The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-02-07
The Zulu Caffres of the Diamond
Fields

The most interesting class of beings
on the fields was the blacks, who, being
willing to work, tramped in numerous
bodies from their SO kraals' to the min
ing camps. They are of four different
nations. The handsomest and most
trustworthy race are the Zulu Caffres
of Natal and Cafraria ; the next are
the Basutos; third are the thievish and
drunken Hottentots; and fourth, the
Koraunas, small, ugly and contemplate
beings, despised by all the rest, and no
use to the diggers from their uncon-
querable laziness. | always admired
Zulu. There was one lived near our
tent, model for sculptor. He would
sometimes cross my path, with his long
stead stride, his blanket hanging around
him in graceful folds, like the toga of
Roman senator. One hand grasped
the robe and allowed freedom of mo-
ton, while the other would be crossed
on his breast In his woOlly locks,
braided and arranged neatly on his
head, would appear feathers OF different
wild birds, while underneath his mas
sive brow shone a pair of eyes-coal-
black eyes-with such long lashes that
reminded me of eyes in Eastern pic
lures. A man with such orbs as his
could speak were he deaf and dumb.
An aquiline nose with inflated nostrils
overshadOwed q delicately curved
mouth full of firmness and pride. Be
low was the massive chin of statesmen
and conquerors. In fact, he was
model man In ebony If a number of
such noble heathens could but be edu-
Gated Christians, they would do more
in evangelizing their nations and in
civilizing and opening up Central Africa
than all the foreign missionaries, or
even q score of Livingstones. Their
habits OF life are very simple They
live principally on "mealies" Indian
CORN and sour milk, sheep and oxen be-
ing accounted too valuable for every
day consumption. All wild beasts are
eaten, and these, with some nutritious
roots, form the additions to the Caffre's
regular diet. The great curse of do
mestic life among barbarians is there in
full force, viz, the utter subsection of
the females. They are obliged to be
hewers of wood and drawers of water,
to till the ground, herd the sheep, and
at the same time attend upon their lord
and master and their young children.
You may well say 3, Caffre woman has
her hands full Her lot is miserable
enough, and but for the law of poly
gamy 1t would be unbearable Any
Cafre can have as many wives as he
can buy;; and if he is rich in sheep and
cattle, he travels through the country
with business eye, inquiring into the
prices of different daughters, and judg-
ing whether they viii suit him or not.
If he likes a girl (they never fall in
love- or her father is hard up and will
sell reasonably, bargain is made, and
she goes to his 'kraal, there, perhaps,
to meet five or six other matrons of the
family. This accession is followed by
feast, in which the old wives are con-
graduated upon having an addition to
their laboring forces, while the husband
has thus risen another peg ia the scale
of wealth and ease Through hard
labor, insufficient food, the cares of
family, ETC., the women soon become
ugly and grabbed. The greatest con-
trast possible is between the Caffre and
his wives. At thirty years old he his
sleek and handsome, with a self-con-
tented air, as if enjoying life. At the
age of from twenty-five to thirty his
wives present graduated scale of lean,
attenuated spectres, with wrinkled faces
and lack-lustre eyes. They jealousy
struggle with one another for the rights
of their respective children, while each
one has within her breast an eternal
fire of hate for her copartners in mis-
cry. The Zulus' amusement consisted
principally i'll smoking, dancing, OF
grand talk or chat around the camp
fire. Their dances are very animated,
and they kick and thump in an out
rageous manner, while their mouths are
uttering Wild chorus to some patriotic
song. At a distance the music sounds
well. Night after night have I lain
upon my couch while the distant song
of perhaps ten or fifteen Cafres foated
to my ears in rising and falling caden-
ces of mournful music AS the sigh of
the cool night breeze waited the sounds
over the dreary heaps of dust surround
ing US 1 could distinguish the voices,
some deep and cultural, others shrill
to substantiate their ugly WechSeIbdLgS
for well formed Christian children. In
the daytime they crawled about in the
likeness of frogs or other vermin, but
assumed their own shape again at night,
when they danced merrily in the moon
light. In some localities they are call
ed die UhtcrirdisHen, who, like their
southern cousins, dwell under the
stables, and like to have christian god
fathers for their children.