Labotsibeni refuses to see me--Sugden and my men escape
assassination--A fruitless conference--We flee to Lebombo--Oom Tuys
turns up--We confer with Queen Tzaneen and Lochien--Five-and-ten-cent-
store jewelry has persuasive powers--Sugden falls ill--We build his
coffin--Sebuza returns from his sanctification.
Next morning I got up, pocketed my pride, and decided to call on Queen
Labotsibeni. When I reached the entrance of the royal kraal I was met
by Lomwazi. He was furtive in manner and did not look me in the eyes.
His voice, as usual, was quite low, and for once his dramatic gestures
were lacking.
I demanded to be allowed to see Labotsibeni. Lomwazi shook his head
and spread out his hands deprecatingly.
"The queen will not see you, Nkoos," he said, "and she sends word that
you are not to camp on the royal ground."
"But why won't she see me? I bring her presents and much gin," I
protested. "She promised that I should attend the coronation of Prince
Sebuza!"
"She is very, very old, but still she doesn't want to die," added the
wily Lomwazi, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.
At last I understood. Lomwazi had let the cat out of the bag and the
delay in the coronation of Sebuza explained itself. Tempted by the
great price I had offered for the picture rights--five hundred cattle,
five hundred gallons of gin, and five hundred pounds in gold--the old
queen had overlooked the fact that Sebuza's accession to the throne
meant her death. At the time I made the bargain with her, or with
Lomwazi as her agent, she had consoled herself with the thought that
the British Government would be able to save her life. Now she was
afraid that the government might not be able to do so and wanted the
coronation delayed indefinitely, or put off for good.
Labotsibeni and Lomwazi were in an uncomfortable position. They faced
either the certainty of being sacrificed when Sebuza mounted the
throne or the breaking of their contract with me. In addition, the
sentiment of the people of Swaziland was against the old ruler and
Lomwazi must have known it. Under Labotsibeni there had been more than
twenty years of peace, and there had grown up a feeling that the
nation was becoming decadent without a war, if only a little one
against some inferior tribe. The British had backed the old queen in
all her moves toward keeping peace within her borders, and the
fighting men of Swaziland were unhappy at not having any opportunities
to show their mettle. From the days of Ama-Swazi the Swazis had been a
warlike people, and the bloodthirsty Buno had developed their ferocity
by frequent raids and forays on neighboring tribes. The accession of
Sebuza, young and warlike, made the Swazis feel that they would have a
real leader again, and the fact that the crown prince was the son of
Buno added to their desire for him to reign.
I had left Oom Tuys in Ermelo with the understanding that he would
join us in Zombode. I began to wish he would show up, since I seemed
to be butting my stubborn Boer head against a brick wall and my uncle
was the one white man in all the Transvaal in whom old Labotsibeni
placed her trust. I knew that she would not refuse to see him and
there was a chance of his getting her to agree to the coronation.
Realizing that we were in for a delay that might last several months,
Dr. Sugden and his companions decided to study the Swazis at close
range and compile data concerning the tribe. To me was left the
politics and "wangling" of the expedition, while they started out
blithely one morning to catch Swazis.
Their expedition was abortive, to put it mildly. Of course Sugden
would only be content with Swazi life as exhibited in the royal kraal,
and it was there that he decided to begin. I did not know this, and
thought that he was going to visit some of the little kraals where the
indunas lived.
I was sitting in my tent thinking about sending a man to find Tuys,
when Sibijaan came running in very much excited.
"Ou Baas, Mlung Emantzi Eenui, Makofa, and the other white man are
going to be killed at the royal kraal!" he cried.
Now Sugden was called Mlung Emantzi Eenui--"The Man of Living and
Burning Words"--by the kaffirs, and Crespinell was given the name of
Makofa, which means "The Small Alert One." The other white man was
Rossman, of course.
I sprang out of the tent, across the little stream, and ran to the
royal kraal. There I found my companions surrounded by a full impi of
warriors who had hemmed them in with their assegais. The white men had
drawn their revolvers and were ready to use them. It only remained for
some one to make a sudden break and there would be a killing.
"Make way! Make way!" I yelled, diving through the throng.
