New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-12
MATABELELAND.
A NOTABLE KING AND A NOTABLE PEOPLE.


The newest English acquisition in south Africa
DDS 1alr TO have an interesting history before it
is fully amalgamated into the Colonial Empire.
mat 1T is an exceedingly valuable territory there
If no doubt although the climate will prove trying
to Europeans. But its king is by all odds the
aDlest native African monarch since TChalSa, and
It's numerous inhabitants arc among the noblest
and bravest of all the Kaf1ir peoples. That they
VIII quietly submit to the domination of white
men is scarcely to be expected. especially seeing
how good cause they have TO hate the Beers, as,
indeed, what South African tribe has not And
the Beers themselves are busy stirring up trouble
in at least two directions. They are melting the
natives to rise and drive out the English which is
equivalent to melting them to a general massacre.
and they are preparing themselves to march en-
masse from the Transvaal across the Limpopo
River and take possession of the land For Mata-
beeland lies Just north of the Transvaal, and east
of British Bechuanaland. The Beers have long
coveted it. but have hesitated to measure forces
with King Eobengula's armies. They had hard
enough time in driving Lobengulas father. Null.
icazi, out Of the Transvaal and they know that
the Matabeles cherish toward them an ineradcable
hatred on that account. But now that the Brit
ish South Africa Company is trying to open up
the country to civilization, the amiable Dutchmen
are inclined to interfere. President Kruger prom
ises to restrain his people from invasion, but
Beers promise is not the most trustworthy Sc
curity in all the world
King Lobengula is really "a fine specimen of bar
barian royalty. He is about ffty,seven years old,
of superb physical proportions and of dignifed
and courtly bearing He never is seen in q pas
sion, so many savage chieftains are. but when
either administering justice meeting foreign
ENJOYS always preserves a dignfed compOsure and
calm, cool demeanor. He is extremely temperate
and altogether abstains from spirits; beer he
drinks, but when, as is not uncommon, traders
make him present of champagne, he always gives
il TO his wives. His abstinence. however, does
not save him from govt, from which he suffers
greatly. He is a man Of liberal and advanced
ideas, and possesses no small degree of statesman
ship His subjects comprise number Of tribes
whom he governs with rare skill. doing wonders
TO make them all one in interests, language, GUS
toms and laws. His administration of justice
would do credit TO a much more civilized COM
monwealth. The great court consists of LOben-
gula himself and six of his chief Indunas Cases
are brought from all parts of the country and are
mpartally tried and decided. The Indunas act as
counsel for the parties and take technical points
with an ingenuity which would do credit to a
British Queens Counsel. and discuss and debate
WAYS the Afatabele litigation is similar TO that
of England for although the Indunas lercey urge
the claims of a client while the lasts. their
differences disappear the moment the Kings de-
cison is given. During the tendency Of case,
moreover. the Indunas keep religously away from
the parties concerned and their friends, but
soon as the case is over they approach the sue
cessful or defeated party as II there had been no
dispute. The King very prudently draws his as
SCISSORS in turn from various parts o. the country,
and does not allow any set of men from long habit
to become his masters or too experienced advisers,
The King lives mostly in big Ox-wagon. Be
fore he succeeded to the throne he wore European
clothes, and spent much of his time travelling
about the country with an English teamster. But
since his accession he has resumed his native
tune, and makes his people do likewise. Still
lie sticks to his oX-wagOn. for which he has given
up all his other residences This is in respects
a great convenience to him, for it gives him
travelling court and capital. From time to time
he moves his headquarters, inspanning' his oxen
and going off without any warning. If asked
where he is going he replies, Follow my wheel
tracks and see" This is probably partly policy
to prevent combinations against him and partly
early habit of imitation of his father who did the
same before him. He has seventyeight queens
but by none Of his royal wives has the King any
son, and it is probable that when he dies there
will be fighting between the various sons of the
other wives, each being supported by the district
from which his mother came The wives are
scattered over the country in the various kraals,
and when royal progress takes place the queens
do not 90 with their lord. but await him at the
kraal to which he is going GubuawayO, the
capital, may be taken as q specimen of a large
kraal In the centre is the Kings wagon and
round it his wives huts, all circular built of mud
bricks and rooted with reeds Round the central
cluster of huts is open space of grass four hum
dred yards wide and round this space are the
habtations of the warrors-said to number four
thOusand-and their families beyond these, again,
is the stockade which is several miles in length.
Not long ago Lobengula sent a couple of his
ablest ministers on an embassy to England. lie
wanted, most of all, to find out the power and
general character Of the nation with which, as
he clearly saw he would soon have important
dealings. The men brought back TO him strik.
ing account Of the land they had visited. They
told him that London was like the ocean; man
might walk, and walk, and walk, and yet never
get to the end Of the houses. If Englishmen were
killed they reported for every drop of blood in
their bodies another would spring up TO take their
telephone They were placed a mile apart and
talked together Afterward they declared that
they could imagine such machine might talk
English. but how it could be taught to speak
Katlir language they could not understand. Lo-
bengula was much interested in their stories, but
did not at first quite believe them In order to
make sure that they were telling the truth, there
FORE he kept them apart, in solitary confinement,
for a week or two. Then he got them drunk.
He thought that there was " in vino veritas, and
if under those circumstances their stories agreed,
they must be true. They did agree, and then he
believed them.
Matabeleland, as already stated is a rich
country but not healthy 1t is tropical in eli
mate. and fevers abound. The rains last for
three months and during that time come down
in tropical torrents For three weeks before
the rains the heat is intense, the thermometer
standing at from 102 to 104 Fahrenheit in the