Campaigning in Kaffirland; Or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-52King, William Ross
History
Campaigning in Kaffirland; Or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-52
King, William Ross
South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878
"The same Kona, some years before, having fallen sick, a 'witch doctor'
was, according to custom, consulted, to ascertain the individual
under whose evil influence he was suffering; and, as usual, a man
of property was selected, and condemned to forfeit his life for his
alleged crime. To prevent his being told of his fate by his friends,
a party of men left Macomo's kraal early in the morning to secure the
recovery of the sick young chief by murdering one of his father's
subjects. The day selected for the sacrifice appeared to have been a
sort of gala day with the unconscious victim; he was in his kraal,
had just slaughtered one of his cattle, and was merrily contemplating
the convivialities of the day before him, over which he was about to
preside. The arrival of a party of men from the 'great place' gave him
no other concern than as to what part of the animal he should offer
them as his guests. In a moment, however, the ruthless party seized
him in his kraal; when he found himself secured with a rheim around
his neck, he calmly said, 'It is my misfortune to be caught unarmed,
or it should not be thus.' He was then ordered to produce the matter
with which he had bewitched the son of his chief; he replied, 'I have
no bewitching matter; but destroy me quickly if my chief has consented
to my death.' His executioners said they must torture him until he
produced it, to which he answered, 'Save yourselves the trouble, for
torture as you will I cannot produce what I have not.' He was then
held down on the ground, and several men proceeded to pierce his body
all over with long Kaffir needles. The miserable victim bore this with
extraordinary resolution; his tormentors tiring, and complaining of
the pain it gave their hands, and of the needles or skewers bending.
During this time a fire had been kindled, in which large flat stones
were placed to heat; the man was then directed to rise, they pointed
out to him the fire, telling him it was for his further torture, unless
he produced the bewitching matter. He answered, 'I told you the truth
when I said, save yourselves the trouble; as for the hot stones, I can
bear them, for I am innocent; I would pray to be strangled at once,
but that you would say I fear your torture.' Here his wife, who had
also been seized, was stripped perfectly naked, and cruelly beaten
and illtreated before his eyes. The victim was then led to the fire,
where he was thrown on his back, stretched out with his arms and legs
tied to strong pegs driven into the ground, and the stones, now red
hot, were taken out of the fire and placed on his naked body--on the
groin, stomach, and chest, supported by others on each side of him,
also heated and pressed against his body. It is impossible to describe
the awful effect of this barbarous process, the stones slipping off the
scorched and broiling flesh, and being only kept in their places by the
sticks of the fiendish executioners. Through all this the heroic fellow
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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