In a second or two I reached Sugden, who had the grim look that means
fight. He had Lomwazi covered with his revolver and I could see that
the induna would be the first to go if the shooting started.
"What's all this trouble?" I demanded, as though I were the chief of
all. "Why are these warlike manoeuvers? Why have these warriors
stopped my men?"
Lomwazi hesitated for a moment, during which I could see the tension
relax and the Swazis begin to drop their spear-points.
"It is forbidden that white men enter the royal kraal," the chief
said. "These men tried to force their way in. They said they wanted to
see all things in the kraal. The queen sent her own impi to stop them
and gave orders that they were to be killed if they did not go away!"
Sugden was much disgusted, and gave his side of the affair.
"I only wanted to take a look around," he said. "We were just inside
the kraal when these men came running from every direction and
surrounded us. I thought we would have to fight our way out and would
have popped some of them off if Lomwazi had not come up. He told us to
get out, and here we are!"
That seemed to be all there was to it. However, it was a bad affair,
as it put me in the position of trying to break into the queen's kraal
without permission. Later I realized that it did not make much
difference, since we were out of favor at Zombode anyway.
I was well nigh desperate now. It seemed as though nothing could be
accomplished through Labotsibeni or Lomwazi, but I decided to make one
last appeal to him. I sent him a present by Sibijaan and asked that he
come and see me at my camp.
My boy brought back word that Lomwazi would see me next morning, but
would meet me at the crossing of the little stream. "When the sun
reaches the royal kraal" was the time set, which must have been about
seven or seven-fifteen o'clock.
The stream was only a short distance from our camp, and I watched
until I saw Lomwazi coming to the rendezvous. I had expected that he
would arrive with four or five of his indunas, and I had arranged that
all my white companions should accompany me to the interview. Instead,
Lomwazi brought practically the whole royal impi with him. The savages
were in full war costume and made a splendid picture as they marched,
the sun reflecting from their black shoulders and assegais. It was the
first time that Sugden and the others had seen a whole impi in all its
glory and they were much impressed. The warriors were drawn up in a
sort of regimental formation at the meeting-place, with Lomwazi
waiting in front, by the time I decided we should leave our tents.
Since they had come armed to the conference, my companions and I
shouldered our rifles--we always wore revolvers--and walked in a
leisurely manner toward the little stream. As we came close Lomwazi
raised his arms in greeting and the impi gave us the royal salute. It
was the first time in some years that I had been thus honored. The
shrill whistle following the heavy stamp of the thousand feet gave the
Americans a real thrill.
Lomwazi and I shook hands in a formal way and then sat down to talk
things over. I little thought that this would be the last friendly
conference I would have with him. Behind me sat my three companions,
while behind the vizier sat four or five of his high men, all lesser
indunas and leaders of warriors. It was an imposing gathering, much
like many out of which peace has come during the various savage wars
between the whites and kaffirs in the Transvaal.
After the necessary conventional amenities, which have to do with
health and the condition of wives, I came to the main question, but
from a widely different angle.
"Lomwazi, you and Queen Labotsibeni made a paper with me that shows I
gave you five hundred cows, five hundred gallons of gin, and five
hundred pounds in gold for the right to take pictures of the
coronation of Sebuza," I began. "Now the queen will not see me and you
will not tell me the truth when I want to know about the coronation.
Other indunas have told me that you and the queen have plotted to
prevent Sebuza becoming king--"
"Nkoos, that is not so!" Lomwazi returned hotly, interrupting me. "We
wish Sebuza to become king and will do nothing to prevent it. It is
the government that does not wish him to become king; it is the
government, and not my mother, Labotsibeni!"
This I knew to be partly true, but I felt sure that the government
would be willing that Sebuza should reign if the change in rulers was
accomplished without bloodshed.
"Then if the government refuses to let Sebuza be king," I went on,
"you and the queen have obtained much wealth from me for something you
knew you could not give. There is only one thing for me to do--that
is, to hold you and the queen liable for the price of the rights she
granted me. I shall notify the government at Mbabane and ask that it
collect the money value of what you received from me. I am a friend of
the government and close to the Commissioner, and he will send to
Johannesburg for troops who will come and collect from you. If you do
not care to have me do this, you can make restitution now by giving me
the price in cows."
