the gradations of savagedom. In some for example, among the Zulus-comparative neatness, order, and cleanliness prevail; their blankets and rugs are brightly striped, their rags are brilliant, their sleeping-places have some semblance of being human resorts, and even faint traces of attempted decoration can be detected. In others, notably among the Baralongs and Batlapins, the interiors are like nothing else than the lairs of grovelling beasts of the field. One habit, however, seems common to all. Whatever the heat of the weather or warmth of the spot, the sleeping savage is careful to envelop completely in his blanket not only his body but his head, leaving not the smallest chink for breathing, so that it is marvellous he is not asphyxiated. The higher tribes of Kaffirs are, however, clean in their habits, and delight in wallowing in the large compound tank provided for them, and are remarkably free from bouquet de native; whereas a single whiff of a Chinaman is sickening, and proximity even to a bath-loving Japanese elicits an involuntary "phew."

My conductor assures me that although the number of Europeans is a mere fraction of the total of black residents, not the slightest difficulty is experienced in maintaining order. This is due partly to the multiplicity of tribes, each one of which regards with distrust the others, and declines to combine; partly to the constant influx of fresh arrivals and departure of old hands; partly to the entire absence of women and children; and finally, to the fact that all are healthy adults, whose time is pretty well taken up in working, eating, and sleeping. Moreover, a certain number of tribal princelets, who receive wages but never do a stroke of work, materially contribute to suppress quarrels. My guide appeared to be on excellent terms with his charges, rousing numerous sleepers whom I wished to question, by gently pulling their ears, and eliciting from them willing if not intelligent replies. Among the representatives of races, taking them roughly in order of superiority, were Zulus, Basutos, Delagoa Bay men, Fingoes, Hottentots, Baralongs, Batlapins, Korannas, and Bushmen. These latter give rise to a sombre repugnance, almost amounting to a shuddering aversion, in that they are examples of the lowest depths of a degraded humanity. A char

acteristic distinction between monkey and man is the power possessed by the latter of opposability between the forefinger and thumb. This power is lacking in the Bushinen. "Pinch my finger," I said to one of them; "pinch much harder." In vain; the pressure would scarcely have injured a fly. Now, an anthropoidal ape possesses many human characteristics, but is essentially a monkey; a Bushman possesses many apish characteristics, but is essentially a man. A miserable, dwarfed, decrepit, repulsive man. One whom I measured was only four feet three inches in height, with a skinny feeble body to correspond, a screwed-up chest, drumstick legs and arms, very small cerebellum, prognathous jaws, high cheek-bones, acute facial angle, and lack-lustre eyes. His features were totally devoid of expression; his demeanor, when examined. and handled, was more stolid than that of a sheep; his language could barely be called coherent; and in fact, it was difficult and painful to realize that this poor brutish animal must be classified in a genus which comprises a Newton, a Milton, and a Shakespeare. The only instance I witnessed of Bushman intelligence was in a tiny infant in Kimberley hospital. The creature was about the size of a puppy, and equally bright and vivacious, illustrating the theory that in a race of low intellect intelligence is in an inverse ratio to age.

To supply the incarcerated Kaffirs with any means of intellectual occupation-to give them books, paper, writing materials, etc.-would be like presenting ruffles to a man wanting a shirt. I inspected the small nominal school; it was a mere farce. I espied two or three Methodist hymnbooks in possession of so-called converts; but alas here, as elsewhere in South Africa, the expression "native convert" is, in cases which are sadly numerous, synonymous with "outward show and inward deceit." To put the matter crudely, yet I believe not inaccurately, between Christianity and the Kaffir faith intervenes a wide and debased gap. It is not difficult for missionaries to drag the savage down from the elevation, however slight, of his own creed; but instead of endeavoring forthwith to raise him to the pinnacle indicated by Christ's teaching, they are too frequently content to acquiesce in a small measure of individual success, and

that fragment of the true cross which was given by Pope Leo the Third to Charlemagne on his coronation, and which dy. nasty after dynasty of French monarchs

have since worn as a talisman.

