A KILLER IN OLD AGE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 April 1927, Page 1

A KILLER IN OLD AGE

illy K, E. S. Dcwdney). D URA N, whiew r Lbaey ahr< > Clad as a European though he may jo, Msinyana, one-time commander of •egiments under the great Cetewayo, s still a Zulu of the Zulus Highly years and more have passed din by, but he is as rugged in his old ige as he was strong and fearless in ds youth. Tall, still, beautifully pronil! ioned and with finely chiselled tenures. he is an aristocrat of the black

Summoning with a lordly gesture an

nterpreter from among his attenl:\nts, Msinyana told me he enrolled as . soldier at the age of 18, and heam<- an officer within two years. “In mv youth 1 could run like- the And and could throw aji assegai tarbci- than any man in the regiment, u- said proudly. Then he told of the massacre of sandlilwana in 1.879 and of the attack n the gallant outpost at Borke s )rift, which he himself led. He told how a series of prosperous •ears had lulled the Zulus into secur-

jty; their wives had grown fat and their children had increased. Wars had almost Ik-cii forgotten when Oetewuyo became restless. An injudicious murder drew the attention of Sir Baltic Krere, Governor of the Cape in 1878. As Cetewayo refused to give up the murderers, war was declared on the Zulus, and Zululand was invaded by Lord Chelmsford. Unfortunately, Lord Chelmsford did not exercise proper precautions; his camp was attacked and his whole foiee with the exception of about of) men, was massacred.

“I was in command of a regiment n that battle.” said Msinyana. “We iHacked the English in the early norning and stabbed them as they yoke up. I myself killed six. and J.

made sure that they were quite dead. When it was over wo thought that all the white people in the world had boon killed, so we went home.”

The biggest surprise of Msinyana s life was when he found that there were more white men than those slaughtered that morning at Jsaiidblwann. That fact was driven home to him forcibly at the subsequent battle of Ulundi. when the Zulus suffered a crushing defeat, their power was definitely broken, thousands were killed, mid their king captured and banished. -•I went home after that. said Msinyana, “and as there was nothing else to do. T got married. Now I have fourteen wives and five kraals. 1 cannot count my children, for they are many.” A point of honour of which Msinvana is very jealous is the fact that lie had never been a party to the killing of lonely Europeans and had attacked them only in parties. The number of warriors killed by him personally in tribal fights and purely native wars lie dismisses with a scornful wave of the hand. • “They are too many, I cannot remember,” he remarked casually when I put the question delicately. Unlike Solomon, the present King of the Zulus, Msinyana dislikes European modes of conveyance, and invariably walks wherever he goes. With him marches a royal retinue —ten carriers. three personal servants, the carrier of the royal stool, and the bearer of the royal bier.