The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-11

of Caucasian Type Who Ruled an
as Described by General Joubert
From the Vague Reports Of Whose
Existence Came Haggard's Novel,
| "She."
| Fu,m the New York Evening Post.
For more than half a century the
| rainmaker for all the native tribes
south of the Zambesi river. in south
Africa. was Majaje. the white queen
of the Makatese tribe. which lived in
the woodbush in the northern part of
| the Transvaal. The Zulus. the HOtten-
| tots the Kai!irs. the BasutOs and
scores of other tribes recognized her
as the grea. IL .nmaker. and Whenever
there was II ircuth in their provinces
they sent their emissaries TO her with
| requests for rain.
The tales which white men heard
concerning her led them to believe that
| Naiaie was myth. and Rider Hag-
| gard ella bora teddthe report in his novel
| she" which had for its leading char.
| acter a mysterious white woman who
! ruled over a race of blacks somewhere
| in Central Africa. Haggard wrote his
| novel in the eighties. while he was in
South Africa. and long before it was
established that the white queen was
not a myth. The fact that such wo,
man really lived was proved by three
white mon who talked with her. and
| one of those men. the late Piet Jou-
bert. commandant general of the Boer
army. was authority for this account
| Of the woman.
HenninG Pretorius one of the Trans
vaal's first commandment generals, and
| probably the most fearless Boer that
| ever lived. returned from one of his
frequent journeys into unknown re-
gions of the Transvaal in the latter
part Of 1889 and reported to his gov
| ernment that y. had succeeded in see
irg Aaiaje. In a volumirils report
whci, he made of his Journey ne stat
cd that the woman was queen of
sa'tiOE OF the Makatese tribe and that
her capital w.s surrounded Nv an al
most impenetrable forest Of small
thorn trees. On the outskirts of this
of well armed tribesmen. who asked
him and his companions to depart
from the neighborhood Immediately.
Pretorius refused to leave and insisted
upon seeing the queen.
After a long discussion. during which
| many messengers We're sent to the
| queens kraal, Pretorius was granted
| permission to visit the monarch. He
| was dsarmcd and his companions
We're left behind under guard of a
| large number of tribesmen. He was
| led along n narrow, wind ing path
| through the bush. and after journey
of about thirty miles he came to the
queens royal kraal. In his report he
described the woman minutely and at
great length He said that she was
absolute monarch over her people.
that she undoubtedly had the power
of life and death over them, and that
she rae established a COVE .rncnc tina;
! was far in advance of any '.eero GOV
,,,,mt 1T he had ever seen.
The most astonishing part of his
report was that the woman WAS nor
negress. He described her as having
| straight, soft hair of light brown
color. thin lips and light blue eyes.
The color OF her skin was not black,
! but as white as that Of a Portuguese.
Pretorius stated that she refused to
tell her age or anything concerning her
antecedents. and added that she APP
peared to be more than 100 years old
| perhaps ll5.
| III ISJf tIt MdNdttS lIlD' iol llI'h an
| alliance with Magoeba. the king of
| the woodbush Katfirs who lived near
the same district, and Majaje's people
We're dragged into n rebellion against
the Beers. Joubert. the cOmmandant
general of the Boer army, was sent
against the rebellious natives and he
took with him a small number of Swa-
| 2is, who had been driven into the
Transvaal from their native country
by Umbandine. the father of the late
| King Bunu, who acquired the fatal
habit of drinking five quarts of cham
| pagne Il day.
When Joubert and his forces reached
the "betovert" tbewitched) bush the
| warriors of Majaje and Magoeba at
tackled them and fought valiantly for
several weeks. The natives We're de-
feated finally and fled into the bush
and mountains. The Swazis then ask
ed Joubert for permission to follow
the rebels and II was granted When
they returned several days afterward,
the Swazis brought with them the
indumas, or headmen, in order TO
prove to the Boers that they had real
| Is been victorious.
| The day after the return of The
victorious Swazis several messengers
came trom MaJaJe. bringing peace OIL
ferlngs in the shape of two ivory
tusks and "A beautiful white on. The
emissaries declared that Majaje had
been misled by Magoeba and that she
had no desire to be an enemy of the
Beers. Joubert told the messengers
to tell their queen that If she would
surrender her arms unconditionally
and permit some one to go 10 her
kraal the war would be ended, In
her reply she accepted the first con-
dition, but declined To allow any one
to visit her kraal adding, however.
that she would come out and grant an
audience to the Boer leader.
The following morning the bush re-
sounded With the beating Of drums
and the shrill noises of crude wind
Instruments. Forerunners emerged
from the bush and announced the
coming of the queen.
When the head of the procession
reached General Joubert the priests
deposited the palanauin on the ground
and drew aside the curtains that con-
cealed the queen. She reclined on a
beautiful quagga skin and was cloth