d an idea of the scene as though he had
himself been present. The Great Chief received the lion's claws and
teeth, and gave them to his wives to make into necklaces and armlets for
him.

The Great Chief possessed twenty wives, and none of these was allowed to
do any work in the fields like the wives of the common men. They passed
their time in making bead-ornaments, forming and ornamenting snuff-boxes
for the chief, grinding up tobacco (which grew here) into snuff, and in
collecting news with which to amuse the Great Chief when he was at
leisure.

I was surprised at the amount of news which was brought to the chiefs
kraal. Some of this was confidential, and was not told to any one
except to the chief himself; but plenty of news came which we about the
chiefs kraal heard of.

I heard that the Umzimvubu Caffres, among whom my lot had been first
cast, had lost many men in their fight with the white men, and had
brought back very few cattle; and that it was probable that a fight
might occur between the Amakosa and my old tribe. I also heard that a
few white men had built huts near Natal Bay, and were living there,
trading with the Caffres in those parts. This last news caused me to
think once more about trying to escape and rejoin my own people. The
Great Chief was very angry when he heard that white men had come to
Natal. He said they would supply the Caffres there with guns, and that,
by-and-by, they might become strong enough to resist him. He called
several of his counsellors, and inquired whether they did not think he
had better "wipe them out" at once. The men the chief consulted were
divided in opinion; the older men were in favour of prudence, and
letting the white men rest; but the younger were for attacking the men
at the Bay of Natal at once, and so getting rid of them. I listened to
every word I could hear at this meeting, because it seemed like hearing
the decision of a jury, whether my people were or were not to be
destroyed. I had several ideas about what I should do in case it was
decided to attack the white people; for it seemed unjust that they
should be attacked and killed without any warning, and I could not
reconcile myself to the thought of remaining quiet and not giving some
warning to the white men who were living at the Bay.

For several days the chiefs were talking about the affair; and I noticed
that, whenever they did so, I was sent on a message to a distance, so
that I could not