Now this meant that Lomwazi would have to round up at least two
thousand head of cattle and turn them over to me. This I knew he could
do, but I also knew that he would not do it without such compulsion as
I was unable to bring.
He glanced keenly at me while I laid down the terms of my ultimatum
and saw that I was in dead earnest. With his great cunning, Lomwazi is
a keen judge of human nature, and he watched me to see if I was
bluffing or not. He decided that I was not and listened in silence to
the end. Then he raised his eyes and spoke in the same low, level tone
he always used.
"Nkoos, what you ask is unjust," he said. "Labotsibeni gave the word
of a Swazi queen and her word cannot be broken. You will have the
opportunity you have bought and I shall see that it is so!"
"Yes? Then how soon will Sebuza be crowned?" I asked.
"When Queen Labotsibeni, mother of Buno, gives the word the ceremonies
will take place," he said, and this ended the interview.
Lomwazi threw his leopardskin cloak about his shoulders and rose, and
I got to my feet also, feeling that I had gone as far as I could, but
had gained nothing. The indunas shook hands and the impi gave their
salute as he raised his arms with the salutation, "Nkoos!" Then he
turned and went back to the royal kraal followed by the great
warriors, their plumes nodding in the sunlight.
I realized that I had come to the end of my string at Zombode. The old
queen would not give the word for the coronation to take place and
undoubtedly Lomwazi was behind her refusal. Looking back, I do not
blame them very much; the coronation would be their death warrant and
the government was not prepared to send troops to protect them.
That night I had a little talk with Sugden, who was feeling ill,
explaining to him what we were up against.
"It looks as if we are out of luck," was his comment, "but there must
be some way to beat the game. I'd hate to lose out, now that we're
here. It seems to me that you ought to be able to find a way to
prevent Lomwazi from sitting on the lid much longer. Let's see if we
can't get action by talking to the other indunas."
This did not seem a good plan to me. Sugden did not know these people
and underestimated the power of the old queen. She represented the
established order of things, and the government always objected to
anything new, particularly in the way of rulers.
"No, I can't agree to that scheme," I told him; "but I believe I will
have a look at the other side of this game. Queen Tzaneen is reported
to be much incensed because Labotsibeni doesn't allow the coronation
and I think I will have an interview with her."
Having taken this decision, I made arrangements to start for Lebombo,
the royal kraal of Queen Tzaneen and her son, the next morning as soon
as it was light enough to trek. That night the donkeys were all driven
in, so that they would be ready when wanted. During the weeks we had
spent at Zombode these poor animals had greatly improved. There was
good feed and water there, and they looked sleek and fresh again.
Dawn saw us on the road to Lebombo. Camp for breakfast was made on the
bank of the little river that separates the land belonging to the two
villages, and we came in sight of the kraals after about two hours.
Our reception here was very different. Lochien, who was the vizier, or
secretary of state, of Queen Tzaneen, and one of the sons of King
Buno, her late husband, came out to meet us. He had a number of
indunas with him and was most cordial. His first words gave me great
pleasure.
"Welcome, Nkoos," he said. "Welcome to Lebombo! Last night the White
King of Swaziland came to Lebombo and waits for you at the royal kraal."
This was good news, indeed. Oom Tuys had arrived and was waiting for
me! I thanked my stars that he had not gone to Zombode and thus missed
me. At last it began to look as though we would get some action.
A few minutes later, our great wagon creaking and the boys shouting to
the donkeys, we approached the kraals and I saw a solitary figure
coming out to meet us. It was a tall heavy white man, long bearded and
wide-hatted, with the rolling gait of one whose only home is the
saddle--Oom Tuys Grobler, my uncle, the "White King of Swaziland."
He threw his great arms about me and gave me a "bear hug," and then
held me at arms' length and looked me over.
"So you are all right, Mzaan Bakoor?" he asked in his gruff voice.
"This morning a kaffir came and said that last night a plan was made
to stop you from coming here, and I was anxious. I only heard about it
a few minutes ago, and was on the point of starting for Zombode when
the runners came and said you were near."
