V THE INXWALA DANCE 67 



At last the king came from the inner kraal, and, 

 advancing into the circle, stood in the midst of his 

 warriors, dancing quietly by himself. He was dressed 

 in monkey skins and black ostrich feathers, and really 

 looked a king. His fiivourite sister, Ningengnee,^ 

 was also within the circle, splendidly got up for the 

 occasion, being covered with a profusion of beads, 

 coloured calicoes, brass amulets, and silver chains. 

 As she was immensely fat her gambols were more 

 grotesque than graceful, and she was so short-winded 

 that she was continually obliged to stand and rest 

 with her hands on her thighs. Presently the king 

 walked in the midst of his plumeci army to the open 

 ground outside the kraal, and performed a portion 

 of the ceremony which consists in throwing an assegai 

 and then running forward and picking it up again. 

 As he did this all the warriors ran forward as well, 

 striking the inside of their shields at the same time 

 with the butt end of their assegais, and producing a 

 noise literally like thunder. Since then I have thrice 

 again been present at the Inxwala dance, but have 

 never again heard the men beat their shields as upon 

 the first occasion. 



Although we commenced to importune Lobengula 

 to allow us to go in hunting in the middle of April, 

 it was not until the 15 th of June that he at last gave 

 us permission to make a start. Even then, he would 

 not let us go to the Mashuna country, but told us 

 that we must hunt to the westward of the river Gwai. 

 Shortly before leaving Gubulawayo, the Honourable 

 Guy Dawney arrived from the south, accompanied 

 by Mr. Moore of Natal, and soon afterwards left 



1 Ningengnee, more ooiiimonly known to white men by the name 

 of " Ni-Ni," was put to death in December 1879 by order of her brother 

 Loben_£;ula, tor reasons not very cleai'ly known to any one but liimself. 



