uttered with the tongue, and increasing in frequency in proportion to the excitement of the speaker. An angry Kafir will set to work ticking like "Grandfather's clock." The physique of the men is the perfection of manly strength and symmetry. Tall, muscular, and well knit, their hairless bodies are of beautifully rich mahogany brown, resembling that of a polished, oldfashioned dining-room table. Their hands and feet, their legs and arms, are the perfection of shape; their every movement is graceful; and when they spring forward at a run, they irresistibly recall the sculptured attitudes of athletes in a Roman circus. The young women are equally well endowed bodily; but the matrons are absolutely repulsive to European eyes, owing to what I may euphemistically describe as their portentous development of the maternal fount. As for the features of all, men, women, and children, keep your eyes off them, lest the spell of bodily grace be broken. To our white prejudices they are ugly as only negroes can be ugly, their sole redeeming feature being regular pearly teeth. Rarely does so favorable opportunity offer itself of studying the human form. The men are content to twist round their loins a rag about as small as a small pocket-handkerchief, the women wear a little more, but the children are absolutely in their "birthday suits." Here comes in a puzzling missionary consideration. The chastity of the Zulu women is proverbial, and any infraction of it in their native state is punished with Draconian severity. The young girl stands calmly before one, naked, innocent, and not ashamed. One of the first steps attending her conversion is to induce her to put on a petticoat, and with a petticoat she frequently puts on the worst form of female vice. For the first time she is taught to realize the meaning of indecency. See yonder two white-garbed girls in the vicinity of a mission station. At a distance I take them for European children, but as they approach I discover them to be native converts, no longer of guileless simplicity, but mincing, ogling, and smirking in true Haymarket fashion. Alas, too, for the bewildering difficulties attendant on Christianizing the men! The sour proverbial saying, "Danger! none at all; there is not a Christian within 100 miles,' is dishearteningly true. The sober, hon na est, honorable native becomes, in deplorably numerous cases, the drunken, lying, thievish convert. The local British administration tries gradually to check polygamy by ignoring in law cases the right to more than one wife; but certain well-meaning though ill-judging zealots urge on tives the paramount necessity of instantly abandoning the sin of plurality. What!" argues the indignant Colenso-Kafir ; "cast adrift into suffering two or more faithful women, who have ever been good and harmless! Is that the love and mercy of your Christianity?"" 66 Our thirty miles' journey takes us over the ground of that fighting which culminated at Ginginhlovo. Only eleven. years ago every thicket and ravine, every kloof and donga, was regarded as possibly harboring a horde of warriors who might sweep us off the face of their land as suddenly and effectually as at Isandhlwana. Now these same patriots recognize our superior strength, and honorably fulfil the conditions of amity. They even respect our men's graves-a wooden cross undisturbed marks the place where an English soldier "lies taking his rest;" and the few Zulus we meet, formidable-looking with their glittering, tightly grasped assegais, salute us with their sonorous "Ha-a-a," and the hand extended high above the head. The sparseness of the population is striking in view of the fertility of the soil, but miles may be traversed without encountering a single wayfarer, and with only an occasional lad tending a few cattle. With startling suddenness the scene changes from solitary savagedom to the familiar scene of a British detachment, with its redcoated sentries, its fatigue-parties of twenty men performing with military pomp the work of a single navvy, and its cook's mates conveying the soldier's 66 sealed pattern" dinner ration, consisting of wads of beef and piles of potatoes swimming in stiff gravy. Eshowe, the harmonious Kafir imitation of the wind soughing over the veldt, "sh h-h-o-e,"* is adjacent to the fort so long held by Charles Pearson, and which we have thought fit to pronounce Eēkoa parallel to our transforming "San Looarn" into Isandhlwana. It is now * Like Phædrus's “ tintinnabulum," representing the tinkling of a mule's bells. held as an outpost against improbable Zulu hostilities and probable Boer marauding; and here four companies of the Royal Scots a hundred miles from their headquarters at Maritzburg, though left entirely to their own resources, manage to live happily and healthily, and to maintain their efficiency as soldiers. The men are lodged in primitive huts, and the officers in dwellings which are little more than windowed and doored kraals, and in one of which I was for days hospitably put up. Of course it was furnitureless, but in this country and climate furniture is a superfluity; and of course I was in constant association with cockroaches, beetles, and spiders, but here no one heeds entomological specimens, and the healthiness of the life and the interest of the situation constituted charms which would render one a willing absentee for a time from the worries and bickerings of civilization. The commanding officer had established his family in a group of three or four kraals, which the taste of the English lady had made almost attractive. Another officer, spurred on to emulation, was baking his sunbricks and building