THE WATUTA OR ZULU KAFIRS. 
119 
to Baraka ; and we marched that afternoon, the 23d 
September, having been detained seven days, with 
wounded feelings, and with every howl of the exulting 
natives sinking deeply into our hearts. 
Some remarks upon the Watuta race may not be 
out of place here. They had lately been assisting 
Bolaema, a chief of the district, to defeat my friend 
Myonga, and had succeeded in capturing thirty of his 
cattle, and striking terror into the country. Although 
we never saw one of the tribe, we came upon their 
deserted camps, and had two men amongst our fol- 
lowers who had once been taken prisoners by them. 
To these two I am chiefly indebted for the following 
information. Their M'foomoo, or sultan, M'Tookoolla, 
has his headquarters at Malavie, a province bordering 
on the north-west shore of Lake Nyassa. A brother 
of his, called MTumbareeka, has wandered north to 
Utambara, and there formed a royal residence. They 
seldom go themselves in search of cattle and slaves, 
but send their wuzeers or officers, with several thou- 
sand followers, roaming over the country, leaving 
nothing but waste behind them. If they find a vil- 
lage without cattle, they demand slaves instead, never 
giving up the siege till some tax has been extorted. 
Some cases are told of their besieging a place for 
months, with their superior numbers encircling the 
village to prevent escape ; those who were so fortu- 
nate as to break through this Watuta cordon being 
looked upon by the country afterwards as having had 
a charmed life. The only race in the south that ever 
mastered them, and can pass through them, are the 
Wabeesa, living to their west. We had one of these 
people in camp, a young lad, so bold that he would 
