Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-26
BogRs AS K1NG-MAKsRs.

a Cape Town CORES pondent of the Lon
don Standard publishes the following
curious story " 1t was ia the early part
of the present century that Chaka, the
great Zulu conqueror, placed over two
OF the tribes which had fallen under his
sway young chief named Moselekatse, in
whom he discovered great ability. Mosele-
katse was himself OF the royal blood Of one
of these tribes, and he ingratiated himself
with the other by marrying the two
sufficiently powerful to throw eff the yoke
of Chaka, and, after some years of wander
ing campaigns, in the course of which he
made an unsuccessful attempt upon Basuto-
land, he finally settled in the fertile coun-
try between the Limpopo and the Zambesi,
where his name soon became as terrible as
that of Chaka in Zululand Projecting
further conquests, he essayed to cross
the Zambesi with his army, leaving at home
his sons, Thurman and Lo Benqula, who
had been borne to him by his two royal
wives. A petty chief, who dwelt by the
great river, complied with his request to
be ferried over, but discerning the op-
portunity of Kidding the country Of
Moselekatse, he prevailed upon him to
have the army first ferried over by detach-
ments to an island in mid-stream. To this
Moselekatse consented. and no sooner were
the troops concentrated on the island than
the canoes made off and left them to their
fate. What happened there had better
not be known. Those who tried to swim
across were either drowned or eaten by
crocodiles those who remained were
drived to cannibalism. The few who had
not embarked walled in vain on the south
ern shore for many weeks, and then, return
ing to their capital, reported that Mosele-
katse and his army had persisted. His
eldest son, Kuruman, was thereupon pro-
claimed king but hardly was he installed
when Moselekatse, with a remnant of his
warriors turned up. He Immediately put
to death the chiefs who had crowned Ku-
ruman, and the prince himself was sent to
live in seclusion. In 1865 Moselekatse
died, and search was Immediately made
for Kuruman, but in vain. Lo Benqula,
his half brother, although repeatedly pre-
scented with kingly crown, not only re-
fused it, but at his own cost sent messen-
gers to hunt up his missing brother. In
1870, however, the people would brook
no more delay, and Lo Banqula was duly
crowned. No sooner was this done than
81 claimant" arose who declared himself to
be the missing Thurman. His antecedents
when examined were, TO say the least, Pc
culiar He had been shepherd to Boer
he had been servant to Sir Theophilus
(then Mr.) Stepstone in Natal. The gen.
eral opinion was that he was a son of
Moselekatse by concubine. Only one
section of the tribe espoused his cause, and
Lo Benqula, personally heading his army,
attacked the rebels and destroyed them al
most to man. Since then nothing has
been heard of the missing Thurman. But
it seems that at the time of the Lsngal-
balele affair he got away from Natal, and
he is now said to be in the hands of Paul
Kruger, one Of the triumvirate who direct
movements of the Beers. 1t will be seen
at once what prize has fallen to them in
such claimant They have only to carry
him across the Limpopo to secure almost
their own terms from Lo Benqula, who
would see that he could not contend
against them, supported as they would be
by all the disconnected and disaffected of
his own people. England would thus have
annexed the Transvaal only to create the
Trans Limpopo, and the barrier of the
Beers between the British and the natives
would still remain.