his mansion with his own hands. Others would wander about shooting, or explore the veldt, or play lawn-tennis or at cricket with the men, who, if they lacked excitement, also lacked incentive to crime. Some trouble has been taken to add the graces of civilization to this little settlement, complete in its fort, its horselines, its Gatling-guns, its commissariat and its other departmental offices. The officers' kraals and the men's huts are surrounded with small gardens blossoming in the midst of the untilled veldt. Flowers and vegetables grow with hothouse hothouse rapidity; creepers and shrubs are a mass of bloom; bananas and bamboos wave their graceful foliage all over the camp; and in one small spot I counted about fifty old pine-heads which had been carelessly thrust into the ground, and which, without further care, were now in full promise of luxuriant fruit-bearing. Two out of the four companies present are composed of mounted infantry, and it would be difficult to find a body of men more workmanlike and keen in their avocation. Their horses, fed on mealies and on the fat pasture of the veldt, are admirable in build, size, and handiness; their saddlery is simple and strong, without being over-weighty. The men are equipped in guernseys, cord breeches, "putties"-i.e., lengths of blue serge wound round the legs-stout shoes with hunting spurs, and helmets washed in the local yellow clay instead of in pipeclay. Indeed, though I admit the dress to be thoroughly suitable, I would urge that the wearers bear a little too much the appearance of rustics. "Fine feathers make fine birds," and some little addendum made to decoration would tend to attract the admiration of women, without which men have little admiration for themselves. They are armed with the ordinary rifle and sword-bayonet, and carry, bandolierwise, an ample supply of ammunition. My appreciation is doubled the moment they begin to work in the field. Their riding is of a dashing nature. Regardless of unexpected ant-hills and treacherous chasms, they gallop with such reckless speed that it was not easy to keep up with them. "No use to attempt to steer your horse over this break-neck country, marked the officer; you must trust to the clever instinct of these animals, which, as a rule, will carry you safely when elsewhere 20 per cent would be rolling on the ground." Their extending and skirmishing, their aptitude for selecting cover, their rapid mounting and dismounting, their rallying into laager with horses in centre-in fact, their energy, skill, and speed-constitute them the beau-ideal of mounted infantry. Above all, they have evaded the tempting snare of lapsing into mongrel cavalry. There are many military features connected with soldiering in Zululand on which I long to expatiate-such as the tactics of our infantry, the equipment of our cavalry, the employment of machine-guns, and the best nature of artillery; but I deem it best to abstain-for the present. 66 re I was invited to inspect the headquarters detachment of the native police under Captain Mansel,* who formerly saw much service in Bolivia, subsequently greatly distinguished himself during the Zulu war, and now exercises the authority of an autocratic chief over his native followers. About eighty splendid Zulus were drawn up on parade in a mathematical line, and notwithstanding the sweltering sun and the swarms of tormenting insects, they stood so extraordinarily motionless, so absolutely * Just nominated C.M.G. like carved ebony statues, that at first I rub my eyes in amazement, thinking my sight has deceived me. They were armed with the Martini rifle and bayonet, and their dress was the happiest combination of suitability and wild-handsome appearance. A soldier-like cap, loose blue guernsey jacket, white calico breeches, and putties, but no boots or shoes-their classically shaped feet, in sound travelling condition, need no such gear in the veldt. Patches of color, in the way of facings and piping, admirably set off their dusky muscular forms, and every Zulu looked proud of himself. Slowly walking down the ranks, I minutely inspected them individually. One single detail about them is a little grotesque. Aiming at being English soldiers, they have withdrawn from their ears the large snuff-sticks they are wont to skewer in there for convenience' sake, and the empty lobes hang down almost in shreds, like those of quarrelsome dogs. Ornamental beads, so dear to savages, have been generally discarded. Their ages, and consequently their sizings, vary greatly a six-feet and a five-feet-six stature are constantly in juxtaposition; but in point of muscular strength and activity, nearly all possess the same high average. "How old are you?" I inquire through an interpreter of a singularly youthful-looking Zulu, and the reply is characteristic,In a year's time I shall The natives never know their own ages, and have no conception of numbers. Their own language only counts up to seven. Eight and upward is rendered by the English term, or by a very long periphrasis; while they vaguely designate a thousand by a gesture, and the words a great number." In connection with this Captain Mansel whispers to me "I will show you a drill movement which always baffles them ;" and then followed the command, "From the right-tell off by fours." General symptoms of uneasiness; then from the flank a triumphant 66 one," succeeded by a hesitating three," an arrogant "two," and a despairing "four." "As you were. Över and over again-quite in vain. At last they are left to themselves; and by intuition, not by arithmetic, they form their sections of fours with perfect accuracy. After this passing cloud, which imperilled my gravity—a smile would have 66 seriously hurt their dignity-the drill proceeded with a smoothness and smartness which would have been creditable on an Aldershot parade-ground. Manual and firing exercise, marching drill, and a few simple essential movements, were carried out with a rapidity and quietude which were the more surprising because all the words of command were translated by the native non-commissioned officers from English into Kafir. 