Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-06-02
Gold Hunting in Africa.
tSt. James Budgst.l

| kol sanAu1 o-o4os-4
 In the spring of lsst year MT. F. John
 son, representing a gold syndicate.
 trekked up to the Mstabele country.
 and after sn arduous journey, rendered more fatguing by the ll-behsyior of .
 team of donkeys-unviselys adopted in-
 stead of the usual oxen-arriyed in May
 st Umvotchs, where he found Lobengu-
 10. This parsonage is despotic ruler over
 the Matabeles, paramount chief of she
 Msshonas, MasarAs and Maklakzs, and
 has . standing army of 5000 msn,
 mostly Amsbsks Zulus (Mstabelesl.
 trained in the feroess school of arms. But he has his weaknesses. He is strong ly addicted to . mixture of champagne and cherry brandy; he eats enormously, and is immensely fat. He wears few yards of colored calico wound over his shoulders, . few leopsrd's tails around his mighty vsist. Sometimes be Ven lures into boots (siEe seventeepl at ott- CTS, he wears socks only, and, having tired of African town life, leieurely pre- snbulates his country m c comfortable ox wagon and inspects his numberless cattle posts. One great sorrow he has; although possessed of sixty-hve wives, LubenGulo has no heir.
 After three months player with this potentate, MT. Johnson succeeded in ob- taining 6 concession in certain gold bearing districts, lying east of the Ham yAna river in Mashonaland; and thither he joyiuIly treked with his wagons and a considerable following. including an es- cort provided by the king from Mats- bele regiment. But Lobengulo's in- dumas (chiefs), ever jealous of Europeans, had regarded the whole negotiation with disgust; and they dispatched . private expedition of their own to turn back the party. No sooner had the gold seekers arrived on the Umtuli river (Msshonalsnd) after trek of 3Oomlles through def6oult if magnificent country, then the fever broke out, and, to sdd so the difficulties. the warriors dispatched by the iniunas turned up. For whole dsy and night these fierce spssrmen hung around the camp. dancing their Zulu war dances and otherwise" making things hum," as the Americans say. Al length truce was concluded; 8 message was sen. to the king, and after i've weeks delay-psssed in big game shooting word came that the prospectors were Co proceed unchallenged. Then came sll sorts of difficulties with the escort nearly all of whom deserted, threaten ing direful things-bus st length Ham ysne was reached. Here the wagons were left; 6 few necesssries were pack cd on donkeys. and for fifteen days prospecting was carried on m earnest. During this timo BIO miles were trayers- sd, rioh indications of gold being found in many rivers. But on approaching the ZsmbeEi, fever and dysentry over took the party. An induns of the party one MChsss died, and Tn October the remainder, weak and fever stricken turned back for Metsbeleland. Here they found that the indunss had got the upper hand; and on complaining to the klng of his bad treatment, MT. John son vas himself accused of all sorts of crimes among which was the poisoning of M'Ohssa, Placed under arrest. he was then tried by full court" of King and indunas. On these occasions the Mats- bele councillors use tslking-impliments- small canes about two feet long, headed vits knob of iron, and, that no undue advantage ahould be taken Of him, the accused was also provided with debst- ing wand. first, the lsender was in formed in fgurstivet you can tnst ne had "spsded the hing ss of the BU ed' us blood"-i. G.. had dug go, bs sent .t of the earth. It was sdmitep pay pos:ave had been given him to prospect; but it was unanimously decided that this only meant ito look about the county" and did not include the right of digging for samples. Then M'Chasa. who had died of fever, WAS solemnly called for by the indunss, who rushed about the krsals loudly shreiking his name; and, ss he failed to appear 1t became quite evident that he had been made way with. Other charges were brought forvard-that Mir. Johnson wss the spy of great ''impI from Cape Town. and SO on. Al length, and after an alarming display of hostili ty, during which it seemed highly pro bsble that the white men would all be murdered, the prospector was found guilty on all charges and fined f3OO, while the wagons, cattle, arms and am munition were t0 be contiscsted- But Lobengulo afterward reduced the pun ishment to fine of El00, and after vain ly sndesvoring to make the victim pro- mise to keep silence concerning his bad treatment, and, even offering him other lard, he allowed him to depart. Loben- gulo seems to have been overawed by his indunss in this affair, but ii may bs doubted whether he himself was not playing game and ensuring to himself g handsome fne.-St. James Budget,