148 SPORT AND TRAVEL PAPERS 



herds of cattle and goats roamed among the luxuriant herbage. 

 Lobengula has a great regard for Europeans and trusts them, 

 and no one has ever been permitted to harm one of them. 

 Whether all the indunas and young soldiers are of the same mind 

 with their King in the step he has now taken in permitting the 

 Englishman to enter the country to exploit the gold, &c., remains 

 to be seen. The question will soon be solved. 



Her Majesty's letter having been delivered, we began to look 

 forward to the annual Matabele war-dance, said to be one of the 

 two great sights in Africa, the other being the Victoria Falls on 

 the Zambezi. The little dance precedes the big one, and had 

 already taken place. The latter commences immediately after 

 full moon, when the first fruits of the fields are ripe generally 

 vegetable marrow a feast of thanksgiving really for the harvest. 

 Still several days passed, but at last the rumour was abroad 

 that the King would arrive at his capital on the morrow, and 

 early on that day the soldiers of the Bulawayo Regiment, arrayed 

 in their war-dress, went over to Euganine to fetch him. About 

 noon strings of queens Lobengula has 82 slaves, and beer 

 girls, appeared in the distance, shortly followed by warriors in 

 their waving black ostrich plumes, shouting the King's praises 

 and marching all round the wagon, which was drawn by twelve 

 black oxen ; in it His Majesty reposed. The sable plumes, the 

 black teams, and slow pace of the procession recalled nothing so 

 much as a funeral. Advanced parties of all the regiments 

 destined to take part in the war-dance had already arrived, and 

 were busily engaged in constructing temporary huts of sticks and 

 grass in separate camps for their different corps. The King 

 being desirous that as many men as could be collected should 

 take part in the show, in order to make as great an impression 

 as possible, the plain surrounding the ridge upon which Bula- 

 wayo stands soon became dotted with the various regimental 

 camps. Unfortunately, during all this time we had the full 

 benefit of the rainy season, and the soldiers must have had a 

 most disagreeable sojourn in their leaky huts. 



During the next four days the regiments poured into their 

 camps, bringing a number of slave girls and a few head of cattle 

 with them, and we in the Royal charter enclosure had no peace. 

 All day long it was crowded with queens and soldiers, all intent 

 on presents, which were freely given, so that we soon became very 