66 Would you like to see the attack? I must explain to you that, having deemed a war cry as essential to my force as to other native tribes, I referred the selection to the men themselves. The Kafir sergeant-major informed me that, after three days' earnest conclave, they had come to a unanimous decision. They considered themselves now thoroughly British soldiers, and they wished that, like other British soldiers, their battle-shout should be, 'Heep-peep-oo-la!' (Hip, hip, hurrah!) The attack was carried out excellently. Whenever there was a vestige of cover the men wriggled forward like snakes; in the open they rushed on like a whirlwind. Indeed Captain Mansel states that their impetuosity amounts to a defect. On the occasion of a brush with a native tribe, he was hastily dismounting for the purpose of leading the rush, but in an instant his men had sped far ahead, and ere he could come up with them, were busy with their bayonets. When I had done laughing at their wild "Heep-peepoo-la!" and the company was re-formed, I spoke to them a few words, couched in the customary vacuous form, but listened to with eager attention and manifest satisfaction as coming from an English officer. Would that we had a thousand of these warriors in our service! Subsequently I went round the tents and huts, which were models of neatness and cleanliness, though the men were packed as closely as sardines. 66 "All very satisfactory in a military point of view, but are you equally efficient as police ?" was a question recently put to the commanding officer. How do you mean?" rejoined Captain Mansel, as much perplexed as an ensign in old days catechised by the inspecting-general on the important point of the price of a pair of socks or a cake of pipe-clay. "Why, are your men efficient in the protection of life and property?" "No, sir," was the answer, desperate in its unvarnished truth; "I am bound to admit that in looting and killing there is no one to come near them." This delight in cruelty, and slay ing man, woman, baby, and animal, is so innate in savages all over the world, that one can only attribute it to the devil's planting. Captain Mansel's dwelling is a favorable specimen of the possibility of a considerable amount of comfort and prettiness in an English-Zulu kraal. Six or seven beehive erections close to each other constitute as many disconnected apartments drawing, dining, and bed rooms, kitchen and offices. Inside, brightly dyed cloths are so disposed as to conceal the wattleand-daub, while books, prints, and a small quantity of plain furniture impart an aspect of civilized decoration. Outside, any amount of garden beauty is attained by means of vines, fruit trees, and flowering shrubs, such as apricot and peach trees and bananas; bamboos and semi tropical grasses; hibiscus, bougainvilleas, oleanders, and poinsettias, which revel in masses of brilliant blossom. At best, however, a kraal is a flimsy unpleasant makeshift. The daub absorbs wet and involves mildew; twigs and plaster litter off the ceiling; nasty insects, great and small, swarm about the drapery; and a fireplace is quite impracticable. Of course, shops and society are scarcely more existent here than in the Sahara. Domestic grief in the matter of servants reaches its climax : Europeans are, as a rule, out of the question; Kafirs will do but a small amount of slavey work under incessant supervision; and the lady of the establishment must rely entirely on herself for aught approaching civilized order and comfort. Well for her if a wise system of education has taught her a little practical cookery. On the other hand, advantages of climate reduce these discomforts to a minimum. Even during the rainy season the morning habitually breaks beautifully, and during the greater part of the day the sun shines so brilliantly that faces and hands become scorched as though by a washerwoman's iron. Later on, the sky grows heavily overclouded, and torrents descend, accompanied by a crackling thunder, and a lightning so vivid and close as to convey an impression that it can be almost smelt. The pitchy darkness is so intense that on one occasion I completely lost my way within a distance of about 400 yards in a flat open veldt, which under ordinary circumstances a blind man could traverse with ease. For nearly three quarters of an hour I was floundering about in the mud, in utter exhaustion, between the mess kraal and my quarters, until rescued by the commanding officer, who had sallied forth with lantern, and was preparing to turn out his detachment in skirmishing order so as to guide me by their shots. To be lost in the veldt is by no means an uncommon occurrence, and the sense of desolation is overpowering. Kafirs in an unknown country without landmarks nevertheless travel from point to point with unerring precision which is totally incomprehensible to Europeans, and which seems to amount to a sixth sense. If in the dark and in doubt, they sometimes crouch down and feel the ground, though how such a process aids them they are quite unable to explain. The majesty and law of English rule is represented by a small daub-and-wattle tenement where dwells the