The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-18

that it would cost at least nve millions TO thu
Chartered Company to bring the war TO a clos'
in this way. This would moan ruin to the com
pany, coming on tho top OF their other extraor
binary expenses.
Then II was that Rhodes formed the boldest 70
solvo Of his life. He undertook to bring the wal
to an end himself. and the method he employed
was to go unguarded and unarmod among tn,
Matabeles, 4" and, II possible, induce them to &C
ccpt his terms and end the war" His first ster
was to move his camp away from the troops and
up to the foothills OF tho Matopos. There he lay,
in an unguarded camp, within striking, distance
of the Matabele impis. Any night me cam
prisoner or killed, which, MS the natives ono and
all regarded him as the king Of the white men,
from mere daring that Mr.. Rhodes took this risk,
but from the definite purpose of inspiring trust
IN the rebel Indunas rs to his peacoable disPosi-
The account given by Rhodes's biographor
goes on:
"He took with him Colenbrnnder as inter
prstoT; dr. Hans I " s SSnSer cc and Capt pdS Sssn It, The thst to Of
SS nssd. T%o nat e the JRo ahEsy'd my abGGaa'V and d
Three OF the whites carried rovolvors in their
pockets. Mr.. Rhodes carried nothing but, a
switch, n habit OF his when In danger or under
fire, which reminds ono OF the fntalism of his old
friend Gordon. who IN. the Chinese war carried
RM9 6tdnG, but ,n;n a zane; The pa, path rb LED up no i hies n tns
boulders. By a narrow gorge. through the granite
hills. they made thoir way past kopies and thick,
bushy scrub that would have afforded excellent
cover for an ambush.
"A messenger from tho Matabeies invited
eonieren C. in a a secluded spot. fRhodes at once
noss SS,t to . 70, T hry R a. Knew whose 5ne d% restiess,
nervous energy made him conscious OF every
detail Of his surroundings. Al last, through the
neck &c. OF a narrow EorEe. their horses ;rs picked soms
lnsisss sSP's sn IF ..i i'sa"SS s i" 1s 'Hs r %si 8 = \
S Scfiahbte and Tosk' dominated %iinSt n0Bb By C huge GO i granite S
alive with armed Matabele Warriors; whose
against the gray granite, from the shelter of the
c%reyices and bonlaers. as, they looked down on
Mr.. Rhodes bulted his horse In a mealie patch
and dismonntcd. His companions folioweH ms
ita stratagem of the savages to get the great
white chief into their power, or was it In good
faith that the Invitation TO the lndaba had been
givenf Did the natives desire to lay their
grievances before him whom they, regarded
as the king Of the white men. or did they merely
wish, by a rusc not unknown in savage warfare.
to deprive the whites Of their chicfi The ques.
tion was soon decided. The white men had not
iRe k ais%o %nd a i Shsn a9 a wh of M i,aE bash Tna tTo%
followed In single file, and, fixing the flag in the
ground, sat down in u half:moon formation
lndunas OF age and weight in the nation. Nearly
all wore on their heads the ring, the distin.
gushing mlTk OF TcSpOnSlDIc WNTTlOrS.
Mr.. Rhodes, who sat some way up, on the
side OF an ant:hc1p. greeted them in Zulu, You
s s5c w sonlo out Hdo Of it. The The 1bs .H;sa responded cS;s3 sdG WIZ II,
Rhodes told Colenhrnndcr to ask them TO come
TO business. Colenbrander said: Tell your
troubles to Rhodes, your father. He has come
among you unarmcd, with peace in his heart
Then trs! one Induna, and after him another.
waxed eloquent with their complaints. The
the fhsei n OF fnes %o ilSmp!"ints ws NJ th RR miscsn sssnrs Si
thn That fhnra tr..rn 4 ~ 1a NJ, ~ - "a 4 tN lls..A
" At last Mr.. Rhodes stopped their complaints
by ,sternly advancing the most serious charge
for. lighting US. hut Why did YOU kin our women
givcness,' It was. MS Mr.. Colenbrandcr warned
AN unarmcd white man boldly accusing the
chiefs Of tho Matabelc nation of their worst
looked on from the kopjcs and.bouldcrs around,
and the lifting Of a hand would have brought
Them 1Hsm Nov SG"n Rhodes lt q wG imps,ie 1n at 1hei The p ion9
discussion of non.esscntials. came to tho
Rcs d'..br randi this tI,n, i G' ~ the s,nn ai ;E;rod he ssii
One Q, the indqnss At once took up a = stick and
at tho feet OF Mr.. Rhodes. he cried, See, this is
my gun: / throw II down ut your feet. This is
fnSu asssf fcu;ai FsP Ssssn'sa the r SSs,iG ri. f Rsod sil , sn.
Tho time for sowing had come: the rain was It
have famine soon. To this rsumcn he addci tho
assurance, Il will remain with you in the land,
This promise was received with applause.
Then the lndunn Somnavulu summed up:
ut Is Ss good s .myf father r.; yon have a; h trusted u. and
the mouths and ears OF the people. We give
Your road 10 Tuli is safe. Try it. We do not
break our word. We have spoken The council
had lasted more than four hours. and the sun was
%slanting low on the kopjes when Mr.. Rhodes.
by rising. gave the sign that it was over.
T naS' ,n Snms a., nno, he F moment w Of ss a,, R.;
he had won. The natives crowded in
on the whites, entrcating for tobacco, which
kopjes well.azlrri Young warriors began to
s si9ss Tv into a0d M ~ sTRH Hnaa.'s bo,.a The hsd h9 noSsS s,o ;,i
feet in the reins. But. anxious not TO break the
spell by any hasty movement: he waited till his
party were ready to start. Then, while the In
well. Father and King I Mr.. Rhodes turned his
horses head and made his way slowly back to
himself was, done. that the Chartered Company
vas SAFE and Rhodcsia delivered. The
atty is OF more than feudal trmncss.'
So much for the Rhodes version OF the settle
mcnt OF the Matabelo war. There is another
version of the Rhodes policy toward the Mata-
belle, which comes in the shape of many private
letters from Rho,'csia. This is that the problem
OF the natives Is being settled by systematic cX-
ably say that no American cnn consistently
%criticisc such n policy after the manner in which
the American Indian has been treated during
the past two centuries.
There remains still unanswered the question.
What manner of man is this who divides his
countrymen into rival camps of his haters and
his admirersl We must wait for the future to
bring the solution. 1t would BIO plausible to
prophesy almost anything for Cecil Rhodes. He
may be Emperor OF a great African empire or
President of a Pan-African republic. Or his
deiractors may be right who say that his career
and influence are at an end. This last, however,
is least. probable of all. The power OF
Cecil Rhodes in South Africa to-day is
probably greater than that of any man whose
influence in the world depends upon his personal
following. 1t is greater even than the power OF
the flag which floats there. This, indeed, is felt
by the Government of Great Britain. and no man
is SO feared by her Majesty's Ministers AS Is
Cecil, Rhodes, They suspect, they know, in fact,
that his loyalty to the British Crown is second
to his loyalty to south Africa. His dream and
moan necessarily a British Africa.
Moro than once within a few years. when Mr..
Rhodes has chafcd under the ~inaction or wrong
action Of the home Government with regard to
South African affairs. no has limited that South
Africa would take tho management of its own