330 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
they rushed out of their burning huts, and to carry off 
the women and children, as well as the cattle. In this 
way his power began again to increase, until after a 
while South Africa had a new Zulu empire. All the 
stolen boys were brought up as soldiers, and such as 
were capable of bearing arms were at once incorporated 
into the army; the women were given to the warriors, 
the cattle being deemed the king’s special property, and 
serving to maintain his ever increasing regiments. 
Whenever Moselikatze observed any signs of his warriors 
treating the women better than their cattle he came to 
the conclusion that the men were growing effeminate, 
and at once gave peremptory orders for the dangerous 
women to be slaughtered. During his annual maraud¬ 
ing expeditions into the neighbourhood, thousands of 
helpless creatures lost their lives, for besides the men, 
all people incapable of work, young children, and babies, 
and some of the women, were relentlessly massacred. 
From my own observation, and from what I gathered 
from Mr. Mackenzie, Westbeech, and the traders, I 
should describe the Matabele Zulu government as a 
military despotism, with supreme control over every 
man and beast, and every acre of land in the country. 
Each division of the army is under the command of an 
“ induna ” or chief, with several sub-chiefs holding com¬ 
mission as officers. The rank and file fulfil their com¬ 
manders’ orders with blind obedience, but the superior 
and inferior chiefs are always at rivalry, and if they fail 
to win the approbation of the king by their feats of 
bravery, they try and curry favour with him by carrying 
him tales of slander against each other. The king keeps 
several executioners, who perpetrate their deeds under 
cover of night ; and as the kaffir-corn beer which is 
served out with the meat at supper rarely fails to induce 
a sound sleep, the opportunity is readily found for what 
is known as “ the king’s knife ” to do its work. 
Mr. Mackenzie told me of an instance that will serve 
as an illustration of what I have been saying. The 
bravest man in Moselikatze’s army was Monyebe, one 
of the superior chiefs, who in acknowledgment of his 
