been prophesied to occur here, but were dispelled through
the courteous sanction and friendly demeanour of the much-
dreaded Lo-bengula.
The kraal or town of Buluwayo is situated on the outer
side of a great elliptic enclosure of about half a mile in
length, which is entirely occupied by royalty, its adherents
and belongings.
Once a year in this immense enclosure a great dance—
Inxwala—takes place. I t is a national event, and is considered
the first and most martial sight in South Africa.
The king stands in the centre of his 6,000 warriors, who are
bedecked with ostrich-feather capes and otter-skin turbans,
their arms being the assegai and the shield. Various warlike
evolutions are gone through, such as darting their
glistening weapons swift through the air, as all the warriors
join, and together tap their shields with rhythmic beat,
shouting and singing the while the song of the assegai and
the praises of the great black king.
“ Come and see at Majobana’s ; come and see!
Here is the display, display of the assegai!
Come and see at Majobana’s ; come and see!”
Then stamping one foot, and pointing the assegai towards
the heavens, they exclaim in chorus, “ Sh—shu—shu,”
which literally means, "We stamp out—we will conquer!”
This they never tire of repeating.
I was told that year after year the number of warriors at
this dance is diminishing. Opposing factions have assumed
or are assuming proportions which forebode a troublesome
future in the reign of the present king.* The scions or
* Lately I have heard from Matabeli-land that much strife and
bloodshed have occurred. In April 1885 the king sent an impi to
Lake Ngami, in the west of his country, in reality for the purpose
of acquiring a large stock of eattle, the lung-sickness of late years
connections of royalty are not permitted to have very large
kraals. Their conduct is often a source of danger. Three
months previously to our visit, Lo-ben put to death his
uncle, Usikuana, and all his kraal, comprising about forty
people, a doom which was brought on through the uncle
exercising privileges which were only permitted in the
royal circle to the king himself.
Another massacre, which was found to be in order, resulted
in the merciless annihilation of a number of families.
On the death of Umzilagazi, the father of Lo-ben, the body
was buried with all the deceased s effects. His waggons
and everything he had possessed were thrown into a cave
called Ntumbani, which is the name for the grave of a
king* Near to this last resting-place of royalty a kraal
was erected, and the inhabitants were told to watch the
sepulchre that it might not be disturbed. But on burning
the high grass to clear the ground for harvest, an evil wind
arose, turning the reientless flames towards the grave of
the old conqueror, until it was licked clean of everything,
having thinned the Matabeli herds. The army returned in August, but
not triumphant. Many lives had been lost, but not a single head of cattle
was brought to the expectant king, who was very angry, and accused the
warriors of cowardice and also of robbing and burning a white man s
house, a crime which was committed against his strict injunctions. This
shows the justness of the dealings of Lo-ben in relation to the white
man; for he decreed that for this particular breach of discipline the
endunas should pay the full loss, in cattle. My informant also said that
on the day previous to that on which he wrote, a fight had occurred
between the Imbezu and thè people of another town about the ownership
of a boy. Before the combatants could be separated about twenty were
killed and a lot wounded. “ So,” says the writer, “ this shows you what
a bloodthirsty lot we live among.”
* The word Ntumbani literally means small mountain or hill. The
people are so superstitious that they dare not speak of the death or grave
of a departed potentate. Hence the indication of the sepulchre is included
in the name Ntumbani.