treated exactly like a chattel or beast of burden. Her life is one of the grossest degradation and slavery. When she has reached the age of puberty disgusting ceremonies are performed, and there is no idea or appreciation of chastity. The most brutal lust is not only tolerated, but actually enforced by law. When a girl is married, she is merely sold to the highest bidder, entirely without reference to her own consent, and then becomes the slave of her husband, for whom she has to labour in the field and perform menial work. The day after the party of a bride has arrived at her owner's hut, the peculiar ceremony takes place of the woman being allowed and enjoined to tax her powers to the utmost to use abusive language to her lord. She pours every insulting and provoking epithet she can think of upon him, this being the last time in which she is permitted to act and speak independently. At last she takes a certain feather out of her head, by means of which the act of marriage, or rather of going into slavery, becomes complete. Mr. Holden speaks of the great obscenity at "marriage" celebrations, and remarks that "no respectable pages can be defiled with a description of what then takes place, especially in connection with the marriage of men of rank and chiefs. There is full licence given to wholesale debauchery, and both men and women glory in their shame."[11] It is impossible to pursue this subject further. This is certain, that the very grossest and most filthy obscenities and immoralities are absolutely enjoined and required by Zulu law and custom. Marriage is entirely a misnomer. To quote from an excellent authority, "No word corresponding to the Saxon word 'wife' is found in the Zulu language. The term most nearly approaching to it is umkake, and its correlatives umkako and umkami, which means his she or female. The man owns his wives as truly, according to native law, as he does his spear or his goat, and he speaks of them accordingly." The owner of the woman says, "I have paid so many cattle for you; therefore you are my slave, my dog, and your proper place is under my feet." One of these poor slaves, when seen standing by a load far too great for her strength, was asked if she could carry it. She stood up and ingenuously remarked, "If I were a man I could not, but I am a woman." There is no slavery in the world more sad or deplorable than that to which the poor women of the Zulu nation are subjected.[12]

Spiritualism is the religion of the Zulu, and witchcraft is the machinery by means of which it is practised. Only a very vague idea exists about a Supreme Being, and the definite national faith embraces only a belief in the influence of the spirits of deceased ancestors. The ghosts of departed chiefs and warriors are specially respected and feared. It is to these spirits that they attribute all the power given by Christians to God, and the witch-doctors are the mediums or priests of the worship. A knowledge of subtle and powerful vegetable poisons exists, and so common is the practice of secret poisoning that universal safeguards are used against it. Every one who gives food to another takes a part himself, in proof that it contains no poison. Besides deadly drugs, there is what is styled the "ubuti," or bewitching matter, which is supposed to be deposited in some secret place, and to be made the instrument of evil by means of supernatural agency. The "isanusi," or witch-doctors, are the go-betweens, whose duty it is to discover and to avert evil. These men fill the threefold office of doctors, priests, and soothsayers. They heal diseases, offer sacrifices, and exercise the art of divination. As they are assumed to have full power over the invisible world, their influence is enormous, and is readily taken advantage of by chiefs and powerful men, for the purpose of destroying enemies and promoting schemes of war and plunder. A youth who aspires to be enrolled among the isanusi gives early signs of being destined for the office. He dreams of the spirits of the departed chiefs of his people, sees visions, falls into fits of frenzy; he catches snakes and twists them round his person, seeks out medicinal roots, and goes for instruction to experienced isanusi. At last what is called a "change in the moon" takes place within him; he becomes a medium fitted to hold converse with spirits, and is able to communicate with them. One of the greatest authorities who has ever lived with and studied the Kafir races—Mr. Warner—says, "It is impossible to suppose that these priests are not, to a considerable extent, self-deceived, as well as the deceivers of others; and there is no difficulty, to one who believes the Bible to be a divine revelation, in supposing that they are also to a certain extent under Satanic influence; for the idolatrous and heathen nations of the earth are declared in the inspired volume to be, in a peculiar manner, under the influence and power of the devil."

Every illness and misfortune is supposed to be caused by witchcraft. It usually happens that the suspected person is a rich man, or some one on whom it is thought desirable to wreak vengeance. The people of the kraal and neighbourhood go in a body to the isanusi, who, before their arrival, foretells their approach, and makes other revelations, frequently so extraordinary that the Rev. Mr. Holden,[13] who is thoroughly conversant with the subject, states that there is much greater difficulty in explaining these phenomena by ordinary means than by supernatural interposition. The whole company, on arrival, sit down and salute the witch-doctor; they are then told to beat the ground with their sticks, and while this is in course of being done, he repeatedly shouts out, "Yeswa!"—"He is here!" He discloses secrets about the accused, and at last, fixing his eyes upon the doomed one, charges him with the crime. Generally the isanusi succeeds in selecting the suspected person; but if he fail, a circle is formed, and a wild, frenzied dance performed, amidst most frightful gesticulations and cries. Among the Zulus, not only is the unfortunate person killed whom the witch-doctor declares guilty, but his wife and children are murdered, and his property seized. Among the Amaxosa Kafirs, the most frightful tortures are used to induce the unfortunate victim to confess.[14] It is difficult to appreciate adequately the enormous power of the witch-doctors. It was in 1857 that Umhlakaza was made a willing tool in the hands of Kreli, Sandilli, and Umhala for the purpose of a war of extermination against the whites. It was prophesied that if the people destroyed their cattle and corn, the whole would rise again with vast increase, and that their enemies would be utterly destroyed. Sir George Grey had taken every precaution, and war was therefore made impossible. Like the witches in "Macbeth," the prophet had merely lured on his victims to destruction. Having burned their ships, by destroying all their resources there was no escape,