Several moons had passed since I was brought to the Zulu country, and my
life had been monotonous. I had been sent with messages twice to the
Tugela river to a chief there, who was suspected of not being too
obedient to the Great Chief. He was a fine young chief called Cloko,
and was a great sportsman. On the last occasion that I visited him he
was preparing for a hunt against the hippopotami, which were in a lake
near his kraal. The water in this lake could be let out by digging away
a sand bank, which had been accomplished when I reached the kraal. The
Zulus had provided themselves with heavy, barbed spears, to which some
thick wood was attached. A rope made of grass was fastened to the iron,
so that if two spears stuck in the hippopotamus he could be held by
several men pulling in opposite directions.
The Zulus call this animal _imvubu_, and several were known to be in the
lake. Some logs were fastened together to make a raft, and two Zulus
took their stand on this with their spears ready for use. As the water
in the lake drained away the _imvubu_ were seen among some reeds near
the shore. They were carefully approached by the men with the spears,
and when quite close the spears were hurled at the largest animal
visible. The hippopotamus rushed at the raft open-mouthed, but another
spear was hurled at him which made him turn and try to escape; but fifty
Zulus now held on to the rope, and his progress was stopped. The
struggle was now very exciting. Several Zulus closed with the animal
and drove their assagies into him, even through his thick hide, which in
many places was nearly two inches thick. The fight was sometimes on the
shore, sometimes in the water; for the animal was so powerful that even
fifty men could scarcely stop him when he rushed away. At last,
bleeding from a hundred wounds, the monster was dragged on shore, and
was soon skinned and cut up. The hippopotamus is the fattest animal in
Africa, three fingers thick of fat covering his flesh. He is very good
eating, tasting something between pork and beef. I carried away a large
piece with me as a present to the Great Chief, who was fond of this
food.
I saw several hunting scenes whilst I stopped at this kraal, which I
will relate now, though they occurred at intervals. One was the
destruction of two bull-buffaloes which had taken up their residence in
a ravine near some corn-gardens, where they did considerable damage.
This coming to the ears of the Great Chief, he ordered one of his
regiments to go out and kill them. I obtained leave to see the
_inyati_, as they call the buffalo, killed, and a grand sight it was.
In a dense ravine, where the trees and bushes grew very thick, the
buffalo lay concealed. The first work, therefore, was to drive them out
of this stronghold. It was dangerous work, because in this thick bush
the Zulus could not spring away from the charge of a buffalo as they
could in the open country; and the animals, knowing their strength in
such cover, would not readily be driven out of it.
A hundred Zulus were sent into the bush to drive the buffaloes to the
far end, where, it was thought, they would leave the cover in order to
gallop across a small open piece of ground towards a forest beyond. On
this open ground the attack was to be made, and in the following manner.
The main body of the Zulus were lying down three deep, and in two
lines, in the direction of the sides of the ravine. They were partially
concealed by the long grass which covered this ground. As soon as the
buffaloes left the ravine, it was expected they would gallop between
these two lines. Then the Zulus at each end of the line wheeled
inwards, and the buffaloes were inclosed in a circle of warriors. About
one hundred men were scattered beyond these two lines, in order to stop
the buffaloes if they broke through the circle.
It was with great difficulty that the animals were driven through the
ravine. They clung to the cover very tenaciously, and several times
charged at the men who were driving them; but these men, beating their
shields, and getting behind trees, escaped from any damage. At last the
buffaloes came to the edge of the bush, sniffed the air suspiciously,
and then dashed forward across the open.
The crouching Zulus rose to their feet, wheeled round in front and rear
of the animals, and hurled their assagies at them. In an instant the
buffaloes looked like porcupines, each quill being represented by an
assagy. Lowering their heads, they charged the body of men, one animal
going forward, the other attempting to regain the ravine. The courage
of the Zulus was now shown. The men in rear of the buffaloes rushed
forward; two or three held the tail, others clung to the hind legs, and
in an instant with their sharp assagies hamstrung the animals, when they
were soon despatched with assagies. This was not accomplished without
damage. Two Zulus were killed, and several were so knocked about that
they could not stand.--Stout poles were cut, and the carcases of the
buffaloes were carried in triumph to the chiefs kraal.
In order to keep his warriors fit for warlike expeditions, the Great
Chief sought every occasion of sending parties into various districts,
when he heard there was anything to be done, especially connected with
danger.
Soon after the buffaloes had been killed, news was brought to the chief
to the effect that near the Pongola river there was a very large lion,
which was very fierce. When the Great Chief heard this he smiled and
ordered Inyovu, one of his chiefs, to come to his kraal. On Inyovu
coming the Great Chief said:
"Inyovu, near the Pongola there is a very large lion. I want the mane
of that lion to wear over my shoulders, and his teeth I require for a
necklace. Take your regiment and bring me the lion's skin and teeth.
_Hamba_." ("Go.")
I asked the Great Chief if I might go with Inyovu and see the lion
killed. He consented, on condition that I did not go into too much
danger. He said several men were sure to be killed, but I must not be
one of them.
