CHAP. IX. 
THE WAR OF THE AXE. 
53 
CHAPTER IX. 
THE 4 WAR OF THE AXE ’—1846-7- 
With savages wars do not arise from political causes, 
but chiefly from the wish of the young men to distin¬ 
guish themselves and become 4 warriors.’ Up to the 
age of sixteen the boys remain boys, or, as they are 
called, 4 amacanquas.’ The rite of circumcision is per¬ 
formed on all the young men at the age of sixteen, who 
are thus made 4 men,’ or 4 amadodas.’ Although they 
thus become nominally men, they only become 
warriors after a war or after some act by which they 
have distinguished themselves—hence after a few years 
there are so many young men, that their councils out¬ 
weigh the councils of the old men, and they declare for 
war. It is what they call growing 4 fat,’ or in a state 
of preparedness. Once in this condition there is no 
difficulty in finding a pretext, and the war of which I 
am now writing was called the 4 War of the Axe,’ from 
the trivial circumstance that gave rise to it. 
Fort Beaufort and the town of that name were 
then situated on the very borders of Kafirland, and 
