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Show . QDEEN MAJAJIE CAPTUEED. Her Own Tribesmen Never Saw Her, bu Say Her Age ia 800 Tears. Is it Mr. Rider Haggard's "She" who has just fallen into the hands of the Boers? The Lydenburg correspondent of South Africa sends to that paper an interesting account of the capture of the "Queen Majaiie, or Great She," who seems to have . had a wonderful history. "A peculiar fact is that her own tribe have never seen her. Only her indunas were allowed to see her. They number num-ber 92. The commander-in chief is Jonas, an aped man. The rest are virtually virtu-ally young men. Only three women were ever allowed to see her. One 13 a bearded female, with beard fully two inches long fiom her chin. Around the sacred kraal are wooden images, representing every nation of Kaffir, and all sorts of animals, beautifully carved out of wood," "She's" residence was . an ordinary round hut, well built, and "when she ate meat she had to be carried by her : indunas to another kraal and even then her nation was net allowed to see her. "She had her great medicine tree in a forest, and all sorts of signal; and symbols existed there sacred to the Kaffir mind), and in a kraal near the tree were 140 fine fat slaughter oxen inclosed. The general had her carried by her trustie indunas to the head laager, and allowed the Knobnosen friendly natives to see this wonderful woman they had so often heard of. Her own tribe also gazed on her in some wonder." The queen is of great age, fully 110.it is supposed, although her tribesmen say 300. "She is of a light copper color, with a frizzy sort of wool on her head ; wears a sort of hood ot tiger skin. Only her necK and face are bare. All her body is covered with royal tiger skins. The general would not allow the burghers to interfere with the wooden images, charms, etc. A missionary, the Rev. Mr. Butler, who has lived 13 years near Majajie's and only seen her when captured, cap-tured, asked her wby she had not allowed al-lowed him to call on her. She politely replied: "That is my business.' " It is feared the queen will not long survive her capture. New York Times. |
