Zululand and Cetewayo, containing an account of Zulu customs, manners and habits ... With portrait of Cetewayo, and ... illustrations, etc

Front matter

ZULULAND AND CETEWAYO. ZULULAND AND CETEWAYO, CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF ZULU CUSTOMS, MANNERS, AND HABITS, AFTER A SHORT RESIDENCE IN THEIR KRAALS, WITH PORTRAIT OF CETEWAYO, AND 28 ILLUSTRATIONS FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS. BY CAPTAIN W. E. LUDLOW, KIRST BATTALION R.V. ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT LONDON : 8IMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO. BIRMINGHAM : MESSRS. CORNISH BROS 1882. PRINTED BY E. C. OSBORNE AND SON, BIRMINGHAM. P E E F A C E . £pN placing this little volume before the public, I wish to state that it has been compiled mainly from a diary made during a tour in Zululand, and that it was not my intention originally to have ventured into the regions of literature ; but recent events in South Africa, together with the interest which does, or ought to, exist in the mind of every Englishman with regard to our Colonies, have induced me to undertake the task.

I am indebted to the Rev. R. Robertson of Kamagwasa, for much valuable and interesting infor mation concerning the history of the Zulu nation, among whom he has spent the greater part of a lifetime ; and to Mr. E. C. Mountfort for the manner in which he has reproduced my sketches. WALTER R. LUDLOW, Sutton Lodge, Solihull, June, 1882. ENTERED AT STATIONER'S HALL. Page, 1 33 49 CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Bay op Durban — The Quay — Hotel — Coolies— Morning Walk — "Locations" — Bank Holiday — Wfstville — Expense op Living at Durban — Natal Ponies — Baggage — Start for Zululand — Sugar Mill — Intemperance op the People — Travelling by Night — My Guide .

Chapter II

Goods to Barter with the Zulus — The "Napoleon" of South Africa — Umvoti Mission Station — Missionaries — Stanger — New Guelderland — Cure for Snake Bites — Exorbitant Hotel Charges — Border Agent's License — Adams has an Adventure — Mr. Fynny, the Border Agent — His Description of an Interview with Cetewayo — Fort Pearson — Fort Tenedos— St. Andrew's Mission Station 17

Chapter VII

District near the Umslatoosi — Difficulties of Traders — Fort Crealock — An Inhospitable Boer— Chief Umpollane — Maas Bread — Description of a Kraal — Ceetwayo's Runners — Dress of Zulu Girls — Fashions — Salampore — Storekeeping — Crocodile Stalking; — — Hyenas and Lions 68

Chapter VIII

Morning in the Bush — Scene on the Plains — Wisdom of Sir Bartle Frere's Policy — Hardships of the Zulus under Cetewayo — Imitative Powers of Zulus — Another Servant — Elephants — The Umveloosi . . . .

Chapter IX

Zulu ' Sluit ' — The ' Paauw ' — Method of Cooking — A Buck Hunt — Wild Fowl -Impure Water — Toohey the Hunter — Baldwin's Expedition — The Rainy Season — Striking of Toohey's Camp 92

Chapter X

Zulu Belief in a Spirit World — Witch Doctors — Cetewayo and 'Smelling Out' — Modes of Torture— Remarkable Instance of 'Eating Up' — Umpisana's Song — Adams plays a Trick on the Doctors — King Tschaka and Witchcraft — Zulu Traditions and Rites . . . 101

Chapter XI

Ticks — The Ant Bear — Traces of Lions — King Panda's Wives — Male and Female Dress — Boy's Pastimes — Training Zulu Soldiers — Strength of Zulu Women — Cetewayo's Cruelties — A Zulu Belle .... Ill Page. 123 134 151 15S roNTENXS.

Chapter XII. Chapter XI

11. Goose Point — Sceneky on the ShoRbs of Lake St. Lucia — Floi.'k of Pbiic.yss— Keimikiso, and EiAPNttBtKO oi? T.'i'H£v'= Boats onthe Lake — We seek Quabters fob THE NliiHl — ENTANGLED IX A Mor.ASS— EVIL EFFECTS. 01' PoisuNurs Honey L'HAPTEU XIV SIoKNi.Nii I!ide— Our Boat — Teaching 'Dotiut-B Johnkv' to Eow- Shootin-u HipporoTAMi — A Ska Con s-eahlv c.vrsi/Bs opr Koat — Advbntors with a Crocodile — NbST and E1.&3 or the Cbooudile — Sea Ea«le— Five o'clock Tea 140 CHAITEK X\'. z0lf3 have ko c-alendaiis— possess few or no ideas of Time anh Sface — Can omlt Count from One to Ten — Zulu Pipe — 'Smoking (.Jams' — Its Effect on their Nerves — Giira of 'Uxouexe.' 14."

