Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-01-02

uETFlulGAts bAb suGIA as LIlt-N HGFe man
aged to do a good deal Of execution
with them. One Of them was single
barreled, smooth bore, fitted for percus-
sion caps-a roer we called (which
threw a threc-ounce ball, and was
charged with handful of coarse black
powder. Many is the elephant killed
with that roer, although it generally
knocked me backwards when / fired
it, which | only did under compulsion.
The best Of the lot, perhaps, was a
double-barreled No. IL shotgun, but it
had flint-loclxs. Also there were some
old tower muskets, which might or
might not throw straight at seventy
yards. too six Kafiirs with me, and
three good horses, which were supposed
to be salted-that is, proof against sick
ness. Among the Kaffirs was an old fell
low named Indaba-zimbi, which, beinS
translated, means tongue of iron" /
suppose he got his name from his
strident voice and exhaustless eloquence
This man was great character in his
way. He had been noted witch-doc-
tor among ncighbolsng tribe, and came
to the station under the following cir
cumstances, which, as he plays con-
siderable part in this history, are, per-
haps, worth recording.
Two years before my fathers death
had occasion to search the country round
for some lost oxen. After long and
useless quest it occurred to me that
had better go to the place where the
oxen were bred by KafIlr chief, whose
name forget, but whose kraal was
about fifty miles from our station.
There / went, and found the oxen safe
at home. The chief entertained nae
handsomely, and on the following morn
Ing | went to pay my respects to him
before leaving, and was somewhat sur
prised to find q collection Of some hun
dreds of mon and women sittin. round
him anxiously watching the sky, in
which the thunder-clouds were banking
upin very ominous way.
"You had better wait, white man"
said the chief, ''and see the rain-doctors
fight the lightning"
Inquired what he meant, and learned
that this man, Indaba-zimbi, had for
some years occupied the position Of
wizard-in-chief to the tribe, although
he was not member of it, having been
born in the country now known as Zu-
luland. But son % the chief, man
Of about thirty, had lately set up as
rival in supernatural powers. This
irritated Indaba-zimbi beyond measure,
and quarrel ensued between the two
witch-doctors that resulted in a chal-
lenge to trial by lightning being given
and accepted. These were the condi-
tions: The rivals must await the COM
ing of a serious thunderstorm; no
ordinary tempest would serve their
turn. Then, carrying assegais in their
hands, they must tase their stand with
in fifty PAGES of each other upon GER
tain patch of ground whore tho big
thunderbolts were observed to strike
continually, and by the exercise Of their
occult powers and invocations to the
lightning must strive to avert death
from themselves and bring it on their
rival. The terms of this singular match
had been arranged month previously,
but no storm worthy Of tho occasion had
arisen. Now the local weather-prophcts
believed it to be brewing.
| inquired what would happen II
neither of the mon we're struck, and was
told that they must then wait for an.
other storm; If they escaped the sec
ond time, however, they would be held
to be equal in power, and be jointly con.
suited by the tribe on occasions Of i'm.
portance.
The prospect Of being spectator OF
so unusual sight overcame my desire
to be gone, and | accepted the chiefs in
vitation to sev it out. Before midday / re,
GREETED 1t, for though the western heavens
grew darker and darker and the still air
heralded tho coming Of the storm, yet it
did not come. by four o'clock it be-
came obvious that it must burst soon
at sunset. the old chief said-and in the
company Of the whole assembly
moved down to tie place of combat The
kraal was built on the top Of hill, and
below it the land slopcd gently to the
banks of river about half mile away.
On the other side of the bank was tho
piece of land that was, the natives said,
loved of the lightning" Here the
magicians took up their stand, while the
spectators grouped themselves on the
hillside about two hundred yards away,
which was, | thought, rather too near to
be pleasant Whom we had sat there for
awhile my curiosity ovorcame me, and /
asked leave Of the chief to go down and
inspect the arena. He said might do so
at my own risk / told him that
the fire from above would not
hurt white men, and went and
found that it was bed of iron
ore, thinly covered with grass, which Of
course accounted for Its attracting the
from the storms as they trav-
eled along the limo Of the river. At
each end Of this iron-stone area were
placed the combatants, Indaba-zimbi
facing tho east, and his rival the west,
and before each there burned little
fire made Of some scented root. More
over, they were dressed in all the
Of their craft, snake-skins.
fish-bladders, and know not what be-
sides, while round their necks hung cir
clets of balloons teeth and bones from
human hands. First l went to the
western end whore the chiefs son
stood. He was pointing with his assegai
towards the advancing storm, and in
voking it in voice Of great excite
ment