SOUTHERN AFRICA. 



87 



unable to shed tears. On these occasions numbers were 

 put to death for not weeping-— tlie forcing- larg-e quantities 

 of snuff up the nostrils in order to bring- about a copious 

 flood sometimes faiUng- to have the desired effect. 



As an example for his followers to imitate and admu-e, 

 Chaka married no queen, although at each of his palaces he 

 possessed from three to five hundred g-irls, who were termed 

 servants or sisters. Becoming- preg-nant, a damsel was nn- 

 mediately 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 dislocathig- the 

 delicate neck by a sudden wrench. The body was then 

 drag-g-ed outside the kraal, and left to be devoured by hytenas 

 and carnivorous birds that were ever in attendance about the 

 habitation of the destroyer, whose whole country had be- 

 come a sepulchre white with the bones of his murdered 

 subjects ! Early one morning-, Chaka took his seat as usual, 

 and having- with g-reat earnestness enjoined his audience to 

 secresy, acquainted them that he had had a dream which 

 g-reatly concerned him. The spirit of Umbeah, an old and 

 favom-ite chief, had appeared, warning- him of the desig:ns of 

 his people, and acquainting- him that whilst he (Chaka) had 

 been teaching- song-s to some of his warriors the precedmg- 

 evening-, others had been debauching- his women, and pollut- 

 ing- the imperial serag-lio! This offence he declared himself 

 determined to punish with rig'our 5 and the courtiers ap- 

 plauding- his resolution, he held a consultation with them as 

 to the best mode of securhig- the whole of the people in the 

 kraal. The place having- been suddenly surrounded, the 

 diaboUcal tyrant entered at the head of a party of warriors, 

 and having- first beaten his ag-ed and infirm mother with in- 

 conceivable cruelty, " for not taking- proper care of the girls," 

 he caused one hundred and seventy persons, of both sexes, to 

 be driven into the cattle enclosure j selecting- several to be 