It was a ten days' march from the chiefs kraal to the Pongola river,
near which the lion was said to live. We carried with us bags of
mealies, but there were several buck on the way which we managed to kill
with our assagies and knob-kerries. The plan we adopted was, to send
look-out men in front, and when they saw any antelope these were watched
until they lay down in the long grass or among the bushes. The Zulus
then surrounded the buck, and gradually closed in on it, forming at last
a close mass of men; knob-kerries and spears then settled the question,
and a feast was the immediate result. There were very few Caffres in
this country, and only a few wandering Bushmen, who fled at our
appearance; but there were elands, koodoo, buffalo, rhinoceros, zebras,
hartebeest, and several other animals. Elephants also were plentiful.
We heard from the few Caffres who lived here that the lion could be
heard to roar nearly every night, and that he lived in a rocky ravine
near a small stream that ran into the Pongola. He was said to be very
fond of zebras, and to live almost entirely on them; so that where the
zebras lived, there the lion was sure to be.
I asked Inyovu how he intended to kill the lion. He replied, "First
find out where he lies down by day, then surround him and assagy him.
It will cost perhaps forty men," said the chief; "but we must obey the
chief, and take the skin and teeth to him."
"Suppose you fail?" I inquired.
"We must not return without the lion," said the chief. "If we did, the
Great Chief would order fifty men to be assagied, and send another
regiment to do the work; so we must kill this lion."
Inyovu never seemed to have the slightest doubt or hesitation about
carrying out the orders of his chief. He was told what to do, and he
must do it. He had above 1,000 men with him--too many, he thought; but
the Great Chief liked the regiment to work together, and always to be in
sufficient numbers to ensure success.
Inyovu now sent out several parties of ten men, in order to look out for
the spoor of the lion and to listen for his roars at night. What he
hoped to do was to come upon the lion after he had made a grand supper,
and when he would be asleep; for then he might be mortally wounded or
disabled before he could damage any of the Zulus. Instead of having a
great dance, as was usual before an encounter with dangerous animals, we
all remained quiet, scarcely speaking even above a whisper, as we
listened for the lion's roar.
It was some time before daybreak that a runner from one of the look-out
parties came to the chief and informed him that the lion had killed an
eland just about sundown, and had dragged the land into some long grass
near a small pool of water, and had been feeding on it during the night.
The place was watched by several men, so that the lion could not escape
without being seen.
A few low whistles were given by Inyovu to bring his men together; and,
guided by the runner, we quietly wended our way to where the lion was
resting. We were met by some of the men just as it was getting light,
and from a hill near we were shown where the lion was concealed. Our
party was then divided into four, and each of these worked their way out
on the plain, so as to surround the lion.
Great care, however, was taken that no men went to windward of the lion;
for, so sensitive is the smell of these animals, that if fast asleep
they would at once awake if a man passed several assagy-throws' distance
to windward of them. I was much struck with the silence maintained by
the large party of Zulus: not a sound was audible, not a foot fall heard
as the men closed in on the den. A wave of the arm by the chief was
sufficient to direct his followers where and how to move. Since those
days I have seen the soldiers of most nations when being reviewed, and I
have been struck with the noise which seemed necessary both in shouting
words of command and in the rattle of accoutrements, all of which
appeared to tend to confusion, and to interfere with watchfulness;
making a surprise by such troops appear impossible; so that I compare
favourably the Zulus, for some purposes, with the best European
soldiers.
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To be able to advance to within a few yards of a lion without waking
him, is a performance which requires the greatest skill; but it was
accomplished, and before the lion could spring to its feet, twenty
assagies were buried in its body. The powerful brute, however, although
bleeding from its many wounds, sprang forward and struck down one of the
Zulus. But, quickly as the lion moved, the Zulus behind him followed
with equal rapidity, and assagy after assagy was buried deep in the
lion's body. After vainly tearing at the spears that were sticking in
him, the lion sank to the ground and was instantly despatched.
Only two men were wounded--neither very badly; a result due entirely to
the careful manner in which the lion had been crept on. Inyovu told me
that if the lion had been aware of our approach, he would have charged
before he could have been speared; and that thirty or forty men would
have been killed to a certainty before the lion was rendered harmless.
The lion was soon skinned, his teeth and claws extracted and taken
charge of by Inyovu. The flesh of the lion was eaten after a very
little cooking, and was much appreciated by the Zulus, especially the
heart, the eating of which is supposed to give great courage and
strength.
Our return journey was quickly accomplished, and we were received by the
Great Chief at his kraal. Inyovu gave a description of what he had
done, both in getting the news and stalking the lion. He went through
all the movements most graphically, creeping along very slowly, and then
showing how he hurled his assagy at the lion, and how the lion charged
and struck down one man. It was a very good description, and any
listener must have had as good an idea of the scene as though he had
himself been present. The Great Chief received the lion's claws and
teeth, and gave them to his wives to make into necklaces and armlets for
him.
The Great Chief possessed twenty wives, and none of these was allowed to
do any work in the fields like the wives of the common men. They passed
their time in making bead-ornaments, forming and ornamenting snuff-boxes
for the chief, grinding up tobacco (which grew here) into snuff, and in
collecting news with which to amuse the Great Chief when he was at
leisure.
