist.
362 THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE.
Mr. Baines, who knew both the father and the son, has the very meanest opinion of
the latter, and the highest of the former. In his notes, which he has kindly placed at
my disposal, he briefly characterizes them as follows : — " Sebituane, a polished, merciful
man. Sekeletu, his successor, a fast young snob, with no judgment. Killed off his
father's councillors, and did as he liked. Helped the missionaries to die rather tli.m
live, even if he did not intentionally poison them — then plundered their provision
stores."
The true Makololo are a fine race of men, and are lighter in colour than the surround-
ing tribes, being of a rich warm brown, rather than black, and they are rather peculiar in
their intonation, pronouncing each syllable slowly and deliberately.
The general character of this people seems to be a high one, and in many respects
will bear comparison with the Ovambo. Brave they have proved themselves by their
many victories, though it is rather remarkable that they do not display the same courage
when opposed to the lion as when engaged in warfare against their fellow-men.
Yet they are not without courage and presence of mind in the hunting-field, though
the dread king of beasts seems to exercise such an influence over them that they fear to
resist his inroads. The buffalo is really quite as much to be dreaded as the lion, and yet
the Makololo are comparatively indifferent when pursuing it. The animal has an un-
pleasant habit of doubling back on its trail, crouching in the bush, allowing the hunters
to pass its hiding-place, and then to charge suddenly at them with such a force and fury
that it scatters the bushes before its headlong rush like autumn leaves before the wind.
Yet the Makololo hunters are not in the least afraid of this most formidable animal, but
leap behind a tree as it charges, and then hurl their spears as it passes them.
Hospitality is one of their chief virtues, and it is exercised with a modesty which is
rather remarkable. " The people of every village," writes Livingstone, " treated us most
liberally, presenting, besides oxen, butter, milk, and meal, more than we could stow away
in our canoes. The cows in this valley are now yielding, as they frequently do, more
milk than the people can use, and both men and women present butter in such quantities,
that I shall be able to refresh my men as we go along. Anointing the skin prevents
the excessive evaporation of the fluids of the body, and acts as clothing in both sun
and shade.
" They always made their presents gracefully. "When an ox was given, the owner
would say, ' Here is a little bit of bread for you.' This was pleasing, for I had been
accustomed to the Bechuanas presenting a miserable goat, with the pompous exclamation,
' Behold, an ox ! ' The women persisted in giving me copious supplies of shrill praises,
or ' lullilooing,' but although I frequently told them to modify their ' Great Lords,' and
' Great Lions,' to more humble expressions, they so evidently intended to do me honour,
that I could not help being pleased with the poor creatures' wishes for our success."
One remarkable instance of the honesty of this tribe is afforded by Dr. Livingstone.
In 1853, he had left at Linyanti, a place on the Zambesi river, a wagon containing papers
and stores. He had been away from Linyanti, to which place he found that letters and
packages had been sent for him. Accordingly, in 1860, he determined on revisiting the
spot, and when he arrived there, found that everything in the wagon was exactly in the
same state as when he left it in charge of the king seven years before. The head men of
the place were very glad to see him back again, and only lamented that he had not arrived
in the previous year, which happened to be one of special plenty.
This honesty is the more remarkable, because they had good reason to fear the attacks
of the Matabele, who, if they had heard that a wagon with property in it was kept in
the place, would have attacked Linyanti at once, in spite of its strong position amid rivers
and marshes. However, the Makololo men agreed that in that case they were to fight in
defence of the wagon and that the first man who wounded a Matabele in defence of the
wagon was to receive cattle as a reward.
It is probable, however, that the great personal influence which Dr. Livingstone exer-
cised over the king and his tribe had much to do with the behaviour of these Makololo,
and that a man of less capacity and experience would have been robbed of everything
that could be stolen.
ETIQUETTE AT MEALS 363
When natives travel, especially if they should be headed by a chief, similar ceremonies
take place, the women being entrusted with the task of welcoming the visitors. This
they do by means of a shrill, prolonged, undulating cry, produced by a rapid agitation
of the tongue, and expressively called " lullilooing." The men follow their example,
and it is etiquette for the chief to receive all these salutations with perfect indifference.
As soon as the new comers are seated, a conversation takes place, in which the two
parties exchange news, and then the head man rises and brings out a quantity of beer
in large pots. Calabash goblets are handed round, and every one makes it a point of
honour to drink as fast as he can, the fragile goblets being often broken in this convivial
rivalry.
Besides the beer, jars of clotted milk are produced in plenty, and each of the jars is
given to one of the principal men, who is at liberty to divide it as he chooses. Although
originally sprung from the Bechuanas, the Makololo disdain the use of spoons, preferring
to scoop up the milk in their hands, and, if a spoon be given to them, they merely ladle
out some milk from the jar, put it into their hands, and so eat it. A chief is expected to
give several feasts of meat to his followers. He chooses an ox, and hands it over to some
favoured individual, who proceeds to kill it by piercing its heart with a slender spear.
The wound is carefully closed, so that the animal bleeds internally, the whole of the blood,
as well as the viscera, forming the perquisite of the butcher.
Scarcely is the ox dead than it is cut up, the best parts, namely, the hump and ribs
belonging to the chief, who also apportions the different parts of the slain animal among
his guests, just as Joseph did with his brethren, each of the honoured guests subdividing
his own portion among his immediate followers. The process of cooking is simple enough,
the meat being merely cut into strips and thrown on the fire, often in such quantities that
it is nearly extinguished. Before it is half cooked, it is taken from the embers, and eaten
while so hot that none but a practised meat-eater could endure it, the chief object being
to introduce as much meat as possible into the stomach in a given time. It is not manners
to eat after a man's companions have finished their meal, and so each guest eats as much
and as fast as he can, and acts as if he had studied in the school of Sir Dugald
Dalgetty.
Neither is it manners for any one to take a solitary meal, and, knowing this custom,
Dr. Livingstone always contrived to have a second cup of tea or coffee by his side when-
ever he took his meals, so that the chief, or one of the principal men, might join in
the repast.
Amongst the Makololo, rank has its drawbacks as well as its privileges, and among
the former may be reckoned one of the customs which regulate meals. A chief may not
dine alone, and it is also necessary that at each meal the whole of the provisions should be
consumed. If Sekeletu had an ox killed, every particle of it was consumed at a single
meal, and in consequence he often suffered severely from hunger before another could be
prepared for him and his followers. So completely is this custom ingrained in the nature
of the Makololo, that when Dr. Livingstone visited Sekeletu, the latter was quite scan-
dalized that a portion of the meal was put aside. However, he soon saw the advantage
of the plan, and after a while followed it himself, in spite of the remonstrances of the
old men ; and, while the missionary was with him, they played into each other's hands by
each reserving a portion for the other at every meaL
Mention has been made of canoes. As the Makololo live much on the banks of the
river Zambesi, they naturally use the canoe, and are skilful in its management.
These canoes are flat-bottomed, in order to enable them to pass over the numerous
shallows of the Zambesi, and are sometimes forty feet in length, carrying from six to
ten paddlers, besides other freight. The paddles are about eight feet in length, and when
the canoe gets into shallow water, the paddles are used as punt-poles.
The paddlers stand while at work, and keep time as well as if they were engaged in
a University boat race, so that they propel the vessel with considerable speed.
Being flat-bottomed, the boats need very skilful management, especially in so rapid
and variable a river as the Zambesi, where sluggish depths, rock-beset shallows, and swift
rapids, follow each other repeatedly. If the canoe should happen to come broadside to
THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE.
the current, it would inevitably be upset, and, as the Makololo are not all swimmers, several
of the crew would probably be drowned. As soon, therefore, as such a danger seems to
be impending, those who can swim jump into the water, and guide the canoe through the
sunken rocks and dangerous eddies. Skill in the management of the canoe is especially
needed in the chase of the hippopotamus, which they contrive to hunt in its own element,
and which they seldom fail in securing, in spite of the enormous size, the furious anger,
and the formidable jaws of this remarkable animal.
The dress of the men differs but little from that which is in use in other parts of Africa
south of the equator, and consists chiefly of a skin twisted round the loins, and a mantle
of the same material thrown over the shoulders, the latter being only worn in cold
weather.
The Makololo are a cleanly race, particularly when they happen to be in the neigh-
bourhood of a river or lake, in which they bathe several times daily. The men, however,
are better in this respect than the women, who seem rather to be afraid of cold water,
preferring to rub their bodies and limbs with melted butter, which has the effect of making
their skins glossy, and keeping off parasites, but also imparting a peculiarly unpleasant
odour to themselves and their clothing.
As to the women, they are clothed in a far better manner than the men, and are
exceedingly fond of ornaments, wearing a skin kilt and kaross, and adorning themselves
with as many ornaments as they can afford. The traveller who has already been quoted
mentions that a sister of the great chief Sebituane wore enough ornaments to be a load
for an ordinary man. On each leg she had eighteen rings of solid brass, as thick as a
man's finger, and three of copper under each knee ; nineteen similar rings on her right
arm, and eight of brass and copper on her left. She had also a large ivory ring above
each elbow, a broad band of beads round her waist, and another round her neck, being
altogether nearly one hundred large and heavy rings. The weight of the rings on her
legs was so great, that she was obliged to wrap soft rags round the lower rings, as they
had begun to chafe her ankles. Under this weight of metal she could walk but awk-
wardly, but fashion proved itself superior to pain with this Makololo woman, as among
her European sisters.
Both in colour and general manners, the Makololo women are superior to most of the
tribes. This superiority is partly due to the light warm brown of their complexion, and
partly to their mode of life. Unlike the women of ordinary African tribes, those of
the Makololo lead a comparatively easy life, having their harder labours shared by
their husbands, who aid in digging the ground, and in other rough work. Even the
domestic work is done more by servants than by the mistresses of the household, so that
the Makololo women are not liable to that rapid deterioration which is so evident among
other tribes.
In fact they have so much time to themselves, and so little to occupy them, that
they are apt to fall into rather dissipated habits, and spend much of their time in
smoking hemp and drinking beer, the former habit being a most insidious one, and
apt to cause a peculiar eruptive disease. Sekeletu was a votary of the hemp-pipe,
and, by his over-indulgence in this luxury, he induced the disease of which he after-
wards died.
The only hard work that falls to the lot of the Makololo women is that of house-
building, which is left entirely to them and their servants.
The mode of making a house is rather remarkable. The first business is to build
a cylindrical tower of stakes and reeds, plastered with mud, and some nine or ten feet in
height, the walls and floor being smoothly plastered, so as to prevent them from harbouring
insects. A large conical roof is then put together on the ground, and completely thatched '
with reeds. It is then lifted by many hands, and lodged on the top of the circular tower.
As the roof projects far beyond the central tower, it is supported by stakes, and as
a general rule, the spaces between these stakes are filled up with a wall or fence of reeds
plastered with mud. This roof is not permanently fixed either to the supporting stakes
or the central tower, and can be removed at pleasure. When a visitor arrives among
the Makololo, he is often lodged by the simple process of lifting a finished roof off an
HOUSE-BUILDING.
365
Unfinished house, and putting it on the ground. Although it is then so low that a man can
.scarcely sit, much less stand upright, it answers very well for Southern Africa, where the
•rvhole of active life is spent, as a rule, in the open air, and where houses are only used
its sleeping-boxes. The doorway that gives admission into the circular chamber is always
small. In a house that was assigned to Dr. Livingstone, it was only nineteen inches
in total height, twenty-two in width at the floor, and twelve at the top. A native
Makololo, with no particular encumbrance in the way of clothes, makes his way through
the doorway easily enough ; but an European with all the impediments of dress about
him finds himself sadly hampered in attempting to gain the penetration of a Makololo
house. Except through this door, the tower has neither light nor ventilation. Some of
HOUSE-BUILDING.
the best houses have two, and even three, of these towers, built concentrically within
each other, and each having its entrance about as large as the door of an ordinary dog-
kennel. Of course the atmosphere is very close at night, but the people care nothing
about that.
The illustration is from a sketch kindly furnished by Mr. Baines. It represents a nearly
completed Makololo house on the banks of the Zambesi river, just above the great
Victoria Falls. The women have placed the roof on the building, and are engaged in
the final process of fixing the thatch.
In the centre is seen the cylindrical tower which forms the inner chamber, together
with a portion of the absurdly small door by which it is entered. Round it is the inner
wall, which is also furnished with its doorway. These are made of stakes and withes,
366 THE MAKOLOLO TRIBE.
upon which is worked a quantity of clay, well patted on by hand, so as to form a thick and
strong wall. The clay is obtained from ant-hills, and is generally kneaded up with cow-
dung, the mixture producing a kind of plaster that is very solid, and can be made beauti-
fully smooth. Even the wall which surrounds the building and the whole of the flooi
are made of the same material.
It will be seen that there are four concentric walls in this building. First comes the
outer wall, which encircles the whole premises. Next is a low wall which is built up
against the posts which support the ends of the rafters, and which is partly supported
by them. Within this is a third wall, which encloses what may be called the ordinary
living room of the house ; and within all is the inner chamber, or tower, which is in
fact only another circular wall of much less diameter and much greater height. It will
be seen that the walls of the house itself increase regularly in height, and decrease
regularly in diameter, so as to correspond with the conical roof.
On the left of the illustration is part of a millet-field, beyond which are some com-
pleted houses. Among them are some of the fan-palms with recurved leaves. That on
the left is a young tree, and retains all its leaves, while that on the right is an old one, and
has shed the leaves towards the base of the stem, the foliage and the thickened portion of
the trunk having worked their way gradually upwards. More palms are growing on the
Zambesi river, and in the background are seen the vast spray clouds arising from the
Falls.
The comparatively easy life led by the Makololo women makes polygamy less of a
hardship to them than is the case among neighbouring tribes, and, in fact, even if the
men were willing to abandon the system, the women would not consent to do so. With
them marriage, though it never rises to the rank which it holds in civilized countries, is
not a mere matter of barter. It is true that the husband is expected to pay a certain sum
to the parents of his bride, as a recompense for her services, and as purchase-money to
retain in his own family the children that she may have, and which would by law belong
to her father. Then again, when a wife dies her husband is obliged to send an ox to her
family, in order to recompense them for their loss, she being still reckoned as forming
part of her parents' family, and her individuality not being totally merged into that of
her husband.
Plurality of wives is in vogue among the Makololo, and is, indeed, an absolute
necessity under the present conditions of the race, and the women would be quite as
unwilling as the men to have a system of monogamy imposed upon them. No man is
respected by his neighbours who does not possess several wives, and indeed without them
he could not be wealthy, each wife tilling a certain quantity of ground, and the produce
belonging to a common stock. Of course, there are cases where polygamy is certainly a
hardship, as, for example, when old men choose to marry very young wives. But, on the
whole, and under existing conditions, polygamy is the only possible system.
Another reason for the plurality of wives, as given by themselves, is that a man with
one wife would not be able to exercise that hospitality which is one of the special duties
of the tribe. Strangers are taken to the huts and there entertained as honoured guests,
and as the women are the principal providers of food, chief cultivators of the soil, and
sole guardians of the corn stores, their co-operation is absolutely necessary for anyone who
desires to carry out the hospitable institutions of his tribe.
It has been mentioned that the men often take their share in the hard work. This
laudable custom, however, prevailed most among the true Makololo men, the incorporated
tribes preferring to follow the usual African custom, and to make the women work while
they sit down and smoke their pipes.
The men have become adepts at carving wood, making wooden pots with lids, and
bowls arid jars of all sizes. Moreover, of late years, the Makololo have learned to think
that sitting on a stool is more comfortable than squatting on the bare ground, and have,
in consequence, begun to carve the legs of their stools into various patterns.
Like the people from whom they are descended, the Makololo are a law-loving race, and
manage their government by means of councils or parliaments, resembling the pichos of
the Bechuanas, and consisting of a number of individuals assembled in a circle round the
LAW-SUITS. 367
chief, who occupies the middle. On one occasion, when there was a large halo round the
sun, Dr. Livingstone pointed it out to his chief boatman. The man immediately replied
that it was a parliament of the Barimo, i.e. the gods, or departed spirits, who were
assembled round their chief, i.e. the sun.
For major crimes a picho is generally held, and the accused, if found guilty, is con-
demned to death. The usual mode of execution is for two men to grasp the condemned
by his wrists, lead him a mile from the town, and then to spear him. Resistance is not
offered, neither is the criminal allowed to speak. So quietly is the whole proceeding
that, on one very remarkable occasion, a rival chief was carried off within a few yards of
Dr. Livingstone without his being aware of the fact.
Shortly after Sebituane's death, while his son Sekeletu was yet a young man of eighteen,
and but newly raised to the throne, a rival named Mpepe, who had been appointed by
Sebituane chief of a division of the tribe, aspired to the throne. He strengthened his
pretensions by superstition, having held for some years a host of incantations, at which a
number of native wizards assembled, and performed a number of enchantments so potent
that even the strong-minded Sebituane was afraid of him. After the death of that great
chief Mpepe organized a conspiracy whereby he should be able to murder Sekeletu
and to take his throne. The plot, however, was discovered, and on the night of its
failure his executioners came quietly to Mpepe's fire, took his wrists, led him out, and
speared him.
Sometimes the offender is taken into the river in a boat, strangled, and flung into the
water, where the crocodiles are waiting to receive him. Disobedience to the chief's
command is thought to be quite sufficient cause for such a punishment. To lesser
offences fines are inflicted, a parliament not being needed, but the case being heard before
the chief. Dr. Livingstone relates in a very graphic style the manner in which these cases
are conducted.
" The complainant asks the man against whom he means to lodge his complaint to
come with him to the chief. This is never refused. When both are in the kotla, the
complainant stands up and states the whole case before the chief and people usually
assembled there. He stands a few seconds after he has done this to recollect if he has
forgotten anything. The witnesses to whom he has referred then rise up and tell all
that they themselves have seen or heard, but not anything that they have heard from
others. The defendant, after allowing some minutes to elapse, so that he may not
interrupt any of the opposite party, slowly rises, folds his cloak about him, and in the
most quiet and deliberate way he can assume, yawning, blowing his nose, &c., begins to
explain the affair, denying the charge or admitting it, as the case may be.
" Sometimes, when galled by his remarks, the complainant utters a sentence of
dissent. The accused turns quietly to him and says, ' Be silent, I sat still while you
were speaking. Cannot you do the same? Do you want to have it all to yourself?'
And, as the audience acquiesce in this bantering, and enforce silence, he goes on until he
has finished all he wishes to say in his defence.
" If he has any witnesses to the truth of the facts of his defence, they give their
evidence No oath is administered, but occasionally, when a statement is questioned, a
man will say, ' By my father,' or, ' By the chief, it is so.' Their truthfulness among each
other is quite remarkable, but their system of government is such that Europeans are not
in a position to realize it readily. A poor man will say in his defence against a rich one,
' I am astonished to hear a man so great as he make a false accusation,' as if the offence
of falsehood were felt to be one against the society which the individual referred to had
the greatest interest in upholding."
When a case is brought before the king by chiefs or other influential men, it is
expected that the councillors who attend the royal presence shall give their opinions, and
the permission to do so is inferred whenever the king remains silent after having heard both
parties. It is a point of etiquette that all the speakers stand except the king, who alone
has the privilege of speaking while seated.
There is even a series of game-laws in the country, all ivory belonging of right to the
king, and every tusk being brought to him. This right is, however, only nominal, as the
368
THE MAKOLOLO TEIBE.
king is expected to share the ivory among his people, and if he did not do so, he would not
be able to enforce the law. In fact, the whole law practically resolves itself into this ;
that the king gets one tusk and the hunters get the other, while the flesh belongs to those
who kill the animal. And, as the flesh is to the people far more valuable than the
ivory, the arrangement is much fairer than appears at first sight.
Practically, it is a system of make-believes. The successful hunters kill two elephants,
taking four tusks to the king, and make believe to offer them for his acceptance. He
makes believe to take them as his right, and then makes believe to present them with
two as a free gift from himself. They acknowledge the royal bounty with abundant
CHILDREN'S GAMES.
thanks and recapitulation of titles, such as Great Lion, &c., and so all parties are equally
satisfied.
On page 355 I have described, from Mr. Baines' notes, a child's toy, the only example
of a genuine toy which he found in the whole of Southern Africa. Among the Makololo,
however, as well as among Europeans, the spirit of play is strong in children, and they
engage in various games, chiefly consisting in childish imitation of the more serious
pursuits of their parents. The following account of their play is given by Dr.
Livingstone : —
" The children have merry times, especially in the cool of the evening. One of their
games consists of a little girl being carried on the shoulders of two others. She sits with
outstretched arms, as they walk about with her, and all the rest clap their hands, and
stopping before each hut, sing pretty airs, some beating time on their little kilts of cow-
CHILDREN'S GAMES. 369
skin, and others making a curious humming sound between the songs. Excepting this
and the skipping-rope, the play of the girls consists in imitation of the serious work of
their mothers, building little huts, making small pots, and cooking, pounding corn in
miniature mortars, or hoeing tiny gardens.
" The boys play with spears of reeds pointed with wood, and small shields, or bows
and arrows ; or amuse themselves in making little cattle-pens, or cattle in clay, — they
show great ingenuity in the imitation of variously shaped horns. Some, too, are said to
use slings, but, as soon as they can watch the goats or calves, they are sent to the field.
We saw many boys riding on the calves they had in charge, but this is an innovation
since the arrival of the English with their horses.
" Tselane, one of the ladies, on observing Dr. Livingstone noting observations on the
wet and dry bulb thermometers, thought that he too was engaged in play. On receiving
no reply to her question, which was rather difficult to answer, as their native tongue has
no scientific terms, she said with roguish glee, ' Poor thing ! playing like a little child ! ' "
I have the pleasure of presenting my readers with another of Mr. Baines's sketches.
The scene is taken from a Makololo village on the bank of the river, and the time is
supposed to be evening, after the day's work is over.
In the midst are the young girls playing the game mentioned by Mr. Anderssen, the
central girl being carried by two others, and her companions singing and clapping their
hands. The dress of the young girls is, as may be seen, very simple, and consists of
leathern thongs, varying greatly in length, but always so slight and scanty that they do
not hide the contour of the limbs. Several girls are walking behind them, carrying pots
and bundles on the head, another is breaking up the ground with a toy hoe, while in the
foreground is one girl pretending to grind corn between two stones, another pounding in a
small model mortar, and a third with a rude doll carried as a mother carries her child.
The parents are leaning against their houses, and looking at the sports of the children.
On the left are seen some girls building a miniature hut, the roof of which they are just
lifting on to the posts.
In the foreground on the left are the boys engaged in their particular games. Some
are employed in making rude models of cattle and other animals, while others are engaged
in mimic warfare. In the background is a boy who has gone out to fetch the flock of
goats home, and is walking in front of them, followed by his charge. A singular tree often
overhangs the houses and is very characteristic of that part of Africa. In the native
language it is called Mosaawe, and by the Portuguese, Paopisa. It has a leaf somewhat
like that of the acacia, and the blossoms and fruit are seen hanging side by side. The
latter very much resembles a wooden cucumber, and is about as eatable.
On page 370 is another sketch by Mr. Baines, representing a domestic scene in a
Makololo family.
The house belongs to a chief named M'Bopo, who was very friendly to Mr. Baines
and his companions, and was altogether a fine specimen of a savage gentleman. He was
exceedingly hospitable to his guests, not only feeding them well, but producing great jars
of pombe, or native beer, which they were obliged to consume either personally or by
deputy. He even apologised for his inability to offer them some young ladies as tem-
porary wives, according to the custom of the country, the girls being at the time all
absent, and engaged in ceremonies very similar to those which have been described
when treating of the Bechuanas.
M'Bopo is seated in the middle, and may be distinguished by the fact that he is
wearing all his hair, the general fashion being to crop it and dress it in various odd
ways. Just behind him is one of his chief men,, whom Mr. Baines was accustomed to
designate as Toby Fillpot, partly because he was very assiduous in filling the visitor's
jars with pombe, and partly because he was more than equally industrious in emptying
them. It will be noticed that he has had his head shaved, and that the hair is beginning
to grow in little patches. Behind him is another man, who has shaved his head at the
sides, and has allowed a mere tuft of hair to grow along the top. In front of M'Bopo is
a huge earthen vessel full of pombe, and by the side of it is the calabash ladle by which
the liquid is transferred to the drinking vessels.
VOL. I. B B
370
THE MAKOLOLO TEIBE.
MBopo's chief wife sits beside him, and is distinguished by the two ornaments which
she wears. On her forehead is a circular piece of hide, kneaded while wet so as to form
a shallow cone. The inside of this cone is entirely covered with beads, mostly white,
and scarlet in the centre. Upon her neck is another ornament, which is valued very
highly. It is the base of a shell, a species of conus — the whole of which has been ground
away except the base. This ornament is thought so valuable that when the great chief
Shinte presented Dr. Livingstone with one, he took the precaution of coming alone, and
carefully closing the tent door, so that none of his people should witness an act of such
extravagant generosity.
This lady was good enough to express her opinion of the white travellers. They were
not so ugly, said she, as she had expected. All that hair on their heads and faces was
M'BOPO AT HOME.
certainly disagreeable, but their faces were pleasant enough, and their hands were well
formed, but the great defect in them was, that they had no toes. The worthy lady had
never heard of boots, and evidently considered them as analogous to the hoofs of cattle.
It was found necessary to remove the boots, and convince her that the white man really
had toes.
Several o. the inferior wives are also sitting on the ground. One of them has her
scalp entirely shaved, and the other has capriciously diversified her head by allowing a
few streaks of hair to go over the top of the head, and another to surround it like a band.
The reed door is seen turned aside from the opening, and a few baskets are hanging here
and there upon the wall.
MAKOLOLO DANCE. 371
The Makololo have plenty of amusements after their own fashion, which is certainly
not that of an European. Even those who have lived among them for some time, and
have acknowledged that they are among the most favourable specimens of African
heathendom, have been utterly disgusted and wearied with the life which they had to
lead. There is no quiet and no repose day or night, and Dr. Livingstone, who might
be expected to be thoroughly hardened against annoyance by trifles, states broadly that
the dancing, singing, roaring, jesting, story-telling, grumbling, and quarrelling of the
Makololo were a severer penance than anything which he had undergone in all his
experiences. He had to live with them, and was therefore brought in close contact
with them.
The first three items of savage life, namely, dancing, singing, and roaring, seem to be
inseparably united, and the savages seem to be incapable of getting up a dance unless
accompanied by roaring on the part of the performers, and singing on the part of the
spectators — the latter sounds being not more melodious than the former. Dr. Livingstone
gives a very graphic account of a Makololo dance. " As this was the first visit which
Sekeletu had paid to this part of his dominions, it was to many a season of great joy.
The head men of each village presented oxen, milk, and beer, more than the horde
which accompanied him could devour, though their abilities in that way are something
wonderful.
" The people usually show their joy and work off their excitement in dances and
songs. The dance consists of the men standing nearly naked in a circle, with clubs or
small battle-axes in their hands, and each roaring at the loudest pitch of his voice, while
they simultaneously lift one leg, stamp heavily twice with it, then lift the other and give
one stamp with it ; this is the only movement in common. The arms and head are
thrown about also in every direction, and all this time the roaring is kept up with the
utmost possible vigour. The continued stamping makes a cloud of dust ascend, and they
leave a deep ring in the ground where they have stood.
" If the scene were witnessed in a lunatic asylum, it would be nothing out of the
way, and quite appropriate as a means of letting off the excessive excitement of the brain.
But here, grey-headed men joined in the performance with as much zest as others whose
youth might be an excuse for making the perspiration start oft" their bodies with the
exertion. Motibe asked what I thought of the Makololo dance. I replied, ' It is very
hard work, and brings but small profit.' 'It is,' he replied; 'but it is very nice, and
Sekeletu will give us an ox for dancing for him.' He usually does slaughter an ox for
the dancers when the work is over.
" The women stand by, clapping their hands, and occasionally one advances within
the circle, composed of a hundred men, makes a few movements, and then retires. As I
never tried it. and am unable to enter into the spirit of the thing, I cannot recommend
the Makololo polka to the dancing world, but I have the authority of no less a person
than Motebe, Sekeletu's father-in-law, for saying that it is very nice."
Many of the Makololo are inveterate smokers, preferring hemp even to tobacco,
because it is more intoxicating. They delight in smoking themselves into a positive
frenzy, " which passes away in a rapid stream of unmeaning words, or short sentences, as,
'The green grass grows,' 'The fat cattle thrive,' 'The fishes swim.' No one in the
group pays the slightest attention to the vehement eloquence, or the sage or silly
utterances of the oracle, who stops abruptly, and, the instant common sense returns, looks
foolish." They smoke the hemp through water, using a koodoo horn for their pipe, much
in the way that the Damaras and other tribes use it.
Over indulgence in this luxury has a very prejudicial effect on the health, producing
an eruption over the whole body that is quite unmistakable. In consequence of this
effect, the men prohibit their wives from using the hemp, but the result of the prohibition
seems only to be that the women smoke secretly instead of openly, and are afterwards
discovered by the appearance of the skin. It is the more fascinating, because its use
imparts a spurious strength to the body, while it enervates the mind to such a degree
that the user is incapable of perceiving the state in which he is gradually sinking, or of
exercising sufficient self-control to abandon or even to modify the destructive habit.
372
THE MAKOLOLO T1UBE.
Seke etu was a complete victim of the hemp-pipe, and there is no doubt that the illness,
something like the dreaded " craw-craw " of Western Africa, was aggravated, if not caused',
by over-indulgence in smoking hemp.
The Makololo have an unbounded faith in medicines, and believe that there is no ill
to which humanity is subject which cannot be removed by white man's medicine. One
woman, who thought herself too thin to suit the African ideas of beauty, asked for the
medicine of fatness, and a chief, whose six wives had only produced one boy among a
number of girls, was equally importunate for some medicine that would change the sex
of the future offspring.
The burial-places of the Makololo are seldom conspicuous, but in some cases the relics
of a deceased chief are preserved, and regarded with veneration, so that the guardians
cannot be induced to sell them even for the most tempting prices.
SOUTH AFRICAN DOUBLE SPOOK.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE BAYEYE AND MAKOBA TRIBES.
MEANING OF THE NAME GENERAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER THIEVING ABILITY IN FISHING
CANOES — ELEPHANT-CATCHING DRESS — THE MAKOBA TRIBE THEIR LOCALITY A MAKOBA
CHIEF'S ROGUERY — SKILL IN MANAGING CANOES — ZANGUELLAH AND HIS BOATS — HIPPOPOTAMUS
HUNTING WITH THE CANOE — STRUCTURE OF THE HARPOON THE REED-RAFT AND ITS USES
SUPERSTITIONS — PLANTING TREES — TRANSMIGRATION — THE PONDORO AND HIS WIFE.
THE BAYEYE TRIER
As the Bayeye tribe has been mentioned once or twice during the account of the
Makololo, a few lines of notice will be given to them.
They originally inhabited the country about Lake Ngami, but were conquered by
another tribe, the Batoanas, and reduced to comparative serfdom. The conquerors called
them Bakoba, i.e. serfs, but they themselves take the pretentious, title of Bayeye, or
Men. They attribute their defeat to the want of shields, though the superior discipline
of their enemies had probably more to do with their victory than the mere fact of
possessing a shield.
On one notable occasion, the Bayeye proved conclusively that the shield does not
make the warrior. Their chief had taken the trouble to furnish them with shields,
hoping to make soldiers of them. They received the gift with great joy, and loudly
boasted of the prowess which they were going to show. Unfortunately for them, a
marauding party of the Makololo came in sight, when the valiant warriors forgot all
about their shields, jumped into their canoes, and paddled away day and night down the
river, until they had put a hundred miles or so between them and the dangerous spot.
In general appearance, the Bayeye bear some resemblance to the Ovambo tribe, the
complexion and general mould of features being of a similar cast. They seem to have
retained but few of their own characteristics, having accepted those of their conquerors,
whose dress and general manners they have assumed. Their language bears some
resemblance to that of the Ovambo tribe, but they have contrived to impart into it a
few clicks which are evidently derived from the Hottentots.
They are amusing and cheerful creatures, and as arrant thieves and liars as can well
be found. If they can only have a pot on the fire full of meat, and a pipe, their
happiness seems complete, and they will feast, dance, sing, smoke, and tell anecdotes all
night long. Perhaps their thievishness is to be attributed to their servile condition. At
all events, they will steal everything that is not too hot or heavy for them, and are
singularly expert in their art.
Mr. Anderssen mentions that by degrees his Bayeye attendants contrived to steal
riearly the whole of his stock of beads, and, as those articles are t}ie money of Africa,
374 THE BAYEYE TEIBR
their loss was equivalent to failure in his journey. Accordingly, he divided those
which were left into parcels, marked each separately, and put them away in the
packages as usual. Just before the canoes landed for the night, he went on shore,
and stood by the head of the first canoe while his servant opened the packages, in
order to see if anything had been stolen. Scarcely was the first package opened when
the servant exclaimed that the Bayeye had been at it. The next move was to present
his double-barrelled gun at the native who was in charge of the canoe, and threaten to
blow out his brains if all the stolen property was not restored.
At first the natives took to their arms, and appeared inclined to fight, but the sight of
the ominous barrels, which they knew were in the habit of hitting their mark, proved too
much for them, and they agreed to restore the beads provided that their conduct was not
mentioned to their chief Lecholetebe. The goods being restored, pardon was granted,
with the remark that, if anything were stolen for the future, Mr. Anderssen would shoot
the first man whom he saw. This threat was all-sufficient, and ever afterwards the
Bayeye left his goods in peace.
In former days the Bayeye used to be a bucolic nation, having large herds of cattle.
These, however, were all seized by their conquerors, who only permitted them to rear a
few goats, which, however, they value less for the flesh and milk than for the skins, which
are converted into karosses. Fowls are also kept, but they are small, and not of a good
breed.
In consequence of the deprivation of their herds, the Bayeye are forced to live on
the produce of the ground and the flesh of wild animals. Fortunately for them, their
country is particularly fertile, so that the women, who are the only practical agriculturists
have little trouble in tilling the soil. A light hoe is the only instrument used, and with
this the ground is scratched rather than dug, just before the rainy season ; the seed
deposited almost at random immediately after the first rains have fallen. Pumpkins,
melons, calabashes, and earth fruits are also cultivated, and tobacco is grown by energetic
natives.
There are also several indigenous fruits, one of which, called the " moshoma," is
largely used. The tree on which it grows is a very tall one, the trunk is very straight,
and the lowermost branches are at a great height from the ground. The fruit can
therefore only, be gathered when it falls by its own ripeness. It is first dried in the
sun, and then prepared for storage by being pounded in a wooden mortar. When used,
it is mixed with water until it assumes a cream-like consistency. It is very sweet,
almost as sweet as honey, which it much resembles in appearance. Those who are
accustomed to its use find it very nutritious, but to strangers it is at first unwholesome,
being apt to derange the digestive system. The timber of the moshama-tree is useful,
being mostly employed in building canoes.
The Bayeye are very good huntsmen, and are remarkable for their skill in capturing
fish, which they either pierce with spears or entangle in nets made of the fibres of a
native aloe. These fibres are enormously strong, as indeed is the case with all the
varieties of the aloe plant.
The nets are formed very ingeniously from other plants besides the aloe, such for
example as the hibiscus, which grows plentifully on river banks, and moist places in
general. The float-ropes, i.e. those that carry the upper edge of the nets, are made from
the " ife " (Sanseviere Angolensis), a plant that somewhat resembles the common water-
flag of England. The floats themselves are formed of stems of a water-plant, which
has the peculiarity of being hollow, and divided into cells, about an inch in length, by
transverse valves. The mode in which the net is made is almost identical with that
which is in use in England. The shaft of the spear which the Bayeye use in catching
fish is made of a very light wood, so that, when the fish is struck, the shaft of the spear
ascends to the surface, and discharges the double duty of tiring the wounded fish, and
giving to the fisherman the means of lifting his finny prey out of the water.
The Bayeye are not very particular as to their food, and not only eat the ten fishes
which, as they boast, inhabit their rivers, but also kill and eat a certain water-snake,
brown in colour and spotted with yellow, which is often seen undulating its devious
&S AND OENAMENTS.
course across the river. It is rather a curious circumstance that, although the Bayeye
live so much on fish, and are even proud of the variety of the finny tribe which their
waters afford them, the more southern Bechuanas not only refuse themselves to eat
fish, but look with horror and disgust upon all who do so.
The cances of the Bayeye are simply trunks of trees hollowed out. As they are
not made for speed, but for use, elegance of shape is not at all considered. If the tree
trunk which is destined to be hewn into a canoe happens to be straight, well and good.
But it sometimes has a bend, and in that case the canoe has a bend also. The Bayeye
are pardonably fond of their canoes, not to say proud of them. -As Dr. Livingstone well
observes, they regard their rude vessels as an Arab does his camel. " They have always
fires in them, and prefer sleeping in them when on a journey to spending the night on
shore. ' On land you have lions,' say they, ' serpents, hyenas, as your enemies ; but in
your canoe, behind a bank of reeds, nothing can harm you.' "
"Their submissive disposition leads to their villages being frequently visited by
hungry strangers. We had a pot on the fire in the canoe by the way, and when we drew
near the villages devoured the contents. When fully satisfied ourselves, I found that
we could all look upon any intruders with much complaisance, and show the pot in
proof of having devoured the last morsel."
They are also expert at catching the larger animals in pitfalls, which they ingeniously
dig along the banks of the rivers, so as to entrap the elephants and other animals as
they come to drink at night. They plant their pitfalls so closely together that it is
scarcely possible for a herd of elephants to escape altogether unharmed, as many as
thirty or forty being sometimes dug in a row, and close together. Although the old
and experienced elephants have learned to go in front of their comrades, and sound the
earth for concealed traps, the great number of these treacherous pits often makes these
precautions useless.
The dress of the Bayeye is much the same as that of the Batoanas and their kinsfolk,
namely, a skin wrapped round the waist, a kaross, and as many beads and other orna-
ments as can be afforded. Brass, copper, and iron are in great request as materials for
ornaments, especially among the women, who display considerable taste in arranging and
contrasting the colours of their simple jewellery. Sometimes a wealthy woman is so
loaded with beads, rings, and other decorations, that, as the chief . Secholetebe said, " they
actually grunt under their burden " as they walk along.
Their architecture is of the simplest description, and much resembles that of the
Hottentots, the houses being mere skeletons of sticks covered with reed mats. Their
amusements are as simple as their habitations. They are fond of dancing, and in their
gestures they endeavour to imitate the movements of various wild animals — their walk,
their mode of feeding, their sports, and their battles. Of course they drink, smoke, and
take snuff whenever they have the opportunity. The means for the first luxury they can
themselves supply, making a sort of beer, on which, by drinking vast quantities, they
manage to intoxicate themselves. Snuff-taking is essentially a manly practice, while
smoking hemp seems to be principally followed by the women. Still, there are few men
who will refuse a pipe of hemp, and perhaps no woman who will refuse snuff if offered
to them. On the whole, setting aside their inveterate habits of stealing and lying, they
are tolerably pleasant people, and their naturally cheerful and lively disposition causes
the traveller to feel almost an affection for them, even though he is obliged to guard every
portioi of his property from their nimble fingers.
376 THE MAKOBA TRIBE.
THE MAKOBA TRIBE.
TOWARDS the east of Lake Ngami, there is a river called the Bo-tlet-le, one end of
which communicates indirectly with the lake, and the other with a vast salt-pan. The
consequence of this course is, that occasionally the river runs in two directions, westward
to the lake, and eastward to the salt-pan ; the stream which causes this curious change
flowing into it somewhere about the middle. The people who inhabit this district are
called Makoba, and, even if not allied to the Bay eye, have much in common with them.
In costume and general appearance they bear some resemblance to the Bechuanas,
except that they are rather of a blacker complexion. The dress of the men sometimes
consists of a snake-skin some six or seven feet in length, and five or six inches in width.
The women wear a small square apron made of hide, ornamented round the edge with
small beads.
Their character seems much on a par with that of most savages, namely, impulsive,
irreflective, kindly when not crossed, revengeful when angered, and honest when there is
nothing to steal. To judge from the behaviour of some of the Makoba men, they are
crafty, dishonest, and churlish ; while, if others are taken as a sample, they are simple,
good-natured, and hospitable. Savages, indeed, cannot be judged by the same tests as
would be applied to civilized races, having the strength and craft of man with the moral
weakness of children.
The very same tribe, ana even the very same individuals, have obtained — and deserved
— exactly opposite characters from those who have known them well, one person
describing them as perfectly honest, and another as arrant cheats and thieves. The fact
is, that savages have no moral feelings on the subject, not considering theft to be a crime
nor honesty a virtue, so that they are honest or not, according to circumstances. The
subjugated tribes about Lake Ngami are often honest from a very curious motive.
They are so completely enslaved that they cannot even conceive the notion of
possessing property, knowing that their oppressors would take by force any article which
they happened to covet. They are so completely cowed that food is the only kind of
property that they can appreciate, and they do not consider even that to be their OWB.
until it is eaten. Consequently, they are honest because there would be no use in stealing.
But, when white men come and take them under their protection, the case is altered.
At first, they are honest for the reasons above mentioned, but when they begin to find
that they are paid for their services, and allowed to retain their wages, the idea of
property begins to enter their minds, and they desire to procure as much as they can.
Therefore, from being honest they become thieves. They naturally wish to obtain
property without trouble, and, as they find that stealing is easier than working, they steal
accordingly, not attaching any moral guilt to taking the property of another, but looking
on it in exactly the same light as hunting or fishing.
Thus it is that the white man is often accused of demoralizing savages, and converting
them from a simple and honest race into a set of cheats and thieves. Whereas, para-
doxical as it may seem, the very development of roguery is a proof that the savages in
question have not been demoralized, but have actually been raised in the social scale.
Mr. Chapman's experiences of the Makoba tribe were anything but agreeable. They
stole, and they lied, and they cheated him. He had a large cargo of ivory, and found
that his oxen were getting weaker, and could not draw their costly load. So he applied
to the Makoba for canoes, and found that they were perfectly aware of his distress, and
were ready to take advantage of it, by demanding exorbitant sums, and robbing him
whenever they could, knowing that he could not well proceed without their assistance.
At last he succeeded in hiring a boat in which the main part of his cargo could be
carried along the river. By one excuse and another the Makoba chief delayed the start
until the light wagon had gone on past immediate recall, and then said that he really
CHARACTER OF THE MAKOBA. 377
could not convey the ivory by boat, but that he would be very generous, arid take his ivory
across the river to the same side as the wagon. Presently, the traveller found that the
chief had contrived to open a tin-box in which he kept the beads that were his money, and
had stolen the most valuable kinds. As all the trade depended on the beads he saw that
determined measures were needful, presented his rifle at the breast of the chief's son,
who was on board during the absence of his father, and assumed so menacing an aspect
that the young man kicked aside a lump of mud, which is always plastered into the
bottom of the boats, and discovered some of the missing property. The rest was produced
from another spot by means of the same inducement.
As soon as the threatening muzzles were removed, he got on shore, and ran off with a
rapidity that convinced Mr. Chapman that some roguery was as yet undiscovered. On
counting the tusks it was found that the thief had stolen ivory as well as beads, but he
had made such good use of his legs that he could not be overtaken, and the traveller had
to put up with his loss as he best could.
Yet it would be unfair to give all the Makoba a bad character on account of this
conduct. They can be, and for the most part are, very pleasant men, as far as can be
expected from savages. Mr. Baines had no particular reason to complain of them, and
seems to have liked them well enough.
The Makoba are essentially a boatman tribe, being accustomed to their canoes from
earliest infancy, and being obliged to navigate them through the perpetual changes of
this capricious river, which at one time is tolerably quiet, and at another is changed into
a series of whirling eddies and dangerous rapids, the former being aggravated by occasional
back-flow of the waters.
The canoes are like the racing river-boats of our own country, enormously long in
proportion to their width, and appear to be so frail that they could hardly endure the
weight of a single human being. Yet they are much less perilous than they look, and
their safety is as much owing to their construction as to the skill of their navigator. It
is scarcely possible, without having seen the Makoba at work, to appreciate the wonderful
skill with which they manage their frail barks, and the enormous cargoes which they will
take safely through the rapids. It often happens that the waves break over the side, and
rush into the canoe, so that, unless the water were baled out, down the vessel must go.
The Makoba, however, do not take the trouble to stop when engaged in baling out
their boats, nor do they use any tool for this purpose. "When the canoe gets too full of
water, the boatman goes to one end of it so as to depress it, and cause the water to run
towards him. With one foot he then kicks out the water, making it fly from his instep
as if from a rapidly-wielded scoop. In fact the canoe is to the Makoba what the camel is
to the Arab, and the horse to the Comanches, and, however they may feel an inferiority on
shore, they are the masters when on board their canoes. The various warlike tribes which
surround them have proved their superiority on land, but when once they are fairly
launched into the rapids of the river or the wild waves of the lake, the Makobas are
masters of the situation, and the others are obliged to be very civil to them.
One of the typical men of this tribe was Makata, a petty chief, or headman of a
village. He was considered to be the best boatman and hunter on the river, especially
distinguishing himself in the chase of the hippopotamus. The illustration on page 378
is from a sketch by Mr. Baines, who depicts forcibly the bold and graceful manner in
which the Makobas manage their frail craft.
The spot on which the sketch was taken is a portion of the Bo-tlet-le river, and shows
the fragile nature of the canoes, as well as the sort of water through which the daring
boatman will take them. The figure in the front of the canoe is a celebrated boatman
and hunter, named Zanguellah. He was so successful in the latter pursuit that his house
and court-yard were filled with the skulls of hippopotami which he had slain with his
own hand. He is standing in the place of honour, and guiding his boat with a light but
strong pole. The other figure is that of his assistant. He has been hunting up the river,
and has killed two sable antelopes, which he is bringing home. The canoe is only fifteen
or sixteen feet long, and eighteen inches wide, and yet Zanguellah ventured to load it with
two large and heavy antelopes, besides the weight of himself and assistant. So small are
378
THE MAKOBA TRIBE.
some of these canoes, that if a man sits in them, and places his hands on the sides, his
fingers are in the water.
The reeds that are seen on the left of the illustration are very characteristic of the
country. Wherever they are seen the water is sure to be tolerably deep — say at least four
or five feet— and they grow to a great height, forming thicl^ clumps some fifteen feet in
height, It often happens that they are broken by the hippopotamus or other aquatic
creatures, and then they lie recumbent on the water, with their heads pointing down the
BOATING SCENE ON THE BO-TLET-LE
stream. When this is the case, they seem to grow ad libitum, inasmuch as the water
supports their weight, and the root still continues to supply nourishment.
In the background are seen two canoes propelled by paddles. The scene which is
here represented really occurred, and was rather a ludicrous one. The first canoe belongs
to the Makololo chief, M'Bopo, who was carrying Messrs. Baines and Chapman in his
canoe. He was essentially a gentleman, being free from the habit of constant begging
which makes so many savages disagreeable. He had been exceedingly useful to the white
men, who intended to present him with beads as a recompense for his services. It so
happened that another chief, named Moskotlani, who was a thorough specimen of the
begging, pilfering, unpleasant native, suspected that his countryman might possibly
procure beads from the white men, and wanted to have his share. So he stuck close
by M'Bopo's canoe, and watched it so jealously that no beads could pass without
his knowledge. However, Moskotlani had his paddle, and M'Bopo had his beads,
though they were given to him on shore, where his jealous compatriot could not see the
transaction.
SPEARING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 379
It has been mentioned that Makata was a mighty hunter as well as an accomplished
boatman, and, indeed, great skill in the management of canoes is an absolute essential in
a hunter's life, inasmuch as the chief game is the hippopotamus. The next few pages
will be given to the bold and sportsmanlike mode of hunting the hippopotamus which is
employed by the Makoba and some other tribes, and the drawings which illustrate the
account are from sketches by Mr. Baines. As these sketches were all taken on the spot,
they have the advantage of perfect accuracy, while the fire and spirit which animates
them could only have been attained by one who was an eye-witness as well as an artist.
According to Dr. Livingstone, these people are strangely fearful of the lion, while they
meet with perfect unconcern animals which are quite as dangerous, if not more so. That
they will follow unconcernedly the buffalo into the bush has already been mentioned, and
yet the buffalo is even more to be dreaded than the lion himself, being quite as fierce,
more cunning, and more steadily vindictive. A lion will leap on a man with a terrific
roar, strike him to the ground, carry him off to the den, and then eat him, so that the
pressure of hunger forms some excuse for the act. But, with the buffalo no such excuse
can be found.
A " rogue" buffalo, i.e. one which has been driven from his fellows, and is obliged to
lead a solitary life, is as fierce, as cunning, and as treacherous an animal as can be found.
He does not eat mankind, and yet he delights in hiding in thick bushes, rushing out
unexpectedly on any one who may happen to approach, and killing him at a blow. Nor
is he content with the death of his victim. He stands over the body, kneels on it, pounds
it into the earth with his feet, walks away, comes back again, as if drawn by some
irresistible attraction, and never leaves it, until nothing is visible save a mere shapeless
mass of bones and flesh.
Yet against this animal the Makoba hunters will match themselves, and they will
even attack the hippopotamus, an animal which, in its own element, is quite as formid-
able as the buffalo on land.
Their first gare is to prepare a number of harpoons, which are made in the following
manner. A stout pole is cut of hard and very heavy wood, some ten or twelve feet long,
and three or four inches in thickness. At one end a hole is bored, and into this hole is
slipped the iron head of the harpoon. The shape of this head can be seen from the
illustration on page 380. It consists of a spear-shaped piece of iron, with a bold barb,
and is about a foot in length.
The head is attached to the shaft by a strong band composed of a great number of
small ropes or strands laid parallel to each other, and being quite loosely arranged. The
object of this multitude of ropes is to prevent the hippopotamus from severing the cord
with his teeth, which are sharp as a chisel, and would cut through any single cord with
the greatest ease. The animal is sure to snap at the cords as soon as he feels the wound,
but, on account of the loose manner in which they are laid, they only become entangled
among the long curved teeth, and, even if one or two are severed, the others retain their
hold.
To the other end of the shaft is attached a long and strongly-maae rope of palm-leaf,
which is coiled up in such manner as to be carried out readily when loosened.
Each canoe has on board two or three of these harpoons, and a quantity of ordinary
spears. Preserving perfect silence the boatmen allow themselves to float down the stream
until they come to the spot which has been chosen by the herd for a bathing-place. They
do not give chase to any particular animal, but wait until one of them conies close to
the boat, when the harpooner takes his weapon, strikes it into the animal's back and
loosens his hold.
The illustration represents this phase of the proceedings. In the front is seen the
head of a hippopotamus as it usually appears when the animal is swimming, the only
portion seen above the water being the ears, the eyes, and the nostrils. It is a remark-
able fact that when the hippotamus is at liberty in its native stream, not only the ears
and the nostrils, but even the ridge over the eyes are of a bright scarlet colour, so brilliant
indeed that colour can scarcely convey an idea of the hue. The specimens in the
Zoological Gardens, although fine examples of the species, never exhibit this brilliancy of
380
THE MAKOBA TRIBE.
colour, and, indeed, are no more like the hippopotamus in its own river than a prize hog is
like a wild boar.
A very characteristic attitude is shown in the second animal, which is represented as
it appears when lifting its head out of the water for the purpose of reconnoitring. The
horse-like expression is easily recognisable, and Mr. Baines tells me that he never
understood how appropriate was the term Eiver Horse (which is the literal translation of
the word hippopotamus) until he saw the animals disporting themselves at liberty in
their own streams.
SPEARING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
In the front- of the canoes is standing Makata, about to plunge the harpoon into the
back of the hippopotamus, while his assistants are looking after the rope, and keeping
themselves in readiness to paddle out of the way of the animal, should it make an attack.
Perfect stillness is required for planting the harpoon properly, as, if a splash were made
in the water, or a sudden noise heard on land, the animals would take flight, and keep out
of the way of the canoes.
On the left is a clump of the tall reeds which have already been mentioned, accom-
panied by some papyrus. The huge trees seen on the bank are baobabs, which sometimes
attain the enormous girth of a hundred feet, and even more. The small white flowers
that are floating on the surface of the water are the white lotus. They shine out very
conspicuously on the bosom of the clear, deep-blue water, and sometimes occur in such
numbers that they look like stars in the blue firmament, rather than mere flowers on the
water. It is rather curious, by the way, that the Damaras, who are much more familiar
with the land than the water, call the hippopotamus the Water Rhinoceros, whereas the
Makoba, Batoka, and other tribes, who are more at home on the water, call the rhinoceros
the Land Hippopotamus.
Now comes the next scene in this savage and most exciting drama. Stung by the
sudden and unexpected pang of the wound, the hippopotamus gives a convulsive spring,
which shakes the head of the harpoon out of its socket, and leaves it only attached to the
shaft by its inany-stranded rope. At this period, the animal seldom shows fight, but
dashes down the stream at its full speed, only the upper part of its head and back being
DANGERS OF HIPPOPOTAMUS HUNTING.
381
visible above the surface, and towing the canoe along as if it were a cork. Meanwhile,
the harpooner and his comrades hold tightly to the rope, paying out if necessary, and
hauling in whenever possible — in fact, playing their gigantic prey just as an angler plays
a large fish. Their object is twofold, first to tire the animal, and then to get it into shallow
water; for a hippopotamus in all its strength, and with the advantage of deep water,
would be too much even for these courageous hunters. The pace that the animal attains
is something wonderful, and, on looking at its apparently clumsy means of propulsion, the
swhtness of its course is really astonishing.
Sometimes, but very rarely, it happens that the animal is so active and fierce, that the
hunters are obliged to cast loose the rope, and make off as they best can. They do not,
however, think of abandoning so valuable a prey — not to mention the harpoon and rope —
and manage as well as they can to keep the animal in sight. At the earliest opportunity,
they paddle towards the wounded, and by this time weakened animal, and renew the
chase.
The accompanying illustration represents the furious rush of the hippopotamus. The
animal is supposed to be getting tired, and has relaxed its headlong speed sufficiently to
enable the boatmen to haul in the rope, and to bring themselves closer to their prey, so
HIPPOPOTAMUS TOWING THE CANOE.
that as soon as they come into shallow water they may begin the final attack. The scene of
this drawing is a part of the Bo-tlet-le river, just by a small village, which may be seen on
the left bank. Close by the water's edge are seen some dwarf palms, and the river debris,
which hang on the roots on the right of the drawing, show the height to which the river
will rise when the floods pour into it.
The hippopotamus is most dangerous when he feels his strength failing, and with the
courage of despair dashes at the canoe. The hunters have then no child's play before
them. Eegardless of everything but pain and fury, the animal rushes at the canoe, tries
to knock it to pieces by blows from his enormous head, or seizes the edge in his jaws, and
tears out the side. Should he succeed in capsizing or destroying the canoe, the hunters
have an anxious time to pass ; for if the furious animal can gripe one of them in his
huge jaws, the curved, chisel-like teeth inflict certain death, and have been known to cut
an unfortunate man fairly in two.
Whenever the animal does succeed in upsetting or breaking the boat, the men have
recourse to a curious expedient. They dive to the bottom of the river, and grasp a stone,
a root, or anything that will keep them below the surface, and hold on as long as their
lungs will allow them. The reason for this manoeuvre is, that when the animal has sent
382
THE MAKOBA TKIBE.
the crew into the river, it raises its head, as seen on page 380, and looks about on the
surface for its enemies. It has no idea of foes beneath the surface, and if it does not see
anything that looks like a man, it makes off, and so allows the hunters to emerge, half-
drowned, into the air.
In order k> keep off the animal, spears are freely used ; some being thrust at him by
hand, and others flung like javelins. They cannot, however, do much harm, unless one
should happen to enter the eye, which is so well protected by its bony penthouse that it
is almost impregnable to anything except a bullet. The head is one huge mass of solid
THE FINAL ATTACK.
bone, so thick and hard that even fire-arms make little impression on it, except in one or
two small spots. The hunters, therefore, cannot expect to inflict any material damage on
the animal and only hope to deter it from charging by the pain which the spears
can cause.
The last scene is now approaching. Having effectually tired the animal, which is also
weakened by loss of blood from the wound, and guided it into shallow water, several of
the crew jump overboard, carry the end of the rope ashore, and pass it with a " double
turn" round a tree. The fate of the animal is then sealed. Finding itself suddenly
checked in its course, it makes new efforts, and fights and struggles as if it were quite
fresh. Despite the pain, it tries to tear itself away from the fatal cord ; but the rope is
too strong to be broken, and the inch-thick hide of the hippopotamus holds the barb so
firmly that even the enormous strength and weight of the animal cannot cause it to give
way. Finding that a fierce pull in one direction is useless, it rushes in another, and so
RAFT BUILDING. 383
slackens the rope, which is immediately hauled taut by the hunters on shore, so that the
cud is much shortened, and the animal brought nearer to the bank. Each struggle only
has the same result, the hunters holding the rope fast as long as there is a strain upon
it, and hauling it in as soon as it is slackened. The reader may easily see how this is done
by watching a sailor make fast a steamer to the pier, a single man being able to resist the
strain of several tons.
As soon as the hippopotamus is hauled up close to the bank, anu ^s range of move-
ments limited, the rope is made fast, and the hunters all combine for the final assault.
Armed with large, heavy, long-bladed spears, made for the express purpose, they boldly
approach the infuriated animal, and hurl their weapons at him. Should the water be
deep beyond him, some of the hunters take to their canoes, and are able to attack the
animal with perfect security, because the rope which is affixed to the tree prevents him
from reaching them. At last, the unfortunate animal, literally worried to death by
numerous wounds, none of which would be immediately fatal, succumbs to fatigue and
loss of blood, and falls, never to rise again.
The accompanying illustration represents this, the most active and exciting scene of
the three. In the centre is the hippopotamus, who has been driven into shallow water,
and is plunging about in mingled rage and terror. With his terrible jaws he has already
crushed the shaft of the harpoon, and is trying to bite the cords which secure the head to
the shaft. He has severed a few of them, but the others are lying entangled among his
teeth, and retain their hold. Some of the hunters have just carried the end of the rope
ashore, and are going to pass it round the trunk of the tree ; while some of their com-
rades are boldly attacking the animal on foot, and others are coming up behind him
in canoes.
On the Zambesi river, a harpoon is used which is made on a similar principle, but
which differs in several details of construction.
The shaft is made of light wood, and acts as a float. The head fits into a socket, like
that which has already been mentioned ; but, instead of being secured to the shaft by a
number of small cords, it is fastened to one end of the long rope, the other end of which
is attached to the butt of the shaft. When arranged for use, the rope is wound spirally
round the shaft, which it covers completely. As soon as the hippopotamus is struck, the
shaft is shaken from the head by the wounded animal's struggles, the rope is unwound,
and the light shaft acts as a buoy, whereby the rope can be recovered, in case the hippo-
potamus should sever it, or the hunters should be obliged to cast it loose.
Sometimes these tribes, i. e. the Makololo, Bayeye, and others, use a singularly-ingenious
raft in this sport. Nothing can be simpler than the construction of this raft. A quantity of
reeds are cut down just above the surface, and are thrown in a heap upon the water. More
reeds are then cut, and thrown crosswise upon the others, and so the natives proceed until
the raft is formed. No poles, beams, nor other supports, are used, neither are the reeds
lashed together in bundles. They are merely flung on the water, and left to entangle
themselves into form. By degrees the lower reeds become soaked with water, and sink, so
that fresh material must be added above.
Nothing can look more insecure or fragile than this rude reed-raft, and yet it is far
safer than the canoe. It is, in fact, so strong that it allows a mast to be erected on it. A
stout pole is merely thrust into the centre of the reedy mass, and remains fixed without
the assistance of stays. To this mast is fastened a long rope, by means of which the raft
can be moored when the voyagers wish to land. One great advantage of the raft is, the
extreme ease with which it is made. Three or four skilful men can in the course of an
hour build a raft which is strong enough to bear them and all their baggage.
The canoes are always kept fastened to the raft, so that the crew can go ashore when-
ever they like, though they do not seem to tow or guide the raft, which is simply allowed
to float down the stream, and steers itself without the aid of a rudder. Should it meet
with any obstacle, it only swings round and disentangles itself; and the chief difficulty in
its management is its aptitude to become entangled in overhanging branches.
Such a raft as this is much used in the chase of the hippopotamus. It looks like
a mere mass of reeds floating down the stream, and does not alarm the wary animal as
384 THE MAKOBA TEIBE.
much as a boat would be likely to do. "When the natives use the raft in pursuit of the
hippopotamus, they always haul their canoes upon it, so that they are ready to be launched
in pursuit of the buoy as soon as the animal is struck.
The same tribes use reeds if they wish to cross the river. They cut a quantity of
them, and throw them into the river as if they were going to make a raft. They then twist
up some of the reeds at each corner, so as to look like small posts, and connect these posts
by means of sticks or long reeds, by way of bulwarks. In this primitive ferry-boat the
man seats himself, and is able to carry as much luggage as he likes, the simple bulwarks
preventing it from falling overboard.
It is rather a strange thing that a Makololo cannot be induced to plant the mango
tree, the men having imbibed the notion from other tribes among whom they had been
travelling. They are exceedingly fond of its fruit, as well they may be, it being excellent,
and supplying the natives with food for several weeks, while it may be plucked in
tolerable abundance during four months of the year. Yet all the trees are self-planted,
the natives believing that any one who plants one of these trees will soon die. This
superstition is prevalent throughout the whole of this part of Africa, the Batoka being
almost the only tribe among whom it does not prevail.
The Makololo have contrived to make themselves victims to a wonderful number of
superstitions. This is likely enough, seeing that they are essentially usurpers, having
swept through a vast number of tribes, and settled themselves in the country of the
vanquished. Now, there is nothing more contagious than superstition, and, in such a case,
the superstitions of the conquered tribes are sure to be added to those .of the victors.
The idea that certain persons can change themselves into the forms of animals
prevails among them. One of these potent conjurers came to Dr. Livingstone's party,
and began to shake and tremble in every limb as he approached. The Makololo explained
that the Pondoro, as these men are called, smelled the gunpowder, and, on account of his
leonine habits, he was very much afraid of it. The interpreter was asked to offer the
Pondoro a bribe of a cloth to change himself into a lion forthwith, but the man declined
to give the message, through genuine fear that the transformation might really take
place.
The Pondoro in question was really a clever man. He used to go off into the woods
for a month at a time, during which period he was supposed to be a lion. His wife had
built him a hut under the shade of a baobab tree, and used to bring him regular supplies
of food and beer, his leonine appetite being supposed to be subsidiary to that which
belonged to him as a human being. No one is allowed to enter this hut except the
Pondoro and his wife, and not even the chief will venture so much as to rest his weapons
against the baobab tree ; and so strictly is this rule observed that the chief of the village
wished to inflict a fine on some of Dr. Livingstone's party, because they had placed their
guns against the sacred hut.
Sometimes the Pondoro is believed to be hunting for the benefit of the village, catching
and killing game as a lion, and then resuming his human form, and telling the people
where the dead animal is lying.
There is also among these tribes a belief that the spirits of departed chiefs enter the
bodies of lions, and this belief may probably account for the fear which, they feel when
opposed to a lion, and their unwillingness to attack the animal. In Livingstone's
" Zambesi and its Tributaries," there is a passage which well illustrates the prevalence
of this feeling.
"On one occasion, when we had shot a buffalo in the path beyond the Kapie, a hungry
lion, attracted probably by the smell of the meat, came close to^our camp, and roused up
all hands by his roaring. Tuba Moroko (the ' Canoe-smasher ') 'imbued with the popular
belief that the beast was a chief in disguise, scolded him roundly during his brief intervals
of silence. ' You a chief ! Eh ! You call yourself a chief, do you ? What kind of a
chief are you, to come sneaking about in the dark, trying to steal our buffalo meat? Are
you not ashamed of yourself? A pretty chief, truly ! You are like the scavenger-beetle,
and think of yourself only. You have not the heart of a chief; why don't you kill your
own beef! You must have a stone in your chest, and no heart at all, indeed.' "
SPECIAL MEDICINES. 385
The " Canoe-smasher " producing no effect by his impassioned outcry, the lion was
addressed by another man named Malonga, the most sedate and taciturn of the party.
" In his slow, quiet way he expostulated with him on the impropriety of such conduct
to strangers who had never injured him. ' We were travelling peaceably through the
country back to our own chief. We never killed people, nor stole anything. The buffalo-
meat was ours, not his, and it did not become a great chief like him to be prowling about
in the dark, trying, like a hyaena, to steal the meat of strangers. He might go and hunt
for himself, as there was plenty of game in the forest.' The Pondoro being deaf to reason,
and only roaring the louder, the men became angry, and threatened to send a ball through
him if he did not go away. They snatched up their guns to shoot him, but he prudently
kept in the dark, outside of the luminous circle made by our camp fires, and there they
did not like to venture."
Another superstition is very prevalent among these tribes. It is to the effect that
every animal is specially affected by an appropriate medicine. Ordinary medicines are
prepared by the regular witch-doctors, of whom there are plenty ; but special medicines
require special professionals. One man, for example, takes as his specialty the pre-
paration of elephant medicine, and no hunter will go after the elephant without providing
himself with some of the potent medicine. Another makes crocodile medicine, the use
of which is to protect its owner from the crocodile. On one occasion, when the white
men had shot a crocodile as it lay basking in the sun, the doctors came in wrath, and
remonstrated with their visitors for shooting an animal which they looked upon as their
special property. On another occasion, when a baited hook was laid for the crocodile, the
doctors removed the bait, partly because it was a dog, and they preferred to eat it them-
selves, and partly because any diminution in the number of crocodiles would cause a
corresponding loss of fees.
Then since the introduction of firearms there are gun-doctors, who make medicines
that enable the gun to shoot straight. Sulphur is the usual gun-medicine, and is mostly
administered by making little incisions in the hands, and rubbing the sulphur into them.
Magic dice are also used, and are chiefly employed for the discovery of thieves. Even
the white men have come to believe in the efficacy of the dice, and the native conjuror
is consulted as often by the Portuguese as by his own countrymen.
VOL. i.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE BATOKA AND MANGANJA TKIBES.
LOCALITY OF THE BATOKA — THEIR GENERAL APPEARANCE AND DRESS — THEIR SKILL AS BOATMEN
THE BAENDA-PEZI, OR OO-NAKEDS AGRICULTURE — MODE OF HUNTING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
— WAR CUSTOMS THE MANGANJA TRIBE GOVERNMENT INDUSTRY OF BOTH SEXES SALUTATION
— DRESS THE PELELE, OR LIP-RING TATTOOING WANT OF CLEANLINESS BEER-BREWING AND
DRINKING EXCHANGING NAMES SUPERSTITIONS FUNERAL AND MOURNING.
SOMEWHERE about lat. 17° S. and long. 27° E. is a tribe called the Batoka, or Batonga,
of which there are two distinct varieties ; of whom those who live on low-lying lands,
such as the banks of the Zambesi, are very dark, and somewhat resemble the negro in
appearance, while those of the higher lands are light brown, much of the same hue as
aij'e au lait. Their character seems to differ with their complexions, the former variety
being dull, stupid, and intractable, while the latter are comparatively intellectual.
They do not improve their personal appearance by an odd habit of depriving them-
selves of their two upper incisor teeth. The want of these teeth makes the corresponding
incisors of the lower jaw project outwards, and to force the lip with them ; so that even
in youth they all have an aged expression of countenance. Knocking out these teeth is
part of a ceremony which is practised on both sexes when they are admitted into the
ranks of men and women, and is probably the remains of some religious rite. The reason
which they give is absurd enough, namely, that they like to resemble oxen, which have
no upper incisors, and not to have all their teeth like zebras. It is probable, however,
that this statement may be merely intended as an evasion of questions which they think
themselves bound to parry, but which may also have reference to the extreme veneration
for oxen which prevails in an African's mind.
In spite of its disfiguring effect, the custom is universal among the various sub-tribes
of which the Batoka are composed, and not even the definite commands of the chief him-
self, nor the threats of punishment, could induce the people to forego it. Girls and lads
would suddenly make their appearance without their teeth, and no amount of questioning
could induce them to state when, and by whom, they were knocked out. Fourteen or
fifteen is the usual age for performing the operation.
Their dress is not a little remarkable, especially the mode in which some of them
arrange their hair. The hair on the top of the head is drawn and plastered together
in a circle some six or seven inches in diameter. By dint of careful training, and
plenty of grease and other appliances, it is at last formed into a cone some eight or ten
inches in height, and slightly leaning forward. In some cases the cone is of wonderful
height, the head-man of a Batoka village wearing one which was trained into a long
spike which projected a full yard from his head, and which must have caused him con-
siderable inconvenience. In this case other materials were evidently mixed with the
HEAD-DBESS.
38T
hair ; and it is said that the long hair of various animals is often added, so as to mingle
with the real growth, and aid in raising the edifice. Around the edges of If? is cone
the hair is shaven closely, so that the appearance of the head is very remarkable, and
somewhat ludicrous.
The figures of the accompanying illustration are portraits by Mr. Baines. Mantanyani,
the man who is sitting on the edge of the boat, was a. rather remarkable man. He really
belongs to the Batoka tribe, though he was thought at first to be one of the Makololo.
Perhaps he thought it better to assume the membership of the victorious than the con-
quered tribe. This was certainly the case with many of the men who, like Mantanyani,
BATOKA MEN.
accompanied Dr. Livingstone. He was a singularly skilful boatman, and managed an ordi-
nary whaling boat as easily as one of his own canoes. The ornament which he wears in
his hair is a comb made of bamboo. It was not manufactured by himself, but was taken
from Shimbesi's tribe on the Shire, or Sheereh, river. He and his companions forced the
boat up the many rapids, and, on being interrogated as to the danger, he said that he had
no fears, for that he could swim like a fish, and that if by any mischance he should allow
Mr. Baines to fall overboard and be drowned, he should never dare to show his face to
Dr. Livingstone again.
Mr. Baines remarks in his MS. notes, that Mantanyani ought to have made a good
sailor, for he was not only an adept at the management of boats, but could appreciate
rum as well as any British tar. It so happened that at night, alter the day's boating was
over, grog was served out to the men, and yet for two or three nights Mantanyaui would
not touch it. Accordingly one night the following colloquy took place ; —
cc2
388 THE BATOKA AND MANGANJA TRIBES.
" Mantanyani, non quero grog ? " (*. e. Cannot you take grog T)
" Non quero." (I cannot.)
" Porquoi non quero grog ? " (Why cannot you take grog ?)
" Garaffa poco, Zambesi munta." (The bottle is little and the Zambesi is big.)
The hint was taken, and rum unmixed with water was offered to Mantanyani, who
drank it off like a sailor.
A spirited account of the skill of the natives in managing canoes is given in " The
Zambesi and its Tributaries." The canoe belonged to a man named Tuba-Mokoro, or
the " Canoe-smasher," a rather ominous, but apparently undeserved, title, inasmuch as he
proved to be a most skilful and steady boatman. He seemed also to be modest, for he
took no credit to himself for his management, but attributed his success entirely to a
certain charm or medicine which he had, and which he kept a profound secret. He was
employed to take the party through the rapids to an island close to the edge of the great
Mosi-oa-tunya, i.e. Smoke Sounding Falls, now called the Victoria Falls. This island
can only be reached when the water happens to be very low, and, even in that case, none
but the most experienced boatmen can venture so near to the Fall, which is double the
depth of Niagara, and a mile in width, formed entirely by a vast and sudden rift in the
basaltic bed of the Zambesi.
" Before entering the race of water, we were requested not to speak, as our talking
might diminish the value of the medicine, and no one with such boiling eddying rapids
before his eyes would think of disobeying the orders of a ' canoe-smasher.' It soon became
evident that there was sound sense in the request of Tuba's, though the reason assigned
was not unlike that of the canoe man from Sesheke, who begged one of our party not to
whistle, because whistling made the wind come.
" It was the duty of the man at the bow to look out ahead for the proper course, and
when he saw a rock or a snag to call out to the steersman. Tuba doubtless thought that
talking on board might divert the attention of his steersman at a time when the neglect
of an order, or a slight mistake, would be sure to spill us all into the chafing river. There
were places where the utmost exertions of both men had to be put forth in order to force
the canoe to the only safe part of the rapid and to prevent it from sweeping broadside
on, when in a twinkling we should have found ourselves among the plotuses and cor-
morants which were engaged in diving for their breakfast of small fish.
" At times it seemed as if nothing could save us from dashing in our headlong race
against the rocks, which, now that the river was low, jutted out of the water ; but, just at the
very nick of time, Tuba passed the word to the steersman, and then, with ready pole, turned
the canoe a little aside, and we glided swiftly past the threatened danger. Never was
canoe more admirably managed. Once only did the medicine seem to have lost some-
thing of its efficacy.
" We were driving swiftly down, a black rock over which the white foam flew lay
directly in our path, the pole was planted against it as readily as ever, but it slipped just
as Tuba put forth his strength to turn the bow off. We struck hard, and were half full of
water in a moment. Tuba recovered himself as speedily, shoved off the bow, and shot the
canoe into a still, shallow place, to bale the water out. He gave us to understand that
it was not the medicine which was at fault — that had lost none of its virtue ; the
accident was owing to Tuba having started without his breakfast. Need it be said that
we never let Tuba go without that meal again."
Among them there is a body of men called in their own language the " Baenda-pezi,"
i.e. the Go-nakeds. These men never wear an atom of any kind of clothing, but are
entirely naked, their only coat being one of red ochre.
These Baenda-pezi are rather a remarkable set of men, and why they should volun>
tarily live without clothing is not very evident. Some travellers think that they are a
separate order among the Batoka, but this is not at all certain. It is not that they are
devoid of vanity, for they are extremely fond of ornaments upon their heads, which they
dress in various fantastic ways. The conical style has already been mentioned, but they
have many other fashions. One of their favourite modes is, to plait a fillet of bark, some
two inches wide, and tie it round the head in diadem fashion, They then rub grease and
POLITENESS.
389
red ochre plentifully into the hair, and fasten it to the fillet, which it completely covers.
The head being then shaved as far as the edge of the fillet, the native looks as if he were
wearing a red, polished forage-cap.
Eings of iron wire and beads are worn round the arms ; and a fashionable member of
this order thinks himself scarcely fit for society unless he carries a pipe and a small pair
of iron tongs, with which to lift a coal from the fire and vkindle his pipe, the stem of which
is often ornamented by being bound with polished iron wire.
The Baenda-pezi seem to be as devoid of the sense of shame as their bodies are of
covering. They could not in the least be made to see that they ought to wear clothing,
and quite laughed at the absurdity of such an idea; evidently looking on a proposal
to wear clothing much as wre should entertain a request to dress ourselves in plate
armour.
The pipe is in constant requisition among these men, who are seldom seen without
a pipe in their mouths, and never without it in their possession. Yet, whenever they
BATOKA SALUTATION.
came into the presence of their white visitors, they always asked permission before lighting
their pipes, an innate politeness being strong within them. Their tobacco is exceedingly
powerful, and on that account is much valued by other tribes, who will travel great distances
to purchase it from the Batoka. It is also very cheap, a few beads purchasing a sufficient
quantity to last even these inveterate smokers for six months. Their mode of smoking
is very peculiar. They first take a whiff after the usual manner, and puff out the smoke.
But, when they have expelled nearly the whole of the smoke, they make a kind of catch at
the last tiny wreath, and swallow it. This they are pleased to consider the very essence
or spirit of the tobacco, which is lost if the smoke is exhaled in the usual manner.
The Batoka are a polite people in their way, though they have rather an odd method
of expressing their feelings. The ordinary mode of salutation is for the women to clap
their hands and produce that ululating sound which has already been mentioned, and for
the men to stoop and clap their hands on their hips.
But, when they wish to be especially respectful, they have another mode of salutation.
They throw themselves on their backs, and roll from side to side, slapping the outside of
their thighs vigorously, and calling out " Kina-bomba ! kina-bomba ! " with great energy.
390 THE BATOKA TRIBE.
Dr. Livingstone says that he never could accustom his eyes to like the spectacle of great
naked men wallowing on their backs and slapping themselves, and tried to stop them.
They, however, always thought that he was not satisfied with the heartiness of his recep-
tion, and so rolled about and slapped themselves all the more vigorously. This rolling
and slapping seems to be reserved for the welcoming of great men, and, of course, whenever
the Batoka present themselves before the chief, the performance is doubly vigorous.
When a gift is presented, it is etiquette for the donor to hold the present in one hand,
and to slap the thigh with the other, as he approaches the person to whom he is about to
give it. He then delivers the gift, claps his hands together, sits down, and then strikes
his thighs with both hands. The same formalities are observed when a return gift is pre-
sented ; and so tenacious are they of this branch of etiquette, that it is taught regularly
to children by their parents.
They are an industrious people, cultivating wonderfully large tracts of land with
the simple but effective hoe of their country. With this hoe, which looks something like
a large adze, they not only break up the ground, but perform other tasks of less importance,
such as smoothing the earth as a foundation for their beds. Some of these fields are so
large, that the traveller may walk for hours through the native corn, and scarcely come
upon an uncultivated spot. The quantity of corn which is grown is very large, and the
natives make such numbers of granaries, that their villages seem to be far more populous
than is really the case. Plenty, in consequence, reigns among this people. But it is a
rather remarkable fact that, in spite of the vast quantities of grain which they produce,
they cannot keep it in store.
The corn has too many enemies. In the first place, the neighbouring tribes are apt to
send out marauding parties, who prefer stealing the corn which their industrious neigh-
bours have grown and stored to cultivating the ground for themselves. Mice, too, are
very injurious to the corn. But against these two enemies the Batoka can tolerably guard,
by tying up quantities of corn in bundles of grass, plastering them over with clay, and
hiding them in the low sand islands left by the subsiding waters of the Zambesi. But the
worst of all enemies is the native weevil, an insect so small that no precautions are
available against its ravages, and which, as we too often find in this country, destroys an
enormous amount of corn in a very short time. It is impossible for the Batoka to pre-
serve their corn more than a year, and it is as much as they can do to make it last until
the next crop is ready.
As, therefore, the whole of the annual crop must be consumed by themselves or the
weevil, they prefer the former, and what they cannot eat they make into beer, which they
brew in large quantities, and drink abundantly; yet they seldom, if ever, intoxicate
themselves, in spite of the quantities which they consume. This beer is called by them
either " boala " or " pombe," just as we speak of beer or ale ; and it is sweet in flavour, with
just enough acidity to render it agreeable. Even Europeans soon come to like it, and its
effect on the natives is to make them plump and well nourished. The Batoka do not
content themselves with simply growing corn and vegetables, but even plant fruit and
oil-bearing trees — a practice which is not found among the other tribes.
Possibly on account of the plenty with which their land is blessed, they are a most
hospitable race of men, always glad to see guests, and receiving them in the kindest
manner. If a traveller passes through a village, he is continually hailed from the various
huts with invitations to eat and drink, while the men welcome the visitor by clapping
their hands, and the women by " lullilooing." They even feel pained if the stranger passes
the village without being entertained. When he halts in a village for the night, the
inhabitants turn out to make him comfortable; some running to fetch firewood, others
bringing jars of water, while some engage themselves in preparing the bed, and erecting a
fence to keep off the wind.
They are skilful and fearless hunters, and are not afraid even of the elephant or
buffalo, going up closely to these formidable animals, and killing them with large spears.
A complete system of game-laws is in operation among the Batoka, not for the purpose of
prohibiting the chase of certain game, but in order to settle the disposal of the game when
killed. Among them, the man who inflicts the first wound on an animal has the right to
ORDEAL OF THE MUAVE. 391
the spoil, no matter how trifling may be the wound which he inflicts. In case he does
not kill the animal himself, he is bound to give to the hunter who inflicts the fatal
wound both legs of one side.
As to the laws which regulate ordinary life, there is but little that calls for special
notice, except a sort of ordeal for which they have a great veneration. This is called the
ordeal of the Muave, and is analogous to the corsned and similar ordeals of the early ages
of this country. The dread of witchcraft is very strong here, as in other parts of Southern
Africa; but among the Batoka the accused has the opportunity of clearing himself by
drinking a poisonous preparation called rnuave. Sometimes the accused dies from the
draught, and in that case his guilt is clear ; but in others the poison acts as an emetic,
which is supposed to prove his innocence, the poison finding no congenial evil in the body,
and therefore being rejected.
No one seems to be free from such an accusation, as is clear from Dr. Livingstone's
account : " Near the confluence of the Kapoe the Mambo, or chief, with some of his head-
men, came to our sleeping-place with a present. Their foreheads were smeared with white
flour, and an unusual seriousness marked their demeanour. Shortly before our arrival
they had been accused of witchcraft : conscious of innocence, they accepted the ordeal,
and undertook to drink the poisoned muave. For this purpose they made a journey to
the sacred hill of Nehomokela, on which repose the bodies of their ancestors, and, after a
solemn appeal to the unseen spirit to attest the innocence of their children, they swallowed
the muave, vomited, and were therefore declared not guilty.
" It is evident that they believe that the soul has a continued existence, and that
the spirits of the departed know what those they have left behind are doing, and are
pleased or not, according as their deeds are good or evil. This belief is universal. The
owner of a large canoe refused to sell it because it belonged to the spirit of his father,
who helped him when he killed the hippopotamus. Another, when the bargain for
his canoe was nearly completed, seeing a large serpent on a branch of a tree overhead,
refused to complete the sale, alleging that this was the spirit of his father, come to protest
against it."
Some of the Batoka believe that a medicine could be prepared which would cure the
bite of the tsetse, that small but terrible fly which makes such destruction among the
cattle, but has no hurtful influence on mankind. This medicine was discovered by a chief,
whose son Moyara showed it to Dr. Livingstone. It consisted chiefly of a plant, which
was apparently new to botanical science. The root was peeled, and the peel sliced and
reduced to powder, together with a dozen or two of the tsetse themselves. The remainder
of the plant is also dried. When an animal shows symptoms of being bitten by the tsetse,
some of the powder is administered to the animal, and the rest of the dried plant is
burned under it so as to fumigate it thoroughly. Moyara did not assert that the remedy
was infallible, but only stated that if a herd of cattle were to stray into a district infested
with the tsetse, some of them would be saved by the use of the medicine, whereas they
would all die without it.
The Batoka are fond of using a musical instrument that prevails, with some modifica-
tions, over a considerable portion of Central Africa.
In its simplest form it consists of a board, on which are fixed a number of flat wooden
strips, which, when pressed down and suddenly released, produce a kind of musical tone.
In fact, the principle of the sansa is exactly that of our musical-boxes, the only difference
being that the teeth, or keys, of our instrument are steel, and that they are sounded by
little pegs, and not by the fingers. Even among this one tribe there are great differences
in the formation of the sansa.
The best and most elaborate form is that which is shown on page 392. The sounding-
board of the sansa is hollow, in order to increase the resonance ; and the keys are made
of iron instead of wood, so that a really musical sound is produced. Moreover, the instru-
ment is enclosed in a hollow calabash, for the purpose of intensifying the sound ; and
both the sansa and the calabash are furnished with bits of steel and tin, which make a
jingling accompaniment to the music. The calabash is generally covered with carvings.
When the sansa is used, it is held with the hollow or ornamented end towards the player,
39? THE BATOKA TRIBE.
and the keys are struck with the' thumbs, the rest of the hand being occupied in holding
the instrument.
This curious instrument is used in accompanying songs. Dr. Livingstone mentions
that a genuine native poet attached himself to the party, and composed a poem in honour
of the white men, singing it whenever they halted, and accompanying himself on the
sansa. At first, as he did not know very much about his subject, he modestly curtailed
his poem, but extended it day by day, until at last it became quite a long ode. There was
an evident rhythm in it, each line consisting of five syllables. Another native poet was
in the habit of solacing himself every evening with an extempore song, in which he
enumerated everything that the white men had done. He was not so accomplished a
poet as his brother improvisatore, and occasionally found words to fail him. However,
his sansa helped him when he was at a loss for a word, just as the piano helps out
an unskilful singer when at a
loss for a note. The specimen of
the sansa given in the illustration
is in the collection of Colonel
Lane Fox.
They have several musical in-
struments beside the sansa. One
is called the marimba, and is in
fact a simple sort of harmonicon,
the place of the glass or metal
keys being supplied by strips of
hard wood fixed on a frame. These
strips are large at one end of the
instrument, and diminish regu-
THE SANSA. la,rly towards the other. Under
each of the wooden keys is fixed
a hollow gourd, or calabash, the
object of which is to increase the resonance. Two sticks of hard wood are used for
striking the keys, and a skilful performer really handles them with wonderful agility.
Simple as is this instrument, pleasing sounds can be produced from it. It has even
been introduced into England, under the name of " xylophone," and, when played by a
dexterous and energetic performer, really produces effects that could hardly have been
expected from it. The sounds are, of course, deficient in musical tone ; but still the
various notes can be obtained with tolerable accuracy by trimming the wooden keys to
the proper dimensions. A similar instrument is made with strips of stone, the sounds of
which are superior to those produced by the wooden bars.
The Batoka are remarkable for their clannish feeling; and when a large party are
travelling in company, those of one tribe always keep together, and assist each other in
every difficulty. Also, if they should happen to come upon a village or dwelling belonging
to one of their own tribe, they are sure of a welcome and plentii'ul hospitality.
The Batoka appear from all accounts to be rather a contentious people, quarrelsome at
home, and sometimes extending their strife to other villages. In domestic fights— i.e. in
combats between inhabitants of the same village — the antagonists are careful not to inflict
fatal injuries. But when village fights against village, as is sometimes the case, the loss
on both sides may be considerable. The result of such a battle would be exceedingly
disagreeable, as the two villages would always be in a state of deadly feud, and an
inhabitant of one would not dare to go near the other.
The Batoka, however, have invented a plan by which the feud is stopped. When the
victors have driven their opponents off the field, they take the body of one of the dead
warriors, quarter it, and perform a series of ceremonies over it. This appears to be a kind
of challenge that they are masters of the field. The conquered party acknowledge their
defeat by sending a deputation to ask for the body of their comrade, and, when they
receive it, they go through the same ceremonies ; after which peace is supposed to be
restored, and the inhabitants of the villages may visit each other in safety.
MODE OF GOVERNMENT. 393
Dr. Livingstone's informant further said, that when a warrior had slain an enemy,
he took the head, and placed it on an ant-hill, until all the flesh was taken from the
bones. He then removed the lower jaw, and wore it as a trophy. He did not see one of
tliese trophies worn, and evidently thinks that the above account may be inaccurate in
some places, as it was given through an interpreter ; and it is very possible that both the
interpreter and the Batoka might have invented a tale for the occasion. The account of
the pacificatory ceremonies really seems to be too consistent with itself to be falsehood ;
but the wearing of the enemy's jaw, uncorroborated by a single example, seems to be
rather doubtful.
Indeed, Dr. Livingstone expressly warns the reader against receiving with implicit
belief accounts that are given by a native African. The dark interlocutor amiably desires
to please, and, having no conception of truth as a principle, says exactly what he thinks
will be most acceptable to the great white chief, on whom he looks as a sort of erratic
supernatural being. Ask a native whether the mountains in his own district are lofty, or
whether gold is found there, and he will assuredly answer in the affirmative. So he will
if he be asked whether unicorns live in his country, or whether he knows of a race of
tailed men, being only anxious to please, and not thinking that the truth or falsehood of
the answer can be of the least consequence. If the white sportsman shoots at an animal,
and makes a palpable miss, his dusky attendants are sure to say that the bullet went
through the animal's heart, and that it only bounded away for a short distance. "He is
our lather," say the natives, " and he would be displeased if we told him that he had
missed." It is even worse with the slaves, who are often used as interpreters; and it is
hardly possible to induce them to interpret with any modicum of truth.
THE MANGANJA TRIBE.
ON the River Shire (pronounced Sheereh), a northern tributary of the Zambesi, there
is a rather curious tribe called the Manganja. The country which they inhabit is well and
fully watered, abounding in clear and cool streams, which do not dry up even in the dry
season. Pasturage is consequently abundant, and yet the people do not trouble them-
selves about cattle, allowing to lie unused tracts of land which would feed vast herds of
oxen, not to mention sheep and goats.
Their mode of government is rather curious, and yet simple. The country is divided
into a number of districts, the head of which goes by the title of Rundo. A great number
of villages are under the command of each Rundo, though each of the divisions is inde-
pendent of the others, and they do not acknowledge one common chief or king. The
chieftainship is not restricted to the male sex, as in one of the districts a woman named
Nyango was the Rundo, and exercised her authority judiciously, by improving the social
status of the women throughout her dominions. An annual tribute is paid to the Rundo
by each village, mostly consisting of one tusk of each elephant killed, and he in return
is bound to assist and protect them should they be threatened or attacked.
The Manganjas are an industrious race, being good workers in metal, especially iron,
growing cotton, making baskets, and cultivating the ground, in which occupation both
sexes equally share ; and it is a pleasant thing to see men, women, and children all at
work together in the fields, with perhaps the baby lying asleep in the shadow of a bush.
They^ clear the forest ground exactly as is done in America, cutting down the trees
with their axes, piling up the branches and trunks in heaps, burning them, and scattering
394 THE MANGANJA TKIBE.
the ashes over the ground by way of manure. The stumps are left to rot in the ground,
and the corn is sown among them. Grass-land is cleared in a different manner. The
grass in that country is enormously thick and long. The cultivator gathers a bundle into
his hands, twists the ends together, and ties them in a knot. He then cuts the roots with
his adze-like hoe, so as to leave the bunch of grass still standing, like a sheaf of wheat.
When a field has been entirely cut, it looks to a stranger as if it were in harvest, the
bundles of grass standing at intervals like the grain shocks. Just before the rainy season
comes on the bundles are fired, the ashes are roughly dug into the soil, and an abundant
harvest is the result.
The cotton is prepared after a very simple and slow fashion, the fibre being picked by
hand, drawn out into a " roving," partially twisted, and then rolled up into a ball. It is
the opinion of those who have had practical experience of this cotton, that, if the natives
could be induced to plant and dress it in large quantities, an enormous market might be
found for it. The " staple,'' or fibre, of this cotton is not so long as that which comes
from America, and has a harsh, woolly feeling in the hand. But, as it is very strong, and
the fabrics made from it are very durable, the natives prefer it to the foreign plant.
Almost every Manganja family of importance has its own little cotton patch, from half
an acre to an acre in size, which is kept carefully tended, and free from weeds.
The loom in which they weave their simple cloth is very rude, and is one of the
primitive forms of a weaver's apparatus. It is placed horizontally, and not vertically, and
the weaver has to squat on the ground when engaged in his work. The shuttle is a mere
stick, with the thread wound spirally round it, and, when it is passed between the crossed
threads of the warp, the warp is beaten into its place with a flat stick.
They are a hospitable people, and have a well-understood code of ceremony in the
reception of strangers. In each village there is a spot called the Boala, i.e. a space of
about thirty or forty yards diameter, which is sheltered by baobab, or other spreading
trees, and which is always kept neat and clean. This is chiefly used as a place where
the basket-makers and others who are engaged in sedentary occupations can work in
company, and also serves as a meeting-place in evenings, where they sing, dance, smoke,
and drink beer after the toils of the day.
As soon as a stranger enters a village, he is conducted to the Boala, where he takes
his seat on the mats that are spread for him, and awaits the coming of the chief man of
the village. As soon as he makes his appearance, his people welcome him by clapping
their hands in unison, and continue this salutation until he has taken his seat, accompanied
by his councillors. " Our guides," writes Livingstone, " then sit down in front of the
chief and his councillors, and both parties lean forward, looking earnestly at each other.
The chief repeats a word, such as ' Ambuiata' (our father, or master), or 'Moio ' (life),
and all clap their hands. Another word is followed by two claps, a third by still more
clapping, when each touches the ground with both hands placed together. Then all rise,
and lean forward with measured clap, and sit down again with clap, clap, clap, fainter
and still fainter, until the last dies away, or is brought to an end, by a smart loud clap
from the chief. They keep perfect time in this species of court etiquette."
This curious salutation is valued very highly, and the people are carefully instructed in
it from childhood. The chief guide of the stranger party then addresses the chief, and
tells him about his visitors — who they are, why they have come, &c.; and mostly does so in
a kind of blank verse — the power of improvising a poetical narrative being valued as
highly as the court salutations, and sedulously cultivated by all of any pretensions to
station. It is rather amusing at first to the traveller to find that, if he should happen to
inquire his way at a hut, his own guide addresses the owner of the hut in blank verse,
and is answered in the same fashion.
The dress of this tribe is rather peculiar, the head being the chief part of the person
which is decorated. Some of the men save themselves the trouble of dressing their hair
by shaving it off entirely, but a greater number take a pride in decorating it in various
ways. The head-dress which seems to be most admired is that in which the hair is
trained to resemble the horns of the buffalo. This is done by taking two pieces of hide
while they are wet and pliable, and bending them into the required shape. When the two
THE "PELELE."
395
horns are dry and hard, they are fastened on the head, and the hair is trained over them,
and fixed in its place by grease and clay. Sometimes only one horn is used, which pro-
jects immediately over the forehead; but the double horn is the form which is most
in vogue.
Others divide their hair into numerous tufts, and separate them by winding round each
tuft a thin bandage, made of the inner bark of a tree, so that they radiate from the head in
all directions, and produce an effect which is much valued by this simple race. Some
draw the hair together towards the back of the head, and train it so as to hang down
their backs in a shape closely resembling the pigtail which was so fashionable an orna-
ment of the British sailor in Nelson's time. Others, again, allow the hair to grow much
as nature formed it, but train it to grow in heavy masses all round their heads.
The women are equally fastidious with the men, but have in addition a most
singular ornament called the " pelele."
This is a ring that is not fixed into the ear or nose, but into the upper lip, and gives to
the wearer an appearance that is most repulsive to an European. The pelele is a ring
made of ivory, metal, or bamboo, nearly an inch in thickness, and variable in diameter,
PELELE, OR LIP-RING.
sometimes measuring two inches across. When the girl is very young, the upper lip is
pierced close to the nose, and a small pin inserted to prevent the orifice from closing.
When the wound is healed, the small pin is withdrawn, and a larger one introduced ;
and this plan is carried on for years, until at last the full-sized " pelele " can be worn.
The commonest sort of pelele is made of bamboo, and is in consequence very light.
When a wearer of this pelele smiles, or rather tries to smile, the contraction of the muscles
turns the ring upwards, so that its upper edge comes in front of the eyes, the nose appear-
ing through its middle. The whole front teeth are exposed by this motion, so as to
exhibit the fashionable way in which the teeth have been chipped, so that, as Livingstone
says, they resemble the fangs of a cat or a crocodile. One old lady, named Chikanda
Kadze, had a pelele so wide and heavy that it hung below her chin. But then she was
a chief, and could consequently afford to possess so valuable an ornament.
The use of the pelele quite alters the natural shape of the jaws. In the natural state
396 THE MANGANJA TRIER
the teeth of the upper jaw are set in an outward curve, but in a wearer of the pelele the
constant, though slight, pressure of the ring first diminishes the curve, then flattens it,
and, lastly, reverses it. Livingstone suggests that a similar application of gradual pressure
should be applied to persons whose teeth project forwards, not knowing that such a plan
has long been practised by dentists.
How this frightful ornament came to be first introduced is unknown. The reasons
which they give for wearing it are rather amusing. A man, say they, has whiskers and a
beard, whereas a woman has none. " What kind of a creature would a woman be, without
whiskers and without the pelele ? She would have a mouth like a man, and no beard ! "
As a natural result of wearing this instrument, the language has undergone a modification
as well as the lips. The labial letters cannot be pronounced properly, the under lip
having the whole duty thrown upon them.
In different parts of the country the pelele takes different shapes. The most valued
pelele is a piece of pure tin hammered into a dish-like shape. Some are made of a
red kind of pipeclay, and others of a white quartz. These latter ornaments are generally
cylindrical in form, so that, as has been well observed, the wearer looks as if she had an
inch or so of wax-candle thrust through the lips, and projecting beyond the nose. Some
of them are so determined to be fashionable that they do not content themselves with a
pelele in the upper lip, but also wear one in the lower, the effect upon the expression of
countenance being better imagined than described.
The pelele is seen to the greatest advantage in the lake district, where every woman
wears it, and where it takes the greatest variety of form. Along the river it is not so
universally worn, and the form is almost always that of the ring or dish.
In this part of the country the sub-tribes are distinguished by certain marks where-
with they tattoo themselves, and thereby succeed in still farther disfiguring countenances
which, if allowed to remain untouched, would be agreeable enough. Some of them have
a fashion of pricking holes all over their faces, and treating the wounds in such a way that,
when they heal, the skin is raised in little knobs, so that the face looks as if it were
covered with warts. Add to this fashion the pelele, and the reader may form an opinion
of the beauty of a fashionable woman. If the object of fashion be to conceal age, this
must be a most successful fashion, as it entirely destroys the lines of the countenance, and
hardens and distorts the features to such an extent, that it is difficult to judge by the
face whether the owner be sixteen or sixty.
One of the women had her body most curiously adorned by tattooing, and, indeed,
was a remarkable specimen of Manganja fashion.
She had shaved all her head, and supplied the want of hair by a feather tuft over her
forehead, tied on by a band. From a point on the top of her forehead ran lines radiating
over the cheeks as far as'the ear, looking something like the marks on a New Zealander's
face. This radiating principle was carried out all over her body. A similar point was
marked on each shoulder blade, from which the lines radiated down the back and over
the shoulders ; and on the lower part of the spine and on each arm were other patterns of
a similar nature.
She of course wore the pelele ; but she seemed ashamed of it, probably because she
was a travelled woman, and had seen white men before. So when she was about to
speak to them, she retired to her hut, removed the pelele, and, while speaking, held
her hand before her mouth, so as to conceal the ugly aperture in her lip.
Cleanliness seems to be unsuitable to the Manganja constitution. They could not
in the least understand why travellers should wash themselves, and seemed to be per-
sonally ignorant of the process. One very old man, however, said that he did remember
once to have washed himself; but that it was so long ago that he had quite forgotten !
how he felt.
A very amusing use wras once made of this antipathy to cold water. One of the
Manganjas took a fancy to attach himself to the expedition, and nothing could drive him
away. He insisted on accompanying them, and annoyed them greatly by proclaiming in
every village to which they came, " These people have wandered ; they do not know
where they are going." He was driven off repeatedly ; but, as soon as the march was
CHANGING NAMES. 397
resumed, there he was, with his little bag over his shoulder, ready to proclaim the wan-
dering propensities of the strangers, as usual. At last a happy idea struck them. They
threatened to take him down to the river and wash him ; whereupon he made off in a
fright, and never made his appearance again.
Perhaps in consequence of this uncleanliness, skin diseases are rife among the Man-
ganjas, and appear to be equally contagious and durable ; many persons having white
blotches over their bodies, and many others being afflicted with a sort of leprosy, which,
however, does not seem to trouble them particularly. Even the fowls are liable to a
similar disease, and have their feet deformed by a thickening of the skin.
Sobriety seems as rare with the Manganjas as cleanliness ; for they are notable topers,
and actually contrive to intoxicate themselves on their native beer, a liquid of so exceed-
ingly mild a character that nothing but strong determination and a capability of con-
suming vast quantities of liquid would produce the desired effect. The beer is totally
unlike our English drink. In the first place, it is quite thick and opaque, and looks
much like gruel of a pinkish hue. It is made by pounding the vegetating grain, mixing
it with water, boiling it, and allowing it to ferment. When it is about two days old, it is
pleasant enough, having a slightly sweetish-acid flavour, which has the property of imme-
diately quenching thirst, and is therefore most valuable to the traveller, for whose refresh-
ment the hospitable people generally produce it.
As to themselves, there is some excuse for their intemperate habits. They do not
possess hops, or any other substance that will preserve the beer, and in consequence they
are obliged to consume the whole brewing within a day or two. When, therefore, a chief
has a great brew of beer, the people assemble, and by day and night they, continue
drinking, drumming, dancing, and feasting, until the whole of the beer is gone.
Yet, probably on account of the nourishing qualities of the beer — which is, in fact,
little more than very thin porridge, — the excessive drinking does not seem to have any
injurious effect on the people, many being seen who were evidently very old, and yet who
had been accustomed to drink beer in the usual quantities.
The woman seem to appreciate the beer as well as the men, though they do not
appear to be so liable to intoxication. Perhaps the reason for this comparative tem-
perance is, that their husbands do not give them enough of it. In their dispositions they
seem to be lively and agreeable, and have a peculiarly merry laugh, which seems to
proceed from the heart, and is not in the least like the senseless laugh of the Western
negro.
In this part of the country, not only among the Manganjas, but in other tribes, the
custom of changing names is prevalent, and sometimes leads to odd results. One day a
head-man named Sininyane was called as usual, but made no answer ; nor did a third and
fourth call produce any effect. At last one of his men replied that he was no longer
Sininyane, but Moshoshama, and to that name he at once responded. It then turned out
that he had exchanged names with a Zulu. The object of the exchange is, that the two
persons are thenceforth bound to consider each other as comrades, and to give assistance
in every way. If, for example, Sininyane had happened to travel into the country where
Moshoshama lived, the latter was bound to receive him into his house, and treat him like
a brother.
They seem to be an intelligent race, arid to appreciate the notion of a Creator, and of
the immortality of the soul ; but, like most African races, they cannot believe that the
white and the black races have anything in common, or that the religion of the former
can suit the latter. They are very ready to admit that Christianity is an admirable
religion for white men, but will by no means be persuaded that it would be equally good
for themselves.
They have a hazy sort of idea of their Creator, the invisible head-chief of the spirits,
and ground their belief on the immortality of the soul on the fact that their departed
relatives come and speak to them in their dreams. They have the same idea of the
muave poison that has already been mentioned ; and so strong- is their belief in its
efficacy that, in a dispute, one man will challenge the other to drink muave ; and even
the chiefs themselves will often offer to test its discriminating powers.
398
THE MANGANJA TRIBE.
When a Manganja dies, a great wailing is kept up in his house for two days ; his
tools and weapons are broken, together with the cooking vessels. All food in the house is
taken out and destroyed ; and even the beer is poured on the earth.
The burial grounds seem to be carefully cherished — as carefully, indeed, as many of
our churchyards in England. The graves are all arranged north and south, and the sexes
of the dead are marked by the implement laid on the grave. These implements are
always broken ; partly, perhaps, to signify that they can be used no more, and partly
to save them from being stolen. Thus a broken mortar and pestle for pounding corn,
together with the fragments of a sieve, tell that there lies below a woman who once
had used them ; whilst a piece of a net and a shattered paddle are emblems of the
fisherman's trade, and tell that a fisherman is interred below. Broken calabashes, gourds,
and other vessels, are laid on almost every grave ; and in some instances a banana is
planted at the head.
The relatives . wear a kind of mourning, consisting of narrow strips of palm-leaf
wound round their heads, necks, arms, legs, and breasts, and allowed to remain there until
they drop off by decay.
AFRICAN RATTLE.— (From my colkction.)
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE BANYAI AND BADEMA TEIBES.
GENERAL APPKARANCE OF THE BANYAI TRIBE — GOVERNMENT AND LAW OF SUCCESSION — DISCIPLINE
OF YOUTH — MARRIAGE CUSTOMS — HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS-TRAP A MANGROVE SWAMP —
RAPACITY OF THE BANYAI CHIEF BANYAI AXES, AND MODE OF MAKING THEM ELEPHANT
HUNTING — BOLDNESS OF THE MEN — SUPERSTITIONS OF THE BANYAI IDEA ABOUT THE HY.ENA
THE " TABOO " CURIOUS BEEHIVES THE BADEMA TRIBE — FISHING AND HUNTING WITH NETS
CONCEALMENT OF PROPERTY. '
ON the south bank of the Zambesi, somewhere about lat. 16° S. and long. 30° E., there
is a tribe called the Banyai, who inhabit a tract of country called Shidima. The Banyai
are a remarkably fine race of men, being tall, well made, and agile, and are moreover
very fair, being of that cafe au lait colour which is so fashionable in many parts of Africa.
As some of their customs are unlike those of other tribes, a short mention will be made
of them.
Their appearance is rather pleasing, and they have a curious fashion of dressing their
hair, which much resembles that which was in use among the ancient Egyptians. The
fashionable Banyai youth first divides his hair into small tufts, and draws them out as
far as he can, encircling each tuft with a spiral bandage of vegetable tissue. The various
tufts are then dyed red, and as they are sometimes a foot in length, and hang upon the
shoulders, they present a very remarkable aspect. When the Banyai travel, they are
fearful of damaging their elaborate head-dress, and so they gather it up in a bundle, and
tie it on the top of the head.
Their government is equally simple and sensible. They choose their own chief,
although they always keep to the same family. When a chief dies, his people consult
together as to his successor. His immediate descendants are never selected, and, if
possible, one of his brothers, or a nephew, is chosen. If they cannot find a qualified
person at home, they go further afield, and look out for those relatives who have mingled
with other tribes, thus bringing a new population into their own tribe. Traders from
other tribes are always very cautious about visiting the Banyai during the interregnum,
as the people think that while there is no chief there is no law, and will in consequence
rob without compunction those whom they would never venture to touch as long as the
chief was living.
When the future chief is chosen, the electors go to him and tell him of their choice.
It is then thought manners for him to assume a nolo episcopari air, to modestly deprecate
his own character, and to remonstrate with the deputation for having elected a person so
unworthy to fill the place of his revered predecessor, who possessed all the virtues and
none of the weaknesses of humanity. In fact, the speech of the Banyai king-elect would
answer excellently for newly-elected dignitaries of our own country, who make exactly
the same kind of oration, and would be equally offended were they to be taken at their
word.
400 THE BANYAI TRIBE.
Of course the new chief, after his deprecatory speech, assumes the vacant office,
together with all the property, including the wives and children, of his predecessor, and
takes very good care to keep the latter in subservience. Sometimes one of the sons
thinks that he ought to be a man, and set up for a kind of chief himself, and accordingly
secedes from the paternal roof, gathers round him as many youths as he can persuade to
accompany him, and becomes a petty chief accordingly. The principal chief, however,
has no idea of allowing an imperium in imperio in his dominions, and when the young
chieftain has built his village and fairly settled down, he sends a body of his own
soldiery to offer his congratulations. If the young chieftain receives them with clapping
of hands and humble obeisance, all is well, as the supreme authority of the chief is
thereby acknowledged. If not, they burn down all the village, and so teach by very
intelligible language that before a youth dares to be a chieftain he had better perform the
duties which a vassal owes to his sovereign.
There is a system among the Banyai which has a singular resemblance to the instruc-
tion of pages in the days of chivalry. When a man attains to eminence, he gathers
around him a band of young boys, who are placed by their parents under his charge, and
who are taught to become accomplished gentlemen after Banyai ideas. While they are
yet in the condition of pagehood, they are kept under strict discipline, and obliged to be
humble and punctilious towards their superiors, whom they recognise with the hand-
clapping which is the salute common throughout Central Africa. At meal times they
are not allowed to help themselves, but are obliged to wait patiently until the food is
divided for them by one of the men. They are also instructed in the Banyai law ; and
when they return to their parents, a case is submitted to them, and the progress which
they have made is ascertained by their answers. To their teachers they are exceedingly
useful. They are all sons of free men who are tolerably well off, and who send servants
to accompany their sons, and to till the ground for their maintenance. They also send
ivory to the teacher, with which he purchases clothing for the young scholars.
This custom shows that a certain amount of culture has been attained by the Banyai,
and the social condition of their women is a still stronger proof. In most parts of savage
Africa the woman is little more than a beast of burden, and has no more to do with
the management of affairs or with her husband's counsels than the cows for which he
has bought her. In Banyai land, however, the women have not only their full share of
power, but rather more than their share, the husbands never venturing to undertake any
business or to conduct any bargain without the consent of their wives. The women even
act as traders, visiting other towns with merchandise, and acting fairly towards both the
purchaser and themselves.
Their marriages are conducted in a manner which shows that the wife is quite the
equal of her husband. In most parts of Southern Africa a wife is bought for a stipulated
number of cows, and as soon as the bargain is concluded, and the girl handed over to the
purchaser, she becomes his property, and is treated as such. But, among the Banyai, the
young bridegroom does not take his wife to his hut ; he goes to the house of her parents.
Here he is quite the inferior, and is the special servant of his mother-in-law, cutting wood
for her use, and being very respectful in demeanour. Should he not like this kind of
life, and be desirous of leaving it, he may do so whenever he likes ; but he has to
relinquish wife and children, unless he can pay the parents of the wife a sufficient sum
to compensate them for their loss. Nevertheless, this is the principle on which the
custom of buying wives is founded : but there are few places where the theory is reduced
to practice.
Among the Banyai, as among many of the tribes along the river, the flesh of the
hippopotamus is much eaten, and the capture of the animal is consequently a matter ol
importance. They no not care for boldly chasing the hippopotamus, as do the tribes
which have already been mentioned, but they prefer to resort to the pit-fall and the drop-
trap. The pit-falls are always dug in places where the animal is likely to tread ; and the
pits are not only numerous, but generally placed in pairs close to each other. On one
occasion a white traveller happened to fall into one of these pits, and after he had
recovered from the shock of finding himself suddenly deprived of the light of day and
TRAPPING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
401
enclosed in a deep hole, he set to work, and after many hours' labour managed to free
himself from his unpleasant position. But no sooner had he fairly got out of the pit
than he unfortunately stepped upon its companion, and fell into it just as he had fallen
into the other.
The most ingenious mode of capturing the animal is by means of the drop-trap.
For this purpose the native cuts a rather long and heavy log of wood, and, in order
to make it still heavier, a couple of large stones are tied to it near one end, or a quantity
of clay is kneaded round it. At the loaded end a hole is made, into which is set a spear-
head, sometimes that of a large
assagai, but mostly a sort of har-
poon like that which has been
described on page 379. A rope
loop is then fastened to the other
end, and the weapon is ready.
The hunter now goes to a hip-
popotamus track, and looks out for
a branch that overhangs it. Gene-
rally he can find a branch that
will suit his purpose ; but if not,
he rigs up a sort of gallows on
which he can suspend the armed
log. When he has found a con-
venient branch, he takes a long
rope, one end of which is fastened
to a stick, places the stick across
the branch, and hangs the loop
of the harpoon upon the other end.
He next passes the cord round a
peg at the foot of the tree, about
eighteen inches or so from the
ground, draws it across the path,
and then makes it fast.
The accompanying illustration
will explain how the whole busi-
ness is managed. The tree on
which the weapon is suspended
is the mangrove, a tree utterly
unlike any of those which we
have in this land. The extraordi-
nary vitality of this tree is well
shown by the sketch, which was
made by Mr. Baines. The trunk
has been broken off, but the upper
part has fallen against another
tree and been supported by it.
It has then thrown out a number
of roots, which have descended to
the moist ground, and give the
tree a new support of its own. In such a case, the branches that tend downwards wither
away and die, those that tend upwards increase rapidly, while those that project sideways
take a turn, and then curve themselves upwards. Examples of these branches may be
seen in the sketch.
The mangrove is a self-sowing tree, and performs this act in a very curious manner.
The seeds are very long, and furnished at the end with a hard, pointed tip. As soon as
it is ripe, the seed falls, burying the pointed tip several inches into the soft swampy soil,
which mangroves love, and there remains. The object of this curious provision of
VOL. i. D D
HIPPOPOTAMUS THAI'.
402 THE BANYAI TKIBE.
Nature is, that the seed shall not be washed away by the periodical floods which inundate
the country.
In such a soil there is no difficulty in finding the path of the hippopotamus, for the
heavy and clumsy animal leaves a track which could be followed in the darkest night.
Owing to the great width of its body, the feet of the opposite sides are set rather wider apart
than is the case with lighter animals, so that when the hippopotamus walks througli grass
it makes a distinct double path, with a ridge of grass in the middle. When it walks on
the soft muddy soil of the river bank, the animal makes a most curious track, the feet
sinking deeply into the earth, and forming a sort of double rut studded with holes at the
distance of an inch or two from each other, a ridge some two inches in width dividing
the ruts.
There is no path so trying to a traveller as a hippopotamus track. In that part of the
country it is necessary to walk barefoot, or, at all events, to use nothing more than the
native sandals. If the traveller tries to walk on the central ridge, he finds that the
exertion of keeping the balance is almost equivalent to walking on a tight-rope or a
Bornean " batang," and that the pressure on the middle of the foot soon becomes too
painful to be borne. If he tries to walk in the ruts, he is no better off, for his feet sink
deeply into the holes punched by the limbs of the hippopotamus, the toes are forcibly
pressed upwards, and the leg is fixed so tightly in the hole that the traveller cannot
withdraw it until the earth has been removed.
Over one of these tracks the native hunter suspends his harpoon, taking care that the
blade hangs exactly above the central ridge. As the hippopotamus comes walking along
he strikes his foot against the cord. The blow releases the harpoon, which falls with
tremendous violence, burying the iron head deep in the animal's back. Now and then the
head comes exactly on the spine, and in that case the animal falls helpless on the spot.
Usually, however, the wound is not immediately fatal, and the hippopotamus rushes to the
river, hoping thus to shake off the cruel weapon which had tortured him on land. Sooner
or later, he is sure to die from the wound, and then the natives, who, like the hippopotamus,
never hurry themselves, drag the huge carcase to land, and hold a mighty feast upon it.
In some parts of the country these fall-traps are set nearly as thickly as the pits
which have already been mentioned, and the result is, that the animals have become
exceedingly suspicious, and will not approach anything that looks like a trap. They are
so thoroughly afraid of being injured, that the native agriculturists are in the habit of
imitating traps by suspending mangrove seeds, bits of sticks, and other objects, to the
branches of trees, knowing that the wary animal will keep very clear of so dangerous-
looking a locality. The trap has to be set with considerable skill, and much care must be
taken to conceal the rope which crosses the path, or the animal will not strike it. Large
and heavy, and apparently clumsy, as he is, he can look out for himself, and, in places
where traps are plentiful, he becomes so suspicious that if even a twig lies across his path
he will rather go round it than tread it under foot.
The Banyai chiefs do not neglect the usual African custom of demanding toll from every
traveller who passes through their territories, although they do not appear to be quite so
rapacious as some, of whom we shall presently treat. The Banyai enforce their tribute
much as the owner of a ferry compels payment for the passengers. Knowing that their
permission, and even assistance, is needed in passing through the country, they set a very
high price upon their services, and will not allow the traveller to proceed until he has
complied with their demands. Feeling sure of their position, they are apt to be violent
as well as extortionate, flinging down the offered sum with contemptuous gestures, and
abusing their victims with a wonderful flow of disparaging language.
Dr. Livingstone, knowing their customs, contrived to get the better of the Banyai in a
place where they were accustomed to carry things with a high hand, even over the Portuguese
traders. At night, when the time came for repose, instead of going ashore, after the usual
custom of the native canoe men, he anchored in the middle of the stream, and had couches
made on board. This device completely disconcerted the plans of the Banyai, who
expected the travellers to come ashore, and, of course, would have kept them prisoners
until they had paid a heavy toll for permission to embark again. They even shouted
WEAPONS.
403
invitations from the river bank to come and sleep on land, but dared not attack a boat
filled with armed men commanded by Europeans.
The oddest part of the whole proceeding was, that the Makololo and Batoka boatmen;
who were accompanying Dr. Livingstone, had never thought of so simple a device, and
roared exultant jeers frum their boat to the Banyai on shore.
The country in which the Banyai live furnishes various kinds of food of which a
European would be ignorant, and therefore would run a great risk of starving in a place
where the Banyai would be revelling in plenty. Ant-hills, for example, almost always
furnish huge mushrooms, which are at once palatable and nutritious ; and there are several
kinds of subterranean tubers that are only to be found by striking the ground with stones
and listening to the sound. One of these tubers is remarkable for the fact that in winter
time it has a slight but perceptible quantity of salt in it.
The Banyai, like other African tribes, have their peculiar superstitions, such as pouring
out the contents of their snuff-box as an offering to the spirits of the dead when they are
engaged in hunting, hoping thereby to propitiate them and procure their aid. One man
who had performed this act of devotion was
quite scandalized at the irreverence of hunters
who belonged to other tribes, and who, as he
said, did not know how to pray. The same man
took to himself the credit of having destroyed
an elephant which had been killed by others,
his prayers and snuff, and not the weapons of
the hunters, having, according to his idea, been
the real instruments by which the animal fell.
The particular animal, by the way, was
killed in a manner peculiar to some of the tribes
in this part of Africa. These native hunters
are very Nimrods for skill and courage, going
after the elephant into the depths of his own
forest, and boldly coping with him, though
armed with weapons which a European woulxf
despise.
The chief weapon which is used by these
tribes is a kind of axe. It is made much after
the fashion of those which are figured on page
321, and bears some resemblance in the shape
of the head to that which is shown in fig. 2.
The "tang," however, which is fastened into
the handle, is at least three feet in length, and
the handle is sometimes six or seven feet long,
so that the instrument looks more like a scythe
than an axe. The handle is made by cutting off
a branch of convenient thickness, and also a
foot or two of the trunk at its junction. A hole is then bored through the piece of the
trunk, the tang of the head inserted into it, and the rough wood then dressed into shape ;
thus the necessary weight is gained without the expenditure of valuable metal.
The illustration on page 404 will make this ingenious process clear. Fig. 2 repre-
sents part of the trunk of a tree, marked A, from which starts a convenient branch.
Seeing that this branch will answer for the handle of an axe, the native cuts across the
trunk, and thus has a very rude kind of mallet, possessed of considerable weight. A hole
is next bored through the part of the trunk, and the iron tang of the axe-head thrust
through it. The superabundant wood is then trimmed off, as shown in the cut, the
branch is scraped and smoothed, and the simple but effective axe is complete.
Figs 4 and 5 represent a convertible axe which is much used by this people. As in
their work they sometimes need an adze, and sometimes an axe, they have ingeniously
made a tool which will serve either purpose. The handle and butt are made exactly as
CARRYING THE AXE.
4.0-i
THE BANYAI TIUBE.
has already been described, but, instead of piercing a single hole for the iron head, the
Banyai cut two holes at right angles to each other, as seen in the diagram below, fig. 4. The
iron, therefore, can be fixed in either of these sockets, and, according to the mode in which
it is inserted, the tool becomes either an axe or an adze. At fig. 4 it is placed in the hori-
zontal socket, and accordingly the tool is an adze ; but at fig. 5 it is transformed into an
axe, merely by shifting the iron head into the perpendicular socket.
AXES.
It is a curious fact that the Water Dyaks of Borneo have a very similar tool, which
they use in boat-building. It is much smaller than the Banyai axe, being only used in
one hand, and the head is fixed to the handle by an elaborate binding of split rattan,
which is so contrived that the head can be turned at pleasure with its edge parallel to or
across the handle.
Fig. 3 represents a rather curious form of axe, which is sometimes found among the
Banyai and other tribes. The head is very long, and it is made so, that when the owner
wishes to carry it from one place to another, he does not trouble himself to hold it in his
hand, but merely hangs it over his shoulder, as seen in the illustration on page 403. The
reader is requested to note the mode in which the head is dressed, the hair being shaven
in stripes, and the lower locks twisted into long, ringlet-like strands.
The elephant axe is shown at fig. 1, but it is hardly long enough in the handle.
In one part of Central Africa the head is fastened to the handle by means of a socket ; but
this form is exceedingly rare, and in such a climate as is afforded by tropical Africa is far
inferior to that which has been described.
The hunters who use this curious weapon go in pairs, one having the axe, which has
been most carefully sharpened, and the other not troubling himself about any weapon.
ELEPHANT HUNTING.
405
except perhaps a spear or two. When they have found an elephant with good tusks, they
separate, and work their way round a wide circuit, so as to come upon him from different
quarters, the axeman always approaching from behind, and the assistant coming towards
the front.
As soon as they know, by well-understood signals, that they are near the animal, they
begin their work. The assistant begins to rustle among the branches at some distance in
front, not in such a manner as to alarm the elephant, but to keep his attention fixed, and
HAMSTRINGING AN ELEPHANT.
make him wonder what the singular movements can mean. While he is engaged with the
man in front, the axeman steals gradually on him from behind, and with a sweep of his
huge weapon severs the tendon of the hock, which in the elephant is at a very short
distance from the ground. From that moment the animal is helpless, its enormous
weight requiring the full use of all its limbs ; and the hunters can, if they choose, leave it
there and go after another, being quite sure that they will find the lamed animal in the
same place where it was left. Even if the axe-blow should not quite sever the tendon, it
is sure to cut so deeply that at the first step which the animal takes the tendon gives way
with a loud snap.
The illustration is from a sketch by Mr. Baines, and represents the axeman in the act
of striking. The elephant is standing in the shade of the "bush," with his attention
fixed on the hunter in the distance, who is moving about among the foliage. The scene
is truly characteristic of a forest in tropical Central Africa. Just behind the axeman is a
fine palm which has been killed by a fig-tree, an event which is of common occurrence
in tropical countries. A quantity of the monkey-rope creepers have flung their many
406 THE BADfiMA TEIBE.
coils over the branches, and are often serviceable to the hunter, enabling him to ascend
a tree if detected and chased by the elephant. A dwarf-palm is in front of the elephant,
and partly conceals his fore-legs.
To return to the religious notions of the Banyai.
The man who made oblation of his snuff said that the elephant was specially directed
by the Great Spirit to come to the hunters, because they were hungry and wanted food ;
a plain proof that they have some idea, however confused and imperfect it may be, of a
superintending and guiding Providence. The other Banyai showed by their conduct that
this feeling was common to the tribe, and not peculiar to the individual ; for when they
brought corn, poultry, and beads, as thankofferings to the hunters who had killed the
elephant, they mentioned that they had already given thanks to the Barimo, or gods, for
the successful chase. The Banyai seem to have odd ideas about animals ; for when the
hyenas set up their hideous laugh, the men said that they were laughing because they
knew that the men could not eat all the elephant, and must leave some for the hyaenas.
In some parts of the country the hysenas and lions are so numerous, that when the
inhabitants are benighted at a distance from human habitations, they build little resting;-
places in the branches of trees, and lodge there for the night, leaving their little huts in
the branches as memorials of their visit.
Among the peculiar superstitions is one which is much in vogue. This is a mode of
protecting property from thieves, and consists of a strip of palm-leaf, smeared with some
compound, and decorated with tufts of grass, bits of wood, little roots, and the like. It
is chiefly used for the protection of honey, which is sometimes wild, the bees making
a nest for themselves in the hollow of a tree, and sometimes preserved in hives, which are
made of bark, and placed in the branches. The hives are long and cylindrical, and laid
on their sides. The protecting palm-leaf is tied round the tree, and the natives firmly
believe that if a thief were to climb over it, much more to remove it, he would be at once
afflicted with illness, and soon die. The reader will see here an analogous superstitition
to the " tapu/' or taboo, of Polynesia.
The hives are made simply enough. Two incisions are made completely round the
tree, about five feet apart, and a longitudinal slit is then cut from one incision to the
other. The bark is carefully opened at this slit, and by proper management it comes off
the tree without being broken, returning by its own elasticity to its original shape. The
edges of the slit are then sewn together, or fastened by a series of little wooden pegs.
The ends are next closed with grass-ropes, coiled up just like the targets which are used
by modern archers ; and, a hole being made in one of the ends, the hive is complete.
Large quantities of honey and wax are thus collected and used for exportation ; indeed
all the wax that conies from Loanda is collected from these hives.
THE BADfiMA TRIBE.
THEKE is still left a small fragment of one of the many African tribes which are
rapidly expiring. These people are called BAD£MA, and from their ingenuity seem to
deserve a better fate. They are careful husbandmen, and cultivate small quantities of
tobacco, maize, and cotton in the hollows of the valleys, where sufficient moisture lingers
to support vegetation. They are clever sportsmen, and make great use of the net, as well
on the land as in the water. For fishing they have a kind of casting net, and when they
go out to catch zebras, antelopes, and other animals, they do so by stretching nets across
the narrow outlets of ravines, and then driving the game into them. The nets are made
of baobab bark, and are very strong.
CONCEALING COEN. 407
They have a singularly ingenious mode of preserving their corn. Like many other
failing tribes, they are much persecuted by their stronger neighbours, who are apt to
make raids upon them, and carry off all their property, the chief part of which consists of
corn. Consequently they are obliged to conceal their stores in the hills, and only keep
a small portion in their huts, just sufficient for the day's consumption. But the mice and
monkeys are quite as fond of corn as their human enemies, and would soon destroy all
their stores, had not the men a plan by which they could be preserved. The Badema have
found out a tree, the bark of which is hateful both to the mice and the monkeys.
Accordingly they strip off the bark, which is of a very bitter character, roll it up into
cylindrical vessels, and in these vessels they keep their corn safely in caves and crevices
among the rocks.
Of course, when their enemies come upon them, they always deny that they have any
food except that which is in their huts, and when Dr. Livingstone came among them for
the first time they made the stereotyped denial, stating that they had been robbed only a
few weeks before.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE BALONDO OR BALONDA AND THE ANGOLESE.
GENERAL APPEARANCE MODE OF GOVERNMENT WOMAN'S DRESS MANENKO AND HER STRANGE
COSTUME FASHIONS IN HAIR-DRESSING COSTUME OF THE MEN THEIR ORNAMENTS PECULIAR
GAIT MODE OF SALUTATION CURIOSITY — MILDNESS OF TEMPERAMENT AN ATTEMPT AT EX-
TORTION A SCENE AT COURT BALONDA MUSIC MANENKO IN COMMAND — KATEMA AND HIS
BEARER LOVE OF CATTLE FOOD OF THE BALONDA FISH- CATCHING — BALONDA ARCHITECTURE
— CEMENTING FRIENDSHIP RELIGION AND IDOLS — A WILD LEGEND — FUNERAL CUSTOMS — THE
ANGOLESE — THEIR CHARACTER — AGRICULTURE THE MANIOC, AND ITS USES — MEDICINES AND
CUPPING SUPERSTITIONS — MARRIAGES AND FUNERALS DR. LIVINGSTONE'S SUMMARY.
WE now come to a rather important tribe that lives veiy close, to the equator. This is
called the Balondo or Balonda tribe, i.e. the people who inhabit Londa-land, a very large
district on the western side of Africa. A great number of small tribes inhabit this
country, but, as they really are offshoots of the one tribe, we will treat of them all under
the common name of Balondo.
The chief ruler, or king, of the Balonda tribes is Matiamvo, a name which is heredi-
tary, like that of Czar or Pharaoh. He has absolute power of life and death, and one
of them had a way of proving this authority by occasionally running about the town and
beheading every one whom he met, until sometimes quite a heap of human heads was
collected. He said that his people were too numerous to be prosperous, and so he took
this simple method of diminishing their numbers. There seems to be no doubt that he
was insane, and his people thought so too ; but their reverence for his office was so great
that he was allowed to pursue his mad course without check, and at length died peaceably,
instead of being murdered, as might have been expected.
He was a great slave-dealer, and used to conduct the transaction in a manner remark-
able for its simplicity. When a slave-merchant came to his town, he took all his visitor's
property, and kept him as a guest for a week or ten days. After that time, having shown
his hospitality, he sent out a party of armed men against some populous village, killed
the head-man, and gave the rest of the inhabitants to the slave-merchant in payment for
his goods. Thus he enriched his treasury and thinned his population by the same act.
Indeed, he seemed always to look upon villages as property which could be realized at
any time, and had, besides, the advantage of steadily increasing in value. If he heard of
or saw anything which he desired exceedingly, and the owner declined to part with it, he
would destroy a whole village and offer the plunder to the owner of the coveted property.
Still, under this regime, the people lead, as a general rule, tolerably happy and con-
tented lives. They are not subjected to the same despotism as the tribes of the southern
districts, and, indeed, often refuse to obey the orders of the chief. Once, when Katema
sent to the Balobale, a sub-tribe under his protection, and ordered them to furnish men to
carry Dr. Livingstone's goods, they flatly refused to do so, in spite of Katema's threat that,
if they did not obey, he would deprive them of his countenance, and send them back to
DRESS. 409
their former oppressors. The fact is, each of the chiefs is anxious to collect round himself
as many people as possible, in order to swell his own importance, and he does not like to
do anything that might drive them away from him into the ranks of some rival chief.
Dr. Livingstone remarks that this disobedience is the more remarkable, as it occurs in a
country where the slave-trade is in full force, and where people may be kidnapped and
sold under any pretext that may happen to occur to the chief.
As is frequently the case with African tribes, there is considerable variety of colour
among the Balondo, some being of a notably pale chocolate hue, while others are so black
as to rival the negro in darkness of complexion. They appear to be a rather pleasing set
of men, tainted, as must be the case, with the ordinary vices of savage life, but not
morose, cruel, or treacherous, as is too often the case. The women appear to be almost
exceptionally lively, being full of animal spirits, and spending all their leisure time, which
seems to be considerable, in chattering, weddings, funerals, and similar amusements.
Dr. Livingstone offers a suggestion that this flow of spirits may be one reason why they
are so indestructible a race, and thinks that their total want of care is caused by the
fatalism of their religious theories, such as they are. Indeed, he draws rather a curious
conclusion from their happy and cheerful mode of life, considering that it would be a
difficulty in the way of a missionary, though why a lively disposition and Christianity
should be opposed to each other is not easy to see.
One woman, named Manenko, afforded a curious example of mixed energy, liveliness,
and authority. She was a chief, and, though married, retained the command in her own
hands. When she first visited Dr. Livingstone, she was a remarkably tall and fine woman
of twenty or thereabouts, and rather astonished her guest by appearing before him in a
bright coat of red ochre, and nothing else, except some charms hung round her neck.
This absence of clothing was entirely a voluntary act on her part, as, being a chief, she
might have had any amount of clothing that she liked ; but she evidently thought that
her dignity required her to outdo the generality of Balondo ladies in the scantiness of
apparel which distinguishes them.
In one part of Londa-land the women are almost wholly without clothes, caring
nothing for garments, except those of European manufacture, which they wear with much
pride. Even in this latter case the raiment is not worn so much as a covering to the
body as a kind of ornament which shows the wealth of the wearer, as the women will
purchase calico and other stuffs at extravagant prices. They were willing to give twenty
pounds weight of meal and a fowl for a little strip of calico barely two feet in length,
and, having put it on, were quite charmed with their new dress.
The fact is, they have never been accustomed to dress, and " are all face," the weather
having no more effect on their bodies than it does on our faces. Even the very babies are
deprived of the warm fur-clad wrapper in which the generality of African mothers carry
them, and the infant is as exposed to the weather as its mother. The Londa mother
carries her child in a very simple manner. She plaits a bark-belt, some four inches or so
in width, and hangs it over one shoulder and under the other, like the sash of a light
infantry officer. The child is partly seated on its mother's hip, and partly supported by
the belt, which, as is evident, does not afford the least protection against the weather.
They even sleep in the same state of nudity, keeping up a fire at night, which they
say is their clothing. The women tried very hard to move the compassionate feelings of
their white visitors by holding iip their little naked babies, and begging for clothes ; but
it was clear that the real destination of such clothes was for ornaments for themselves.
As is the case with several other tribes which care little for clothes, they decorate
their heads with the greatest care, weaving their hair into a variety of patterns, that must
cost infinite trouble to make, and scarcely less to preserve. They often employ the
" buffalo-horn " pattern, which has already been mentioned, sometimes working their hair
into two horns, and sometimes into one, which projects over the forehead. Some of them
divide the hair into a number of cords or plaits, and allow them to hang all round the
face. The most singular method of dressing the hair is one which is positively startling
at first sight, on account of the curious resemblance which it bears to the " nimbus " with
which the heads of saints are conventionally surrounded. The hair is dressed in plaits, as
410
THE BALONDO OE BALONDA TRIBE.
has already been mentioned, but, instead of being allowed to hang down, each plait or
strand is drawn out in a radiating fashion, and the ends are fastened to a hoop of light
wood. rWhen this is done, the hoop itself represents the nimbus, and the strands of hair
the radiating beams of light
WOMEN'S HEAD-DRESS
The features of the Balondo women are pleasing enough, and in some cases are even
tolerably regular. The teeth are allowed to retain their original form and whiteness ; and
it is a pity that so many good countenances are disfigured by the custom of thrusting
pieces of reed through the septum of the nose.
The dress of the Balonda men is more worthy of the name than that of the women,
as it consists of a girdle round the waist, with a softly-dressed skin of a jackal in front,
and a similar skin behind. Dr. Livingstone relates an anecdote concerning this dress,
which shows how arbitrary is the feeling of decency and its opposite. He had with him
OKNAMENTS.
4J1
a number of Makololo men, whose dress is similar to that of many other tribes, and
consists merely of a piece of soft hide fastened to the girdle in front, brought under the
legs, and tucked into the girdle behind.
Now this dress is much more worthy of the name than the double skin of the Balonda.
Yet the Balondo girls, themselves in a state of almost complete nudity, were very much
shocked when they found that the Makololo men wore no back-apron. Whenever
a Makololo man happened to turn his back upon the women and girls, they laughed and
jeered at him to such an extent that he was made quite wretched by their scorn. Had
they been even moderately clad, such behaviour might seem excusable, but when it is
remembered that the dress of the despised
visitor would have furnished costumes io
four or five of the women who were laughing
at him, we can but wonder at the singular
hold which fashion takes of the human mind.
The Balondo men are as fond of orna-
ments as their wives, and, as with them, the
decorations chiefly belong to the head and
the feet. In some places they have a fashion
of dressing their hair into a conical form,
similar to that which has been already men-
tioned; while a man who is fond of dress will
generally show his foppery by twisting his
beard into three distinct plaits. Some of the
Balondo men have a considerable quantity
of thick woolly hair, and dress it in a singular
fashion. They begin by parting it down
the middle, and then forming the hair of each
side into two thick rolls, which pass between
the ears and fall down as far as the shoulders.
The rest of the hair is gathered up into a
bundle, and hangs on the back of the neck.
Whenever they can afford it, the Balondo men will carry one of the large knives
which are so prevalent in this part of the continent. Throughout the whole of Western
Africa there is one type of knife, which undergoes various modifications according to the
particular district in which it is made, and this type is as characteristic of Western Africa
as the Bechuana knife is of the southern parts. The illustration shows two of these
knives; they exhibit well their curious form, which is almost identical with that of
weapons taken from tumuli in Europe. The sheath is always very wide, and is made
with great care, being mostly ornamental as well as useful. The figures were drawn from
specimens in Colonel Lane Fox's collection.
Heavy rings of copper and other metals are as much in vogue as among the Damaras ;
only the men prefer to wear them on their own limbs, instead of handing them over to
their wives. As wealth is mostly carried on the person in this country, a rich Balondo
man will have six or seven great copper rings encircling his ankles, each ring weighing
two pounds or so. The gait of a rich man is therefore singularly ungraceful, the feet
being planted widely apart, so that the massive rings should not come in contact. The
peculiar gait which is caused by the presence of the treasured rings is much admired
among the Balondo, and is studiously imitated by those who have no need to use it. A
young man, for example, who is only worth half a dozen rings weighing half an ounce or
so each, will strut about with his feet wide apart, as if he could hardly walk for the weight
of his anklets.
The ornament which is most prized is made from a large species of shell belonging to
the genus Conus. The greater part of the shell is chipped away, and only the flat and
spiral base is left. This is pierced in the middle, and a string is passed through the
middle, so that it can be hung round the neck. Dr. Livingstone tells an anecdote which
shows the estimation in which this ornament is held. Just before his departure the king.
DAGGERS.
412 THE BALONDO OR BALONDA TEIBE.
Shinte, came into his tent, and passed a considerable time in examining his books, watch,
and other curiosities. At last he carefully closed the door of the tent, so that none of his
people might see the extravagance of which he was about to be guilty, and drew one of
these shells from his clothing, hung it round his host's neck, with the words, " There, now
you have a proof of my friendship." These shells are used, like stars and crosses among
ourselves, as emblems of rank ; and they have besides a heavy intrinsic value, costing the
king at the rate of a slave for two, or a large elephant's tusk for five.
The very fact that they possess insignia of rank shows that they must possess some
degree of civilization ; and this is also shown by the manner in which inferiors are bound
to salute those above them. If a man of low rank should meet a superior, the former
immediately drops on his knees, picks up a little dirt, rubs it on his arms and chest, and
then claps his hands until the great man has passed. So punctilious are they in their
manner, that when Sambanza, the husband of Manenko, was making a speech to the
people of a village, he interspersed his discourse with frequent salutations, although he
was a man of consequence himself, being the husband of the chief.
There are many gradations in the mode of saluting. Great chiefs go through the
movements of rubbing the sand, but they only make a pretence of picking up sand. If a
man desires to be very polite indeed, he carries with him some white ashes or powdered
pipe-clay in a piece of skin, and, after kneeling in the usual manner, rubs it on his chest
and arms, the white powder being an ocular proof that the salutation has been properly
conducted. He then claps his hands, stoops forward, lays first one cheek and then the
other on the ground, ana continues his clapping for some little time. Sometimes, instead
of clapping his hands, he drums with his elbows against his ribs.
On the whole, those travellers who have passed through Londa seern to be pleased with
the character of the inhabitants. Dr. Livingstone appears to have had but little trouble
with them, except when resisting the extortionate demands which they, like other tribes,
were apt to make for leave of passage through their country.
" One could detect, in passing, the variety of character found among the owners of
gardens and villages. Some villages were the pictures of neatness. We entered others
enveloped in a wilderness of weeds, so high that, when sitting on an ox-back in the middle
of the village, we could only see the tops of the huts. If we entered at mid-day, the
owners would come lazily forth, pipe in hand, and leisurely puff away in dreamy indif-
ference. In some villages weeds were not allowed to grow ; cotton, tobacco, and different
plants used as relishes, are planted round the huts ; fowls are kept in cages ; and the
gardens present the pleasant spectacle of different kinds of grain and pulse at various
periods of their growth. I sometimes admired the one class, and at times wished I could
have taken the world easy, like the other.
" Eveiy village swarms with children, who turn out to see the white man pass, and
run along with strange cries and antics ; some run up trees to get a good view — all are
agile climbers through Londa. At friendly villages they have scampered alongside our
party for miles at a time. We usually made a little hedge round our sheds ; crowds of
women came to the entrance of it, with children on their backs, and pipes in their mouths,
gazing at us for hours. The men, rather than disturb them, crawled through a hole in the
hedge ; and it was common to hear a man in running off say to them, " I am going to tell
my mamma to come and see the white man's oxen."
According to the same authority, the Balonda do not appear to be a very quarrelsome
race, generally restricting themselves to the tongue as a weapon, and seldom resorting to
anything more actively offensive. The only occasion on which he saw a real quarrel take
place was rather a curious one. An old woman had been steadily abusing a young man
for an hour or two, with that singular fluency of invective with which those women seem
to be gifted. He endured it patiently for some time, but at last uttered an exclamation
of anger. On which another man sprang forward, and angrily demanded why the other
had cursed his mother. They immediately closed with each other, and a scuffle com-
menced, in the course of which they contrived to tear off the whole of each other's
clothing. The man who began the assault then picked up his clothes and ran away,
LIVINGSTONE'S KECEPT10N. 413
threatening to bring his gun, but he did not return, and the old woman proceeded with
her abuse of the remaining combatant.
In their quarrels the Balonda make plenty of noise, but after a while they suddenly
cease from their mutual invective, and conclude the dispute with a hearty laugh.
Once a most flagrant attempt at extortion was made by Kawawa, a Balonda chief who
had a very bad character, and was in disfavour with Matiamvo, the supreme chief of
the Balonda. He sent a body of men to a ferry which they had to cross, in order to pre-
vent the boatmen taking them over the river. The canoes were removed ; and as the river
was at least a hundred yards wide, and very deep, Kawawa thought he had the stranger
at his mercy, and that if the cart, the ox. the gun, the powder, and the slave, which he
required, were not forthcoming, he could keep the strangers until they were forced to
comply with his demands. However, during the night Dr. Livingstone swam to the
place where the canoes were hidden, ferried the whole party across, replaced the canoe,
together with some beads as payment for its use, and quietly swam to the side on which
their party were now safely landed. Kawawa had no idea that any of the travellers could
swim, and the whole party were greatly amused at the astonishment which they knew he
must feel when he found the travellers vanished and the canoes still in their place of
concealment.
Some of the Balonda have a very clever but rather mean method of extorting money
from travellers. When they ferry a party over the river, they purposely drop or leave in
a canoe a knife or some other object of value. They then watch to see if any one will
pick it up, and if so, seize their victim and accuse him of the theft. They always manage
to do so just before the head man of the party has been ferried across, and threaten to
retain him as a hostage until their demand be paid. Dr. Livingstone once fell a victim to
this trick, a lad belonging to his party having picked up a knife which was thrown down
as a bait by one of the rascally boatmen. As the lad happened to possess one of those
precious shells which have been mentioned, he was forced to surrender it to secure his
liberty.
Such conduct was, however, unusual with the Balonda, and the two great chiefs.
Shinte and Katema, behaved with the greatest kindness to the travellers. The former
chief gave them a grand reception, which exhibited many of the manners and customs of
the people.
The royal throne was placed under the shade of a spreading banian tree, and was
covered with a leopard-skin. The chief had disfigured himself with a checked jacket and
a green baize kilt ; but, besides these portions of civilized costume, he wore a multitude of
native ornaments, the most conspicuous being the number of copper and iron rings round
his arms and ankles, and a sort of bead helmet adorned with a large plume of feathers.
His three pages were close to him, and behind him sat a number of women headed by
his chief wife, who was distinguished from the others by a cap of scarlet material.
In many other parts of Africa the women would have been rigidly excluded from a
public ceremony, and at the best might have been permitted to see it from a distance ;
but among the Balonda the women take their own part in such meetings : and on the
present occasion Shinte often turned and spoke to them, as if asking their opinion.