CHAPTER XVI.

Toohei'b Boatmen — Hunting the Sea Cow— HiriworAaiFs Hunting on the Imtacabi Rivru — Dukicuj^tt of Killing a HirpnpoTAMcs — COWxenciAl, Valie of a Sea Cow

CHAPTER XVII.

Kxcuiimos i.\ tiij: i■^H(^i^r — Wild Pius— K\nm Laziness — Zumt Salt Mine — Visitors at the Khaal — Dish of Sea ijnf-Ocn HriRsn fBi&f' I>ie>— Mi sh'al Party— Zl'LL' KdBMML I.N<'ll!l'JIB>;TS — Mi '. -,(.■!( i.\ \ oj. Tlliilii Alisir. CONTENTS. IV

CHAPTER XVIII.

Page. Anecdotes of Zulu Affection and Honesty — Our ' Boys ' are ill with over-eating — rule with regard to Presents— Cleanliness of the People— Method of Lighting Fires — Plan of Discovering a Thief . . 163

CHAPTER XIX.

Kraal of Umlandela — His Wives — Safeguards against Poison — Magwenda, Cetewayo's Brother — Mason's Store — Portuguese Fever Patient — Our Bedfellows — Munios leaves us. 168 CHAPTER^ XX. We Start for the Tugela — Ceremony of 'Ukwomulisa' on Arriving at Maturity — Courtship and Wedding Rites 173

CHAPTER XXI.

Zulu Funeral — Burning Plain — Thunderstorm— We arrive at Chief Dunn's — Dinner with Natal Colonists — Battle Field of Gingelhovo — Zulu Mutilation of the Dead —Across the Tugela into Natal — Back in Durban — Again on Board 181

CHAPTER XXII.

Early Kings of Zululand— King Tschaka 188

CHAPTER XXIII.

Reign of King Dingaan igg

CHAPTER XXIV.

King Panda Reigned from 1840 to 1873. ... 201

CHAPTER XXV.

King Cetewayo Reigned from 1873 to 1879. . . . LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Full Page Cetewayo ...... Frontispiece. Map of Zululand . ■ . . . . . 1 John Dunn ....... 33 Zulu Warrior . .... 64 Crossing the Umveloosi . . . . .81 Zulu Girl ....... 128 Zulu Labyrinth. ...... 145 Dubulumanzi ....... 192 PAGE Travelling in Zululand ..... 32 Mongat ........ 42 Zulu Army in Battle ..... 46 Assegais ....... 48 Pangoola ..... 56 Milk Pot and Pillow . . . . . .67 Reed Snuff Box, Induna's Pillow, and Bead Mouche 83 Double Pillow ....... 91 Interior of Hut ...... 100 Witch Doctor's Bracelet and Necklaces . . .114 Kraal in Usibep's Territory . . . .133 Exterior of Hut . . . . . .139 Snuff Box and Cow's Horn Pipe . . . .150 Toohey's Camp . . . . . . .157 Musical Instruments ..... 162 Dress Shield and Knobkerries .... 167 Tobacco and Mealie Baskets .... 180 Graveyard, Gingelhovo ..... 187 Fort Pearson and the Tugela . . - . 195 Ceteway'o's Bembar Stick ..... 200 Brass Armlet Worn by Cetewayo's Chief Induna . 204 Zulu Lake Scene with Hippopotamus . . .

Note. — The author is indebted to Lady Florence Dixie and the proprietors of the Graphic for the autograph of Cetewayo, which has been recently obtained. MAP OF ZULULAND, <£• the Sviroiuidava Couivtrves

Chapter I

Bay of Durban — The Quay— Hotel — Coolies — Morning Walk — " Locations " — Bank Holiday — Westville — Expense of Living at Durban — Natal Ponies — Baggage — Start for Zululand Sugar Mill — Intemperance of the People — Travelling by Night — My Guide. JjIpN the early spring of 1880, 1 found myself on board the S.S. Melrose, a few miles from Durban, the capital of Natal. The weather had been very bad, a heavy ground-swell and a chopping sea, which made the vessel pitch and roll tremendously. We had to go a long distance from the shore, in consequence of the gale during the night. Towards morning the weather moderated. We expected to arrive at the Point, the entrance to the harbour, about 4 a.m., instead of which, owing to the bad weather, we did not arrive till nearly eight, and missed the tide to carry us over the bar.

