CHAPTER X. 



NATIVE CHARACTERISTICS, CUSTOMS, AND BELIEFS 

 (MAINLY ANGONI). 



Most noticeable characteristics of the natives Internecine war in olden days 

 Witchcraft and the things it can do A strange custom with children 

 Boiling water ordeal Charms against death Dead returning in the 

 shape of animals Digging up corpses Cooking children of enemies 

 Names given to commemorate events Old name for the Angoni race 

 Distribution of the Angoni tribe Marriage customs Women workers 

 Polygamy defended for natives The " White Father's " Mission 

 Strange legend about the Angoni trek Putting not-wanted people out 

 of the way Strange custom to get a case heard Kindness of natives 

 to others of same tribe Superstitions about planting crops Hardihood 

 under painful wounds Bible not suitable for natives Untruthfulness 

 of natives Civilisation not beneficial to natives Fondness of hunting 

 and meat Natives good servants Patience with natives best 

 Atrocities practised by natives Mild justice inadequate at times Love 

 of children Natives as soldiers Adaptability in learning quickly 

 Liking for music Cruelty to animals Splendid porters Staunchness 

 at times Mission boys Missions discussed A strange custom with 

 pigeons A funny native woman Old Mpseni Peculiar ideas with 

 regard to births Child murder Impossibility of natives reasoning as 

 do Europeans. 



IF a newcomer was asked what were the most noticeable 

 characteristics of the natives, he would probably say their 

 love of making a noise, their strong smell, and their liking 

 for meat and native beer. He would be right, but there 

 are also hundreds of other interesting traits which it takes 

 a long time to discover, as to do so one has to live near 

 them and understand their customs and manner of 

 thought and action. In the old days before the whites 

 went there, it was purely a " survival of the fittest," as they 

 were constantly making war on other tribes ; and many 

 people died by drinking the ordeal poison, and other 

 poisons introduced into their food by enemies. 



