New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-17
WILL THE MATABELES FIGHT
THE LAST OF THE GREAT SOUTH AFRICAN
TRIBES READY FOR WAR
HOW \ GREAT NATION WAS AMN|ANNIEO-
ITS RELATIONS WITH WHITE 'lNlLi|'
LONESOME SAVAGE MANNERS
AND CUSTOMS

AND CUSTOMS
ri, hfs,ory ~ white colonization in South Africa
lii, tho nresent century has been one OF d.
,,os, constant warfare As the white frontler ""'
nushed further and further to the north anu '''
IL encountered powerful natN" h"''l'' "
siderable numbers. defended hy regularly o's'"'N'
s,,,din,, armies amounting In some cases To oN''
is, 90 warriors. one 10y one these nations WIZ -"
,,tI AMI crushed until at IN" present day ohE
single. ON. remains absolutely iree ana ""
,.n,ent This Is the Matahele nation d"el""s ~
the country lying along the mlddl" me o' NV
,in.nt between the nearly parallel streams oi '',
I ,,nou, and Zlmbosi rivers. In"s" NA'dp'''S' -
m. dl-patches recently received from cap" '"l""y
mr.. correct are about to try conclusions with WrE
.,,,. r.ipbbors Tn. result 81 such "A war can De
,,,htf,l onIy I'm It's details but IL is not improhaole
that m. whites viii suffer severely before 'h'f
succeed In conquerins THEN brave ana uS''P'''''
savage foes. ,
=, ,>,S In that year Moselekatze. IN" chlei
, rho Zulu army rcvolted and with
mon, warriors fed a thousand miles 10 unr
north crossed the Iimpopo River, ana p"'S.
Xix. a storm Upon the peaceful tribes OF
Mashonas and Makonkas living there. In r."
wears these conquered or e'termlha'eu' an" III
,h.,r lands the Matabele empire was founded Ever
s,o.. II has been maintained by plumber and rapne
Tho children and YOUNG men captured in cohtlhual
mrs wore brought up as Matabeles and incor-
porated into the army, which mus became ever
stronger and stronger. When Mos'Irkatze dieu' III
1851 his nation was suprem" over ulckY s'tu'i
countrv as large as all that part of the United
STATES south Of the ohio and east OF the MISSISSIPPI
rivers
NV, nressnt chief I.obengula succeeded his
| Gather Nosrlakltze on the throne incidentally
numbering his elder brother in order To 90 50
He Is now about siXty-iive years OF age very TAN
and stout. and of really commanding presence,
| H.. has a hundred wives at the royal kra'l' ana
| many others scattered over the country VINO
! await him when he travels lie HAS wv wv '
and many daughters.
In the course of years the Matabeies deplel'u
! Newfoundland. IA the eastern half OF their empire
was called, of nearly every thins worth htNl's'
and In lSeo I.obengula was easily persuaded 10
soil II TO the British South African Company an
,r,,,,i2, tim incorporatel by Queen Victoria for
the purpose. and endowed with powers as great
as those of the old East INDIA company IL"
received "A large price down and promise OF an
animal subsidy The whites took possession IN
1,on al and huilt a chain of forts through the
| country These forts are known as Tui. Victoria
! Charter and Salisbury. Each has lager
or stockade and n rocket or machine gun Sails
| ,,,r, IL th. seat of government. but Victoria Is
the more important place II lies 10 miles que
east of Rulawlyo. Lobengua's capital
500, after the entry of the whites the young
| Nat,bcles began to grumble against them. and
| IN try TO stir up war. BUT the old men, better
| ...oci,,ing the power of the comers man
| ','d IN restrain the hotheads for n long time.
! An esnocial danger OF war. however, required
| ,.or,, ,cor at the feast OF the first fruits" a
Grand dance and council held annually to cele-
hr,to the gathering of the harvest At this feast
,, oracle, of peace and IL consulted. and the
,,,,n,, nrogramme for the following twelve
months decided upon. Ten or twenty thousand
.orriors gather at Buawayo. Bach wears a
orni6cent cape Of black ostrich feathers. worth
hundreds of dollars. and carries spear and
shield For six days they drink and dance in
cossantly the affair degenerating into in
,.scribable orgy on the seventh day the war
rors ore marshalled into great hollow square
The king takes his stand In the middle. The
u,itch-doctors blindfold him. and turn him round
and round until he loses, or Is supposed to lose
all idea OF direction. Then the royal assegai OF
iavelin Is given him. He poises 1t and casts
n from him. In whatever direction 1t points a
!, | ~ falls in that direction the armies march tc
var Before this summer the assegai has always
faIlen away from the white provinces Perhaps
the king Is not SO closely blndfolded his sub
iects believe. and British gold, rather than blind
chance may have controlled his cast.
Rut this year all different. When the feas
was held last July, either by accident, design OF
,reachery the assegai fell due east. pointing square
" TO Fort Victoria. This result brought consterna
tion To the old men OF the nation, who we'll knew
the mower OF the whites Instead of marchn,
, straight to war; council held and 1t wa
finally decided that war should be made not agains