Manenko's husband, Sambanza, introduced the party, and did so in the usual manner,
by saluting with ashes. After him the various subdivisions of the tribe came forward in
their order, headed by its chief man, who carried ashes with him, and saluted the king on
behalf of his company. Then came the soldiers, who dashed forward at the white visitor
in their usually impetuous manner, shaking their spears in his face, brandishing their
shields, and making all kinds of menacing gestures, which in this country is their usual
way of doing honour to a visitor. They then turned and saluted the king, and took their
places.
Next came the speeches, Sambanza marching about before Shinte, and announcing in
a stentorian voice and with measured accents the whole history of the white men and
their reasons for visiting the country.
His argument for giving the travellers leave to pass through the territory was rather
an odd one, The white man certainly said that he had come for the purpose of opening
414
THE BALONDO OR BALONDA TRIBE.
the country for trade, making peace among the various tribes, and teaching them a better
religion than their own. Perhaps he was telling lies ; for it was not easy to believe that
;i white man who had such treasures at home would take the trouble of coming out of the
sea where he lived for the mere purpose of conferring benefits on those whom he had
never seen. On the whole, they rather thought he was not speaking the truth. But still,
though he had plenty of fire-arms, he had not attacked the Balonda ; and it was perhaps
more consistent with Shinte's character as a wise and humane chief, that he should
receive the white men kindly, and allow them to pass on.
Between the speeches the women filled up the time by chanting a wild and plaintive
melody ; and that they were allowed to take more than a passive part in the proceedings
was evident from the frequency with which they applauded the various speeches.
Music was also employed at the reception, the instruments being the marimba, which
lias already been mentioned, and drums. These latter instruments are carved from solid
blocks of wood, cut into hollow cylinders, the ends of which are covered with antelope
skin, and tightly fastened by a row of small wooden pegs. There is no method of bracing
the skins such as we use with our drums, and when the drum-heads become slack they
are tightened by being held to the fire. -These drums are played with the hand, and not
with sticks.
THE MARIMBA, OR AFRICAN PIANO.
The most curious part of these drums is the use of a small square hole in the side,
which seems to serve the same purpose as the percussion hole in the European instrument.
Instead, however, of being left open, it is closed with a piece of spider's web, which
allows the needful escape of air, while it seems to have a resonant effect. The web which
is used for this purpose is taken from the egg-case of a large species of spider. It is of a
yellow colour, rather larger than a crown-piece in diameter, and is of wonderful toughness
and elasticity. The custom of using spider's web in this manner prevails through a very
large portion of Africa, and is even found in those parts of Western Africa which have
introduced many European instruments among those which belonged to them before they
had made acquaintance with civilization.
The drums and marimba are played together ; and on this occasion the performers
walked round and round the enclosure, producing music which was really not unpleasant
even to European ears.
The marimba is found, with various modifications, throughout the whole of this part
of Africa. Generally the framework is straight, and in that case the instrument is
mostly placed on the ground, and the musician plays it while in a sitting or kneeling
A FEMALE CHIEF. 415
posture. But in some places, especially where it is to be played by the musician on the
arch, the framework is curved like the tire of a cart-wheel, so that, when the instrument
is suspended m front of the performer, he can reach the highest and lowest keys without
litiicuity. Lhe illustration on page 414 represents one of the straight-framed marimbas,
and is drawn from a specimen in Colonel Lane Fox's collection.
After this interview Shinte always behaved very kindly to the whole party, and, as
we have already seen, invested Dr. Livingstone with the precious shell ornament before
nia nAnavtuT>t>
his departure.
MANENKO IN COMMAND.
As to Shinte s niece, Manenko, the female chief, she was a woman who really deserved
her rank, from her bold and energetic character. She insisted on conducting the party in
°7? maimer.'> *** 7hen they set out, she headed the expedition in perlon. It hap-
pened to be a singularly unpleasant one, the rain falling in torrents, and yet this very
energetic lady marched on at a pace that could be equalled by few of the men, and with-
t$?~ g^f Flection from the weather, save the coat of red grease and a charmed
necklace. When asked why she did not wear clothes, she said that a chief ou*ht to
despise such luxuries, and ought to set an example of fortitude to the rest of the tribe.
Nearly all the members of the expedition complained of cold, wet, and hunger, but this
indefatigable lady pressed on m the very lightest marching order, and not until they were
all thoroughly wearied would she consent to halt for the ni-ht
Her husband, Sambanza, had to march in her train, accompanied by a man who had
instructions to beat a drum incessantly, which he did until the perpetual rain soaked the
skin-heads so completely that they would not produce a sound. Sambanza had then to
416 THE BALONDO OR BALONDA TRIBE.
chant all kinds of invocations to the rain, which he did, but without any particular
effect.
She knew well what was her dignity, and never allowed it to be encroached upon.
On one occasion, Dr. Livingstone had presented an ox to Shinte. Manenko heard of it,
and was extremely angry that such a gift should have been made. She said that, as she
was the chief of the party who had brought the white men, the ox was hers, and not
theirs, as long as she was in command. So she sent for the ox straightway, had it
slaughtered by her own men, and then sent Shinte a leg. The latter chief seemed to
think that she was justified in what she had done, took the leg, and said nothing
about it.
Yet she did not forget that, although she was a chief, she was a woman, and ought
therefore to perform a woman's duties. When the party stopped for the night in some
village, Manenko was accustomed to go to the huts and ask for some maize, which she
ground and prepared with her own hands and brought to Dr. Livingstone, as he could not
eat the ordinary country meal without being ill afterwards.
She was also careful to inform him of the proper mode of approaching a Balonda
town or village. It is bad manners to pass on and enter a town without having first
sent notice to the head-man. As soon as a traveller comes within sight of the houses, he
ought to halt, and send forward a messenger to state his name, and ask for permission to
enter. The head-man or chief then conies out, meets the stranger under a tree, just as
Shinte received Dr. Livingstone, giving him a welcome, and appointing him a place where
he may sleep. Before he learned this piece of etiquette, several villages had been much
alarmed by the unannounced arrival of the visitors, who were in consequence looked
upon with fear and suspicion.
Afterwards, when they carne to visit the great chief Katema, they found him quite as
friendly as Shinte had been. He received them much after the same manner, being
seated, and having around him a number of armed men or guards, and about thirty
women behind him. In going to or coming from the place of council, he rode on the
shoulders of a man appointed for the purpose, and who, through dint of long practice,
performed his task with apparent ease, though he was slightly made, and Katema was a tall
and powerful man. He had a great idea of his own dignity, and made a speech in which
he compared himself with Matiamvo, saying that he was the great Modne, or lord, the
fellow of Matiamvo.
He was very proud of a small herd of cattle, about thirty in number, mostly white in
colour, and as active as antelopes. He had bred them all himself, but had no idea of
utilizing them, and was quite delighted when told that they could be milked, and the
milk used for food. It is strange that the Balonda are not a more pastural people, as the
country is admirably adapted for the nurture of cattle, and all those which were possessed
by Katema, or even by Matiamvo himself, were in splendid condition. So wild were
Katema's cattle, that when the chief had presented the party with a cow, they were
obliged to stalk and shoot it, as if it had been a buffalo. The native who shot the cow
being a bad marksman, the cow was only wounded, and dashed off into the forest,
together with the rest of the herd. Even the herdsman was afraid to go among them,
and, after two days' hunting, the wounded cow was at last killed by another ball.
The Balonda are not only fond of cattle, but they do their best to improve the breed.
When a number of them went with Dr. Livingstone into Angola, they expressed much
contemptuous wonder at the neglect both of land and of domesticated animals. They
themselves are always on the look-out for better specimens than their own, and even took
the trouble of carrying some large fowls all the way from Angola to Shinte's village.
When they saw that even the Portuguese settlers slaughtered little cows and heifer
calves, and made no use of the milk, they at once set the white men down as an inferior
race. When they heard that the flour used by these same settlers was nearly all imported
from a foreign country, they were astonished at the neglect of a land so suited for agri-
culture as Angola. " These know nothing but buying and selling ; they are not men,"
was the verdict given by the so-called savages.
The food of the Balonda is mostly of a vegetable character, and consists in a great
FISHING. 417
measure of the manioc, or cassava, which grows in great abundance. There are two
varieties of this plant, namely, the sweet and the bitter, i.e. the poisonous. The latter,
however, is the quicker of growth, and consequently is chiefly cultivated. In order to
prepare it for consumption, it is steeped in water for four days, when it becomes partially
rotten, the skin comes off easily, and the poisonous matter is readily extracted. It is then
dried in the sun, and can be pounded into a sort of meal.
When this meal is cooked, it is simply stirred into boiling water, one man holding the
vessel and putting in the meal, while the other stirs it with all his might. The natives
like this simple diet very much, but to a European it is simply detestable. It has no
flavour except that which arises from partial decomposition, and it looks exactly like
ordinary starch when ready for the laundress. It has but little nutritive power, and,
however much a man may contrive to eat, he is as hungry two hours afterwards as if he
had fasted. Dr. Livingstone compares it in appearance, taste, and odour, to potato starch
made from diseased tubers. Moreover, owing to the mode of preparing it, the cooking is
exceedingly imperfect, and, in consequence, its effects upon ordinary European digestions
may be imagined.
The manioc plant is largely cultivated, and requires but little labour, the first planting
involving nearly all the trouble. In the low-lying valleys the earth is dug with the
curious Balonda hoe, which has two handles and one blade, and is scraped into parallel
beds, about three feet wide and one foot in height, much resembling those in which aspa-
ragus is planted in England. In these beds pieces of the manioc stalk are planted at foui
feet apart. In order to save space, ground nuts, beans, or other plants are sown between
the beds, and after the crop is gathered, the ground is cleared of weeds, and the manioc is
left to nurture itself. It is fit for eating in a year or eighteen months, according to the
character of the soil ; but there is no necessity for digging it at once, as it may be left in
the ground for three years before it becomes dry and bitter. When a root is dug, the
woman cuts off two or three pieces of the stalk, puts them in the hole which she has
made, and thus a new crop is begun. Not only the root is edible, but also the leaves,
which are boiled and cooked as vegetables.
The Balonda seldom can obtain meat, and even Shinte himself, great chief as he was,
had to ask for an ox, saying that his mouth was bitter for the want of meat. The reader
may remember that when the ox in question was given, he was very thankful for the
single leg which Manenko allowed him to receive. The people are not so fastidious in
their food as many other tribes, and they are not above eating mice and other small
animals with their tasteless porridge. They also eat fowls and eggs, and are fond of fish,
which they catch in a very ingenious manner.
When the floods are out, many fish, especially the silurus, or mosala, as the natives
call it, spread themselves over the land. Just before the waters retire, the Balonda con-
struct a number of earthen banks across the outlets, leaving only small apertures for the
water to pass through. In these apertures they fix creels or baskets, so made that the fish
are forced to enter them as they follow the retreating waters, but, once in, they cannot get
out again. Sometimes, instead of earthen walls, they plant rows of mats stretched
between sticks, which answer the same purpose.
They also use fish-traps very like our own lobster-pots, and place a bait inside in
order to attract the fish. Hooks are also employed ; and in some places they descend to
the practice of poisoning the water, by which means they destroy every fish, small and
great, that comes within range of the deadly juice. The fish when taken are cleaned,
split open, and dried in the smoke, so that they can be kept for a considerable time.
Like other Africans, the Balonda make great quantities of beer, which has more a
stupifying than an intoxicating character, those who drink it habitually being often seen
lying on their faces fast asleep. A more intoxicating drink is a kind of mead which they
make, and of which some of them are as fond as the old Ossianic heroes. Shinte had a
great idea of the medicinal properties of this mead, and recommended it to Dr. Living-
stone when he was very ill with a fever : " Drink plenty of mead," said he, " and it will
drive the fever out." Probably on account of its value as a febrifuge, Shinte took plenty
of his own prescription.
VOL I. E B
418 THE BALONDO OR BALONDA T1UBE.
They have a most elaborate code of etiquette in eating. They will not partake of
food which has been cooked by strangers, neither will they eat it except when alone. If
a party of Balonda are travelling with men of other tribes, they always go aside to cook
their food, and then come back, clap their hands, and return thanks to the leader of the
party. Each hut has always its own fire, and, instead of kindling it at the chief's fire, ;is
is tiic custom with the Damaras, they always light it at once with fire produced by
friction.
So careful are the Balonda in this respect, that when Dr. Livingstone killed an ox, and
ol'i'ered some of the cooked meat to his party, the Balonda would not take it, in spite of
their fondness for meat, and the very few chances which they have of obtaining it. They
did, however, accept some of the raw meat, which they took away and cooked after their
own fashion. One of them was almost absurd in the many little fashions which he
followed, and probably invented. When the meat was offered to him, he would not take
it himself, as it was below his dignity to carry meat. Accordingly he marched home in
state, with a servant behind him carrying a few ounces of meat on a platter. Neither
would he sit on the grass beside Dr. Liivngstone. "He had never sat on the ground
during the late Matiamvo's reign, and was not going to degrade himself at his time of
life." So he seated himself on a log of wood, and was happy at his untarnished
dignity.
One of the little sub-tribes, an offshoot of the Balonda, was remarkable for never
eating beef on principle, saying that cattle are like human beings, and live at home like
men. There are other tribes who will not keep cattle, because, as they rightly say, the
oxen bring enemies and war upon them. But they are always glad to eat beef when
they can get it, and this tribe seems to be unique in its abstinence.
Although they have this aversion to beef, they will eat without compunction the flesh
of most wild animals, and in many cases display great ingenuity in hunting them. They
stalk the animals through the long grass and brushwood, disguising themselves by wearing
a cap made of the skin taken from the head of an antelope, to which the horns are still
attached. When the animal which they are pursuing begins to be alarmed at the rustling
of the boughs or shaking of the grass, they only thrust the horned mask into view, and
move it about as if it were the head of a' veritable antelope. This device quiets
suspicion, and so the hunter proceeds until he is near enough to deliver his arrow. Some
of these hunters prefer the head and neck of the jabiru, or great African crane.
As far as is known, the Balonda are not a warlike people, though they are in the
habit of carrying arms, and have a very formidable look. Their weapons are short knife-
like swords, shields, and bows and arrows, the latter being iron-headed. The shields are
made of reeds plaited firmly together. They are square, or rather oblong, in form,
measuring about five feet in length and three in width.
The architecture of the Balonda is simple, but ingenious. Every house is surrounded
with a palisade which to all appearance has no door, and is always kept closed, so that
a stranger may walk round and round it, and never find the entrance. In one part of the
palisade the stakes are not fastened to each other, but two or three are merely stuck into
their holes in the ground. When the inhabitants of the huts wish to enter or leave their
dwellings, they simply pull up two or three stakes, squeeze themselves through the
aperture, and replace them, so that no sign of a doorway is left. The reader may perhaps
remember that the little wooden bird-cages in which canaries are brought to England are
opened and closed in exactly the same manner, some moveable bars supplying the place of
a door.
Sometimes they vary the material of their fences, and make them of tall and com-
paratively slight rods fastened tightly together. Shinte's palace was formed after this
manner, and the interior space was decorated with clamps of trees which had been
planted for the sake of the shade which they afforded. That these trees had really been
planted, and not merely left standing, was evident from the fact that several young trees
were seen recently set, with a quantity of grass twisted round their stems to protect
them against the sun. Even the corners of the streets were planted with sugar-canes
and bananas, so that the social system of the Balonda seems to be of rather a high order.
CEMENTING FEIENDSHIP.
419
One petty chief, called Mozinkwa, bad made the hedge of his enclosure of green banian
branches, which had taken root, and so formed a living hedge.
It is a pity that so much care and skill should be so often thrown away. As the
traveller passes through the Londa districts he often sees deserted houses, and even villages.
The fact is, that either the husband or the chief wife has died, and the invariable custom
is to desert the locality, and never to revisit it except to make offerings to the dead. Thus
it happens that permanent localities are impossible, because the death of a chief's wife
CEMENTING FRIENDSHIP.
would cause the whole village to be deserted, just as is the case with a house when an
ordinary man dies. This very house and garden underwent the usual lot, for Mozinkwa
lost his favourite wife, and in a few months house, garden, and hedges had all gone to
ruin.
The Balonda have a most remarkable custom of cementing friendship. When two
men agree to be special friends, they go through a singular ceremony.
The men sit opposite each other with clasped hands, and by the side of each is a
vessel of beer. Slight cuts are then made on the clasped hands, on the pit of the stomach,
on the right cheek, and on the forehead. The point of a grass blade is then pressed
against each of these cuts, so as to take up a little of the blood, and each man washes the
grass blade in his own beer-vessel. The vessels are then exchanged and the contents
drunk, so that each imbibes the blood of the other. They are then considered as blood
relations, and are bound to assist each other in every possible manner. While the beer is
being drunk, the friends of each of the men beat on the ground with clubs, and bawl out
certain sentences as ratification of the treaty.
E E2
420 THE BALONDO OR BALONDA TRIBE.
It is thought correct for all the friends of each party to the contract to drink a little
of the beer. This ceremony is called " kasendi." After the ceremony has been completed,
gifts are exchanged, and both parties always give their most precious possessions.
Dr. Livingstone once became related to a young woman in rather a curious manner.
She had a tumour in her arm, and asked him to remove it. As he was doing so, a little
blood spirted from one the small arteries and entered his eye. As he was wiping it out,
she hailed him as a blood relation, and said that whenever he passed through the countiy
he was to send word to her, that she might wait upon him, and cook for him. Men
of different tribes often go through this ceremony, and on the present occasion all
Dr. Livingstone's men, whether they were Batoka, Makololo, or of other tribes, became
Molekanes, or friends, to the Balonda.
As to their religious belief, it is but confused and hazy, still it exercises a kind of
influence over them. They have a tolerably clear idea of a Supreme Being, whom they
call by different names according to their dialect. The Balonda use the word Zambi, but
Morimo is one name which is understood through a very large tract of country. The
Balonda believe that Zambi rules over all other spirits and minor deities just as their
king Matiamvo rules over the greater and lesser chiefs. When they undergo the poison
ordeal, which is used as much among them as in other tribes, they hold up their hands to
heaven, and thus appeal to the Great Spirit to judge according to right.
Among the Balonda we come for the first time among idols or fetishes, whichever may
be the correct title.
One form of idol is very common in Balonda villages, and is called by the name of
a lion, though a stranger unitiated in its mysteries would certainly take it for a crocodile,
or at all events a lizard of some kind. It is a long cylindrical roll of grass plastered
over with clay. One end represents the head, and is accordingly furnished with a mouth,
and a couple of cowrie shells by way of eyes. The other end tapers gradually into a tail,
and the whole is supported on four short straight legs. The native modeller seems to
have a misgiving that the imitation is not quite so close as might be wished, and so sticks
in the neck a number of hairs from an elephant's tail, which are supposed to represent
the mane.
These singular idols are to be seen in most Balonda villages. They are supposed to
represent the deities who have dominion over disease ; and when any inhabitant of the
village is ill, his friends go to the lion idol, and pray all night before it, beating their
drums, and producing that amount of noise which seems to be an essential accompani-
ment of religious rites among Africans.
Some idols may be perhaps more properly called teraphim, as by their means the
medicine men foretell future events. These idols generally rest on a horizontal beam
fastened to two uprights — a custom which is followed in Dahome' when a human sacrifice
has been made. The medicine men tell their clients that by their ministrations they can
force the teraphim to speak, and that thus they are acquainted with the future. They
are chiefly brought into requisition in war-time, when they are supposed to give notice of
the enemy's approach.
These idols take various shapes. Sometimes they are intended to represent certain
animals, and sometimes are fashioned into the rude semblance of the human head.
When the superstitious native does not care to take the trouble of carving or modelling
an idol, he takes a crooked stick, fixes it in the ground, rubs it with some strange
compound, and so his idol is completed.
Trees are pressed into the service of the heathen worshipper. Offerings of maize or
manioc root are laid on the branches, and incisions are made in the bark, some being
mere knife-cuts, and others rude outlines of the human face. Sticks, too, are thrown on
the ground in heaps, and each traveller that passes by is supposed to throw at least one
stick on the heap.
Sometimes little models of huts are made, and in them are placed pots of medicine ;
and in one instance a small farmhouse-was seen, and in it was the skull of an ox by way
of an idol. The offerings which are made are generally some article of food ; and some of
the Balonda are so fearful of offending the denizens of the unseen world, that whenever
RELIGION. 421
they receive a present, they always offer a portion of it to the spirits of their dead
relations.
One curious legend was told to Dr. Livingstone, and is worthy of mention, because it
bears a resemblance to the old mythological story of Latona. There is a certain lake
called in Londa-land Dilolo, respecting which the following story was told to the white
visitors :
" A female chief, called Moe'ne (lord) Monenga, came one evening to the village of
Mosogo, a man who lived in the vicinity, but who had gone to hunt with his dogs. She
asked for a supply of food, and Mosogo's wife gave her a sufficient quantity. Proceeding
to another village, standing on the spot now occupied by the water, she preferred the
same demand, and was not only refused, but, when she uttered a threat for their niggard-
liness, was taunted with the question, ' What could she do though she were thus treated ?'
" In order to show what she could do, she began a song in slow time, and uttered her
own name, ' Monenga-wo-o.' As she prolonged the last note, the village, people, fowls, and
dogs sank into the space now called Dilolo. When Kasimakate, the head-man of the
village, came home and found out the catastrophe, he cast himself into the lake, and is
supposed to be in it still. The name is taken from ' ilolo,' despair, because this man gave
up all hope when his family was destroyed. Monenga was put to death."
The Balonda are certainly possessed of a greater sense of religion than is the case
with tribes which have been described. They occasionally exhibit a feeling of reverence,
which implies a religious turn of mind, though the object towards which it may manifest
itself be an unworthy one. During Dr. Livingstone's march through the Londa country
the party was accompanied by a medicine man belonging to the tribe which was ruled by
Manenko. The wizard in question carried his sacred implements in a basket, and was
very reverential in his manner towards 'them. When near these sacred objects, he kept
silence as far as possible, and, if he were forced to speak, never raised his voice above a
whisper. Once, when a Batoka man happened to speak in his usual loud tones when
close to the basket, the doctor administered a sharp reproof, his anxious glances at the
basket showing that he was really in earnest.
It so happened that another female chief, called Nyamoana, was of the party, and,
when they had to cross a stream that passed by her own village, she would not venture
to do so until the doctor had waved his charms over her, and she had further fortified
herself by taking some in her hands, and hanging others round her neck.
As the Balonda believe in a Supreme Being, it is evident that they also believe in
the immortality of the human spirit. Here their belief has a sort of consistency, and
opposes a curious obstacle to the efforts of missionaries ; even Dr. Livingstone being
unable to make any real impression on them. They fancy that when a Balonda man
dies, he may perhaps take the form of some animal, or he may assume his place among
the Barimo, or inferior deities, this word being merely the plural form of Morimo. In
either case the enfranchised spirit still belongs to earth, and has no aspirations for a
higher state of existence.
Nor can the missionary make any impression on their minds with regard to the
ultimate destiny of human souls. They admit the existence of the Supreme Being ; they
see no objection to the doctrine that the Maker of mankind took on Himself the humanity
which He had created; they say that they always have believed that man lives after
the death of the body ; and apparently afford a good basis for instruction in the Christian
religion. But, although the teachers can advance thus far, they are suddenly checked by
the old objection that white and black men are totally different, and that, although the
spirits of deceased white men may go into a mysterious and incomprehensible heaven,
the deceased Balonda prefer to remain near their villages which were familiar to them
in life, and to assist those who have succeeded them in their duties. This idea may
probably account for the habit of deserting their houses after the death of any of the
family.
During the funeral ceremonies a perpetual and deafening clamour is kept up, the
popular notion seeming to be, that the more noise they can make, the greater honour is
due to the deceased. Wailing is carried on with loud piercing cries, drums are beaten,
422 THE ANGOLESE.
and, if fire-arms have been introduced among them, guns are fired. These drums are not
beaten at random, but with regular measured beats. They are played all night long, and
their sound has been compared to the regular beating of a paddle-wheel engine. Oxen
are slaughtered and the flesh cooked for a feast, and great quantities of beer and mead are
drunk. The cost of a funeral in these parts is therefore very great, and it is thought a
point of honour to expend as much wealth as can be got together for the purpose.
The religious element is represented by a kind of idol or figure covered with feathers,
which is carried about during some parts of the ceremony ; and in some places a man, in
a strange dress, covered with feathers, dances with the mourners all night, and retires to
the feast in the early morning. He is supposed to be the representative of the Barimo,
or spirits.
The position of the grave is usually marked with certain objects. One of these
graves was covered with a huge cone of sticks laid together like the roof of a hut, and a
palisade was erected round the cone. There was an opening on one side, in which was
placed an ugly idol, and a number of bits of cloth and strings of beads were hung
around.
THE ANGOLESE.
WESTWARD of the country which has just been described is a large district that
embraces a considerable portion of the coast, and extends far inwards. This country is
well known under the name of Angola. As this country has been held for several
centuries by the Portuguese, who have extended their settlements for six or seven
hundred miles into the interior, but few of the original manners and customs have sur-
vived, and even those have been modified by the contact with white settlers. As, however,
Angola is a very important; as well as a large, country, a short account will be given of
the natives before we proceed more northward.
The chiefs of the Angolese are elected, and the choice must be made from certain
families. In one place there are three families from which the chief is chosen in rotation.
The law of succession is rather remarkable, the eldest brother inheriting property in pre-
ference to the son ; and if a married man dies, his children belong to his widow's eldest
brother, who not unfrequently converts them into property by selling them to the slave-
dealers. It is in this manner, as has been well remarked, that the slave-trade is supplied,
rather than by war.
The inhabitants of this land, although dark, are seldom, if ever, black, their colour
being brownish red, with a tinge of yellow ; and, although they are so close to the country
inhabited by the true negroes, they have but few of the negro traits. Their features are
not those of the negro, the nose being rather aquiline, and broad at base, their hair woolly,
but tolerably long and very abundant, and their lips moderately thick. The hands and
feet are exquisitely small, and, as Mr. Reade observes, Angolese slaves afford a bold
contrast with those who are brought from the Congo.
Of the women the same traveller writes in terms of considerable praise, as far as
their personal appearance goes. There are girls in that country who have such soft
dark eyes, such sweet smiles, and such graceful ways, that they involuntarily win a kind
of love, only it is that sort of semi-love which is extended to a dog, a horse, or a bird,
and has in it nothing of the intellect. They are gentle, and faithful, and loving in their
own way ; but, though they can inspire a passion, they cannot retain the love of an
intellectual man.
As is the case with the Balonda, the Angolese live greatly on manioc roots, chiefly
for the same reason as the Irish peasantry live so much on the potato, i.e. because its
culture and cooking give very little trouble. The preparation of the soil and planting of
THE MANIOC-KOOT.
423
the shrub are the work of slaves, the true Angolese having a very horror of hard work.
Consequently the labour is very imperfectly performed, the ground being barely scratched
by the double-handled hoe which is used by dragging it along the ground rather than by
striking it into the earth.
The manioc is, however, a far more useful plant than the potato, especially the " sweet"
variety, which is free from the poisonous principle. It can be eaten raw, just as it comes
out of the ground, or it can be roasted or boiled. Sometimes it is partially fermented,
then dried and ground into meal, or reduced to powder by a rasp, mixed with sugar, and
made into a sort of confectionery. The leaves can be boiled and eaten as a vegetable, or,
if they be given to goats, the latter yield a bountiful supply of milk. The wood affords
an excellent fuel, and, when burned, it furnishes a large quantity of potash. On the
average, it takes about a year to come to perfection in Angola, and only requires to be
weeded once during that time.
The meal or roots cannot be stored, as they are liable to the attacks of a weevil which
quickly destroys them, and therefore another plan is followed. The root is scraped like
horseradish, and laid on a cloth which is held over a vessel. Water is then poured on it,
CUPPING AND BLEEDING.
and the white shavings are well rubbed with the hands. All the starch-globules are thus
washed out of their cells, and pass through the cloth into the vessel below together with
the water. When this mixture has been allowed to stand for some time, the starchy
matter collects in a sort of sediment, and the water is poured away. The sediment is then
scraped out, and placed on an iron plate which is held over a fire. The gelatinous mass is
then continually stirred with a stick, and by degrees it forms itself into little translucent
globules, which are almost exactly identical with the tapioca of commerce.
The advantage of converting the manioc-root into tapioca is, that in the latter state it
is impervious to the destructive weevil.
Some parts of Angola are low, marshy, and fever-breeding, and even the natives feel
the effects of the damp, hot, malarious climate. Of medicine, however, they have but
little idea, their two principal remedies being cupping and charms.
The former is a remedy which is singularly popular, and is conducted in much the
same way throughout the whole of Africa south of the equator. The operator has three
424 THE ANGOLESE.
implements, namely, a small horn, a knife, and a piece of wax. The horn is cut quite
level at the base, and great care is taken that the edge is perfectly smooth. The smaller
end is perforated with a very small hole. This horn is generally tied to a string and hung
round the neck of the owner, who is usually a professional physician. The knife is small,
and shaped exactly like the little Bechuana knife shown on page 314.
When the cupping-horn is to be used, the wide end is placed on the afflicted part, and
pressed down tightly, while the mouth is applied to the small end, and the air exhausted.
, The operator continues to suck for some moments, and then removes the horn, and sud-
denly makes three or four gashes with the knife on the raised and reddened skin. The
horn is again applied, and when the operator has sucked out the air as far as his lungs
will allow him, he places with his tongue a small piece of wax on the end of the horn,
introduces his finger into his mouth, presses the wax firmly on the little aperture so as to
exclude the air, and then allows the horn to remain adherent by the pressure of the atmo-
sphere. The blood of course runs into the horn, and in a short time coagulates into a
flat circular cake. The wax is then removed from the end of the horn; the latter is taken
off, the cake of blood put aside, and the process repeated until the operator and patient
are satisfied.
Dr. Livingstone mentions a case in which this strange predilection for the cupping-
horn clearly hastened, even if it did not produce, the death of a child. The whole story
is rather a singular one, and shows the state of religious, or rather superstitious, feeling
among the native Angolese. It so happened that a Portuguese trader died in a village,
and after his death the other traders met and disposed of his property among themselves,
each man accounting for his portion to the relations of the deceased, who lived at Loanda,
the principal town of Angola. The generality of the natives, not understanding the
nature of written obligations, thought that the traders had simply sold the goods and
appropriated the money.
Some time afterwards the child of a man who had bought some of this property fell
ill, and the mother sent for the diviner in order to find out the cause of its ailment. After
throwing his magic dice, and working himself up to the proper pitch of ecstatic fury,
the prophet announced that the child was being killed by the spirit of the deceased trader
in revenge for his stolen property. The mother was quite satisfied with the revelation,
and wanted to give the prophet a slave by way of a fee. The father, however, was less
amenable, and, on learning the result of the investigation, he took a friend with him to
the place where the diviner was still in his state of trance, and by the application of two
sticks to his back restored him to his senses.
Even after this the ignorant mother would not allow the child to be treated with
European medicines, but insisted on cupping it on the cheek ; and the consequence was,
that in a short time the child died.
The Angolese are a marvellously superstitious people, and, so far from having lost any
of their superstitions by four centuries of connexion with the Portuguese, they seem
rather to have infected their white visitors with them. Ordeals of several kinds are in
great use among them, especially the poison ordeal, which has extended itself through so
large a portion of Africa, and slays its thousands annually. One curious point in the
Angolese ordeal is, that it is administered in one particular spot on the banks of the river
Dua, and that persons who are accused of crime, especially of witchcraft, will travel
hundreds of miles to the sacred' spot, strong in their belief that the poison-tree will do
them no harm. It is hardly necessary to state that the guilt or innocence of the person
on trial depends wholly on the caprice of the medicine man who prepares the poisonous
draught, and that he may either weaken it or substitute another material without being
discovered by these credulous people.
As, according to Baloncla ideas, the spirits of the deceased are always with their friends
on earth, partaking equally in their joys and sorrows, helping those whom they love, and
thwarting those whom they hate, they are therefore supposed to share in an ethereal
sort of way in the meals taken by their friends; and it follows that when a man
denies himself food, he is not only starving himself, but afflicting the spirits of his ances-
tors. Sacrifices are a necessary result of this idea, as is the cooking and eating of the
flesh by those who offer them.
MARKIAGES AND FUNEKALS. 425
Their theory of sickness is a very simple one. They fancy that if the spirits of the
dead find that their living friends do not treat them properly, and give them plenty to eat
and drink, the best thing to do is to take out of the world such useless allies, in order to
make room for others who will treat them better. The same idea also runs into their pro-
pitiatory sacrifices. If one man kills another, the murderer offers sacrifices to his victim,
thinking that if when he first finds himself a spirit, instead of a man, he is treated to an
abundant feast, he will not harbour feelings of revenge against the man who sent him out
of the world, and deprived him of all its joys and pleasures.
It is said that in some parts of the country human sacrifices are used, a certain sect
existing who kill men in order to offer their hearts to the spirits.
Marriages among the Angolese still retain some remnant of their original ceremonies.
The bride is taken to a hut, anointed with various charmed preparations, and then left
alone while prayers are offered for a happy marriage and plenty of male children, a large
family of sons being one of the greatest blessings that can fall to the lot of an Angolese
household. Daughters are comparatively despised, but a woman who has never presented
her husband with children of either sex is looked upon with the greatest scorn and con-
tempt. Her more fortunate companions are by no means slow in expressing their opinion
of her, and in the wedding-songs sung in honour of a bride are sure to introduce a line
or two reflecting upon her uselessness, and hoping that the bride will not be so unprofit-
able a wife as to give neither sons nor daughters to her husband as a recompense for the
money which he has paid for her. So bitter are these words, that the woman at whom
they were aimed has been more than once known to rush off and destroy herself.
After several days of this performance, the bride is taken to another hut, clothed in
all the finery that she possesses or can borrow for the occasion, led out in public, and
acknowledged as a married woman. She then goes to her husband's dwelling, but always
has a hut to herself.
Into their funeral ceremonies the Angolese contrive to introduce many of their super-
stitions. Just before death the friends set up their wailing cry (which must be very
consolatory to the dying person), and continue this outcry for a day or two almost
without cessation, accompanying themselves with a peculiar musical instrument which
produces tones of a similar character.
For a day or two the survivors are employed in gathering materials for a grand feast,
in which they expend so much of their property that they are often impoverished for
years. They even keep pigs and other animals in case some of their friends might die,
when they would be useful at the funeral. True to the idea that the spirit of the dead
partakes of the pleasures of the living, they feast continually until all the food is
expended, interposing their revelling with songs and dances. The usual drum-beating
goes on during the time, and scarcely one of the party is to be found sober. Indeed, a
man who would voluntarily remain sober would be looked upon as despising the memory
of the dead. Dr. Livingstone mentions that a native who appeared in a state of intoxica-
tion, and was blamed for it, remarked in a surprised tone, " Why, my mother is dead ! "
They have a curious hankering after cross-roads as a place of interment, and although
the Portuguese, the real masters of the land, have endeavoured to abolish the custom,
they have not yet succeeded in doing so, even though they inflict heavy fines on those
"who disobeyed them, and appointed places of public interment. Even when the inter-
ment of the body in the cross-road itself has been prevented, the natives have succeeded
in digging the grave by the side of the path. On and round it they plant certain species
of euphorbias, and on the grave they lay various articles, such as cooking-vessels, water-
bottles, pipes, and arms. These, however, are all broken and useless, being thought equally
serviceable to the dead as the perfect specimens, and affording no temptation to thieves.
A very remarkable and striking picture of the Angolese, their superstitions, and their
country, is given by Dr. Livingstone in the following passage : —
" When the natives turn their eyes to the future world, they have a view cheerless
enough of their own utter helplessness and hopelessness. They fancy themselves com-
pletely in the power of the disembodied spirits, and look upon the prospect of following
them as the greatest of misfortunes. Hence they aje constautly deprecating the
426 THE ANGOLESE
of departed souls, believing that, if they are appeased, there is no other cause of death but
witchcraft, which may be averted by charms.
"The whole of the coloured population of Angola are sunk in these gross superstitions,
but have the opinion, notwithstanding, that they are wiser in these matters than their
white neighbours. Each tribe has a consciousness of following its own best interests in
the best way. They are by no means destitute of that self-esteem which is so common
in other nations ; yet they fear all manner of phantoms, and have half-developed ideas
and traditions of something or other, they know not what. The pleasures of animal liie
are ever present to their minds as the supreme good ; and, but for the innumerable
invisibilities, they might enjoy their luxurious climate as much as it is possible for
man to do.
" I have often thought, in travelling through their land, that it presents pictures of
beauty which angels might enjoy. How often have I beheld in still mornings scenes the
very essence of beauty, and all bathed in a quiet air of delicious warmth ! yet the occa-
sional soft motion imparted a pleasing sensation of coolness, as of a fan. Green grassy
meadows, the cattle feeding, the goats browsing, the kids skipping ; the groups of herd-
boys with miniature bows, arrows, and spears ; the women wending their way to the river,
with water-pots poised jauntily on their heads ; men sewing under the shady banians ; and
old grey-headed fathers sitting on the ground, with staff in hand, listening to the morning
gossip, while others carry trees or branches to repair their hedges ; and all this, flooded
with the bright African sunshine, and the birds singing among the branches before the
heat of the day has become intense, form pictures which can never be forgotten."
CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE WAGOGO AND WANYAMUEZI.
THE MANY AND TRANSITORY TRIBES OF AFRICA UGOGO AND THE PEOPLE — UNPLEASANT CHARACTER
OF THE WAGOGO — THEFT AND EXTORTION WAGOGO GREEDINESS — THE WANYAMUEZI OR WEEZEE
TRIBE THEIR VALUE AS GUIDES DRESS OF THE MEN (> SAMBO " RINGS WOMAN'S DRESS AND
ORNAMENTS HAIR-DRESSING GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE WOMEN WEEZEE ARCHITECTURE — •
USE OF THE DRUM SALUTATION SULTAN STIRABOUT THE HUSBAND'S WELCOME GAMES AND
DANCES — SHAM FIGHTS — PITCH AND TOSS — NIGHT IN A WEEZEE VILLAGE BREWING AM)
DRINKING POMBE A HARVEST SCENE SUPERSTITIONS — FUNERALS.
WE will now pass from the west to the east of Africa, and accompany Captains Spoke
and Grant in their journey through the extraordinary tribes that exist between Zanzibar
and Northern Africa. It will be impossible to describe in detail the many tribes that
inhabit this track, or even to give the briefest account of them. We shall therefore select
a few of the most important among them, and describe them as fully as our very limited
space will permit.
Perhaps the reader may think it strange that we are lingering so long in this part of
the world. The reason is, that Africa, southern and equatorial, is filled with a bewildering
variety of singular tribes, each of which has manners and customs unique in themselves, and
presents as great a contrast to its neighbours as if they were separated by seas or moun-
tain ranges. Sometimes they merge into each other by indefinable gradations, but often
the line of demarcation is boldly and sharply drawn, so that the tribe which inhabits one
bank of a river is utterly unlike that which occupies the opposite bank, in appearance,
in habits, and in language. In one case, for example, the people who live on one side of
the river are remarkable for the scrupulous completeness with which both sexes are clad,
while on the other side no clothing whatever is worn.
The same cause which has given us the knowledge of these remarkable tribes will
inevitably be the precursor of their disappearance. The white man has set his foot on.
their soil, and from that moment may be dated their gradual but certain decadence. They
have learned the value of fire-arms, and covet them beyond everything. Their chiefs
have already abandoned the use of their native weapons, having been wealthy enough
to purchase muskets from the white men, or powerful enough to extort them as pre-
sents. The example which they have set is sure to extend to the people, and a few
years will therefore witness the entire abandonment of native-made weapons. With the
weapons their mode of warfare will be changed, and in course of time the whole people
will undergo such modifications that they will be an essentially different race. It is
the object of this work to bring together, as far as possible in a limited space, the most
remarkable of these perishing usages, and it is therefore necessary to expend the most
space on the country that affords most of them.
The line that we now have to follow can be seen by turning to the map of Africa on
page 37. We shall start from Zanzibar on the east coast, go westward and northward,
428 THE WAGOGO.
passing by the Unyamuezi and Wahuma to the great N'yanza lakes. Here we shall come
upon the track of Sir Samuel Baker, and shall then accompany him northward among the
tribes which he visited.
Passing by a number of tribes which we cannot stop to investigate, we come upon the
Wagogo, who inhabit Ugogo, a district about lat. 4° S. and long. 36° £. Here I may
mention that, although the language of some of these tribes is so different that the people
cannot understand each other, in most of them the prefix " Wa " indicates plurality, like
the word " men " in English. Thus the people of Ugogo are the Wagogo, and the
inhabitants of Unyamuezi are the Wanyamuezi, pronounced, for brevity's sake, Weezee.
An individual of the Wagogo is called Mgogo.
The Wagogo are a wild set of people, such as might be expected from the country in
which they live. Their colour is reddish brown, with a tinge of black ; and when the skin
happens to be clean, it is said to look like a very ripe plum. They are scanty dressers,
wearing little except a cloth of some kind round the waist ; but they are exceedingly fond
of ornaments, by means of which they generally contrive to make themselves as ugly as
possible. Their principal ornament is the tubular end of a gourd, which is thrust through
the ear ; but they also decorate their heads with hanks of bark-fibre, which they twist
among their thick woolly hair, and which have a most absurd appearance when the
wearer is running or leaping. Sometimes they weave strings of beads into the hair in
similar manner, or fasten an ostrich feather upon their heads.
They are not a warlike people, but, like others who are not remarkable for courage,
they always go armed ; a Mgogo never walking without his spear and shield, and perhaps
a short club, also to be used as a missile. The shield is oblong, and made of leather, and
the spear has nothing remarkable about it ; and, as Captain Speke remarks, these weapons
are carried more for show than for use.
They are not a pleasant people, being avaricious, intrusive, and inquisitive, ingrained
liars, and sure to bully if they think they can do so with safety. If travellers pass
through their country, they are annoying beyond endurance, jeering at them with words
and insolent gestures, intruding themselves among the party, and turning over everything
that they can reach, and sometimes even forcing themselves into the tents. Consequently
the travellers never enter the villages, but encamp at some distance from them, under the
shelter of the wide-spreading " gouty-limbed trees " that are found in this country, and
surround their camp with a strong hedge of thorns, which the naked Mgogo does not
choose to encounter.
Covetous even beyond the ordinary avarice of African tribes, the Wagogo seize every
opportunity of fleecing travellers who come into their territory. Beside the usual tax, or
" hongo," which is demanded for permission to pass through the country, they demand all
sorts of presents, or rather bribes. When one of Captain Speke's porters happened to
break a bow by accident, the owner immediately claimed as compensation something of
ten times its value.
Magomba, the chief, proved himself an adept at extortion. First he sent a very polite
message, requesting Captain Speke to reside in his own house, but this flattering though
treacherous proposal was at once declined. In the first place, the houses of this part of
the country are small and inconvenient, being nothing more than mud huts with flat-
topped roofs, this kind of architecture* being called by the name of " tenibe." In the next
place, the chief's object was evidently to isolate the leader of the expedition fioin his
companions, and so to have a hold upon him. This he could more easily do, as the
villages are strongly walled, so that a traveller who is once decoyed inside them could
not escape without submitting to the terms of the inhabitants. Unlike the villages of
the southern Africans, which are invariably circular, these are invariably oblong, and
both the walls and the houses are made of mud.
Next day Magomba had drank so much pombe that he was quite unfit for business,
but on the following day the hongo was settled, through the chief's prime minister, who
straightway did a little business on his own account by presenting a small quantity of
food, and asking for an adequate return, which, of course, meant one of twenty times its
value. Having secured this, he proceeded to further extortion by accusing Captain
THEFT AND EXTORTION.
429
Grant of having shot a lizard on a stone which he was pleased to call sacred. Then none
of them would give any information without being paid for it. Then, because they
thought that their extortion was not sufficiently successful, they revenged themselves by
telling the native porters such horrifying tales of the countries which they were about
to visit and the cruelty of the white men, that the porters were frightened, and ran away,
some forgetting to put down their loads.
These tactics were repeated at every village near which the party had to pass, and at
one place the chief threatened to attack Captain Speke's party, and at the same time sent
word to all the porters that they had better escape, or they would be killed. Half of them
WAGOGO GREEDINESS.
did escape, taking with them the goods which would have been due to them as payment ;
and, as appeared afterwards, the rascally Wagogo had arranged that they should do so,
and then they would go shares in the plunder.
They were so greedy, that they not only refused to sell provisions except at an
exorbitant rate, but when the leaders of the expedition shot game to supply food for their
men, the Wagogo flocked to the spot in multitudes, each man with his arms, and did their
best to carry off the meat before the rightful owners could reach it. Once, when they
were sadly in want of food, Captain Speke went at night in search of game, and shot a
rhinoceros. By earliest dawn he gave notice to his men that there was plenty of meat
for them.
" We had all now to hurry back to the carcase before the Wagogo could find it ; but
though this precaution was quickly taken, still, before the tough skin of the beast could
be cut through, the Wagogo began assembling like vultures, and fighting with my men.
430 THE WANYAMUEZI.
" A more savage, filthy, disgusting, but at the same time grotesque, scene than lluit
•which followed cannot be described. All fell to work with swords, spears, knives, and
hatchets, cutting and slashing, thumping and bawling, fighting and tearing, up to their
knees in tilth and blood in the middle of the carcase. When a tempting morsel fell to
the possession of any one, a stronger neighbour would seize and bear off the prize in
triumph. All right was now a matter of pure might, and lucky it was that it did not end
in a fight between our men and the villagers. These might be afterwards seen, covered
with blood, scampering home each one with his spoil — a piece of tripe, or liver, or lights,
or whatever else it might have been his fortune to get off with."
It might be imagined that the travellers were only too glad to be fairly out of the
dominions of this tribe, who had contrived to cheat and rob them in every way, and had
moreover, through sheer spite and covetousness, frightened away more than a hundred
porters who had been engaged to carry the vast quantities of goods with which the
traveller must bribe the chiefs of the different places through which he passes.
THE WANYAMUEZI.
THE next tribe which we shall mention is that which is called Wanyamuezi. For-
tunately the natives seldom use this word in full, and speak of themselves as Weezee,
a word much easier to say, and certainly simpler to write. In the singular the name is
Myamuezi. The country which they inhabit is called Unyanmezi, the Country of the
Moon.
For many reasons this is a most remarkable tribe. They are almost the only people
near Central Africa who will willingly leave their own country, and, for the sake of wages,
will act as porters or guides to distant countries. It seems that this capability of travel
is hereditary among them, and that they have been from tinre immemorial the greatest
trading tribe in Africa. It was to this tribe that the porters belonged who were induced
by the Wagogo to desert Captain Speke, and none knew better than themselves that in
no other tribe could he find men to supply their places.
Unyamuezi is a large district about the size of England, in lat. 5° S. and between
long. 3° and 5° E. Formerly it must have been a great empire, but it has now suffered the
fate of most African tribes, and is split into a number of petty tribes, each jealous of the
other, and each liable to continual subdivision.
The Weezee are not a handsome race, being inferior in personal appearance to the
Wagogo, though handsome individuals of both sexes may be found among them. Like
the Wagogo, they are not a martial race, though they always travel with their weapons,
s-uch as they are, i.e. a very inefficient bow and a couple of arrows. Their dress is simple
enough. They wear the ordinary cloth round the loins ; but when they start on a journey
they hang over their shoulders a dressed goatskin, which passes over one shoulder and
under the other. On account of its narrowness, it can hardly answer any purpose of
warmth, and for the same reason can hardly be intended to serve as a covering. However,
it seems to be the fashion, and they all wear it.
They decorate themselves with plenty of ornaments, some of which are used as
amulets, and the others merely worn as decoration. They have one very curious mode
of making their bracelets. They take a single hair of a giraffe's tail, wrap it round
with wire, just like the bass string of a violin, and then twist this compound rope round
their wrists or ankles. These rings are called by the name of "sambo," and, though they
are mostly worn by women, the men will put them on when they have nothing better.
Their usual bracelets are, however, heavy bars of copper or iron, beaten into the proper
shape. Like other natives in the extreme south, they knock out the two central incisor
DKESS OF THE WOMEN.
431
teeth of the lower jaw, and chip a V-like space between the corresponding teetli of the
upper jaw.
The women are far better dressed. They wear tolerably large cloths made by them-
selves of native cotton, and cover the whole body from under the arms to below the
knees. They wear the sambo rings in vast profusion, winding them round and round
their wrists and ankles until the limbs are sheathed in metallic armour for six or seven
inches. If they can do so, they naturally prefer wearing calico and other materials
brought from Europe, partly because it is a sign of wealth, and partly because it is much
lighter than the native-made cotton cloths, though not so durable.
ARCHITECTURE OP THE WEEZEE.
a-'heir woolly hair is plentifully dressed with oil and twisted up, until at a little dis-
tance they look as if they had a head-dress of black-beetle shards. Sometimes they screw
it into tassels, and hang beads at the end of each tassel, or decorate them with little
charms made of beads. The manner in which these " tags " are made is very simple.
There is a kind of banian tree called the miambo, and from this are cut a quantity of
slender twigs. These twigs are then split longitudinally, the outer and inner bark sepa-
rated, and then well chewed until the fibres are properly arranged. At first they are
much lighter in colour than the black woolly hair to which they are fastened, but they
soon become blackened by use and grease. They use a little tattooing, but not much,
making three lines on each temple, and another down the middle of the nose. Lines of
blue are often seen on the foreheads of both sexes, but these are the permanent remains
of the peculiar treatment which they pursue for the headache, and which, with them,
seems to be effectual.
4:52 THE WANYAMUEZI.
The character of the women is, on the whole, good, as they are decent and well con-
ducted and, for savages, tidy, though scarcely clean in their persons. They will some-
t lines accompany their husbands on the march, and have a weakness for smoking all the
time that they walk. They carry their children on their backs, a stool or two and other
implements on their heads, and yet contrive to act as cooks as soon as they halt, preparing
some savoury dish of herbs for their husbands. They have a really wonderful knowledge
of practical botany, and a Weezee will live in comfort where a man from another tribe
would starve. Besides cooking, they also contrive to run up little huts made of boughs,
in shape like a reversed bell, and very tiny, but'yet large enough to afford shelter during
sleep.
The houses of the Weezee are mostly of that mud-walled, flat-topped kind which is
called " tembe," though some are shaped like haystacks, and they are built with considerable
care. Some of these have the roof extending beyond the walls, so as to form a verandah
like that of a Bechuana house ; and the villages are surrounded with a strong fence. The
door is very small, and only allows one person to pass at a time. Tt is made of boards,
and can be lifted to allow ingress and egress. Some of the stakes above and at the side
of the door are decorated with blocks of wood on their tops ; and some of the chiefs are
in the habit of fixing on the posts the skulls of those whom they have put to death, just
as in former years the heads of traitors were fixed over Temple Bar.
Some of the villages may lay claim to the title of fortified towns, so elaborately are
they constructed. The palisading which surrounds them is very high and strong, and
defended in a most artistic manner, first by a covered way, then a quickset hedge of
euphorbia, and, lastly, a broad dry ditch, or moat. Occasionally the wall is built out in
bastion -fashion, so as to give a good flanking fire. Within the valleys the houses extend
to the right and left of the entrances, and are carefully railed off, so that the whole
structure is really a very strong one in a military point of view.
They are a tolerably polite race, and have a complete code of etiquette for receiving
persons, whether friends or strangers. If a chief receives another chief, he gets up quite
a ceremony, assembling all the people of the village with their drums and other musical
instruments, and causing them to honour the coining guest with a dance, and as much
noise as can be extracted out of their meagre band. If they have fire-arms, they will
discharge them as long as their powder lasts ; and if not, they content themselves with
their voices, which are naturally loud, the drums, and any other musical instrument that
they may possess.
But, whatever may be used, the drum is a necessity in these parts, and is indispen-
sable to a proper welcome. Even when the guest takes his leave, the drum is an
essential accompaniment of his departure ; and, accordingly, " beating the drum " is a
phrase which is frequently used to signify departure from a place. For example, if a
traveller is passing through a district, and is bargaining with the chief for the " hongo "
which he has to pay, the latter will often threaten that, unless he is paid his demands in
full, he will not "beat the drum," i.e. will not permit the traveller to pass on. So well
is this known, that the porters do not take up their burdens until they hear the welcome
sound of the drum. This instrument often calls to war, and, in fact, can be made to tell
its story as completely as the bugle of European armies.
When ordinary men meet their chief, they bow themselves and clap their hands
twice, and the women salute him by making a courtesy as well as any lady at court.
This, however, is an obeisance which is only vouchsafed to very great chiefs, the petty
chiefs, or head-men of villages, having to content themselves with the simple clapping of
hands.
If two women of unequal rank meet, the inferior drops on one knee, and bows her
head ; the superior lays one hand on the shoulder of the other ; and they remain in this
position for a few moments, while they mutter some words in an undertone. They then
rise and talk freely.
To judge from Captain Grant's account of the great chief Ugalee (i.e. Stirabout),
who was considered a singularly favourable specimen of the sultans, as these great chiefs
are called, the deference paid to them is given to the office, and not to the individual who
SULTAN TJGALEE.
433
holds it. Ugalee, who was the finest specimen that had been seen, was supposed to be a
clever man, though he did not know his own age, nor could count above ten, nor had any
names for the day of the week, the month, or the year.
" After we had been about a month in his district, Sultan Ugalee arrived at Mineenga
on the 21st of April, and was saluted by file-firing from our volunteers and shrill cries
from the women. He visited us in the verandah the day following. He looks about
twenty-two years of age ; has three
children and thirty wives ; is six feet _
high, stout, with a stupid, heavy ex-
pression. His bare head is in tassels,
hanks of fibre being mixed in with
the hair. His body is loosely wrapped
round with a blue and yellow
cotton cloth, his loins are covered
with a dirty bit of oily calico, and
his feet are large and naked. A
monster ivory ring is on his left
wrist, while the right one bears a
copper ring of rope pattern ; several
hundreds of wire rings are massed
round his ankles.
" He was asked to be seated on
one of our iron stools, but looked at
first frightened, and did not open his
mouth. An old man spoke for him,
and a crowd of thirty followers
squatted behind him. Speke,to amuse
him, produced his six-barrelled re-
volver,but he merely eyed it intently.
The book of birds and animals, on
being shown to him upside down by
Sirboko, the head man of the village,
drew from him a sickly smile, and
he was pleased to imply that he
preferred the animals to the birds.
He received some snuff in the palm
of his hand, took a good pinch, and
gave the rest to his spokesman.
" He wished to look at my mos-
quito-curtained bed, and in moving
away was invited to dine with us.
We sent him a message at seven
o'clock that the feast was prepared,
but a reply came that he was full,
and could not be tempted even with
a glass of rum. The following day he came to bid us good bye, and left without any
exchange of presents, being thus very different from the grasping race of Ugogo."
It has been mentioned that the Wanyamuezi act as traders, and go to great distances,
and there is even a separate mode of greeting by which a wife welcomes her husband
back from his travels. As soon as she hears that her husband is about to arrive home
after his journey to the coast, she puts on all her ornaments, decorates herself with a
feathered cap, gathers her friends round her, and proceeds to the hut of the chief's prin-
cipal wife, before whose door they all dance and sing.
Dancing and singing are with them, as with other tribes, their chief amusement.
There was a blind man who was remarkable for his powers of song, being able to send
his voice to a considerable distance with a sort of ventriloquial effect. He was extremely
VOL. I. F F
WEZEE SALUTATION.
THE WANYAMUEZI.
popular and in the evenings the chief himself would form one of the audience, and join
in the chorus with which his song was accompanied. They have several national airs
which, according to Captains Speke and Grant, are really fine.
Inside each village there is a club-house, or " Iwansa," as it is called,
structure much larger than those which are used for dwelling-houses, and is built in a
THE HUSBAND'S WELCOME.
different manner. One of these iwansas, which was visited by Captain Grant, " was a
lon<>- low room twelve by eighteen feet, with one door, a low flat roof, well blackened
with smoke, and no chimney. Along its length
there ran a high inclined bench, on which cow-skins
were spread for men to take their seats. Some huge
drums were hung in one corner, and logs smouldered
on the floor.
" Into this place strangers are ushered when they
first enter the village, and here they reside until a
house can be appropriated to them. Here the young
men all gather at the close of day to hear the news,
and join in that interminable talk which seems one of
the chief joys of a native African. Here they per-
formed kindly offices to each other, such as pulling
out the hairs of the eyelashes and eyebrows with
their curious little tweezers, chipping the teeth into
the correct form, and marking on the cheeks and temples the peculiar marks which
designate the clan to which they belong." ^
TWEEZERS.
WANYAMUEZl AMUSEMENTS. 435
The two pairs ot tweezers shown in the illustration are drawn from specimens in
Colonel Lane Fox's collection. They are made of iron, most ingeniously flattened and
bent so as to give the required elasticity. These instruments are made of different sizes,
but they are seldom much larger than those represented in the illustration.
Smoking and drinking also go on largely in theiwansa, and here the youths indulge in
various games. One of these games is exactly similar to one which has been introduced
into England. Each player has a stump of Indian corn, cut short, which he stands on
the ground in front of him. A rude sort of teetotum is made of a gourd and a stick, and
is spun among the corn-stumps, the object of the game being to knock down the stump
belonging to the adversary. This is a favourite game, and elicits much noisy laughter
and applause, not only from the actual players, but from the spectators who surround
them.
In front of the iwansa the dances are conducted. They are similar in some respects
to those of the Damaras, as mentioned on page 347, except that the performers stand in a
line instead of in a circle. A long strip of bark or cow-skin is laid on the ground, "and
the Weezees arrange themselves along it, the tallest man always taking the place of
honour in the middle. When they have arranged themselves, the drummers strike up
their noisy instruments, and the dancers begin a strange chant, which is more like a howl
than a song. They all bow their .heads low, put their hands on their hips, stamp vigo-
rously, and are pleased to think that they are dancing. The male spectators stand in
front and encourage their friends by joining in the chorus, while the women stand behind
and look on silently. Each dance ends with a general shout of laughter or applause, and
then a fresh set of dancers take their place on the strip of skin.
Sometimes a variety is introduced into their dances. On one occasion the chief had
a number of bowls filled with pombe and set in a row. The people took their grass
bowls and filled them again and again from the jars, the chief setting the example, and
drinking more pombe than any of his subjects. When the bowls had circulated
plentifully, a couple of lads leaped into the circle, presenting a most fantastic appearance.
They had tied zebra manes over their heads, and had furnished themselves with two long
bark tubes like huge bassoons, into which they blew with all their might, accompanying
their shouts with extravagant contortions of the limbs. As soon as the pombe was all
gone, five drums were hung in a line upon a horizontal bar, and the performer began to
hammer them furiously. Inspired by the sounds, men, women, and children began to
sing and clap their hands in time, and all danced for several hours.
" The Weezee boys are amusing little fellows, and have quite a talent for games. Of
course they imitate the pursuits of their fathers, such as shooting with small bows and
arrows, jumping over sticks at various heights, pretending to shoot game, and other
amusements. Some of the elder lads converted their play into reality, by making their
bows and arrows large enough to kill the pigeons and other birds which flew about them.
They also make very creditable imitations of the white man's gun, tying two pieces of
cane together for the barrels, modelling the stock, hammer, and trigger-guard out of clay,
and imitating the smoke by tufts of cotton-wool. That they were kind-hearted boys is
evident from the fact that they had tamed birds in cages, and spent much time in teach-
ing them to sing."
From the above description it may be inferred that the Weezees are a lively race,
and such indeed is the fact. To the traveller they are amusing companions, singing their
" jolliest of songs, with deep-toned choruses, from their thick necks and throats." But
they require to be very carefully managed, being independent as knowing their own
value, and apt to go on, or halt, or encamp just when it happens to suit them. Moreover,
as they are not a cleanly race, and are sociably fond of making their evening fire close by
and to windward of the traveller's tent, they are often much too near to be agreeable,
especially as they always decline to move from the spot on which they have established
themselves.
Still they are simply invaluable on the march, for they are good porters, can always
manage to make themselves happy, and do not become homesick, as is the case with men
of other tribes. Moreover, from their locomotive habits, they are excellent guides, and
F I 2
436 THE WANYAMUEZI.
they are most useful assistants in hunting, detecting, and following up the spoor of an
animal with unerring certainty. They are rather too apt to steal the flesh of the animal
when it is killed, and quite sure to steal the fat, but, as in nine cases out of ten it would
not have been killed at all without their help, they may be pardoned for those acts of
petty larceny. They never seem at a loss for anything, but have a singular power of
supplying themselves out of the most unexpected materials. For example, if a Wanya-
muezi wants to smoke, and has no pipe, he makes a pipe in a minute or two from the
WANYAMUEZI DANCE
nearest tree. All he has to do is to cut a green twig, strip the bark off it as boys do
when they make willow whistles, push a plug of clay into it, and bore a hole through
the clay with a smaller twig or a grass- blade.
Both sexes are inveterate smokers, and, as they grow their own tobacco, they can
gratify this taste to their hearts' content. For smoking, they generally use their home-
cured tobacco, which they twist up into a thick rope like a hayband, and then coil into a
flattened spiral like a small target. Sometimes they make it into a sugar-loaf shape.
Imported tobacco they employ as snuff, grinding it to powder if it should be given to
them in a solid form, or pushing it into their nostrils if it should be in a cut state, like
" bird's-eye " or " returns."
The amusements of the Weezees are tolerably numerous. Besides those which have
been mentioned, the lads are fond of a mimic fight, using the stalks of maize instead of
spears, and making for themselves shields of bark. Except that the Weezee lads are on
foot, instead of being mounted, this game is almost exactly like the " djerid " of the
Turks, and is quite as likely to inflict painful, if not dangerous, injuries on the careless
or unskilful,
PASSION FOE GAMBLING. 437
Then, for more sedentary people, there are several games of chance and others of
skill. The game of chance is the time-honoured "pitch and toss," which is played as
eagerly here as in England. It is true that the Weezee have no halfpence, but they can
always cut discs out of bark, and bet upon the rough or smooth side turning uppermost.
They are very fond of this game, and will stake their most valued possessions, such as
" sambo " rings, bows, arrows, spear-heads, and the like.
The chief game of skill has probably reached them through the Mohammedan
traders, as it is almost identical with a game long familiar to the Turks. It is called
Bao, and is played with a board on which are thirty-two holes or cups, and with sixty-
four seeds by way of counters. Should two players meet and neither possess a board
nor the proper seeds, nothing is easier than to sit down, scrape thirty -two holes in the
ground, select sixty-four stones, and then begin to play. The reader may perhaps call to
mind the old English game of Merelles, or Nine-men's Morris, which can be played on
an extemporized board cut in the turf, and with stones instead of counters.
The most inveterate gamblers were the lifeguards of the sultan, some twenty in
number. They were not agreeable personages, being offensively supercilious in their
manner, and flatly refusing to do a stroke of work. The extent of their duty lay in
escorting their chief from one place to another, and conveying his orders from one
village to another. The rest of their time was spent in gambling, drum-beating, and
simitar amusements ; and if they distinguished themselves in any other way, it was by
the care which they bestowed on their dress. Some of these lifeguards were very skilful
in beating the drum, and when a number were performing on a row of suspended drums,
the principal drummer always took the largest instrument, and was the conductor of the
others, just as in a society of bellringers the chief of them takes the tenor bell.
For any one, except a native, to sleep in a Weezee village while the drums are
sounding is perfectly impossible, but when they have ceased the place is quiet enough,
as may be seen by Captain Grant's description of a night scene in Wanyamuezi.
" In a Weezee village there are few sounds to disturb one's night's rest : the traveller's
horn, and the reply to it from a neighbouring village, are accidental alarms ; the chirping
of crickets, and the cry from a sick child, however, occasionally broke upon the stillness
of one's night. Waking early, the first sounds we heard were the crowing of cocks, the
impatient lowing of cows, the bleating of calves, and the chirping of sparrows and other
unmusical birds. The pestle and mortar shelling corn would soon after be heard, or the
cooing of wild pigeons in the grove of palms.
" The huts were shaped like corn-stacks, supported by bare poles, fifteen feet high,
and fifteen to eighteen feet in diameter. Sometimes their grass roofs would be protected
from sparks by ' michans,' or frames of Indian corn-stalks. There were no carpets, and
all was as dark as the hold of a ship. A few earthen jars, made like the Indian ' gurrah,'
for boiling vegetables or stirabout, tattered skins, an old bow and arrow, some cups of
grass, some gourds, perhaps a stool, constitute the whole of the furniture. Grain was
housed in hard boxes of bark, and goats or calves had free access over the house."
Their customs in eating and drinking are rather remarkable. Perhaps we ought to
transfer those terms, drinking holding the first place in the mind of a Weezee. The only
drink which he cares about is the native beer or " pombe," and many of the natives live
almost entirely on pombe, taking scarcely any solid nourishment whatever.
Pombe-making is the work of the women, who brew large quantities at a time. Not
being able to build a large tank in which the water can be heated to the boiling point,
the pombe-maker takes a number of earthen pots and places them in a double row, with
an interval of eighteen inches or so between the rows. This intermediate space is
filled with wood, which is lighted, and the fire tended until the beer is boiled simul-
taneously in both rows of pots. Five days are required for completing the brewing.
The Sultan Ukulima was very fond of pombe, and, indeed, lived principally upon it.
He used to begin with a bowl of his favourite beverage, and continue drinking it at
intervals until he went to his tiny sleeping hut for the night. Though he was half
stupified during the day, he did not suffer in health, but was a fine, sturdy, hale old man,
pleasant enough in manner, and rather amusing when his head happened to be clear. He
438
THE WANYAMUEZI.
was rather fond of a practical joke, and sometimes amused himself by begging some
riuinine, mixing it slily with pombe*, and then enjoying the consternation which appeared
on the countenances of those who partook of the bitter draught.
Every morning he used to go round to the different houses, timing his visits so as to
appear when the brewing was finished. He always partook of the first bowl of beer, and
then went on to another house and drank more pombe, which he sometimes sucked
through a reed in sherry-cobbler
fashion. Men and women seldom
drink in company ; the latter
assembling together under the pre-
sidency of the sultana, or chief
wife, and drinking in company.
As to food, regular meals seem
to be almost unknown among the
who "drop in" at their
men, wlio "drop in"
friends' houses, taking a small
potato at one place, a bowl of
pombe at another, and, on rare
occasions, a little beef. Indeed,
Captain Grant says that he seldom
saw men at their meals, unless
they were assembled for pombu
drinking. Women, however, who
eat, as they drink, by themselves,
are more regular in their meals,
and at stated times have their
food prepared.
The grain from which the
pombe' is made is cultivated by
the women, who undertake most,
though not all, of its preparation.
When it is green, they reap it by
cutting off the ears with a knife,
just as was done by the Egyptians
of ancient times. They then carry
the ears in baskets to the village,
empty them out upon the ground,
and spread them in the sunbeams
until they are thoroughly dried.
The men then thrash out the grain
with curious flails, looking like
rackets, with handles eight or nine
feet in length.
DRINKING POMB& When thrashed, it is stored
away in various fashions. Some-
times it is made into a miniature
corn-rick placed on legs, like the " staddles " of our own farmyards. Sometimes a
pole is stuck into the earth, and the corn is bound round it at some distance from
the ground, so that it resembles an angler's float of gigantic dimensions. The oddest,
though perhaps the safest, way of packing grain is to tie it up in a bundle, and hang it
to the branch of a tree. When wanted for use, it is pounded in a wooden mortar like
those of the Ovambo tribe, in order to beat off the husk, and finally it is ground between
two stones.
The Wanyamuezi are not a very superstitious people, — at all events they are not such
slaves to superstition as many other tribes. As far as is known, they have no idols, but
then they have no religious system, except perhaps a fear of evil spirits, and a belief that
EXORCISING AN EVIL SPIRIT.
439
such spirits can be exorcised by qualified wizards. A good account of one of these
exorcisions is given by Captain Grant.
" The sultan sits at the doorway of his hut, which is decorated with lioVs paws.
" His daughter, the possessed, is opposite to him, completely hooded, and guarded by
two Watusi women, one on each side, holding a naked spear erect. The sultana com-
HARVEST SCENE ,
pletes the circle. Pombe is spirted up in the air so as to fall upon them all. A cow is
then brought in with its mouth tightly bound up, almost preventing the possibility of
breathing, and it is evident that the poor cow is to be the sacrifice.
" One spear-bearer gives the animal two gentle taps with a hatchet between the horns,
and she is followed by the woman with the evil spirit and by a second spear-bearer, who
also tap the cow. A man now steps forward, and with the same hatchet kills the cow
by a blow behind the horns. The blood is all caught in a tray (a Kaffir custom), and
placed at the feet of the possessed, after which a spear-bearer puts spots of the blood on
the woman's forehead, on the root of the neck, the palms of the hands, and the instep of
the feet. He spots the other spear-bearers in the same manner, and the tray is then
taken by another man, who spots the sultan, his kindred, and household.
" Again the tray is carried to the feet of the possessed, and she spots with the blood
her little son and nephews, who kneel to receive it. Sisters and female relatives come
next to be anointed by her, and it is pleasant to see those dearest to her pressing forward
with congratulations and wishes. She then rises from her seat, uttering a sort of whining
cry, and walks off to the house of the sultana, preceded and followed by spear-bearers.
440 THE WANYAMUEZI.
During the day she walks about the village, still hooded, and attended by several followers
shaking gourds containing grain, and singing ' Heigh-ho, massa-a-no,' or ' masanga.' An
old woman is appointed to wrestle with her for a broomstick which she carries, and
finally the stick is left in her hand.
" Late in the afternoon a change is wrought ; she appears as in ordinary, but with her
face curiously painted in the same way. She sits without smiling to receive offerings of
grain, with beads or anklets placed on twigs of the broomstick, which she holds upright ;
and this over, she walks among the women, who shout out, ' Gnombe ! ' (cow), or some
other ridiculous expression to create a laugh. This winds up the ceremony on the first
day, but two days afterwards the now emancipated woman is seen parading about with
the broomstick hung with beads and rings, and looking herself again, being completely
cured. The vanquished spirit had been forced to fly ! "
Like many other African tribes, the Weezees fully believe that when a person is ill
witchcraft must have been the cause of the malady, and once, when Captain Grant was
in their country, a man who used to sell fish to him died suddenly. His wife was at
once accused of murdering him by poison (which is thought to be a branch of sorcery),
was tried, convicted, and killed. The truth of the verdict was confirmed by the fact that
the hyaenas did not touch the body after death.
They have all kinds of odd superstitions about animals. Captain Grant had shot an
antelope, which was quite new to him, and which was therefore a great prize. With the
unwilling aid of his assistant he carried it as far as the village, but there the man laid it
down, declining to carry it within the walls on the plea that it was a dangerous animal,
and must not be brought to the houses. The Sultan Ukalima was then asked to have it
brought in, but the man, usually so mild, flew at once into a towering rage, and would
not even allow a piece of the skin to be brought within the village. He said that if its
flesh were eaten it would cause the fingers and toes to fall off, and that if its saliva
touched the skin an ulcer would be the result. Consequently, the skin was lost, and
only a sketch preserved. These ideas about the " bawala," as this antelope was called,
did not seem to have extended very far ; for, while the body was still lying outside the
walls, a party of another tribe came up, and were very glad to cook it and eat it on
the spot.
All lions and lynxes are the property of the sultan. No one may wear the lion-skin
except himself, and he decorates his dwelling with the paws and other spoils. This may
be expected, as the lion-skin is considered as an emblem of royalty in other lands beside
Africa. But there is a curious superstition about the lion, which prohibits any one from
walking round its body, or even its skin. One day, when a lion had been killed, and its
body brought into the village, Captain Grant measured it, and was straightway assailed
by the chief priest of the place for breaking the law in walking round the animal while
he was measuring it. He gave as his reason that there was a spell laid on the lions
which kept them from entering the villages, and that the act of walking round the
animal broke the spell. He said, however, that a payment of four cloths to him would
restore the efficacy of the spell, and then he would not tell the sultan. Captain Grant
contrived to extricate himself very ingeniously by arguing that the action which broke
the spell was not walking round the body, but stepping over it, and that he had been
careful to avoid.
After sundry odd ceremonies have been performed over the dead body of the lion, the
flesh, which is by that time half putrid, is boiled by the sultan in person, the fat is
skimmed off, and preserved as a valued medicine, and the skin dressed for regal wear.
The Wanyamuezi have a way of " making brotherhood," similar to that which has
already been described, except that instead of drinking each other's blood, the newly-
made brothers mix it with butter on a leaf and exchange leaves. The butter is then
rubbed into the incisions, so that it acts as a healing ointment at the same time that the
blood is exchanged. The ceremony is concluded by tearing the leaves to pieces and
showering the fragments on the heads of the brothers.
The travellers happened to be in the country just in time to see a curious mourning
ceremony. There was a tremendous commotion in the chief's " tembe," and on inquiry
CURIOUS FUNERAL CEREMONY.
441
it turned out that twins had been borne to one of his wives, but that they were both
dead. All the women belonging to his household marched about in procession, painted
and adorned in a very grotesque manner, singing and dancing with strange gesticulations
of arms and legs, and looking, indeed, as if they had been indulging in pombe rather than
afflicted by grief. This went on all day, and in the evening they collected a great bundle
of bulrushes, tied it up in a cloth, and carried it to the door of the mother's hut, just as if
it had been the dead body^of a man. They then set it down on the ground, stuck a
quantity of the rushes into the earth, at each side of the door, knelt down, and began a
long shrieking wail, which lasted for several hours together.
TUFTED BOW AND SPEAR
(Lent by Mr. Wareham.)
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
KARAGUE.
LOCALITY OF KABAGUE THE DISTINCT CLASSES OF THE INHABITANTS THEIR GENERAL CHARACTER
MODE OF SALUTATION — THE RULING CASTE, OR WAHUMA, AND . THE ROYAL CASTE", OR
MOHEENDA LAW OF SUCCESSION THE SULTAN RUMANIKA AND HIS FAMILY — PLANTAIN WINE —
HOW RUMAN1KA GAINED THE THRONE OBSEQUIES OF HIS FATHER NEW-MOON CEREMONIES —
TWO ROYAL PROPHETS THE MAGIC HORNS — MARRIAGE — EASY LOT OF THE WAHUMA WOMEN
WIFE-FATTENING — AN ODD USE OF OBESITY — DRESS OF THE WOMEN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
BUMANIKA'S PRIVATE BAND — FUNERAL CUSTOMS.
PASSING by a number of tribes of more or less importance, we come to the country called
KARAGUE (pronounced Kah-rah-goo-eh), which occupies a district about lat. 3° S. and
long. 81° E. The people of this district are divided into two distinct classes, — namely,
the reigning race, or Wahuma, and the peasantry, or Wanyambo. These latter were the
original inhabitants of the land, but were dispossessed by the Wahuma, who have turned
them into slaves and tillers of the ground. Among the Wahuma there is another distinc-
tion,— namely, a royal caste, or Moheenda.
As to the Wanyambo, although they are reduced to the condition of peasants, and
have been compared to the ryots of India, they seem to preserve their self-respect, and
have a kind of government among themselves, the country being divided into districts,
each of which has its own governor. These men are called Wakunga, and are distin-
guished by a sort of uniform, consisting of a sheet of calico or a scarlet blanket in
addition to the ordinary dress.
They are an excitable and rather quarrelsome people, and are quite capable of taking
their own parts, even against the Weezees, with whom they occasionally quarrel. They
do not carry their weapons continually, like the Wagogo and the Weezees, contenting
themselves with a stick about five feet Jong, with a knob at the end, without which they
are seldom to be seen, and which is not only used as a weapon, but is employed in
greeting a friend.
The mode of saluting another is to hold out the stick to the friend, who touches the
knobbed end with his hand, and repeats a few words of salutation. Yet, although they
do not habitually carry weapons, they are very well armed, their bows being exceedingly
powerful and elastic, more than six feet in length, and projecting a spear-headed arrow to
a great distance. Spears are also employed, but the familiar weapon is the bow.
A bow belonging to M'nanagee, the brother of Eumanika, the then head chief or
"sultan" of Karague, was a beautiful specimen of native workmanship. It was six feet
three inches in length, i.e. exactly the height of the owner, and was so carefully made
that there was not a curve in it that could offend the eye. The string was twisted from
the sinews of a cow, and the owner could project an arrow some two hundred yards.
The wood of which it was made looked very like our own ash.
EUMANIKA AND HIS FAMILY. 443
The Wanyambo were very polite to Captain Grant, taking great care of him, and
advising him how to preserve his health, thus affording a practical refutation of the
alarming stories respecting their treachery and ferocity of which he had been told
when determining to pass through their country. The Wanyambo are obliged to
furnish provisions to travellers free of charge, but, although they obey the letter of the
law, they always expect a present of brass wire in lieu of payment. They are slenderly
built, very dark in complexion, and grease themselves abundantly. They do not, however,
possess such an evil odour as other grease-using tribes, as, after they have anointed them-
selves, they light a fire of aromatic wood, and stand to leeward of it, so as to allow the
perfumed smoke to pass over them.
The Wahuma are of much lighter complexion, and the royal caste, or Moheenda, are
remarkable for their bronze-like complexions, their well-cut features, and their curiously
long heads. The members of this caste are further marked by some scars under the eyes,
and their teeth are neither filed nor chipped. There is rather a curious law about the
succession to the throne. As with us, the king's eldest son is the acknowledged heir, but
then he must have been born when his father was actually king. Consequently, the
youngest of a family of brothers is sometimes the heir to the throne, his elder brothers,
being born before their father was king, being ineligible for the crown.
According to Captain Speke, the Wahuma, the Gallas, and the Abyssinians are but
different branches of the same people, having fought and been beaten, and retired, and so
made their way westward and southward, until they settled down in the country which
was then inhabited by the Wanyambo. Still, although he thinks them to have derived
their source from Abyssinia, and to have spread themselves over the whole of the country
on which we are now engaged, he mentions that they always accommodated themselves
to the manners and customs of the natives whom they supplanted, and that the Gallas or
Wahuma of Karague have different customs from the Wahuma of Unyoro.
The king or sultasi of Karague, at the time when our travellers passed through the
country, was Rumanika. He was the handsomest and most intelligent ruler that they
met in Africa, and had nothing of the African in his appearance except that his hair was
short and woolly. He was six feet two inches in height, and had a peculiarly mild and
open expression of countenance. He wore a robe made of small antelope skins, and
another of bark-cloth, so that he was completely covered. He never wore any head-dress,
but had the usual metallic armlets and anklets, and always carried a long staff in his
hand.
His rour sons appear to have been worthy of their father. The oldest and youngest
seem to have been peculiarly favourable specimens of their race. The eldest, named
Chunderah, was twenty-five years old, and very fair, so that, but for his woolly hair and
his rather thick lips, he might have been taken for a sepoy. " He affected the dandy,
being more neat about his lion-skin covers and ornaments than the other brothers. He
led a gay life, was always ready to lead a war party, and to preside at a dance, or wherever
there was wine and women.
" From the tuft of wool left unshaven on the crown of his head to his waist he was
bare, except when decorated round the muscle of the arms and neck with charmed horns,
strips of otter-skin, shells, and bands of wood. The skin-covering, which in the Karague
people is peculiar in shape, reaches below the knee behind, and is cut away in front.
From below the calf to the ankle was a mass of iron wire, and when visiting from
neighbour to neighbour, he always, like every Karague, carried in his hand a five-feet
staff with a knob at the end.
" He constantly came to aslc after me, bringing flowers in his hand, as he knew my
fondness for them, and at night he would take Frij, my headman, into the palace, along
with his ' zeze,' or guitar, to amuse his sisters with Zanzibar music. In turn, the sisters,
brothers, and followers would sing Karague music, and early in the morning Master Frij
and Chunderah would return rather jolly to their huts outside the palace enclosure. This
shows the kindly feeling existing between us and the family of the sultan ; and, although
this young prince had showed me many attentions, he never once asked me for a
present."
444
KARAGUE.
The second son, who was by a different mother, was not so agreeable. His disposition
was not bad, but he was stupid and slow, and anything but handsome. The youngest
of the four, named Kukoko, seemed to have become a general favourite, and was clearly
the pet of his father, who never went anywhere without him. He was so mild and
pleasant in his manner, that the travellers presented him with a pair of white kid gloves,
and, after much trouble in coaxing them on his unaccustomed fingers, were much amused
by the young man's added dignity with which he walked away.
CHUNDERAH PLAYING THE GUITAR.
Contrary to the usual African custom, Rumanika was singularly abstemious, living
almost entirely upon milk, and merely sucking the juice of boiled £>eef, without eating the
meat itself. He scarcely ever touched the plantain wine or beer, that is in such general
use throughout the country, and never had been known to be intoxicated. This wine or
beer is made in a very ingenious manner. A large log of wood is hollowed out so as to form
a tub, and it seems essential that it should be of considerable size. One end of it is raised
upon a support, and a sort of barrier or dam of dried grass is fixed across the centre.
Ripe plantains are then placed in the upper division of the tub, and mashed by the
women's feet and hands until they are reduced to a pulp. The juice flows down the
inclined tub, straining itself by passing through the grass barrier. When a sufficient
quantity has been pressed, it is strained several times backwards and forwards, and is then
passed into a clean tub for fermentation. Some burnt sorghum is then bruised and thrown
into the juice to .help fermentation, and the tub is then covered up and placed in the
sun's rays, or kep$ warm by a fire. In the course of three days the brewing process is
supposed to be completed, and the beer or wine is poured off into calabashes.
The aiapunt of this wine that is drunk by the natives is really amazing, every one
THE SULTAN RUMANIKA. 445
carrying about with them a calabash full of it, and even the youngest children of the
peasants drinking it freely. It is never bottled for preservation, and, in fact, it is in such
request that scarcely a calabash full can be found within two or three days after the
brewing is completed. This inordinate fondness for plantain wine makes Eumanika's
abstinence the more remarkable.
But Rumanika was really a wonderful man in his way, and was not only king, but
priest and prophet also. His very elevation to the throne was, according to the account
given by him and his friends, entirely due to supernatural aid.
When his father, Dagara, died, he and two brothers claimed the throne. In order to
settle their pretensions a small magic drum was laid before them, and he who could lift it
was to take the crown. The drum was a very small one, and of scarcely any weight, but
upon it were laid certain potent charms. The consequence was, that although his brothers
put all their strength to the task, they could riot stir the drum, while Rumanika raised it
easily with his little finger. Ever afterwards he carried this drum with him on occasions
of ceremony, swinging it about to show how easy it was for the rightful sovereign to
wield it.
Being dissatisfied with such a test, one of the chiefs insisted on Rumanika's trial by
another ordeal. He was then brought into a sacred spot, where he \vas required to seat
himself on the ground, and await the result of the charms. If he were really the
appointed king, the portion of the ground on which he was seated \vould rise up in the
air until it reached the sky ; but if he were the wrong man, it would collapse, and dash
him to pieces. According to all accounts, his own included, Rumanika took his seat, was
raised up into the sky, and his legitimacy acknowledged.
Altogether, his family seem to have been noted for their supernatural qualities. When
his father, D.igara, died, his body was sewn up in a cow-hide, put into a canoe, and ?t,t
floating on the lake, where it was allowed to decompose. Three maggots were then taken
from the canoe and given in charge of Rumanika, but as soon as they came into his house
one of them became a lion, another a leopard, and the third was transformed into a stick.
The body was then laid on the top of a hill, a hut built over it, five girls and fifty cows
put into it, and the door blocked up and watched, so that the inmates gradually died
of starvation.
The lion which .^sueu from e corpse was supposed to be an emblem of the peculiar
character of the Karague country, which is supposed to be guarded by lions from the
attack of other tribes. It was said that whenever Dagara heard that the enemy was
marching into his country, he used to call the lions together, send them against the
advancing force, and so defeat them by deputy.
In his character of high-priest, Rumanika was very imposing, especially in his new-
moon levee, which took place every month, for the purpose of ascertaining the loyalty of
his subjects.
On the evening of the new moon he clothes himself in his priestly garb, i.e. a quantity
of feathers nodding over his forehead, and fastened with a kind of strap of beads. A
huge white beard covers his chin and descends to his breast, and is fastened to his face by
a belt of beads. Having thus prepared himself, he sits behind a screen, and waits for the
ceremony to begin.
This is a very curious one. Thirty or forty long drums are ranged on the ground, just
like a battery of so many mortars ; on their heads a white cross is painted. The drummers
stand behind them, each with a pair of sticks, and in front is their leader, who has a pair
of small drums slung to his neck.
The leader first raises his right arm, and then his left, the performers imitating him
with exacj; precision. He then brings down both sticks on the drums with a rapid roll,
which becomes louder and louder, until the noise is scarcely endurable. This is continued
at intervals for several hours, interspersed with performances on smaller drums, and other
musical instruments. The various chiefs and officers next advance in succession, leaping
and gesticulating, shouting expressions of devotion to their sovereign, and invoking his
vengeance on them should they ever fail in their loyalty. As they finish their salutation
they kneel successively before the king, and hold out their knobbed sticks that he may
446 KARAGUK
touch them, and then retire to make room for their successors in the ceremony. In order
to give added force to the whole proceeding, a horn is stuffed full of magic powder, and
placed in the centre, with its opening directed towards the quarter from which danger is
to be feared.
A younger brother of Rumanika, named M'nauagee, was even a greater prophet and
diviner than his royal brother, and was greatly respected by the Wahuma in consequence of
his supernatural powers. He had a sacred stone on a hill, and might be seen daily walking
to the spot for the purpose of divination. He had also a number of elephant tusks which
he hud stuffed with magic powder and placed in the enclosure, for the purpose of a kind
of religious worship.
M'nanagee was a tall and stately personage, skilled in the knowledge of plants, and,
strange to say, ready to impart his knowledge. As insignia of his priestly office, he wore
an abundance of charms. One charm was fastened to the back of his shaven head,
others hung from his neck and arms, while some were tied to his knees, and even the end
of his walking-stick contained a charm. He was always attended by his page, a little fat
boy, who carried his fly-flapper, and his master's pipe, the latter being of considerable
length, and having a bowl of enormous size.
He had a full belief in the power of his magic horns, and consulted them on almost
every occasion of life. If any one weie ill, he asked their opinion as to the nature of the
malady and the best remedy for it. If he felt curious about a friend at a distance, the
magic horns gave him tidings of the absent one. If an attack were intended on the
country, the horns gave him warning of it, and, when rightly invoked, they either averted
tha threatened attack, or gave victory over their enemies.
The people have an implicit faith in the power of their charms, and believe that they
not only inspire courage, but render the person invulnerable. Rumanika's head magician,
K'yengo, told Captain Speke that the Watuta tribes had invested his village for six
months ; and when all the cattle and other provisions were eaten, they took the village
atil killed all the inhabitants except himself. Him they could not kill on account of the
power of his charms, and, although they struck at him with their spears as he lay on the
ground, they could not even wound him.
The Wahuma believe in the constant presence of departed souls, and that they can
exercise an influence for good or evil over those whom they had known in life. So, if a
field happens to ba blighted, or the crop does not look favourable, a gourd is laid on the
path. All passengers who see the gourd know its meaning, and set up a wailing cry to
the spirits to give a good crop to their surviving friends.
In order to propitiate the spirit of his father, Dagara, Rumanika used annually to
sacrifice a cow on his tomb, and was accustomed to lay corn and beer near the grave, as
offerings to his father's spirit.
In Karague, marriage is little more than a species of barter, the father receiving cows,
sheep, slaves, and other property for his daughter. But the transaction is not a final one,
for if the bride does not happen to approve of her husband, she can return the marriage
gifts and return to her father. There is but little ceremony in their marriages, the prin-
cip.il one seeming to consist of tying up the bride in a blackened skin, and carrying her in
noisy procession to her husband.
The Wahuma women lead an easy life compared with that of the South African
women, and indeed their chief object in life seems to be the attainment of corpulence.
Either the Wahuma women are specially constituted, or the food which they eat is ex-
ceptionally nutritious, for they attain dimensions that are almost incredible. For
example, Rumanika, though himself a slight and well-shaped man, had five wives of enor-
mous fatness. Three of them were unable to enter the door of an ordinary hut, or to
move about without being supported by a person on either side. They are fed on boiled
plantains and milk, and consume vast quantities of the latter article, eating it all day long,
Indeed, they are fattened as systematically as turkeys, and are " crammed " with an
equal disregard of their feelings.
Captain Speke gives a very humorous account of his interview with one of the
women of rank, together with the measurements which she permitted him to take ;— *
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 447
"After a long and amusing conversation with Rumanika in the morning, I called on
one of his sisters-in-law, married to an elder brother, who was born before Dagara
ascended the throne. She was another of these victims of obesity, unable to stand except
on all fours. I was desirous to obtain a good view of her, and actually to measure her,
and induced her to give me facilities for doing so by offering in return to show her a bit
of my naked legs and arms. The bait took as I wished it, and, after getting her to sidle
and wrigggle into the middle of the hut, I did as I had promised, and then took her
dimensions as noted.
" Round arm, one foot eleven inches. Chest, four feet four inches. Thigh, two feet
seven inches. Calf, one foot eight inches. Height, five feet eight inches. All of these
are exact except the height, and I believe I could have obtained this more accurately if I
could have had her laid on the floor. But knowing what difficulties I should have to
contend with in such a piece of engineering, I tried to get her height by raising her up.
This, after infinite exertions on the part of us both, was accomplished, when she sank
down again fainting, for the blood had rushed into her head.
" Meanwhile the daughter, a lass of sixteen, sat stark naked before us, sucking at a
milk-pot, on which the father kept her at work by holding a rod in his hand ; for, as
fattening is the first duty of fashionable female life, it must be duly enforced with the rod
if necessary. I got up a bit of a flirtation with missy, and induced her to rise and shake
hands with me. Her features were lovely, but her body was as round as a ball."
In one part of the country, the women turned their obesity to good account. In ex-
changing food for beads, the usual bargain was that a certain quantity of food should be
paid for by a belt of beads that would go round the waist. But the women of Karague
were, on an average, twice as large round the waist as those of other districts, and the
natural consequence was, that food practically rose one hundred per cent, in price.
Daspite their exceeding fatness, their features retain much beauty, the face being oval,
and the eyes peculiarly fine and intelligent. The higher class of women are very modest,
not oily wearing the cow-skin petticoat, but also a large wrapper of black cloth, with
which they envelope their whole bodies, merely allowing one eye to be seen. Yet up to
the marriageable age no clothing of any kind is worn by either sex, and both boys and
girls will come up to the traveller and talk familiarly with him, as unconscious of nudity
as their first parents. Until they are married they allow the hair to grow, and then shave
it off, sometimes entirely, and sometimes partially. They have an odd habit of making
caps of cane, which they cover on the outside with the woolly hair shaved off their
own heads.
Mention has been made of various musical instruments used in Karague. The most
important are the drums, which vary in size as much as they do in England. That
which corresponds to our side-drum is about four feet in length and one in width, and is
covered at the wide end with an ichneumon skin. This instrument is slung from the
shoulder, and is played with the fingers like the Indian " tom-tom." The large drums
used at the new-moon levee are of similar structure, but very much larger. The war
drum is beaten by the women, and at its sound the men rush to arms and repair to the
several quarters.
There are also several stringed instruments employed in Karague. The principal of
these is the nanga, a kind of guitar, which, according to Captain Grant, may be called
the national instrument. There are several varieties of the nanga. " In one of these,
played by an old woman, six of the seven notes were a perfect scale, the seventh being
tlie only faulty string. In another, played by a man, three strings were a full harmonious
chord. These facts show that the people are capable of cultivation. The nanga was
formed of heavy dark wood, the shape of a tray, twenty-two by nine inches, or thirty
by eight, with three crosses in the bottom, and laced with one string seven or eight
times over bridges at either end. Sometimes a gourd or sounding-board was tied on
to the back.
" Prince M'nanagee, at my request, sent the best player he knew. The man boldly
entered without introduction, dressed in the usual Wanyambo costume, and looked a wild,
excited creature. After resting his spear against the roof of the hut, he took a nanga
448
KARAGUE.
from under his arm, and commenced. As he sat upon a mat with his head averted he
sang something of his having been sent to me, and of the favourite dog KeerOmba.
RUMANIKA'S PRIVATE BAND.
wild yet gentle music and words attracted a crowd of admirers, who sang the dog-
scng for days afterwards, as we had it encored several times.
CODE OF LAWS. 449
"Another player was an old woman, calling herself Keeleeamyagga. As she played
while standing in front of me, all the song she could produce was ' sh ! sh ! ' screwing
her mouth, rolling her body, and raising her feet from the ground. It was a miserable
performance, and not repeated."
There is another stringed instrument called the " zeze." It differs from the nanga
in having only one string, and, like the nanga, is used to accompany the voice in singing.
Their wind instruments may be called the flageolet and the bugle. The former has six
finger-holes ; and as the people walk along with a load on their heads, they play the
flageolet to lighten their journey, and really contrive to produce sweet and musical tones
from it. The so-called "bugle" is made of several pieces of gourd, fitting into one
another in telescope fashion, and is covered with cow-skin. The notes of a common chord
can be produced on the bugle, the thumb acting as a key. It is about one foot in
length.
Eumanika had a special military band comprised of sixteen men, fourteen of whom
had bugles and the other two carried hand-drums. They formed in three ranks, the
drummers being in the rear, and played on the march, swaying their bodies in time to
the music, and the leader advancing with a curiously active step, in which he touched
the ground with each knee alternately.
The code of laws in Karague is rather severe in some cases, and strangely mild in
others. For example, theft is punished with the stocks, in which the offender is some-
times kept for many months. Assault with a stick entails a fine of ten goats, but if
with a deadly weapon, the whole of the property is forfeited, the injured party taking
one half, and the sultan the other. In cases of actual murder, the culprit is executed,
and his entire property goes to the relations of the murdered man. The most curious
law is that against adultery. Should the offender be an ordinary wife, the loss of an ear
is thought to be sufficient penalty ; but if she be a slave, or the daughter of the sultan,
both parties are liable to capital punishment.
When an inhabitant of Karague dies, his body is disposed of according to his rank.
Should he be one of the peasants, or Wanyambo, the body is sunk in the water ; but if
he should belong to the higher caste, or Wahuma, the corpse is buried on an island in the
lake, all such islands being considered as sacred ground. Near the spot whereon one of
the Wahuma has died, the relations place a symbolical mark, consisting of two sticks
tied to a stone, and laid across the pathway. The symbol informs the passenger that the
pathway is for the present sacred, and in consequence he turns aside, and makes a detour
before he resumes the pathway. The singular funeral of the sultan has already been
mentioned.
THE WAZARAMO AND WASAGARA.
BEFOKE proceeding to other African countries, it will be as well to give a few lines to
two other tribes, namely, — the Wazaramo and the Wasagara.
The country in which the former people live is called Uzaramo, and is situated
immediately southward of Zanzibar, being the first district through which Captains Speke
and Grant passed.
The country is covered with villages, the houses of which are partly conical after the
ordinary African fashion, and partly gable-ended, according to the architecture of the
coast, the latter form being probably due to the many traders who come from different parts
of the world. The walls of the houses are "wattle and daub," i.e. hurdle-work plastered
with clay, and the roofs are thatched with grass or reeds. Over these villages are set
head-men, called Phanzes, .who ordinarily call themselves subjects of Said Majid, the
Sultan of Zanzibar. But as soon as a caravan passes through their country, each head
VOL. i. G a
450
THE WAZAEAMO.
man considers himself as a sultan in his own right, and levies tolls from the travellers.
They never allow strangers to come into their villages, differing in this respect from other
tribes, who use their towns as traps, into which the unwary traveller is induced to come,
and from which he does not escape without suffering severely in purse.
The people, although rather short and thick-set, are good-looking, and very fond of
dress, although their costume is but limited, consisting only of a cloth tied round the
waist. They are very fond of ornaments, such as shells, pieces of tin, and beads, and
rub their bodies with red clay and oil until they look as if they were new cast in
copper. Their hair is woolly, and twisted into numerous tufts, each of which is elongated
by bark fibres. The men are very attentive to the women, dressing their hair for them,
or escorting them to the water, lest any harm should befall them.
HAIR-DRESSING.
A wise traveller passes through Uzaramo as fast as he can, the natives never furnishing
guides, nor giving the least assistance, but being always ready to pounce on him should
he be weak, and to rob him by open violence, instead of employing the more refined
" hongo " system. They seem to be a boisterous race, but are manageable by mixed
gentleness and determination. Even when they had drawn out their warriors in battle
array, and demanded in a menacing manner a larger hongo than they ought to expect,
Captain Speke found that gentle words would always cause them to withdraw, and
leave the matter to peaceful arbitration. Should they come to blows, they are rather
formidable enemies, being well armed with spears and bows and arrows, the latter being
poisoned, and their weapons being always kept in the same state of polish and neatness
as their owners.
Some of these Phanzes are apt to be very troublesome to the traveller, almost always
demanding more than they expect to get, and generally using threats as the simplest
means of extortion. One of them, named Khombe la Simba, or Lion's-claw, was very
troublesome, sending back contemptuously the present that had been given him, and
threatening the direst vengeance if his demands were not complied with. Five miles
further inland, another Phanze, named Mukia ya Nyani, or Monkey's-tail, demanded
another hongo ; but, as the stores of the expedition would have been soon exhausted at
THE WASAGARA. 451
this rate, Captain Speke put an abrupt stop to this extortion, giving the chiefs the option
of taking what he chose to give them, or fighting for it ; and, as he took cure to display
his armory and the marksmanship of his men, they thought it better to comply rather
than fight and get nothing.
0 \ving to the rapidity with which the travellers passed through this inhospitable land,
and the necessity for avoiding the natives as much as possible, very little was learned of
their manners and customs. The Wazaramo would flock round the caravan for the
purpose of barter, and to inspect the strangers, but their ordinary life was spent in their
villages, which, as has been already mentioned, are never entered by travellers. Nothing
is known of their religion, though it is possible that the many Mahometans who pass
through their land may have introduced some traces of their own religion, just as is the
case in Londa, where the religion is an odd mixture of idolatrous, Mahometan, and
Christian rites, with the meaning ingeniously excluded. In fact they do not want to
know the meaning of the rites, leaving that to the priests, and being perfectly contented
so long as the witch-doctor performs his part. That the Wazaramo have at all events a
certain amount of superstition, is evident from the fact that they erect little model huts
as temples to the Spirit of Rain. Such a hut or temple is called M'ganga. They also lay
broken articles on graves, and occasionally carve rude wooden dolls and fix them in the
ground at the end of the grave ; but, as far as is known, they have no separate bury ing-
place.
THE WASAGARA.
THE second of these tribes, the WASAGARA, inhabits a large tract of country, full a hundred
miles in length, and is composed of a great number of inferior or sub-tribes. Like
other African nations, who at one time were evidently great and powerful, the Wasagara
have become feeble and comparatively insignificant, though still numerous. Being much
persecuted by armed parties from the coast, who attack and carry them off for slaves,
besides stealing what property they have, the Wasagara have mostly taken to the lofty
conical mountains that form such conspicuous objects in their country, and there are
tolerably safe. But, as they are thus obliged to reside in such limited districts, they can
do but little in agriculture, and they are afraid to descend to the level ground in order to
take part in the system of commerce, which is so largely developed in this country.
Their villages are mostly built on the hill-spurs, and they cultivate, as far as they can,
the fertile lands which lie between them. But the continual inroads of inimical tribes,
as well as those of the slave -dealers, prevent the inhabitants from tilling more land than
can just supply their wants.
So utterly dispirited are they, that as soon as a caravan is seen by a sentry, warning
is given, and all the population flock to the hill-top, where they scatter and hide them-
selves so completely that no slaving party would waste its time by trying to catch them.
Resistance is never even thought of, and it is hardly possible to induce the Wasagara to
descend the hills until the caravan has passed. Consequently it is scarcely possible to
obtain a Msagara as a guide through his country. If, however, the traveller does succeed
in so doing, he finds that the man is trustworthy, lively, active, and altogether an amusing
companion. The men seem to be good hunters, displaying great skill in discovering and
tracking game.
Owing to the precarious nature of their lives, the Wasagara have but little dress, a
small strip of cloth round the waist being the ordinary costume.
GG2
CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE WATUSI AND WAGANDA.
LOCALITY OF THE WATUSI TRIBE MODE OP DRESS A WATUSI WOMAN THEIR VALUE AS HERDS-
MEN— SALUTATION WATUSI DANCING THE WAGANDA ROAD SYSTEM OF UGANDA CODE OF
ETIQUETTE DISREGARD OF HUMAN LIFE CRUELTY THE WIFE-WHIP AN AFRICAN BLUE-
BEARD LIFE IN THE PALACE REVIEWING THE TROOPS ORIGIN OF THE WAGANDA TRIBE —
KIMERA, AND HIS MODE OF GOVERNMENT — SYSTEM OF ORGANIZATION THE LAW OF SUCCESSION
— M'TESA, THE PRESENT KING, AND HIS COURT — THE ROYAL PALACE — GENERAL ARCHITECTURE
OF THE WAGANDA — RECEPTION OF A GUEST THE ROYAL WALK A COUNCIL — SUPERSTITIONS
THE WATER-SPIRIT AND HIS HIGH-PRIEST — RELIGION OF THE WAGANDA HUMAN SACRIFICES
THE SLAVE-TRADE — BURYING-GROUNDS OF THE WAGANDA.
THERE is one tribe which, though small, has sufficient individuality to deserve a brief
n.itice. The WATUSI are a race of herdsmen, who live on either si'de of the equator, and,
according to Captain Grant, resemble the Somalis in general appearance. They generally
take service in the households of wealthy persons, and devote themselves almost entirely
to the care of the cattle.
They have plentiful and woolly hair, and the men shave their beards with the
exception of a crescent-shaped patch. They have an odd fashion of staining their gums
black, using for the purpose a mixture of the tamarind seed calcined and powdered, and
then mixed with a salt of copper. The men carry their weapons when walking, and
seldom appear without a bow and arrows, a five-feet long stick with a knob at one end,
and a pipe.
When they meet a friend, they hold out the knobbed end of the stick to him ; he
touches it, and the demands of etiquette are supposed to be fulfilled. This knobbed
stick is quite an institution among the tribes that have recently been mentioned, and a
man seems to be quite unhappy unless he has in his hand one of these curious implements.
They are fond of ornament, and wear multitudinous rings upon their wrists and ankles,
the latter being generally of iron and the former of brass.
They are a fine-looking race, and the women are equally remarkable in this respect
with the men, — a phenomenon rarely seen in this part of the world. They are tall,
erect, and well-featured, and, as a rule, are decently clad in dressed cow-skins. The
general appearance of the Watusi women can be gathered from Captain Grant's
description.
" One morning, to my surprise, in a wild jungle we came upon cattle, then upon a
' bomah ' or ring fence, concealed by beautiful umbrageous large trees, quite the place for
a gipsy camp. At the entry two strapping fellows met me and invited my approach.
I mingled with the people, got water from them, and was asked, ' Would I prefer some
milk ? ' This sounded to me more civilized than I expected from Africans, so I followed
the men, who led me up to a beautiful lady-like creature, a Watusi woman, sitting alcne
under a tree.
WATUSI BELLES. 453
" She received me without any expression of surprise, in the most dignified manner ;
and, after talking with the men, rose smiling, showing great gentleness in her manner, and
led me to her hut. I had time to scrutinise the interesting stranger : she wore the usual
Watusi costume of a cow's skin reversed, teased into a fringe with a needle, coloured
brown, and wrapped round her body from below the chest to the ankles. Lappets,
showing zebra-like stripes of many colours, she wore as a ' turn-over ' round the waist,
and, except where ornamented on one arm with a highly polished coil of thick brass wire,
two equally bright and massive rings on the right wrist, and a neck pendant of brass wire,
— except these, and her becoming wrapper — she was au naturelle.
" I was struck with her peculiarly-formed head and graceful long neck ; the beauty of
her fine eyes, mouth, and nose; the srnallness of her hands and naked feet— all were
faultless ; the only bad feature, which is considered one of beauty with them, was her
large ears. The arms and elbows were rounded off like an egg, the shoulders were
sloping, and her small breasts were those of a crouching Venus — a perfect beauty, though
darker than a brunette.
" Her temporary residence was peculiar ; it was formed of grass, was flat-roofed, and
so low that I could not stand upright in it. The fireplace consisted of three stones ; milk
vessels of wood, shining white from scouring, were ranged on one side of the abode. A
good-looking woman sat rocking a gourd between her knees in the process of churning
butter. After the fair one had examined my skin and my clothes, I expressed great
regret that I had no beads to present to her. ' They are not wanted,' she said ; ' sit down,
drink this buttermilk, and here is also some butter for you.' It was placed on a clean
leaf. I shook hands, patted her cheek, and took my leave, but some beads were sent her,
and she paid me a visit, bringing butter and butteimilk, and asking for more presents,
which she of course got, and I had the gratification to see her eyes sparkle at the sight
of them.
"This was one of the few women I met during our whole journey that I admired.
None of the belles in Usui could approach her; but they were of a different caste, though
dressing much in the same style. When cow's skins were not worn, these Usui women
dressed very tidily in bark cloths, and had no marks or cuttings observable on their
bodies. Circles of hair were often shaved off the crowns of their heads, and their neck
ornaments showed considerable taste in the selection of the beads. The most becoming
were a string of the M'zizama spheres of marble-sized white porcelain, and triangular
pieces of shell rounded at the corners.
" An erect fair girl, daughter of a chief, paid us a visit, accompanied by six maids, and
sat silently for half an hour. She had a spiral circle of wool shaved off the crown of her
head ; her only ornament was a necklace of green beads ; she wore the usual wrapper, and
across her shoulders a strip of scarlet cloth was thrown ; her other fineries were probably
left at home. The women of the district generally had grace and gentleness in their
manner."
Some of the women tattoo themselves on the shoulders and breasts in rather a curious
fashion, producing a pattern that looks in front like point lace, and which then passes
over the shoulders and comes on the back down to the waist, like a pair of braces. A baud
of similar markings runs round the waist.
The wages of the Watusi tribe for the management of the cattle are simple enough. Half
the milk is theirs, and as a cow in these regions is singularly deficient in milk, producing
a bare pint per diem, the herdsmen have but small reward for their labour. They are
very clever at managing the animals placed under their control. If they have to drive
an unruly cow, they simply tie a cord to the hock of one of the hind legs, and walk
behind it holding the end of the cord. This very simple process has the effect of sub-
duing the cow, who yields as if to a charm, and walks quietly in whatever direction she
is told to go. Goats are led by taking up one of the fore legs in the hand, when it is
found that the animal walks along quietly on three legs ; the temporary deprivation of
the fourth limb being no particular impediment. Perhaps on account of this mastery
over the cattle, even the Wanyamuezi look upon the Watusi with great respect. Should
members of those tribes meet, the Weezee presses the palms of his hands together, and
454
THE WATUSI.
the Watusi gently clasps them in his own, muttering at the same time :i few words in a
low tone of voice. If a Watusi man meets a woman of the same tribe, she allows her
arms to fall by her side, and he gently presses her arms below the shoulders.
They are an industrious people, and make baskets with considerable skill, using a
sharp-pointed spear, and doing nearly as much of the work with their feet as with their
hands. They also work in metals, and have a kind of bellows made of wood, with cane
handles, — very small, but efficient enough for the purpose. The dances with which the
"Watusi amuse themselves in the evening are as simple and peaceful as the dancers, and
SALUTATION.
women take equal part with the men in them. They array themselves in a circle, singing,
and clapping hands in time. Presently a woman passes into the ring, dances alone, and
then, making a graceful obeisance to some favourite in the ring, she retires backwards to
her place. A young man then comes forward, goes through a number of evolutions, bows
to one of the girls, and then makes way for a successor.
Captain Grant always speaks in the highest terms of the Watusi, whom he designates
as his favourite race. He states that they never will permit themselves to be sold into
slavery, but prefer death to such dishonour. This people are always distinguishable by
their intelligence and the easy politeness of their manners. They are also remarkable for
their neatness and personal cleanliness, in which they present a strong contrast to the
neighbouring tribes.
THE WAGAKDA TRIBE.
PASSING still northwards, and keeping to the westward of the Victoria N'yanza, we
come to the UGANDA district, the inhabitants of which are named WAGANDA.
This country is situated on the equator, and is a much more pleasant land than might
be supposed from its geographical position, being fertile, and covered with vegetation. It
is a peculiarly pleasant land for a traveller, as it is covered with roads, which are not only
broad and firm, but are cut almost in a straight line from one point to another. Uganda
seems to be unique in the matter of roads, the like of which are not to be found in any
part of Africa, except those districts which are held by Europeans. The roads are wide
enough for carriages, but far too steep in places for any wheeled conveyance ; but as the
Waganda do not use carriages of any kind, the roads are amply sufficient for their
purposes. The Waganda have even built bridges across swamps and rivers, but their
knowledge of engineering has not enabled them to build a bridge that would not decay in
a few years.
Like many other tribes which bear, but do not deserve, the name of savages, the
Waganda possess a curiously strict code of etiquette, which is so stringent on some
points that an offender against it is likely to lose his life, and is sure to incur a severe
penalty.
If, for example, a man appears before the king with his dress tied carelessly, or if he
makes a mistake in the mode of saluting, or if, in squatting before his sovereign, he allows
the least portion of his limbs to be visible, he is led off to instant execution. As the fatal
sign is given, the victim is seized by the royal pages, who wear a rope turban round their
heads, and at the same moment all the drums and other instruments strike up, to drown
his cries for mercy. He is rapidly bound with the ropes snatched hastily from the heads
of the pages, dragged off, and put to death, no one daring to take the least notice while
the tragedy is being enacted.
They have also a code of sumptuary laws which is enforced with the greatest severity.
The skin of the serval, a kind of leopard cat, for example, may only be worn by those of
royal descent. Once Captain Speke was visited by a very agreeable young man, who
evidently intended to strike awe into the white man, and wore round his neck the serval-
skin emblem of royal birth. The attempted deception, however, recoiled upon its author,
who suffered the fate of the daw with borrowed plumes. An officer of rank detected the
imposture, had the young man seized, and challenged him to show proofs of his right to
wear the emblem of royalty. As he failed to do so, he was threatened with being brought
before the king, and so compounded with the chief for a fine of a hundred cows.
Heavy as the penalty was, the young man showed his wisdom by acceding to it ; for
if he had been brought before the king, he would assuredly have lost his life, and pro-
bably have been slowly tortured to death. One punishment to which M'tesa, the king of
Uganda, seems to have been rather partial, was the gradual dismemberment of the criminal
for the sake of feeding his pet vultures ; and although on some occasions he orders them
to be killed before they are dismembered, he sometimes omits that precaution, and the
wretched beings are slowly cut to pieces with grass blades, as it is against etiquette to
use knives for this purpose.
The king alone has the privilege of wearing a cock's-comb of hair on the top of his
head, the remainder being shaved off. This privilege is sometimes extended to a favourite
queen or two, so that actual royalty may be at once recognised.
Even the mode of sitting is carefully regulated. Only the king is allowed to sit on a
chair, all his subjects being forced to place themselves on the ground. When Captains
456 THE WAGANDA.
Speke and Grant visited Uganda, there was a constant struggle on this point, the travellers
insisting on sitting in their arm-chairs, and the king wanting them to sit on the ground.
On one occasion, when walking with M'tesa and his suite, a halt was ordered, and Captain
Speke looked about for something to sit upon. The king, seeing this, and being deter-
mined not to be outdone, called a page, made him kneel on all fours, and then sat on his
back. The controversy at last ended in a compromise, the travellers abandoning their
chairs in the king's presence, but sitting on bundles of grass which were quite as high.
When an inferior presents any article to his superior, he always pats and rubs it with
his hands, and then strokes with it each side of his face. This is done in order to show
that no witchcraft has been practised with it, as in such a case the intended evil would
recoil on the donor. This ceremony is well enough when employed with articles of use
or apparel ; but when meat, plantains, or other articles of food are rubbed with the dirty
hands and well-greased face of the donor, the recipient, if he should happen to be a
white man, would be only too happy to dispense with the ceremony, and run his risk of
witchcraft.
The officers of the court are required to shave off all their hair except a single cockade
at the back of the head, while the pages are distinguished by two cockades, one over each
temple, so that, even if they happen to be without their rope turbans, their rank and
authority are at once indicated. When the king sends the pages on a message, a most
picturesque sight is presented. All the commands of the king have to be done at full
speed, and when ten or a dozen pages start off in a body, their dresses streaming in the
air behind them, each striving to outran the other, they look at a distance like a flight of
birds rather than human beings.
Here, as in many other countries, human life, that of the king excepted, is not of the
least value. On one occasion Captain Speke had given M'tesa a new rifle, with which he
was much pleased. After examining it for some time, he loaded it, handed it to one of
his pages, and told him to go and shoot somebody in the outer court. The page, a mere
boy, took the rifle, went into the court, and in a moment the report of the rifle showed
that the king's orders had been obeyed. The urchin came back grinning with delight at
the feat which he had achieved, just like a schoolboy who has shot his first sparrow, and
handed back the rifle to his master. As to the unfortunate man who was fated to be the
target, nothing was heard about him, the murder of a man being far too common an
incident to attract notice.
On one occasion, when M'tesa and his wives were on a pleasure excursion, one of the
favourites, a singularly good-looking woman, plucked a fruit, and offered it to the king,
evidently intending to please him. Instead of taking it as intended, he flew into a violent
passion, declared that it was the first time that a woman had ever dared to offer him
anything, and ordered the pages to lead her off to execution. " These words were no
sooner uttered by the king than the whole bevy of pages slipped their cord turbans from
their heads, and rushed like a pack of Cupid beagles upon the fairy queen, who, indignant
at the little urchins daring to touch her majesty, remonstrated with the king, and tried
to beat them off like flies, but was soon captured, overcome, and dragged away, crying in
the names of the Kamraviona and M'zungu (myself [i.e. Captain Speke]) for help and
protection, whilst Lubuga, the pet sister, and all the other women clasped the king by his
legs, and, kneeling, implored forgiveness for their sister. The more they craved for mercy,
the more brutal he became, till at last he took a heavy stick and began to belabour the
poor victim on the head.
" Hitherto I had been extremely careful not to interfere with any of the king's acts of
arbitrary cruelty, knowing that such interference at an early stage would produce more
harm than good. This last act of barbarism, however, was too much for my English blood
to stand ; and as I heard my name, M'zungu, imploringly pronounced, I rushed at the
king, and, staying his uplifted arm, demanded from him the woman's life. Of course I ran
imminent risk of losing my own in thus thwarting the capricious tyrant, but his caprice
proved the friend of both. The novelty of interference made him smile, and the woman
was instantly released."
On another occasion, when M'tesa had been out shooting, Captain Grant asked what
CRUELTY.
457
sport lie had enjoyed. The unexpected answer was that game had been very scarce, but
that he had shot a good many men instead. Beside the pages who have been mentioned,
ARREST OF THE QUEEN.
there were several executioners, who were pleasant and agreeable men in private life, and
held in great respect by the people. They were supposed to be in command of the pages
458 THE WAGANDA.
X
who bound with their rope turbans the unfortunates who were to suffer, and mostly
inflicted the punishment itself.
This particular king seems to have been rather exceptionally cruel, his very wives
being subject to the same capriciousness of temper as the rest of his subjects. Of course
he beat them occasionally, but as wife-beating is the ordinary custom in Uganda, he was
only following the ordinary habits of the people.
There is a peculiar whip made for the special purpose of beating wives. It is formed
of a long strip of hippopotamus hide, split down the middle to within three or four inches
of the end. The entire end is beaten and scraped until it is reduced in size to the proper
dimensions of a handle. The two remaining thongs are suffered to remain square, but are
twisted in a screw-like fashion, so as to present sharp edges throughout their whole length.
When dry, this whip is nearly as hard as iron, and scarcely less heavy, so that at every
blow the sharp edges cut deeply into the flesh.
Wife-flogging, however, was not all ; he was in the habit of killing his wives and their
attendants without the least remorse. While Captain Speke was residing within the
limits of the palace, there was scarcely a day when some woman was not led to execution,
and some days three or four were murdered. Mostly they were female attendants of the
queens, but frequently the royal pages dragged out a woman whose single cockade on the
top of her head announced her as one of the king's wives.
M'tesa, in fact, was a complete African Bluebeard, continually marrying and killing,
the brides, however, exceeding the victims in number. Eoyal marriage is a very simple
business in Uganda. Parents who have offended their king and want to pacify him, or
who desire to be looked on favourably by him, bring their daughters and offer them as he
sits at the door of his house. As is the case with all his female attendants, they are totally
unclothed, and stand before the king in ignorance of their future. If he accept them, he
makes them sit down, seats himself on their knees, and embraces them. This is the whole
of the ceremony, and as each girl is thus accepted, the happy parents perform the curious
salutation called " n'yanzigging," i.e. prostrating themselves on -the ground, floundering
about, clapping their hands, and ejaculating the word " n'yans," or thanks, as fast as they
can say it.
Twenty or thirty brides will sometimes be presented to him in a single morning, and
he will accept more than half of them, some of them being afterwards raised to the rank
of wives, while the others are relegated to the position of attendants. It was rather
remarkable, that although the principal queen was most liberal with these attendants,
offering plenty of them to Captain Speke and his companions, not one of them would
have been permitted to marry a native, as she might have betrayed the secrets of the
palace.
Life in the palace may be honourable enough, but seems to be anything but agreeable,
except to the king. The whole of the court are abject slaves, and at the mercy of any
momentary caprice of the merciless, thoughtless, irresponsible despot. Whatever wish
may happen to enter the king's head must be executed at once, or woe to the delinquent
who fails to carry it out. Eestless and captious as a spoilt child, he never seemed to
know exactly what he wanted, and would issue simultaneously the most contradictory
orders, aud then expect them to be obeyed.
As for the men who held the honourable post of his guards, they were treated some-
thing worse than dogs — far worse indeed than M'tesa treated his own dog. They might
lodge themselves as they could, and were simply fed by throwing great lumps of beef and
plantains among them. For this they scramble just like so many dogs, scratching and
tearing the morsels from each other, and trying to devour as much as possible within a
given number of seconds.
The soldiers of M'tesa were much better off than his guards, although their position
was not so honourable.
They are well dressed, and their rank is distinguished by a sort of uniform, the officers
of royal birth wearing the leopard-skin tippet, while those of inferior rank are distin-
guished by coloured cloths, and skin cloaks made of the hide of oxen or antelopes. Each
carries two spears, and an oddly-formed shield, originally oval, but cut into deep scallops,
REVIEWING THE TROOPS.
459
and having at every point a pendent tuft of hair. Their heads are decorated in a hm>t
(jurious manner, some of the men wearing a crescent-like ornament, and some tying round
their heads wreaths made of different materials, to which a horn, a bunch of beads, a dried
lizard, or some such ornament, is appended.
Not deficient in personal courage, their spirits were cheered in combat by the certainty
of reward or punishment. Should they behave themselves bravely, treasures would be
heaped upon them, and they would receive from their royal master plenty of cattle and
wives. But if they behaved badly, the punishment was equally certain and most terrible.
A recreant soldier was not only put to death, but holes bored in his body with, red-hot
irons until he died from sheer pain and exhaustion.
REVIEW.
Now and then the king held a review, in which the valiant and the cowards obtained
their fitting rewards. These reviews offered most picturesque scenes. " Before us was a
large open sward, with the huts of the queen's Kamraviona or Commander-in-chief beyond.
The battalion, consisting of what might be termed three companies, each containing two
hundred men, being drawn up on the left extremity of the parade-ground, received orders
to march past in single file from the right of companies at a long trot, and re-form again at
the end of the square.
" Nothing conceivable could be more wild or fantastic than the sight which ensued ;
the men all nearly naked, with goat or cat skins depending from their girdles, and smeared
with war-colours according to the taste of the individual ; one half of the body red or
black, the other blue, not in regular order ; as, for instance, one stocking would be red, and
4t;<) THE WAGANDA.
the other Mark, whilst the breeches above would be the opposite colours, and so with the
sleeves and waistcoat.
" Every man carried the same arms, two spears and one shield, held as if approaching
an enemy, and they thus moved in three lines of single rank and file, at fifteen or twenty
paces asunder, with the same high action and elongated step, the ground leg only being
bent, to give their strides the greater force.
" After the men had all started, the captains of companies followed, even more
fantastically dressed; and last of all came the great Colonel Congow, a perfect Kobinson
Crusoe, with his long white-haired goat-skins, a fiddle-shaped leather shield, tufted with
hair at all six extremities, bands of long hair tied below the knees, and a magnificent
helmet covered with rich beads of every colour in excellent taste, surmounted with a plume
of crimson feathers, in the centre of which rose a bent stem tufted with goat's hair. Next,
they charged in companies to and fro, and finally the senior officers came charging at their
king, making violent professions of faith and honesty, for which they were applauded.
The parade then broke up, and all went home."
At these reviews, the king distributes rewards and metes out his punishments. The
scene is equally stirring and terrible. As the various officers come before the king, they
prostrate themselves on the ground, and, after going through their elaborate salutation,
they deliver their reports as to the conduct of the men under their command. To some
are given various presents, with which they go off rejoicing, after floundering about on the
ground in the extremity of their gratitude ; while others are seized by the ever-officious
pages, bound, and dragged off to execution, the unfortunate men struggling with their
captors, fighting, and denying the accusation, until they are out of hearing.
As soon as the king thinks that he has had enough of the business, he rises abruptly,
picks up his spears, and goes off, leading his dog with him.
The native account of the origin of the Waganda kingdom is very curious. According
to them, the country which is now called Uganda was previously united with Unyoro, a
more northerly kingdom, of which we shall presently treat. Eight generations back there
came from Unyoro a hunter named Uganda, bringing with him a spear, a shield, a woman,
and a pack of dogs. He began to hunt on the shores of the lake, and was so successful
that he was joined by vast numbers of the people, to whom he became a chief.
Under his sway, the hitherto scattered people assumed the character of a nation, and
began to feel their strength. Their leading men then held a council on their government,
and determined on making Uganda their king. " For," said they, " of what avail to us is
the king of Uuyoro ? He is so far distant that, when we sent him a cow as a present,
the cow had a calf, and that calf became a cow and gave birth to another calf, and yet the
present has not reached the king. Let us have a king of our own." So they induced
Uganda to be their king, changed his name to Kimera, and assigned his former name to
the country.
Kimera, thus made king, took his station on a stone and showed himself to his new
subjects, having in his hand his spears and shield, and being accompanied by a woman
and a dog; and in this way all succeeding kings have presented themselves to their
subjects. All the Waganda are, in consequence, expected to keep at least two spears, a
shield and a dog, and the officers are also entitled to have drums. The king of Unyoro
heard of the new monarch, but did not trouble himself about a movement at such a
distance, and so the kingdom of Uganda became an acknowledged reality.
However, Kimera organized his people in so admirable a manner, that he became a
perfect terror to the king of Unyoro, and caused him to regret that, when Kimera's power
was not yet consolidated, he had not crushed him. Kimera formed his men into soldiers,
draughted them into different regiments, drilled and organized them thoroughly. He cut
roads through his kingdom, traversing it in all directions. He had whole fleets of boats
built, and threw bridges over rivers wherever they interrupted his line of road. He
descended into the minutest particulars of domestic polity, and enforced the strictest
sanitary system throughout his country, not even suffering a house to be built unless it
possessed the means of cleanliness.
Organization, indeed, seems now to be implanted in the Waganda mind. Even the
M'TESA, THE PEESENT KINO. 461
mere business of taking bundles of wood into the palace must be done in military style.
" After the logs are carried a certain distance, the men charge up-hill with walking-sticks
at the slope, to the sound of the drum, shouting and chorusing. On reaching their
officer, they drop on their knees to salute, by saying repeatedly (in one voice the word
' n'yans ' (thanks). Then they go back, charging down-hill, stooping simultaneously to
pick up the wood, till step by step, it taking several hours, the neatly cut logs are
regularly stacked in the palace yards."
Each officer of a district would seem to have a different mode of drill. The Wazeewah,
with long sticks, were remarkably well-disciplined, shouting and inarching all in regular
time, every club going through the same movement ; the most attractive part of the drill
being when all cro ached simultaneously, and then advanced in open ranks, swinging their
bodies to the roll of their drums.
By such means Kimera soon contrived to make himself so powerful that his very
name was dreaded throughout Unyoro, into which country he was continually making
raids. If, for example, at one of his councils he found that one part of his dominions was
deficient in cattle or women, he ordered one or two of his generals to take their troops into
Unyoro, and procure the necessary number. In order that he might always have the
means of carrying his ideas into effect, the officers of the army are expected to present
themselves at the palace as often as they possibly can, and if they fail to do so, they are
severely punished ; their rank is taken from them, their property confiscated, and their
good?, their wives, and their children are given to others.
In fact, Kimsra proceeded on a system of reward and punishment : the former he
meted out with a liberal hand ; the latter was certain, swift, and terrible.
In process of time Kimera died, and his body was dried by being placed over an oven.
When it was quite dry, the lower jaw was removed and- covered with beads ; and this,
together with the body, were placed in tombs, and guarded by the deceased monarch's
favourite women, who were prohibited even from seeing his successor.
After Kimera's death, the people proceeded to chose a king from among his many
children, called " Warangira," or princes. The king elect was very young, and was separated
from the others, who were placed in a suite of huts under charge of a keeper. As soon
as the young prince reached years of discretion, he was publicly made king, and at the
same time all his brothers except two were burned to death. The two were allowed to
live in case the new king should die before he had any sons, and also as companions for
him. As soon as the Jine of direct succession was secured, one of the brothers was
banished into Unyoro and the other allowed to live in Uganda.
When Captains Speke and Grant arrived in Uganda, the reigning sovereign was M'tesa,
the seventh in succession from Kimera. He was about twenty-five years of age, and,
although he had not been formally received as king, wielded a power as supreme as if he
had passed through this ceremony. He was wise enough to keep up the system which
had been bequeathed to him by his ancestors, and the Uganda kingdom was even more
powerful in his time than it had been in the days of Kimera. A close acquaintance proved
that his personal character was not a pleasant one, as indeed was likely when it is remem-
bered that he had possessed illimitable power ever since he was quite a boy, and in
consequence had never known contradiction.
He was a very fine-looking young man, and possessed in perfection the love of dress,
which is so notable a feature in the character of the Waganda. They are so fastidious in
this respect, that for a man to appear untidily dressed before his superiors would entail
severe punishment, while, if he dared to present himself before the king with the least
disorder of apparel, immediate death would be the result. Even the royal pages, who
rush about at full speed when performing their commissions, are obliged to hold their
skin cloaks tightly round them, lest any portion of a naked limb should present itself to
the royal glance.
The appearance of M'tesa is well described by Captain Speke : — " A more theatrical
sight I never saw. The king, a good-looking, well-formed young man of twenty-five, was
sitting upon a red blanket, spread upon a square platform of royal grass, encased in tiger-
grass reeds, scrupulously dressed in a new 'mbugu (or grass-cloth). The hair of his head
462 THE WAGANDA.
was cut short, except upon the top, where it was combed up into a high ridge, running
from stem to stern, like a cock's comb. On his neck was a very neat ornament — a large
ring of beautifully-worked small beads, forming elegant patterns by their various colours.
On one arm was another bead ornament, prettily devised, and on the other a wooden
charm, tied by a string covered with a snake skin. On every finger and toe he had
alternate brass and copper rings, and above the ankles, half-way up the calf, a stocking
of very pretty beads.
" Everything was light, neat, and elegant in its way ; not a fault could be found with
the taste of his ' getting-up.' For a handkerchief, he had a well-folded piece of bark, and
a piece of gold-embroidered silk, which he constantly employed to hide his large mouth
when laughing, or to wipe it after a drink of plantain wine, of which he took constant
and copious draughts from little gourd cups, administered by his ladies in waiting, who
were at once his sisters and his wives. A white dog, spear, shield, and woman — the
Uganda cognizance — were by his side, as also a host of staff officers, with whom he kept
up a brisk conversation, on one side ; and on the other was a band of ' Wichwezi,' or
lady sorcerers."
These women are indispensable appendages to the court, and attend the king wherever
he goes, their office being to avert the evil eye from their monarch, and to pour the plan-
tain wine into the royal cups. They are distinguished by wearing dried lizards on their
heads, and on their belts are fastened goat-skin aprons, edged with little bells. As
emblems of their office, they also carry very small shields and spears, ornamented with
cock-hackles.
M'tesa's palace is of enormous dimensions, and almost deserves the name of a village
or town. It occupies the whole side of a hill, and consists of streets of huts arranged as
methodically as the houses of a European town, the line being preserved by fences of the
tall yellow tiger-grass of Uganda. There are also squares and open spaces, and the whole
is kept in perfect order and neatness. The inner courts are entered by means of gates,
each gate being kept by an officer, who permits no one to pass who has not the king's
permission. In case his vigilance should be evaded, each gate has a bell fastened to it on
the inside, just as they are hung on shop-doors in England.
In the illustration on page 463, the artist has selected the moment when the visitor
is introduced to the immediate presence of the king. Under the shade of the hut the
monarch is seated on his throne, having on one side the spears, shield, and dog, and on
the other the woman, these being the accompaniments of royalty. Some of his pages
are seated near him, with their cord turbans bound on their tufted heads, ready to obey
his slightest word. Immediately in front are some soldiers saluting him, and one of
them, to whom he has granted some favour, is floundering on the ground, thanking, or
" n'yanzigging," according to the custom of the place.
On the other side is the guest, a man of rank, who is ini reduced by the officer of the
gate. The door itself, with its bells, is drawn aside, and over the doorway is a rope, on
which are hung a row of charms. The king's private band is seen in the distance, per-
forming with its customary vigour.
The architecture of the huts within these enclosures is wonderfully good, the Waganda
having great natural advantages, and making full use of them. The principal material in
their edifices is reed, which in Uganda grows to a very great height, and is thick and
strong in the stem. Grass for thatching is also found in vast quantities, and there is
plenty of straight timber for the rafters. The roof is double, in order to exclude the
sunbeams, and the outer roof comes nearly to the ground on all sides. The fabric is
upheld by a number of poles, from which are hung corn-sacks, meat, and other necessaries.
The interior is separated into two compartments by a high screen made of plantain
leaf, and within the inner apartment the cane bedstead of the owner is placed. Yet, with
all this care in building, there is only one door, and no window or chimney ; and although
the Waganda keep their houses tolerably clean, the number of dogs which they keep fill
their huts with fleas, so that when a traveller takes possession of a house, he generally
has the plantain screen removed, and makes on the floor as large a fire as possible, so as
to exterminate the insect inhabitants.
RECEPTION OF A GUEST.
463
The ceremonies of receiving a royal guest are as elaborate as the architecture. Officers
of rank step forward to greet him, while musicians are in attendance, playing on the
various instruments of Uganda, most of them being similar to those which have already
been described. Even the height of the seat on which the visitor is to place himself is
rigorously determined, the chief object seeming to be to force him to take a seat lower
than that to which he is entitled. In presence of the king, who sits on a chair or throne,
no subject is allowed to be seated on anything higher than the ground ; and if he can be
induced to sit in the blazing sunbeams, and wait until the king is pleased to see him, a
triumph of diplomacy has been secured.
iiECEPTION OF A VISITOR.
When the king has satisfied himself with his guest, or thinks that he is tired, he rises
without any warning, and marches off to his room, using the peculiar gait affected by the
kings of Uganda, and supposed to be imitated from the walk of the lion. To the eyes of
the Waganda, the " lion's step," as the peculiar walk is termed, is very majestic, but to
the eyes of a European it is simply ludicrous, the feet being planted widely apart, and
the body swung from side to side at each step. If any of my readers should have known
Christ's Hospital, they may remember the peculiar style of walking which was termed
"spadging," and which used to be, and may be now, an equivalent to the " lion- step " of
the Uganda king.
After M'tesa had received his white visitor, he suddenly rose and retired after the
royal custom, and, as etiquette did not permit him to eat until he had seen his visitors, he
took the opportunity of breaking his fast.
Round the king, as he sits on his grass-covered throne, are his councillors and officers,
4(U THE WAGANDA.
squatted on the ground, with their dresses drawn tightly around them, and partly seated
on the royal leopard skins which are strewed on the ground. There is also a large drum,
decorated with little bells strung on wire arches, and some smaller drums, covered with
beads and cowrie shells, worked into various patterns.
Outside the inner circle sit the ordinary officers, and while the king is present not a
word is spoken, lest he should take offence at it ; and not an eye is lifted, lest a casual
glance might fall on one of the king's women, and be the precursor of a cruel death.
The Waganda are much given to superstition, and have a most implicit faith in charms.
The king is very rich in charms, and whenever he holds his court, has vast numbers of
them suspended behind him, besides those which he carries on his person. These charms
are made of almost anything that the magician chooses to select. Horns, filled with
magic powder, are perhaps the most common, and these are slung on the neck or tied
on the head if small, and kept in the huts if large.
Their great object of superstitious dread is a sort of water-spirit, which is supposed to
inhabit the lake, and to wreak his vengeance upon those who disturb him. Like the
water-spirits of the Rhine, this goblin has supreme jurisdiction, not only on the lake itself,
but in all rivers that communicate with it ; and the people are so afraid of this aquatic
demon, that they would not allow a sounding-line to be thrown into the water, lest per-
chance the weight should happen to hit the water-spirit and enrage him. The name of
this spirit is M'gussa, and he communicates with the people by means of his own special
minister or priest, who lives on an island, and is held in nearly as much awe as his
master.
M'tesa once took Captain Speke with him to see the magician. He took also a number
of his wives and attendants, and it was very amusing, when they reached the boats, to
see all the occupants jump into the water, ducking their heads so as to avoid seeing the
royal women, a stray glance being sure to incur immediate death. They proceeded to
the island on which the wizard lived.
" Proceeding now through the trees of this beautiful island,- we next turned into the
hut of the M'gussa's familiar, which at the further end was decorated with many mystic
symbols, among them a paddle, the badge of his high office ; and for some time we sat
chatting, when pombe' was brought, and the spiritual medium arrived. He was dressed
Wichwe'zi fashion, with a little white goatskin apron, adorned with various charms, and
used a paddle for a walking-stick. He was not an old man, though he affected to be so,
walking very slowly and deliberately, coughing asthmatically, glimmering with his eyes,
and mumbling like a witch. With much affected difficulty he sat at the end of the hut,
beside the symbols alluded to, and continued his coughing full half an hour, when his
wife came in in the same manner, without saying a word, and assumed the same
affected style.
" The king jokingly looked at me and laughed, and then at these strange creatures by
turns, as much as to say, ' What do you think of them ? ' but no voice was heard, save
that of the old wife, who croaked like a frog for water, and when some was brought,
croaked again because it was not the purest of the lake's produce — had the first cup
changed, wetted her lips with the second, and hobbled away in the same manner as she
had come."
The scene within the sorcerer's hut is shown in the illustration on page 465. The
king is seated near the door, accompanied by his wives, while the sorcerer's wife is seen
hobbling out of the hut, leaning on a staff. The man himself is distinguished by the
paddle in his hand, the emblem of the deity whom he serves, and listening to him is a
group of the king's officers. Behind the screen are a number of paddles and other aquatic
implements, and on the ground is laid the whitened skull of a hippopotamus.
Some of their magic horns are thought to have the power of attracting, and others of
/ repelling, rain, according as they are exposed or taken under shelter. The powder in these
horns has to be renewed periodically — a clever invention of the magicians for increasing
their fees. On their pathways and roads, which are very numerous and well kept, they
occasionally place a long stick in the ground, with a shell or other charm on the top, or
suspend the shell on the overhanging branch of a tree. Similar wands, on a smaller scale,
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.
405
are kept in the houses, and bits of feathers, rushes, and other articles are tied behind the
door. Snake-skin is of course much used in making the.se charms, and a square piece of
this article is hung round the neck of almost every man of this country.
The religion of the Waganda is of course one inspired by terror, and not by love,
the object of all their religious rites being to avert the anger of malignant spirits. Every
new moon has its own peculiar worship, which is conducted by banging drums, replenishing
the magic horns, and other ceremonies too long to, describe. The most terrible of their
rites is that of human sacrifice, which is usually employed when the king desires to
look into the future.
THE WATER-SPIRIT'S HIGH-PRIEST.
The victim is always a child, and the sacrifice is conducted in a most cruel manner.
Having discovered by his incantations that a neighbour is projecting war, the magician
flays a young child, and lays the bleeding body in the path on which the soldiers
pass to battle. Each warrior steps over the bleeding body, and thereby is supposed to
procure immunity for himself in the approaching battle. When the king makes war, his
chief magician uses a still more cruel mode of divination. He takes a large earthen pot,
half fills it with water, and then places it over the fireplace. On the mouth of the pot
he lays a small platform of crossed sticks, and having bound a young child and a fowl, he
lays them on the platform, covering them with another pot, which he inverts over them.
The fire is then lighted, and suffered to burn for a given time, when the upper pot is re-
moved, and the victims inspected. If they should both be dead, it is taken as a sign that
the war must be deferred for the present ; but if either should be alive, war may be made
at once.
VOL. I.
II IT
4GG THE WAGANDA.
Speaking of these and other black tribes, Captain Speke very rightly observes : " How the
negro has lived so many ages without advancing seems marvellous, when all the countries
surrounding Africa are so forward in comparison. And, judging from the progressive state
of the world, one is led to suppose that the African must soon either step out from his
durkiii-ss, or be superseded by a being superior to himself. Could a government be formed
for them like ours in India, they would be saved, but without it I fear there is very little
chance. For at present the African neither can help himself nor be helped by others,
because his country is in such a constant state of turmoil that he has too much anxiety
on hand looking out for his food to think of anything else.
" As his fathers did, so does he. He works his wife, sells his children, enslaves all
he can lay hands on, and, unless when fighting for the property of others, contents
himself with drinking, singing, and dancing like a baboon, to drive dull care away. A
few only make cotton cloth, or work in wool, iron, copper, or salt, their rule being to do
as little as possible, and to store up nothing beyond the necessities of the next season,
lest their chiefs or neighbours should covet and take it from them."
The same experienced traveller then proceeds to enumerate the many kinds of food
which the climate affords to any one of ordinary industry, such as horned cattle, sheep,
goats, pigs, fowls, ducks, and pigeons, not to mention the plantain and other vegetable
products, and expresses a feeling of surprise that, with such stores of food at his command,
the black man should be so often driven to feed on wild herbs and roots, dogs, cats, rats,
snakes, lizards, insects, and other similar animals, and should be frequently found on
the point of starvation, and be compelled -to sell his own children to procure food.
Moreover, there are elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamus, buffaloes, giraffes, antelopes,
guinea-fowls, and a host of other animals, which can be easily captured in traps or pit-
falls, so that the native African lives in the midst of a country which produces food in
boundless variety. The reasons for such a phenomenon are simple enough, and may be
reduced to two, — namely, utter want of foresight and constitutional indolence.
As to the question of slavery, it may perhaps be as well to remark that slaves are
not exclusively sold to white men. On the contrary, there is no slave-holder so tenacious
of his acquired rights as the black man, and, for every slave sold to a white man, ten
are bought by the dark races, whether on the east or west of Africa. And, when a
slave begins to raise himself above a mere menial rank, his first idea is to buy slaves for
himself, because they are the articles of merchandise which is most easily to be procured,
and so, as Captain Speke well observes, slavery begets slavery ad infinitum. The sum-
mary of Captain Speke's experience is valuable. " Possessed of a wonderful amount of
loquacity, great risibility, but no stability — a creature of impulse — a grown child in
short — at first sight it seems wonderful how he can be trained to work, for there is no
law, no home to bind him. He would run away at any moment, and, presuming on this,
he sins, expecting to be forgiven. Great forbearance, occasionally tinctured with a little
fatherly severity, is, I believe, the best dose for him. For he says to his master, after
sinning, ' You ought to forgive and to forget, for are you not a big man who would be above
harbouring spite, though for a moment you may be angry ? Flog ine if you like, but do
not keep count against me, or else I shall run away, and what will you do then ?"
The burying-places of the Waganda are rather elaborate. Captain Grant had the
curiosity to enter one of them, and describes it as follows : " Two huts on a height
appeared devoted to the remains of the dead. On getting over the fence surrounding
them, a lawn having straight walks led up to the doors, where a screen of bark-cloth
shut out the view of the interior. Conquering a feeling of delicacy, I entered one of the
huts. I found a fixed bedstead of cane, curtained as if to shade its bed of grass from the
mosquito, spears, charms, sticks with strange crooks, tree-creepers, miniature idol-huts of
grass, &c. These were laid in order in the interior, but no one was there, and we were
told that it was a mausoleum."
Many of such houses were seen on the hill -sides, but few so elaborately built.
Usually they were little more than square patches of ground enclosed with a reed-fence.
These were called by the name of " Looahleh," or sacred ground.
CHAPTER XL.
THE WANYORO.
CHARACTER OP THE WANYORO TRIBE DIRTY HABITS — MODE OF GOVERNMENT KING KAMRASI
HIS DESPOTIC CHARACTER — HIS BODY-GUARD AND THEIR PRIVILEGES HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE
— HIS GRASPING SELFISHNESS — A ROYAL VISIT — KAMRASl's COWARDICE — EXECUTION OF CRIMINALS
— CRUSHING A REBELLION — LAWS OF SUCCESSION THE KING'S SISTERS — WANYORO SINGING —
CONDITION OF WOMEN —FOOD OF THE WANYORO — CARRYING PROVISIONS ON THE MARCH USES
OF THE PLANTAIN-TREE FRAUDS IN TRADE — SUPERSTITIONS THE MAGICIAN AT WORK — THE
HORNED DOG — SPADE-MONEY. -
PROCEEDING still northwards, we come to the land of Unyoro, from which, as the reader
will remember, the country of Uganda was separated. The inhabitants of Unyoro form
a very unpleasant contrast to those of Uganda, being dirty, mean-looking, and badly dressed.
