e new moon. You have no doubt also
heard that when a chief confers the honours of chieftainship upon his
'great son,' who is to succeed him, a special Shwama is held, and that
on such an occasion the stolen first-fruits have to be mixed, by the
witch-doctor in the skull of a man who has been killed for the purpose.
Many Europeans refuse to believe that this kind of thing still happens;
nevertheless it does, and it will happen in spite of all the Government
may do, so long as the Baca tribe is in existence. Even a Christian
chief would require Ukushwama to be performed in respect of his son, or
otherwise--as he well knows--the son would never be recognised as
legitimately a chief.

"Now the skull used at Ukushwama must be that of a man of a certain
rank, and is supposed to be that of an old man; but this is not
absolutely indispensable. I have told you that Lukwazi, although a
chief, was of low birth. Now, amongst the people in this neighbourhood
were very few whose rank was even equal to his own, and therefore when
it became known that at the next feast of first-fruits, his son
Bobazayo was to take the great Shwama, people began to wonder whose
skull would be required.

"I thought over the matter myself, and I found that the only three men
about here whose skulls would do, were Kwababana--Xolilizwe's uncle--
Xolilizwe, and myself. I at once made up my mind that Kwababana would
be the man, because he was very old, and besides his rank was highest,
his father having been the brother of Madikane.

"A short time before the feast, which begins with the new moon in the
month which you call February, I went away to the 'great place'
(residence of the paramount Chief of the tribe) intending to return in
time for the opening ceremony.

"When I returned on the second-last day of the old moon, I was quite
surprised to hear that Kwababana was quite well.

"As no one had heard of a killing, there was much speculation going on
as to where a skull had been obtained; it being usual to kill for this
purpose nearly a month before the feast--although this, again, is not a
necessary condition.

"Well, we all assembled at Lukwazi's kraal on the last night of the old
moon. I had not seen Xolilizwe since my return, and I was surprised at
not finding him at Lukwazi's. Just before daylight the Shwama was
administered to Bobazayo in the calf-kraal, and then to the members of
his family. Upon two points I kept wondering: one was in connect