Word: zulus
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...English families living on the Zulu veld in South Africa. The Elliots had fled scandal in England; Mrs. Ashburn had brought her family in abortive search of a fortune in cotton. They eke out a poor existence from the wilderness, contending with drought, fever, and the whims of the Zulus, Mrs. Ashburn even resorts to hatching python eggs for spare cash...
Through this story wanders Mrs. Ashburn's younger son, Danny, the maniac narrator, who lives half the time with the Zulus, sings when he is happy, and lies on his back on the veld and howls when he is sad. Danny is a somewhat disruptive influence; he ruins his sister's marriage, attempts to strangle his own son, and murders his brother out of jealously over the love of the Elliot's daughter...
...guests left their weapons outside the kraal with their women & children. At the height of the festivity, after a tumultuous war dance, Dingaan's Zulus fell upon the Dutchmen, dragged them to the hill of execution, beat them to death with knobkerries, then surged on the Boer wagons to massacre the women & children...
Dingaan's treachery was soon punished. Later that year, on Dec. 16, 1838, on the banks of Natal's Blood River, another Voortrekker column, headed by Boer Leader Andries Pretorius, bloodily defeated Dingaan's plume-decked, assagai-hurling horde. Of 12,000 Zulus, more than 3,000 perished. The Boers resolved ever after to celebrate Dec. 16 as a day of thanksgiving...
Louis ("Satchmo") Armstrong, king of jazz trumpeters, went back home for a brief reign as King of the Zulus at New Orleans' Mardi Gras. Buttoned into an outlandish red velvet tunic, and brandishing a silver scepter and a fat black cigar, Satchmo began his triumphal tour at 9 in the morning. Rumbled gravel-voiced Louis as he settled himself on the throne on his gilded float: "Man, this is rich." The parade stopped before the Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, and the royal party dismounted for a light lunch of turkey and ham sandwiches, pickles, olives and champagne...