The country, too, is far inferior to Uganda, which might be made into a perpetually
blooming garden ; for, as the traveller leaves the equator and passes to the north, he finds
that the rains gradually decrease, and that vegetation first becomes thin, then stunted,
and lastly disappears altogether. The same structure of language prevails here as in
Uganda, so that the people of Unyoro are called "Wanyoro, and a single person is a
M'yoro.
The character of the Wanyoro is quite on a par with their appearance, for they are a
mean, selfish, grasping set of people, sadly lacking the savage virtue of hospitality, and
always on the look-out for opportunities to procure by unfair means the property of
others. They seem, indeed, to be about as unpleasant a nation as can well be imagined,
and in almost every point afford a strong contrast to others which have already been
described.
They are singularly dirty in their domestic habits, their huts being occupied equally
by men, goats, and fowls, and the floor, which is thickly covered with straw, is conse-
quently in a most abominable condition. It is so bad, indeed, that even the natives are
obliged to make a raised bedstead on which to sleep. Even the king's palace is no excep-
tion to the general rule ; the cattle are kept within the enclosure, and even his very
sleeping-hut is freely entered by calves. To visit the " palace " without stilts and a
respirator was too severe a task even to so hardened a traveller as Captain Speke, but
the king walked about among the cows, ankle-deep in all sorts of horrors, and yet per-
fectly at his ease.
The government of this country is pure despotism, the king possessing irresponsible
and unquestioned power. The subject can really possess property, but only holds it by
the king's pleasure. This theory is continually reduced to practice, the king taking from
one person, and giving, or rather, lending to another, anything that he chooses, — land,
cattle, slaves, wives, and children being equally ranked in the category of property.
The king who reigned over Uganda at the time when Captain Speke visited it was
named Kamrasi. He was a man who united in himself a singular variety of characters,
HH2
468
THE WANYORO.
Merciless, even beyond the ordinary type of African cruelty ; capricious as a spoiled child,
and scattering death and torture around for the mere whim of the moment ; inhospitable
and repellent according to the usual Wanyoro character; covetous and grasping to the
last degree ; ambitious of regaining the lost portion of his kingdom, and yet too cowardly
to declare war, he was a man who scarcely seemed likely to retain his hold on the
sceptre.
Yet, although contemptible as he was in many things, he was not to be despised, and,
although no one cared to meet him as a friend, all knew that he could be a most
dangerous enemy. For he possessed a large share of cunning, which stood him in stead
of the nobler virtues which ought to adorn a throne, and ruled his subjects by a mixture
of craft and force. His system of espionage would have done honour to M. de Sartines,
and there was nothing that happened in his country that he did not know.
The whole land was divided into districts, and over each district was pet an officer
who wras responsible for everything which occurred in it, and was bound to give informa-
tion to the king. The least failure in this respect entailed death or the " shoe," which
was nearly as bad, and often termi-
nated in death. The " shoe " is
simply a large and heavy log of
wood with an oblong slit cut
through it. Into this slit the feet
are passed, and a stout wooden
peg is then driven through the
log and between the ankles, so as
to hold the feet tightly imprisoned.
As to the exact position of the
peg, the executioner is in no
way particular ; and if he should
happen to drive it against, instead
of between, the ankles, he cares
nothing about it. Consequently,
the torture is often sp great, that
those who have been so imprisoned
have died of sheer exhaustion.
In order to be able to carry
out his orders without having a
chance of disobedience, he kept a
guard of armed soldiers, some five
hundred in number. These men
always carried their shields and
spears ; the latter have hard blades, kept very sharp, and their edges defended by a sheath,
neatly made of antelope-skin, sewn together with thongs. The ordinary spears are not
nearly so good, because the Wanyoro are not remarkable for excellence in smith's work,
and the better kind of spear-heads which are hawked through the country are bought by
the Waganda, who are a richer people.
This body-guard is dressed in the most extraordinary manner, their chief object
seeming to be to render themselves as unlike men and as like demons as possible. They
wear leopard or monkey skins by way of tunic, strap cows' tails to the small of their
backs, and tie a couple of antelope's horns on their heads, while their chins are decorated
with long false beards, made of the bushy ends of cows' tails.
When Sir S. Baker visited Kamrasi, this body-guard rushed out of the palace to meet
him, dancing, yelling, screaming, brandishing their spears, pretending to fight among
themselves, and, when they reached their visitors, nourishing their spears in the faces of
the strangers, and making feints of attack. So sudden was their charge, and so menacing
their aspect, that several of his men thought that they were charging in real earnest, find
begged him to fire at them. Being, however, convinced that their object was not to kill,
but to do him honour, he declined to fire, and found that the threatening body of
CULPRIT IN THE SHOE.
CHARACTER OF KAMRASI. 469
wore simply sent by Kamrasi as his escort. Had his armed Turks been with him, they
would certainly have received these seeming demons with a volley.
A curious instance of his craft was given by his reception of Sir S. Baker. When
the traveller was first promised an interview, Kamrasi ordered his brother, M'Gambi, to
personate him, while he himself, disguised as one of the escort, secretly watched the
travellers. M'Gambi executed his office admirably, and personated his royal brother to
perfection, asking for everything which he saw — guns, watches, beads, and clothes being
equally acceptable, and finished by asking for Lady Baker. In case the latter article
should be thought more valuable than the others, he offered to give one of his own wives
in exchange. This proposal nearly cost M'Gambi his life, and it may be that the wily
king had foreseen the possibility of some such result when he ordered his brother to
personate him, and permitted him to take his place on the copper stool of royalty. In
fact, M'Gambi did admit that the king was afraid that his visitors might be in league
with an adverse power.
In order to attach his guards to his person, Kamrasi allowed them all kinds of
licence, permitting them to rob and plunder as much as they liked ; his theory being that
as everything within his reach belonged to him, he in reality did no harm to his subjects,
the loss eventually falling on himself. Thus it will be seen that the king was a far-
sighted man in some things, and that he knew how to rule by fear, if not by love.
He was tall and slender, and scarcely looked his age, which was about forty, and his
features on the whole were good, as were his eyes, which were soft and gentle, sadly
belying his character. His face was, however, disfigured by the national custom of
removing the lower incisor and eye-teeth, and he said that the dentist who performed
the operation had been rewarded with a fee of a hundred cows. His colour was dark
brown, and but for the sinister expression of his countenance, he would really be a
handsome man.
His features were, however, rather disfigured by the scars which covered his forehead, and
which still remained as vestiges of sundry cauterizations. In Unyoro, the actual cautery,
i.e. a red-hot iron, is in great favour as a means of cure ; and whenever a man chooses to
intoxicate himself with native beer or imported rurn, and to suffer the usual penalty of a
headache on the following morning, he immediately thinks that he is bewitched, and
proceeds to drive out the demon by burning his forehead in a multitude of spots.
Kamrasi had gone a little beyond the ordinary custom, and had applied the hot iron to
his nose, causing such a scar that he was anxious to have it removed, and his nose
restored to its ordinary colour.
He did not take to European clothing, preferring the manufactures of his own country.
His ordinary dress was a mantle tied round his waist and descending to his feet. Some-
times it was made of cloth, and at others of skins; but it was always of a light red
colour, and was decorated with little patches of black cloth, with which it was covered.
He had his head shaved at intervals, but between the times of shaving his hair grew in
little knobby tufts, like those of the Bosjesman. He wore but few ornaments, the chief
being a necklace of beads, which hung to his waist.
Kamrasi had a very tolerable idea of effect, as was seen from the manner in which he
received his guests. A hut was built for the express purpose, and within it was the royal
throne, i.e. a stool — to sit on which is the special privilege of royalty. A quantity of
grass was formed into a rather high platform, which was covered first with cow-hides and
then with leopard-skins, the latter being the royal fur. Over this throne was hung a
canopy of cow-skin, stretched on every side and suspended from the roof, in order to
keep dust off the royal head. On the throne sat Kamrasi, enveloped in fine grass-cloth,
his left wrist adorned with a bracelet, and his hair carefully dressed. He sat calm,
motionless, and silent, like an Egyptian statue, and with unchanged countenance contem-
plated the wonderful white men of whom he had heard so much.
It is hardly possible to conceive a more unpleasant person than Kamrasi, putting
aside the total want of cleanliness which he exhibited, and which may be considered as a
national and not as an individual characteristic. His avarice induced him to wish for the
presence of travellers who would create a new line of trade, while his intense cowardice
470 THE WANYOKO.
made him fear a foe in every stranger. He was horribly afraid of M'tesa, and when he
found that white travellers had been hospitably received by that potentate, he thought
that they must come with sinister intentions, and therefore was on his guard against his
fancied foes.
When he got over his fears, he was as provoking in the character of mendicant as he
had been in that of a terrified despot. When Sir S. Baker was in his dominions,
Kamrasi insisted on paying him a visit, although he knew well that his guest was only
just recovering from fever, and therefore had not been able to attend at the palace.
" Although I had but little remaining from my stock of luggage except the guns,
ammunition, and astronomical instruments, I was obliged to hide everything underneath
the beds, lest the avaricious eyes of Kamrasi should detect a 'want/ True to his
appointment, he appeared with numerous attendants, and was ushered into my little hut.
I had a very rude but serviceable arm-chair that one of my men had constructed — in this
the king was invited to sit. Hardly was he seated, when he leant back, stretched out his
legs, and, making some remark to his attendants concerning his personal comfort, he
asked for the chair as a present. I promised to have one made for him immediately.
This being arranged, he surveyed the barren little hut, vainly endeavouring to fix his
eyes upon something that he could demand. But, so fruitless was his search, that he
laughingly turned to his people and said, ' How was it that they wanted so many porters
if they have nothing to carry ? ' My interpreter explained that many things had been
spoiled during the storms on the lake, and had been left behind ; that our provisions had
long since been consumed, and that our clothes were worn out — that we had nothing left
but a few beads.
" ' New varieties, no doubt/ he replied ; * give me all that you have of the small blue
and the large red.'
" We had carefully hidden the main stock, and a few had been arranged in bags to be
produced as the occasion might require. These were now unpacked by the boy Saat, and
laid before the king. I told him to make his choice, which he did, precisely as I had
anticipated, by making presents to his surrounding friends out of my stock, and mono-
polizing the remainder for his share. The division of the portions among his people was
a modest way of taking the whole, as he would immediately demand their return on
quitting my hut.
" No sooner were the beads secured than he repeated the original demand for my
watch and the No. 24 double rifle ; these I resolutely refused. He then requested per-
mission to see the contents of a few of the baskets and bags that formed our worn-out
luggage. There was nothing that took his fancy except needles, thread, lancets, medi^
cines, and a small tooth-comb. The latter interested him exceedingly, as I explained
that the object of the Turks in collecting ivory was to sell it to Europeans, who
manufactured it into many articles, among which were small tooth-combs, such as he
then examined. He could not understand how the teeth could be so finely cut.
" Upon the use of the comb being explained, he immediately attempted to practise
upon his woolly head. Failing in the operation, he adapted the instrument to a different
purpose, and commenced scratching beneath the wool most vigorously. The effect being
satisfactory, he at once demanded the comb, which was handed to each of the surrounding
chiefs, all of whom had a trial of its properties. Every head having been scratched, it
was returned to the king, who handed it to Quonga, the headman that received his
presents. So complete was the success of the comb, that he proposed to send me one of
the largest tusks, which I was to take to England and cut into as many small tooth-combs
as it would produce for himself and his chiefs."
During this interview, Kamrasi discovered a case of lancets, and begged for them, as
they were so well adapted for paring his nails. Also, he opened the medicine-chest, and
was so determined to take a dose at once that Sir S. Baker took a little revenge, and
administered three grains of tartar emetic, not to be taken until he reached his own hut.
As to the No. 24 rifle, which has been already mentioned, Kamrasi was always hankering
after it, at one time openly begging for it, and at another asking to borrow it just for a
day or two, when, of course, it never would have escaped the grasp of the royal clutches.
EXECUTION OF CRIMINALS. 471
This provoking man evidently considered his guests to be sent especially for his own
aggrandizement, and his only idea was, how to use them best for his service. Having
once got them safely into his domains, he had no intention of letting them go again until
he had squeezed them quite dry. First, he wanted to make them pay for the privilege
of entering his dominions ; and when they had once entered, he was sure to make them
pay before they got out again. His first ruse was, to pretend that they were weak and
insignificant, whereas he wyas great and strong, and that, if they wanted his protection,
they must pay for it. When once they had entered his district, and had shown them-
selves to be more formidable than he had chosen to admit, he asked them to aid him
against his enemies, and to lead his army against the adverse tribe.
This stratagem failing, even thought he was good enough to offer half his kingdom
for the privilege of alliance, he had still one resource, — namely, forbidding them to leave
his kingdom until he gave permission, i.e. until he had extracted from them everything
of value. To leave the country without his permission was simply impossible, on account
of the system of espionage which has already been mentioned, and, although it might
have been possible to force a way by dint of superior arms, such a struggle would have
neutralized the very object of the expedition.
Bully though he was where he could tyrannize with safety, he was a most contemptible
coward when he thought himself in the least danger. A very amusing example was
shown during the visit of Sir S. Baker.
, One morning, just at sunrise, Kamrasi came hastily into his hut shorn of all regal
dignity. In his hands he grasped two spears and a rifle, and wanted to bring them into
the hut. contrary to all etiquette. This could not be allowed, and he reluctantly left them
outside. He had laid aside his usual cold and repellent manner, and was full of eagerness.
He had also thrown off his ordinary apparel of beautifully-dressed skins, and only wore
a kind of short kilt and a scarf across his shoulders. Knowing that an attack was medi-
tated by a neighbouring chief, and having seen the people all in war costume — horned,
bearded, and tailed — Sir S. Baker naturally thought that Kamrasi was in fighting costume,
and congratulated him on its appropriate lightness.
" 1 fight ! " exclaimed the king. " I am not going to fight ; I am going to run away,
and put on this dress to be able to run faster."
He then explained in great trepidation that the enemy were approaching with a
hundred and fifty muskets, and that, as it wras useless to fight against such odds, he meant
to run away and hide himself in the long grass, and his guest had better follow his ex-
ample. From the anticipated attack he was saved by the timely intervention of his
guest, and the only mark of gratitude which he showed was to ask again for the double-
barrelled rifle.
Still, in spite of these unamiable characteristics, the man had his redeeming points ;
and although he was, on occasions and on a large scale, almost as cruel as a man could be,
he did not commit those continual murders of his subjects which disgraced the reign of
M'tesa. Personal chastisement was used in many cases in which M'tesa would have
inflicted death, and probably a lengthened torture besides.
The mode of passing sentence on a prisoner was very remarkable. Should the king
or his brother M'Gambi touch him with the point of a spear, the executioners imme-
diately fall upon him with their clubs, and beat him to death. But, if he should touch
the prisoner with his stick, the executioners instantly pierce him with their spears ; so
that the instrument used in killing the man is always the opposite to that with which
the king touches him.
Even in cases where death was inflicted, the criminal was generally killed by a blow
with a club on the back of the neck. There were of course exceptions to this rule. For
example, a hostile chief, named Eionga, one of his thirty brothers, had been taken prisoner
by a treacherous act on the part of Kamrasi, who first pretended to make peace, then
invited him to a banquet, and seized upon him while he was off his guard. Kamrasi then
ordered him to die by a cruel death. There was a hut with high mud walls and no door-
way. Into this hut Rionga was hoisted, and the king gave orders that on the following
morning the hut should be fired, and its inmate burned to death.
472 THE WANYORO.
Another chief, however, named Sail, ingeniously brought out groat quantities of beer,
knowing that the guards would be sure to assemble in any spot when- beer was to be
found. This they did; and while they were engaged at one side of the prison drinking,
dancing, and singing, Sali's men were engaged on the other side, in digging a hole through
the mud wall of the hut, and soon succeeded in making an aperture large enough to
allow the prisoner to make his escape.
After this feat, Sali, having seen how treacherous Kamrasi could be, ought to have
secured his own safety by flight, but chose to remain, thinking that his share in the rescue
would not be discovered. Kamrasi, however, suspected his complicity, and had him
arrested at once. He was sentenced to the cruel death of being dismembered while alive,
and the sentence was carried out by cutting off his hands at the wrists, his arms at the
elbows, and so on until every joint was severed. While undergoing this torture, he proved
himself a brave man by trying to help his friends, calling aloud from the stake that they
had better escape while they could, lest they should suffer the same penalty.
A curious custom prevails in Unyoro with regard to the king's sisters. Like other
women of rank, they are fattened on curdled milk, and attain such a size that they are
not able to walk, and, whenever they leave the hut, each has to be borne on a litter by
eight men. Each wroman consumes daily the milk of fifteen or twenty cows, a cow pro-
ducing barely one quart of milk. Yet, though this fattening process is an ordinary
preliminary to marriage, the king's sisters are forbidden to marry, and are kept in strict
seclusion in his palace. So are his brothers ; but, unlike the king of Uganda, he does not
think it necessary to kill them when he reaches the throne.
During the short interval of peace which followed upon Sir S. Baker's intervention, the
people gave themselves up to debauchery, the men drinking and dancing and yelling,
blowing horns and beating drums all through the night. The women took no part in
this amusement, inasmuch as they had been hard at work in the fields all day, while their
husbands had been sleeping at home. Consequently they were much too tired to dance,
and tried to snatch what rest they could in the midst of the night-long din.
" The usual style of singing was a rapid chant, delivered as a solo, while at intervals
the crowd burst out in a deafening chorus, 'together with the drums and horns. The
latter were formed of immense gourds, which, growing in a peculiar shape," with long,
bottle necks, were easily converted into musical instruments. Every now and then a cry
of ' Fire ! ' in the middle of the night enlivened the ennui of our existence. The huts
were littered deep with straw, and the inmates, intoxicated, frequently fell asleep with
their huge pipes alight, which, falling in the dry straw, at once occasioned a conflagration.
In such cases the flames spread from hut to hut with immense rapidity, and frequently
four or five hundred huts in Kamrasi's large camp were destroyed by fire, and rebuilt in a
few days. I was anxious concerning my powder, as, in the event of fire, the blaze of the
straw hut was. so instantaneous that nothing could be saved ; should my powder explode,
I should be entirely defenceless. Accordingly, after a conflagration in my neighbourhood,
I insisted on removing all huts within a circuit of thirty yards of my dwelling. The
natives demurring, I at once ordered my men to pull down the houses, and thereby
relieved myself from drunken and dangerous neighbours."
The condition of the women in Unyoro is not at all agreeable, as indeed may be
inferred from the brief mention of the hard work which they have to perform. They
are watched very carefully by their husbands, and beaten severely if they ever venture
outside the palisades after sunset. For unfaithfulness, the punishment seems to be left
to the aggrieved husband, who sometimes demands a heavy fine, sometimes cuts off a foot
or a hand, and sometimes inflicts the punishment of death.
Dirty as are the Wanyoro in some things, in others they are very neat and clean.
They are admirable packers, and make up the neatest imaginable parcels. Some of these
parcels are surrounded with the bark of the plantain, and some with the pith or interior
of a reed, from which the outside has been carefully stripped, so as to leave a number of
snow-white cylinders. These are laid side by side, and bound round the object, producing
a singularly pretty effect. Littls mats, formed of shreds of these reeds, are very much
used, especially as covers to beer jars. When aM'yoro is on the march, he always carries
FRAUDS IN TRADE. 473
with him a gourd full of plantain wine. The mouth of the gourd is stopped with a
bundle of these reed-shreds, through which passes a tube, so that the traveller can always
drink without checking his pace, and without any danger of spilling the liquid as he
walks.
In their diet the Wanyoro make great use of the plantain, and it is rather remarkable
that, in a land which abounds with this fruit, it is hardly possible to procure one in a
ripe state, the natives always eating them while still green. The plantain-tree is to the
Wanyoro the chief necessity of existence, as it affords them means for supplying all the
real wants of life. Sometimes the plantain is boiled and eaten as a vegetable, and some-
times it is dried and ground into meal, which is used in making porridge. The fruit is
also peeled, cut into slices, and dried in the sun, so as to be stowed away for future con-
sumption, and from this dried plantain the Wanyoro make a palatable and nutritious
soup. Wine, or rather beer, is made from the same fruit, which thus supplies both food
and drink.
The tree itself is most useful, the leaves being split into shreds, and woven into cloth
of remarkable elegance, and the bark is stripped off, and employed like paper in wrapping
up parcels of the meal. Strong ropes and the finest thread are twisted from the plantain
fibre, and the natives are clever at weaving ornamental articles, which look so like hair,
that a very close inspection is needful to detect the difference. In all these manufactures
the Wanyoro show a neatness of hand and delicacy of taste that contrast strangely with
the slovenly, careless, and repulsive habits of their daily life.
Curdled milk is much used by the natives, who employ it in fattening their wives
and daughters, but, unlike the Arabs, they will not mix red pepper with it, believing that
those who eat the capsicum will never be blessed with children. Butter is used as an
unguent, and not for food, and the natives are very much scandalized at seeing the white
visitors eat it.
According to the custom of their nation, they once played a clever trick. Butter is
packed most carefully in leaves, a little bit being allowed to project as a sample. One
day the natives brought some butter to their white visitors, but as it was quite rancid it
was rejected. They took it away, and then brought a fresh supply, which was approved
and purchased. But, when the wrapper was taken off, it was found that the butter was
the saiue that had been refused, the natives having put a little piece of fresh butter
at the top.
Itinerant cheesemongers play very similar tricks at the present day, plugging a totally
uneatable cheese with bits of best Cheshire, and scooping out the plugs by way of sample.
As to religion, the Wanyoro have none at all. They are full of superstition, but, as
far as is known, they have not the least idea of a religion which can exercise any influence
on the actions. In common with most uncivilized people, they make much of each new
moon, this being the unit by which they reckon their epochs, and salute the slender
crescent by profuse dancing and gesticulation.
They have a wonderful faith in demons, with whom the prophets or wizards aver
that they hold communication. Some of their guesses at the future occasionally come
true. For example, one of the men of the expedition was said to be possessed by a
demon, who told him that the expedition would succeed, but that the demon required
one man's life and another man's illness. This prediction was literally accomplished,
one of the escort being murdered, and Captain Grant falling seriously ill. Again the
same man saw the demon, who said that in Uganda one man's life would be required,
and accordingly Kari, a man belonging to the expedition, was murdered. A third time,
when in Unyoro, he saw the demon, who said that no more lives were needed, but that
the expedition would succeed, though it would be protracted. And such eventually
proved to be the case.
The magicians lay claim to one most valuable power, — namely, that of finding lost
articles. On one occasion Captain Speke saw the whole process. A rain-gauge and its
bottle had been stolen, and every one disclaimed knowledge of it. A sorcerer was there-
fore summoned to find the missing article. The following account of the proceeding is
given by Captain Speke : —
474
THE WANYORO.
" At 9 A.M. the time for measuring the fall of rain for the last twenty-four hours, we
found the rain-gauge and bottle had been removed, so we sent Kidgwiga to inform the
king we wished his magicians to come at once and institute a search for it. Kidgwiga
immediately returned with the necessary adept, an old man, nearly blind, dressed in strips
of old leather fastened to the waist, and carrying in one hand a cow's horn primed with
magic powder, carefully covered on the mouth with leather, from which dangled an
iron bell.
THE MAGICIAN AT WORK.
" The old creature jingled the bell, entered our hut, squatted on his hams, looked first
at one, then at the other — inquired what the missing things were like, grunted, moved
his skinny arm round his head, as if desirous of catching air from all four sides of the
hut, then dashed the accumulated air on the head of his horn, smelt it to see if all was
going right, jingled the bell again close to his ear, and grunted his satisfaction ; the
missing articles must be found.
" To carry out the incantation more effectually, however, all my men were sent for to
sit in the open before the hut, but the old doctor rose, shaking the horn and tinkling the
bell close to his ear. He then, confronting one of the men, dashed the horn forward as
if intending to strike him on the face, then smelt the head, then dashed at another, and
so on, till he became satisfied that my men were not the thieves.
" He then walked into Grant's hut, inspected that, and finally went to the place where
the bottle had been kept. Then he walked about the grass with his arm up, and jingling
the bell to his ear, first on one side, then on the other, till the track of a hysena gave
him the clue and in two or three more steps he found it. A hysena had carried it
EELIGIOUS MENDICANTS.
475
into the grass and dropped it. Bravo, for the infallible horn ! and well done the king
for his honesty in sending it ! so I gave the king the bottle and gauge, which
delighted him amazingly ; and the old doctor, who begged for pombe', got a goat for his
trouble."
As in Uganda, the sorcerers are distinguished by the odd ornaments which they wear ;
dried roots, lizards, lions' claws, crocodiles' teeth, little tortoise-shells, and other objects
being strung together and tied on their heads. There is also an order of religious
mendicants called " Bandwa," both sexes being eligible to the office. They are distin-
guished by an abundance of ornaments, such as bits of shining metal, and little tinkling
bells, and one man had distinguished himself greatly by wearing the skin of a long-
haired monkey down his back from the top of his head, to which he had attached a couple
of antelope horns. The women when dressed in the full robes of office look very
handsome, being clothed in coloured skins, and wearing turbans made of the plantain
bark. They walk about from house to house singing their peculiar songs, and always
expecting a present. The office of a Bandwa is not hereditary, for any one may join
them by undergoing certain ceremonies, and the children of a Bandwa are £t liberty
to follow any business that they may happen to like. Although they are mendi-
cants, they do not wholly depend on their profession, having cattle and other property
of their own.
In many countries where superstition takes the place of religion, the birth of twins
is looked upon as a bad omen, which must be averted by the sacrifice of one or both
of the children. In Unyoro the case is different. Captain Speke had been annoyed
by certain drums and other musical instruments which were played day and night
without cessation, and, when he inquired as to their object, was told that they were in
honour of twins that had been born to
Kamrasi, and that they would be played
in the same manner for four months.
The use of the cow's horn in magic is
explained by a tradition that once upon a
time there was a dog with a horn. When
the dog died, the horn was stuffed with
magic powder, and was a powerful charm
in war, soldiers who stepped over it when
on the inarch being thereby rendered vic-
torious. Kamrasi possessed several magic
horns, and when he sent an ambassador to
a neighbouring potentate, one of these
horns was hung round the man's neck, as
his credentials ; and when he returned, he
brought with him another magic horn as
a proof that his message had been de-
THE MAJEMB^, OR SPADE-MONEY.
livered. No one dared to touch a man
who bore so potent an emblem, and this
was peculiarly fortunate, as on one occa-
sion Kamrasi had sent an expedition which
took with them six hundred majembe, or iron spades, which form a sort of currency,
the expenditure of two majembe^ per diem being sufficient to buy food for the whole
party. Laden with wealth therefore as they were, the magic horn protected the party,
and they performed their journey in safety.
War charms are in great request, and while Captain Speke was in Unyoro he saw the
preliminary act in charm-making. A feud was in action between Kamrasi and the Chopi
tribe. Kamrasi 'therefore sent spies into the Chopi district, with orders to bring some
grass from the hut of a chief. This they did, with the addition of a spear, much to
Kamrasi's delight, who thought that the possession of this weapon would enable him to
bewitch the spears as well as the courage of his enemies, and so prevent the weapons
from hurting his tiibe.
476
THE WANYORO.
In order to ensure prosperity to their family, or to cure a sick relative, the Wanyoro
kill some animal, split it open, and lay it at the intersection of two cross roads, such
spot being held by them, as by the Balonda, in great reverence. If the man is rich
enough, he sacrifices a goat, but if not, a fowl will answer ; and if a man is very poor
indeed, he makes a frog serve his purpose.
These people seem to have kept their burial ceremonies very secret, as a funeral was
never seen in Central Africa, but it is said that the dead are buried near the house or in
the cattle-fold, wrapped in bark-cloth or a cow-skin. When the king dies his body is
first dried, and then the lower jaw-bone is removed and buried by itself. Officers of the
palace are privileged to have their heads and hands treated in the same manner.
ORNAMENTED SPEARHEAD,
CHAPTER XLL
GANI, MADI, OBBO, AND KYTCH.
POSITION OF THE GANI TRIBE — THEIR HOSPITABLE CHARACTER GANI ARCHITECTURE — SINGULAR
MODE OP DRESS — THE GANI QUEUE TOILET MAKING IN PUBLIC — THE MADI TRIBE — CARE
OF CHILDREN — DRESS OF THE WOMEN VARIOUS DANCES — MADI VILLAGES ILL-TREATMENT OF
THE NATIVES — POSITION OF THE OBBO TRIBE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES
SINGULAR MODE OF DRESS — KATCHIBA, THE OBBO CHIEF HIS LARGE FAMILY — HIS REPUTA-
TION AS A SORCERER INGENIOUS ESCAPE FROM A DILEMMA — KATCHIBA's PALACE A VISIT
TO THE CHIEF — HIS HOSPITALITY AND GENEROUS CONDUCT CHARACTER OF KATCHIBA.
WE now come to a large district about lat. 3° N. and long. 32° E. This country is
inhabited by a group of tribes, who are perhaps more remarkable for their style of dress
than any which we have yet noticed. We will first take the GANI.
The Gani are a hospitable people, and when Captains Speke and Grant passed through
their country, received them with great kindness, even though they had never seen white
men before, and might be expected to take alarm at an armed party penetrating into
their land.
One day, when Captain Grant was walking in search of plants, he was hailed by a
native, who contrived to make him understand that he wished to conduct the white man.
He was very polite to his guest, acting as pioneer, beating down the thorny branches that
obstructed the path, ani pointing out the best places for crossing rocks. He evidently
thought that Captain Grant had lost his way, and so guided him back to the camp,
previously leaving his spear in a hut, because to appear armed in the presence of a
superior is contrary to their system of etiquette.
The mode of welcoma was rather remarkable. The old chief of the village advanced
to meet the strangers, accompanied by his councillors and a number of women, one of
whom carried a white chicken, and the others beer and a bunch of a flowering plant.
When the two parties met, the chief, whose name was Chongi, took the fowl by one leg,
stooped, and swung it backwards and forwards close to the ground, and then passed it to
his male attendants, who did the same thing. He then took a gourd full of beer, dipped
the plant in it, and sprinkled the liquid over his guests, and then spread cow-skins
under a tree by way of couches, on which his guests might repose. They were next
presented with a supply of beer, which was politely called water.
The villages of the Gani are extremely neat, and consist of a quantity of huts built
round a flat cleared space which is kept exceedingly smooth and neat. In the middle
of this space are one or two miniature huts made of grass, and containing idols, and a
few horns are laid near them. When the Gani lay out plans for a new village, they
mostly allow one large tree to remain in the centre of the cleared space, and under its
shade the inhabitants assemble and receive their guests. The houses are shaped like bee-
hives, are very low, and composed simply of a mud wall and a roof made of bamboo
478 THE GANI.
thatched with grass. The doors are barely two feet high, but the supple-bodied Gani,
who have never been encumbered with clothes, can walk through the aperture with
perfect ease. The floor is made of clay beaten hard, and is swept with great care. Cow-
skins are spread on the floor by way of beds, and upon these the Garii sleep without any
covering.
Close to the huts are placed the grain-stores, which are very ingeniously made. First,
a number of rude stone pillars are set in a circle, having flat stones laid on their tops,
much resembling the remains of Stonehenge. Upon these is secured an enormous
cylinder of basket-work plastered with clay, the top of which is covered with a conical
roof of bamboo and grass. When a woman wishes to take grain out of the store-house,
she places against it a large branch from which the smaller boughs have been cut,
leaving stumps of a foot or ten inches in length, and by means of this rude ladder she
easily ascends to the roof.
The appearance of this tribe is most remarkable, as they use less clothing and more
ornament than any people at present known. We will begin with the men. Their dress
is absolutely nothing at all as far as covering the body is concerned, but, as if to com-
pensate for this nudity, there is scarcely a square inch of the person without its adorn-
ment. In the first place, they use paint as a succedaneum for dress, and cover themselves
entirely with colours, not merely rubbing themselves over with one tint, but using several
colours, and painting themselves in a wonderful variety of patterns, many of them showing
real artistic power, while others are simply grotesque.
Two young men who came as messengers from Chongi had used three colours. They
had painted their faces white, the pigment being wood ashes, and their bodies were covered
with two coats of paint, the first purple, and the second ashen grey. This latter coat they
had scraped off in irregular patterns, just as a painter uses his steel comb when graining
wood, so that the purple appeared through the grey, and looked much like the grain of
mahogany. Some of the men cover their bodies with horizontal stripes, like those of
the zebra, or with vertical stripes running along the curve of the spine and limbs, or with
zigzag markings of light colours. Some very great dandies go still further, and paint their
bodies chequer-fashion, exactly like that of a harlequin. White always plays a large
part in their decorations, and is often applied in broad bands round the waist and neck.
The head is not less gorgeously decorated. First the hair is teased out with a pin,
and is then dressed with clay so as to form it into a thick felt-like mass. This is often
further decorated with pipe-clay laid on in patterns, and at the back of the neck is inserted
a piece of sinew about a foot in length. This odd-looking queue is turned up, and finished
off at the tip with a tuft of fur, the end of a leopard's tail being the favourite ornament.
Shells, beads, and other ornaments are also woven into the hair, and in most cases a
feather is added by way of a finishing touch. The whole contour of the head-dress is
exactly like that of the pantaloon of the stage, and the sight of a man with the body of a
harlequin and the head of a pantaloon is too much for European gravity to withstand.
Beside all this elaborate decoration, the men wear a quantity of bracelets, anklets, and
earrings. The daily toilet of a Gani dandy occupies a very long time, and in the
morning the men may be seen in numbers sitting under the shade of trees, employed in
painting their own bodies or dressing the hair of a friend, and applying paint where he
would not be able to guide the brush. As may be inferred, they are exceedingly vain of
their personal appearance ; and when their toilet is completed, they strut about in order to
show themselves, and continually pose themselves in attitudes which they think graceful,
but which might be characterised as conceited.
Each man usually carries with him an odd little stool with one leg, and instead of
sitting on the ground, as is done by most savages, the Gani make a point of seating
themselves on these little stools, which look very like those which are used by Swiss
herdsmen when they milk the cows, and only differ from them in not being tied to
the body.
The women are not nearly such votaries of fashion as their husbands, principally
because they have to work and to nurse the children, who would make short work of any
paint that they might use. Like the parents, the children have no clothes, and are merely
THE MADI.
479
suspended in a rather wide strap passing over one shoulder of the mother and under the
other. As, however, the rays of the sun might be injurious to them, a large gourd is cut
in two pieces, hollowed out, and one of the pieces inverted over the child's head and
shoulders.
The Gani have cattle, but are very poor herdsmen, and have suffered the herd to
deteriorate in size and quality. They cannot even drive their cattle properly, each cow
recognising a special driver, who grasps the tail in one hand and a horn in the other, and
thus drags and pushes the animal along.
GROUP OP GANI AND MADI.
THE MADI TEIBE.
NOT very far from the Gani are situated the MADI tribe. They are dressed, or rather
undressed, in a somewhat similar fashion. The women are very industrious, and are
remarkable for the scrupulously neat and clean state in which they keep their huts.
Every morning the women may be seen sweeping out their houses, or kneeling in front
of the aperture which serves as a door, and patting and smoothing the space in front
of the doorway. They are also constantly employed in brewing beer, grinding corn, and
baking bread.
They take great care of their children, washing them daily with warm water, and then,
as they have no towels, licking them dry as a cat does with her kittens. When the child
is washed and dried, the mother produces some fat with which vermilion has been mixed,
and rubs it over the child's body until it is all red and shining. The next process is to
lay the child on its back upon a goatskin, the corners of which are then gathered up and
tied together so as to form a cradle. Should the mothjer be exceedingly busy, she hangs
480 THE MADI.
the cradle on a peg or the branch of a tree, the child offering no objection to this
treatment.
The dress of the women consists of a petticoat reaching a little below the knees, but
they often dispense with this article of dress, and content themselves with a few leathern
thongs in front, and another cluster of thongs behind. In default of leathern thongs, a
bunch of chickweed answers every purpose of dress. They wear iron rings round their
arms above the elbow, and generally have a small knife stuck between the rings and
the arm.
They are fond of wearing little circular discs cut from a univalve shell. These shells
are laid out to bleach on the tops of the huts, and, when whitened, are cut into circles
about as large as fourpenny pieces, each having a hole bored through the middle. They
are then strung together and worn as belts, and have also the advantage of being used as
coin with which small articles of food, as fruit or beer, could be purchased. The men are
in the habit of wearing ornaments made of the tusks of the wild boar. The tusks are tied
on the arm above the elbow, and contrast well with the naturally dark hue of the skin
and the brilliant colours with which it is mostly painted.
Whenever a child is born, the other women assemble round the hut of the mother, and
make a hideous noise by way of congratulation. Drums are beaten violently, songs are
sung, hands are clapped, gratulatory, sentences are yelled out at the full stretch of the
voice, while a wild and furious dance acts as an accompaniment to the noise. As soon
as the mother has recovered, a goat is killed, and she steps backwards and forwards over
its body.
One of the women, the wife of the commandant, went through a very curious cere-
mony when she had recovered her health after her child was born. She took a bunch of
dry grass, and lighted it, and then passed it from hand to hand three times round her
body while she walked to the left of the door. Another grass tuft was then lighted, and
she went through a similar performance as she walked to the front of the door, and the
process was again repeated as she walked to the right.
The dances of the Madi are rather variable. The congratulatory dance is performed
by jumping up and down without any order, flinging the legs and arms about, and flapping
the ribs with the elbows. The young men have a dance of their own, which is far more
pleasing than that of the women. Each takes a stick and a drum, and they arrange them-
selves in a circle, beating the drums, singing, and converging to the centre, and then
retiring again in exact time with the rhythm of the drum beats.
Sometimes there is a grand general dance, in which several hundred performers take
part. " Six drums of different sizes, slung upon poles, were in the centre ; around
these was a moving mass of people, elbowing and pushing one another as at a fair ; and
outside them a ring of girls, women, and infants, faced an outer circle of men sounding
horns and armed with spears and clubs, their heads ornamented with ostrich feathers,
helmets of the cowrie shell, &c. Never had I seen such a scene of animated savage life,
nor heard a more savage noise. As the two large circles of both sexes jumped simul-
taneously to the music, and moved round at every leap, the women sang and jingled their
masses of bracelets, challenging and exciting the men, forcing them to various acts of
gallantry, while our Seedees joined in the dance, and no doubt touched many a fair
breast."
The weapons of the Madi are spears and bows and arrows. The spears are about six
feet long, with bamboo shafts, and with an iron spike at the butt for the purpose
of sticking it in the ground. They are better archers than the generality of African
tribes, and amuse themselves by setting up marks, and shooting at them from a dis-
tance of forty or fifty yards. The arrows are mostly poisoned, and always so when
used for war.
The villages of the Madi are constructed in a veiy neat manner, the floors being made
of a kind of red clay beaten hard and smoothed. The thresholds of the doors are of the
same material, but are paved with pieces of broken earthenware pressed into the clay, and
ingeniously joined so as to form a kind of pattern. In order to prevent cattle from
entering the huts, movable bars of bambo o are generally set across the entrance. The
TUKKISH CRUELTY.
481
villages are enclosed with a fence, and the inhabitants never allow the sick to reside
within the enclosure. They do not merely eject them, as they do in some parts of Africa,
but build a number of huts outside the walls by way of a hospital.
The roofs of the huts are cleverly made of bamboo and grass, and upon them is lavished
the greater part of the labour of housebuilding. If therefore the Madi are dissatisfied
with the position of a village, or find that neighbouring tribes are becoming troublesome,
they quietly move off to another spot, carrying with them the most important part of their
houses, namely the roofs, which are so light that a few men can carry them. A village
on the march presents a most curious and picturesque spectacle, the roofs of the huts
carried on the heads of four or five men, the bamboo stakes borne by others, while some
are driving the cattle, and the women are carrying their children and their simple house-
hold furniture.
REMOVAL OF A VILLAGE.
The Turkish caravans that occasionally pass through the country are the chief caus3
of these migrations, as they treat the Madi very roughly. When they come to a village,
they will not take up their abode inside it, but carry off the roofs of the huts and form a
camp with them outside the enclosure. They also rob the corn-stores, and if the
aggrieved owner ventures to remonstrate, he is knocked down by the butt of a musket,
or threatened with its contents. In some parts of the country these men had behaved
so cruelly to the natives that, as soon as the inhabitants of a village saw a caravan
approaching, all the women and children forsook their dwellings, and hid themselves in
the bush and grass.
Ct. I.
• - iJr'V' *«•
482 THE OBBO.
THE OBBO.
WE now come to OBBO, a district situated in lat. 4° 55' N. and long. 31° 46' E. Sir
S. Baker spent a considerable time in Obbo — much more, indeed, than was desirable —
and in consequence learned much of the peculiarities of the inhabitants.
In some respects the natives look something like the Gani and Madi, especially in
their fondness for paint, their disregard of clothing, and the mode in which they dress
their heads. In this last respect they are even more fastidious than the tribes which
have been just mentioned, some of them having snowy white wigs descending over their
shoulders, and finished off with the curved and tufted pigtail. The shape of the Obbo
head-dress has been happily compared to that of a beaver's tail, it being wide and flat,
and thicker in the middle than at the edges. The length of this head-dress is not owing
to the wearer's own hair, but is produced by the interweaving of hair from other sources.
If, for example, a man dies, his hair is removed by his relations, and woven with their
head-dresses as a souvenir of the departed, and an addition to their ornaments. They
also make caps of shells strung together and decorated with feathers ; and instead of
clothing they wear a small skin slung over one shoulder.
The men have an odd fashion of wearing round their necks several thick iron rings,
sometimes as many as six or eight, all brightly polished, and looking like a row of dog-
collars. Should the wearer happen to become stout, these rings press so tightly on his
throat that he is nearly choked. They also are fond of making tufts of cow's tails, which
they suspend from their arms just above the elbows. The most fashionable ornaments,
however, are made of horse-tails, the hairs of which are also highly prized for stringing
beads. Consequently, a horse's tail is an article of considerable -value, and in Obbo-land
a cow can be purchased for a horse's tail in good condition.
Paint is chiefly used as a kind of war uniform. The colours which the natives use are
vermilion, yellow, and white, but the particular pattern is left much to their own inven-
tion. Stripes of alternate scarlet and yellow, or scarlet and white, seem, however, to form
the ordinary pattern, probably because they are easily drawn, and present a bold contrast
of colour. The head is decorated with a kind of cap made of cowrie shells, to which are
fixed several long ostrich plumes that droop over the shoulders.
Contrary to usual custom, the women are less clad than the men, and, until they are
married, wear either no clothing whatever, or only three or four strings of white beads,
some three inches in length. Some of the prudes, however, tie a piece of string round their
waists, and stick in it a little leafy branch, with the stalk uppermost. " One great advan-
tage was possessed by this costume. It was always clean and fresh, and the nearest bush
(if not thorny) provided a clean petticoat. When in the society of these very simple,
and, in demeanour, always modest Eves, I could not help reflecting upon the Mosaical
description of our first parents."
Married women generally wear a fringe of leathern thongs, about four inches long and
two wide. Old women mostly prefer the leaf branch to the leathern fringe. When young
they are usually pretty, having well-formed noses, and lips but slightly partaking of the
negro character. Some of the men remind the spectators of the Somauli.
Katchiba, the chief of Obbo, was rather a fine-looking man, about sixty years of
age, and was a truly remarkable man, making up by craft the lack of force, and ruling
his little kingdom with a really firm, though apparently lax, grasp. In the first place,
having a goodly supply of sons, he made them all into sub-chiefs of the many different
districts into which he divided his domains. Owing to the great estimation in which he
was held by his people, fresh wives were continually being presented to him, and at first
he was rather perplexed by the difficulty of accommodating so many in his palace. At
last he hit on the expedient of distributing them in the various villages through which he
was accustomed to make his tour, so that wherever he was he found himself at home.
KATCHIBA'S POLICY. 483
It so happened, that when Sir S. Baker visited Katchiba he had one hundred arid
sixteen children living. This may not seem to be a very wonderful fact when the number
of his wives is considered. But, in Africa, plurality of wives does not necessarily imply
a corresponding number of children, several of these many-wived chiefs having only one
child to every ten or twelve wives. Therefore the fact that Katchiba's family was
so very large raised him greatly in the minds of his people, who looked upon him as a
great sorcerer, and had the most profound respect for his supernatural power.
Katchiba laid claim to intercourse with the unseen world, and to authority over the
elements; rain and drought, calm and tempest, being supposed by his subjects to be
equally under his command. Sometimes, if the country had been afflicted with drought
beyond the usual time of rain, Katchiba would assemble his people, and deliver a long
harangue, inveighing against their evil doings, which had kept off the rain.
These evil doings, on being analysed, generally proved to be little more than a want
of liberality towards himself. He explained to them that he sincerely regretted their
conduct, which "has compelled him to afflict them with unfavourable weather, but that
it is their own fault. If they are so greedy and so stingy that they will not supply him
properly, how can they expect him to think of their interests ? No goats, no rain ; that's
our contract, my friends," says Katchiba. " Do as you like : / can wrait ; I hope you
can." Should his people complain of too much rain, he threatens to pour storms and
lightning upon them for ever, unless they bring him so many hundred baskets of corn,
&c. &c. Thus he holds his sway.
" No man would think of starting on a journey without the blessing of the old chief,
and a peculiar ' hocus-pocus ' is considered necessary from the magic hands of Katchiba,
that shall charm the traveller, and preserve him from all danger of wild animals upon the
road. In case of sickness he is called in, not as M.D. in our acceptation, but as Doctor
of Magic, and he charms both the hut and the patient against death, with the fluctuating
results that must attend professionals, even in sorcery.
" His subjects have the most thorough confidence in his power ; and so great is his
reputation, that distant tribes frequently consult him, and beg his assistance as a magician.
In Hi is manner does old Katchiba hold his sway over his savage but credulous people ; and
so long has he imposed upon the public, that I believe he has at length imposed upon
himself, and that he really believes that he has the power of sorcery, notwithstanding
repeated failures."
Once, while Sir S. Baker was in the country, Katchiba, like other rain-makers, fell
into a dilemma. There had been no rain for a long time, and the people had become so
angry at the continued drought, that they assembled round his house, blowing horns, and
shouting execrations against their chief, because he had not sent them a shower which
would allow them to sow their seed. True to his policy, the crafty old man made light
of their threats, telling them that they might kill him if they liked, but that, if they did
so, no more rain would ever fall. Rain in the country was the necessary result of goats
and provisions given to the chief, and as soon as he got the proper fees, the rain should
come. The rest of the story is so good, that it must be told in the author's own words.
" With all this bluster, I saw that old Katchiba was in a great dilemma, and that he
would give anything for a shower, but that he did not know how to get out of the scrape.
It was a common freak of the tribes to sacrifice their rain-maker, should he be unsuc-
cessful. He suddenly altered his tone, and asked, ' Have you any rain in your country ? "
I replied that we had every now and then. ' How do you bring it ? Are you a rain-
maker ? ' I told him that no one believed in rain-makers in our country, but that we
knew how to bottle lightning (meaning electricity). ' I don't keep mine in bottles, but I
have a house full of thunder and lightning,' he most coolly replied; 'but if you can
bottle lightning, you must understand rain-making. What do you think of the weather
to-day ? '
" I immediately saw the drift of the cunning old Katchiba ; he wanted professional
advice. I replied that he must know all about it, as he was a regular rain-maker. ' Of
course I do,' he answered ; ' but I want to know what you think of it.' ' Well,' I said,
I 1 don't think we shall have any steady rain, but I think we may have a heavy shower
484 THE OBBO.
in about four days' (I said this, as I had observed fleecy clouds gathering daily in the
afternoon). 'Just my opinion/ said Katchiba, delighted. 'In four, or perhaps in five,
days I intend to give them one shower— just one shower; yes, I'll just step down to
them, and tell the rascals that if they will bring me some goats by this evening, and some
corn by to-morrow morning, I will give them in four or five days just one shower.'
" To give effect to his declaration, he gave several toots on his magic whistle. ' Do
you use whistles in your country?' inquired Katchiba. I only replied by giving so shrill
and deafening a whistle on my fingers, that Katchiba stopped his ears, and, relapsing into
a smile of admiration, he took a glance at the sky from the doorway, to see if any effect
had been produced. ' Whistle again,' he said ; and once more I performed like the whistle
of a locomotive. ' That will do ; we shall have it, said the cunning old rain-maker ; and,
proud of having so knowingly obtained ' counsel's opinion ' in his case, he toddled off to
his impatient subjects.
" In a few days a sudden storm of rain and violent thunder added to Katchiba's
renown, and after the shower horns were blowing and nogaras beating in honour of their
chief. Entre nous, my whistle was considered infallible."
When his guests were lying ill in their huts, struck down with the fever which is pre-
valent in hot and moist climates such as that of Obbo, Katchiba came to visit them in his
character of magician, and performed a curious ceremony. He took a small leafy branch,
filled his mouth with water, and squirted it on the branch, which was then waved about
the hut, and lastly stuck over the door. He assured his sick guests that their recovery
was now certain; and, as they did recover, his opinion of his magical powers was doubtless
confirmed.
After their recovery they paid a visit to the chief, by his special desire. His palace
consisted of an enclosure about a hundred yards in diameter, within which were a number
of huts, all circular, but of different sizes ; the largest, which was about twenty-five
feet in diameter, belonging to the chief himself. The whole of the courtyard was paved
with beaten clay, and was beautifully clean, and the palisades were covered with gourds
and a species of climbing yam. Katchiba had but little furniture, the chief articles being
a few cow-hides, which were spread on the floor and used as couches. On these primi-
tive sofas he placed his guests, and took his place between them. The rest of his furniture
consisted of earthen jars, holding about thirty gallons each, and intended for containing
or brewing beer.
After offering a huge gourd full of that beverage to his guests, and having done ample
j ustice to it himself, he politely asked whether he should sing them a song. Now Katchiba,
in spite of his grey hairs, his rank as chief, and his dignity as a sorcerer, was a notable
buffoon, a savage Grimaldi, full of inborn and grotesque fun, and so they naturally expected
that the performances would be, like his other exhibitions, extremely ludicrous. They
were agreeably disappointed. Taking from the hand of one of his wives a " rababa," or
rude harp with eight strings, he spent some time in tuning it, and then sang the promised
song. The air was strange and wild, but plaintive and remarkably pleasing, with accom-
paniment very appropriate, so that this " delightful old sorcerer " proved himself to be a
man of genius in music as well as in policy.
When his guests rose to depart, he brought them a sheep as a present ; and when they
refused it, he said no more, but waited on them through the doorway of his hut, and then
conducted them by the hand for about a hundred yards, gracefully expressing a hope that
they would repeat their visit. When they reached their hut, they found the sheep there,
Katchiba having sent it on before them. In fine, this chief, who at first appeared to be
iittle more than a jovial sort of buffoon, who by accident happened to hold the chiefs
place, turned out unexpectedly to be a wise and respected ruler, a polished and accom-
plished gentleman.
GROUP OF THE KYTCH TRIBE.
THE KYTCH.
NOT far from Obbo-land there is a district inhabited by the KYTCH tribe. In 1825
there was exhibited in the principal cities of Europe a Frenchman, named Clsuule Ambroise
Seurat, who was popularly called the " Living Skeleton," on account of hi? extraordinary
leanness, his body and limbs looking just as if a skeleton had been clothed with skin, and
endowed with life. Among the Kytch tribe he would have been nothing remarkable,
almost every man being formed after much the same model. In fact, as Sir S. Baker
remarked of them, they look at a distance like animated slate-pencils with heads to
them.
The men of the Kytch tribe are tall, and, but for their extreme emaciation, would be
fine figures ; and the same may be said of the women. Almost the only specimens of the
Kytch tribe who had any claim to rounded forms were the chief and his daughter, the
latter of whom was about sixteen, and really good-looking. In common with the rest of
the tribe she wore nothing except a little piece of dressed hide about a foot square, which
was hung over one shoulder and fell upon the arm, the only attempt at clothing being a
belt of jingling iron circlets, and some beads on the head.
Her father wore more clothing than his inferiors, though his raiment was more for
show than for use, being merely a piece of dressed leopard skin hung over his shoulders
as an emblem of his rank. He had on his head a sort of skull-cap made of white beads,
from which drooped a crest of white ostrich feathers. He always carried with him a
curious instrument, — namely, an iron spike about two feet in length, with a hollow socket
at the butt, the centre being bound with snake-skin. In the hollow butt he kept his
tobacco, so that this instrument served at once the offices of a tobacco-box, a dagger, and
a club.
It is hardly possible to conceive a more miserable and degraded set of people than the
Kytch tribe, and, were it not for two circumstances, they might be considered as the very
lowest examples of humanity.
486 THE KYTCH.
For their food they depend entirely upon the natural productions of the earth, and
pass a life which is scarcely superior to that of a baboon, almost all their ideas being
limited to the discovery of their daily food. From the time when they wake to the hour
when they sleep, they are incessantly looking for food. Their country is not a productive
one ; they never till the ground, and never sow seed ; so that they are always taking from
the ground, and never putting anything into it. They eat almost every imaginable sub-
stance, animal and vegetable, thinking themselves very fortunate if they ever find the
hole of a field-mouse, which they will painfully dig out with the aid of a stick, and then
feed luxuriously upon it.
So ravenous are they, that they eat bones and skin as well as flesh ; and if by chance
they should procure the body of an animal so large that its bones cannot be eaten whole,
the Kytch break the bones to fragments between two stones, then pound them to powder,
and make the pulverized bones into a sort of porridge. In fact, as has been forcibly
remarked, if an animal is killed, or dies a natural death, the Kytch tribe do not leave
enough for a fly to feed upon.
The two facts that elevate the Kytch tribe above the level of the beasts are, that they
keep cattle, and that they have a law regarding marriage, which, although repugnant to
European ideas, is still a law, and has its parallel in many countries which are far more
advanced in civilization.
The cattle of the Kytch tribe are kept more for show than for use, and, unless they
die, they are never used as food. A Kytch cattle-owner would nearly as soon kill himself,
and quite as soon murder his nearest relation, as he would slaughter one of his beloved
cattle. The milk of the one is, of course, a singular luxury in so half-starved a country,
and none but the wealthiest men are likely ever to taste it.
The animals are divided into little herds, and to each herd there is attached a
favourite bull, who seems to be considered as possessing an almost sacred character.
Every morning, as the cattle are led out to pasture, the sacred bull is decorated with
bunches of feathers tied to his horns, and, if possible, with little bells also. He is solemnly
adjured to take great care of the cows, to keep them from straying, and to lead them to
the best pastures, so that they may give abundance of milk.
The law of marriage is a very peculiar one. Polygamy is, of course, the custom in
Kyteh-land, as in other parts of Africa, the husband providing himself with a succession
of young wives as the others become old and feeble, and therefore unable to perform the
hard work which falls to the lot of African wives. Consequently, it mostly happens that
when a man is quite old and infirm he has a number of wives much younger than
himself, and several who might be his grandchildren. Under these circumstances, the
latter are transferred to his eldest son, and the whole family lives together harmoniously,
until the death of the father renders the son absolute master of all the property.
IVORY WAR-TRUMPET. CENTRAL AFRICA,
CHAPTER XLII.
THE NEAM-NAM, DOE, AND DJOUE TEIBES.
LOCALITY OF THE NEAM-NAM TRIBE THEIR WARLIKE NATURE A SINGULAR RECEPTION EFFECT
OF FIRE-ARMS — DRESS AND GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE NEAM-NAM TRIBE — MODE OF HUNTING
ELEPHANTS — REMARKABLE WEAPONS — THE DOR TRIBE AND ITS SUBDIVISIONS — WEAPONS OF THE
DOR A REMARKABLE POUCH OR QUIVER — THE ARROWS AND THEIR TERRIBLE BARBS A DOR
BATTLE — TREATMENT OF DEAD ENEMIES " DROPPING DOWN " UPON THE ELEPHANT DRESS OF
THE DOR — THE LIP-ORNAMENT— THEIR ARCHITECTURE CURIOUS APPROACH TO THE VILLAGE —
THE WOODEN CHIEFS AND THEIR FOLLOWERS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS THE DJOUR TRIBE —
ABSENCE OF CATTLE THE TSETSE-FLY METALLURGY — INGENIOUS SMELTING FURNACE — WOMEN'S
KNIVES EXTENSIVE TRAFFIC SMOKING THE BARK " QUIDS."
JUST over the Equator, and in the Nile district, is a very remarkable tribe called the
NEAM-NAM. They are a fierce and warlike people, and aggressive towards all the
surrounding tribes, making incursions into their territories, and carrying off their children
into slavery. Consequently they are held in the utmost dread, and the lands that surround
the Neam-Nam borders are left uncultivated, no one daring to occupy them for fear of
their terrible neighbours. The Neam-Nam seem not only to have firmly established them-
selves, but even to have gradually extended their boundaries, their neighbours falling
farther and farther back at each successive raid.
When Mr. Petherick passed through their country, many of his porters could not be
induced to enter the territory of such a terrible tribe, even though protected by the
white man's weapons. Several of them deserted on the way, and at last, when they
were come in sight of the first village, the rest flung down their loads and ran away, only
the interpreter being secured.
As they neared the village, the menacing sound of the alarm drum was heard, and out
came the Neam-Nams in full battle array, their lances in their right hands and their large
shields covering their bodies. They drew up in line, and seemed disposed to dispute the
passage ; but as the party marched quietly and unconcernedly onwards, they opened their
•ranks and allowed them to enter the village, from which the women and children had
already been removed. They then seated themselves under the shade of a large sycamore
tree, deposited the baggage, and sat in a circle round it, keeping on all sides a front to the
armed natives, who now began to come rather nearer than was agreeable, some actually
seating themselves on the travellers' feet. They were all very merry and jocose, pointing
at their visitors continually, and then bursting into shouts of approving laughter. There
was evidently some joke which tickled their fancy, and by means of the interpreter it was
soon discovered.
The fact was, that the Neam-Nam were cannibals, and meant to eat the strangers who
had so foolishly trusted themselves in the country without either spears, swords, or
shields, but they did not like to kill them before their chief arrived. When this pleasant
joke was explained, the astonished visitors were nearly as amused as the Neam-Nam,
488 THE NEAM-NAM.
knowing perfectly well that their weapons were sufficient to drive off ten times the
number of such foes.
Presently the chief arrived — an old, grey-headed man, who, by his sagacity, certainly
showed himself worthy of the post which he held. After a colloquy with the interpreter,
he turned to his people, and the following extraordinary discourse took place : —
" Neam-Nam, do not insult these strange men. Do you know whence they come ?"
" No ; but we will feast on them," was the rejoinder. Then the old man, holding up
his spear, and commanding silence, proceeded thus :
" Do you know of any tribe that would dare to approach our village in such small
numbers as these men have done ?"
" No " was again vociferated.
" Very well ; you know not whence they come, nor do I, who am greatly your
senior, and whose voice you ought to respect. Their country must indeed be distant, and to
traverse the many tribes between their country and ours ought to be a proof to you of their
valour. Look at the things they hold in their hands : they are neither spears, clubs, nor
bows and arrows, but inexplicable bits of iron mounted on wood. Neither have they
shields to defend their bodies from our weapons. Therefore, to have travelled thus far,
depend on it their means of resistance must be as puzzling to us, and far superior to any
arms that any tribe, ay, even our own, can oppose to them. Therefore, Neam-Nam, I who
have led you to many a fight, and whose counsels you have often followed, say, shed not
your blood in vain, nor bring disgrace upon your fathers, who have never been vanquished.
Touch them not, but prove yourselves to be worthy of the friendship of such a handful
of brave men, and do yourselves honour by entertaining them, rather than degrade them
by the continuance of your insults."
It is impossible not to admire the penetration of this chief, who was wise enough
to deduce the strength of his visitors from their apparent weakness, and to fear
them for those veiy reasons that caused his more ignorant and impetuous people to
despise them.
Having thus calmed the excitement, he asked to inspect the strange weapons of his
guests. A gun was handed to him — the cap having been removed — and very much it
puzzled him. From the mode in which it was held, it was evidently not a club ; and
yet it could not be a knife, as it had no edge ; nor a spear, as it had no point. Indeed, the
fact of the barrel being hollow puzzled him exceedingly. At last he poked his finger
down the muzzle, and looked inquiringly at his guest, as if to ask what could be the use
of such an article. By way of answer, Mr. Petherick took a gun, and, pointing to a vulture
that was hovering over their heads, fired, and brought it down.
" But before the bird touched the ground, the crowd were prostrate and grovelling
in the dust, as if every man of them had been shot. The old man's head, with his
hands on his ears, was at my feet ; and when I raised him, his appearance was ghastly,
and his eyes were fixed on me with a meaningless expression. I thought that he had
lost his senses.
" After shaking him several times, I at length succeeded in attracting his attention to
the fallen bird, quivering in its last agonies between two of his men. The first sign of
returning animation he gave was "putting his hand to his head, and examining himself as
if in search of a wound. He gradually recovered, and, as soon as he could regain his
voice, called to the crowd, who one after the other first raised their heads, and then again
dropped them at the sight of their apparently lifeless comrades. After the repeated call
of the old man, they ventured to rise, and a general inspection of imaginary wounds
commenced."
This man, Mur-mangae by name, was only a sub-chief, and was inferior to a very great
chief, whose name was Dimoo. There is one single king among the Neam-Nam, who are
divided into a number of independent sub-tribes, each ruled by its own chief, and deriving
its importance from its numbers. While they were recovering from the effect of the shot,
Dimoo himself appeared, and, after hearing the wonderful tale, seemed inclined to dis-
credit it, and drew up his men as if to attack. Just then an elephant appeared in the
distance, and he determined to use the animal as a test, asking whether the white men's
DRESS. 489
thunder could kill an elephant as well as a vulture, and that, if it could do so, he would
respect them. A party was at once dispatched, accompanied by the chief and all the
savages. At the first volley down went most of the Neam-Nam, including the chief, the
rest running away as fast their legs could carry them.
After this event the whole demeanour of the people was changed from aggressive
insolence to humble respect, and they immediately showed their altered feelings by
sending large quantities of milk and porridge for the party, and half a fat dog for Mr.
Petherick's own dinner. They also began to open a trade, and were equally astonished
and amused that such common and useless things as elephants' tusks could be exchanged
for such priceless valuables as beads, and were put in high good-humour accordingly. Vp
to that time trade had been entirely unknown among the Neam-Nam, and, though the
people made great use of ivory in fashioning ornaments for themselves, they never had
thought of peaceful barter with their neighbours, thinking that to rob was better than to
exchange.
Dimoo, however, still retained some of his suspicious nature, which showed itself in
various little ways. At last Mr. Petherick invented on the spur of the moment a plan
by which he completely conquered his host. Dimoo had taken an inordinate fancy for
the tobacco of his guests, and was always asking for some. As the supply was small,
Mr. Petherick did not like to make it still smaller, while, at the same time, a refusal
would have been impolitic. So, one day, when the usual request was made, he acceded to
it, at the same time telling Dimoo that the tobacco was unsafe to smoke, because it
always broke the pipes of those who meditated treachery towards him.
Meanwhile, a servant, who had been previously instructed, filled Dimoo's pipe, at the
same time inserting a small charge of gunpowder, for which there was plenty of room, in
consequence of the inordinate size of the bowl. Dimoo took the pipe and began to smoke
it defiantly, when all at once an explosion took place, the bowl was shattered to pieces,
and Dimoo and his councillors tumbled over each other in terror. Quite conquered by
this last proof of the white man's omniscience, he humbly acknowledged that he did
meditate treachery — not against his person, but against his goods — and that his intention
was to detain the whole party until he had got possession of all their property.
The appearance of the Neam-Nam tribe is very striking. They are not quite black,
but have a brown and olive tint of skin. The men are better clothed than is usually
the case in Central Africa, and wear a home-made cloth woven from bark fibres. A
tolerably large piece of this cloth is slung round the body in such a way as to leave
the arms at liberty. The hair is plaited in thick masses, extending from the neck to
the shoulders.
In the operation of hair-dressing they use long ivory pins, varying from six to twelve
or fourteen inches in length, and very slightly curved. One end is smoothly pointed, and
the other is much thicker, and for some four inches or so is carved into various patterns,
mostly of the zig-zag character which is so prevalent throughout Africa. When the hair
is fully combed out and arranged, two of the largest pins are stuck through it horizontally,
and a number of shorter pins are arranged in a radiating form, so that they form a semi-
circle, something like the large comb of a Spanish lady.
One of these pins is now before me. It is just a foot in length, and at the thick end
is almost as large as a black-lead pencil, tapering gradually to the other end. The butt,
or base, is covered with a multitude of scratches, which are thought to be ornamental, but
which look exactly as if they had been cut by a child who for the first time had got hold
of a knife, and they are stained black with a decoction of some root.
The dress of the women consists partly of a piece of cloth such as has been described,
but of smaller dimensions, and, besides this, they wear a rather curious apron made of
leather. The illustration on page 490 exhibits two of these aprons, both of which were
brought from Central Africa by Mr. Pethericb. The left-hand specimen is in my collec-
tion, and will therefore be described.
Its general appearance somewhat resembles that of the Zulu apron, shown at page 25,
fig. 3, but it is not nearly so thick nor so heavy, and indeed is made on a different plan.
The solid square at the top is a piece of thick leather doubled in the middle and then
41)0
THE NEAM-NAM.
beaten flat. To both of the edges has been firmly sewn a triple row of flat leathern
thongs, almost the eighth of an inch in width, and scarcely thicker than brown paper.
Six rows of these flat thongs are therefore attached to the upper- leather. All the orna-
ment simple as it is, is confined to the front layer of thongs, and consists entirely of iron.
Hat strips of iron, evidently made by beating wire flat, are twisted round the thongs and
then hammered down upon them, while the end of each thong is further decorated with
a ring or loop of iron wire.
The centre of the solid leather is ornamented with
a circular piece of iron, boss-shaped, scratched round
the edges, and having an iron ring in its centre. The
strap which supports the apron is fastened to a couple
of iron rings at the upper corners. In some aprons bead
ornaments take the place of the iron boss, but in almost
every instance there is an ornament of some kind.
The women have also an ornament made by cutting
little flat pieces of ivory, and placing them on a strip
of leather, one over the other, like fish-scales. This
ornament is worn as a necklace. They also carve
pieces of ivory into a tolerable imitation of cowrie-
shells, and string them together as if they were the
veritable shells.
Another ornament is here shown, as it exhibits
a type of decoration which is prevalent through-
out the whole of Central Africa. It is composed
of a belt of stout leather — that of the hippopotamus
being preferred, on account of
its strength and thickness — to
which are attached a quantity
of empty nutshells. Through
the upper end of the nut a hole
is bored with a red-hot iron,
and an iron ring passes through
this hole and another which
has been punched through
the leather. Two of these
nuts are here shown half the
size of the specimens. The
shell is very hard and thick,
and, when the wearer dances with the energetic
gesture which accompany such performances, the
NUT-BELLS.
WOMEN'S APRONS.
nuts keep up a continual and rather loud clatter.
GIRL'S DANCING BELT.
ELEPHANT HUNTING.
491
The Neam-Nam all wear leather sandals, and although their clothing is so scanty, they
are remarkable for their personal cleanliness, a virtue which is so rare in Africa that it
deserves commemoration whenever it does occur.
As may already have been seen, the Neam-Nam are a cannibal race, and always devour
the bodies of slain enemies. This repulsive custom is not restricted to enemies, but is
extended to nearly all human beings with whom they come in contact, their own tribe
not proving any exception. Mr. Petherick was told by themselves that when a Neam-
Nam became old and feeble, he was always killed and eaten, and that when any one
was at the point of death, the same fate befell them.
Should one of their slaves run away and be captured, he is always slain and eaten
as a warning to other slaves. Such an event, however, is of very rare occurrence,
NEAM-NAM FIGHTING.
the slaves being treated with singular kindness, and master and slave being mutually
proud of each other. Indeed, in many families the slaves are more valued than
the children.
Indeed, much of the wealth of the Neam-Nam consists of slaves, and a man measures
his importance by the number of slaves whom he maintains. All these slaves belong to
some other tribe, and were captured by their owner, so that they are living witnesses of
prowess as well as signs of wealth. They are never sold or bartered, and therefore a slave-
dealer is not known among them, and they are spared one of the chief curses of Africa.
As a general rule, the slaves are so faithful, and are so completely incorporated with the
household to which they belong, that in case of war they are armed, and accompany their
masters to battle.
402
THE NEAM-NAM.
The Neam-Xam arc skilful hunters, and make great use of fire when chasing the
elephant. As they were desirous of procuring tusks to exchange for Mr. Petherick's
beads, they anxiously awaited the first rains, which would bring the elephants into their
country.
" Successive showers followed, and, after a fortnight's sojourn, a herd of eighteen
elephants was announced by beat of tom-tom, as being in the vicinity. Old men,
boys, women, and children, collected with most sanguine expectations ; and, anxious
to witness the scene, I accompanied the hunters — a finer body of well-grown and
active men I never beheld. The slaves, many of them from the Baer. but most of
them appertaining to unknown tribes from the west, were nearly black, and followed
their more noble-looking and olive-coloured masters. Two hours' march — the first part
through cultivated grounds and the latter through magnificent bush — brought us to
the open plain, covered hip deep with dry grass, and there were the elephants marching
leisurely towards us.
" The negroes, about five hundred,
swift as antelopes, formed a vast circle
round them, and by their yells brought
the huge game to a standstill. As if
by magic, the plain was on fire, and
the elephants, in the midst of the
roar and crackling of the flames, were
obscured from our view by the smoke.
Where I stood, and along the line, as
far as I could see, the grass was beaten
down to prevent the outside of the
circle from being seized in the con-
flagration ; and in a short time — not
ore than half an hour — the fire
having exhausted itself, the cloud of
smoke, gradually rising, again dis-
played the group of elephants standing
as if petrified. As soon as the burning
embers had become sufficiently extinct,
the negroes with a whoop closed from
all sides upon their prey. The fire
and smoke had blinded them, and,
unable to defend themselves, they
successively fell by the lances of their
assailants. The sight was grand, and,
although their tusks proved a rich
prize, I was touched at the massacre."
When the Neam-Nam warrior goes
WEAPONS. out to battle, he takes with him a
curious series of weapons. He has, of
course, his lance, which is well and
stronoly put together, the blade being leaf-shaped, like that of a hog-spear, only very
much longer. On his left arm he bears his shield, which is made of bark-fibre, woven
very closely together, and very thick. The maker displays his taste in the patterns of
the work, and in those which he traces upon it with variously coloured dyes. Within
the shield he has a sort of wooden handle, to which are attached one or two most
remarkable weapons.
One of these is shown at fig. 1 in the accompanying illustration, and is taken, ai
the other figures, from specimens in Colonel Lane Fox's collection. They were all brought
from Central Africa by Mr. Petherick, to whom we are indebted for our knowledge of
this singular tribe. The weapon is wholly flat, the handle included, and is about the
thickness of an ordinary sword-blade. The projecting portions are all edged, and kept
REMARKABLE WEAPONS.
493
extremely sharp, while the handle is rather thicker than the blade, and is rounded and
roughened, so as to afford a firm grip to the hand.
When the Neam-Narn comes near his enemy, ani before he is within range of a
spear-thrust, he snatches one of these strange weapons from his shield, and hurls it at the
foe, much as an Australian flings his boomerang,
an American Indian his tomahawk, and a Sikh
his chakra, giving it a revolving motion as he
throws it. Owing to this mode of flinging, the
weapon covers a considerable space, and if the
projecting blades come in contact with the enemy's
person, they sure to disable, if not to kill him
on the spot.
And as several of these are hurled in rapid
succession, it is evident that a Neam-Nam warrior
is no ordinary foe, and that even the possessor of
fire-arms might in reality be overcome if taken by
surprise, for, as the " boomerangs " are concealed
within the shield, the first intimation of their
existence would be given by their sharp blades
whirling successively through the air with deadly
aim.
Besides the lance and the " boomerangs," each
Neam-Nam carries a strangely-shaped knife in a
leathern sheath, and, oddly enough, the hilt is
always downwards. One of these knives is shown
in the left-hand figure of the illustration on page
492. It is sharp at both edges, and is used as a
hand-to-hand weapon after the boomerangs have
been thrown, and the parties have come too close
to use the spear effectually. From the projection
at the base of the blade a cord is tied loosely to
the handle, and the loop passed over the wrist, so
as to prevent the warrior from being disarmed.
Some of the Neam-ISTam tribe use a very remark-
able shield. It is spindle-shaped, very long and
very narrow, measuring only four or five inches in
breadth in the middle, and tapering to a point at
either end. In the middle a hole is scooped, large
enough to contain the hand, and a bar of wood is
left so as to form a handle. This curious shield is
carried in the left hand, and is used to ward off the lances or arrows of the enemy, which
is done by giving it a smart twist.
In principle and appearance it resembles so closely the shield of the native Australian,
that it might easily be mistaken for one of those weapons. Sometimes a warrior decorates
his shield by covering it with the skin of an antelope, wrapped round it while still wet,
and then sewn together in a line with the handle. The Shilloch and Dinka tribes use
similar weapons, but their shields are without the hollow guard for the hand, and look
exactly like bows without the strings.
Each warrior has also a whistle, or call, made of ivory or antelope's horn, which
is used for conveying signals ; and some of the officers, or leaders, have large war
trumpets, made of elephant's tusks. Two of these trumpets are shown in the illustra-
tion, and the reader will observe that, as is usual throughout Africa, they are sounded
from the side, like a flute, and not from the end, like ordinary trumpets. Fig. 1 is
made from a single large tusk, but fig. 2 represents a composite instrument made of
wood and ivory bound firmly together. Both these instruments are from Colonel Lane
Fox's collection.
WAR TRUMPETS.
494
THE D6R.
Altogether Mr. Petherick passed a considerable time among this justly-dreaded trihe,
and was so popular among them, that when he left the country he was accompanied by
crowds of natives, and the great chief Dimoo not only begged him to return, but generously
offered his daughter as a wife in case the invitation were accepted, and promised to keep
her until wanted.
THE DOR
PASSING by a number of small and comparatively insignificant tribes, we come to the
large and important tribe of the Dor.
Like alj African tribes of any pretence, it includes a great number of smaller or sub-
tribes, which are only too glad to be
ranked among so important and power-
ful a tribe, and, for the sake of belong-
ing to it, they forego their own indi-
viduality.
Like the Neam-Nam, the Dor ac-
knowledge no paramount chief, the
innumerable sub-tribes of which it is
composed being each independent, and
nearly all at feud with one another.
Indeed the whole political condition of
the Dor is wonderfully similar to that
of Scotland, when clan was set against
clan, and a continual state of feud pre-
vailed among them, though they all
gloried in the name of Scotchmen.
As in the old days of Chevy Chase,
a hunt is almost a sure precursor of a
fight. The Dor are much given to
hunting, and organize battues on a grand
scale. They weave strong nets of bark-
fibre, and fasten them between trunks
of trees, so as to cover a space of several
miles. Antelopes and other game are
driven from considerable distances into
these nets ; and as the hunters have to
pass over a large space of country, some
of which is sure to be claimed by inimi-
cal tribes, a skirmish, if not a regular
battle, is sure to take place.
The weapons carried by the Dor are
of rather a formidable description, and
some of them are figured in the accompanying illustration. One of the most curious
weapons is the club, which is shown at fig. 2. It is about two feet six inches in length,
and is remarkable for the shape of the head, which is formed like a mushroom, but has
sharp edges. As it is made of very hard wood, it is a most effective weapon, and not
even the stone-like skull of a Dor warrior can resist a blow from it.
The bow exhibits a mode of construction which is very common in this part of
Africa, and which must interfere greatly with the power of the weapon. The string doe
BOW, MUSHROOM CLUB, ARROWS, AND QUIVER.
QUIVER AND AREOWS. 495
not extend to the tips of the bow, so that eighteen inches or so of the weapon are wasted,
and the elasticity impaired. The reader will see that, if the ends of the bow were cut off
immediately above the string, the strength and elasticity would suffer no diminution, and
that, in fact, the extra weight at each end of the bow only gives the weapon more work
to do.
The Africans have a strange habit of making a weapon in such a way that its, efficiency
shall be weakened as much as possible. Not content with leaving a foot or so of useless
wood at each end of the bow, some tribes ornament the weapon with large tufts of loose
strings or fibres, about half way between the handle and the tip, as if to cause as much
disturbance to the aim as possible. Spears again are decorated with tufts to such an extent
that they are rendered quite unmanageable. Examples of such weapons are given on
page 441.
Much more care is taken with the arrows than with the bows. As may be seen by
reference to the illustration, there is a great variety in the shape of the arrows, as also in
their length. They are all iron-headed, and every man seems to make his arrows after
his own peculiar fashion. The large, broad-headed form shown at fig. 8 is not at all
common, neither is the slightly barbed arrow seen at fig. 7. Figs. 3 and 4 exhibit the
most common type of arrow, not only among the Dor, but among other tribes of Central
Africa, while fig. 5 is rather an exceptional modification of the preceding specimen.
Perhaps the most conspicuous and characteristic form is that shown at fig. 6. In my
collection there is a most remarkable quiver, once belonging to a warrior of one of the
Dor sub-tribes. It is shown in the illustration on page 496, and, like the preceding
weapons, was brought from Central Africa by Mr. Petherick.
The quiver seen in the preceding illustration is a very good specimen of native work,
being made of leather neatly formed, while wet, upon a mould, and evidently being the
handiwork of an experienced artist. My own specimen, however, is the very rudest
example of a quiver that can be conceived, and clearly the work of a mere beginner in
the art.
Nothing can be simpler than the construction of this quiver. The maker has cut a
strip of antelope hide rather more than three feet in length and fourteen inches in width.
He has then poked his knife through the edges at moderately regular intervals, so as to
make a series of holes. A thong about half an inch wide has next been cut from the
same hide, and passed through the topmost hole or slit, a large knot preventing it from
slipping through. It has then been passed through the remaining slits, so as to lace the
edges together like the sides of a boot. The bottom is closed by the simple plan of
turning it up and lacing it by the same thong to the side of the quiver.
It is hardly possible to conceive any rougher work. The maker has cut the slits quite
at random, so that he has occasionally missed one or two, and he has not taken the least
pains to bring the sides of the quiver together throughout their length. So stupid or
careless has he been, that he has begun by cutting the strip of skin much too narrow,
and then has widened it, never taking the pains to sew up the cut, which extends two-
thirds down the quiver.
Four or five of the arrows have the leaf-shaped head seen in the preceding cut, and
need not be particularly described. Fig. 1 is much the largest of the arrows, being
a " cloth-yard shaft," which, but for the absence of feathers, might vie with the weapons
of the old English archers. The head is remarkable for a heavy ridge which runs
along the centre on both sides. The arrow shown at fig. 3 is not so boldly barbed as
that which has just been mentioned, but is quite as formidable a weapon, on account of a
thick layer of poison, which begins just behind the head, and extends nearly as far as
the shaft.
Figs 2 ana 4 are, however, the most characteristic forms. Fig. 2 represents an arrow
which is barbed with a wonderful ingenuity, the barbs not being mere projections, but
actual spikes, more than an inch in length, and at the base nearly as thick as a crow-quill.
They have been separated from the iron head by the blow of a chisel, or some such
implement, and have then been bent outwards, and sharpened until the points axe like
those of needles. Besides these long barbs, the whole of the square neck of the iron is
496
THE DOR
QUIVER AND ARROWS.
jagged exactly like the Bechuana assagai which
has been figured on page 314.
Such an arrow cannot be extracted, and the
only mode of removing it is to push it through
the wound. But the Central Africans have
evidently thought that their enemy was let off
too cheaply by being allowed to rid himself of
the arrow by so simple a process, and accord-
ingly they have invented a kind of arrow which
can neither be drawn out nor pushed through.
One of these arrows is shown at fig. 4, and the
reader will see that there is a pair of reversed
barbs just at the junction of the shaft and the
iron head, so that when the arrow has once
penetrated, it must either be cut out or allowed
to remain where it is. Such an arrow is not
poisoned, nor does it need any such addition
to its terrors.
Both these arrows are remarkable for having
the heads fastened to the shaft, first, in the
ordinary way, by raw hide, and then by a band
of iron, about the sixth of an inch in width.
Though shorter than some of the other arrows,
they are on that account much heavier.
One of the fights consequent on a hunt is
well described by Mr. Petherick. He was sit-
ting in the shade at noon-day, when he per-
ceived several boys running in haste to the
village for an additional supply of weapons for
their fathers. " The alarm spread instantly that
a fight was taking place, and the women en
masse proceeded to the scene with yellings and
shrieks indescribable. Seizing my rifle, and
accompanied by four of my followers, curiosity
to see a negro fight tempted me to accompany
them. After a stiff march of a couple of hours
through bush and glade, covered with waving
grass reaching nearly to our waists, the return of
several boys warned us of the proximity of the
fight, and of their fear of its turning against them,
the opposing party being the most numerous.
Many of the women hurried back to their homes,
to prepare, in case of emergency, for flight and
safety in the bush. For such an occurrence, to
a certain extent, they are always prepared ;
several parcels of grain and provisions, neatly
packed up in spherical forms in leaves sur-
rounded by network, being generally kept ready
in every hut for a sudden start.
" Accelerating our pace, and climbing up a
steep hill, as we reached the summit, and were
proceeding down a gentle slope, I came in con-
tact with Djau and his party in full retreat, and
leaping like greyhounds over the low under-
wood and high grass. On perceiving me, they
halted., and rent the air with wild shouts of
TREATMENT OF DEAD ENEMIES. 497
'The White Chief! the White Chief!' and I was almost suffocated by the embraces of
the chief. My presence gave them courage to face the enemy again ; a loud peculiar
shrill whoop from the grey-headed but still robust chief was the signal for attack, and,
bounding forward, they were soon out of sight. To keep up with them would have
been an impossibility ; but, marching at the top of our pace, we followed them as
best we could. After a long march down a gentle declivity, at the bottom of which
was a beautiful glade, we again came up with them drawn up in line, in pairs, some
yards apart from each other, within the confines of the bush, not a sound indicating
their presence.
" Joining them, and inquiring what had become of the enemy, the man whom I
addressed silently pointed to the bush on the opposite side of the glade, some three
hundred yards across. Notwithstanding my intention of being a mere spectator, I now
felt myself compromised in the fight ; and, although unwilling to shed blood, I could r.ot
resist my aid to the friends who afforded me an asylum amongst them. Marching,
accordingly, into the open space with my force of four men, I resolved that we should act
as skirmishers on the side of our hosts, who retained their position in the bush. We had
proceeded about a third of the way across the glade, when the enemy advanced out of the
wood and formed, in a long line of two or three deep, on its confines opposite to us. I also
drew up my force, and for an instant we stood looking at each other. Although within
range, at about two hundred yards' distance, I did not like to fire upon them ; but in pre-
ference continued advancing, thinking the prestige of my fire-arms would be sufficient.
" I was right. We had scarcely marched fifty yards when a general flight took
place, and in an instant Djau and his host, amounting to some three or four hundred
men, passed in hot pursuit. After reflection on the rashness of exposing myself with
so few men to the hostility of some six hundred negroes, and in self-congratulation
on the effect my appearance in the fight had produced, I waited the return of my hosts.
In the course of an hour this took place ; and as they advanced I shall never forget the
impression they made upon me. A more complete picture of savage life I could not
have imagined. A large host of naked negroes came trooping on, grasping in their hands
bow and arrow, lances and clubs, with wild gesticulations and frightful yells proclaiming
their victory, whilst one displayed the reeking head of a victim. I refused to join them
in following up the defeat of their enemies by a descent on their villages.
" With some difficulty they were persuaded to be content with the success already
achieved — that of having beaten off a numerically superior force — and return to their
homes. Their compliance was only obtained by an actual refusal of further co- operation ;
but in the event of a renewed attack upon their villages, the probability of which was
suggested, I promised them, my willing support."
The death of an enemy and the capture of his body are always causes of great rejoicing
among the Dor tribes, because they gain trophies whereby they show their skill in war-
fare. In the centre of every village there is a large open space, or circus, in the middle
of which is the venerated war-tree. Beneath this tree are placed the great war-drums,
whose deep, booming notes can be heard for miles. On the branches are hung the
whitened skulls of slain warriors, and the war-drums only sound when a new head is
added to the trophy, or when the warriors are called to arms.
Four of the enemy were killed in this skirmish, and their bodies were thrown into the
bush, their heads being reserved for the trophy. On the same evening they were brought
into the village circus, and dances performed in honour of the victors. The great drums
were beaten in rhythmic measure, and the women advanced in pairs, dancing to the sound
of the drum and chanting a war-song. As they approached the heads of the victims, they
halted, and addressed various insulting epithets to them, clanking their iron anklets and
yelling with excitement.
On the following day the heads were taken into the bush to be bleached, and, after
they were completely whitened, they were hung on the trophy with the accompaniment of
more shouts and dances.
All their hunting parties, however, are not conducted in this manner, nor do they all
lead to bloodshed. When they hunt the elephant, for example, the animal is attacked
VOL. I. K K
498 THE DOR
by a small party, and for the sufficient reason, namely, that he who first wounds the
elephant takes the tusks, and therefore every additional man only decreases the chance.
They have one singularly ingenious mode of hunting the elephant, which is conducted
by one man alone.
The hunter takes with him a remarkable spear made for the express purpose. One of
these spears, which was brought from Central Africa by Mr. Petherick, is in my collection,
and a representation of it may be seen on page 103, fig. 2. They vary slightly in size,
but my specimen is a very fair example of the average dimensions. It is rather more
than six feet in length, three feet of which are due to the iron head and the socket into
which the shaft passes. As may be seen, the shaft tapers gradually, so as to permit it to
pass into the socket. To the butt is fastened a heavy piece of wood, rather more than
four inches in diameter. It is a heavy weapon, its whole weight being a little more than
seven pounds, and is so ill-balanced and so unwieldy, that, unless its use were known, it
would seem to be about the most clumsy weapon that ever was invented.
This, however, is the spear by which the Dor and Baer tribes kill the elephant, and
very ingeniously they do it.
Knowing the spots where the elephant loves to hide itself in the noon-tide, and which
are always in the depths of the forest, the hunter proceeds thither in the early morning,
and carries with him his heavy spear and some rope. When he approaches the place, he
proceeds to take some large stones, and binds them to the butt of the spear, plastering
them over thickly with lumps of clay, so as to make his heavy weapon still heavier. He
then ties one end of the rope to the spear, and after selecting a suitable tree, climbs it, and
works his way out upon one of the horizontal branches, hauling up his weapon when he
has settled himself.
He now awaits the coming of the herd, and, when they are close to the tree, unties the
spear, and holds it in readiness. When an elephant with good tusks passes under him, he
drops the spear upon the animal's back, the weight of the weapon causing it to penetrate
deeply into the body. Startled at the sudden pang, the elephant rushes through the trees,
trying to shake off the terrible spear, which sways about from side to side, occasionally
striking against the trunks or branches of the trees, and so cutting its way deeper among
the vital organs, until the unfortunate animal falls from loss of blood.
The hunter does not trouble himself about chasing his victim at once. He can
always track it by its bloody traces, and knows full well that within a moderate distance
the unfortunate animal will halt, and there die, unless it is disturbed by the presence of
man, and urged to further exertions.
The reader will note the curious similarity between this mode of elephant hunting
and the Banyai method of trapping the hippopotamus, as described on page 401. The
Dor also use lances, at least eleven feet long, for elephant hunting, the blades measuring
between two and three feet in length. These, however, are not dropped from a tree, but
wielded by hand, the hunters surrounding the animal, and each watching his opportunity,
and driving his spear into its side when its attention is directed towards some on the
other side.
The Dor hold in great contempt the perfect nudity which distinguishes the Kytch
and several other tribes, but no one on first entering their villages would suppose such to
be the case. The dress which the men wear is simply a little flap of leather hanging
behind them. This, however, in their ideas constitutes dress ; and when some of the Djour
people entered a Dor village, the latter, as a mark of respect to the visitors, turned their
little aprons to the front, and so were considered as having put on full dress.
The women use a still simpler dress. Until they are married, they wear no dress at
all ; but when that event takes place, they clothe themselves in a very simple manner.
In their country is an abundance of evergreens and creepers, and with these they form
their dress, a branch tucked into the girdle in front, and another behind, answering all
purposes of clothing. They use these leafy dresses of such a length that they fall nearly
to the ground.
Ornaments, nowever, they admire exceedingly, and the weight of a Dor woman's
decorations is more than an ordinary man would like to carry about with him for a.
THE "WOODEN CHIEFS."
499
whole day. Heavy strings of beads are hung on their necks and tied round their waists,
the most valued beads being as large as pigeon's eggs, and consequently very heavy.
Strings of beads also fall from their ears. On their wrists they wear bracelets, made
simply of iron bars cut to the proper length, and bent round the wrist. Others, but of
greater dimensions, encircle the ankles ; and as some of them are fully an inch thick, and
quite solid, their united weight is very considerable.
Like most African tribes, the D6r are fond of wearing amulets, though they do not seem
to have any particular idea of their meaning, and certainly do not attach any sanctity to
them. They have a hazy idea that the posses-
sion of a certain amulet is a safeguard against
certain dangers, but they do not trouble them-
selves about the modus operandi. One of these
necklaces, made of scraps of wood, is shown in
the accompanying illustration. It was brought
from Central Africa by Mr. Petherick, and is in
the collection of Colonel Lane Fox.
In this tribe we may notice the re-appear-
ance of the lip ornament. In the manner in
which it is worn it resembles the "pelele"
described on page 395, but it is worn in the
under instead of the upper lip. One of these
ornaments is now before me. It is cylindrical,
with a conical top, and measures three-quarters
of an inch in diameter, and exactly an inch in
length. The base, which comes against the
lower teeth and gum, is nearly flat, and well
polished, while the conical top, which projects
in front of the mouth, is carved very neatly with
a " cross-hatching " sort of a pattern, the effect of
which is heightened by the charring of certain
portions of it, the blackened and polished sur-
faces contrasting well with the deep red colour
of the wood. In order to keep it in its place,
a shallow groove runs round it. This is one
of the smaller specimens, but it is the custom of the owner to wear larger and larger
lip ornaments, until some of them contrive to force into their lips pieces of wood three
inches in circumference.
Before taking leave of the Dor costume, it may be as well to observe that in the Boto-
cudo tribe of Tropical America both sexes wear a similar ornament in their lips, and in
most instances have these strange decorations twice as large as those of the Dor women.
The villages of the Djr tribes are really remarkable. The houses are neatly con-
structed of canes woven into a sort of basket-work. The perpendicular walls are about
six feet high, and are covered by a conical roof, the whole shape of the hut being almost
exactly like that of the lip ornament which has just been described. The reed roof is
ornamented on the exterior with pieces of wood carved into the rude semblance of birds.
In the middle of each hut is the bedstead, and, as no cooking is done within it, tha
interior of the hut is very clean, and in that respect entirely unlike the sooty homes of the
Kaffir tribes. All the cooking is performed in a separate hut, or kitchen, and is of a
rather simple character, the chief food being a kind of porridge.
The doorway is very small, and is barricaded at night by several logs of wood laid
horizontally upon each other, and supported at each end by two posts driven into the
ground. The whole village is kept as clean as the individual houses, and the central
circus is not only swept, but kept well watered, so as to lay the dust.
The most singular point in the Dor village lies in the approaches to it, which are
narrow footpaths, marked out on each side by wooden posts roughly carved into the human
form. They are placed about four feet apart, and are different in size. The one nearest
KK2
AMULET NECKLACE.
500
THE DOR
the village is the largest, while the others are much smaller, and are represented as
carrying bowls on their heads. The natives say that the first is the chief going to a feast,
and that the others are his attendants carrying food on their heads.
Several of these wooden figures were brought to England by Mr. Petherick, and two
of the chiefs are here represented, the one on the left
being drawn from a specimen in Colonel Lane Fox's
collection, and that on the right from a figure kindly
lent by Mr. Wareham. They are about four feet in
length. It may be imagined that a double row of
such figures must give a most curious aspect to the
road.
" The village," writes Mr. Petherick, " was prettily
situated at the foot of a hill, around which were two
or three other villages, this forming the entire com-
munity of a large district. From its summit a beau-
tiful view of the surrounding country was obtained.
Surrounding the village at a moderate distance were
the unfenced gardens of the villagers, in which cucur-
bits, vegetables, and seeds were grown ; and beyond,
to the eastward, was a large plain of cultivated
dourra fields ; and southward, at about a mile dis-
tant, a winding brook was to be seen, bordered with
superb trees and flourishing canes. The bush sup-
plied a variety of game, consisting of partridges,
guinea-fowl, a large white boar, gazelles, antelopes,
and giraffes. Elephants and buffaloes I did not en-
counter, and I was told that they only frequented
the locality in the rainy season."
Three forms of the guitar, or rababa, are shown
in the illustration on page 501. The left-hand
specimen, which was brought by Mr. Petherick from
the Dor tribe, is remarkable for the elegance of its
form, the two scoops in the sides being curiously like
the same portion of a European violin. The reader
will probably observe that in neither instrument is
the neck rigid, as in the guitars and violins with which
we are all familiar. This is, however, intentional on
the part of the maker, its object being to keep the
strings at a proper tension.
This principle is carried out to its fullest extent in the right-hand instrument, in which
there are five strings, each string having its separate elastic neck. The mode in which
it is tuned is equally simple and effective. A ring, mostly made of the same fibre as the
strings, is passed over each neck, so that, as it is slipped up or down, the sound becomes
proportionately grave or acute. It can be thus tuned with reasonable accuracy, as I can
testify by experience, the only drawback being that the notes cannot be altered by
pressure of the fingers upon the strings, on account of the angle which they make with
the neck. Five sounds only can be produced by this instrument, but it is worthy of
notice that one string is very much longer than the others, so that it produces a deep tone,
analogous to the " drone " in the bagpipes.
Although tolerably well-mannered to travellers with whom they were acquainted, the
Dor are very apt to behave badly to those whom they do not know. Mr. Petherick nearly
lost his life by a sudden and treacherous attack that was made on him by some of this tribe.
Accompanied by the friendly chief, Djau, he went to a village, and began to purchase
ivory. In spite of Djau's presence the people were suspicious, and became more and
more insolent, asking higher prices for every tusk, and at last trying to run off with n
tusk and the beads that had been offered in payment for it.
WOODEN CHIEFS.
ATTACK UPON MR. PETHERICK.
501
The tusk was regained, whereupon a sudden attack was made, and k, Jance hurled at
Mr. Petherick, whom it missed, but struck one of his men in the shoulder. Three more
were wounded by a volley of spears, and there was nothing for it but to fire. One of the
assailants having been wounded in the leg, firing was stopped. On going for their donkey,
who had been brought to carry back the tusks, he was found lying dead, having been
killed by the vengeful
GUITARS.
Hereupon Djau recommended that the village should be sacked as a warning, which
was done, and the spoil carried home. Next day the chief of the village came very
humbly to apologise, bringing some tusks as an equivalent for the donkey, and as a proof
of goodwill for the future. So the tusks were accepted, the plunder of the village
restored, and harmony was thus established, a supplementary present of beads being
added as a seal to the bargain.
502
THE DJOUR
THE DJOUR
THE Djour tribe afford a remarkable instance of the influence which is exercised over
man by the peculiarities of the country in which he is placed. Surrounded by pastoral
tribes, which breed cattle and trouble themselves but little about the cultivation of the
ground, the Djour are agriculturists, and have no cattle except goats. The sole reason for
this fact is, that the dread tsetse-fly is abundant in the land of Djour, and consequently
neither horse nor ox has a chance of life. This terrible insect, harmless to man and to
most animals, is certain death to the horse, dog, and ox tribe.
It is very little larger than the horse-fly, and its only weapons are a kind of lancet, which
projects from its mouth, as one may see in the gad-fly. Like the gad-fly, the tsetse onry
causes a temporary irritation when it
bites a human being, and the strangest
thing is that it does no harm to calves
until they are weaned. It does not
sting, but, like the gnat, inserts its
sharp proboscis into the skin for the
purpose of sucking the blood. After
an ox has been bitten, it loses con-
dition, the coat starts, the muscles
become flaccid, and in a short time
the animal dies, even the muscle of
the heart having become so soft that,
when pinched, the fingers can be made
to meet through it.
Yet the mule, ass, and goat enjoy
a perfect immunity from this pest, and
consequently the only domesticated
animal among the Djour is the goat.
The tsetse is a singularly local insect.
It will swarm along one bank of a
river, and the other bank be free ; or
it will inhabit little hills, or perhaps a
patch of soil on level ground. Tsetse-
haunted places are well known to the
natives, and it has often happened that,
when a herd of oxen has been driven
through one of these dreaded spots,
not a single animal has escaped.
Being deprived of cattle, the Djour do not depend wholly upon agriculture, but are
admirable workers in iron, and by them are made many of the weapons and polished
iron ornaments which are so much in request throughout Central Africa. Iron ore is
abundant in their country, and, after they have finished getting in their crops, the
industrious Djour set to work at their metallurgy, at which every man is more or
less an adept. After procuring a sufficient quantity of ore, they proceed to smelt it
in furnaces very ingeniously built.
" The cupolas are constructed of stiff clay, one foot thick, increasing towards the
bottom to about fourteen inches in diameter, and four feet in height. Underneath is a
small basin for the reception of the metal, and on a level with the surface are four
apertures, opposite each other, for the reception of the blast pipes. These are made of
burnt clay, and are attached to earthen vessels about eighteen inches in diameter and six
inches in height, covered with a loose dressed goat-skin tied tightly over them, and
ORNAMENTS.
IRON ORNAMENTS.
503
perforated with a few small holes. In the centre there is a loop to contain the fingers of
the operator. A lad, sitting between two of these vessels, by a rapid alternate vertical
motion with each hand drives a current of air into the furnace, which, charged with
alternate layers of ore and charcoal, nourished by eight of these rude bellows, emits a
flame some eighteen inches in height at the top.
" Relays of boys keep up a continual blast, and, when the basin for the reception of
the metal is nearly full, the charging of the furnace is discontinued, and it is blown out.
Through an aperture at the bottom the greater part of the slag is withdrawn, and the
temperature of the furnace not being sufficient to reduce the metal to the fluid state, it is
mixed up with a quantity of impurities, and broken, when still warm, into small pieces.
These are subsequently submitted to the heat of a smith's hearth, and hammered with a
huge granite boulder on a small anvil, presenting a surface of one and a half inches square,
stuck into an immense block of wood.
" By this method the metal is freed from its impurities, and converted into malleable
iron of the best quality. The slag undergoes the operations of crushing and washing, and
the small globules of iron contained in it are obtained. A crucible charged with them is
exposed to welding heat on the hearth, and its contents are welded and purified as above.
" The iron being reduced to small malleable ingots, the manufacture of lances, hoes,
hatchets, &c. is proceeded with. These are beaten into shape by the boulder wielded by
a powerful man ; and the master smith with a hammer, handleless, like the pestle of a
mortar, finishes them. With these rude implements, the proficiency they have attained
is truly astonishing, many lances and other
articles of their manufacture which I now
possess having been pronounced good
specimens of workmanship for an ordinary
English smith."
In the illustration on page 502 examples
are seen of the workmanship of the Djour
tribe. The remarkable ornament with a
long hook is an armlet, the hooked portion
being passed over the arm, and then b^rit,
so as to retain its hold. The other two
ornaments are entirely iron, and are either
worn by themselves, or sold to the Diuka
and other neighbouring tribes for food.
The four singular objects in the accom-
panying illustration are women's knives,
and are good examples of the patient skill
displayed by the Djour tribe with such
very imperfect tools.
These and other products of their in-
genuity are dispersed throughout several
of the tribes of Central Africa, many of
them being recognised as currency, just as
is the English sovereign on the Continent.
As if to illustrate the truth of the proverb,
that men are always longing for that which they do not possess, the Djour are always
hankering after beef, and in consequence buy cattle largely from their warlike neighbours,
the Dinka tribe. The tsetse prevents the Djour from keeping the cattle just purchased,
and so they only buy them in order to kill and eat them at once.
Owing to this traffic, the Djour are recognised as the chief smiths of Central Africa,
and they can always find a market for their wares. Consequently, they are a very pros-
perous tribe, as even the Dinkas would not wish to destroy a people from whom they
procure the very weapons with which they fight ; and there is not a Djour man who
cannot with ordinary industry earn enough for the purchase and maintenance of a wife as
soon as he is old enough to take one. Among themselves they do not care particularly
WOMEN'S KNIVES.
504
THE DJOUR
about wearing as ornaments the products of their own skill, but prize beads above every
other personal decoration ; and so far do they carry this predilection, that their wives are
purchased \\ith beads, and not with goats — the only cattle which they can breed. There
is scarcely a Djour of full age who has not a wife, if not
in fact, yet in view; and so brisk is the matrimonial
market, that there is not a girl in the country above eight
years of age who has not been purchased by some one as
a wife.
Tobacco is as dear to the Djour as to other African
tribes, and they are fond of smoking it in pipes of very
great capacity. They have a rather odd mode of managing
their pipes. The bowl is of reddish clay, worked on the
outside into a kind of pattern like that in frosted glass.
The stem is of bamboo, and is very thick, and the junc-
tion between the stem and the bowl is made tolerably
air-tight by binding a piece of raw hide round it. A long
and narrow gourd forms the mouthpiece, and round it is
wrapped a piece of leather like that which fastens the
bowl to the stem. Lest the mouthpiece should fall off, a
string is passed round it, and the other end fastened to
the lower end of the stem.
When the pipe is used, a quantity of fine bark-fibres
are rolled up into little balls, and, the gourd mouthpiece
being removed, they are thrust into it and into the stem,
so that, when the pipe is lighted, they may become
saturated with tobacco oil. This fibre is not inserted
for the purpose of purifying the smoke, for the tobacco
oil is thought to be much too .valuable an article to be
wasted, and the fibre balls, when thoroughly saturated,
are taken out and chewed as if they were the best pigtail
tobacco.
It is thought to be a delicate attention for two
friends to exchange " quids " from each other's pipe, and
when one person has obtained as much tobacco oil as
he cares for, he passes the quid to another, and so on,
until the flavour has all been extracted. The accom-
panying illustration represents one of these pipes, kindly
lent by Mr. Wareham. It is two feet in length, and
the bowl is capable of holding a large handful of tobacco.
Pipes of this description, though differing slightly in
details, prevail through the whole of Central Africa, and
especially along the east bank of the Nile. In the
splendid collection gathered by Mr. Petherick, and ex-
hibited in London in 1862, more than twenty such pipes
were exhibited, several with horn stems, some mounted
with iron, and in one or two the bark "quids" were
still in their places. The specimen described above
PIPE (from Mr. PcthericVs collection).
belonged to the collection.
CHAPTER XLIII.
THE LATOOKA TRIBE.
THKIB LIVELY AND PLEASANT DISPOSITION — SINGULAR HEAD-DRESS — WEAPONS THE ARMED BRACE-
LET AND ITS USK — LATOOKA WOMEN AND THEIR DRESS THE CURIOUS LIP ORNAMENT
BOKKE AND HER DAUGHTER — WEALTH OF THE LATOOKAS — INGENIOUS STRUCTURE OF THE
VILLAGES — TARRANGOLLE, THE CAPITAL OF LATOOKA — CONDITION OF THE WOMEN BOKKE
AND THE SOLDIER MODE OF GOVERNMENT — ABSENCE OF RELIGIOUS IDEAS — SKILL AT THE
FORGE THE MOLOTE, OR IRON HOE FONDNESS FOR CATTLE REPULSE OF A RAID, AND A
LATOOKA VICTORY — THE DRUM SIGNALS — FUNERAL CEREMONIES — THE STRANGE DANCES
LATOOKA BELLS.
THE Latooka tribe inhabit a tract of country on the east of the Nile, lat. 40° N". Equally
warlike when war is needed, they are not the morose, inhospitable set of savages we
have seen some of their neighbours to be, but are merry, jocose, and always ready either
for fighting, laughing, or playing.
The dress of the Latookas is at once simple and complicated. The men wear but
little dress upon their bodies, but bestow a wonderful amount of attention upon their
heads, the proper tiring of which is so long a process, that a man cannot hope to dress his
head perfectly until he has arrived at full age. Indeed, from the time that a Latooka
begins to dress his head, at least seven or eight years must elapse before his toilet is com-
pleted. The following account, given by Sir S. Baker, affords an excellent idea of the
Latooka head-dress.
" However tedious the operation, the result is extraordinary. The Latookas wear most
exquisite helmets : all of them are formed of their own hair, and are of course fixtures.
At first sight it appears incredible, but a minute examination shows the wonderful
perseverance of years in producing wha^ must be highly inconvenient.
" The thick, crisp wool is woven with fine twine, formed from the bark of a tree, until
it presents a thick net-work of felt. As the hair grows through this matted substance, it
is subjected to the same process, until, in the course of years, a compact substance is
formed, like a strong felt, about an inch and a half thick, that has been trained into the
shape of a helmet. A strong rim, of about two inches deep, is formed by sewing it
together with thread ; and the front part of the helmet is protected by a piece of polished
copper; while a plate of the same metal, shaped like the half of a bishop's mitre, and
about a foot in length, forms the crest.
" The framework of the helmet being at length completed, it must be perfected by an
arrangement of beads, should the owner be sufficiently rich to indulge in the coveted dis-
tinction. The beads most in fashion are the red and the blue porcelain, about the size of
small peas. These are sewn on the nape of the felt, and so beautifully arranged in
sections of blue and red, that the entire helmet appears to be formed of beads ; and the
handsome crest of polished copper, surmounted by ostrich plumes, gives a most dignified
.-of, Till: LATOOKA.
and martial appearance to this elaborate head-gear. No helmet is supposed to
be complete without a row of cowrie shells stitched round the rim, so as to form a
solid edge."
Necklaces of metal are also worn by the men, and also bracelets of the same material
Each warrior carries in addition a most remarkable bracelet on his right wrist. This is a
ring of iron, round which are set four or five knife-blades with points and edges scrupulously
kept sharp. With this instrument they can strike terrible blows, and if in action the
spear is dropped, the wearer instantly closes with his enemy, and strikes at him with his
armed bracelet. The other weapons of the Latooka tribe are a strong lance, or a short
mace, mostly made of iron, and a shield about four feet long, by two wide. The shields
are generally made of buffalo hide, but the best are formed from the skin of the giraffe,
this combining the two qualities of lightness and toughness. Bows and arrows are not
used by the Latookas.
The women take comparatively little pains with their toilet. Instead of spending
their time in working up their woolly hair into the felt-like mass which decorates the
men, they shave their heads entirely, and trust for their ornaments to beads, paint, and
tattooing. Like the belles of more southern tribes, the Latooka women extract the four
incisor teeth of the lower jaw ; and the favourite wife of the king told Lady Baker that
she would really not be bad-looking if she would only remove those teeth, and give
herself a coat of grease and vermilion.
Bokke, the queen in question, with her daughter, were the only good-looking women
that were seen in that country; the females being strangely large, coarse, and powerful.
On bodily strength they pride themselves, and each woman makes it a daily task to carry
on her head a ten-gallon jar to the water, fill it, and bring it back again, the distance being
seldom less than a mile. Their dress is rather remarkable. It consists of a leathern belt,
to which is attached a large flap of tanned leather in front, while to the back are tied a
number of thongs, two feet or more in length, which look at a distance exactly like a
horse's tail.
The most fashionable feminine ornament in the Latooka country is a long piece of
polished crystal, about as thick as a drawing-pencil. A hole is bored in the under lip, and
the ornament hung from it. Sir S. Baker commended himself greatly to Bokke and her
daughter by presenting them with the glass stern of a thermometer that had been accident-
ally broken, and his gift was valued much as a necklace of brilliants would be by European
ladies. In order to prevent this ornament from falling, a piece of twine is knotted upon
the end that passes through the lip. As the lower teeth are removed, the tongue of course
acts upon it, and when a lady is speaking the movements of the tongue cause the crystal
pendant to move about in a very ludicrous manner. Tattooing is mostly confined to the
cheeks and forehead, and consists chiefly of lines.
The men are also fond of decorating their heads with the feathers of various birds, and
the favourite ornament is the head of the crested crane, its black, velvet-like plumage,
tipped with the gold-coloured crest, having a very handsome appearance when fixed on the
top of the head.
When Sir S. Baker was encamping among the Latookas, he could not purchase either
goats or cows, though large herds were being driven before him, and he was therefore forced
to depend much on his gun for subsistence. The feathers of the cranes, ducks, geese, and
other birds were thrown over the palisade of his encampment, and, during the whole time
of his visit, the boys were to be seen with their heads comically dressed with white
feathers, until they looked like huge cauliflowers. The longest feathers were in greatest
request, and were taken as perquisites by the boys who volunteered to accompany the
sportsman, to carry home the game which he shot, and then to pluck the birds.
In general appearance, the Latookas are a singularly fine race of men. They are, on
an average, all but six feet in height, and, although they are exceedingly muscular and
powerful, they do not degenerate into corpulency nor unwieldiness. The expression of
the countenance is pleasing, and the lips, although large, are not of the negro type. The
forehead is high, the cheek-bones rather prominent, and the eyes large. It is thought that
their origin must have been derived from some of the Galla tribes.
CONDITION OF THE WOMEN. 507
The Latookas are rich as well as powerful, and have great herds of cattle, which they
keep in stockades, constructed after a most ingenious fashion ; as many as ten or twelve
thousand head of cattle being often herded in one town. Knowing that there are plenty .
of hostile tribes, who would seize every opportunity of stealing their cows, the Latookas
always pen them in very strong stockades, the entrance to which is only a yard, or
thereabouts, in width. These entrances are arch-shaped, and only just wide enough to
allow an ox to pass through, and from the top of each arch is hung a rude kind of cattle-
bell, formed from the shell of the dolap& palrn-nut, against which the animal must strike
as it passes in or out of the stockade.
The path which leads from the entrances is no wider than the door itself, and is
flanked at either side by a high and strong palisade, so that, if an enemy were to attack
the place, they could hardly force their way along passages which a few men could guard
as effectually as a multitude. Through the village 'runs a tolerably wide street, and into
the street open the larger entrances into the cattle enclosures, so that, if the inhabitants
desired, they could either remove their oxen singly by the small doors, or drive them out
in herds through the gates that open into the central street.
Thus it will be seen that the aspect of a Latooka town is very remarkable. It is
surrounded by a very strong palisade, in which are several doorways. Through the centre
of the village runs the main street, upon which all the cattle-pens open, and the rest of
the interior is traversed by lanes, so narrow that only one cow can pass at a time. The
various gates and doors of the village are closed at night, and carefully barred with
branches of the thorny mimosa.
Sometimes these villages are so large as to deserve the name of towns. Tarrangolle",
the capital of the Latookas, comprised at least three thousand homesteads ; and not only
was the whole town surrounded by a strong iron-wood palisading, but each homestead
was fortified in like manner.
The wives of the Latookas seem tolerably well off in comparison with their married
sisters of other tribes. They certainly work hard, and carry ponderous weights, but then
they are so tall and strong, that such labour is no very great hardship to them. That
they are not down-trodden, as women are in too many parts of Africa, is evident from the
way in which they comport themselves. On one occasion one of the armed soldiers
belonging to the Turkish caravan met a woman, who was returning from the water with
her heavy jar on her head. He demanded the water, and, when she refused to give it
him, threatened her with his stick. Bokke, the pretty wife of Commoro, seeing this pro-
ceeding, went to the rescue, seized the soldier by the throat, and wrested his stick from-
him, while another woman twisted his gun out of his hand. Several other women came
running to the spot, threw the man down, and administered a sound pummelling, while
others poured water down the muzzle of his gun, and plastered great lumps of wet mud
over the lock and trigger.
Wives are purchased in Latooka-land for cows, and therefore a large family is a sure
step to prosperity : the boys becoming warriors, who will fight for their tribe ; and the girls
being always saleable for cows, should they live to womanhood. Every girl is sure of
being married, because, when a man begins to procure wealth, the first thing that he does
is to buy a wife, and he adds to their number as fast as he can muster cows enough to
pay for them.
When Sir S. Baker passed through the country, the great chief of the Latookas was
named Moy. He had a brother, named Commoro, and, although in actual rank Moy took
precedence of his brother, Commoro was virtually the king, having far more influence
over the people than his brother.
Commoro was really deserving of this influence, and was remarkable for his acute-
ness and strong common sense. Without his exertions the Latookas would certainly
have assaulted the caravan, and great slaughter must have ensued, the natives having
learned to despise guns on account of a victory which they had lately gained over a party
of slave-stealers. He had a long argument with his visitor respecting the immortality of
the soul, and resurrection after death, but could in no way be convinced that a man could
live after death. Had he had even any superstitious feelings, something might have been
508
THE LATOOKA.
done with him, but,, like many other sceptics, he flatly refused to believe anything which
was without the range of his senses.
The familiar illustration of the grain of corn planted in the earth was used, but
without effect. He was quite willing that the grain in question should represent himself,
but controverted the conclusion which was drawn from 'the premisses. The ears of corn
filled with grains, which would spring up after the decay of the original seed, were not,
THE LATOOKA VICTORY.
he said, representatives of himself, but were his children, who lived after he was dead.
The ingenuity with which he slipped out of the argument was very considerable, and, as
Sir S. Baker remarks, " it was extraordinary to see so much clearness of perception
combined with such complete obtuseness to anything ideal."
The Latookas are very good blacksmiths, and excel in the manufacture of iron hoe-
blades, or " molotes," as they are called. This instrument is also used as money : a
figure of a molote may be seen on page 475. The bellows are made on the same principle
as those used by the Kaffir tribes, but, instead of using merely a couple of leather bags,
the Latooka blacksmith employs two earthenware pots, and over the mouth of each pot
is loosely tied a large piece of soft, pliable leather, kept well greased to insure its softness.
FONDNESS FOE CATTLE. 509
A perpendicular stick, about four feet in length, is fastened to the centre of each skin,
and, when these are worked rapidly up and down, the wind is forced through earthenware
tubes which communicate with the bottom of the pots.
The tools are very simple, a large stone doing duty for an anvil, and a smaller for a
hammer, while a cleft stick of green wood is used by way of pincers. Great care is taken
in shaping the molotes, which are always carefully tested by balancing them on their
heads, and making them ring by a blow of the finger.
When used for agriculture, the molotes are fastened to the end of wooden shafts,
seldom less than seven, and often ten, feet in length, and thus a powerful leverage is
gained.
Although the Latooka is generally ready for war, he is not a born warrior, as is the
case with many tribes. The Zulu, for example, lives chiefly for war ; he thinks of it day
and night, and his great ambition is to distinguish himself in battle. The Latooka, on
the other hand, seldom wages war without a cause which he is pleased to think a good
one ; but, when he does, he fights well.
The chief cause for which a Latooka will fight to the death is his cattle. He will
sometimes run away when a powerful party makes a raid on his village, and carries oft
his wives and children for slaves ; but if they attempt to drive off his cattle, the spirit of
the noble savage is set a-blaze, and he is at once up in arms.
A curious example of this trait of character occurred during Sir S. Baker's residence
in Latooka-land. One of the Mahometan traders . (who, it will be remembered, are the
very pest and scourge of the country) gathered together a band of three hundred natives,
and more than a hundred of his own countrymen, for the purpose of making a raid upon
a certain village among the mountains. The men ran away, and the invaders captured a
great number of women and children, with whom they might have escaped unmolested.
Unfortunately for them, they were told of a large herd of cattle which they had missed,
and accordingly returned, arid began to drive off their spoil.
The Latookas had witnessed the capture of their wives an~ children without attempt-
ing a rescue, but the attack on their beloved cattle was too much for them, and they
poured out of their hiding-places like a swarm of angry wasps. Maddened with the idea
of losing their cattle, they bravely faced the muskets with their spears and shields, and
clustered round the invaders in resistless numbers. Each man, as he,advanced, leaped
behind some cover, from which he could hurl a lance, while others climbed up the rocks,
and rolled great stones on their enemies. The attack was so sudden and simultaneous,
that the Turks found themselves beset on all sides, and yet could hardly see a man at
whom they could aim.
They fled in terror down the path, and, mistaking in their haste the right road, they
turned aside to one which led to a precipice five hundred feet in depth. Seeing their
danger, they tried to retreat, but the ever-increasing multitudes pressed closer and closer
upon them, forced them nearer to the precipice, and at last drove them all over it. Not
a man escaped, and although a few turned and fought with the courage of despair, they
were hurled over the precipice after their comrades.
This was the victory over fire-arms which had inspired the Latookas with such
contempt for these weapons, and had it not been for Commoro's mediation, they would
have attacked the English party. That subtle chief, however, well knew the difference
between assaulting an assemblage of Turks and Africans among the rocky passes and
attacking in the open country a well-armed party commanded by Europeans. Such an
attack was once meditated, and Sir Samuel Baker's account of it gives an excellent idea
of the Latooka mode of warfare. The reader must remember that the war-drum is an
institution throughout the greater part of Central Africa.
" It was about five P.M., one hour before sunset. The woman who usually brought us
water delivered her jar, but disappeared immediately after, without sweeping the court-
yard, as was her custom. Her children, who usually played in this enclosure, vanished.
On searching her hut, which was in one corner of the yard, no one was to be found, and
even the grinding-stone was gone. Suspecting that something was in the wind, I sent
Karka and Gaddum-Her, the two black servants, to search in various huts in the neigh-
510 THE LATOOKA.
bourhood, to observe whether the owners were present, and whether the women were in
their houses. Not a woman could be found. Neither woman nor child remained in the
large town of Tarrangolle*. There was an extraordinary stillness, where usually all was
noise and chattering. All the women and children had been removed to the mountains,
about two miles distant, and this so quickly and noiselessly that it appeared incredible."
Commoro and Moy were then sent for, and said that the Turks had behaved so badly,
by robbing and beating the women, that the people were much excited, and would endure
it no longer ; and, not being accustomed to any travellers except slave-dealers, they
naturally included Sir S. Baker's party in that category. Commoro, however, took his
leave, saying that he would do his best to quiet the people.
" The sun set, and, as is usual in tropical climates, darkness set in within half an
hour. Not a woman had returned to the town, nor was the voice of a man to be heard.
The natives had entirely forsaken the portion of the town that both I and the Turks
occupied.
" There was a death-like stillness in the air. Even the Turks, who were usually
uproarious, were perfectly quiet ; and, although my men made no remark, it was plain
that we were all occupied by the same thoughts, and that an attack was expected.
" It was about nine o'clock, and the stillness had become almost painful. There was
no cry of a bird ; not even the howl of a hysena : the camels were sleeping ; but every
man was wide awake, and the sentries well on the alert. We were almost listening to
the supernatural stillness, if I may so describe the perfect calm, when suddenly every one
startled at the deep and solemn boom of the great war-drum, or nogara ! Three distinct
beats, at slow intervals, rang through the apparently deserted town, and echoed loudly
from the neighbouring mountain. It was the signal ! A few minutes elapsed, and, like
a distant echo from the north, the three mournful notes again distinctly sounded. Was
it an echo ? Impossible !
" Now from the south, far distant, but unmistakeable, the same three regular beats
came booming through the still night air. Again and again, from every quarter, spreading
far and wide, the signal was responded to, and the whole country echoed these three
solemn notes so full of warning. Once more the great nogara of Tarrangolle sounded the
original alarm within a few hundred paces of our quarters. The whole country was up.
There was no doubt about the matter. The Turks well knew those three notes to be the
war-signal of the Latookas. . . .
" The patrols shortly reported that large bodies of men were collecting outside the
town. The great nogara again beat, and was answered, as before, from the neighbouring
villages ; but the Turks' drum kept up an uninterrupted roll, as a challenge, whenever the
nogara sounded. Instead of the intense stillness, that had formerly been almost painful,
a distinct hum of voices betokened the gathering of large bodies of men. However, we
were well fortified, and the Latookas knew it. We occupied the very stronghold which
they themselves had constructed for the defence of their town ; and the square, being
surrounded with strong iron-wood palisades, with only a narrow entrance, would be
impregnable when held, as now, by fifty men well armed against a mob whose best
weapons were only lances.
" I sent men up the watchmen's stations. These were about twenty-five feet high ;
and, the night being clear, they could distinctly report the movements of a large mass of
natives that were ever increasing on the outside of the town, at about two hundred yards
distance. The rattle of the Turks' drum repeatedly sounded in reply to the nogara, and
the intended attack seemed destined to relapse into a noisy but empty battle of the
drums."
Towards midnight Coramoro came in person, and said that the nogara had been beaten
without his orders, and that he would try to quiet the people. He admitted, however,
that, if the exploring party had not been on their guard, an attack would really have been
made. After this business, Sir Samuel very wisely determined to separate entirely from
the Turks, and therefore built himself a camp about a quarter of a mile from the town,
so that the Latookas might not again think that the two parties had a common interest.
On the following morning the women appeared with their water-jars as usual, and
FUNERAL CEUEMONIES. . 511
the nieti, though still excited, aiul under anus, returned to their homes. By degrees the
excitement died away, and then they talked over the affair with perfect frankness,
admitting that an attack was meditated, and rather amused that the intended victims
should have been aware of their plans.
The Latookas are not free from the vice of thieving, and, when employed as porters,
have exercised their craft with so little attempt at concealment, that they have deliberately
broken open the parcels which they carried, not taking any notice of the fact that a
sentry was watching them within a few yards. Also they would occasionally watch an
opportunity, slip aside from the caravan, and sneak away with their loads.
Funeral ceremonies differ among the Latookas according to the mode of death. If a
man is killed in battle, the body is not touched, but is allowed to remain on the spot
where it fell, to be eaten by the hyaenas and the vultures. But should a Latooka, whether
man, woman, or child, die a natural death, the body is disposed of in a rather singular
manner.
Immediately after death, a shallow grave is dug in the enclosure that surrounds each
house, and within a few feet of the door. It is allowed to remain there for several weeks,
when decomposition is usually completed. It is then dug up, the bones are cleaned and
washed, and are then placed in an earthenware jar, and carried about a quarter of a mile
outside the village.
No particular sanctity attaches itself either to the bones or the spot on which they
are deposited. The earthen jars are broken in course of time, and the bones scattered
about, but no one takes any notice of them. In consequence of this custom the neigh-
bourhood of a large town presents a most singular and rather dismal aspect, the ground
being covered with bones, skulls, and earthenware jars in various states of preservation ;
and indeed, the traveller always knows when he is approaching a Latooka town by
coming across a quantity of neglected human remains.
The Latookas have not the least idea why they treat their dead in this singular
manner, nor why they make so strange a distinction between the bodies of warriors who
have died the death of the brave and those who have simply died from disease, accident,
or decay. Perhaps there is no other country where the body of the dead warrior is left
to the beasts and birds, while those who die natural deaths are so elaborately buried,
exhumed, and placed in the public cemetery. AVhy they do so they do not seem either to
know or to care, and, as far as has been ascertained, this is one of the many customs
which has survived long after those who practise it have forgotten its signification.
During the three or four weeks that elapse between the interment and exhumation
of the body funeral dances are performed. Great numbers of both sexes take part in
this dance, for which they decorate themselves in a very singular manner. Their hair-
helmets are supplemented by great plumes of ostrich-feathers, each man wearing as many
as he can manage to fasten on his head, and skins of the leopard or monkey are hung
from their shoulders. The chief adornment, however, is a large iron bell, which is
fastened to the small of the back, and which is sounded by wriggling the body after a
very ludicrous fashion.
" A large crowd got up in this style created an indescribable hubbub, heightened by
the blowing of horns and the beating of seven nogaras of various notes. Every dancer
wore an antelope's horn suspended round the neck, which he blew occasionally in the
height of his excitement. These instruments produced a sound partaking of the braying
of a donkey and the screech of an owl. Crowds of men rushed round and round in a
sort of galop infernel, brandishing their arms and iron-headed maces, and keeping
tolerably in line five or six deep, following the leader, who headed them, dancing
backwards.
" The women kept outside the line, dancing a slow, stupid step, while a long string of
young girls and small children, their heads and necks rubbed with red ochre and grease,
and prettily ornamented with strings of beads round their loins, kept a veiy good line,
beating time with their feet, and jingling the numerous iron rings which adorned their
ankles, to keep time to the drums.
" One woman attended upon the men, running through the crowd with a gourd full of
512
THE LATOOKA.
wood-ashes, handfuls of which she showered over their heads, powdering them like
millers; the object of the operation I could not understand. The premiere danseuse
was immensely fat ; she had passed the bloom of youth, but, malgre her unwieldy stale,
she kept up the pace to the last, quite unconscious of her general appearance, and
absorbed with the excitement of the dance."
These strange dances form a part of every funeral, and so, when several persons havo
died successively, the funeral dances go on for several months together. The chief
Commoro was remarkable for his agility in the funeral dances, and took his part in every
such ceremony, no matter whether it were for a wealthy or a poor man, every one who
dies being equally entitled to the funeral-dance, without any distinction of rank or
wealth.
i
FUNERAL DANCE.
The bells which are so often mentioned in those tribes inhabiting Central Africa are
mostly made on one principle, though not on precisely the same pattern. These simple
bells evidently derive their origin from the shells of certain nuts, or other hard fruits,
which, when suspended, and a wooden clapper hung within them, can produce a sound
of some resonance. The curious rattle which is figured on page 398 is made on this
principle, and consists of a number of nutshells, shaped like those of the Brazil-nut,
emptied of their contents, and carefully polished. Although they have no clappers, these
shells make a very loud noise when the rattle is shaken.
The next advance is evidently the carving the bell out of some hard wood, so as to
increase its size and add to the power of its sound. Next, the superior resonance of iron
became apparent, and little bells were made, shaped exactly like the before-mentioned
BELLS.
513
nuts. This point once obtained, the variety in the shape of the bells is evidently a mere
matter of caprice on the part of the maker.
The accompanying illustration shows three of the most strongly-marked stages in the
construction of these iron bells. Fig. 3 is a small bell, made in exact imitation of the
above-mentioned rattle, and is drawn to its proper dimensions. It imitates the shape of
the nutshell with wonderful fidelity, considering the rude tools of the artist who made it.
Fig. 1 is a much larger article, used chiefly as a cow-bell. As the reader may see, this
instrument is formed on precisely the same principle as that shown at fig. 3, and only
differs from it in its superior size, and in the fact that its length is greater than its
width.
In fig. 2 is seen an instrument which approaches nearer to our familiar type of bell than
any other, and really bears a very close resemblance to the strangely-shaped bells of Siam
or Burmah. Instead of being flattened, as are the others, it is tolerably wide, and is so
formed that a transverse section of it would give the figure of a quatrefoil. These bells
are drawn from specimens in Colonel Lane Fox's collection, and are part of a series
wherein the bell is traced from its primitive to its perfected form.
IRON BELLS.
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE SUIR, BARI, DJIBBA, NUEHR, DINKA, AND SHILLOOK TRIBES.
LOCALITY OF THK SHIR TRIBE — THEIR PORTABLE PROPERTY — DRESS AND GENERAL APPEARANCE —
A STRANGE STORY — BASKET-MAKING — THE BARI TRIBE AND THEIR CHARACTER SLAVE-DEALING
— BARI ARCHERS — A DARING SHARPSHOOTER THE BOY's STRATAGEM ARCHITECTURE OF THK
BARI THE DJIBBA TRIBE — THEIR NATIONAL PRIDE DJIBBA WEAPONS — THE AXE, CLUB, AND
KNIFE — BRACELET THE SCALPLOCKS- ORNAMENT A PROUD WARRIOR — THE NOUAER OR NOUEHR
TRIBE THE CLAY WIG AND BEAD HELMET THE CHIEF, JOCTIAN, AND HIS IMPORTUNITY —
NOUEHR SALUTATION THE DINKA TRIBE AND ITS WARLIKE CHARACTER ZENEB TO THE RESCUE
FEUD WITH THE SHILLOOKS AND BAGARAS DRESS OF THE DINKA TREACHERY, AND THE
TABLES TURNED THE DINKA MARKET AN EMBASSY OF PEACE — THK SHILLOOKS, THEIR LOCALITY,
DRESS, AND APPEARANCE THEIR PREDATORY HABITS SKILL IN BOATING — A PASTORAL COLONY
AND ITS MANAGEMENT FISH-SPEARING A SHILLOOK FAMILY GOVERNMENT AMONG THE
SHILLOOKS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
As the Shir tribe are frequently mentioned by those travellers who have passed through
Central Africa, a brief mention of them will be necessary. The Shir country extends on
either side of the Nile, in lat. 6° N., and long. 30° E.
The men are remarkable for never stirring out of their villages without all their
personal property about them. Clothes, in our sense of the word, are not considered as
property, the principal article of costume being a tuft or two of cock's-feathers on the top
of the head. But they always carry their little stools slung on their backs, and no one
ever moves without his loved pipe. Upon their pipe they lavish all their artistic powers,
which, however, are not very considerable. Precious as is iron in this country, being
used, like gold in Europe, as a medium of currency, the pipes are all mounted with this
costly metal. The bowls are made of clay, conical in shape, and having a couple of
prongs on which to rest. They are very large, holding quite a handful of tobacco, and
their mouthpieces are almost invariably made of iron.
Beside the implements of peace, the Shir always cany with them their weapons of
war. These consist of clubs, made of a kind of ebony, black, solid, and heavy, a couple
of lances, a bow, and a bundle of arrows, so that their hands are quite full of weapons.
The bows are always kept strung, and the arrows are pointed with some hard wood, iron
being too costly a metal for such a purpose. They are about three feet in length, and
without feathers, so that they can only be used at a short distance.
The women, however, have some pretensions to dress. To a belt which goes round
the waist is attached a small lappet of leather, which hangs in front. This is balanced
behind by a sort of tail or long tassel of very thin leather thongs, which reach nearly
down to the knees. Captain Speke remarks that this article of dress is probably the
foundation of the reports that in Central Africa there is a race of men who have tails
like horses. Such reports are rife, not only among Europeans, but among the Central
Africans themselves, each tribe seeming to think that they are the only perfect race of
men, and that all others have some physical defect.
LOTUS-SEED AS FOOD.
A very amusing instance of such a belief is narrated by Mr. Petherick, a native Laving
given him a most circumstantial account of tribes among which he had been, and where
he had seen some very singular people. In one tribe, for example, he had seen people
who, like the white man, could kill at a great distance. But instead of having odd-shaped
pieces of wood and iron, which made a noise, they had bows and arrows, which latter
could not be extracted. Had he stopped here, he might have been believed, the only
exaggeration being in the range of the weapon. Unfortunately for his own character, he
must needs add a number of other circumstances, and proceeded to tell of a people who
had four eyes, two in the usual places and two behind, and who could therefore walk
backwards as well as forwards — like the decapitated lady in the fairy tale, whose head
was replaced wrong side forwards, " which was very useful in dressing her back hair."
The next tribe through which he passed frightened him exceedingly. They had the
usual number of eyes, but one eye was under each arm, so that, when they wanted to look
about them, they were obliged to lift up their arms.
Not liking these strange companions, he went still farther southwards, and there he
saw people with tails a yard in length, and with faces like monkeys. But the most
horrible people among whom he travelled were dwarfs, who had such enormous ears that,
when they wished to rest for the night, they spread one ear beneath them for a mattress,
and the other above them by way of covering.
The strange part in connexion with these wild tales is, that none of them are new.
To the lovers of old legends all these monstrous races of men are perfectly familiar.
Moreover, in that wonderful old book, the " Nuremberg Chronicle," there are woodcuts of
all the strange people. There are the Acephali ; whose eyes are in their breasts, there are
the tailed men, the ape-faced men, the dwarfs, and the large-eared men. The origin of
several of these wild notions is evident enough, and it seems probable that the idea of the
large-eared race arose from the enormous ears of the African elephant, one of which is
large enough to shelter a man beneath its covert.
To return to the Shir women. They are very fond of ornament, and nearly all the
iron in the country which is not used in the decoration of pipes, or for the " spade-
money," is worn upon the legs of the women. Eings of considerable thickness are
fastened round the ankles, and a woman of consideration will often have so many of these
rings that they extend far up the leg. As the women walk, these rings make a clanking
sound, as if they wrore iron fetters ; but among the Shir belles this sound is thought to be
very fashionable, and they cultivate the art of walking so as to make the anklets clank as
much as possible. There is another ornament of which they are very fond. They take
the shells of the river mussel, and cut it into small circular pieces, about the size of
ordinary pearl buttons. These are strung together with the hair of the giraffe's-tail,
which is nearly as strong as iron wire, and are rather effective when contrasted with the
black skins of the wearers. Like the Wanyoro and other tribes, the Shir of both sexes
knock out the incisor teeth of the lower jaw.
These women are skilful as basket-makers, the principal material being the leaf of
the dome or doom palm. I have a mat of their manufacture, which is woven so neatly and
closely, and with so tasteful an arrangement of colours, that it might easily be taken for
the work of a European. It is oval, and about eighteen inches in diameter. The centre
is deep red, surrounded by alternate rings of red and black, which have a very admirable
effect upon the pale yellow of the mat itself.
The food of the Shir tribe consists largely of the lotus-seed, the white species being
that which is commonly used. Just before the seed is ripe it is gathered in the pod,
which looks something like an artichoke, and contains a vast quantity of little grains,
rather like those of the poppy both in size and flavour. When gathered, the pods are
bored and strung upon reeds about four feet in length. They are then taken into the
village, dried in the sun, and stored away for food. The fruit of the doom palm is also
ground and used as flour.
There is one very strange kind of diet which prevails along the upper part of the
White Nile. The people have large herds of cattle, and they not only live on the milk,
but bleed them monthly, and cook the blood with their flour and meal.
LL2
THE BAIil.
THE BAEI.
BETWEEN lat. 4° and 8° N. and long. 1° 33' E. there are several tribes so peculiar as
to deserve a brief notice before we pass westward to the land of the negroes. The first
of these is the Bail tribe, which is situated on the eastern bank of the Nile.
They are a warlike and dangerous tribe, being \vell armed, and capable of using their
weapons, so that a traveller who wishes to pass safely through their land must be able to
show an armed front. When Captains Speke and Grant passed through their country, an
umbrella was accidentally left behind, and some of the men sent to fetch it. The Bail,
however, drew up in battle array, evidently knowing that without their leaders the men
might be safely bullied, so that the umbrella was left to the mercies of the Bari chief.
Owing to their position on the Nile, they do a great business in the slave-trade, for as
far as Gondokoro, the capital of the Bari country, steamers have been able to ascend the
river. Consequently, every party of strangers is supposed — and mostly with truth — to
be a slaving expedition, and is dreaded by one part of the population, while it is courted
by the other. The quarrelsome disposition of the Bari has often brought them into
collision with the traders, and, as might be imagined, the superior arms and discipline of
the latter have given them such a superiority, that the Bari are not as troublesome as
they used to be. Still, they are always on the watch for an opportunity of extortion, and
if a traveller even sits under a tree, they will demand payment for its shade.
When Sir S. Baker was at Gondokoro, he was looked upon as a spy and opposer of
the slave-trade, and consequently ran much greater risk of being killed than among the
acknowledged savage tribes of the interior. And as the slave-dealers had further com-
plicated matters by stealing cattle from one sub-tribe, with which they bought slaves
from another, the journey through Bari-land was certain to be most perilous, and probably
would be rendered impossible.
Once they organized a regular attack upon the party, stationing themselves on either
side of a rocky gorge through which the road ran, and keeping up a continual discharge
of their poisoned arrows. Fortunately, some of the natives, brilliant in their scarlet war-
paint, had been seen ahead of the gorge, and preparations had been made for receiving
the attack. They ran along the rocks like monkeys, every now and then halting to dis-
charge a poisoned arrow, and then running on in readiness for another shot. They
showed much courage on the occasion, coining within fifty or sixty yards of the armed
escort, in spite of their firearms, which they seemed justifiably to despise, as the men
who carried them had no idea of aim, and, provided that they pointed a musket somewhere
towards the enemy, and fired it, thought that they had done all that was required.
However, the Bari were quite as bad as archers, and not a single arrow took effect.
Many were diverted from their line by the branches of trees and the clusters of bamboo,
while those that flew straight were easily avoided, on account of the weakness and stiff-
ness of the bow, which would only project them feebly and slowly. The end of the
skirmish was that, although the leader of the expedition did not think it worth while to
fire at so insignificant an enemy, one of the Bari was somehow shot through the body,
probably by a bullet aimed at somebody else, and a few were thought to be wounded.
They then took to their heels and ran off.
During the march the Bari still hung about the caravan, and at night completely
surrounded it, their forms being quite invisible unless the sentinel lay on the ground, and
contrived to see the outline of their forms above the horizon. They even were audacious
enough to creep close to the camp, and discharge their arrows at random into it, in the
hope of hitting some one ; but this mode of assault was effectually checked by a volley of
buckshot, which killed one of the most daring of them. When his body was found next
morning, lying about thirty yards from the camp, the bow was in his hand, and a supply
PERSONAL APPEAKANCE.
517
of poisoned arrows by his side. Four of his arrows were afterwards found in the camp,
and their ingeniously barbed heads charged with deadly poison showed that the death of
the former owner was well deserved.
It was fortunate for the travellers that the Bari are such wretched archers, as the arrows,
when they do strike a man, are tolerably sure to kill him. The poison with which they
are imbued has not the rapidity of action which distinguishes that of the Bosjesman,
but it is scarcely less formidable, though less swift. The effect of the poison is to destroy
the life of the surrounding flesh, so that a limb which has been pierced by one of the
arrows is attacked by a slow kind of mortification, and thus the wound ensures death,
which is far more painful, because so much slower, than that which is caused by the poison
grub, the euphorbia juice, or the venom of the serpent.
Unpleasant as these Bari are in their ordinary state, they can be trained into good,
and faithful attendants, and are excellent material for soldiers. On one occasion, when a
A BARI HOMESTEAD.
large party of the Madi had attacked a body of traders, killed the standard-bearer, and
nearly carried off the standard itself, a young Bari boy came to the rescue, shot with his
pistol the man who was carrying off the standard, snatched it from him, and took it
safely to his master.
,0ue of these Bari lads, a drummer named Arnout, saved the life of his master by a
stratagem. While the latter was reloading his gun, he was attacked by several natives,
when young Arnout ran up, and, though weaponless, presented his drumstick at the
enemy. Thinking it to be some novel kind of firearm, the assailants ran away, leaving
Arnout master of the field.
The appearance of the Bari is rather remarkable. Their heads are round and bullet-
shaped, with low foreheads, and much development behind the ears and at the nape of
the neck, so that the general conformation of the head is anything but pleasing, and is a
good index to the character of the people. As they shave their heads, the formation of
the skull is easily seen.
They are a tall, well-grown, and well-fed people, thus being a great contrast to the
Kytch and several other tribes ; and, although they wear but little clothing, they contrive
to spend much time on personal adornment. The men shave the whole of their heads,
twith the exception of a little tuft of hair on the top, which is preserved as an attachment
518 THE BARI.
lor a few feathers from a cock's tail. When they go to war, and even in their own villages,
they rub themselves with a kind of vermilion mixed with grease, and cover the whole of
their person with this pigment. The men never stir without their weapons, which consist
of a bow, arrows, and a spear.
The bow is fully six feet in length, and looks a very formidable weapon ; but it is so
stiff and inelastic that, as has been already mentioned, it cannot propel the heavy arrows
with much force. The arrows are cruelly barbed, and the butt of the shaft is spread out
so as to allow a wide notch to be cut in it. This widened butt is seen in arrows throughout
a large part of Africa, and there is now before me a Zanzibar quiver, full of arrows,
kindly presented by J. A. Wood, Esq. R.N". These arrows are made with wonderful
neatness, but are spoiled in appearance by the width of the butt. How the natives
can use these arrows without having their left hand cut to pieces by the butt is really
wonderful ; and as it must strike against the bow, and deflect the arrow from its intended
course, the wretched archery of the natives is accounted for.
Besides his weapons, the Bari man always carries his stool, slinging the latter behind
him. When he stands, he has an odd mode of reposing himself, which reminds the
observer of the stork, flamingo, and other long-shanked birds. One foot rests on the
ground, while the other is pressed against the leg just below the knee, and the man
steadies himself by resting the butt of the spear on the ground. Generally, the bow,
arrows, and pipe are tucked between the legs while the owner is standing.
The women shave the whole of their heads, and, by way of dress, wear a little apron
about six inches square, sometimes made of beads strung together, and sometimes of iron
rings linked in each other like chain-mail. These last aprons are much valued. They
also adorn themselves by making a vast quantity of semicircular scars on the body, from
the breast down to the waist, so that at a little distance they look as if they wore a cuirass
of scales. They are as fond of the vermilion and grease as their husbands, and the effect
of this pigment on the scars is to increase the resemblance to scale armour.
The houses are neatly built. Each family resides within a considerable space
surrounded by a hedge of euphorbia, and the whole of the interior is levelled, and carefully
laid down with a sort of cemenfc, composed of wood-ashes, cowdung, and clay. This mix-
ture soon dries in the sun, and forms a kind of asphalte, so that it can be swept easily.
The huts are floored with the same material, and both they and the enclosure are kept
scrupulously clean. The homestead consists of a number of huts, according to the size of
the family ; and near them are placed the granaries, which are carefully raised on posts.
As is the case in so many parts of Africa, the roof of the circular hut projects for
some distance beyond the low walls, so as to form a sort of shady verandah. The door of
the hut is not more than two feet high. This form of hut reminds the traveller of the
Bechuana houses, while another custom is almost exactly identical with one which is
practised among the Damaras.
If the reader will refer to page 349, he will see a representation of a Damara tomb.
The Bari bury their dead within the enclosure of the homestead, and in like manner fix a
pole in the ground, and tie to it the horns and skulls of oxen. In order to show that it
is the tomb of a Bari, a tuft of cock's feathers is fastened to the top of the pole, in
imitation of that which the deceased once bore on his head.
WEAPONS.
519
THE DJIBBA.
PROCEEDING still northward, and diverging a little to the east, we come to a large and
formidable tribe called the Djibba, Their territory is situated about ]at. 7° N. and
long. 34° E., and occupies a large tract of country almost encircled "by the Sobat River,
one of the many tributaries of the Nile.
