The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-27
RHODES AS KNOWN
BY A WASHINGTONIAN
"reminiscences Of One Who
Visited Him in South Africa.
The king of South Africa" Creature
of Indomitable Will and Energy,
and Much Luck.

When the nineteenth century was wan
ing the writer was in South Africa. Al
ter spending a fortnight at Cape Town
a lot of passengers embarked one bright
January morning in vehicle built on the
lines OF the old-time stage coach OF Texas
and the Southwest in the days when fuba
Bill was driver and started on 3CO-mile
trip into the interior. The writer was
going to De-Aar, 500 miles from salt wa
ter to visit a field cornet to whom he had
q letter of introduction. The field cor
net is the local military commander OF
his district The one the writer visited
was named Cronje. He has since become
famous as raider and is now a captive.
As we moved along, the passengers in
furtive sort OF way took stock of each 9TH
err There were three women; one an En-
glish lady going to join her husband. who
was majo in the Royal Engineers of the
British Army and was experimenting
some engineering work the English were
doing not far from Mafeking. The other
two were Boer women. There were twelve
men all told. Three or four were Beers.
two or three were country merchants in
a small way and were put of at the
several little hamlets through which we
passed. The man who sat next to me
could not have been over twenty or TWEEN
ty-one years of age. He was fat, in fact
almost fabbily fat. lie was nearly six
feet in height. but had the look of man
who had lived sedentary life too long.
He soon began to talk.
You aren't an Englishman; that | can
see" he began. DO you mind telling me
where you are FROM"
The writer DIDN'T mind and stated that
he was from one of the Southern States
of the United States.
Il came out to South Africa again for
my health. My name is Rhodes. Here is
my card And he handed me a card on
which were engraved the words MIR.
Cecil Rhodes, Groat Schnar, South At
RIGA" Il can't live at home, he went
on to say I've trouble with my lungs
! and a tendency TO heart failure. That's
the reason I'm so fat" he concluded.
That night we all stopped at a Dutch
way station where the ileas and an IN
namable bug that surely reaches its high
| est development in South Africa. made
| anything like sleep we'll nigh impossible.
Guests of Rhodes.
After nearly four months stay around
Mafeking and the hamlet OF Harrismith |
paid a visit TO nay young acquaintance,
Cecil Rhodes. He had some money when
| be arrived in South Africa, probably 500
900, and had purchased an estate with
| part OF H..
After six weeks stay with Rhodes |
| found in him some singularly winning
| qualities. He had been student at OK
| ford.
One morning, just as / was about leav-
ing. he called me into his bedroom and
| locked the door. CO. -,
I'VE got to trust somebody" he be-
gan, and I'm going to trust you. ! have
| here some curious pebbles, and he
| showed me perhaps dozen small quartz
| like stones, running from the size of a
| small hazelnut to probably an inch in
diameter. What | want you to do for
me is to deliver these to the man to whom
this letter is addressed" and he handed
inc letter TO u man at Rotterdam, Hol-
land.
But I'm not going to Holland" said
the writer.
Il wish you would he pleadingly urged.
| ''l'll be glad TO make good your extra
travelling expenses and you'll not say
anything of your seeing me or of deliV-
ering these stones will you?"
What he desired was finally promised.
Rhodes Great Luck.
Where did these stones come from.
sir?" the Rotterdam man asked me few
days after. He had taken my address.
rather to my surprise, for l could not see
what other business he could have with