THE "WEBSTER" RUIN IN SOUTHERN RHODESIA, 



AFRICA 



By EDWARD M. ANDREWS 



I. General Description 



The ruin here described was discovered by the late Mr. Dunbar 

 Moody in 1892, who led the trek from the Orange Free State into 

 this country in that year. It was shown me in May, 1906, by Mr. 

 W. Webster, whose farm it adjoins, and who extended much cour- 

 tesy and kindness to me while in this district. The ruin I named 

 after him. It is situated in the M'Shangaan country close to the 

 present kraal of Ichickwanda, who is, I. believe, the head Induna 

 of M'tamas, the paramount chief of the people. It is about 25 

 miles south of Melsetter township, which in its turn is distant from 

 Umtali some 85 miles. It is on a high plateau, which runs on a 

 ridge one mile due northeast, where it commands a magnificent 

 view of the surrounding country and has water close by on either 

 side. The farm is the property of J. M. Oeper, Esq., former sur- 

 veyor general of southern Rhodesia, and I am greatly indebted to 

 him for permission to explore and excavate, subject, of course, to 

 the approval of the government. 



The ruin is nearly circular, the defect being on the northwest side, 

 where also is the rounded entrance. It is built in two tiers, the 

 second tier rounding off on top, just to the northeast of where the 

 entrance or passage comes out, in a "curl" which rises about a 

 meter above the tier in question. 



The height of the lower tier on the northwest side is on an aver- 

 age 1.8 m. and is built with some care, of stones mostly flat and 

 averaging 30 pounds weight. There is small attempt at bonding, 

 the courses are bad and no mortar has been used. From this tier 

 the fall back to the second tier is 2. 1 m., and that brings one against 

 the " curl," which from the level on the northwest side resembles a 

 small tower or cone (pi. 1). The height of the second tier on this 

 side is 1.2 m. 



On the southwest side the height of the lower tier is 2.8 m., from 

 the level of the ground the fall back to the second tier being also 

 2.8 m. The height of the second tier on this side is 1.3 m. The 

 diameter of the building at its greatest width is as nearly as possible 

 16 meters. It is generally in very bad repair, caused in a great 



(35) 



