It is built on open ground after the Zulu
fashion, in a ring fence and with beehive huts. The cattle kraal is
behind and a little to the left. Indeed, both from their habits and
their talk it was easy to see that these Butiana belong to that section
of the Bantu people which, since T'Chaka's time, has been known as the
Zulu race. We did not see the chief Nala that night. His daughter Maiwa
went on to his private huts as soon as we arrived, and very shortly
afterwards one of his head men came to us bringing a sheep and some
mealies and milk with him. 'The chief sent us greeting,' he said, 'and
would see us on the morrow.' Meanwhile he was ordered to bring us to a
place of resting, where we and our goods should be safe and undisturbed.
Accordingly he led the way to some very good huts just outside Nala's
private enclosure, and here we slept comfortably.
"On the morrow about eight o'clock the head man came again, and said
that Nala requested that I would visit him. I followed him into the
private enclosure and was introduced to the chief, a fine-looking man
of about fifty, with very delicately-shaped hands and feet, and a rather
nervous mouth. The chief was seated on a tanned ox-hide outside his hut.
By his side stood his daughter Maiwa, and squatted on their haunches
round him were some twenty head men or Indunas, whose number was
continually added to by fresh arrivals. These men saluted me as I
entered, and the chief rose and took my hand, ordering a stool to be
brought for me to sit on.
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