This was news to me. I did not know that Lomwazi had decided to
prevent me from going to Lebombo. It showed that he was afraid to have
me learn the truth from Tzaneen and Lochien. I was thankful that we
had not had trouble, for our patience was well nigh exhausted and
there would have been a battle if Labotsibeni's men had tried to bar
our path.
I asked Tuys about the lay of the land at Tzaneen's kraal, and he told
me that she was very much excited over the situation.
"The queen mother is very angry at Labotsibeni," he said. "It is
another case of the mother-in-law over again. Tzaneen feels that the
old lady will hang on to the throne as long as she lives, and as she
is now in her second hundred years that is likely to be a long time.
Only last night Tzaneen reminded me of the Swazi saying, 'If you live
to be a hundred, you live forever,' and she spoke of Labotsibeni with
bitterness.
"Sebuza will soon return from the mountains and it will be a national
scandal for him to have to wait for his kingdom. His mother is frantic
over the situation and even talks of taking the throne by force. Of
course such things have been done,"--and he smiled--"but I told her
that the government would not stand for such action."
Lochien then told us that the sanctification ceremonies were about
ended and Sebuza would return within the next week. As these
ceremonies also included the coming of age of the young crown prince,
he was attended by the chief witch-doctors and made to undergo
scarification and circumcision. He had to live on the barren slopes of
the mountains, his only food being wild berries and the game he killed
himself. Only the witch-doctors could visit him, and their visits were
official and hedged about with much flummery and hocus-pocus.
Tzaneen was waiting to see us when we reached the royal kraal, and I
immediately sent her the regulation presents. A little while later
Lochien ushered Tuys and me into her presence. She is a remarkable
woman and has a very sweet and charming personality. Tall and
splendidly formed, she is an ideal Swazi queen, just as she was the
pick of the Zulu princesses at the time she became the royal wife of
Buno. Her head is large and well shaped, and she has an active brain.
With education, Tzaneen would have been a leader anywhere in the world.
Her greeting to us was gracious and cordial. She asked if we had
brought our wagons and camp outfit, and said she would send an impi to
get them and bring them to Lebombo from Zombode if we had not. This
gave me a clue to the feeling between the two queens, because I knew
that Labotsibeni must have been annoyed when she learned that our
entire outfit had left for the rival camp. After I had assured Tzaneen
that we had arrived bag and baggage, Lochien introduced the subject of
our mission to Swaziland. In this he seemed to have the approval of
Tzaneen, who listened closely to my answers.
I told them that I intended staying in the country until I had seen
Sebuza crowned, and this statement met their approval. But there was a
fly in the ointment, I found.
"Queen Tzaneen is the rightful ruler of Swaziland," Lochien announced,
"because she is the royal widow of King Buno. She is the mother of
Prince Sebuza, who will soon be king. You want to see Sebuza made king
and wish to look at the ceremonies with the black boxes on legs that
you have with you. Is this not so?"
Evidently he had heard about the cameras we had brought with us.
"Yes, that is so," I assured him. "These black boxes make all things
live again so that everybody may see them, and we want to show all
people that Swaziland has a son of Buno for king."
"Then, Nkoos, why did you pay Lomwazi and Queen Labotsibeni all the
money, cows, and gin for the right to use the black boxes?" Lochien
asked.
The truth was out. They were jealous because Labotsibeni and Lomwazi
had received the purchase price of the picture rights, while they had
been ignored. I was thinking quickly and was about to smooth matters
over, when Oom Tuys broke in.
"Mzaan Bakoor has not yet paid you for your permission to do this
thing he desires," he assured them. "He could not come to Lebombo
before, but now he is ready to pay you even more than he gave
Labotsibeni and Lomwazi."
"The white king speaks truly," I added. "Even now I have in my wagons
more precious and more beautiful presents than I gave to them. These
presents I brought from America, across the great water of which you
have heard. I bought them in the greatest city of the world and have
carried them here for you, Nkosikaas!"
This was a tall statement, but I knew that I could make good on it.
Tzaneen was much interested and her curiosity was whetted. We dickered
a little more, and I agreed to pay them a large amount of gin and a
certain sum of money. Then, to avoid any further demands, I ended by
going to the wagon and getting one of the mysterious packing-cases.
