trained oxen was at Shiloh, twenty-two miles distant, so we
pushed on with all haste, and that evening we arrived at
the house of Mr. Thomas, the gentleman to whom I referred
as having just died of fever when we were at Buluwayo, and
the father of the young man who was killed with Captain
Paterson’s party. Mr. David Thomas, the deceased’s eldest
son, gave us a hearty welcome. He was a brother of the
young trader whom I had met at Zeerust, in the Northern
Transvaal.
In 1878, Sir Theophilus Shepstone, administrator of the
Transvaal territory, wrote to King Lo-Bengula, complaining
of some assumed grievances of the traders. The delivery
of the letter was entrusted to Captain Paterson, who was
accompanied by Mr. Sergeant. The contents of the missive,
as well as the conversation with Lo-ben, were somewhat
injudicious, judging from the written copy of the transactions
which is in my possession. They could not fail to
arouse the suspicions of the endunas, as well as the doubts
of the king. The “ big talk ” ended in nothing but bad
feeling.
Captain Paterson, Mr. Sergeant, and party, resolved to
make a journey to the Yictoria Palls of the Zambesi, if
permission could be obtained, and with this object they
asked the assistance of Mr. Morgan Thomas, who was acquainted
with the native tongue. Lo-ben’s reply to the
request for permission to go through the country was to
the effect that Captain Paterson should first return with
the message to the great Queen, after which he might
return and make a journey to the Falls. Invariably
friendly to the white man, Lo-ben doubtless gave this
advice knowing the hostile attitude of his endunas, whose
wildest suspicions were aroused by the extraordinary mission
from the British.
Influence, however, at length seemed to prevail with the
king, and Captain Paterson, Mr. Sergeant, and Mr. Morgan
Thomas left on a journey towards the Falls, Lo-ben protesting
to Morgan’s father against his allowing his son to
accompany the party.
A month after the party had left, Usinduana, a Matabeli,
returned, giving news that on the eighteenth day of their
journey they had suffered greatly from thirst, and having
entered the country of Zanki, called Ubenanzwa, of the
tribe of Amaholi, one of whom they encountered, they,
against the man’s will, compelled him to show them
where water was to be found. Thereupon he led them
to a pool in the mountains, and all being parched, they
drank immoderately. Yery shortly every member of the
party fell sick, the result being the death of Captain
Paterson, Mr. Sergeant, Mr. Morgan Thomas, and seven
coloured colonial servants.
My informant respecting this occurrence was the brother
of Morgan Thomas, who was one of the victims. The
messenger who brought the news also reported the death
of five of the Matabeli escort. White traders and others in
southern Matabeli-land asked permission to go and bury
the dead, but Lo-ben would not grant the request.
Evidence respecting the matter was very conflicting, and
young Mr. David Thomas has spared no pains in trying to
unravel the mystery. To divulge a secret of the king’s
meant immediate death, but a man—the brother of a rain
doctor—privately said to Mr. David that when Umlugulu,
the headman of the town of Oyengweni, arrived with his
party at the king’s kraal, they were despatched by Lo-ben
to overtake Captain Paterson’s party and destroy them.
Usibigo, the man who explained this, said that Captain
Paterson’s mission was distasteful to Lo-ben and his