SMALL-POX. 83 



It has now quite passed away from this part, 

 fortunately without any white man falling victim 

 to its dreadful ravages ; but I believe it is 

 generally known that when black races are 

 visited by small-pox, it rarely, if ever, attacks 

 the whites, although it is precisely the same 

 disease that is so fatal to them in other 

 countries. 



The old Queen Regent, Mashenga, called 

 Queen by the natives for want of a better word, 

 but in reality only the head of a petty tribe, 

 was one of the victims, and her son Mahumane, 

 a boy about twelve or thirteen years old, now 

 reigns as chief. 



The poor old Queen paid me a visit soon 

 after my arrival, accompanied by an Induna, 

 or head man of a kraal, to act as interpreter, 

 and a dirtier or uglier old woman I never saw. 

 She sat down in a corner of the room, staring 

 curiously about her at the various things in it 

 and at me, and drank a tumblerful of strong 

 wine with great relish, taking it from me with 

 both hands, and carefully turning her head away 



