104 EXPEDITION INTO [Chap. XIII. 



war and sanguinary executions, was devoted to the 

 superstitious ceremony of appeasing the manes of 

 the departed, and quieting the apprehensions of the 

 livin g, by g^t sacrifices of oxen, and by distributions 

 of the property of the murdered amongst the ex- 

 ecutioners. \ 



Amongst barbarous tribes, it is a common custom 

 superstitiously to contend that their chiefs cannot 

 die naturally ; that they are destined to live until 

 they fall in battle : and that death, proceeding 

 either from age or disease, is occasioned by the 

 " working of the wizard." This sanguinary su- 

 perstition was carried to the fullest extent by Chaka, 

 who uniformly, on the death of a chief, endeavoured 

 to discover those who possessed the charm by the 

 test of their being unable to shed tears. On these 

 occasions numbers were put to death for not weep- 

 ing — the forcing large quantities of suufF up the 

 nostrils in order to bring about a copious flood of 

 tears sometimes failing to have the desired effect. 



As an example for his followers to imitate and 

 admire, Chaka married no queen, although at each 

 of his palaces he possessed from three to five 

 hundred girls, who were termed servants or sisters. 

 Becoming pregnant, a damsel was immediately put 

 to death upon some imaginary crime — the sturdy 

 executioner laying one hand upon the crown of the 

 head, placing the other under the chin, and dis- 

 locating the delicate neck by a sudden wrench. 

 The body was then dragged outside the kraal, and 

 left to be devoured by hyeenas and carniverous 



