ZULUS TO ARMS!

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 18, Issue 44, 31 May 1907, Page 2

ZULUS TO ARMS!

HOW THEY PREPARE FOR WAR WITH THE WHITE MAN. More than any other people on earth the Zulu nation is simply a lighting machine, and any description of how the Zulus light is also a description of their daily life. Zulu history began two years before the Battle of Waterloo, when that extraordinary savage, TChaka, became chief of the then comparatively small tribe. The extraordinary thing is that T’Ghaka had heard from English sailors of the great Napoleon, and deliberately modelled himself upon that marvellous genius. No savage leader was ever so succesful in forming*a purely military organisation. Before his death he had an army of 50,000 warriors divided into impis or regiments, each under its own indun* or colonel, and each colonel responsible to hansel). T’Chaka'a organism has remain'd to, this day. The regiments live each in a separate kraal or fenced stockade. The younger regiments are composed entirely of bachelors, the only married man being the colonel or chief. No man can marry without the consent of the king, and in old days permission to marry was never given until the men had “washed their spears,’’ otherwise won a battle, Then it was given to the whole regiment at once, WHOLESALE MARRIAGE BY COMMAND. But even then the 'men were not permitted to choose their wives where they would. There was an annual marriage festival, and at this the regiment was ordered to take as wives the daughters of some other older regiment. If any man or woman broke this law the punishment was death. The kraals are, of course, no longer the strong fortifications they once wore, but each is still surrounded with n stockade of woven wattles. Inside the lints, which are beehive in shape, stand in fairly regular rows. These are built of the same wattlowork as the fences and plastered over with mud. In the-kraals of th' married region nts, each hut is divided into two, by a partition, on > side being for the women, (he other for the men. Upon Hu men’s side, (ho walls are hung with their weapons and uniform. Their assegais, both throwing and stabbing, their shields of hard, ned cowhide, ami, nowadays, their rides, lire hung together. Their uniforms consist of ostrich plumes, cow-tails, and a fighting apron of wild-cat skin. There is usually a raised platform upon which the men sit ami sleep, with a space underneath which serves to f-hdter young lambs and calves in exceptionally bad weather.

WITCHCRAFT AND WAR. Tho huts of the bachelor regiments are not partitioned, and cadi holds about eight men. The large hut of the induna, or colonvl, stands by itself in one corner of the enclosure and is surrounded by a smaller stockade. In the centre of the kraal in'anothor enclosure which holds the induna’s cattle. Although the Zulus—those at least who have not been ruined by contact with white so-called civilization—are perhaps tho highest typo of black race, yet they are as firm believers in witchcraft as the degraded West Coast nigger. They never go to war without consulting the omens, and the riles carried out by the medicine man, ending in tho sacrifice of three bullocks, a red one to represent the British, a white for the Boers, and a black one for the Zulus themselves. It so happened on one occasion that the red beast survived its tortures a little longer than the others. Probably to this chance wo owe it that the native races in South Africa did not rise against us during our bitten struggle for supremacy of tho southern half of the continent.

The Zulus are magnificent specimens of humanity physically, and their strength and courage match their appearance. They are also extremely healthy ns a race, and very, long enduring. This is probably owing to their being largely vegetarians, their chief food being mcalie, or maize porridge. Consequently no other infantry in the world is so mobile. When an impi starts out or. the warpath there are no cumbersome bag-gage-waggons. A company of boys of fifteen to eighteen follow the regiment, carrying n weeks supply of maize and the men’s sleeping mats. They sometimes also drive a small herd of cattle. RASHNESS SPELLS VICTORY. Tho Zulu has little idea of strategy of the Rod Indian type. OerUmly he will approach silently and under cover. But his attack L? .always a tremendous rush and, as we found our cost in 1879 at Isandlwaan „nd elsewhere, hardly any fire will slop such • rush. One? let him gat to clow quarters and h* beara down everything fry the sheer weight and impetuosity rf hie, charge. Where :hc Znhs appear to fall ajfe.ijwt clvtliwd troops j r. In taking aim and firing from cover, IK-is very rashness rnr.kee them few to ha rrjrprc*id They wfl! stand four ttIQM th* that ahttv troops will hemp before tnminf tnfi. ft* fact, an Impl wfd ,wnwtfni?tr fhrhd Mil it iv lltsral--3y Mtfnmlnntnd —■•Anirwarß.M