HYMNS IX PRAISE OF FAMOUS CHIEFS. 



By Rev. Johannes August Winter. 



As the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt engraved in stone the 

 hieroglyphs of their doings, so the old native chiefs also, during 

 their lifetime, made hymns in praise of all their own brave deeds 

 in hunting and fighting. In many cases the words and sentences 

 used are abbreviated. 1, although knowing Sesuto well, could 

 not understand most of these words. The great indunas, when 

 Iting round the Council fires in the evening, drinking beer, or 

 together eating their most excellently cooked beef, used to half- 

 sing these hymns of praise, or rather, speak them in a sing-song 

 voice, all the rest quietly listening. 



1 could only write down fragments of them, with the assist- 

 ance of one who would slowly repeat them over to me word by 

 word. What a pit}- that these hymns have not been collected ! 

 They are the history of the people, and I believe trustworthy, for 

 they would not have allowed untruths to be solemnly declaimed 

 before so many witnesses of the very facts. Indeed, I think that 

 they are more trustworthy than post-mortem history. The 

 Government is anxious to preserve the old Bushman pictures; 

 it ought to collect and preserve these old Chief-hymns, like that 

 of Tulare which are a hundred times more valuable. The old 

 grey-heads are dying out, so that it must be done quickly, and 

 I have neither the time nor the means to record the old Moshesh- 

 hymns. 



I. Hymn of Mampuru (Sox of Moukangoe). 



Kgola magata-ditoto 



Lekoto o 'labiloe la gara Kdau ea Tebile 



Methepa ka tlase mctsi le se ke la noa 



Tulut ea Manaka a Tebele e inne mosela metsin 



Tubals ka tlase mctsi ga a nooc 



Lctsiku la Ba-kuena 



Tsc di mafsi oa di tseba 



O tsamaea oa di nyakorela mekaka 



Se'labana se'le 'labiloe 



Moato a 'labiloe ole 



Magorong a banna. 



( Translation.) 

 The great, steps upon corpses of men — 

 Although wounded he still fights in the midst of the sons of 



Tebele. 

 Girls ! Downwards the water must not be drunk. 

 The Tuhu 1 of Manaka 2 of Tebele has put its tail into the water.3 



1 A fierce wild animal. 



2 His sister. 



3 T have spoilt the Steelpoort-water by my killing so many. 