The shores, as you approach the bluff, a commanding hill at the entrance to the bay, are densely wooded down to the water's edge, and in habited chiefly by monkeys and snakes. On the top of this hill is a white lighthouse, a signal station, and a B few houses. When we rounded the bluff and steamed into the bay, all that could be seen was a long low sandy ridge, covered with bushes, behind which were the masts of numerous ships. In tbe background were low wooded hills, with the country houses of the merchants dotted among the trees. Several large ships were lying in the roadstead. Shortly after we anchored, a little tug came puffing off to us to take the mails. The man in charge said, "How much water do you draw?" " Eleven feet eight," our boatswain replied. "Then you are too late to go over the bar."

We now knew we should not be able to land for several hours. It is very dreary work, after a long voyage, to have to lie at anchor before going on shore. We were watch ing the little tug pitching and rolling alongside, when one of tbe men drew our attention to three sharks, their great grey bodies and white bellies every now and then exposed to view in the green water. A piece of pork was thrown over, and one great monster sailed lazily up to it, opened his great jaws, showing his rows of sharp teeth, gave one snap, and the meat was gone. The butcher and a seaman threw lines over, baited with pork, and endeavoured to tempt a shark by throwing the bait under his nose, as he swam leisurely up to inspect it. He was too sharp, however, and contented himself with a look at it, but when the meat accidentally came off the hook, he condescended to take it.

There were a great many about, but we failed to catch one. The tug, which had been transferring LANDING AT DURBAN. 3 some of our passengers to the Mauritius' boat, at last returned, and we commenced getting the luggage on board, a very long and tedious process. The wind increased, and the tug rose and fell with the waves The boxes were hauled aloft by the steam winch, and swung out by two men. When the tug came near, the boatswain sung out " let go," and the boxes were deposited on the tug's deck. When the luggage was transferred, a chair was lashed to the rope, and the passengers lowered in the same way. I watched my opportunity when the tug rose, and jumping, was caught by one of the men on the deck. Most of the ladies went down below, and were huddled together in a little cabin without ventilation.

At last we were off, the spray dashed over us, as the tug pitched and rolled and tossed about in the heavy sea We held on like grim death, as the sea swept the deck A lady below fainted, and had to be brought up, everywhere was confusion and discomfort. We were now in the midst of breakers forming the bar, a little more spray and glimpse of the foaming waves, and we were safely over, steaming along in calm water. We rounded a sandy point, and were soon alongside the wharf. On the quay were numbers of coolies (Indians) in soldiers' cast-off tunics and many-coloured turbans, and Kaffirs, fine tall fellows, as upright as darts, with little or no clothing to speak of. They soon cleared the tug, and we stepped on shore. Coolie women, dressed in bright red and yellow, were selling pines in baskets, which they carried on their heads, or squatting down by piles of bananas and oranges ; all was bustle and confusion.

The custom house men drove the Zulus and coolies along, in a very different way from which they would treat an English dock labourer Colonists say that, if you treat them kindly, you spoil them. By the help of the proprietor of the Royal Hotel, I passed my baggage through the custom house, but my guns had to be left behind to be marked and registered. At length we got into the wagonette belonging to the hotel, and were cantering along the dusty road to Durban, a distance of 2 miles. The sun was very hot, and the numerous breaks and omnibuses galloping past, made a fearful dust. There were numbers of houses along the road, each with a broad wooden verandah, and roofed with corrugated iron. Some were very rough and untidy, but others neatly kept, having lovely red and blue flowers growing in the gardens, with palms and tropical plants.

The town was very straggling, and the roads of an unusual width, only the centre of the road was macadamised, the sides being covered with deep sand. The hotel looked like a small cottage, but really covered a large area of ground. It was a collection of one-storied buildings, the gentlemen's bedrooms were all round a courtyard some distance from the house, the dining room and billiard room composed one building, the bath-house another, a third contained sitting-rooms and ladies' bedrooms. A number of African birds KAFFIR SERVANTS. 5 were in an aviary by the the front door, a baboon was chained up in the yard, two lemurs were on ■either side of the kitchen, and various other animals in other parts of the building. The servants were all coolies, except a few Kaffirs, and they appeared cheerful and contented As a rule, the Kaffirs do not remain long in service, but when they have saved a little money they return to their kraals.

