A WANDERER’S LOG

Evening Star, Issue 20468, 26 April 1930, Page 11

A WANDERER’S LOG

THROUGH SOUTHERN RHODESIA THE RIDDLE OF ZIMBABWE [Written by Rooinek, for the ‘ livening Star.’] No. y. Between Uintah and Salisbury the line traverses the watershed of the country as far as Rusape at an average height of about 5,000 ft, the highest point, being 5,415 ft, and named, appropriately enough, Eagle’s Nest. The district is apparently well watered, and the rising ground had a good covering of timber. Tobacco is grown extensively, while jt is well suited to cattle and citrus farming. In all directions the undulating ground is dotted with rugged. outcroppings of granite, some only a few feet in height, others rising suddenly from the plain to a height of several hundreds of feet as if they had been chiselled by some ancient giant. 'ln'places,their summits are crowned by detached, waterworn boulders, caught perhaps in a deep cleft so that they form a natural archway, or precariously balanced on l a high pinnacle and looking as if the slightest breeze would send them ershing to the bottom. The bushclad sides , are sometimes used by the farmers as shelters from the prevailing winds, the houses standing out sharply against the', solid grey of the rock. In earlier 'and more warlike days these same rocks served as refuges for the natives during the periodical blood hunts of the Matabele, and to this day their villages, and storehouses often occupy positions amongst the rocks which could easily ho rendered inaccessible.

The rising town of Salisbury was reached about twenty-four hours after leaving Beira, and there the train stopped for about an hour. I ■As the headquarters for the administration of Southern Rhodesia, Salisbury is a town of some importance, which is enhanced by its position in the centre of a number of goldfields and half a dozen native disti’icts. During the Matabele rebellion of 1896-97 Salisbury saw many thrilling times, and the public park contains a granite obelisk to the memory of those who lost their lives while fighting against the natives. Gwelo, the junction for Fort Vicwhich is the nearest station to Great Zimbabwe, was reached at 1.15 the following morning. With the coming of daylight we found the town was modern, though comparatively small. It is the centre of a large mining and farming district, and bears every sign of prosperity. The broad streets and avenues are' shaded from the glare of the sun ■by widespreading trees, while the town is lighted electrically with power derived from bore holes in the vicinity of the town. To the south lies Gwelo Kopje, from the top of which magnificent views are obtained of the surrounding country. The following mornipg we entrained for the 126-mile jdurney to Fort Victoria. The train was a tri-weekly one of the kindAso common-on branch linos. It “ whirled, ” across, the countryside at a steady - twenty miles per hour and stopped* on the merest pretext of a station—often without that excuse even. But no matter how uninhabited the surrounding country looked, the train was always surrounded by a group of jabbering, semi-naked natives within a very few minutes. The seven-hour journey came to an end at lasi, and the final eighteen miles had to he completed by motor car. The road Jay through open bush country into the heart of wild Mashonaland. The Great Ziinbahwo. Hotel, the nearest one to the ruins arid the orily one apart from those at Victoria,, consists of a number of huts built of sun-baked bricks with thatched roofs and th-i floors smeared with a thin coating of cow dung after the fashion of the country, thus giving a hard floor and effectively laying the dust, and fills the rooms with a sweetly pungent odour.