Very sad and solemn was the scene as we stood around, silent all, and with bared heads, looking down on the untimely dead. An officer detached the necklet, and placed it in an envelope, with several locks of the Prince's short dark hair, for transmission to his poor mother, who a year later made so sad a pilgrimage to the spot where we then stood over her dead son. Then the body, wrapped in a blanket, was placed on lance-shafts, and on this extemporized bier it was borne by officers up the slope to the ambulance that was in waiting. It was a miserable ending, truly, for him who had once been the Son of France! It was strange that it should have happened to me to have stood by the first gun fired by the Germans from the heights of Saarbrück on that August morning of 1870 when the Prince Imperial received what his father grandiloquently styled the boy's "baptism of fire," and to stand thus by the corpse of him untimely slain in the obscure corner of a remote continent. I had seen the Emperor his father at the pinnacle of his Imperial power; I saw him in the hour of his bitter humiliation after the defeat of Sedan; I saw him lying dead in the corridor of Camden Place, and witnessed his coffin laid down in the little chapel under the elms of Chislehurst. And now I had lived to see his only son lying dead in a grassy hollow of Zululand, pierced to death by assegai stabs. It has been my lot to gaze on many dead who have died of wounds at the hands of an enemy; but never have I stood by death with profounder emotion than when I looked down that mournful morning on the corpse of the last heir of a splendid name.

After many delays the day at length came when, as our little army camped on the White Umfaloosi, there lay on the bosom of the wide plain over against us the great circular kraal of Ulundi, King Cetewayo's capital. After two days' futile delay, on the third morning the force crossed the river and moved forward across the plain, preserving on its march the formation of a great square, until a suitable spot was reached whereon to halt and accept the assault of the Zulu hordes

that were showing in dense black masses all around. This point attained, the whole force then halted. Already there had been ringing out around the moving square the rattle of the musketry fire of Buller's horsemen as they faced and stung the ingathering impis.

The time had come. Buller's men, having done their work, galloped back into the shelter of the square till their time should come again. And lo! as they cleared the front, a living, concentric wave of Zulus was disclosed. On the slope toward Nodwengo the shells were crashing into the black masses that were rushing forward to the encounter. Into the hordes in front the Gatlings, with their measured volleys, were raining pitiless showers of death. Le Grice and Harness were pouring shell into the thickets of black forms showing on the left and rear. But those Zulus could die-ay, they could dare and die with a valor and devotion unsurpassed by the soldiery of any age and of any nationality. They went down in numbers, but numbers stood up and sped swiftly and steadily on. sharper din of the musketry fire filled the intervals between the hoarse roar of the cannon and the scream of the speeding shells.

The

Still the Zulus would not stay the whirlwind of their converging attack. They fired and rushed on, halting to fire, and then rushing on again. There were those who had feared lest the sudden confront with the fierce Zulu rush should try the nerves of our beardless lads; but the British soldier was true to his manly traditions when he found himself in the open, and saw his enemy face to face in the daylight. For half an hour the square stood grim and purposeful, doggedly pouring the sleet of death from every face. There was scarce any sound of human speech, save the quiet injunctions of the officers-" Fire low, men; get your ain; no wildness!" The Zulus could not get to close quarters simply because of the sheer weight of our fire. The canister tore through them like a harrow through weeds; the rockets ravaged their zigzag path through the masses. rush came within a few yards, but it was their last effort. Their noble ardor could not endure in the face of the appliances of civilized warfare. They began to waver. The time for the cavalry had at length come. Lord Chelmsford caught the mo

One

ment. Drury Lowe was sitting on his charger watching with ears and eyes intent for the word. It came tersely, "Off with you!" The infantrymen made a gap for the Lancers, and gave them, too, a cheer as they galloped out into the open -knees well into saddles, right hands with a firm grip of the lances down at the "engage. Drury Lowe collected his chestnut into a canter, and, glancing over his shoulder, gave the commands-" At a gallop; front form troops!" and then, 66 Front form line!'' You may swear there was no dallying over those evolutions; just one pull to make good the cohesion, and then, with an eager quiver in the voice, "Now for it, my lads! Charge!" The Zulus strove to gain the rough ground, but the Lancers were upon them and among them before they could clear the long grass of the plain. It did one good to see the glorious old "white weapon" reassert once again its pristine prestige.