They live in a native hut in the back yard, and subsist on boiled mealies, or Indian corn, which they cook in a little three-legged Kaffir pot. The coolies are a patient, industrious race ; there are about 8,000 of them in Natal, on the sugar plantations, and in the coast towns. They wait very well indeed at table, are respectful, and have a patient, sad-looking expression- All the doors of the rooms were left open, and the owners' luggage was strewn about under the j, verandahs. No one thinks of locking anything up, as robberies are so very rare. The hotel was full, and everyone was talking about the war, which had only recently ended. I was roused early the following morning by the crowing of hundreds of cocks. They commenced about four o'clock, and kept up the concert until about eight.

Not only the cocks, but all the dogs in the town, were saying good morning to each other, and there was a babel of sounds impossible to describe. In the morning I took a walk into the bush, which comes close up to the town. Insect life was most prolific. Splendid butterflies sailed about in every direction, while moths, dragon-flies, and curious insects of all descriptions, were buzzing and flying about among the flowers. The trees, flowers, and plants were all growing in the most luxuriant confusion, and had never been touched by the hand of man. Strange to say, where the flowers were most plentiful, the butter flies were scarcer than they were in the bye-paths where any rubbish or refuse had been thrown. At eight o'clock every evening, all the chapel and church bells commenced to ring, and rang for half an hour.

It was a signal for the Kaffirs to go to bed, and you then saw them hurrying to their "locations," as they are called. The Kaffirs employed in the town, unless their master keeps them on the premises, have to sleep in the Kaffir quarters, which are in the suburbs. They are not allowed to be outside their huts between eight in the evening and six in the morning, or they are brought up before the magistrates, and heavily fined. Every fresh Kaffir, on coming into a town from the country, has to report himself to the police, and is kept in barracks until he finds a situation, should he not succeed in getting one, he is sent back to his kraal. At the barracks, the Kaffir is provided with a pair of white trousers, the cost of which is deducted from his NATAL KAFFIRS. 7 pay, and any Kaffir going about in the towns in native dress, or rather undress, is liable to a fine.

All these precautions are necessary on account of the immense preponderance of the black population. There are nearly 300,000 blacks in the Natal borders, and a white population of 20,000. The various tribes are all kept separate from each other, and are not allowed to go out of their district without special permission. A magistrate and a staff of police are attached to each "location," and they watch the proceedings of the niggers under them very sharply, in order to prevent any combination of the various tribes against the whites. The following Monday was Bank Holiday, which is kept in Durban quite as regularly as it is at home. All the places of business were closed, and trips and school-treats were organised in all directions. I hired a pony, and rode out to a place called West ville, to present a letter of introduction which I had.

After getting outside Durban the ground falls, and you cross a marshy flat, which originally formed an arm of the bay, and is very unhealthy. Beyond this, the lovely hills of the Berea commence. These hills are fairly high, about 10 miles long, and from 1 to 3 miles wide, and are even now covered with the densest bush and forest. Thirty years ago, troops of elephants roamed through these woods, and lions, leopards, and antelopes were most abundant. This is now greatly changed, roads have been cut, parts of the forest have been cleared, and numerous villas have been built on the hill over looking Durban. It is still, however, a grand forest. When once you are off the road, monkeys are tolerably plentiful, and leopards and buck are still to be found in recesses of the jungle, although, to reach them, a way would have to be cut with a hatchet, so thick is the undergrowth.

The trees meet overhead, while flowers, grasses, and delicate ferns flourished on every side. I passed a large number of wagons, some going up country, laden with hardware, soft goods, and preserved provisions ; others coming down with hides and wool, each drawn by sixteen fine bullocks, the two leaders with bells, the driver cracking an enormous hide whip with a bamboo stock, in turn entreating, threatening, and expostulating with his team. In various places the wagons were drawn up by the roadside, the drivers cooking their food under the wagon, or lolling about on blankets, while the bullocks grazed in the adjacent valleys. On reaching Westville, which was 1,200 feet higher than Durban, I had a most splendid view, extending for 40 miles. A hilly, tree-covered country lay outstretched before me, with ranges of sharp-peaked mountains in the distance.

