The times., 1899-10-29
II. FRIEDLANDER & BRO, 9th and Sts. N W. !

her father with cattle, more or fewer ac-
cording 10 her rank. This practice, called
lObolo still prevails The ordinary wife
was a slave being required to do all the
tillage and most of the other work, except
that about the cattle, which, being honor
able, was performed by the men,"
VaIor of the Tribesmen.
Historians agree that the British army
has never encountered more daring en-
emy than the black man of Africa. Nine
wars were needed TO subjugate the Kaffirs
of the southern coast, although they had no
firearms until recently. In their battles
: with the Beers they were destroyed by the
fire OF horsemeu riding up delivering a
yoIley, and riding OFF before assegai could
reach them, and in the great war with
Cetewayo in 1879 they fought in the open
and were moved down by British yolleys;
and in 1898 the Matabele perished in the
same way under the fire Of riiemen and
| Maxim guns sheltered behind a laager of
wagons.
The Kafhrs are religious, but their re-
| ligion and that of their ancestors did not
mean the worship of any deity, nor had it
1 any moral significance. They believe in
/ spirits-spirits of the river, the mountain,
! the woods, etc.-and in the ghosts of the
/ dead, and they have ceremonies where they
]
| dwell at the spot where the body is buried,
/ and the graves are, therefore, the places
where offerings are made, which take all
| forms except human sacrifice.
Powerful men among the natives have
/ been taken to England TO show them how
! superior the Europeans are to the savages
and how fruitless opposition TO the whites
must be- but even men like Lobengula,
who visitetd England in 1891, were power
less in that direction, and despite Lobengu-
/ las experience the young warriors clam
ored for war in 1898 and were sure that
! the Matabele could wipe out the white in
truders.
A keen observer. writing on the subject
/ of the attitude of the native element in the
/ present war, says:
"Supposing that the Beers of the Trans
! vaal were masSed in commanders near the
border, and that from the Free State large
| numbers of men were Withdrawn. what
would these two facts mean for the Trans
vaal natives, the Swazis and the Basutos
The TransvaaI natives would rise and the
war loving Swazis, who resent Boer inter-
/ ference in their country and hold the Boer
in contempt, make no secret of shaking off
| forever the lording over them of JoubeTt
! and his men The Swazis will invade the
| Transvaal the moment British troops cross
the Transyaal border.
For years the Free State farmers have
been haunted by the fear of the Basutos.
The Basutos have long standing griev-
ances against the Free State, which they
intend to wipe out. They are determined
to repossess the conquered territory which
the Free State by false means was allowed
to steal from them. The Basutos inten-
tions have been for long known.
Let the burghers of the Free State join
forces with the Transvaal and the Basutos
will sweep their country from the Orange
River to the Vaal.
Aside from the natural hatred for the
white, the Basutos have private griey-
ance which may influence their action at
the present time. The English Government
has given notice that an additional hut tax
of ! will be imposed in their district, and
additional tax means additional hatred.
Whether the opposition would extend TO all
whites. or whether 1t would be directed
against the British alone, is a question
which time only can determine; but the
fear that the war between England and
the Beers may result in general uprising
/ of natives against the whites seems 10
have foundation enough to merit consid-
Grafton.