Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-12-23

THREE CENTURIES OLD.
A Kaff1r Queen Who Is Sa1d to
 Have Lived That Long.
The People Whom She Rules Have Never Known Any Other Monarch and Think She Has the Git of Per-
 petuai Life,


 She Has the Git of Per-
 petuai Life,
 England has lately taken captive woman who, it is claimed, is three hun- ared years old She is Queen Majajie, the ruler of tribe of Kafirs. whose age is vouehed for by the reputed tra- ditions of her tribe, and who has been famous among the savages of southern Africa for her admitted great age. Generations have spoken of her as be- ing blessed with the gift of perpetual life, and her fame has extended throughout the uncivilized regions as far north as Egypt.
 While it is not for moment to be believed that the woman could have reached this marvellous age. says for eign exchange, the English govern ment admits that it has authoritatively traced the history of Queen Maiaiie's tribe back for one hundred and ten years, during which time it has been under her rule Previous to that period no authentic records exist, but the tra- ditions of the Kaffirs credit this queen with having reigned many generations before.
 8 4 missionary, Rev. Mir. Butter, who has lived for twenty-five years among these sevagos, has informed the British government that his investirations satisfy him the queen has absolutely been the hend of her tribe since 17s0, and he could find no trace of any pre- vious ruler. In fact the legends of the people are identified entirely with the present queen and make no mention of any other head of their government.
 The queen is described by English men who have seen her as of light cop per color, with frizzy wool on her head. She wears dress made of tiger skins, which has u large hood that usually covers her face
 There is a suggestion of "Shea about this savage queen, for it has been law of the tribe that none should look upon her face except her indunas and three womenl Her indunas are the generals and leaders of her army, and they or commander in chief. is named Jonas. and he is man of considerable age, supposed to be in the neighborhood of eighty. The other ninety=one are be- tween the ages of thirty and sixty, and all of them have been prominent in savage warfare.
 The three women are remarkable from the fact that they are freaks. One is exceedingly tall, another is unusual ly stout, and the third wears a long beard. These women occupy the po- sition of advisers. They all live to- gether in what is known as the Sacred kraal, the queen occupying an apart ment some thirty feet square, while the three women are in small rooms opening into this.
 Around this hraal are numberless wooden images, representing every na- tion of Kaffirland and all sorts of ani- mals. These images are beautifully and adroitly carved from wood. So numerous are these figures that they form ycritable forest about the lzraal and winding paths are made among them leading up to the entrance. q The images are colored so that they ap- proach very closely to the flesh tints of the different tribes, and they are made the natural height of the human beings represented.
 Once year the queen has been in the habit of personally supervising the slaughter of 40 oxen, which ceremony constitutes one of the religious fetes Of the people. Even upon this occasion she is not seen, for she is carried by the indunas in a covered chair tc the place where the ceremony occurs. She also was required to go at stated peri ods to an enormous tree in the forest, which was known as the medicine tree, and there, with certain cere.. monies, the health of her people was guaranteed for the time being.
 The English general who took pos session of the queens capital and of her has permitted the members of her tribe to see her, and they come with the greatest curiosity and from many miles around to look upon the face of their ruler, one whom they have been taught all their lives to consider as a goddess. The English show her every attention, but it is feared she will not long survive.