CHAPTER XVIII.

THE TUGELA.

As there was no steamer starting for some days, I made arrangements with Captain Elton to visit the eastern portion of the seaboard towards the Tugela river, to see the sugar and coffee plantations in that district.

Captain Elton very kindly provided for our use a carriage with four smart horses. We first crossed the Umgani river, now nearly dry; but from the debris of a fine iron bridge which had been broken to pieces and still encumbered the banks of the stream, it could be seen that the river sometimes became a raging torrent, overflowing its banks and carrying all before it. Here we saw a steam-power ice-making machine, which the owner said would pay very well, provided he could obtain intelligent labour at moderate prices. Native labour, however, was not intelligent, and European was costly and the men drunken in their habits, so that he thought he must close the business.

On crossing the Umgani, we were shown a spot on the riverbank from which a sea-cow nightly emerged to eat the sugarcane. This animal is, however, so cunning, and has such wonderful scent, that they could not kill it. There are also crocodiles in the Umgani, though they do not seem to attain any great size.

We started for Verulam beyond the river. The road winds through an undergrowth of luxuriant shrubs, occasionally giving beautiful peeps of the sea beyond.

We met parties of Kafirs working, either going to or coming

from the plantations. Almost all of them, of both sexes, were without any clothing; some of the women's only adornment being armlets and waistbelt. I mentioned this to a gentleman of high position, well acquainted with the natives, and he told me an anecdote which was interesting. On one occasion he was talking to a Kafir chief, and asked him why his young daughter was not clothed: "Master," he replied, "she is clothed in the garb of innocence, she does not know that she is naked. Would that all in the world were like her!"

We continually passed large sugar and coffee plantations, and in one instance a small tea plantation. The plants were thriving, and promised to be a great success. As a rule the coffee plantations in Natal have not proved very successful. The introduction of the Liberian coffee-plant has been recommended, as the species appears to live well at a low level. The Arabian coffee-plant is said to thrive best at a level of from 4000 to 6000 feet above the sea. The tobacco-plant also grows in Natal with great luxuriance.

Verulam appeared a flourishing settlement, the houses and stores being built principally of wood brought from Sweden and Norway; everything, in fact, but meat, coffee and sugar being a foreign production.

Upon this subject a great political discussion had lately been going on in the Cape Colony, in consequence of Mr. Froude's speech at Bloemfontein and the Diamond Fields, as to their not being self-supporting. Why did they bring planks from the Baltic when they had a forest like the Nysua; butter from Holland, when pasture land abounded at the Cape ; fish from Newfoundland and Scotland, when plenty was to be had on their coasts? The answer is, that labour is so high here, that those articles are dearer when made on the spot than if brought from thousands of miles distant. Coals from Newcastle in England are infinitely cheaper at Pietermaritzberg than if brought from the Newcastle in Natal.

The labourer is employed in producing raw articles of commerce, such as wool, skins, iron ore, diamonds, gold, &c., which pay very much better.

The sugar-cane bears well, and is reckoned to produce a good yearly profit, even where money is borrowed at 8 or 10 per cent. Frequently, however, 12 or 15 per cent. have to be paid, when it is scarcely possible that a sugar estate can be profitable.

Apparently there were were about as many Kafirs working on these properties as there were coolies from the East Indies. The labour of the latter is more certain, because they never leave the estates, whereas Kafirs go and come at their own pleasure. The great risk in sugar planting is the uncertainty of labour.

The best method of ensuring a supply of Kafir labour is to obtain possession of an estate in the interior, and to bring labourers down to it in relays. This plan has been found to answer well, the privilege of squatting on the grazing farm being accorded on the condition of work with payment on the sugar estate.

On the sugar plantations on the coast the best of cotton could no doubt be grown. A table-cloth made of Cape cotton which was shown in the Philadelphia Exhibition was so fine that the judges would not believe it was all cotton, and had a piece cut off to have it tested. But the price of labour is a very material consideration in cotton growing.

In the afternoon of the following day I inspected the mounted volunteers by invitation of the Government. The troop was not numerous, but the young men were strong, rough, and ready; they were well mounted, and rode with a firm seat.

On our return from this inspection we prolonged our ride through some of the plantations. On descending a hill we were met by a witch doctress, who came dancing along the road. With the exception of bracelets, armlets, and anklets

of brass, she was otherwise almost naked; she had long scarlet streamers in her hair, and a bunch of feathers suspended from her girdle.

Such women have great influence, and it is most dangerous for natives to thwart their wishes.

In Durban the planters from the estates who visited the club, of which I was kindly allowed to become a temporary member, were very attentive to me; but amongst themselves they are somewhat boisterous and noisy in their jokes. One night I heard a terrible uproar, which was explained to me in the morning, a gentleman having found a snake twelve feet long in his bed.

During my detention at Durban I was appealed to by a raw Kafir. It appeared that he had been sent by his master with a message; but the first shopman of whom he made inquiry as to the residence of the person for whom the letter was intended, being desirous of sending round some notices, thrust them into the man's hands. The Kafir started on his way, eagerly showing the notes and asking of every passer-by the whereabouts of their destination. While delivering them, more letters and advertisements were continually added, so that he was kept running all day, wondering, of course, at the extraordinary result of his first message, while his master was raging at the long absence of his servant.

The large numbers of skins of wild animals which lay in the storehouses at Durban ready for exportation, were surprising― those of the giraffe, zebra, buffalo, and buck being innumerable. A large portion of the two former had been sent from Zulu land by Mr. John Dunn, who has sent regular parties of hunters out for years for the purpose of killing wild game. This gentleman has lived many years in Zulu land.

Cetewayo appears to have great confidence in him. He is well known to many of the colonists in Natal, and also to European sportsmen, officers of her Majesty's Guards having

accompanied him in former years in sporting expeditions in the interior. He now receives 300l. a year from the Natal Government, for acting as a kind of political agent to the Zulu King. It is said that through his instrumentality large numbers of guns have been introduced into Zulu land; but if the King insists upon arming his troops and has cattle to exchange, he needs no John Dunn to carry out his wishes.

Whole regiments of Zulus have been marched into the proximity of Lorenzo Marques-each man returning with two muskets, and it is said that Basutos are employed at the chief's kraal in making gunpowder.

We spent two very pleasant days at Port Elizabeth, and then embarked in the Kafir-a coasting steamer which was returning from Delagoa Bay.

The terrible rolling qualities of this vessel were proverbial, `but the pleasant manners of the commander did all that was possible to make amends for them.

A curious circumstance had happened with regard to this ship on her way up the coast. She was carrying a number of Zulu Kafirs who had been employed on the Western Railway works. Some of the sailors becoming mutinous, a passenger who spoke the Kafir language told the Zulus to give their assistance to the captain, as the sailors were going to throw him overboard, and if this happened everybody must perish, as he was the only person who knew the paths on the sea.

The Zulus were greatly alarmed at this information. They sprung below, seizing their assegais and surrounding the crew, who in their turn were terrified beyond measure, and immediately hastened to obey all their captain's commands.

This was my second long tour in South Africa. Since then many chiefs I have described have undergone numerous vicissitudes of fortune.

In November 1875 Gangaleswe was placed under a British resident magistrate. Makaula, the chief of the Amabacas,