Lord Chelmsford on the evening of the battle announced that he did not intend to despatch a courier until the following morning with the intelligence of that vic tory, which was conclusive and virtually terminated the war. So I hardened my heart and determined to go myself, and that at once. The distance to Landsmann's Drift, where was the nearest telegraph office, was about 100 miles, and the route lay through a hostile region, with no road save that made on the grass by our wagon wheels as the column had marched up. It was necessary to skirt the sites of recently burned Zulu kraals, the dwellers in which were likely to have returned. The dispersal of the Zulu army by the defeat of the morning made it all but certain that stragglers would be prowling in the bush through which lay the first part of my ride. Young Lysons offered to bt me even that I would not get through, and, when I accepted, genially insisted that I should put the money down, since he did not expect to see me alive again. It was dreadfully gruesome work, that first long stretch through the sullen gloom of the early night, as I groped my way through the rugged bush trying to keep the trail of the wagon-wheels. could see the dark figures of Zulus up

I

against the blaze of the fires in the destroyed kraals to right and left of my track, and their shouts came to me on the still night air. At length I altogether lost my way, and there was no resource but to halt till the moon should rise and show me my whereabouts. The longest twenty minutes I ever spent in my life was while sitting on my trembling horse in a little open glade of the bush, my hand on the butt of my revolver, waiting for the moon's rays to flash down into the hollow. At length they came. I discerned the right direction, and in half an hour more I was inside the reserve camp of Etonganeni, and telling the news to a circle of eager listeners. The great danger was past; it was a comparatively remote chance that I should meet with molestation during the rest of the journey, although Lieutenant Scott-Elliott and Corporal Cotter were cut up on the same road the same night. The exertion was prolonged and arduous, but the recompense was adequate. I had the good fortune to be thanked for the tidings I brought by the General Commanding-in-Chief and by the Governor of South Africa; and it was something for a correspondent to be proud of that it was his narrative of the combat and of the victory which Her Majesty's Ministers read to both Houses of Parliament as the only intelligence that had been received up to date.

It may perhaps have occurred to some among those who have done me the honor to read this and a previous article under the same heading that the profession of war correspondent is a somewhat wearing one, calculated to make a man old before his time, and not to be pursued with any satisfaction or credit by any one who is not in the full heyday of physical and mental vigor. My personal experience is that ten years of toil, exposure, hardship, anxiety, and brain-strain, such as the electric fashion of war correspondence now exacts, suffices to impair the toughest organization. But given health and strength, it used to be an avocation of singular fascination. I do not know whether this attribute in its fulness remains with it under the limitations on freedom of action which now are in force.-Nineteenth Century.

"COME, Mr. Joseph, do let us settle this little matter. Write us a check for £26,400 for this parcel of diamonds, and let us have done with it." But the diamond-broker retorts that the sum demanded is a trifle of £400 above its fair price; that he has recently been losing money by his "parcels ;" and when 1 departed he was still carrying on, with the agent of the De Beers Company, the sarcastic bickering which is the very salt of that deteriorating avocation, material buying and selling. The subject in dispute consisted of about thirty little heaps of insignificantlooking white stones, rather more dull than dirty bits of bottle-glass, practically of no intrinsic utility, but possessing the attribute of exciting human vanity to such a pitch, that in order to grub for them a host of able business men have exchanged English civilization for South African privation; have embarked enormous sums, erected wondrous machinery, and taken into employment several thousands of human beings.* I purpose describing in detail the various stages of digging for, sifting, sorting, selling and I may add, stealing these stones, as illustrated by the "De Beers," the principal mine in Kimberley.

Although there is no secret whatever in any part of the operations, it is obvious that the most stringent precautions are necessary to prevent the easy theft of such multum in parvo treasures as precious stones; and therefore it is reasonably required that all visitors shall be provided with a permit to inspect the works. The diamondiferous area is enclosed and screened by means of high barbed wirefencing and lofty corrugated-iron hoarding, as skilfully disposed as one of Vauban's fortresses; and is further safeguarded externally at night by numerous armed patrols, and by powerful electric lights casting a glare on every spot otherwise favorable to intending marauders. After having been somewhat carefully scrutinized, I am admitted through a narrow gateway, and find myself confronted with

The Kimberley mines find work for 1500 white men and 12,000 natives.

a gigantic, apparently almost bottomless pit, compared with which the crater of Vesuvius would be puny, and which marks the earlier scenes of open ground labor. In course of time huge masses of earth began to slip down from the sides, entailing such peril, and-far more important to the eager owners-such a clogging of work, that the original process was abandoned in favor of sinking shafts and subterraneous mining. Equipped in miner's slops, supplied with a bare candle, and chaperoned by one of the superintendents, I am shot down an ordinary incline to a depth of 700 feet below the surface, whence we further descend another 90 feet by means of slippery perpendicular ladders, leading down piercings just large enough to admit the body. Here we reach a widened level at the very heart of the diamond-bearing earth, which is hot, stifling, and intensely dark. Long low tunnels radiate through a scene of which the principal features are rushing trucks, flickering lights, and shouting workmen, common to all large mining operations, and calling for no special description. Only by degrees do I notice characteristics of detail so strange as to cause these mines to differ from all others. Hundreds of Kaffirs are plying pick and shovel, wheeling barrows, and tilting trucks, with a might-and-main earnestness rare among natives. Although they differ greatly in size and shades of darkness, owing to the variety of tribes gathered together from far-apart districts of South Africa, they are, on the whole, of fine physical development, with smooth lustrous skins and tense brawny muscles, and sweltering profusely under their tremendous exertions. Scantiness of clothing was to be anticipated; but in no part of the world, not even in Japan, have I seen a multitude of human beings so perfectly nude, and at the same time so perfectly unabashed as to be suggestive of the unconsciousness of the very beasts of the field. They work in shifts of twelve hours' duration, Sunday being a general rest day, and each native receives about 5s. a-day-an enormous sum for these aborigines, which gives rise to a keen competition for employ

