Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-10
KING 10 BENGULA.
A SOUTH AFRICAN RULER WHOSE
SOLDIERS ARE HIS SLAVES.

Every Man in Lo Bengula's Country is q
Enthusiastically Disposed Tribe Who
Live in Perpetual Fear-Royaity Cor
reefs a Missionary.
A few weeks ago dispatch from South
Africa said that old men and women were
being sacrificed as food for vuitureS almost
daily by King Lo Bengula in Matabeleland;
that he was raiding the surrounding tribes,
killing the men, and reducing the women and
children to slavery, and that thousands of
natives were fiocking into the Transvaal to
save their lives.
Zulus, Lo Bengula has been by far the most
powerful native ruler in South Africa He
is the king of Matabeleland. north Of the
Transvaal, and his subjects are Zulus them
selves who were led far north by Lo Bengu-
las father many years ago to found new
Zulu empire. Every man in Lo Bengula's
country is 4 soldier, who cannot even marry
without the kings consent. No boy is permit
ted 10 think he will ever be worthy the name
Of man until he has killed an enemy in bat
tie The king is an absolute monarch. The
people and all their belongings are his. His
soldiers can call nothing their own except
their weapons
Last year this fat old despot gave a vivid
idea Of his power in few words he spoke to
Mr.. John Mackenzie He was contrasting
the feehieness OF khame, the ruler of the
great Bechuana tribe west Of him, with the
great power and savage grandeur of the king
of the Matabele.
The Bechuana," said he, care like little
birds on the branches of trees, and their chief
is only one of the birds. One says 'Cheep,'
and the otler answers 'Cheep,' but where is
the master hand' Here in my country" the
cid fellow continued, holding up one finger,
there is only one voice heard. 1t is for all
Others to listen and obey"
Matabele society may be said to exist for
the king. His claims are supreme and IN
questioned No cruelty can exceed that Of
the warriors who live under a few despotic
chiefs in Africa. The poor wretches they do
not enslave they reInorSeiessly kill. One Of
Lo Bengula's soldiers, who was asked last
year why the Matabele killed little children
when they went on their raids, replied: ''They
would only be eaten by the wolves if we did
not kill them"
LIVING IN AFFECT FEAR
Ne trlOeS 10 whom the name OF LO Ben
gula is a source of terror are the more intelli-
gent and further advanced than the Matabele
in the arts of civilization. Some of them,
like the Mashona and Makaaka are the best
husbandmen among the tribes of South
Africa, raise the greatest variety of CROPS,
are the best iron workers, and weave blank
cts and cloths from their own cotton. Yet
they have been almost DESTROYED as tribes by
their fierce enemies, whose only trade is war.
and who have great advantage over people
that live by the pursuits of peace. Mr..
Montagu Kerr described last year the miser-
able state of abject fear III which MANY Of
these poor people live, their huts perched high
upon barren rocks, to which they themselves
can gain access only by means of rude lad
ders, which they pull up after them. 1t is
among these Mashonas, who live in the gold
bearing region just a little northeast Of
Matabeleland that La Bengula's soldiery now
find the greatest number of their victims
1t took a stout hearted white man to push
his way into Matabele land for the purpose of
founding mission station there. Dr.. Moffatt.
the father-in-aw of Livingstone, pioneered the
way and established station many years
ago, which still exists. The missionaries
worked there quarter Of e century before
they made single convert. At last. i'll 1882,
several Matabele were baptized in the Chris
tian faith. In some ways the missionaries
have had good deal of influence with the
king and people, but they have had some very
comical and strange experiences.
One day missionary was preaching to
large crowd, among whom the king was an
attentive listener. The white man remarked
that all men were alike in the sight of God,
who would listen as readily to the petition OF
the hunblest man as to that Of the greatest
king. That's a lie" shouted the king at the
top of his voice Everything the king says is
echoed by his loyal subjects, so everybody
shouted THAT'S lie!' The missionary found
it necessary to change the subject of his dis
course.