If I may folks, I'd like to give the weekly yarn today rather than tomorrow(Friday) as per usual, as I am not sure I'll get the opportunity.
Today, let's pay a visit to that still "mysterious" continent of Africa that still holds plenty of secrets and is the subject of much interest from European international companies, and increasingly, Chinese wealth and influence.
In present-day Zimbabwe, in the latter part of 19th century, live an African King with a large, disciplined army and the borders of his territory extended all round to touch, near enough, the territories of the colonial British, Portuguese, Belgians and at some distance the Germans and Boers. This king was ruling over a vast area which his father had secured after he'd had a disagreement with Shaka Zulu, and as a leading General in the latter's conquests, had managed to form his own kingdom. The father had been acknowledged as a brave, clever and wise ruler who had bequeathed a stable and strong land to his son. Now the son was no slouch but lacked the foresight and diplomacy of his father.
At the time, the then great European powers were vying for access to the mineral wealth, highly fertile and huge lands still in the control of native people. The incumbent king knew that a reckoning was coming but tried his best to delay the inevitable. He had a super-disciplined and experienced army at his disposal but realised that shield and assegai was no match for repeating rifles and the Maxim gun.
Many representatives and delegations were sent to kingy's kraal - usually under the guise of "peaceful missionary purposes" - to 'persuade' kingy to let whitey onto his lands for mining and farming purposes. Now this chap wasn't a king simply because he could consume more beef and beer than others (which he certainly could from contemporary accounts), but he was intelligent enough to disseminate the reports he got back from his young warriors who had gone to work in present-day South Africa in the diamond and gold mines already there, and how slowly but surely whitey took a foothold and then eliminated any obstacle in his path...
Kingy was remarked " Have you ever seen how patiently a chameleon waits to capture a fly?...It waits behind it and moves one foot ahead of the other without making a sound and then consumes the fly without it ever knowing what has happened!!...I am the fly and the British are the chameleon..."
To prepare for the coming time, kingy took a young mixed-race secretary who spoke fluent English and Dutch, and was Aldo educated in the ways of European intrigue. One way in which Kingy continued to exert influence was to strictly monitor who was coming and going in his country and never granting any mining concessions...
He knew full well that the status quo could not continue.
In about 1892, Kingy prepared for the inevitable hostilities and decided to secure his treasure. Old Kingy had three tin cans of uncut diamonds which his young subjects had smuggled out from the Kimberley mines and presented to their king as they knew what value whitey placed on them. Also, he had a stockpile of ivory and sacks full of Dutch and English pure gold sovereigns that had been paid to him by those crossing or staying for short periods, in his country. He knew that once any war waged was lost, the Europeans would demand "reparations" for his 'audacity' in trying to repel the invaders. He decided on hiding in wealth far from prying eyes and in a place the colonialists would never recover the hoard. Without notice, he gave orders for two oxen-led carts, one for himself and his treasure (which was stored in two saves bought by the secretary in Kimberley which was verified and checked by a later treasure hunter in the 1930s), and the other for the secretary and four headmen and a detail of 14 warriors to trail the carts as carriers of supplies and bodyguards.
After a trek of many days in a north-easterly direction crossing the Zambezi river and reaching remote bush, Kingy decided that was the ideal location to hide the goodies. The 14 warriors were detailed to dig a hole large enough for the two safes. They did as instructed. Later that night, Kingy ordered his four headmen to assegai the 14 warriors so the secret would have less chance of being revealed. They also did as commanded but some warriors managed to escape in the confusion, into the night. The Kingy, his secretary and the four headmen made their way back to the kraal and inevitable war with the Britishers. The secretary had tried his utmost to council against it, but the influential headmen persuaded Kingy that as brave warriors, they needed to make a stand against the blatant invasion and aggression by the outsiders. No the native braves were no pushovers; they one jogged - yes jogged!! - 60 miles when making war, but they simply were no match for the weaponry directed against them and it was a rout in the end.
Kingy made escape with his secretary and a few remaining warriors hoping to seek sanctuary in present-day Zambia with yet other native people. He never made it and died en-route. This last group were pursued and attacked by soldiers sent by Cecil Rhodes to "finish the job."
Secretary was kicked out of then Rhodesia and the remaining few warriors and peeps captured or killed.
Now, it is fair to say where did the treasure story emanate from?
Two sources - the conquerors were frustrated in trying to locate erstwhile kingy's treasure as they found nothing and knew he possessed great wealth, and in the 1930s, a certain elderly mixed-race gentleman came forward with an interesting and intriguing story...
After being expelled and told never to return, Mr Secretary did make several attempts to return with a few folk in tow but was refused entry, caught trying to enter illegally and sent to prison doing hard labour, when discovered in the country. By the 1930s, secretary was an old man in his seventies and was unable to make anymore attempts to visit the remote location himself. He told the story to an Englishman and agreed to a division of the spoils. English set out to arrange an expedition forthwith. Secretary also gave the name of the one headman who was still living and was part of the group who were with Kingy when the treasure was buried. English set about tracking down the old headman who was about fifty at the time of burying the treasure but must have been ninety or so in the early 1930s.
After asking around and visiting many villages, English came across someone who recognised the name. He was informed that this old chap lived a few days travel away. English immediately set out with high hopes. Sure enough he met a still fit and young looking chap and before discussing any treasure with him, he treated him for a skin condition which was greatly distressing him. When he had his confidence, he broached the subject of Kingy's treasure of offered a hundred gold sovereigns in order to be shown the route. The African chap said "you are after someone else who shares my name and was a leading headman for the last native king. I am not sure if he is alive but his village is some days away." Again, English set off with hope and frustration in equal measure. He tracked down the headman who was still alive, and when he mentioned Kingy's name, the headman simply smiled. A female member of the family said that headman was one of Kingy's top boys but due to his age, he had lost his memory and did not communicate anymore...
English returned to Secretary. Secretary gave more details of the route taken, but the area involved was unmapped clearly at the time so Secretary couldn't be that more clearer and really needed to be there...
This is how the alleged story finishes...
IPUK
) and concentrated on middle priced antiques to get their profit from volume without raising eyebrows...quite a strategy.