This I opened before Queen Tzaneen. Very slowly I began taking from it
quantities of the five-and-ten-cent-store jewelry. It fascinated her
beyond words. She put it on, draping the tawdry necklaces about her
full throat and loading her fingers with the gaudy rings. She was
completely won over, and Lochien also was deeply impressed. So peace
was restored on the subject of the price of the picture rights. Now
the road was clear for taking the pictures, that is, if we could find
the place of coronation of the savage king.
Tuys motioned to me to leave soon after the jewelry episode, and we
went back to our wagons.
"One thing at a time, Owen," he said. "You wanted to ask about the
coronation, I know, but we'd better wait until to-morrow. I want to
see how the land lies and find out what is going on before we force
that issue. To-morrow we'll see Tzaneen again and find out what she
plans to do about Sebuza."
Lochien soon came to the wagons and told us that it was the queen's
pleasure that we camp a few hundred yards from Sebuza's kraal, which
adjoined that of his mother. The spot chosen was in a small grove of
tall trees among which were buried indunas who had died at Lebombo
ever since the village was founded. This was a great honor to us,
since it was sacred ground, the most sacred in the land with the
exception of "The Caves" near Zombode, where only kings and queens are
buried.
[Illustration: DR O'NEIL AND COMPANIONS ARE RECEIVED BY QUEEN TZANEEN
They had come to discuss the possibility of ceasing hostilities. As is
the custom, she treated them to tswala and drank first from the
calabash to show that it contained no poison]
[Illustration: DR. O'NEIL, QUEEN TZANEEN, DR. SUGDEN, AND MR. CRESPINELL
While Sebuza the crown prince was still in the mountains conforming
with the religious rites on attaining his manhood Dr. O'Neil realized
that both the British Government and Queen Labotsibeni were
antagonistic to Sebuza and wished to repudiate his right to the throne]
[Illustration: WIVES OF THE PRIME MINISTER TO SEBUZA]
[Illustration: QUEEN TZANEEN AND LOCHIEN
She was a Zulu Princess and is the only royal widow of the famous King
Buno who had, in all, twenty-six wives. She is the mother of Crown
Prince Sebuza. Lochien is her adviser in addition to being Sebuza's
_charge d'affaires_ and commander-in-chief of all his impis]
That night I became greatly worried over Dr. Sugden's condition. The
water he drank in the Valley of Heaven had caused fever and violent
dysentery, and he had rapidly grown worse during the last forty-eight
hours. The heat during the day was severe, and it seemed to affect him
so that he was hardly able to recover at night. I had given him
medicine and done everything I could for him, but nothing seemed to
help much. It was very discouraging to have him ill, because his
unfailing optimism and ready wit had helped us over many a hard place.
Next day Tuys and I called on the queen, and were received as
cordially as before. As usual, she was surrounded by maids and other
women of her kraal, and it was interesting to note how affectionate
they were toward her. She is the best liked woman in Swaziland without
a doubt, and this is strange, since it is seldom that these savage
women display any affection for one another.
We asked her how soon Sebuza would be made king. Her face darkened at
the question and I could see that it touched a sore spot.
"Until my son, Sebuza, returns from the mountains this matter is in
the hands of Queen Labotsibeni, whom the government recognizes as
regent," she answered. "But when the prince is a man and is ready for
the throne, perhaps there will be a change!"
I asked her what she meant, but she refused to be drawn out. Instead,
she told us about her last attempt to arrange for the coronation.
"Only seven days ago," she said, "I sent men to see the old queen and
ask her how soon she would be ready to surrender the throne. She
refused to see them, so they gave their message to Lomwazi. He told
them that Labotsibeni would let them know when she was ready, and then
dismissed them."
"When they left the royal kraal at Zombode many of the warriors made
menacing gestures toward them, and they came back glad to escape with
their lives. That is Labotsibeni's answer to the mother of the
rightful king of Swaziland and the royal widow of King Buno!"
She was very indignant. After a little conversation, during which we
complimented her, as was proper, we withdrew. I noticed that there was
a gin-bottle in the corner of the royal hut and realized that Tzaneen
was not different from other kaffir royalty.
