The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-10-04 00:00:00

A WHITE MAN AMONG THE ZULUS.
The Daily Telegraph of Monday published a long and in-
teresting narrative from the pen of Mr. Cornelius Yljn, a
Dutch trader of Natal, of his enforced sojourn among the
Zulus from the days preceding Isandula to shortly after the
battle of Ulundi. The following is an extract from the
letter :

It was on July 12 that I came to the military
kraal (Bonambi), where Cetewayo, at that time, was.
As soon as I had come he did not seem to be in much
haste. In the afternoon I was called by Umgamman
and some other chiefs. They brought me the letter;
I opened it, and told them very shortly the following:
"The white men were willing to make peaee, but
they must have a good proof that Cetewayo was in
earnest. When he (Cetewayo) really wanted peace,
he must at once restore all horses, oxen, waggons,
mules, guns, ammunition, and two coven-pounder
guns—all that was taken durieg the war. If he does
this we will come and talk with him.'' The King's
answer I heard myself. Two days after this he had
called for me in his small cattle kraal, just in front of
his house. He looked at that time very well, and was
sitting on a mat, having a fancy shawl over his
shoulders. His answer was this—" how could he talk
with white men when they were always burning his
kraals, killing his men, and taking his cattle? When
his men (Zulus) come to light they are crying for war.
I don't like any more fighting, and should like to
settle everything as soon as I could, but do not know
how I can do it, until they have killed the whites.
The whites all say it is the fault of Cetewayo, and I do
not understand how they can say so. I did not come
to fight in their country, but they came to me, killing
my men, burning kraals, and taking my cattle."
Cetewayo said, "if they want to talk, they had better
turn back again, leaving off doing harm in my country
and then we are sure to come to a settlement. After
that I want Sir Theophilus Shepstoiae, and Mr. John
Shepstone, and Sir Henry Bulwer to come here. They
made me King only a few days ago, and now they are
coming to kill me. It is they have brought the Queen's
army here. If they come here all will soon be done."
I asked him who it was (he or the whites) had asked
for peace? He said that it was he who had sent to the
Government to ask for peace, and what must he do.
Now, I said, they have t )1d you that they wanted a
good proof from you of bEing in earnest; and now
you are talking just as if it was the white
man had come to you to ask for peace. Then I
ehowed him the letter, signed "Lord Chelmsford," and
asked what he said about that. His answer was, "I
won't talk about that yet; I shall think about it,"
After a few days the messengers came back; they
never had been to the general, but had run away only
because the whites had asked for some others who were
not sent—men who were sent before. Now they had
gone home as soon as they could, and told the King
that he must send other men (old messengers who had
gone before). They were sent the following day, with
about 100 oxen taken during the war. These (so they
said) were the only oxen which were left now; they all
had died through lung sicknes, and a lot were killed by
the King's men at the time of the war, and the
two seven-pounder guns were coming. A couple
of days before the King had gone away
from Bonambi, and had slept at the Enlam-
bongwenje only one night. From there he went
next morning, and passed Kwagwekaas, where
he slaughtered four good oxen. In the daytime he
went from there to Ulundi, and killed nine oxen. As
to his men, they were coming in every day. The
message came back only a few days before the fight,
telling the King that if he did not fulfil the remainder
of the agreement laid down, in two days the
.white
rimy would come and cross the White Umfolozi. The
King did not say anything, but I believe he was
thinking they would not come, because there was all
bush the other side of the river. After two days the
army frem the whites came down straight to the
waters of the White Umfolozi, Now the King called
me to write a letter for him again. Then he sent the
sword of the Prince Imperial and 100 white oxen
(unjonie ky pumule), and, as before, said that the
two seven-pounder guns were on the road. As
soon as they passed the military kraal (Not-
wengu) the white oxen were turned back by force
through one of his regiments named " Incanda
Inpinou," and brought back again to the King straight
In front of his cattle kraal at Ulundi, saying they
should never be given up to the white men as long as
they (his men) were in life. They were crying and
singing for war, and at me they pointed with aesegais
and guns, telling me that they should eat the white
men tomorrow, and I should be killed at night.
Others told me I should not be alone very long, they
soon would bring me another white man from the
battlefield. Hard times for me, but I kept quiet.
What did the King say when be saw his men coming
back again with his white oxen? "Look at my brave
men, they all will die for me," But when they (his men)
had comae in front of him, the King did not say so.
He looked very crows at his men, asking. why
they had turned his cattle back again. They said,
"If he pays these cattle, the white men won't be con-
tent, and they will have some more to-morrow; these
cattle should not be given up; they would fight against
the white men." "Oh," answered the King; "hut
look here, you, my men, did fight at the Buffalo
River; second, Ungasana River; thir3, Slobane H,ll ;
fourth, Kambula Fort; fifth, Ginghilovo ; and now the
whites they are all around me. When it comes to a
fight now, you will, as in all the fights before, go home
as soon as the battle is passed, and I shall ha alone,
and they will have me very soon. "No," he said,
"I thought about these oxen I shall send them to ask
if they will spare my heed." (Bingiti qui slengella
Wanda l'ami kwa ba's ilswe). "This is to be," said the
warriors, "this time; even if we are not able to kill
them, we (Incand.s. Inpinou) shall come back to you, we
won't go home." The King did not answer any more,
he gave them the oxen to kill, and went inside the
house, but he did not trust them. When the white
army had come near the White Unafolosi River, the
King went away from Ulundi, and went with all his
men to the Ealambongwenge, where they (his men) all
formed a circle around him. From here he sent them
to fight against the whites; "but," says he, " I don't
allow you to pass the White Umfolozi River; just
stop this side from here, and as soon as they cross fight
them; at the other side they have built their lasger
already, and no black nation is able to fight them when
they are in the laager." . . . .