The Djibba are a bo]d and warlike tribe. They are not negroes, neither are they black
their colour being a dark brown.
Their stature is tall, and, except
in colour, they bear much re-
semblance to the Shillooks, who
will be presently described. It
has been thought that they might
be an offshoot of that tribe, but
they indignantly deny any re-
lationship either to the Shillook
or any other tribe ; and even hold
themselves aloof from the warlike
Dinkas, with whom so many infe-
rior tribes are only too glad to
claim relationship.
These people are essentially
warriors, and have a most remark-
able set of weapons.
Spears of course they possess,
and he is a happy man who has a
weapon with an iron head. Iron
is scarce in the Djibba country,
and, in consequence, many of the
warriors are obliged to content
themselves with fastening the
sharp horns of antelopes to their
spear shaft, until they can manage
to procure the coveted iron head.
When a Djibba warrior does pos-
sess so valuable a weapon, he takes
very great care of it, keeping the
edges as sharp as a razor, and
covering the head with a hide
sheath. The sheath is attached to
the shaft by a thong, so that there
shall be no danger of losing it, and
it is never uncovered except when
the spear is to be used.
They also have clubs and axes
of different shapes, and examples
of the most characteristic forms of
these weapons are given in the ac-
companying illustration. The club
is formed from a dark, hard, and
heavy wood, and is remarkable for the mushroom-like shape of the head. This shape is
particularly mentioned, because it is a favourite one in Central Africa, and among the
BATTLE-AXE.
CLUB.
SCALPLOCKS.
520
THE DJIBBA.
Dor tribe expands until it is exactly like a large flat-headed mushroom, with sharp
edges (see the illustration on page 494, fig. 2). The axe reminds the observer of the
battle-axe of the Middle Ages, which was equally adapted for thrusting or striking.
If the reader will now refer to the accompanying illustration, he will see some very
remarkable objects, which serve the double purpose of ornaments and weapons. As is
evident from their shape, they are worn on the wrist, so that the wearer is never entirely
unarmed. Fig. 3 is an iron bracelet, very ingeniously made, considering the imperfect
tools of the native blacksmith. The Djibba workman first takes a thin plate of iron,
sharpens the edges, and cuts a row of deep notches along them ; he then rolls it longi-
tudinally, so as to form half a cylinder ; and, lastly, bends it round into the form of a
bracelet. When it is placed on the wrist, the two ends are pressed or hammered together,
until the bracelet is held firmly in its place.
BRACELETS.
Another and far more formidable weapon is seen at fig. 4. This is a bracelet made
of a flat plate of iron, about an inch and a half in width. On the inside it is very thick,
a quarter of an inch at least, and it is thinned gradually to the edge, which is kept
exceedingly sharp. In order to prevent it from injuring the wearer, a sort of sheath of
stout leather runs round the edge, and is held in its place by its own elasticity, so that it
can be pulled off in a moment, and replaced almost as quickly. Whenever the warrior
comes to close quarters, he strips off the leathern sheath, and, rushing in upon his
adversary, strikes at the face with the sharp edge, or, flinging the left arm round him,
cuts his naked body almost into pieces with rapid strokes of this terrible weapon.
These drawings, together with those of the club and axe (p. 519) and figs. 5 and 6 in the
accompanying illustration, are taken from specimens in the collection of Colonel Lane
Fox, who kindly added to my museum the bracelets marked 1 and 2.
A well-armed Djibba warrior also carries a club made on exactly the same principle.
It is about the size of an ordinary racket, and veiy nearly the same shape, except that
the flattened portion is not so regular. Indeed, if an ordinary golf-club had a head which
could be flattened out until it was about a foot long, and seven or eight inches wide, it
would almost exactly resemble the " assaya," as this club is called. The edge of the
weapon is kept very sharp, and is guarded by a sheath of hide exactly like that of the
knife-bracelet. The New Zealanders formerly used an axe-club of similar construction,
though very much larger.
DRESS AND ORNAMENTS. 521
In the left-hand illustration on page 519 is shown another proof of the essentially war-
like nature of the Djibba tribe. When a Djibba warrior kills a foe in battle, he cuts off
his head, and takes it home with him ; he then cuts a number of leathern thongs, removes
all the hair from the head of the enemy, and hands them both to a friend, who undertakes
the office of decorating the victor with the proofs of valour.
First the thongs are plaited into sixteen or seventeen bands, a part of one being shown
of its original size at fig. 2. One end of the bands is then woven firmly into the back of
the head, and is so managed, that as the hair grows it renders the fastening more and more
secure. The hair of the dead man is then matted together into a sort of felt, about a
quarter of an inch in thickness, and sewn firmly to the under side of the leathern
bands.
This process being accomplished, the Djibba warrior stalks proudly forth, feeling
himself every inch a man, and enjoying the envy and admiration of those who have not
as yet been fortunate enough to attain such an honourable trophy.
Whenever he kills another enemy, he adds to the length, but not to the width, of this
singular ornament ; and as he despoils the slain man of all his ornaments, he is able to
buy cowries with which to enhance the beauty of his scalp-locks, fastening them in rows
along the leathern bands. A warrior of eminence will sometimes have this trophy of
inordinate length. I have seen one that was brought over by Mr. Petherick, which was
so long that, when a man of ordinary height placed it on his head, the end trailed on the
ground. It was so thickly covered with cowries, that the leathern bands and hair could
not be seen until it was lifted up, and the proud owner had also extended the cowries over
the top of his head nearly to the eyes in front, and over the ears on either side.
The weight of this ornament was enormous, and it is really wonderful that any amount
of pride could have induced any man to subject himself to such discomfort. The cele-
brated pearl suit of Prince Esterhazy must have been singularly uncomfortable, but then
it was only worn on special occasions, whereas the Djibba warrior cannot relieve himself
of his honourable but weighty decoration.
The existence of such an ornament shows that the Djibba are fond of decoration.
They are moderately well clothed, wearing goat-skin dresses, with the hairy side outwards.
The dress passes over the left shoulder, leaving the right arm free, and then goes round
the waist, descending to mid-thigh. Ivory armlets of good workmanship are worn on the
upper arm, heavy belts of cowries are tied round the waist, and both the ankles and waist
are ornamented with polished iron rings. Several forms of these ornaments are seen in
the illustration on page 520. Figs. 1 and 2 are the simplest and the most common forms.
Fig. 1 is a man's bracelet, and weighs almost a quarter of a pound. Fig. 2 is much
slighter, and belonged to a woman. Figs. 5 and 6 are examples of the tasteful ingenuity
which the native smiths lavish on their personal adornments.
THE NUEHR.
WE now come to another of those remarkable tribes which inhabit Central Africa.
About lat. 9° N. and long. 25° E. there is a large district inhabited by a tribe called
the Nuehr or Nouaer. Contrary to the usual custom, this tribe possesses land on both
sides of the Nile, which in the midst of their territory spreads itself into a lake. The
Nuehr are a fine-looking race of savages, and very like savages they look. The men are
tall, powerful, and well-formed, but their features approach the negro type, and are heavier
and coarser than those of the tribes which have been previously mentioned. The women
are not nearly so good-looking as the men, and are rather clumsily built.
522
THE NUEHR.
Neither sex is much troubled with clothes. The males never wear any clothes at all ;
nor do the females, until they are married, when they tie a fringe of grass round their
waists, some of the wealthier women being able to use a leathern fringe, of which they are
very proud. Their ornaments really seem to serve no other purpose but to disfigure the
wearers as much as possible.
Beginning with the head, the men stain their woolly hair of a dusty red by a mixture
of which ashes form the chief part. They then take a sort of pipe-clay, and plaster it
thickly into the hair at the back part of the head, dressing it up and shaping it until
it is formed into a cone, the shape of the ornament varying according to the caprice
of the individual. By means of this clay head-dress the hair is thrown back from the
face, the expression of which is not
improved by the horizontal lines that
are tattooed across it.
A head-dress of remarkable beauty
was brought from this tribe by Mr.
Petherick, and is now in the collection
of Colonel Lane Fox. It is white, in
imitation of the white clay with which
the head is usually decorated, and is
made of cylindrical beads shaped as if
they were pieces of tobacco-pipe. These
beads, or bugles, as they ought perhaps
to be called, are threaded on string,
and fastened together in a very ingenious
manner. The singular point in this
head-dress is the exact resemblance to
the soldier's casque of ancient Egypt,
and to the helmets now in use in India
and other parts of the world.
The natural glossy black of the skin,
which has so pleasing an appearance, is
utterly destroyed by a coating of wood-ashes, which gives to the surface a kind of greyish
look. On the upper arm they generally wear a large armlet of ivory, and have heavy coils
of beads round their necks. The wrists are adorned with rings of copper and other
ornaments, and on the right wrist they carry an iron ring aimed with projecting blades,
very similar to that which is worn by the Latookas.
Joctian, the chief of the Nuehr tribe, was asked by Sir S. Baker what was the use of
this weapon, and by way of answer he simply pointed to his wife's arms and back, which
were covered with scars produced by this primitive wife-tamer. He seemed quite proud
of these marks, and evidently considered them merely as ocular proofs that his wife was
properly subservient to her husband. In common with the rest of his tribe, he had a
small bag slung round his neck by way of a pocket, which held bits of wood beads and all
kinds of trifles. He asked for everything he saw, and when anything of small size was
given to him, it straightway went into the bag.
Still, putting aside these two traits of cruelty and covetousness, Joctian seems to have
been a tolerably agreeable savage, and went away delighted with the presents he had
received, instead of grumbling that he could not get more, as is the usual way among
savage chiefs. It was rather strange that, although he was so charmed with beads and
bracelets, he declined to accept a knife, saying that it was useless to him.
He had in his hands a huge pipe, holding nearly a quarter of a pound' of tobacco.
Every Nuehr man has one of these pipes, which he always carries with him, and should
his supply of tobacco be exhausted, he lights a piece of charcoal, puts it into his pipe, and
inhales the vapour that it draws from the tobacco-saturated bowl.
The women are not so much adorned as the men, probably because the stronger sex
prefer to use the ornaments themselves. At a little distance the women all look as if
they were smoking cigarettes. This odd appearance is caused by a strange ornament
NUEHR HELMET.
From, Colonel Lane Fox's Collection.
CHARACTER OF THE DINKA. 523
which they wear in their upper lip. They take a piece of iron wire, about four inches in
length, and cover it with small beads. A hole is then pierced in the upper lip, and the
ornament inserted, so as to project forward and rather upward.
The Nuehr are very fond of beads, and are glad to exchange articles of food for them.
One kind of bead, about the size and shape of a pigeon's egg, is greatly valued by them ;
and, when Mr. Petherick was travelling through their country, he purchased an ox for
eight such beads.
The chief came on board the boat, and, as usual, asked for everything he saw. Among
other odd things, he set his affection on Mr. Petherick's shoes, which, as they were nearly
worn out, were presented to him. Of course they were much too small for him, and the
attempts which he made to put them on were very amusing. After many failures, he
determined on taking them home, where he thought he might be able to get them on
by greasing his feet well.
When the chief entered the cabin, and saw the wonders of civilized life, he was quite
overcome with the novel grandeur, and proceeded to kneel on one knee, in order to give
the salutation due to a great chief. " Grasping my right hand, and turning up the palm,
he quietly spat into it, and then, looking into my face, he deliberately repeated the
process. Staggered at the man's audacity, my first impulse was to knock him down, but
his features expressing kindness only, I vented my rage by returning the compliment with
all possible interest. His delight seemed excessive, and resuming his seat, he expressed
his conviction that I must be a great chief. Similar salutes followed with each of his
attendants; and friendship was established."
This strange salutation extends through many of the tribes that surround the Nuehr ;
but in some, as for example the Kytch, the saluter merely pretends to spit in the hand
of his friend, and does not really do so.
THE DINKA.
STILL south of the Nuehr tribe we come to a singular district extending on either side
of the Nile. This country is inhabited by two tribes, who are both warlike, both at
deadly feud with each other, and both fond of making unexpected raids into the enemy's
country. The tribe that inhabits the left or west bank is called the Shillook, and that
which occupies the eastern bank is the Dinka or Denka tribe. We will take the
Dinkas first.
They have more of the negro in their aspect than the tribe which has just been
described. They include many smaller or sub-tribes, all of which speak the same
language, or at least a dialect of it. Without going into any minute details as to the
peculiarity of each division, we will simply take the leading characteristics of the great
and formidable Dinka tribe. That they are exceedingly warlike has already been
stated. Indeed, had they not been so, they would long ago have been exterminated ; for,
what with the incessant inroads of the Shillooks and Bagaras from the west, and various
Arab tribes from the north and east, they could not have held their own had they not
been brave men, and trained to arms.
The martial spirit extends even to the women, and was once of very great service to
Sir Samuel Baker, while on his travels. A dangerous quarrel had suddenly arisen, and
a number of Arabs were attacking the white leaders, some being armed with swords and
the others with spears. One of the latter had got behind Sir Samuel's head man, and
was about to make a thrust with his lance. There happened to be with the exploring
party a Dinka woman, named Zeneb, and, as soon as she saw the emeute, she snatched up
524
THE DINKA.
the heavy handle of an axe, rushed intc the thickest of the fray, knocked down the Arab
with a blow on his head, and instantly twisted his spear out of his hand, while he was
stunned with the unexpected blow. This timely aid was the turning-point in the
skirmish, and in a minute or two the Arabs were conquered and disarmed. Zeneb had
afterwards the satisfaction of smashing the lances of the vanquished Arabs, and boiling
the coffee with the fragments.
The principal weapon of the Dinkas is the lance, but they also use clubs of various
shapes. Two modifications of their favourite form are shown in the accompanying
illustration, and are drawn from specimens in Colonel Lane Fox's
collection. These clubs were brought from Central Africa by
Mr. Petherick. In form they strongly remind the observer of
certain clubs in use among the Polynesians, and indeed might
easily be mistaken for such weapons. The club is employed for
a double purpose. It is held in the left hand, and used as a
shield, with which to turn aside the lance-thrust of the enemy,
and, when the enemy has been wounded, the club is ready for
the operation of knocking out his brains.
Warlike as they may be, the Dinkas are not so actively
aggressive as their neighbours, the Shillooks, and never frequent
the banks of the Nile unless compelled to do so by drought.
They are agriculturists after a fashion, and keep vast herds of
cattle, and it is chiefly on account of their cattle that they are
sometimes forced to approach the river bank, and so to expose
themselves to the attacks of their inveterate foes, the Shillooks
and Bagaras, who not only steal their cattle, but carry off their
women and children. The Bagaras are excellent horsemen, and
swim their steeds across the river, placing one hand on the
animal's quarters, and swimming alongside. They are also great
elephant-hunters, pursuing their mighty game on horseback,
armed only with a speur, leaping from the horse and inflicting a
mortal wound, and springing on their steeds again before the
elephant has had time to turn himself.
The dress of both sexes is simple enough. The men wear a piece of skin attached to
a girdle, but it hangs behind and not before, except on occasions of ceremony, when it is
carefully brought round to the front. Beads are of course worn, the quantity varying
according to the means of the possessor. The married women wear small aprons, and
the girls and children nothing at all, with the exception of beads and other ornaments.
Like those of the Nuehr tribe, the Dinka women perforate the upper lip, and place in it a
little bit of stick covered with beads. The women are not at all pretty, whatever good
looks they may have had being completely neutralized by the habit of shaving the head.
The girls are very fond of an ornament, which is a series of hollow iron cones, about half
an inch or so in diameter at the bottom, and tapering to a point above. Through the
upper part a hole is bored, so that the cones can be strung on a leathern thong. They are
of very different lengths ; those which come in front being about four inches long, while
those at the back measure barely two inches. As the girl walks about, this waistband
gives forth a pleasant tinkling, of which the wearer is extremely proud. Such an orna-
ment is extremely prized, and as it is almost indestructible, it is handed down from
mother to child, and so there is scarcely a Dinka maiden who does not possess one.
The pursuits of the Dinkas in time of peace are mostly limited to hunting and
tending cattle. Agriculture is rather despised, and left to the women, and the consequence
is, that tjie capabilities of the soil are never fairly developed. Indeed, they only till
small patches of ground near their huts, and there cultivate maize, millet, gourds, yams,
nuts, cotton, capsicum, and similar plants. They seldom eat the flesh of their cattle, unless
a cow happens to die a natural death, in which case a great feast is held : for their
supplies of meat they trust almost entirely to their skill in hunting. The rich live prin-
cipally on the milk of their cattle, and should they have more milk than they can
CLUBS.
MANNEES AND CUSTOMS. 525
consume, they barter it with other Bribes for grain. They are clever fishermen, and those
who are not well off' are accustomed to frequent the banks of rivers or lakes, trying to
kill the hippopotamus, and in the meantime subsisting on fish. They have an ingenious
method of transporting fish to a distance by wrapping them in thick clay, and as this
covering can be made air-tight, the fish can be kept for several days even in so hot a
country.
Agriculture being thus neglected, it naturally follows that great distress is occasionally
felt in the country, great numbers being reduced to spend the whole of their time in
searching for grains and berries. Sometimes they hire themselves as servants, and take
care of the herds ; and in bad years it is not uncommon to find in the bush the bodies of
men, women, and children, who have died from hunger in a country which is capable of
supplying both the necessaries and luxuries of life.
With one branch of the Dinka tribe Mr. Petherick remained for some time, and had a
good opportunity of studying their manners. His first reception was not a promising
one, as the chief fully intended to take by force all the beads that had been brought for
the purchase of ivory, and threatened destruction to the whole party if this modest notion
were not at once carried out. However, the discharge of a gun, and its effects at a
distance, terrified the chief to such an extent, that he was very glad to assume a more
humble tone. The next stratagem was to frighten away all the porters, so that the mer-
chandise could not be carried out of the country, and to cut off the supply of water and
provisions, in order to force Mr. Petherick and his party to leave the district. Indeed, the
chief stated plainly that, as they could not remove their goods out of his country, the best
plan would be to hand them over at once, and proceed on their journey.
Previous to these events, the life of the same traveller had been endangered by an
alliance of six Dinka tribes against him, they having imbibed the usual notion that the
only object of a white man in coming into their territory was to destroy the slave trade,
and bring white enemies among them.
This was while he was among the Dor tribe, with some of whom the Dinkas had
already contrived to pick a quarrel. He therefore fenced in his camp very strongly,
and, by erecting a kind of bastion at each angle, made it so formidable a fortress that
the Dinkas were afraid to attack it. They hung about the place for six weeks, and
at last Mr. Petherick determined on striking a bold stroke, and turning the tables
upon them.
Knowing the exceeding value which they placed on cattle, he thought that if he
could carry off one of their herds they would be brought to their senses. He sent off a
detachment of his party, who seized six hundred head of cattle, beside sheep and goats
innumerable. As had been anticipated, the Dinkas, who really value their cattle much
more than human life, were terror-stricken, and came humbly suing for peace. This was
granted, on their giving in their submission, and the cattle were handed over to a Dor
chief, in order to provide food for his village. However, the Dinkas kept bad faith, for
they continually hung upon Mr. Petherick's line of march ; and once a sub-tribe, called
Ajack. had the temerity to make an open charge. Of course they were at once repulsed,
with a loss of several dead and wounded ; but in consequence of these repeated attacks
it was found necessary to halt for the night in some cattle-shed, and to loop-hole the
walls for musketry.
A considerable trade in beads and tusks was done among the Dinka tribe, who at
last became rather sharp dealers. Mr. Petherick gives an amusing account of one of
their markets : —
" After fifteen days' tedious tracking, we made fast under some Dinka villages situated
on its southern bank, where we succeeded in bartering numerous tusks from the natives,
who received us with open arms, in the hope that we would defend them, in case of
emergency, from the aggressions of the Nuehr.
" I proceeded on shore to meet them, accompanied by an interpreter, a man bearing a
bag of various kinds of beads, and half a dozen armed men, to guard against treachery,
which, considering the negroes were armed with clubs and lances, was a necessary pre-
caution. My interpreter and myself seated ourselves opposite to the owner of the tusk,
520 THE DINKA.
who obstinately retained his seat, refusing us an inspection of it. Placing a hide on the
ground, a variety of beads, cowrie-shells, and copper bracelets were displayed thereon.
The beauty of these provoked striking signs of approbation, the vendor and bystanders
grinning and rubbing their stomachs with both hands. A consultation then took place
between the party and his friends as to the relative merits of the beads, which resulted in
the following dialogue : —
" Vendor. — 'Ah ! your beads are beautiful, but the bride (tusk) I offer is lovely: like
yourself, she is white and tall, and worthy of great price.'
" Self. — ' Truly the beauty of the bride is undeniable ; but, from what I can see of her,
she is cracked, whilst my beads are perfect.'
" Vendor. — ' The beads you offer are truly beautiful, but I think they must have been
gathered before they were ripe.'
" Self. — ' Oh, no ! they were gathered when mature, and their colour is peculiar to
them, and you will find that they will wear as well as the best red ; they came from a
different country.'
" Vendor. — ' Well, let me have some more of them.'
" His request being complied with, rising from the tusk and throwing himself upon
the beads, he collected them greedily ; at the same time the possession of the tusk was
disputed by half a dozen negroes, who, stating they had assisted to carry it on their
shoulders, claimed a recompense. On this being complied with by a donation to each
man, another set of men came forward under the same pretence, and the tusk was seized
by my men at one extremity, whilst they had hold of the other, and in perfect good
humour struggled for its possession : at last, to cut the matter short, I threw handfuls of
beads amongst the crowd, which resulted in the immediate abandonment of the tusk for
a scramble after them. In the meantime the purchase was carried off and safely lodged
on board."
When Mr. Petherick passed through the same country in 1856, the Ajack sub-tribe
thought that they had better make peace with so formidable a visitor, and accordingly
the chief Anoin begged him to rest for the night at one of their villages, and favourably
conclude a treaty of amity. As soon as the camp had been made, and the sentries set, a
number of young girls — some of them really good-looking, for Africans — arrived with
milk and flour, and were delighted with some beads, which they added to their attire ;
this consisting of bead-strings round their necks, waists, and ankles. Encouraged by their
reception, others arrived in succession, and set to work at grinding corn and boiling
porridge as if they had belonged to the expedition all their lives.
Suddenly a whistle was heard in the distance, and scarcely had the sound died away,
when all the women had vanished, and a dead silence succeeded to the merry chatter
which had filled the place. After a while a strange voice was heard in the surrounding
darkness, asking for permission to approach, and when an assuring answer was returned,
Anoin and his brother stepped into the light of the watch-fires, followed by a number of
men leading an ox. They were fully armed ; but their dress consisted merely of a piece
of leopard-skin slung over Anoin's shoulder as a mark of rank. Anoin wore bracelets of
copper, while those of his companions were of iron. Both he and his brother wore caps
made of white beads sewn tightly on soft hide. The beads were strung on cotton threads,
spun by themselves with a distaff and spindle, and a thorn had served the purpose of
a needle.
After seating themselves, Anoin began a speech, offering peace, and presenting the
bullock as a proof of sincerity. The animal was accepted, and in less than an hour the
only relics of the ox were the white and polished bones scattered on the ground. A
number of smaller chiefs then assembled, and all proceeded to greet Mr. Petherick by
the usual, though scarcely agreeable, custom of spitting in his face, and they then
proceeded to business.
First, the Dinka chiefs laid their spears and clubs in the middle of the circle, and
then Mr. Petherick laid upon them his rifle and pistols. The chief next stepped over
the heap several times, and vowed that neither he nor any of his tribe would ever use
the weapons against the white man, and wishing that, if the oath were broken, he should
WARLIKE PROPENSITIES OF THE SHILLOOKS. 527
be the first to perish by the weapons of the aggrieved party. Mr. Petherick went through
the same ceremony himself, and a copious indulgence in beer and pipes cemented the
alliance.
THE SHILLOOKS.
EXACTLY on the opposite bank of the White Nile is found the great Shillook tribe,
with which the Dinka is always at feud.
The Shillooks are a tall and fiuely-ma. race of men, approaching very closely to the
negro, being black, with woolly hair. The flat nose and enormous lips of the true
negro are, however, absent, and only in a few cases is there an approach towards that
structure.
The Shillook men are very fond of ornament, though dress is not considered necessary.
Their ornaments are similar to those which have already been described, and' consist
chiefly of iron bracelets, anklets, and bead necklaces. They have also one rather singular
decoration. This is an enormous ivory ring, which is worn above the elbow of the right
arm. It is concave on the inside, and is so large that it is used as a pocket for holding
small objects. Small caps of black ostrich-plumes decorate their heads, and many of
these caps are ornamented with a circle of cowrie-shells in the middle.
Their weapons are clubs and lances, the latter being very long, and having iron wire
twisted round the butt, so as to counterbalance the head. They also carry the remarkable
bow-like shield which has been already mentioned.
The women wear no clothing until marriage, and then assume a couple of pieces of
dressed hide, one in front and the other behind. These hides reach nearly to the ankles,
and are decorated round the lower edge with iron rings and bells. The heads are shaved,
and the ears are bored all round their edges with a number of holes, from which hang
small clusters of beads.
The villages of the Shillooks are built very regularly, and, in fact, are so regular as to
be stiff and formal in appearance. The houses are made of reeds, tall, of nearly the same
height, and placed close to each other in regular rows or streets, and when seen from a
distance are compared by Sir S. Baker to rows of button mushrooms.
The Shillooks are quite an accomplished people, being warlike, pastoral, agricultural,
piscatorial, and having a well-defined government.
Not only do they keep up the continual feud with their powerful neighbours, the
Dinka, but they take advantage of the overflowing of the Nile to launch their canoes,
drop quietly down the river, and attack the Arab population on either bank. So bold
are they, that on several occasions they descended the river nearly half way to Khar-
toum, hid their canoes in the reeds, and crossed the country to Sennaar or the Blue Nile.
Taking the inhabitants by surprise, they carried off numbers of women and children as
slaves, drove away large herds of cattle, re-embarked, and got safely home with their
spoil. At length the Egyptian Government was obliged to interfere, and had to place
troops between the White and Blue Nile.
Besides their canoes, the Shillooks make most ingenious vessels, which are a sort of
compromise between a raft and a canoe.
In this part of Africa there is a tree called the ambatch, or ambadj (Anemone
iiiirctbilis). This tree grows tolerably straight, and tapers gradually from the ground to
the tip. It never grows to any great size, and the wood is almost as light as cork. To
make a raft, the Shillook cuts a sufficient number of ambadj -trees, lays them side by side,
and lashes them firmly to each other. The tapering ends are then drawn together with
cords, and also lashed firmly, and the result is a singularly effective and buoyant raft,
easily guided from its shape, and so light that a man can carry it on his shoulders.
528
THE SHILLOOKS.
When these rafts are taken out of the water, they are placed upright on their bases, and
two or three are supported against each other, just as soldiers pile their arms. One of
these rafts, nine feet in length, and only four feet wide at the stern, can carry two men.
The Shillooks are very clever in the management of their rafts, which they propel with
small paddles ; and even the little boys may be seen paddling about, not in the least
afraid of the swarming crocodiles, but always carrying a lance with which to drive off the
horrid reptiles if they attempt an attack.
When Mr. Petherick was passing through this country, the daring Shillooks had
established a small colony on the eastern or Dinka bank of the river, on account of the
SHILLOOKS CROSSING THE RIVER.
good pasturage. As soon as the Dinka had withdrawn towards the interior, the Shillooks
crossed over, built a number of reed huts, ran an extemporized fence round them, and
then brought over their cattle. They had plenty of outposts inland, and as soon as the
enemy were reported the Shillooks embarked in their rafts, and paddled over to their own
side of the river, the cattle plunging into the water in obedience to a well-known call,
and following the canoes and rafts of their masters. Strange to say, the crocodiles do not
meddle with cattle under such circumstances.
Aided by their rafts, the Shillooks employ much of their time in fishing. They do
not use either net or hook, but employ the more sportsmanlike spear. This weapon is
about ten feet in length, and has a barbed iron head loosely stuck into the end of the
shaft, both being connected by a slack cord. As soon as a fish is struck, the shaft is dis-
engaged from the head, and being of light wood floats to the surface, and so " plays " the
fish until it is exhausted, and can be drawn ashore by a hooked stick. The Shillooks often
catch fish at random, wading through the river against the stream, and striking their
spears right and left into the water.
Polygamy is of course practised among the people. Mr. Petherick gives a very
amusing description of an interview with a chief and his family.
" At one of these villages, Gosa, with a view to establishing a trade in hides, or if
possible in ivory, I made the acquaintance of its chief, Dood, who, with several of the
village elders, entered my boat, the bank being crowded with every man, woman, and
INTERVIEW WITH A CHIEF AND HIS FAMILY. £29
child of the village. The chief, a man past middle age, struck me by his intelligent
remarks, and a bearing as straightforward as it was dignified and superior to that of his
companions.
"A few presents of beads were greedily clutched by his attendants, he. however,
receiving them as if they were his due ; and, passing an order to one of his men, the
trifle I had given him was returned by a counter-present of a sheep. On his leaving I
requested he would call before sunrise, attended by his sons only, when I would make
him and them suitable presents.
" Long before the appointed time Dood and a crowd of men and striplings, with theii
inseparable accompaniments of clubs and lances, on the shore, woke me from my slumbers ;
and, as I appeared on deck, a rush took place towards me, with cries of ' The Benj ! the
Benj !' (the chief), followed by salutations innumerable. As soon as these shouts subsided,
Dood, disembarrassing his mouth with some difficulty of a quid of tobacco the size of a
small orange, sat down by my side.
" My first remark was astonishment at the number of his followers, having expected
none but his sons. ' Oh, 'tis all right : you don't know my family yet ; biit, owing to your
kind promises, I sent to the cattle-kraals for the boys' ; and with the pride of a father he
said, ' These are my fighting sons, who many a time have stuck to me against the Dinka,
whose cattle have enabled them to wed.'
" Notwithstanding a slight knowledge of negro families, I was still not a little surprised
to find his valiant progeny amount to forty grown-up men and hearty lads. ' Yes,' he said,
' I did not like to bring the girls and little boys, as it would look as if I wished to impose
upon your generosity.'
" ' What ! more little boys and girls ! What may be their number, and how many wives
have you ?'
" ' Well, I have divorced a good many wives ; they get old, you know ; and now I
have only ten and five.' But when he began to count his children, he was obliged to
have recourse to a reed, and, breaking it up into small pieces, said, ' I take no notice of
babies, as they often die, you know ; women are so foolish about children that I never
care for them until they are able to lay a snare.'
" Like all negroes, not being able to count beyond ten, he called over as many names,
which he marked by placing a piece of reed on the deck before him ; a similar mark
denoted another ten, and so on until he had named and marked the number of his
children. The sum total, with the exception, as he had explained, of babies and children
unable to protect themselves, was fifty-three boys and twenty girls — viz. seventy-three !
" After the above explanation I could no longer withhold presents to the host on the
shore ; and, pleased with my donations, he invited me to his house, where I partook of
merissa and broiled fowl, in which, as a substitute for fat, the entrails had been left.
Expressing a desire to see his wives, he willingly conducted me from hut to hut, where
my skin, hair, and clothes underwent a most scrutinising examination. Each wife was
located in a separate batch of huts ; and, after having distributed my pocketfuls of loose
beads to the lady chieftains and their young families, in whose good graces I had installed
myself, I took leave of the still sturdy village chief."
The code of government among the Shillooks is simple enough. There is a sultan or
superior officer, who is called the " Meek," and who possesses and exercises powers that
are almost irresponsible. The Meek seems to appreciate the proverb that " familiarity
breeds contempt," and keeps himself aloof from his subjects, seldom venturing beyond the
limits of his own homestead. He will not even address his subjects directly, but forces
them to communicate with him through the medium of an official. Any one who
approaches him must do so on his knees, and no one may either stand erect or carry arms
in his presence. He executes justice firmly and severely, and especially punishes murder
and theft among his subjects, the culprit being sentenced to death, and his family sold as
slaves.
Theft and murder, howevjer, when committed against other tribes, are considered
meritorious, and when a marauding party returns, the Meek takes one-third of the plunder.
He also has a right to the tusks of all elephants killed by them, and he also expects a
VOL. I.
530
TIIK S HILLOCKS.
present from every trader who passes through his territory. The Meek will iiot allow
strangers to settle within the Shillook territories, but permits them to reside at Kaka, a
large town on their extreme north. Here many trading Arabs live while they are making
their fortune in exchanging beads, cattle-bells, and other articles for cattle, slaves, and
ivory. The trade in the latter article is entirely carried on by the Meek, who has the
monopoly of it, and makes the most of his privilege. The traffic at Kaka is by no means
a free trade, for the Meek not only takes all the ivory, but his officials watch the
proceedings in the market, and exercise a supervision over every bargain.
Probably on account of the presence of strangers, the Meek does not live at Kaka, but
takes up his residence out in a village some ten miles up the river.
In the accompanying illustration is shown a figure of a curious musical instrument.
It is taken from a specimen in my own collection, and represents an instrument which we
may call a flute, in lieu of a better word. It is made of some hard wood, and is rudely
covered with a spiral belts of iron and leather. An iron ring is also fastened through
it, through which passes the leathern strap by which it is carried. The top holt-
is very small, and the sound produced by the instrument is of a wailing and lugubrious
character.
Inside the flute is fitted an odd implement which we may call the cleaner. It is
composed of an ostrich feather with the vanes cut short, and in order to render it long
enough to reach to the bottom of the flute, it is lengthened by a wooden handle, to the
end of which is attached a tuft of hairs from a cow's tail, by way of ornament. In length
the flute measures rather more than eighteen inches, and, in consequence of the amount
of iron upon it, the weight is more than might be supposed.
CHAPTER XLV.
THE ISHOGO, ASHANGO, AND OBONGO TRIBES.
WESTERN AFBICA THE ISHOGO TRIBE AND ITS LOCALITY DRESS AND ASPECT OF THE PEOPLE
THE SINGULAR HEAD-DRESS OF THE WOMEN THEIR SKILL IN WEAVING — THE OUANDJAS, OR
NATIVE FACTORIES THE LOOM AND SHUTTLE ARCHITECTURE OF THE ISHOGOS —CURIOUS DOOBS
THE VILLAGE TREE — THE M'PAZA OR TWIN CEREMONY GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE ISHOGOS
— THE ASHANGO TRIBE — CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE — AN UNLUCKY SHOT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
WAR CEREMONIES THE TEMPLE, OR M'BUITI HOUSE, AND THE RELIGIOUS RITES PERFORMED
IN IT — SUPERSTITIONS OF THE ASHANGOS — THE KENDO, OR BELL OF ROYALTY RECEPTION OF
A VISITOR THE OBONGO TRIBE, OR BUSHMEN OF WEST AFRICA — THEIR SHORT AND STUNTED
LOOK KINDNESS Oif THE ASHANGOS TOWARDS THEM THE OBONGO MARKET — DOMESTIC CUSTOMS
AND FUNERAL CEREMONIES.
WE are now coming among some of the negro tribes, and shall see them as they are in
their normal state before their customs and mode of life have been altered by the influence
of Europeans.
A little below the equator, and between 10° and 12° E. longitude, is a district inhabited
by the Ishogo, a very large and remarkable tribe. The Ishogo live along a rather narrow
tract of country that extends diagonally south-westwards, parallel with the Eembo
N'gouyai river, but divided from it by a range of hills.
The Ishogo are a fine race of men, black, with woolly hair, but not exhibiting the extreme
negro development which characterises the aborigines of the west coast. They decorate
themselves in rather a singular manner. Both sexes add a ruddy tinge to their native
black by rubbing themselves with a red powder obtained by scraping two pieces of bar-
wood together, and they also disfigure themselves by removing the two middle teeth of
the upper jaw.
Like other woolly-haired races, the Ishogo are very proud of their heads, and diminish
the already scanty supply of hair with which Nature has supplied them. Eyelashes and
eyebrows are unfashionable among them, and are carefully erased, while the hair of the
head is dressed in the most extraordinary style. The men shave a circle round their
heads, only allowing a round patch to remain on the crown. This is separated into three
divisions, each of which is plaited into a lappet-like form, coming to a point at the end,
and being finished off with a large bead, or perhaps a piece of polished wire. On account
of the slow growth of the hair, an Ishogo cannot complete his head-dress under several
years.
The women begin by making a sort of frame of grass-cloth, and fixing it to the head,
at the top or at the back, as their taste may direct. They then work the woolly hair into
it, and when that part of the process is completed, shave away all the hair that is not
required for the purpose. When the head-dress is complete, it stands some eight or ten.
inches from the head, and consequently a term of years elapses before this odd ornament
reaches perfection. In fact, a complete head-dress is never seen on any one under tive-
and-twenty.
M M 2
532 THE ISHOGO.
The "chignon," if we may apply such a term to the head-dress, has four partings, one
in front, one behind, and one at each side. Of course this elaborate ornament cannot be,
dressed by the owners, and, as a general rule, it is entrusted to professional hands, several
women in every town making hair-dressing a regular business. After being arranged, tin;
head is not touched for several months, when the structure is taken to pieces, and
elaborately rebuilt, the fresh growth of hair being woven into it. The operation of
taking down and rebuilding one of these towers is a very long and tedious one, and
occupies a full day.
Four modes of arranging the tower, if it may be called so, prevail among the Ishogo.
The ordinary plan is to raise it perpendicularly from the top of the head, so that at a
distance it looks exactly as if the woman was carrying a cylindrical basket on her head.
Sometimes, when the base of the tower is placed half way between the top of the head
and the neck, the direction is diagonal, and when the hair at the back of the head is
retained, the tower projects backwards and horizontally. These are the usual fashions ;
but some of the women wear, in addition to the tower, a tuft of hair, which is allowed to
remain at each side of the head, and is trained into a ball just above the ear.
The dress of the Ishogo is "grass-cloth" of their own manufacture. They are
celebrated for the soft and close texture of this cloth, which is, however, not made from
grass, but from the cuticle of young palm-leaves, stripped off dexterously by the fingers.
M. du Chaillu gives the following account of the weavers : —
" In walking down the main street of Mokenga a number of ouaridjas, or houses without
walls, are seen, each containing four or five looms, with the weavers seated before them,
weaving the cloth. In the middle of the ouandja a wood fire is seen burning, and the weavers,
as you pass by, are sure to be seen smoking their pipes, and chatting to one another whilst
going on with their work. The weavers are all men, and it is men also who stitch the
' bongos' together to make 'denguis' or robes of them. The stitches are not very close
together, nor is the thread very fine, but the work is very neat and regular, and the needles
are of their own manufacture.
" The bongos are very often striped, and sometimes made even in check patterns.
This is done by their dyeing some of the threads of the warp, or of the warp and woof,
with various simple colours. The dyes are all made of decoctions of different kinds of
wood, except for black, when a kind of iron ore is used. The bongos are employed as
money in this part of Africa."
Two of the words in this passage need explanation. The loom of the Ishogo is made
as follows : — A bar of wood, about two feet in length, is suspended horizontally from the
roof of the weaving hut, and over this bar are passed the threads which constitute the
warp, their other ends being fastened to a corresponding bar below, which is fixed tightly
down by a couple of forked sticks thrust into the ground. The alternate threads of the
warp are divided by two slight rods, the ends of which are held in the fingers of the left
hand, which cross them alternately, while the woof is interlaced by means of a sword-
shaped shuttle, which also serves to strike it down and lay it regularly.
In consequence of this form of loom it is only possible to weave pieces of cloth of a
limited length, and as these cloths are used as currency, they are all made of the same
length. Each of these pieces is called a " bongo," and when two are sewn together they
become " denguis."
The women are only allowed to wear two of these pieces of cloth, the size of the
wearer not being taken into consideration. One is hung at each side, and the edges are
joined before and behind, so that a large and fat woman presents a very absurd appear-
ance, the pieces of cloth being too short to meet properly.
The Ishogos seldom go armed, and although they have spears, and bows and arrows,
they do not carry them except when actually required. It is thought etiquette, however,
for them to take their swords with them when they go to visit another village. They
are a quiet and peaceful people, and although they have at hand the means of intoxi-
cating themselves, they are remarkable for their sobriety, in which virtue they present a
pleasing contrast to their noisy, quarrelsome, and intemperate neighbours, the Apono
tribe,
THE M'PAZA, OK TWIN CEREMONIES. 533
The villages of the Ishogo tribe are often very large, containing two hundred or more
huts. Each hut is, on an average, twenty-two feet in length, and ten or twelve feet in
width, and is divided by partitions into three compartments. The mud walls are not
quite five feet in height, and the top of the roof is about nine feet from the ground.
The doors are placed in the middle of the central compartment, and are very small,
only a little more than two feet and a half in height, and are not hung on hinges, but
turn in the middle on a couple of pivots, one at the top and the other at the bottom.
Perhaps one reason for this diminutive size is, that the natives have no saws, and their
only method of making a door is by felling the trunk of a tree, cutting it into the proper
length, and laboriously chipping away the wood at each side. The doors are decorated
with various devices, complicated and even elegant patterns being painted on them in
red, black, and white, &c. Most of the houses have the outer surface of the walls
covered with the bark of trees.
The furniture of these huts is scarcely equal to the excellence of the architecture.
Hanging from the roof are a quantity of calabashes, which contain water, palm-wine, and
oil, and are accompanied by plenty of cotton bags and cooking vessels. A well-furnished
hut has also a number of plates and dishes, made either from reeds or from the rind of a
plant called " astang," divided into strips, and against the walls are stored the bundles of
palm fibres from which the bongos are woven. Tobacco is also stored within the hut,
and is completely enveloped in leaves.
The usual form of a village is a single street, of great length, and sometimes exceed-
ingly wide. The street of one village was fully a hundred yards in width, and was kept
so neatly that not a single weed was to be seen in it,— a really remarkable fact when we
remember the exceeding rapidity with which vegetation grows in this country.
Each village has at least one " palaver-house," while many have several. The
" palaver-house " is more of a shed than a house, and consists chiefly of a roof and the
posts which support it. In this house the men meet daily, to smoke, to hold trials, to
receive strangers, and to indulge in that interminable gossip of which a relic still exists
in the " discoorsing " of Ireland.
There is also a temple, or M'buiti house, in which a kind of religious service is held,
and which always contains a large wooden idol, which the people hold in great reve-
rence. The proceedings within this edifice will be presently described.
In the middle of every Ishogo and Ashango village there is a single large tree,
belonging to the genus Ficus. When the site of a village is first laid out, a sapling of this
tree is planted, the prosperity of the future village being connected with it. If it should
live and flourish, the new village will be prosperous ; but if it should die, the place is
abandoned and a new site chosen.
Some of the villages are distinguished by having two heads of the gorilla, one male
and the other female, stuck on poles under the sacred tree, and M. du Chaillu learned
afterwards that certain charms were buried at the root of the same tree.
Among the Ishogos there is a very remarkable custom connected with the birth of
twins. In many parts of the world twins are destroyed as soon as born, but in this
country they are permitted to live, though under restrictions which tell much more
severely on the mother than on her offspring.
The Ishogo have a vague kind of a notion that no woman ought to produce more than
a single infant at a time, and that nature desires to correct the mistake by killing one of
the children before it is able to take care of itself. After that time — i.e. when the
children are about six years old — the balance of the births and deaths is supposed to be
equalized, and no further precautions need be taken.
Therefore, as soon as twins are born, the house is marked off in some way so as to
distinguish it In one instance, mentioned by M. du Chaillu, two long poles were
planted at each side of the door, a piece of cloth was hung over the entrance, and a row
of white pegs driven into the ground just in front of the threshold. These marks are
intended to warn strangers from entering the hut, as if any one except the children and
their parents do so, the delinquent is seized and sold into slavery. The twins themselves
534
TIIK ISllniK).
are not allowed to play with the other children, and even the very utensils and cooking-
pots of the hut cannot be used.
In consequence of this curious law, there is nothing, next to being childless, which
the women dread so much as having twins born to them, and nothing annoys an Ishogo
woman so much as telling her that she is sure to have twins. Perhaps the most irritating
restriction is that which forbids the woman to talk. She is allowed to go into the forest
for firewood, and to perform such necessary household tasks, as otherwise she and her
children must starve. But she is strictly forbidden to speak a word to any one who does
not belong to her own family — a prohibition annoying enough to any one, but doubly so
in Africa, where perpetual talk is almost one of the necessaries of life.
THE CEREMONY OP M'PAZA.
At the expiration of the sixth year a ceremony takes place by which all parties arc
released from their long confinement, and allowed to enter the society of their fellows.
At daybreak proclamation is made in the street, and two women, namely the mother and
a friend, take their stand at the door of the hut, having previously whitened their legs
and faces. They next march slowly down the village, beating a drum in time to the
step, and singing an appropriate song. A general dance and feast then takes place, and
lasts throughout the night, and after the ceremony is over, all restrictions are removed.
This rite is called " M'paza," a word which both signifies twins and the ceremony by
which they and their mother are set free from their imprisonment.
As in other parts of Africa, the natives have a way of keeping up their dancing and
drumming and singing all night, partly on account of the coolness, and partly because
they are horribly superstitious, and have an idea that evil spirits might hurt them under
cover of the night, if they were not frightened away by the fires and noise.
A FATAL SHOT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 535
One of these dances is called M'muirri, on account of the loud reverberating sound pro-
duced by their lips. It is properly a war-dance, and is performed by men alone. They
form in line, and advance and retreat simultaneously, stamping so as to mark the time,
beating their breasts, yelling, and making the reverberating sound which has been already
mentioned. Their throats being apparently of brass and their lungs of leather, the
Ishogo villagers keep up this horrid uproar throughout the night, without a moment's
cessation, and those who are for the moment tired of singing, and do not own a drum,
contribute their share to the general noise by clapping two pieces of wood together.
With all their faults, the Ishogos are a pleasant set of people, and M. du Chaillu, who
lived with them, and was accompanied by Ishogos in his expedition, says that they are
the gentlest and kindest-hearted negroes that he ever met. After his retreat from
Ashango-land, which will next be mentioned, the Ishogos received him with even
more than usual hospitality, arranged his journey westwards, and the whole population
of the villages turned out of their houses and accompanied him a little distance on
his way.
ASHANGO.
EASTWARD of the Ishogos is a people called the Ashango. They speak a different
dialect from the Ishogo, and call themselves a different race, but their manners and
customs are so similar to those of the Ishogos that a very brief account of them is all
that is needed.
Ashango-land was the limit of M. du Chaillu's second expedition, which was suddenly
brought to a close by a sad accident. The people had been rather suspicious of his
motives, and harassed him in his camp, so that a few shots were fired in the air by way
of warning. Unfortunately, one of the guns was discharged before it was raised, and the
bullet struck an unfortunate man in the head, killing him instantly. The whole village
flew to arms, the war-drum sounded, and the warriors crowded to the spot, with their
barbed spears, and bows and poisoned arrows.
For a moment there was a lull : the interpreter, whose hand fired the unlucky shot,
explained that it was an accident, and that the price of twenty men should be paid as
compensation. Beads and cloth were produced, and one of the head-men had just
assented to the proposal, when a loud wailing was heard, and a woman rushed out of a
hut, announcing that the favourite wife of the friendly head-man had been killed by the
same fatal bullet, which, after scattering the brains of the man, had passed through the
thin walls of the hut, and killed the poor woman within.
After this announcement all hopes of peace were at an end ; the husband naturally
cried for vengeance ; and, amid a shower of arrows, one of which struck the interpreter,
and another nearly severed M. du Chaillu's finger, the party retreated as they best
could, refraining from firing as long as they could, but at last being forced to fire in self-
defence.
In order to escape as fast as they could, the porters were obliged to throw away the
instruments, specimens of natural history, and photographs, so that the labour of months
was lost, and scarcely anything except the journal was saved. Each village to which
they came sent out its warriors against them. M. du Chaillu was dangerously wounded in
the side, and had at last to throw away his best but heaviest rifle. It was only after the
death of several of their number that the Ashangos perceived that they had to contend
with a foe who was more than a match for them, and at last gave up the pursuit.
It was necessary, however, to conceal the fact of being wounded, for several of the
tribes had an idea that their white visitor was invulnerable to spears and arrows, and it
53G THE ASI1ANGO.
was a matter of great consequence that such a notion should be encouraged. All kinds
of wild rumours circulated about him : some saying that the Ashango arrows glanced off
his body without hurting him, just as the Scotch believed that the bullets were seen
hopping like hail off the body of Claverhouse ; while others improved on the tale, and
avowed that he had changed himself into a leopard, a gorilla, or an elephant, as the case
might be, and under this strange form had attacked the enemies and driven them away.
The Ashangos are even better clothed than the Ishogos, wearing denguis of consider-
able size, and even clothing their children, a most unusual circumstance in Central
Africa. The women wear hair-towers like those of the Ishogos, but do not seem to
expend so much trouble upon them. They seem to lead tolerably happy lives, and indeed
to have their own way in most things.
The Ashango warriors are well armed, carrying swords, spears, and poisoned arrows.
The spear and arrow-heads and swords are not made by themselves, but by the Shimba
and Ashangui tribes, who seem to be the acknowledged smiths in this part of the
country. The sword is carried by almost every Ashango, and when one of these weapons
is bought or sold, the transaction is always carried on in private.
Before the Ashangos go out to war, they have a sort of magical ceremony, called " Cook-
ing the War-dish." The witch-doctor is summoned, and sets to work preparing a kind
of porridge of all sorts of herbs and fetishes in an enormous pot. None but the warriors
are allowed to see the preparation, and, when the mess is cooked, each warrior eats a
portion. None of it is allowed to be left, and after they have all eaten, the remainder is
rubbed over their bodies, until they have excited themselves to the necessary pitch of
enthusiasm, when they rush out and at once proceed to the attack.
There are a number of minor ceremonies connected with food ; one of which is, that
the women are not allowed to eat goat-flesh or fowls, the probable reason being, according
to M. du Chaillu, that the men want to eat these articles themselves.
In Ashango-land, as well as among the Ishogos, the temple, or idol-hut, is one of the
most conspicuous buildings. Generally, the people did not like strangers to enter their
temples, but in one village he succeeded in entering a temple, or M'buiti house, and
seeing the strange worship which was conducted.
" This idol was kept at the end of a long, narrow, and low hut, forty or fifty feet long,
and ten feet broad, and was painted in red, white, and black colours.
" When I entered the hut, it was full of Ashango people, ranged in order on each side,
with lighted torches stuck in the ground before them. Amongst them were conspicuous
two M'buiti men, or, as they might be -called, priests, dressed in cloth of vegetable fibre,
with their skins painted grotesquely in various colours, one side of the face red, the other
white, and in the middle of the breast a broad yellow stripe ; the circuit of the eyes was
also daubed with paint. These colours are made by boiling various kinds of wood and
mixing the decoction with clay.
" The rest of the Ashangos were also streaked and daubed with various colours, and
by the light of their torches they looked like a troop of devils assembled in the lower
regions to celebrate some diabolical rite ; around their legs were bound white leaves from
the heart of the palm-tree ; some wore feathers, others had leaves twisted in the shape of
horns behind their ears, and all had a bundle of palm-leaves in their hands.
" Soon after I entered, the rites began : all the men squatted down on their haunches,
and set up a deafening kind of wild song. There was an orchestra of instrumental per-
formers near the idol, consisting of three drummers with two drum-sticks each, one
harper, and a performer on the sounding-stick, which latter did not touch the ground,
but rested on two other sticks, so that the noise was made the more resonant. The two
M'buiti men, in the meantime, were dancing in a fantastical manner in the middle of the
temple, putting their bodies into all sorts of strange contortions. Every time the M'buiti
men opened their moiiths to speak, a dead silence ensued.
" As the ceremony continued, the crowd rose and surrounded the dancing-men,
redoubling at the same time the volume of their songs, and, after this went on for some
time, returning to their former positions. This was repeated several times. It seemed
to me to be a kind of village feast.
EECEPTION OF A VISITOR 537
" The Mbuiti men, I ought to mention, had been sent for from a distance to officiate
on the occasion, and the whole affair was similar to a rude sort of theatrical representa-
tion. The M'buiti men, like the witchcraft doctors, are important persons among these
inland tribes ; some have more reputation than others, but in general those who live
furthest off are much esteemed. At length, wearied out with the noise, and being unable
to see any meaning or any change in the performances, I returned to my hut at half-
past ten."
Being exceedingly superstitious, the Ashangos generally thought that their white
visitor was not a man but a spirit, as he could perform such wonders. He had a musical
box, and set it playing, to the great consternation of the people. Their awe was increased
by his leaving the box where it stood, and going away into the forest The fact that the
instrument should continue to play with no one near it was still more terrible, and a
crowd of people stood round in dead silence — a very convincing proof of their awe-
stricken state. An accordion produced even a greater sensation, and none but the chief
dared to utter a sound. Even he was very much frightened, and continued beating his
" kendo," or magic bell of office, and invoking help from the spirits of his ancestors.
This chief was a very pious man in his own fashion. He had a little temple or
oratory of his own, and every morning and evening he repaired to the oratory, shut
himself up, beat his bell, and invoked the spirits, and at night he always lighted a fire
before beating the bell.
The " kendo " is a very remarkable badge of office. It is bell-shaped, something like
that which is shown on page 513, fig. 2, but has a long iron handle bent in a hook-like
shape, so that the " kendo " can be carried on the shoulder just as the axe is carried (see
page 403). Leopard's fur is fastened to it, much to the deadening of the sound, and the
whole instrument forms an emblem which is respected as much as the sceptre among
ourselves. As the chief walks along, he rings the bell, which announces his presence by
a sound like that of a common sheep or cow bell.
When M. du Chaillu was among the Ashango, scarcely any articles of civilized
manufacture had penetrated into the country. The universal bead had reached them,
and so had a few ornaments of brass. There was an article, however, which was some-
times found among them, and which was about the last that could be expected. It was
the common black beer-bottle of England. These bottles have penetrated almost as far
as the beads, and are exceedingly prized by the chiefs, who value no article of property
more than a black bottle, which they sling to their belts, and in which they keep their
plantain-wine.
Calabashes would, of course, answer their purpose better, being less fragile, but the
black bottle is a chiefs great ambition. Mostly, the wives do as they like ; but if a wife
should happen to break a bottle, she has committed an offence for which no pardon is
expected.
The Ashangos have an odd custom of receiving a visitor. When they desire to do
him particular honour, they meet him with some dishes of their red paint, with which
he is expected to besmear himself. If a stranger approach a house, and the owner asks
him to make himself red, he is quite happy, and if the pigment should not be offered, he
will go off in dudgeon at the slight.
538 THE OBONGO.
OBONGOS, OR BUSHMEN OF ASHANGO-LAND.
SOMEWHEEE near the equatorial line, and between long. 11° and 12° E., there is a
tribe of dwarfed negroes, called the Obongos, who seem to be among the very lowest of
the human race, not only in stature, but in civilization.
The Obongos have no settled place of residence, their houses being simply huts made
of branches, and constructed so slightly that no home interests can possibly attach to
them. They are merely made of leafy boughs stuck in the ground, and are so slight that
a whole village of Obongos will change its residence with scarcely a warning. The
principal cause of abandonment seems to be summed up in the single word " vermin,"
with which the huts swarm to such an extent that, long after they have been abandoned,
no one can enter without being covered with swarms of these offensive little insects.
The huts are merely made of green boughs, and the hole which serves as a door is
closed with a smaller bough. They are scattered about without any order in the open
space left among the trees.
The resemblance between the Obongos and the Bosjesmans of Southern Africa is
really wonderful. Like them, the Obongos are short, though not ill-shaped, much lighter
in hue than their neighbours, and have short hair growing in tufts, while the Ashangos
are tall, dark, and have rather long bushy hair.
Their colour is pale yellow-brown, their foreheads narrow, and their cheek-bones high.
The average height is about four feet seven inches, according to M. du Chaillu's measure-
merits, though he found one woman who was considered very tall, and who was five feet
and a quarter of an inch high. The men are remarkable for having their breasts and
legs covered with hair, which grows in tufts like that of the head.
Tliis diminutive stature is not entirely owing to the small size of the whole figure,
but to the shortness of the legs, which, unlike those of African races in general, are
very short in proportion to the size of the body. Thus, instead of looking like ordinary
but well-shaped men seen through a diminishing glass, as is the case with the Bosjesman
of Southern Africa, they have a dwarfish and stunted appearance, which, added to the
hairy limbs of the men, gives them a weird and elfish appearance.
The dress of the Obongos — when they have any dress at all, which is seldom the
case — consists entirely of old and worn-out denguis, which are given to them by the
Ashangos. Indeed, the Ashangos behave very kindly to these wretched little beings, and
encourage them to take up their residence near villages, so that a kind of traffic can be
carried on. Degraded as these little beings seem to be, they are skilful trappers, and
take great quantities of game, the supplies of which they sell to the Ashangos for
plantains, iron cooking-pots, and other implements. On one occasion M. du Chaillu
saw a dozen Ashango women going to the huts of the Obongos, carrying on their heads
plantains which they were about to exchange for game. The men had not returned from
hunting, but, on seeing that the Obongo women were suffering from hunger, and forced to
live on some very unwholesome-looking nuts, they left nearly all the plantains, and came
away without the game.
The woods in which they live are so filled with their traps that a stranger dares not
walk in them, lest he should tumble into a pitfall which was constructed to catch the
leopard, wild boar, or antelope, or have his legs caught in a trap which was laid for
monkeys. There is not a path through the trees which does not contain a pitfall or two,
and outside the path the monkey-traps are so numerous that even by daylight it is
difficult to avoid them.
Being a wandering race, the Obongos never cultivate the ground, but depend for their
food on the game which they take and on the roots, berries, and nuts which they find in
OBONGOS TRADING.
539
the woods. Animal food is coveted by them with astonishing eagerness, and a promise
of goat's flesh will bribe an Obongo when even beads fail to touch him.
The origin of the Obongos is a mystery, and no one knows whether they are the
aboriginal inhabitants of the soil, or whether they come from a distance. The probability
is, that they were the original inhabitants, and that the Ashangos-, being a larger and
more powerful race, have gradually possessed themselves of that fertile land, whose
capabilities were wasted by the nomad and non-labouring Obongos.
It is strange that they should have retained their individuality throughout so long a
period, in which phenomenon they present a curious resemblance to the gipsies of Europe,
who have for centuries been among us, though not of us. The Obongos never marry out of
OBONGO MARKET.
their own tribe, and as they live in little communities of ten or twelve huts, it is evident
that they can have but little matrimonial choice. Indeed, the Ashangos say that the ties
of kinship are totally neglected, and that the Obongos permit marriages to take place
between brothers and sisters. This circumstance may perhaps account for their dwarfed
stature.
They are a timid people, and when M. du Chaillu visited them he could hardly catch
a sight of them, as they all dashed into the wood as soon as they saw the stranger. It
was with the greatest difficulty that he succeeded in intercepting several women and
some children, and by presents of beads and promises of meat conciliating some of them,
and inducing them to inspire confidence in their comrades. One little old woman named
Misounda, who was at first very shy, became quite confident, and began to laugh at the
men for running away. She said that they were as timid as the squirrel, which cried
540
THE OBONGO.
" Que, Que," and squeaked in imitation of the animal, at the same time twisting her odd
little body into all sorts of droll contortions, intended to represent the terror of her
frightened companions.
When an Obongo dies, it is usual to take the body to a hollow tree in the forest, and
drop it into the hollow, which is afterwards filled to the top with earth, leaves, and branches.
Sometimes, however, they employ a more careful mode of burial. They take the body to
some running stream, the course of which has been previously diverted. A deep grave is
dug in the bed of the stream, the body placed in it, and covered over carefully. Lastly,
the stream is restored to its original course, so that all traces of the grave are soon lost.
This remarkable custom is not peculiar to the Obongos, but has existed in various parts
of the world from the earliest known time.
DAGGER ANP SHEATH-(C«ntral4/ri«4,
CHAPTER, XLVI.
THE APONO AND APINGI TRIBES.
LOCALITY OF THK APONO TRIBE — THEIR LIVELY CHARACTER DRESS AND ORNAMENT— THE GIANT
DANCE WEAPONS — APONO ARCHITECTURE — RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION SICKNESS, DEATH,
AND BURIAL AN APONO LEGEND THE APINGI TRIBE THEIR GENERAL APPEARANCE AND MODE
OF DRESS SKILL IN WEAVING — DEXTERITY AS BOATMEN — A SCENE ON THE REMBO CURIOUS
MATRIMONIAL ARRANGEMENT — SLAVERY AMONG THE APINGI A HUNTER*8 LEOPARD-CHARM
FUNERAL CUSTOMS.
PROCEEDING towards the western coast of Africa, we now came to the Apono tribe, which
inhabit a district just below the Equator, and between long. 11° and 12 E°.
They are a merry race, and carry to excess the African custom of drumming, dancing,
and singing throughout the entire night. Drinking, of course, forms a chief part of the
amusements of the night, the liquid used being the palm-wine, which is made in great
quantities in many parts of tropical Africa. Perhaps the innate good nature of the Apono
people was never shown to greater advantage than on one occasion when M. du Chaillu
determined to stop the revelry that cost him his repose at night and the services of his
intoxicated porters by day. He did so by the very summary process of going to the hut
where the feast was held, kicking over the vessels of palm-wine, and driving the chiefs
and their attendants out of the hut. They were certainly vexed at the loss of so much
good liquor, but contented themselves with a grumble, and then obeyed orders.
The Aponos proved to be very honest men, according to the African ideas of honesty ;
and, from M. du Chaillu's account, did not steal his property, and always took his
part in the numberless squabbles with different chiefs.
They are not pleasing in appearance, not so much from actual ugliness of feature, but
from their custom of disfiguring themselves artificially. In the first place, they knock out
the two middle teeth of the upper jaw, and file all the rest to sharp points. Tattooing is
carried on to a considerable extent, especially by the women, who have a habit of raising
little elevated scars in their foreheads, sometimes arranged in the form of a diamond, and
situated between the eyes. Several marks are made on the cheeks, and a few on the
chest and abdomen.
The dress of the Aponos resembles that of the Ishogo tribe, and is made of grass-
cloth. The men wear the denguis or mantles, composed of several grass-cloths sewn
together, while the women are restricted to two, one of which is attached on either side,
and made to meet in the back and front if they can. While the women are young, the
dress is amply sufficient, but when they become old and fat, the cloths, which are always
of uniform size, cannot be made to meet by several inches. However, the dress in question
is that which is sanctioned by ordinary custom, and the Aponos are perfectly satisfied
with it.
The palm-wine which has just been mentioned is made by the Aponos in a very
simple manner. When the fruit is nearly ripe, the natives cHmb the trees and hang
542
THE APONO.
hollowed gourds under the fruits for the purpose of receiving the precious liquor. They
are so fond of this drink, that even in the early morning they may be seen climbing the
trees and drinking from the suspended calabashes. During the season the Apono people
are constantly intoxicated, and, in consequence, are apt to be quarrelsome and lazy, willing
to take offence at any slight, whether real or imagined, and to neglect the duties which at
other times of the year they are always ready to perform.
THE GIANT DANCE.
Fortunately for themselves, the palm-wine season only lasts for a few months, and
during the remainder of the year the Aponos are perforce obliged to be sober. While it
lasts, the country is most unpleasant to a stranger, the sound of the drum, the dance, and
the song scarcely ever ceasing night or day, while the people are so tetchy and quarrel-
some that a day never passes without a fight, which often leaves considerable scars
behind it.
One of their dan«es is very peculiar, and is called by the name of Ocuya, or Giant
Dance.
THE GIANT DANCE. 543
This curious dance is performed by a man who enacts the part of the giant, and raises
himself to the necessary height by means of stilts. He then indues a wicker-work frame,
shaped like the body of a man, and dressed like one of the natives, in large grass-cloths.
The dress reaches to the ground, so as to conceal the stilts, and, in spite of this drawback,
the performer walks and dances as if he were using his unaided feet.
Of course he wears a mask, and this mask is mostly of a white colour. It has large,
thick lips, and a mouth partly open, showing the gap in which the upper incisor teeth
had once existed. The head-dress is much like a lady's bonnet of 1864 or 1865. The
material of which it is made is monkey-skin, and it is ornamented with feathers.
The Aponos are not distinguished as warriors, their weapons being very formidable in
appearance, and very inefficient in practice. Each Apoiio has his bow and arrows. The
former is a stiff, cumbrous kind of weapon. They are bent nearly in a semicircle, the
string being nearly two feet from the centre of the bow. The string is of vegetable fibre.
The arrows are ingeniously armed with triangular iron heads, each being attached to a
hollow neck, through which the shaft passes loosely. The head is poisoned, and when it
penetrates the flesh it remains fixed in the wound, while the shaft falls to the ground, just
as is the case with the Bosjesman arrows already described.
Their spears are also rather clumsy, and are too heavy to be thrown. They are,
however, rather formidable in close combat. The weapon which is most coveted by the
Apono tribe is a sort of sword, or rather scimitar, with a wooden handle and a boldly curved
blade. An ambitious young Apono is never happy until he has obtained one of these
scimitars, and such a weapon, together with a handsome cap and a well-made " dengui,"
will give a man a most distinguished appearance among his fellows. Although the curved
form is most common, some of these swords are straight, and are not made by them-
selves, but by the Abombos and Iljavis, who live to the east of them. The blade of this
weapon is four feet in length, and the handle is shaped like a dice-box, the " tang" of the
blade running through it and being clenched on the end of the hilt. A similar form of
handle is seen in the left-hand figure on page 492.
From the same tribes they procure their anvils, which are too large for their resources ;
their only melting-pots being scarcely able to hold more than a pint of iron ore. The
shields of the Apono are circular and made of basket-work.
The villages of the Apono are well and neatly built. One of them, belonging to
Nchiengain, the principal chief of the Apono tribe, was measured by M. du Chaillu, and
found to consist of one long street, nearly four hundred and fifty yards long, and eighteen
yards wide. The houses were all separated by an interval, and each house was furnished
with a little verandah in front, under which the inhabitants sit and smoke their pipes, eat
their meals, and enjoy a chat with their neighbours.
The material of the houses is chiefly bamboo and strips of the leaf-stalks of palm-trees,
and the average height of a hut is about seven feet.
One of the villages, named Mokaba, deserved the name of a town, and was arranged in
a somewhat different manner. The houses were arranged in three parallel rows, forming
one wide principal street in the middle, and a narrow street on either side. The houses are
arranged in hollow squares, each square belonging to one family. As often as a man marries
a fresh wife, he builds a separate house for her, and all these new houses are arranged in
the form of a quadrangle, the empty space being planted with palm-trees, which are the
property of the head-man of each group, and which pass at his death to his heir. These
palm-trees are valuable property, and are especially prized as furnishing material for the
palm-wine which the Apono tribe drink to such an extent.
Superstition is as rife among the Aponos as among other tribes which have been men-
tioned, and preserves its one invariable characteristic, i.e. an ever-present fear of evil.
When M. du Chaillu visited them, they were horribly afraid of such a monster as a white
man, and jumped to the conclusion that any one who was unlike themselves must be both
evil and supernatural.
It was with some difficulty that the chief Nchiengain was induced to allow the
travellers to pass through his territories ; and even after permission had been granted, it
was thought better to send a man who was the personal friend of the chief, and who would
544 THE APONO.
serve to calm the fears with which he regarded the approach of his visitors. There was
certainly some reason for his fear, for, by some unfortunate mischance, the small-pox swept
through the country during the time of M. du Chaillu's travels, and it was very natural
that the people should think that the white stranger was connected with the disease.
When, at last, the traveller entered the Apono village, there was a general consterna-
tion, the men running away as fast as their legs could carry them, and the women nVt-ing
to their huts, clasping their children in their arms, and shrieking with terror. The village
was, in fact, deserted, in spite of the example set by the chief, who, although as much
frightened as any of his subjects, bore in mind the responsibilities of his office, and stood
in front of his house to receive his visitor. In order to neutralize as much as possible the
effects of the white man's witchery, he had hung on his neck, body, and limbs all the
fetishes which he possessed, and had besides covered his body with mysterious lines of
alumbi chalk. Thus fortified, he stood in front of his hut, accompanied by two men, who
bravely determined to take part with their chief in his perilous adventure.
At first Nchiengain was in too great a fright to look at his visitor, but before very long
he ventured to do so, and accept some presents. Afterwards, when he had got over the
fear with which he regarded the white man, he acted after the fashion of all African
chiefs, i.e. he found all sorts of excuses for not furnishing his guests with guides and
porters ; the real object being to keep in his hands the wonderful white man who had
such inexhaustible treasures at command, and who might make him the richest and most
powerful chief in the country.
The idols of the Apono tribe are hideously ugly. When M. du Chaillu was in Apono-
land, he naturally wished to bring home a specimen of a native idol, and after some trouble
induced Nchiengain to present him with a specimen. The chief obligingly sent his wife
to the temple to fetch an idol, which he generously presented to his guest. It was a
wooden image, so large that the woman could scarcely carry it, and was of such a character
that it could not possibly be exhibited in Europe.
These people seem to possess inventive faculties of no small extent, if we may judge
from a strange legend that was told by one of them.
According to this tale, in former times there was a great chief called Eedjiona, the
father of a beautiful girl called Arondo. He was very fond of this daughter, and would
not allow any one to marry her, unless he promised that, if his daughter died before her
husband, he should die with her and be buried in the same grave. In consequence of
this announcement, no one dared to ask for Arondo's hand, and she remained unmarried
for several years.
At last a suitor showed himself, in the person of a man named Akenda Mbani. This
name signifies " he who never goes twice to the same place ;" and he had taken it in con-
sequence of a law or command of his father, that he must never go twice to the same
place. He married Arondo, and, being a mighty hunter, he brought home plenty of game ;
but if he had by chance killed two large animals, such as antelopes or boars, together, he
brought home one, and made his father-in-law fetch the other, on the plea that he could
not go twice to the same place.
After some years Arondo was taken ill with a headache, which became worse and
worse until she died, and, according to agreement, Akenda Mbami died with her. As soon
as she was dead, her father gave orders to prepare a large grave for the husband and wife.
In the grave was placed the bed of the married pair, on which their bodies were laid, and
they were accompanied by a slave killed to wait on them in the land of spirits, and by
much wealth in the shape of ivory, plates, mats, and ornaments. Akenda Mbani was also
furnished with his sword, spear, and hunting-bag. The grave was then filled up, and a
mound of sand heaped upon it.
When Agambouai, the village orator, saw these arrangements, he disapproved of them,
and told Eedjiona that the hyaenas would scratch up the mound of sand, and devour the
bodies of his daughter and her husband. So Eedjiona ordered the grave to be made so
deep that the hyaenas could not get at the bodies.
Accordingly, the sand was removed, and the bodies of Akenda Mbani and his wife
were seated on stools while the grave was deepened. When it was deep enough, the
"NATIVE INNOCENCE." 545
people replaced the bed, and lowered the slave and Arondo into the grave. They then
proceeded to place Akenda Mbani by her, but he suddenly revived, and declined to take
his place in the grave a second time, on the ground that he never went twice to the same
place. Redjiona was very angry at this, but admitted the validity of the excuse, and
consoled himself by cutting off the head of Agambouai.
THE APINGI.
PASSING westward toward the coast, we come to the APINGI tribe. These people inhabit
a tolerably large track of country, and extend along the west side of a range of hills which
separates them from the Ishogo.
The Apingi are not a handsome race. Their skin is black, with a decided tinge of
yellow, but this lightness of hue may probably be owing to the mountainous regions
which they inhabit. They wear the usual grass-cloth round the waist, and the women
are restricted to two of the squares, each twenty-four inches long by eighteen wide, as is
the custom throughout a large portion of West Africa. They do not, however, look on
clothing in the same light as we do, and so the scantiness of their apparel is of no con-
sequence to them.
This was oddly shown by the conduct of the head wife of Eemandji, an Apingi chief.
She came with her husband to visit M. du Chaillu, who presented her with a piece of
light-coloured cotton cloth, She was delighted with the present, and, much to her host's
dismay, proceeded to disrobe herself of her ordinary dress, in order to indue the new
garment. But, when she had laid aside the grass-cloth petticoat, some object attracted
her attention, and she began to inspect it, forgetting all about her dress, chattering and
looking about her for some time before she bethought herself of her cotton robe, which
she put on quite leisurely.
This woman was rather good-looking, but, as a rule, the Apingi women are exceedingly
ugly, and do not improve their beauty by the custom of filing the teeth, and covering
themselves with tattooing. This practice is common to both sexes, but the women are
fond of one pattern, which makes them look much as if they wore braces, a broad band
of tattooed lines passing over each shoulder, and meeting in a V-shape on the breast.
From the point of the V, other lines are drawn in a curved form upon the abdomen, and
a similar series is carried over the back. The more of these lines a woman can show, the
better dressed she is supposed to be.
The grass-cloths above-mentioned are all woven by the men, who can make them either
plain or coloured. A square of the former kind is a day's work to an Apingi, and a
coloured cloth requires from two to three days' labour. But the Apingi, like other
savages, is a very slow workman, and has no idea of the determined industry with which
an European pursues his daily labour. Time is nothing to him, and whether a grass-
cloth takes one or two days' labour is a matter of perfect indifference. He will not dream
of setting to work without his pipe, and always has his friends about him, so that he may
lighten the labours of the loom by social converse. Generally, a number of looms are set
up under the projecting eaves of the houses, so that the weavers can talk as much as they
like with each other.
The Apingi are celebrated as weavers, and are said to produce the best cloths in the
country. They are held in such estimation that they are sold even on the coast, and are
much used as mosquito curtains. The men generally wear a robe made of eight or nine
squares.
Barter, and not personal use, is the chief object in making these cloths, the Apiugi
thinking that their tattooing is quite enough clothing for all social purposes. Indeed, they
VOL. I. N »
546
THE APINGI.
openly say that the tattooing is their mode of dress, and that it is quite as reasonable as
covering up the body and limbs with a number of absurd garments, which can have no
object but to restrain the movements. Sometimes the Apingi wear a cloth over one
shoulder, but this is used as a sign of wealth, and not intended as dress.
Like most tribes which live on the banks of rivers, the Apingi, who inhabit the
district watered by the Eembo river, are clever boatmen, and excellent swimmers. The
latter accomplishment is a necessity, as the canoes are generally very small and frail, flat-
bottomed, and are easily capsized. They draw scarcely any water, this structure being
needful on account of the powerful stream of the Rembo, which runs so swiftly that
even these practised paddlers can scarcely make more than three or four miles an hour
against the stream.
RIVER SCENE ON THE REMBO
When M. du Chaillu was passing up the Eembo, he met with an accident that showed
the strength of the current. An old woman was paddling her boat across the stream, but
the light bark was swept down by the stream, and dashed against that of Du Chaillu, so that
both upset. As for the old woman, who had a bunch of plantains in her boat, she thought
of nothing but her fruit, and swam down the stream bawling out lustily, " Where are my
plantains ? Give me my plantains ! " She soon captured her canoe, took it ashore,
emptied out the water, and paddled off again, never ceasing her lamentations about her
lost bunch of plantains.
There is a curious matrimonial law among the Apingi, which was accidentally dis-
covered by M. du Chaillu. A young man, who had just married the handsomest woman
in the country, showed all the marks of poverty, even his grass-cloth dress being ragged
and worn out. On being asked the reason of his shabby appearance, he pointed to his
young wife, and said that she had quite ruined him. On further interrogation, it was shown
that among the Apingi, if a man fell in love with the wife of a neighbour, and she reci-
procated the affection, the lover might purchase her from the husband, who was bound to
sell her for the same price that he originally paid for her. In the present instance, so
large a sum had been paid for the acknowledged belle of the country that the lover had
been obliged to part with all his property before he could secure her.
APINGI HOSPITALITY. 547
As is often the case in Africa, the slaves are treated very well by their masters.
Should a slave be treated harshly, he can at any time escape by means of a curious
and most humane law. He finds an opportunity of slipping away, and goes to another
village, where he chooses for himself a new master. This is done by " beating bongo,"
i.e. by laying the hands on the head and saying, " Father, I wish to serve you. I
choose you for my master, and will never go back to my old master." Such an offer
may not be refused, neither can the fugitive slave be reclaimed, unless he should return
to the village which he left.
The Apingi are very fond of palm-wine, and, like other neighbouring tribes, hang
calabashes in the trees for the purpose of receiving the juice. Being also rather selfish,
they mostly visit their palm-trees in the early morning, empty the calabashes into a vessel,
and then go off into the woods and drink the wine alone, lest some acquaintance should
happen to see them, and ask for a share.
Hospitality is certainly one of the virtues of the Apingi tribe. When M. du Chaillu
visited them, the chief Remandji presented him with food, the gift consisting of fowls,
cassava, plantains, and a young slave. The latter article was given in accordance with the
ordinary negro's idea, that the white men are cannibals, and purchase black men for the
purpose of eating them. "Kill him for your evening meal," said the hospitable chief;
"he is tender and fat, and you must be hungry." And so deeply was the idea of
cannibalism implanted in his mind, that nothing would make this really estimable gentle-
man comprehend that men could possibly be wanted as labourers, and not as articles
of food.
However, a very fair meal (minus the slave) was prepared, and when it was served
up, Remandji appeared, and tasted every dish that was placed before his guests. He even
drank a little of the water as it was poured out, this custom being followed throughout
the tribe, the wives tasting the food set before their husbands, and the men that which
they offer to their guests. It is singular to see how ancient and universal is the office
of " taster," and how a custom which still survives in European courts as a piece of state
ceremonial is in active operation among the savage tribes of Western Africa.
The religious, or rather the superstitious, system of the Apingi differs little from that
which we have seen in other districts, and seems to consist chiefly in a belief in fetishes,
and charms of various kinds.
For example, when M. du Chaillu told Remandji that he would like to go on a
leopard hunt, the chief sent for a sorcerer, or " ouganga," who knew a charm which
enabled him to kill any number of leopards without danger to himself. The wizard came,
and went through his ceremonies, remarking that the white man might laugh as much as
he please, but that on the next day he would see that his charm (monda) would bring a
leopard.
On the following morning he started into the woods, and in the afternoon returned
with a fine leopard which he had killed. He asked such an exorbitant price for the skin
that the purchase was declined, and the skin was therefore put to its principal use, namely,
making fetish belts for warriors. A strip of skin is cut from the head to the tail, and is
then charmed by the ouganga, whose incantations are so powerful that neither bullet,
arrow, nor spear, can wound the man who wears the belt. Of course such a belt commands
a very high price, which accounts for the unwillingness of the sorcerer to part with
the skin.
As is usual in many parts of the world, when twins are born, one of them is killed,
as an idea prevails that, if both are allowed to live, the mother will die. Only one case
was known where twins, boys seven years of age, were allowed to survive, and, as their
mother did not die, she was respected as a very remarkable woman.
Seeing the treasures which their white visitor brought among them, the Apingi could
not be disabused of the notion that he made, or rather created, them all himself, and that
he was able, by his bare word, to make unlimited quantities of the same articles. One
day a great consultation was held, and about thirty chiefs, with Remandji at their head,
came and preferred the modest request that the white man would make a pile of beads
as high as the tallest tree, and another of guns, powder, cloth, brass kettles, and copper
NN 2
548
THE APINGI.
rods. Nothing could persuade them that such a feat was impossible, and the refusal to
perform the expected miracle was a severe disappointment to the Apingi chiefs, who had
come from great, distances, each bringing with him a large band of followers. There was
even an Ashango chief, who had come from his own country, more than a hundred miles
to the eastward, bringing with him a strong party of men to carry away his share
of the goods.
This scene appears to have made a great impression on the natives, for when
Remandji and his son died, an event which happened not long after Du Chaillu had left
the country, the people firmly believed that the latter had killed him. on account of his
friendship for him, desiring that they should be companions in the spirit laud, which they
believed was the ordinary habitation of white men.
Their burial customs are rather curious, and not at all agreeable. The body is left in
the house where the sick person has died, and is allowed to remain there as long as it can
hold together. At last, the nearest relation of the deceased comes and carries off the
body on his shoulders, bearing it to some convenient spot at a little distance from the
village. No grave is dug, but the corpse is laid on the ground, some pieces of ivory or a
few personal ornaments are laid by it, and the funeral ceremony is at an end.
DAGGER.— (Ctntral Africa.}
CHAPTER XLVII.
THE BAKALAI.
DISTRICTS INHABITED BY THE BAKALAI — THEIR ROVING AND UNSETTLED HABITS — SKILL IN HUNTING
— DIET AND MODE OP COOKINO — A FISH BATTUE — CLEANLY HABITS OP THE BAKALAI — FOB-
BIDDEN MEATS — CRUEL TREATMENT OF THE SICK, AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE BAKALAI
THEIB IDOLS THE WOMEN AND THEIR RELIGIOUS RITES AN INTRUSION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
THE " KEEN " OVEB A DEAD PERSON.
THE large and important tribe of the Bakalai inhabit a considerable tract of country
between the Equator arid 2° S., and long. 10° to 13° E.
The land in which they dwell is not tenanted by themselves alone, but they occupy
so much space in it that it may fairly be called by their name. They have a peculiar
faculty for colonization, and have extended their settlements in all directions, some being
close to the western coast, and others far to the east of the Ashangos. Of course, their
habits differ according to the kind of country in which they are placed, but in all situa-
tions they are bold and enterprising, and never fail to become masters of the district.
One clan or branch of this tribe, however, has abandoned these roving habits, and
has settled permanently at a place called Obindji, after the chief of the clan. Being
conveniently situated at the junction of the Onenga and Ofouboa rivers, Obindji has a
commanding position for trade, and, having contracted an alliance with the great chief
Quengueza, carries on a prosperous commerce, ebony being their special commodity. In
concluding his alliance with them, Quengueza showed his wisdom by insisting upon their
maintaining peace with all their neighbours, this indeed having been his policy through-
out his life.
When Du Chaillu was passing along the Rembo river, Quengueza addressed the
porters who carried the goods, and gave them excellent advice, which, if they would only
have followed it, would have kept them clear of many subsequent quarrels and misfor-
tunes. He advised them never to pick up bunches of plantain or nuts that might be
lying on the road, because those objects were only placed as a bait. Also, if told to catch
and kill goats or fowls, or to pluck fruit, they were to refuse, saying that it was the duty
of the host to supply the food, and not to set his guests to fetch it for themselves. They
were specially enjoined not to enter other houses but those allotted to them, not to sit on
strange seats, and to keep clear of the women.
Obindji's town showed clearly the character of the inhabitants. Bound to keep the
peace by the treaty with Quengueza, they were still prepared against the incursions of
inimical tribes. Usually, the houses are made of bamboo, but those of Obindji had
regular walls, made of broad strips of bark lashed firmly to the bamboo uprights. When
the house is made of bamboo alone, the inhabitants can be seen nearly as well as if they
were birds in cages, and consequently the enemy can shoot at them between the bars.
In Obindji, however, the houses were not only defended by the bark walls, but were
further guarded by being separated into two rooms, the inner chamber being that in.
550 THE BAKALAI.
which the family sleep. So suspicious are they, that they never spread the couch on the
same spot for two successive nights.
Their great ambition seems to be tho possession of the rivers, by means of which they
can traverse the country, make raids, or plant new settlements in any promising spot.
Thus all along the great river Eenibo are found districts inhabited by Bakalai, and each
of the settlements is sure to be the parent of other colonies on either bank. Moreover,
they are of strangely nomad habits, settling down for a time, and then suddenly breaking
up their village, taking away what portable stores they can carry, abandoning the rest,
and settling down like a flight of locusts in some fresh spot. The causes for this
curious habit are several, but superstition is at the bottom of them all, as wTill be seen
when we come to that branch of the subject.
The complexion of the Bakalai is dark, but not black, and, as a rule, they are of fair
height and well made. They wear the usual grass-cloth as long as they cannot procure
American 01- European goods, but, whenever they can purchase a piece of cotton print,
they will wear it as long as it will hang together. Of washing it they seem to have no
conception, and to rags they have no objection.
Neither do the Bakalai wash themselves. Those who live on the banks of the river
swim like ducks, and, as their aquatic excursions often end in a capsize, they are perforce
washed in the stream. But washing in the light of ablution is never performed by them,
and those who live inland, and have no river, never know the feeling of water on their
oily bodies.
On account of their migratory habits, they have but little personal property, con-
centrating all their wealth in the one article of wives. A Bakalai will go to hunt, an art
in which he is very expert, and will sell the tusks, skins, and horns for European goods.
As soon as he has procured this wealth, he sets off to buy a new wife with it, and is not
very particular about her age, so that she be young. A girl is often married when quite
a child, and in that case she lives with her parents until she has reached the marriageable
age, which in that country is attained at a very early period.
In consequence of this arrangement, children are eagerly expected, and joyfully
welcomed when they make their appearance. As a rule, African women are not prolific
mothers, so that a wife who has several children is held in the highest estimation as the
producer of valuable property, and carries things with a high hand over her husband and
his other wives. The ideas of consanguinity are very curious among the Bakalai. A
man will not marry a wife who belongs to the same village or clan as himself, and yet,
if a man dies, his son takes his wives as a matter of course, and, if he has no son old
enough to do so, they pass to his brother.
Slaves also constitute part of a Bakalai's property, and are kept, not so much for the
purpose of doing their master's work, which is little enough, but as live stock, to be sold
to the regular slave-dealers whenever a convenient opportunity may occur.
The principal food of the Bakalai is the cassava or manioc, which is prepared so that
it passes into the acid state of fermentation, and becomes a sour, but otherwise flavourless
mess. The chief advantage of this mode of preparation is, that it will keep from six
weeks or two months, and at the end of that time is no nastier than it was when com-
paratively fresh. They have also a singularly unpleasant article of diet called njavi oil.
It is made from the seeds of the njavi, one of the large forest trees of the country, and is
prepared by first boiling the seed, then crushing it on a board, and lastly squeezing out
the oil in the hand. Much oil is wasted by this primitive process, and that which is
obtained is very distasteful to European palates, the flavour resembling that of scorched
lard. It is chiefly used in cooking vegetables, and is also employed for the hair, being
mixed .with an odoriferous powder, and plastered liberally on their woolly heads. It is
principally with this oil that the skin is anointed, a process which is really needful for
those who wear no clothing in such a climate. Palm oil is sometimes employed for the
same purpose, but it is too dear to be in general use.
Even the natives cannot endure a very long course of this manioc, and, when they
have been condemned to eat nothing but vegetable food for several weeks, have a positive
craving for meat, and will do anything to procure it.
THE GOUAMBA.
551
This craving after animal food sometimes becomes almost a disease. It is known by
the name of Gouamba, o.nd attacks both white and black men alike. Quengueza himself
was occasionally subject to it, and was actually found weeping with the agony of gouamba,
a proceeding which seems absurd and puerile to those who have never been subjected
to the same affliction. Those who suffer from it become positive wild beasts at the
sight of meat, which they devour with an eagerness that is horrible to witness. Even
M. du Chaillu, with all his guns and other means of destroying game, occasionally
suffered from gouamba, which he describes as " real and frightful torture."
The Bakalai do not think of breeding their goats and chickens for food, their wander-
ing habits precluding them from either agriculture or pastoral habits, and they are
obliged, therefore, to look to fishing and hunting for a supply of animal food.
FISHING SCENE.
The former of these pursuits is principally carried on during the dry season, when the
waters of the river have receded, and pools have been left on the plains. To those pools
the Bakalai proceed in numbers, men, women, and children taking part in the work.
Each is furnished with a pot or bowl, with which they bale out the water until the fish
are left struggling in the mud. The whole party then rush in, secure the fish, and take
them home, when a large portion is consumed on the spot, but the greater quantity dried
in the smoke and laid up for future stores.
Savages as they are, the Bakalai are very cleanly in their cooking, as is mentioned by
M. du Chaillu. " The Bakalai were cooking a meal before setting out on their travels.
It is astonishing to see the neatness with which these savages prepare their food. I
watched some women engaged in boiling plantains, which form the bread of all this
region. One built a bright fire between two stones. The others peeled the plantains, then
carefully washed them — just as a clean white cook would — and, cutting them in several
pieces, put them in the earthen pot This was then filled with water, covered over with
leaves, over which were placed the banana peelings, and then the pot was put on the
stones to boil. Meat they had not, but roasted a few ground-nuts instead ; but the^boiled
plantains they ate with great quantities of Cayenne pepper." From this last circum-
552 THE BAKALAL
stance, it is evident that the Bakalai do not share in the superstitious notion about red
pepper which has been lately mentioned.
With all this cleanliness in cooking, they are so fond of animal food that they will
eat it when almost falling to pieces with decomposition. And, in spite of their love for
it, there is scarcely any kind of meat which is not prohibited to one family or another, or
at all events to some single individual. For example, when one of the party has shot a
wild bull (Bos brachiceros) , their principal chief or king refused to touch the flesh, saying
that it was " roonda," or prohibited to himself and his family, because, many generations
back, a woman of his family had given birth to a calf. Another family was prohibited
from eating the flesh of the crocodile, for similar reasons.
So careful are the Bakalai on this subject that even their love for meat fails before
their dread of the " roonda," and a man will sooner die of starvation than eat the pro-
hibited food. Of course, this state of things is singularly inconvenient. The kindred
prohibitions of Judaism and Mahometanism are trying enough, especially to travellers,
who cannot expect any great choice of food. But, as in the latter cases, the prohibited
articles are invariably the same, there is little difficulty about the commissariat.
Among the Bakalai, however, if the traveller should happen to employ a party of
twenty men, he may find that each man has some " roonda " which will not permit him
to join his comrades at their repast. One man, for example, may not eat monkey's flesh,
while another is prohibited to eat pork, and a third is forbidden to touch the hippo-
potamus, or some other animal. So strict is the law of " roonda," that a man will often
refuse to eat-anything that has been cooked in a kettle which may once have held the
forbidden food.
This brings us naturally to other superstitions, in which the Bakalai seem to be either
peculiarly rich, or to have betrayed more of their religious system than strangers can
generally learn from savages.
The usual amount of inconsistency is found in their religion, if we may dignify with
such a name a mere string of incongruous superstitions. In the first place, there is
nothing which they dread so much as death, which they believe to be the end of all life ;
and yet they have a nearly equal fear of ghosts and spirits, which they believe to haunt
the woods after dark.
This fear of death is one of their principal inducements to shift their dwellings. If
any one dies in a village, Death is thought to have taken possession of the place, and the
inhabitants at once abandon it, and settle down in another spot. Tke prevalence of this
idea is the cause of much cruelty towards the sick and infirm, who are remorselessly
driven from the villages, lest they should die, and so bring death into the place.
M. dti Chaillu gives a very forcible illustration of this practice. " I have twice seen
old men thus driven out, nor could I persuade any one to give comfort and shelter to
these friendless wretches. Once, an old man, poor and naked, lean as death himself, and
barely able to walk, hobbled into a Bakalai village, where I was staying.. Seeing me, the
poor old fellow came to beg some tobacco — their most cherished solace. I asked him
where he was going.
" ' I don't know.'
" ' Where are you from ? '
' He mentioned a village a few miles off.
' ' Have you no friends there ? '
' ' None.'
' ' No son, no daughter, no brother, no sister?'
' ' None.'
' ' You are sick ? '
' ' They drove me away for that.'
' ' What will you. do ? '
' ' Die ! '
' A few women came up to him and gave him, water and a little food, bift the men
saw death in his eyes. They drove him away. He went sadly, as though knowing and
AN INTEUDER 553
submitting to his fate. A few days after, his poor lean body was found in the wood.
\His troubles were ended."
This is the '• noble savage," whose unsophisticated virtues have been so often lauded
those have never seen him, much less lived with him.
The terror which is felt at the least suspicion of witchcraft often leads to bloody and
ciuel actions. Any one who dies a natural death, or is killed by violence, is thought to
have been bewitched, and the first object of his friends is to find out the sorcerer. There
was in a Bakalai village a little boy, ten years of age, who was accused of sorcery. The
meve accusation of a crime which cannot be disproved is quite enough in this land, and
the population of the village rushed on the poor little boy, and cut him to pieces with
their knives. They were positively mad with rage, and did not cool down for several
hours afterwards.
The prevalence of this superstition was a sad trial to M. du Chaillu when he was
seized with a fever. He well knew that his black friends would think that he had been
bewitched, and, in case of his death, would be sure to pounce upon some unlucky wretch,
and put him to a cruel death as a wizard. Indeed, while he was ill one of his men took
up the idea of witchcraft, and at night paraded the village, threatening to kill the sorcerer
who had bewitched his master.
Idolatry is carried on here, as in most heathen countries, by dancing, drumming, and
singing, neither the songs nor dances being very decent in their character.
One of the chief idols of the Bakalai was in the keeping of Mbango, the head of a
clan. The image is made of wood, and represents a grotesque female figure, nearly of the
size of life. Her eyes are copper, her feet are cloven like those of a deer, one cheek is
yellow, the other red, and a necklace of leopard's teeth hangs round her neck. She is
a very powerful idol, speaks on great occasions, and now and then signifies approbation by
nodding her head. Also she eats meat when it is offered to her, and, when she has
exhibited any of those tokens of power, she is taken into the middle of the street, so
that all the people may assemble and feast their eyes on the wooden divinity.
Besides the ordinary worship of the idol, the women have religious ceremonies of
their own, which strangely remind the reader of the ancient mysteries related by sundry
classic authors. To one of these ceremonies M. du Chaillu became a spectator in rather
an unexpected manner.
" One day the women began their peculiar worship of Njambai, which it seems is
their good spirit : and it is remarkable that all the Bakalai clans and all the females of
tribes I have met during my journeys, worship or venerate a spirit with this same name.
Near the sea-shore it is pronounced Njembai, but it is evidently the same.
"This worship of -the women is a kind of mystery, no men being admitted to the
ceremonies, which are carried on in a house very carefully closed. This house was
covered with dry palm and banana leaves, and had not even a door open to the street.
To make all close, it was set against two other houses, and the entrance was through one
of these. Quengueza and Mbango warned me not to go near this place, as not even they
were permitted so much as to take a look. All the women of the village painted their
faces and bodies, beat drums, marched about the town, and from time to time entered the
idol house, where they danced all one night, and made a more outrageous noise than
even the men had made before. They also presented several antelopes to the goddess, and
on the fourth all but a few went off into the woods to sing to Njambai.
" I noticed that half-a-dozen remained, and in the course of the morning entered the
Njambai house, where they stayed in great silence. Now my curiosity, which had been
greatly excited to know what took place in this secret worship, finally overcame me. I
determined to see. Walking several times up and down the street past the house to allay
suspicion, I at last suddenly pushed aside some of the leaves, and stuck my head through
the wall. For a moment I could distinguish nothing in the darkness. Then I beheld
three perfectly naked old hags sitting on the clay floor, with an immense bundle of
greegrees before them, which they seemed to be silently adoring.
" When they saw me they at once set up a hideous howl of rage, and rushed out to
call their companions from the bush ; in a few minutes these came hurrying in, crying
554 THE BAKALAI.
and lamenting, rushing towards me with gestures of anger, and threatening me for my
offence. I quickly reached my house, and seizing my gun in one hand and a revolver ir
the other, told them I would shoot the first one that came inside my door. The house
was surrounded by above three hundred infuriated women, every one shouting out cursts
at me, but the sight of my revolver kept them back. They adjourned presently for tie
Njambai house, and from there sent a deputation of the men, who were to inform me that
I must pay for the palaver I had made.
" This I peremptorily refused to do, telling Quengueza and Mbango that I was tliere
a stranger, and must be allowed to do as I pleased, as their rules were nothing to me, n'ho
was a white man and did not believe in their idols. In truth, if I had once paid for such
a transgression as this, there would have been an end of all travelling for me, as I often
broke through their absurd rules without knowing it, and my only course was to declare
myself irresponsible.
" However, the women would not give up, but threatened vengeance, not only on me,
but on all the men of the town ; and, as I positively refused to pay anything, it was at
last, to my great surprise, determined by Mbango and his male subjects that they would
make up from their own possessions such a sacrifice as the women demanded of me.
Accordingly Mbango contributed ten fathoms of native cloth, and the men came one by
one and put their offerings on the ground ; some plates, some knives, some mugs, some
beads, some mats, and various other articles. Mbango came again, and asked if I
too would not contribute something, but I refused. In fact, I dared not set such a
precedent. So when all had given what they could, the whole amount was taken to the
ireful women, to whom Mbango said that I was his and his men's guest, and that they
could not ask me to pay in such a matter, therefore they paid the demand themselves.
With this the women were satisfied, and there the quarrel ended. Of course I could not
make any further investigations into their mysteries. The Njambai feast lasts about two
weeks. I could learn very little about the spirit which they call by this name. Their
own ideas are quite vague. They know only that it protects the women against their
male enemies, avenges their wrongs, and serves them in various ways if they please it."
The superstitions concerning death even extend to those cases where a man has been
killed by accident.
On one occasion, a man had been shot while bathing, whereupon the whole tribe fell
into a panic, thought that the village had been attacked by witches, and straiphlway
abandoned it. On their passage to some more favoured spot, they halted for the night at
another village, and at sunset they all retired to their huts, and bepan the mournful chant
with which they celebrate the loss of their friends. The women were loud in their
In mentations, as they poured out a wailing song which is marvellously like the "keen"
of the Irish peasantry : —
*' You will never speak to us any more !
" We cannot see your face any more !
" You will never walk with us again !
" You will never again settle our palavers for us ! "
Ami so on, ad libitum. In fact, the lives of the Bakalai, which might be so joyous
and frne of care, are quite embittered by the superstitious fears which assail them on
every side.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
THE ASHIRA.
APPEARANCE AND DRESS OF THE NATIVES A MATRIMONIAL SQUABBLE — NATURAL CUNNING OF THE
ASHIRA — VARIOUS MODES OF PROCURING FOOD — NATIVE PLANTATIONS — THE CHIEF'S " KOMBO,"
OB SALUTATION ASHIRA ARCHITECTURE NATIVE AGRICULTURE SLAVERY AMONG THE ASHIRA
MEDICINE AND SURGERY — AN " HEROIC " TREATMENT SUPERSTITIONS HOW TO CATCH GAME
— TRIAL OF THE ACCUSED — THE ORDEAL OF THE BING THE ASHIBA FAREWELL FUNERAL
CEREMONIES DEATH AND BUEIAL OF OLENDA.
THE tribe next in order is the Ashira. These people are not so nomad in their habits as
the Bakalai, and are therefore more concentrated in one locality. They certainly are apt
to forsake a village on some great occasion, but they never move to any great distance,
and are not so apt to take flight as the Bakalai.
The Ashira are a singularly fine race of men. Their colour is usually black, but
individuals among them, especially those of high rank, are of a comparatively light hue,
being of a dark, warm bronze rather than black. The features of the Ashira are tolerably
good.
The dress of the natives has its distinguishing points. The men and married women
wear the grass-cloth robe, and the former are fond of covering their heads with a neat cap
made of grass. So much stress do they lay on this article of apparel, that the best way of
propitiating an Ashira man is to give him one of the scarlet woollen caps so affected by
fishermen and yachtsmen of our own country. There is nothing which he prizes so highly
as this simple article, and even the king himself will think no sacrifice too great provided
that he can obtain one of these caps.
The men also carry a little grass bag, which they sling over one shoulder, and which is
ornamented with a number of pendent strings or thongs. It answers the purpose of a
pocket, and is therefore very useful where the clothing is of so very limited a character.
Both sexes wear necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, made of thick copper bars, and they
also display some amount of artistic taste in the patterns with which they dye their
robes.
The strangest part of Ashira fashion is, that the females wear no clothing of any kind
until they are married. They certainly tie a small girdle of grass-cloth round the waists,
but it is only intended for ornament, not for dress. As is usual in similar cases, the whole
of the toilet is confined to the dressing of the hair and painting of the body. The woolly
hair is teased out with a skewer, well rubbed with oil and clay, and worked up until it
looks something like a cocked hat, rising high on the top of the head and coming to a
point before and behind. Mostly, the hair is kept in its position by a number of little
sticks or leaves, which are passed through it, and serve as the framework on which it
rests. Filing the teeth is practised by the Ashira, though very few of them carry the
practice to such an extent as to reduce the teeth to points.
556 THE ASHIRA.
Among the West Africans, the women are not so badly treated as in the south, and
indeed, are considered nearly as the equals of the men. They can hold property of theii
o\vn, and are quite aware of the importance which such an arrangement, gives them.
Mayolo, one of the chiefs, had a most absurd quarrel with his favourite wife, a young
woman of twenty years of age, and remarkable for her light-coloured skin and hazel eyes.
She had contrived either to lose or waste some of his tobacco, and he threatened to punish
her by taking away the pipe, which, among these tribes, belongs equally to the husband
and wife. She retorted that he could not do so, because the plantain-stem of the pipe
was cut from one of her own trees, and if he quarrelled with her, she would take away
the stem, and not allow him to cut another from the plantain-trees, which belonged to
her and not to him. The quarrel was soon made up, but the fact that it took place
at all shows the position which the women hold in domestic affairs.
As is often the case with savages, the Ashira exhibits a strange mixture of character.
Ignorant though he may be, the Ashira is possessed of great natural cunning. No
man can lie with so innocent a face as the " noble savage," and no one is more capable of
taking care of his own interests. The Ashira porters were a continual source of trouble
to Du Chaillu, and laid various deep plans for increase of wages. Those of one clan
refused to work in company with those of another, and, on the principle of trades' unions,
struck work unanimously if a man belonging to another clan were permitted to handle
a load.
Having thus left the traveller with all his packages in the forest, their next plan was
to demand higher wages before they would consent to re-enter the service. In the course
of the palaver which ensued on this demand, a curious stroke of diplomacy w7as dis-
covered. The old men appeared to take his part, declared that the demands of the young
men were exorbitant, and aided him in beating them down, asking higher wages for them-
selves as a percentage on their honourable conduct. When the affair was settled, and the
men paid, the young men again struck work, saying that it was not fair for the old men,
who had no burdens to carry, to have higher wages than themselves, and demanding that
all should be paid alike. In course of investigation it was discovered that this was a
deeply-laid scheme, planned by both parties in order to exact higher wages for the whole.
These people can be at the same time dishonest and honourable, hard-hearted and
kind, disobedient and faithful. When a number of Ashira porters were accompanying
I)u Chaillu on his journey, they robbed him shamefully, by some unfortunate coinci-
dence stealing just those articles which could not be of the least use to them, and the loss
of which would be simply irreparable. That they should steal his provisions was to be
expected, but why they should rob him of his focussing-glasses and black curtains of the
camera was not so clear. The cunning of the Ashira was as remarkable as their dis-
honesty. All the villages knew the whole circumstances. They knew who were the
thieves, what was stolen, and where the property had been hidden, but the secret was so
well kept that not even a child gave the least hint which would lead to the discovery of
the stolen goods.
Yet when, in the course of the journey, they were reduced to semi-starvation, on
account of the negro habit of only carrying two or three days' provision, the men
happened to kill a couple of monkeys, and offered them both to the leader whom they
had been so remorselessly plundering. Even when he refused to take them to himself,
they insisted on his retaining the lion's share, and were as pleasant and agreeable as if no
differences had existed.
Next day, however, those impulsive and unreflecting creatures changed their conduct
again. They chose to believe, or say they believed, that the expedition would come to
harm, and tried to get their pay in advance, for the purpose of running off with it. When
this very transparent device was detected, they openly avowed their intention of running
away, and threatened to do so even without their pay. Fortunately, the dreaded name of
Quengueza had its effect on them, and, as it was represented to them that war would
certainly be made on the Ashira by that chief if they dared to forsake the white traveller
whom he had committed to their charge, they resumed their burdens. In the course of
the day supplies arrived, and all was peace again.
THE CHIEFS "KOMBO." 557
The reason why the natives dislike taking much food with them is that the plantains
which form the usual rations are very heavy, and the men would rather trust to the chance
of coming on a village than trouble themselves with extra loads. However, there are the
kooJa and mpegai nuts, on which the natives usually live while travelling in the nut
season.
The koola is a singularly useful nut. It grows in such abundance on the tree, that
when the nuts are ripe, the whole crown of the koola-tree appears to be a single mass of
fruit. It is round, about as large as a cherry, and the shell is so hard that it has to be
broken between two stones. Thirty of these nuts are considered sufficient for a meal,
even for a native African, and, as a general rule, the trees are so plentiful that the natives
do not trouble themselves about carrying food in the nut season. M. du Chaillu, however,
was singularly unfortunate, for he contrived to miss the koola-trees on his journey, and
hence the whole party suffered great privation.
The wild swine know the value of the koola-nuts as well as the natives, and in the
season become quite fat and sleek.
The mpegai nut is round, like the koola, but the kernel is three-lobed. It is so
full of oil that it is formed into cakes by the simple operation of pounding the kernel,
folding the paste in leaves, and smoking them over a wood fire. When thus treated, it
can be kept for a considerable time, and is generally eaten with pepper and salt, if these
can be obtained. Neither the koola nor the mpegai are cultivated by the improvident
natives.
About ten miles from Olenda's residence was a village belonging to a chief named
Angouka, and remarkable for the manner in which the plantain was cultivated. In one
plantation there were about thirty thousand trees, set about five feet apart. Each tree
produced five or six shoots, but the cultivators cut away all but two or three of the finest,
in accordance with true arboricultural principles. On an average, thirty pounds weight of
fruit were grown on each tree, and the natives managed so as to keep up a tolerably
constant supply by planting several varieties of the tree, some bearing fruit in six months
after planting, some ten months, and others not until eighteen months, the last being the
best and most fertile.
While describing the journeys of certain travellers, mention is frequently made of the
porters and their loads. The burdens are carried in rather a peculiar manner. The men
have a sort of oblong basket, called " otaitai," which is made of canes woven closely along
the bottom, and loosely along the sides. The elasticity of the sides enables it to accom-
modate itself to various-sized loads, as they can be drawn together if the loads should be
small, or expanded to admit a larger burden. Three broad straps, made of rushes, are
fixed to the otaitai, one passing over each shoulder of the porter and the other one over
his forehead.
Some of the ceremonies employed by the Ashira are very curious.
Each chief has a sort of salutation, called " Kombo," which he addresses to every one
of importance whom he meets for the first time. For example, when M. du Chaillu met
Olenda, the head chief of a sub-tribe of the Ashira, a singular scene took place. After
waiting for some time, he heard the ringing of the "kando" or sacred bell, which is the
emblem of royalty in this land, and which is only sounded on occasions of ceremony.
Presently the old chief appeared — a man of venerable aspect, and very old indeed.
His woolly hair was perfectly white, his body bent almost double with age, and his face
one mass of wrinkles. By way of adding to the beauty of his countenance, he had
covered one side of his face with red and the other with white stripes. He was so old
that he was accompanied by many of his children, all old, white-headed, and wrinkled
men. The natives held him in great respect, believing that he had a powerful fetish
against death.
As soon as he had recovered from the sight of a clothed man with straight hair, steady
eyes, and a white face, he proceeded to make a speech which, when translated, was as
follows : " I have no bowels. I am like the Ovenga river ; I cannot be cut in two. But
also, I am like the Mernbai and Ovenga rivers, which unite together. Thus my body is
united, and nothing can divide it." This address was rather puzzling because no sens.e
558
THE ASHIRA.
could be made from it, but the interpreter explained that this was merely the kombo, and
that sense was not a necessary ingredient in it.
According to the etiquette of the country, after Olenda had made his salutation, he
offered his presents, consisting of three goats, twenty fowls, twenty bunches of plantains,
several baskets of ground-nuts, some sugar-cane, and two slaves. That the last-mentioned
articles should be declined was a most astonishing phenomena to the Ashira.
OLENDA'S SALUTATION TO AN ISHOUO CHIEF.
The villages of the Ashira are singularly neat and cleanly, a most remarkable fact,
considering the propensity to removal on the death of an inhabitant. They consist mostly
of one long street, the houses being built of bark, and having the ground cleared at the
back of the houses as well as in the front, — almost the only example of such industry
in this part of Africa. Paths invariably lead from one village to another.
The Ashira are a tolerably industrious tribe, and cultivate the land around their
villages, growing tobacco, plantains, yams, sugar-cane, and other plants with much success.
The tobacco leaves, when plucked and dried, are plaited together in a sort of flat rope,
and are then rolled up tightly, so that a considerable quantity of tobacco is contained in
a very small space.
Of course, they drink the palm- wine, and, as the method of procuring this universally
favourite beverage is rather peculiar, it will be briefly explained.
The native, taking with him an empty calabash or two, and a kind of auger, climbs
the tree by means of a hoop made of pliant creepers ; tying the hoop loosely round the
tree, he gets into it, so that his back is pressed against the hoop and his feet against the
tree. By a succession of " hitches," he ascends the tree, much as a chimney-sweep of the
SLAVERY AMONG THE ASHIRA. 559
old times used to ascend the wide chimneys, which are now superseded by the narrow,
machine-swept flues, lifting the hoop at every hitch, and so getting up the tree with
wonderful rapidity. When he has reached the top, he takes the auger out of the little
bag which is hung round his neck, and bores a deep hole, just below the crown of the
palm. A leaf is then plucked, rolled up in a tubular form, and one end inserted into the
hole, the calabash being hung just below the other end. During the night the sap runs
freely into the calabash, several quarts being procured in a single night. In the morning
it is removed and a fresh calabash substituted. Even in its fresh state the juice is a very-
pleasant drink, but after standing for twenty-four hours it ferments, and then becomes
extremely intoxicating, the process of fermentation being generally hastened by adding the
remains of the previous day's brewing. The supply of juice decreases gradually, and,
when the native thinks that the tree will produce no more, he plugs up the hole with
clay to prevent insects from building their nests in it, and so killing the valuable tree.
Three weeks is the average juice-producing time, and if a tree be forced beyond this
point it is apt to die.
Besides the tobacco, the Ashira cultivate a plant called the liamba, i.e., a Canndbis, or
Indian hemp, either the same species from which the far-famed haschish of the East is
made, or very closely allied to it. They always choose a rich and moist soil on the sunny
side of a hill, as the plant requires both heat and moisture to attain perfection. The
natives seem to prefer their liamba even to the tobacco ; but there are some doubts
whether both these plants have not been imported, the tobacco from America and the
liamba from Asia, or more likely from north-western Africa. Du Chaillu says that the
Ashira and Apingi are the only tribes who cultivate it.
Its effects upon the smokers are terrible, causing them to become for the time insane,
rushing into the woods in a frantic state, quarrelling, screaming, and at last falling down
in convulsions. Permanent madness is often the result of over-indulgence in this
extraordinary luxury.
The above-mentioned traveller met with an idiot among the Ashira. Contrary to the
usual development of idiotcy among the Africans, the man was lively and jocular, jumping
about with all kinds of strange antics, and singing joyous songs. The other inhabitants
were very fond of him, and treated him well, and with a sort of reverence, as something
above their comprehension. Idiots of the dull kind are treated harshly, and the usual
mode of getting rid of them is to sell them as slaves, and so to foist them upon the
purchaser before he learns the quality of his bargain.
Slavery exists among the Ashira as among other tribes, but is conducted in so humane
a character that it has little connexion with the system of slavery as the word is generally
understood. Olenda, for example, had great numbers of slaves, and kept them in separate
settlements, each consisting of two or three hundred, each such settlement having its
chief, himself a slave. One of these slave-chiefs was an Ashango, a noble-looking man,
with several wives and plenty of children. He exercised quite a patriarchal sway over
the people under his charge, and neither he nor the slaves seemed to consider their situa-
tion at all degrading, calling themselves the children of Olenda.
This village was remarkably neat, and the houses were better built than those of the
Ashira generally. The inhabitants had cleared a large track of ground, and covered it
with the plantains, sugar-canes, and ground-nuts, all of which were thriving wonderfully,
and had a most picturesque appearance when contrasted with the wild beauties of the
surrounding forest. Most of these slave families had been inherited by Oleiida, and
many of them had never known any other kind of life.
Medicine and surgery are both practised among the tribes that live along the Rembo,
and in a very singular manner. The oddest thing about the practitioner is, that the natives
always try to procure one from another tribe, so that an Ashango patient has a Bakalai
doctor, and vice versa. The African prophet has little honour in his own country, but, the
farther he goes, the more he is respected. Evil spirits that have defied all the exorcisms
of home-bred prophets are sure to quail before the greater powers of a sorcerer who lives
at a distance ; while the same man who has failed at home is tolerably sure to succeed
abroad.
560 THE ASHIRA.
The natives have one grand panacea for all kinds of disorders, the same being used
both for lumbago and leprosy. This consists of scarifying the afflicted part with a knife,
making a great number of slight cuts, and then rubbing in a mixture of pounded capsicum
and lime-juice. The agony caused by this operation is horrible, and even the blunt nerves
of an African can barely endure the pain. If a native is seized with dysentery, the same
remedy is applied internally, and the patient will sometimes drink half a tumbler-full for
a dose. There is some ground for their faith in the capsicum, for it really is beneficial in
the West African climate, and if a traveller feels feverish he can generally relieve the
malady by taking plenty of red pepper with his food.
Sometimes, when the disease will not yield to the lime-juice and pepper, stronger
remedies are tried. M. du Chaillu saw a curious instance of the manner in which a
female practitioner exercised her art on Mayolo, whose quarrel with his wife has already
been mentioned.
The patient was seated on the ground, with a genet skin stretched before him, and the
woman was kneading his body with her hands, muttering her incantations in a low voice.
When she had finished this manipulation, she took a piece of the ahmibi chalk, and
drew a broad stripe down the middle of his chest and along each arm. Her next process
was to chew a quantity of roots and seeds, and to spirt it over the body, directing her
heaviest shots at the affected parts. Lastly, she took a bunch of dried grasses, twisted
them into a kind of torch, lighted it, and applied the flame to various parts of the body
and limbs, beginning at the feet and ending with the head. When the torch had burned
itself out, she dashed the glowing end against the patient's body, and so ended her
operations.
Mayolo sat perfectly still during the proceedings, looking on with curiosity, and only
wincing slightly as the flame scorched his skin. The Africans have a great faith in the
efficacy of fire, and seem to think that, when it has been applied, it effectually prevents
a recurrence of the disease.
The worship of the Ashira is idolatry of the worst description. . One of their ongaras, or
idols, named the Housekeeper, was purchased by Du Chaillu. It was, of course, hideously
ugly, represented a female figure, and was kept in the house of a chief for the purpose of
protecting property. The natives were horribly afraid of it, and, so long as the House-
keeper was in her place, the owner might leave his goods in perfect security, knowing
that not a native would dare to touch them.
Skilful hunters as they are, they never start on the chase without preparing them-
selves by sundry charms. They hang all kinds of strange fetishes about their persons,
and cut the backs of their hands for luck, the flowing blood having, according to their
ideas, a wonderful efficacy. If they can rub a little powdered sulphur into the cuts, the
power of the charm is supposed to be doubled, and any man who has thus prepared
himself never misses his aim when he shoots. Painting the face red is also a great
assistance in hunting ; and, in consequence of these strange beliefs, a party of natives just
starting for the chase presents a most absurd appearance.
Along the river Kembo are certain sacred spots, on which the natives think themselves
bound to land and dance in honour of the spirit. In one place there is a ceremony
analogous to that of " crossing the line " in our own vessels. When any one passes the
spot for the first time, he is obliged to disembark, to chant a song in praise of the local
deity, to pluck a bough from a tree and plant it in the mud. When Du Chaillu passed
the spot, he was requested to follow the usual custom, but refused, on the ground of
disbelief in polytheism. As usual, the natives admitted his plea as far as he was
concerned. He was a great white man, and one God was enough for the rich and wise
white men. But black men were poor and ignorant, and therefore wanted plenty of
gods to take care of them.
Many superstitions seem to be connected with trees. There is one magnificent tree
called the " oloumi," perhaps the largest species that is to be found in Western Africa.
The bark of the oloumi is said to possess many healing qualities, and, if a man washes
himself all over with a decoction of the bark before starting on a trading expedition, he
will be sure to make good bargains. Consequently, the oloumi-trees (which are rather
THE OEDEAL OF THE RING.
501
scarce) are always damaged by the natives, who tear great strips of bark from the trunk
for the purpose of making this magic decoction.
A rather remarkable ordeal is in use among the Ashira, — remarkable because it is so
exactly like the ordeals of the Middle Ages.
A Bakalai canoe had been injured, and a little boy, son to Aquilai, a far-famed
Bakalai sorcerer, said that the damage had been done by one of Quengueza's men. Of
course the man denied the accusation, and called for the ordeal, and, as the matter
concerned the Bakalai, an Ashira wizard was summoned, according to the usual custom.
He said that " the only way to make the truth appear was by the trial of the ring
boiled in oil." Hereupon the Bakalai and the Gournbi (i.e. Gamma) men gathered
together, and the trial was at once made.
ASHIRA FAREWELL.
(See page 562.)
" The Ashira doctor set three little billets of bar-wood in the ground, with their ends
together, then piled some smaller pieces between, until all were laid as high as the three
pieces. A native pot half full of palm-oil was set upon the wood, and the oil was set on
fire. When it burned up brightly, a brass ring from the doctor's hand was cast into the
pot. The doctor stood by with a little vase full of grass, soaked in water, of which he
threw in now and then some bits. This made the oil blaze up afresh. At last all was
burnt out, and now came the trial. The accuser, the little boy, was required to take the
ring out of the pot. He hesitated, but was pushed on by his father. The people cried
out, ' Let us see if he lied or told truth.'
" Finally he put his hand in, seized the red-hot ring, but quickly dropped it, having
severely burned his fingers. At this there was a shout, ' He lied ! He lied ! ' and the
Goumbi man was declared innocent."
VOL. L
00
562 THE ASHIRA.
The reader will remember that when Du Chaillu visited the Ashira, he was received
by the wonderful old chief Olenda, whose salutation was of so extraordinary a character.
The mode in which he dismissed his guests was not less curious. Gathering his old and
white-haired sons round him, Olenda addressed the travellers, wishing them success,
and uttering a sort of benediction. He then took some sugar-cane, bit a piece of the
pith out of it, chewed it, and spat a small portion into the hand of each of the travellers,
muttering at the same time some words to the effect that he hoped that all things would
go pleasantly with them, and be sweet as the breath which he had blown on their hands.
Advanced as was his age, he lived for some years longer, until he succumbed to the
small-pox in common with many of his relatives and people. The circumstances attend-
ing his death and burial were very characteristic of the people.
First Olenda's head wife died of it, and then the disease spread with frightful
rapidity through the district, the whole of the chiefs' wives being taken with it, and
Mpoto, his nephew and heir, dying after a very short illness. Then Olenda himself took
the disease. Day after day the poor old man's plaintive voice was heard chanting his
song of grief at the pestilence which had destroyed his clan, and one morning he com-
plained of fever and thirst, the sure signs of the disease. On the third day afterwards
Olenda was dead, having previously exhorted the people that if he died they were not to
hold the white man responsible for his death. The exhortation was needful, as they had
already begun to accuse him of bringing the small-pox among them.
His body was disposed of in the usual Ashira manner. It was taken to an open
place outside the village, dressed in his best clothes, and seated on the earth, surrounded
with various articles of property, such as chests, plates, jugs, cooking utensils, pipes, and
tobacco. A fire was also made near him, and kept burning for several weeks. As the
body was carried to the place of sepulture, the people broke out in wild plaintive cries,
addressing the deceased, and asking him why he left his people. Around him were the
bones of many other chiefs who had preceded him to the spirit- world ; and as the Ashira
do not bury their dead, but merely leave them on the surface of the ground, it may be
imagined that the place presented a most dismal aspect.
For several days after Olenda's death the people declared that they had seen their
deceased chief walking among them, and saying that he had not left them entirely, but
would guard and watch over them, and would return occasionally to see how they were
going on.
CHAPTER XLIX.
THE GAMMA, OR COMMI.
THE FERNAND VAZ, OB REMBO RIVER — KING QUENGUEZA AND HIS DOMINIONS — APPEARANCE OF THE
CAMMA CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THEIR KING — THE " PALAVER " AND
ITS DISCIPLINE HONESTY OF THE CAMMA — THE COURSE OF JUSTICE AND LAW OF REPRISAL
CODE OF ETIQUETTE CAMMA DIGNITY — DANCING AMONG THE CAMMA THE GORILLA DANCE —
SUPERSTITION, ITS USE AND ABUSE QUKNGUEZA's TEMPLES HIS PERILOUS WALK GOOD AND
EVIL SPIRITS THE OVENGUA, OR VAMPIRE THE TERRORS OF SUPERSTITION INITIATION INTO
THE SACRED MYSTERIES EXORCISM — THE SELF-DECEIVER — THE GODDESS OF THE SLAVES THE
ORDEAL OF THE MBOUNDOU A TERRIBLE SCENE SICKNESS, DEATH, AND BURIAL DISPOSITION
OF THE DEAD BREAKING UP OF MOURNING — THE WATER CUSTOM.
IF the reader will look on the west coast just below the Equator, he will see a large and
important river called the Fernand Vaz. This river skirts the coast for some distance.
and is very wide, but, when it turns eastward, it suddenly narrows its channel, and is
known by the name of Eembo. The whole of the district through which the Eembo
flows, as far as long. 10° K, is inhabited by the great Gamma or Commi tribe, which is
evidently another band of the same family that supplies all the tribes along the Eembo.
This tribe is broken up into a vast number of sub-tribes or clans, and each of these
clans is ruled by a chief, who acknowledges himself to be a vassal of one great chief or
king, named Quengueza. This man was fond of calling himself King of the Eembo, by
which we must understand, not that he was king of all the tribes that inhabit its banks,
but that he had authority over the river, and could prevent or encourage traffic as he
chose. And, as the Eembo is the great highway into Central Africa, his position was
necessarily a very important one.
Still, although he was not absolutely the king of these tribes, several of them
acknowledged his superiority, and respected him, and respect, as is well said in " Eothen,"
implies the right of the respected person to take the property of those who respect him.
Consequently Quengueza had a right — and exercised it — to the wife of any Bakalai or
Ashira, and even the chiefs of those tribes thought themselves honoured by placing
their wives at the disposal of so eminent a personage. And he certainly claimed an
authority over the river itself and its traffic. The Bakalai had submitted themselves to
him for the sake of alliance with so powerful a chief, and found that he was by no means
disposed to content himself with the mere name of sovereignty. On one occasion, when
passing along the Eembo, he found that the Bakalai had quarrelled with a neighbouring
tribe, and had built a fence across the river, leaving only a small gap, which could easily
be defended. On coming to this obstacle, Quengueza became very angry, called for axes,
and in a minute or two the fence was demolished, and the passage of the river freed.
The Bakalai stood on the banks in great numbers, and, although well armed, dared not
interfere.
oo 2
564 THE GAMMA.
The mode of government which prevails through all these tribes may be called the
patriarchal. Each tribe is divided into a number of sub-tribes or clans, each of which
resides in a separate locality, which is usually called after the name of the chief or
patriarch. This man is always reverenced, because he is sure to be old and rich, and age
and wealth are greatly venerated in this part of the world. Their authority, however, is
extremely limited, and they are rather the chief advisers of their clan than autocrats.
There is no real monarchy, such as is found among the Kaffir tribes, although the most
important chief is sometimes greeted with the title of king. The honour, however, is an
empty one, as the other chiefs have no idea of submitting themselves to one whom they
consider to be but primus inter pares.
The Gamma are a fine race of people, and like the Ashira, are not entirely black, but
vary much in hue, some having a decided olive or chocolate tint of skin. Neither are
their features those of the true negro, the face of the king Quengueza resembling that of
a North American Indian rather than that of an African.
The character of the Gamma is well typified by that of their chief, Quengueza. He
exhibited a singular mixture of nobility, meanness, kindness, cruelty, selfishness, and
generosity, as is well shown by the visits of M. du Chaillu and Mr. W. Keade — the
former thinking much more highly of him than the latter.
Like other savage chiefs, Quengueza could not bear his white visitors to leave him. He
openly thwarted Mr. Reade, and it is evident from M. du Chaillu's account that, while
he was pretending to procure porters for the journey to the Bakalai, he was in reality
throwing every obstacle in the way. The possession of a white man is far too valuable
to a black chief to be surrendered in a hurry, and Quengueza knew his own interests too
well to allow such profitable visitors to leave his land as long as he could detain them
in it.
Once Mr. Reade had succeeded in slipping off, in spite of the king's assertion that he
would accompany his "dear friend" and his continual procrastination. He had paddled
to some distance, when " suddenly my men stopped, and looked at each other with
anxious faces. Lazily raising myself, I looked back, and could see at a great distance a
large black spot, and something rising and falling like a streak of light in the sunshine.
The men put their hands to their ears : I listened, and could hear now and then a faint
note borne towards us on the wind.
" ' What's that, Mafuk ? '
" ' King, sir/
" ' 0, he is coming, is he?' said I, laughing. ' "Well, he can easily catch us now he is so
near. Kabbif (i.e. Paddle!)
" My stewards gave an uneasy smile, and did not answer me.
" The men dipped their paddles into the water, and that was all. Every man was
listening with bent head, as if trying to detect the words, or the tune. I looked round
again. I could see that it was a large canoe, manned by about twenty men, with a
kind of thatched house in its stern. The song still continued, and could now be heard
plainly. My men flung their paddles down, and begun to talk to one another in an
excited manner.
" ' What is the matter ? ' said I, pettishly.
" The sweat was running down Mafuk's forehead. He knew what he had to fear, if
I did not.
" ' It is the war song ! '
" On came the canoe, low and dark, black with men, the paddles tossing the white
water in the air. On it came, shot swiftly past us, arched round, and came close along-
side. Then arose a storm of angry voices, Quengueza's raised above the rest.
" ' What does he say, Mafuk ? '
" ' Says we must go back.' "
And go back they were forced to do, for just at that moment another war-boat came
gliding along, and the whole party were taken prisoners, Quengueza embracing his
" dear friend," and being quite lively and jocular by reason of his success in recapturing
him.
THE " PALAVER" 565
Yet this man, superstitious as he was, and dreading above all things the small-pox,
that scourge of savage nations, took into his own hut a favourite little slave, who had
heen seized with small-pox, laid the boy on a mat close to his own bed, and insisted on
nursing him throughout the illness.
Afterwards, when the small-pox had swept through the country, and almost desolated
it, the sorrow of Quengueza was great and unfeigned. Wives, slaves, and relations had
all been carried off by the dreaded plague ; the town of Goumbi, where he lived, was
deserted ; and the poor old chief was obliged to collect the few survivors of his clan, and
establish a new settlement on the opposite side of the river. His lamentations had all
the sublimity of intense grief, and he sat chanting his monody over the dead, just as
Catlin describes a North American chief when his tribe had perished by the same fearful
disease.
No malady is so terrible to the savage as small-pox. Scarcely susceptible of bodily
pain, enduring the most frightful wounds with quiet composure, and tenacious of life to
an astonishing degree, he succumbs instantly to sickness ; and an ailment which a white
man resists, and finally throws off, will in nine cases out of ten be fatal to the
black one. Yet for himself Quengueza had no fears, and his sole lamentations were for his
friends. " The Bakalai," said he, " are all gone ; the Eembo people are all gone ; my
beloved Monbou (his head slave) is gone ; I am alone in the world."
In spite of the many barbarous customs of the Gamma tribes, they have a code of
minutely- regulated etiquette. If, for example, the king holds a council, he takes his seat
on an elevated throne, and bears in his hand a wooden staff. "When he has had his say,
he passes the staff to the person who is to speak next, and he in turn to his successor.
In such meetings the utmost order is preserved, and no one thinks of interrupting the
speaker as long as he has possession of the staff.
• It is not every one who has the right of speech in the council. This is a privilege
extended to a very few men called Councillors, or Makagas, and only to them does the
king hand the staff which gives the permission to speak. They are exceedingly jealous
of this honour, and yet it has been conferred upon two white men, one being M. du Chaillu,
and the other a Captain Lawlin of New York. The latter individual caused quite a
revolution in his district, abolishing the many impediments to trade, inflicting severe
penalties on quarrelsome chiefs who made warlike aggressions on their neighbours, and
establishing a strict code of criminal laws.
Some such arrangement as the possession of the orator's staff is absolutely necessary
for the due regulation of the innumerable " palavers," or native parliaments, that are con-
tinually being held on all sorts of subjects. If one trader overreaches another, and can
be detected in time, a palaver is held ; and a similar ceremony is gone through if a trader
pays for goods in advance and does not receive them. Eunaway wives are the most fertile
source of palavers, and, if the accused be proved guilty, the penalty is very severe. Generally
the offending wife has her nose and ears cut off, and a similar punishment is inflicted on
the man with whom she is found ; but the latter has the privilege of commuting this
sentence for a fine — generally a slave. Murder is a frequent cause of palavers, and it is
a rather remarkable fact that the natives draw no distinction between accidental homicide
and wilful murder. Death is not necessarily the punishment of homicide, but, as a rule,
a heavy fine is substituted for the capital penalty.
If the culprit cannot be captured, the injured husband has a singular mode of pro-
curing a palaver. He goes out and kills the first man he meets, proclaiming that he has
done so because some one has run away with his wife. The course of justice then passes
out of his hands. The relatives of the murdered man are now bound to take up the
quarrel, which they do by killing, not the murderer, but some one of another village.
His friends retaliate upon a third village, and so the feud passes from one village to
another until the whole district is in arms. The gates are barricaded, no one dares to go
out alone, or unarmed, and at last one unfortunate clan has a man murdered and can find
no chance of retaliation. The chief of the clan then holds a palaver, and puts forward
his claim against the man who ran away with the wife. The chief of the delinquent's
clan then pays a fine, the affair is settled, and peace is restored.
566 THE CAMMA.
Too often, however, when a wife is, or appears to be, unfaithful, her husband is in
collusion with her, for the purpose of extorting money out of some imprudent young
man. She gets up a flirtation with the susceptible victim, and appoints a meeting at a
spot where the husband has placed himself in concealment. As soon as the couple reach
the appointed place, out comes the husband, and threatens a palaver if a fine be not paid
at once. The young man knows well enough what the result of the palaver will be to
him, and accordingly makes the best of the business and pays his fine. So completely
established is this system, that even the most powerful chiefs have been known to
purchase pretty wives for the express purpose of using them as traps wherewith to
ensnare the young men.
As time is not of the least consequence to the Gamma, and they are rather pleased
than otherwise when they can find some sort of amusement, a palaver will sometimes
expend a week upon a trivial cause. All these palavers are held in the simple buildings
erected for the purpose. These edifices are little more than sheds, composed of a roof
supported on poles, and open on all sides. The king sits in the middle on an elevated
throne made of grass, and covered with leopard-skins as emblems of his rank, while all
the others are obliged either to stand or to sit on the ground.
When palavers are of no avail, and nothing but war can be the result of the quarrel,
both parties try to frighten the enemy by the hideousness of their appearance. They are
perfectly aware that they could not withstand a charge, and, knowing that the enemy is
not more gifted with courage than themselves, try to inspire terror by their menacing
aspect. They paint their faces white, this being the war colour, and sometimes add bars
and stripes of red paint. The white paint, or chalk, is prepared in their greegree or idol
houses, and is thought to be a very powerful charm. They also hang fetishes of various
kinds upon their bodies, and then set off in their canoes, yelling, shouting, flourishing
their weapons, and trying to intimidate their adversaries, but taking very good care not
to come within two hundred yards of the enemy's boats.
The Gamma seem to be a better principled people than the Ashira. When Du Chaillu
was troubled with the strikes among his Ashira porters, his Gamma men stood by him,
and would not consent to his plan of sending them forward with part of the goods.
They feared lest he should be poisoned among the Ashira, and insisted on leaving some
of their party with their chief.
The reader may remember that the old chief Olenda was held in great respect by his
people. Among the tribes of Equatorial Africa much reverence is paid to age, an old
person being looked upon as nearly akin to the spirits into whose land he is soon to
enter. Contrary to the usual custom of the South, the young never enter the presence
of an old man or woman without bending low, and making a genuine school-girl
courtesy. When they seat themselves, it is always at a respectful distance ; and if they
are asked for a pipe, or for water, they present it on one knee, addressing a man as "Father"
and a woman as " Mother." It is, moreover, contrary to etiquette for a young man to tell
bad news to an old one. Even the dead bodies of the old are honoured, and the bones
and skulls are laid up in little temples made expressly for them. They are usually laid
in chalk, which is therefore thought to possess sundry virtues, and with that chalk the
relations of the dead man mark their bodies whenever they are about to engage in any
important undertaking. The skull is also put to practical uses. If a trader comes to
make purchases, the vendor always entertains him hospitably, but has a definite purpose
in so doing. Before he prepares the banquet, he goes to the fetish house, and scrapes a
little powder from the skull. This he mixes with the food, and thus administers it to his
guest. The spirit of the dead man is then supposed to enter into the body of the person
who has eaten a portion of his skull, and to impress him to make good bargains with his
host — in other words, to be cheated.
When a stranger first enters a Gamma village, he is rather surprised at the number
of boxes which he sees. The fact is, that among the Gamma boxes are conventionally
held to represent property, the neighbours giving them the credit of being filled with
valuables. Consequently it is the ambition of every Gamma man to collect as many
chests as he can, leaving the chance of filling them to a future opportunity. When his
THE KING DRUNK.
567
white visitors gave Quengueza their presents, the old chief was quite as much struck with
the number of boxes as with their contents, and expressed his gratitude accordingly.
The dances of the Gamma have much in common with those of other tribes, but they
have one or two peculiarities of their own. A fat old head-chief, or king, as their rulers
are generally called — though, by the way, the term " patriarch " would be much more
appropriate — gave a grand dinner in honour of his white visitor. Noise is one of the chief
elements in a negro's enjoyment, as it is in the case of a child. The negro, in fact, is the
veriest child in many things, and always remains a child. On this occasion the "band"
distinguished themselves by making a noise disproportionately loud for their numbers.
CAMMA DANCE.
There was a row of drummers, each beating his noisy instrument with such energy
that a constant succession of drummers took the instruments, the stoutest and strongest
being worn out in less than an hour. There were also a number of boys beating with
sticks upon hollow pieces of wood, and, as if the drummers and log-beaters did not make
sufficient noise, the musicians had hung a row of brass kettles on poles, and were banging
them with sticks as if they had been drums. Add to this the shouts and screams of the
excited dancers, and the noise may be tolerably well appreciated.
Great quantities of palm-wine were drunk, and the consequence was, that before very
long the whole of the dancers and musicians, including the king himself, wei'e in various
stages of intoxication. As to the king, being rather more inebriated than his subjects,
he must needs show his own skill in the dance, and therefore jumped and leaped about
the ground with great agility for so heavy a man, while his wives bowed down to his feet
as he danced, clapped their hands in time to the music, and treated him with the deepest
veneration.
568 THE GAMMA.
As to the dance itself, the less said about it the better. It is as immodest as the
unrestrained savage temperament can make it, inflamed by strong drink and by the
sound of the drum, which seems to excite the people almost to madness. The songs
with which they accompany the dance are of a similar nature, and are worse than the
worst specimens of heathen vice as narrated by the classic satirists.
There is, however, one dance in which the immodest element does not exist. It is
called the Gorilla Dance, and is performed as a means of propitiating the deities before
starting on a gorilla-hunt : for this is part of the great gorilla country, in which alone
is found that huge and powerful ape which has lately attracted so much attention.
An account of a gorilla-hunt will be given when we come to the Fan tribe, but at
present we will content ourselves with the gorilla-dance, as seen by Mr. W. Reade. He
had made several unavailing attempts to kill a gorilla, and had begun to despair of success,
although the place was a well-known haunt of these animals.
" One morning Etia, the chief hunter of the village, came and told me that he had
heard the cry of a njina (i.e. gorilla) close to one of the neighbouring plantations. He
said that we should certainly be able to kill him next day, and that during the night he
and his friends would celebrate the gorilla-dance.
" This Etia was a Mchaga slave. His skin, to use Oshupia's comparison, was like that
of an old alligator — all horny and wrinkled; his left hand had been crippled by the
teeth of a gorilla ; his face was absurdly hideous, and yet reminded me of something which
I had seen before. After puzzling myself for a long time, I at last remembered that it
was the mask which Mr. Ryder wore in the character of Caliban at the Princess's which
Etia resembled so closely. That night I could have imagined him less man than
monster.
" In the house allotted to the slaves three old men, their faces grotesquely chalked,
played the drums, the sounding log, and the one-stringed harp. To them danced Etia,
imitating the uncouth movements of the gorilla. Then the iron bell was rung, and
Oinbuiri, the evil spirit, was summoned to attend, and a hoarse" rattle mingled with the
other sounds. The dancers rushed yelling into the midst, and sprang into the air. Then
would be a pause, broken only by the faint slow tinkling of the harp, then the drum
would be beaten, and the sticks thundered on the log.
" In another dance Caliban assumed the various attitudes peculiar to the ape. Now
he would be seated on the ground, his legs apart, his elbows resting on his knees, his head
drooping, and in his face the vacant expression of the brute ; sometimes he folded his hands
on his forehead. Suddenly he would raise his head with prone ears and flaming eyes,
while a loud shout of applause would prove how natural it was. In the chorus all the
dancers assumed such postures as these, while Etia, climbing ape-like up the pole which
supported the roof, towered above them all.
" In the third dance he imitated the gorilla attacked and being killed. The man, who
played the hunter inimitably, acted terror and irresolution before he pulled the trigger of
his imaginary gun. Caliban, as gorilla, charged upon all fours, and fell dead at the man's
feet, in the act of attempting to seize him with one hand.
" You may be sure that nothing short of seeing a gorilla in its wild state could have
afforded me so much interest or given me so good a clue to the animal's real habits. For
here could be no imposture. It was not an entertainment arranged for my benefit, but a
religious festival held on the eve of an enterprise."
This dance brings us to the religion, or rather the superstition, of the Gamma people.
Superstition has its estimable, its grotesque, and its dark side, and there is scarcely
any people among whom these three phases are more strongly marked.
The estimable side is, of course, the value of superstition as a substitute for true
religion — a feeling of which the savage never has the least idea, and which it is almost
impossible to make him comprehend. He often takes very kindly to his teacher, picks
up with wonderful readiness the phrases which he hears, regulates his external life in
accordance with the admonitions he has received ; but it is veiy, very seldom indeed that
any real conviction has touched his heart; and, as soon as the direct influence of his
teacher is removed, he reverts to his old mode of life. Mr. Reade relates a rather striking
SUPEESTITION— ITS USE AND ABUSE. 569
example of this tendency. He met a negress on her way to church, accompanied by a
beautiful little girl.
Addressing the child, he asked whether she was the woman's daughter. The mother
answered in the affirmative ; and, in the same breath, offered to sell her. This was the
original negro nature. Just then the bell stopped, and her education made itself apparent.
" Hei-gh ! " she cried, " you no hear bell stop ? Me go now. After church we palaver,
give me plenty dash (i.e. presents), den we drink rum, den you take him (i.e. the girl) ;
palaver said."
Superstition, therefore, takes the place of personal religion, and, in spite of the dread
excesses into which it leads the savages, it does at all events keep before them the idea
of a spiritual world, and impresses upon them the fact that there exist beings higher and
greater than themselves.
That their superstitions, debased and gross as they are, have yet the power of
impressing the native mind with a feeling of veneration, is evident by the extreme
unwillingness of these people to utter the name by which they designate the Great Spirit.
Of course their idea of a God is very imperfect, but still it is sufficient to impress them
with such awe that they can scarcely be induced to pronounce the sacred name. Only
twice did Mr. Reade hear it. Once, when they were in a dangerous storm, the men threw
up their arms, and ejaculated the holy name as if it were some great charm ; and on
another occasion, when a man was asked suddenly what was the native name for God,
he pointed upwards, and in a low voice uttered the word " Njambi."
The ceremonies observed at the time of full moon have been several times mentioned
in the course of the present work. Du Chaillu gives an account of one of these cere-
monies as performed by the Canmia, which is useful in showing the precise object of the
ceremony.
One day Quengueza sent word that he was ill, and that the people must consult Ilogo,
the spirit of the moon, and ask him whether he was bewitched, and how he was to be
cured. Accordingly, just before the full moon, a crowd of women assembled in front of
Quengueza's house, accompanied by the drums and the usual noisy appurtenances of a negro
festival. They formed themselves into a hollow circle, and sang songs in honour of Ilogo,
clapping their hands in unison with the beating of the drums.
In the midst of the circle sat a woman stedfastly gazing at the moon, and waiting
for inspiration. Two women tried this post unsuccessfully, but the third soon began to
tremble, her limbs to work convulsively, then to stiffen, and at last she fell insensible to
the ground. Then arose the chant to llogo with redoubled energy, the singers repeating
the same words over and over again for about half an hour, until the prostrate form of
the woman began to show signs of returning sensibility. On being questioned, she said
that she had seen Ilogo, and that he had told her that the king was not bewitched, but
that he could be healed by a remedy prepared from a certain plant. She looked utterly
prostrated by the inspiration, and not only her hearers, but also herself, thoroughly
believed in the truth of her strange statement.
It will be seen that Quengueza was nearly as superstitious as his subjects. He never
stirred without his favourite fetish, which was an ugly little wooden image, embellished
with a row of four sacred cowries stuck on its abdomen. These cowries are not indi-
genous to Western Africa, and seem to have been brought from the eastern coast of the
continent. Whenever he ate or drank, the fetish always bore him company, and before
eating he saluted it by passing the four sacred cowries over his lips. Before drinking
he always poured a few drops over the feet of the image by way of a libation.
When travelling, he liked to have with him one of his medicine-men, who could
charm away rain by blowing with his magic horn. So sure was the doctor of his powers,
that on one occasion he would not allow the party to repair a dilapidated hut in which
they passed the night. As it happened, a violent shower of rain fell in the middle of the
night, and drenched the whole party. The doctor, however, was not at all disconcerted,
but said that if he had not blown the horn the rain would have been much heavier.
Still his natural strength of mind sometimes asserted itself, and on one remarkable
occasion, when the small-pox had destroyed so many people, and the survivors "were
570 THE CAMMA.
crying out for vengeance against the sorcerers who had brought the disease upon them,
Quengueza forbade any more slaughter. The small-pox, he said, was a wind sent from
Njambi (pronounced N'yamye"), who had killed enough people already.
