The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-05-25

L
X " i i e ::,s a'':n &:
heather. Even Lord Chelmsford the
captor of Cetewayo, came out of the
Zulu war simply a galvanized hero. In
the midst OF the war he met a fate
like that of Butler by being overslaugh-
ed and given Il back seat. The Iulus
smashed his plans and his army. Then
Lord Wolseley went to the Cape to
take chief command. Chelmsford kept
the field, however, and broke the Zulu
power at Ulundi. This saved his rep
utation. and the queen could not do
less than honor him for this signal
yindic; lion OF British prowess.
1t is by no means certain that the
blacks of South Africa have accepted
the domination of the British as final.
The race grows in fighting strength ev-
cry year, and as each tribe is limited to
an area the chiefs may come to the
opinion of the great Chaka, the Napo-
leon of South Africa-namey, that war
is a blessing in that it keeps population
from eXhausting the means Of subsist-
ence. The Rasutos are men of marvel
Gus strength and cunning and have not
been at war With England for nearly
so wears. The ZuluS, who were crushed
20 years ago, now number 100000. If
the Basutos and other tribes which
have kept from war have not lost
ground. then the blacks of the Cape
can muster more warriors man for
man than Great Britain.
Fifty years ago England had a long
war with an element of then known as
kaflirs. Even in those days the blacks
used guns as we'll as spears. The first
move of the blacks was to tie up the
British in their isolated forts, then at
tack in swarnls. British accounts then
contained the grewsome phrase, "our
loss has been heavy" as frequently as
during the first weeks of the Boer war.
General Sir Harry Smith, for whom
the Free State town of Harrismith was
named, then commanded the troops and
was noted for personal gallantry. But
he failed to suppress the blacks, which
included the Basutos, led by Sandilla,
and was sent home to England under q
cloud. General Cathcart then took up
IT,,
to warn the settlers i'll South Africa
that they must in great measure de-
pend upon themselves for defense.
After the war had lasted two years he
defeated Sandilla in battle on Berea
mountains, and soon three chiefs made
peace.
The so called Zulus, Il branch of the
Kaffir tribe, have given England more
trouble than any other portion of the
black race. In the first place, the Zulus
have martial traditions to spur them
on Led by the powerful Chaka, the
Zulus absorbed through conquest or
else wholly crushed other branches of
the kaffirs. Chaka himself usurped
the scepter by deposing his brother.
Some English sailors had told him of
Napoleon, and with the great Corsican
for model he set out to found pow
er which should dominate South At
RIGA
Chaka'S first stroke was to unite an
other tribe with his and compel all the
males of both tribes to train for the
field. He invented whatever the Zulus
have or for century have had in the
way of organization and tactics. One
favorite institution of his regime shows
the thoroughness of his methods. TAX
ing the pick of the young men of the
kraals, he formed bodyguard of To-
900 warriors who would so at mo-
ments warning and without a halt &c
to 80 miles to "eat up" Il town or a
chief OF Il tribe at the kings command.
Chaka's main army was organized in
to impis, or regiments, and the troops
drilled in Il system of maneuvers new
to African warfare. Fortified kraals
were built for the regiments, and in q
short time Chaka was monarch of q
vast and invincible power. The sur
rounding territory was gradually
brought under Zulu sway, resisting
tribes being wiped out by the most
fiendish slaughters known to history
Even those who submitted to Chaka
We're subjected to rule as cruel an[
rigid as can be imagined. The penalty
for military defeat was death, an(
whole regiments, including the wives
and children of the soldiers. We're mas
sacred by the kings command because
of failure to score victory.
In one of the military massacres tht
wives of two brothers of the king Were
slain, and out of revenge one of TIL
brothers killed Chaka. SO his cruelt,
reacted ON himself, but the glory of thu
Zulu nation was kept as a tradition an,
bore fruit Three of Chaka's brother
reigned after him, and the last one diet
in 1872, leaving Cetewayo, his son, a
the head of the nation. Cetewayo wa
another Chaka in so far as startling at
tributes can be duplicated. He wa
savage in spirit, ambitious and clever
Already the Matabeles had reyolte
from the Zulu kingdom, and Cete
wayo's realm and army were far les
than that of ChaEa's time, but h
quickly turned what spears he coul
muster against the English. Boys of /
were put in training for the army an
after a year became attached to one Q