How a Zulu Won His Wife.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 475, 28 May 1890, Page 5

How a Zulu Won His Wife.

A romance of Zulu life is related in the columns of the • Gold Fields Times,’ by a native who rejoices in the name of Nogwenda. The writer say 3 : —You have asked me to tell you a story, and I will do so. There will be nothing grand in it —only a little bloodshed and courtship. It is how I gob my wife ; there she is, down in the mealie field, with the baby on her back. You must know that in the days when Cetewayo and Umbulazi, the Princes of Zululand, were youths, I was a warrior in Cebewavo’s regiment ; but I gob tired of sitting still and alone, so I rose up one dry and begged the King’s permission to marry the daughter of Bhloss, who lived on the plains near the Matikulu. King Umpande refused me the necessary permission, saying, ‘ Men of your regiment may not marry brides ; you are but a boy. Go and learn bo be great in war, brave in battle, wise in council, then seek a wife, not before.’ And I said aloud to the King, ‘Yebo bayette, yebo Kosi,’ bub in my heart I said, ‘ Ha ha 1 we shall see, thou King, what will arise out of this thing.’ to my regiment and ate my thoughts, saying nothing to any man. In the course of a few years Cetewayo and Umbulazi quarrelled, and the civil war broke out. We, of Cetewayo’s party, were, of course, victorious. After a great fight we drove Umbulazi’s people down the country towards Tugela River. When they understood that they were defeated they turned and fled for protection to the settlements of the white people on the other side of the river. Cetewayo ordered us to clear the country of all his foes, and we started to do so. As the retreating army swept backwards they bore with them the people of all the kraals in the Matikula district, among them Bhloss and his family, including my girl. I was full of fear when I drew near the burning and deserted kraals; but there were no bodies in the ashes, so I passed on, spearing the wounded and weary and all those who strove to conceal themselves in antb6ar holes and thickets. When we arrived on the Tugela heights we found the river flooded, and rolling down bo the sea in great waves. On the banks thousands of people crouched in terror, w arriors and women, old men and children, afraid of the spears behind them and the river in front. That day our spears were red with blood. We thought nothing of it at the time, but afterwards, when talking about it, our hearts were sad, for we had slain the children of our fathers. Bub our chiefs had proclaimed that whoever held back hi 3 spear from doing its work should be clubbed to death. So what could we do? Well, when we arrived at the heights over the river our indunas halted us in order to reform and prepare us for the last great charge. In the two horns (wings) on either side of the main body the swiftest runners were placed. The main body contained all the headringed and young men (Izinsizwa ezindala). When all were placed we gob the word to charge, which we did, yelling ‘ Usutu !’ Umbulazi’s men answered us, but with crie3 for mercy, calling us their fathers and brethren, at which we only yelled ‘ Usutu ’ the louder, and struck and speared right and left, until the people in their madness and fear sprang off the banks into the water, there to be swept away. There were many strange things seen that day. An old woman with grey hair and tottering steps was making her way to the water just in front of me. Twice I spared her, bub a warrior near me, being mad with blood, plunged his speur into her shoulder. She turned round and wrenching it out Bent it quivering into his side. I looked at her with admiration, and the next moment recognised her as the wife of Bhloss, and the mother of my girl. She saw me at the same "moment, and guessing my thoughts, pointed up the bank, saying, ‘ She is up there under those palm trees—go and save, or spear, as you like. 1 I rushed up, brandishing my spear as I ran, to mislead the Indunas, and found her crouching under the leaves and long grass. I seized her by the arm, and saying ‘ Come 1’ plunged with her into the river. Just in time, for some of the young men on our side saw the action. Guessing my motive, they cried out, ‘ Kill the coward,’ and launched their spears at us ; but we dived, and only rose when we were well concealed under the reeds and water grass. Then we sat up to our shoulders in water, listening to the sounds of slaughter on the shore, and the struggling of the dying in the water.