Like most native chiefs, Quengueza had a pet superstition of his own. At his own
town of Goumbi (or Ngumbi, as it is sometimes spelt), there was a very convenient and
dry path leading from the houses to the river. Quengueza, however, never would use
this path, but always embarked or landed at an abominable mud-bank, over which it was
necessary to run as fast as possible, in order to avoid sinking in the river. The reason
was, that when he came to the throne he had been told that an enemy had placed an evil
spirit in the path, and that he would die if he went along it.
So powerful was this spirit, that several unavailing attempts had been made to drive it
away, and at last Quengueza was obliged to send for a renowned Bakalai wizard named
Aquilai. This was the same man who was mentioned in page 561 as the father of the boy
who was tried by the ordeal of the hot ring.
" The people gathered in great numbers under the immense hangar or covered space
in which I had been received, and there lit h'res, round which they sat. . . . About ten
o'clock, when it was pitch dark, the doctor commenced operations by singing some
boasting songs recounting his power over witches. This was the signal for all the people
to gather into their houses, and about their fires under the hangar.
" Next, all the fires were carefully extinguished, all the lights put out, and in about an
hour more not a light of any kind was in the whole town except mine. I gave notice
that white men were exempted from the rule made in such cases, and this was allowed.
The most pitchy darkness and the most complete silence reigned everywhere. No voice
could be heard, even in a whisper, among the several thousand people gathered in
the gloom.
" At last the curious silence was broken by the doctor ; who, standing in the centre
of the town, began some loud babbling of which I could not make out the meaning.
From time to time the people answered him in chorus. This went on for an hour ; and
was really one of the strangest scenes I ever took part in. . . . The hollow voice of the
witch-doctor resounded curiously through the silence, and when the answer of many
mingled voices came through the darkness, it really assumed the air of a serious, old-
fashioned incantation scene.
"At last, just at midnight, I heard the doctor approach. He had bells girded about
him, which he jingled as he walked. He went separately to every family in the town,
and asked if the witch which obstructed the king's highway belonged to them. Of course
all answered ' No.' Then he began to run up and down the bewitched street, calling out
loudly for the witch to go off. Presently he came back, and announced that he could no
longer see the aniemba, and that doubtless she had gone never to come back. At this all
the people rushed out and shouted, ' Go away ! go away ! and never come back to hurt
our king.'
" Then fires were lit, and we all sat down to eat. This done, all the fires were again
extinguished, and all the people sang wild songs until four o'clock. Then the fires were
again lit.
" At sunrise the whole population gathered to accompany their king down the dreaded
street to the water.
" Quengueza, I knew, was brave as a hunter and as a warrior. He was also intelligent
in many things where his people were very stupid. But the poor old king was now
horribly afraid. He was assured that the witch was gone, but he evidently thought him-
self walking to almost certain death. He would have refused to go if it had been possible.
He hesitated, but at last determined to face his fate, and walked manfully down to the
river and back amid the plaudits of his loyal subjects."
Throughout the whole of this land are many of these prohibitory superstitions. When,
for example, a woman is about to become a mother, both she and her husband are pro-
hibited from seeing a gorilla, as all the natives firmly believe that, in such a case, the
expected child would be a gorilla cub and not a human baby. Drinking the water of the
Rembo is also prohibited, because the bodies of those who are executed for witchcraft are
THE ENCHANTED ISLAND.
571
chopped up and flung into it, and the natives imagine that, if they were to drink of the
water, they would become sorcerers against their will. Yet, as if to show the inconsistency
of superstition, there is a rite, which will be presently mentioned, in which tasting the
water is the principal ceremony.
Then there is a certain island in the Rembo of which the natives have the greatest
dread. It is thickly covered with trees, and the people fully believe that in the midst of
this island there lives a huge crocodile covered with brass scales. This crocodile is an.
QUENGUEZVS WALK.
enchanter, and by his incantations every one who lands on the island either dies suddenly,
or goes mad and wanders about until he dies. Du Chaillu of course did land, and
traversed the island in different directions. The people were stupefied with astonishment ;
but even the fact of his safe return made no difference in their belief, because he was
white, and the great enchanter had no power over white men.
As to the fetishes, they are innumerable. Weather fetishes are specially plentiful,
but, unlike the charms of Southern Africa, they are used to keep off the rain, not to
produce it.
One fetish gave our traveller a vast amount of trouble. He had purchased, from a
petty chief named Eabolo, a small deserted village, and had built a new house. The
edifice was completed all but the verandah, when the builders refused to work any longer,
as they had come upon a great health-fetish that Rabolo had placed there when the village
was first built. They flatly refused to touch it until Rabolo came, and, even after his
permission had been gained, they were very nervous about the seeming desecration.
The fetish was a good example of such articles. Buried in the sand were two skulls,
one of a man and another of a chimpanzee, this combination having a high reputation
572 THE CAMMA.
among the Gamma. These were buried at the foot of the two posts that constituted the
entrance to the village. Then came a quantity of crockery and broken glass, and then
some more chimpanzee skulls, while a couple of wooden idols kept company with the
component parts of the charm. A sacred creeper was also planted by the posts, which it
had covered with its branches, and the natives believe that as long as the creeper survives,
so long does the fetish retain its power.
Rabolo was very proud of his health-fetish, as no one had died in the village since it
had been set up. But, as there had never been more than fifteen inhabitants, the low
death-rate is easily accounted for.
From their own accounts, the Gamma must have a very unpleasant country. It is
overrun with spirits, but the evil far outnumber the good, and, according to the usual
custom of ignorant nations, the Gamma pay their chief reverence to the former, because
they can do the most harm.
As specimens of these spirits, three will be mentioned. The first is a good spirit called
Mbuiri, who traverses the country, and occasionally pays a visit to the villages. He has
taken under his protection the town of Aniambia, which also has the privilege of being
guarded by an evil spirit of equal power, so that the inhabitants enjoy a peace of mind
not often to be found in the Gamma country. There is only one drawback to the repose
of the place, and that is the spirit of an insane woman, who made her habitation outside
the village when she was alive, and continues to cultivate her plantation, though she is a
spirit. She retains her dislike to human beings, and, if she can catch a man alone, she
seizes him, and beats him to death.
The evil spirit which protects Aniambia is a very wicked and mischievous being
named Abambou, who lives chiefly in burial-places, and makes his bed of skeletons. In
order to propitiate Abambou, offerings are made to him daily, consisting entirely of food.
Sometimes the Gamma cook the food, and lay it in lonely places in the wood, where
Abambou would be sure to find it ; and sometimes they propitiate him by offerings of
plantains, sugar-cane, and nuts. A prayer accompanies the Coffering, and is generally
couched in the universal form of asking the protecting spirit to help the Gamma and
destroy inimical tribes. It is rather curious that, when a free man makes an offering to
Abambou, he wraps it in leaves ; but the slaves are obliged to lay it on the bare ground.
Fetish-houses are appropriated to Mbuiri and Abambou, and are placed close to each
other. They are little huts, about six feet high and six wide. No image is placed in the
huts, but only a fire, which is always kept burning, and a chest, on the top of which are
laid some sacred chalk and red parrot's feathers.
A bed is usually prepared in Abambou's house, on which he may repose when he is
tired of walking up and down the country ; and, as the medicine-man takes care that no
one but himself shall open the door of the hut, the villagers pass by in awe-struck silence,
none knowing whether at that moment the dreadful Abambou may not be sleeping within.
Now and then he is addressed publicly, the gist of the speeches being that everybody is
quite well and perfectly happy, and hopes that he will not hurt them.
The evil spirit, however, who is most feared by this tribe is the Ovengua or Vampire.
It is most surprising to find the Hungarian and Servian superstition about the vampire
existing among the savages of Western Africa, and yet it flourishes in all its details along
the banks of the Rembo.
No worship is paid to the Ovengua, who is not thought to have any power over
diseases, nor to exercise any influence upon the tenor of a man's life. He is simply a
destructive demon, capricious and cruel, murdering without reason, and wandering cease-
lessly through the forests in search of victims.
By day he hides in dark caverns, so that travellers need not fear him, but at night he
comes out, takes a human form, and beats to death all whom he meets. Sometimes win n
an Ovengua comes across a body of armed men, they resist him, and kill the body in
which he has taken up his residence.
When an Ovengua has been thus killed, the conquerors make a fire and burn the
body, taking particular care that not a bone shall be left, as from the bones new Ovenguas
are made. The natives have a curious idea that, if a person dies from witchcraft, the body
PUNISHMENT FOR WITCHCRAFT. 573
decays until the bones are free from flesh. As soon as this is the case, they leave the
grave one by one, form themselves end to end into a single line, and then gradually resolve
themselves into a new Oveugua. Several places are especially dreaded as being favourite
resorts of this horrible demon, and neither 'bribes, threats, nor persuasions, can induce a
Gamma to venture near them after nightfall.
It is very probable that cunning and revengeful men may take advantage of the belief
in the vampire, and when they have -conceived an antipathy against any one, may waylay
and murder him treacherously, and then contrive to throw the blame on the Ovengua.
The prevalence of this superstition may perhaps account for much of the cruelty
exercised upon those who are suspected of witchcraft, the fear of sorcery being so over-
whelming as to overcome all feelings of humanity, and even to harden the heart of the
parent against the child. The slightest appearance of disbelief in such an accusation
would at once induce the terrified multitude to include both parties in the accusation, and
the consequence is that, when any one is suspected of witchcraft, none are so loud and
virulent in their execrations as those who ought to be the natural protectdrs of the
accused.
Mr. C. Reade, in his "Savage Africa," gives an example of the cruelty which is
inspired by terror.
A petty chief had been ill for some time, and a woman had been convicted, by her
own confession, of having bewitched him It is true that the confession had been
extorted by flogging, but this fact made no difference in the minds of the natives, who had
also forced her to accuse her son, a boy only seven years old, of having been an accomplice
in the crime. This was done lest he should grow up to manhood, and then avenge his
mother's death upon her murderers.
" On the ground in their midst crouched the child, the mark of a severe wound visible
on his arm, and his wrists bound together by a piece of withy. I shall never forget that
child's face. It wore that expression of dogged endurance which is one of the traditional
characteristics of the savage. While I was there, one of the men held an axe before
his eyes — it was the brute's idea of humour. The child looked at it without showing a
spark of emotion. Some, equally fearless of death, would have displayed contempt, anger,
or acted curiosity ; but he was the perfect stoic. His eye flashed for a moment when his
name was first mentioned, but only for a moment He showed the same indifference
when he heard his life being pleaded for, as when, a little while before, he had been
taunted with his death."
Both were killed. The mother was sent to sea in a canoe, killed with an axe, and
then thrown overboard. The unfortunate boy was burnt alive, and bags of gunpowder
were tied to his legs, which, according to the account of a spectator, " made him jump
like a dog." On being asked why so cruel a death had been inflicted on the poor boy,
while the mother was subjected to the comparatively painless death by the axe, the man
was quite astounded that any one should draw so subtle a distinction. Death was death
in his opinion, however inflicted, and, as the writhing of the tortured child amused the
spectators, he could not see why they should deprive themselves of the gratification.
" This explains well enough the cruelty of the negro : it is the cruelty of the boy
who spins a cockchafer on a pin ; it is the cruelty of ignorance. A twirling cockchafer
and a boy who jumps like a dog are ludicrous sights to those who do not possess the
sense of sympathy. How useless is it to address such people as these with the logic of
reason, religion, and humanity ! Such superstitions can only be quelled by laws as
ruthless as themselves."
Another curious example of this lack of feeling is given by the same author. Some-
times a son, who really loves his mother after his own fashion, thinks that she is getting
very old, and becoming more infirm and unable to help him. So he kills her, under the idea
that she will be more useful to him as a spirit than in bodily form, and, before dismissing
her into the next world, charges her with messages to his friends and relatives who have
died. The Camma do not think that when they die they are cut off, even from tangible
communication with their friends. " The people who are dead," said one of the men,
" when they are tired of staying in the bush (i.e. the bury ing-ground), then they come for
574 THE CAMMA.
one of their people which they like. And one ghost will say, ' I am tired of staying in
the bush ; please to build a little house for me in the town close to your house.' He tells
the man to dance and sing too ; so the men call plenty of women by night to dance
and sing."
In accordance with this'request, the people build a miniature hut for the unquiet spirit,
then go to the grave and make an idol. They then take the bamboo frame on which the
body was carried into the bush, and which is always left on the spot, place on it some
dust from the grave, and carry it into the hut, the door of which is closed by a white
cloth.
Among the Gamma, as with many savage tribes, there is a ceremony of initiation into
certain mysteries, through which all have to pass before they can be acknowledged as men
and women. These ceremonies are kept profoundly secret from the uninitiated, but
Mr. Reade contrived to gain from one of his men some information on the subject.
On the introduction of a novice, he is taken in a fetish house, stripped, severely
flogged, and then plastered with goat's dung, the ceremony being accompanied by music.
Then he is taken to a screen, from behind which issues a strange and uncouth sound,
supposed to be produced by a spirit named Ukuk. There seems, however, to be a tacit
understanding that the spirit is only supposed to be present in a vicarious sense, as the
black informant not only said that the noise was made by the fetish man, but showed the
instrument with which he produced it. It was a kind of whistle, made of hollowed
mangrove wood, and closed at one end by a piece of bat's wing.
During five days after initiation an apron is worn, made of dry palm-leaves. These
ceremonies are not restricted to certain times of the year, but seem to be held whenever
a few candidates are ready for initiation. Mr. Eeade had several times seen lads wearing
the mystic apron, but had not known its signification until Mongilomba betrayed the
secrets of the lodge.
The same man also gave some information regarding the initiation of the females.
He was, however, very reticent on the subject, partly, perhaps, -because the women kept
their secret close, and partly because he was afraid lest they might hear that he had acted
the spy upon them, and avenge their insulted rites by mobbing and beating him.
Some of the ceremonies are not concealed very carefully, being performed in the open
air. The music is taken in hand by elderly women, called Ngembi, who commence opera-
tions by going into the forest and clearing a space. They then return to the village, and
build a sacred hut, into which no male is allowed to enter.
The novice, or Igonji, is now led to the cleared space — which, by the way, must be a
spot which she has never before visited — and there takes her place by a fire which is
carefully watched by the presiding Ngembi, and never suffered to go out. For two days
and nights a Ngembi sits beside the fire, feeding it with sticks, and continually chanting,
" The fire will never die out." On the third day the novice is rubbed with black, white,
and red chalk, and is taken into the sacred hut, where certain unknown ceremonies are
performed, the men surrounding it and beating drums, while the novice within continually
responds to them by the cry, " Okanda ! yo ! yo ! yo ! " which, as Mr. Eeade observes,
reminds one of the " Evoe ! " of the ancient Bacchantes.
The spirit Ukuk only comes to light on such occasions. At other times he lives deep
below the surface of the earth in his dark cavern, which is imitated as well as may be by
the sacred hut, which is thickly covered with leaves, so that not a ray of light may enter.
When he enters the hut, he blows the magic whistle, and on hearing the sound all the
initiated repair to the house.
As these spirits are so much feared, it is natural that the natives should try to drive
them out of every place where they have taken up an unwelcome residence.
With some spirits the favourite spot is the body of a man, who is thereby made ill,
and who will die if the spirit be not driven out of him. Now the Gamma believe that
evil spirits cannot bear noise, especially the beating of drums, and so, at the call of the
fetish man, they assemble round the sick man, beat drums and kettles close to his head,
sing, dance, and shout with all their might. This hubbub goes on until either the patient
dies, as might naturally be expected, or manages to recover in spite of the noise. The
EJECTING A DEMON.
people who assist in the operation do so with the greatest vigour, for, by some strange
coincidence, it happens that the very things which disgust an evil spirit, such as dancing,
singing, drum-beating, and noise-making in general, are just the things which please them
best, and so their duties and inclinations are happily found to coincide.
Sometimes the demon takes up his residence in a village, and then there is a vast
to-do before he can be induced to go out.
A fetish man is brought from a distance — the farther the better — and immediately set
to work. His first business is to paint and adorn himself, which he does in such a manner
EJECTING A DEMON.
as to look as demoniacal as possible. One of these men, named Damagondai, seen by
Du Chaillu, had made himself a horrible object. His face was whitened with chalk, a
red circle was drawn on each side of his mouth, a band of the same colour surrounded
each eye, and another ran from the forehead to the tip of the nose. A white band was
drawn from the shoulders to the wrists, and one hand was completely whitened.
On his head was a tall plume of black feathers ; strips of leopard skin and a variety
of charms were hung upon his body ; and to his neck was suspended a little box, in
which he kept a number of familiar spirits. A string of little bells encircled his waist.
This ghastly figure had seated himself on a stool before another box full of charms,
and on the box stood a magic mirror. Had the magician been brought from the inland
parts of the country, and away from the river along which all traffic runs, he could not
have possessed such an article as a mirror, and would have used instead a bowl of water.
By the mirror lay the sacred horn full of the fetish powder, accompanied by a rattle
containing snake-bones. Kis assistant stood near him, belabouring a board with two
sticks.
576 THE CAMMA.
After the incantations had been continued for some time, the wizard ordered that the
names of all the inhabitants of the village should be called out, and as each name was
shouted he looked in the mirror. However, he decided at last that the evil spirit did not
live in any of the inhabitants, but had taken up his residence in the village, which he
wanted for himself, and that he would be very angry if any one tried to share it
with him.
Du Chaillu saw that this was a sly attack on him, as he had just built some com-
fortable houses in the village. Next morning the people began to evacuate the place.
They carried off their property, and tore down the houses, and by nightfall not an inha-
bitant was left in the village except the white man and two of his attendants, both of
whom were in great terror, and wanted to follow the others. Even the chief was
obliged to go, and, with many apologies to his guest, built a new house outside the
deserted village.
Not wishing to give up the houses that had cost so much time and trouble, Du Chaillu
tried to induce the natives to rebuild the huts ; but not even tobacco could overcome
their fear of the evil spirit. However, at last some of the bolder men tried the experi-
ment, and by degrees a new village arose in the place of that which had been destroyed.
The same magician who conducted the above-mentioned ceremony was an unmitigated
cheat, and seems to have succeeded in cheating himself as well as his countrymen. He
was absurdly afraid of darkness, and as nightfall came on he always began to be fright-
ened, wailing and execrating all sorcerers, witches, and evil spirits, lamenting because he
knew that some one was trying to bewitch him, and at last working himself up to such
a pitch of excitement that the inhabitants of the village had to turn out of their
huts, and begin dancing and singing.
Perhaps this self-deception was involuntary, but Damagondai wilfully cheated the
people for his own purposes. In his double capacity of chief and fetish man he had
the charge of the village idols. He had a very potent idol of his own, with copper
eyes and a sword-shaped protruding tongue. With the eyes she saw coming events, and
with the tongue she foretold the future and cut to pieces the enemies of Damagondai's
people. M. du Chaillu wanted to purchase this idol, but her owner refused to sell her.
He hinted, however, that for a good price the goddess of the slaves might be bought
Accordingly, a bargain was struck, the idol in question was removed from the hut,
packed up, and carried away by the purchaser, while the slaves were away at their work.
Damagondai was rather perplexed as to the answer which he would have to give the slaves
when they came home and found their idol-house empty, but at last decided to tell them
that he had seen the goddess leave her house, and walk away into the woods.
The idol in question was an absurd-looking object, something like a compromise
between one of the figures out of a " Noah's Ark " and a Dutch wooden doll.
Various as are all these superstitions, there is one point at which they all converge,
namely the dread Mboundou ordeal, by which all who are accused of witchcraft are
tested. The mboundou is a tree belonging to the same group as that from which strychnine
is made, and is allied to the scarcely less celebrated "vine" from which the Macoushie
Indians prepare the wourali poison. From the root of the mboundou a drink is prepared,
which has an intoxicating as well as a poisonous quality, and which is used for two
purposes, the one being as an ordeal, and the other as a means of divination.
The medicine-men derive most of their importance from their capability of drinking
the mboundou without injury to their health ; and while in the intoxicated state they
utter sentences more or less incoherent, which are taken as revelations from the particular
spirit who is consulted. The mode of preparing the poisoned draught is as follows : —
A given quantity of the root is scraped and put into a bowl, together with a pint of
water. In a minute or so a slight fermentation takes place, and the water is filled with
little bubbles, like those of champagne or other sparkling wines. When this has sub-
sided, the water becomes of a pale reddish tint, and the preparation is complete. Its
taste is very bitter.
The effects of the mboundou vary greatly in different individuals. There was a
hardened old sorcerer, named Olaiiga, who v»as greatly respected among his people for
THE ORDEAL.
577
his capability of drinking mboundou in large quantities, and without any permanent
effect. It is very probable that he may have had some antidote, and prepared himself
beforehand, or that his constitution was exceptionally strong, and that he could take with
impunity a dose which would kill a weaker man.
Olanga was constantly drinking mboundou, using it chiefly as a means of divination.
If, for example, a man fell ill, his friends went off to Olanga, and asked him to drink
OLANGA DRINKING MBODNDOU.
mboundou and find out whether the man had been bewitched. As soon as he had drunk
the poison, the men sat round him, beating the ground with their sticks, and crying out
the formula —
" If he is a witch, let the mboundou kill him.
" If he is not, let the mboundou go out."
In about five minutes symptoms of intoxication showed themselves. The old man
began to stagger, his speech grew thick, his eyes became bloodshot, his limbs shook con-
vulsively, and he began to talk incoherently. Now was the time to ask him questions,
and accordingly several queries were propounded, some of which he answered ; but he
soon became too much intoxicated to understand, much less to answer, the questions that
were put to him. Sleep then came on, and in less than half an hour Olanga began to
recover.
With most persons, however, it has a different and a deadly effect, and M. du Chaillu
mentions that he has seen persons fall dead within five minutes of drinking the mbouudou,
the blood gushing from the mouth, eyes, and nose.
VOL. I, P P
578 THE GAMMA.
It is very seldom that any one but a professional medicine-man escapes with life after
drinking mboundou. Mostly there is an absence of the peculiar symptoms which show
that the poison is working itself out of the system, and in such a case the spectators
hasten the work of death by their knives. Sometimes the drinkers rally from the effects of
the poison, but with constitutions permanently injured ; and in a few cases they escape
altogether. Du Chaillu was a witness to such an event. Three young men, who were
accused of witchcraft, were adjudged, as usual, to drink the mboundou. They drank it,
and boldly stood their ground, surrounded by a yelling multitude, armed with axes, spears,
and knives, ready to fall upon the unfortunate victims if they showed symptoms that the
draught would be fatal. However, they succeeded in keeping their feet until the effects
of the poison had passed off, and were accordingly pronounced innocent.
According to custom, the medicine-man who prepared the draught finished the cere-
mony by taking a bowl himself, and while in the stage of intoxication he gladdened the
hearts of the people by saying that the wizards did not belong to their village, but came
from a distance.
It is evident that those who prepare the mboundou can make the draught stronger or
•weaker, according to their own caprice ; and indeed it is said that, when any one who is
personally disliked has to drink the poison, it always proves fatal. The accused persons
are not allowed to see that it is prepared fairly, but they are permitted to send two friends
for that purpose.
A most terrible scene was Once witnessed by Du Chaillu. A chief named Mpomo had
died, and the people were in a state of frenzy about it. They could not believe that a
young and strong man could be seized with illness and die unless he were bewitched, and
accordingly a powerful doctor was brought from a distance, and set to work. For two
days the doctor went through a number of ceremonies, like those which have been de-
scribed at page 575, for the purpose of driving out the evil spirits, and at last he announced
that he was about to name the wizards. The rest must be told in the narrator's own
words : —
" At last, on the third morning, when the excitement of the people was at its height —
when old and young, male and female, were frantic with the desire for revenge on the
sorcerers — the doctor assembled them about him in the centre of the town, and began his
final incantation, which should disclose the names of the murderous sorcerers.
" Every man and boy was armed, — some with spears, some with swords, some with guns
and axes ; and on every face was shown a determination to wreak bloody revenge on those
who should be pointed out as the criminals. The whole town was wrapped in an inde-
scribable fury and horrid thirst for human blood. For the first time, I found my voice
without authority in Goumbi. I did not even get a hearing. What I said was passed by
as though no one had spoken. As a last threat, when I saw proceedings begun, I said I
would make Quengueza punish them for the murders they had done in his absence. But,
alas ! here they had outwitted me. On the day of Mpomo's death they had sent secretly
to Quengueza to ask if they could kill the witches. He, poor man — sick himself, and
always afraid of the power of sorcerers, and without me to advise him — at once sent wowl
back to kill them all without mercy. So they almost laughed in my face.
" Finding all my endeavours vain, and that the work of bloodshed was to be carried
through to its dreadful end, I determined, at least, to see how all was conducted.
" At a motion from the doctor, the people became at once quite still. This sudden
silence lasted about a minute, when the loud, harsh voice of the doctor was heard :
" ' There is a very black woman, who lives in a house ' — describing it fully, with its
location — ' she bewitched Mpomo.'
" Scarce had he ended when the crowd, roaring and screaming like so many hideous
beasts, rushed frantically for the place indicated. They seized upon a poor girl named
Okandaga, the sister of my good friend and guide Adouma. Waving their weapons over
her head, they bore her away towards the water-side. Here she was quickly bound with
cords, and then all rushed away to the doctor again.
" As poor Okandaga passed in the hands of her murderers, she saw me, though I
thought I had concealed myself from view. I turned my head away, and prayed she
A TEERIBLE SCENE. 579
might not see me. I could not help her. But presently I heard her cry out, ' Chally,
Chally, do not let me die ! '
" It was a moment of terrible agony to me. For a minute I was minded to rush into
the crowd, and attempt the rescue of the poor victim. But it would have been of not the
slightest use ; the people were too frantic and crazed to even notice my presence. I
should only have sacrificed my own life, without helping her. So I turned away into a
corner behind a tree, and — I may confess, I trust — shed bitter tears at my utter power-
lessness.
" Presently, silence again fell upon the crowd. Then the harsh voice of the devilish
doctor again rang over the town. It seemed to me like the hoarse croak of some death-
foretelling raven. ' There is an old woman in a house ' — describing it — ' she also
bewitched Mpomo.'
" Again the crowd rushed off. This time they seized a niece of King Quengueza, a
noble-hearted and rather majestic old woman. As they crowded about her with flaming
eyes and threats of death, she rose proudly from the ground, looked them in the face un-
flinchingly, and, motioning them to keep their hands off, said, ' I will drink the mboundou ;
but woe to my accusers if I do not die.'
" Then she, too, was escorted to the river, but without being bound. She submitted
to all without a tear, or a murmur for mercy.
" Again, a third time, the dreadful silence fell upon the town, and the doctor's voice
was heard :
" ' There is a woman with six children. She lives on a plantation towards the rising
sun. She too bewitched Mpomo.'
" Again there was a furious shout, and in a few minutes they brought to the river
one of Quongueza's slave-women — a good and much-respected woman — whom also
I knew.
" The doctor now approached with the crowd. In a loud voice he recited the crime
of which these women were accused. The first taken, Okandaga, had — so he said — some
weeks before asked Mpomo for some salt, he being her relative. Salt was scarce, and
he had refused her. She had said unpleasant words to him then, and had by sorcery
taken his life.
"Then Quengueza's niece was accused. She was barren, and Mpomo had children.
She envied him. Therefore she had bewitched him.
" Quengueza's slave had asked Mpomo for a looking-glass. He had refused her.
Therefore she had killed him with sorcery.
" As each accusation was recited the people broke out into curses. Even the relatives
of the poor victims were obliged to join in this. Every one rivalled his neighbour
in cursing, each fearful lest lukewarmness in the ceremony should expose him to a
like fate.
" Next the victims were put into a large canoe, with the executioners, the doctor, and
a number of other people all armed.
" Then the tam-tams were beaten, and the proper persons prepared the mboundou.
Quabi, Mpomo's eldest brother, held the poisoned cup. At sight of it poor Okandaga
began again to cry, and even Quengueza's niece turned pale in the face — for even the
negro face has at such times a pallor, which is quite perceptible. Three other canoes now
surrounded that in which the victims were. All were crowded with armed men.
" Then the mug of mboundu was handed to the old slave-woman, next to the royal
niece, and last to Okandaga. As they drank, the multitude shouted : ' If they are witches,
let the mboundou kill them ; if they are innocent, let the mboundu go out.'
" It was the most exciting scene of my life. Though horror almost froze my blood,
my eyes were riveted upon the spectacle. A dead silence now occurred. Suddenly the
slave fell down. She had not touched the boat's bottom ere her head was hacked off by
a dozen rude swords.
" Next came Quengueza's niece. In an instant her head was off, and the blood was
dyeing the waters of the river.
" Meantime poor Okandaga staggered, and struggled, and cried, vainly resisting the
PP2
580 THE CAMMA.
working of the poison in her system. Last of all she fell too, and in an instant her head
was hewn off'.
" Then all became confused. An almost random hacking ensued, and in an incredibly
short space of time the bodies were cut in small pieces, which were cast into the river.
" When this was done, the crowd dispersed to their houses, and for the rest of the day
the town was very silent. Some of these rude people felt that their number, in their
already almost extinguished tribe, was becoming less, and the dread of death filled their
hearts. In the evening poor Adouma came secretly to my house, to unburden his
sorrowing heart to me. He, too, had been compelled to take part in the dreadful scene.
He dared not even refrain from joining in the curses heaped upon his poor sister. He
dared not mourn publicly for her who was considered so great a criminal."
The ceremonies which attend the death of members of the Gamma tribe are really
remarkable. As soon as the end of a man is evidently near, his relations begin to mourn
for him, and his head wife, throwing herself on the bed, and encircling the form of her
dying husband with her arms, pours out her wailing lamentations, accompanied by the tears
and cries of the villagers who assemble round the house. The other wives take their
turns in leading the lamentations, and after his death they bewail him in the most pitiful
fashion. These pitiful lamentations are partly owing to real sorrow, but there is no
doubt that they are also due to the fear lest any one who did not join in the mourning
might be accused of having bewitched her husband to death.
For several days they sit on the ground, covered with ashes, their heads shaved, and
their clothing torn to rags ; and when the body can no longer be kept in the place, the
relatives take it to the cemetery, which is usually at some distance down the river. That,
for example, of Goumbi was situated at nearly fifty miles from the place.
No grave is dug, but the body is laid on the ground, and surrounded with different
valuables which belonged to the dead man in his lifetime. The corpses of the chiefs or
head men are placed in rude boxes, but those of ordinary men are not defended in any
way whatever.
For at least a year the mourning continues, and if the dead man has held high rank,
it sometimes is continued for two years, during which time the whole tribe wear their
worst clothes, and make a point of being very dirty, while the widows retain the shaven
head and ashes, and remain in perfect seclusion. At the end of the appointed time, a
ceremony called Bola-ivoga is performed, by which the mourning is broken up and the
people return to their usual dress.
One of these ceremonies was seen by Du Chaillu. The deceased had been a tolerably
rich man, leaving seven wives, a house, a plantation, slaves, and other property, all which
was inherited, according to custom, by his elder brother, on whom devolves the task of
giving the feast. Great preparations were made for some days previously, large quantities
of palm-wine being brought to the village, several canoe-loads of dried fish prepared, all
the best clothes in the village made ready, and every drum, kettle, and anything that
could make a noise when beaten being mustered.
On the joyful morning, the widows begin the ceremony by eating a magic porridge,
composed by the medicine-man, and are then released formally from their widowhood.
They then throw off their torn and soiled garments, wash away the ashes with which
their bodies had been so long covered, and robe themselves in their best clothes, covering
their wrists and ankles with iron and copper jewellery.
While they are adorning their persons, the rest of the people arrange themselves in
little groups in front of the houses, and to each group is given an enormous jar of palm- wine.
At a given signal the drinking begins, and is continued without interruption for some
twenty-four hours, during which time dancing, singing, and drum-beating are carried on
with furious energy. Next morning comes the final ceremony. A large crowd of men,
armed with axes, surround the house formerly occupied by the deceased, and, at a signal
from the heir, they rush at once at it, and in a few minutes nothing is left but a heap of
fragments. These are heaped up and burned ; and when the flames die away, the cere-
mony is over, and the heir is considered as having entered into possession of the
property.
CUSTOMS OF THE CAMMA.
581
There are one or two miscellaneous customs of the Gamma people which are deserving
of a brief notice. They seem to be rather quarrelsome among themselves, and when they
get into a fight use a most formidable club. This weapon is made of heavy and hard
wood, and is nearly seven feet long. The thick end is deeply notched, and a blow from
the "tongo," as it is called, would smash the skull of a European. The native African,
however, sustains heavy blows without being much the worse for it ; and, although every
tongo will be covered with blood and woolly hair, the combatants do not seem to have
sustained much injury.
As they tight, they heap on their adversaries every insulting epithet they can think
of: <;Your chief has the leg of an elephant," cries one; "Ho! his eldest brother has the
neck of a wild ox," shouts a second ; " Ho 1 you have no food in your village," bawls a
third ; and, according to the narrator, the words really seem to do more damage than
the blows.
WAIER CUSTOM.
When a canoe starts on a long journey, a curious ceremony is enacted. Each man
dips his paddle in the water, slaps it on the surface, raises in the air, and allows one drop
of the water to fall into his mouth. After a good deal of singing, shouting, and antic-
playing, they settle down to their work, and paddle on steadily for hours. When a chief
parts from a guest, he takes his friend's hands within his own, blows into them, and
solemnly invokes the spirits of his ancestors, calling on them to take care of the
departing guest.
CHAPTER L.
THE SHEKIANI AND MPONGWE.
LOCALITY OP THE SHEKIANI — MODE OF GOVERNMENT — SKILL IN HUNTING — SHEKIANI ABCHITECTUHE
MEDICAL TREATMENT NATIVE SORCERERS FATE OF THE WIZARD A VICTIM TO SUPER-
STITION TREATMENT OF THE POSSESSED LOCALITY OF THE MPONGWE — NATIVE FASHIONS —
MPONGwri MOURNING SKILL IN LANGUAGES THE SUCCESSFUL TRADER AND HIS RELATIONS —
DEATH OF THE MONARCH AND ELECTION OF A NEW KING — A MPONGW^ CORONATION — OLD
KING GLASS AND HIS CHARACTER — HIS SICKNESS, DEATH, BURIAL, AND SUCCESSOR.
SCATTERED over a considerable track of country between the Muni and Gaboon Rivers, on
the western coast of Africa, are numerous villages of the Shekiani or Chekiani tribe.
The Shekiani are divided into numerous sub-tribes, which speak a common language, but
call themselves by various names, such as the Mbondemo, the Mbousha, the Mbicho, &c.
Each of these lesser tribes is again subdivided into clans or families, each of which has
its own head.
The mode of government is very simple, and indeed scarcely deserves the name ; for
although the chiefs of the different tribes are often called kings, their titles are but empty
honours, and their authority is but partially recognised even by the head men of the clans.
The kings, indeed, are scarcely distinguishable from their so-called subjects, their houses
being the same, and their mode of living but little superior. Still, they are respected as
advisers ; and in oases of difficulty, a few words from one of these kings will often settle
a dispute which threatened to be dangerous.
Owing to their proximity to the coast, the Shekiani are great traders, and, in con-
sequence of their contact with the white man, present a most curious mixture of
savageness and civilization, the latter being modified in various droll ways. Take, for
example, the Shekiani mode of managing fire-arms. When they go to hunt the elephant
for the sake of its tusks, they always arm themselves with trade guns, for which they pay
seven shillings and sixpence. The quality of these weapons may be easily imagined, and
it is really wonderful how the Birmingham manufacturer contrives to furnish for so small
a sum a gun that deserves the name.
Of course it is made to suit native ideas, and consequently it is very large and
very heavy, a negro contemptuously rejecting a small and light gun which might be
worth thirty or forty pounds. Then the mainspring of the lock is of prodigious strength,
and the hammer and pan of proportionate size. Inferior, of course, as is the material, the
weapon is really a wonderful article ; and, if properly handled, is capable of doing good
service. But a negro never handles anything carefully. When he cocks his musket, he
wrenches back the hammer with a jerk that would break a delicate lock ; when he wants
to carry home the game that he has killed, he hangs it to the muzzle of the piece, and so
slings it over his shoulder, and, as he travels, he allows it to bang against the trees, without
the least care for the straightness of the barrel,
A EOYAL AMUSEMENT. 583
But it is in loading the weapon that he most distinguishes himself. First he pours
down the barrel a quantity of powder at random, and rams upon it a tuft of dry grass.
Upon the grass come some bullets or bits of iron, and then more grass. Then comes more
powder, grass, and iron as before ; and not until then does the negro flatter himself that
he has loaded his musket. That a gun should burst after such a method of loading is not
surprising, and indeed it is a wonder that it can be fired at all without flying to pieces.
But the negro insists on having a big gun, with plenty of powder and shot, and he cares
nothing for a weapon unless it goes off with a report like a small cannon, and has a recoil
that almost dislocates the shoulder.
The Shekiani are of moderate size, not very dark-coloured, and in character are apt to
be quarrelsome, passionate, revengeful, and utterly careless of inflicting death or pain.
Owing to their unsettled habits, they are but poor agriculturists, leaving all the culture of
the ground to the women. Their mode of making a plantation is very simple. When they
have fixed upon a suitable spot, they begin to clear it after a very primitive fashion.
The men ascend the trees to some ten or twelve feet of height, just where the stem
narrows, supporting themselves by a flexible vine-branch twisted hoop-fashion round the
tree and their waist. They then chop away at the timber, and slip nimbly to the ground
just as the upper part of the tree is falling. The trunks and branches are then gathered
together until the dry season is just over, when the whole mass is lighted, and on the
ground thus cleared of trees and brushwood the women plant their manioc, plantains,
and maize.
Their villages are built on one model. The houses are about twelve or fifteen feet in
length by eight or ten wide, and are set end to end in a double row, so as to form a long
street. The houses have no windows, and only one door, which opens into the street. At
night the open ends of the street are barricaded, and it will be seen that each village thus
becomes a fortress almost impregnable to the assaults of native warriors. In order to add
to the strength of their position, they make their villages on the crests of hills, and con-
trive, if possible, to build them in the midst of thorn-brakes, so that, if they were attacked,
the enemy would be exposed to their missiles while engaged in forcing their way through
the thorns. When such a natural defence cannot be obtained, they content themselves
with blocking up the approaches with cut thorn-branches.
The houses are made of the so-called bamboo poles, which are stuck in the ground,
and lashed to each other with vine-ropes. The interior is divided at least into two apart-
ments, one of which is the eating and the other the sleeping chamber. Each Shekiani
wife has a separate apartment, with its own door, so that the number of wives may be
known by the number of doors opening out of the sitting-room.
Although their houses are made with some care, the Shekiani are continually deserting
their villages on some absurd pretext, usually of a superstitious character, and, during their
travels towards another site, they make temporary encampments in the woods, their rude
huts being composed of four sticks planted in the ground, tied together at the top, and
then covered with leaves.
It has been mentioned that the Shekiani are careless about inflicting torture. One
day M. du Chaillu was staying with one of the so-called Shekiani "kings," named
Njambai ; he heard terrible shrieks, and was coolly told that the king was only punishing
one of his wives. He ran to the spot, and there found a woman tied by her waist to a
stout stake, and her feet to smaller stakes. Cords were tied round her neck, waist, wrists,
and ankles, and were being slowly twisted with sticks, cutting into the flesh, and inflicting
the most horrible torture.
The king was rather sulky at being interrupted in his amusement, but, when his guest
threatened instant departure unless the woman were released, he made a present of the
victim to her intercessor. The cords had been so tightly knotted and twisted that they
could not be untied, and, when they were cut, were found to havt been forced deeply into
the flesh.
The same traveller gives an account of the cruel manner in which the Shekiani treated
an unfortunate man who had been accused of witchcraft. He was an old man belonging
to the Mbousha sub-tribe, and was supposed to have bewitched a man who had lately died
584
THE SHEKIANL
" I heard one day, by accident, that a man had been apprehended on a charge of
causing the death of one of the chief men of the village. I went to Dayoko, and asked
him about it. He said yes, the man was to be killed ; that he was a notorious wizard,
and had done much harm.
" So I begged to see this terrible being.
" I was taken to a rough hut, within which sat an old, old man, with wool white ns
snow, wrinkled face, bowed form, and shrunken limbs. His hands were tied behind him,
and his feet were placed in a rude kind of stocks. This was the great wizard. Several
FATE OF THE WIZARD.
lazy negroes stood guard over him, and from time to time insulted him with opprobrious
epithets and blows, to which the poor old wretch submitted in silence. He was evidently
in his dotage.
" I asked him if he had no friends, no relations, no son, or daughter, or wife to take
care of him. He said sadly, ' No one.'
" N"ow here was the secret of his persecution. They were tired of taking care of the
helpless old man, who had lived too long, and a charge of witchcraft by the gree-gree
man was a convenient pretext for putting him out of the way. I saw at once that it
would be vain to strive to save him.
" I went, however, to Dayoko, and argued the case with him. I tried to explain the
absurdity of charging a harmless old man with supernatural powers ; told him that God
did not permit witches to exist ; and finally made an offer to buy the old wretch, offering
to give some pounds of tobacco, one or two coats, and some looking-glasses for him —
goods which would have bought me an able-bodied slave.
DEATH OF THE WIZARD. 585
" Dayoko replied that for his part he would be glad to save him, but that the people
must decide ; that they were much excited against him ; but that he would, to please me,
try to save his life.
" During the night following I heard singing all over the town all night, and a great
uproar. Evidently they were preparing themselves for the murder. Even these savages
cannot kill in cold blood, but work themselves into a frenzy of excitement first, and then
rush off to do the bloody deed.
" Early in the morning the people gathered together, with the fetish-man — the infernal
rascal who was at the bottom of the murder — in their midst. His bloodshot eyes glared in
savage excitement as he went around from man to man, getting the votes to decide
whether the old man should die. In his hands he held a bundle of herbs, with which he
sprinkled three times those to whom he spoke. Meantime a man was stationed on the
top of a high tree, whence he shouted from time to time in a loud voice, ' Jocoo ! Jocoo ! '
at the same time shaking the tree strongly. ' Jocoo ' is devil among the Mbousha, and the
business of this man was to drive away the evil spirit, and to give notice to the fetish-
man of his approach.
" At last the sad vote was taken. It was declared that the old man was a most
malignant wizard ; that he had already killed a number of people ; that he was minded
to kill many more ; and that he must die. No one would tell me how he was to be killed,
and they proposed to defer the execution till my departure, which I was, to tell the truth,
rather glad of. The whole scene had considerably agitated me, and I was willing to be
spared the end. Tired, and sick at heart, I lay down on my bed about noon to rest,
and compose my spirits a little. After a while, I saw a man pass my window almost
like a flash, and after him a horde of silent but infuriated men. They ran towards
the river.
" Then, in a little while, I heard a couple of sharp, piercing cries, as of a man in
great agony, and then all was still as death.
" I got up, guessing the rascals had killed the poor old man, and, turning my steps
towards the river, was met by a crowd returning, eveiy man armed with axe, knife, cutlass,
or spear, and these weapons, and their own hands and arms and bodies, all sprinkled with
the blood of their victim. In their frenzy they had tied the poor wizard to a log near
the river bank, and then deliberately hacked him into many pieces. They finished by
splitting open his skull, and scattering the brains in the water. Then they returned ; and,
to see their behaviour, it would have seemed as though the country had just been delivered
from a great curse.
" By night the men- — whose faces for two days had filled me with loathing and horror,
so bloodthirsty and malignant were they — were again as mild as lambs, arid as cheerful
as though they had never heard of a witch tragedy."
Once, when shooting in the forest, Du Chaillu came upon a sight which filled him
with horror. It was the body of a young woman, with good and pleasant features, tied
to a tree and left there. The whole body and limbs were covered with gashes, into which
the torturers had rubbed red pepper, thus killing the poor creature with sheer agony.
Among other degrading superstitions, the Shekiani believe that men and women can
be changed into certain animals. One man, for example, was said to have been suddenly
transformed into a large gorilla as he was walking in the village. The enchanted animal
haunted the neighbourhood ever afterwards, and did great mischief, killing the men, and
carrying off the women into the forest. The people often hunted it, but never could
manage to catch it. This story is a very popular one, and is found in all parts of the
country wherever the gorilla lives.
The Shekiani have another odd belief regarding the transformation of human beings
into animals. Seven days after a child is born, the girls of the neighbourhood assemble
in the house, and keep up singing and dancing all night. They fancy that on the seventh
day the woman who waited on the mother would be possessed of an evil spirit, which
would change her into an owl, and cause her to suck the blood of the child. Bad spirits,
however, cannot endure the sight or sound of human merriment, and so the girls obligingly
get up a dance, and baffle the spirit at the same time that they gratify themselves. As in
586 THE MPONGW&
a large village a good many children are born, the girls contrive to insure plenty of dances
in the course of the year.
Sometimes an evil spirit takes possession of a man, and is so strong that it cannot be
driven away by the usual singing and dancing, the struggles between the exercisers and
the demon being so tierce as to cause the possessed man to fall on the ground, to foam at
the mouth, and to writhe about in such powerful convulsions that no one can hold him.
In fact, all the symptoms are those which the more prosaic white man attributes to
epilepsy.
Such a case offers a good opportunity to the medicine-man, who comes to the relief of
the patient, attended by his assistant. " A hut is built in the middle of the street, and
inhabited by the doctor and patient. For a week or ten days high festival is held, and
night and day the dance and song are kept up within the hut, not unaccompanied with
strong drink. Every one thinks it a point of honour to aid in the demolition of the
witch, and, accordingly, every one who can eat gorges himself until he can eat no more ;
every one who has a drum brings it and beats it, and those who have no- musical instru-
ments can at all events shout and sing until they are hoarse.
Sometimes the natural result of such a proceeding occurs, the unfortunate patient
being fairly driven out of his senses by the ceaseless and deafening uproar, and darting
into the forest a confirmed maniac.
THE MPONGWfi.
UPON the Gaboon Eiver is a well-known negro tribe called Mpongwe.
Perhaps on account of their continual admixture with traders, they approach nearer
to civilization than those tribes which have been described, and are peculiarly refined in
their manners, appearance, and language. They are very fond of dress, and the women
in particular are remarkable for their attention to the toilet. They wear but little
clothing, their dark, velvet-like skin requiring scarcely any covering, and being admirably
suited for setting off the ornaments with which they plentifully bedeck themselves.
Their heads are elaborately dressed, the woolly hair being frizzed out over a kind of
cushion, and saturated with palm oil to make it hold together. Artificial hair is also
added when the original stock is deficient, and is neatly applied in the form of rosettes
over the ears. A perfumed bark is scraped and applied to the hair, and the whole edifice
is finished off with a large pin of ivory, bone, or ebony.
When their husbands die, the widows are obliged to sacrifice this cherished adornment
and go about with shaven heads, a custom which applies also to the other sex in time
of mourning. In this country mourning is implied by the addition of certain articles to
the ordinary clothing, but, among the Mpongwe, the case is exactly reversed. When a
woman is in mourning she shaves her head and wears as few and as bad clothes as
possible ; and when a man is in mourning, he not only shaves his head, but abandons all
costume until the customary period is over.
The women wear upon their ankles huge brass rings made of stair rods, and many of
them are so laden with these ornaments that their naturally graceful walk degenerates
into a waddle ; and if by chance they should fall into the water, they are drowned by the
weight of their brass anklets.
The Mpongwes are a clever race, having a wonderful aptitude for languages, and
swindling. Some of the men can speak several native dialects, and are well versed
in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, using their accomplishments for the purpose
of cheating both of the parties for whom they interpret. They are very clever at an
argument, especially of that kind which is popularly known as "special pleading," and
THE CORONATION CEREMONY. 587
will prove that black is white, not to say blue or red, with astonishing coolness and
ingenuity.
Clever, however, as they are, they are liable to be cheated in their town by their own
people — if indeed those can be said to be cheated who deliberately walk into the trap
that is set for them. They will come down to the coast, impose upon some unwary trader
with their fluent and plausible tongues, talk him into advancing goods on credit, and
then slink off to their villages, delighted with their own ingenuity. As soon, however,
as they reach their homes, the plunderers become the plundered. Indeed, as Mr. W. Reade
well remarks, " There are many excellent business men who in private life are weak, vain,
extravagant, and who seem to leave their brains behind them. Such are the Mpongwes,
a tribe of commercial travellers, men who prey upon ignorance in the bush, and are
devoured by flattery in the town."
As soon as the successful trader returns to his village, he is beset by all his friends
and relations, who see in him a mine of wealth, of which they all have a share. They
sing his praises, they get up dances in his honour, they extol his generosity, eating and
drinking all the while at his expense, and never leaving him until the last plantain has
been eaten and the last drop of rum drunk. He has not strength of mind to resist the
flattery which is heaped upon him, and considers himself bound to reward his eulogists
by presents. Consequently, at the end of a week or two he is as poor as when he started
on his expedition, and is obliged to go off and earn more money, of which he will be
robbed in a similar manner when he returns.
These feasts are not very enticing to our European palate, for the Mpongw^ have no
idea of roasting, but boil all their food in earthen vessels. They have little scruple about
the different articles of diet, but will eat the flesh of almost any animal, bird, or reptile
that they can kill
Among the Mpongwe', the government is much the same as that of the other tribes
in Western Equatorial Africa. The different sub4ribes or clans of the Mpongwe are ruled
by their head-men, the principal chief of a district being dignified with the title
of king.
Dignity has, as we all know, its drawbacks as well as its privileges, and among the
Mpongwe it has its pains as well as its pleasures. When once a man is fairly made
king, he may do much as he likes, and is scarcely ever crossed in anything that he may
desire. But the process of coronation is anything but agreeable, and utterly unlike the
gorgeous ceremony with which civilized men are so familiar.
The new king is secretly chosen in solemn conclave, and no one, not even the king
elect, knows on whom the lot has fallen. On the seventh day after the funeral of the
deceased sovereign, the n;ini3 of the new king is proclaimed, and all the people make a
furious rush at him. They shout and yell at him ; they load him with all the terms of
abuse in which their language is so prolific ; and they insult him in the grossest manner.
One man will run up to him and shout, " You are not my king yet ! " accompanying
the words with a sound box on the ear. Another flings a handful of mud in his face,
accompanied by the same words ; another gets behind him and administers a severe kick,
and a third slaps his face. For some time the poor man is hustled and beaten by them
until his life seems to be worthless, while all around is a crowd of disappointed subjects,
who have not been able to get at their future monarch, and who are obliged to content
themselves by pelting him with sticks and stones over the heads of their more fortunate
comrades, and abusing him, and his parents, and his brothers, sisters, and all his relatives
for several generations.
Suddenly the tumult ceases, and the king elect, bruised, mud-bespattered, bleeding,
and exhausted, is led into the house of his predecessor, where he seats himself. The
whole demeanour of the people now changes, and silent respect takes the place of frantic
violence. The head-men of the tribe rise and say, " Now we acknowledge you as our
king ; we listen to you, and obey you." The people repeat these words after them, and
then the crown and royal robes are brought. The crown is always an old silk hut, which,
by some grotesque chance, has become the sign of royalty in Western Africa. The state
robes are composed of a red dressing-gown, unless a beadle's coat can be procured, and,
588
THE MPONGWfi.
arrayed in this splendid apparel, the new king is presented to his subjects, and receives
their homage.
A full week of congratulations and festivities follows, by the end of which time the
king is in sad need of repose, strangers from great distances continually arriving, and all
insisting on being presented to the new king. Not until these rites are over is the king
allowed to leave the house.
M. du Chaillu was a witness of the remarkable ceremony which has just been
described, and which took place on the coronation of a successor to the old King Glass,
CORONATION.
who, as is rather quaintly remarked, " stuck to life with a determined tenacity, which
almost bid fair to cheat Death. He was a disagreeable old heathen, but in his last days
became very devout — after his fashion. His idol was always freshly painted and highly
decorated ; his fetish was the best cared-for fetish in Africa, and every few days some
great doctor was brought down from the interior, and paid a large fee for advising the old
king. He was afraid of witchcraft ; thought that everybody wanted to put him out of
the way by bewitching him ; and in this country "our doctor does not try to cure your
sickness ; his business is to keep off the witches."
The oddest thing was, that all the people thought that he was a powerful wizard, and
were equally afraid and tired of him. He had been king too long for their ideas, and
they certainly did wish him fairly dead. But when he became ill, and was likely to die,
the usual etiquette was observed, every one going about as if plunged in the deepest
sorrow, although they hated him sincerely, and were so afraid of his supernatural powers
that scarcely a native dared to pass his hut by night, and no bribe less than a jug of
rum would induce any one to enter the house. At last he died, and then every one went
CANOE-MAKING. 589
into mourning, the women wailing and pouring out tears with the astonishing lachrymal
capability whioh distinguishes the African women, who can shed tears copiously and
laugh at the same time.
On the second day after his death old King Glass was buried, but the exact spot of
his sepulture no one knew, except a few old councillors on whom the duty fell. By
way of a monument, a piece of scarlet cloth was suspended from a pole. Every one
knew that it only marked the spot where King Glass was not buried. For six days the
mourning continued, at the end of which time occurred the coronation, and the chief
Njogoni became the new King Glass.
The mode of burial varies according to the rank of the deceased. The body of a chief
is carefully interred, and so is that of a king, the sepulchre of the latter being, as has just
been mentioned, kept a profound secret. By the grave are placed certain implements
belonging to the dead person, a stool or a jug marking the grave of a man, and a calabash
that of a woman. The bodies of slaves are treated less ceremoniously, being merely
taken to the burying-ground, thrown down, and left to perish, without the honours of
a grave or accompanying symbol.
Like other dwellers upon river-banks, the Mpongw£ are admirable boatmen, and
display great ingenuity in making canoes.
The tree from which they are made only grows inland, and sometimes, when a large
vessel is wanted, a suitable tree can only be found some eight or ten miles from the shore.
If a eanoe-maker can find a tree within two or three miles from the water, he counts
himself a lucky man ; but, as the trees are being continually cut up for canoe-making,
it is evident that the Mpongwe are continually driven further inland.
AVhen a Mpongwe has settled upon a tree which he thinks will make a good canoe,
he transplants all his family to the spot, and builds a new homestead for himself, his
wives, his children, and his slaves. Sometimes he will economise his labour, and pitch
his encampment near three or four canoe-trees, all of which he intends to fashion into
vessels before he returns to his village. When the trees are felled, and cut to the proper
length — sixty feet being an ordinary measurement — they are ingeniously hollowed by
means of fire, which is carefully watched and guided until the interior is burnt away.
The outside of the tree is then trimmed into shape with the native adze, and the canoe
is ready. A clever man, with a large family, will make several such canoes during a
single dry season.
The next and most important business is to get the canoes to the water. This is
done by cutting a pathway through the wood, and laboriously pushing the canoe on
rollers. In some cases, when the canoe-tree is nearer the sea than the river, the maker
takes it direct to the beach, launches it, and then paddles it round to the river.
CHAPTER LI.
THE FANS.
LOCALITY OF THE TRIBE — THEIR COLOUB AND GENERAL APPEARANCE — THE KING OF THE FANS
AN UGLY QUEEN A MIXED CHARACTER HOSPITALITY AND CURIOSITY FIERCE AND WARLIKE.
NATURE THEIR CONQUERING PROGRESS WESTWARD — WAR-KNIVES, AXES, AND SPEARS SKILL
IN IRON WORK THE FAN CROSS-BOW AND ITS DIMINUTIVE ARROWS WAR SHIELDS AND THEIR
VALUE ELEPHANT HUNTING THE WIRE NET AND THE SPEAR TRAP FAN COOKERY, AND
DIET IN GENERAL MORTABS AND COOKING POTS — EARTHERN PIPE-BOWLS CRAVING FOR MEAT
FATE OF THE SHEEP.
THE remarkable tribe which now comes before our notice inhabits a tract of land just
above the Equator, and on the easternmost known limits of the Gaboon River. Their
name for themselves is Ba-Fanh, i. e. the Fan-people, and they are known along the coast
as the Pasuen.
That they are truly a singular people may be inferred from the terse summary which
has been given of them, — namely, a race of cannibal gentlemen. Their origin is unknown ;
but, as far as can be gathered from various sources, they have come from the north-east,
their bold and warlike nature having overcome the weaker or more timid tribes who
originally possessed the land, and who, as far as can be ascertained, seem to have been
allied to the curious dwarfish race which has been described on page 538.
They cannot be called negroes, as they are not black, but coffee-coloured ; neither do
they possess the enormous lips, the elongated skull, nor the projecting jaws, which are so
conspicuous in the true negro. In many individuals a remarkable shape of the skull is
to be seen, the forehead running up into a conical shape. Their figures are usually slight,
and their upper jaw mostly protrudes beyond the lower, thus giving a strange expression
to the countenance.
The men are dressed simply enough, their chief costume being a piece of bark- cloth,
or, in case the wearer should be of very high rank, the skin of a tiger-cat, with the tail
downwards. They have a way of adding to their natural heads of hair a sort of queue,
exactly like that of the British sailor in Nelson's days, making the queue partly out of
their own hair, and partly from tow and other fibres. It is plaited very firmly, and is
usually decorated with beads, cowries, and other ornaments. The beard is gathered into
two tufts, which are twisted like ropes, and kept in shape by abundant grease.
The King of the Fans, Ndiayai by name, was noted for his taste in dress. His queue
divided at the end into two points, each of which was terminated by brass rings, while a
number of white beads were worn at the top of his head. His entire body was painted
red, and was also covered with boldly-drawn tattoo marks. Eound his waist he had
twisted a small piece of bark-cloth, in front of which hung the tuft of leopard-skin that
designated his royal authority. The whole of the hair which was not gathered into the
queue was teased out into little ropelets, which stood well out from the head, and were
terminated by beads or small rings. His ankles were loaded with brass rings, which made
THE "CANNIBAL GENTLEMEN." 591
a great jingling as he walked, and his head was decorated with the red feathers of the
touraco. His teeth were filed to points, and painted black, and his body was hung with
quantities of charms and amulets.
The women wear even less costume than the men. Unmarried girls wear none at all,
and, even when married, a slight apron is all that they use. On their heads they generally
wear some ornament, and the wife of Ndiayai — who, as Du Chaillu remarks, was the
ugliest woman he had ever seen — had a cap covered with white shells, and had made
tattooing, with which her whole body was covered, take the place of clothing. She cer-
tainly wore a so-called dress, but it was only a little strip of red Fan-cloth, about four
inches wide. Two enormous copper rings were passed through the lobes of her ears,
which they dragged down in a very unsightly manner, and on her ankles were iron rings
of great weight. These were her most precious ornaments, iron being to the Fans even
more valuable than gold is among ourselves. Apparently from constant exposure, her
skin was rough like the bark of a tree.
Most of the married women wear a bark belt about four inches wide, which passes
over one shoulder and under the other. This is not meant as an article of dress, but
only a sort of cradle. The child is seated on this belt, so that its weight is principally
sustained by it, and it can be shifted about from side to side by merely changing the belt
from one arm to the other. The women are, as a rule, smaller in stature than the men,
and are not at all pretty, what pretence to beauty they may have being destroyed by
their abominable practice of painting their bodies red, and filing their teeth to sharp
points.
From the accounts of those who have mixed with them, the Fans present a strange
jumble of characters. They practise open and avowed cannibalism — a custom which is
as repulsive to civilized feelings as can well be imagined. They are fierce, warlike, and
ruthless in battle, fighting for the mere love of it, with their hand against every man.
Yet in private life they are hospitable, polite, and gentle, rather afraid of strangers, and
as mildly inquisitive as cats. Both Du Chaillu and Mr. Reade agree in these points,
and the latter has given a most amusing account of his introduction to a Fan village. He
had been previously challenged on the Gaboon River by a Fan, who forbade the boat to
pass, but, on being offered a brass rod per diem as a recompense for his services as guide,
" grinned horribly a ghastly smile," which showed his filed teeth, and agreed to conduct
the party to the next village. He kept his word like a man, and brought the boat to a
village, where our author made his first acquaintance with the tribe.
" I examined these people with the interest of a traveller ; they hailed me with the
enthusiasm of a mob. The chief's house, to which I had been conducted, was surrounded
by a crowd of cannibals, four deep ; and the slight modicum of light which native archi-
tecture permits to come in by the door was intercepted by heads and parrots' feathers.
At the same time, every man talked as if he had two voices.
" Oshupu obtained me a short respite by explaining to them that it was the habit of
the animal to come out to air himself, and to walk to and fro in the one street of the
village.
" Being already inured to this kind of thing, I went out at sunset and sat before the
door. Oshupu, squatting beside me, and playing on a musical instrument, gave the
proceeding the appearance of a theatrical entertainment.
" And this taught me how often an actor can return the open merriment of the house
with sly laughter in his sleeve. One seldom has the fortune to see anything so ludicrous
on the stage as the grotesque grimaces of a laughing audience. But oh, if Hogarth could
have seen my cannibals !
" Here stood two men with their hands upon each other's shoulders, staring at me in
mute wonder, their eyes like saucers, their mouths like open sepulchres. There an old
woman, in a stooping attitude, with her hands on her knees, like a cricketer ' fielding
out ; ' a man was dragging up his frightened wife to look at me, and a child cried bitterly
with averted eyes.
" After the Fans nad taken the edge off their curiosity, and had dispersed a little, I
rose to enjoy my evening promenade. All stared at me with increasing wonder. That a
592 THE FANS.
man should walk backwards and forwards with no fixed object is something which the
slothful negro cannot understand, and which possibly appears to him rather the action
of a beast than of a human being.
"It was not long before they contrived to conquer their timidity. I observed two or
three girls whispering together and looking at me. Presently I felt an inquisitive finger
laid on rny coat, and heard the sound of bare feet running away. I remained in the same
position. Then one bolder than the rest approached me, and spoke to me smiling. I
assumed as amiable an expression as Nature would permit, and touched my ears to show
that I did not understand. At this they had a great laugh, as if I had said something
good, and the two others began to draw near like cats. One girl took my hand between
hers, and stroked it timidly ; the others, raising towards me their beautiful black eyes, and
with smiles showing teeth which were not filed, and which were as white as snow, de-
manded permission to touch this hand, which seemed to them so strange. And then they
all felt my cheeks and my straight hair, and looked upon me as a tame prodigy sent
to them by the gods ; and all the while they chattered, the pretty things, as if I could
understand them.
" Now ensued a grand discussion ; first my skin was touched, and then my coat, and
the two were carefully compared. At length one of them happened to pull back my coat,
and on seeing my wrist they gave a cry, and clapped their hands unanimously. They had
been arguing whether my coat was of the same material as my skin, and an accident
had solved the mystery.
" I was soon encircled by women and children, who wished to touch my hands, and to
peep under my cuffs — a proceeding which I endured with exemplary patience. Nor did I
ever spend half an hour in a Fan village before these weaker vessels had forgotten that
they had cried with terror when they first saw me ; and before I also had forgotten that
these amicable Yaricos would stew me in palm-oil, and serve me up before their aged
sires, if so ordered, with as little reluctance as an English cook would crimp her cod, skin
her eels alive, or boil her lobsters into red agony."
The Fans are a fierce and warlike people, and by dint of arms have forced their way
into countries far distant from their own, wherever that may have been. No tribes have
been able to stand against them, and even the large and powerful Bakalai and Shekiaui
have had to yield up village after village to the invaders, so that in some parts all these
tribes are curiously intermingled ; and all these are at war with each other. The Fans,
however, are more than a match for the other two, even if they were to combine forces,
which their short-sighted jealousy will not permit them to do ; and by slow degrees the
Bakalai and Shekiani are wasting away, and the Fans taking their places. They have
even penetrated into the Mpongw4 country, so that they proceed steadily from the east
toward the sea-board.
The progress made by the Fans has been astonishingly rapid. Before 1 847 they were
only known traditionally to the sea-shore tribes as a race of warlike cannibals, a few
villages being found in the mountainous region from which the head waters of the
Gaboon River take their origin. Now they have passed westward until they are
within a few miles of the sea-coast and are now and then seen among the settlements
of the traders.
Every Fan becomes a warrior when he obtains the age of manhood, and goes syste-
matically armed with a truly formidable array of weapons. Their principal offensive
weapon is the huge war-knife, which is sometimes three feet in length, and seven inches
or so in width.
Several forms of these knives are shown in the illustration on page 593. The
general shape is much like that of the knives used in other parts of "Western Africa.
That on the right hand may almost be called a sword, so large and heavy is it. In using
it, the Fan warrior prefers the point to the edge, and keeps it sharpened for the express
purpose. .Another form of knife is seen in the central figure. This has no point, and
is used as a cutting instrument. That on the left hand is perhaps one of the most for-
midable of the three. It is used for delivering a blow on the enemy's shoulder, and it is
said to do tremendous execution. Many of them have also a smaller knife, which they
WAE WEAPONS.
593
use for cutting meat, and other domestic purposes, reserving the large knives entirely for
battle.
All these knives are kept very sharp, and are preserved in sheaths, such as are seen
in the illustration. The sheaths are mostly made of two flat pieces of wood, slightly
hollowed out, so as to receive the blade, and covered with hide of some sort Snake-skin
forms a favourite covering to the sheaths, and many of the sheaths are covered with human
skin, torn from the body of a slain enemy. The two halves of the sheath are bound
together by strips of raw hide, which hold them quite firmly in their places.
WAR-KNIVES.
Axes of different kinds are also employed by the Fans. One of these bears a singular
resemblance to the Neam-Nam war-knife, as seen in the right-hand figure on page 492,
and is used in exactly the same manner, namely, as a missile. Its head is flat and pointed,
and just above the handle is a sharp projection, much like that on the Neam-Nam knife.
When the Fan warrior flings this axe, he aims it at the head of the enemy, and has
a knack of hurling it so that its point strikes downwards, and thus inflicts a blow strong
enough to crush even the hard skull of a native African.
Then there is another axe, which may be seen below the shield shown on page 596.
The reader will not fail to notice the elaborate ornaments with which the blade is covered,
and which give evidence of the skill possessed by the native smith. It is rather a heavy
weapon, and is not used as a missile, but in hand-to-hand encounters.
_ Spears are also used, their shafts being about six or seven feet in length, and of some
thickness. They are used for thrusting, and not for throwing, and their heads are of
various shapes. There is a very good group of them in the museum of the Anthropo-
logical Society, exhibiting the chief forms of the heads. These spears, as well as the
shield which accompanies them, were brought to England by M. du Chaillu, to whom we
are indebted for most of our knowledge concerning this remarkable tribe.
Some of the spear-heads are quite plain and leaf-shaped, while others are formed in
rather a fantastical manner. One, for example, has several large and flat barbs set just
under the head, another has only a single pair of barbs, while a third looks much like the
sword-knife set iu the end of a shaft, and so converted into a spear.
VOL. I.
594 THE FANS.
All their weapons are kept in the best order, their owners being ever ready for a fray ;
and they are valued in proportion to the execution which they have done, the warriors
having an almost superstitious regard for a knife which has killed a man.
All their weapons are made by themselves, and the quality of the steel is really
surprising. They obtain their iron ore from the surface of the ground, where it lies about
plentifully in some localities. In order to smelt it, they cut a vast supply of wood and
build a large pile, laying on it a quantity of the ore broken into pieces. More wood is
then thrown on the top, and the whole is lighted. Fresh supplies of wood are continually
added, until the iron is fairly melted out of the ore. Of course, by this rough mode of
procedure, a considerable percentage of the metal is lost, but that is thought of very little
consequence.
The next business is to make the cast-iron malleable, which is done by a series of
beatings and hammerings, the result being a wonderfully well-tempered steel. For their
purposes, such steel is far preferable to that which is made in England ; and when a Fan
wishes to make a particularly good knife or spear-head, he would rather smelt and temper
iron for himself than use the best steel that Sheffield can produce.
The bellows which they employ are made on exactly the same principle as those which
have several times been mentioned. They are made of two short hollow cylinders, to the
upper end of which is tied a loose piece of soft hide. A wooden handle is fixed to each
skin. From the bottoms of the cylinders a wooden pipe is led, and the two pipes converge
in an iron tube. The end of this tube is placed in the fire, and the bellows-man, by
working the handles up and down alternately, drives a constant stream of air into
the fire.
Their anvils and hammers are equally simple ; and yet, with such rude materials, they
contrive, by dint of patient working, to turn out admirable specimens of blacksmith's
work. All their best weapons are decorated with intricate patterns engraven on the blades,
and, as time is no object to them, they will spend many months on the figuring and
finishing of a single axe-blade. The patterns are made by means of a small chisel and
a hammer. Some of their ruder knives are not intended as weapons of war, but merely as
instruments by which they can cut down the trees and brushwood that are in the way
when they want to clear a spot for agriculture. It will now be seen why iron is so
valuable a commodity among the Fans, and why a couple of heavy anklets made of this
precious metal should be so valued by the women.
There is one very singular weapon among the Fans. Perhaps there is no part of the
world where we could less expect to find the crossbow than among a cannibal tribe at
the head of the Gaboon. Yet there the crossbow is regularly used as an engine of war,
and a most formidable weapon it is, giving its possessors a terrible advantage over their
foes. One of these bows is shown in the illustration on page 595. It was brought from
the Fan country by M. du Chaillu, and is now in the collection of Colonel Lane Fox. The
ingenuity exhibited in the manufacture of this weapon is very great, and the careful
observer cannot but wonder at the odd mixture of cleverness and stupidity which its
structure shows.
The bow is very strong, and when the warrior wishes to bend it he seats himself on
the ground, puts his foot against the bow, and so has both hands at liberty, by which he
can haul the cord into the notch which holds it until it is released by the trigger. The
shaft is about five feet long, and, as may be seen from the illustration, is split for a con-
siderable portion of its length. The little stick which is thrust between the split portions
constitutes the trigger, and the method of using it is as follows : —
Just below the notch which holds the string is a round hole through which passes a
short peg. The other end of the peg, which is made of very hard wood, is fixed into
the lower half of the split shaft, and plays freely through the hole. When the two halves
of the shaft are separated by the trigger, the peg is pulled through the hole, and allows
the cord to rest in the notch. But as soon as the trigger is removed the two halves close
together, and the peg is thus driven up through the hole, knocking the cord out of the
notch. I have in my collection a Chinese crossbow, the string of which is released on
exactly the same principle.
THE FAN CROSSBOW.
595
Of course, an accurate aim is out of the question, for the trigger-peg is held so tightly
between the two halves of the shaft that it cannot be pulled out without so great an effort
that any aim must be effectually deranged.
But in the use of this weapon aim is of very little consequence, as the bow is only
used at very short ranges, fifteen yards being about the longest distance at which a Fan
CROSSBOW.
cares to expend an arrow. The arrows themselves are not calculated for long ranges,
as they are merely little strips of wood a foot or so in length, and about the sixth
of an inch in diameter. They owe their terrors, not to
their sharpness, nor to the velocity with which they are
impelled, but to the poison with which their tips are
imbued. Indeed, they are so extremely light that they
cannot be merely laid on the groove of the shaft, lest
they should be blown away by the wind. They are
therefore fastened in their place with a little piece of
gum, of which the archer always takes care to have a
supply at hand. Owing to their diminutive size, they
cannot be seen until their force is expended, and to this
circumstance they owe much of their power. They
have no feathers, neither does any particular care seem
to be taken about their tips, which, although pointed,
are not nearly as sharp as those of the tiny arrows used
by the Dyaks of Borneo or the Macoushies of the
Essequibo.
A quiver full of these arrows is shown in the accom-
panying illustration. It is made of hide with the hair
on it, and is nearly flat, being yet quite large enough to
hold a considerable number of the arrows. One of these
weapons is seen by the side of the quiver, and affords a
good idea of the insignificant appearance of these for-
midable little darts. The poison with which their points
are imbued is procured from the juice of some plant at
present unknown, and two or three coatings are given
before the weapon is considered to be sufficiently envenomed. The Fans appear to be
unacquainted with any antidote for the poison, or, if they do know of any, they keep it a
profound secret. The reader may remember a parallel instance among the Bosjesmans,
with regard to the antidote for the poison-grub.
Besides these arrows, they use others about two feet in length, with iron heads, when-
ever they go in search of large game ; but in warfare, the little arrow is quite strong
QQ2
QUIVER AND ARROWS.
596
THE FANS.
SHIELDS AND WAR-AXE.
enough to penetrate the skin of a human being, and is therefore used in preference to the
larger and more cumbrous dart.
The only defensive weapon is the shield, which is made from the hide of the elephant.
It varies slightly in shape, but is generally oblong, and is about three feet long by two
and a half wide, so that it covers all the vital parts of the body. The piece of hide used
for the shield is cut from the shoulders of the elephant, where, as is the case with the
pachyderms in general, the skin is thickest and strongest. No spear can penetrate this
shield, the axe cannot hew its way
through it, the missile knife barely
indents it, and the crossbow arrows
rebound harmlessly from its surface.
Even a bullet will glance off if it
should strike obliquely on the shield.
Such a shield is exceedingly valuable,
because the skin of an elephant will
not afford material for more than
one or two shields, and elephant-
killing is a task that needs much
time, patience, courage, and ingenuity.
Moreover, the elephant must be an
old one, and, as the old elephants are
proverbially fierce and cunning, the
danger of hunting them is veiy great.
The shields (marked 1 and 2) in the
illustration are taken from the col-
lection of Colonel Lane Fox, as is
the hatchet which is seen below
them.
Like other savages, the Fan has
no idea of "sport." He is necessarily
a "pot-hunter," and thinks it the most foolish thing in the world to give the game a fair
chance of escape. When he goes to hunt, he intends to kill the animal, and cares not
in the least as to the means which he uses. The manner of elephant-hunting is ex-
ceedingly ingenious.
As soon as they find an elephant feeding, the Fans choose a spot at a little distance where
the monkey-vines and other creepers dangle most luxuriantly from the boughs. Quietly
detaching them, they interweave them among the tree-trunks, so as to make a strong, net-
like barrier, which is elastic enough to yield to the rush of an elephant, and strong enough
to detain and entangle him. Moreover, the Fans know well that the elephant dreads
anything that looks like a fence, and, as has been well said, may be kept prisoner in an
enclosure which would not detain a calf.
When the barrier is completed, the Fans, armed with their spears, surround the
elephant, and by shouts and cries drive him in the direction of the barrier. As soon as
he strikes against it, he is rilled with terror, and instead of exerting his gigantic strength,
and breaking through the obstacle, he struggles in vague terror, while his enemies crowd
round him, inflicting wound after wound with their broad-bladed spears. In vain does
he strike at the twisted vines, or endeavour to pull them down with his trunk, and equally
in vain he endeavours to trample them under foot. The elastic ropes yield to his efforts,
and in the meanwhile the fatal missiles are poured on him from every side. Some of the
hunters crawl through the brush, and wound him from below ; others climb up trees,
and hurl spears from among the boughs ; while the bolder attack him openly, running
away if he makes a charge, and returning as soon as he pauses, clustering round him like
flies round a carcase.
This mode of chase is not without its dangers, men being frequently killed by the
elephant, which charges unexpectedly, knock them down with a blow of the trunk, and
then tramples them under foot. Sometimes an unfortunate hunter, when charged by the
COOKERY. 597
animal, loses his presence of mind, runs towards the vine barrier, and is caught in the
very meshes which he helped to weave. Tree-climbing is the usual resource of a chased
hunter; and, as the Fans can run up trees almost as easily as monkeys, they find them-
selves safer among the branches than they would be if they merely tried to dodge the
animal round the tree-trunks.
The Fans also use an elephant-trap which is identical in principle with that which is
used in killing the hippopotamus, — namely, a weighted spear hung to a branch unde.t
which the elephant must pass, and detached by a string tied to a trigger. The natives-
are assisted in their elephant-hunting expeditions by the character of the animal. Suspi-
cious and crafty as is the elephant, it has a strong disinclination to leave a spot where
it finds the food which it likes best ; and in consequence of this peculiarity, whenever an
elephant is discovered, the Fans feel sure that it will remain in the same place for several
days, and take their measures accordingly.
When they have killed an elephant, they utilize nearly the whole of the enormous
carcase, taking out the tusks for sale, using the skin of the back for shields, and eating
the whole of the flesh. To European palates the flesh of the elephant is distasteful,
partly on account of its peculiar flavour, and partly because the cookery of the native
African is not of the best character. M. du Chaillu speaks of it in very contemptuous
terms. " The elephant meat, of which the Fans seem to be very fond, and which they
have been cooking and smoking for three days, is the toughest and most disagreeable
meat I ever tasted. I cannot explain its taste, because we have no flesh which tastes
like it, but it seems full of muscular fibre or gristle ; and when it has been boiled for two .
days, twelve hours each day, it is still tough. The flavour is not unpleasant ; but,
although I had tried at different times to accustom myself to it, I found only that my
disgust grew greater."
Whether elephant-meat is governed by the same culinary laws as ox-meat remains to
be seen ; but, if such be the case, the cook who boiled the meat for twenty-four hours
seems to have ingeniously hit upon a plan that would make the best beef tough, stringy,
tasteless, and almost uneatable. Had it been gently simmered for six hours, the result
might have been different ; but to boil meat for twenty-four hours by way of making it
tender is as absurd as boiling an egg for the same period by way of making it soft.
As to their diet in general, the Fans do not deserve a very high culinary rank. They
have plenty of material, and very slight notions of using it. The manioc affords them
a large portion of their vegetable food, and is particularly valuable on account of the
ease with which it is cultivated, a portion of the stem carelessly placed in the ground
producing in a single season two or three large roots. The leaves are also boiled and
eaten. Pumpkins of different kinds are largely cultivated, and even the seeds are
rendered edible. M. du Chaillu says that during the pumpkin season the villages seem
covered with the seeds, which are spread out to dry, and, when dried, they are packed in
leaves and hung in the smoke over the fireplace, in order to keep off the attacks of an
insect which injures them.
When they are to be eaten, they are first boiled, and then the skin is removed. The
seeds are next placed in a mortar together with a little sweet oil, and are pounded into a
soft, pulpy mass, which is finally cooked over the fire, either in an earthen pot or in a
plantain leaf. This is a very palatable sort of food, and some persons prefer it to the
pumpkin itself.
The mortars are not in the least like those of Europe, being long narrow troughs, two
feet in length, two or three inches deep, and seven or eight wide. Each family has one
or two of these small implements, but there are always some enormous mortars for the
common use of the village, which are employed in pounding manioc. When the seed
is pounded into a paste, it is formed into cakes, and can be kept for some little time.
The cooking pots are made of clay, and formed with wonderful accuracy, seeing that
the Fans have no idea of the potter's wheel, even in its simplest forms. Their cooking-
pots are round and flat, and are shaped something like milk-pans. They also make clay
water-bottles of quite a classical shape, and vessels for palm-wine are made from the
same material. These wine -jars are shaped much bike the amphorae of the ancients.
598 THE FANS.
The clay is moulded by hand, dried thoroughly in the sun, and then baked in a fire.
The exterior is adorned with patterns much like those on the knives and axes.
The Fans also make the bowls of their pipes of the same clay, but always form the-
stems of wood. The richer among them make their pipes entirely of iron, and prefer
them, in spite of their weight and apparent inconvenience, to any others. They also
make very ingenious water-bottles out of reeds, and, in order to render them water-tight,
plaster them within and without with a vegetable gum. This gum is first softened in
the fire, and laid on the vessel like pitch. It has a very unpleasant flavour until it is
quite seasoned, and is therefore kept under water for several weeks before it is used.
Like some other savage tribes, the Fans have a craving for meat, which sometimes
becomes so powerful as to deserve the name of a disease. The elephant affords enough
meat to quell this disease for a considerable time, and therefore they have a great liking
for the flesh of this animal. But the great luxury of a Fan is the flesh of a sheep, an
animal which they can scarcely ever procure. Mr. W. Reade, in his " Savage Africa,"
gives a most amusing description of the sensation produced among his Fan boatmen : —
" Before I left the village I engaged another man, which gave me a crew of eight. 1
also purchased a smooth-skinned sheep, and upon this poor animal, as it lay shackled in
our prow, many a hungry eye was cast. When it bleated the whole crew burst into one
loud carnivorous grin. Bushmen can sometimes enjoy a joint of stringy venison, a clit
off a smoked elephant, a boiled monkey, or a grilled snake ; but a sheep — a real domestic
sheep ! — an animal which had long been looked upon as the pride of their village, the
eyesore of their poorer neighbours — which they had been in the habit of calling
' brother,' and upon whom they had lavished all the privileges of a fellow-citizen !
" That fate should have sent the white and wealthy offspring of the sea to place this
delicacy within their reach was something too strong and sudden for their feeble minds.
They were unsettled; they could not paddle properly ; their souls (which are certainly in
their stomachs, wherever ours may be) were restless and quivering towards that sheep, as
(I have to invent metaphors) the needle ere it rests upon its star.
" When one travels in the company of cannibals, it is bad policy to let them become
too hungry. At mid-day I gave orders that the sheep should be killed. There was a
yell of triumph, a broad knife steeped in blood, a long struggle ; then three fires blazed
forth, three clay pots were placed thereon, and filled with the bleeding limbs of the
deceased. On an occasion like this, the negro is endowed for a few moments with the
energy and promptitude of the European.
" Nor would I complain of needless delay in its preparation for the table — which was
red clay covered with grass. The mutton, having been slightly warmed, was rapidly
devoured.
" After this they wished to recline among the fragments of the feast, and enjoy a
sweet digestive repose. But then the white man arose, and exercised that power with
which the lower animals are quelled. His look and his tone drew them to their work,
though they did not understand his words."
CHAPTER LII.
i
THE FANS— (concluded).
CANNIBALISM AND ITS DEVELOPMENT AMONG THE FANS NATIVE IDEAS ON THE SUBJECT — EXCHANGE
OF BODIES BETWEEN VILLAGES ATTACK ON A TOWN AND BOBBERY OF THE GRAVES — MATRI-
MONIAL CUSTOMS BARGAINING FOR A WIFE COPPER " NEPTUNES " THE MARRIAGE FKAST
RELIGION OF THE FANS —THE IDOL-HOUSES LOVE OF AMULETS — DANCE IN HONOUR OF THE FULL
MOON — PLAYING THE HANDJA ELEPHANTS CAUGHT BY THE FETISH PROBABLE CHARACTER OF
THE "FETISH" IN QUESTION — THE GORILLA AND ITS HABITS — A GORILLA HUNT BY THE FANS —
USE OF THE SKULL.
THE preceding story naturally brings us to the chief characteristic of the Fans, — namely
their cannibalism.
Some tribes where this custom is practised are rather ashamed of it, and can only be
induced to acknowledge it by cautious cross-questioning. The Fans, however, are not in
the least ashamed of it, and will talk of it with perfect freedom — at least until they see
that their interlocutor is shocked by their confession. Probably on this account mis-
sionaries have found some difficulty in extracting information on the subject. Their
informants acknowledged that human flesh was eaten by their tribe, but not in their
village. Then, as soon as they had arrived at the village in which cannibalism was said
to exist, the inhabitants said that the travellers had been misinformed. Certainly their
tribe did eat human flesh, but no one in their village did so. But, if they wanted to see
cannibalism, they must go back to the village from which they had just come, and there
they would find it in full force.
Knowing this peculiarity, Mr. W. Reade took care to ask no questions on the subject
until he had passed through all the places previously visited by white men, and then
questioned an old and very polite cannibal. His answer were plain enough. Of course
they all ate men. He ate men himself. Man's flesh was very good, and was " like
monkey, all fat." He mostly ate prisoners of war, but some of his friends ate the bodies
of executed wizards, a food of which he was rather afraid, thinking that it might disagree
with him.
He would not allow that he ate his own relations when they died, although such a
statement is made, and has not as yet been disproved. Some travellers say that the Fans
do not eat people of their own village, but live on terms oi barter \vith neighbouring
villages, amicably exchanging their dead for culinary purposes. The Oshebas, another
cannibal tribe of the same country, keep up friendly relations with the Fans, and
exchange the bodies of the dead with them. The bodies of slaves are also sold for the
pot, and are tolerably cheap, a dead slave costing, on the average, one small elephant's
tusk.
The friendly Fan above mentioned held, in common with many of his dark country-
men, the belief that all white men were cannibals. " These," said a Bakalai slave, on
first beholding a white man, " are the men that eat us ! " So he asked Mr. Reade why
coo
THE FANS.
white men
. trouble tj,
obliged to do s
answer the worthy canmbal was Cecily
satisfied.
among the Fans a strange and wild incident had
M nS thit the FanS have been for some years pushing
Say "eSard, ±ing part of the vast stream of humau hie that eonunually pours
ATTACK. ON A Ml'OXGVVE VILLAGE.
over the great mountain wall that divides Central Africa
passing through various districts, and conquering their / p r
village of the Mpongw^, and, according to their wont, attacked it. The Mpon
utterly incapable of resisting these warlike and ferocious invaders, and soon .
their homes, leaving them in the hands of the enemy.
The Fans at once en^a^ed in their favourite pastime of plunder, robbing every 1
tha ^thevcould find ancl when they had cleared all the houses, invading the burial-
^Lt^K^the bodies o? the chiefs for the sake of the ornaments, weapons,
and tools which are buried with them.
They had filled two canoes with their stolen treasures when they came
containing a newly-buried body. This they at once ^^^^^^^ ^ery
venient spot under some mangrove-trees, lighted a fire, and cooked the body i
pots which they had found in the same grave with it. The reader vvill .^ ember that
the Mpongw^ tribe bury with the bodies of their principal men the a ^ icl
possessed in life, and that a chief's grave is therefore a perfect treasuie-ho.
MATRIMONIAL CUSTOMS.
601
All bodies, however, are not devoured, those of the kings and great chiefs being
buried together with their best apparel and most valuable ornaments.
The matrimonial customs of the Fans deserve a brief notice.
The reader may remember that, as a general rule, the native African race is not a
prolific one — at all events in its own land, though, when imported to other countries as
slaves, the Africans have large families. Children are greatly desired by the native tribes
because they add to the dignity of the parent, and the lack of children is one of the
reasons why polygamy is so" universally practised ; and, as a rule, a man has more wives
BARGAINING FOR A WIFE.
than children. Yet the Fans offered a remarkable exception to this rule, probably on
account of the fact that they do not marry until their wives have fairly arrived at
woman's estate. They certainly betroth their female children at a very early age, often
as soon as they are born, but the actual marriage does not take place until the child has
become a woman, and in the meantime the betrothed girl remains with her parents,
and is not allowed that unrestricted licence which prevails among so many of the
African tribes.
This early betrothal is a necessity, as the price demanded for a wife is a very heavy
one, and a man has to work for a long time before he can gather sufficient property for the
purchase. Now that the Fans have forced themselves into the trading parts of the
country, " traders' goods " are the only articles that the father will accept in return for
his daughter ; and, as those goods are only to be bought with ivory, the Fan bridegroom
has to kill a great number of elephants before he can claim his wife.
Bargaining for a wife is often a very amusing scene, especially if the father has been
sufficiently sure of his daughter's beauty to refrain from betrothing her as a child, and to
C02 THE FANS.
put her up, as it were, to auction when she is nearly old enough to be married. The
dusky suitor dresses himself in his best apparel, and waits on the father, in order to open
the negotiation.
His business is, of course, to depreciate the beauty of the girl, to represent that,
although she may be very pretty as a child of eleven or twelve, she will have fallen off
in her good looks when she is a mature woman of fourteen or fifteen. The father, on the
contrary, extols the value of his daughter, speaks slightingly of the suitor as a man quite
beneath his notice, and forthwith sets a price on her that the richest warrior could not
hope to pay. Copper and brass pans, technically called " neptunes," are the chief articles
of barter among the Fans, who, however, do not use them for cooking, preferring for this
purpose their own clay pots, but merely for a convenient mode of carrying a certain
weight of precious metal. Anklets and armlets of copper are also much valued, and
so are white beads, while of late years the abominable " trade-guns " have become
indispensable.
At last, after multitudinous arguments on both sides, the affair is settled, and the
price of the girl agreed upon. Part is generally paid at the time by way of earnest, and
the bridegroom promises to pay the remainder when he comes for his wife.
As soon as the day of the wedding is fixed, the bridegroom and his friends begin to
make preparations for the grand feast with which they are expected to entertain a vast
number of guests. Some of them go off and busy themselves in hunting elephants,
smoking and drying the flesh, and preserving the tusks for sale. Others prepare large
quantities of manioc bread and plantains, while others find a congenial occupation in
brewing great quantities of palm-wine. Hunters are also engaged for the purpose of
keeping up the supply of meat.
When the day is fixed, all the inhabitants of the village assemble, and the bride i»
handed over to her husband, who has already paid her price.
Both are, of course, dressed in their very best. The bride wears, as is the custom
among unmarried females, nothing but red paint and as many ornaments as she can
manage to procure. Her hair is decorated with great quantities of white beads, and her
wrists and ankles are hidden under a profusion of brass and copper rings. The bride-
groom oils his body until his skin shines like a mirror, blackens and polishes his well-filed
teeth, adorns his head with a tuft of brightly-coloured feathers, and ties round his waist
the handsomest skin which he possesses.
A scene of unrestrained jollity then commences. The guests, sometimes several
hundred in number, keep up the feast for three or four days in succession, eating elephants'
flesh, drinking palm-wine, and dancing, until the powers of nature are quite exhausted,
and then sleeping for an hour or two with the happy facility that distinguishes the native
African. Awaking from their brief slumber, they begin the feast afresh, and after the
first few hours scarely one of the guests is sober, or indeed is expected to be so. At
last, however, all the wine is drunk, and then the guests return to an involuntary state of
sobriety.
We now come to the religion and superstitions of the Fan tribe. As far as they have
any real worship they are idolaters.
Each village has a huge idol, specially dedicated to the service of the family or clan of
which the inhabitants of the village are composed, and at certain times the whole family
assemble together at the idol-house or temple, and then go through their acts of worship,
which consist chiefly of dancing and singing. Around each of the temples are placed a
number of skulls of wild animals, among which the gorilla takes the most conspicuous
place. Such spots are thought very sacred, and no one would venture to remove any of
the skulls, such an act of desecration being thought a capital offence.
Like many other savage tribes, they are very careless of human life, and have many
capital offences, of which witchcraft is the most common. It may seem strange that
people who habitually eat the bodies of their fellow-men should have any superstitious
feelings whatever, but among the Fans the dread of sorcery is nearly as great as among
some of the tribes which have been already mentioned.
Witchcraft, however, is not always punished with death, the offender being sometimes
NEW MOON CEREMONY. 603
sold into slavery, the " emigrant " ships having of late years received many Fans on board.
It will be seen that the Fans always utilize their criminals. Those who are condemned
for theft, or other ordinary crime, are executed, and their bodies eaten. But the wizards
are supposed to possess some charms which would make their bodies as injurious after
death as the culprits had been during life, and so they sell the criminal for " traders'
goods."
No Fan ever dreams of going without a whole host of amulets, each of which is
supposed to protect him from some special danger. The most valuable is one which is
intended to guard the wearer in battle, and this is to be found on the person of every
Fan warrior who can afford it. It is very simple, being nothing but an iron chain with
links an inch and a half long by an inch in width. This is hung over the left shoulder
and under the right arm, and is thought to be very efficacious. Perhaps such a chain may
at some time or other have turned the edge of a weapon, and, in consequence, the illogical
natives have thought that the iron chains were effectual preservatives in war.
Next in value comes a small bag, which is hung round the neck, and which is a con-
spicuous ornament among the men. This is also a battle fetish, and is made of the skin
of some rare animal. It contains bits of dried skin, feathers of scarce birds, the dried tips
of monkeys' tails, the dried intestines of certain animals, shells, and bits of bone. Each
article must have been taken from some rare animal, and have been specially consecrated
by the medicine-man. The warriors are often so covered with these and similar fetishes
that they rattle at every step, much to the gratification of the wearer, and even the
children are positively laden with fetish ornaments.
The reader will remember that throughout the whole of the tribes which have been
described runs a custom of celebrating some kind of religious ceremony when the new
moon is first seen. This custom is to be also found among the Fans, and has been
graphically described by Mr. W. Reade : —
" The full moon began to rise. Wheu she was high in the heavens, I had the fortune
to witness a religious dance in her honour. There were two musicians, one of whom had
an instrument called handja, constructed on the principle of an harmonicon ; a piece of
hard wood being beaten with sticks, and the notes issuing from calabashes of different
sizes fastened below.
" This instrument is found everywhere in Western Africa. It is called Balonda in
Senegambia ; Marimba in Angola. It is also described by Froebel as being used by the
Indians of Central America, where, which is still more curious, it is known by the same
name — Marimba. The other was a drum which stood upon a pedestal, its skin made from
an elephant's ear. The dull thud of this drum, beaten with the hands, and the harsh
rattle of the handja, summoned the dancers.
" They came singing in procession from the forest. Their dance was uncouth ; their
song a solemn tuneless chant ; they revolved in a circle, clasping their hands as we do in
prayer, with their eyes fixed always on the moon, and sometimes their arms flung wildly
towards her.
"The youth who played the drum assumed a glorious attitude. As I looked upon
him — his head thrown back, his eyes upturned, his fantastic head-dress, his naked, finely-
moulded form — I saw beauty in the savage for the first time.
" The measure changed, and two women, covered with green leaves and the skins of
wild beasts, danced in the midst, where they executed a pas-de-deux which would have
made a premiere danscuse despair. They accompanied their intricate steps with miraculous
contortions of the body, and obtained small presents of white beads from the spectators.
" It has always appeared to rue a special ordinance of Nature that women, who are
so easily fatigued by the ascent of a flight of stairs, or by a walk to church, should be
able to dance for any length of time ; but never did 1 see female endurance equal this.
Never did I spend a worse night's rest. All night long those dreary deafening sounds
drove sleep away, and the next morning these two infatuated women were still to be seen
within a small but select circle of ' constant admirers/ writhing their sinuous (and now
somewhat odorous) forms with unabated ardour."
The form of marimba or handja which is used among the Fans has mostly seven
604 TUE F
notes and the gourds have each a hole in them covered with a piece of spider's web, as
haaaCdb^n narrated of the Central African drums. The Fan handja is fastened to
DANCE IN HONOUR OF THE NEW MOON.
rame
• and when the performer intends to play the instrument, he sits down, places
BO that the handja is suspended between them, and then beats on
ELEPHANT-CHARMING. 605
the keys with two short sticks. One of these sticks is made of hard wood, but the end
of the other is covered with some soft material so as to deaden the sound. The Fans have
really some ear for music, and possess some pretty though rudely-constructed airs.
Of course the Fans have drums. The favourite form seems rather awkward to
Europeans. It consists of a wooden and slightly conical cylinder, some four feet in
length and only ten inches in diameter at the wider end, the other measuring barely seven
inches. A skin is stretched tightly over the large end, and when the performer plays on
it, he stands with bent knees, holding the drum between them, and beats furiously on the
head with two wooden sticks.
To return to the Fan belief in charms.
It has already been mentioned that the Fans mostly hunt the elephant by driving it
against a barrier artificially formed of vines, and killing it as it struggles to escape from
the tangled and twisted creepers. They have also another and most ingenious plan,
which, however, scarcely seems to be their own invention, but to be partly borrowed from
the tribes through which they have passed in their progress westward. This plan is
called the Nghal, that being the name of the enclosure into which the animals are enticed.
While Mr. JReade was in the country of the Mpongwe tribe, into which, it will be remem-
bered, the Fans had forced their way, the hunters found out that three elephants frequented
a certain portion of the forest. Honourably paying the Mpongwe for permission to hunt
in their grounds, they set out and built round an open patch of ground an enclosure,
slightly made, composed of posts and railings. Round the nghal were the huts of the
Fan hunters. When Mr. Reade arrived there, he was told that the three elephants were
within the nghal, sleeping under a tree ; and sure enough there they were, one of them being
a fine old male with a large pair of tusks. If he had chosen he could have walked
through the fence without taking the trouble to alter his pace, but here he was, together
with his companions, without the slightest idea of escaping. So certain were the hunters
that their mighty prey was safe, that they did not even take the trouble to close the
openings through which the animals had entered the nghal. They were in no hurry to
kill the elephants. They liked to look at them as they moved about in the nghal,
apparently unconscious of the continual hubbub around them, and certainly undisturbed
by it. The elephants were to remain there until the new moon, which -would rise in a
fortnight, and then they would be killed in its honour.
On inquiring, it was found that the enclosure was not built round the elephants, as
might have been supposed. No. It was built at some distance from the spot where the
elephants were feeding. " The medicine men made fetish for them to come in. They
came in. The medicine men made fetish for them to remain. And they remained.
When they were being killed, fetish would be made that they might not be angry. In a
fortnight's time the new moon would appear, and the elephants would then be killed.
Before that time all the shrubs and light grass would be cut down, the fence would be
strengthened, and interlaced with boughs. The elephants would be killed with spears,
crossbows, and guns."
The natives, however, would not allow their white visitor to enter the nghal, as he
wished to do, and refused all his bribes of beads and other articles precious to the soul of
the Fan. They feared lest the presence of a white man might break the fetish, and the
sight of a white face might frighten the elephants so much as to make them disregard all
the charms that had been laid upon them, and rush in their terror against the fragile
barrier which held them prisoners.
As to the method by which the elephants were induced to enter the enclosure, no
other answer was made than that which had already been given. In India the enclosure
is a vast and complicated trap, with an opening a mile or so in width, into which the
elephants are driven gradually, and which is closed behind them as they advance into
smaller and smaller prisons. In Africa all that was done was to build an enclosure, to
leave an opening just large enough to admit an elephant, to make fetish for the elephants,
and in they came.
The whole thing is a mystery. Mr. Reade, who frankly confesses that if he had not
with his own eyes seen the nghal and its still open door he would have refused to
606 THE FANS.
believe the whole story, is of opinion that the "fetish" in question is threefold. He
suggests that the first fetish was a preparation of some plant for which the elephants
have the same mania that cats have for valerian and pigeons for salt, and thinks that they
may have been enticed into the nghal by means of this herb. Then, after they had been
induced to enter the enclosure, that they were kept from approaching the fence by means of
drugs distasteful to them, and that the " fetish " which prevented them from being angry
when killed was simply a sort of opiate thrown to them. The well-known fastidiousness
of the elephant may induce some "readers to think that this last suggestion is rather
improbable. But it is also known that, in some parts of Africa, elephants are usually
drugged by poisoned food, and that the Indian domesticated elephant will do almost
anything for sweetmeats in which the intoxicating hemp forms an ingredient.
That the elephants are prevented from approaching the fence by means of a distasteful
preparation seems likely from a piece of fetishism that Mr. Reade witnessed. At a certain
time of the day the medicine man made his round of the fence, singing in a melancholy
voice, and dabbing the posts and rails with a dark brown liquid. This was acknow-
ledged to be the fetish by which the elephants were induced to remain within the enclosure,
and it is very probable that it possessed some odour which disgusted the keen-scented
animals, and kept them away from its influence.
Mr. Reade also suggests that this method of catching elephants may be a relic of the
days when African elephants were taken alive and trained to the service of man, as
they are now in India and Ceylon. That the knowledge of elephant-training has been lost
is no wonder, considering the internecine feuds which prevail among the tribes of Africa,
and prevent them from developing the arts of peace. But that they were so caught and
trained, even in the old classical days, is well known ; and from all accounts the elephants
of Africa were not one whit inferior to their Indian relatives in sagacity or docility.
Yet there is now no part of Africa in which the natives seem to have the least idea
that such monstrous animals could be subjected to the sway of man, and even in
Abyssinia the sight of elephants acting as beasts of burden and traction filled the natives
with half incredulous awe.
When the Fans have succeeded in killing an elephant, they proceed to go through a
curious ceremony, which has somewhat of a religious character about it. No meat is
touched until these rites have been completed.
The whole hunting party assembles round the fallen elephant, and dances round its
body. The medicine man then comes and cuts off a piece of meat from one of the hind
legs and places it in a basket, there being as many baskets as slain 'elephants. The meat
is then cooked under the superintendence of the medicine man and the party who killed
the elephant, and it is then carried off into the woods and offered to the idol. Of course
the idol is supposed to eat it, and the chances are that he does so through the medium of
his representative, the medicine man. Before the baskets are taken into the woods, the
hunters dance about them as they had danced round the elephant, and beseech the idol to
be liberal towards them, and give them plenty of elephants so that they may be able to
give him plenty of meat.
The spirits being thus propitiated, the flesh is stripped off the bones of the elephant,
sliced, and hung upon branches, and smoked until it is dry, when it can be kept for a
considerable time.
The reader may remember that one of the principal ornaments of the idol temple is
the skull of the gorilla, and the same object is used by several of the tribes for a similar
purpose. The fact is, all the natives of those districts in which the gorilla still survive
are horribly afraid of the animal, and feel for it that profound respect which, in the savage
mind, is the result of fear, and fear only. A savage never respects anything that he does
not fear, and the very profound respect which so many tribes, even the fierce, warlike, and
well-armed Fans, have for the gorilla, show that it is really an animal which is to be
dreaded.
There has been so much controversy about the gorilla, and the history of this gigantic
ape is so inextricably interwoven with this part of South Africa, that the present work
would be imperfect without a brief notice of it.
THE GORILLA AND ITS HABITS. 607
Tn the above-mentioned controversy, two opposite views were taken — one, that the
gorilla was the acknowledged king of the forest, supplanting all other wild animals, and
even attacking and driving away the elephant itself. Of man it had no dread, lying in
wait for him and attacking him whenever it saw a chance, and being a terrible anta-
gonist even in fair fight, the duel between man and beast being a combat a I'outrance, in
which one or the other must perish.
Those who took the opposite view denounced all these stories as " old wives' fables,
only fit to be relegated to your grandmother's bookshelves," — I quote the exact words —
and saying that the gorilla, being an ape, was necessarily a timid and retiring animal,
afraid of man, and running away when it saw him. It is hardly necessary to mention
that M. du Chaillu is responsible for many of the statements contained in the former of
these theories — several, however, being confessedly gathered from hearsay, and that several
others were prevalent throughout Europe long before Du Chaillu published his well-
known work.
The truth seems to lie between these statements, and it is tolerably evident that the
gorilla is a fierce and savage beast when attacked, but that it will not go out of its way
to attack a man, and indeed will always avoid him if it can. That it is capable of being
a fierce and determined enemy is evident from the fact that one of Mr. W. Eeade's guides,
the hunter Etia, had his left hand crippled by the bite of a gorilla; and Mr. Wilson
mentions that he has seen a man who had lost nearly the whole calf of one leg in a
similar manner, and who said that he was in a fair way of being torn in pieces if he had
not been rescued by his companions. Formidable as are the terrible jaws and teeth of
the gorilla when it succeeds in seizing a man, its charge is not nearly so much to be feared
as that of the leopard, as it is made rather leisurely, and permits the agile native to spring
aside and avoid it.
On account of the structure common to all the monkey tribe, the gorilla habitually
walks on all-fours, and is utterly incapable of standing upright like a man. It can
assume a partially erect attitude, but with bent knees, stooping body, and incurved feet,
and is not nearly so firmly set on its legs as is a dancing bear. Even while it stands on
its feet, the heavy body is so ill supported on the feeble legs that the animal is obliged to
balance itself by swaying its large arms in the air, just as a rope-dancer balances himself
with his pole.
In consequence of the formation of the limbs, the tracks which it leaves are very
curious, the long and powerful arms being used as crutches, and the short feeble hind
legs swung between them. It seems that each party or family of gorillas is governed by
an old male, who rules them just as the bull rules its mates and children.
The natives say that the gorilla not only walks, but charges upon all-fours, though it
will raise itself on its hind legs in order to survey its foes. Etia once enacted for Mr.
W. Reade the scene in which he had received the wound that crippled his hand.
Directing Mr. Reade to hold a gun as if about to shoot, he rushed forward on all-fours,
seized the left wrist with one of his hands, dragged it to his mouth, made believe to bite
it, and then made off on all-fours as he had charged. And, from the remarkable intelli-
gence which this hideous but polite hunter had shown in imitating other animals, it was
evident that his story was a true one.
As to the houses which the gorilla is said to build, there is some truth in the story.
Houses they can scarcely be called, inasmuch as they have no sides, and in their con-
struction the gorilla displays an architectural power far inferior to that of many animals.
The lodge of the beaver is a palace compared with the dwelling of the gorilla. Many of
the deserted residences may be found in the forests which the gorilla inhabits, and look
much like herons' nests on a rather large scale. They consist simply of sticks torn from
the trees and laid on the spreading part of a horizontal branch, so as to make a rude plat-
form. This nest, if we may so call it, is occupied by the female, and in process of time
is shared by her offspring. The males sleep in a large tree.
Shy and retiring in its habits, the gorilla retreats from the habitations of man, and
loves to lurk in the gloomiest recesses of the forest, where it finds its favourite food, and
where it is free from the intrusion of man.
G08 THE FANS.
As to the nntameable character of the gorilla as contrasted with the chimpanzee, Mr.
Reade mentions that he has seen young specimens of both animals kept in a tame state,
and both equally gentle.
We now come to the statement that, when the gorilla is working himself up to an
attack, he beats his breast until it resounds like a great drum, giving out a loud booming
sound that can be heard through the forest at the distance of three miles. How such a
sound can be produced in such a manner it is not easy to comprehend, and Mr. Reade, on
careful inquiry from several gorilla-hunters, could not find that one of them had ever
heard the sound in question, or, indeed, had ever heard of it. They said that the gorilla
had a drum, and, on being asked to show it, took their interlocutor to a large hollow tree,
and said that the gorilla seized two neighbouring trees with his hands, and swung him-
self against the hollow trunk, beating it so "strong-strong" with his feet that the
booming sound could be heard at a great distance.
Etia illustrated the practice of the gorilla by swinging himself against the tree in a
similar manner, but failed in producing the sound. However, he adhered to his state-
ment, and, as a succession of heavy blows against a hollow trunk would produce a sort of
booming noise, it is likely that his statement may have been in the main a correct one.
Kow that the natives have procured fire-arms, they do not fear the gorilla as much as
they used to do. Still, even with such potent assistance, gorilla-hunting is not without
its dangers, and, as we have seen, many instances are known where a man has been
severely wounded by the gorilla, though Mr. Reade could not hear of a single case where
the animal had killed any of its assailants.
When the native hunters chase the gorilla, and possess fire-arms, they are obliged to
fire at very short range, partly because the dense nature of those parts of the forest which
the gorilla haunts prevents them from seeing the animal at a distance of more than ten or
twelve yards, and partly because it is necessary to kill at the first shot an animal which,
if only wounded, attacks its foes, and uses fiercely the formidable weapons with which it
has been gifted. Any one who has seen the skull of an adult gorilla, and noticed the vast
jaw-bones, the enormous teeth, and the high bony ridges down the head which afford
attachment to the muscles, can easily understand the terrible force of a gorilla's bite.
The teeth, and not the paws, are the chief, if not the only weapons which the animal
employs ; and, although they are given to it in order to enable it to bite out the pith of
the trees on which it principally feeds, they can be used with quite as great effect in
combat.
So the negro hunter, who is never a good shot, and whose gun is so large and heavy
that to take a correct aim is quite out of the question, allows the gorilla to come within
three or four yards before he delivers his fire. Sometimes the animal is too quick for
him, and in that case he permits it to seize the end of the barrel in its hands and drag it
to its mouth, and then fires just as the great jaws enclose the muzzle between the teeth.
Seizing the object of attack in the hands, and drawing it to the mouth, seems to be with
the gorilla, as with others of the monkey tribe, the ordinary mode of fighting.
The hunter has to be very careful that he fires at the right moment, as the gigantic
strength of the gorilla enables it to make very short work of a trade gun, if it should
happen to pull the weapon out of its owner's hands. A French officer told Mr. Reade
that he had seen one of these guns which had been seized by a gorilla, who had twisted
and bent the barrel " comme une. papillate."
The same traveller, who is certainly not at all disposed to exaggerate the size or the
power of the gorilla, was greatly struck by the aspect of one that had been recently killed.
" One day Mongilarnbu came and told me that there was a freshly-killed gorilla for sale.
I went down to the beach, and saw it lying in a small canoe, which it almost filled. It
was a male, and a very large one. The preserved specimen can give you no idea of what
this animal really is, with its skin still unshrivelled, and the blood scarcely dry upon its
wounds. The hideousness of its face, the grand breadth of its breast, its massive arms,
and, above all, its hands, like those of a human being, impressed me with emotions which
I had not expected to feel. But nothing is perfect. The huge trunk dwindled into a pair
of legs, thin, bent, shrivelled, and decrepid as those of an old woman."
GORILLA HUNTING.
€09
Such being the impression made on a civilized being by the dead body of a gorilla
lying in a canoe, the natives may well be excused for entertaining a superstitious awe of
it as it roams the forest in freedom, and for thinking that its skull is a fit adornment for
the temple of their chief idol.
To a party of native hunters unprovided with fire-arms, the chase of the animal is a
service of real difficulty and danger. They are obliged to seek it in the recesses of its own
haunts, and to come to close quarters with it. The spear is necessarity the principal
weapon employed, as the arrow, even though poisoned, does not kill at once, and the
gorilla is only incited by the pain of a wound to attack the man who inflicted it. Their
fear of the animal is also increased by the superstition which has already been mentioned,
GORILLA HUNT.
that a man is sometimes transformed into a gorilla, and becomes thereby a sort of sylvan
demon, who cannot be killed — at all events, by a black man — and who is possessed with
a thirst for killing every human being that he meets.
Any specially large gorilla is sure to be credited with the reputation of being a trans-
formed man ; and as the adult male sometimes measures five feet six inches or so in height,
there is really some excuse for the native belief that some supernatural power lies hidden
in this monstrous ape.
After a careful investigation, Mr. Reade has come to the conclusion that, except in
point of size, there is no essential difference in the gorilla and the chimpanzee, both
animals going usually on all-fours, and both building slight houses or platforms in the
trees, both changing their dwelling in search of food and to avoid the neighbourhood of
man, and both, without being gregarious, sometimes assembling together in considerable
numbers.
VOL. I. BE
CHAPTER LIII.
THE KRUMEN AND FANTI.
LOCALITY OF THE KRUMEN THEIR FINK DEVELOPMENT AND WONDERFUL ENDURANCE THEIR SKILL
IN BOATING COLOUR OF THE KRUMEN THEIR VKRY SIMPLE DRESS DOUBLE NOMENCLATURE —
THEIR USE TO TRAVELLERS GOVERNMENT OF THE KRUMKN — THEIR LIVELY AND CHEERFUL
CHARACTER — DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE KRUMEN — EARNING WIVES — RELIGION OF THE KRUMEN —
THE DEITY " SUFFIN " KRUMAN FUNERAL — THR GRAIN COAST — THE FANTI TRIBE THEIR
NATIVE INDOLENCE — FANTI BOATS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT — THE KRA-KRA DISEASE A WILD
LEGEND — DRESS OF THE FANTI — IDEAS OF A FUTURE STATE.
ALONG the Grain Coast of Western Africa there is a race of men who come too pro-
minently before European eyes to be omitted from this work. They have, in a degree,
Jjst the habits of their original savage life, but they illustrate so well the peculiar negro
character that a small space must be devoted to them.
The name Kru, or Croo, and sometimes Carew, or Crew — so diversified is the ortho-
graphy of native names — is a corruption of the Grebo word " Krao." The tribe inhabits
a district about twenty-five or thirty miles along the coast, and extending for a consider-
able, but uncertain, distance inland. A good many smaller tribes have been gradually
absorbed into them, and, as they have adopted the language, manners, and customs, as well
as the name of Krao, we will treat of them all under the same title.
In the " Wanderings of a F. RG.S." there is a curious account of the derivation of
the word Grebo, one of the absorbed tribes. According to their own tradition, they
originally inhabited the interior, and, finding that their district was too thickly populated,
a large number of them determined to emigrate westward, and secretly prepared for
departure, the majority being averse to the scheme. As they embarked in a hurry, a
number of the canoes were upset, but the remainder succeeded in bounding over the
waves. The people who were capsized, and were left behind, were therefore called
" Waibo," or the Capsized, while the others took the name of Grebo, from the bounding
grey monkey, called Gre.
The Krumen are a fine race, and present a great contrast to the usual slim-limbed and
almost effeminate savages of the interior. They are extremely powerful, and are able to
paddle for some forty miles at a stretch, without seeming to be the least fatigued at the
end of their labours. They are the recognised seamen of the coast, and have made them-
selves necessary to the traders, and even to Government vessels, as they can stand a
wonderful amount of work, and are not affected by the climate like the white sailors.
A Kruman lays himself out for a sailor as soon as he becomes his own master, and is
content to begin life as a " boy," so that he may end it as a " man" — i.e.. he hires him-
self out in order to obtain goods which will purchase a wife for him, and by dint of several
voyages he adds to the number of his wives, and consequently to the respect in which he
is held by his countrymen.
MANAGEMENT OF CANOES.
611
He is a marvellous canoe-man, and manages his diminutive boat with a skill that
must be seen to be appreciated. He drives it through the surf with fearless speed, and
cares nothing for the boiling water around him. "The Kruman," writes Mr. Eeade,
" squats in it on his knees, and bales the water out with one of his feet. Sometimes he
paddles with his hands ; sometimes, thrusting a leg in the water, he spins the canoe round
when at full speed, like a skater on the ' outside-edge.' If it should capsize, as the laws
of equilibrium sometimes demand, he turns it over, bales it out with a calabash, swim-
ming all the while, and glides in again, his skin shining like a seal's."
, These singular little canoes are pointed at each end, and crescent-shaped, so that they
project fore and aft out of the water. They are very narrow, and are made out of the
single trunk of a tree, usually the cotton- wood, or a kind of poplar. The interior is first
KRUMEN AND THEIR CANOES.
hollowed out with fire, next trimmed with an adze, and the ribs are prevented from col-
lapsing by four or five cross-sticks. They are veiy massively constructed, and, as the
wood is very light, they do not sink even if they are filled with water. So small are
Ihey, that at a little distance they cannot be seen, and the inmates appear to be treading
water.
It is a curious sight to watch a fleet of these canoes come off towards a ship. As
soon as an English ship anchors, a swarm of these canoes comes dashing along, their black
Inmates singing songs at the top of their voices, and shouting " Bateo ! Bateo ! Gi' way !
Bargri ! " and similar exclamations, as they race with each other towards the vessel. No
European has been known to manage one of these frail canoes, the usual result of getting
into one being that the boat turns over, and deposits the rash adventurer in the sea.
The appearance of the men has been graphically described by the " F. R G. S."
" Conceive the head of a Socrates, or a Silenus, upon the body of the Antinous, or Apollo
Belvedere. A more magnificent development of muscle, such perfect symmetry in the
balance of grace and strength, my eyes had never yet looked upon. But the faces !
Except when lighted up by smiles and good humour— expression to an African face is
all in all — nothing could be more unprepossessing. The flat nose, the high cheek-bones,
Bfi2
G12 THE KRUMEN.
the yellow eyes, the chalky white teeth, pointed like the shark's, the muzzle protruded
like that of a dog-monkey, combine to form an unusual amount of ugliness.
" To this adds somewhat the tribe-mark, a blue line of cuts half an inch broad, from
the forehead scalp to the nose-tip — in some cases it extends over both lips to the chin,
whence they are called Blue-noses — whilst a broad arrow or wedge, pointed to the face,
and also blue, occupies each temple, just above the zygomata. The marks are made with
a knife, little cuts into which the oily husk of a gum is rubbed. Their bodies are
similarly ornamented with stars, European emblems, as anchors, &c., especially with broad
double lines down the breast and other parts.
" Their features are distinctly African, without a mixture of Arab ; the conjunctiva is
brown, yellow, or tarnished — a Hamitic peculiarly — and some paint white goggle-like
ovals round the orbits, producing the effect of a loup. This is sometimes done for sick-
ness, and individuals are rubbed over with various light and dark coloured powders. The
skin is very dark, often lamp-black ; others are of a deep rich brown, or bronze tint, but
a light-complexioned man is generally called Tom Coffee.
" They wear the hair, which is short and kinky, in crops, which look like a Buddha's
skull-cap, and they shave when in mourning for their relations. A favourite ' fash '
(i. e. fashion) is to scrape off a parallelogram behind the head, from the poll to the cere-
bellum ; and others are decorated in that landscape or parterre style which wilder Africans
love. The back of the cranium is often remarkably flat, and I have seen many heads of
the pyramidal shape, rising narrow and pointed high to the apex.
" The beard is seldom thick, and never long ; the moustachio is removed, and the pile,
like the hair, often grows in tufts. The tattoo has often been described. There seems
to be something attractive in this process — the English sailor can seldom resist the
temptation.
" They also chip, sharpen, and extract the teeth. Most men cut out an inverted V
between the two middle incisors of the upper jaw ; others draw one or two of the central
lower incisors ; others, especially the St. Andrews' men, tip or sharpen the incisors, like
the Wahiao and several Central African tribes.
" Odontology has its mysteries. Dentists seem, or rather seemed, to hold as a theory
-Jiat destruction of the enamel involved the loss of the tooth ; the Krumen hack their
masticators with a knife, or a rough piece of hoop-iron, and find that the sharpening,
instead of producing caries, act as a preservative, by facilitating the laniatory process.
Similarly there are physiologists who attribute the preservation of the negro's teeth to
his not drinking anything hotter than blood heat. This is mere empiricism. The Arabs
swallow their coffee nearly boiling, and the East African will devour his agali, or porridge,
when the temperature would scald the hand. Yet both these races have pearls of teeth,
except when they chew lime or tobacco."
The native dress of the men is simple enough, consisting of a pink and white or blue
and white check cloth round the waist, and a variety of ornaments, made of skin, metal,
glass, or ivory. The latter substance is mostly obtained either from the Gaboon or
Cameroon, and is worn in the shape of large arm-rings, cut slowly with a knife, and
polished by drawing a wet cord backwards and forwards. Some of the sailor Krumen
have their names (i.e. their nautical names) engraved on their armlets, and some of them
wear on the breast a brass plate with the name engraved upon it. Of course some of
their ornaments are charms or fetishes.
The women present a disagreeable contrast to the men, their stature being short, their
proportions ungainly, and their features repulsive. Their style of dress, which is merely
a much-attenuated petticoat, displays nearly the whole of the figure, and enables the
spectators to form a very accurate opinion of their personal appearance. Of course, the
chief part of the work is done by the women, and this custom has doubtlessly some effect
in stunting and deteriorating the form.
All the Krumen have two names, one being that by which they are called in their own
tongue, and one by which they are known to their employers. It really seems a pity that
these fine fellows should be degraded by the ludicrous English names which are given to
them. Their own names — e. g. Kofa, Nakii, Tiya, &c, — are easy enough to speak, and it
A TRUE COMMONWEALTH. 613
would be far better to use them, and not to " call them out of their names," according to
the domestic phrase. Here are the names of five men who engaged to take Mr. Reade to
the Gaboon : Smoke Jack, Dry Toast, Cockroach, Pot-of-Beer, and — of all names in the
world for a naked black man — Florence Nightingale.
They always demand rice, that being a necessity with them, and as long as they get
their pint and a half per diem of rice they can stand unlimited work. They cook the
rice for themselves in their primitive but effective manner, and feed themselves much as
turkeys are crammed, seizing large haudfuls of rice, squeezing them into balls, and con-
triving, in some mysterious way, to swallow them whole without being choked. When
they enter the naval service they consider themselves as made men, getting not only
their rice, but allowance in lieu of other rations, plenty of clothing, and high wages, so
that when they go ashore they are rich men, and take their rank. Of course they are
fleeced by all their relations, who flock round them, and expect to be feasted for several
days, but still the sailor Kruman can buy a wife or two, and set up for a " man" at once.
In his own phrase, he is "nigger for ship, king for country." One year is the usual term
of engauement, and it is hardly possible to induce Krumen to engage for more than three
years, so attached are they to " me country."
Th-ir 'government is simple. They are divided into four classes, or castes, — namely, the
elders, the actual warriors, the probationary warriors, and the priests ; the latter term
including the priests proper, the exorcists, and the physicians. They are strictly repub-
lican, and no one is permitted to accumulate, or, at all events, to display, wealth much
above the average of his fellows. Should even one of the elders do so, a palaver is held,
and his property is reduced to proper level. This is described by the English-speaking
Krumen as the punishment for " too much sass." In fact, property is held on the joint-
stock princiole, so that the word commonwealth is very applicable to their mode of
government.
Capital punishment is rare, and is seldom used, except in cases of witchcraft or
murder, and it is remarkable that, in the latter case, no distinction is made between acci-
dental manslaughter and murder with malice prepense. The poison ordeal is common
here, the draught being prepared from the " sass-wood " of the gidden tree ; and there is
a wholesome rule that, if the accused survives the ordeal, the accuser must drink it in
his turn.
That they are arrant liars, that they are confirmed thieves, and that they have not
the slightest notion of morality, is but to say that they are savages, and those who have
to deal with them can manage well enough, provided that they only bear in mind these
characteristics. If they hear that they are going to some place which they dislike —
probably on account of some private feud, because they are afraid of some man whose
domestic relations they have disturbed — they will come with doleful faces to their master,
and tell him the most astounding lies about it.
Yet they are a cheerful, lively set of fellows, possessing to the full the negro's love
of singing, drumming, and dancing. Any kind of work that they do is aided by a song,
and an experienced traveller who is paddled by Krumen always takes with him a drum
of some sort, knowing that it will make the difference of a quarter of the time occupied
in the journey. Even after a hard day's work, they will come to their master, ask per-
mission to " make play," and will keep up their singing and dancing until after
midnight. Under such circumstances the traveller will do well to grant his permission,
under the condition that they remove themselves out of earshot. Even their ordinary
talk is so much like shouting, that they must always be quartered in outhouses, and
when they become excited with their music the noise is unendurable.
They are very fond of intoxicating liquids, and are not in the least particular about
the quality, so that the intoxicating property be there.
It has already been mentioned that they are arrant thieves, and in nothing is their
thieving talent more conspicuous than when they exercise it upon spirituous liquors.
They even surpass the British sailor in the ingenuity which they display in discovering
and stealing spirits, and there is hardly any risk which they will not run in order to
obtain it. Contrary to the habit of most savage people, they art very sensitive to pain,
614 THE KRUMEN.
and a flogging which would scarcely be felt by a Bush boy will elicit shrieks of pain
from a Kruman. They dread the whip almost as much as death, and yet they will
brave the terrors of a certain flogging in order to get at rum or brandy.
No precautions seem to be available against their restless cunning, and the unwary
traveller is often surprised, when he feels ill and wants some brandy as a medicine, that
not a drop is to be found, and yet, to all appearance, his spirit-case has been under his
own eyes, and so have the rascals who have contrived to steal it. Even so experienced a
traveller as Captain Burton, a man who knows the negro character better than almost
any European, says that he never had the chance of drinking his last bottle of cognac,
it always having been emptied by his Krumen.
Provisions of all kinds vanish in the same mysterious way : they will strangle goats,
and prepare them so as to look as if they had been bitten by venomous serpents ; and as
for fowls, they vanish as if they had voluntarily flown down the throats of the robbers.
Anything bright or polished is sure to be stolen, and it is the hardest thing in the world
to take mathematical instruments safely through Western Africa, on account of the thievish
propensities of the Krumen.
Even when they steal articles which they cannot eat, it is very difficult to discover
the spot where the missing object is hidden, and, as a party of Krumen always share
their plunder, they have an interest in keeping their business secret. The only mode of
extracting information is by a sound flogging, and even then it often happens that the
cunning rascals have sent off their plunder by one of their own people, or have contrived
to smuggle it on board some ship.
WE now come to the domestic habits of the Kruman as summed up in marriage,
religion, death, and burial.
These people are, as has been seen, a prudent race, and have the un- African faculty
of looking to the future. It is this faculty which causes them to work so hard for their
wives, the fact being, that, when a man has no wife, he must work entirely for himself ;
when he has one, she takes part of the labour off his hands ; and when he marries a dozen
or so, they can support him in idleness for the rest of his days.
So, when a young man has scraped together sufficient property to buy a wife, he goes
to the girl's father, shows the goods, and strikes the bargain. If accepted, he marries her
after a very simple fashion, the whole ceremony consisting in the father receiving the
goods and handing over the girl. He remains with her in her father's house for a week
or two, and then goes off on another trip in order to earn enough money to buy a second.
In like manner he possesses a third and a fourth, and then sets up a domicile of his own,
each wife having her own little hut.
However many wives a Kruman may have, the first takes the chief rank, and rules
the entire household. As is the case in most lands where polygamy is practised, the
women have no objection to sharing the husband's affections. On the contrary, the head
wife will generally urge her husband to add to his number, because every additional wife
is in fact an additional servant, and takes a considerable amount of work off her shoulders.
And an inferior wife would always prefer to be the twelfth or thirteenth wife of a
wealthy man, than the solitary wife of a poor man, for whom she will have to work like
a slave.
Although the women are completely subject to their husbands, they have a remedy
in their hands if they are very badly treated. They run away to their own family, and
then there is a great palaver. Should a separation occur, the children, although they
love their mother better than their father, are considered his property, and have to go
with him.
THEIR religion is of a very primitive character, and, although the Krumen have for so
many years been brought in contact with civilization, and have been sedulously taught
by missionaries, they have not exchanged their old superstitions for a new religion. That
they believe in the efficacy of amulets and charms has been already mentioned, and
therefore it is evident that they must have some belief in the supernatural beings who
THE GOD « SUFFIK"
615
are supposed to be influenced by these charms. Yet, as to worship, very little is known
of it, probably because very little is practised. On one occasion, when a vessel was
wrecked, a Kruman stood all night by the sea-side, with his face looking westward,
waving the right arm, and keeping np an incessant howling until daybreak. The others
looked at him, but did not attempt to join him.
There is one religious ceremony which takes place in a remarkable cavern, called by
the euphonious name of Grand Devil Cave. It is a hollow in an enormous rock, having
FETISHES, MALE AND FEMALE.
at the end a smaller and interior cavern in which the demon resides. Evidently par-
taking that dislike to naming the object of their superstitions which caused the believing
in fairies to term them the " Good People," and the Norwegians of the present day to
speak of the bear as the " Disturber," or " He in the fur coat," the Krumen prudently
designate this demon as " Suffin," *•& Something.
When they go to worship they lay beads, tobacco, provisions, and rum in the inner
cavern, which are at once removed by the mysterious Suffin, who is supposed to consume
them alL In return for the liberality of his votaries, Suffin answers any questions in
616 THE KRUMEN.
any language. The Krumen believe as firmly in the existence and supernatural character
of Suffm as the Babylonians in the time of Daniel believed that Bel consumed daily the
" twelve great measures of fine flour, the forty sheep, and the six vessels of wine " thac were
offered to him. And, as a convincing proof of the danger of incredulity, they point with
awe to a tree which stands near the mouth of the Grand Devil Cave, and which was
formerly a Kruman who expressed his disbelief in Suffin, and was straightway transformed
into the tree in question.
Their mode of swearing is by dipping the finger in salt, pointing to heaven and earth
with it, as if invoking the powers of both, and then putting the tip of the finger in the
mouth, as if calling upon the offended powers to avenge the perjury on the person of him
who had partaken of the salt. Considering the wolfish voracity of the Krumen, which
they possess in common with other savages, they show great self-control in yielding to a
popular superstition which forbids them to eat the hearts of cattle, or to drink the blood.
The dead Kruman is buried with many ceremonies, and, notably, a fire is kept up
before his house, so that his spirit may warm itself while it is prepared for appreciating
the new life into which it has been born. Food is also placed near the grave for the
same benevolent purpose. Should he be a good man, he may lead the cattle which have
been sacrificed at his funeral, and so make his way to the spirit land, in which he will
take rank according to the number of cattle which he has brought with him. Sometimes
he may enter the bodies of children, and so reappear on earth. But should he be a bad
man, and especially should he be a wizard — i.e. one who practises without authority the
arts which raise the regular practitioners to wealth and honour — his state- after death is
very terrible, and he is obliged to wander for ever through gloomy swamps and fetid
marshes.
It is a curious fact that the Krumen have some idea of a transitional or purgatorial
state. The paradise of the Krumen is called Kwiga Oran, i.e. the City of the Ghosts,
and before any one can enter it he must sojourn for a certain time in the intermediate
space called Menu, or Menuke.
It may be as well to remark here that the Grain Coast, on which the Krumen chiefly
live, does not derive its name from corn, barley, or other cereals. The grain in question
is the well-known cardamom, or Grain of Paradise, which is used as a medicine throughout
the whole of Western Africa, and is employed as a remedy against various diseases. It
is highly valued as a restorative after fatigue ; and when a man has been completely worn
out by a long clay's march, there is nothing that refreshes him more than a handful of the
cardamoms in a fresh state, the juicy and partly acid pulp contrasting most agreeable
with the aromatic warmth of the seeds.
The cardamom is used either internally or externally. It is eaten as a stomachic, and
is often made into a poultice and applied to any part of the body that suffers pain.
Headache, for example, is said to be cured by the cardamom-seed, pounded and mixed
with water into a paste ; and, even during the hot fit of fever, the cardamom powder is
applied as a certain restorative.
THE KRA-KRA. 617
THE FANTI.
THE district of Western Africa, which is now known by the general title of the Gold
Coast, Ashantee, or Ashanti, is occupied by two tribes, who are always on terms of deadly
' feud with each other. Internecine quarrels are one of the many curses which retard the
progress of Africa, and, in this case, the quarrel is so fierce and persistent, that even at
the present day, though the two great tribes, the Fanti and the Ashanti, have fought over
and over again, and the latter are clearly the victors, and have taken possession of the
land, the former are still a large and powerful tribe, and, in spite of their so-called exter-
mination, have proved their vitality in many ways.
The Fanti tribe are geographically separated from their formidable neighbours by the
Bossumpea River, and if one among either tribe passes this boundary it is declared to
be an overt act of war. Unfortunately, England contrived to drift into this war, and, as
bad luck would have it, took the part of the Fanti tribe, and consequently shared in
their defeat.
It is really not astonishing that the Fanti should have been so completely conquered,
as they have been termed by Mr. Duncan, a traveller who knew them well, the dirtiest
and laziest of all the Africans that he had seen. One hundred of them were employed
under the supervision of an Englishman, and, even with this incitement, they did not do
as much as a gang of fifteen English labourers. Unless continually goaded to work they
will lie down and bask in the sun ; and even if a native overseer be employed, he is just
as bad as the rest of his countrymen.
Even such work as they do they will only perform in their own stupid manner. For
example, in fetching stone for building, they will walk, some twenty in a gang, a full mile
to the quarry, and come back, each with a single stone weighing some eight or nine
pounds on his head. Every burden is carried on the head. They were once supplied
with wheelbarrows, but they placed one stone in each wheelbarrow, and then put the
barrows on their heads. The reason why they are so lazy is plain enough. They can
live well for a penny per diem, and their only object in working is to procure rum,
tobacco, and cotton cloths. So the wife has to earn the necessaries of life, and the
husband earns — and consumes — the luxuries.
The Fanti tribe are good canoe-men, but their boats are much larger and heavier than
those which are employed by the Krumen. They are from thirty to forty feet in length,
and are furnished with weather boards for the purpose of keeping out the water. The
shape of the paddle is usually like that of the ace of clubs at the end of a handle ; but,
when the canoes have to be taken through smooth and deep water, the blades of the
paddles are long and leaf-shaped, so as to take a good hold of the water. The Fanti
boatmen are great adepts in conveying passengers from ships to the shore. Waiting by
the ship's side, while the heavy seas raise and lower their crank canoes like corks, they
seize the right moment, snatch the anxious passenger off the ladder to which he has been
clinging, deposit him in the boat, and set off to shore with shouts of exultation. On
account of the surf, as 'much care is needed in landing the passengers on shore as in
taking them out of the vessel. They hang about the outskirts of the surf-billows as they
curl and twist and dash themselves to pieces in white spray, and, as soon as one large
wave has dashed itself on the shore, they paddle along on the crest of the succeeding
wave, and just before it breaks they jump out of the boat, run it well up the shore, and
then ask for tobacco.
The men are rather fine-looking fellows, tall and well-formed, but are unfortunately
liable to many skin diseases, among which the terrible kra-kra is most dreaded. This
horrible disease, sometimes spelt as it is pronounced, craw-craw, is a sort of leprosy that
overruns the entire body, and makes the surface most loathsome to the eye. Unfortu-
618 THE FANTI.
nately, it is very contagious, and even white persons have been attacked by it merely by
placing their hands on the spot against which a negro afflicted with kra-kra has been resting.
Sometimes the whole crew of a ship will be seized with kra-kra, which even communi-
cates itself to goats and other animals, to whom it often proves fatal.
The natives have a curious legend respecting the origin of this horrible disease. The
first man, named Raychow, came one day with his son to a great hole in the ground, from
which fire issues all night. They heard men speaking to them, but could not distinguish
their faces. So Raychow sent his son down the pit, and at the bottom he met the king
of the fire-hole, who challenged him to a trial of spear-throwing, the stake being his life.
He won the contest, and the fire-king was so pleased with his prowess that he told the
young man to ask for anything that he liked before he was restored to the upper air. The
boon chosen was a remedy for every disease that he could name. He enumerated every
malady that he could recollect, and received a medicine for each. As he was going away,
the fire-king said, " You have forgotten one disease. It is the kra-kra, and by that you
shall die."
Their colour is rather dark chocolate than black, and they have a tolerably well-formed
nose, and a facial angle better than that of the true negro. Their dress is simply a couple
of cotton cloths, one twisted round the waist, and the other hung over the shoulders. This,
however, is scarcely to be reckoned as clothing, and is to be regarded much as an
European regards his hat, i.e. as something to be worn out of doors. Like the hat, it is
doffed whenever a Fanti meets a superior ; this curious salutation being found also in
some of the South Sea Islands.
The women when young are ugly in face and beautiful in form — when old they are
hideous in both. In spite of the Islamism with which they are brought so constantly in
contact, and which has succeeded in making them the most civilized of the West African
tribes, the women are so far from veiling their faces that their costume begins at
the waist and ceases at the knees. Unfortunately, they spoil the only beauty they
possess, that of shape, by an ugly appendage called the " cankey," i.e. a tolerably large
oblong bag of calico, stuffed into cushion-shape, and then tied by tapes to the wearers
back, so that the upper edge and two of the corners project upwards in a very ludicrous
way. It is, in fact, only a slight exaggeration of an article of dress which at one time
was fashionable throughout Europe, and which, to artistic eyes, had the same demerit of
spoiling a good shape and not concealing a bad one. The married women have some
excuse for wearing it, as they say that it forms a nice cushion for the baby to sit upon ;
but the young girls who also wear it have no such excuse, and can only plead the fashion
of the day.
Round the waist is always a string of beads, glass or clay if the wearer be poor, gold
if she be rich. This supports the "shim," a sort of under- petticoat, if we may so term it,
which is simply a strip of calico an inch or so in width, one end being fastened to the
girdle of beads in front, and the other behind. They all wear plenty of ornaments
of the usual description, i.e. necklaces, bracelets, armlets, anklets, and even rings for
the toes.
The hair of the married women is dressed in rather a peculiar manner. Though crisp and
curly, it grows to nine or ten inches in length, and is frizzled and teased out with much
skill and more patience. A boldly-defined line is shaved round the roots of hair, and the
remainder of the locks, previously saturated with grease, and combed out to their greatest
length, are trained upwards into a tall ridge. Should the hair be too short or too scanty
to produce the required effect, a quantity of supplementary hair is twisted into a pad and
placed under the veritable locks.
This ridge of hair is supported by a large comb stuck in the back of the head, and,
although the shape of the hair tufts differ considerably, it is always present, and always
made as large as possible.
The Fanti have their peculiar superstitions, which have never yet been extirpated.
In accordance with their superstitious worship, they have a great number of holy days
in the course of the year, during which they make such a noise that a European can
^ scarcely live in the town. Besides uttering the horrible roars and yells which seem unpro-
THE PRIMEVAL CHILD. 619
duccable by other than negro throats, they blow horns and long wooden trumpets, the
sound ,of which is described as resembling the roar of a bull, and walk in procession,
surrounding with their horns and trumpets the noisiest instrument of all, — namely, the
kin-kasi, or big drum. This is about four feet in length and one in width, and takes two
men to play it, one carrying it, negro fashion, on his head, and the other walking behind,
and belabouring it without the least regard to time, the only object being to make as
much noise as possible.
Their fetishes are innumerable, and it is hardly possible to walk anywhere without
seeing a fetish or two. Anything does for a fetish, but the favourite article is a bundle of
rags tied together like a child's rag doll. This is placed in some public spot, and so great
is the awe with which such articles are regarded, that it will sometimes remain in the
same place for several weeks. A little image of clay, intended to represent a human
being, is sometimes substituted for the rag-doll.
The following succinct account of the religious system is given in the " "Wanderings
of a F. R G. S. : " — " The religious ideas of the Fanti are, as is usual in Africa, vague and
indistinct. Each person has his Saman — literally a skeleton or goblin— or private fetish,
an idol, rag, fowl, feathers, bunch of grass, a bit of glass, and so forth ; to this he pays
the greatest reverence, because it is nearest to him.
" The Bosorus are imaginary beings, probably of ghostly origin, called ' spirits ' by the
missionaries. Abonsam is a malevolent being that lives in the upper regions. Sasa-
bonsam is the friend of witch and wizard, hates priests and missionaries, and inhabits
huge silk-cotton trees in the gloomiest forests ; he is a monstrous being, of human shape,
of red colour, and with long hair. The reader will not fail to remark the similarity of
Sasabonsam to. the East Indian Eakshasha, the malevolent ghost of a Brahmin, brown in
colour, inhabiting the pipul tree.
" Nyankupon, or Nyawe, is the supreme deity, but the word also means the visible
firmament or sky, showing that there has been no attempt to separate the ideal from the
material. This being, who dwells in Nyankuponfi, or Nyankuponkroo, is too far from
earth to trouble himself about human affairs, which are committed to the Bosorus. This,
however, is the belief of the educated, who doubtless have derived something from
European systems — the vulgar confound him with sky, rain, and thunder.
" ' Kra,' which the vocabularies translate ' Lord,' is the Anglicised okro, or ocroe,
meaning a favourite male slave, destined to be sacrificed with his dead master ; and
' sunsum,' spirit, means a shadow, the man's umbra. The Fantis have regular days of
rest : Tuesdays fur fishermen, Fridays for bushmen, peasants, and so on."
There is very little doubt that the conjecture of the author is right, and that several
of these ideas have been borrowed from European sources.
The rite of circumcision is practised among the Fantis, but does not seem to be
universal, and a sacred spot is always chosen for the ceremony. At Accra, a rock rising
out of the sea is used for the purpose.
Burial is conducted with the usual accompaniments of professional mourners, and a
funeral feast is held in honour of the deceased. A sheep is sacrificed for the occasion,
and the shoulder-bone is laid on the grave, where it is allowed to remain for a considerable
time. Sometimes travellers have noticed a corpse plnced on a platform and merely
covered with a cloth. These are the bodies of men who have died without paying their
debts, and, according to Fanti laws, there they are likely to remain, no one being bold
enough to bury them. By their laws, the man who buries another succeeds to his
property, but also inherits his debts, and is legally responsible for them. And as in
Western Africa the legal rate of interest is far above the wildest dreams of European
usurers — say fifty per cent, per annum, or per mensem, or per diem, as the case may be —
to bury an exposed corpse involves a risk that no one likes to run.
One of their oddest superstitions is their belief in a child who has existed from the
beginning of the world. It never eats nor drinks, and has remained in the infantile state
ever since the world and it came into existence. Absurd as is the idea, this miraculous
child is firmly believed in, even by persons who have had a good education, and who say
that they have actually seen it. Mr. Duncan, to whom we are indebted for the account of
620
THE FANTI.
it, determined to see it, and was so quick in his movements that he quite disconcerted its
nurse, and stopped her preparations for his visit.
" Being again delayed, I lost patience, and resolved to enter the dwelling. My African
friends and the multitude assembled from all parts of the town, and warned me of the
destruction that would certainly overtake me if I ventured to go in without leave. But
I showed them my double-barrelled
gun as my fetish, and forced my
way through the crowd.
" On entering through a very
narrow door or gateway, into a
circle of about twenty yards' dia-
meter, fenced round by a close
paling, and covered outside with
long grass (so that nothing within
could be seen), the first and only
thing that I saw was an old woman
who, but for her size and sex, I
should have taken for the myste-
rious being resident there from the
time of the creation. She cer-
tainly was the most disgusting and
loathsome being I ever beheld.
She had no covering on her person
with the exception of a small
piece of dirty cloth round her
loins. Her skin was deeply
wrinkled and extremely dirty,
with scarcely any flesh on her
bones. Her breasts hung half way
down her body, and she had all
the appearance of extreme old age.
This ancient woman was the sup-
posed nurse of the immortal child.
" On my entering the yard, the
old fetish-woman stepped before
me, making the most hideous
gestures ever witnessed, and en-
deavoured to drive me out, that I
might be prevented from entering
into the god's house, but, in spite
of all her movements, I pushed
her aside, and forced my way into
the house. Its outward appear-
ance was that of a cone, or ex-
tinguisher, standing in the centre
of the enclosure. It was formed
by long poles placed triangularly, and thatched with long grass. Inside it I found a clay
bench in the form of a chair. Its tenant was absent, and the old woman pretended that
she had by her magic caused him to disappear."
Of course, the plan pursued by the old fetish-woman was to borrow a baby whenever
any one of consequence desired an interview, and to paint it with coloured chalks, so that
it was no longer recognisable. She would have played the same trick with Mr. Duncan,
and, from the repeated obstacles thrown in the way of his visit, was evidently trying to
gain time to borrow a baby secretly.
At a Fanti funeral the natives excel themselves in noise-making, about the only
exertion in which they seem to take the least interest. As soon as a man of any note is dead,
THE PRIMAEVAL CHILD.
