A Whinny for the Chief

Clad in gay robes and conical straw hats, hard-riding Basuto tribesmen last week poured into their hilltop capital of Maseru. The joyous occasion: the royal marriage in the Roman Catholic cathedral of Our Lady of Victories between a serene young student named Tabitha Masentle Mojela and Basutoland's Paramount Chief, Oxford-educated Constantine Bereng Seeiso Moshoeshoe II, who ascended the throne of the British protectorate in 1960 after a tough fight with his stepmother, who had acted as regent for 20 years.

The jubilant tribesmen hailed the bride and groom with the traditional whinny--an affectionate salute that is supposed to imitate the neighing of a Basuto pony. They scrupulously obeyed the sign posted before the church: "No horses allowed in the cathedral." Also on hand to pay their respects were foreign diplomats stationed in South Africa, the country that completely surrounds Basutoland. With the two-hour marriage ceremony completed, the diplomats headed home and all Basutoland (pop. 700,000) settled down to three days of parades, celebrations and feasts of barbecued oxen.

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