QUEEN MAJAJIE, OR GREAT SHE.

Evening Post, Volume XLIX, Issue 16, 19 January 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

QUEEN MAJAJIE, OR GREAT SHE.

* Is it Mr Eider Haggard's " She " who has just fallen into the hands of the Boers? The Lydenburg correspondent of South Afrioa sends to that paper an interesting account of the capture of the " Queen Majajie, or Great She," who seems to have had a wonderful history : — "A peculiar fact is that her own tribe never have seen her. Only her indunas were allowed toseeher. They number ninety-two. TheCommander-in-Ohief is Jonas, an aged man. The rest are virtually young men, Oniy three women were ever allowed near her. One is a 'bearded female, with^a beard fully two inches long from'her chin. Around the sacred' kraal are wooden images, representing every nation of Kaffir, and all sorts of animals,: beautifully* carved out of wood." " She's " residence was an erdinary round hut, well built, and " when she ate meat she had to be carried by her indunas. to another kraal, and even then her nation were not allowed to see her : — " She had her great medicine tree in a forest, and all sorts of signs and symbols existed there (sacred to the Kaffir mind), and in a kraal near the tree were one hundred and forty fat slaughteroxen enclosed. The General ißad her carried by her trusty indunas. to the head laager, and allowed the jKnobnosen friendly natives tp see :tbis wonderful woman they had bo often heard of. . Her xi.wn tribe also gazed on her in-some wonder." The Queen is of great age, fully 110 it is supposed, although her tribesman say 300 : — ' J' She is of 'A light copper colour, with a frizzy sort "of wool on her head ; wears a sort of hood of tiger skin. Only her neck and face is bare, /ill her body is covered with royal tiger ; skins. The General would not allow' the burghers, to interfere with the wooden images, charm*, &c. A missionary, the Bewßuiter, who has thirteen years near Majajie's, and only saw her when captured asked her ' why she had not 1 allowed him to see her?' She politely replied, 'That is my business.'" . It is feared the Queen will not long survive her capture.

There are > lying in the harbour* of San ; Franoisco idle, ships amounting, in the 1 aggregate to 90j000 tons. It is stated that I some of these vessels hare been in the harbour \rithont oharter for six month*.