AN INGENIOUS DEVICE.
621
all his relations and friends assemble in front of his hut, drink, smoke, yell, sing, and fire
guns continually. A dog is sacrificed before the hut by one of the relations, though the
object of the sacrifice does not seem to be very clear. Rings, bracelets, and other trinkets
are buried with the body, and, as these ornaments are often of solid gold, the value of
buried jewellery is very considerable. Of course, the graves are sometimes opened and
robbed, when the corpse is that of a wealthy person.
One ingenious Fanti contrived to enrich himself very cleverly. One of his sisters had
been buried for some time with all her jewellery, and, as the average value of a well-to-do
woman's trinkets is somewhere about forty or fifty pounds, the affectionate brother thought
that those who buried his sister had been guilty of unjustifiable waste. After a while
nis mother died, and he ordered her to be buried in the same grave with his sister. The
ingenious part of the transaction was that the man declared it to be contrary to filial
duty to bury the daughter at the bottom of the grave, in the place of honour, and to
lay the mother above her. The daughter was accordingly disinterred to give place to the
mother, and when she was again laid in the grave all her trinkets had somehow or other
vanished.
The dances of the Fanti tribe are rather absurd. Two dancers stand opposite each
other, and stamp on the ground with each foot alternately. The stamping becomes faster
and faster, until it is exchanged for leaping, and at every jump the hands are thrown out
with the fingers upwards, so that the four palms meet with a sharp blow. The couple go
on dancing until they fail to strike the hands, and then they leave off, and another pair
take their place.
DAGGER AND SHEATH.
CHAPTER LIV.
THE ASHANTI.
ORIGIN AND GENERAL APPKARANCR OP THE ASHANTI AN ASHANTI CAPTAIN AND HIS UNIFORM — THE
GOLD COAST — GOLD WASHING THE " TILIKISSI " WEIGHTS INGENIOUS FRAUDS — THE CABOCEER8,
OR NOBLES OF ASHANTI PORTRAIT OF A MOUNTED CABOCEER THE HORSE ACCOUTREMENTS —
LAW OF ROYAL SUCCESSION MARRIAGE RESTRICTIONS — THE YAM AND ADAI CUSTOMS — FETISH
DRUM AND TRUMPET — RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF ASHANTI — WORSHIP OF EARTH AJ\TD SKY — FETISHEE
DERIVATION OF THE WORD THE " KLA," OR FAMILIAR SPIRIT.
WHENCE the Ashanti tribe came is not very certain, but it is probable that they formerly
inhabited a more inland part of the continent, and worked their way westward, after the
usual fashion of these tribes.
Their traditions state that, about a hundred and fifty years ago, the Ashanti, with
several other tribes, were gradually ousted from their own lands by the increasing followers
of Islam, and that when they reached a land which was full of gold they took courage,
made a bold stand for freedom, and at last achieved their own independence.
At this time the people were divided into a considerable number of states — between
forty and fifty, according to one historian. After having driven away their oppressors, they
came to quarrel among themselves, and fought as fiercely for •• precedence as they had
formerly done for liberty, and at last the Ashanti tribe conquered the others, and so
consolidated the government into a kingdom.
In general appearance, the Ashanti much resemble the Fanti, though they are not
perhaps so strongly built. They are, however, quite as good-looking, and, according to
Mr. Bowdich, the women are handsomer than those of the Fanti. As a rule, the higher
classes are remarkable for their cleanliness, but the lower are quite as dirty as the
generality of savage Africans.
As a specimen of the remarkable style of costume in which the Ashanti indulge, a
figure of an army captain is introduced on page 623. On his head is a vast double plume
of eagles' feathers, surmounting a sort of helmet made of rams' horns, gilt in a spiral pattern,
and tied under his chin by a strap covered with cowries. His bow is slung at his back,
and his quiver of small poisoned arrows hangs from his wrist, while in his other hand is
held an ivory staff, carved in a spiral pattern. His breast is covered with a vast number of
little leathern pouches gilt and painted in light colours, mostly scarlet, and from his arms
hang a number of horse-tails. Great boots of red hide cover his legs to mid-thigh, and
are fastened to his belt by iron chains.
This belt is a very curious piece of leather work. One of these articles is in my
collection, and is furnished with the following implements. First comes a small dagger-
knife, with a blade about four inches long, and next to it is a little circular mirror about as
large as a crown-piece, and enclosed in a double case like that which is now used for
prismatic compasses. Then comes a razor, a singularly primitive-looking specimen of
GOLD-WASHING.
623
cutlery, mounted in a handle which is little more than a piece of stick, with a slit in it.
Next comes a leathern pouch about four inches square and one inch in depth, having its
interior lined with coarse canvas, and its exterior decorated with little round holes punched
in the leather, and arranged in a simple pattern. Lastly comes the razor-strop, a very
ingenious implement, consisting of a tube filled with emery powder, and slidin« into a
sheath so as to allow the powder to adhere to it.
All these articles are protected by leathern sheaths stained ol different colours, and
are suspended by short straps from the belt.
The country where the Ashanti tribes now live is popularly termed the Gold Coast, on
account of the richness with which the precious metal is scattered over its surface. It
is found almost entirely in the form of dust,
and is obtained by a very rude and imperfect
mode of washing. The women are the chief
gold washers, and they set about their task
armed with a hoe, a basin-shaped calabash,
and several quills. With the hoe they scrape
up a quantity of sand from the bed of some
stream, and place it in the calabash. A
quantity of water is then added, and, by a
peculiar rotatory movement of the hand, the
water and sand are shaken up, and made to
fly gradually over the top of the basin.
When this movement is adroitly per-
formed, the water and lighter sand escape
from the bowl, while the gold dust sinks by
its own weight to the bottom, and is thus
separated, and put in the quills. Much skill
is required in handling the calabash, and
one woman will find a fair supply of gold
where another will work all day and scarcely
find a particle of the metal.
Of course, by this rude method of work
the quantity of gold obtained is in very small
proportion to the labour bestowed in obtain-
ing it; and if the natives only knew the use of ASHANTI CAPTAIN.
mercury, they would gain three or four times
as much gold as they do at present. The
quills, when filled with gold-dust, are generally fastened to the hair, where they are
supposed to be as ornamental as they are precious. The best time for gold-wasning is
after violent rains, when the increased rush of water has brought down a fresh supply
of sand from the upper regions. As one of the old voyagers quaintly remarked, " It
raineth seldom, but every shower of rain is a shower of gold unto them, for with the
violence of the water falling from the mountains it bringeth from them the gold."
A good gold-washer will procure in the course of a year a quantity of the dust
which will purchase two slaves. The average price of a slave is ten " minkali,"
each minkali being worth about 12s. 6d. ; and being valued in goods at one musket,
eighteen gun-flints, twenty charges of powder, one cutlass, and forty-eight leaves of
tobacco. The reader may judge what must be the quality of the musket and cutlass.
Gold is weighed by the little familiar red and black seeds, called in Western Africa
'• tilikissi," and each purchaser always has his own balances and his own weights. As
might be supposed, both vendor and purchaser try to cheat each other. The gold-finder
mixes with the real gold-dust inferior sand, made by melting copper and silver together,
or by rubbing together copper filings and red coral powder. If larger pieces of gold were
to be imitated, the usual plan was to make little nuggets of copper, and surround them
with a mere shell of gold. This, of course, was the most dangerous imposition of the
three, because the gold coating defied the tests, and the fraud would not be discovered
524 _ THE ASHANTI.
unless the nugget were cut in two — rather a tedious process when a great number were
offered for sale.
As to the buyers, there was mostly something wrong about their balances ; while as to
the weights, they soaked the tilikissi seeds in melted butter to make them heavier, and
sometimes made sham tilikissis of pebbles neatly ground down and coloured.
In spite of all the drawbacks, the quantity of gold annually found in Ashanti-laml
is very great, and it is used by the richer natives in barbaric profusion. They know or
care little about art. Their usual way of making the bracelets or armlets is this. The
CABOCEEB AND SOLDIERS.
smith melts the gold in a little crucible of red clay, and then draws in the sand a little
furrow into which he runs the gold, so as to make a rude and irregular bar or stick of
metal When cold, it is hammered along the sides so as to square them, and is then
twisted into the spiral shape which seems to have instinctively impressed itself on gold
workers of all ages and in all countries.
The collars, earrings, and other ornaments are made in this simple manner, and the
wife of a chief would scarcely think herself dressed if she had not gold ornaments worth
some eighty pounds. The great nobles, or Caboceers, wear on state occasions bracelets of
such weight that they are obliged to rest their arms on the heads of little slave boys, who
stand in front of them.
The Caboceers are very important personages, and in point of fact were on the eve of
becoming to the Ashanti kingdom what the barons were to the English kingdom in the
time of John. Indeed, they were gradually becoming so powerful and so numerous, that
for many years the king of Ashanti has steadily pursued a policy of repression, and, when
THE CABOCEERS.
625
one of the Caboceers died, has refused to acknowledge a successor. The result of this wise
policy is, that the Caboceers are now comparatively few in number, and even if they were
all to combine against the king he could easily repress them.
An umbrella is the distinctive mark of the Caboceers, who in the present day exhibit
an odd mixture of original savagery and partially acquired civilization. The Caboceers
have the great privilege of sitting on stools when in the presence of the king. Moreover,
"these men," says Mr. W. Reade, "would be surrounded by their household suites, like
the feudal lords of ancient days ; their garments of costly foreign silks unravelled and
weaved anew into elaborate patterns, and thrown over the shoulder like the Roman toga,
leaving the right arm bare ; a silk fillet encircling the temples ; Moorish charms, enclosed
in small cases of gold and silver, suspended on their breasts, with necklaces made of
' aogrv beads,' a peculiar stone found in the country, and resembling the ' glein-ndyr ' of
the ancient Britons ; lumps of gold hanging from their wrists ;
while handsome girls would stand behind holding silver basins
in their bands."
The illustration on page 624 represents a Caboceer at the
head of his wild soldiery, and well indicates the strange mixture
of barbarity and culture which distinguishes this as well as other
West African tribes.
It will be seen from his seat that he is no very great horse-
man, and, indeed, the Caboceers are mostly held on their horses
by two men, one on each side. When Mr. Duncan visited Western
Africa, and mounted his horse to show the king how the English
dragoons rode and fought, two of the retainers ran to his side,
and passed their arms round him. It was not without some
difficulty that he could make them understand that Englishmen
rode without such assistance. The Caboceer's dress consists of
an ornamental turban, a jacket, and a loin-cloth, mostly of white,
and so disposed as to leave the middle of the body bare. On his
feet he wears a remarkable sort of spur, the part which answers
to the rowel being fiat, squared, and rather deeply notched. It
is used by striking or scoring the horse with the sharp angles,
and not by the slight pricking movement with which an English
jockey uses his spurs. The rowels, to use the analogous term,
pass through a slit in an oval piece of leather, which aids
in binding the spur on the heel. A pair of these curious
spurs are now in my collection, and were presented by Dr. R.
Irvine, R.N.
His weapons consist of the spear, bow, and aiTOws — the latter
being mostly poisoned, and furnished with nasty-looking barbs
extending for several inches below the head. The horse is almost
hidden by its accoutrements, which are wonderfully like those
of the knights of chivalry, save that instead of the brilliant
emblazonings with which the housings of the chargers were
covered, sentences from the Koran are substituted, and are
scattered over the entire cloth. The headstall of the horse is
made of leather, and, following the usual African fashion, is cut
into a vast number of thongs.
One of these headstalls and the hat of the rider are in my BOW AND ARROWS.
collection. They are both made of leather, most carefully and
elaborately worked. The hat or helmet is covered with flat,
quadrangular ornaments also made of leather, folded and beaten
until it is nearly as hard as wood, and from each of them depend six or seven leather
thongs, so that, when the cap is placed on the head, the thongs descend as far as the
mouth, and answer as a veil. The headstall of the horse is a most elaborate piece of
workmanship, the leather being stamped out in bold and rather artistic patterns, and
VOL. I. S3
626 THE ASHANTI.
decorated with three circular leathern ornaments, in which a star-shaped pattern has been
neatly worked in red, black, and white. Five tassels of leathern thongs hang from it, and
are probably used as a means of keeping off the flies.
The common soldiers are, as may be seen, quite destitute of uniform, and almost of
clothing. They wear several knives and daggers attached to a necklace, and they carry
any weapons that they may be able to procure — guns if possible ; and, in default of
firearms, using bows and spears. Two of the petty officers are seen blowing their huge
trumpet*, which are simply elephant tusks hollowed and polished, and sometimes carved
with various patterns. They are blown from the side, as is the case with African wind
instruments generally.
In Ashanti, as in other parts of Africa, the royal succession never lies in the direct
line, but passes to the brother or nephew of the deceased monarch, the nephew in question
being the son of the king's sister, and not his brother. The reason for this arrangement
is, that the people are sure that their future king has some royal blood in his veins,
whereas, according to their ideas, no one can be quite certain that the son of the /jueen is
also the son of the king, and, as the king's wives are never of royal blood, they might
have a mere plebeian claimant to the throne. Therefore the son of the king's sister is
always chosen ; and it is a curious fact that the sister in question need not be married,
provided that the father of her child be strong, good-looking, and of tolerable position
in life.
In Ashanti the king is restricted in the number of his wives. But, as the prohibition
f.xes the magic number of three thousand three hundred and thirty-three, he has not
much to complain of with regard to the stringency of the law. Of course, with the
exception of a chosen few, these wives are practically servants, and do all the work
about the fields and houses.
The natives have their legend about gold. They say that when the Great Spirit first
created man, he made one black man and one white one, and gave them their choice of
two gifts. One contained all the treasures of the tropics — the" fruitful trees, the fertile
soil, the warm sun, and a calabash of gold dust. The other gift was simply a quantity of
white paper, ink, and pens. The former gift, of course, denoted material advantages, and
the latter knowledge. The black man chose the former as being the most obvious, and
the white man the latter. Hence the superiority of the white over the black.
Conceding to the white man all the advantages which he gains from his wisdom, they
are very jealous of their own advantages, and resent all attempts of foreigners to work
their mines ; if mines they can be called, where scarcely any subterraneous work is needed.
They will rather allow the precious metal to be wasted than permit the white man to
procure it. As to the mulatto, they have the most intense contempt for him, who is a
" white-black man, silver and copper, and not gold."
It has already been mentioned that more stress will be laid upon Dahome than
Ashanti, and that in cases where manners and customs are common to both kingdoms,
they will be described in connexion with the latter. In both kingdoms, for example, we
find the terrible "Customs," or sacrifice of human life, and in Ashanti these may be reduced
to two, namely, the Yam and the Adai.
The former, which is the greater of the two, occurs in the beginning of September,
when the yams are ripe. Before the yams are allowed to be used for general con-
sumption, the " Custom" is celebrated ; i.e. a number of human beings are sacrificed with
sundry rites and ceremonies. There are lesser sacrifices on the Adai Customs, which take
place every three weeks, and the destruction of human life is terrible. The sacrifices are
attended with the horrible music which in all countries where human sacrifices have been
permitted has been its accompaniment.
In the figures on page 627, both of which are taken from specimens in my collection,
are shown two of the instruments which are used as accompaniments to the sacrifice of
human beings. The first is the Fetish drum, represented in the left-hand figure of the
illustration. It is carved with enormous perseverance out of a solid block of wood, and
in its general form presents a most singular resemblance to the bicephalous or two-headed
gems of the Gnostics. The attentive reader will notice the remarkable ingenuity with
THE FETISH DRUM AND TRUMPET.
627
which the head of a man is combined with that of a bird, the latter being kept subservient
to the former, and yet having a bold and distinct individuality of its own.
From the top of the united heads rises the drum itself, which is hollowed out of the
same block of wood. The parchment head of the drum is secured to the instrument by
a number of wooden pegs, and it is probable that the heat of the meridian sun was quite
sufficient to tighten the head of the drum whenever it became relaxed. Of course, the
plan of tightening it by means of a moveable head is not known in Western Africa, and,
even if it were known, it would not be practised. The natives never modify a custom.
They exchange it for another, or
they abolish it, but the reforming
spirit never existed in the negro
mind.
On the side of the drum may
be seen the air-hole, which is
usually found in African drums,
and which is closed with a piece of
spider web when the instrument
is used. Sometimes the drums are
of enormous size, the entire trunk
of a tree being hollowed out for
the purpose. The skin which
forms the head is mostly that of
an antelope, but when the Ashanti
wants a drum to be very powerful
against strange fetishes, he makes
the head of snake or crocodile
skin.
The former material holds a
high place in the second instru-
ment, which is a fetish trumpet.
As is the case with all African
trumpets, it is blown flute-fashion,
from the side, and not like a
European trumpet, from the end.
It is made from the tusk of an
elephant, carefully hollowed out, and furnished with a curious apparatus, much .like the
vibrator in a modern harmonium or accordion. As the instrument has sustained rather
roughT treatment, and the ivory has been cracked here and there, it is impossible to pro-
duce a sound from it ; and at the best the notes must have been of a very insignificant
character, deadened as they must be by the snake- skin covering. The skin in question is
that of a boa or python, which is a very powerful fetish among all Africans among whom
the boa lives, and it covers almost the whole of the instrument.
A most weird and uncanny sort of look is communicated to the trumpet by the horrid
trophy which is tied to it. This is the upper jaw of a human being, evidently a negro,
by its peculiar development, the jaw being of the prognathous character, and the pro-
jecting teeth in the finest possible order.
From the mere existence of these sacrifices it is evident that the religious system of
the Ashanti must be of a very low character. They are not utter atheists, as is the case with
some of the tribes which have already been mentioned ; but they cannot be said even to
have risen to deism, and barely to idolatry, their ideas of the Supreme Deity being exceed-
ingly vague, and mixed up with a host of superstitious notions about demons, both good
and evil, to whom they give the name of Wodsi, and which certainly absorb the greater
part of their devotions and the whole of their reverence, the latter quality being with
them the mere outbirth of fear.
Their name for God is " Nyonmo," evidently a modification of Nyamye, the title
which is given to the Supreme Spirit by the Gammas and other tribes of the Rembo. But
832
THE FETISH DRUM AND TRUMPET.
628
THE ASHANTI.
Nyonmo also means the sky, or the rain, or the thunder, probably because they proceed
from the sky, and they explain thunder by the phrase that Nyonmo is knocking. As the
sky is venerated as one deity, so the earth is considered as another though inferior deity,
which is worshipped under the name of " Sikpois."
As to the Wodsi, they seem to be divided into various ranks. For example, the earth,
the air, and the sea are Wodsi which exercise their influence over all men ; whereas other
Wodsi, which are visible in the forms of trees or rivers, have a restricted power over
towns, districts, or individuals.
The scrap of rag, leopard's claws, sacred chains, peculiar beads, bits of bone, bird-
beaks, &c. which are worn by the Wontse, or fetish men, have a rather curious use, which
is well explained by the " F.R.G.S." : — " The West Africans, like their brethren in the East,
have evil ghosts and haunting evastra, which work themselves into the position of
demons. Their various rites are intended to avert the harm which may be done to them
by their Pepos or Mulungos, and perhaps to shift it upon their enemies. When the
critical moment has arrived, the ghost is adjured by the fetish man to come forth from
the possessed, and an article is named — a leopard's claw, peculiar beads, or a rag from the
sick man's body nailed to what Europeans call the ' Devil's tree '—in which, if worn about
the person, the haunter will reside. It is technically called Kehi, or Keti, i.e. a chair or
a stool. The word fetish, by the way, is a corruption of the Portuguese Feitigo, i.e. witch-
craft, or conjuring."
Their belief respecting the Kra, or Kla, or soul of a man, is very peculiar. They
believe that the Kla exists before the body, and that it is transmitted from one to another.
Thus, if a child dies, the next is supposed to be the same child born again into the world ;
and so thoroughly do they believe this, that when a woman finds that she is about to
become a mother, she goes to the fetish man, and requests him to ask the Kla of her
future child respecting its ancestry and intended career. But the Kla has another office ;
for it is supposed to be in some sort distinct from the man, and, like the demon of
Socrates, to give him advice, and is a kind of small Wodsi, capable of receiving offerings.
The Kla is also dual, male and female ; the former urging the man to evil, and the latter
to good.
CLASP-KNIFE AND RAZOR.— WEST AFRICA.
(From, my Collection.)
CHAPTER LV.
DAHOME.
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE WESTERN AFRICAN — LOCALITY OP DAHOME THE FIVE DISTRICTS — DAHOMAN
ARCHITECTURE " SWISH " HOUSES — THE VULTURE AND HIS FOOD THE LEGBA — SNAKE WORSHIP
IN DAHOME PUNISHMENT OF A SNAKE-KILLER ETIQUETTE AT COURT JOURNEY OF A MAN
OF RANK TO THE CAPITAL AFRICAN HAMMOCK SIGNIFICATION OF THE WORD DAHOME — CERE-
MONIES ON THE JOURNEY KANA, OR CANANINA, THE " COUNTRY CAPITAL " BEAUTY OF THE
SCENERY THE OYOS AND GOZO's CUSTOM — APPROACH TO KANA A GHASTLY ORNAMENT
" THE BELL COMES " THE AMAZONS THEIR FEROCITY AND COURAGE — THEIR, "W Ail TROPHIES
AND WEAPONS — REVIEW OF THE AMAZONS — ORGANIZATION OF THE FORCES.
THERE is a very remarkable point about the true negro of Western Africa, namely, the
use which he has made of his contact with civilization. It might be imagined that he
would have raised himself in the social scale by his frequent intercourse with men wiser
and more powerful than himself, and who, if perhaps they may not have been much better
in a moral point of view, could not possibly have been worse. But he has done nothing
of the kind, and, instead of giving up his old barbarous customs, has only increased their
barbarity by the additional means which he has obtained from the white man.
Exchanging the bow and arrows for the gun, and the club for the sword, he has
employed his better weapons in increasing his destructive powers, and has chiefly used
them in fighting and selling into slavery those whom he had previously fought, and who
respected him as long as the arms on both sides were equal. And the strangest thing is
that, even considering his captives as so much property, the only excuse which could be
found for the savage cruelty with which he makes raids on every town which he thinks he
can conquer, he has not yet learned to abolish the dreadful " custom " of human sacrifices,
although each prisoner or criminal killed is a dead loss to him.
We now come to one of the strangest kingdoms on the face of the earth, that of
Dahome ; a kingdom begun in blood and cruelty, and having maintained its existence of
more than two centuries in spite of the terrible scenes continually enacted — scenes which
would drive almost any other nation to revolt. But the fearful sacrifices for which the
name of Dahome has been so long infamous are not merely the offspring of a despotic
king's fancy ; they are sanctioned, and even forced upon him, by his people — fit subjects
of such a king.
It is situated in that part of Africa commonly known as the Slave Coast, as dis-
tinguished from the Gold, Ivory, and Grain Coasts, and its shores are washed by the waters
of the Bight of Benin. Dahome alone, of the four great slave kingdoms, Ashanti,
Yomba, Benin, and Dahome, has retained its power, and, to the eye of an experienced
observer, even Dahome, which has outlived the three, will speedily follow them.
On its coasts are the two celebrated ports, Lagos and Whydah, which have for so long
l>een the outlets by which the slaves captured in the interior were sent on board the ships.
630 DAHOME.
Lagos, however, has been already ceded to England, and, under a better management, will
probably become one of the great ports at which a legitimate trade can be carried on, and
which will become one of the blessings instead of the curses of Western Africa.
Whydah, being one of the towns through which a traveller is sure to pass in going into
the interior of Dahome, is worth a passing notice.
In the first place, Captain Burton, from whom the greater part of our knowledge of
this strange land is derived, states that the very name is a misnomer. In the first place,
we have attributed it to the wrong spot, and in the next we have given it a most corrupted
title. The place which we call Whydah is known to the people as Gre-hwe (Plantation
House), while the real Hwe-dah — as the word ought to be spelt — belongs rightly to a little
kingdom whose capital was Savi.
Originally a port belonging to the king of Savi, and given up entirely to piracy, it
passed into the hands of Agaja, king of Dahome, who easily found an excuse for attacking
a place which was so valuable as giving him a direct communication from the interior to
the sea, without the intervention of middle-men, who each take a heavy per-centage
from all goods that pass through their district. From 1725, when it thus passed into
Dahoman hands, it rapidly increased in size and importance. Now it presents an extra-
ordinary mixture of native and imported masters, and we will endeavour to cast a rapid
glance at the former.
The place is divided into five districts, each governed by its own Caboceer; and it is a
notable fact, that nowadays a Caboceer need not be a native. The post of Caboceer of the
Soglaji, or English quarter, was offered to Captain Burton, who, however, conld not be
tempted to accept it, even by the umbrella of rank — equal to the blue ribbon of our own
system.
At the entrance of every town there is the De-sum, or Custom-house, and close by it
are a number of little fetish houses, wherein the trader is supposed to return his thanks
to the propitiating demons. The streets are formed by the walls of enclosures and the
backs of houses ; and, as Dahoman architecture is regulated by law, a very uniform effect
is obtained. The walls are mud, popularly called " swish," sometimes mixed with oyster-
shells to strengthen it, and built up in regular courses, each about two feet and a half in
thickness. By law, no walls are allowed to be more than four courses high.
" The hot sun soon bakes the mud into the consistence of soft brick ; and, were it not for
the fierce rains of the tropics, it would be very lasting. As it is, the rainy season is very
destructive to walls, and the early part of the dry season is always a busy time with
native architects, who are engaged in repairing the damages caused by the rains. There is
a small amount of salt in the mud, which increases the liability to damage. On the Gold
Coast the natives ingeniously strengthen the swish walls by growing cactus plants ; but
the negroes of Dahome neglect this precaution, and consequently give themselves — as lazy
people proverbially do — a vast amount of needless trouble.
There are no windows to the houses ; but the roofs, made of grass and leaves fastened
on a light framework, are made so that they can be partially raised from the walls, like
the "fly "of a tent.
In spite of the presence of localized Christian missions, and the continual contact of
Islamism, the system of fetishism is rampant in Whydah. No human sacrifices take
place there, all the victims being forwarded to the capital for execution. But, according
to Captain Burton, "even in the bazaar many a hut will be girt round with the Zo Vodun,
a country rope with dead leaves dangling from it at spaces of twenty feet. (Zo Vodun
signifies fire-fetish.)
" After a conflagration, this fetish fire-prophylactic becomes almost universal. Opposite
the house-gates, again, we find the Vo-siva defending the inmates from harm. It is of
many shapes, especially a stick or a pole, with an empty old calabash for a head, and a
body composed of grass, thatch, palm-leaves, fowls' feathers, and achatina shells. These
people must deem lightly of an influence that can mistake, even in the dark, such a
scarecrow for a human being.
" Near almost every door stands the Legba-gbau, or Legba-pot, by Europeans commonly
called the ' Devil's dish.' It is a common clay shard article, either whole or broken, and
THE LEGBAS.
631
every morning and evening it is filled, generally by women, with cooked maize and palm-
oil, for the benefit of the turkey-buzzard. ' Akrasu,' the vulture, is, next to the snake, the
happiest animal in Dahome. He has always abundance of food, like storks, robins,
swallows, crows, adjutant-cranes, and other holy birds in different parts of the world. . .
"Travellers abuse this 'obscene fowl,' forgetting that without it the towns ofYoruba
would be uninhabitable. . . . The turkey-buzzard perched on the topmost stick of a blasted
calabash-tree is to the unromantic natives of Africa what the pea-fowl is to more engaging
Asians. It always struck me as the most appropriate emblem and heraldic bearing for
decayed Dahome."
The Legba, or idol to whom the fowl is sacred, is an abominable image, rudely moulded
out of clay, and represented in a squatting attitude. Sometimes Legba's head is of wood,
PUNISHMENT OF A SNAKE-KILLER.
with eyes and teeth made of cowries, or else painted white. Legba is mostly a male
deity, rarely a female, and the chief object of the idol-maker seems to be that the
worshipper shall have no doubt on the subject. Legba sits in a little hut open at the
sides; and as no one takes care of him, and no one dares to meddle with him, the country
is full of these queer little temples, inside which the god is sometimes seen in tolerable
preservation, but in most cases has sunk into a mere heap of mud and dust. Some of
these wooden Legbas are seen on page 615, but they are purposely selected on account of
the exceptional delicacy displayed by the carver.
Snakes are fetish throughout Dahome, and are protected by the severest laws. All
serpents are highly venerated, but there is one in particular, a harmless snake called the
" Danhgbwe," which is held in the most absurd reverence. It is of moderate size, reaching
632 DAHOME.
some five or six feet in length, and is rather delicately coloured with brown, yellow, and
white. The Danhgbwe is kept tame in fetish houses, and if one of them should stray, it
is carefully restored by the man who finds it, and who grovels on the ground and covers
himself with dust before he touches it, as he would in the presence of a king. Formerly
the penalty for killing one of these snakes was death, but it is now commuted for a
punishment which, although very severe, is not necessarily fatal to the sufferer. It
partakes of the mixture of the horrible and the grotesque which is so characteristic of
this land. Mr. Duncan saw three men undergo this punishment. Three small houses
were built of dry sticks, and thatched with dry grass. The culprits were then placed in
front of the houses by the fetish-man, who made a long speech to the spectators, and
explained the enormity of the offence of which they had been guilty.
They then proceeded to tie on the shoulders of each culprit a dog, a kid, and two
fowls. A quantity of palm-oil was poured over them, and on their heads were balanced
baskets, containing little open calabashes filled with the same material, so that at the
least movement the calabashes were upset, and the oil ran all over the head and body.
They were next inarched round the little houses, and, lastly, forced to crawl into them,
the dog, kid, and fowls being taken off their shoulders and thrust into the house with
them. The doors being shut, a large mob assembles with sticks and clods, and
surrounds the house. The houses are then fired, the dry material blazing up like gun-
powder, and the wretched inmates burst their way through the flaming walls and roof,
and rush to the nearest running stream, followed by the crowd, who beat and pelt them
unmercifully. If they can reach the water, they are safe, and should they be men of
any consequence they have little to fear, as their friends surround them, and keep off the
crowd until the water is reached.
The whole of the proceedings are shown in the illustration on the preceding page.
In the distance is seen one of the culprits being taken to his fetish house, the basket
of calabashes on his head, and the animals slung round his neck. Another is seen
creeping into the. house, near which the fetish man is standing, holding dead snakes in
his hands, and horrible to look at by reason of the paint with which he has covered
his face. In the foreground is another criminal rushing towards the water, just about to
plunge into it and extinguish the flames that are still playing about his oil-saturated hair '
and have nearly burned off all his scanty clothing. The blazing hut is seen behind him,
and around are the spectators, pelting and striking him, while his personal friends are
checking them, and keeping the way clear towards the water.
We will now leave Whydah, and proceed towards the capital.
When a person of rank wishes to pay his respects to the king, the latter sends some
of his officers, bearing, as an emblem of their rank, the shark- stick, i. e. a kind of tomahawk
about two feet long, carved at the end into a rude semblance of the shark, another image
of the same fish being made out of a silver dollar beaten flat and nailed to the end of
the handle. One of the officers will probably have the lion-stick as his emblem of the
trust reposed in him ; but to unpractised eyes the lions carved on the stick would answer
equally well for the shark, and both would do well as " crocodile " sticks, the shapes of
the animals being purely conventional.
The mode of travelling is generally in hammocks, made of cotton cloth, but some-
times formed of silk : these latter are very gaudy affairs. The average size of a hammock
is nine feet by five, and the ends are lashed to a pole some nine or ten feet in length. Upon
the pole is fixed a slight framework, which supports an awning as a defence against the
sun. The pole is carried not on the shoulders but the heads of the bearers, and, owing to
their awkwardness and rough movements, an inexperienced traveller gets his head knocked
against the pole with considerable violence. Two men carry it, but each hammock
requires a set of seven men, some to act as relays, and others to help in getting the
vehicle over a rough part of the road. Each man expects a glass of rum morning and
evening, and, as he is able to make an unpopular master very uncomfortable, it is better
to yield to the general custom, especially as rum is only threepence per pint.
Being now fairly in the midst of Dahome, let us see what is the meaning of the
name.
THE AMAZONS. 633
Somewhere about A.D. 1620, an old king died and left three sons. The oldest took
his father's kingdom, and the youngest, Dako by name (some writers call him Tacudona),
went abroad to seek his fortune, and settled at a place not far from Agbome. By degrees
Dako became more and more powerful, and was continually encroaching upon the country
belonging to a neighbouring king called Danh, i.e. the Snake, or Eainbow. As the
number of his followers increased, Dako pestered Danh for more and more land for them,
until at last the king lost patience, and said to the pertinacious mendicant, " Soon thou
wilt build in my belly." Dako thought that this idea was not a bad one, and when he
had collected sufficient warriors, he attacked Danh, killed him, took possession of his
kingdom, and built a new palace over his corpse, thus literally and deliberately fulfilling
the prediction made in haste and anger by his conquered foe. In honour of his victory,
the conqueror called the place Danh-ome, or Danh's-belly. The " n " in this word is a
nasal sound unknown to English ears, and the word is best pronounced Dah-ome, as a
dissyllable.
The great neighbouring kingdom of Allada was friendly with Dahome for nearly a
hundred years, when they fell out, fought, and Dahome again proved victorious, so tbat
Allada allowed itself to be incorporated with Dahome.
It was a little beyond Allada where Captain Burton first saw some of the celebrated
Amazons, or female soldiers, who will be presently described, and here began the strange
series of ceremonies, far too numerous to be separately described, which accompanied the
progress of so important a visitor to the capital.
A mere slight outline will be given of them. At every village that was passed a
dance was performed, which the travellers were expected to witness. All the dances
being exactly alike, and consisting of writhings of the body and stamping with the feet,
they soon became very monotonous, but had to be endured. At a place called Aquine
a body of warriors rushed tumultuously into the cleared space of the village under its
centre tree. They were about eighty in number, and were formed four deep. Headed
by a sort of flag, and accompanied by the inevitable drum, they came on at full speed,
singing at the top of their voices, and performing various agile antics. After circling
round the tree, they all fell flat on the ground, beat up the dust with their hands, and
flung it over their bodies. This is the royal salute of Western Africa, and was performed
in honour of the king's canes of office, which he had sent by their bearers, accompanied
by the great ornament of his court, an old liqueur case, covered with a white cloth, and
borne on a boy's head.
^From this case were produced bottles of water, wine, gin, and rum, of each of which
the visitors were expected to drink three times, according to etiquette. After this
ceremony had been completed, the escort, as these men proved to be, preceded the party
to the capital, dancing and capering the whole way.
After several halts, the party arrived within sight of Kana, the country capital. " It
is distinctly Dahome, and here the traveller expects to look upon the scenes of barbaric
splendour of which all the world has read. And it has its own beauty; a French
traveller has compared it with the loveliest villages of fair Provence, while to
Mr. Duncan it suggested 'a vast pleasure-ground, not unlike some parts of the Great
Park at Windsor.'
" After impervious but sombre forest, grass-barrens, and the dismal swamps of the path,
the eye revels in these open plateaux ; their seducing aspect is enhanced by scattered
plantations of a leek-green studding the slopes, by a background of gigantic forest
dwarfing the nearer palm-files, by homesteads buried in cultivation, and by calabashes
and cotton-trees vast as the view, tempering the fiery summer to their subject growths,
and in winter collecting the rains, which would otherwise bare the newly-buried seed.
Nor is animal life wanting. The turkey-buzzard, the kite, and the kestrel soar in the
upper heights ; the brightest fly-catchers flit through the lower strata ; the little grey
squirrel nimbly climbs his lofty home; and a fine large spur-fowl rises from the plantations
of maize and cassava."
As is usual with African names, the word Kana has been spelled in a different way
by almost every traveller and every writer on the subject. Some call it Canna, or
634
DAHOME.
Cannah, or Carnah, while others write the word as Calmina, evidently a corruption of
Kana-mina, the " mina " being an addition. All the people between the Little Popo and
Acua are called Mina. "We shall, however, be quite safe, if throughout our account of
Western Africa we accept the orthography of Captain Burton. Kana was seized about
1818 by King Gozo, who liked the place, and so made it his country capital — much as
Brighton was to England in the days of the Regency. He drove out the fierce and
warlike Oyos (pronounced Aw-yaws), and in celebration of so important a victory
instituted an annual "custom," i.e. a human sacrifice, in which the victims are dressed
like the conquered Oyos.
This is called Gozo's custom, and, although the details are not precisely known, its
general tenor may be ascertained from the following facts. One traveller, who visited
Kana in 1863, saw eleven platforms on poles about forty feet high. On each platform
'THE BELL COMES.1
was the dead body of a man in an erect position, well dressed in the peasant style, and
having in his hand a calabash containing oil, grain, or other product of the land. One
of them was set up as if leading a sheep.
When Mr. Duncan visited Kana, or Cananina, as he calls it, he saw relics of this
" custom." The walls of the place, which were of very great extent, were covered with
human skulls placed about thirty feet apart, and upon a pole was the body of a man in
an upright position, holding a basket on his head wfth both his arms. A little further
on were the bodies of two other men, hung by their feet from a sort of gallows, about
twenty feet high. They had been in that position about two months, and were hardly
recognisable as human beings, and in fact must have presented as repulsive an appearance
as the bodies hung in chains, or the heads on Temple Bar. Two more bodies were hung
in a similar manner in the market-place, and Mr. Duncan was informed that they were
criminals executed for intrigues with the king's wives.
At Kana is seen the first intimation of the presence of royalty. A small stream runs
by it, and supplies Kana with water. At daybreak the women-slaves of the palace are
released from the durance in which they are kept during the night, and sent off to fetch
•water for the palace. They are not fighting women or Amazons, as they are generally
THE BELL COMES."
635
called ; but the slaves of the Amazons, each of these women having at least one female
slave, and some as many as fifty.
The very fact, however, that they are servants of the Amazons, who are the servants
of the king, confers on them a sort of dignity which they are not slow to assert. No
man is allowed to look at them, much less to address them, and in consequence, when
the women go to fetch water, they are headed by one of their number carrying a rude
bell suspended to the neck. When the leader sees a man in the distance, she shakes the
bell vigorously, and calls out, " Gan-ja," i.e. " the bell comes." As soon as the tinkle of
the bell or the cry reach the ears of any men who happen to be on the road, they immedi-
ately run to the nearest footpath, of which a number are considerately made, leading into
the woods, turn their backs, and wait patiently until the long file of women has passed.
They had need to escape as fast as they can, for if even one of the water-pots should
happen to be broken, the nearest man would inevitably be accused of having frightened
the woman who carried it, and would almost certainly be sold into slavery, together with
his wife and family.
BELLS.
(From Colonel Lane Fojfs Collection.)
As might be expected, the attendants at the palace are very proud of this privilege,
and the uglier, the older, and the lower they are, the more perseveringly do they ring the
bell and utter the dreaded shout, " Gan-ja." The oddest thing is that even the lowest of
the male slaves employed in the palace assume the same privilege, and insist on occu-
pying the road and driving all other travellers into the by-paths. " This," says Captain
Burton, " is one of the greatest nuisances in Dahome. It continues through the day.
In some parts, as around the palace, half a mile an hour would be full speed, and to
make way for these animals of burthen, bought perhaps for a few pence, is, to say the
least of it, by no means decorous."
The town of Kana has in itself few elements of beauty, however picturesque may be
the surrounding scenery. It occupies about three miles of ground, and is composed
primarily of the palace, and secondly of a number of houses scattered round it, set closely
near the king's residence, and becoming more and more scattered in proportion to their
distance from it. Captain Burton estimates the population at 4,000. The houses are
built of a red sandy clay.
The palace walls, which are of great extent, are surrounded by a cheerful adornment
in the shape of human skulls, which are placed on the top at intervals of thirty feet or so,
036 DAHOME.
and striking, as it were, the key-note to the Dahoman character. In no place in the world
is human life sacrificed with such prodigality and with such ostentation.
In most countries, after a criminal is executed, the body is allowed to be buried, or, at
the most, is thrown to the beasts and the birds. In Dahome the skull of the victim is
cleansed, and used as an ornament of some building, or as an appendage to the court and
its precincts. Consequently, the one object which strikes the eye of a traveller is the
human skull. The walls are edged with skulls, skulls are heaped in dishes before the
king, skulls are stuck on the tops of poles, skulls are used as the heads of banner-staves,
skulls are tied to dancers, and all the temples, or Ju-ju houses, are almost entirely built
of human skulls. How they come to be in such profusion we shall see presently.
Horrible and repulsive as this system is, we ought to remember that even in our
own country, in an age when art and literature were held in the highest estimation, the
quartered bodies of persons executed for high treason were exposed on the gates of the
principal cities, and that in the very heart of the capital their heads were exhibited up to
a comparatively recent date. This practice, though not of so wholesale a character as the
" custom " of Dahome, was yet identical with it in spirit.
As the Amazons, or female soldiers, have been mentioned, they will be here briefly
described.
This celebrated force consists wholly of women, officers as well as privates. They hold
a high position at court, and, as has already been mentioned, are of such importance that each
Amazon possesses at least one slave. In their own country they are called by two names,
Akho-si, i.e. the King's wives, and Mi-no, i.e. our mothers; the first name being given to
them on the Incus a non lucendo principle, because they are not allowed to be the wives
of any man, and the second being used as the conventional title of respect. The real
wives of the king do not bear arms, and though he sometimes does take a fancy to one of
his women-soldiers, she may not assume the position of a regular wife.
About one-third of the Amazons have been married, but the rest are unmarried
maidens. Of course it is needful that such a body should observe strict celibacy, if their
efficiency is to be maintained, and especial pains are taken to insure this object. In the
first place, the strictest possible watch is kept over them, and, in the second, the power
of superstition is invoked. At one of the palace gates, called significantly Agbo-dewe,
i.e. the Discovery Gate, is placed a potent fetish, who watches over the conduct of the
Amazons, and invariably discovers the soldier who breaks the most important of the
military laws. The Amazons are so afraid of this fetish, that when one of them has trans-
gressed she has been known to confess her fault, and to give up the name of her partner
in crime, even with the knowledge that he will die a cruel death, and that she will be
severely punished, and probably be executed by her fellow-soldiers. Besides, there is a
powerful esprit de corps reigning among the Amazons, who are fond of boasting that they
are not women, but men.
They certainly look as if they were, being, as a rule, more masculine in appearance
than the male soldiers, tall, muscular, and possessed of unflinching courage and ruthless
cruelty. Bloodthirsty and savage as are the Dahomans naturally, the Amazons take the
lead in both qualities, seeming to avenge themselves, as it were, for the privations to
which they are doomed. The spinster soldiers are women who have been selected by the
king from the families of his subjects, he having the choice of them when they arrive at
marriageable age ; and the once married soldiers are women who have been detected in
infidelity, and are enlisted instead of executed, or wives who are too vixenish towards
their husbands, and so are appropriately drafted into the army, where their oombative
dispositions may find a more legitimate object.
In order to increase their bloodthirsty spirit, and inspire a feeling of emulation, those
who have killed an enemy are allowed to exhibit a symbol of their prowess. They
remove the scalp, and preserve it for exhibition on all reviews and grand occasions. They
have also another decoration, equivalent to the Victoria Cross of this country, namely, a
cowrie-shell fastened to the butt of the musket. After the battle is over, the victorious
Amazon smears part of the rifle-butt with the blood of the fallen enemy, and just before
MILITARY DECORATION.
637
it dries spreads another layer. This is done until a thick, soft paste is formed, into which
the cowrie is pressed. The musket is then, laid in the sun, and when properly dry the
shell is firmly glued to the weapon.
The possession of this trophy is eagerly coveted by the Amazons and, after a battle,
those who have not slain an enemy with their own hand are half-maddened with envious
DAHOMAN AMAZONS.
jealousy when they see their more successful sisters assuming the coveted decoration.
One cowrie is allowed for each dead man, and some of the boldest and fiercest of the
Amazons have their musket-butts completely covered with cowries, arranged in circles,
stars, and similar patterns.
The dress of the Amazons varies slightly according to the position which they occupy.
The ordinary uniform is a blue and white tunic of native cloth, but made without sleeves,
so as to allow full freedom to the arms. Under this is a sort of shirt or kilt, reaching
638 DAHOME.
below the knees, and below the shirt the soldier wears a pair of short linen trousers.
Round the waist is girded the ammunition-belt, which is made exactly on the same prin-
ciple as the bandolier of the Middle Ages. It consists of some thirty hollow wooden
cylinders sticking into a leathern belt, each cylinder containing one charge of powder.
When they load their guns, the Amazons merely
pour the powder down the barrel, and ram the
bullet after it, without taking the trouble to intro-
duce wadding of any description, so that the force
of the powder is much wasted, and the direction
of the bullet very uncertain. Partly owing to the
great windage caused by the careless loading and
badly fitting balls, and partly on account of the
inferiority of the powder, the charges are twice
as large as would be required by a European
soldier.
Captain Burton rightly stigmatizes the exist-
POWDER FLASK. encs of such an army as an unmixed evil, and
states that it is one of the causes which will one
day cause the kingdom of Dahome to be obliterated from the earth. "The object
of Dahoman ~ars and invasions has always been to lay waste and to destroy, not
to aggrandize.
"As the history puts it, the rulers have ever followed the example of Agaja, the
second founder of the kingdom ; aiming at conquest and at striking terror, rather than at
accretion and consolidation. Hence there has been a decrease of population with an
increase of territory, which is to nations the surest road to ruin. In the present day the
wars have dwindled to mere slave-hunts — a fact it is well to remember.
" The warrior troops, assumed to number 2,500, should represent 7,500 children ; the
waste of reproduction and the necessary casualties of 'service' in a "region so depopulated
are as detrimental to the body politic as a proportionate loss of blood would be to the
body personal. Thus the land is desert, and the raw material of all industry, man, is
everywhere wanting."
Fierce, cruel, relentless, deprived by severe laws of all social ties, the women- soldiers
of Dahome are the only real fighters, the men-soldiers being comparatively feeble and
useless. They are badly and miscellaneously armed, some having trade guns, but the
greater number being only furnished with bow and arrow, swords, or clubs. All, however,
whether male or female, are provided with ropes wherewith to bind their prisoners,
slave-hunts being in truth the real object of Dahoman warfare. From his profound
knowledge of negro character, Captain Burton long ago prophesied that the kingdom of
Dahome was on the wane, and that " weakened by traditional policy, by a continual
scene of blood, and by the arbitrary measures of her king, and demoralized by an export
slave-trade, by close connexion with Europeans, and by frequent failure, this band of
black Spartans is rapidly falling into decay."
He also foretold that the king's constant state of warfare with Abeokuta was a political
mista.ke, and that the Egbas would eventually prove to be the conquerors. How true
these remarks were has been proved by the events of the last few years. The king
Gelele made his threatened attack on Abeokuta, and was hopelessly beaten. In spite
of the reckless courage of the Amazons, who fought like so many mad dogs, and were
assisted by three brass six-pounder field-guns, his attack failed, and his troops were
driven off with the loss of a vast number of prisoners, while the killed were calculated at
a thousand.
How recklessly these Amazons can fight is evident from their performances at a
review. In this part of the country the simple fortifications are made of the acacia
bushes, which are furnished with thorns of great length and sharpness, and are indeed
formidable obstacles. At a review witnessed by Mr. Duncan, model forts were constructed
of these thorns, which were heaped up into walls of some sixty or seventy feet in
thickness and eight in height. It may well be imagined that to cross such ramparts as
AMAZON REVIEW.
039
these would be no easy task, even to European soldiers, whose feet are defended by
thick-soled boots, and that to a barefooted soldiery they must be simply impregnable.
Within the forts were built strong pens seven feet in height, inside of which were cooped
up a vast number of male and female slaves belonging to the king.
The review began by the Amazons forming with shouldered arms about two hundred
feet in front of the strong fort, and waiting for the word of command. As soon as it was
given, they rushed forward, charged the solid fence as though thorns were powerless
against their bare feet, dashed over it, tore down the fence, and returned to the king in
triumph, leading with them the captured slaves, and exhibiting also the scalps of warriors
AMAZON REVIEW.
who had fallen in previous battles, but who were conventionally supposed to have perished
on the present occasion. So rapid and fierce was the attack, that scarcely a minute had
elapsed after the word of command was given and when the women were seen returning
with their captives.
The organization of the Amazonian army is as peculiar as its existence. The regiment
is divided into three battalions, namely, the centre and two wings. The centre, or Fanti
battalion, is somewhat analogous to our Guards, and its members distinguished by
wearing on .the head a narrow white fillet, on which are sewn blue crocodiles. This orna-
ment was granted to them by the king, because one of their number once killed a
crocodile. As a mark of courtesy, the king generally confers on his distinguished visitors
the honorary rank of commander of the Fanti battalion, but this rank does not entitle
him even to order the corps out for a review.
C40
DAHOME.
The Grenadiers are represented by the Blunderbuss Company, who are selected for their
size and strength, and are each followed by a slave carrying ammunition. Equal in rank
to them are the sharpshooters, or "Sure-to-kill" Company, the Carbineers, and the
Bayonet Company.
The women of most acknowledged courage are gathered into the Elephant Company,
their special business being to hunt the elephant for the sake of its tusks, a task whic^h
they perform with great courage and success, often bringing down an elephant with a
single volley from their imperfect weapons.
The youngest, best-looking, most active, and neatest dressed, are the archers. They
are furnished with very poor weapons, usually bow and small arrows, and a small
1
QUIVERS AND ARROWS.
knife. Indeed, they are more for show than for use, and wear by way of uniform a
dress more scanty than that of the regular army, and are distinguished also by an ivory
bracelet on the left arm, and a tattoo extending to the knee. They are specially trained
in dancing, and when in the field, they are employed as messengers and in carrying off
the dead and wounded. Their official title is Go-hen-to, i.e. the bearers of quivers.
The greater number of the Amazons are of course line-soldiers, and if they only had
a little knowledge of military manoeuvres, and could be taught to load properly, as well
as to aim correctly, would treble their actual power. Their manoeuvres, however, are
compared by Captain Burton to those of a flock of sheep, and they have such little
knowledge of concerted action that they would be scattered before a charge of the very
worst troops in Europe.
WAK-DKUM AND KAZOR
641
Lastly come the Bazor-women. This curious body is intended for striking terror into
the enemy, the soldiers being armed with a large razor, that looks exactly as if it had
been made for the clown in a pantomime. The blade is about two feet in length, and the
handle of course somewhat larger, and, when opened, the blade is kept from shutting by
a spring at the back. It is employed for decapitating criminals, but by way of a weapon it is
almost worse than useless, and quite as likely to wound the person who holds it as it is
him against whom it is directed. The razor was invented by a brother of the late
King Gezo. By the side of the razor is shown one of the war-drums of the Amazons.
Both of these instruments were taken from the slain warriors in the attack upon
Abeokuta.
WAR-DRUM AND RAZOR.
VOL. I.
CHAPTER LVL
DAHOME—Continucd.
THE DUPLICATK KING THE " CUSTOMS " OF DAHOME — APPEARANCE OF KINO GELELE — ETIQUETTE AT
COURT THE KING DRINKS THE CALABASHES OF STATE THE KINO'S PROGRESS THE ROYAL,
PROCESSION THE FIRST DAY OF THE CUSTOMS THE VICTIM-SHED AND ITS INMATES — THE
ROYAL PAVILION — PRELIMINARY CEREMONIALS — THE SECOND DAY OF THE CUSTOMS — THE
" ABLE-TO-DO-ANYTHING " CLOTH — THE THIRD DAY — SCRAMBLING FOR COWRIES, AND PROCK8-
SION OF HUNCHBACKS — FETISHES — CONVERSATION WITH THE VICTIMS THE FOURTH DAY AND
ITS EVIL NIGHT ESTIMATED NUMBER OF THE VICTIMS, AND MODE OF THEIR EXECUTION —
OBJECT AND MEANING OF THE CUSTOMS — LETTER TO THE DEAD, AND THE POSTCRIPT EXECU-
TION AT AGBOME THE BLOOD-DBINKER.
BEFORE proceeding to the dread " customs " of Dahome, we must give a brief notice of
a remarkable point in the Dahoman statecraft. Like Japan, Dahome has two kings, but,
instead of being temporal and spiritual as in Japan, they are City king and Bush king,
each having his throne, his- state, his court, his army, his officers, and his customs. When
Captain Burton visited Dahome, the City king was Gelele, son of Gezo, and the Bush
king was Addo-kpore.
The Bush king is set over all the farmers, and regulates tillage and commerce ; while
the City king rules the cities, makes war. and manages the slave trade. Consequently,
the latter is so much brought into contact with the traders that the former is scarcely ever
seen except by those who visit the country for the express purpose. He has a palace
at a place about six miles from the capital, but the building was only made of poles and
matting when Captain Burton visited it, and is not likely to be made of stronger materials,
as it was not to be built of " swish " until Abeokuta was taken.
We will now proceed to describe, as briefly as is consistent with truth, the customs of
both kings, our authorities being restricted to two, Mr. Duncan and Captain Burton, the
latter having made many important corrections in the statements of the former and of
other travellers. The present tense will therefore be used throughout the description.
Gelele is a fine-looking man, with a right royal aspect. He is more than six feet in
height, thin, broad-shouldered, active, and powerful. His hair is nearly all shaven except
two cockade-like tufts, which are used as attachments for beads and other trinkets of
brass and silver. Contrary to the usual form, he has a firm and well-pronounced chin,
and a tolerably good forehead, and, in spite of his cruel and bloodthirsty nature, has a
very agreeable smile. He wears his nails very long, and is said, though tne statement is
very doubtful, that he keeps under his talon-like nails a powerful poison, which he slily
infuses in the drink of any of his Caboceers who happen to offend him. His face is
much pitted with the small-pox, and he wears the mark of his race, namely three perpen-
dicular scars on the forehead just above the nose. This is the last remnant of a very
painful mode of tatooing, whereby the cheeks were literally carved, and the flaps of flesh
turned up and forced to heal in that position.
COURT ETIQUETTE. 643
He is not nearly so black as his father, his skin approaching the copper colour, and it
is likely that his mother was either a slave-girl from the northern Makhi, or a mulatto
girl from Whydah.
On ordinary occasions he dresses very simply, his body-cloth being of white stuff
edged with green, and his short drawers of purple silk. He wears but few ornaments, the
five or six iron bracelets which encircle his arms being used more as defensive armour
than as jewellery.
Still, although dressed in a far simpler style than any of his Caboceers, he is very
punctilious with regard to etiquette, and preserves the smallest traditions with a minute
rigidity worthy of the court of Louis XIV. Although he may be sitting on a mere earthen
bench, and smoking a clumsy and very plain pipe, all his court wait upon him with a
reverence that seems to regard him as a demi-god rather than a man. Should the heat,
from which he is sheltered as much as possible by the royal umbrella, produce a few
drops on his brow, they are delicately wiped off by one of his wives with a fine cloth ; if
the tobacco prove rather too potent, a brass or even a gold spittoon is placed before the
royal lips. If he sneezes, the whole assembled company burst into a shout of benedictions.
The chief ceremony takes place when he drinks. As soon as he raises a cup to his lips,
two of his wives spread a white cloth in front of him, while others hold a number of
gaudy umbrellas so as to shield him from view. Every one who has a gun fires it, those
who have bells beat them, rattles are shaken, and all the courtiers bend to the ground,
clapping their hands. As to the commoners, they turn their backs if sitting, if standing
they dance like bears, paddling with their hands as if they were paws, bawling
" Poo-oo-oo" at the top of their voices.
If a message is sent from him, it is done in a most circuitous manner. He first delivers
the message to the Dakro, a woman attached to the court. She takes it to the Meu, and
the Meu passes it on to the Mingan, and the Mingan delivers it to the intended recipient.
When the message is sent to the king, the order is reversed, and, as each officer has to
speak to a superior, a salutation is used neatly graduated according to rank. When the
message at last reaches the Dakro, she goes down on all-fours, and whispers the message
into the royal ears. So tenacious of trifles is the native memory, that the message will
travel through this circuitous route without the loss or transposition of a word.
When any one, no matter what may be his rank, presents himself before the king, he
goes through a ceremony called " Itte d'ai," or lying on the ground. He prostrates himself
flat on his face, and with his hands shovels the dust all over his person. He also kisses
the ground, and takes care when he rises to have as much dust as possible on his huge
lips. Face, hands, limbs, and clothes are equally covered with dust, the amount of
reverence being measured by the amount of dust No one approaches the king erect :
he must crawl on all-fours, shuffle on his knees, or wriggle along like a snake.
Wherever Gelele holds his court, there are placed before him three large calabashes,
each containing the skull of a powerful chief whom he had slain. The exhibition of these
skulls is considered as mark of honour to their late owners, and not, as has been supposed,
a sign of mockery or disgrace. One is bleached and polished like ivory, and is mounted
on a small ship made of brass. The reason for this curious arrangement is, that when Gezo
died, the chief sent a mocking message to Gelele, saying that the sea had dried up, and
men had seen the end of Dahome. Gelele retaliated by invading his territory, killing
him, and mounting his skull on a ship, as a token that there was plenty of water left to
float the vessel.
The second skull is mounted with brass so as to form a drinking-cup. This was done
because the owner had behaved treacherously to Gelele instead of assisting him. In
token, therefore, that he ought to have " given water to a friend in affliction " — the meta-
phorical mode of expressing sympathy — Gelele and his courtiers now drink water out of
his skull. The third was the skull of a chief who had partaken of this treachery, and
his skull was accordingly mounted with brass fittings which represented the common
country trap, in order to show that he had set a trap, and fallen into it himself. All these
skulls were without the lower jaw, that being the most coveted ornament for umbrellas
and sword-handles. Sad to say, with the usual negro disregard of inflicting pain, the
T T 2
644
DAHOME.
captor tears the jaw away while the victim is still alive, cutting through both cheeks
with one hand and tearing away the jaw with the other.
The same minute and grotesque etiquette accompanies the king as he proceeds to
Agbome, the real capital, to celebrate the So-Sin Custom, and it is impossible to read the
accounts of the whole proceeding without being struck with the ingenuity by which the
negro has pressed into the
service of barbarism everything
European that he can lay his
hands upon, while he has in-
variably managed thereby to
make the rites ludicrous instead
of imposing.
First came a long line of
chiefs, distinguished by their
flags and umbrellas, and after
marching once round the large
sj >ace or square, they crossed over
and formed a line of umbrellas
opposite the gateway. Then
came the royal procession itself,
headed by skirmishers and led
by a man carrying one of the
skull-topped banners. After
these came some five hundred
musketeers, and behind them
inarched two men carrying large
leathern shields painted white,
and decorated with a pattern in
black. These are highly valued,
as remnants of the old times
when shields were used in war-
fare, and were accompanied by a
guard of tall negroes, wearing
brass helmets and black horse-
tails.
Next came the Kafo, or
emblem of royalty, namely an
iron fetish-stick enclosed in a
IVORY TRUMPETS. white linen case, topped with
a white plume; and after the
kafo came the king, riding
under the shade of four white
limbrellas, and further sheltered from the sun by three parasols, yellow, purple, and
biueish-red. These were waved over him so as to act as fans.
After the king was borne the great fetish-axe, followed by the " band," a noisy
assemblage of performers on drums, rattles, trumpets, cymbals, and similar instruments.
Lastly came a crowd of slaves laden with chairs, baskets of cowries, bottles, and similar
articles, the rear being brought up by a pair of white and blue umbrellas and a tattered flag.
Six times the king was carried round the space, during two of the circuits being
drawn in a nondescript wheeled vehicle, and on the third circuit being carried, carriage and
all, on the shoulders of his attendants. The fourth and fifth circuits were made in a
Bath chair, and the sixth in the same vehicle carried as before. The king then withdrew
to the opposite side of the space, and the Amazons made their appearance, dashing into
the space in three companies, followed by the Fanti companies already described.
These young women showed their agility in dancing, and were followed by a calabash
adorned with skulls and a number of flags, escorted by twelve Eazor-women.
(From Colonel Lane Fonts collection.)
right hand trumpet has a crucified figure on it.
THL FIRST DAY OF THE CUSTOMS.
645
By this time the king had transferred himself to a hammock of yellow silk, suspended
from a black pole ornamented with silver sharks — this fish being a royal emblem — and
tipped witli brass at each end. Twelve women carried the hammock, and others shaded
and fanned him as before. These preliminaries being completed, all retired to rest until
the following day, which was to be the first of the So-Sin or Horse-tie Customs.
THE KING'S DANCE.
The first object that strikes the eye of the observer is a large shed about one hundred
feet long, forty wide, and sixty high, having at one end a double-storeyed turret, and the
whole being covered with a red cloth. At the time of which we are treating there sat
in the shed twenty of the victims to be sacrificed. They were all seated on stools, and
bound tightly to the posts by numerous cords. No unnecessary pain was inflicted: they
were fed four times in the day, were loosened at night for sleeping, and were furnished
with attendants who kept off the flies. They were dressed in a sort of San Benito
costume, namely a white calico shirt, bound with red ribbon, and having a crimson patch
on the left breast. On the head was a tall pointed white cap, with blue ribbon wound
spirally round it. In spite of their impending fate, the victims did not seem to be
unhappy, and looked upon the scene with manifest curiosity.
Next came the rite from which the ceremony takes its name. The chief of the horse
came up with a number of followers, and took away all horses from their owners, and
tied them to the shed, whence they could only be released by the payment of cowries.
Another shed was built especially for the king, and contained about the same number
of victims. Presently Gelele came, and proceeded to his own shed, where he took his
seat, close to the spot on which was pitched a little tent containing the relics of the old
G46 DAHOMR
king, and supposed to be temporarily inhabited by his ghost. After some unimportant
ceremonies, Gelele made an address, stating that his ancestors had only built rough and
rude So-Sin sheds, but that Gezo had improved upon them when " making customs " for
his predecessor. But he, Gelele, meant to follow his father's example, and to do for his
father what he hoped his son would do for him. This discourse was accompanied by
himself on the drum, and after it was over, he displayed his activity in dancing, assisted
by his favourite wives and a professional jester. Leaning on a staff decorated with a
human skull, he then turned towards the little tent, and adored in impressive silence
his father's ghost.
The next business was to distribute decorations and confer rank, the most prominent
example being a man who was raised from a simple captain to be a Caboceer, the newly-
created noble floundering on the ground, and covering himself and all his new clothes
with dust as a mark of gratitude. More dancing and drumming then went on until the
night closed in, and the first day was ended.
The second day exhibited nothing very worthy of notice except the rite which gives
it the name of Cloth-changing Day. The king has a piece of patchwork, about six
hundred yards long by ten wide, which is called the " Nun-ce-pace-to," i.e. the Able-to-do-
anything cloth. This is to be worn by the king as a robe as soon as he has taken
Abeokuta, and, to all appearances, he will have to wait a very long time before he wears
it. It is unrolled, and held up before the king, who walked along its whole length on
both sides, amid the acclamations of his people, and then passed to his shed, where he was
to go through the cloth-changing. This rite consisted in changing his dress several times
before the people, and dancing in each new dress, finishing with a fetish war-dress, i.e. a
short under-robe, and a dark blue cloth studded with charms and amulets, stained with
blood, and edged with cowries.
The third day of the customs exhibited but little of interest, being merely the usual
processions and speeches, repeated over and over again to a wearisome length. The most
notable feature is the cowrie-scrambling. The king throws strings of cowries among the
people, who fight for them on perfectly equal terms, the lowest peasant and the highest
noble thinking themselves equally bound to join in the scramble.
Weapons are not used, but it is considered quite legitimate to gouge out eyes or bite
out pieces of limbs, and there is scarcely a scramble that does not end in maiming for life,
while on some occasions one or two luckless individuals are left dead on the ground.
No notice is taken of them, as they are, by a pleasant fiction of law, supposed to have
died an honourable death in defence of their king.
Lastly there came a procession of hunchbacks, who, as Captain Burton tells us, are
common in Western Africa, and are assembled in troops of both sexes at the palace. The
chief of them wielded a formidable whip, and, having arms of great length and muscular
power, easily cut a way for his followers through the dense crowd. Seven potent fetishes
were carried on the heads of the principal hunchbacks. They were very strong fetishes
indeed, being in the habit of walking about after nightfall.
They are described as follows : — " The first was a blue dwarf, in a grey paque, with hat
on head. The second, a blue woman with protuberant breast. The third, a red dwarf with
white eyes, clad cap-d-pie in red and brown. The fourth was a small black mother and
child in a blue loin-cloth, with a basket or calabash on the former's head. The fifth, ditto,
but lesser. The sixth was a pigmy baboon-like thing, with a red face under a black skull-
cap, a war-club in the right hand and a gun in the left ; and the seventh much resembled
the latter, but was lamp-black, with a white apron behind. They were carved much as
the face cut on the top of a stick by the country bumpkins in England."
The king next paid a visit to the victims, and entered into conversation with some of
them, and presented twenty " heads " of cowries to them. At Captain Burton's request
that he would show mercy, he had nearly half of them untied, placed on their hands and
knees in front of him, and then dismissed them.
The fourth day of the customs is traditionally called the Horse-losing Day, from a
ceremony which has now been abolished, although the name is retained. More dances,
more processions, and more boastings that Abeokuta should be destroyed, and that the
THE EVIL NIGHT. 647
grave of Gelele's father should be well furnished with Egba skulls. The same little
fetishes already mentioned were again produced, and were followed by a curious pas-de-seul
performed by a " So." The So is an imitation demon, " a bull-face mask of natural size,
painted black, with glaring eyes and peep-holes. The horns were hung with red and
white rag-strips, and beneath was a dress of bamboo fibre covering the feet, and fringed
at the ends. It danced with head on one side, and swayed itself about to the great
amusement of the people."
The whole of the proceedings were terminated by a long procession of slaves, bearing
in their hands baskets of cowries. " It was the usual African inconsequence — 100,000
to carry 201"
The evening of the fourth day is the dreaded Evil Night, on which the king walks in
solemn procession to the market-place, where the chief executioner with his own hand
puts to death those victims who have been reserved. The precise nature of the pro-
ceedings is not known, as none are allowed to leave their houses except the king and his
retinue ; and any one who is foolish enough to break this law is carried off at once to
swell the list of victims. It is said that the king speaks to the men, charging them with
messages to his dead father, telling him that his memory is revered, and that a number of
new attendants have been sent to him, and with his own hand striking the first blow, the
others being slain by the regular executioner.
The bodies of the executed were now set upon a pole, or hung up by their heels, and
exhibited to the populace, much as used to be done in England, when a thief was first
executed, and then hung in chains.
The number of these victims has been much exaggerated. In the annual customs, the
number appears to be between sixty and eighty. Some thirty of these victims are men,
and suffer by the hand of the chief executioner or his assistants ; but it is well known
that many women are also put to death within the palace walls, the bloodthirsty Amazons
being the executioners.
The mode of execution is rather remarkable. After the king has spoken to the victims,
and dictated his messages, the executioners fall upon them and beat them to death with
their official maces. These instruments are merely wooden clubs, armed on one side of
the head with iron knobs. Some, however, say that the victims are beheaded ; and it is
very likely that both modes are employed.
As to the stories that have been so frequently told of the many thousand human
victims that are annually slain, and of the canoe which is paddled by the king in a
trench filled with human blood, they are nothing more than exaggerations invented by
traders for the purpose of frightening Englishmen out of the country. Even in
the Grand Customs which follow the decease of a king the number of victims is barely
five hundred.
We may naturally ask ourselves what is the meaning of the customs, or So-Sin.
This ceremony is the accepted mode of doing honour to the late king, by sending to him
a number of attendants befitting his rank. Immediately after his burial, at the Grand
Customs, some five hundred attendants, both male and female, are despatched to the
dead king, and ever afterwards his train is swelled by those who are slain at the regular
annual customs.
Besides the customs there is scarcely a day when executions of a similar character
do not take place. Whatever the king does must be reported to his father by a man,
who is first charged with the message and then killed. No matter how trivial the
occasion may be — if a white man visits him, if he has a new drum made, or even if he
moves from one house to another — a messenger is sent to tell his father. A.nd if after the
execution the king should find that he has forgotten something, away goes another
messenger, like the postscript of a letter.
All this terrible destruction of human life, which is estimated by Burton as averaging
five hundred per annum in ordinary years, and a thousand in the Grand Customs year, is
bad enough, but not so bad as it has been painted. The victims are not simple subjects
of the king selected for the sacrifice of bloodthirsty caprice, as has been generally
supposed. They are either criminals or prisoners of war, and, instead of being executed
648 DAHOME.
on the spot, are reserved for the customs, and are treated as well as is consistent with
their safe custody.
Indeed, considering the object for which they are reserved, it would be bad policy
for the Dahoman king to behave cruelly towards his victims. They are intended as
messengers to his father, about whom they are ever afterwards supposed to wait, and it
would be extremely impolitic in the present king to send to his father a messenger who
was ill-disposed towards himself, and who might, therefore, garble his message, or deliver
an evil report to the dead sovereign.
As a rule, the victims in question are quite cheerful and contented, and about as
unlike our ideas of doomed men as can well be imagined.
In the first place, they are constitutionally indifferent to human life, their own lives
with those of others being equally undervalued ; and as they know that their lives are
forfeit, they accept the position without useless murmurs. Nor is the mode of death
so painful as seems at first sight to be the case, for the king, actuated by that feeling of
pity which caused the Romans to stupefy with a soporific draught the senses of those
who were condemned to the cross, mostly administers to the victims a bottle or so of
rum about an hour before the execution, so that they are for the most part insensible
when killed.
This humane alleviation of their sufferings is, however, restricted to those who die at
the customs, and is not extended to those who perish by the hands of the executioner as
messengers to the deceased king.
How these executions are conducted may be seen by the following account of a scene
at Dahome by Mr. Duncan : —
" The ceremonies of this day were nearly a repetition of those of yesterday, till the
time arrived (an hour before sunset) when the four traitors were brought into the square
for execution. They marched through the mob assembled round apparently as little
concerned as the spectators, who seemed more cheerful than before the prisoners made
their appearance, as if they were pleased with the prospect of & change of performance.
The prisoners were marched close past me in slow time ; consequently I had a good
opportunity of minutely observing them, particularly as every person remained on his
knees, with the exception of myself and the guard who accompanied the prisoners.
" They were all young men, of the middle size, and appeared to be of one family, or
at least of the same tribe of Makees, who are much better-looking than the people of
the coast. Each man was gagged with a short piece of wood, with a small strip of vrhite
cotton tied round each end of the stick, and passed round the pole. This was to prevent
them from speaking. They were arranged in line, kneeling before the king.
" The head gang-gang man then gave four beats on the gong, as one — two, and one— two;
the upper part of the gang-gang being smaller than the lower, and thus rendering the
sounds different, similar to our public clocks in England when striking the quarters.
" After the four beats the gang-man addressed the culprits upon the enormity of their
crime and the justice of their sentence. During this lengthened harangue the gang-gang
was struck at short intervals, which gave a sort of awful solemnity to the scene. After
this, the men were suddenly marched some distance back from his majesty, who on this
occasion refused to witness the execution. The men were then ordered to kneel in line
about nine feet apart, their hands being tied in front of the body, and the elbows held
behind by two men, the body of the culprit bending forward.
" Poor old Mayho, who is an excellent man, was the proper executioner. He held the
knife or bill-hook to me, but I again declined the honour ; when the old man, at one
blow on the back of the neck, divided the head from the body of the first culprit, with
the exception of a small portion of the skin, which was separated by passing the knife
underneath. Unfortunately the second man was dreafully mangled, for the poor fellow
at the moment the blow was struck having raised his head, the knife struck in a slanting
direction, and only made a large wound ; the next blow caught him on the back of the
head, when the brain protruded. The poor fellow struggled violently. The third stroke
caught him across the shoulders, inflicting a dreadful gash. The next caught him on
the neck, which was twice repeated. The officer steadying the criminal now lost his hold
THE BLOOD-DEINKER 649
on Jtecount of the blood which rushed from the blood-vessels on all who were near. Poor
old Mayho, now quite palsied, took hold of the head, and after twisting it several times
rouncL separated it from the still convulsed and struggling trunk. During the latter part
of tins disgusting execution the head presented an awful spectacle, the distortion of the
features, and the eyeballs completely upturned, giving it a horrid appearance.
" The next man, poor fellow, with his eyes partially shut and head drooping forward
near to the ground, remained all this time in suspense ; casting a partial glance on the head
which was now close to him, and the trunk dragged close past him, the blood still rush-
ing from it like a fountain. Mayho refused to make another attempt, and another man
acted in his stead, and with one blow separated the spinal bones, but did not entirely
separate the head from the body. This was finished in the same manner as the first.
However, the fourth culprit was not so fortunate, his head not being separated till after
three strokes. The body afterwards rolled over several times, when the blood spurted
over my face and clothes.
" The most disgusting part of this abominable and disgusting execution was that of an
ill-looking wretch, who, like the numerous vultures, stood with a small calabash in his
hand, ready to catch the blood from each individual, which he greedily devoured before it
had escaped one minute from the veins. The old wretch had the impudence to put some
rum in the blood and ask me to drink : at that moment I could with good heart have sent
a bullet through his head.
" Before execution the victim is furnished with a clean white cloth to tie round the
loins. After decapitation the body is immediately dragged off by the heels to a large pit
at a considerable distance from the town, and thrown therein, and is immediately devoured
by wolves and vultures, which are here so ravenous that they will almost take your
victuals from you."
Captain Burton says that he never saw this repulsive part of the sacrificial ceremony,
and states that there is only one approach to cannibalism in Dahome. This is in
connexion with the worship of the thunder-god, and is described on page 655.
STRING OF COWRIES.
V/'rom my eottectwnS
CHAPTER LVII.
DAHOME —Concluded.
THE GRAND CUSTOMS OP DAHOME — CELEBRATED ONCE IN A LIFETIME " WE ARE HUNGRY " THE
BASKET SACRIFICE GELELE's TOWER — THE FIRE TELEGRAPH AND ITS DETAILS LAST DAY OF
THE CUSTOMS — THE TIRED ORATORS A GENERAL SMASH — CONCLUSION OF THE CEREMONY
DAHOMAN MARRIAGES THE RELIGION OF DAHOME — POLYTHEISM, AND DIFFERENT RANKS OF
THE DEITIES — WORSHIP OF THE THUNDER-GOD CEREMONY OF HEAD-WORSHIP — THE PRIESTS
OR FETISHERS THE FEMALE FETISHERS IDEAS OF THE SPIRITUAL WORLD INQUEST AFTER
DEATH — BURIAL — THE DEATH OF A KING THE WATER-SPRINKLING CUSTOM CAPTAIN BURTON'S
SUMMARY OF THE DAHOMAN CHARACTER.
WE now pass to the Grand Customs of Dahome, which only take place once in a monarch's
lifetime. This fearful ceremony, or rather series of ceremonies, is performed in honour of
a deceased king, and the duty of carrying it out devolves upon his successor. Each king
tries to outvie his predecessor by sacrificing a greater number of victims, or by inventing
some new mode of performing the sacrifice. In consequence of this habit the mode of
conducting the Grand Custom is so exceedingly variable that a full description would
entail a narration of the custom as performed by each successive king.
It has already been stated that the victims are carefully saved for the purpose, Custom
Day being the only general execution-time in the year ; and in consequence, if a new king
finds that he has not a sufficient number of victims to do honour to his father's memory,
and at least to equal those whom his father sacrificed when he came to the throne, he
must wait until the required number can be made up.
The usual method of doing so is to go to war with some tribe with whom there is a
feud ; and for this reason, among others, both Gezo and Gelele made a series of attacks,
Abeokuta winning at first, but being afterwards beaten back, as has been narrated. It is
chiefly for this reason that the Amazons are taught to rush so fiercely over the formidable
thorn- walls by which the towns are fortified, and the prisoners whom they take are mostly
handed over to the king to be kept in readiness for the next custom.
On the great day of the Grand Custom the king appears on a platform, decorated,
according to Dahoman ideas in a most gorgeous manner, with cloths on which are rudely
painted the figures of various animals. Around him are his favourite wives and his
principal officers, each of the latter being distinguished by his great umbrella. Below is
a vast and surging crowd of negroes of both sexes, wild with excitement and rum, and
rending the air with their yells of welcome to their sovereign. In recognition of their
loyalty, he flings among them " heads " of cowries, strings of beads, rolls of cloth, and
similar valuables, for which they fight and scramble and tear each other like so many wild
beasts — and indeed, for the time, they are as fierce and as ruthless as the most savage
beasts that the earth holds.
After these specimens of the royal favour are distributed, the cries and yells begin to
take shape, and gradually resolve themselves into praises of the king and appeals to
THE BASKET SACEIFICE. 651
hia bounty. " We are hungry, 0 King," they cry. " Feed us, 0 King, for we are hungry ! "
and this ominous demand is repeated with increasing fury, until the vast crowd have
lashed themselves to a pitch of savage fury, which nothing but blood can appease. And
blood they have in plenty. The victims are now brought forward, each being gagged in
order to prevent him from crying out to the king for mercy, in which case he must be
immediately released, and they are firmly secured by being lashed inside baskets, so that
they can move neither head, hand, nor foot. At the sight of the victims the yells of the
crowd below redouble, and the air is rent with the cry, " We are hungry ! Feed us,
O King."
Presently the deafening yells are hushed into a death-like silence, as the king rises,
and with his own hand or foot pushes one of the victims off the platform into the midst
of the crowd below. The helpless wretch falls into the outstretched arms of the eager
crowd, the basket is rent to atoms by a hundred hands ; and in a shorter time than it
has taken to write this sentence the man has been torn limb from limb, while around
each portion of the still quivering body a mass of infuriated negroes are fighting like so
many starved dogs over a bone.
Gelele, following the habits of his ancestors, introduced an improvement on this
practice, and, instead of merely pushing the victims off the platform, built a circular
tower some thirty feet in length, decorated after the same grotesque manner as the
platform, and ordered that the victims should be flung from the top of this tower.
Should the kingdom of Dahome last long enough for Gelele to have a successor, some
new variation will probably be introduced into the Grand Customs.
After Gelele had finished his gift-throwing, a strange procession wound its way to the
tower — the procession of blood. First came a number of men, each carrying a pole, to
the end of which was tied a living cock ; and after them inarched another string of men,
each bearing on his head a living goat tied up in a flexible basket, so that the poor
animals could not move a limb. Next came a bull, borne by a number of negroes ; and
lastly came the human victims, each tied in a basket, and earned, like the goats,
horizontally on a man's head.
Three men now mounted to the top of the tower, and received the victims in succes-
sion, as they were handed up to them. Just below the tower an open space was left, in
which was a block of wood, on the edge of a hole, attended by the executioners. The fowls
were first flung from the top of the tower, still attached to the poles ; and it seemed to be
requisite that every creature which was then sacrificed should be tied in some extra-
ordinary manner. As soon as they touched the ground, they were seized, dragged to the
block, and their heads chopped off, so that the blood might be poured into the hole. The
goats were thrown down after the fowls, the bull after the goats, and, lastly, the unfor-
tunate men shared the same fate. The mingled blood of these victims was allowed to
remain in the hole, which was left uncovered all night, the blood-stained block standing
beside it.
The illustration on the following page depicts the last feature of this terrible scene. On
the right hand is the king, seated under his royal umbrella, surmounted with a leopard, the
emblem of royalty, and around him are his wives and great men. In the centre rises
°i cloth-covered tower, from which a human victim has just been hurled, while another
Mng carried to his fate. Below is one of the executioners standing by the block, and
o. ving in front of the tower is the mob of infuriated savages.
c below the king is seen the band, the most prominent instrument of which is the
great ~n carried on a man's head, and beaten by the drummer who stands behind him,
and ont the king's banners is displayed behind the band, and guarded by a body of
armed Amazons. In front are several of the fetish-men, their heads adorned with the
conical cap, their bodies fantastically painted, and the inevitable skull in their hands.
The house which is supposed to contain the spirit of the deceased king is seen on
the left.
The last day of the customs is celebrated after a rather peculiar manner.
A line of soldiers armed with guns is stationed all the way from Agbome to Whydah.
These soldiers are placed at some little distance from each other, and their duty is to
652
DAHOME.
later invention, the former plan being
THE BASKET SACRIFICE.
-
A ROYAL " PALACE." 653
The method of arranging them is very curious. At intervals of three hundred yards
or so are built little huts of grass, each being the lodging-place of two soldiers. Though
slightly built, there is some attempt at ornament about them, as each hut has a pent roof,
a verandah supported by light poles, and the side walls decorated with a diamond pattern
of bamboo and a fetish shrub, which is supposed to repel lightning. A tuft of grass
ornaments each end of the gables, and those huts that are situated nearest the palace are
always the most decorated.
In front of each hut the muskets belonging to the soldiers are fixed horizontally on
forked sticks. They are ready loaded, and the two are employed lest one of them should
miss fire. There are nearly nine hundred of these huts upon the line to Whydah, and it
is calculated that the time occupied in the fire ought to be about half an hour.
When Captain Burton attended this ceremony in 1863, Gelele had not been confirmed
at Allada, and in consequence was not, by royal etiquette, allowed to live in a house built
of anything better than stakes and matting. Consequently, his officers were obliged to
follow his example, as it would have been equivalent to treason had a subject presumed
to live in a " swish " house when his monarch only dwelt in matting.
However, on this occasion at all events the king tried to atone by barbarous finery
for the wretched material of his " palace." " The Agwajai gate led into an oblong court
of matting, sprinkled with thick-leaved little fig-trees of vivid green, and divided into
two by the usual line of bamboos. At the bottom of the southern half was the royal
pavilion, somewhat like a Shakmiyana in Bengal, with an open wing on each side.
" The sloping roof of the central part, intended for the king, was of gold and lake
damask, under two broad strips of red and green satin ; the wings, all silk and velvet,
were horizontally banded with red, white-edged green, purple and yellow, red and green
in succession, from the top, and, where the tongue-shaped lappets started, with chrome
yellow. The hangings, playing loosely in the wind, were remarkable chiefly for grotesque
figures of men and beasts cut out of coloured cloth and sewn to the lining."
Several little tables were placed near the inner entrances, each being sheltered by a
huge umbrella, three decorated with figures and four white. These were for the women,
who were dressed in their gayest apparel, magnificent in mantles of red, pink, and
flowered silks and satins. Opposite to the king were five ragged white umbrellas,
sheltering eleven small tables, and behind the tables was a small crowd of officials and
captains, dressed in costumes somewhat similar to those of the women.
On the right of the throne was the court-fool, a very important man indeed, his eyes
surrounded with rings of white chalk, and his shoulders covered with an old red velvet
mantle. Although not of sufficient rank to be permitted the use of an umbrella, he was
sheltered from the sun by a piece of matting raised on poles. A model of a canoe was
placed near him.
Just at the entrances eight muskets were tied horizontally, each supported on two
forked sticks, as has already been described, and behind each musket stood the Amazon
to whom it I -red.
After maks his guests wait for at least two hours, — such a delay being agreeable to
royal etiquetteX ^ king condescended to appear. This time he had arrayed himself
after a very gorg and rather heterogeneous fashion. He wore a yellow silk tunic,
covered with little rlet flowers, a great black felt Spanish hat, or sombrero, richly
embroidered with gc, 'n-aid, and a broad belt of gold and pearls (probably imitation)
passed over his left .. juldei to his right side. Suspended to his neck was a large
crucifix, and in his left hand he carried an hour-glass. An old rickety table with metal
legs, and covered with red velvet, was placed before him, and upon it were laid a silver
mug, a rosary, sundry pieces of plate, and some silver armlets. On taking his seat, he
put the silver mug to its proper use, by drinking with all his guests, his own face being,
according to custom, hidden by a linen cloth while he drank.
After the usual complimentary addresses had been made, a woman rose at 1 P.M. and
gave the word of command — " A-de-o." This is a corruption of Adios, or farewell. At
this word two of the muskets in front of the king were discharged, and the firing was
taken up by the Jegbe line. In three minutes the firing ran round Jegbe and returned
654 DAHOME.
to the palace. At 2 P.M. another " A-de-o" started the line of firing to Whydah, the time of
its return having been exactly calculated and marked by a rude device of laying cowries ''
on the ground, and weaving a cloth in a loom, the number of threads that are laid being
supposed to indicate a certain duration of time.
As soon as the firing began, two officials marched up to the king and began an oration,
which they were bound to maintain until the firing had returned. Amid the horrible
noise of five heralds proclaiming the royal titles and a jester springing his rattle, they
began their speech, but were sadly discomfited by a wrong calculation or a mismanage-
ment of the firing. Instead of occupying only half an hour, it was not finished for an
hour and a half, and the poor orators were so overcome with heat and the fine dust
which hovered about, that towards the end of the time they were nearly choked, and
could hardly get out short sentences, at long intervals, from their parched throats.
" There will be stick for this," remarks Captain Burton.
Stick, indeed, is administered very freely, and the highest with the lowest are
equally liable to it. On one occasion some of the chief officers of the court did not make
their appearance exactly at the proper time. The king considered that this conduct was
an usurpation of the royal prerogative of making every one else wait, whereas they had
absolutely made him wait for them. So, as soon as they appeared, he ordered the
Amazons to take their bamboos and beat them out of the court, a command which they
executed with dispatch and vigour. The beaten ministers did not, however, seem to
resent their treatment, but sat cowering at the gate in abject submission.
After occupying several days in this feasting and speech-making and boasting, the
king at last proceeded to the last act of the customs. Having resumed his place at the
velvet-covered table, he filled his glass with rum, and drank with his visitors to the
health of his father's ghost, who, by the way, had been seen bathing in the sea, and had
received two slaves, sacrificed in order to tell him that his son was pleased at his visit.
After a few unimportant ceremonies, he poured a little rum on the ground, and, dashing
his glass to pieces on the table, rose and left the tent. -His attendants followed his
example, and smashed everything to pieces, even including the tables ; this act probably
accounting for the very mean and rickety condition of the royal furniture.
With this general smash the customs terminated, much to the relief of the
visitors.
Marriages among the Dahomans are an odd compound of simplicity and complexity.
The bridegroom commences his suit by sending a couple of friends to the father of the
intended bride, and furnishes them with a doubly potent argument in the shape of two
bottles of rum. Should the father approve of the proposition, he graciously drinks the rum,
and sends back the empty bottles — a token that he accepts the proposal, and as a delicate
hint that he would like some more rum. The happy man takes the hint, fills the bottles,
sends them to the father, together with a present for the young lady ; and then nothing
more is required Except to name the amount of payment which is demanded for the girl.
Cloth is the chief article of barter, and a man is sometimes occupied for two or three
years in procuring a sufficient quantity.
At last, the day — always a Sunday — is settled, and more bottles of ruin are sent by
the bridegroom's messengers, who bring th(; bride in triumph to her future home, followed
by all her family and friends. Then conies a general feast, at which it is a point of
honour to consume as much as possible, axid it is not until after midnight that the bride
is definitely handed over to her husband The feast being over, the bridegroom retires
into his house and seats himself. Sevej al fetish-women lead in the bride by her wi
and present her in solemn form, telliuq them both to behave well to each other, but
recommending him to flog her well if she displeases him. Another two or three hours
of drinking then follows, and about 3 or 4 A.M. the fetish-women retire, and the actual
marriage is supposed to be completed.
Next morning the husband sends more rum and some heads of cowries to the girl's
parents as a token that he is satisfied, and after a week the bride returns to her father's
house, where she remains for a day or two, cooking, however, her husband's food and
sending it to him. On the day when she returns home another feast is held, and then she
THE FETISH NOVICIATE. 655
subsides into the semi-servile state which is the normal condition of a wife throughout
the greater part of savage Africa.
We now come to the religion of Dahome, which, as may be imagined from the
previous narrative, is of a very low character, and has been curtly summarized by Captain
Burton in the following sentence : — " Africans, as a rule, worship everything except the
Creator." As the contact of the Dahomans with the white men and with the Moslems
has probably engrafted foreign ideas in the native mind, it is not very easy to find out the
exact nature of their religion, but the following account is a short abstract of the result
of Captain Burton's investigations.
He states that the reason why the natives do not worship the Creator is that,
although they acknowledge the fact of a supreme Deity, they think that He is too great
and high to trouble Himself about the affairs of mankind, and in consequence they do not
trouble themselves by paying a worship which they think would be fruitless. Their
devotion, such as it is, expends itself therefore upon a host of minor deities, all connected
with some material object.
First we have the principal deities, who are ranked in distinct classes. The most
important is the Snake-god, who has a thousand snake wives, and is represented by the
Danhgbwe, which has already been mentioned. Next in order come the Tree-gods, of
which the silk-cotton (Bombax) is the most powerful, and has the same number of wives
as the Danhgbwe. It has, however, a rival in the Ordeal, or poison- tree.
The last of these groups is the sea. This deity is represented at Whydah by a very
great priest, who ranks as a king, and has five hundred wives in virtue of his representa-
tive office. At stated times he visits the shore to pay his respects, and to throw into the
waves his offerings of beads, cowries, cloth, and other valuables. Now and then the
king sends a human sacrifice from the capital. He creates the victim a Caboceer, gives
him the state uniform and umbrella of his short-lived rank, puts him in a gorgeous
hammock, and sends him in great pomp and state to Whydah. As soon as lie arrives
there, the priest takes him out of his hammock and transfers him to a canoe, takes
him out to sea, and flings him into the water, where he is instantly devoured by the
expectant sharks.
Lately a fourth group of superior deities has been added, under the name of the Thunder-
gods. In connexion with the worship of this deity is found the only approach to
cannibalism which is known to exist in Dahome. When a man has been killed by
lightning, burial is not lawful, and the body is therefore laid on a platform and cut up by
the women, who hold the pieces of flesh in their mouths, and pretend to eat them, calling
out to the passengers, " We sell you meat, fine meat ; come and buy !"
After these groups of superior deities come a host of inferior gods, too numerous to
mention. One, however, is too curious to be omitted. It is a man's own head, which is
considered a very powerful fetish in Dahome, and is worshipped as follow : —
"The head- worshipper, after providing a fowl, kola-nuts, rum, and water, bathes,
dresses in pure white baft, and seats himself on a clean mat. An old woman, with her
medius finger dipped in water, touches successively his forehead, poll, nape, and mid-
breast, sometimes all his joints. She then breaks a kola into its natural divisions, throws
them down like dice, chooses a lucky piece, which she causes a bystander to chew, and
with his saliva retouches the parts before alluded to.
" The fowl is then killed by pulling its body, the neck being held between the big and
first toe ; the same attoiwhements are performed with its head, and finally with the boiled
and shredded flesh before it is eaten. Meanwhile rum and water are drunk by those
present."
The fetishers, or priests, are chosen by reason of a sort of ecstatic fit which comes
upon them, and which causes them at last to fall to the ground insensible. One of the
older priests awaits the return of the senses, and then tells the neophyte what particular
fetish has come to him. He is then taken away to the college, or fetish part of the town,
where he learns the mysteries of his calling, and is instructed for several years in the
esoteric language of the priests, a language which none but themselves can understand.
If at the end of the noviciate he should return to his former home, he speaks nothing but
656
DAHOME.
this sacred language, and makes it a point of honour never to utter a sentence that any
member of the household can understand.
When a man is once admitted into the ranks of the fetishes, his subsistence is
provided for, whether he be one of the " regulars," who have no other calling, and who
live entirely upon the presents which they obtain from those who consult them, or
whether he retains some secular trade, and only acts the fetisher when the fit happens to
come on him. They distinguish themselves by various modes of dress, such as shaving
HEAD-WORSHIP.
half the beard, carrying a cow-tail flapper, or wearing the favourite mark of a fetisher,
namely a belt of cowries strung back to back, each pair being separated by a single
black seed.
The fetish-women greatly outnumber the men, nearly one-fourth belonging to this
order. They are often destined to this career before their birth, and are married to the
fetish before they see the light of day. They also take human spouses, but, from all
accounts, the life of the husband is not the most agreeable in the world. The women
spend their mornings in going about begging for cowries. In the afternoon she goes with
her sisters into the fetish-house, and puts on her official dress. The whole party then
sally out to the squares, where they drum and sing and dance and lash themselves into
fits of raving ecstasy. This lasts for a few hours, when the women assume their ordinary
costumes and go home.
It is illegal for any fetisher to oe assaulted while the fetish is on them, and so the
women always manage to shield themselves from their husband's wrath by a fetish fit
whenever he becomes angry, and threatens the stick.
As to the position of the human soul in the next world, they believe that a man
takes among the spirits the same rank which he held among men ; so that a man who dies
as a king is a king to all eternity, while he who is a slave when he dies can never be a
free man, but must be the property of some wealthy ghost or other.
Visiting the world of spirits is one of the chief employments of the fetish-men, who
are always ready to make the journey when paid for their trouble. They are often called
upon to do so, for a Dahoman who feels unwell or out of spirits always fancies that his
deceased relatives are calling for him to join them, a request which he feels most unwilling
WATER-SPKINKLING CUSTOM. 657
to grant. So he goes to his favourite fetisher, and gives him a dollar to descend into the
spirit world and present his excuses to his friends. The fetisher covers himself with his
cloth, lies down, and falls into a trance, and, when he recovers, he gives a detailed account
of the conversation which has taken place between himself and the friends of his client.
Sometimes he brings back a rare bead or some other object, as proof that he has really
delivered the message and received the answer. The whole proceeding is strangely like
the ceremonies performed by the medicine-men or Angekoks among the Esquimaux.
It is a strange thing that, in a country where human life is sacrificed so freely, a sort
of inquest takes place after every death. The reason for this custom is rather curious.
The king reserves to himself the right of life and death oVer his subjects, and any one
who kills another is supposed to have usurped the royal privilege.
As soon as death takes place, notice is sent to the proper officers, called Gevi, who
come and inspect the body, receiving as a fee a head and a half of cowries. When they
have certified that the death was natural, the relatives begin their mourning, during which
they may not eat nor wash, but may sing as much as they please, and drink as much rum
as they can get. A coffin is prepared, its size varying according to the rank of the
deceased person ; the corpse is clothed in its best attire, decorated with ornaments, and a
change of raiment is laid in the coffin, to be worn when the deceased fairly reaches the
land of spirits. The very poor are unable to obtain a coffin, and a wrapper of matting
is deemed sufficient in such cases.
The grave is dug in rather a peculiar manner, a cavern being excavated on one side,
the coffin being first lowered and then pushed sideways into the cave, so that the earth
immediately above is undisturbed. After the grave is filled in, the earth is smoothed
with water. Over the grave of a man in good circumstances is placed a vessel-shaped
iron, into which is poured water or blood by way of drink for the deceased. Formerly a
rich man used to have slaves buried with him, but of late years only the two chiefs of
the king are allowed to sacrifice one slave at death, they being supposed not to need as
many attendants in the next world as if they had been kings of Dahome in this.
As soon as the king dies, his wives and all the women of the palace begin to smash
everything that comes in their way, exactly as has been related of the concluding scene of
the customs ; and, when they have broken all the furniture of the palace, they begin to
turn their destructive fury upon each other, so that at the death of Agagoro it was calcu-
lated that several hundred women lost their lives within the palace walls merely in this
fight, those sacrificed at the succeeding customs being additional victims. This blood-
thirsty rage soon extends beyond the precincts of the palace, and Captain Burton, who has
done so much in contradicting the exaggerated tales of Dahoman bloodshed that have
been so widely circulated, acknowledges that, however well a white stranger may be
received at Agbome, his life would be in very great danger were he to remain in the
capital when the king died.
Even with the termination of the customs the scenes of blood do not end. Next
comes the " water-sprinkling," i.e. the graves of the kings must be sprinkled with " water,"
the Dahoman euphemism for blood. Of late years the number of human victims sacrificed
at each grave has been reduced to two, the requisite amount of " water " being supplied
by various animals.
Before each tomb the king kneels on all fours, accompanied by his chiefs and captains,
while a female priest, who must be of royal descent, makes a long oration to the spirit of
the deceased ruler, asking him to aid his descendant and to give success and prosperity to
his kingdom. Libations of rum and pure water are then poured upon each grave, followed
by the sacrificial " water," which flows from the throats of the men, oxen, goats, pigeons,
and other victims. Kola nuts and other kinds of food are also brought as offerings.
The flesh of the animals is then cooked, together with the vegetables, and a feast is
held, the stool of the deceased ruler being placed on the table as an emblem of his
presence. All the Dahoman kings are buried within the walls of the palace, a house being
erected over each grave. During the water-sprinkling, or " Sin-quain," custom, the king
goes to each house separately, and sleeps in it for five or six nights, so as to put himself
in communion with the spirits of his predecessors.
VOL. i. u u
658 DAHOME.
The reader will remember that the kings who formerly ruled Dahome are still supposed
to hold royal rank in the spiritual world, and the prevalence of the customs shows that
this belief in the dead is strong enough to exercise a powerful influence over the living.
We have now very briefly glanced at the Dahoman in peace, in war, in religion, in
death, and in burial. He is not a pleasant subject, and, though the space which has been
given to him is much too small to afford more than an outline of his history, it would
have been more restricted but for the fact that the Dahoman is an excellent type of the
true negro of Western Africa, and that a somewhat detailed description of him will enable
us to dismiss many other negro tribes with but a passing notice.
Moreover, as the kingdom of Dahome is fast failing, and all the strange manners and
customs which have been mentioned will soon be only matters of history, it was necessary
to allot rather more space to them than would otherwise have been the case. The general
character of the Dahoman has been so tersely summed up by Captain Burton, that our
history of Dahome cannot have a better termination than the words of so competent an
authority.
"The modern Dahomans are a mongrel breed and a bad. They are Cretan liars,
cretins at learning, cowardly, and therefore cruel and bloodthirsty ; gamblers, and conse-
quently cheaters ; brutal, noisy, boisterous, unvenerative, and disobedient ; ' dipsas-bitten '
things, who deem it duty to the gods to be drunk ; a flatulent, self-conceited herd of
barbarians, who endeavour to humiliate all those with whom they deal ; in fact, a slave-
race, — vermin with a soul apiece.
" They pride themselves in not being, like the Popos, addicted to the { dark and dirty
crime of poison/ the fact being that they have been enabled hitherto to carry everything
with a high and violent hand. They are dark in skin, the browns being of xanthous tem-
perament, middle-sized, slight, and very lightly made. My Krumen looked like English-
men among them. In all wrestling bouts my Krumen threw the hammock-bearers on
their heads, and on one occasion, during a kind of party fight, six of them, with fists and
sticks, held their own against twenty Dahomans.
" They are agile, good walkers, and hard dancers, but carry little weight. Their dress is
a godo, or T bandage, a nun-pwe (under-cloth) or a Tfon chokoto (pair of short drawers),
and an owu-chyon, or body-cloth, twelve feet long by four to six broad, worn like the
Eoman toga, from which it may possibly be derived.
" The women are of the Hastini, or elephant order, dark, plain, masculine, and com-
paratively speaking of large, strong, and square build. They are the reapers as well as
the sowers of the field, and can claim the merit of laboriousness, if of no other quality.
" They tattoo the skin, especially the stomach, with alto-relievo patterns ; their dress is
a zone of beads, supporting a bandage beneath the do-oo, or scanty loin-cloth, which suffices
for the poor and young girls. The upper classes add an aga-oo, or over-cloth, two fathoms
long, passed under the arms, and covering all from the bosom to the ancles. Neither sex
wear either shirt, shoes, or stockings."
DAGGER-WEST AFRICA.
CHAPTER LVIIL
THE EGBAS.
THE EGBA TRIBE — A BLACK BISHOP — GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE EGBAS — THEIR TRIBAL MARK
TATTOO OF THE BREECHEE, OR GENTLEMEN — SIGNIFICATION OF ORNAMENTS MODE OF
SALUTATION — EGBA ARCHITECTURE SUBDIVISION OF LABOUR ABEOKUTA AND ITS FORTIFICA-
TIONS— FEUD BETWEEN THE EOBAS AND DAHOMANS VARIOUS SKIRMISHES AND BATTLES, AND
THEIR RESULTS THE GRAND ATTACK ON ABEOKUTA REPULSE OF THE DAHOMAN ARMY
RELIGION OF THE EGBAS — THE SYSTEM OF OGBONI — MISCELLANEOUS SUPERSTITIONS AND
SUPPLEMENTARY DEITIES EGAGUN AND HIS SOCIAL DUTIES — THE ALAKE, OH KING OF THE
EGBAS A RECEPTION AT COURT — APPEABANCE OF THE ATTENDANTS.
WE are naturally led from Dahome to its powerful and now victorious enemy, the EGBA
tribe, which has perhaps earned the right to be considered as a nation, and which certainly
has as much right to that title as Dahome.
The Egbas have a peculiar claim on our notice. Some years ago an Egba boy named
Ajai (i.e. "struggling for life") embraced Christianity, and, after many years of trial, was
ordained deacon and priest in the Church of England. Owing to his constitution he was
able to work where a white man would have been prostrated by disease ; and, owing to
his origin, he was enabled to understand the peculiar temperament of his fellow negroes
better than any white man could hope to do. His influence gradually extended, and he
was held in the highest esteem throughout the whole of Western Africa. His widely felt
influence was at last so thoroughly recognised, that he was consecrated to the episcopal
office, and now the negro boy Ajai is known as the Eight Rev. Samuel Crowther, D.D.,
Lord Bishop of the Niger.
As far as their persons go, the Egbas are a fine race of men, varying much in colour
according to the particular locality which they inhabit. The skin, for example, of the
Egba-do, or lower Egba, is of a coppery black, and that of the chiefs is, as a rule, fairer
than that of the common people. Even the hair of the chiefs is lighter than that of the
common folk, and sometimes assumes a decidedly sandy hue.
The men, while in the prime of life, are remarkable for the extreme beauty of their
forms and the extreme ugliness of their features ; and, as is mostly the case in uncivilized
Africa, the woman is in symmetry of form far inferior to the man, and where one well-
developed female form is seen, twenty can be found of the opposite sex.
Whatever may be the exact colour of the Egba's skin, it exhales that peculiar and
indescribable odour which is so characteristic of the negro races ; and, although the slight
clothing, the open-air life, and the use of a rude palm-oil soap prevent that odour from
attaining its full power, it is still perceptible. The lips are of course large and sausage-
shaped, the lower part of the face protrudes, and the chin recedes to an almost
incredible extent, so as nearly to deprive the countenance of its human character. The
hair is short, crisp, and often grows in the little peppercorn tufts that have been already
mentioned in connexion with the Bosjesman race of Southern Africa. The men dress this
U u 2
660 THE EGBAS.
scanty crop of hair in a thousand ways, shaving it into patterns, and thus producing an
effect which, to the eye of a European, is irresistibly ludicrous. The women contrive to
tease it out to its full length, and to divide it into ridges running over the crown from the
forehead to the nape of the neck, preserving a clean parting between each ridge, and so
making the head look as if it were covered with the half of a black melon. The skin
of the common people is hard and coarse, — so coarse indeed that Captain Burton compares
it to shagreen, and says that the hand of a slave looks very like the foot of a fowl.
As to the dress of the Egbas, when uncontaminated by pseudo-civilization, it is as
easily described as procured. A poor man has nothing but a piece of cloth round his
waist, while a man in rather better circumstances adds a pair of short linen drawers or
trousers, called " shogo," and a wealthy man wears both the loin-cloth and the drawers,
and adds to them a large cloth wrapped gracefully round the waist, and another draped
over the shoulders like a Scotch plaid. The cloths are dyed by the makers, blue being the
usual colour, and the patterns being mostly stripes of lesser or greater width.
Women have generally a short and scanty petticoat, above which is a large cloth that
extends from the waist downwards, and a third which is wrapped shawl-wise over the
shoulders. The men and women who care much about dress dye their hands and feet
with red wood. Formerly, this warlike race used to arm themselves with bows and arrows,
which have now been almost wholly superseded by the "trade gun." Even now every
man carries in his hand the universal club or knob-kerry, which, among the Egbas, has
been modified into a simple hooked stick bound with iron wire in order to increase the
strength and weight, and studded with heavy nails along the convex side. Weapons of a
similar nature are used at Dahome for clubbing criminals to death.
According to savage ideas of beauty, these people tattoo themselves profusely, covering
their bodies with marks which must at some time have been produced by very painful
operations, and which, from their diversity, serve to perplex observers who have not had
time to examine them minutely, and to classify their wearer.
According to Captain Burton, " the skin-patterns were -of every variety, from the
diminutive prick to the great gash and the large boil-like lumps. They affected various
figures — tortoises, alligators, and the favourite lizard; stars, concentric circles, lozenges,
right lines, welts, gouts of gore, marble or button-like knobs of flesh, and elevated scars,
resembling scalds, which are opened for the introduction of fetish medicines, and to expel
evil influences.
" In this country every tribe, sub-tribe, and even family, has its blazon, whose infinite
diversifications may be compared with the lines and ordinaries of European heraldry, — a
volume would not suffice to explain all the marks in detail. Ogubonna's family, for
instance, have three small squares of blue tattoo on each cheek, combined with the three
Egba cuts.
" The chief are as follows : — The distinguishing mark of the Egbas is a gridiron of
three cuts, or a multiplication of three, on each cheek. Free-born women have one, two,
or three raised lines, thread-like scars, from the wrist up the back of the arm, and down
the dorsal region, like long necklaces. They call these ' Entice my husband.'
" The Yorubas draw perpendicular marks from the temples to the level of the chin,
with slight lateral incisions, hardly perceptible, because allowed soon to heal. The Efons
of Kakanda wear a blue patch, sometimes highly developed, from the cheek-bones to the
ear. The Takpas of Nupe make one long cut from the upper part of the nostril, sweeping
towards the ear. At Ijasha, a country lying east of Yoruba proper, the tattoo is a long
parallelogram of seven perpendicular and five transverse lines."
The most curious tattoo is that of the Breechee (i. e. gentleman), or eldest son and heir.
He is not allowed to perform any menial office, and inherits at his father's death all the
slaves, wives, and children. Before the Breechee attains full age, a slit is made across his
forehead, and the skin is drawn down and laid across the brow, so as to form a ridge of
hard, knotty flesh from one temple to the other. The severity of the operation is so great
that even the negro often dies from its effects ; but when he survives he is greatly admired,
the unsightly ridge being looked ui>on as a proof of his future wealth and his actual
strength of constitution.
SOCIAL ETIQUETTE.
661
So minutely does the African mind descend to detail, that even the ornaments which
are worn have some signification well understood by those who use them. Rings of metal
are worn on the legs, ankles, arms, wrists, fingers, and toes ; and round the neck and on
the body are hung strings of beads and other ornaments. Each of these ornaments signifies
the particular deity whom the wearer thinks fit to worship ; and although the number of
these deities is very great, the invention of the negro has been found equal to repre-
sentingvthem by the various ornaments which he wears.
The same minuteness is found in the ordinary affairs of life ; and, even in the regular
mode of uttering a salutation, the natives have invented a vast number of minutiae. For
example, it would be the depth of bad manners to salute a man who was sitting as if he
were standing, or the latter as if he were walking, or a third as if he were returning from
walking. Should he be at work, another form of address is needed, and another if he
SALUTATION.
should be tired. No less than fifteen forms of personal salutation are mentioned by
Captain Burton, so that the reader may easily imagine how troublesome the language is
to a stranger.
Then the forms of salutation differ as much as the words. If an inferior meet a
superior, a son meet his mother, a younger brother meet his elder, and so on, an elaborate
ceremony is performed. Any burden that may be carried is placed on the ground, and
the bearer proceeds first to kneel on all fours, then to prostrate himself flat in the dust,
rubbing the earth with the forehead and each cheek alternately. The next process is to
kiss the ground, -;ad this ceremony is followed by passing each hand down the opposite
arm. The dust is again kissed, and not until then does the saluter resume his feet.
This salutation is only performed once daily to the same person ; but as almost every
one knows every one whom he meets, and as one of them must of necessity be inferior to
the other, a vast amount of salutation has to be got through in the course of a day.
Putting together the time occupied in the various salutations, it is calculated that at least
an hour is consumed by every Egba in rendering or receiving homage. Sometimes two
men meet who are nearly equal, and in such a case both squat on the ground, and snap
their fingers according to the etiquette of Western Africa.
662 THE EGBAS.
The architecture of the Egba tribe is mostly confined to " swish " walls and thatched
roofs. A vast number of workers— or rather idlers — are engaged on a single house, and
the subdivision of labour is carried out to an extreme extent. Indeed, as Captain Burton
quaintly remarks, the Egbas divide the labour so much that the remainder is imper-
ceptible.
Some of them dig the clay, forming thereby deep pits, which they never trouble them-
selves to fill up again, and which become the receptacles of all sorts of filth and offal.
Water, in this wet country, soon pours into them, and sometimes the corpse of a slave or
child is flung into the nearest pit, to save the trouble of burial. It may easily be imagined
that such pits contribute their part to the fever-breeding atmosphere of the country.
Another gang is employed in kneading clay and rolling it into balls ; and a third
carries it, one ball at a time, to the builders. Another gang puts the clay balls into the
squared shape needful for architectural purposes ; and a fifth hands the shaped clay to the
sixth, who are the actual architects. Yet a seventh gang occupies itself in preparing
palm-leaves and thatch ; and those who fasten them on the roof form an eighth gang.
Besides these, there is the chief architect, who by his plumb-line and level rectifies
and smooths the walls with a broad wooden shovel, and sees that they are perfectly
upright.
Three successive layers of clay or " swish " are needed, each layer being allowed to
dry for a few days before the next is added. The builders always manage, if possible, to
complete their walls by November, so that the dry harmattan of December may conso-
lidate the soft clay, and render it as hard as concrete. This, indeed, is the only reason
why the Egbas approve of the harmattan, its cold, dusty breath being exceedingly
injurious to native constitutions.
One might have thought that this elaborate subdivision of labour would have the
effect of multiplying the working power, as is the case in Europe. So it would, if the
negro worked like the European, but that he never did, and never will do, unless
absolutely compelled by a master of European extraction. He. only subdivides labour in
order to spare himself, and not with the least idea of increasing the amount of work that
he can do in a given time.
The capital of the Egbas and their kindred sub-tribes is called Abeokuta, a name
that has already become somewhat familiar to English ears on account of the attempts
which have been made to introduce Christianity, civilization, and manufactures among a
pagan, savage, and idle race of negroes.
The name of Abeokuta may be literally translated as Understone, and the title has
been given to the place in allusion to the rock or stone around which it is built. The
best description that has yet been given of Abeokuta is by Captain Burton, from whose
writings the following particulars are gathered.
The city itself is surrounded with concentric lines of fortification, the outermost
being some twenty miles in circumference. These walls are made of hardened mud, are
about five or six feet in height, and have no embrasures for guns, an omission of very little
importance seeing that there are scarcely any guns to place in them, and that, if they
were fired, the defenders would be in much greater danger than the attacking force.
Utterly ignorant of the first principles of fortification, the Egbas have not troubled
themselves to throw out bastions, or to take any means of securing a flanking fire, and
they have made so liberal a use of matting, poles, and dry leaves within the fortification,
that a carcass or a rocket would set the whole place in a blaze ; and, if the attacking force
were to take advantage of the direction of the wind, they might easily drive out the
defenders merely by the smoke and flames of their own burning houses. Moreover the
wall is of such frail material, and so thinly built, that a single bag of powder hung
against it, and fired, would make a breach that would admit a column of soldiers together
with their field-guns. Around the inner and principal wall runs a moat some five
feet in breadth, partly wet and partly dry, and of so insignificant a depth that it could
be filled up with a few fascines, or even with a dozen or so of dead bodies.
These defences, ludicrously inefficient as they would be if attacked by European
soldiers, are very formidable obstacles to the Dahonian and Ibadan, against whose
DESCRIPTION OF ABEOKUTA. 663
inroads they are chiefly built. As a rule, the negro has a great horror of attacking a
wall, and, as has been proved by actual conflict, the Dahomans could make no impression
whatever upon these rude fortifications.
The real strength of the city, however, lies in the interior, and belongs to the rock
or " stone " which gives the name to Abeokuta. Within the walls, the place is broken
up into granite eminences, caverns, and forest clumps, which form natural fortifications,
infinitely superior to those formed by the unskilful hands of the native engineer. Indeed,
the selection of the spot seems to have been the only point in which the Egbas have
exhibited the least appreciation of the art of warfare. The mode of fighting will presently
be described.
The city itself measures some four miles in length by two in breadth, and is entered
by five large gates, at each of which is placed a warder, who watches those who pass
his gate, and exacts a toll from each passenger. The streets of Abeokuta are narrow,
winding, and intricate, a mode of building which would aid materially in checking the
advance of an enemy who had managed to pass the outer walls. There are several
small market-places here and there, and one of them is larger than the rest, and called
" Shek-pon," i. e. " Do the bachelors good," because on every fifth day, when the markets
are held, there is a great concourse of people, and the single men can find plenty of
persons who will fill their pipes, bring them drink, and cook their food.
" These, then, are my first impressions of Abeokuta. The streets are as narrow and
irregular as those of Lagos, intersecting each other at every parallel angle, and, when
broad and shady, we may be sure that they have been, or that they will be markets,
which are found even under the eaves of the ' palace.' The sun, the vulture, and the
pig are the only scavengers.
" The houses are of tempered mud — the sun-dried brick of Tuta and Nupe is here
unknown — covered with little flying roofs of thatch, which burn with exemplary speed.
At each angle there is a ' Kobbi ' — a high, sharp gable of an elevation — to throw off the
heavy rain. The form of the building is the gloomy hollow square, totally unlike the
circular huts of the Krumen and the Kafirs. It resembles the Utum of the Arabs,
which extending to Usaraga and Unyavyembe in Central Intertropical Africa, produces
the ' Tembe,' and which, through the ' Patio ' of Spain, found its way into remote
Galway.
" There are courts within courts for the various subdivisions of the polygamous family,
and here also sheep and goats are staked down. The sexes eat alone ; every wife is a
' free-dealer,' consequently there is little more unity than in a nunnery. In each patio
there is usually some central erection intended as a store-house. Into these central courts
the various doors, about four feet wide, open through a verandah or piazza, where, chimneys
being unknown, the fire is built, and where the inmates sleep on mats spread under the
piazza, or in the rooms, as the fancy takes them. Cooking also is performed in the open
air, as the coarse earthen pots scattered over the surface prove.
"The rooms, which number from ten to twenty in a house, are windowless, and
purposely kept dark, to keep out the sun's glare ; they vary from ten to fifteen feet in
length, and from seven to eight in breadth. The furniture is simple — rude cots and
settles, earthen pots and coarse plates, grass bags for cloth and cowries, and almost
invariably weapons, especially an old musket and its leathern case for ammunition.
" The number of inhabitants may vary from ten to five hundred, and often more in the
largest. There is generally but one single large outer door, with charms suspended
over it."
The military strength of Abeokuta has been tested by actual warfare, and has been
found to be quite adequate to repel native troops. Generally, an African fight consists
of a vast amount of noise attended by a very small amount of slaughter, but in the
various attacks of Dahome on Abeokuta the feelings of both parties appear to have
been so completely excited that the slaughter on both sides was really considerable.
The fact was, that each party had a long-standing grudge against the other, and meant
to gratify it. Gezo, the father of King Gelele, had been defeated ignominiously near
Abeokuta, and had even lost his stool, the emblem of sovereignty. Burning to avenge
664 THE EGBAS.
themselves, the Dahomans made friends with the inhabitants of Ishogga, a small town
some fifteen miles to the south-west of Abeokuta, who advised their guests as to the
particular gate which it was best to attack, the time of day when an assault would be
most likely to succeed, and a ford by which they could pass the river.
Trusting to these counsellors, they crossed the river at the ford, which proved to be
so bad that they wetted all their ammunition. They made the attack at mid-day, when
they were told that every one would be asleep or at work in the gardens, which are
situated at a considerable distance from the, city. And when they came to the walls of
the city they found the defenders all on the alert, and ready to give them a warm recep-
tion. Lastly, they attacked a gate which had been lately fortified, whereas another, on
the opposite side of the town, was very weak, and might have been taken easily.
Consequently, they had to return to their own country, vowing vengeance against their
treacherous allies.
After Gezo's death, Gelele took up the feud, and, after allaying suspicion by continually
proclaiming war against the Egbas, and as invariably staying at home, in the tenth year
he followed up his threat with a rapid attack upon Ishogga, carried off a great number of
prisoners, and killed those whom he could not conveniently take away.
Flushed by success, he determined to assemble a large force and attack the capital
itself. In March 1851, some fifteen or sixteen thousand Dahoman soldiers marched
against Abeokuta, and a fierce fight ensued, the result being that the Dahomans had to
retreat, leaving behind them some two thousand killed, and wounded, and prisoners. As
might be supposed, the Amazons, being the fiercest fighters, suffered most, while the loss
on the Egban side was comparatively trifling. Ten years afterwards, another expedition
marched against Abeokuta, but never reached it, small-pox having broken out in the
ranks, and frightened the soldiers home again.
The last attack was fatal to Dahoman ambition. The Egbas, expecting their foe, had
arranged for their reception, and had driven tunnels through their walls, so that they
could make unexpected sallies on the enemy. When the Dahoman army appeared, all
the Egban soldiers were at their posts, the women being told off to carry food and drink
to the soldiers, while some of them seized swords, and insisted on doing duty at
the walls.
As soon as the invaders approached, a strong sally was made, but, as the Dahomans
marched on without returning the fire, the Egbas dashed back again and joined their
comrades on the walls.
Presently, a Dahoman cannon was fired, dismounting itself by the force of its recoil,
so as to be of no further use, and its report was followed by an impetuous rush at the
walls. Had the Dahomans only thought of making a breach, or even of filling up the
tiny moat, they might have had a chance of success, but as it was they had none. The
soldiers, especially the Amazons, struggled gallantly for some time ; and if individual
valour could have taken the town, they would have done so. But they were badly com-
manded, the officers lost heart, and even though the soldiers were scaling the walls,
creeping through the tunnels, and fighting bravely at the very muzzles of the enemy's
guns, they gave the order for retreat.
Just at that time, a large body of Egbas, which had made unseen a wide circuit, fell
upon them in the rear, and completed the rout. All- fled without order, except the
division which Gelele himself was commanding, and which retired with some show of
discipline, turning and firing on their adversaries, when pressed too closely, and indeed
showing what they could have done if their officers had known their business.
The Dahomans lost everything that they had taken with them, their brass guns,
a great number of new muskets, and other weapons 'falling into the hands of the enemy.
Besides these, the king himself was obliged to abandon a number of his wives and
daughters, his horse, his precious sandals with their golden crosses, his wardrobe, his
carriages of which he was so proud, his provisions, and his treasures of coral and velvet.
It was calculated that some four or five thousand Dahomans were killed in this dis-
astrous battle, while some fifteen hundred prisoners were capiured ; the Egbas only
losing forty killed, and about one hundred wounded. True to their savage nature,
THE OGBONI.
605
the Egbas cut the corpses of the dead to pieces, and even the women who passed by the
body of a Dahoinan soldier slashed it with a knife, or pelted it with stones.
It has been thought that the Abeokutas are comparatively guiltless in blood-shedding,
but it is now known that in this respect there is really very little difference between the
three great nations of Western Africa, except that the destruction of human life is less at
Abeokuta than at Agbome, and perhaps that the Egbas are more reticent on the subject than
the Ashantis or Dahomans. Even in Abeokuta itself, which has been supposed to be under
the influence of Christianity, an annual human sacrifice takes place, and the same
THE ATTACK ON ABEOKUTA.
ceremony is performed in other parts of the kingdom. As in Agbome, when a human
sacrifice is offered, it is with the intention of offering to the dead that which is most
valuable to the living. The victim is enriched with cowries, and plied with rum until
he is quite intoxicated, and then, after being charged with all sorts of messages to the
spirits of the dead, he is solemnly decapitated. Victims are sacrificed when great men
die, and are supposed to be sent to the dead man as his attendants in the spirit
world.
As to the religion and superstitions of the Egbas, they are so exactly like those of
other Western Africans that there is little need to mention them. It only remains
to describe the remarkable system called " Ogboni." The Ogboni are a society of
enormous power, which has been compared, but erroneously, to freemasonry. Any one
who is acquainted with the leading principles of freemasonry, and has studied the mental
condition of the Egbas, or indeed any other West African tribe, must see that such ai
THE EGBAS.
parallel is ludicrously wrong. In freemasonry there are two leading principles, the
one being the unity of the Creator, and the second the fellowship of man. Now, as
the Egbas believe in numberless gods, and have the strongest interest in slavery, it is
evident that they cannot have invented a system which is diametrically opposed to both
these tenets.
The system of Ogboni is partly political and partly religious. It may be entered by
a naked boy of ten years old, provided that he be a free-born Egba and of good repute.
The fraternity extends itself throughout the whole of the country occupied by the Egbas,
and in every village there is a hut or lodge devoted expressly to the use of the society.
The form of this lodge varies slightly, but the general features are the same in all. " It is
a long low building, only to be distinguished by the absence of loungers, fronted by a
deep and shady verandah, with stumpy polygonal clay pillars, and a single door, care-
fully closed. The panels are adorned with iron alto-relievos of ultra-Egyptian form ;
snakes, hawk-headed figures, and armed horsemen in full front, riding what are intended
to be horses in profile ; the whole coloured red, black, and yellow. The temples of
Obatala are similarly decorated.
"The doors have distinct panels, upon which are seen a leopard, a fish, a serpent, and
a land tortoise. Mr. Beaven remarks that one of the carvings was a female figure, with
one hand and one foot, probably a half Obatala, or the female principle of Nature, and
the monster was remarkable for having a queue of very long hair, with a ball or globe
at the end.
" A gentleman who had an opportunity of overlooking the Ogboni lodge from the Ake
church steeple described it as a hollow building with three courts, of which the inner-
most, provided with a single door, was that reserved for the elders, the holy of holies, like
the Kadasta Kadastan of the Abyssinians. He considers that the courts are intended for
the different degrees.
" The stranger must, however, be careful what he believes concerning these mysteries.
The Eev. W. Beaven asserts that the initiated are compelled to kneel down and drink
a mixture of blood and water from a hole in the earth. The Egbas deny this. Moreover
they charge Mr. Beaven with endeavouring to worm out their secrets for the purpose of
publication. As all are pledged to the deepest reticence, and as it would be fatal to reveal
any mystery, if any there be, we are hardly likely to be troubled with over-information."
The miscellaneous superstitions of the Egbas are very miscellaneous indeed. Like the
Dahomans, they divide their deities into different classes, like the major and minor gods
of the ancients, and, like them, they occasionally deify a dead ruler, and class him with
the minor gods. The- native word for the greater god is Ovisha, a title which is prefixed
to the special names of those deities. Thus, Ovisha Kla, or the great Ovisha, is the chief
of them. His sacred emblem or symbol is a ship, and it was he who created the
first man.
The next in order is Shango, who is evidently an example of an apotheosis, as he lias
the attributes of Vulcan, Hercules, Tubal Cain, and Jupiter Tonans, and is said to have
a palace of brass, and ten thousand horses. He presides over lightning and fire, and if
thunder strikes a house, his priest rushes into the hut to find the weapon that Shango
has cast, and is followed by a tumultuous mob, who plunder the dwelling effectually.
Captain Burton saw one of the so-called Shango-stones, which was nothing but a lump
of white quartz, of course placed in the hut by the priest.
His symbol is a small wooden bat, and his worshippers carry a leathern bag, because
Shango was fond of predatory wars. If war impends, his priest takes sixteen cowries,
and flings them in the air, and those which fall with the opening downward are thought to
portend war, while those which have the opening upwards signify peace. The last of the
great three is Ipa, apparently an abstractive rather than an objective deity. He is
worshipped by a select society called the "Fathers of Secrets," into which none but males
can be initiated. His chief priest lives on a mountain at several days' distance from
Abeokuta, and close by his dwelling is the sacred palm-tree with sixteen boughs produced
by the nuts planted by the sixteen founders of the empire. A second priest at Abeokuta
is called the Kins of the Groove.
EGUGUN AND OEO. 667
The emblem of Ipa is a palm-nut with four holes, and these nuis are used in divi-
nation, the principle being something like the mode of casting lots with cowries. Captain
Burton's account of the proceeding is interesting. " He counted sixteen nuts, freed them
from dust, and placed them in a bowl on the ground, full of yams half-boiled, crushed, and
covered with some acid vegetable infusion.
" His acolyte, a small boy, was then called, and made to squat near the bowl, resting
his body on the outer edge of the feet, which were turned inwards, and to take from the
fetish-man two or three bones, seeds, and shells, some of which are of good, others of bad
omen. Elevating them, he rested his hands on his knees. The adept cast the nuts from
one hand to the other, retaining some in the left, and, while manipulating, dropped others
into the bowl. He then stooped down, drew with the index and medius fingers on the
yams, inspected the nuts, and occasionally referred to the articles in the boy's hand."
The priests of Ipa are known by necklaces made of strings of beads twisted together,
and having ten large white and green beads at some distance apart.
Then there is the Ovisha of children, one of which is carried about by women who
have borne twins when one of them dies or is killed. It is a wooden little image, about
seven or eight inches in height, carved into the rude semblance of humanity. The images
are nearly all made by seme men at Lagos, who charge about three shillings for each.
Beside all these deities, which may be ranked among the beneficent class, there are evil
deities, who are worshipped by way of propitiation.
Next come some semi-human deities, who serve as the correctors of public morals.
The two chief of these deities are Egugun and Oro. The former is supposed to be a sort
of a vampire, being a dead body risen temporarily from the grave, and acts the same role
as Mumbo Jumbo in another part of Western Africa. Egugun makes his appearance
in the villages, and very much frightens the women, who either actually believe him
to be a veritable resuscitated corpse, or who assert that they believe it, in fear of public
opinion. The adult males, and even the free-born boys, know all about Egugun, as is
likely, when the deity in question is personated by any one who can borrow the requisite
dress from the fetish-man. Captain Burton once met Egugun in the street. The demon's
face was hidden by a plaited network, worn like a mask, and on his head was a hood,
covered with streamers of crimson and dirty white, which hung down to his waist and
mingled with similar streamers attached to his dress. He wore on his breast a very powerful
fetish, i. e. a penny mirror ; and his feet were covered with great shoes, because Egugun is
supposed to be a footless deity.
The other deity, Oro, has a wider range of duties, his business being to attend to public
morality. He mostly remains in the woods, and but seldom makes his appearance in
public. Oro has a very strong voice, arising, in point of fact, from a thin slip of wood,
about a foot in length, which is tied firmly to a stick, and which produces a kind of
roaring sound when properly handled.
He is supposed to be unknown to the women, who are not allowed to be out of their
houses whenever the voice of Oro is heard. Consequently, about seven or eight in the
evening, when the well-known booming cry of Oro is heard, the women scuffle off to their
houses, and the adult males go out into the streets, and there is at once a scene of much
excitement. Dances and tumbling, processions and speech-making, go on with vast
vigour, while the Ogboni lodges are filled with devotees, all anxious to be talking at once,
and every one giving his own opinion, no matter how absurd it may be.
Those who have been guilty of moral offences are then proclaimed and punished ; and
on some occasions there is so much business to be done that the town is given up to Oro
for an entire day. On these occasions the women pass a very unpleasant time, their
hours of imprisonment being usually spent in quarrelling with each other. In order to
make the voice of Oro more, awful, the part of the demon is played by several of the
initiated, who go into the woods in various directions, and by sounding their wooden calls
at the same time carry the idea that Oro is omnipresent.
Oro does really act as a censor of public morals, and it is very clear that he is attended
by armed followers, who carry out a sort of rude and extemporised justice, like that which
was exercised by the " Kegulators " of America, some fifty or sixty years ago. The bodies
668 THE EGBAS.
of delinquents have been found in the bush, their throats cut and their legs broken by
the spirit in question.
The chief, or king, of the Egbas is known by the name of the Alake, which is a
transmissible title, like Pharaoh or Caesar, and the whole system of government is a kind
of feudal monarchy, not unlike that of England in the days of John. The Alake" does not
reign supreme, like the King of Dahome or Ashanti, before whom the highest in the realm
prostrate themselves and roll humbly in the dust. He is trammelled with a number of
, councillors and officers, and with a sort of parliament called the Bale, which is composed
of the head men or chiefs of the various towns. The reader may remember that the King
of Ashanti found that he was in danger of suffering from a similar combination, and he
took the prudent measure of limiting their number while he had the power. The Alake"
has never done so, and in consequence those who are nominally and individually his
servants are practically and collectively his masters.
The Ogbuni lodges have also to be consulted in any important point, so that the
private life of the Alake" of the Egbas is far from being so agreeable as that of the King
of Dahome.
Okekunu, the Alake at the time when Captain Burton lived in Abeokuta, was an
ill-favoured, petulant, and cunning old ruler. In his way, he was fond of state, and
delighted to exhibit his so-called power in a manner truly African, displaying an equal
amount of pageantry and trashiness.
If he goes to pay a visit, he must needs do so under a huge pink silk umbrella, at the
end of a motley procession. At the head is carried the sacred emblem of royalty, a wooden
stool covered with coarse red serge, which is surrounded by a number of chiefs, who pay
the greatest attention to it. A long train of ragged swordsmen followed ; and last came
the Alake, clothed in a " Guinea-fowl" shirt — a spotted article of some value — and a great
red velvet robe under which he tottered along with much difficulty. He wears trousers of
good purple velvet with a stripe of gold tinsel, and on his feet are huge slippers, edged
with monkey skin.
Oa his head he wears a sort of fez cap of crimson velvet, the effect of which is ruined
by a number of blue beads hung fringe-wise round the top. The string of red coral beads
hangs round the neck, and a double bracelet of the same material is wound upon
each wrist.
When he receives a visitor, he displays his grandeur by making his visitors wait for
a time proportionate to their rank, but in case they should be of great consequence, he
alleviates the tediousness of the time by sending them rum "and gin, both of the very
worst quality ; and if they be of exceptionally high rank, he will send a bottle of liqueurs,
i.e. spirits of wine and water, well sweetened, and flavoured with a few drops of essen-
tial oil.
To a stranger, the palace presents a mean and ugly appearance, and, as Captain
Burton remarks, is as unworthy of Abeokuta as St. James's is of London. It is a
tumble-down " swish " house, long and rambling, and has several courts. Along one side
of the inner court runs a verandah, the edge of which comes within some four feet of the
ground, and is supported by huge clay pillars. Five hexagonal columns divide the
verandah into compartments, the centre of which is the Alake"s private room, and is kept
veiled by a curtain. The verandah, or antechamber, is filled with the great men of
Abeokuta, and, according to Burton's account, they are the most villanous-looking set
of men that can well be conceived ; and although he has seen as great a variety of faces
as any one, he says that he never saw such hideous heads and faces elsewhere.
" Their skulls were depressed in front, and projecting cocoa-nut-like behind ; the absence
of beards, the hideous lines and wrinkles that seared and furrowed the external parchment,
and the cold, unrelenting cruelty of their physiognomy in repose, suggested the idea of
the eunuch torturers erst so common in Asia. One was sure that for pity or mercy
it would be as well to address a wounded mandril. The atrocities which these ancients
have witnessed, and the passion which they have acquired for horrors, must have set the
mark of the beast upon their brows."
Though the assemblage consisted of the richest men of the Egbas, not a vestige of
THE ALAKE.
669
splendour or wealth appeared about any of them, the entire clothing of the most powerful
among them being under sixpence in value. In fact, they dare not exhibit wealth, knowing
that, if they did so, it would be confiscated.
" As for the Alake himself, his appearance was not much more prepossessing than that
of his subjects. Okekunu was a large, brawny, and clumsy-looking man, nearly seventy
years of age, and his partially shaven head did not add to his beauty. Besides, he had
lost all his upper teeth except the canines, so that his upper lip sank into an unpleasant
THE ALARM'S COURT.
depression. His lower teeth were rapidly decaying from his habit of taking snuff negro
fashion, by placing it between the lower lip and the teeth, and, in consequence of the gap,
the tip of his tongue protruded in a very disagreeable manner. He had lost one eye by
a blow from a stone, and as he assumed a semi-cematose expression, was not a pleasant
person to look at, and certainly not very regal in aspect."
The king must be selected from one of four tribes, and both the present king and his
predecessor belonged to the Ake tribe.
CHAPTER LIX.
BONNY.
THE PRINCIPAL TRADE OP BONNY KING PEPPEL AND HIS HISTORY — THE DEFRAUDED EMIGRANTS
MR. READE'S INTERVIEW WITH PEPPEL — ARCHITECTURE OF BONNY — THE ju-ju HOUSES, PRIVATE
AND PUBLIC — CANNIBALISM AT BONNY — THE JU-JU EXECUTION WHY THE EXECUTIONER DID
NOT EAT THE HEAD DAILY LIFE OF A BONNY GENTLEMAN — DRESS OF MEN AND WOMEN —
SUPERSTITIONS — MUMBO-JUMBO AND HIS OFFICE LAST RESOURCE OF A HEN-PECKED HUSBAND
— A TERRIBLE GREGREE AND ITS RESULT THE GREGREE MEN OR MAGICIANS — INGENIOUS MODE
OF WEAVING THEIR SPELLS ESCAPE OF AN IMPOSTOR.
PASSING a little southwards along the west coast, we come to the well-known Bonny Eiver,
formerly the great slave depot of Western Africa, and now the centre of the palm-oil
trade. Unfortunately there is as much cheating in the palm- oil trade as in gold and ivory ;
the two latter being plugged, and the former mixed with sand, so that it has to be boiled
down before it can be sent from the coast.
Bonny is familiar to English ears on account of the yellow-black chief who was
pleased to call himself king, and who was well known in England as Pepper, King of
Bonny. His name is varied as Pepper, Pimento, or Peppel. He is descended fronTObullo
an Ibo (or Eboe) chief, who settled with his slaves on the Bonny River, and who was
succeeded by his son and grandson, each of whom took the name of Pepper.
Being of a quarrelsome disposition, the present king shot a wife because she displeased
him, murdered a chief called Manilla Peppel because he was jealous, and was ruining the
trade of the river by his perpetual wars with the Calabars. So, at the request of all the
native chiefs and traders, he was deposed, and his nephew Daphe placed in his stead.
Daphe, however, died soon afterwards, — poisoned, it is believed, at Peppel's instigation; and
then the government was handed over to four regents, while Pimento was transported to
Ascension, a place which he was afterwards fond of calling his St. Helena. However, he
proved himself to be a clever savage, and, by dint of importunity, contrived to be taken to
England, where he arrived in 1857.
Possessing to the full the imitative capacity of the negro, he adopted English customs
with wonderful facility, abandoning, according to Captain Burton, his favourite dish of
a boy's palms, and drinking champagne and sherry instead of trade ruin. Soon lie
became religious, was baptized, and turned teetotaller, gaining thereby the good-will of a
large class of people. He asked for twenty thousand pounds to establish a missionary
station, and actually induced a number of English who knew nothing of Africa, or the
natural mendacity of the African savage, to accompany him as his suite, promising them
splendid salaries and high rank at court.
No one who knows the negro character will be surprised to hear that when the king
and his suite arrived at Bonny the latter found themselves cheated and ruined. They dis-
covered that the " palace " was a collection of hovels inside a mud wall ; that Bonny itself
THE JU-JU HOUSES. 671
was nothing more tnan a quantity of huts in a mud flat ; and that the best street was
infinitely more filthy than the worst street in the worst part of London. As to the private
life of the king, the less said about it the better.
Their health rapidly failed under the privations which they suffered, and the horrible
odours of the Bonny Biver, which are so sickening that even the hardened traveller
Captain Burton had to stop his experienced nostrils with camphorated cotton, as he was
rowed up the river at low water. As to the royal salaries and apartments in the palace,
they were found to be as imaginary as the palace itself and the rank at court, the king
presenting each of the officials with a couple of yams as an equivalent for pay and
lodging.
How genuine was the civilization and Christianity and teetotalism of Peppel may be
imagined from an interview which Mr. W. Eeade had with him after his return : — " I
went ashore with the doctor on a visit to Peppel, the famous king of Bonny. ... In one
of the hovels was seated the monarch, and the scene was well adapted to the muse of his
poet laureate. The Africans have a taste for crockery ware, much resembling that of the
last generation for old china, and a predilection for dog-flesh, which is bred expressly for
the table, and exposed for sale in the public market.
" And there sat Peppel, who had lived so long in England ; behind him a pile of
willow-pattern crockery, before him a calabash of dog-stew and palaver sauce. It is
always thus with these savages. The instincts inherited from their forefathers will ever
triumph over a sprinkling of foreign reason. Their intellects have a rete mucosum as well
as their skins. As soon as they return to their own country, they take off all their
civilization and their clothes, and let body and mind go naked.
" Like most negroes of rank, Peppel has a yellow complexion, as light as that of a
mulatto. His features express intelligence, but of a low and cunning kind. In every
word and look he exhibits that habit of suspicion which one finds in half-civilized
natures."
Peppel, although restored to Bonny, has scarcely any real power, even in his own
limited dominions, from which he dares not stir Yet, with the cool impudence of a
thorough savage, he actually proposed to establish a consul in London at a salary of 500/.,
stating as his reason that he had always allowed the English consuls to visit his
dominions in the Bight of Benin.
The architecture of the Bonny country is not very elaborate, being composed of swish
and wattle, supported by posts. The floors and walls are of mud, which can be obtained
in any amount, and the general look of the houses has been well compared to Africanized
Swiss, the roofs being very high, and the gables very sharp. Ordinary houses have three
rooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a Ju-ju room or chapel ; but those of the wealthy
men have abundance of chambers and passages. There are no chimneys, and as the door
must therefore be kept open if a fire is lighted, the threshold is at least eighteen inches
high, in order to prevent the intrusion of strange beasts. It is not thought to be etiquette
to step over the threshold when the master of the house is sitting within, or he will be
afflicted with sickness, thinking himself bewitched.
The Ju-ju room or chapel is a necessary adjunct to every Bonny house, and within it
is the fetish, or ju-ju, which is the guardian of the house, and corresponds with the Lares
and Penates of the ancients. The negro contrives to utilize the ju-ju room, making it a
store-house for his most valued property, such as cowries or rum, knowing that no one
will touch it in so sacred a place. As to the ju-ju itself, anything answers the purpose,
and an Englishman is sometimes troubled to preserve his gravity when he sees a page of
Punch, a cribbage peg, a pill-box, or a pair of braces, doing duty as the household god of
the establishment.
The great Ju-ju house of the place is a most ghastly-looking edifice, and is well
described by Captain Burton. It is built of swish, and is an oblong roofless house, of
forty or fifty feet in length. A sort of altar is placed at the end, sheltered from the rain
by a small roof of its own. Under the roof are nailed rows of human skulls mostly
painted in different colours, and one of them is conspicuous by a large black beard, whict
is doubtless a rude copy of the beard worn by the man to whom it originally belonged
672 BONNY.
Between them are rows of goat-skulls streaked with red and white, while other skulls
are strewn about the floor, and others again are impaled on the tops of sticks. Under
the altar is a round hole with a raised clay rim, in which is received the blood of the
victims together with the sacred libations. Within this Ju-ju house are buried the bodies
of the kings.
This house well illustrates the character of the people — a race which take a positive
pleasure in the sight of blood, and in inflicting and witnessing pain. All over the country
the traveller comes upon scenes of blood, pain, and suffering. There is hardly a village
where he does not come upon animals tied in some agonizing position and left to die
there. Goats and fowls are mostly fastened to posts with their heads downwards, and
blood is the favourite colour for painting the faces of men. Even the children of prisoners
taken in war — the war in question being mostly an unsuspected attack on an unprepared
village — are hung by the middle from the masts of the canoes, while the parents are
reserved to be sacrificed and eaten.
About this last statement there has been much incredulity, and of course, when
questioned, the Bonny negroes flatly deny the accusation. There is, however, no doubt of
the fact, inasmuch as Europeans have witnessed the act of cannibalism. For example,
old King Peppel, the father of the Pimento whose life has been briefly sketched, gave a
great banquet in honour of a victory which he had gained over Calabar, and in which
Amakree, the king of that district, was taken prisoner. The European traders were
invited to the banquet, and were most hospitably entertained. They were, however,
horrified to see the principal dish which was placed before Peppel. It was the bleeding
heart of Amakree, warm and palpitating as it was torn from the body. Peppel devoured
the heart with the greatest eagerness, exclaiming at the same time, " This is the way I
serve my enemies."
More recently, Dr. Hutchinson witnessed a scene of cannibalism. He had heard that
something of the kind was contemplated, although it was kept very quiet. On the
appointed morning he had himself rowed to the shore at some .distance from the Ju-ju
house, near which he concealed himself, and waited for the result. The rest of the
adventure must be told in his own words.
" I know not of what kind are the sensations felt by those around Newgate, waiting
for an execution in the very heart of London's great city ; but I know that on the banks
of an African river, in the grey dawn of morning, when the stillness was of that
oppressive nature which is calculated to produce the most gloomy impressions, with
dense vapours and foul smells arising from decomposing mangroves and other causes of
malaria floating about, with a heaviness of atmosphere 'that depressed the spirits, amidst
a community of cannibals, I do know that, although under the protection of a man-of-
war, I felt on this occasion a combined sensation of suspense, anxiety, horror, and
indefinable dread of I cannot tell what, that I pray God it may never be my fate to
endure again.
" Day broke, and, nearly simultaneous with its breaking, the sun shone out. As I
looked through the slit in the wall on the space between my place of concealment and
the Ju-ju house, I observed no change from its appearance the evening before. No
gibbet, nor axe, nor gallows, nor rope — no kind of preparation, nothing significant of
death, save the skulls on the pillars of the Ju-ju house, that seemed leering at me with
an expression at once strange and vacant. It would have been a relief in the awful
stillness of the place to have heard something of what I had read of the preparations for
an execution in Liverpool or London — of the hammering suggestive of driving nails into
scaffold, drop, or coffin, of a crowd gathering round the place before early dawn, and of
the solemn tolling of the bell that chimed another soul into eternity. Everything seemed
as if nothing beyond the routine of daily life were to take place.
" Could it be that I had been misinformed ; that the ceremony was adjourned to
another time, or was to be carried out elsewhere ?