British Resident, and by an equally small court house, where I find assembled a few members of the mounted police, conveying the same impression of efficiency as their dismounted comrades, some native officials, some Zulus of distinction, and three or four English magistrates, who have been assembled from remote spots in order to constitute a quorum for the trial of certain chiefs charged with complicity in Dinizulu's rising two years ago. A confident anticipation of acquittal seems to take away all zest in the proceedings; for here, as elsewhere, our English tenderness for political prisoners leaves little prospect of conviction, unless the accused be notorious miscreants closely akin to felons. One fat naked chief subsequently proceeds to the military orderly-room in order to purchase a blanket, and with his prize rejoicingly rides off on a wretched old pony, followed on foot by his panting "Induna," his Minister for Foreign Affairs, arrayed in the ragged old scarlet tunic of a British infantry soldier. My return journey through Zululand across the Tugela, and so on to Verulam, gives me a further opportunity of forming an opinion of the fertility of the country through which I have been driving for many days. Its main deficiency is scarcity of timber. of timber. Woods have been recklessly swept away for fuel or for household purposes, and replanting has been practically nil, although with a very little labor afforesting could be carried out with the utmost success. One tree, the stinkwood, finds a peculiarly favorable habitat in this soil, and is almost of equal value with teak. Of extreme hardness and durability, it is worked without difficulty, and is beautifully grained; and if inquiry be made of a Natal young lady of the material of some particularly pretty table or work-box, the hesitating soft-toned voice will probably reply with the repulsive word," stinkwood." On the other hand, it would pass the imagination of man to conceive a more amazing wealth of pasturage than that which is spread before our eyes-north, south, east, and west. It is true there is little admixture of clover, or of that which is technically called "herbage ;" but dur. ing the season of alternate drenching rain and glowing heat, grass, good wholesome grass, is growing thick and high as our knees, with a fatness which would fatten flocks and herds in hundreds of thousands. In some districts-Stanger, for instance, which, though within the Natal border, is identical in soil with Zululand-are extensive and paying sugar, tea, and even coffee plantations; while in the neighborhood of the small township of Verulam the inhabitants have proved that if the soil be but scratched, an Eden will blossom under their feet. Tobacco, maize, sweet potatoes, bananas, pines, melons, peaches, and all sorts of fruit, including even mangoes, are here produced with merest elementary cultivation. Practically not a barrowful of manure is used or needed; there is not a thought of alternation of crops, and year after year the same plot brings forth the same harvest, with the same undiminished bounty. No wonder European greed casts covetous eyes on Zululand's potentialities for wealth, and plots to seize with robber capacity that which it cannot claim by right of purchase or inheritance. This consideration leads to one of the objects with which this paper is written. Surely ere now the reader has queried the appropriateness of the quotation with which it opens. Where is "The Wrong which needs resistance"? At present only in incipient growth, but an evil combination of circumstances is impending against which it behooves every just Englishman to urge timely measures, lest we be called on too late to verify the principle “To mourn an evil which is past and gone, Is the sure means to bring fresh evil on.' By a wise and just system of administration, a large part of Zululand was reserved for the sole benefit of those who for years had held it with the same title to right as that by which the Alsace and their own Lorraine farmers cultivate homesteads, and every effort has been made to safeguard their rights by a wise rule under a just and humane governor, Sir Charles Mitchell. The natives, on their part, relying on the good faith of Englishmen, accepted our conditions, placed themselves under our laws, loyally fulfilled their obligations, and are now prosperous and peaceable, multiplying in wealth and population. A large number of the Natal colonists, on the contrary, are in a condition of restless dissatisfaction because during the last eighteen months no longer do "Afric's sunny fountains Roll down their golden sand" in the same abundance as heretofore. The rascalities of the Transvaal mining and other speculative undertakings have been followed by a failure of banks and much financial distress. The Natalians harp back on their undoubted wrongs from, and the undoubted infamy of, the Boer convention of 1881; they declaim in favor of responsible government-which, indeed, they will unquestionably attain within a limited period; and, like the inhabitants of most young countries, they hanker after a protective tariff and the prohibition of imported coolie labor. They refuse to believe that their temporary absence of prosperity can most effectually be remedied by the patient development of their own resources; their minds resemble the pupil of the eye-the more light is poured on it, the more it contracts. Hence many of the impatient malcontents are casting evil eyes on the possessions of their neighbors the Zulus, once too formidable to be oppressed, now too crushed to resist successfully. "Here," they say in effect, "is abun |