150 SPORT AND TRAVEL PAPERS 



sticks, detached from the shields, were borne aloft by every man 

 as the regiments filed one after another into the King's presence, 

 and were moved in the air to resemble waving ears of corn to the 

 accompaniment of a monotonous song and slow dance a thanks- 

 giving for the harvest and request to the King for plenty of corn 

 and food. 



About nine o'clock on the following morning a messenger 

 arrived from Lobengula requesting the presence of the mission 

 at the big dance. Arrival in full uniform, we rode straight to 

 the King's house, a three-roomed shanty built of mud bricks. 

 His Majesty had not yet risen, but asked us in ; he was lying on 

 some skin rugs on the ground, a dirty pillow on a guncase 

 supporting his head ; a dirty blanket his only garment and 

 covering. Close by stood a large picture of our Queen, while 

 schoolroom coloured prints of lion, giraffe, rhinoceros adorned 

 the walls. Around lay sacks of grain, cases of tobacco, guns 

 and rifles, while a pet goat scrambled over all. His Majesty 

 was in very good spirits, and attempted to count up his 

 queens, but had forgotten all beyond the sixty-first. 



The whole European community having assembled, we were 

 regaled with beef and beer as usual, and thus fortified, walked 

 into the big enclosure where the dance was to take place, after 

 the King had been wheeled, dressed or undressed as before, into 

 the sacred cow kraal. Here, attended by the witch doctors, he 

 carried out the rites of witchcraft, and when he appeared after- 

 wards his body was smeared over with some evil compound 

 prepared from crocodiles' livers and other ingredients. The men 

 were now rapidly collecting; regiment after regiment marched 

 into the vast enclosure in full war dress, sometimes preceded, 

 sometimes followed by a number of lads, soldiers that were to 

 be, in undress uniform, with only shield and stick, but attended 

 always by a crowd of young women. These ladies had followed 

 the corps from home baggage animals of the army. Gradually 

 and quietly the regiments were got into their places until at last 

 the army was drawn up in an enormous half-moon, very deep in 

 the body and gradually tapering off in the horns. It was a most 

 impressive sight this Matabele army in its picturesque dress, 

 11,000 to 12,000 men standing so close together that their 

 shields overlapped. We had taken up our position near the cow 

 kraal, where the King was still busy preparing witchcraft 



