Lochien gave us many other details of the fight, remarking that there
were many women in Zombode and much loot. Sebuza was to decide on the
disposition of all enemy property and would have his hands full for
some time to come. When Lochien had finished Queen Tzaneen praised him
highly for his loyalty and generalship, and, realizing that the story
was told, we went back to our camp. I felt thankful that the war was
over so quickly, and said as much to Oom Tuys. He quickly undeceived me.
"Maybe it is over in Zombode and Lebombo," he said, "but it is only
beginning in the outlying districts. It won't be over for some time,
perhaps for months. The news of this war will not reach lots of places
for days, and when it does the factions will clash. Wherever there are
any indunas or warriors who are loyal to Labotsibeni, there will be
killing. It will be bad killing, too,--mostly murders done at night.
It takes a long time to end a war in Swaziland; that's one reason why
the government is so set against it. By the way, I wonder what His
Majesty's Royal High Commissioner for Swaziland thinks of things now?"
This idea had occurred to me several times, but I always put it away
because I had a feeling that the Commissioner would place much of the
blame for the war on my shoulders. Tuys prediction about war
continuing proved only too true. For weeks after the fall of Zombode
there were killings in the neighboring districts. The only battle of
any importance took place at Stegea, the kraal of Umzulek. Needless to
say, the forces of that much-married potentate were victorious. Of
course many of these killings were due to personal feuds, the war
being only an excuse for them. It is safe to say that Swaziland was in
a ferment for some time after Sebuza seized the throne, and this came
to the notice of the authorities in Mbabane and Johannesburg.
The following day we went to Zombode. Word had come that the body of
the old queen was to be burned on the sacrificial pyre and we wanted
to witness the ceremony.
There was not much to it. The burning took place shortly after dark
and L'Tunga arranged the ceremony. During the day we saw the huge pyre
of dry wood on which the body was to be laid and the witch-doctors
were still adding to it late in the afternoon.
Soon after sunset the impis of the king and his mother gathered about
the great pile, which had been built up in a regular pattern. We were
with Lochien and Vilakazi and were beginning to get bored when there
came a commotion and King Sebuza arrived with his bodyguard. There
were a number of fires near the kraals and these were beginning to
light up the darkness.
After standing about a little longer it was dark enough to suit Sebuza
and he sent one of his indunas away in the direction of Labotsibeni's
brick-walled hut. Shortly after there arose the cry "Make way! Make
way!" and I saw the warriors draw back and leave a lane to the pyre.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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