A mile along the road lay the great x’iddle of Rhodesia, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, , They are set amid secluded hills and valleys, where probably no white man had trodden till their discovery by Adam Renders, a wandering American hunter and trader,- in 1868. Ho stumbled across, them one day during the course of -his wanderings, but the importance of his find was in all probability hidden from him, as it was impossible to examine them closely, owing to the dense growth of vegetation. On later examination they proved to bo in an unbelievable state of preservation and of remarkable workmanship. There is nothing spectacular about them as there is with the_ ancient monuments of Rome, but their attractiveness lies mainly in their suggestivoness. A whole book could be written about the ruins, but a brief survey must suffice. In their present condition the ruins appear, to stand in three groups, but it is possible that they all formed part of a settlement, or of a fairly large town,, to which the so-called citadel formed the centre. The total extent traced so far'covers an area of about .two miles by one and a-quarter miles, but remains of walls have been found within a radius of two miles from the central portion. There are several edifices, the largest being in the form of a rough ,oval, about 300 ft in length by 200 ft broad.. The walls, where they are not broken down, are over ,30ft high and 16ft thick at the base, being constructed of small, well-chiselled granite .blocks, fitted together without the use of mortar. In close proximity is an ingeniously-built bill citadel, also of hand-drossod granite, while between, the two lie traces of smaller ruins. All the buildings are roofless. Many if the walls are partly razed, but others are still in their original position, and so little weather-worn that the chiselmarks are still easily discernible. From 1 various facts scientists have come to the conclusion that tbo temple was a place, whore Nature worship was practised. This theory is borne out by ,the discovery of various images of soapstone and the presence in tbo temple of two cones corresponding to the Sacred Cone in the ruins of the Phoenician Temple at Byblos. The building'has, evidently been occupied at various periods by totally different classes of people. The first wore skilful in building and carving,- but the latter _ inhabitants wore obviously Bantu natives of a very low order and of dirty habits. Those natives, together with treasure hunters of a later-date, have nearly obliterated all traces of the original occupants, but through the patient toil, of scientists several large reconstructions have been made. On Zimbabwe Hill, an isolated •granite kopje faced with high cliffs, are the Acropolis Ruins. The precipitous nature of the bill renders it inaccessible on three sides and very difficult of ascent on the fourth, making a natural stronghold, while its strong strategical position has been strengthened artificially by massive walls, intricate entrances, narrow winding passages, and sunkenpassages,, which make the position' almost iniprogiiibje against native races. The Acropolis is only partly explored, and apparently

consists mainly of fortifications. There are two well-defined approaches, each formed by a narrow and steep passage with steps oil the floor. On the summit are the remains of two temples in' which relics similar to the ones foiind ; in the Elliptical Temple have been discovered, in addition to quantities of gold. From tho summit a wonderful view is obtained over the surrounding country, while at the foot of the cliff lies the Valley of Ruins. This is a collection of ruins as yet practically unexamined, but all bearing a distinct resemblance to tho temple and the Acropolis. Who built the structures, their age/ and what became of the builders are questions that have been troubling scientists for many years, and many picturesque _ theories have. arisen.. It seems certain, however, that they are the work of foreigners, and not .the natives of tho country, who are .very low intellectually. ■ A solution to the riddle has been forwarded by Dr Frobenis, a German,• who, reported some months ago the discovery ol: ruins, identical with those at ; Zimbabwe, in Southern India. His opinion is' that Zimbabwe dates from about 2,000 b.c,, and was built by Indians who were mining gold in the vicinity. _ Another solution is that the fabled King Solomon’s mines were in the vicinity, and the ruins are tho remains of the dwellings of the slaves who worked the ore. Sir Rider Haggard has woven them into several of his books. The Acropolis provided the description of the residence of ‘She/ wjjiilo the Valley of Ruins contributed; ;tho : ‘‘dead city” in the same stol , y,i-NiJp.tlittlio temple and the Acrop,olis.ljguro_'largely in the novel ‘Elissa.’ : The earliest Portuguese'-.and Dutch, writers associated the, ruins with King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and there is. considerable • reason for thinking their suppositions-: were not far from the truth: ;

: Close to the Elliptical Temple, oh a small knoll and surrounded, by a low stone wall, is the spot where the remains of Major Alan Wilson and'his men rested while being taken from the Shangani River, where they fell whilst facing an overwhelming •number of Mataoele rebels. They had been sent out from the main body as a reconnoitring party, and crossed the, river, .which,". unfortunately*', /came down in flood ■ and cut they->off.' ; ' The gallant little band' was surrounded by Lobengula’s bodyguard, but though offering tho strongest resistance for several hours tho native hordes prevailed, and not one Was left alive. The natives told tho whites later ■ that after the ammunition hiul been expended' the soldiers hoisted their flag and sang a song (probably the National Anthem) under it. A few minutes later they were rushed, and as the impressive lino from one, of Kipling’s poems which has- been inscribed on their memorial in the Matapos says, “There was no survivor.” The bodies wore recovered* and b tho wisli of Cecil Rhodes and with the consent of the relatives were reintorred near tho spot chospn by the great statesman for bis own tomb, in the rugged’Matbpds. -y _ Apart l from the ruins there is ‘ little to be seen at Zimbabwe unless one is bent, on Nature 'Study. Iti fthis direc-tion*-however, thdre'is ample scope, for the surrounding country is .aliye 'with various kinds of animals, Butterflies of many hues continually flutter about, while lizards of fearsome proportions inhabit the rocky kopjes. Tho flora of the country is as diverse ns its fauna, approximately- GO' per cent;; of it being covered by tree and scrub. (To be continued.)