" No, a distant murmur of gabbling voices was heard approaching nearer and nearer,
till, passing the corner house on my left, I saw a group of negroes — an indiscriminate
trowd of all ages and both sexes — so huddled together that no person whom I could
THE JU-JU EXECUTION.
673
particularly distinguish as either an executioner Or culprit was visible among them. But
above their clattering talk came the sound of a clanking chain that made one shudder.
They stopped in the middle of the square opposite the Ju-ju house, and ceased talking.
" One commanding voice uttered a single word, and down they sat upon the grass,
forming a circle round two figures, standing upright in the centre— the executioner and
the man about to be killed. The former was remarkable only by the black skull-cap
which he had on him, and by a common cutlass which he held in his hand. The latter
had chains round his neck, his wrists, and his ankles. There was no sign of fear or
cowardice about him — no seeming consciousness of the dreadful fate before him — no
evidence even upon his face of that dogged stubbornness which is said to be exhibited by
some persons about to undergo an ignominious death.
" Save that he stood upright one would scarcely have known that he was alive.
Amongst the spectators, too, there was a silent impassiveness which was appalling. Not
a word, nor gesture, nor glance
of sympathy, that could make me
believe I looked at beings who
had a vestige of humanity among
them.
" As the Ju-ju butcher stepped
back and measured his distance to
make an effectual swoop at his
victim's neck, the man moved not
a muscle, but stood as if he were
unconscious — till
THE JU-JU EXECUTION.
" Chop ! The first blow felled
him to the ground. The noise of
a chopper falling on meat is
familiar to most people. No other
sound was here — none from the
man ; not a whisper nor a murmur
from those who were seated about !
I was nearly crying out in mental
agony, and the sound of that first
stroke will haunt my ears to my
dying day. How I wished some
one to talk or scream, to destroy
the impression of that fearful hough, and the still more awful silence that followed it !
" Again the weapon was raised to continue the decapitation — another blow as the
man lay prostrate, and then a sound broke the silence ! But, O Father of mercy ! of
what a kind was that noise — a gurgle and a gasp, accompanying the dying spasm of the
struck-down man !
" Once more the weapon was lifted — I saw the blood flow in gory horror down the
blade to the butcher's hand, and there it was visible, in God's bright sunshine, to the
whole host of heaven. Not a word had yet been uttered by the crowd. More chopping
and cleaving, and the head, severed from the body, was put by the Ju-ju executioner
into a calabash, which was carried off by one of his women to be cooked. He then
repeated another cabalistic word, or perhaps the same as at first, and directly all who
were seated rose up, whilst he walked away.
" A yell, such as reminded me of a company of tigers, arose from the multitude —
cutlasses were flourished as they crowded round the body of the dead man — sounds of
cutting and chopping arose amidst the clamour of the voices, and I began to question
myself whether, if I were on the other side of the river Styx, I should see what I was
looking at here through the little slit in the wall of my hiding-place : a crowd of
human vultures gloating over the headless corpse of a murdered brother negro — boys and
girls walking away from the crowd, holding pieces of bleeding flesh in their hands, while
the dripping life-fluid marked their road as they went along ; and one woman snapping
VOL. I. XX
674 BONNY.
from the hands of another — both of them raising their voices in clamour — a part of the
body of that poor man, in whom the breath of life was vigorous not a quarter of -an
hour ago.
" The whole of the body was at length divided, and nothing left behind but the blood.
The intestines were taken away to be given to an iguana — the Bonny-man's tutelary
guardian. But the blood was still there, in glistening pools, though no more notice was
taken of it by the gradually dispersing crowd than if it were a thing as common in that
town as heaven's bright dew is elsewhere. A few dogs were on the spot, who devoured
the fragments. Two men arrived to spread sand over the place, and there was no inter-
ruption to the familiar sound of coopers' hammering just beginning in the cask-houses,
or to the daily work of hoisting palm-oil puncheons on board the ships."
On passing the Ju-ju house afterwards, Dr. Hutchinson saw the relics of this sacrifice.
They consisted of the larger bones of the body and limbs, which had evidently been
cooked, and every particle of flesh eaten from them. The head is the perquisite of the
executioner, as has already been mentioned. Some months afterwards, Dr. Hutchinson
met the same executioner, who was said to have exercised his office again a few days
previously, and to have eaten the head of his victim. Being upbraided with having
committed so horrible an act, he replied that he had not eaten the head — his cook having
spoiled it by not having put enough pepper to it.
The whole life of the Bonny-man, and indeed of all the many tribes that inhabit the
neighbourhood of the Niger and live along it, is in accordance with the traits which have
been mentioned. Of course, the women do all the real work, the man's working-day being
usually employed in coming on board some trading-ship early in the morning, chaffering
with the agent, and making bargains as well as he can. He asks for everything he sees,
on the principle that, even if it be refused, he is no worse after than before ; contrives to
breakfast as many times as possible at the ship's expense, and about mid-day goes home
to repose after the fatigues of the day.
As to his dress, it consists of a cloth, in the choice of which he is very fastidious. A
handkerchief is folded diagonally and passed through the loop of his knife-belt, so as to
attach it to his right side, and this, writh a few strings of beads and rings, completes his
costume. His woolly hair is combed out with the coarsest imaginable comb, made of a
few wooden skewers lashed side by side, and diverging from each other towards the
points, and his skin is polished up with palm-oil.
The women's working-day is a real fact, being begun by washing clothes in the
creek, and consisting of making nets, hats, lines, and mats, and going to market. These
are the favourites, and their life is a comparatively easy one ; while the others, on whom
their despotic master does not deign to cast an eye of affection, are simply his slaves,
and are subjected to water-drawing, wood-cutting, catching and curing fish.
The dress of the women is not unlike that of the opposite sex, the chief distinction
being that their fashionable paint is blue instead of red. The colouring is put on by a
friend, usually one who regularly practises the art of painting the human body in
patterns. Chequers, like those that were once so common on the door-posts of public-
houses, are very much in favour, and so are wavy stripes, beginning with lines scarcely
thicker than hairs, and swelling out to half an inch or more in breadth. Arabesque
patterns, curves, and scrolls are also largely used.
Throughout a considerable portion of that part of Western Africa which is inhabited
by the negroes there is found a semi-human demon, who is universally respected, at least
by the feminine half of the community. His name is MUMBO JUMBO, and his sway is
upheld by the men, while the women have no alternative but to submit to it.
On the branch of a tree near the entrance of each town hangs a dress, made of slips
of bark sewn rudely together. It is the simplest possible dress, being little more than a
bark sack, with a hole at the top for the head and another at each side for the hands.
Close by it hangs an equally simple mask, made of an empty gourd, with two round holes
for the eyes of the wearer, and decorated with a tuft of feathers. In order to make it
more fantastically hideous, the mask is painted with scarlet, so that it looks very much
like the face of a clown in a pantomime.
MUMBO JUMBO.
675
At night the people assemble as usual to sing and dance, when suddenly faint distant
howlings are heard in the woods. This is the cry of Mumbo Jurnbo, and all the women
feel horribly frightened, though they are obliged to pretend to be delighted. The cries
are heard nearer and nearer, and at last Mumbo Jumbo himself, followed by a number of
attendants armed with sticks, and clothed in the dress which is kept for his use, appears
in the noisy circle, carrying a rod in his hand. He is loudly welcomed, and the song and
dance goes on around him with delight. Suddenly, Mumbo Jumbo walks up to one of
the women and touches her with his rod. His attendants instantly seize on the unfortu-
nate woman, tear off all her clothes, drag her to a post which is always kept for such
occasions, tie her to it, and inflict a terrific beating on her. No one dares to pity her.
MUMBO JUMBO.
The men are net likely to do so, and the women all laugh and jeer at their suffering com-
panion, pointing at her and mocking her cries : partly because they fear that if they
did not do so they might be selected for the next victims, and partly because — like the
savages that they are at heart — they feel an exultation at seeing some one suffering a
penalty which they have escaped.
The offence for which the woman has suffered is perfectly well known by all the
spectators, and by none better than by the sufferer herself. The fact is, she has been bad-
tempered at home, quarrelling, in all probability, with her fellow wives, and has not
yielded to the admonitions of her husband. Consequently, at the next favourable
opportunity, either the husband himself, or a man whom he has instructed, indues the
dress of Mumbo Jumbo, and inflicts a punishment which serves equally as a corrective to
the disobedient wife and a warning to others that they had better not follow her example.
xx 2
070 BONNY.
Mmnbo Jumbo does not always make his appearance On these nocturnal festivities,
as the men know that he inspires more awe if he is reserved for those instances in
which the husband has tried all the means in his power to keep the peace at home, but
finds that his unsupported authority is no more respected. The reader will remember
that a demon of a similar character is to be found in Dahome.
It is to be wished that all the superstitions of the land were as harmless as that of
Mumbo Jumbo, which nobody believes, though every one pretends to do so, and which,
at all events, has some influence on the domestic peace. Some of them, however, are
very terrible, and involve an amount of human suffering which would deter any but a
savage from performing them. It is very difficult to learn the nature of these supersti-
tions, as the negroes always try to conceal them from Europeans, especially when they
involve the shedding of blood. One astounding instance has, however, been related. A
town was in danger of attack from a powerful tribe that inhabited the neighbourhood, and
the king was so much alarmed that he sent for the magicians, and consulted with them
as to the best method of repelling the enemy.
Accordingly, the people were summoned together in front of the principal gate, when
two holes were dug in the ground close to each other. Songs and dances began as usual,
until suddenly the chief magician pointed to a girl who was standing among the specta-
tors. She was instantly seized, and a leg thrust into each hole, which was then filled up
with earth so that she could not move. By command of the magicians, a number of men
brought lumps of wet clay, which they built around her body in a pillar-like form, knead-
ing them closely as they proceeded., and gradually covering her with clay. At last even
her head was covered with the clay, and the poor victim of superstition soon ceased to
breathe.
This clay pillar with the body of the girl within it stood for years in front of the gate,
and so terrified were the hostile tribes at so powerful a fetish, or gregree, that they dared
not carry out their plan of attack.
The natives erect these gregrees on every imaginable occasion, and so ward off eveiy
possible calamity ; and, as they will pay freely for such safeguards, the fetish-men are
naturally unwilling to refuse a request, and so to break up a profitable trade. They are, of
course, aware that their clients will in many cases suffer from the very calamity which
they sought to avoid, and that they will corne to make bitter complaints. They therefore
take care to impose on the recipient some condition by way of a loop-hole, through which
they may escape. On one such instance the man bought a fetish against fever, which,
however, seized him and nearly killed him. The condition which had been imposed on
him was abstinence from goat's flesh, and this condition he knew that he had fulfilled.
But the fetish-man was not to be baffled by such a complaint, and utterly discomfited his
angry client by asserting that, when his patient was dining at another town, a personal
enemy, who knew the conditions on which the gregree was given, dropped a little goat's-
flesh broth into his bowl, and so broke the spell.
Absolute faith in the gregree is another invariable condition. On one stormy day a
party of natives had to cross the river, and applied for a gregree against accidents. They
crossed safely enough, but on re-crossing the boat was upset, and some of the party were
drowned. The survivors went in a body to the gregree-maker, and upbraided him with
the accident. He heard them very patiently, and then informed the complainants that
the misfortune was entirely caused by the incredulity of the steersman, who tried to
sound the river with his paddle in order to discover whether they were in shallow water.
This action indicated mistrust, and so the power of the spell was broken. The cunning
fellow had seen the accident, and, having ascertained that the steersman had been drowned,
made the assertion boldly, knowing that the men had been too frightened to observe closely,
and that the accused could not contradict the statement.
CHAPTER LX,
THE MANDINGOES.
LANGUAGE AOTV APPEARANCE OF THE MANDINGOES — THEIR RELIGION — BELIEF IN AMUHETS A MAN-
DINGO SONG MARRIAGE AND CONDITION OF THE WOMEN NATIVE COOKERY — A MANDINGO KINO
— INFLUENCE OF MAHOMETANISM.
BEFORE proceeding across the continent towards Abyssinia, we must briefly notice the
Mandingo nation, who inhabit a very large tract of the country through which the
Senegal and Gambia flow.
They are deserving of notice, if it were only on the ground that their language is more
Widely spread than any that is spoken in that part of Africa, and that any traveller who
desires to dispense as far as possible with the native interpreters, who cannot translate
literally if they would, and would not if they could, is forced to acquire the language
before proceeding through the country. Fortunately it is a peculiarly melodious lan-
guage, almost as soft as the Italian, nearly all the words ending in a vowel.
In appearance the Mandingoes are tall and well made, and have the woolly hair,
though not the jetty skin and enormous lips, of the true negro. " The structure of the
language," says Mr. M'Brair, who has made it his special study, " is thoroughly Eastern.
In some of its grammatical forms it resembles the Hebrew and Syriac ; its most peculiar
sound is of the Malay family ; its method of interrogation is similar to that of the
Chinese, and in the composition of some verbs it is like the Persian. A few religious
terms have been borrowed from the Arabic, and some articles of foreign manufacture are
called after their European names."
As a rule, the religion of the Mandingoes is Mahometanism, modified to suit the
people, but they still retain enough of the original negro character to have an intense faith
in gregrees, which are made for them by the marabouts, or holy men, and almost inva-
riably consist of sentences of the Koran, sewn up in little leathern cases beautifully
tanned and stamped in patterns. Mahometanism has put an end to the noisy songs and
dances which make night hideous ; but the Mandingoes contrive, nevertheless, to indulge
their taste for religious noise at night. Instead of singing profane songs they sing or
intone the Koran, bawling the sacred sentences at the full stretch of their voices, and
murdering sleep as effectually as if they had been still benighted idolaters singing praises
in honour of the moon. Some ceremonies in honour of the moon still remain, but are
quite harmless. When it appears, they salute it by spitting in their hands and waving
them round their heads. For eclipses they account by saying that there is a large cat
living somewhere in the sky, who puts her paw between the moon and the earth.
They are very strict Mahometans indeed, the marabouts always calling them to
prayers one hour before sunrise ; that, according to theological astronomy, being the time
at which the sun rises at Mecca. Mahometanism has done much for the Mandiugoes.
It has substituted monotheism for idolatry, and totally abolished human sacrifices. It
G78 THE MANDINGOES.
lias not extirpated the innate negro character of the Mandingoes ; but it has raised them
greatly in the scale of humanity. It has not cured them of lying and stealing — neither of
which vices, by the way, are confined to idolaters ; but it has brought them to abhor the
system of child-selling, which is so ingrained in the ordinary negro, and a Mandingo
Mahometan will not even sell a slave unless there is just cause of complaint
against him.
The Ehamadan, or Mahometan fast, is rigidly observed by the Mandingoes, and it is
no small proof of the power of their religious system that it has made a negro abstain
from anything which he likes.
The principal rite of Mahometanism is of course practised by the Mandingoes, who
have contrived to engraft upon it one of their own superstitions, namely, that if a lad
remains unciroumcisecj, he is swallowed by a peripatetic demon, who carries him for
nine days in his belly. This legend is religiously believed, and no one has yet been
daring enough to put it to the test.
Fourteen years is the usual age for performing this ceremony, whole companies of
lads partaking of it at the same time, and proceeding to the appointed spot, accompanied
"by their friends and relatives, who dance and sing songs by the way, neither, of them
being peculiarly delicate. Here the old negro nature shows itself again, proving the
truth of the axiom that nature expelled with a pitchfork always comes back again.
After the ceremony they pass a month in an intermediate state of existence. They have
taken leave of their boyhood, and are not yet men. So until the expiration of the
month they are allowed unlimited licence, but after that time they become men, and are
ranked with their fathers. Even the girls undergo a ceremony of a somewhat similar
character, the officiants being the wives of the marabouts.
As a natural consequence of this religion, which is a mixture of Mahometanism
engrafted upon fetishism, the marabouts hold much the same exalted position as the fetish-
men of the idolaters, and are the most important men of the community. They do not
dress differently from the laity, but are distinguished by the colours of their caps, which
are of some brilliant hue, such as red, blue, or yellow. The whole of education is in
their hands, some being itinerant teachers, and others establishing regular schools
Others, again, mingle the characters of musicians and merchants, and all make the prin-
cipal part of their living by the sale of amulets, which are nothing more than Mahome-
tanized gregrees. So great is the demand for these amulets, that a wealthy man is some-
times absolutely inclosed in a leathern cuirass composed of nothing but amulets sewn up
in their neat leathern cases.
One of the Mandingo songs, translated by Mr. W. Eeade, shows clearly the opinion in
which these men are held. " If you know how to write Marabout (i.e. Arabic, and not
Mandingo), you will become one of the disciples of God. If you know Marabout, you
are the greatest of your family. You maintain them. If they commit a fault, it is you
who will protect them."
Another of these proverbial sayings expresses the uselessness of gregrees. "The
Tubabs went against Galam. The King of Maiel said to a woman, ' Take your child, put
it in a mortar, and pound it to dust. From its dust I will make a man rise who will save
our town.'
" The woman pounded her child to dust. From the dust came a man ; lut the Tulabs
took Maiel." The "Tubabs" are the French, and the saying evidently refers to the
manufacture of a gregree similar in character to that which has been mentioned on
page 676.
Still, their innate belief in the power of gregrees is too strong to be entirely eradi-
cated ; and if one of their chief men dies, they keep his death secret, and bury his body in
a private spot, thinking that if an enemy could get possession of his blade-bone he would
make a gregree with it, by means of which he could usurp the kingdom for himself.
Marriages are solemnized by the marabout, in the mosque, with an odd mixture of
native and borrowed ceremonies. Next to the marabout the bridegroom's sister plays the
most important part at the ceremony and in the future household ; gives the article of
clothing which takes the place of our wedding-ring, and which in this country would bo
A NATIVE BILL OF FARE.
thought rather ominous, — namely, a pair of trousers and,
if a child be born of the marriage, has the privilege of
naming it. Polygamy is, of course, the rule, and each woman
has her own house. So, when a girl is married, she stays
with her parents until her own house is built, when she is
conducted to it in great state by her young friends, who sing
a mournful song deploring the loss of their companion.
The women have every reason to be contented with their
lot. They are not degraded slaves, like the married women
in so many parts of Africa, and, if anything, have the upper
hand of their husbands. "They are the most tyrannical
wives in Africa," writes Mr. Eeade. "They know how to
make their husbands kneel before their charms, and how to
place their little feet upon them. When they are threatened
with divorce, they shed tears, and if a man repudiates his wife,
they attack him en masse — they hate, but protect, each other.
" They go to this unfortunate husband, who has never felt
or enjoyed a quiet moment in his own house, and say, ' Why
do you ill-treat your wife? A woman is helpless; a man
has all things. Go, recall her, and, to appease her just anger,
make her a kind present.' The husband prays for forgive-
ness, and, when his entreaties take the form of a bullock or
a slave, she consents to return."
The food of the Mandingoes is chiefly rice and milk, but
when they are wealthy they indulge in many luxuries. The
same author who has just been quoted gives the details of
an entertainment cooked by half-bred Mandingoes. First
they had oysters plucked from the branches of trees, to which
they attached themselves at high water, and are left sus-
pended when the floods recede. Then there were soles, carp,
and mullet, all very bad, but very well cooked. " Then
followed gazelle cutlets d la papillate ; two small monkeys
served cross-legged and with liver sauce, on toast; stewed
iguana, which was much admired ; a dish of roasted cro-
codiles' eggs ; some slices of smoked elephant (from the
interior), which none of us could touch ; a few agreeable
plates of fried locusts, land-crabs (previously fattened), and
other crustacese ; the breasts of a mermaid, or manatee, the
grand bonne-louche of the repast; some boiled alligator,
which had a taste between pork and cod, with the addition
of a musky flavour ; and some hippopotamus' steaks — OMX
pommes de terre.
"We might have obtained a better dessert at Covent
Garden, where we can see the bright side of the tropics
without the trouble or expense of travelling. But we had
pine-apples, oranges, roasted plantains, silver bananas, papaus
(which, when made into a tart with cloves, might be taken
for apples), and a variety of fruits which had long native
names, curious shapes, and all of them very nasty tastes.
The celebrated ' cabbage,' or topmost bud of the palm-tree,
also formed part of the repast, and it is said to be the finest
vegetable in the world. When stewed en sauce blanche, it is
not to be compared with any vegetable of mortal growth.
ft must have been the ambrosia of the gods."
The Mandingoes who have not embraced Mahometanisrn are much inferior to
compatriots who have renounced their fetishism. Mr. Eeade tells a ludicrous story
QUIVER AND ARROWS.
(From my collection.)
their
of a
680 THE MANDINGOES.
native " king," who was even dirtier than any of his subjects, and if possible was uglier, his
face being devoid of intelligence and utterly brutish ; he made long speeches in Mandingo,
which, as usual with such speeches, were simply demands for everything he saw, and acted
in a manner so consonant with his appearance, that he excited universal disgust, and
remarks were made very freely on the disadvantages of being entirely in a savage state,
and never having mixed with superior beings.
At last the tedious interpreting business was at an end, and nothing remained except
the number of kola-nuts to be given as the present of friendship — a customary ceremony
in this country. Six had been given, and the king made a long speech, which turned out
to be a request for more. " Well, we can't very well refuse the dirty ruffian," said the
visitor ; "give him four more, that will make ten."
" Make it twenty" cried the king eagerly, forgetting that his rdle was to appear ignorant
of English. He had lived for some years at Sierra Leone, and could speak English as well
as any one when he chose, and had heard all the remarks upon his peculiar appearance
without giving the least indication that he understood a word that was said.
One of the old superstitions which still holds its own against the advance of Mahomet-
anism is one which belongs to an island on the Upper Eiver. On this island there is a
mountain, and on the mountain lives a spirit who has the unpleasant power of afflicting
human beings so severely that they can never sit down for the rest of their lives. There-
fore, on passing the hill, it is necessary to unclothe the body from the waist downward, to
turn the back to the mountain, and pray the spirit to have compassion on his votaries,
and continue to them the privilege of sitting.
Every one is forced to undergo this ceremony, but fortunately the spirit is content if
it be performed by deputy, arid all travellers therefore, whether men or women, pay natives
of their own sex to perform this interesting rite for them. However, like the well-known
etiquette of crossing the line, this ceremony need only be performed on the first time of
passing the hill, the spirit being satisfied with the tribute to his power.
The universal superstition respecting the power of human beings to change themselves
into bestial shapes still reigns among the Mandingoes, and it is rather doubtful whether
even the followers of Mohammed have shaken themselves quite free from the old belief.
The crocodile is the animal whose form is most usually taken among the Mandingoes, and
on one occasion a man who had been bitten by a crocodile, and narrowly escaped with his
life, not only said that the reptile was a metamorphosed man, but even named the individual
whom he knew himself to have offended a few days before the accident.
CHAPTER LXI.
THE BUSES AND CONGOESE.
HEAL NAME OF THE BUBES THEIR LIMITED RANGE — APPEARANCE AND MANNERS OF THE MEN
TOLA PASTE REASONS FOR NUDITY — BUBE ARCHITECTURE —GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE
BUBES — A WEDDING AT FERNANDO PO CONGO — ITS GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION CURIOUS TAXA-
TION— RELIGION OF CONGO — THE CHITOME AND HIS POWERS — HIS DEATH, AND LAW OF
SUCCESSION THE NGHOMBO AND HIS MODE OF WALKING THE ORDEAL CEREMONY OF CROWN-
ING A KING THE ROYAL ROBES — THE WOMEN OF CONGO — EARLY HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY
THE FEMALE MONARCH — THE FATE OF TEMBANDUMBA.
THE Bube* tribe (which unfortunately is pronounced Booby) is a really interesting one, and,
but for the rapidly decreasing space, would be described in detail. The real name of the
tribe is Adizah, but as they are in the habit of addressing others as Bube, i.e. Man, the
term has clung to them.
The Bubes inhabit Fernando Po, and, although some of them believe themselves to be
aborigines of the island, have evidently come from the mainland. They have, however,
no particular pride in their autocthonic origin, and, if questioned, are perfectly content to
say that they came from their parents.
The Bubo's inhabit only one zone in Fernando Po. The sea air is too soft and warm
for them, and, besides, there is danger of being carried off by the slavers. More than three
thousand feet above the sea they cannot exist, not because the climate is too cold, but
because the palms and plantains on which they live will not nourish there. With the
exception of those individuals who have come under the sway of the missionaries, the
Bubes wear no clothes except closely-fitting coats of palm-oil, or, on grand occasions, of tola
paste, i.e. palm oil bruised and mixed with the leaves of the tola herb. This paste has
a powerful and very peculiar odour, and the first intimation of the vicinity of a Bube
village is usually the scent of the tola paste borne on the breeze.
The men wear large flat hats made of wicker-work covered with monkey-skin, and
used chiefly to guard themselves from the tree-snake. The women are dressed in exactly
the same fashion, but without the hat, their husbands perhaps thinking that women cannot
be hurt by snakes. The hat is fastened to the head by skewers made of the bone of the
monkey's leg, and the hair itself is plentifully greased and adorned with yellow ochre, and
manipulated so that it looks as if it were covered with little gilded peas. Round the
upper arm is tied a piece of string, which holds a knife for the man and a pipe for the
woman. Clothing is to them a positive infliction, and Captain Burton remarks that, even
at an elevation of ten thousand feet above the sea, he offered the Bubes blankets, but they
would not have them, though they found the warmth of the fire acceptable to them.
They have a legend which explains their nudity. Many years ago a M'pongwe magician
made fetish upon his great war spear, and killed numbers of them, so that they fled.
They then made a law that the Bube" should wear no clothing until they had conquered
the M'poiigwe, aiid that law they have kept to the present day.
682 THE BUBfiS.
Taken as a savage, the Bube is a wonderfully good specimen. He is very industrious,
laying out yam fields and farms at some distance from his house, in order to prevent his
domestic animals from straying into it, and he is the best palm- wine maker in Western
Africa. He neither will be a slave himself, nor keep slaves, preferring to work for him-
self; and, after working hard at his farm, he will start off into the woods to shoot monkeys
or squirrels. He is a good athlete, and handles his great staff with such address that he
is a very formidable antagonist. He is an admirable linguist, picking up languages with
astonishing readiness, and he is absolutely honest. " You may safely deposit rum and
tobacco in his street, and he will pay his debt as surely as the Bank of England." This
testimony is given by Captain Burton, who certainly cannot be accused of painting the
native African in too bright colours!
Yet he never trusts any one. He will deal with you most honourably, but he will never
tell you his name. If you present gifts to him, he takes them, but with suspicion :
" Timet Danaos et dona ferentes." If you enter his village unexpectedly, he turns out
armed, and, " if you are fond of collecting vocabularies, may the god of speech direct you."
The fact is, he has been so cheated and plundered that he now suspects all men alike, and
will not trust even his fellow-countrymen of the next village.
He treats his wife pretty well, but has an odd ascending series of punishments. Should
he detect her in an infidelity, he boils a pot of oil, cuts off the offender's left hand, and
plunges the stump into the oil to heal the bleeding. For the second offence she loses
the right hand, and for the third the head, on which occasion the boiling oil is not
required. Partly on account of this law, and partly on account of their ugliness, which
is said to be portentous, the women display better morals than the generality of their
African sisters.
Dr. Hutchinson, who resided in Fernando Po for some time, has not a very favourable
opinion of the Bubes, thinking that the twenty or thirty thousand of their tribe form the
greatest obstacle to civilization. He states, moreover, that, although the Baptist mis-
sionaries have been hard at work among them for seventeen years, they had not succeeded
in Christianizing or civilizing, or even humanizing, a single Bube.
They are not an intellectual race, and do not appear to know or care much about the
division of time, the new moon and the beginning of the dry season marking their monthly
and annual epochs. The latter begins in November, and for two months the Bubes hold
a festival called Lobo, in which marriages are generally celebrated. Dr. Hutchinson was
able to witness a Bube marriage, and has given a very amusing account of it. The bride
was a daughter of the king. " On getting inside of the town our first object of attraction
was the cooking going on in his Majesty's kitchen. Here a number of dead 'ipa' (porcu-
pines) and 'litcha' (gazelles) were in readiness to be mingled up with palm-oil, and
several grubs writhing on skewers, probably to add piquancy to the dishes. These are
called ' inchaee,' being obtained from palm-trees, and look at first sight like Brobdignagian
maggots. Instead of waiting to see the art of the Fernandian Soyer on these components,
I congratulated myself on my ham sandwiches and brandy- and-water bottle safely stowed
in my portmanteau, which one of the Krumen carried on his back, and sat on my camp-
stool beneath the grateful shade of a palm-tree to rest a while.
" Outside a small hut belonging to the mother of the bride-expectant, I soon
recognised the happy bridegroom, undergoing his toilet from the hands of his future
wife's sister. A profusion of tshibbu strings (i.e. small pieces of Achatectona shell,
which represent the currency in Fernando Po) being fastened round his body, as well as'
his legs and arms, the anointing lady (having a short black pipe in her mouth) proceeded
to putty him over with tola paste. He seemed not altogether joyous at the anticipation
of his approaching happiness, but turned a sulky gaze now and then to a kidney-shaped
piece of brown-painted yam, which he held in his hand, and which had a parrot's red
feather fixed on its convex side. This I was informed was called 'ntsheba/ and is
regarded as a protection against evil influence during the important day.
" Two skewer-looking hair-pins, with heads of red and white glass beads, fastened his
hat (which was nothing more than a disk of bamboo plaiting) to the hair of his head ;
and his toilet being complete, he and one of the bridesmen, as elaborately dressed as
THE WEDDING DRESS.
683
himself, attacked a mess of stewed flesh and palm-oil placed before them, as eagerly as
if they had not tasted food for a fortnight. In discussing this meal they followed the
primitive usage of ' fingers before forks/ only resting now and then to take a gulp of
palm- wine out of a calabash which was hard by, or to wipe their hands on napkins of cocoa-
leaf, a process which, to say the least of it, added nothing to their washerwoman's bill at
the end of the week.
" But the bride ! Here she comes ! Led forth by her own and her husband-
expectant's mother, each holding her by a hand, followed by two ' nepees ' (professional
singers) and half-a-dozen bridesmaids. Nothing short of a correct photograph could
A BUBE MARRIAGE.
convey an idea of her appearance. Borne down by the weight of rings, wreaths, and
girdles of ' tshibbu,' the tola pomatum gave her the appearance of an exhumed mummy,
save her face, which was all white — not from excess of modesty (and here I may add,
the negro race are expected always to blush blue), but from being smeared over with a
white paste, symbolical of purity.
" As soon as she was outside the paling, her bridal attire was proceeded with, and the
whole body was plastered over with white stuff'. A veil of strings of tshibbu shells,
684 THE BUBES.
completely covering her face, and extending from the crown of her head to the chin, as
well as on each side from ear to ear, was then thrown over her ; over this was placed an
enormous helmet made of cowhide ; and any one with a spark of compassion in him could
not help pitying that poor creature, standing for more than an hour under the broiling
sun, with such a load on her, whilst the uepees were celebrating her praises in an
extempore epithalamium, and the bridegroom was completing his finery elsewhere.
" Next came a long chant — musical people would call it a howl — by the chief nepee.
It was about as long as ' Chevy Chase,' and celebrated the beauties and many virtues of
the bride, among which was rather oddly mentioned the delicious smell which proceeded
from her. At every pause in the chant the audience struck in with a chorus of ' Hee !
hee ! jee ! eh !' and when it was over the ceremony proceeded.
" The candidates for marriage having taken their positions side by side in the open
air, fronting the little house from which the bride-elect had been led out by the two
mothers, and where I was informed she had been closely immured for fifteen months
previous, the ceremony commenced. The mothers were the officiating priests — an insti-
tution of natural simplicity, whose homely origin no one will dare to impugn. On these
occasions the mother-bishops are prophetically entitled 'boowanas/ the Fernandian for
grandmother.
" Five bridesmaids marshalled themselves alongside the bride-postulant, each, in
rotation, some inches lower than the other, the outside one being a mere infant in stature,
and all having bunches of parrots' feathers on their heads, as well as holding a wand in
their right hands. The mother stood behind the ' happy pair,' and folded an arm of each
round the body of the other — nepees chanting all the while, so that it was barely
possible for my interpreter to catch the words by which they were formally soldered.
A string of tshibbu was fastened round both arms by the bridegroom's mother; she,
at the same time, whispering to him advice to take care of this tender lamb, even though
he had half-a-dozen wives before. The string was then unloosed. It was again fastened
on by the bride's mother, who whispered into her daughter's ear her duty to attend to
her husband's farm, tilling his yams and cassava, and the necessity of her being faithful
to him. The ratification of their promise to fulfil these conditions was effected by passing
a goblet of palm-wine from mother to son (the bridegroom), from him to his bride, fioin
her to her mother, each taking a sip as it went round.
" Then an indiscriminate dance and chant commenced ; and the whole scene— the
tola paste laid on some faces so thickly that one might imagine it was intended to affix
something to them by means of it — the dangling musk-cat and monkey tails — the disk
hats and parrots' feathers — the branches of wild fern and strings of tshibbu shells,
fastened perhaps as nosegays to the ladies' persons — the white and red and yellow spots
painted under the eyes, and on the shoulders, and in any place where they could form
objects of attraction — the tout ensemble, contrasted with the lofty Bomlax, beautiful palm,
cocoa-nut, and other magnificent tropical trees around, presented a picture rarely
witnessed by a European, and one calculated to excite varied reflections."
Lastly, the whole party — the tola paste now cracking from their bodies — proceeded
to the house of the bridegroom, the old wives walking before the bride until they reached
the door, and then allowing her to precede them. The newly-married pair then stood at
their door facing the spectators, embracing each other as before. One of his children
then presented the bride with a huge yam painted brown, others fixed tshibbu epaulets
on her shoulders, the husband placed four rings on her fingers, and the ceremony was
concluded by a second lecture from the bridegroom's mother, at the expiration of which
Dr. Hutchinson, as he rather quaintly says, " left the happy pair to the enjoyment of their
tola-moon."
CUEIOUS TAX.
G85
CONGO.
PASSING southward down the West Coast, we come to the celebrated kingdom of
CONGO.
In these days it has been so traversed by merchants of different countries and mission-
aries of different sects, that it no longer presents the uniform aspect of its earlier monar-
chical days, of which we will take a brief survey. The reader must understand that the
sources from which the information is taken
are not wholly reliable, but, as we have none
other, we must make the best of our informa-
tion, and use our own discretion as to those
parts which are best worthy of belief. The
following account is mostly taken from Mr.
Reade's condensation.
The ancient constitution of the Congo
kingdom much resembled that of Ashanti or
Dahome ; namely, a despotic monarchy con-
trolled by councillors, the king and the council
being • mutually jealous, and each trying to
overreach the other. When the kingdom of
Congo was first established, the royal revenues
were much in the same condition as the civil
list of a late Emperor of Russia — all belonged
to the king, and he took as much as he wanted.
In later days, however, the revenues were
controlled by the council, who aided, not only
in their disposal, but in the mode of their col-
lection. The greater part of the income de-
pended on the annual tributes of the inferior
chiefs, but, as in times of pressure, especially
during a protracted war, this tribute is in-
adequate to meet the expenses, the king and
council devise various objects of taxation.
The most productive is perhaps the tax on
beds, which are assessed according to their
width, every span costing an annual payment
of a slave. Now, as an ordinary man cannot
sleep comfortably on a bed less than four spans
in width, it is very evident that the tax must
be a very productive one, if indeed it were not
so oppressive as to cause a rebellion. The
natives seem, however, to have quietly ac-
quiesced in it, and a wealthy negro therefore
takes a pride in having a very broad bed as a BOW AND ARROWS.
tangible proof of his importance.
As in more civilized nations, war is the great parent of taxation, the king being
obliged to maintain a large standing army, and to keep it in good humour by constant
largesses, for a large standing army is much like fire, — a useful servant, but a terrible
master. The army is divided into regiments, each acting under the immediate command
of the chief in whose district they live, and they are armed, in a most miscellaneous
fashion, with any weapons they can procure. In these times the trade guns are the most
686 THE CONGOESK
valued weapons, but the native swords, bows and arrows, spears, and knives, still form the
staple of their equipment. As to uniform, they have uo idea of it, and do not even
distinguish the men of the different, regiments, as do the Kaffirs of Southern Africa.
The ancient religion of the Congo negro is simply polytheism, which they have suffered
to degenerate into fetishism. There is one monotheistic sect, but they have gained very
little by their religion, which is in fact merely a negation of many deities, without the
least understanding of the one whom they profess to worship — a deity to whom they
attribute the worst vices that can degrade human nature.
The fetish -men or priests are as important here as the marabouts among the Mandin-
goes, and the chief of them, who goes by the name of Chitome, is scarcely less honoured
than the king, who finds himself obliged to seek the favour of this spiritual potentate,
while the common people look on him as scarcely less than a god. He is maintained by
a sort of tithe, consisting of the firstfruits of the harvest, which are brought to him with
great ceremony, and are offered with solemn chants. The Congo-men fully believe that
if they were to omit the firstfruits of one year's harvest, the next year would be an
unproductive one.
A sacred fire burns continually in his house, and the embers, which are supposed to
be possessed of great medicinal virtues, are sold by him at a high price, so that even his
fire is a constant source of income to him. He has the entire regulation of the minor
priests, and every now and then makes a progress among them to settle the disputes which
continually spring up. As soon as he leaves his house, the husbands and wives throughout
the kingdom are obliged to separate under pain of death. In case of disobedience, the
man only is punished, and cases have been known where wives who disliked their
husbands have accused them of breaking this strange law, and have thereby gained a
double advantage, freed themselves from a man whom they did not like, and established
a religious reputation on easy terms.
In fact, the Chitome has things entirely his own way, with one exception. He is so
holy that he cannot die a natural death, for if he did so the universe would immediately
be dissolved. Consequently, as soon as he is seized with a dangerous illness, the Chitome-
elect calls at his house, and saves the universe by knocking out his brains with a club, or
strangling him with a cord if he should prefer it. That his own death must be of a
similar character has no effect upon the new Chitome, who, true to the negro character,
thinks only of the present time, and, so far as being anxious about the evils that will
happen at some future time, does not trouble himself even about the next day.
Next to the Chitome comes the Nghombo, a priest who is distinguished by his
peculiar gait. His dignity would be impaired by walking like ordinary mortals, or even
like the inferior priests, and so he always walks on his hands with his feet in the air,
thereby striking awe into the laity. Some of the priests are rain-makers, wrho perform
the duties of their office by building little mounds of earth and making fetish over
them. From the centre of each charmed mound rises a strange insect, which mounts
into the sky, and brings as much rain as the people have paid for. These priests are
regularly instituted, but there are some who are born to the office, such as dwarves, hunch-
backs, and albinoes, all of whom are highly honoured as specially favoured individuals,
consecrated to the priesthood by Nature herself.
The priests have, as usual, a system of ordeal, the commonest mode being the drinking
of the poison cup, and the rarest the test of the red-hot iron, which is applied to the
skin of the accused, and burns him if he be guilty. There is no doubt that the
magicians are acquainted with some preparation which renders the skin proof against a
brief application of hot iron, and that they previously apply it to an accused person
who will pay for it.
The Chitome has the privilege of conducting the coronation of a king. The new ruler
proceeds to the house of the Chitome, attended by a host of his future subjects, who utter
piercing yells as he goes. Having reached the sacred house, he kneels before the door,
and asks the Chiton^ to be gracious to him. The Chitome growls out a flat refusal from
within. The king renews his supplications, in spite of repeated rebuffs, enumerating all
the presents which he has brought to the Chitome — which presents, by the way, are easily
THE CH1TOME.
087
made, as he will extort an equal amount from his subjects as soon as he is fairly
installed.
At last, the door of the hut opens, and out comes the Chitom& in his white robe of
office, his head covered with feathers, and a shining mirror on his breast. The king lies
prostrate before the house, while the Chitome pours water on him, scatters dust over him,
and sets his feet on him. He then lies flat on the prostrate monarch, and in that position
receives from him a promise to respect his authority ever afterwards. The king is then
proclaimed, and retires to wash and change his clothes.
Presently he conies out of the palace, attended by his priests and nobles, and gorgeous
in all the bravery of his new rank, his whole person covered with glittering ornaments of
metal, glass, and stone, so that the eye can scarcely bear the rays that flash on every side
A CONGO CORONATION.
as he moves in the sunbeams. He then seats himself, and makes a speech to the people.
When it is finished, he rises, while all the people crouch to the ground, stretches his
hands over them, and makes certain prescribed gestures, which are considered as the royal
benediction. A long series of banquets and revelry ends the proceedings.
At the present day, the Congo king and great men disfigure themselves with European
clothing, such as silk jackets, velvet shoes, damask coats, and broad-brimmed hats. But.
in the former times, they dressed becomingly in native attire. A simple tunic made o*
very fine grass-cloth, and leaving the right arm bare, covered the upper part of the body,
while a sort of petticoat, made of similar material, but dyed black, was tied round the
waist, and an apron, or " sporran," of leopard skin was fastened to the girdle and hun£
iu Iront. On their heads they wore a sort of hood, and sometimes preferred a square rec.
688 THE CONGOESE.
and yellow cap. Sandals made of the palm-tree were the peculiar privilege of the king
and nobles, the common people being obliged to go barefooted.
The wives in Congo are tolerably well off, except that they are severely beaten with
the heavy hippopotamus-hide whip. The women do not resent this treatment, and in-
deed, unless a woman is soundly flogged occasionally, she thinks that her husband is
neglecting her, and feels offended accordingly. The king has the power of taking any
woman for his wife, whether married or not, and, when she goes to the royal harem, her
husband is judiciously executed.
The people of Congo are — probably on account of the enervating climate — a very
indolent and lethargic race, the women being made to do all the work, while the men lie
in the shade and smoke their pipes and drink their palm-wine, which they make re-
markably well, though not so well as the Bube tribe of Fernando Po. Their houses are
merely huts of the simplest description ; a few posts with a roof over them, and twigs
woven between them in wickerwork fashion by way of walls, are all that a Congo-man
cares for in a house. His clothing is as simple as his lodging, a piece of native cloth
tied round his middle being all that he cares for ; so that the ample clothes and hand-
some furs worn by the king must have had a very strong effect on the almost naked
populace.
According to traditional history, Congo was in old times one of the great African
kingdoms. Twice it rose to this eminence, and both times by the energy of a woman,
who, in spite of the low opinion in which women are held, contrived to ascend the
throne.
Somewhere about 1520 — it is impossible in such history to obtain precision of dates
— a great chief, named Zimbo, swept over a very large part of Africa, taking every country
to which he came, and establishing his own dominion in it. Among other kingdoms,
Congo was taken by him, and rendered tributary, and so powerful did he at last become,
that his army outgrew his territory, and he had the audacity to send a division to ravage
Abyssinia and Mozambique. The division reached the eastern sea in safety, but the
ariny then met the Portuguese, who routed them with great loss. Messengers conveyed
the tidings to Zimbo, who put himself at the head of his remaining troops, went against
the Portuguese, beat them, killed their general, and carried off a great number of prisoners,
with whose skulls he paved the ground in front of his house.
In process of time he died, and the kingdom separated, after African fashion, into a
number of independent provinces, each governed by one of the leaders of the now useless
army. One of these leaders had a daughter named Tembandumba, who, together with
her mother, ruled the province when her father died. These women always accompanied
the troops in war, and so fierce and bloodthirsty was Tembandumba, even as a girl, that
her mother gave her the command of half the troops, the natural consequence of which
was that she took the command of the whole, deposed her mother, and made herself
queen.
Her great ambition was to found a nation of Amazons. • Licentiousness she permitted
to the fullest extent, but marriage was utterly prohibited ; and, as soon as the women
found themselves tired of their male companions, the latter were killed and eaten, their
places being supplied by prisoners of war. All male children were killed, and she had
nearly succeeded in the object of her ambition, when she was poisoned by a young man
with whom she fell violently in love, and from whom she imprudently accepted a bowl
of wine at a banquet.
It is very remarkable that, about a hundred years after the death of Tembandumba,
another female warrior took the kingdom. Her name was Shinga, and she obtained a
power scarcely less than that of her predecessor. She, however, was wise in her generation,
and, after she had fought the Portuguese, and been beaten by them, she concluded an
humble peace, and retained her kingdom in safety.
CHAPTER LXII.
BORNU.
POSITION OF THE KINGDOM OF BORNU — APPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE — MODE OF DRESSING THE
HAIR — A RECEPTION BY THE SULTAN COURT DRESS — THE SHEIKH OF BORNU HIS PALACE
AND ATTENDANTS — HIS NOBLE AND ENERGETIC CHARACTER — RECEPTION BY THE GUARDS —
THEIR WEAPONS AND DISCIPLINE THE KANEMBOO INFANTRY JUSTICE OF THE SHEIKH — HIS
POLICY AND TACT REPUTED POWER OF CHARM-WRITING HIS ZEAL FOR RELIGION A
TERRIBLE PUNISHMENT — BORNU ARCHITECTURE — CURIOUS MODES OF FISHING AND HUNTING
HABITS AND CUSTOMS OF THE KANEMBOOS.
ON the western side of Lake Tchad, between 10° and 15* N. and 12° and 18° E., is situated
the large kingdom of Bornu, which embraces a considerable number of tribes, and is of
sufficient importance to demand a notice. There are about twelve or thirteen great cities
in Bornu, and at least ten different dialects are spoken in the country, some having been
due to the presence of the Shooas, who themselves speak nearly pure Arabic.
The pure Bornu people, or Kanowry, as they call themselves, are not handsome, having
large, flat, and rather unmeaning faces, with flattish noses, and large mouths. The lips,
however, are not those of the negro, and the forehead is high, betokening a greater amount
of intellect than falls to the lot of the real negro.
As a rule, the Bornuese are not a wealthy people, and they are but indifferently clad,
wearing a kind of shirt stained of an indigo blue by themselves, and, if they are tolerably
well off, wearing two or even three such garments, according to their means. The head
is kept closely shaven, and the better class wear a cap of dark blue, the scarlet caps
being appropriated to the sultan and his court. When they walk they always carry a
heavy stick with an enormous knob at the top, like a drum-major's baton, and march
much after the manner of that important functionary.
The women are remarkable for the mode in which they dress their hair. It is divided
into three longitudinal rolls, thick in the middle and diminishing towards the ends. One
of these rolls passes over the top of the head, and the others lie over the ears, the three
points uniting on the forehead, and being held firmly in their places by a thick plastering
of beeswax and indigo. The other ends of the rolls are plaited very finely, and then turned
up like the curled feathers of a drake's tail.
Sometimes a slight variation is made in the hair, five rolls being used instead of
three. The women are so fond of indigo that they dye their eyebrows, hands, arms, feet,
and legs with it, using the ruddy henna for the palms of the hands and the nails of the toes
and fingers, and black antimony for the eyelashes. Beads, bracelets, and other ornaments
are profusely worn, mostly of horn or brass. Silver and ivory mark the woman of rank.
The dress is primarily composed of a sort of blue, white, or striped sheet called tooi'kadee,
which is wrapped round the body under the arms, and falls as low as the knees. This is
the usual costume, but if a woman be well off, she adds a second toorkadee, which she
wears like a mantilla, over her head and shoulders,
VOL. I. Y Y
G90 BORNU.
Like other African tribes, though they belong to the Mahometan religion, they use
the tattoo profusely. Twenty cuts are made on each side of the face, converging in the
corners of the mouth, from the angle of the lower jaw and the cheek-bones, while a single
cut runs down the centre of the forehead. Six cuts are made on each arm, six more on
the thighs, and the same number on the legs, while four are on each breast, and nine on
each side just above the hip-bone. These are made while they are infants, and the poor
little things undergo frightful torments, not only from the pain of the wounds, but from
the countless flies which settle on the hundred and three cuts with which their bodies are
marked.
The Bornuese are governed, at least nominally, by a head chief or sultan, who holds
his court with most quaint ceremony. - When the travellers Denham and Clapperton
went to pay their respects to him, they were visited on the previous evening by one of
the royal chamberlains, who displayed the enormous staff, like a drum-major's baton, wore
eight or ten shirts in order to exhibit his wealth, and had on his head a turban of huge
dimensions. By his orders a tent was pitched for the white visitors, and around it was
drawn a linen screen, which had the double effect of keeping out the sun and the people,
and of admitting the air. A royal banquet, consisting of seventy or eighty dishes, was
sent for their refection, each dish large enough to suffice for six persons, and, lest the
white men should not like the native cookery, the sultan, with much thoughtfulness, sent
also a number of live fowls, which they might cook for themselves.
Next morning, soon after daylight, they were summoned to attend the sultan, who
was sitting in a sort of cage, as if he had been a wild beast. No one was allowed to
come within a considerable distance, and the etiquette of the court was, that each person
rode on horseback past the cage, and then dismounted and prostrated himself before
the sultan. The oddest part of the ceremony is, that as soon as the courtier has made
his obeisance, he seats himself on the ground with his back towards his monarch. Nearly
three hundred of the courtiers thus take their places, and nothing could be more ludicrous
than the appearance which they presented, their bodies being puffed out by successive
robes, their heads swathed in turbans of the most preposterous size, and their thin legs,
appearing under the voluminous garments, showing that the size of the head and body
was merely artificial.
In fact, the whole business is a sham, the sultan being the chief sham, and the others
matching their sovereign. The sultan has no real authority, the true power being lodged
in the hands of the sheikh, who commands the army. Those who serve the court of
Bornu are, by ancient etiquette, obliged to have very large heads and stomachs, and, as
such gifts of nature are not very common, an artificial enlargement of both regions is
held to be a sufficient compliance with custom.
Consequently, the courtiers pad themselves with wadding to such an extent that as
they sit on horseback their abdomens seem to protrude over the pommel of the saddle,
while the eight or ten shirts which they wear, one over the other, aid in exaggerating the
outline, and reducing the human body to a shapeless lump.
Their heads are treated in a similar fashion, being enveloped in great folds of linen or
muslin of different colours, white, however, predominating ; and those who are most
careful in. their dress fold their huge turbans so as to make their heads appear to be one-
sided; and as unlike their original shape as possible. Besides all these robes and shirts
and padding, they wear a vast number of charms, made up in red leather parcels, and
hung all over the body. The sultan is always accompanied by his trumpeters, who blow
hideous blasts on long wooden trumpets called frum-frums, and also by his dwarves, and
other grotesque favourites.
In war, as in peace, the sultan is nominally the commander, and in reality a mere
nonentity. He accompanies the sheik1:, but never gives orders, nor even carries arms,
active fighting being supposed to be below his dignity. One of the sultans lost his life
in consequence of this rule. According to custom he had accompanied the sheikh in a
war against the great enemy of Bornu, the Sultan of Begharmi, and, contrary to the usual
result of these battles, the engagement had gone against him, and he was obliged to take
refuge in flight. Unfortunately for him, he was qualified by nature for royalty, being
THE RECEPTION. 09 1
targe-bodied and of enormous weight, so that his horse could not carry him fast enough.
He fled to Angala, one of his chief towns, and if he could have entered it would have
been safe. Unfortunately, his enormous weight had distressed his horse so much that
the animal suddenly stopped close to the gate, and could not be induced to stir.
The sultan, true to the principle of noblesse oblige, accepted the position at once. He
dismounted from his horse, wrapped his face in the shawl which covered his head, seated
himself under a tree, and died as became his rank. Twelve of his attendants refused to
leave their master, and nobly shared his death.
Around the sultan are his inevitable musicians, continually blowing their frum-frums
ar trumpets, which are sometimes ten or twelve feet in length, and in front goes his
ensign, bearing his standard, which is a long pole hung round at the top with strips of
coloured leather and silk. At either side are two officers, carrying enormous spears, with
which they are supposed to defend their monarch. This, however, is as much a sham as
the rest of the proceedings ; for, in the first place, the spearmen are so fat and their
weapons so unwieldy that they could not do the least execution, and, as if to render
the spears still more harmless, they are covered with charms from the head to the butt.
It has been mentioned that the real power of Bornu rests, not with the sultan, but
with the sheikh. This potentate was found to be of simple personal habits, yet
surrounded with state equal to that of the sultan, though differing in degree. Dressed in
a plain blue robe and a shawl turban, he preferred to sit quietly in a small and dark
room, attended by two of his favourite negroes armed with pistols, and having a brace of
pistols lying on a carpet in front of him.
But the approaches to this chamber were rigorously guarded. Sentinels stood at the
gate, and intercepted those who wished to enter, and would not allow them to mount the
staircase which led to the sheikh's apartment until they were satisfied. At the top of the
staircase were negro guards armed with spears, which they crossed in front of the visitor,
and again questioned him. Then the passages leading to the sheikh's chamber were lined
with rows of squatting attendants, who snatched off the slippers of the visitors, and
continually impeded their progress by seizing their ankles, lest they should infringe
etiquette by walking too fast. Indeed, had not the passages been densely crowded, the
guests would have been several times flung on their faces by the zeal of these courtiers.
At last they gained admission, and found this dread potentate a singularly quiet and
unassuming man, well-disposed towards the travellers, and very grateful to them for the
double-barrelled gun and pistols which they presented to him. In return, he fed them
liberally, sending them fish by the camel-load, and other provisions in like quantity.
According to his warlike disposition, his conversation chiefly turned on military affairs,
and especially on the best mode of attacking walled towns. The account of breaching
batteries had a great effect upon him, and the exhibition of a couple of rockets confirmed
him in his respect for the wisdom of the English. Being a thoughtful man, he asked to
see some rockets fired, because there were in the town a number of the hostile Shooas.
The rockets were fired accordingly, and had the desired effect, frightening not only the
Shooas, but all the inhabitants of the town, out of their senses, and even the steady nerves
of the sheikh himself were much shaken.
The sheikh was a great disciplinarian, and managed his wild cavalry with singular
skill, as is shown by the account of Major Denham. " Our accounts had been so contra-
dictory of the state of the country that no opinion could be formed as to the real
condition and the number of its inhabitants. We had been told that the sheikh's
soldiers were a few ragged negroes armed with spears, who lived upon the plunder of the
black Kaffir countries by which he was surrounded, and which he was able to subdue by
the assistance of a few Arabs who were in his service ; and, again, we had been assured
that his forces were not only numerous, but to a degree regularly trained. The degree of
credit which might be attached to these reports was nearly balanced in the scales of
probability, and we advanced towards the town of Kouka in a most interesting state of
uncertainty whether we should find its chief at the head of thousands, or be received by
him under a tree, surrounded by a few naked slaves.
" These doubts, however, were quickly removed. I had ridden on a short distance in
y Y2
692
BORNU.
front of Boo-Khaloom, with his train of Arabs all mounted and dressed out in their
best apparel ; and, from the thickness of the trees, now lost sight of them. Fancying that
the road could not be mistaken I rode still onwards, and, approaching a spot less thickly
planted, was surprised to see in front of me a body of several thousand cavalry drawn up
in line, and extending right and left as far as I could see, and checking my horse I awaited
the arrival of my party under the shade of a wide-spreading acacia. The Bornu troops
remained quite steady, without noise or confusion ; and a few horsemen, who were moving
about in front, giving directions, were the only persons out of the ranks.
BODY GUARD OF THE SHEIKH OF BORNU.
" On the Arabs appearing in sight, a shout or yell was given by the sheikh's people,
which rent the air ; a blast was blown from their rude instruments of music equally loud,
and they moved on to meet Boo-Khaloom and his Arabs. There was an appearance of
tact and management in their movements which astonished me. Three separate bodies
from the centre of each flank kept charging rapidly towards us, within a few feet of our
horses' heads, without checking the speed of their own until the moment of their halt,
while the whole body moved onwards.
" These parties were mounted on small but very perfect horses, who stopped and
wheeled from their utmost speed with the greatest precision and expertness, shaking their
spears over their heads, and exclaiming, ' Blessing ! blessing ! Sons of your country ! Sons
of your country !' and returning quickly to the front of the body in order to repeat the
charge. While all this was going on, they closed in their right and left flanks, and
surrounded the little body of Arabs so completely as to give the compliment of welcoming
them very much the appearance of a declaration of their contempt for their weakness.
THE WELCOME. 693
" I was quite sure this was premeditated ; we were all so closely pressed as to be nearly
smothered, and in some danger from the crowding of the horses and clashing of the spears.
Moving on was impossible, and we therefore came to a full stop. Our chief was
much enraged, but it was all to no purpose : he was only answered by shrieks of
' Welcome !' and spears most unpleasantly rattled over our heads expressive of
the same feeling.
" This annoyance was not, however, of long duration. Barca Gana, the
sheikh's first general, a negro of noble aspect, clothed in a figured silk robe,
and mounted upon a beautiful Mandara horse, made his appearance, and after a
little delay the rear was cleared of those who had pressed in upon us, and we
moved forward, although but very slowly, from the frequent impediments thrown
in our way by these wild warriors.
"The sheikh's negroes, as they were called, meaning the black chiefs and
generals, all raised to that rank by some deed of bravery, were habited in coats
of mail composed of iron chain, which covered them from the throat to the knees,
dividing behind, and coming on each side of the horse. Some of them had
helmets, or rather skull-caps, of the same metal, with chin-pieces, all sufficiently
strong to ward off the shock of a spear. Their horses' heads were also defended
by plates of iron, brass, and silver, just leaving sufficient room for the eyes of
the animal."
In the illustration on page 692 are seen some of this picturesque force. In
my collection there is one of the remarkable spears carried by these horsemen.
In total length it is nearly six feet long, of which the long, slender, leaf-like blade
occupies twenty inches. The shaft is five-eighths of an inch in diameter at the
thickest part, but diminishes towards the head and butt. The material of the
shaft is some hard, dark wood, which takes a high polish, and is of a rich brown
colour. The head is secured to the shaft by means of a rather long socket, and
at the butt there is a sort of iron spud, also furnished with a socket, so that the
length of the wooden portion of the spear is only thirty -two inches. It is a light,
well-balanced, and apparently serviceable weapon. The shaft, as represented in
the illustration, is too thick, and the head is scarcely long enough.
Beside these weapons, there are several others, offensive and defensive. The
chiefs wear a really well-formed cuirass made of iron plates, and having an
ingenious addition of a kind of steel upright collar attached to the back-piece of
the cuirass, and protecting the nape of the neck'. The cuirass is made of five plates
of steel, laid horizontally and riveted to each other, and of as many similar plates
attached to them perpendicularly, and forming the back-piece and shoulder-straps.
It is made to open at one side to admit of being put on and off, and the two
halves are kept together by loops and links, which take the place of straps and
buckles.
The chief's horses are also distinguished by the quantity of armour with
which they are protected, an iron chamfron covering the whole of the forehead,
and extending as far as the nostrils.
By the saddle-bow hangs a battle-axe, shaped exactly like those axes with
which we have been so familiar in Southern and Central Africa, but being dis-
tinguished from them by the fact that an iron chain is passed through a hole in
that part of the head which passes through the knob at the end of the handle,
the other end of the chain being attached to a ring that slides freely up and down
the handle. This arrangement enables the warrior to secure and replace the head
of the axe if it should be struck out of the handle in the heat of battle. A long
double-edged dagger, shaped almost exactly like the spear-head, is fastened to the
left arm by a strap, and is carried with the hilt downwards.
The infantry carry, together with other weapons, an iron axe, shaped like a
sickle, and closely resembling the weapon which has been mentioned as used by
the Neam-Nam and Fan tribes. This is called the " hunga-munga," and is used
for throwiug at a retreating enemy. BPEAR
BOKNU.
The infantry, of which mention has just been made, are mostly Kanemboo negroes.
They are a tall, muscular race, and, being also courageous, have well deserved the
estimation in which they are held by their master.
Unlike the horsemen, they are almost completely naked, their only clothing being a
rather fantastical belt, or " sporran," of goat-skin, with the hair still remaining on the
skin, and a few strips of cloth, called "gubkas," tied round their heads, and brought
under the nose. These gubkas are
the currency of the country, so
that a soldier carries his wealth on
his head.
Their principal weapons are
the spear and shield. The former
is a very horrible weapon, seven
feet or so in length, and armed
just below the head with a num-
ber of hook-shaped barbs, almost
exactly like those attached to the
arrow No. 6 on page 494. The
shield is made from the wood of
the fogo, a tree which grows in
the shallow waters of Lake Tchad,
and which is so light that, although
the shield is large enough to pro-
tect the whole body and upper part
of the legs, it only weighs a few
pounds. The pieces of wood of
which it is made are bound to-
gether by strips of raw bullock's
hide, on which the hair is suffered
to remain as an ornament, and
which, after doing their duty, are
carried along the outer edge of the
shield in a vandyked pattern. The
shield is slightly convex. Beside
the spear and shield, the Kanem-
boo soldier mostly carries on his
left arm a dagger like that which
has already been described, but
not so neatly made. The Kanem-
boos will be presently described.
At least nine thousand of these
black soldiers are under the com-
mand of the sheikh, and are divided
into regiments of a thousand or so
strong. It may be imagined that
they are really formidable troops,
especially under the command of
such a leader, who, as will be seen by Major Denham's description of a review, had intro-
duced strict discipline and a rough-and-ready sort of tactics. The sheikh had ordered out
the Kanemboo soldiers, and galloped towards them on his favourite horse, accompanied by
four sultans who were under his command. His staff were gaily adorned with scarlet
bernouses decorated with gold lace, while he himself preserved his usual simplicity of
dress, his robes being white, and a Cashmere shawl forming his turban.
As soon as he gave the signal, the Kanemboos raised a deafening shout, and began their
manoeuvres, their officers being distinguished by wearing a dark blue robe and turkm.
" On nearing the spot where the sheikh had placed himself, they quickened their pace,
KANEMBOO MAN AND WOMAN.
A BORNU REVIEW. 695
and after striking their spears against their shields for some minutes, which had an
extremely grand and stunning effect, they filed off to the outside of the circle, where they
again formed and awaited their companions, who succeeded them in the same order. There
appeared to be a great deal of affection between these troops and the sheikh. He spurred
his horse onwards into the midst of some of the tribes as they came up, and spoke to
them, while the men crowded round him, kissing his feet and the stirrups of his saddle.
It was a most pleasing sight. He seemed to feel how much his present elevation was
owing to their exertions, while they displayed a devotion and attachment deserving and
denoting the greatest confidence.
" I confess I was considerably 'disappointed at not seeing these troops engage, although
more than compensated by the reflection of the slaughter that had been prevented by
that disappointment."
It seems rather curious that this leader, so military in all his thoughts, should take
women with him into the field, especially when he had to fight against the terrible Munga
archers, whose poisoned arrows are certain death to all who are wounded by them. Yet,
whenever he takes the field, he is accompanied by three of his favourite wives, who are
mounted on trained horses, each being led by a boy, and their whole figures and faces so
wrapped in their wide robes that the human form is scarcely distinguishable. The sultan,
as becomes his superior rank, takes with him an unlimited number of wives, accompanied
by a small court of palace officers. Nine, however, is the usual number allotted to the
sultan, and there are nearly a hundred non-combatants to wait iipon them.
The army, well ordered as it is, shows little signs of its discipline until it is near the
enemy, the troops marching much as they like, and beguiling the journey with songs and
tales. As soon, however, as they come within dangerous ground, the sheikh gives the
word, and they all fall into their places, and become steady and well-disciplined troops.
The sheikh's place is one of no ordinary peril, for, beside having the responsibility of
command, and the practical care of the sultan's unwieldy person, he is the object at which
the enemy all aim, knowing well that, if they can only kill the sheikh, their victory is
assured. This particular sheikh entirely disregarded all notion of personal danger, and
was the most conspicuous personage in the army. He marches in front of his soldiers,
and before him are borne five flags — two green, two striped, and one red — upon which are
written in letters of gold extracts from the Koran. Behind him rides his favourite atten-
dant, bearing his master's shield, mail coat, and helmet, and beside him is the bearer of
his drum, which is considered as almost equivalent to himself in value. The Begharmis
say of this sheikh, that it is useless to attack him, because he has the power of rendering
himself invisible ; and that on one occasion, when they routed his army, and pursued the
sheikh himself, they could not see either him or his drum, though the instrument was
continually sounding.
Before passing to another branch of this subject, we will finish our account of this
sheikh. His name was Alarneen Ben Mohammed el Kanemy, and, according to Major
Denham's portrait, he was a man of mark, his boldly-cut features expressing his energetic
character even under the folds of the turban and tobe in which he habitually enveloped
himself. Being the virtual ruler of the kingdom, he administered justice as well as waged
war, and did so with stern impartiality.
On one occasion, when a slave had offended against the law, ana was condemned to
death, his master petitioned the sheikh against the capital punishment, saying that, as the
slave was his property, the real punishment fell upon him, who was not even cognizant of
his slave's offence. The sheikh admitted the validity of the plea, but said that public
justice could not be expected to yield to private interests. So he ordered the delinquent
for execution, but paid his price to the owner out of his own purse.
He was equally judicious in enforcing his own authority. His favourite officer was
Barca Gana, who has already been mentioned. El Kanemy had an especial liking for
this man, and had committed to his care the government of six districts, besides enriching
him with numbers of slaves, horses, and other valuable property. It happened that on
one occasion El Kanemy had sent him a horse which he had inadvertently promised to
another person, and which, accordingly, Barca Gana had to give up. Being enraged by
696 BORNU.
this proceeding, he sent back to the sheikh all the horses which he had presented, sayinu
that in future he would ride his own animals.
El Kanerny was not a man to suffer such an insolent message to be given with
impunity. He sent for Barca Gana, stripped him on the spot of all his gorgeous clothing,
substituted the slave's leathern girdle for his robes, and ordered him to be sold as a slave
to the Tibboos.
Humbled to the dust, the disgraced general acknowledged the justice of the sentence,
and only begged that his master's displeasure might not fall on his wives and children.
Next day, as Barca Gana was about to be led away to the Tibboos, the negro body-guards,
who seem to have respected their general for his courage in spite of his haughty and
somewhat overbearing manner, came before the sheikh, and begged him to pardon their
commander. Just at that moment the disgraced chief came before his offended master, to
take leave before going off with the Tibboos to whom he had been sold.
El Kanemy was quite overcome by the sight, flung himself back on his carpet, wept
like a child, allowed Barca Gana to embrace his knees, and gave his free pardon. " In
the evening there was great and general rejoicing. The timbrels beat, the Kanemboos
yelled and struck their shields ; everything bespoke joy, and Barca Gana, in new robes
and a rich bernouse, rode round the camp, followed by all the chiefs of the army."
Even in war, El Kanemy permitted policy and tact to overcome the national feeling
of revenge. For example, the formidable Munga tribe, of whom we shall presently treat,
had proved themselves exceedingly troublesome, and the sheikh threatened' to exterminate
them — a threat which he could certainly have carried out, though with much loss of life.
He did not, however, intend to fulfil the threat, but tried, by working on their fears and
their interests, to conciliate them, and to make them his allies rather than his foes. He
did not only frighten them by his splendidly-appointed troops, but awed them by his
accomplishments as a writer, copying out a vast number of charmed sentences for three
successive nights. The illiterate Mungas thought that such a proceeding was a proof of
supernatural power, and yielded to his wisdom what they would not have yielded to his
veritable power. They said it was useless to fight against a man who had such terrible
powers. Night after night, as he wrote the potent words, their arrows were blunted in
their quivers. Their spears snapped asunder, and their weapons were removed out of their
huts, so that some of the chiefs absolutely became ill with terror, and all agreed that they
had better conclude peace at once. The performance of Major Denham's rockets had also
reached their ears, and had added much to the general consternation.
He carried his zeal for religion to the extreme of fanaticism, constituting himself the
guardian of public morals, and visiting offences with the severest penalties. He was
especially hard on the women, over whom he kept a vigilant watch by means of his spies.
On one occasion, two young girls of seventeen were found guilty, and condemned to be
hanged. Great remonstrances were made. The lover of one of the girls, who had pre-
viously offered to marry her, threatened to kill any one who placed a rope round her neck,
and a general excitement pervaded the place. For a long time the sheikh remained
inexorable, but at last compounded the affair by having their heads shaved publicly in the
market-place — a disgrace scarcely less endurable than death.
On another occasion the delinquents had exaggerated their offence by committing it
during the fast of the Rhamadan. The man was sentenced to four hundred stripes, and
the woman to half that number. The punishment was immediate. The woman was
stripped of her ornaments and all her garments, except a cloth round the middle, and her
head shaved. She was then suspended by the cloth, and the punishment inflicted.
Her partner was treated far worse. The whip was a terrible weapon, made of the skin
of the hippopotamus, and having a metal knob on the end. Each blow was struck on the
back, so that the lash curled round the body, and the heavy knob came with terrible
violence on the breast and stomach. Before half the lashes were inflicted, blood flowed
profusely from his mouth, and, a short time after the culprit was taken down, he was dead.
Strange to say, he acknowledged the justice of the sentence, kissed the weapon, joined in the
profession of faith which was said before the punishment began, and never uttered a cry.
Fierce in war, and, as we have seen, a savage fanatic in religion, the sheikh was no
SOCIAL POLITY. 697
stranger to the softer emotions. Major Denham showed him a curious musical snuff-box,
the sweetness of which entranced him. He sat with his head in his hands, as if in a
dream ; and when one of nis courtiers spoke, he struck the man a violent blow for inter-
rupting the sweet sounds.
His punishment for theft was usually a severe flogging and a heavy fine. But, in cases
of a first offence of a young delinquent, the offender was buried in the ground up to his
shoulders, and his head and neck smeared with honey. The swarms of flies that settled
on the poor wretch's head made his existence miserable during the time that he was thus
buried, and no one who had undergone such a punishment once would be likely to run
the risk of suffering it again, even though it did no permanent injury, like the whip.
Beheading is also a punishment reserved for Mahometans, while "Kafirs" are either
impaled or crucified, sometimes living for several days in torments.
The slaves of the Bornuese are treated with great kindness, and are almost considered
as belonging to their master's family, their condition being very like that of the slaves or
servants, as they are called, of the patriarchal ages. Much of the marketing is done by
female slaves, who take to market whole strings of oxen laden with goods or cowries, and
conduct the transaction with perfect honesty. The market, by the way, in which these
women buy and sell, is really a remarkable place. It is regulated in the strictest manner,
and is divided into districts, in each of which different articles are sold. It is governed
by a sheikh, who regulates all the prices, and gets his living by a small commission of
about a half per cent, on every purchase that exceeds four dollars. He is aided by
dylalas, or brokers, who write their private mark inside every parcel.
The whole place is filled with rows of stalls, in which are to be found everything
that a Bornuese can want, and one great convenience of the place is, that a parcel need
never be examined in order to discover whether any fraud has been perpetrated. Should
a parcel, when opened at home, be defective, the buyer sends it back to the dylala, who
is bound to find out the seller, and to force him to take back the parcel and refund the
money. As an example of the strange things which are sold in this market, Major
Denham mentions that a young lion was offered to him. It was perfectly tame, and was
led about by a cord round his neck, walking among the people without displaying any
ferocity. Tame lions seem to be fashionable in Bornu, as the sheikh afterwards sent
Major Denham another lion equally tame.
The architecture of the Bornuese is superior to that of Dahoine. " The towns," writes
Major Denham, " are generally large, and well built : they have walls thirty-five and
forty feet in height, and nearly twenty feet in thickness. They have four entrances, with
three gates to each, made of solid planks eight or ten inches thick, and fastened together
with heavy clamps of iron. The houses consist of several courtyards between four
walls, with apartments leading out of them for slaves, then a passage and an inner court
leading into habitations of the different wives, which have each a square space to
themselves, enclosed by walls, and a handsome thatched hut. From thence also you
ascend a wide staircase of five or six steps, leading to the apartments of the owner, which
consist of two buildings like towers or turrets, with a terrace of communication between
them, looking into the street, with a castellated window. The walls are made of reddish
clay, as smooth as stones, and the roofs are most tastefully arched on the inside with
branches, and thatched on the outside with a grass known in Bombay by the name
of lidther.
" The horns of the gazelle and antelope serve as a substitute for nails or pegs. These
are fixed in different parts of the walls, and on them hang the quivers, bows, spears, and
shields of the chief. A man of consequence will sometimes have four of these terraces
and eight turrets, forming the faces of his mansion or domain, with all the apartments of
his women within the space below. Horses and other animals are usually allowed an
enclosure near one of the courtyards forming the entrance."
Such houses as these belong only to the wealthy, and those of the poor are of a
much simpler description, being built of straw, reeds, or mats, the latter being the
favourite material.
As is mostly the case in polygamous Africa, each wife has her own special house, or
C98 THE KANEMBOOS.
rather hut, which is usually of the kind called "coosie," i.e. one that is built entirely of
sticks and straw. The wives are obliged to be very humble in presence of their husbands,
whom they always approach on their knees, and they are not allowed to speak to any of
the male sex except kneeling, and with their heads and faces covered. Marriage is later
in Bornu than in many parts of Africa, the girls scarcely ever marrying until they are
full fifteen, and mostly being a year or two older.
Weddings are conducted in a ceremonious and noisy manner. The bride is perched
on the back of an ox, and rides to the bridegroom's house attended by her mother and
friends, and followed by other oxen carrying her dowry, which mostly consists of
toorkadees and other raiment. All her male friends are mounted, and dash up to her
at full gallop, this being the recognised salute on such occasions. The bridegroom is in
the meantime parading the streets with a shouting mob after him, or sitting in his house
with the same shouting mob in front of him, yelling out vociferous congratulations,
blowing horns, beating drums, and, in fact, letting their African nature have its
full sway.
In this country, the people have a very ingenious method of counteracting the effects
of the rain-storms, which come on suddenly, discharge the water as if it were poured
from buckets, and then pass on. On account of the high temperature, the rain soon
evaporates, so that even after one of these showers, though the surface of the ground is
for the time converted into a marsh intersected with rivulets of running water, the sandy
ground is quite dry at the depth of two feet or so.
As soon as the Bornuese perceive one of these storms approaching, they take off all
their clothes, dig holes in the ground, bury the clothes, and cover them up carefully. The
rain falls, and is simply a shower-bath over their naked bodies, and, as soon as the storm
has passed over, they reopen the hole, and put on their dry clothes. When they are
preparing a resting-place at night, they take a similar precaution, digging deep holes until
they come to the dry sand, on which they make their beds.
THE KANEMBOOS.
IF the reader will refer to the illustration on page 694, he will see that by the side of
the Kanemboo warrior is his wife. The women are, like their husbands, dark and well-
shaped. They are lively and brisk in their manners, and seem always ready for a laugh.
Their clothing is nearly as limited as that of their husbands, but they take great pains in
plaiting their hair into numerous little strings, which reach as far as the neck. The head
is generally ornamented with a flat piece of tin or silver hanging from the hair. This
custom is prevalent throughout the kingdom, and, indeed, the principal mode of detecting
the particular tribe to which a woman belongs is to note the colour and pattern of her
scanty dress. Most of the Kanemboo women have a string of brass beads or of silver
rings hanging upon each side of the face. In the latter case they mostly have also a flat
circular piece of silver on their foreheads.
The architecture of the Kanemboos is very similar to that of the Kaffirs of Southern
Africa, the huts more resembling those of the Bechuanas than the Zulu, Kosa, or Ponda
tribes. They are compared to haystacks in appearance, and are made of reeds. Each
house is situated in a neat enclosure made of the same reed, within which a goat or two,
a cow, and some fowls are usually kept. The hut is divided into two portions, one being
for the master and the other for the women. His bed is supported on a wooden frame-
work and covered with the skins of wild animals. There is no window, and the place of
a door is taken by a mat.
In this country, they subsist generally on fish, which they obtain from the great Lake
Tchad in a very ingenious manner. The fisherman takes two large gourds, and connects
them with a stout bamboo, just long enough to allow his body to pass easily between
FISHING SCENE.
699
them. He then takes his nets, to the upper part of which are fastened floats made of
cane, and to the lower edge are attached simple weights of sand tied up in leathern bags.
He launches the gourds, and, as he does so, sits astride the bamboo, so that one gourd
is in front of him and the other behind. Having shot his nets, he makes a circuit round
them, splashing the water so as to drive the fish against the meshes. When he thinks
that a sufficiency of fish has got into his net, he draws it up gently with one hand, while
the other hand holds a short club, with which he kills each fish as its head is lifted above
the water. The dead fish is then disengaged from the net, and flung into one of the
gourds ; and when they are so full that they can hold no more without running the risk
of admitting water, the fisherman paddles to shore, lands his cargo, and goes off for
another haul. He has no paddles but his hands, but they are efficient instruments, and
propel him quite as fast as he cares to go.
FISHING SCENE.
The women have a very ingenious mode of catching fish, constituting themselves into
a sort of net. Thirty or forty at a time go into the water, and wade up to their breasts.
They then form in single file, and move gradually towards the muddy shore, which slopes
very gradually, stamping and beating the water so as to make as much disturbance as
possible. The terrified fishes retire before this formidable line, and at last are forced into
water so shallow, that they can be scooped out by the hands and flung ashore.
The fish are cooked in a very simple manner. A fire is lighted ; and when it has
burnt up properly, each fish has a stick thrust down its throat. The other end of the
stick is fixed into the ground close to the fire, and in a short time the fire is surrounded
with a circle of fish, all with their heads downwards and their tails in the air as if they
were diving. They can be easily turned on the sticks, the tail affording an excellent
leverage, and in a very short time they are thoroughly roasted.
The Kanemboos catch the large animals in pitfalls called " blaquas." These blaquas
are laboriously and ingeniously made, and are often used to protect towns against the
Tuaricks and other invaders, as well as to catch wild animals. The pits are very deep,
and at the bottom are fixed six or seven perpendicular stakes, with sharpened points, and
hardened by being partially charred. So formidable are they, that a Tuarick horse and
his rider have been known to fall into one of them, and both to have been found dead,
pierced through the body with the stakes.
CHAPTER LXIII.
THE SHOOAS, TIBBOOS, TUARICKS, BEGHARMIS, AND MUSGUESE.
THE SHOOA TRIBE — THKIR SKILL IN HORSEMANSHIP — A SHOOA BUFFALO-HUNT — CHASE OF THE
ELEPHANT — TRACES OF THKIR ARABIC ORIGIN SHOOA DANCES APPEARANCE AND DRESS OF THE
WOMEN THE TIBBOO TRIBE THEIR ACTIVITY DRESS AND APPEARANCE OF BOTH SEXKS —
THEIR SKILL WITH THE SPEAR — TIBBOO DANCES — THEIR CITIES OF REFUGE — THE TUARICKS —
THEIR THIEVISH CHARACTER AND GRAVE MANNERS TUARICK SIKGING — THE BEGHAH51JS —
LOCALITY OF THE PEOPLE — THE SULTAN AND HIS RETINUE — CURIOUS ARCHITECTURE —
COSTUME AND WEAPONS OF THE LANCKRS — WRESTLERS, BOXERS, AND DANCERS — THK MUSQU
TRIBE APPEARANCE OF THE WOMEN THE LIP ORNAMENT A MUSGU CHIEF AND ATTENDANTS
A DISASTROUS BATTLE.
ONE of the most important of the many tribes which surround Lake Tchad is the Shooa
tribe, which, like the Kanemboo, has been absorbed into the Bornuan kingdom.
Their chief value is their soldierly nature, and, as they are splendid horsemen, they
form the greater part of the cavalry. Arabs by descent, they preserve the Arabic
language, and speak it nearly pure, only mixing with it certain words and phrases of
Bornuan origin. They present a strong contrast to the pure Bornuese, who are
peaceable, quiet, slow, and good-natured. They are absurdly timid, and, except in
pursuing an already routed enemy, are useless in the field, running away when there is
the least sign of danger.
The Shooas, on the contrary, are bold, active, energetic, and daring, passing a con-
siderable part of their lives on horseback, and such admirable equestrians that man and
horse look like one animal. They are mighty hunters, not being contented to dig pits
and catch the animals that fall into them, but boldly chasing the fierce and dangerous
buffaloes and killing them with the spear alone.
The Shooa hunter rides to the swampy grounds where the buffalo loves to wallow,
and drives the animals upon the firm land. He then makes choice of one, and gives
chase to it, getting on its off side and pressing it closely. His horse is trained to run
side by side with the buffalo, and the rider then stands like a circus-rider upon the two
animals, one foot on his horse's back, and the other on that of the buffalo.
He then drives his spear through the shoulders of the buffalo towards the heart, and, if
he has time, will fix another spear. He then drops on his horse, which leaps away from
the wounded animal, so as to avoid the stroke of the horn which the buffalo is apt to give
as it feels the pain of the wound. As a rule, the buffalo can run but a very short distance
when thus injured, and, as soon as it staggers, the bold hunter dismounts, and gives the
final stroke. Sometimes a badly-trained horse will be too eager, and press so far forward
that the turn of the buffalo's head will wound it severely ; but an old and experienced
horse knows the danger as well as its rider, and just keeps itself far enough back to
avoid the blow.
BUFFALO-HUNTING.
701
The Shooas chase the elephant in a similar manner, but, as the animal is so enormous,
twenty or thirty hunters generally unite their forces, one always riding in front so as to
draw the angry animal's attention, while the others follow it up, and inflict a series of
wounds, under which it soon sinks. Sometimes, when the elephant is very active and
savage, one of the hunters will dismount, and try to hamstring the animal, or will even
creep under it and drive his spears into its belly.
BUFFALO-HUNTING.
It may be easily imagined that such hunters as these are likely to make good soldiers,
and that the Bornuan sheikh was fully justified in forming them into so large a contingent
of his army.
Their constant practice in hunting the wild buffalo renders them oold and successful
cattle-managers. They are excellent drivers, and contrive to make whole herds of half-
wild cattle obey them implicitly. In nothing is their skill shown so much as in forcing
the cattle to cross the rivers in spite of their instinctive dread of the crocodiles that infest
the water. One driver, or rather leader, enters the water first, dragging after him an ox
by a cord tied to the ring through his nose. As soon as the timid cattle see that one
of their number has ventured into the water, they are easily induced to follow its example,
and whole herds of oxen and flocks of sheep are thus taken across in safety, the noise
and splashing which they make frightening the crocodiles away. Even the women assist
in cattle-driving, and not unfrequently the part of leader is taken by a woman.
As might be expected, the Shooas possess great numbers of cattle, and Major
Denham calculated that this single tribe owned at least sixty thousand oxen, sheep, and
702 THE SHOOAS.
goats, besides multitudes of horses. The Shooas, indeed, are the chief horse-breeders of
the Soudan.
True to their origin, the Shooas have retained many of their Arabic characteristics.
They build no houses, but live in tents, or rather moveable huts, composed of a simple
framework of sticks, covered either with leather or rush mats. They have, however, lost
much of the noinad character of the Arabs, probably because the fertile soil permits their
flocks to remain permanently in the same spot. They pitch their tents in a circle, each
such circle representing a town, and having two openings or entrances for the cattle.
Even the governor or sultan of the largest settlement does not inhabit a house. The
establishment of one of these potentates, who was visited by Dr. Oudney, consisted of a
great quadrangular enclosure made of mats suspended on poles, within which were a
number of small huts, or rather tents, with walls of the same materials, but with thatched
roofs, and much like straw beehives in shape. The doorway, or opening of each tent, is
always placed westward, because rain always comes from the east. The furniture of the
tents is as simple as their architecture, and consists of a rude bed, some mats, and a few
gourds and earthen jars. The dwelling of a man of rank is distinguished by an ostrich
egg-shell.
Not only do they build no houses of their own, but they never inhabit those which
others have built, and, though they have overcome many a district, they have never
peopled or conquered towns. For the surrounding negro nations they have the supremest
contempt, and yet, with strange inconsistency, they are always tributary to one of the
nations which they despise.
Probably on this account, unless they are well officered, they do not care to fight even
in the service of that nation which they serve ; and although they are foremost when
plunder seems within their reach, they are always apt to retire from the battle when it
seems likely to go against them.
Their amusements consist principally of dances, one of which is very peculiar, and is
performed exclusively by women.
They advance by pairs at a time, and throw themselves into various attitudes, accom-
panied by the wild and rude music of the band. Suddenly they turn their backs on each
other, stoop, and butt backwards at each other, the object being to upset the adversary.
" She who keeps her equilibrium and destroys that of her opponent is greeted with cheers
and shouts, and is led out of the ring by two matrons, covering her face with her hands.
They sometimes come together with such violence as to burst the belt of beads which all
the women of rank wear round their bodies just above the hips, and showers of beads
would fly in every direction. Some of these belts are twelve or sixteen inches wide, and
cost fifteen or twenty dollars.
"Address, however, is often attended in these contests with better success than
strength, and a well-managed feint exercised at the moment of the expected concussion,
even when the weight of metal would be very unequal, often brings the more weighty
tumbling to the ground, while the other is seen quietly seated on the spot where she had
with great art and agility dropped herself. The Shooas are particularly happy in these
feints, which were practised in different ways, either by suddenly stepping on one side, or
by lying down."
The young girls are fond of skipping with a long rope, just as is practised in Europe.
They display very great agility, which is not hindered by the presence of any garment.
Major Denham once came on a party of girls amusing themselves in this manner, and
enjoying the sport so thoroughly that nothing but the fear of losing dignity prevented
him from joining them.
The manners of the Shooas are pleasing and gentle. They are a hospitable people, and
give freely of the milk on which they almost entirely live, as is always the case with a
pastoral tribe. Major Denham seems to have been particularly charmed with the manners
of the Shooas, which he describes as peculiarly interesting and expressive. Even when
bringing milk to their guests, the girls do so in a sort of punctilious way, each sitting
down by the side of the bowl, and making a little ceremonious speech with her head
wrapped in a mantle, which she afterwards removes for the sake of freer conversation.
DRESS OF SHOOA WOMEN.
70:
The Shooa women are remarkable for their beauty. Their colour is a light ruddy
copper, and they have fine open countenances, with aquiline noses and large eyes — all
very remarkable among the negro tribes that surround them. The women are especially
good-looking, and remind the observer of the gipsy women. Their dress consists of two
wrappers, one round the waist and the other thrown over the shoulders. The latter is
worn in different ways, sometimes like a shawl, sometimes tied under the arms so as to
SHQOA WOMEN.
leave both shoulders bare, and sometimes thrown over one shoulder and under the other.
On their feet they wear curious shoes without heels, but coming up the sides of the foot
above the ankles. Their hair is dressed in rather a curious manner, being plaited into
innumerable little tresses, which are first pressed tightly to the head, and then suddenly
diverge.
Handsome as are the Shooa women, their beauty is held in great contempt by the
negro tribes among which they live, and who naturally think that thick lips, flat noses
and black skins constitute the only real beauty in man or woman.
704 THE TIBBOOS.
THE TIBBOOS.
ALLIED, in all probability, to the Shooas are the Tibboos.
They are a small and active race, and are admirable horsemen, always leaping on their
horses at a single bound, aiding themselves with the shaft of a spear, which is used as a
leaping-pole. Their saddles are of wood, lashed together with thongs of cowhide, and left
open along the middle, so as to avoid galling the horse's back. They are well stuffed with
camels' hair, and are comfortable enough when the rider is used to them. Both the girth
and the stirrup leathers are of plaited leather, and the stirrups themselves are so small
that they only admit of four toes. In fact, the Tibboo saddle is almost exactly like that
of the Patagonian. One of these saddles is in my collection, and will be drawn in its
proper place.
The men are very ugly, but the women are tolerably good-looking, and those who live
in the country are better made and more active than those who live in the towns. The
colour is copper, but the noses are flat, and the mouth is very large, though without the
thick lips of the negro.
Their dress is a tolerably large Soudan wrapper, folded round the body and tied on the
left shoulder so as to leave the right side bare. It is, however, disposed in such a manner
as to be a perfectly delicate as well as a graceful costume. A smaller wrapper is thrown
over the head, and is drawn across the face or flung back at pleasure. The hair is
dressed in triangular flaps, which fall on either side of the face ; and they wear necklaces
of amber, which they prize very highly, and bits of red coral in their noses. They
invariably carry something by way of a sun-screen, such as a bunch of ostrich-feathers,
a tuft of long grass, or even a leafy bough.
Ugly as the men are, they are exceedingly vain of their personal appearance ; and on
one occasion, when Major Deuham had lent a Tibboo chief a small looking-glass, the man
spent several hours in contemplating his own features, bursting every now and then into
loud ejaculations of joy at his own beauty, and sometimes leaping in the air in the
extremity of his delight.
They contrive to make their naturally ugly faces still less attractive by their inveterate
habit of taking snuff, which they take both by the mouth and the nostrils, the latter
becoming enormously extended by their habit of thrusting the snuff into their heads with
their fingers. Their mouths are also distended by their custom of placing quantities of
snuff between the lips and gums.
The dress of the Tibboos is gen erally a single tobe, or shirt. Close garments would
only embarrass them by affording a lodgment for the sand, which has the effect of
irritating the skin greatly, and making almost intolerable sores. They have, however, a
mode of alleviating the pain of such sores by shampooing them with fat, a process which
is always conducted by the women. The only article of dress about which they seem to
trouble themselves is the turban, which is worn high on the head, and the ends brought
under the chin and across the face, so as to conceal all but the nose, eyes, and part of
the forehead. The turban is dyed of a dark indigo blue, and is mostly decorated with a
vast number of charms, sewn in little leather cases.
Their horses, though small, are very handsome, and are quite strong enough to carry
the light and active men who ride them. They are kept in admirable condition, and are
fed almost entirely on camels' milk, which they take both fresh and when clotted. This
diet suits them admirably, and the animals are in excellent condition.
The Tibboos stand in great dread of the Arabs, who plunder them unmercifully when
they have the chance. They are better riders and better mounted than their foes ; but they
do not possess fire-arms, which they look upon with absolute terror. Major Denham remarks
CITIES OF KEFUGE. Y05
that " five or six of them will go round and round a tree where an Arab has laid down his
gun for a minute, stepping on tiptoe, as if afraid of disturbing it ; talking to each other in
whispers, as if the gun could understand their exclamations ; and, I dare say, praying
to it not to do them any injury as fervently as ever Man Friday did to Eobinson Crusoe's
musket."
Though they have no guns, they are more formidable warriors than they seem to know,
hurling the spear with deadly aim and wonderful force. In throwing it, they do not raise
the hand higher than the shoulder ; and, as it leaves the hand, they give it a twist with
the fingers that makes it spin like a rifle-bullet. The shaft is elastic, and, when the blade
strikes the ground, the shaft bends nearly double. One young man threw his spear a
good eighty yards ; and, as each man carries two of these spears, it may be imagined that
even the Arabs, with all their fire-arms, are not much more than a match for the Tibboos.
They also cany the strange missile-sword which has already been mentioned. The warriors
carry bows and arrows, as well as two daggers, one about eighteen inches long, stuck in
the belt, and the other only six inches in length, and fastened to the arm by a ring. The
Tibboos metaphorically term the long dagger their gun, and the short one their pistol.
The dances of the Tibboo women are not in the least like those of the Shooas. Dancing
is among them one of the modes of greeting an honoured guest ; and when a man of rank
approaches, the women meet him with dances and songs, just as Jephthah's daughter met
her victorious father, and the women of Israel met David after he had killed Goliath.
Nor are these dances the slow, gliding movements with which we generally associate
Oriental dances. The women display very great activity, and fling themselves about in an
astonishing manner. They begin by swaying their heads, arms, and bodies from side to
side, but gradually work themselves up to a great pitch of excitement, leaping in the air,
gnashing their teeth, whirling their arms about, and seeming to be in a perfect frenzy.
Some of the Tibboo settlements, or villages, are ingeniously placed on the tops of
rocks with almost perpendicular sides. The situation is an inconvenient one, but it is
useful in warding off the attacks of the Tuaricks, who make raids upon the unfortunate
Tibboos, sweep off all the cattle and other property that they can find, and carry away the
inhabitants to be sold as slaves, sparing neither age nor sex. Consequently, as soon as
the Tibboos have warning of the approach of their enemies, they take refuge on the top
of the rock, carrying with them all their portable property, draw up the ladders by which
they ascend, and abandon the cattle to the invaders.
Partly on this account, and partly from natural carelessness, the Tibboos are almost
regardless of personal appearance, and even their sultan, when he went to meet Major
Denham, though he had donned in honour of his guests a new scarlet bernouse, wore it
over a filthy checked shirt ; and his cap and turban, which purported to be white, were
nearly as black as the hair of the wearer.
One might have thought that the continual sufferings which they undergo at the
hands of the Tuaricks would have taught the Tibboos kindness to their fellow-creatures,
whereas there are no people more reckless of inflicting pain. The Tibboo slave-dealers
are notorious for the utter indifference to the sufferings of their captives whom they are
conveying to the market, even though they lose many of them by their callous neglect.
They often start on their journey with barely one quarter the proper amount of provisions
or water, and then take their captives over wide deserts, where they fall from exhaustion,
and are left to die. The skeletons of slaves strew the whole of the road. As the tra-
veller passes along, he sometimes hears his horse's feet crashing among the dried and
brittle bones of the dead. Even round the wells lie hundreds of skeletons, the remains
of those who had reached the water, but had been too much exhausted to be revived by
it. In that hot climate the skin of the dead person dries and shrivels under the sun like
so much horn, and in many cases the features of the dead are preserved. Careless even
of the pecuniary loss which they l}ad suffered, the men who accompanied Major Denham
only laughed when they recognised the faces of the shrivelled skeletons, and knocked
them about with the butts of their weapons, laughing the while, and making jokes upon
their present value in the market.
The Tibboos are, from their slight and active figures, good travellers, and are employed
VOL. i. z z
706 THE TUAEICKS.
as couriers to take messages from Bornu to Moorzuk, a task which none but a Tibboo
will undertake. Two are sent in company, and so dangerous is the journey, that they do
not expect that both will return in safety. They are mounted on the swiftest dromedaries,
and are furnished with parched corn, a little brass basin, a wooden bowl, some dried meat,
and two. skins of water. Not only do they have to undergo the ordinary perils of travel,
such as the hot winds, the sand-storms, and the chance of perishing by thirst, but they
also run great risk of being killed by Arab robbers, who would not dare to attack a caravan,
but are glad of the opportunity of robbing defenceless travellers.
Such events do frequently occur, and the consequence is that the Tibboos and the
Arabs are in perpetual feuds, each murdering one of the enemy whenever he gets a chance,
and reckoning each man killed as a point on his own side.
THE TUAEICKS.
WE ought, before leaving the Tibboos, to give a few words to their enemies the
Tuaricks.
These are emphatically a nation of thieves, never working themselves, and gaining
the whole of their subsistence by robbing those who do labour. They do not even plant
or sow, and their whole education consists in the art of robbery, in the management of the
dromedary, and the handling of the spear. They live in tents, which are something like
those of the ordinary Bedouin Arabs, and have, like our gipsies, a supreme contempt for
all who are so degraded as to live in houses and congregate in cities.
Like the gipsies, they have their own language, into which they have only inserted
occasional words of Arabic, and they have their own written alphabet, in which several
letters are exactly the same as some of the Roman characters, though they do not express
the same sounds, such as the H, the S, and the W. There are also the Greek 0 and A,
and the Hebrew 3, while several letters are composed of dots grouped in various ways.
These letters are either written from right to left, as the Arabic, or vice versa, as European
languages, or perpendicularly, as the Chinese ; and in their country almost every large
stone is engraved with Tuarick characters. Yet they have no literature, and assert that
no book exists in their language. In sound the Tuarick language is harsh, but it is
expressive, and seems to be capable of strength.
In their manners the Tuaricks are grave and sedate, and before Denham and Clapperton
visited them they were carefully lectured by the guide on their proper behaviour, the
demeanour of Captain Clapperton being considered too cheerful and humorous to suit the
grave Tuaricks.
This applies only to the men, the women being lively and amusing. They are very
fond of singing, joining in little bands for the purpose, and continuing their songs until
midnight. The men, however, never sing, considering the song to be essentially a feminine
amusement, and, probably for the same reason, they are never heard to recite poetry like
most Orientals. The women wear the usual striped blue and white dress, and they mostly
carry earrings made of shells. Wives are conventionally valued at six camels each ; and
whether on account of their value, or whether from an innate courtesy, the men treat
their wives with respect, and permit them a freedom of manner which denotes the
admission of equality.
The depredations of the Tuaricks have been mentioned when treating of the Tibboos,
on whom the chief brunt of their attacks seems to fall. That they carry off all the
cattle, and would seize even the Tibboos themselves for slaves, is a standing and reason-
able grievance. But even the constant fear of these attacks does not seem to anger the
Tibboos so much as the raids which the Tuaricks make on their salt-market. In the
THIEVISH CHARACTER
707
Tibboo country there are some large salt marshes, which are extremely valuable to the
owners, salt being a marketable commodity, fetching a high price, indeed being itself
used as a sort of currency ; a cylinder of coarse brown salt, weighing eleven pounds, being
worth four or five dollars. The purified salt, which they obtain in a beautifully clear and
white state, is put into baskets, and brings a correspondingly high price.
Not choosing to take the trouble of procuring salt for themselves, the Tuaricks supply
themselves as well as their market by robbing the Tibboos, and in one season these
TUARICKS AND TIBBOOS.
robbers carried off twenty thousand bags of salt, selling the greater part in the Sondnn
market. The Tibboos were particularly enraged at this proceeding. It was bad enough
to have their property stolen, but it was still worse to take their remaining salt to the
market, and then find that the price had fallen in consequence of the Tuaricks having
filled the market with the twenty thousand bags which they had stolen, and which they
could therefore afford to sell at a very low price.
Among these people medicine and surgery are necessarily at a very low ebb, sham-
pooing and cauterizing being the chief remedies for almost every complaint. One man
who was suffering from an enlarged spleen was advised to undergo the operation, and
zz2
708 THE BEGHARMIS.
was laid on his back and firmly held down by five or six assistants. An iron was heated
in the fire, and three spots burned on his side, just under the ribs. Each spot was about
as large as a sixpence.
The iron was then replaced in the fire, and, while it was being heated, the assistants
punched him in the side with their thumbs, asking whether the pressure hurt him ; and,
as their hard thumbs bruised his flesh, he was obliged to admit that it did hurt him. So
four more scars were made, close to the others. He was then burned on his face, and three
large scars burned near the spine ; and, byway of making the cure quite complete, a large
burn was made on his neck, just above the collar-bone.
The poor man endured the torture with great patience, and, when the operation was
over, he drank a draught of water, and went on as usual with the camels.
THE BEGHARMIS.
WE now come to the curious Begharmi kingdom, between which and Bornu there
rages a perpetual warfare. War was the ancient custom in 1824, when Denham and
Clapperton visited the country, and many years afterwards, when Dr. Barth travelled
through the district, it was going on as fiercely as ever. Indeed, if they could, each
kingdom would exterminate the other, and, even as it is, great loss of life takes place by
the continual battles, in which no quarter is given, except to those prisoners who are to
be qualified for the harem. Consequently, the wives of the Bornuan sultan are guarded
by Begharmi eunuchs, and those of the Begharmi sultan by Bornuese.
Even the Bornuan sheikh had yielded to the prevailing custom, and maintained thirty
of these unfortunate individuals. Major Denham saw about a dozen of them shortly after
their admission, and evidently showed pity by his countenance. The chief, seeing this,
exclaimed, "Why, Christian, what signifies all this? They are only Begharmis! dogs)
Kaffirs ! enemies ! They ought to have been cut in four quarters alive ; and now they
will drink coffee, eat sugar, and live in a palace all their lives."
When Dr. Barth visited Begharmi, the sultan was absent on one of his warlike ex-
peditions, and it was some time before he was allowed to proceed to Massena, the capital.
At last he did so, and had an opportunity of seeing the sultan return after his expedition,
in which he had been victorious. First rode the lieutenant-governor, surrounded by his
horsemen, and next came another officer, behind whom was borne a long and peculiarly-
formed spear, connected in some way with their religion. After him rode the command er-
in-chief, and then the sultan himself, riding on a grey horse, wearing a yellow bernouse,
and sheltered from the sun by two umbrellas, one green and one yellow, held over him by
slaves. He was continually cooled by six slaves wielding long ostrich-feather fans, and
having their right arms clothed in iron armour ; and around him rode a few of the prin-
cipal chiefs.
Then came the war-camel, bearing the battle-drums, which were vigorously belaboured
by the drummer. Next came a long line of the sultan's wives, clothed in black ; then
the baggage, and then the soldiers. Prisoners are led in the triumphal procession, and
are taken to the harem, where they are insulted by the inmates. The handsomest among
them are selected for the service of the harem, and the remainder are put to death.
In this case the Begharmi sultan had been victorious ; but in one battle witnessed by
Major Denham the Bornuese won the day, the sheikh having arranged his few fire-arms
with such skill that the Begharmis, nearly five thousand strong, fell back in confusion,
and were at once attacked by the Bornuan horse, who are ready enough to fight when the
enemy seems to be running away. The slaughter was enormous, considering the number
of the combatants. Of the two hundred Begharmi chiefs who came into the field, only
CURIOUS ARCHITECTURE.
709
one was said to have escaped, seven sons of the sultan were killed, together with some
seventeen hundred soldiers, while many more were reported to have been murdered after
the battle was over. They also lost nearly five hundred horses, and nearly two hundred
women, who, according to the odd custom of the land, followed their lords to battle.
In the greater part of the country, as well as at Loggun, the houses are built in a very
curious manner, being composed of cell within cell, like a nest of pill-boxes. This curious
architecture is intended to keep out the flies, which at some seasons of the year swarm
in such numbers that even the inhabitants dare not move out of their houses for several
BEGHARMI LANCERS.
hours in the day. Major Denham would not believe the story until it was corroborated
by the appearance of one of his men, who imprudently ventured into the open air, and
came back with his eyes and head swollen up, and so bitten that he was laid up for
three days.
The Begharmis, though they are always at war with the Bornuese, resemble them in
so many points that a detailed description is not needed, and we will only glance at a
few of their peculiarities.
As we have mentioned the constant warfare in which they are engaged, we will give
a few words to the remarkable cavalry force which forms the chief strength of the
Begharmi army. These men present a most remarkable appearance, as may be seen by
reference to the above illustration. They carry a most curious spear, with a double head,
something like a pitchfork with flattened prongs.
The most remarkable point is, however, the armour with which the Begharmi lancer
is defended. It is made of quilted cloth or cotton, and is almost exactly identical with
710 THE BEGHAEMIS.
the quilted armour worn by the Chinese, and which caused the miserable deaths of so
many soldiers, from the cotton taking fire from the flash of their own muskets. The
whole of the body and limbs of the rider are covered with this armour, while he wears on
his head a helmet of the same material ; and his horse is defended as well as himself.
Although useless against fire-arms, the cotton quilting is proof against arrows, and is
therefore useful in guarding the soldier against the poisoned weapons of his foes.
As this armour, though light, is very cumbrous, it is seldom worn except in actual
combat, or when the general reviews his troops ; and it may be doubted whether it is not
such an impediment, both to horse and soldier, that the troops would be more efficient
without it. Perhaps the confidence which it inspires is its chief use, after all. These men
are always employed as heavy horse, to protect the van and guard the rear of the army,
the archers being stationed just behind them, and shooting whenever they find a chance.
The saddle is as awkward as the armour, rising both in front and behind to such a height
that the soldier could hardly fall to the ground even if he were killed. In front it forms
a sort of little table, on which the soldier can rest his bridle-arm, which might be fatigued
with holding the reins and lifting the sleeve of the quilted coat.
The Begharmis may be almost reckoned as negroes, their skins being black, and their
faces having much of the flatness and thickness of the negro. They are powerful and
active men, and the sultans of other countries pride themselves on their trained Begharmi
wrestlers, these men being chosen for their gigantic stature and well-knit muscles.
When two athletes contend, it is no child's play, the vanquished being sometimes
killed on the spot, and frequently maimed for life. Their masters have a positive mono-
mania on the subject, and urge on the wrestlers by loud cries, promising great rewards to
the victor, and threatening the severest punishment to the vanquished. The great object
of the wrestlers is to catch the opponent by the hips, and so to lift him off his feet and
dash him to the ground. The master cares nothing for a wrestler who has been once
conquered ; and a man for whom his owner would refuse a couple of hundred dollars in
the morning may be sold for a fiftieth of the sum before night.
Similar to these combats are the boxing-matches, in which the negroes from Haussa
are thought to be the best that can be obtained. A spirited account of one of these
matches is given by Major Denham : —
" Having heard a great deal of the boxers of Haussa, I was anxious to witness their
performance. Accordingly I sent one of my servants last night to offer 2,000 whydah for
a pugilistic exhibition in the morning. As the death of one of the combatants is almost
certain before a battle is over, I expressly prohibited all fighting in earnest ; for it would
have been disgraceful, both to myself and my country, to hire men to kill one another for
the gratification of idle curiosity.
" About half an hour after the ' massu-dubu' were gone, the boxers arrived, attended
by two drums and the whole body of butchers, who here compose ' the fancy.' A ring was
soon formed by the master of the ceremonies throwing dust on the spectators to make
them stand back. The drummers entered the ring, and began to drum lustily. One of
the boxers followed, quite naked, except a skin round the middle. He placed himself in
an attitude as if to oppose an antagonist, and wrought his muscles into action, seemingly
to find out that every sinew was in full power for the approaching combat ; then, coming
from time to time to the side of the ring, and presenting his right arm to the bystanders,
he said, ' I am a hyama' — ' I am a lion' — ' I am able to kill all that oppose me.' The
spectators to whom he presented himself laid their hands on his shoulder, repeating, ' The
blessing of God be upon thee ' — ' Thou art a hyaena ' — ' Thou art a lion.' He then aban-
doned the ring to another, who showed off in the same manner.
" The right arm and hand of the pugilists were then bound with narrow country cloth,
beginning with a fold round the middle finger ; when, the hand being first clenched with
the thumb between the fore and mid fingers, the cloth was passed in many turns round the
fist, the wrist, and the forearm.
" After about twenty had separately gone through their attitudes of defiance and
appeals to the bystanders, they were next brought forward by pairs. If they happened to
be friends, they laid their left breasts together twice, and exclaimed, ' We are lions' — 'We
APPEARANCE OF THE WOMEN. 711
are friends.' One then left the ring, and another was brought forward. If the two did not
recognise one another as friends, the set-to immediately commenced.
" On taking their stations, the two pugilists first stood at some distance, parrying with
the left hand open, and, whenever opportunity offered, striking with the right. They
generally aimed at the pit of the stomach and under the ribs. Whenever they closed, one
seized the other's head under his arm, and beat it with his fist, at the same time striking
with his knee between his antagonist's thighs. In this position, with " the head ' in
chancery,' they are said sometimes to attempt to gouge or scoop out one of the eyes.
When they break loose, they never fail to give a swingeing blow with the heel under the
ribs, or sometimes under the left ear. It is these blows that are so often fatal.
" The combatants were repeatedly separated by my orders, as they were beginning to
lose their temper. When this spectacle was heard of, girls left their pitchers at the wells,
the market-people threw down their baskets, and all ran to see the fight. The whole
square before my house was crowded to excess. After six pairs had gone through several
rounds, I ordered them, to their great satisfaction, the promised reward, and the multitude
quietly dispersed."
The Begharmi women are good dancers, their movements being gentle and graceful.
They make much use of their hands, sometimes crossing them on their breasts, sometimes
clasping them together, and sometimes just pressing the tips of the fingers against those of
the opposite hand. As they dance, they sing in low and plaintive tones, swinging the
body backwards and forwards, and bending the head from side to side, ending by sinking
softly on the ground, and covering their faces.
MUSGU.
NEARLY, if not quite equal to the Begharmis in stature and strength are the MUSGU
tribe, which inhabit a district of Mandara. In consequence of their fine proportions,
Musgu slaves are greatly valued by the surrounding nations, and are employed in various
ways. The sultans and great chiefs are fond of having their male Musgu slaves as
wrestlers ; and next in interest to a match between two Begharmis is a contest between a
Begharmi and a Musgu wrestler.
The female slaves are proportionately strong, but they are never purchased by the
Fezzan traders, inasmuch as they lack beauty of feature as much as they possess strength
of muscle. Their faces are large and ugly, and they have a custom of wearing a silver
ornament in the lower lip. This ornament is about as large as a shilling, and is worn
exactly after the fashion of the " pelele," which has already been described and figured.
In order to make room for this ugly appendage, the women knock out the two middle
teeth of the lower jaw, and, in process of time, the lip is dragged down by the inserted
metal, and has a very horrid and repulsive appearance. Their hair is dressed like that of
the Bornu women, i.e. one large plait or roll from the forehead to the nape of the neck,
and two others on'each side.
They are very trustworthy, and are set to laborious tasks, from which weaker slaves
would shrink. They do all the agricultural work, — digging the ground, planting the seed,
and carrying home the crops. They also perform the office of watchers, by night as well
as by day, and there is scarcely a year passes that one or two of these patient creatures
are not carried off by the lions, who creep up to them under shelter of the corn, and then
spring upon them.
The men are equally ugly. Only the chiefs wear any clothing, and even they are
seldom clad in anything more than a goatskin or leopard's hide, hung over the shoulders
so as to bring the head of the animal on the wearer's breast. Their heads are covered
712
THE MUSGUESE.
with rather strange-looking caps, and their hair, as it straggles from under the caps, is
thick and bristly. They wear on their arms large rings of bone or ivory, and round their
necks hang trophies of their valour, being necklaces made of the strung teeth of slain
enemies. They paint their bodies with red, and stain their teeth of the same colour, so
that they present a singularly wild and savage appearance. They are mounted on small
but strong and active horses, which they ride without saddles and almost without bridles,
a slight piece of cord being tied halter-wise round the animal's muzzle.
Their weapons consist mostly of the spear and the missile-knives, similar to those
which have been already described. The inferior men, though they are mounted, and
MUSGU CHIEF.
carry the same weapons as the chief, wear no clothing except a leather girdle round the
waist, and the same light attire is worn by the women. Though so liable to be ^enslaved
themselves, they are great slave-dealers; and when they pay tribute to the Sultan of
Mandara, or wish to make a peace-offering the greater part of it consists of slaves, both
male and female.
In the above illustration is seen a Musgu chief going to battle. He is one of the
very great chiefs, as is shown from the fact that he wears a tobe instead of a skin. In
his right hand is his spear, and in his left a couple of the missile-knives. Behind him
ride his soldiers, naked men on naked horses. In the background is seen a party of
women engaged in the water, with which element they are very familiar, and are not
kept out of it by any fear of wetting their clothes. Near them is one of the mound-like
tombs under which a dead chief has been buried— the Musguese being almost the only
African tribe who erect such a monument.
A DISASTKOUS BATTLE. 713
The huts are seen a little farther back, and near them, are two of the remarkable
granaries, covered with projecting ornaments, and mostly kept so well filled that
marauders are nearly as anxious to sack the granaries as to steal the people. On the
branches of the trees is a quantity of grass which has been hung there to dry in the sun,
and to be used as hay for the horses.
When Major Denhain was near the Musgu territory, he was told that these strange
and wild-looking people were Christians. He said that they could not be so, because
they had just begged of him the carcase of a horse which had died during the night, and
were at that time busily employed in eating it. The man, however, adhered to his
opinion, saying that, although he certainly never had heard that Christians ate horse-flesh
they did eat swine's-flesh, and that was infinitely more disgusting.
These people were unwittingly the cause of great loss to the Bornuese and Mandaras.
The Arabs who had accompanied Denham and Clapperton from Tripoli were very anxious,
before returning home, to make a raid on their own account, and bring back a number of
Musgu slaves. The sheikh of Bornu thought that this would be a good opportunity of
utilizing the fire-arms of the Arabs against the warlike and unyielding Fellatahs, and
sent them off together with three thousand of his own troops.
As had been anticipated, when they reached Mandara, the sultan would not allow
them to attack Musgu, which he looked upon as his own particular slave-preserve, but
added some of his own troops to those of the Bornuan sheikh, and sent them to capture
as many Fellatahs as they liked, doing them the honour of accompanying the expedition
in person. It is also evident that both the sultan and the sheikh disliked as well as
feared the Arabs, and were very willing to turn to account the terrible weapons which
they carried, and by means of which they had made themselves so overbearing and
disagreeable.
When they reached the first Fellatah town and attacked it, they found it to be strongly
defended with clievaux de frise of sharpened stakes six feet in height, behind which were
stationed their archers, who poured showers of poisoned arrows on the invaders. The
Arabs, after a struggle, carried the fence and pursued the Fellatahs up the hill. Here
they were received with more arrows, brought to the archers by the women, and with
stones rolled down the hill. Had the Bornu and Mandara soldiers pushed forward, the
whole town must have been taken, instead of which they prudently kept out of range of
the poisoned arrows.
The Fellatahs, seeing their cowardice, then assumed the offensive, whereupon the
Bornu and Mandara soldiers at once ran away, headed by the sultan, who would have
laid claim to the town had the Arabs taken it. The whole force was routed with great
loss, the Bornu leader — a truly brave man — was killed with a poisoned arrow, and Major
Denham was severely wounded, stripped of all his clothes, and barely escaped with
his life,
CHAPTER LXIV.
ABYSSINIA.
ABYSSINIA, THE LAND OF MYSTERY ORIGIN OF THE NAME THE KINGDOM OF PRESTER JOHN —
THE THREE ABYSSINIAN DISTRICTS OR KINGDOMS — GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE ABY8SINIAN8
DRESS OF THE MEN THE QUARRY AND THE TROUSERS — GOING TO BED — THE DINO AND
ITS FASHIONS — MEN'S ORNAMENTS — HOW THE JEWELLER IS PAID — WEAPONS OF THE ABYS-
SINIANS THE SWORD OR SHOTEL, AND ITS SINGULAR FORM AND USES — THE SPEAR AND MODE
OF KEEPING IT IN ORDER THE SHIELD AND ITS ORNAMENTS — APPEARANCE OF A MOUNTED
CHIEF — SWORDSMANSHIP— THB ABYSSINIAN AS A SOLDIER — DRESS AND APPEARANCE OF THE
WOMEN THEIB ORNAMENTS — TATTOOING — MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR — THE ABYSSINIAN
PILLOW.
ABYSSINIA is one of the most wonderful nations on the face of the earth. It was long
a land of mystery, in which the unicorn and the lion held their" deadly combats, in which
dragons flapped their scaly wings through the air, in which the mountains were of gold
and the river-beds paved with diamonds, and, greatest marvel of all, in which Prester
John, the priest and king, held his court, a Christian Solomon of the Middle Ages.
In this last tale there was this amount of truth, that a Christian Church existed in
Abyssinia — a Church of extreme antiquity, which has remained to the present day, having
accommodated itself in a most remarkable manner to the race-characteristics of the people.
Setting aside the interest which has been excited in Abyssinia by the successful march of
a Britis*h force to the military capital, Abyssinia deserves description in this volume. At
first sight it would appear that a Christian country would find no place in a work which
has nothing to do with civilization ; but, as we proceed with the account, we shall find
that Christianity in Abyssinia has done scarcely anything to civilize the nation, as we
understand the word, and, instead of extirpating the savage customs of the people, has in
a strange manner existed alongside of them, if such a term may be used.
It is my purpose in the following pages to give a succinct description of the uncivilized
manners and customs of the Abyssinians, together with a brief account of that peculiar
system of Christianity which could survive for nearly fifteen hundred years, and yet leave
the people in a scarcely better moral state than if they had never heard the name of Christ.
LIKE many other large communities, the great Abyssinian nation is composed of several
elements, differing as much from each other as the Scotch, the Irish, the Welsh, and the
other mixed races who together form the English nation. In Abyssinia, however, these
different elements have not fused themselves so much together as is the case with this
kingdom, and each principality is independent, having its own ruler and its own laws.
That such a state of things is injurious to the interests of the kingdom is evident to all
students of history, and we find that every great ruler has attempted to unite them under
one head. The peculiar character of the Africans is, however, strong in these people ; and
as soon as the strong hand that held them together is removed, they fly asunder, and
ORIGIN OF THE NAME. 715
resume their individuality. To the Abyssinian kingdom may be well applied the familiar
epigram of a " concurrence of antagonistic atoms."
Their native name, " Habash," of which our word Abyssinia is a corruption, signifies
" mixture," and is exceedingly appropriate to them. Among the many mixtures which
compose the Abyssinian nation, the natives reckon a considerable Jewish element. They
say that the Sheba of Scripture was Abyssinia, and that their queen went to visit Solomon
for the express purpose of introducing the blood of so eminent a sovereign into the royal
succession of Abyssinia. She waited till she had borne a son, and through that son the
successive kings of Abyssinia believe themselves to be lineal descendants of Solomon.
Whether this story be true or not, it is thoroughly in consonance with the very lax
morality of Abyssinian females. When the queen returned to her own country, she was
followed by a number of Jews, and they say that at the time of the destruction of the
Temple, and the captivity, a great multitude of fugitives followed their compatriots, and
took refuge in Abyssinia.
Numbers of Greeks and Portuguese have at different times taken up their residence
in Abyssinia, and, like the immigrant Jews, been absorbed into the country, so that the
native name of Habash is seen to be well deserved.
Three of the districts or sub-kingdoms have the best claim to the title of Abyssinia,
and are inhabited by Christians of that peculiar kind to which allusion has just been
made. The first is the Tigre (pronounced Teegray) country, which takes its name as a
province from a small district to which this name belongs. It extends to the Red Sea on
the east, and to the Taccazy river on the west, and has a rather uncertain range between
lat. 15° and 12° N. It is divided from Nubia by a number of independent tribes, while
some of the Gallas and other tribes are on its northern boundary.
Westward of the Taccazy lies the second kingdom or province, called Amhara, in the
middle of which is situated the city of Gondar ; and the third is Shooa, which lies south-
ward of Tigre* and Amhara, and, strangely enough, is separated from them by Gallas and
other tribes.
Of these three districts, Tigre seems to afford the best characteristic of the Abyssinians,
and therefore the chief part of the account will be devoted to the Tigreans. Among these
people Mr. Mansfield Parkyns lived for a considerable time, and to him we are indebted
for the greater part of our information concerning this remarkable nation.
As a rule, the Abyssinians are of moderate stature, rather below than above the English
average. Mr. Parkyns saw one or two men who attained the height of six feet two inches,
but remarks that such examples were very rare.
As is often the case with Africans, the complexion is exceedingly variable, sometimes
being of a very pale coppery brown, and sometimes almost as dark as the negro. This
variation, which is often the effect of locality, is attributed by Mr. Parkyns to the
mixture of races. As, moreover, marriages are of the loosest description in Abyssinia,
Christian though it be, a man may be often seen with a number of children by different
wives, all unlike each other in point of complexion ; a brother and sister, for example,
being totally dissimilar, one short and black as a negro, and the other tall and fair as
an European.
The negro element seems to expend itself chiefly in colour, the peculiarity of the negro
form having been nearly obliterated by continual mixture with other races. Now and
then the negro conformation of leg shows itself, but even this evidence is rather un-
common.
The women of the higher class are remarkable for their beauty, not only of feature but
of form, and possess singularly small and pretty hands and feet, all of which beauties
their style of dress exhibits freely. Their features are almost of the European type, and
the eyes are exceedingly large and beautiful — so large, indeed, that an exact draAving
would have the appearance of exaggeration to persons who were unaccustomed to them.
It is said, indeed, that the only women who can be compared with the Abyssinians are
the French half-castes of the Mauritius.
The accompanying illustration will give a good idea of the features and general
appearance of the Abyssinians.
716
ABYSSINIA.
Beginning at the top, we have first a profile view of a woman's head, to show the
elaborate way in which the hair is plaited and arranged. Next comes a front view of
a head, showing the appearance of the hair as it is teased and combed out before plaiting.
The third figure gives a view of the head and bust of a lady of rank. This is drawn to
show another mode of arranging the hair, as well as the elaborate tattoo with which the
women love to decorate every inch of the body and limbs from the neck to the tips of the
fingers and toes.
ABYSSINIAN HEADS.
Below are the portraits of two men. One, a priest, has covered his shaven head with
a white turban, the mark of the priesthood among the Abyssinians, among whom the laity
wear no head covering save their highly-decorated and well-greased locks. The second
portrait is the profile view of a man, and gives a good idea of the cast of countenance.
The reader may scarcely believe that the Abyssinians have been cited by a certain school
of philanthropists as examples of the intellectual capability of the negro,
Next to the personal appearance of the Abyssinians comes their dress. Varying
slightly in different parts of the country, and changing in some of its details according to
GOING TO BED. 717
the fashion of the day, the dress of the Abyssinians is essentially the same throughout
the kingdom. The principal articles of dress are trousers, and a large mantle or " quarry."
The trousers are of soft cotton, and are of two kinds, the one descending some three
inches below the knee, and the other terminating the same distance above it. The trousers
are very tight, and an Abyssinian dandy will wear them of so very close a fit that to get
them on is nearly an hour's work.
Round the waist is rolled the sash or belt, about one yard in width. This is also of
cotton, and varies in length according to the fineness of the material. A common belt
will be about fifteen yards in length, but a very fine one, which only contains the same
amount of material, will be from fifty to sixty yards long. From thirty to forty yards is the
ordinary length for an Abyssinian gentleman's belt. It is put on by holding the end with
one hand to the side, and getting a friend to spread it writh his hands, while the wearei-
turns round and round, and so winds himself up in the belt, just as our officers did when
the long silk sashes were worn round the waist.
These belts are not only useful in preserving health, but act as defensive armour in
a country where all the men are armed, and where they are apt to quarrel terribly as soon
as they are excited by drink. Even in war time, the belt often protects the wearer from
a blow which he has only partially guarded with his shield.
Like the trousers and belt, the mantle or " quarry " is made of cotton, and is very fine
and soft ; and is made in a rather curious manner. The ordinary quarry consists of three
pieces of cotton cloth, each fifteen feet long by three wide, and having at each end a red
stripe, some five or six inches in width.
These are put together after a rather curious and complicated manner. " One is first
taken and doubled carefully, so that the red stripes of each end come exactly together.
A second piece is then taken, and also folded, but inside out, and one half of it laid under
and the other half over the first piece, so that the four red borders now come together.
One edge of this quadruple cloth is then sewn from top to bottom, and the last-mentioned
piece is turned back, so that the two together form one double cloth of two breadths. The
third piece is now added in a similar manner, the whole forming a 'quarry' which, lest
any reader should have got confused with the above description, is a white double cloth,
with a red border near the bottom only." A completed quarry is seven feet six inches
long, by nine feet wide. The quarries are seldom washed more than once a year, and, in
consequence of the abundant grease used in the Abyssinian toilet, they become horribly
dirty. The natives, however, rather admire this appearance. An Abyssinian dandy
despises a clean quarry, and would no more wash his mantle than a fashionable lady
would bleach a piece of old lace.
There are different qualities of quarry, the best being made of materials so fine that
six pieces are required, and it is folded four times double. The coloured stripe at the
edge is of red, yellow, and blue silk, neatly worked together. It is worn in various modes,
the most usual resembling that in which a Highlander wears his plaid, so as to leave the
right arm at liberty.
The quarry forms the sleeping costume of the Abyssinians, who take off their trousers,
and roll themselves up so completely in their mantles that they cover up their entire
bodies, limbs, and heads. When they arrange themselves for the night, they contrive to
remove their trousers, and even their belts, without exposing themselves in the least ; and
when we remember the extreme tightness of the former article of dress, and the inordinate
length of the latter, it is a matter of some surprise that the feat should be accomplished
so cleverly.
Married persons pack themselves up in a similar manner, but in pairs, their mantles
forming a covering for the two. It is very curious to see how they manage to perform
this seemingly impossible task. They seat themselves side by side, the man on the
woman's right hand, and place the short end of the quarry under them. The long end is
then thrown over their heads, and under its shelter the garments are removed. The
quarry is rolled tightly round the couple, and they are ready for repose.
So large a mantle is, of course, inconvenient on a windy day, and in battle would be
a fatal encumbrance. On the former occasion it is confined to the body by a short
718 ABYSSINIA.
cape-like garment called the "dino" or " lemd," and in war the quarry is laid aside, and
the dino substituted for it. The dino is often a very elaborate garment, made of cloth,
velvet, or, more frequently, the skin of some animal, cut in a peculiar manner so as to
leave eight strips pendent from the lower edge by way of a fringe.
The skins of the lion and black leopard are most esteemed, and are only worn on gala
days by chiefs and very great warriors. They are lined with scarlet cloth, and are fitted
with a number of amulets which appear in front of the breast. A dino made of the
black-maned lion skin will often be valued at eight or ten pounds, while a common one
will scarcely cost one-tenth of that amount. A very favourite skin is that of the unborn
calf, which takes a soft lustre like that of velvet, and accordingly can only be worn by
dandies who are rich enough to purchase it, or kill a row for the sake of this skin. An
ordinary calf-skin is contemned, and would only be worn by a man of the lowest class.
A peculiar kind of sheep is kept by the Abyssinians for the sake of its wool, which is
sometimes more than two feet in length.
The sheep lead a very artificial life, are kept day and night on couches, are fed with
meat and milk, and their fleeces washed and combed regularly as if they were ladies' lap-
dogs. The result of this treatment is, that they have beautiful fleeces, which are worth
from twenty to thirty shillings each, but their flesh is utterly useless for consumption,
being very small in quantity, and offensive in quality. The fleeces are generally dyed
black, that being a fashionable colour in Abyssinia.
The skin of the hyaena or the dog is never used for clothing, and the natives have
a superstitious fear of the red jackal, thinking that if they should be wounded while
wearing a dino of jackal skin, one of the hairs might enter the wound, and so prove fatal
to the sufferer. The leopard-skin is never worn by ordinary Abyssinians, being exclusively
used by the Gallas and Shooas, and by a certain set of dervishes called the Zacchari.
Contrary to the habit of most African nations, the men wear but few ornaments, those
which they employ being almost always signs of valour. Amulets are found on almost
every man, and many of them wear whole strings of these sacred articles, crossed over the
shoulders and falling as low as the knees. Most Abyssinians carry a pair of tweezers for
extracting thorns from the feet and legs, and the wealthier among them place their tweezers
in a highly ornamented silver case, which is hung from the handle of the sword.
Whenever an Abyssinian is seen wearing a silver chain, he is known to have killed an
elephant, while those who have distinguished themselves in battle are known by a sort
of silver bracelet, which extends from the wrist nearly as far as the elbow. It opens
longitudinally by hinges, and is fastened with a clasp. This ornament is called the " bitoa,"
and is often very elegantly engraved, and adorned with gilded patterns. The silversmiths
who make these and similar articles are rather oddly treated. They are considered as
slaves, are not allowed to leave the country, and yet are treated with considerable kind-
ness, save and except the payment for their labour.
Consequently, the silversmith, finding that he has to wait a very long time for his
money, and probably will not get it at all, is forced to pay himself by embezzling a
quantity of the gold and silver which are given him for the manufacture of the bracelet,
and substituting an equal amount of less precious metal. Mr. Parkyns mentions that he
has known a man to receive silver equal to thirty sequins, and to use in the work rather
less than eight.
Many of these bracelets are ornamented with little bell-like pieces of silver round the
edge, which tinkle and clash as the wearer moves. Similar bells are attached to a sort of
silver coronet worn by very great men, and, together with the silver chains to which they
are attached, hang over the ears and neck of the wearer.
As to the weapons of the Abyssinians, they consist chiefly of the sword, spear, and
shield. In later days fire-arms have been introduced, but, as this work treats only of the
uncivilized part of mankind, these weapons will not be reckoned in the Abyssinian
armoury.
The sword, or " shotel," is a very oddly-shaped weapon. The blade is nearly straight
for some two feet, and then turns suddenly like a sickle, but with a more angular bend.
The edge is on the inside, and this peculiar form is intended for striking downwards over
THE SPEAK AND SHIELD. 719
the enemy's shield. In order to give weight to the blow, the blade is much wider and
heavier towards the point than at the hilt. As if this form of blade did not make the
sword feeble enough, the hilt is so constructed that it prevents all play of the wrist. The
handle is made of a pyramidal piece of rhinoceros horn, five inches wide at one end,
and three at the other. It is made into the proper shape for a handle by cutting out
semicircular pieces along the sides, leaving the four sharp corners in their previous form.
When the sword is grasped, one of the four angles must come under the wrist, so that if
the weapon were allowed to play freely, as in ordinary swordsmanship, the point would
be driven into the wrist.
As with the natives of Southern Africa, the Abyssinians prefer soft iron to tempered
steel, the former admitting of being straightened when bent, but the latter being apt to
snap. The sword is always hung on the right side, in order to be out of the way of the
shield, especially when, as in travelling, it is swung backwards and forwards with the
play of the left arm.
The sheath of the sword is made of leather or red morocco, and is ornamented by the
great men with a number of silver plates. At the end of the sheath is a metal ball,
called " lomita." This curious ornament is mostly of silver, and is almost as large as a
billiard ball. The sword-belt is of the same material as the scabbard.
The spear is from six to seven feet in length, and the head is squared like that of
a pike. The four sides are mostly grooved, so that the head of the weapon looks some-
thing like a quadrangular bayonet. This spear is used both as a lance and as a javelin,
a good soldier being able to strike a man at thirty or forty yards' distance. The cavalry
always carry two spears, one of which is thrown, and the other retained to be used as a
lance. They have rather a curious mode of using the lance, aiming it at the adversary as
if they meant to throw it, but only letting the shaft alip through the hand, and catching
it by the butt.
The shafts of the spears are very neatly made, and much pains are bestowed upon
them. They are made of very young trees, which are cleared of the bark by fire, and are
then straightened and dried. This operation requires a very skilful manipulator, as, if
the wood be too much dried, it is brittle and snaps ; if irregularly heated, it never will
remain straight ; and if not dried sufficiently, it warps with every change of weather.
When properly straightened, the shafts are greased and hung over the fire for several
months, until they assume the proper reddish-yellow hue.
When not in use, each lance is kept in a sheath, to the top of which is fastened a loop
by which it can be hung to the end of the cow's horn which does duty for a peg in
Abyssinian houses, and which is just long enough to allow the lance to hang straight
without touching the wall.
The Abyssinian shield is made of buffalo-hide, and is strong enough to resist any
sword cut, and to throw off a spear if received obliquely upon it. If, however, a good
spear should strike the shield fairly, it will pierce it. In order to preserve the needful
obliquity, the shield is made like the segment of a sphere, and has a projecting boss in
the centre. The shield is almost always ornamented, the most valued decorations being
the mane, tail, and paw of the lion, arranged in various ways according to the taste of
the owner. To some shields is attached the skin of the Guereza monkey, which, with its
bold contrast of long jetty-black and snowy-white hair, has really a striking and artistic
effect. This, however, is always discarded when the native kills a lion.
Chiefs always have their shields nearly covered with silver plates and bosses, a
fashion which is imitated in brass by the poorer soldiers. Still, if a common soldier had
a good shield, he would not hide its beauties with brass plates. A chief is distinguished
not only by his silver-mounted shield, but by his silver-plated sword-scabbard. On his
head he wears a silver frontlet, called " akodamir," having silver chains hanging from it,
and a white feather stuck in the hair behind the frontlet. If a man of notable courage,
he also wears the lion-skin dino.
Eound the edge of the shield are pierced a number of holes, through which is passed
the thong that suspends it to the wall when not in use. Each day, as it hangs on the
.wall, the owner takes it down and shifts the thong from one hole to another, so that
720
ABYSSINIA.
tne shield may not be warped, and lose its prized roundness. The shield must swing
quite clear of the wall.
To a good swordsman the shield would be an incumbrance, and not a means of safety.
On account of the necessity of holding out the shield with the left arm, the sword
becomes of little value as an offensive weapon, the owner not daring to strike lest he
should expose himself to a counter blow. Whereas he who, like Fitz-James, finds his
" blade both sword and shield," makes very light of an Abyssinian warrior's prowess.
A MOUNTED CHIEF.
Mr. Parkyns says on this subject, that any ordinary swordsman, without a shield, can
easily beat the best Abyssinian armed with sword and shield also. The best mode of
fighting the Abyssinian warrior is to make a feint at his head. Up goes his heavy shield,
which certainly guards his head, but prevents the owner from seeing that his adversary is
making a sweeping cut at his legs. Should the cut 5 or 6 fail, make another feint at the
head, and follow it up with a real blow. Anticipating a feint, the Abyssinian lowers his
shield to protect his legs, and as he does so, receives the edge of the sword full on his
unprotected crown.
Although he is well armed, looks very fierce, and is of a quarrelsome disposition,
the Abyssinian soldier is not remarkable for courage, and prefers boasting to fighting.
He never seems to enter the battle with the idea of merely killing or routing the enemy,
but is always looking out for trophies for himself. As with many nations, and as was the
case with the Israelites in the earlier times, the Abyssinian mutilates a fallen enemy, and
carries off a portion of his body as a trophy, which he can exhibit before his chief, and on
which he can found a reputation for valour for the rest of his life.
So much do the Abyssinians prize this savage trophy that, just as American Indians
have feigned death and submitted to the loss of their scalps without giving the least
TATTOOING. V21
sign of life, men wounded in battle have suffered an even more cruel mutilation, and
survived the injury. An Abyssinian has even been known to kill a comrade in order to
secure this valued trophy, when he has been unable, either from mischance or want of
courage, to kill an enemy.
WE come now to the women and their dress.
Young girls are costumed in the simplest possible style, namely, a piece of cotton
stuff wrapped round the waist, and descending half way to the knee. Should the girl be
rich enough to afford a large wrapper, she brings one end of it upwards and throws it over
the left shoulder. In Tigre the girls prefer a black goatskin, ornamented with cowries.
A married woman wears a sort of loose shirt, and a mantle, or quarry, similar to that
which is worn by the men, but of finer materials. Should she be able to own a mule,
she wears trousers, which are very full at the waist, and decrease gradually to the
ankle, where they fit like the skin.
As to their ornaments, they are so numerous as to defy description. That which costs
the least, and is yet the most valued, is the tattoo, which is employed with a profusion
worthy of the New Zealander.
" The Tigrean ladies," so writes Mr. Parkyns, " tattoo themselves ; though, as this mode
of adorning the person is not common excepting among the inhabitants of the capital
and persons who have passed some time there, 1 should judge it to be a fashion imported
from the Amhara.
" The men seldom tattoo more than one ornament on the upper part of the arm, near
the shoulder, while the women cover nearly the whole of their bodies with stars, lines,
and crosses, often, rather tastefully arranged. I may well say nearly the whole of their
persons, for they mark the neck, shoulders, breasts, and arms, down to the fingers, which
are enriched with lines, to imitate rings, nearly to the nails. The feet, ankles, and calves
of the legs are similarly adorned, and even the gums are by some pricked entirely blue,
while others have them striped alternately blue and the natural pink.
" To see some of their designs, one would give them credit for some skill in the
handling their pencil ; but, in fact, their system of drawing the pattern is purely me-
chanical. I had one arm adorned; a rather blind old woman was the artist; her imple-
ments consisted of a small pot of some sort of blacking, made, she told me, of charred
herbs, a large home-made iron pin, about one-fourth of an inch at the end of which was
ground fine, a bit or two of hollow cane, and a piece of straw. The two last-named items
were her substitutes for pencils.
" Her circles were made by dipping the end of a piece of cane of the required size
into the blacking, and making its impression on the skin ; while an end of the straw,
bent to the proper length, and likewise blackened, marked all the lines, squares, diamonds,
&c., which were to be of equal length. Her design being thus completed, she worked
away on it with her pin, which she dug in as far as the thin part would enter, keeping
the supply of blacking sufficient, and going over the same ground repeatedly to insure
regularity and unity in the lines. With some persons the first effect of this tattooing is
to produce a considerable amount of fever, from the irritation caused by the punctures,
especially so with the ladies, from the extent of surface thus rendered sore. To allay
this irritation, they are generally obliged to remain for a few days in a case of vegetable
matter, which is plastered all over them in the form of a sort of green poultice.
" A scab forms over the tattooing, which should not be picked off, but allowed to
fall off of itself. When this disappears, the operation is complete, and the marks are
indelible ; nay, more, the Abyssinians declare that they may be traced on the person's
bones even after death has bared them of their fleshy covering."
The women also wear a vast number of silver ornaments, such as several chains round
the neck, three pairs of silver or gilt bracelets, a number of little silver ornaments hung
like bells to the ankles, above which are a series of bangles of the same metal. A
wealthy woman has also a large flat silver case, containing talismans, and ornamented with
bells of the same metal, suspended by four silver chains; while her hair is decorated with
a large silver pin, elaborately made, and furnished with a number of pendent ornaments.
VOL. I. 3 A
722
ABYSSINIA.
The accompanying illustration exhibits the costume of an Abyssinian lady, and the
difference in dress between herself and her servants. The latter — who, of course, arc her
slaves, no other idea of servitude entering the Abyssinian mind — are washing clothes in a
brook, in preparation for the Feast of St. John, the only day in the year when the Abys-
sinians trouble themselves to wash either their clothes or themselves. Other slaves are
carrying water-jars on their backs — not on their heads ; and in the foreground stands
•WASHING-DAY.
their mistress giving her orders. The reader will note the graceful way in which the
mantle is put on, and the string of leathern amulet cases which hangs by her side.
As to the hair itself, it is dressed in a peculiar manner. It is gathered into a multi-
tude of plaits, beginning at the very top of the head, and falling as low as the neck. Both
sexes have the hair plaited in this manner, but the men wear their plaits in various ways.
According to strict Abyssinian etiquette, which has greatly faded in later years, a youth
who has not distinguished himself ought to wear his hair unplaited. As soon as he has
killed a man in battle, he shaves his head, with the exception of a single plait, and for
every additional victim a fresh plait is added. When he kills the fifth, he is allowed to
wear the whole of his hair in tresses.
This mode of dressing the hair occupies a vast amount of time, but time is of no
value to an Abyssinian, who expends several hours upon his head once every fortnight or
so. The plaits are held in their places by a sort of fixture made of boiled cotton-seeds,
and are plentifully saturated with butter. Vast quantities of this latter article are con-
sumed in Abyssinian toilettes, and it is considered a mark of fashion to place a large
pat of butter on the top of the head before going out in the morning, and to allow it to
be melted by the heat of the sun and run over the hair. Of course it drips from the ends
of the long tresses on the neck and clothes of the wearer, but such stains are considered
as marks of wealth. Sometimes it runs over the face, and is apt to get into the eyes, so
that in hot weather the corner of the quarry is largely used in wiping away the trickling
butter.
In order to preserve the arrangement of the hair during the night, they use instead of
a pillow a sort of short crutch, looking very like a common scraper with a rounded top.
CHAPTER LXV.
ABYSSIN IA— Continued.
GOVERNMENT OF ABYSSINIA — THE EMPEROR AND HIS GENEALOGY THE THREE DISTRICTS AND THEIR
RULERS THE MINOR CHIEFS AND THEIR DISTINGUISHING EMBLEMS KING THEODORE — A BRIEF
SKETCH OF HIS LIFE CAREER FROM THE RANKS TO THE THRONE HIS ATTEMPTS AT REFORM
— ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE A MODERN SOLOMON — MODES OF PUNISHMENT THE LADIES'
GAME ABYSSINIAN PLEADING THE TRIAL BY WAGER — QUARRELSOME CHARACTER OF THE
ABYSSINIANS — THEIR VANITY AND BOASTFULNESS — THE LAW OF DEBT HOSPITALITY AND ITS
DUTIES — COOKERY AND MODES OF EATING THE RAW FLESH FEAST — PEPPER SAUCE — THE
USE OF THE SHOTEL. A WEDDING FEAST ABYSSINIAN DIGESTION.
THE government of the Abyssinians has varied several times, but has mostly settled
down into a sort of divided monarchy.
There is an emperor, supreme king, or Negust, who must be a lineal descendant
of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and who must be crowned by the high priest or
Abuna, an ecclesiastic who corresponds very nearly with the Greek Patriarch. Mostly,
the king holds but nominal sway over the fierce and insubordinate chiefs of provinces,
and, as is likely, the fiercest, cleverest, and most unscrupulous chief generally contrives
to manage the king much as he likes. Should the king be strong-minded enough to hold
his own opinions, the chiefs become dissatisfied, and by degrees fall into a state of chronic
rebellion, as was the case during the last years of Theodore's life.
Each of the great districts has its own Kas, chief, or prince, according to the title that
may be used, and his authority is absolute in his own province. The Eas appoints under
him a number of great chiefs, who bear the title of Dejasmatch (commonly contracted
into Dejatch), corresponding in some degree with our ducal rank. Under these great
chiefs are lesser officers, and each of them is appointed by beat of the great drum of
ceremony and proclamation by the heralds. Men so appointed have the privilege of
drums beating before them on a march or in battle, and their rank, that of " addy negarie,"
or men of honour, confers the same practical power as that of Dejasmatch, the title alone
being wanting.
It may be as well to mention that the late King Theodore held the title of Dejasmatch
before he had himself named King of Ethiopia ; and as the history of this remarkable
man gives some idea of the Abyssinian mode of government, a very brief sketch will be
given of his progress to the throne.
Putting together the various histories that have appeared, and rejecting their many
discrepancies, we come to the following series of events.
Kassai, for such was his name before he changed it to Theodoras, was the son of a
very small chief named Hailu Weleda Georgis, whose only distinction seems to have been
Ins reputed descent from the Queen of Sheba, a tradition of which Kassai afterwards took
advantage. When he died, his little property was seized by his relations, and his widow
was forced to support herself by selling the " kosso," the popular remedy for the tape-
3A2
724- ABYSSINIA.
worm, a creature which is singularly prevalent in this country. Kassai, then a boy, took
refuge in a monastery, where he might have remained until this day, had not a Dejasmatch,
who had turned rebel after their custom, attacked the monastery, burned the huts of which
it was composed, and killed the boys who inhabited it by way of avenging himself on their
parents. Kassai, however, escaped the massacre, and fled to a powerful and warlike
relation, the Dejasmatch Coufu, under whom he learned the management of arms, and as
much of the art of war as was known.
His uncle however died, and his two sons immediately fought for the patrimony ; and,
while they were quarrelling, another powerful Dejasmatch saw his opportunity, swept
down suddenly upon them, and made himself master of the best and most fertile part of
the district.