ment. Large gangs are supervised by single Europeans, who strongly exemplify the moral influence of race. Instant, cheerful, unquestioning obedience is the rule occasionally a rough hustle, or a smack with the palm of the hand, is bestowed on the laggard or the careless; but when justly administered, this is never resented, and a careful observation of the demeanor and friendly verbal intercourse between superintendents and laborers failed to reveal to me any signs of habitual bodily tyranny. Without doubt, outbursts of the white man's brutality occasionally occur. During my stay at Kimberley a European was tried for having caused by violence the death of a native, and after a fair trial was acquitted. Yet, on the whole, there is no reason to believe that our rule is characterized by cruelty, and an air of happy contentment was generally prevalent.

Quitting the enlarged level at the bottom of the shaft, I grope through one of the low radiating tunnels, which twist about in a fashion reminding me of the catacombs of Rome. Diamond-mines are free from most of the dangers associated with other subterraneous workings. There is no rush of fire-damp, and no wire-gauze is needed for the unprotected candles; no deadly emanations of gas, no sudden overwhelming of water, and no falling in of roofs-shoring-up being only needed to a very limited extent. Almost the only fatal accident of magnitude recorded in the annals of these mines occurred three years ago, when some timber caught fire, and over three hundred imprisoned natives were choked to death. The ruling passion for gain then proved strong up to the last many bodies were found in attitudes which showed that their dying gasps had been expended in efforts to plunder their comrades of the little leather purses which most of them wear sus pended round the waist. An explorer of the labyrinth must be all eyes and ears. The intense darkness seems to be augmented by the alternate glimmer of our spluttering naked candles, and the fierce glare of an occasional electric light at one time I stumble ankle-deep into a churned-up slough of despond; at another I have to exercise the utmost activity to avoid being annihilated by the trucks, which rush, with deafening reverberations and at railway speed, along the

narrow inclined tramways, cach conveying a load of earth and conducted by a Kaffir shouting out warnings. In a short time I am streaming with perspiration, soaking with roof-drippings, splashed from head to foot with grease and mud, and in my bedraggled miner's costume present an aspect compared with which that of a Whitechapel dog-fancier would be refined and respectable. But at Kimberley, both above and below ground, Englishmen are wont to put their hand to the plough, wisely resolved to perform their work thoroughly, and regardless of the externals of their normal social status; and here I find many a better man than myself similarly transformed. I speak a word or two to some Europeans who are heads of gangs, and whose appearance would justify attributing to them the minds and manners of bargees: they respond with the timbre of voice and the diction of highly educated gentlemen. I tentatively lead up to their antecedents, and I discover that many of the speakers are members of well known English county families, and had been formerly residents of well-known English country homes, but that through stress of circumstances and the temptation of the De Beers payment of a guinea a-day, they are now bravely working as weekly laborers. One of the head officials told me of a tallyman who was occupying the intervals of counting trucks by reading, and to whom he remarked in a friendly manner, "A novel makes a pleasant change down here." 'Yes; but this is not a novel," said the reader, holding out for inspection an elaborate treatise on conic sections. Then he explained that he had been a university man, had taken his degree, and had subsequently adopted the profession of civil engineer, but that owing to family misfortunes and poverty, he was now glad to accept the remunerative employment of tallyman in a Kimberley mine.

66

At the extremity of one of the tunnels was an enlarged chamber where receptacles were being drilled for explosive charges destined to break through some unusually obdurate rock, and here I was enabled to take leisurely note of further details concerning the Kaffir workmen. My questions were translated into native "pidgin" Kaffir, a jargon compounded of the numerous dialects of the various tribes. The men seemed cheerful and bright after