The material of which the kerrie is made is mostly wood, that of the acacia being frequently used for this purpose. The long knob-kerries of the Zulus are generally cut from the tree that is emphatically, though not euphoniously, named Stink-wood, on account of the unpleasant odor which it gives out while being worked. As soon as it is dry, this odor goes off, and not even the most sensitive nostril can be annoyed by it. The stink-wood is a species of laurel, and its scientific name is _Laurus bullata_. The most valuable, as well as the most durable knob-kerries are those which are cut out of rhinoceros horn, and a native can hardly be induced to part with a fine specimen for any bribe. In the first place, the very fact of possessing such an article shows that he must be a mighty hunter, and have slain a rhinoceros; and in the second place, its great efficacy, and the enormous amount of labor expended in carving out of the solid horn, endear it so much to him, that he will not part with it except for something which will tend to raise him in the eyes of his comrades. In England, a fine specimen of knob-kerrie, made from the horn of the white rhinoceros, has been known to fetch even ten pounds. Thus much for the offensive weapons of the Zulu Kaffir. Toward the north as well as to the west of the Draakensberg Mountains, a peculiar battle-axe is used, which is evidently a modification of the barbed spear which has already been described; but the true Zulu uses no weapon except the assagai and the kerrie. CHAPTER XII. WAR--_Concluded_. DEFENSIVE WEAPONS, AND MODE OF FIGHTING. BODY ARMOR NOT WORN -- THE KAFFIR’S SHIELD -- ITS SHAPE, MATERIAL, AND COLOR -- THE SHIELD AS A UNIFORM -- CURIOUS RUSE -- HOW THE SHIELD IS HELD AND USED -- THE SHIELD STICK AND ITS ORNAMENTS -- VALUE OF THE SHIELD AGAINST SPEARS AND ARROWS -- THE BLACK AND WHITE SHIELD REGIMENTS -- DISTRIBUTION OF SHIELDS -- MILITARY AMBITION AND ITS INCENTIVES -- CHIEF OBJECTS OF WARFARE -- DISCIPLINE OF KAFFIR ARMY -- CRUELTY OF TCHAKA AND OTHER ZULU MONARCHS -- OBSERVANCES BEFORE A CAMPAIGN -- SUPERSTITIOUS CEREMONIES -- HOW THE ARMY IS MAINTAINED IN THE FIELD -- TRACK OF AN ARMY THROUGH AN ENEMY’S LAND -- JEALOUSY BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT REGIMENTS -- ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY -- NUMBER OF REGIMENTS AND GARRISON TOWNS -- NAMES OF THE DIFFERENT REGIMENTS -- GOZA AND SANDILLI -- DISTINGUISHING UNIFORMS OF THE REGIMENTS -- THE REVIEW AFTER A BATTLE, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES -- THE SHIELD BEARER AND HIS PERILOUS TASK -- THE ROYAL ATTENDANTS -- REWARD AND PUNISHMENT -- KAFFIR HERALDS -- VARIOUS TITLES OF THE KING -- PANDA’S REVIEW COSTUME -- THE KING’S PROGRESS THROUGH HIS COUNTRY -- INVENTION AND COMPLETION OF A MILITARY SYSTEM -- TCHAKA’S POLICY COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE FIRST NAPOLEON -- TCHAKA’S RISE AND FALL -- AN UNSUCCESSFUL EXPEDITION -- FAMILY QUARRELS -- A TREACHEROUS CONSPIRACY -- MURDER OF TCHAKA, AND ACCESSION OF DINGAN.