My friend's house was a rambling, tumble-down, untidy place. The garden was large, but in the greatest confusion. The orange and lemon trees were bowed down with their weight of fruit. The walks NATAL HORSES. 9 were edged with pine apples, and the verandah, which was made of bamboo, was covered with vines. To illustrate the expense of living in Durban at the time I was there, my hotel bill wa3 £5 a week, a riding horse one guinea a day, livery for a horse half a-guinea a day, a guinea for the carriage of luggage from the steamboat, and other prices in proportion. Provisions were just as dear. Butter, all tinned, 3s. a lb., eggs 3s. to 3s. 6d. a dozen, meat lOd. a lb., milk Is. a bottle, and vegetables at a similar rate. These prices had been higher during the war, and, although there had been a considerable reduction, yet, hotel proprietors and others did not like to come down to the old level.

I soon became tired of the monotony and expense of living in Durban, and began to make preparations for my journey into Zululand. I first of all went to the Custom House, and redeemed my guns. I had a great deal of trouble, and had to pay £3 7s. for a gun licence, marking the guns, &c. (each gun is numbered on the stock), then I had to go to a magistrate and get a written permission from him to carry arms. The next week was occupied in trying horses and making excursions into the bush. The .Natal horses or ponies, are small rough wiry little fellows, 13 or 14 hands high, and very hardy. I had brought a saddle from England, which was made high in the peak, as the crests of all Natal ponies are very high. In the town the horses' feet are sometimes shod, but seldom, if ever, in the country. One horse, which I eventually purchased for £21, had just returned from the Zulu War, and, notwithstanding an immense amount of hard work, was in very fair condition.

He had been ridden the last 500 miles in a fortnight, and proved to be a very good purchase. My other steed was a rough Basuto ponj-, a regular native bred one, with thick head and neck, and lon<r shaggy coat. I gave £20 for him. These were high prices to give, but owing to the war, horses had become very much dearer. I then purchased, for a few shillings, an old Govern ment pack saddle, with large leather bags on either side, which, with a little alteration, fitted one of the horses very well. Military stores were the only things that were cheap in Durban at this time. Each of my horses I provided with a headstall bridle, the bit strapping to the headpiece, so that it could be easily removed, to allow the horse to feed. To each headstall, a reim or raw hide rope was attached by a ring, and also a knee halter.

The knee halter was a strap padded inside, to fasten round the knee. When the horse is turned out to graze, the reim is unfastened and put through the ring in the knee halter, then pulled tight until the horse's head is brought START FOR ZULULAND. 11 within a few inches of his knee, and made fast. In this position he cannot go far, although he can graze, roll over, or lie down with comfort. I had the traveller's usual pharaphernalia of saddle bags, field glass, waterproof bag forming a bed, which was filled with grass every night, and last, but not least, a water bottle supplied by Silver of Cornhill. It was made of gutta percha, covered with thick felt. The object ofthe felt being to keep the water cool. My provisions consisted of Liebeg's extract, Goundry's compressed tea, cocoa, compressed veget tables, Kopf's consolidated soups, and other little luxuries.

These, with my cartridges and rifle, made a very fair load for the pack horse. I tried in vain to procure a guide, but a trustworthy one I could not find. At length, disgusted with the many delays, I started off alone along the coast road, riding one of the horses, and leading the other, to find my way into Zululand as best I could. The road out of the town lay across a low swampy flat, with sand a foot deep, great mud holes, and pools of stagnant water here and there. I had not gone more than a mile, when the pack saddle turned completely round, the load being unevenly balanced, and I had to get off and repack everything. I walked nearly the whole way to the halfway house, so called from being equi-distant from Verulam and Durban. The usual pace of colonial horses is the " triple," just between a walk and a trot, and it is wonderful how they get over the ground, scarcely moving you in the saddle.

The road was in a dreadful state, till I arrived at the Umgeni River, on the other side of which there was a hard road all the way to the frontier. The scenery beyond the river was very beautiful. The road winding round the hills, which are covered in many places with thick bush and tine timber. It is being sadly thinned, however, and great piles of logs which were being made into charcoal on the steep hill sides, showed the great destruction that was going on. All the clearings were planted with sugar cane, coffee, tobacco, and all kinds of tropical produce, with coolies' huts dotted about in all directions. You might almost imagine yourself in India, as with the exception of a few Kaffirs here and there, all are Indians. Each Indian's hut has a long pole in front •of it, with a number of coloured rags fluttering from it.