Sugden was very low when we returned. He was the finest sort of
patient, however, for the worse became his physical condition, the
more determined he was that he would live. He kept murmuring, "Don't
give up the ship!" but I could see that he would hardly last until
morning.
I called Crespinell and Rossman into my tent and explained how sick
the doctor was, telling them that I feared he did not have a chance.
His cheery way of looking at things had fooled them, and they were
shocked when I told them that I did not expect we would have him with
us much longer.
"I've done everything for him that I can," I explained, "but I can't
get his fever down or stop his dysentery. He is so weak now that it is
only a question of hours before he leaves Swaziland for good.
"There is something I want you fellows to do, however. I shall remain
with him all night and will call you if he wants to make a will or say
anything. We've got to bury him like a white man, and I want you to
knock a coffin together. Take some of the boards from the
packing-cases and the big wagon and fix a decent sort of box. Don't do
any hammering where he might hear you, because he's keyed up and might
suspect what you were doing."
A few minutes later I saw them sneaking off among the trees, with
several of the black boys loaded down with boards. We were all blue
over Sugden's illness and the thought that he was dying cast a gloom
over the party that nothing could lift.
That was a bad night. Sugden seemed to get weaker and weaker, and soon
I was keeping him alive with brandy. Tuys and I sat beside him in
turn, and the old Boer was as distressed as the rest of us.
"He is such a fighting devil," he said in a whisper, when I came to
relieve him shortly before dawn. "A few moments ago he opened his eyes
and croaked that he was going back to New York when this expedition
was over and have 'one hell of a time.' I told him that I'd go with
him, and he began to tell me what we'd do. Right in the middle of a
sentence he fainted through weakness. When I brought him to with
brandy, he opened his eyes and smiled at me!"
Dawn found Sugden still hanging on. I marveled at the vitality of the
man. His body was wasted to a mere shell, but his courage burned
bright and undiminished. Shortly after sun-up I realized that he was
likely to live another day, but that seemed the most we could hope for.
While I was at breakfast an induna came from Lochien with word that
Sebuza had left the mountains and was on his way to Lebombo. This was
exciting news, and I went over to the royal kraal to get details.
Lochien told me that the sanctification ceremonies were over and that
the crown prince was to arrive that morning.
"We are almost afraid to see him, Nkoos," he said. "He is now ready
for the coronation and will expect us to have all things waiting for
him."
I could see that Tzaneen and her trusted vizier were in a nervous
condition. Sebuza was a reckless, impatient young savage and would be
much put out at any delay. The royal kraal was in a ferment of
excitement, and the warriors in Sebuza's kraal were chanting and
dancing in preparation for the welcome to their commander.
I returned to the wagons, realizing that, being a white man and an
outsider, I was not wanted at the royal kraal when Sebuza arrived. I
would see him when he sent for me, but until then I must remain quiet
and control my impatience.
Shortly before noon I saw the impis of both Tzaneen and Sebuza forming
in lines outside the kraals. They were dressed in their most gorgeous
costumes. The indunas and leaders wore the leopardskin cloaks, and all
had on their great plumed headdresses. I felt that Sebuza must be
close at hand, and it was not more than fifteen minutes before both
impis began to dance. This they continued for a short time, and then
came to a sudden stop. There was utter silence and at length I saw the
crown prince striding down the road, followed by at least a dozen
witch-doctors. These halted some distance behind.
Sebuza came to a stop in front of his impi and raised his hands.
Instantly the thousand warriors raised their shields and war-clubs
above their heads and the deep-throated shout "Nkoos!" rang out. This
was followed by the thunder of their feet and then the air was split
by the shrill whistle. Three times they gave the royal salute, Sebuza
standing like a statue.
Then, strutting like a turkey-cock, the young prince passed through
his men into his kraal. The witch-doctors followed, and then the
indunas went in. Finally his warriors broke ranks and this concluded
the homecoming of the son of Buno.
The impi of Tzaneen still remained on duty in front of the royal
kraal, and I waited to see what they would do. In a little while I saw
Lochien go into the prince's kraal, and shortly after he and Sebuza
came out together. Sebuza pointed to our wagons, and I could see
Lochien telling him about us. Then they went to the queen's kraal and
her warriors gave Sebuza the royal salute, which he received in the
same manner as before, standing motionless before them.
