Connecticut western news., 1879-05-14
CetywayO's Idea of TOphet.

An enterprlSIng reporter of the UGen- haze Times has interviewed 8 blood thirsty Zulu, who told the following re- markable and amusing story:
 Some years since missionary went to King Cetywayo's kraal with view of converting him and his people to Chris
 tianity. He stayed there few days, and the King agreed to hear him on the following Sunday. The Sunday arrived, the King gathered his people together and also called up two of his finest reg iments to hear what message had been brought to him from the white men. The missionary being told that they were ready to listen to him, rose and delivered an elegant but short sermon, in which he set forth the beauties of heaven as compared with the torments of the dark regions. He told them that if they lived good life, did not steal, always spoke the truth, and, above all, kept only one wife, they would after death go to the happy hunting grounds, where they would never miss their game, where they would never die, but be for ever and ever far happier than they were ever in their happiest moments down here j; whereas, on the other hand, if they lived bad life and did what he had told them they ought not to do, they would be cast into tremendous fire, so large that 1t would scorch up the whole of the Zulu nation, though they were as nu- merous as locusts, in few moments. The chief and people paid great atten- tion to all the missionary said and when he had finished the King asked him to dine with him. He accepted the invita- tion, but during the dinner noticed the people running about in all directions collecting wood which they were piling up in one spot. The missionary began to feel queer; he thought it looked ominous; and the Zulu who told the story said that he noticed he did not eat any more but continued to take large draughts of milk, as if to cool himself. At length the dinner was over but, be- fore rising, the King turned sharply round to the now affrighted missionary, and said: '' What was that you said this morning about putting the great Zulu people in @ great fire after they were dead? Come this way, and I will show you what the Zulus are; you don't know them, I can see." He took him to the pile of wood, which had by this time reached tremendous proportions-as blg as Bay store, the Zulu said-and had it set fire to all round. When 1t was properly in blaze, and gave out SC much heat that no one could come neal it, the King summoned the two regiments | who had listened to the sermon and or. dered them to charge into the burning pile and extinguish it. Naked as they were, without shoes or any covering al all, they rushed into the burning mass like madmen, raving and yelling, and did not stop till hardly vestige of the fire remained. The King then said tc the missionary, 'You have seen that That is what we will do with your hell The Zulu won't play with your fires, ant you had better clear out of this countr, at once or will have little fire mad
 for you to put out" The missionar, took the hint, and left the kraal tn
 same evening. Is it any wonder, asl people, after this, that Gatling guns ant rocket batteries have no terror for tn, Zulus ?-and it is certain they have none The Zulus, when ordered to attack, at tack and, though they may be mowl down by thousands, still come on, unti they conquer o1 die. It is tradition among them, which Lord Chelmsfor, would do well to take into consideration in his future movements in Zululand.