These are charms to keep off the evil spirits. I off-saddled at the halfway house, a snug little inn, kept by a garrulous old gentleman who had evidently seen better days, by no means an unusual character in Natal. Two naked Kaffirs took charge of my horses, rubbed them down, and gave them a feed of crushed mealies. I had supper with the proprietor and his wife. Throughout Natal it is the custom for the landlord and A SUGAR MILL. 13 his family to take their meals with the travellers. Our supper consisted of new milk, a great luxury, fresh butter, a rarity, Natal marmalade, beef, stewed oysters, etc. The moon rose as I continued my journey. The white tents of wagons outspanned for the night under the trees, with the bright camp fires, and the dusky forms of the niggers seated round them, sharply defined against the dark back ground, formed a pleasing picture.

About ten o'clock I reached Verulam, a pretty little village, and put up for the night. The village consisted of one long street of scattered houses, and is the terminus of a railway from Durban. The following day I traversed a similar kind of country, making a detour to visit a sugar mill. It was situated at the bottom of one of the hills, and the mill power was derived from water from a river. Round the mill, which was a plain white-washed building, were heaps of sugar cane, with coolies busily stripping off the tops and carrying the cane to the mill. A powerful crusher pressed from the cane the juice, which was conveyed by a pipe into the mill, the pulp going into a little wagon which was drawn up the hill by hydraulic power, and discharged its load over the top. The pulp was then dried and used for fuel.

The juice ran through a sieve, into a small tank in the mill, and a coolie kept clearing out the pieces of pulp which came with it from the crusher. It then passed into purifiers, or large tanks, where naked coolies, up to their knees in juice, were ladling it from one tank to the other, while others were taking the scum off as it rose to the surface. From here it went into other tanks, called clarifiers, and was then cooked. It was next con ducted into a large copper retort, from which it came out thick brown sugar. It was now allowed to stand in large shallow tanks, and when partially dry, was dug out with spades hy coolies, and put into revolving sieves, which forced any remaining juice through the sieve, and left beautiful white sugar behind, which a large number of coolie women were busy sewing up into bags.

Many of these women were covered with valuable silver and gold jewellery and bangles. Drinking goes on to a fearful extent, in the country, and the number of men I met during my trip, who were in a state of delirium tremens, or recovering from an attack of it, was astonishing. Spirits are very cheap. The most wholesome and universally drunk is Hollands gin, called in many places " square face," on account of the shape of the bottles. • Cheap brandy, commonly known as " Cape smoke," and Natal rum, made from the sugar cane, are drunk in great quantities. The roads in the colony have often four or five different branches, which meet together again. When one road gets bad, you ride or drive on the other, and, as new roads are continually being made, travelling by night without a guide is very puzzling.

My way AN AFRICAN NIGHT. lay over a plain. The night was pitch dark, and I had gi-eat difficulty in keeping in the right direction. Night in South Africa is a most enchanting time. The fire-flies were in countless thousands in the bushes by the roadside, and it looked as if the dark foliage was covered with living diamonds. In the marshes, on either bank of several streams which I crossed, a ghostly blue light glanced along the tops ofthe rushes, which I took for the will-o'-the-wisp, but which was only the light given by some nocturnal insect. The ceaseless hum of crickets, and the chirp of other species of the same family, together with the hoarse croaking of thousands of frogs, kept up a continual chorus all along the road. It was so dark in places, that I had to throw the reins over my pony's bridle, and leave him to find the road.

At length I pulled up at a wayside inn. The following morning, two men came in to break fast. Both were mounted on sturdy ponies, and had evidently seen a good deal of rough service. In course of conversation I found out, that one of them, named Adams, had that morning returned from Sukukuni's country, and had ridden through Zululand on his way to Natal. I asked him about the condition of the country, which he said was quiet, and also about procuring a guide. He said that he would go with me, if I would give him the same pay as he had had in the transport service — namely, £12 a month. I finally agreed with him for £10 a month, he finding his own provisions and horse. Adams was an exceedingly handsome, soldier-like man, with expressive features. He had hunted and traded in Zululand since he was a boy.