William Strapps Diary Part 2

lot of ghosts being almost famished. When the Zulus made a rush they were like so many black fiends yelling & screaming Great havoc was made among them by the shells & the shots from the heavy guns they swept broad streets through their ranks and large patches were visible plainly shewing where the shells dropped There are 4 companies of the 91st Highlanders quartered here & at mauritus (Island) & 1 Co a St Helena (Island) There are quartered here about 20 Lancers & a company of Engineers all are billeted in a large triangle of building surr ounded by a good sized court yard which used to be the slave market in bygone times We expected to see a squadron of mounted police but as one only were in the town whom we luckily saw we were doomed to dissa

pointment There are some two thousand up the country. It takes the gloss off their romantic life if what we were told was true. 5 $ per diam to keep themselves & horse is only a moderate allowance It was very hot today the hottest in fact we have had since starting just outside the gardens was a long avenue of large trees about a mile long & put one in the mind of the broad Walk in regents park only somewhat superior Towards evening it was very cool & pleasant up this walk & as the hotels were pretty well filled we voted for camping out for the night among the trees of the avenue It was a lovely night full moon & we took it by turns for watch while the other slept on the seats & when having turned oursleves towards the seashore

stretched ourselves out upon some large square deals for another snatch of sleep

Mon Jan 26th We watched the sunrise & it was a lovely sight this was a consolation to us for not being able to get to sleep indoors. We saw the castle wherein Cetewayo with his wives & ministers are imprisoned (We did not see him) Got a piece of the castle wall as a memento of his "Most Serene Majesty King of all the Zulus After 6 we strolled round to the barracks & saw the soldiers go through their drills & fine exercise it was Nearly all nations are represented here. British German French spaniard s Italians etc. You may distinguish many by their dress The Hottentot & Coffre Ladies dress up in very fine style in their way a pretty coloured print

dress with greciane Bend almost large enough to carry half a dozen if it were but stiff & kerchiefs tied round their heads of blue gree & all kind of colours. Even the men try their hand at being fine One fellow passed me with lavender trousers & vests with bright brown coat & fancy velvet collar with red buttons fastened with a little brass chain. There is a good railway station built after the St Pancras Stn London style only a deal smaller The span being somewhat similar The line run some 300 miles up the country and another little branch about 20 miles. The chinese looked very comical Hats of the queerest shapes made of rushes looking very common but when the price was asked these common things were only 15/

Their shoes were more comical still being formed of 3 pieces of wood formed [drawn image] side view [drawn image] front view There is nothing to hold it to the foot but a piece of iron with round knob on the top which is placed between the big & next toe We also saw one of the bullock teams of which so much as been said during the late war (drawn image) They are used in great quantity to take goods into the bush The water towards the shore of the bay was filled with a species of fish called Snoeke Which are from 2 to 3 feet long they flock in after the little sardines which they feed on. You might count then by the thousand Cray fish were also very plentiful They