Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-11

natives seen the Spoor of great hons riSht
at the mouth of the cave where she and
her companion sheltered. and had they
| not heard that she called these lions into
the cave to protect her and him from the
other creatures? Therefore, as has been
said, they gave her name, Il very long
name that meant Chief ainess or Lady of
Heaven, 1nkosazana-v-Zoola; for Zulu or
Zoola, which we know as the title OF
that people, means Heaven. and udade-
| y-Silwana Sister of wild beasts.
AS these appellations proved too lengthy
for general use, even among the Bantu
races. who have plenty Of time for talk
| ing. ultimately it was shortened to Iooia
| alone, that throughout that part of
southeastern Africa Rachel came to en-
| joy the lofty title of Heaven, the first
! girl. probably, who was ever SO called.
! With all natives, from her childhood
up. Rachel was on the best of terms.
/ for that is not the way for a white per-
son to win the affection. or even the
respect, CT a kaffir. But she was intimate
| in the sense that she could enter into
| their thoughts and nature, a very rare
! gift. We whites are apt TO consider our
selves the superior of such folk. whereas
We are only different. In fact. taken al
| together. it is quite question whether
| the higher sections of the Bantu peoples
| are not our equals. OF course we have
| learned more things and our best men
are their betters. But on the other hand
| among them there is nothing so low as
/
| they any vices which can surrass our
| vices. Is an assegai SO much more saw
age than she'll? Is there any great
| gulf fixed between a Chaka and Napo-
| leon? At least they are not hypocrites
and they are not vulgar: that is the
| privilege of civilized nations.
Well, with these folk Rachel was in
| innate. She could talk to the warrior OF
| his wars, to the woman of her garden and
her children. to the children of that
wonder world which surrounds childhood
| throughout tho universe. And yet there
was never a one of these but lifted the
fell upon them To them all she was
the Inkosazana. the Great Lady. They
| would laugh at her father and mimic
him behind his back, but Rachel they
never laughed at or mimicked. OF her
mother also. although she kept herself
apart from them. much the same may be
said. For her they had a curious name
which they would not or were unable
! to explain. They called her. Flower
| that Grows on-a-Grave." For Mr.. Dove
their appclla ton was less poetical. 1t was
''Shouter- about Things-he -doeS-not-under-
stand" or more briefly, The Shouter."
a name that he had acquired from his
habit of raising his voice when he grew
| moved in speaking to them. The things
| that he did not understand. it may be
! explained. were not to their minds his
religious views, which, although they con-
! sidered them remarkable. were evidently
his own affair, but their private customs.
Especially their family customs that he
! was never weary of denouhcing to the
| bewilderment of these poor heathens, who
for their part were not greatly impressed
| by those Of the few white people with
| whom they came in contact. Therefore.
with native poitencss. they concluded
that he spoke thus rudely because he did
not understand. Hence his name.
But Rachel had other friends In truth
| she was natures child If in better and
| a purer sense than Byron uses that de-
| scription. The sea. the weld. the sky. the
forest and the river, these were her COM
| panions, for among them she dwelt soil
tary. Their denizens. too. knew her
we'll, for unless she were driven to it,
never would she lift her hand against
anything that drew the breath of life.
to them. nor at her coming did the birds
stir from off their trees. Often she stood
and watched the great elephants feeding
or at rest, and even dared 10 wander
among the herds of savage buffalo. OF
| only two living things was she afraid
the snake and the crocodile. that are
cursed above all cattle, and above every
beast of the field. because being cursed
She feared nothing else. she who was al
ways fearless, nor brute or bird, did
they fear her.
After Rachers adventure in the food
ed river she and her parents pursued
their journey by slow and tedious
marches. and at length, though in those
days this was strange enough. reached
Natal unframed. At first they went to
live where the city of Durham now stands.
| which at that time had but just received
its name. 1t was inhabited by a few
rough men who made a living by trad
ing and hunting. and surrounded them
selves with natives refugees for the most
part from the Zulu country. Among
these people and their servants Mr.. Dove
commenced his labors, but ere long a bit
ter quarrel grew up between him and
them.
These dwellers in the midst Of barba-
rism led strange lives. and Mr.. Dove. who
! rightly held it to be his duty TO denounce
wronsdoing of every sort, attacked them
and their vices in no measured terms. and
upon all occasions. For long years he
kept up fhe fight, until at length he found
himself ostracised. II they could avoid
him. no white men would speak to him,
nor would they allow him to instruct their
/ Kaf1irs. Thus his work came to an end
in Durham as it had done in other places.
Now again his wife and daughter hoped
that he would leave South Africa for
good and return home. But it was not
to be- for once more he announced that
it was laid upon him to follow the eX
ample Of his divine Master. and that the
Spirit drove him into the Wilderness So.
with few attendants. they trekked away
from Durham.
On this occasion it was his wild design
to settle in ZuluIand-where Chaka. the
!
brother and murderer, ruled In his place
and there devote himself to the CONVEX
sion of the Zulus. Indeed. 1t Is probable
that he would have carried out this plan
had he not been prevented by an accident.
One night when they were about forty
miles from Durham. they camped on a
stream, a tributary Of the Tugela river,
which ran close by, and formed the
boundary OF the Zulu country. 1t was a
singularly beautiful spot, for TO the east
of them. about mile away. stretched
the placid Indian ocean, while to the west.
oversha downing them almost rose a tow
ering cliff. over which the stream poured
itself looking like line OF smoke against
its rocky face. They had Outspanned
upon rising hillock at the foot of which
this little river wound away like silver
snake till |, joined the great Tugela. In
its general aspect the country was like an
English park, dotted here and there with
timber. around which sraZed or rested
great Glands and other buck, and among
them huge rhinoceros.