ure far from our forts. I
employed my time in making portraits of the friendly Kaffirs who came in
to see us, and also in acquiring their language, which struck me as
particularly harmonious and expressive. Frequently thirty or forty men
would come in of a day under some pretence or other, and I had good
opportunities of watching their manners and attire, the latter, by the
bye, being particularly simple.

CHAPTER TWO.

DUTCH AND KAFFIR WORDS--FRONTIER KAFFIRS--KAFFIR WOMEN--KAFFIR SOLDIERS
CATTLE-STEALING--BUSH-FIGHTING--COLONEL NAPIER'S OPINION--EQUIPMENT OF
ENGLISH SOLDIERS--A BRITISH SOLDIER IN THE BUSH--KAFFIR MANOEUVRES--
CORN-PITS--TREATMENT OF KAFFIR THIEVES--THE ASSAGY AND OTHER WEAPONS--
MORAL QUALITIES OF THE KAFFIRS--NATIVE MARKSMEN--POWER OF THE CHIEFS--
RELIGIOUS OPINIONS--HOTTENTOT SOLDIERS.

The different terms that I shall employ, viz., Kraal, Spoor, Kaffir, and
Assagy, are not known to the Kaffirs themselves, except through their
commerce with the white men; but as the words are in general vogue
through the colony, I am forced to use them.

Kraal is a Dutch term, and means an inclosure for animals. I fancy that
they call the Kaffirs' residences by this name to indicate their
contempt for the people; the Kaffirs call their villages "_umsi_."

Spoor is also Dutch: the Kaffirs speak of spoor as _umkondo_. The
footmarks of a particular animal are then named as _Amasondo injlovu_,
footmarks of elephants; _umkondo_ being the singular,--one footmark.

"Kaffir" is also a term unknown to the men so called; they speak of
themselves by the designation of the tribe. _Kosa_ is a frontier
Kaffir, _ama_, the plural, being prefixed, makes _Amakosa_ Kaffirs;
thus, _Amazulu, Amaponda_, etc. A Hottentot is called _Umlao_.

An assagy is called _umkonto_; the plural is here irregular, _izakali_
being assagies. A kaross is called by Kaffirs _ingubu_.

The frontier Kaffirs are fine athletic men, and stand generally about
six feet in height: they are nearly black, and have woolly hair,
although the features are in many cases almost European. The
_intombi's_, or young girls, are often quite pretty, with wild, free,
dark eyes, that may well plead as excuses for the young Kaffirs'
propensity for cattle-stealing, the decimal coinage of Kaffirland being
10 cows = 1 wife.

One very soon gets over the prejudice of colour, and after having looked
for some time on the rich black of a Kaffir belle, a white lady ap