Again ejected from a home, Kassai contrived to get together a band of followers,
whom we should not wrong very greatly by calling robbers, and for some years lived a
wandering life marvellously resembling that of David in his earlier years. By degrees
his band increased until some of the petty chiefs joined him with their followers, and lie
became a man of such importance that the well-known AVaisoro Mennen, the crafty and
ambitious mother of Eas Ali, finding that he could not be beaten in the field, gave him in
marriage the daughter of the Eas. She, however, proved a faithful wife to him, t.nd
would have nothing to do with the schemes of her grandmother. At last Kassai and
Waisoro Mennen came to an open rupture, and fought a battle, in which the former was
victorious, and captured both the lady and her fine province of Dembea. The latter he
kept, but the former he set at liberty.
Eas Ali then tried to rid himself of his troublesome son-in-law by assigning Dembea
to Berru Goshu, a powerful Dejasmatch, who accordingly invaded the district, and drove
Kassai out of it. This happened in 1850. In less than two years, however, Kassai
reorganized an army, attacked the camp of Berru Goshu, shot him with his own hand,
and got back his province. Thinking that matters were now becoming serious, Eas Ali
took the field in person and marched against Kassai, who conquered him, drove him
among the Gallas for safety, and took possession of the whole of Amhara.
Having secured this splendid prize, he sent to Eas Oubi, the Prince of Tigre, and
demanded tribute. Oubi refused, led his army against Kassai, and lost both his province
and his liberty. The conqueror kept him in prison until 18tO, when his first wife died,
and he married the daughter of Oubi, whom he released and made a tributary vassal.
Being now practically master of the whole country, he sent for Abba Salama, the then
Abuna or Patriarch, and had himself crowned by the title of Theodorus, King of the
kings of Ethiopia. This event took place in 1855 ; and from that time to his death
Theodore maintained his supremacy, his astonishing personal authority keeping in check
the fierce and rebellious spirits by whom he was surrounded. How he really tried
to do the best for his country we all know. Semi-savage as he was by nature, he
possessed many virtues, and, had he known his epoch better, would still have been on
the throne, the ruler of a contented instead of a rebellious people. But he was too far
ahead of his age. He saw the necessity for reforms, and impatiently tried to force them
on the people, instead of gently paving the way for them. The inevitable results followed,
and Theodore's mind at last gave way under the cares of empire and the continual
thwartings of his many schemes. Still, even to the last he never lost his self-reliance nor
his splendid courage, and, though the balance of his mind was gone, and he alternated
between acts of singular kindness and savage cruelty, he fought to the last, and not until
he was deserted by his soldiers did he die by his own hand at the entrance of his
stronghold.
He saw very clearly that the only way to establish a consolidated kingdom was to
break the power of the great chiefs or princes. This he did by the simple process of
putting them in chains until they yielded their executive powers, and contented themselves
rather with the authority of generals than of irresponsible rulers. He was also desirous
of doing away with the custom that made every man an armed soldier, and wished to
substitute a paid standing army for the miscellaneous horde of armed men that filled the
country. He was anxious to promote agriculture, and, according to his own words, not
THE TAME LIONS.
725
only to turn swords into reaping-hooks— a very easy thing, by the way, with an Abyssinian
sword — but to make a ploughing-ox more valuable than a war-horse. To his own branch
of the Church he was deeply attached, and openly said that he had a mission to drive
Islamism from his country, and for that reason was at war with the Gallas, who, as well
as the Shooas and other tribes, profess the religion of Mohammed. That bein^ done, he
intended to march and raze to the ground Mecca and Medina, the two sacre'd citie's of
Islam ; and even projected a march to Jerusalem itself.
His most difficult task, however, was the suppression of the immorality that reigns
throughout Abyssinia, and which, according to Mr. Parkyns, has a curious effect on the
manners of the people. Neither men nor women seem to have any idea that the least
shame can be attached to immorality, and the consequence is that both in word and
THEODORE AND THE LIONS.
manner they are perfectly decorous. To cope with so ingrained a vice seems an imprac-
ticable task, and such it turned out to be. He set the example to his people by only
taking one wife, and when she died he had many scruples about the legality of taking
another, and did not do so until after consultation with European friends and careful
examination of the Bible. He could not, however, keep up the fight against nature, and
in his last years he had resorted to the old custom of the harem.
As the reader would probably like to see what kind of a man was this Theodoras, 1
give a portrait taken from a sketch made of him while he was in the enjoyment of perfect
health of body and mind, and while he was the irresponsible ruler of his country,
knowing of none greater than himself, and having his mind filled with schemes of
conquest of other lands, and reform of his own. The portrait was taken by M. Lejean,
726 ABYSSINIA.
some ten years before the death of Theodorus ; and, in spite of the loss of his hair, which
he wore short iu the last years of his life, and of the ravages which time, anxiety, and
misdirected zeal had made in his features, the face is essentially the same as that of the
dead man who lay within the gates of Magdala on the fatal Good Friday of 1868.
Knowing the character of the people over whom he reigned, Theodore made liberal
use of external accessories for the purpose of striking awe into them, such as magnificent
robes and weapons adorned with the precious metals. Among the most valued of these
accessories were four tame lions, of which he was very fond. These animals travelled
about with him, and even lived in the same stable with the horses, never being chained
or shut up in cages, but allowed to walk about in perfect liberty. They were as tame
and docile as dogs, and M. Lejean states that the only objection to them was the over-
demonstrative affection of their manners. Like cats they delighted to be noticed and
made much of, and were apt to become unpleasantly importunate in soliciting caresses.
They were, however, somewhat short-tempered when travelling over the mountain
ranges, the cold weather of those elevated regions making them uncomfortable and
snappish. With an idea of impressing his subjects with his importance, an act in which
he was eminently successful, Theodore was accustomed to have his lions with him when
he gave audience, and the accompanying portrait was taken from a sketch of the Lion of
Abyssinia seated in the audience-chamber, and surrounded with the living emblems of the
title which he bore, and which he perpetuated in his royal seal.
JUSTICE is administered in various modes, sometimes by the will of the chief, and
sometimes by a sort of court or council of elders. The former process is generally of
a very summary character, and is based on the old Mosaic principle of an eye for an
eye, and a tooth for a tooth. If one man murders another, for example, and the culprit
be detected, the Eas will direct the nearest relation of the murderer to kill him in
precisely the same manner that he killed his victim. One very odd case was investigated
by Oubi, the Eas or Prince of Tig-re".
Two little boys, the elder eight and the younger five years of age, had been walking
together, when they saw a tree laden with fruit. After some difficulty, the elder climbed
into the tree, and, standing on a branch, plucked the fruit and threw it to his little
companion who stood below him. By some accident or other he fell from the tree upon
the head of his playfellow, and killed him on the spot. The parents of the poor child
insisted that the boy who killed him should be arraigned for murder, and, after a vast
amount of consultation, he was found guilty. Eas Oubi then gave sentence. The
culprit was to stand under the branch exactly where had stood the poor little boy. The
eldest brother was then to climb up the tree and fall on the other boy's head until he
killed him.
Theft is generally punished with flogging, the whip being a most formidable weapon,
made of hide, and called, from its length and weight, the " giraffe." A thief is sometimes
taken into the market-place, stripped to the waist, and led by two men, while a third
delivers a terrific series of blows with the giraffe whip. After each blow the delinquent is
forced to exclaim, " All ye who see me thus, profit by my example."
Many other offences, such as sacrilege, rebellion, and the like, are punished by the
loss of a hand or a foot, sometimes of both. The forfeited member is amputated in a very
clumsy way, with a small curved knife, so that a careless or maladroit executioner can
inflict frightful suffering. The culprit generally gives a fee to the executioner, who will
then put as keen an edge as possible on the knife, and tell the sufferer how to arrange his
hand, and spread his fingers, so that the tendons may be stretched, and the joint separated
easily. One man of rank, who had been condemned to lose his left hand, suffered the
operation without moving a muscle of his countenance, and when the hand was severed,
he took it up with his right, and flung it in the face of the presiding chief, with the
exclamation that he still had a hand wherewith to fling a spear. With the same equa-
nimity he dipped the bleeding stump into the boiling oil which is generally used as a
styptic. Sometimes, however, the use of the hot oil is forbidden, and the sufferer is left
to bleed to death.
THE LADIES' GAME.
•27
The Abyssinians, however, are as little sensitive to pain as most African tribes, and
endure with ease injuries which would kill a European. The young men have a curious
amusement, which well exemplifies their insensibility to pain. " When a party of young
men are seated together, the ladies present will bring bits of the pith of millet stems, cut
to about an inch long, and of the thickness of a man's thumb, or, what is better still,
pieces of old rag, rolled tight, so as to form a pellet of similar dimensions. These are
arranged in patterns by each lady on the extended arm of any one whom she may choose,
and their tops lighted.
" The only merit in the man is to allow them to burn themselves out entirely, without
moving his arm so as to cause them to fall, or evincing the slightest consciousness of
pain either by word, look, or gesture. On the contrary, he must continue a flow of agree-
PLEADERS.
able conversation, as if nothing were occurring. The lady operator usually blows her fires
to keep them going, and the material, whether pith or rag, being of a very porous nature,
and burning slowly like tinder, the action of the fire is felt on the skin long before it
actually reaches it. It is, in fact, an operation similar to the ' moxa ' of European surgery.
When the pellets are completely burned out, the lady rubs her hand roughly over the
cauterized parts, so as to remove the burnt skin. On a copper-coloured person the scars,
when well healed, assume a polished black surface, which contrasts very prettily with the
surrounding skin."
The courts of justice, to which allusion has been made, are composed of elders ; or
not unfrequently the chief of the district acts as the magistrate. When two persons fall
into a dispute and bring it before the court, an officer comes for the litigants, and ties
728 ABYSSINIA.
together the corner of their quarries. Holding them by the knot, he leads them before
the magistrate, where each is at liberty to plead his own cause. From the moment that
the knot is tied, neither is allowed to speak, under penalty of a heavy fine, until they
have come before the magistrate ; and when the trial has begun, the plaintiff has the first
right of speech, followed by the defendant in reply. Neither is allowed to interrupt the
other under pain of a fine ; but, in compassion to the weakness of human nature, the non-
speaker may grunt if he likes when the adversary makes any statement that displeases
him.
The oddest part of the proceeding is the custom of betting, or rather paying forfeits,
on the result of the investigation. A plaintiff, for example, offers to bet one, two, or
more mules, and the defendant feels himself bound to accept the challenge, though he
may sometimes modify the amount of the bet. When the case is determined, the loser
pays the sum, not to the winner, but to the chief who decides the case, A " mule," by
the way, does not necessarily mean the animal, but the word is used conventionally to
represent a certain sum of money, so that a " mule " means ten dollars, just as among
English sporting men a " pony " signifies £25.
This practice is carried on to such an extent that Mr. Parkyns has seen ten mules
betted upon the payment of a small quantity of corn, worth only two or three shillings.
The object of the " bet" seems to be that the offer binds the opposite party to carry out
the litigation, and when it is offered, the chief forces the loser to pay under the penalty
of being put in chains.
It may be seen from the foregoing observations that the Abyssinians are rather a
quarrelsome people. This arises chiefly from their vanity, which is extreme, and which
culminates to its highest point when the brain is excited and the tongue loosened by
drink. It was this national characteristic which induced King Theodore to imagine
himself the equal of any monarch on the face of the earth, and to fancy that he could
cope successfully with the power of England.
Mr. Mansfield Parkyns gives a very amusing account of this national failing.
" Vanity is one of the principal besetting sins of the Abyssinians, and it is to this
weakness, when brought out by liquor, that the origin of most of their quarrels may be
traced. I remember more than once to have heard a remark something like the following
made by one of two men who, from being ' my dear friends,' had chosen to sit next to each
other at table : ' You're a very good fellow, and my very dear friend ; but (hiccup) you
aren't half so brave or handsome as I am ! ' The ' very dear friend ' denies the fact in a
tone of voice denoting anything but amity, and states that his opinion is exactly the
reverse. The parties warm in the argument ; words, as is usual when men are in such a
state, are bandied about without any measure, and often without much meaning ; insults
follow ; then blows ; and if the parties round them be in a similar condition to them-
selves, and do not immediately separate them, it frequently happens that swords are
drawn.
" Dangerous wounds or death are the consequence ; or, as is not uncommon, others of
the party, siding with the quarrellers, probably with the idea of settling the affair, are
induced to join in the row, which in the end becomes a general engagement. I have
noticed this trait of vanity as exhibiting itself in various ways in a drunken Abyssinian.
I always found that the best plan for keeping a man quiet, when in this state, was to
remark to him that it was unbecoming in a great man to behave in such a way, that
people of rank were dignified and reserved in their manners and conversation.
" And thus I have argued very successfully with my own servants on more than one
occasion, flattering them while they were tipsy, and then paying them off with a five-foot
male bamboo when they got sober again.
" I recollect one fellow who was privileged, for he had asked my leave to go to a
party and get drunk. On returning home in the evening, he staggered into my room in
as dignified a manner as he could, and, seating himself beside me on my couch, embraced
me with tears in his eyes, made me a thousand protestations of attachment and affection,
offering to serve me in any way he could, but never by a single expression evincing that
he considered me as other than a dear friend, and that indeed in rather a patronising
THE LAW OF DEBT. 729
fashion, although the same fellow was in the habit of washing my feet, and kissing them
afterwards, every evening, and would, if sober, have no more thought of seating himself,
even on the ground, in my presence, than of jumping over, the moon.
" With his fellow-servants, too, he acted similarly ; for though he knew them all, and
their characters and positions, he addressed them as his servants, ordering them about,
and upbraiding them for sundry peccadilloes which they had doubtless committed, and
which thus came to my knowledge. In fact, in every point he acted to perfection the
manners and language of a great man ; and so often have I seen the same mimicry, that
it has led me to believe that the chief mental employment of the lowest fellow in the
country is building castles in the air, and practising to himself how he would act, and
what he would say, if he were a great man."
The law of debt is a very severe one. The debtor is thrown into prison, and chained
to the wall by the wrist. The ring that encloses the wrist is a broad hoop or bracelet of
iron, which is forced asunder far enough to permit the hand to enter, and is then hammered
together tightly enough to prevent the hand from being withdrawn. After a while, if the
sum be not paid, the bracelet is hammered a little tighter ; and so the creditor continues
to tighten the iron until it is driven into the flesh, the course of the blood checked, and
the hand finally destroyed by mortification.
Should the Government be the creditor for unpaid tribute, a company of soldiers is
quartered on the debtor, and he is obliged to feed thei a with the best of everything under
pain of brutal ill-treatment. Of course this mode o: enforcing payment often has the
opposite effect, and, when a heavy tax has been pro ;laimed in a district, the people run
away en masse from the villages. In such a case th 2 head-man of the village is respon-
sible for the entire amount, and sometimes is obliged to make his escape with as much
portable property as he can manage to carry off.
WHEN rightly managed, the Abyssinians are a hospitable people. Some travellers
take a soldier with them, and demand food and lodging. These of course are given,
through fear, but without a welcome. The right mode is, that when a traveller comes to
a village, he sits under a tree, and waits. The villagers soon gather round him, question
him, and make remarks on his appearance with perfect candour. After he has undergone
this ordeal, some one is sure to ask him to his house, and, should he happen to be a person
of distinction, one of the chief men is certain to be his host.
When Mr. Parkyns was residing in Abyssinia, he always adopted this plan. On one
occasion the head-man invited him to his house, and treated him most hospitably, apolo-
gising for the want of better food on the ground that he had lately been made liable for
the tribute of a number of persons who had run away, and was consequently much re-
duced iii the world. It proved that sixteen householders had escaped to avoid the tax,
and that the unfortunate man had to pay the whole of it, amounting to a sum which
forced him to sell his horse, mule, and nearly all his plough-oxen, and, even when he was
entertaining his visitor, he was in dread lest the soldiers should be quartered on him.
The question of hospitality naturally leads us to the cooking and mode of eating as
practised in Abyssinia, about which so many strange stories have been told. We have
all heard of Bruce's account of the eating of raw meat cut from the limbs of a living
bullock, and of the storm of derision which was raised by the tale. W« will see how
far he was borne out by facts.
The " staff of life " is prepared in Abyssinia much after the same fashion as in other
parts of Africa, the grain being ground between two stones, and then made into a sort of
very thin paste, about the consistency of gruel. This paste is allowed to remain in a jar
for a day and night in order to become sour, and is then taken to the oven. This is a
very curious article, being a slab of earthenware in which a concave hollow is made, and
furnished with a small cover of the same material. A fire is made beneath the oven,
or " magogo," as it is termed, and when it is hot the baker, who is always a woman,
proceeds to work.
She first rubs the hollow with an oily seed in order to prevent the bread from
adhering to it, and then with a gourd ladle takes some of the thin dough from the jar.
730
ABYSSINIA.
The gourd holds exactly enough to make one loaf, or rather cake. With a rapid move-
ment the woman spreads the dough over the entire hollow, and then puts on the. cover.
In two or three minutes it is removed, and the bread is peeled off in one flat circular
piece, some eighteen inches in width, and about the eighth of an inch in thickness. This
bread, called " teff," is the ordinary diet of an Abyssinian. It is very sour, very soft, and
very spongy, and requires an experienced palate to appreciate it. There are several other
kinds of bread, but the teff is that which is most valued.
As to the meat diet of the Abyssinians, it may be roughly divided into cooked and
uncooked meat. Cooked meat is usually prepared from the least valued parts of the
animal. It is cut up into little pieces, and stewed in a pot together with other ingre-
dients, a considerable quantity of butter, and such an amount of capsicum pods that the
vhole mess is of a light red colour, and a drop of it leaves a red stain on any garment
DINNER PARTY
on which it may happen to fall. This paste is called " dillikh," and is made by grinding
together a quantity of capsicum pods and an equal amount of onions, to which are added
ginger, salt, black pepper, and other herbs, according to the taste of the preparer.
The poorer class, who cannot afford meat, can still make dillikh paste, and live almost
entirely on teff, clotted milk, and dillikh.
But the great treat for an Abyssinian epicure is the " broundo," or raw meat, about
which he is as fastidious as the European bon vivant about his sauces and ragouts. Not
an Abyssinian will eat any animal which has incisor teeth in its upper jaw, and, like the
Jews, they even reject the camel, because it has not a cloven hoof.
According to the account given by Bruce, when a dinner party is assembled, a cow is
brought to the door of the house, bound, flung down, and a few drops of its blood poured
on the ground in order to save the letter of the Mosaic law. The butchers then cut large
strips of meat from the poor beast, taking care to avoid the vital parts and larger vessels,
and managing so as to remove the flesh without much effusion of blood.
The still warm flesh is taken within the house, where it is sliced into strips by the
men, and handed to the women who sit by their side. The women cut it up into small
BEUCE'S ACCOUNT. 731
squares, lay it on the "teff" bread, season it plentifully with the dillikh paste, roll it up
iuto balls, and push the balls into the mouth of their companion, who eats until he is
satisfied, and then reciprocates the attention by making up a couple of similar balls, and
putting them into the mouths of the women.
Mead and tedge are then consumed as largely as the meat, and, according to Bruce, a
scene of the most abominable licentiousness accompanies the conclusion of the festival.
These statements have been much controverted, but there is no doubt that, in the
main, the narrative of Bruce was a truthful one. Many of the facts of which he wrote
have since been corroborated, while the changes to which Abyssinia has been subjected
will account for unimportant variations. Later travellers, for example, have not witnessed
such a scene as has been narrated by Bruce, but that is no reason why such a scene
should not have occurred. The most important part of it, namely, the eating of raw flesh,
has been repeatedly corroborated, especially by Mansfield Parkyns, who lived so long with
the Abyssinians, dressed like them, fed like them, and accommodated himself in most
respects to their mode of life.
He found that meat was always, if possible, eaten in the raw state, only the inferior
qualities being made fit for consumption by cookery. His description of the mode of
eating tallies exactly with that of Bruce. The meat is always brought to the consumer
while still warm and quivering with life, as it becomes tough and stringy when suffered
to become cold. Each guest is furnished with plenty of teff and the invariable pepper
sauce. His fingers take the place of a fork, and his sword, or shotel, does duty for a knife.
Holding the broundo in his left hand, he takes into his capacious mouth as much as it can
accommodate, and then, with an adroit upward stroke of the sword, severs the piece of
meat, and just contrives to avoid cutting off his nose. He alternates the pieces of meat
with teff and dillikh, and, when he has finished, refreshes himself copiously with drink.
Such food as this appears to be indescribably disgusting, and very unfit for a nation
that prides itself on its Christianity. Many persons, indeed, have said that no one -could
eat raw meat except when pressed by starvation, and have therefore discredited all
accounts of the practice.
Perhaps my readers may remember that after Bruce's return a gentleman was making
very merry with this account in the traveller's presence, treating the whole story as a
fabrication, on the ground that to eat raw meat was impossible. Bruce said nothing, but
quietly left the room, and presently returned with a piece of beef rolled and peppered
after the Abyssinian fashion, and gave his astonished opponent the choice of eating the
meat or fighting him on the spot. As Bruce was of gigantic strength arid stature, and
an accomplished swordsman to boot, the meat wras eaten, and the fact proved to be
possible.
Mr. Parkyns, who, when in Abyssinia, very wisely did as the Abyssinians do, found
that he soon became accustomed to the taste of raw meat, and learned how to prefer
one part of an animal to another. He discovered that a very good imitation of an oyster
could be made by chopping up a sheep's liver very fine, and seasoning it with pepper, vinegar,
and a little salt, provided that the consumer shut his eyes while eating it. He even
learned to appreciate a dish called chogera, which seems to be about the very acme of
abomination It consists of the liver and stomach chopped up fine, mixed with a little
of the half-digested grass found in the stomach, flavoured with the contents of the gall
bladder, plentifully seasoned with pepper, salt, and onions, and eaten uncooked.
An Abyssinian's digestion is marvellous, and almost rivals that of a pike, which will
digest half of a fish in its stomach while the other half is protruding from its mouth.
He will go to any number of feasts in a day, and bring a fine fresh appetite to each of
them, consuming at a meal a quantity that would suffice seven or eight hungry English-
men. Mr. Parkyns once gave a breakfast to fourteen guests, thinking that, as they were
engaged for three or four other feasts on the same- day, they would perhaps eat but little.
Keeping up, however, the old hospitable customs, he killed a cow and two fat sheep,
and provided many gallons of mead and an infinite quantity of " teff." To his astonish-
ment, the whole of this enormous supply vanished, as he says, " like smoke " before his
guests, who k-rt scarcely a scrap for their servants. And, after this feast, the whole of
732 ABYSSINIA.
the party proceeded to another house, where they were treated in a similarly liberal
manner, and employed the day in a series of four or five such banquets.
The Abyssinians are very fastidious respecting the part of the animal from which the
broundo is cut, and have a vast number of names to express the different qualities of meat.
The most valued portion is the hump of the shoulder, the first cut of which is always
given to the man of the highest rank. Consequently, when several men of nearly equal
rank meet, a polite controversy is carried on for some time, each offering the cut of
honour to his neighbour.
On one occasion this piece of etiquette produced fatal results. Several Amhara chiefs
were present, together with one Tigr<kn. The latter, in order to assert the superiority of
his own province, drew his sword and helped himself to the first cut, whereupon he was
immediately challenged by two Amhara warriors. He accepted the challenge, fought
them both, killed them both, and so vindicated the course which he had taken.
The quantity which an Abyssinian will eat when he gets the chance must be seen to
be appreciated. See for example Mr. Parkyns' account of a feast at an Abyssinian
wedding: —
" The Abyssinian guests were squatted round the tables in long rows, feeding as if
their lives depended on the quantity they could devour, and washing it down with floods
of drink. I never could have believed that any people could take so much food, and
certainly, if the reader wishes to see a curious exhibition in the feeding line, he has only
to run over to Abyssinia, and be present at a wedding-feast.
" Imagine two or three hundred half-naked men and women all in one room, eating
and drinking in the way I have described in a former chapter, but with this difference —
that the private party is well ordered and arranged, while the public ' hang-out ' is a scene
of the most terrible confusion. Here all decorum is lost sight of; and you see the
waiters, each with a huge piece of raw beef in his hands, rushing frantically to and fro
in his desire to satisfy the voracious appetites of the guests, who, as he comes within
their reach, grasp the meat, and with their long crooked swords hack off a lump or strip,
as the case may be, in their eagerness not to lose their share.
" One man was reported on this occasion to have eaten ' tallak ' and ' tamash ' of raw
beef (each weighing from four to five pounds) and seven cakes of bread, and to have
drunk twenty-six pints of beer and ' tedge.' From what I saw I can believe a good deal,
but this appears rather a ' stretcher.'
" We of the Frank sect were presented with our share of the ' broundo ; ' but as our
thoughtful host had informed us that a dinner, cooked by his own hands in the Turkish
style, was awaiting us in an inner apartment, we merely, for formality's sake, tasted the
offered delicacies, and then handed them over to our servants, who, standing behind us,
were ready enough to make away with them. The silversmith Michael, before coming to
the feasfc, had, it would appear, been pouring a tolerably copious libation to some god or
other, for he was considerably elevated, and, being anxious to show off, commenced eating
in the Abyssinian fashion, nor did he stop until he had cut a large gash in his nose."
The hands are always carefully washed both before and after a meal. Just before the
feast is over, the servants come round with baskets to the guests, each of whom places in
the basket a portion of his food. As to the little boys, they crawl about under the tables,
and among the legs of the guests, and are always ready for any fragments that may be
accidentally dropped or intentionally given to them.
The beer, or " tedge," and mead, which have been mentioned, are favourite drinks
among the Abyssinians. The former is very thick and gruel-like, and to a European is
very repulsive. The latter, however, is tolerably good, and is kept carefully in large jars.
The mouth of each jar is covered with a piece of cotfan cloth drawn tightly over it. This
is not removed when the mead is poured out, and acts as a strainer.
CHAPTER LXVI.
ABYSSINIA— Continued.
BIRTH, LIFE, AND DEATH OF THE ABY8SINIAN8 — CEREMONIES AT BIRTH THE CIRCUMCISION AND
BAPTISM CARE AS TO THE EXACT DATE OF EACH RITE — MARRIAGE, CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS, AND
THEIR DIFFERENT CHARACTERS — THE CIVIL MARRIAGE AND ITS ATTENDANT CEREMONIES —
DEATH AND FUNERAL — SHAPE OF THK GRAVE — THE HIRED MOURNERS — THE SUCCESSIVE COM-
MEMORATIONS OF THE DEAD — RAISING THE HAI-HO — THE RELIGION OF ABYSSINIA — FASTING AND
FEASTING BOTH CARRIED TO EXTREMES — ST. JOHN'S DAY AND THE ANNUAL WASHING — FRIENDLY
SKIRMISHES — ABYSSINIAN CHURCHES — THE SANCTUARY AND THE ARK — THE ARK IN BATTLE —
IGNORANCE OF THE PRIESTHOOD THE BIBLE A SEALED BOOK TO PRIESTS AND LAYMEN LIFE
OF A SAINT — SUPERSTITION TRANSFORMATION THE BOUDA AND THE TIGRITIYA EXAMPLES
SEEN BY MR. PARKYNS ABYSSINIAN ARCHITECTURE.
WE will now cursorily glance at the life of an Abyssinian from his birth to his funeral.
As soon as the birth of a child is expected, all the men leave the house, as they would
be considered as polluted if they were under the same roof, and would not be allowed to
enter a church for forty days. The women take immediate charge of the new comer, wash
and perfume it, and mould its little features in order to make them handsome. Should
it be a boy, it is held up to the window until a warrior thrusts a lance into the room
and pokes it into the child's mouth, this ceremony being supposed to make it courageous.
The throat of a fowl is then cut in front of the child, and the women utter their joy-cries
— twelve times for a boy and three times for a girl. They then rush tumultuously out
of the house, and try to catch the men. If they succeed, they hustle their captives
about, and force them to ransom themselves by a jar of mead, or some such present.
Next come the religious ceremonies; and it is not the least curious point in the religious
system of the Abyssinians that they have retained the Jewish rite, to which they super-
added Christian baptism. Eight days after birth the child is circumcised, twenty days
afterwards the priests enter the house, and perform a purification service which restores it
to general use, and forty days afterwards the baptism takes place, should the child be a
boy, and eighty days if a girl. A plaited cord of red, blue, and white silk is then placed
round the child's neck, as a token that it has been baptized, which is afterwards exchanged
for the blue cord, or " match," worn by all Christian Abyssinians. There is a curious law
that, if either of the sponsors should die without issue, his godchild becomes the heir to
his property.
The priests are very particular about the date of the baptism. They believe that
Adam and Eve did not receive the spirit of life until they had been created forty and
eighty days. Should the father miscalculate the date, he would be sentenced to a year's
fasting ; while the priest is liable to a similar penalty if he should happen to assign the
wrong day.
As to their marriages, the Abyssinians manage them very easily. As soon as betrothal
takes place, which is mostly at a very early age, the couple are not allowed to see each
other, even though they may have enjoyed the greatest liberty beforehand. So rigidly is
734 ABYSSINIA.
this practice carried out in Tigre, that the bride never leaves her father's house until her
marriage, believing that if she did so she would be bitten by a snake.
Just before the wedding-day, a " dass," or marquee, is built of stakes and reeds for
the reception of the wedding- party, in which the marriage-feast is prepared. Certain
distinguished guests have special places reserved for them ; but any one is at liberty to
enter and eat to his heart's content. A scene of great turmoil always occurs on these
occasions, a crowd of men who have already been fed trying to gain re -admission, whilst
another crowd of hungry applicants is fighting and pushing towards the entrance. Order
is kept to some extent by a number of young men who volunteer their services, and are
allowed to exercise their office as they think best, hitting about at the crowd, and no man
returning their blows. As soon as one batch of guests have eaten as much as they can
be expected to consume, the door-keepers turn them out by main force and admit a
fresh batch.
After the feast, the bride is carried in upon a man's back, and put down, like a sack
of coals, on a stool. Music and dancing then take place, while the bridegroom, attended
by his groomsmen, or " arkees," is proceeding to the house, accompanied by his friends,
and preceded by music. When he arrives, the marriage — which is a civil rather than a
religious ceremony — takes place, an address being delivered to the married couple by a
priest, should one happen to be present ; if not, by an elder ; and the actual ceremony is
at an end.
The arkees have a number of curious offices to perform, among which is the custom of
collecting gifts for the newly- married couple, begging with songs and drum-beating before
the houses. If nothing be given them, they take it ; and after a wedding the robberies
are countless, the arkees being privileged persons during their term of office. They are
even allowed to perjure themselves — a crime which is held in the deepest abhorrence by
all Abyssinian Christians. Should a person from whom anything is stolen offer a present
as a ransom, the arkees are obliged to give up the stolen property ; but should they have
taken fowls or any other edibles, there is no restitution possible, the arkees taking care to
have them cooked and eaten at once.
Such marriages, being merely civil ceremonies, are dissolved as easily as they are
made, the slightest pretext on either side being considered as sufficient for the separation.
Should there be children, the father takes the boys, and the mother the girls, and each
will probably marry again almost immediately.
In consequence of this very easy arrangement, it often happens that, in one family of
children, two may be by one mother, two by another, and one or two more by a third ; and
it is almost invariably the case that the children of one father by different mothers hate
each other cordially, while the children of one mother by different fathers live together
in amity.
Besides these civil marriages, which are really no marriages at all, there are eccle-
siastical marriages, which are held to be indissoluble. These, however, are very seldom
contracted except between persons who have been civilly married, and have found, after
many years of experience, that they cannot be better suited. They therefore go to the
church, are married by the priest, and receive the Communion together.
When an Abyssinian dies, the funeral takes place within a very short time, the same
day being preferred if possible. The death being announced from the house-top by the
relatives, and by messengers to the neighbouring villages, a grave is at once dug by
volunteers. There are no professional grave-diggers in Abyssinia, but, as the act of
burying the dead is considered as a meritorious one, plenty of assistance is always found.
The body is then placed on a couch and carried to the grave, the whole of the Psalter
being repeated as the procession makes its way. Six halts are made during the progress
of the body to the church, at each of which incense is burned over it, and certain portions
of the Scriptures are read, or rather gabbled, as fast as the words can be repeated. In
order to save time, each priest or scribe who is present has a certain portion assigned to
him, and they all read at once, so that not a word can be caught by the mourners. These,
however, are making such a noise on their own account that they do not trouble them-
selves about hearing the Scriptures.
FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 735
The bearers of the corpse manage so that their seventh halt is made at the church
gate. Here more portions of Scripture are read in the same time-saving fashion, while
the body is wrapped in a cloth made of palm-leaves, this being emblematical of the palms
thrown before our Lord on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. When the grave is
ready, the priest descends into it and censes it, after which the body is lowered and the
earth filled in.
In consequence of the rapidity with which burial follows death, the mourning
ceremonies are postponed for three days, so as to give time for assembling the mourners,
and making the corresponding preparations.
On that day the mourners proceed to a spot near the church, on which is placed a
couch containing a rude figure of a human being, supposed to represent the deceased
person. The relations appear with their heads shaven like those of the priests, and
among the Tigreans they rub their foreheads and temples with the borders of their
robes until they take off the skin, and produce sores which often occupy many weeks in
healing. Mostly the injury is so great, that when the skin is renewed it is blacker than
the rest of the body, and remains so during life, giving to the face a very singular
expression. The Amharas do not employ this mode of showing their grief.
Each of the mourners then advances, and pronounces a sort of eulogy on the deceased,
generally uttering their panegyrics in a sort of rude verse. In case, however, the rela-
tives should not be good poets, a number of professional mourners attend the funeral,
some being hired, but the greater number coming merely in hope of a fee and a share in
the funeral banquet which concludes the proceedings. According to Mr. Parkyns, these
people will give minute details of the history of the dead man, his deeds, character, and
even his property ; and this to a great length, thus : " 0 Gabron, son of Welda Mousa,
grandson of Ita Garra Raphael, &c. &c. ; rider of the bay horse with white feet, and of the
grey ambling mule; owner of the Damascus barrel-gun, and bearer of the silver-mounted
shield, why have you left us?" &c., entering with astonishing readiness into every
particular of the deceased's life and actions. All the bystanders, at the end of each verse,
break in with a chorus of sobbing lamentations, adapted to a mournful chant, " Moni !
wai ! wai ! wailayay ! wailay ! wailayay ! &c., which has a pretty plaintive sound,
especially when, as is usually the case, a number of soft female voices join in.
" The ' ambilta ' and the ' cundan ' keep time with them, and add not a little to the
effect. This continues until all the expected friends have arrived, and had their fill of
wailing ; and about noon the whole party retire to the house, where a cow is killed, and
a quantity of provisions provided for those who have come from a distance. Everything,
except the cow, is usually furnished by the neighbours, as the mourners are supposed to
be so overwhelmed with grief as to be unable to attend to such preparations."
The " ambilta," which is mentioned above, is a musical instrument composed of a set
of six pipes, each performer having one pipe, and each pipe only having one note. The
" cundan melakhat " is made of four long cane tubes, each having a bell, and a reed
mouth-piece, like that of a clarionet. They are played in succession like the ambilta,
and give forth very harsh and unpleasant notes. Both instruments are generally accom-
panied by a small drum. Although the immediate ceremonies of the funeral terminate
with this feast, they are not totally completed. Indeed, for a whole year, masses are
said regularly for forty days, and another mass is said on the eightieth day. A second
and larger edition of the funeral feast, called the " teskar," is held six months after the
burial, and sometimes lasts for several days.
To this feast come all the poor, who claim for themselves the right of being helped
before any of the regular guests. They seat themselves in the " dass," and pour out loud
invocations, until an official comes round, and slightly taps each one on the head with a
stick. The man who has been thus signalled holds out his hands, and receives in them a
portion of meat rolled up in " teff " bread. When all have been served, they hold the
food under their mouths, and call, in a very loud voice, " Hai . . . oh ! " the last syllable
being protracted until they have no more breath.
This " Hai ... oh " is thought to be a sort of benediction, and very few would dare to
omit it. Such an omission would be taken as a drawing down of the maledictions of the
736 ABYSSINIA.
poor, and would excite the greatest contempt. If such a man were to quarrel, his oppo-
nent would be sure to say to him, " Ah ! you are the man who made no ' hai ... oh ' for
his brother."
On the next day the priests and men of highest rank assemble, and day by day the
rank of the guests diminishes, until the seventh day is contemptuously given to the
women. Six months after the teskar another feast, but of a larger kind, is held, and on
every anniversary of the funeral food is sent to the priests.
WE now naturally come to the religion of the Abyssinians.
This is a kind of Christianity which consists chiefly in fasting, so that an Abyssinian
life oscillates between alternate severe fasts and inordinate gluttony. The fasts of the
Abyssinian Church occupy nearly two-thirds of the year, and are measured in duration
by the length of the shadow. One fast, for example, must be kept until a man's shadow
measures in length nine and a half of his own feet, another until it is nine feet, and a
third until it is ten feet long. And these fasts are real ones, no food of any kind being
taken until the prescribed time, and no such modifications as fish, &c., being allowed to
mitigate their severity. During Good Friday and the following Saturday the clergy, and
all who have any pretensions to religion, fast for forty-eight hours ; and altogether,
including the Wednesdays and Fridays, two hundred and sixty days of fasting occur in
the year.
During the long fasts, such as that of Lent, which lasts for fifty-five days, the people
are allowed to eat on the mornings of Saturday and Sunday, but, even in that case, meat
in any form is strictly forbidden.
As soon as the lengthening shadow proclaims the end of the fast, the feasting sets in,
and during the season of Epiphany the whole night is passed in a succession of eating,
drinking, singing, dancing, and praying, each being considered equally a religious duty.
Then there is a sort of game, much resembling our " hockey," at which all the people
play, those from one district contending againgst those of another, much as the Ashburne
North and South football match used to be conducted on Shrove Tuesday.
St. John's Day is a great feast among the Abyssinians, and has this pre-eminence over
the others, that all the people not only wash themselves, but their clothes also. It is
the only day when the Abyssinians apply water externally, with the exception of washing
the hands before and after meals, and the feet after a journey. In" fact, they consider that
washing the body is a heathenish and altogether un-Christian practice, only to be
practised by the Mohammedans and such like contemptible beings.
Between St. John's Day and the feast of Mascal, or the Cross, the young people of
both sexes keep up a continual skirmishing. In the evening they all leave their houses,
the boys with bunches of nettles, and the girls with gourds filled with all kinds of filth.
When they meet, they launch volleys of abuse at each other, the language being not the
most delicate in the world, and then proceed to active measures, the girls flinging the
contents of the gourds at the boys, while the latter retaliate by nettling the girls about
their naked shoulders.
The day on which the greatest ceremonials take place is the feast of Mascal. On the
eve of Mascal every one goes about with torches, first carrying them over the houses, and
peering into every crevice like the Jews looking for leaven, and then sallying into the
air. . The play which ensues mostly turns into a fight, which reminded Mr. Parkyns of
the town and gown rows at college, and which begin in the same way, i.e. with the
mischievous little boys. These begin at first to abuse each other, and then to fight.
Next, a man sees his son getting rather roughly handled, drags him out of the fray, and
pommels his antagonist. The father of the latter comes to the rescue of his son, the
friends of each party join in the struggle, and a general fight takes place. Mostly these
contests are harmless, but, if the combatants have been indulging too freely in drink,
they are apt to resort to their weapons, and to inflict fatal injuries.
During the night great fires of wood are built by the chiefs on the highest hills near
the towns, and set on fire before daybreak. Oxen and sheep are then led three times
round the fires, slaughtered, and left to be eaten by the birds and beasts of prey. This
LOW STANDARD OF EDUCATION. Y37
is distinctly a heathen custom, both the position of the altar and the mode of sacrifice
designating clearly the fire-worshipper. When, therefore, the people awake in the
morning after the fatigue and dissipation of the night, they find the whole country
illuminated with these hill-fires.
They then go to their several chiefs, and all the soldiers boast before him of their
prowess, some describing the feats which they have done before the enemy, and others
prophesying the feats that they intend to do when they happen to meet an enemy.
Gifts are mostly presented at this time, and feasting goes on as usual; every chief,
however petty, slaughtering as many cows as he can afford, and almost every house-
holder killing at least one cow.
The churches of Abyssinia are not in the least like those edifices with which we
generally associate the name of church, being small, low, flat-roofed, and, indeed, very
much like the old Jewish tabernacle transformed into a permanent building. Some of the
more modern churches are oblong or square, but the real ancient Abyssinian buildings
are circular, and exactly resemble the ordinary houses, except that they are rather larger.
They are divided into three compartments by concentric walls. The space between the
first and second wall is that in which the laity stand, the priests alone having the privi-
lege of entering the holy place within the second wall
In the very centre is a small compartment, sometimes square and sometimes circular.
This is the Most Holy Place, and contains the ark, which is venerated almost as much
by the Abyssinians as the ancient ark was reverenced by the Jews. The ark is merely a
wooden box, in many churches being of extreme antiquity, and within it is placed the
Decalogue. Over the ark is a canopy of silk or chintz, and around it are a vast number
of silken and cotton rags. They even fancy that the original ark of the Jews is deposited
within a rock-shrine in Abyssinia.
The Abyssinians also follow the old Jewish custom of taking their sacred shrine
into battle.
In the illustration on page 738, which represents a battle between the Abyssinians
and Gallas, is seen the king, shaded with his umbrellas, giving orders to a mounted chief,
Vvhose ornamented shield and silver coronal denote his rank. In the distance may be
seen villages on fire, while on the right an attack is being made on one of the lofty
strongholds in which the people love to entrench themselves. Several dead Gallas are seen
in the foreground, and in front of the king are some of the fallen prisoners begging for
mercy.
In the right-hand corner of the illustration is seen a conical object on the back of a
mule. This is one of their shrines, which accompanies them as the ark used to accom-
pany the Israelites to battle. The shrine mostly contains either a Bible or the relics of
some favourite saint, and the covering of the mule is always of scarlet cloth. Two
priests, with their white robes and turbans, are seen guarding the mule.
Paintings of the rudest possible description decorate the walls of the church, and
are looked upon with the greatest awe, though they are no better in execution than the
handiwork of a child of six. Their subjects are generally the Crucifixion and con-
ventional portraits of saints, St. George being, perhaps, the greatest favourite, and having
the most numerous representations.
The priesthood are, as may be imagined, no very good examples either of piety or
letters. Some of them, but by no means all, can read ; and even of those who do possess
this accomplishment, very few trouble themselves to understand what they read, but
gabble the words in parrot fashion, without producing the least impression on the brain.
Such being the education of the teachers, that of the taught may be inferred ; in fact,
no Abyssinian layman can read. The late King Theodore was a brilliant exception to
this general rule ; but then it must be remembered that he had passed several years in a
monastery, and had partaken of the same educational privileges as those who were
intended for the priesthood. Consequently, the Bible is a sealed book to all the laity
and to a very large proportion of the priests, and the lives of the saints, and the various
written charms which they purchase so freely, are by the Abyssinians valued far above
the sacred volume itself.
VOL. L SB
738
ABYSSINIA.
As moreover the scribes, who are the most educated men in the country, gain their
living by writing copies of the Bible, of the lives of the saints, and by writing charms,
it is their interest to keep the people in ignorance, even though the laity were to manifest
any desire to think for themselves. As, however, thinking is far too troublesome a process
for them, they very contentedly leave all their religious matters in the hands of their
clergy. Each man to his own business, say they — the warriors to fight, the priests
to pray.
As for these lives of the saints, they are a collection of the most marvellous tales,
often ludicrous and puerilo, mostly blasphemous according to our ideas on the subject,
but sometimes highly poetic and even touching the sublime. There is one tale of
St. Gabro Memfus Kouddos, i.e. Slave of the Holy Spirit, which contrives to comprise in
THE BATTLE-FIELD.
itself all these elements. He was born a saint, stood up and repeated the threefold invo-
cation three days after his birth, and was so very holy that for his entire life he took no
nourishment of any kind.
Once he fell over a precipice three hundred feet deep, and when the angels spread
their wings under him he declined their assistance, giving his reasons at such length that
the fall must have been a very slow one. The apparently blasphemous portions of his
life I omit, and proceed to the end of it.
He would go on living for such an unconscionable time that at last the angel of death
was sent personally to fetch him. The saint, however, declined the invitation, and
logically argued that, as he had neither eaten nor drunk, his body did not belong to earth,
therefore could not be restored to earth, and that, on the whole, any change must be foi1
SUPEESTITIOUS LEGENDS. 739
the worse. All the previous saints came and tried to persuade him, and at last he found
himself obliged to die. But then there was a great controversy as to the destination of
his body. Air, of course, would not take it ; and as the saint had never eaten nor drunk
nor used a fire, neither of the elements could receive his body ; and so he was again
restored to it, and, still living, was taken up to heaven. Any of our readers who have
perused the Talmud will remember a similar legend, which is doubtless the origin of the
above-mentioned story.
This being a sample, and a very mild one, of the religion of the Abyssinians, we may
easily imagine what must be their superstitions.
These are of the genuine African cast, and have survived with undiminished strength
in spite of the system of Christianity which has so long existed in Abyssinia.
The people fully believe in the power of transformation. There is a sort of demon,
called Bouda, who possesses this power, and is supposed to be the special demon of
blacksmiths. Now in Abyssinia the trade of blacksmith is hereditary, and is considered
a disgraceful one, all smiths being looked upon as sorcerers. This idea has evidently
taken its rise from times of great antiquity, when the power of smelting, forging, and
welding iron was thought to be too wonderful to be possessed by ordinary human beings.
Mr. Parkyns narrates several instances of this belief in transformation. He knew,
for example, of two little girls who had been in the forest to gather wood, and came back
in a great fright. They had met a blacksmith, and had begun to jeer at him for a wizard,
asking him as a proof of his power to turn himself into a hysena. The man took them
at their word, untied a corner of his robe, took out some ashes, and sprinkled them over
his shoulders. Immediately his head changed into that of a hyaena, hair spread itself
over his body, and, before they could recover from the terror which paralysed them, the
now complete hyaena grinned and laughed at them, and then trotted into the neighbouring
bush.
Another story curiously resembles some of the transformation tales of the Arabian
Nights.
Two Bouda brothers used to make a good living by their powers of transformation.
One of them would change himself into a horse, mule, or some other valuable animal,
and was then sold by his brother. In the middle of the night the transformed man
resumed his human shape, and walked home to join his brother. This went on for some
time, but at last no one would buy from them, as they kept no stock. No one knew
where they obtained the animals wThich they sold, and, moreover, no one liked to buy
animals which had a knack of always escaping before twenty-four hours. At last one
man determined to solve the mystery. One of the Bouda brothers offered for sale a
peculiarly handsome horse. The man bought it, and as soon as he got the animal out of
the town, he drove his lance through its heart, and killed it on the spot.
He then threw himself in the way of the seller, and uttered loud lamentations over
his hasty temper, which had caused him to kill so splendid an animal. The Bouda
contrived to hide his emotion until he reached his home, and then began the usual
lamentations for the dead, rubbing the skin off his temples and wailing loudly. On being
questioned, he said that he was mourning the death of his brother, who had been robbed
and murdered by the Gallas, from whom he had been buying horses for sale.
It seems also that the Boudas can transform other persons into animals, even without
their consent.
A woman had died, and, immediately after the funeral, a blacksmith came to the priest
in charge of the cemetery, and bribed him to give up the newly-buried corpse. This was
done, and the neighbours all remarked that the blacksmith had purchased a remarkably
fine donkey, on which he always rode. There was this peculiarity about the animal, that
it always wanted to run into the house where the dead woman had lived, and whenever
it met any of the young people brayed loudly, and ran towards them.
The eldest son being a very intelligent young man, suddenly declared that the animal
in question must be his mother, and insisted on bringing the ass and its rider into the
hut. Here the animal seemed quite at home : and the smith was charged with being a
Bouda, and with changing the body of the woman into an ass. At first he repudiated the
3fi2
740 ABYSSINIA.
assertion, but at last, by dint of mingled threats and promises, he confessed that he had
indeed wrought the change. The woman was not dead, but was only in a trance into
which he had thrown her, and could be restored to her own form again. Being promised
forgiveness, he began his incantations, when the ass gradually threw off the furry coat
and assumed the human form. The transformation was nearly complete, when one of the
sons, in a sudden access of fury, drove his spear through the blacksmith and stopped the
transformation, so that ever afterwards the woman had one human foot and one ass's hoof.
Many persons told Mr. Parkyns that they had actually seen the hoof in question.
The Bouda exhibits his power in various modes, one of which is a kind of possession, in
which the afflicted person is, as it were, semi- demoniacal, and performs feats which are
utterly impossible to the human body in the normal condition. Men and women are
alike seized with the Bouda madness, although the females are naturally more liable
to its attacks than the men, generally accounting for the fact by stating that they have
rejected the love of some Bouda or other. The chief object of the Bouda seems to be to
lay a spell on the afflicted persons which will cause them to come at his call. Con-
sequently, he assumes the shape of the hya3na, calls the victims at night, and, if they are
not bound and carefully watched, they are forced to go to the hy£ena, and are then
devoured.
A remarkable example of this Bouda illness was watched by Mr. Parkyns with
the greatest care. The afflicted person was a servant woman of Kohabaita. The complaint
began by languor and headache, and then changed into an ordinary fit of hysterics,
together with great pain.
" It was at this stage that the other servants began to suspect that she was under the
influence of the Bouda. In a short time she became quiet, and by degrees sank into
a state of lethargy, approaching to insensibility. Either from excellent acting and great
fortitude, or from real want of feeling, the various experiments which were made -on her
seemed to have no more effect than they would have had on a -mesmeric somnambulist,
We pinched her repeatedly ; but, pinch as hard as we could, she never moved a muscle
of her face, nor did she otherwise express the least sensation. I held a bottle of strong sal-
volatile under her nose, and stopped her mouth ; and this having no effect, I steeped
some rag in it, and placed it in her nostrils ; but, although I would wager any amount
that she had never either seen, smelt, or heard of such a preparation as liquid ammonia,
it had no more effect on her than rosewater.
'•' She held her thumbs tightly inside her hands, as if to prevent their being seen. On
my observing this to a bystander, he told me that the thumbs were the Bouda's particular
perquisite, and that he would allow no person to take them. Consequently, several persons
tried to open her hands and get at them ; but she resisted with what appeared to me
wonderful strength for a girl4 and bit their fingers till in more than one instance she drew
blood. I, among others, made the attempt, and, though I got a bite or two for my pains,
yet either the devil had great respect for me as an Englishman and a good Christian, or
she had for me as her master, for the biting was all a sham, and struck me as more like
kissing than anything else, compared with the fearful wounds she had inflicted on the rest
of the party.
" I had a string of ornamental amulets which I usually wore, having on it many charms
for various maladies; but I wras perfectly aware that none for the Bouda was among them.
Still, hoping thereby to expose the cheat, I asserted that there was a very celebrated one,
and laid the whole string on her face, expecting that she would pretend to feel the
effects, and act accordingly ; but, to my surprise and disappointment, she remained quite
motionless. Several persons had been round the village to look for some talisman, but
only one was found. On its being applied to her mouth she for an instant sprang up, bit
at it, and tore it, but then laughed, and said it was weak, and would not vex him.
" I here use the masculine gender, because, although the patient was a woman, the
Bouda is supposed to speak through her medium ; and, of whatever sex they be, the
sufferers, or rather the spirits, when speaking of themselves, invariably use that gender.
I deluged her with bucketfuls of water, but could not either elicit from her a start or a
pant, an effect usually produced by water suddenly dashed over a person.
THE BOUDA'S SUPPER 741
" At night she could not sleep, but became more restless, and spoke several times.
•?ven remarked in her natural tone of voice that she was not ill, nor attacked by the
Bouda, but merely wished to return to Adoim. She said this so naturally that I was
completely taken off my guard, and told her that of course she might go, but that she
must wait till the morrow. The other people smiled, and whispered to me that it was
only a device of the Bouda to get her out into the forest, and then devour her."
By one of those curious coincidences that sometimes occur, a hyaena, who, according
to the popular ideas, was the transformed Bouda, was heard hooting and laughing close
to the village for the whole of the night, that being the only time that Mr. Parkyns had
known the animal do so during the whole of his stay at Eohabaita. In consequence of
the presence of the animal, the young woman was tightly bound, and sentinels were
place1" I within and without the door of the hut. Whenever the hyaena called, the woman
moaned and started up, and once, after she had been quiet for nearly an hour, and the
inner sentinel had dropped off to sleep, the hyaena came close to the hut, and the woman
rose, without her bonds, crept on all-fours to the door, and had partly succeeded in
opening it when one of the sentinels made a noise, and she went back to her place. In
this way she was kept under the strictest watch for three days, during which time she
would neither eat nor drink, rejecting even a small piece of bread when she had swallowed
it, and on the third evening she mended and gradually recovered.
If this were imposture, as Mr. Parkyns remarks, it is difficult to find a motive. She
had scarcely any work to do, and the wonder is what could make her voluntarily prefer
three days' confinement, with pinches, cords, cold water, and other ill-treatment — not to
mention that severest of all punishments to an Abyssinian, total abstinence from food
and drink.
According to the people, this enchantment is caused by a Bouda, who has learned the
baptismal name of the affected person. This is always concealed, and the Abyssim'ans
are only known by a sort of nickname, which is given by the mother as they leave the
church. When, however, a Bouda learns the baptismal name, he takes a straw, bends it
into a circle, mutters charms over it, and puts it under a stone. As the straw is bent, the
illness begins ; and should it break, the victim dies.
Charms of certain kinds have a potent effect on the Bouda, On one occasion a poor
weakly girl was lying apparently senseless, on whom Mr. Parkyns had uselessly tried, by
the application of false charms, to produce an effect. Suddenly the woman .flew into
violent convulsions, screaming and struggling so that four strong men could scarcely hold
her. Just then an Arnhara soldier entered the outer court, and she cried out, " Let me
alone, and I will speak." This man, it appeared, had heard that a patient was ill of the
Bouda, and had brought with him a charm of known power.
After much threatening with the amulet, accompanied by fierce and frantic rage on
the part of the possessed, the Bouda promised to come out if food were given him. It
is remarkable, by the way, that the Bouda is always of the male sex, and, whether the
possessed be a man or a woman, always uses the masculine gender in language. The rest
must be told in Mr. Parkyns' own words : —
" A basin was fetched, in which was put a quantity of any filth that could be found
(of fowls, dogs, &c.), and mixed up with a little water and some ashes. I took the basin
myself, and hid it where I was positive that she could not see me place it, and covered it
up with some loose stones which were heaped in the corner. The Bouda was then told
that his supper was prepared, and the woman rose and walked down the court on all-fours,
smelling like a dog on either side, until, passing into the yard where the basin was, she
went straight up to it, and, pulling it out from the place where it was hidden, devoured its
abominable contents with the utmost greediness. The Bouda was then supposed to leave
her, and she fell to the ground, as if fainting. From this state she recovered her health
in a few Mays."
A somewhat similar sort of possession is called Tigritiya. In this case the patient
falls into a sort of wasting away, without apparent cause, and at last sits for several days
together without eating or speaking. Music is the only means of curing a patient, who
will then spring from the couch on which he has lain, apparently without strength to sit up,
,42
ABYSSINIA.
and will dance with the most violent contortions, keeping np the exercise with a vigour
and pertinacity that would tire the strongest man in perfect health. This is a sign that
the demon may be driven out ; and when the music ceases, the patient falls to the ground,
and then begins to speak (always in the person of the demon), demanding all kinds of
ornaments — sometimes, even if a poor woman, asking for the velvet robes and silver-
mounted weapons of a chief. These cannot be obtained without much expense, but at
last are procured, when the dancing is resumed, and, after several accessions of the fit, the
patient takes off all the borrowed ornaments, and runs at full speed until the demon
suddenly departs, and the possessed person loses all the fictitious strength that had
INTERIOR OF HOUSE.
animated him, and falls to the earth in a swoon. The demon takes his leave, and is
deterred from returning by the firing of guns, and a guard with drawn swords that
surrounds the prostrate form of the moaning patient.
THE architecture of the Abyssinians is simple, but characteristic. Houses differ in
form according to the means of their owner, those of the commonalty being merely
circular huts, while those of the wealthy are square and flat-roofed.
A rich man's house is rather a complicated piece of architecture. It stands in an
enclosure, like an Indian compound, and the principal gateway is covered and flanked on
either side by a porter's lodge, in which sleep the actual gate-keeper and other servants.
Within the enclosure are generally a few slight huts of straw, for the reception of strangers
or servants. About one-fourth of the compound is divided by a wall, and contains the
kitchen, store-houses, &c. At the end opposite the gateway is the Adderash, or reception-
room, which is square or oblong, and often of considerable size. The roof is flat; but
AX EASTEK BANQUET. 743
when the room is too large to be crossed by beams, only the angles are roofed in the
ordinary way, so as to leave an octagonal opening in the centre. A wooden wall about
four or five feet high is next built round the opening, and there is then no difficulty
in roofing it.
The Adderash is divided into three rooms, the largest of which is the reception-room.
At the end is the stable, the horses and mules passing into it through the reception-room.
The " medeb," or bed-room (if it may be so called), is merely a strip of the apartment,
about eight feet wide, separated by a partition wall ; and if the owner of the house should
be a married man, the entrance of the medeb is closed by a curtain. This apartment
takes its name from the medejj, or divan, which is simply a part of the floor raised a foot or
so above the rest, about five feet in width, and extending for the whole length of the room.
Opposite the medeb is a small alcove, in which is placed the couch of the master of
the house. This couch, or " arat," is a stout wooden framework, across which is stretched
a network of raw hide thongs, an inch or two in width. These contract when drying,
and form a tolerably elastic bed.
In warm weather the arat is placed out of doors, and is only covered with a slight
cloth roof. One of these outdoor beds may be seen in the illustration.
The floor of the reception-room is covered with grass, just as in the olden times even
palace-floors were strewn with rushes. Whenever a visitor enters, fresh grass is strewn
to make a clean seat for him, but no one thinks of removing that which already has
become discoloured. Consequently, what with the continual washing of hands by
pouring water over them, the spilling of beer and mead, and the mud that clings to the
horses' feet as they pass to and from their stable, the flooring of the house becomes
nothing more or less than a fermenting manure-heap. At last, when even the Abyssinian
nose can endure it no longer, the room is cleared, and left empty for a day or two in
order to rid it of the intolerable odour which still clings to it.
Bound the walls of the reception-room are a number of cows' horns by way of pegs,
on which are hung the spears, shields, horse-accoutrements, drinking-horns, and other
property of the owner.
The store-houses contain huge earthenware jars, the mouths of which nearly reach
the roof of the house, though their bases are sunk a yard or so in the ground. The
Abyssinians value these jars highly, inasmuch as they are evidences of wealth.
As to the other two provinces, Shoa and Amhara, there is so little difference between
them and Tigre that there is no need to occupy space with them. Practically they form
one kingdom, just as England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and there is among them a
very strong provincial jealousy, analogous to that which still prevails among the
uneducated members of our own United Kingdom. Even Mr. Parkyns could not resist
the feeling, and was a strenuous admirer of Tigre, considering the Amharas as ferocious
And overbearing boors, and despising the Shoas altogether.
The province of Shoa, however, is by no means a despicable one, as may be seen from
the following description of the great annual feast which is given by the king or prince
at Easter. This hospitable banquet is on a truly royal scale, and is continued for a whole
week, so that every free man who can attend the capital may have an opportunity of
taking part in it.
The banqueting-room is a very large and lofty chamber, having on one side a curtained
alcove, in which the prince sits. Fresh grass is daily strewn on the floor, and round the
room are set the tables, which are low, circular pieces of wickerwork. It is only in such
houses that the tables are uniform in shape or size. Behind the tables and ranged along
the wall are the body guards of the prince, armed with shields and a sword much
resembling the old Eoman weapon.
Troops of servants are in waiting, and before the banquet begins they bring in the
bread in piles, and place it on the tables. Sometimes as many as thirty loaves will be
placed for each guest, the finest bread being always at the top and the coarsest below.
The object of this arrangement is to suit the different ranks of the party. Those of
highest rank come fiist; and eat the finest, using the second-class bread as table-napkins.
"744
ABYSSINIA.
EASTER BANQUET.
When they have finished, the guests of the next rank come in, eat the second-class
bread, and wipe their fingers on the third-class bread, and so on until the whole
is consumed.
Round the room are hung rows of shields, lion skins, and mantles of honour to be
conferred by the prince on his subjects, while above them is a wide carpet, on which are
depicted lions, camels, horses, and other animals.
THE ART OF CONCEALMENT. 745
All being ready, the guests assemble, and the prince takes his seat in the alcove,
-where he gives audience. Professional musicians enliven the scene with their instru-
ments, and professional dancers aid their efforts. In the meantime, the guests are eating
as fast as they can, the servants carrying meat from one guest to the other, and making
up neat little sausages of meat, bread, and pepper, which they put adroitly into the
mouths of the guests. As in more civilized lands, it is always better to propitiate the
servants, because they can give the best parts of the meat to those whom they like, and
reserve the gristle and toughest parts for those who displease them.
The politer guests, having by means of two or three pounds of meat, a pile of bread,
and a gallon or so of mead, taken the edge off their own appetites, make up similarly,
seasoned balls, and put them into their neighbours' mouths. This is done with such
rapidity that a man who happens to have made himself agreeable to his right and left
hand neighbours is nearly choked by the haste with which etiquette requires that he
shall despatch the highly-spiced morsels.
After this preliminary portion of the feast, in which cooked mutton is mostly
employed, acting as a provocative to the real banquet wThich is to follow, the servants
bring in raw meat still warm with life, and cut from a cow that has been slaughtered at
the door while the mutton and bread has been consumed.
It is this part of the scene which has been chosen for the illustration. On the left is
the giver of the feast sitting in his alcove, and below him are the armed guards. The
guests are sitting at the wickerwork tables, using their curved swords with the national
adroitness, and servants are seen waiting on the guests and carrying great pieces of raw
beef about. The liquids, by the way, are drunk from horns, which are always served by
women. In the centre are seen the musicians, playing the curious fiddle and harp of
Shoa, and a little further on are the dancers.
As to the other tribes which are either in or about Abyssinia, a very few words must
suffice for them.
There is one curious and very wild tribe, known by the name of BAREA. They are
inborn marauders, executing their raids with marvellous rapidity and skill. So clever
are they at concealing themselves, that even on a open plain, where there is not the least
cover, they manage to dispose of themselves in such a way as to deceive an eye
unpractised in their arts.
Once Mr. Parkyns was passing through a district over which one of the bush fires
had swept, when he was astonished by the exclamation of his guide, that Barea were in
sight, pointing at the same time to a dead tree, standing on an eminence at a distance of
several hundred yards, and charred black by last year's fires. " All I saw was a charred
stump of a tree, and a few blackened logs or stones lying at its foot. The hunter declared
that neither the tree nor the stones were there the last time that he passed, and that they
were simply naked Barea, who had placed themselves in that position to observe us,
having no doubt seen us for some time, and prepared themselves.
" I could scarcely believe it possible that they should remain so motionless, and
determined to explore a little. The rest of the party advised me to continue quietly in
the road, as it was possible that, from our presenting a rather formidable appearance, we
should pass unmolested ; but so confident was I of his mistake, that, telling the rest to
go on slowly as if nothing had happened, I dropped into the long grass and stalked
towards them. A shot from my rifle, at a long distance (I did not venture too close),
acted on the tree and stones as promptly as the fiddle of Orpheus, but with the contrary
effect, for the tree disappeared, and the stones and logs, instead of running after me, ran
in the opposite direction.
" I was never more surprised in my life, for so complete was the deception, that even
up to the time I fired I could have declared the objects before me were vegetable or
mineral — anything but animal. The fact was that the cunning rascals who represented
stones were lying flat, with their little round shields placed before them as screens."
Some of the wild tribes of India act in the same manner. There is a well-known story
of an officer on the march, who was so completely deceived that he stood close by one of
746 ABYSSINIA.
these metamorphosed men for some time, and at last hung his helmet on a projecting
bough. This was nothing more than a leg of the dark savage, who was standing on his
head, with his limbs fantastically disposed to represent the branches of an old tree-stump,
the illusion being heightened by the spear-shafts, which did duty for the smaller branches.
This mark of confidence was too much for the gravity of the savage, who burst into a
shriek of laughter, turned head-over-heels, and disappeared into the jungle, the helmet
still attached to his leg.
These clever and withal amusing mauraders are very thorns in the side of the
Abyssinians, who never know when the Barea may not be upon them. In many respects
they resemble the warlike tribes of the Red Indians, though they are certainly superior to
them in size and strength. They will follow a travelling party for days, giving not an indi-
cation of their presence, and speaking to one another wholly by signs, of which they have
an extensive vocabulary. But they will never show themselves until the time comes for
striking the long-meditated blow, when they will make their attack, and then vanish as
mysteriously as they had come. On one occasion nearly two hundred Barea came over
night to the outskirts of a village, and there lay in wait. In the early morning, two of
the principal men of the village, one a man who was celebrated for his majestic and
somewhat pompous demeanour, took a walk towards their cotton-fields, and found them-
selves in the midst of the Barea, who captured them, and carried them off to be sold as
slaves to the Arabs, who would probably sell them again to the Turks.
When the Barea encamp round a village, they keep themselves warm for the night
by the ingenious plan of each man digging a hole in the ground, making a small fire in
it, and squatting over it enveloped in his cloth, so as to retain the heat and to prevent
the fire from being seen.
SURROUNDING a very considerable portion of Abyssinia proper are various tribes of
the fierce and warlike GALLAS.
The Galla men are a fine and even handsome race, extremely variable in the hue of
their skin, as may be supposed from the very large extent of ground which is inhabited
by their tribes. Moreover, they have mixed considerably with the Abyssiniaus proper,
and are often employed as slaves by them. Female Galla slaves are frequently kept in
the households of Abyssinians, and the consequence is, that a mixed progeny has spruug
up which partakes of the characteristics of both parents. This has taken place considerably
in Shoa, where the Galla element is very conspicuous among the population. As a rule,
however, they are much darker than the Abyssinians, a circumstance which has induced
Mr. Johnstone to derive their name from the word " calla," or black. Their language is a
dialect of the Amhara tongue, but varied, like their skins, according to the precise locality
of the tribe.
The features of the Gallas have none of the negro characteristics, such as the length
of the skull, the contracted (though not receding) forehead, and the full development of
the lips and jaws. The hair resembles that of the Abyssinians, and is dressed in various
modes. Sometimes it is formed into long, narrow plaits, hanging nearly to the shoulders,
and in others it is frizzed out into tufts. The most singular way of dressing the hair is
to collect it into three divisions, one occupying the top of the head, and one crossing each
temple. The divided tresses being then combed and frizzed to the greatest possible extent,
the whole head has a most comical aspect, and has been likened to the ace of clubs.
The young women are bold and handsome, but are anything but good-looking when
they grow old. Three old women who visited Mr. Johnstone, and evidently acted as
spies, were remarkable for their ugliness. They wore the hair in the usual multitudinous
plaits, which they had connected by means of threads, so as to form them into a continuous
curtain, and had been exceedingly lavish of butter. They wore a sort of soft leather
petticoat, and had on their feet a simple sandal of ox-hide, fastened to the foot by a lap
passing over the great toe, and a thong over the instep. They came ostensibly to sell
tobacco and ropes. The latter articles they made even while they were bargaining, a
bundle of hemp being fastened to their girdles in front, and the ropes, as fast as they
were twisted, being coiled round their waists.
THE BUFFALO DANCE.
747
The Gallas are a warlike race, and far more courageous than the Abyssinians, who are
more given to vapouring than fighting. When they return home after a victory they
celebrate a curious and violent dance, called the Buffalo Dance. A head and the attached
skin of a buffalo is laid on the ground, and the men assemble round it armed as if for
war, with their spears and crooked swords. They then dance vigorously round the
buffalo skin, leaping high in the air, striking with their swords, and thrusting with their
spears, and going through all the manoauvres of killing the animal. The women take
an active part in the dance.
BUFFALO DANCE.
THEN there are the Dankalli and Somauli tribes, each of them subdivided into a
number of smaller tribes, and having some traits peculiar to themselves, and others
common to the Abyssiniaus proper. Indeed, Mr. Johnstone remarks that he has no
doubt that, although they are now distinct nations, they are derived from a common
origin.
The Somaulis are a warlike people, and, instead of the spears and shields which are
almost the universal weapons through this part of Africa, they carry light bows and large
quivers, which hang under the left arm by a broad strap passed over the same shoulder.
The bow, though light, is very strong, and is much after the classical or Cupid's bow form.
In consequence of this shape, when the arrow is discharged, the string comes quickly
against the handle, and if the archer be inexpert his thumb gets a violent blow.
The quiver is made of an emptied gourd, the mouth of which is closed with a cover
like that which is represented on several of the African quivers mentioned in this- work.
It contains about a dozen arrows, about a foot in length, and made of a hollow reed.
^748 ' BYSSINIA.
Each is armed with a head of blue steel, shaped something like the ace of spades, and
having its neck lengthened into a spike about an inch and a half long ; this is not
attached to the arrow, but is loose, and when wanted for use the spike is simply slipped
into the unfeathered end of the hollow shaft. Of course, when the weapon strikes its
object, the shaft falls off, ai/d the head, which is poisoned, remains in the wound, and soon
causes death.
Instead of the sword, they carry a knife with a blade about eight inches in length,
the handle being merely a piece of wood rounded, and slightly hollowed to give a
firmer grasp.
The dress of the men consists of a " fotah," or waist cloth, and a robe called the
" sarree." Differing in use, these cloths are of exactly the same shape and size, i.e. about
eleven feet in length. The fotah is wound twice round the waist, the end bein^ tucked
in behind, and the whole garment made secure by the broad belt which holds the knife.
The sarree is worn in robe-fashion, round the body, and a man of taste disposes it so as
to show off the two broad stripes of blue or scarlet at the end.
The women also wear the fotah, over which, when out of doors, they wear a long
blue skirt without sleeves, and very open down the front. This is laid aside in the
house, where nothing but the fotah is worn. The mode of dressing the hair into a
continuous veil has been already mentioned, and Mr. Johnstone was fortunate enough to
witness the process of dressing " this entangled mass, which reminded me of the hair of
Samson, interwoven with the web of the loom. The lady whose hair was to be operated
upon sat upon a stone in the court beneath one of our windows, and behind her, on her
knees, was a stout slave-girl, who held in both hands a long-handled wooden fork-like
comb, having four very strong prongs, which she dragged through the woolly, greasy, and
black hair of her mistress, with the force of a groom currying a horse's tail."
The particular sub-tribe to which the people belong is denoted by sundry incised
marks, which are cut with a fragment of obsidian, and are formed into patterns whiqh
sometimes extend over the whole back and breast.
CLAY PIPE, NUBIA. (From my collection.
CHAPTER LXVIL
NUBIANS AND HAMRAN ARABS.
TINT OP THE NUBIAN SKIN DRESS AND "WEAPONS OF THE MEN — PECULIAR SWORD AND SHIELD
DRESS OP THE WOMEN THE RAH AT, OR THONG APRON AMULETS — NUBIAN ARCHITECTURE —
THE HAMRAN ARABS WEAPONS OF THE MEN CARE TAKEN OF THE WEAPONS — ELEPHANT
HUNTING — ADMIRABLE HORSEMANSHIP — CATCHING BABOONS — HUNTING THE LION — CATCHING A
BUFFALO BY THE TAIL HARPOONING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
INASMUCH as, in spite of the continual contact with civilization, caused by their locality
on the Nile bank, the Nubians have preserved their ancient style of dress and much of
their ancient manners, they deserve a place in this work.
In colour the Nubians are mostly black, some being of quite
a jetty hue, while others are of much lighter colour. Even in
the blackest Nubian, however, the tint of the skin is not that of
the tropical negro, but there is a certain transparency about
it, which, in the sunbeams, gives a sort of amber hue to the
limbs. Besides being a fine and well-built race, the Nubians
possess pleasing features, the only fault being that the lower part
of the face is somewhat apt to project.
While young the boys wear no clothing whatever, but when
adult they wear short trousers, a shirt, and a kind of large scarf
which passes over the left shoulder, and is fastened by a girdle
round the waist. Being Mahometans, they shave the hair except
one tuft on the crown, and cover their bare heads with a white
cotton cap.
The Nubian men mostly go armed
according to their ability. The usual
weapons are the sword, dagger, spear,
and shield. The sword is shaped some-
what like that of the Abyssinian, but
the curve is not so abrupt. The general
style of the weapon, however, and the
shape of the handle, proclaim a common
origin. With some of the Nubians
.the favourite weapon is the straight
sword, like that of the Hamran Arabs,
which will be described in a future
page.
Perhaps on account of the facility
which the Nile affords for travelling into
o 1 1 /~< i A n • .-i mtiiLiLlJ AM! SWOttL).
bouth Central Africa, they wear a dagger
750 NUBIA.
fastened to the left arm just above the elbow, exactly as do several of the tribes that are
found near the sources of the Nile. This dagger is short and crooked, and is kept in a
red leathern sheath, and, on account of its position on the arm, is covered by the garments.
The spear is simply the ordinary wooden shaft with an iron head, and has nothing about
it specially worthy of notice.
The shield, however, is remarkable for its structure. It is generally made of the hide
of the hippopotamus or of crocodile skin, and is easily known by the projecting boss in the
centre. The hide is stretched on a wooden framework, and the boss is made of a separate
piece of skin. The Nubians value these shields very highly, and, in consequence, it is
extremely difficult to procure them. The shield and sword which are given in the
illustration are drawn from specimens in Colonel Lane Fox's collection. The notches
which are seen in the edge are not accidental, but are made according to the fashion of
the time.
The women are dressed after the usual African manner.
As girls they wear nothing but a little apron1 of leathern thongs called a rahat. This
apron is about nine inches or a foot in width, and perhaps six or seven in depth, and in
general appearance resembles that of the Kaffir girl. Instead of being cut from one piece
of leather, each thong is a separate strip of hide, scarcely thicker than packthread, and
knotted by the middle to the thong which passes round the waist. The apron is dyed of
a brick -red colour, and, after it has been in use for any time, becomes so saturated with
the castor-oil which stands these primitive belles in lieu of clothing, that the smell is
unendurable. Travellers often purchase them from the Nubian girls, who, as a rule, are
perfectly willing to sell them ; but the buyers are obliged to hang their purchases on the
top of the mast for a month or so before they can be taken into the cabin. One of these
aprons in my collection has still the familiar castor-oil odour about it, though many years
have passed since it was purchased from a Nubian girl.
Of course they wear as many ornaments as they can procure ; and some of these,
which are handed down from one generation to another, are of great value. Few
characteristics are more striking to an observant traveller than the fact that a Nubian
girl whose whole dress may perhaps be worth threepence, and who really could not afford
to wear any clothing at all if it cost sixpence, will yet carry on her neck, her wrists, her
ankles, and in her ears, a quantity of gold sufficient to purchase a handsome equipment.
It is rather a remarkable point that these aprons always become narrower towards the
left side. The daughters of wealthy parents, though they wear no clothing except the
apron, still contrive to satisfy the instinctive love of dress by covering the leathern
thongs with beads, white shells, and pieces of silver twisted round them. When the
girls marry, they retain the apron, but wear over it a loose garment, which passes over
one shoulder, and hangs as low as the knee.
The ornaments with which they profusely decorate their persons are of various
materials, according to the wealth of the woman who owns them. Those of the wealthy
are of gold and silver, while those of the poorer class are of buffalo horn, brass, and
similar materials. The metal amulets are of a crescent shape, and are open at one side,
so as to be clasped on the arm or removed, according to the wearer's pleasure.
The hair is dressed in a way that recalls the ancient Egyptian woman to the traveller,
It is jetty black, and tolerably long, and is twisted with hundreds of small and straight
tresses, generally finished off at the tips with little knobs of yellow clay, which look at a
distance as if they were lumps of gold. Amulets of different kinds are woven into the
locks, and the whole is so saturated with castor-oil that an experienced traveller who
wishes to talk to a Nubian woman takes care to secure the windward side, and not to
approach nearer than is absolutely needful. As a rule, the Nubian women are not so
dark as the men, but approach nearly to a coffee tint.
" Two beautiful young Nubian women visited me in my boat, with hair in the little
plaits finished off with lumps of yellow clay, burnished like golden tags, soft deep bronze
skins, and lips and eyes fit for Iris and Athor. Their very dress and ornaments were the
same as those represented in the tombs, and I felt inclined to ask them how many
thousand years old they were," (Lady Duff Gordon's " Letters from Egypt")
THE TURKS DISLIKED. 751
The same writer well remarks that the whole country is a palimpsest, in which the
Bible is written over Herodotus, and the Koran over the Bible. In the towns the Koran
is most visible ; in the country, Herodotus.
One of these graceful Nubian girls is represented in the frontispiece to this volume.
The amulets which have been just mentioned are worn by men and women alike, and
are sewn up in red leather cases like those of the Bornuans. It is an essential part of
their efficacy that their contents should not be known, and if once a case be opened, the
enclosed amulet loses its power. The men often wear great numbers of them, tying them
on their arms above the elbows.
The houses in which the Nubians live, or rather in which they sleep, are of very
simple construction. Eesiding among the ruins of palaces, the Nubians have never
learned to build anything better than a mud hut. These huts are of much the same
shape as the old Egyptian buildings, being squared towers, large at the base, and
decreasing towards the top, which is square, and in the better class of house answers as
a terrace. The roof is covered with palm-branches, and every good house possesses a
sort of courtyard surrounded by walls, in which the women can pursue their different
vocations while sheltered from the sun.
Granaries are seen near every village, and consist of shallow pits sunk in the ground
and covered with a sort of white plaster. The villages also possess a shed for the recep-
tion of strangers, and each house has a jar of fresh water always kept ready for use.
Fortunately for themselves, the Nubians are both proud and fond of their country ;
and, although they are despised by the Arabs to such an extent that a Nubian always
tries to pass himself off as an Arab whenever he has the opportunity, they are ever
boasting of the many perfections of the land which they thus reject.
How long the Nubians may possess this land is doubtful. The Turk, "under whose
foot no grass grows," is doing his best to depopulate the country. The men are pressed
for soldiers, as many as thirty per cent, having been carried off in one conscription, and
they are always being seized for forced labour — i.e. a life somewhat worse than that of
plantation slaves. Consequently, as soon as they take alarm, they leave their village
and escape into the interior, abandoning their crops and allowing them to perish rather
than serve under the hated rule of the Turk. The least resistance, or show of resistance,
is punished by death, and several travellers have related incidents of cold-blooded cruelty
which seem almost too horrible to tell, but which were taken quite as matters of ordinary
occurrence. Taxation, too, is carried out to a simply ruinous extent, and the natural
result is fast taking place, namely, the depopulation of the land, and the gradual lessening
of the number of tax-payers.
THE HAMRAN ARABS.
To describe, however briefly, all the tribes which inhabit the vast district called
Arabia, would be a task far beyond the pretensions of this work. Some have advanced
very far in civilization, while others have retained, with certain modifications, their
pristine and almost savage mode of life. I shall therefore select these latter tribes as
examples of the Arab life, and shall briefly describe one or two of the most characteristic
examples.
SOUTH of Cassala there is a remarkable tribe of Arabs known as the Hamrans, who
are celebrated through all the country for their skill in hunting.
They possess the well-cut features and other characteristics of the Arab race, and are
only to be distinguished by the style of wearing the hair, They permit the hair to grow
752 THE HAMRAN ARABS.
to a great length, part it down the middle, and carefully train it into long curls. Each
man always carries the only two weapons he cares about, namely, the sword and shield.
The latter is of no very great size, is circular in shape, and about two feet in diameter,
with a boss in the centre much like that of the Nubian shield already described. It is
made of the skin of the hippopotamus, and, being meant for use and not for show, is
never ornamented.
As to the sword, it is the chief friend of the Hamran Arab's life, and he looks upon
it with a sort of chivalric respect. It is straight, double--edged, and is furnished with a
cross-handle, like that of the ancient Crusaders, from whom the fashion seems to have1,
been borrowed. The blades are of European make, and the Arabs are excellent judges of
steel, valuing a good blade above everything. They keep both edges literally as sharp as
razors, and prove the fact by shaving with them. When a Hamran Arab is travelling
and comes to a halt, the first thing he does after seating himself is to draw his sword and
examine both edges with the keenest attention. He then sharpens the weapon upon his
leathern shield, and when he can shave the hair on his own arm with both edges, he
carefully returns the blade into the sheath.
The length of the blade is three feet, and the handle is about six inches long, so that
the weapon is a very weighty one, and a fair blow from its keen edge will cut a man in
two. Still, it is not serviceable in single combat, as, although its weight renders a
successful blow fatal, it prevents the recovery of the sword after an unsuccessful blow.
Sir S. Baker, to whom we are indebted for an account of this remarkable tribe, says that
a Hamran Arab, with his sword and shield, would be at the mercy of an ordinary
swordsman. He can cut and slash with wonderful energy, but knows nothing of using
the point or parrying, so that, if a feint be made at his head, he will instinctively raise
the shield, and lay his whole body open to the point of his adversary's sword.
The scabbard in which the sword is carried is very ingeniously made of two strips of
soft and elastic wood, slightly hollowed to receive the blade, and covered with leather.
The absurd metal scabbards still in use in our army would be scorned by an Arab, who
knows the value of a keen edge to his weapon. On the scabbard are fitted two projecting
pieces of leather. When the Arab is on the march, he slings the sword on the pommel
of his saddle, and passes his leg between these leather projections, so that the sword is
held in its place, and does not jamp and bang against the sides of the horse.
Armed with merely the sword, these mighty hunters attack all kinds of game, and
match themselves with equal coolness against the elephant, the rhinoceros, the giraffe, the
lion, or the antelope. Their mode of procedure is almost invariably the same. They
single out some particular animal, and contrive to cut the tendon of the hind leg with a
blow of the sword, thus rendering the unfortunate beast helpless.
When they chase the elephant, they proceed in the following manner. The elephant
hunters, or aggageers, as they call themselves, convert their s\vords into two-handed
weapons by wrapping thin cord very closely round the blade, for about nine inches from
the handle. The guarded portion of the blade is held in the right hand, and the hilt in
the left.
Two hunters generally set out in chase of the elephant. Having selected the bull
with the largest tusks, they separate it from its fellows, and irritate it until it charges
them. One of the aggageers takes on himself this duty, and draws the attention of the
elephant upon himself. The irritated animal makes its furious onset, and goes off at full
speed after the aggageer, who carefully accommodates his pace to that of the elephant, so
that it always thinks it is going to catch him, and forgets that he has a companion.
Meanwhile, the other aggageer rides close to the side of the elephant, draws his sword,
springs to the ground, bounds alongside of the elephant, delivers one tremendous cut on
the ankle of the hind foot, and springs again on his horse. As soon as the elephant puts
the injured foot on the ground, the joint becomes dislocated, and the foot turns up like an
old shoe. The animal is now helpless, and, while its attention is still engaged by the
aggageer whom it has been pursuing, the swordsman passes to its other side, slashes the
ankle of the remaining leg, and brings the animal to a dead halt. The sword is carefully
wiped, sharpened, and returned to the sheath, while the wounded elephant sinks to the
THE SWORD HUNTE1IS. , 753
ground, and in a short time dies from loss of blood. Thus one man will kill an elephant
with two blows of a sword.
It is evident that such hunting as this requires the most perfect horsemanship, and it
is accordingly found that the Hamran Arabs are among the best horsemen in the world.
They and their steeds seem to be actuated by one spirit, and they sit as if the horse and
his rider were but one animal. In his travels in Abyssinia Sir S. Baker gives a very
graphic account of their mode of riding.
AGGAGEERS HUNTING THE ELEPHANT
" Hardly were we mounted and fairly started, than the monkey-like agility of our
aggageers was displayed in a variety of antics, that were far more suited to performance
in a circus than to a party of steady and experienced hunters, who wished to reserve the
strength of their horses for a trying journey.
" Abou Do was mounted on a beautiful Abyssinian horse, a grey ; Suleiman rode a
rough and inferior-looking beast ; while little Jali, who was the pet of the party, rode a
grey mare, not exceeding fourteen hands in height, which matched her rider exactly in
fire, spirit, and speed. Never was there a more perfect picture of a wild Arab horseman
than Jali on his mare. Hardly was he in the saddle, than away flew the rnare over the
loose shingles that formed the dry bed of the river, scattering the rounded pebbles in the
air from her flinty hoofs, while her rider in the vigour of delight threw himself almost
under her belly while at full speed, and picked up stones from the ground, which he
flung, and again caught as they descended.
" Never were there more complete Centaurs than these Hamran Arabs ; the horse and
Iman appeared to be one animal, and that of the most elastic nature, that could twist and
turn with the suppleness of a snake ; the fact of their separate being was proved by the
_rider springing to the earth with his drawn sword while the horse was in full gallop over
rough and difficult ground, and, clutching the mane, he again vaulted into the saddle with
the agility of a monkey, without once checking the speed.
" The fact of being on horseback had suddenly altered the character of these Arabs ;
from a sedate and proud bearing they had become the wildest examples of the most
savage disciples of Nimrod ; excited by enthusiasm, they shook their naked blades aloft
till the steel trembled in their grasp, and away they dashed., over rocks, through thorny
VOL, I.
754 THE HAMKAN ARABS.
bush, across ravines, up and down steep inclinations, engaging in a mimic hunt, and
going through the various acts supposed to occur in the attack of a furious elephant."
This capability of snatching up articles from the ground stands the hunters in good
stead. If, for example, they should come across a flock of sheep, each man will dash
through the flock, stoop from his saddle, pick up a lamb, and ride off with it. They can
even catch far more active prey than the lamb or kid. On one occasion, as the party
were travelling along, they came upon a large troop of baboons, who had been gathering
gum arabic from the mimosas. " Would the lady like to have a baboon ? " asked Jali, the
smallest and most excitable of the party.
Three of the hunters dashed off in pursuit of the baboons, and in spite of the rough
ground soon got among them. Stooping from their saddles, two of the aggageers snatched
each a young baboon from its mother, placed it on the neck of the horse, and rode off with
it. Strange to say, the captive did not attempt to escape, nor even to bite, but clung con-
vulsively to the mane of the horse, screaming with fear. As soon as they halted, the
hunters stripped some mimosa bark from the trees, bound the baboons, and with their
heavy whips inflicted a severe flogging on the poor beasts. This was to make them
humble, and prevent them from biting. However, in the course of the next halt, when
the baboons were tied to trees, one of them contrived to strangle itself in its struggles to
escape, and the other bit through its bonds and made off unseen.
For such work as this, the hunter must be able to stop his horse in a moment,
and accordingly the bit must be a very severe one. The saddle is a very clumsy affair,
made of wood and imstuffed, while the stirrups are only large enough to admit the
great toe.
The rhinoceros gives far more trouble to the hunters than the elephant. It is much
swifter, more active, and can turn more rapidly, spinning round as if on a pivot, and
baffling their attempts to get at its hind leg. Unlike the elephant, it can charge on three
legs, so that a single wound does not disable it. Still the Hamran Arabs always kill the
rhinoceros when they can, as its skin will produce hide for seven shields, each piece being
worth two dollars, and the horn is sold to the Abyssinians as material for sword-hilts, the
best horn fetching two dollars per pound.
Lion-hunting is riot a favourite pursuit with the Hamrans, as they gain little if
successful, and they seldom come out of the contest without having suffered severely.
They always try to slash the animal across the loins, as a blow in that spot disables it
instantly, and prevents it from leaping. Sometimes the lion springs on the crupper of
the horse, and then a back-handed blow is delivered with the two-edged sword, mostly
with fatal effect.
The buffalo, fierce and active as it is, they hunt with the sword. Nothing, perhaps,
shows the splendid horsemanship and daring courage of the Hamrans better than a scene
which was witnessed by Sir S. Baker.
A large herd of buffaloes was seen and instantly charged by the aggageers, and, while
the buffaloes and hunters were mixed together in one mass, the irrepressible little Jali
suddenly leaned forward, and seized the tail of a fine young buffalo, some twelve hands
high. Two other hunters leaped from their horses, snatched off their belts, and actually
succeeded in taking the animal alive. This was a great prize, as it would be sold for a
considerable sum at Cassala. Now as Jali was barely five feet three inches in height,
and very slightly made, such a feat as seizing and finally capturing a powerful animal
like a buffalo bull was really a wonderful one.
They are as active on foot as on horseback. On one occasion, three of them, Jali of
course being one, \\rere so excited with the chase of a wounded elephant that they actually
leaped from their horses and pursued the animal on footT The elephant was mad with
rage, but seemed instinctively to know that his enemies wanted to get behind him, and
always turned in time to prevent them. Active as monkeys, the aggageers managed to
save themselves from the charges of the elephant, in spite of deep sand, which impeded
them, while it had no effect on the elephant. Time after time he was within a yard or
so of one of the hunters, when the other two saved him by dashing upon either flank,
and so diverting his attention.
HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
755
They hunt the hippopotamus as successfully as they chase the elephant, and are as
mighty hunters in the water as upon land.
In this chase they exchange the sword and shield for the harpoon and lance. The
former weapon is made on exactly the same principle as that which has already been
described when treating of the hippopotamus hunters of South Central Africa, but it is
much lighter. The shaft is a stout bamboo about ten feet in length, and the head is a
piece of soft steel about a foot long, sharply pointed at one end and having a single stout
HUNTING THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
barb. One end of a rope, about twenty feet in length, is firmly attached to the head, and
to the other end is fastened a float made of a very light wood called ambatch, which is
also used for making canoes and rafts.
When the hunter sees a hippopotamus, and means to attack it, he puts on his hunting
dress, i.e. he braces a leathern belt round his waist, and takes off all his clothes. He then
fixes the iron head on the bamboo shaft, winds the rope round the latter, and boldly
enters the water, holding the harpoon in the right hand and the ambatch float in the left.
As soon as he comes within striking distance of his victim, the harpoon is hurled, and
the hunter tries to find a spot in which the infuriated animal cannot reach him. The
wounded hippopotamus dashes about, first in the river, then on the bank, and then in the
river again, always trailing after it the rope and float, and so weakening itself, and
allowing its enemies to track it. Sooner or later they contrive to seize the end, drag the
animal near the bank, and then with their lances put it to death.
Often, when they have brought the hippopotamus to the shore, it charges open-
mouthed at its tormentors. Some of them receive it with spears, while others, though
unarmed, boldly await its onset, and fling handfuls of sand into its eyes. The sand really
seems to cause more pain and annoyance than the spears, and the animal never can
withstand it, but retreats to the water to wash the sand out of its eyes. In the mean-
time, weapon after weapon is plunged into its body, until at last loss of blood begins to
tell upon it, and by degrees it yields up its life.
Sir S. Baker gives a most animated description of one of these strange hunts.
• One of the old Hamran hunters, named Abou Do — an abbreviated version of a very
long string of names — was celebrated as a howarti, or hippopotamus hunter. This fine
old man, some seventy years of age, was one of the finest conceivable specimens of
humanity. In spite of his great age, his tall form, six feet two in height, was as straight
as in early youth, his grey locks hung in thick curls over his shoulders, and his bronze
features were those of an ancient statue. Despising all encumbrances of dress, he
stepped from rock to rock as lightly as a goat, and, dripping with water, and bearing his
spear in his hand, he looked a very Neptune.
The hunters came upon a herd of hippopotami in a pool, but found that they were
too much awake to be safely attacked.
" About half a mile below this spot, as we clambered over the intervening rocks
through a gorge which formed a powerful rapid, I observed, in a small pool just below
the rapid, an immense head of a hippopotamus close to a perpendicular rock that formed
a wall to the river, about six feet above the surface. I pointed out the hippo to old
Abou Do, who had not seen it.
" At once the gravity of the old Arab disappeared, and the energy of the hunter was
exhibited as he motioned us to remain, while he ran nimbly behind the thick screen of
bushes for about a hundred and fifty yards below the spot where the hippo was uncon-
sciously basking, with his ugly head above the surface. Plunging into the rapid torrent,
the veteran hunter was carried some distance down the stream, but breasting the powerful
current, he landed upon the rocks on the opposite side, and retiring to some distance from
the river, he quickly advanced towards the spot beneath which the hippopotamus was
lying. I had a fine view of the scene, as I was lying concealed exactly opposite the
hippo, who had disappeared beneath the water.
"Abou Do now stealthily approached the ledge of rock beneath which he had
expected to see the head of the animal ; his long sinewy arm was raised, with the
harpoon ready to strike as he carefully advanced. At length he reached the edge of the
perpendicular rock; the hippo had vanished, but, far from exhibiting surprise, the old
Arab remained standing on the sharp ledge, unchanged in attitude.
" No figure of bronze could have been more rigid than that of the old river-king, as
he stood erect upon the rock with the left foot advanced, and the harpoon poised in his
ready right hand above his head, while in the left he held the loose coils of rope attached
to the ambatch buoy. For about three minutes he stood like a statue, gazing intently
into the clear and deep water beneath his feet.
" I watched eagerly for the reappearance of the hippo ; the surface of the water was
still barren, when suddenly the right arm of the statue descended like lightning, and the
harpoon shot perpendicularly into the pool with the speed of an arrow. What river-fiend
answered to the summons ? In an instant an enormous pair of open jaws appeared,
followed by the ungainly head and form of the furious hippopotamus, who, springing half
out of the water, lashed the river into foam, and, disdaining the concealment of the deep
pool, he charged straight up the violent rapids. With extraordinary power he breasted
the descending stream ; gaining a footing in the rapids, about five feet deep, he ploughed
his way against the broken waves, sending them in showers of spray upon all sides, and
upon gaining broader shallows he tore along through the water, with the buoyant float
v^u u XUVU.EJ ur ±n£j nuiMJixio. tot
hopping behind him along the surface, until he landed from the river, started at full
gallop along the dry shingly bed, and at length disappeared in the thorny nabbuk jungle."
During one of these nights, the hippopotamus took it into his head that the ambatch
float was the enemy that was damaging him, and attacked it furiously. Taking advantage
of his pre-occupation, two hunters swam across the river, carrying with them a very long
and tough rope, and holding one end on each bank, and " sweeping," as the sailors say,
they soon caught the float in the centre of the rope and brought it ashore. The
hippopotamus then made a charge, and the slackened line was immediately coiled round
a rock, while two hunters fixed additional harpoons in the animal ; and though he made
six charges at his foes, bit one of the ropes asunder, and crushed the lance-shafts between
his teeth like straws, the hardy hunters got the better of him, and his death was a mere
matter of time.
The hippopotamus is nearly as great a prize as the rhinoceros, as it affords an almost
unlimited supply of food, and the hide is extremely valuable, being cut into strips two
inches in width, which are used in the manufacture of the koorbash, or hide whip, so
universally employed throughout Africa.
In the water, the crocodile is even a more dangerous antagonist than the hippopotamus,
and yet the Hainrans attack it with their harpoons, boldly entering the water, and caring
no more for crocodiles than for so many frogs.
CHAPTER LXVIII.
BEDOUINS, HASSANIYEHS, AND MALAGASY.
SIGNIFICATION OF THE NAME GENERAL APPEABANCE OF THE BEDOUINS — THEIR ROBBER NATURE
HOSPITALITY AND ITS DUTIES — LIFE AMONG THE BEDOUINS — THE BEDOUIN WOMEN — SIMPLE
MODE OF GOVERNMENT — CONSTANT FEUDS — MODE OF COOKING THE DATE AND ITS USES —
THE HASSANIYEHS GENERAL APPEARANCE — THEIR VILLAGES STRANGE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS —
A HA8SANIYEH DANCE — SUPERSTITIONS OF THE ARABS — THE HAUNTED HOUSE — NOTIONS OF
THE MIRAGE — THE INK MIRROR THE MALAGASY AND THEIR TRIBES — THE FIRST BEEF-EATER —
THE HOVA TRIBE — ARCHITECTURE THE TRAVELLER'S TREE AND ITS USES — TREATMENT OF
SLAVES — NOTIONS OF RELIGION THE BLACKSMITH TRIBE.
OF all the many tribes which are designated by the common title of Arab, the typical
tribes are those which are so well known by the name of BEDOUIN, or BEDAWEEN. The
former is the more familiar mode of spelling the word, and it will therefore be employed.
The name is a most appropriate one, being derived from an Arabic word which
signifies the desert, and meaning, therefore, a man of the wilderness. The Bedouins are
indeed men of the desert. True Ishrnaelites, their hand is against every man, and every
man's hand against them. They build no houses, they cultivate no lands, they conduct no
merchandise; but are nomad and predatory, trusting chiefly for their living to the milk of
their camels, and looking upon their horses and dromedaries as means whereby they can
plunder with greater security.
As Mr. Palgrave pithily remarks, while treating of the character of the Bedouin :
" The Bedouin does not fight for his home, he has none ; nor for his country, that is
anywhere ; nor for his honour, he has never heard of it ; nor for his religion, he owns
and cares for none. His only object in war is the temporary occupation of some bit of
miserable pasture-land, or the use of a brackish well ; perhaps the desire to get such a
one's horse or camel into his own possession."
In person the Bedouins are fine specimens of the human race. They are tall, stately,
with well-cut features, and have feet and hands that are proverbial for their beauty.
Their demeanour in public is grave and haughty, and every man walks as if he were
monarch of the world. While other Arab tribes have lost their distinctive manners by
contact with civilization, the Bedouins alone have preserved them, and, even when they
visit the cities which they hate so much, they can be at once distinguished by their
demeanour. Lady Duff-Gordon was greatly struck with it. " To see a Bedawee and his
wife walk through the streets of Cairo is superb. Her hand resting on his shoulder, and
scarcely deigning to cover her haughty face, she looks down on the Egyptian veiled
woman, who carries the heavy burden and walks behind her lord and master."
The dress of the Bedouins is simple enough. The men wear a sort of a tunic or
shirt, covered with a large thick mantle called the haik. Another cloth is disposed over
the head, and falls on either side of the face so as to shield it from the sun, and is kept
in its place by a cord of camel's hair, that is wound several times across the brows. As
HOSPITALITY. 759
for the women, they wear a blue shirt, much open at the bosom, and care for no other
clothing.
Being a predatory race, the Bedouins are always armed, their chief weapon being the
spear, which is of enormous length, and often so weighty that a powerful as well as a
practised arm is required to wield it. At the present day those who can afford fire-arms
carry guns of such length of barrel that they seem to have been made in emulation of
the spear-shafts. These weapons are of very indifferent quality, and the Bedouin is never
a good marksman, his clumsy weapon taking a long time to load, and the owner taking a
long time to aim, and then aiming very badly.
In consequence of the robber nature of the Bedouins, no one will venture to pass
through their districts without being well armed, or protected by a sufficient escort. At
the present day, Europeans can travel with comparative safety, as they have a way of
fighting when attacked, and of generally hitting their mark when they fire, so that even
the wandering Bedouins have conceived a respect for such incomprehensible beings, and
would rather receive them as guests than fight them as enemies.
If, hcfwever, they come upon a solitary traveller, they pounce upon him, and rob him
of everything, even of his clothes. Still, they are not brutal about it, except perhaps in
enforcing haste by a menacing gesture with a spear. They seldom accompany robbery
with murder, and have been known to take the traveller whom they have robbed into
their tents, feed him, give him old clothes instead of the new which they have taken
from him, keep him all night, and send him on his journey, even taking the trouble to
accompany him for some distance, lest he should lose his way. The robber feels no
enmity towards the man, and simply looks on him as a providential benefit cast in his
way, and as such rather respects him than otherwise.
The reader will remember that the Bedouin takes the man to his tent after he has
robbed him. Had he begun operations by allowing the traveller to enter his tent, and
partake of his food, he could not have robbed his guest afterwards. There is a chivalrous
sort of feeling in the Arab mind that the person of a guest is sacred ; and if the fiercest
Bedouin had received a man under the shadow of his tent, he would be bound to protect
that man as if he were his own son. So far is this feeling carried, that instances have
been known where a strange Arab has taken refuge in a tent and received protection,
though the owner discovered that his guest had killed one of his nearest relations.
The only habitations of the Bedouins are their tents. These tents, on which so much
poetry has been lavished, are about as unpoetical as anything can be. Any one can make
a Bedouin tent in five minutes. He has only to take a few sticks, some five feet in
length, thrust one end into the ground, throw over them a piece of black and very dirty
sackcloth, peg the edges to the ground, and there is the tent. Being only some four feet
in height in the middle, no one can stand upright in it, and only in the middle can any
one even sit upright. But as the tent is not regarded as we regard a house, and is only
used as a sort of convenient shelter in which the Arabs can sleep, height is of no
importance.
These low, dark tents are almost invariably pitched in the form of a semicircle, the
openings eastward, and just enough space left between each hut for the passage of their
camels and horses. The area inclosed between the arms of the crescent is intended for
the children, as a place wherein they may disport themselves while still under the
mother's eye. When new, the tents are mostly striped in broad bands of two or three
feet in width, but the rough usage to which they are subjected soon destroys the colour.
Such are the tents of the ordinary Bedouins. The sheikh, or chief of each clan, has
a larger and better tent, which is divided into compartments by curtains, so disposed as
to leave a set of rooms on the outside, and one or more rooms in the centre. Those on
the outside are for the men, and those in the interior for the women belonging to the
sheikh's family. A certain amount of privacy is gained, which belongs, however, only to
the eye and not to the ear, the partitions being nothing more than curtains, and the
Arabs all speaking in the loudest of voices — a bawling nation, as a French traveller
described them.
The furniture is suitable to the dwelling, and consists merely of a mat or two and a
760
THE BEDOUINS.
few pots. Some of the wealthier are very proud of possessing brass mortars in which
they pound their coffee, and every morning is heard the musical tinkle of the coffee-
maker. Even the men condescend to make coffee, and the sheikh himself may be seen
at work in the morning, pounding away at the berries, and rejoicing equally in the
musical sound of the pestle and the fragrant odour of the freshly-roasted coffee.
Thus bred entirely in the open air, the only shelter being the tattered sackcloth of the
tent, the true Bedouin can endure no other life. He is as miserable within the walls of a
town as a wolf in a trap. His eyes, accustomed to range over the vast expanse of desert,
are affronted by the walls over which he cannot see. The streets oppress him, and within
the atmosphere of a room he can scarcely breathe. Both he and his camel are equally
BEDOUIN CAMP.
out of their element when among civilized people, and they are ever looking forward to
the happy moment when they may again breathe the free air of the desert,
i Life among the Bedouins is not pleasant to a European, and is by no means the sort
of paradisaical existence that we are often led to think. It is certainly a free life in its
way, and has that peculiar charm which is felt by all civilized beings when first allowed
to do as they like. But it has its drawbacks, not the least being that every one is
equally free ; and if a stronger man should choose to assert his freedom by plundering
the traveller, he is at perfect liberty to do so.
Then, the " Arab maids," who look so picturesque — in a painting — are -not quite so
pleasant in reality. Dirt, evil odours, screaming voices, and detestable manners are not
seen in a picture, but in reality force themselves on more senses than one.
Even in youth the Bedouin girls are not so handsome as is generally thought. They
are tall, well made, and graceful, but are deficient in that gentleness and softness which
SOCIAL PECULIARITIES. 761
we naturally associate with the feminine nature. They are fond of tattooing themselves,
and cover their arms and chins with blue patterns, such as stars or arabesque figures. Some
of them extend the tattoo over the breast nearly as low as the waist. The corners of the
eyes are sometimes decorated with this cheap and indestructible ornament. They are
fond of ornaments, especially of ear-rings, which can scarcely be too large for them.
Unlike the more civilized Mahometans, they care little about veiling their faces, and,
in fact, pass a life nearly as free as that of the men. Even the women's apartment of the
tent is thrown open by day for the sake of air, and any one can see freely into it.
Feminine beauty differs as much among the Arabs as among other people. Mr.
Palgrave says wittily that if any one could invent an instrument which could measure
beauty — a kalometer, as he calls it — the Bedouin would be " represented by zero, or at
most 1°. A degree higher would represent the female sex of Nejed ; above them rank
the women of Shonier, who are in their turn surmounted by those of Djowf. The fifth
or sixth degree symbolizes the fair ones of Hasa ; the seventh those of Katar ; and lastly,
by a sudden rise of ten degrees at least, the seventeenth or eighteenth would denote the
pre-eminent beauties of Oman.
" Arab poets occasionally languish after the charmers of Hejaz ; I never saw any one
to charm me, but then I only skirted the province. All bear witness to the absence of
female loveliness in Yameii ; and I should much doubt whether the mulatto races and
dusky complexions of Hadramout have much to vaunt of. But in Hasa a decided
improvement in this important point is agreeably evident to the traveller arriving from
Nejed, and he will be yet further delighted on finding his Calypsos much more conversible,
and having much more too in their conversation, than those he left behind him in Sedeys
and Aared."
It is popularly thought that Arab manners are like those of the Turk. — grave, polite,
and majestic. The fact is far different. Though, like the American Indian, the Arab
has a proud and stately walk, and knows well enough how to assume a regally indifferent
demeanour on occasion, he is by nature lively and talkative, not caring very much what
he talks about; and fond of singing Arab songs in that curious mixture of high screaming
falsetto and guttural intonation which he is pleased to consider vocal music.
Then the general manners are by no means dignified, even when the Bedouins want
to do special honour to a guest. Mr. Palgrave spent much time among them, and has
drawn a vivid picture of life in a Bedouin encampment. It is no unfavourable one, the
inmates being described as " ajaweed," or gentlemen — though the author remarks rather
wickedly that, if they were gentlemen, he very much wondered what the blackguards
were like.
" The chief, his family (women excepted), his intimate followers, and some twenty
others, young and old, boys and men, came up, and, after a kindly salutation Bedouin-
wise, seated themselves in a semicircle before us. Every man held a short crooked stick
for camel-driving in his hand, to gesticulate with in speaking, or to play with in the
intervals of conversation ; while the younger members of society, less prompt in discourse,
politely employed their leisure in staring at us, or in pinching up dried pellets of dirt
from the sand, and tossing them about.
" But how am I to describe their conversation, their questions and answers, their
manners and jests ? ' A sensible person in this city is like a man tied up among a drove
of mules in a stable,' I once heard from a respectable stranger in the Syrian town of
Horns, a locality proverbial for the utter stupidity of its denizens. But among Bedouins
in the desert, where the advantages of the stable are wanting, the guest rather resembles
a man in the middle of a field among untied mules, frisking and kicking their heels in all
directions around him.
" Here you may see human nature at its lowest stage, or very nearly. One sprawls
stretched out on the sand, another draws unmeaning lines with the end of his stick, a
third grins, a fourth asks purposeless or impertinent questions, or cuts jokes meant for
wit, but in fact only coarse in the extreme. Meanwhile the boys thrust themselves
forward without restraint, and interrupt their elders (their betters I can hardly say)
without the smallest respect or deference.
7G2 THE BEDOUINS.
" And yet, in all this, there is no real intention of rudeness, no desire to annoy — quite
the reverse. They sincerely wish to make themselves agreeable to the new comers, to
put them at their ease, nay, to do them what good service they can, only they do not
exactly know how to set about it. If they violate all laws of decorum or courtesy, it is
out of sheer ignorance, not malice prepense. And, amid the aimlessness of an utterly
uncultivated mind, they occasionally show indications of considerable tact and shrewd-
ness ; while, through all the fickleness proper to man accustomed to no moral or physical
restraint, there appears the groundwork of a manly and generous character, such as a
Persian, for instance, seldom offers.
"Their defects are inherent in their condition, their redeeming qualities are their
own — they have them by inheritance from one of the noblest races of earth, from the
Arabs of inhabited lands and organized governments. Indeed, after having travelled
much and made pretty intimate acquaintance with many races, African, Asiatic, and
European, I should hardly be inclined to give the preference to any over the genuine
unmixed clans of Central and Eastern Africa. Now these last-mentioned populations
are identical in blood and tongue with the myriads of the desert, yet how immeasurably
inferior ! The difference between a barbarous Highlander and an English gentleman, in
'Rob Eoy' or ' Waverley,' is hardly less striking."
The resemblance between the gipsy and the Bedouin is almost too evident to need
mention, and the author of this passage has here drawn attention to the singular
resemblance between the Bedouin and the Highlander, as described by Scott. There is,
however, in the " Legend of Montrose," a passage which is worthy of being quoted in this
place, so strangely close is the parallel. It occurs in the scene where the wounded
Mac-Eogh is dying in prison, and is giving his last commands to his grandson. " Keep
thou unsoiled the freedom which I leave thee as a birthright. Barter it not, neither for
the rich garment, nor for the stone roof, nor for the covered board, nor for the couch of
down. Son of the Mist, be free as thy forefathers. Own no land — receive no law — take
no hire — give no stipend — build no hut — inclose no pasture — sow no grain. . . . Begone
— shake the dust from thy feet against the habitations of men, whether banded together
for peace or war." Shift the scene from Scotland to Arabia, and no more appropriate
words could have been put into the mouth of a dying Bedouin chief.
With characters so impatient of control, it is evident that there can be no government
worthy of the name. Like the Son of the Mist, they acknowledge no lord, and there is no
one who bears even by courtesy the title of King of the Bedouins. Each clan is governed by
its own sheikh, and occasionally a few clans unite for some raid under the presidency of
the eldest or most important sheikh, and remain united for some time. But his rule only
lasts as long as the others choose to obey him, and instead of being a sovereign, or even
a commander-in-chief, he is but primus inter pares.
The clans themselves vary exceedingly in numbers, and, as a general rule, each clan
consists of one family, gathered together after the patriarchal system. Then if one of
the men should happen to excel his fellows he is sure to get together a band of followers,
to separate in time from his family, and found a clan of his own.
In consequence of this insubordinate nature, war, as we understand it, is impossible,
simply because discipline cannot be maintained. If, for example, several clans unite
under the presidency of one of their number, should one of the confederated sheikhs feel
dissatisfied with the commander, he will go off together with his people, and probably
join another who is more to his mind.
Though war is unknown, the Bedouins live in a chronic state of feud, no one knowing
whether his encampment may not be assailed by another clan, all his little property-
dress included — torn from him, if he submits, and his throat very probably cut if he
resists. No one ever thinks of giving notice of attack, or of fighting anything like equal
numbers. Should they not be far superior in numbers, they contrive to project their
assault secretly, and to take their victims by surprise, and the man who is most ingenious
in planning such raids, and the most active and courageous in carrying them out, is sure
to be the man who will rise to a sort of eminence in his own clan, and finish by founding
one of his own. The only object of such a raid is the acquisition of property ; and even
THEIR COOKERY.
7G3
a handsome horse, or a remarkably swift dromedary, will cause the destruction of a
whole clan.
Living in the desert, and only travelling from one fertile spot to another, they cannot
be expected to be very delicate in regard to provisions, nor to possess any great skill in
cookery. Their greatest luxury is a feast on boiled mutton, and the whole process of
cooking and serving is almost ludicrously simple. The body of the sheep is cut up and
thrown into a pot, together with a sufficiency of water. The pot is then placed on the
fire, and in process of time it boils. When it is about two-thirds cooked, according to
BEDOUIN COOKING HIS DINNER.
our ideas, the hungry Bedouins can wait no longer; it is all turned into a large wooden
bowl, and the guests assemble round it. Their hands are plunged into the bowl, the
scalding and half-raw meat is quickly torn to pieces, and in five minutes nothing is left
but the cleanly picked bones. No vegetables are added to it, and no condiments are
thought needful. Water is then passed round in another bowl or pail, a deep draught is
taken, and the feast is over.
The bread of the Bedouin is as simple as the cookery. The baker pours a few
handfuls of flour upon a circular piece of leather, pours a little water upoa ?t, aad kneads
THE BEDOUINS.
it into dough. Another man has in the meantime been preparing a fire, and as soon as
it burns up, the dough is patted into a thin circular cake, about one inch thick and six
inches in diameter. This is laid on the fire and covered with embers, and after being
turned once or twice, and the ashes brushed oft' it, it is taken from the fire, broken up, and
oaten as it is — " half-kneaded, half-raw, half- roasted, and burnt all round." Were it not
eaten while still hot, it would become so tough and leathery that not even a Bedouin
could eat it. In fact, it very much resembles the rough-and-ready bread of the Australian
shepherds, which is so well known under the name of " damper."
One advantage of this style of bread is, that it can be readily cooked on a journey,
and, on special occasions, a camel-rider can even bake his bread while on the back of
his dromedary.
The date is, however, the chief resource of the Bedouin, and on that fruit alone he
can exist for a long time, even through the many hardships which he has to endure in
his journeying through the desert. In England we do not know what the date really is,
nor can understand the rich lusciousness of the fruit before it is dried and preserved.
In the latter state it is very heating to a European, and slightly so even to a native,
whereas in its fresh state it has no such evil qualities. It contains a marvellous amount
of nourishment, and when fresh does not cloy the palate, as is always the case when it
is dried.
In consequence of this nourishing property of the fruit, the date-tree is not only
valued, but absolutely honoured. The Arab addresses it as his mother, and treats it with
as much reverence as if it were really his parent. A single date-tree is a valuable
property among all Arab tribes, and, although the genuine Bedouins own none, they
reverence it as much as their more stationary brethren. Cutting down the date-trees of
an enemy is looked upon as the last extremity of cruelty, while planting the trees on a
new piece of ground is a sign of peace and prosperity.
The date is eaten in various ways. It is usually preferred while fresh and full of its
own sweet juices, but, as it cannot be kept fresh very long, it is dried, pressed together,
and so stored for future use. When the dried date forms a portion of a feast, the fruit is
served in a large wooden bowl, in the middle of which is a cup containing melted butter.
Each guest then picks out the dates singly from the mass, and dips each slightly into the
butter before eating it.
There are many qualities of dates, and the best, which grow at Kaseem, are in great
estimation, and are largely imported to the non-producing parts of Arabia. At Kaseem,
the date-palm is cultivated to a great extent, and probably owes its peculiar excellence to
the constant presence of water six or seven feet below the surface of the ground. The
ripening season corresponds with our autumn, extending through the latter part of August
and the beginning of September.
Some connoisseurs, however, prefer the Khalas date. It grows only in Hasa, and fully
deserves its name, which signifies quintessence. It is smaller than the Kaseem date,
semi-transparent, and of a rich amber colour. The sale of this particular date brings in
a large income to Hasa, the fruit being exported as far as Bombay and Zanzibar.
Of religion, the genuine Bedouin has not the least idea. He is nominally a Mahometan,
and will repeat certain formulae with perfect accuracy. He will say his Bismillahs, and
Mashallahs, and other pious ejaculations as well as any one, but he has not the least idea
who Allah may be, neither does he care. As far as Mr. Palgrave could ascertain, their
only idea of Allah was that of a very great sheikh, who would have about the same
authority over them in the next world as their own sheikh in this sphere. That is to say,
they consider that they will be quite as independent after death as before, and that they
will acknowledge allegiance to this great sheikh as long as they choose, and no longer.
Like all men who are ignorant of religion, they are superstitious in proportion to
their ignorance. Profoundly illiterate themselves, they have the greatest reverence for
book-learning, and any one who can read a book is respected, while he who can write as
well as read is regarded with a curious mixture of admiration, envy, and fear. The
latter feeling is excited by his presumed ability of writing saphies, or charms, which are
mostly sentences from the Koran, and are supposed to possess every imaginable virtue.
GENEKAL APPEARANCE. 765
Before leaving the Bedouin Arabs, a few words must be said about the Arab and his
horse. Many tales are told of the love that exists between the animal and its master, of
the attention which is lavished on a favourite mare, and how she and her colt inhabit the
tent together with the children, and are all playfellows together. This certainly may be
the case occasionally, but not invariably.
That they are brought up in close contact is true enough, and that the animal thereby
acquires an intelligence which it never could possess under less sociable treatment. But
the Arab has no more real affection for his steed tha-n has many an English gentleman
for his favourite horse ; and if he be angered, he is capable of treating the animal with
hasty cruelty.
THE HASSANIYEH.
WE are come to a branch of the Arabs called the Hassaniyeh, who inhabit a large
tract of land south of Khartoum. They are paler in complexion than those of whom we
have already treated, having & decided tinge of yellow in their skins. They are slight,
tall, and straight-featured. The men part their hair in the middle, plait it into long
braids, and fasten it at the back of the head, so that they have rather a feminine aspect.
The villages of the Hassauiyeh are mere assemblages of slight huts, circular in shape,
an 1 having conical roofs, with a hole in the centre by way of a chimney. The walls are
made of sticks and reeds, and the roofs of straw, and at a little distance the huts look
more like tents than houses. Each hut is surrounded with a fence of thorns.
As among other Arab tribes, the sheikh's house is much larger and better than those
of the commonalty, and is divided into several chambers. Sometimes a sort of second
hut is placed in the interior, is made of fine yellow grass, and is inhabited by the women.
Now and then a sheikh has his tent covered with cainel's-hair cloth, and one of them,
seen by Mr. Bayard Taylor, was thirty feet in length, and contained two inner chambers.
The walls were covered with skins, gourds, and similar articles ; the principal chamber
contained a large bedstead or angarep ; and the cloth roof was decorated with great
quantities of cowrie shells, sewn upon it in crosses, stars, and other patterns.
The people have some very strange customs, among which is one that is almost
peculiar to themselves, though an analogous custom prevails in one or two pails of the
world. A woman when she marries doth not merge her identity entirely in that of her
husband, but reserves to herself one-fourth of her life. Consequently, on every fourth
day she is released from her marriage vows ; and if she happens to take a fancy to any
man, the favoured lover may live with her for four-and-twenty hours, during which time
the husband may not enter the hut. With this curious exception, the Hassaniyeh women
are not so immoral as those of many parts of the world. When a traveller passes through
the country, they are bound to fulfil the rites of hospitality by assigning him a house
during the time of his visit, and lending him a wife for the same period. Mr. Taylor
suggests that if the Hassaniyeh would also lend him a family of children their generosity
would be complete.
When a stranger of rank visits their domains, they perform a curious dance of
welcome by way of salutation. Mr. Bayard Taylor has well described one of these
dances which he witnessed on his voyage to Khartoum. He had won the hearts of the
people by presenting them with a handful of tobacco and fourpence in copper. " In a
short time I received word that the women of the village would come to perform a dance
of welcome and salutation, if I would allow them. As the wind was blowing strongly
against us and the sailors had not finished skinning the sheep, I had my carpet spread on
the sand in the shade of a group of mimosas, and awaited their arrival.
766
THE HASSAN] YKI I.
" Presently we heard a sound of shrill singing and the clapping of hands in measured
beat, and discerned the procession advancing slowly through the trees. They came two
by two, nearly thirty in all, singing a shrill, piercing chorus, which sounded more like
lamentation than greeting.
" When they had arrived in front of me, they ranged themselves into a semicircle,
with their faces towards me, and, still clapping their hands to mark the rhythm of the
song, she who stood in the centre stepped forth, with her breast heaved almost to a level
with her face, which was thrown back, and advanced with a slow undulating motion, till
ska had reached the edge of my carpet. Then, with a quick jerk, she reversed the curve
DANCE OF HASSANIYEH ARABS.
of her body, throwing her head forward and downward, so that the multitude of her long
twists of black hair, shining with butter, brushed my cap. This was intended as ;i
salutation and sign of welcome ; I bowed my head at the same time, and she went back
to her place in the ranks.
" After a pause the chorus was resumed and another advanced, and so in succession,
till all had saluted me, a ceremony which occupied an hour. They were nearly all young,
between the ages of fourteen and"twenty, and some were strikingly beautiful. They had
the dark-olive Arab complexion, with regular features, teeth of pearly whiteness, and
black, brilliant eyes. The coarse cotton robe thrown over one shoulder left free the arms,
neck, and breasts, which were exquisitely moulded. Their bare feet and ankles were as
slender as those of the Venus of Cleomenes."
All the women took their part successively in this curious dance, and by far the most
beautiful and graceful of them was the wife of the sheikh, a young woman barely twenty
AU.VH SUPERSTITIONS. 767
years old, with features compared by Mr. Taylor to those of Guide's Cleopatra, the broad
round forehead, full oval face, and regal bearing all adding to the resemblance. Her hair
was plaited into at least fifty braids, and was thickly plastered with butter, and upon her
head was a diadem of white beads. She .moved with a stately grace down the line, and
so charmed were the guests with her mode of performing the curious salutation, that she
repeated it several times for their gratification.
Even the men took part in the dance, and one of them, a splendid example of the
purest Arab blood, possessed so perfect a form, and moved in the dance with such entire
and absolute grace, that he even drew away the travellers' attention from the women.
WE now come to some of the manners and customs of the Arabs, which are not
restricted to certain tribes, but are characteristic of the Arab nature. Some of them are
remarkable for the fact that they have survived through many centuries, and have
resisted the influence of a coniDaratively new religion, and the encroachments of o-
gradually advancing civilization.
As may be expected, their superstitions have undergone but little change, and the
learned and most civilized Arab acknowledges their power in his heart as well as the
ignorant and half-savage Arab who never saw a book or entered a house. He will not
openly admit that he believes in these superstitions, but he does believe in them very
firmly, and betrays his belief in a thousand ways. Educated man though he be, he has a
lingering faith in the efficacy of written charms ; and if he should happen to see in the
possession of another man a scrap of paper covered with characters he does not under-
stand, he will feel uneasy as often as the mysterious writing occurs to him. Should he
get such a piece of paper into his own possession, he cherishes it fondly, and takes care
to conceal it from others.
In consequence of this widely-diffused superstition, travellers have passed safely
through large tracts of country, meeting with various tribes of Arabs, all at variance with
each other, in true Arab fashion, and yet have managed to propitiate them by the simple
process of writing a sentence or two of any language on a scrap of paper. One favourite
form of the " saphies," as these written charms are called, exhibits a curious mixture of
medicine and literature. A man who is ill, or who wants a charm to prevent him from
being ill, brings to the saphie- writer a smooth board, a pen and ink. The saphie is
written on the board, and the happy possessor takes it home, washes off every vestige of
the writing, and then drinks the blackened water.
Even at the present day, the whole of the Arabian tribes have the full and implicit
belief in the Jinns, Efreets, Ghouls, and other superhuman beings, that forms the chief
element in the " Arabian Nights." This belief is inbred with them, and no amount of
education can drive it out of them. They do not parade this belief, nor try to conceal it,
but accept the existence of these beings as an acknowledged fact which no one would
dream of disputing.
According to their ideas, every well has its peculiar spirit, mostly an efreet or semi-
evil genius, and every old tower is peopled with them, and there is scarcely a house that
has not at least one spirit inmate. Many of the Arabs say that they have seen and
conversed with the efreets, and relate very curious adventures.
Generally, the efreet is harmless enough, if he be only let alone, but sometimes he
becomes so troublesome that strong measures must be used. What was done in the way
of exorcism before the discovery of fire-arms is not known, but in the present day, when
an efreet can be seen, he can be destroyed by a bullet as if he were a human being.
Mr. Lane relates a most curious story of such an encounter. It is so interesting, and
is so well told, that nothing but our very limited space prevents its insertion. The gist
of it, however, is as follows : —
A European lady had been looking after a house in Cairo, and at last had found a
very handsome one, with a large garden, for a very low rent — scarcely more than £12 per
annum. She took the house, which pleased her well enough, though it did not have the
same effect on the maid-servants, all of whom left it as soon as possible. At last the
reason came out. The house was haunted by an efreet, which lived mostly in the bath, and
768 THE HASSANIYEH.
at night used to go about the house, banging at the doors, knocking against the walls, and
making such a perpetual riot that he had frightened tenant after tenant out of it, and krpt
the house to himself. The family had heard the noises, but attributed them to the
festivities which had been going on for some time at the next house.
In spite of the change of servants, the noises continued, and rather increased than
decreased in violence. " Very frequently the door of the room in which we were sitting,
late in the evening within two or three hours of midnight, was violently knocked at
many short intervals. At other times it seemed as if something very heavy fell upon
the pavement, close under the windows of the same room or one adjoining ; and as these
rooms were on the top of the house, we imagined at first "that some stones or other things
had been thrown by a neighbour, but we could find nothing outside after the noise I
have mentioned. The usual sounds continued during the greater part of the night, and
were generally varied with a heavy tramping, like the walking of a person in large clogs,
varied by knocking at the doors of many of the apartments, and at the large water-jars,
which are placed in recesses in the galleries."
During the fast of Ramadhan the house was free from noises, as efreets are supposed
to be imprisoned during that season, but as soon as it was over they recommenced with
added violence.
After a while, the efreet began to make himself visible, and a new door-keeper was
greatly amazed by hearing and seeing the figure walking nightly round the gallery. He
begged to be allowed to fire at it, and at last he was permitted to do so, provided that he
only used blank cartridge. The man, however, not only put balls into his pistol, but
loaded it with two bullets and a double charge of powder.
Just about midnight the report of the pistol rang through the house, followed by the
voice of the door-keeper, crying out, " There he lies, the accursed ! " and accompanied by
sounds as of a wounded creature struggling and gasping for breath.
The man continued to call to his fellow -servants to come up, and the master of the
house ran at once to the spot. The door-keeper said that the efreet had appeared in his
usual shape, a tall white figure, and on being asked to leave the house, refused to do so.
He then passed as usual down the passage, when the man fired at him and struck him
down. " Here," said he, " are the remains." So saying, he picked up, under the spot
where the bullets had entered the wall, a small mass of something that looked like
scorched leather, perforated by tire in several places, and burnt to a cinder. This, it
appears, is always the relic which is left when an efreet is destroyed. Ever afterwards
the house was free from disturbance.
The reader will notice the curious resemblance to the efreet stories in the " Arabian
Nights," more especially to the story of the Second Calender, in which the efreet and the
princess who fought him were both reduced to ashes. The idea, too, of the wells being
inhabited by efreets repeatedly occurs in those wonderful tales.
Another curious tale of the efreet was told to Mr. Taylor by an Arab of some rank.
He was walking one night near Cairo, when he saw a donkey near him. The animal
seemed to be without an owner, and, as he happened to be rather tired, he mounted, and
rode on his way pleasantly. In a short time, however, he became startled by finding that
the donkey was larger than it was when he mounted it, arid no sooner had he made this
discovery than the animal increased rapidly in size, and in a few minutes was as large as
a camel.
Of course he was horribly frightened, but he remembered that a disguised efreet
could be detected by wounding him with. a sharp instrument. Accordingly, he cautiously
drew his dagger, and was about to plunge it into the animal's back. The efreet, however,
was too clever for him, and as soon as he saw the dagger, suddenly shrunk to his former
size, kicked off his rider, and vanished with a peal of laughter and the exclamation, " Oh,
you want to ride, do you ? "
According to the Arab belief, the spirit of man is bound to pass a certain time on
earth, and a natural death is the token of reaching that time. Should he be killed by
violence, his spirit haunts the spot where his body was buried, and remains there until
the term on earth has been fulfilled. The same Arab told Mr. Taylor that for many
THE MIRAGE. 769
years, whenever he passed by night over the place where Napoleon defeated the
Mamelukes, the noise of battle was heard, the shouts of the soldiers, the cries of the
wounded, and the groans of the dying. At first the sounds were loud, as of a multitude ;
but year by year they gradually decreased, as the time of earthly sojourn expired, and at
the time when he told the story but few could be heard.
Among some of the tribes they have a rather odd superstition. A traveller was
struck with the tastefulness of a young girl's head-dress, and wanted to buy it. She was
willing enough to sell it for the liberal price which was offered, but her father prohibited
the sale, on the ground that from the head-dress could be made a charm which would
force the girl to fly to the possessor, no matter in what part of the world he might be.
It is not wonderful that, saturated as they are with these ideas, many of the wonders
of nature appear to them to be of supernatural origin. Chief among them is that extra-
ordinary phenomenon, the mirage, in which a place far below the horizon is suddenly made
visible, and appears to be close at hand. Even in our own country we have h;<d examples
of the mirage, though not in so striking a manner as is often seen among the sandy plains
of Arabia. Water is a favourite subject of the mirage, and the traveller, as he passes
over the burning plains, sees before him a rolling river or a vast lake, the palm-trees
waving on its edge and reflected on its surface, and the little wavelets rippling along as
driven by the wind. Beasts as well as men see it, and it is hardly possible to restrain the
thirsty camels from rushing to the seeming water.
The Arabs call the mirage, " Water of the Jinns," and believe that it is an illusion
caused by the jinns — our old friends the geni of " The Arabian Nights." A very vivid
account of this phenomenon is given in St. John's " Egypt and Nubia : " —
" I had been riding along in a reverie, when, chancing to raise my head, I thought I
perceived, desertwards, a dark strip on the far horizon. What could it be ? My com-
panion, who had very keen sight, was riding in advance of me, and, with a sudden
exclamation, he pulled up his dromedary and gazed in the same direction. I called to
him, and asked him what he thought of yonder strip, and whether he could make out
anything in it distinctly. He answered that water had all at once appeared there ; that
he saw the motion of the waves, and tall palms and other trees bending up and down
over them, as if tossed by a strong wind. An Arab was at my side, with his face muffled
up in his burnous ; I roused his attention, and pointed to the object of our inquiry.
' Mashallah ! ' cried the old man, with a face as if he had seen a ghost, and stared with all
his might across the desert.
" All the other Arabs of the party evinced no less emotion ; and our interpreter called
out to us, that what we saw was the evil spirit of the desert, that led travellers astray,
luring them farther and farther into the heart of the waste, ever retreating before them as
they pursued it, and not finally disappearing till its deluded victims had irrecoverably
lost themselves in the pathless sands. This, then, was the mirage. My companion
galloped towards it, and we followed him, though the Arabs tried to prevent us, and
erelong I could with my own eye's discern something of this strange phenomenon. It
was, as my friend reported, a broad sheet of water, with fresh green trees along its
banks; and yet there was nothing actually before us but parched yellow sand. The
apparition occasioned us all very uncomfortable feelings, and yet we congratulated
ourselves in having seen for once the desert wonder.
" The phenomenon really deserves the name the Arabs give it, of Goblin of the
Desert ; an evil spirit Jthat beguiles the wanderer from the safe path, and mocks him with
a false show of what his heated brain paints in glowing colours. Whence comes it that
this illusion at first fills with uneasiness — I might even say with dismay — those even
who ascribe its existence to natural causes ? On a spot where the bare sands spread out
for hundreds of miles, where there is neither tree nor shrub, nor a trace of water, there
suddenly appeared before us groups of tall trees, proudly girdling the running stream, on
whose waves we saw the sunbeams dancing. Hills clad in pleasant green rose before us
and vanished ; small houses, and towns with high walls and ramparts, were visible among
the trees, whose tall boles swayed to and fro in the wind like reeds.
" Far as we rode in the direction of the apparition, we never came any nearer to it ; the
VOL. I,
770
THE HASSAN 1YEH.
whole seemed to recoil step by step with our advance. We halted, and remained long
in contemplation of the magic scene, until whatever was unpleasant in its strangeness
ceased by degrees to affect us. Never had I seen any landscape so vivid as this seeming
one, never water so bright, or trees so softly green, so tall and stately. Everything
seemed far more charming there than in the real world ; and so strongly did we feel this
attraction that, although we were not driven by thirst to seek for water where water
there was none, still we would willingly have followed on and on after the phantom ; and
thus we could well perceive how the despairing wanderer, who with burning eyes thinks
he gazes on water and human dwellings, will struggle onward to his last gasp to reach
them, until his fearful, lonely doom befalls him.
TRAVELLERS AND THE MIRAGE.
" We returned slowly to our Arabs, who had not stirred from the spot where we left
them. Looking back, once more into the desert, we saw the apparition gradually
becoming fainter, until at last it melted away into a dim land, not unlike a thin mist
sweeping over the face of a field (Hochlander). It was probably this phenomenon,
which is beheld as well in Hadramaut and Yemen as in the deserts of Egypt, which gave
rise to the fable of the Garden of Irem, described in the story of the Phantom Camel, in
the 'Tales of the Kamad'han.'"
I cannot part from the Arab superstitions without mentioning one which is of very
great antiquity, and which has spread itself widely over the world. I allude to the
celebrated ink-mirror of the Arab magicians, in which they see, through the eyes of
another, the events of the future and the forms of persons far distant.
The mirror is made as follows : — The magician calls a very young boy, not old enough,
according to their ideas, to be tainted with sin, and makes him sit on the ground. The
magician sits opposite him, holding the boy's opened right hand in his, and after repeating
THE INK-MIRROR. 771
prayers, and burning incense, he draws a crossed square on the palin of the hand —
thus F — writes cabalistic words in all the angles, and pours about a spoonful of ink
into the centre. More prayers and suffumigations follow, and the boy is then directed to
look closely into the ink. Should he be really pure, and a fit subject for the magic art,
he sees a series of figures, always beginning with a man sweeping the ground, and ending
with a camp, with the sultan's tent and flag in the centre. These vanish, and the mirror
is left clear for any figure which may be invoked.
All parties seem to have the most implicit belief in the proceeding ; and though
several boys in succession may fail to see anything but the reflection of their own faces,
the failure is set down to their bad moral character, and others are tried until one is
found who possesses the requisite vision. It is a curious fact that the magician himself
never pretends to this inner sight, the sins which he has committed being an effectual
hindrance. Educated Europeans have often witnessed this curious ceremony, and have
given different accounts of it. With some it has been an utter failure, the boy evidently
trying to deceive, and inventing, according to his ability, scenes which are supposed to
be represented in the mirror. With others it has been as singular a success, European
scenes and persons having been described accurately by the boy, though the greatest care
was taken that no clue should be given either to the magician or the boy.
MADAGASCAR.
WE complete the account of African tribes with a brief notice of some of the tribes
which inhabit the island of Madagascar. For my information I am chiefly indebted to
Kllis's well-known work, and to a valuable paper read by Lieutenant Oliver, R.A., before
the Anthropological Society of London, on March 3, 1868.
The name of Madagascar is entirely of European invention, the native name for this
great island being Nosindambo, i.e. the island of wild hogs. The inhabitants are known
by the general name of Malagasy, and they are divided into several tribes. These tribes
differ from each other in their colour, mode of dress,- and other particulars, and may be
roughly divided according to their colour into the fair and the dark tribes, each consisting
of four in number, and ranging through almost every shade of skin, from the light olive
of the Hovas to the black tribes of the south. According to Ellis, the entire population
is only three millions, while Lieutenant Oliver, who gives the approximate numbers of
each tribe, estimates them at five millions.
The origin of the Malagasy is rather obscure, and, although so close to the continent
of Africa, they have scarcely anything in common with the African races. The hypothesis
which has been generally accepted is that they are of Malay origin, their ancestors
having been in all probability blown out to sea in their canoes, and eventually landed on
the island. That they are not of African origin has been argued from several points,
while they have many habits belonging to the oceanic race. For example, although they
are so close to Africa, they have never adopted the skin dresses which are generally
found throughout the savage races of the continent, but, on the contrary, make use of the
hibiscus bark beaten out exactly after the fashion of the Polynesians.
" It is evident," writes Lieutenant Oliver, " that the Malagasy have never deteriorated
from any original condition of civilization, for there are no relics of primaeval civilization
to be found in the country. Yet the Malagasy seem to have, considerably advanced
themselves in the art of building houses, and originating elaborate fortifications, which
they have themselves modified to suit their offensive and defensive weapons, previous to
any known intercourse with civilized people. They had domesticated oxen, and pigs,
772 MADAGASCAR.
and made advances in the cultivation of rice, yams, &c. ; but whether by their own
unaided intellect, or by external example, we cannot say."
A\7ith regard to the domestication of cattle, they themselves refer it to a very recent
date, and even state that the use of beef was accidentally discovered during the last
century. A chief named L'abiby was superintending the planting of his rice, when lie
noticed that one of his men was remarkable for his increase in strength and corpulence,
and interrogated him on the subject. The man told him. that some time previously he
happened to kill a bullock, and had the curiosity to cook some of the meat. Finding it
to be remarkably good, he continued to kill and eat, and so improved his bodily condition.
Rabiby very wisely tried the experiment for himself, and, finding it successful, had a
bullock killed, and gave a feast to his companions. The general impression was so
favourable that he gave orders for building folds in which the cattle might be collected,
and he further extended the native diet by the flesh of the wild hog. The original folds
built by his orders are still in existence.
Chief among the Malagasy are the HOVA tribe, who have gradually extended them-
selves over a considerable portion of the island, and are now virtually its masters. They
are the lightest in colour of all the tribes, and have more of the Spanish than the negro
expression. The hair is black, long, and abundant, and is worn in several fashions. The
men usually cut the hair rather short, and arrange it over the forehead and temples much
after the style that was prevalent in the days of the Regency. The women spend much
time over their hair, sometimes frizzing it out until they remind the spectator of the
Fiji race, and sometimes plaiting it into an infinity of braids, and tying them in small
knots or bunches all over the head.
Their dress has something of the Abyssinian type. Poor people wear little except a
cloth twisted round their loins, while the more wealthy wear a shirt covered with a mantle
called a lamba. This article of apparel is disposed as variously as the Abyssinian's tobe.
The Hovas are distinguished by having their lambas edged with a border of five broad
stripes.
Their houses, to which allusion has already been made, are formed exclusively of
vegetable materials. The walls are formed by driving rows of posts into the ground at
unequal distances, and filling in the spaces with the strong leaf-stalks of the " traveller's
tree." Each leaf-stalk is about ten feet in length, and they are fixed in their places by
flat laths. The roof is thatched with the broad leaves of the same tree, tied firmly on
the very steep rafters. The eaves project well beyond the walls, so as to form a verandah
round the house, under which benches are placed. The floor is covered with a sort of
boarding made of the traveller's tree. The bark is stripped off and beaten flat, so as to
form boards of twenty feet or so in length, and fifteen inches in width. These boards
are laid on the floor, and, although they are not nailed, they keep their places firmly.
This traveller's tree is one of the most useful plants in Madagascar. It is a sort of palm,
and its broad leaves, beside supplying thatch and walls for the houses, furnish a copious
supply of fresh water. The water is found in the hollow formed by the manner in which
the base of the leaf-stem embraces the trunk from which it springs, and the liquid is
obtained by piercing the leaf-stem with a spear. A full quart of water is obtained from
each leaf, and it is so pure that the natives will rather walk a little distance to a
traveller's tree, than supply themselves with water from a stream at their feet.
The Malagasy have some knowledge of musical sounds, and have invented some
instruments which are far superior to those of the African tribes. One of the best is the
remarkable violin which is shown in the illustration on page 774. It is played with
a bow equally rude in character, and, although the sounds which it produces are not
particularly harmonious to English ears, they are at all events quite as agreeable as those
produced by the stringed instruments of China, Japan, or even Turkey.
Slavery exists among the Malagasy, but is not of a very severe character, and may
possibly, through the exertions of the missionaries, become extinguished altogether. The
slaves do all the hard work of the place, which is really not very hard, and, as they
take plenty of time over everything that they do, their work would be thought very light
by an ordinary English labourer. Drawing water is perhaps the hardest labour the
THE ART OF TRAVEL.
773
f4ale slaves undergo, and it is not such very hard work after all. They draw the water
by means of cows' horns tied to ropes, and pour it into ingenious pails made of bamboo.
TRAVELLING IN MADAGASCAR.
The hardest work which the men do is acting as bearer to their master's hammock or
litter, and, as the roads often lie through uncleared forests, and are very rough anc
MADAGASCAR.
rocky, they have a fatiguing task. These litters are very convenient, and are covered
with a roof to shield the occupant from the sun. They are rather unwieldy, and sometimes
as many as twenty or thirty men are attached to each litter, some bearing the poles
on their shoulders, and others dragging it by ropes, while the whole proceedings are
directed by a superintendent.
Within the last few years, Christianity has made wonderful progress among the
Malagasy, although at first missionaries were driven out, and the native converts put to
death with frightful tortures.
The old superstitions, however, still remain, but they are of a more harmless character
than is generally the case with the superstitions of a people who are only beginning to
.emerge out of the savage state. All reptiles, especially snakes, are regarded with great
veneration. Whether any of the serpents are poisonous is not clearly ascertained, though
the natives deny that venomous snakes are found on the island. Be this as it may, they
never kill a snake, and, even if a large serpent should
come into their house, they merely guide it through the
doorway with sticks, telling it to go away.
They do not appear to possess idols, though Mr. Ellis
found certain objects to which a sort of worship was paid.
These were simply " pieces of wood about nine feet high,
not square and smooth at the base, but spreading into two
or three branches at about five feet from the ground, and
gradually tapering to a point." Near them was a large
basaltic stone, about five feet high, and of its natural
prismatic form, and near it was another stone, smooth and
rounded, and about as large as a man's head. The natives
said that blood was poured on one stone, and fat burned
on the other, but they were very averse to any conversation
on the subject, and very probably did not tell the truth.
Some of their domestic superstitions — if we use such
a term — are rather curious. Mr. Ellis had noticed that
on several occasions a spot of white paint had been placed
on the forehead, or a white circle drawn round the eye.
One morning, he found these marks adorning nearly the
whole of his bearers. On inquiring into the cause of this
decoration, he found that it was a charm to avert the
consequences of bad dreams. As, however, they had par-
taken copiously of beef on the preceding evening, the cause of the bad dreams was
clearly more material than spiritual.
Partly connected with their superstitious ideas is the existence of a distinct class, the
Zanakambony. They are hereditary blacksmiths, and are exempt from forced labour
except in their own line, so that, as Lieutenant Oliver writes, they will make a spade, but
cannot be compelled to use it They have the right of carrying deceased kings to the
grave, and building monuments over them. They are very proud, and behave most
arrogantly to other clans, refusing to associate with them, to eat with them, or even to
lend them any article to be defiled by the touch of plebeian hands. As they will not
even condescend to the ordinary labour of their countrymen, and think that even to build
a house is a degradation, they are very poor; as they refuse to associate with others, they
are very ignorant, but they console themselves for their inferiority in wealth and learning
by constantly dwelling on their enormous superiority in rank.
MADAGASCAR VIOLIN.
END OF VOL. I.
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