Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-07-25
A ZULU ROMANCE.

A ZULU ROMANCE.
AS a rule, the course of true love
never runs smoother in Ka1iir-land than
in o. civilized countries. The reason
for this is not far to seek. In Europe,
the business of matrimony is compli-
Gated by its being associated with the
impulses of the heart; but amongst ou1
Ethiopian brethren the emotional has
but little place or power. The whole
affair is simply arranged by the father
OF the girl. Eight or ten oxen are
handed over to the paterfamilias by the
eligible sutton, who in exchange receives
the damsel-blushing, no doubt, if one
could perceive it beneath the dark skin.
In rare instances, it may be a case of
mutual affection; and in the true story
which l am about to relate, affairs went
''clean off the track" in a quite ,phe-
nominal fashion. A good deal of this
romantic drama, which took place in
and about Maritzburg, the capital of
Natal, came under the Immediate notice
of my wife and myself, while the rest of
it was told to us by one OF other of the
chief actors.
1t was toward the close of a summer
afternoon. The day had been more than
usually hot, but a slight curtain of cloud
was now pleasantly yelling the sun. Our
house was situated on a gently rising
ground on the outskirts of the town
a comfortable o%ne-storied cottage, sur
rounded by a deep veranda, and stand
ing short distance back from the road.
There would have been sultry stiffness,
but for the chirp and whirl of insects,
the too frequent ping of the mosquito
as it lowered around ones ear, the
''clunk-clunk' of the frogs in a
neighboring streamlet, and the sonorous
voice of our Katfir 'boy'' chanting
some barbarous lay in one of the OUT
houses. Occasionally a creaking, full
laden bullock-wagon would toll past,
drawn by a span Of twelve or fourteen
patient oxen, and overhung by a cloud
of red dust, stirred up from the broad.
rut-lined, arid highway. Anon. a
buggy would dash jolting along, to the
Imminent danger OF family groups of
itinerant Katfirs, who would, with a
loud "Wow!' jump aside; and once in
a while a solitary horsman, booted and
spurrcd, would be seen galloping to or
from the town.
was lying in a swing-hammock sus-
pended in the veranda, smoking a cigar,
and titfully reading that days paper.
Now and again, my eye mechanically
rested on the road, watching the several
wayfarers. Presently my attention was
more particularly drawn to q young
Zulu woman, who had opened our front
gate, and was slowly walking up the
path leading to u house. She was
probably about seventeen years of age,
though, to one unacquainted with Kaffir
physique, She might have seemed at
least twenty-one, and moved with the
erect and graceful carriage character
istic OF the race. Her dress consisted
Of what may be best described as a can
vas tunic, which had originally been a
sack, but round the arm-holes and short
skirt was a border of many-colored
beads. Upon her shapely arms were
brass rings and cirlets of beads, while
similar ornaments graced her calf and
ankle. Her hair had been combed up,
stitfened with red clay, and tied into a
bunch-a toilet significant of her status
as a married woman, the Kaffir virgin
usually rejoicing merely in her print
tive "wool."
The young woman's steps were d.
rected to the back of our premises,
where she disappeared. What could
she be after? The next moment [ said
TO myself that she must be one of our
boys" relations. The kinship of ones
katfir boy, be it here remarked, is in
variably very extensive; and unless you
exercise some strictness, your rearmost
premises are very apt to be invaded by
his parents, his brothers, ''his sisters
and his cousins and his aunts," not to
speak of his uncles and vaguely remote
relatives. Our boy, Capelle by name,
had been told that we were not to be
annoyed by frequent visits from his
friends; and as that day he had already
welcomed and Hospitality fed-with IN
differentiation half-a-dozen of his
acquaintance, l somewhat resented the
coming of this youthful matron.
1t was in my mind to jump out of the
hammock and demonstrate with our do
nestle, when l heard stealthy footsteps
in the veranda. The next moment Ca
pelle stood before me, asking permits
sion, as far as l could make out, for his
sister to remain overnight. My wife
now appeared, telling me that Ca
pelle and the young woman had
been having high words in the Kfir-
house. Thereupon l questioned him as
to the cause of the quarrel. '.Baas''
(Master), he began; and then delivered
a fluent discourse in his native tongue,
doubtless full of information, but al
most wholly unintelligible to me, until
my wife acted as interpreter. My bet
ter-half, having to scold and direct the
boy, had in about two years time
mastered the c~olloauial Katiir generally