Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-11-30

Government than he. He has taken
the milk from the African cocoanut.
He was born on July 5, 1868, and his
father was Rev. Francis William
Rhodes, vicar Of Stortford, a town
His elder brother, Herbert, had a
plantation in the south of Natal, and
in 1869 Cecil, whose lungs were too
weak for the English climate, was sent
to live with him.
It is impossible for those who know
him now to think Of him as consump-
tive sent abroad to die. He is six feet
one inch tall and heavy and muscular
in proportion. His appetite is a mar
vel. Chief Lobengula called him "the
man who eats whole country for his
dinner.
His Early Ambition.
The story is told that, on arriving at
Natal, the boy Of Is laid his hand upon
large map of Africa, exclaiming:
"All that my hand covers will one
day be miner
A merchant who heard him said:
'That is your dream, is it?"
''That is my Dream" replied the
young man.
"Well, I'll give you ten years to
wake up" was the reply Of the mer-
chant.
Two years after this the history Of
South Africa changed. Diamonds were
discovered on the present site of Kim
berley and Rhodes, with his brother,
fastened to the place where the future
empire builder laid the foundation of
his fortune. In 1889 all the diamond
mines were consolidated under the
name of the De Beers Consolidated
Mines Iimited), capitalized at $19,-
10000, with Cecil Rhodes president.
Meantime Rhodes, brother had died,
turning over to the former his interests
at Kimberley and Cecil himself had
found time to return to England and
graduate from Oxford.
While busy with his mines Cecil
Rhodes did not neglect politics. Early
in the '8Os he was elected to the Cape
House Of Assembly from Barley. At
ter receiving charter in October,
1889, he started back to Africa to open
the new lands.
There was still the unexplored region
Of the Matabeles left. The King of the
Zulus was Lobengula, who pursued the
usual Zulu policy Of exterminating all
weaker people with whom they came
in contact and appropriating their cat
tie and wives, but they had whole
some fear Of the whites.
Far to the north Of the land Of the
Matabeles was Mashonaland, nation
conquered by the Zulus, and the King
of the Zulus gave to Rhodes perm!s-
sion to dig for gold in the land Of Ma
shonaland. Railroads were built and
with them came the telegraph and
mail.
The Matabe1e War.
Mashonaland doomed for two years,
and then it was discovered that it's
wealth was overestimated greatly.
1T looked like failure for the South
African Company Something must be
done. The gold miners were clamoring
for chance to locate claims In Mata-
beleland Then was started the Mata-
belle war, the barbarities of which ex-
ceeded previous campaigns, because
the company was bent on destroying
the Matabele nation to seize their rich
country The Matabeles gave the ex-
cuse by sending warriors to punish
cattle thieves The company's border
police" replied, and the war was on.
Volunteers were called for, and to ey-
cry man who enlisted were promised
5000 acres OF land and twenty claims
in the new FL Dorado, when it should
be won. The Matabeles were attacked
on three sides, their capital, Buluwayo,
was taken, and great was the slaugh-
ter. Opinions differ as to the Justice
OF the Matabele war, but It put the
South African Company on It's feet
again, which was It's purpose. On April
%, 1893, MatabeIeIand was thrown
open to the world.
The new land was called Rhodesia-