ZOUTPANSBERG AND THE MAGWAMBAS. 107 



thorough linguist, and, what was more, remained on the 

 most friendly and trusted relations with them. One 

 must live for some time with the Magwambas, and as a 

 Magwamba, before any true insight can be obtained into 

 their real speculative opinions, and then very few of them 

 have clear notions on these points. It would be the same 

 if a learned and anthropological Magwamba was pos- 

 sible, who should visit England and in a short time 

 endeavour to study the origin and meaning of much 

 theological and philosophical reasoning found in our 

 midst. If he mixed only with our lower classes he 

 would find little opinion at all ; our middle classes 

 would give him varied and often erroneous definitions ; 

 whilst among those of leisure he would find Galileos 

 who cared for none of these things. So it is, in a 

 more moderate degree, among native races, where are 

 also found the totally ignorant, the thoroughly mis- 

 taken, and the supremely indifferent, as elsewhere. 



The Magwambas are not the only tribe of Bantu 

 Kafirs living in the Spelonken. The Makatese, 

 originally fugitives from the Basuto and Bechuana 

 countries and taking their name from the supposition 

 that they were all subjects of Ma Ntatisi*, are now 

 the most numerous in Zoutpansberg, and, under the 

 chief Magato, are located on a long mountain range 

 which exhibits one of the glories of the landscape. The 

 Makatese, I was informed, now number upwards of 

 thirty thousand. 



The Mavenda Kafirs are a branch of the Makatese, 

 and closely allied to the Basutos, and amongst these 

 people iron-smelting and manufactured iron-work in 

 a rough way is carried on. My friend arranged that 

 I should witness the making of a "pick" or agri- 

 cultural hoe, the principal article fabricated, and the 

 head Mavenda sent me his pony on which to ride to 

 his home on the summit of a hill, where I was received 

 by himself and assistants under a thatched roof where 

 the primitive forge was erected. The fire was soon 



* G. McCall Theal, ' History of the Boers,' p. 03. 