After Sebuza had entered the kraal the impi dispersed. I returned to
Sugden's side, to find him wide awake and talking faintly. He seemed
weaker than before, and I expected he would cease speaking forever any
moment. Crespinell and Rossman were with him, and he was trying to
tell them some of the stories of the Far North which he had seen acted
out when he was a surgeon in the Northwest Mounted Police. His grip on
life was extraordinary. Here he was living over in spirit the wild
days in the frozen North, while his body was practically dead and his
coffin lay behind the wagon!
I was standing thus, quite overcome by the situation, when Sibijaan
pulled my sleeve.
"Ou Baas, Lochien is here and wants to talk to you," he said. "He has
a message from the queen."
Outside I found the induna dressed up in his war costume and carrying
his arms. He greeted me very formally and then told me that Tzaneen
wished me to attend a conference between Sebuza and herself, asking me
to bring Oom Tuys along. After delivering his message Lochien unbent
and we had a few words together concerning Sebuza. He informed me that
the prince was much annoyed that his throne was not ready and was
eager to pay an armed visit to Labotsibeni.
Tuys and I were received with royal honors when we reached the queen's
kraal. There was the usual delay in observing the proper formalities,
and then we entered the royal hut, to find Sebuza sitting by his
mother. Tzaneen was as cordial as usual and seemed proud to have the
future king by her side.
Sebuza, whom Tuys told me later was the perfect picture of Buno in his
youth, was haughty and seemed suffering acutely from a sense of his
own importance. He was wearing a peculiar headdress and several
strings of the five-and-ten-cent store beads I had given his mother.
Since we were in the presence of royalty, it was not fitting that we
begin conversation, except to receive and give the usual greetings.
Tzaneen started the ball rolling.
"My noble son," she said, turning to the prince, "these are the white
men who were the friends of your father, the great King Buno. The big
one with a beard is Oom Tuys, whom Buno called 'The White King of
Swaziland' and whom your father made the guide and guardian of our
people when he died. The other, he of the shaven face, is Mzaan
Bakoor, who makes wonderful magic with little black boxes on thin
legs. The white men are our friends and come to Lebombo to assist in
your coronation."
During this introduction Sebuza regarded us keenly, and his scrutiny
seemed to satisfy him. When Tzaneen had finished Oom Tuys made a
little speech.
"Sebuza, son of Buno and of Tzaneen, rightful Queen of Swaziland," he
said impressively, "your father at his death made me your guardian,
and I promised him that I would watch over and protect you. I am 'The
White King of Swaziland' and the government holds me responsible for
all that takes place here. With my nephew, Mzaan Bakoor, I have come
to see you placed on the throne of your father. We have pledged
ourselves to assist you in every way, except to provoke war. We shall
remain here until you have been made king."
Tuys said much more than this, but what I have translated is about the
sense of all of it. Sebuza thawed quickly, once he had found out what
we were in Lebombo for, and then we all had a pleasant talk. He asked
innumerable questions and was much interested in what had happened at
Zombode.
His answer to one of my questions was very typical. I had asked him
how many people were his subjects in Swaziland. He thought for a
moment, and then answered, "Mzaan Bakoor, can you count the blades of
grass in a field?"
The interview ended immediately after we informed Sebuza that we had
presents for him in our wagons. He said that he wanted to see our
outfit and would go with us, and a few moments later we all left for
the camp.
Several indunas accompanied us, and the stately head witch-doctor,
L'Tunga, also went with us. I regarded this as rather impertinent, but
was very glad of his presence shortly.
Crespinell and Rossman were much interested in Sebuza and were only
too willing to gratify his curiosity concerning the "little black
magic boxes on thin legs." They took a number of pictures of him, some
of which filled him with awe when they were given to him next day. I
produced a box of the "jewelry" and presented it to him with a great
flourish. He was fairly overcome by its gorgeousness. Soon he had
bedecked himself much after the fashion of a Christmas tree and
strutted about like a peacock. Tuys told me to "go slow with the gin,"
so I only gave him a few bottles. Strange as it may appear, Sebuza was
not enthusiastic about the liquor, and later I found that L'Tunga had
taught him that it was a kind of "white man's poison."