I was surprised at the amount of news which was brought to the chiefs
kraal. Some of this was confidential, and was not told to any one
except to the chief himself; but plenty of news came which we about the
chiefs kraal heard of.
I heard that the Umzimvubu Caffres, among whom my lot had been first
cast, had lost many men in their fight with the white men, and had
brought back very few cattle; and that it was probable that a fight
might occur between the Amakosa and my old tribe. I also heard that a
few white men had built huts near Natal Bay, and were living there,
trading with the Caffres in those parts. This last news caused me to
think once more about trying to escape and rejoin my own people. The
Great Chief was very angry when he heard that white men had come to
Natal. He said they would supply the Caffres there with guns, and that,
by-and-by, they might become strong enough to resist him. He called
several of his counsellors, and inquired whether they did not think he
had better "wipe them out" at once. The men the chief consulted were
divided in opinion; the older men were in favour of prudence, and
letting the white men rest; but the younger were for attacking the men
at the Bay of Natal at once, and so getting rid of them. I listened to
every word I could hear at this meeting, because it seemed like hearing
the decision of a jury, whether my people were or were not to be
destroyed. I had several ideas about what I should do in case it was
decided to attack the white people; for it seemed unjust that they
should be attacked and killed without any warning, and I could not
reconcile myself to the thought of remaining quiet and not giving some
warning to the white men who were living at the Bay.
For several days the chiefs were talking about the affair; and I noticed
that, whenever they did so, I was sent on a message to a distance, so
that I could not hear what was talked about. I also found that none of
my companions ever said a word to me about the men at the Bay; so I
guessed that this was the order of the chief, and that I was not to know
what was being done about the white men. I watched carefully every
proceeding, however, of the chiefs of the different regiments; and I
soon found that preparations were being made for a great expedition
somewhere; and as there was no tribe with which we were at war, I felt
convinced that it must be the white men against whom this army was to be
sent.
From a few remarks I heard, I became certain that the white men at the
Bay were to be surprised and killed; and consequently determined to try
and warn them, and if possible make my escape at the same time. It
would be a great risk, and if discovered I should be assagied at once.
It was evident that there was a suspicion that I could not be trusted
when an attack on white men was intended; otherwise the subject would be
spoken of to me by some of the young chiefs. So I pretended to know
nothing about the proposed expedition, and went my journeys the same as
usual, and when asked for the news I usually said there was none. It
was always the habit of the Zulus, when I visited any place, to at once
say, "_Chela pela s'indaba_" ("Tell us the news"), and the news they
liked best was about proposed expeditions of the army against other
tribes. So, when I told them there was no news, they looked surprised;
for rumours had reached them that some expedition was preparing.
I discovered after a time that at the next full moon the expedition
would start. The army was to assemble near the Tugela river, and make a
rush on to Natal, slaughter the white men, and return as quickly as
possible to the Muse Umkulu or Great Kraal. Having gained this
information, I decided on my own plans. Whenever I was sent on a
message by the chief, I carried with me an assagy of a peculiar shape to
show that I was journeying on the business of the chief. Those who saw
this assagy were bound to give me every assistance, to supply me with
food, and obey my orders. So I was a great man when I carried the
assagy, and was never stopped or even delayed.
One evening, just before the full moon, I received the chiefs orders to
travel to the kraal of a chief named Inyoko Umkulu, who lived near the
Pongola river, and tell him to send some leopard-skins to the Great
Chief. Now the Pongola river was in the opposite direction to that in
which the army would travel to Natal; so I at once suspected I was sent
away to prevent my seeing the army leave. I made my plans at once.
At daybreak I started, and travelled till the sun had risen three
hand-breadths above the hills, going towards the Pongola, then I turned
and travelled towards the Tugela river. I saw but few Zulus as I went,
and those I did see dared not stop me when I showed them the assagy of
the chief. From what I have since learned of the distances, I find I
must have travelled at least fifty miles a day. So on the third day I
reached the Umganie river near Natal, and saw the houses of the white
men.
On entering the first house I came to, I saw a man with his wife and two
children, all of whom looked at me with surprise; for they recognised me
as a white boy, though I wore the tails and carried the shield of a
Zulu. When I spoke to them in English they were still more surprised,
and soon became alarmed when I told them a Zulu army might be upon them
at any moment, and unless they could escape they would all be assagied,
as I knew the orders that were given to the chiefs, who led this army.
These people inquired who I was, and how I happened to be with the
Zulus. I gave them a brief account of my shipwreck, and the life I led
afterwards, but urged them to lose no time in doing something for their
safety. The man at once went to the other huts, and all the white
people were soon assembled to hear my tale. Some disbelieved me, but
the majority were at once for making things safe--a proceeding which was
far easier than I had imagined. Collecting plenty of food, and taking
everything of value from their huts, they placed these on board a small
schooner that by good luck was in the bay at anchor. Several boats were
there also, and by aid of these the people could be conveyed to the
vessel. Notice was sent to all the Caffres, of the expected arrival of
the Zulu army; and they assembled on a range of hills west of the bay,
where there was a very thick wood, and where they could oppose best the
trained warriors of the Zulu army.