The first glimpse we had of Pieter Maritzberg was very pleasing. A
spirit of freedom and sociability pervaded the very air.
Several banks, newspaper and Government offices had fine, imposing
buildings. The town is surrounded by beautiful hills and lovely drives.
Here the camellia trees grew to the height of twenty feet, bearing
their crimson and white, scentless flowers. Flowers grew in profusion
without any coaxing, and the winter days were like those of our early
spring.
Owners of the handsome houses had some satisfaction in beautifying the
grounds surrounding them, as everything planted tried to bloom at its
best. The cactus plant, with its brilliant flower and rugged leaves,
formed hedges, whilst vines clambered over lovely little villas that
smilingly looked out at the passer-by.
The hotel was pleasanter than any we had been in. Soon after our
arrival we were fortunate in finding several large rooms comfortably
furnished, where we lived in health and happiness. The restaurant near
by supplied our table in our own dining-room, and Coolie boys waited on
us. The service of the boys in a warm climate like Natal was a great
relief. Our young Coolie, David, who attended to the household duties,
was the prettiest boy in Maritzberg, but this was not to be wondered at
after seeing his mother. Unlike the usual small, childlike Coolie
woman, she was tall, with beautiful dark eyes, waving raven black hair,
and dimpled cheeks; over her head and shoulders hung carelessly and in
graceful folds the yellow handkerchief. How I wished I had the talent
to sketch her as she stood, for "our special artist" was not there at
that moment.
Another characteristic thing we had to accustom ourselves to was our
_washerman_. A black man would come and get the bundle of soiled
clothes, and take it down to the river; he and his wife would stand in
the water by a big flat rock, and with a stone proceed to pound the dirt
out of our linen. We had a few dozen or so of garments returned, with
laces bedraggled and holes knocked through the delicate fabrics. It was
necessary to call in a sewing woman to make up a bolt of linen for new
garments; but our experience was gained and paid for.
As we intended to make this visit to Natal our farewell to South Africa,
we spent much of our time in extensive rides to various parts of the
country. We owned six horses and a light running two-seated Cape cart
that served to make our excursions into the surrounding country
delightful. Our leaders were famous hurdle racers. Our wheelers were
famous for having been used by the Empress Eugenie during her sad visit
to Zulu Land.
She came in her loneliness to visit the spot where her noble son, the
Prince Imperial, had fallen, pierced through by the cruel assegais of
the Zulus, who had surprised him in the tall Zulu grass when hunting.
He fought single handed, and returned backwards to his horse. When
found dead it was proved on examination that he had met death bravely,
having received every wound with his face to his black foe.
We started one fine morning for a drive to some famous falls several
miles distant from Maritzberg. It took half an hour to climb the long
town hill, and we were on the downward grade when the brake of our cart
broke. The horses were soon on a run down the steep, rocky road, and it
seemed as if nothing could save us from being mixed up with the horses'
heels. No one uttered a word, but we soon saw that our only hope lay in
keeping the horses in hand. The long whip whistled over their heads and
struck the leaders a sharp cut, for upon those two horses depended
everything; if they would only leap and jump away from their flying
companions in the rear we were safe. The dear creatures seemed to know
what had occurred, and they just lifted their beautiful heads and fairly
skimmed the earth, going as far to one side of the road as they could,
and then across to the other side, thus keeping the cart from rolling
down upon them. Not more than ten minutes elapsed from the time we
started on that downward grade until we reached the level road. Here a
wheel came off, and down we all went, and the horses came to a
standstill. We were only too glad to come to a halt, no matter how
sudden.
On our return journey we met two native witch doctors, with their
peculiar musical instruments in the shape of a mandolin, and made by
their own hands. Mr Watson, editor of the Natal _Witness_, was of our
party, and requested them, in their own language, to dance for us, which
they did, playing on their instruments and keeping perfect time with
head and feet, and certain undulations of the body. The faces of the
dancers grew more and more serious as the dance proceeded.
Walking along the street one day I observed a tall Zulu approaching,
dressed to his knees in a sleeveless shirt. He stood about six feet
high, and carried a knob cane. As he approached the very earth seemed
to shake under his powerful tread, and as he passed and breathed out an
"umph," "umph," at each step, a cold chill went all through me, and I
felt for the first time that the strongest pale-face was a mere child
compared to this mighty black man. His physical force was so great
that, as he passed, I felt as if my spirit had been overthrown by a wave
of power.
The very social people we met in Maritzberg aided us in making
excursions full of interest. We were afforded opportunities for
visiting some Zulu kraals, and in that way gained much knowledge of this
remarkable people.
Near one kraal lay three women on the ground, basking in the sun. Their
dress consisted of the skins of a few small wild animals hanging from
their waists, whilst strings of beads, glass and metal adorned neck,
waist, and ankle. During the time we stood watching them they spoke a
few words, consisting of vocal sounds and clicking the tongue against
the roof of the mouth; but they never moved hand or foot, and rarely
winked as they gazed at us. A stay in Africa would give to a sculptor
ample opportunity for study from superb models. We might easily have
imagined, as we stood looking at them, with their rounded necks and
limbs glancing in the sunlight, that we were gazing on statuary in
bronze. Cunning little naked children, with rounded little limbs and
big swelled stomachs, peculiar to these children, were playing round
them, but they are such timid creatures that as we approached they crept
into the hole of their hut on all-fours.
The known records of the race date back to 1810 and a famous warlike
chief Chaka, who led his men to victory against both black and white,
enslaving the former and driving Dutch and English back of the
Drakensberg and to the sea. There are many students of native history
who assert that the Zulus were originally from Northern Africa, and had
fought their way through opposing tribes, down to the country they now
hold, which teems with game, and is rich in gold and minerals. There
are even those who say that they are the offshoot of an outlying tribe
of the ancient Egyptians. This, however, must be merely conjecture,
and, if the report contains a grain of truth, the early Egyptians have
considerably altered in their physical and mental peculiarities during
their three or four thousand years of travel through the equatorial
regions.
These Zulus, however, are exceptionally brave, and fight, as the
colonists will testify, like fanatics or fiends.
Their old military chief, "Chaka," who fifty years ago was the warrior
chief of Zulu Land, was justly named the Napoleon of South Africa. From
a common soldier in the ranks of Dingenayo, he rose to be chief, and was
the first to organise the Zulus into regiments, breaking up the old
tribal system, and training them to the severest discipline. With but
few exceptions his warriors were not allowed to marry, and were trained
only for military conquest. The result was, that when they did burst
over the land, and attacked the peaceful tribes in Natal, which at that
time numbered about a million, these Zulu warriors reduced them to a
mere flock of twenty thousand souls hiding in the mountain clefts.