536 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



bodied men were forced to servers soldiers, drafted into different 

 regiments according to their capacities of strength, swiftness, or 

 cunnino- and when they went into action had the alternative of 

 victory°'or death, a fugitive being invariably killed by the exe- 

 cutioner. 



When his white visitors were about to return to their homes, 

 Moselekatze thought that it would be a good opportunity of ex- 

 tending his knowledge, and consequently his influence, by learn- 

 ing the manners and customs of white men, and therefore sent 

 two of his councillors to accompany the visitors to their homes, 

 to inspect their proceedings, and then to return and report what 

 they had seen. The envoys carried out the instructions of their 

 master, though their brains could scarcely retain the vast stores 

 of new facts which were continually poured into them, and in due 

 time they wished to return to their own country. 



Here, however, was a difficulty. In order to reach Zulu-land, 

 they must pass through tracts inhabited by other nations, all of 

 which had been invaded and harried by the conquering troops of 

 Moselekatze, and they knew full well that if their identity were 

 recognized they would be murdered in retaliation by the incensed 

 owners of the land. 



In this strait, Mr. Moffatt offered to accompany them until they 

 had reached the boundaries of their land, and set off with them. 

 When he had fulfilled his promise he was about to return, but his 

 guests begged so earnestly that he should go on and visit their 

 king, that he yielded to their request. Contrary to the usual hab- 

 its of the Kafir, Moselekatze was grateful to Mr. Moffatt, saying 

 that " the kindness which had been done to his servants had been 

 done to him, Moselekatze, the son of Machobane." 



On this journey Mr. Moffatt's attention was taken by a magnifi- 

 cent tree, under whose shadow were a number of human beings 

 moving about. On approaching nearer, he found that the tree 

 was close to water, and on looking upward he saw that a number 

 of little huts were among the branches. Seventeen of these huts 

 were completed, and three more were in course of erection. These 

 were the dwellings of the natives who had been seen under the 

 tree, and were constructed in a very ingenious manner. 



Where two or three branches spread their forked boughs hori- 

 zontally, a number of sticks were laid so as to form a platform 

 about seven or eight feet in diameter. Upon this platform was 

 erected the hut, a necessarily small edifice, consisting of sticks 



