The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-12-24
i. IN 4 rRIcAx aENERAL.


The Zulus, who live north Of Natal, are
paramount among the tribes of South Africa,
and they gained this pre-eminepce through
the commanding energy and ability ofion
man. Chaka, who, hadhe been q European,
would surely have been called s'the great,
but being only an African barbarian, j. simp-
" surnamed /" Tho Bloody" Previous 70
his reign his people were first among their
brethren. They occupied a tract Of land Of
not more than ten or twelve square miles in
extent. Claka was i son Of the chief of this
little community. From some peculiar cir
cumstances attending upon his birth he was
regarded by the people rs tho possessor OF
9superhuman gifts. Probably his mother, in
her ambition for her child, suborned the med
icinc men to fabricatea lying wonder on his
behalf. But as he grew in years he did not
dsappoint the expectations that Were thus
formed of him. lie was tall in stature, great
in strength, aud in all deeds of daring and en-
sergy he outstripped those of his own age
The reputation which. these qualities obtained
for him excited the jealousy oflnsfather, and
Chaka, to save his life fled TO the Amatetwe,
a neighboring tribe, whose chief gave him
protection. With thcse people he remained
until he was thirty years OF age, when his
father died, and by which time he was distin-
guishcd above all men ms the possessor of
gifts that are in high esteem with the Zu-
lus.
/ BY the aid of some of the Amatctwe he
made himself chief of his own people; and
tho first act that signalized his reign was the
putting to death of all whom he suspected of
being hostile to himself. This was sansui-
nary but from his point of view no worse,
and as necessary MS the coup d'ctat by which
more civilized potentates have obtained the
supreme power. His next exploit was to
make war upon and subduc the tribe that had
protected him when he was an exile. This
was ungrateful, but men of great ambition
nearer home have contemplated ingrattude rs
great. Then he abolished the old laws, and
enacted the Code Chaka, by which as chief Ire
was Invested with absolute personal auth
GRITTY, and, as in more enlightened lands, tile
entire nation was made subservient totllcpro-
duction and maintenance of an army. Then
he introduced a new system of warfare. lie
mafshaled, his troops. into regiments, which
were formed into three divisions, n portion of
each being Incorporated with every force that
took the field. Instead Of the ordinary bush
fighting he made his men iightat close quar-
tiers; and for the slender iavcline that was
thrown at distance he substituted stabbing
spear of stouter materials, the loss of which
was punished with death. For defensive pur-
poses he gave to each man large shield made
of buffalo hide. His discipline was severe
His soldiers had no alternative but to col :
thereto by superior numbers, was visited by I
him with death. But such punishment was
rarely necessary for Chaka was consun,-
mate general, and had the art of inspiring
his followers by his own rcsistlcss spirit
lie made war upon all around him, and
tribe after tribe was conquered, until he had
been proclaimed victorious from the Mapoota
to the Umzimvubu. Having thus satisfied
bis warlike ambition he directs his energies
to the consolidation of his empire. Aud in /
the doing of this he seemed to have earned
his terrible surname us much for the mcrcilcss
exercise Of his despotic power upon those who
had become "his people, as by his warfare
upon his enemies. As he grew old his natu-
raj force abatcd, and his servants conspircd
against him, and he was murdered on the 23d
of September 1925 Many rejoced at his
death but the Zuus cherished the memory
of his greatness, swear by the terror Of his
name. and have made his war song their
national anthem, and Judging him by the
standard of his possibilities he was worthy Of
his honor. Out Of number Of petty and
conflicting Kingdoms he made an empire
which did not disappear at his death. Out of
an undsciplined rabble he organized ain army
of 100 900 men, which had been found to DO
irresistible by every native force against
which it had been hurled. And the influence
of his life has extended far beyond the boun-
diaries Of his own dominions. - CornhHI Mag-
azfnc. se
Z