"O Mzaan Bakoor, there is an induna asking for you!" he said. "He says
he comes from Queen Labotsibeni and must see you!"
Outside I found a young chief who looked very much like Buno. He had
the same great body and hard eyes and carried himself with the same
"swank" affected by the king.
"Mzaan Bakoor, little white induna," he said in the same rumbling
melodious bass so common among the Swazis, "I am Lomwazi, brother of
the king and son of Queen Labotsibeni. My mother would see you and has
asked that I beg you to visit her. She waits for you!"
Realizing that it was not fitting that an O'Neil should run at the
command of a kaffir queen, I told Lomwazi that I would go when "the
shadow of that tree strikes the tent." I estimated this would be in
about half an hour, and I was right. Lomwazi, great induna that he
was, squatted outside the tent until I was ready. He evidently
expected that I might offer him gin or some present, but I decided it
would be poor policy to do so, since I intended giving gin to
Labotsibeni.
As soon as Sibijaan told me that the time was up I went out and found
Lomwazi with an escort of half a dozen warriors waiting for me. Sure
that Buno's friendship would protect us, I followed Lomwazi without
hesitation. As we went along I noticed the deference paid us and
realized that Lomwazi must be a power in the land.
We found Queen Labotsibeni in a nearby kraal, which she used when
visiting Lebombo. It was a sort of guest kraal placed at her disposal
by King Buno. There were huts sufficient for all her retinue, among
which were some of the other widows, whom she ruled with a heavy hand.
Labotsibeni was very stout and tall, even when sitting down, as she
was when I first saw her. She had an intelligent face, with the same
eyes, though not so cruel, as Buno and Lomwazi. Her beautifully shaped
hands were much in evidence, and I don't recall having ever seen
cleaner or better manicured fingers. Like the other women in
Swaziland, she was practically naked, except for a covering draped
from the waist. Her hair was piled high on the top of her head and was
bound so that it looked like a melon. When she spoke I noted that her
teeth were perfect. This, of course, is the rule in Swaziland, since
these people take care of their teeth from earliest childhood. They
never finish eating without carefully rubbing their teeth with charcoal
or some fine sand. If the Swazis have no fixed religious observances,
they certainly are religious in the care of their teeth.
Labotsibeni had not lost her sight this first time I saw her, and she
looked me over for a full minute before speaking. Then she motioned to
me to be seated and addressed me:
"Nkoos, little white induna," she said, "you come to Pungwane (the
native name for Swaziland) as the friend of our great white leader.
Oom Tuys is the trusted friend of my son, the king, and you shall be
trusted likewise. Our friend always brings presents; thus do we know
that his heart is true to us!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account