Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-05-29
THE PLACE OF PEACE.
Romantic Story of the MntOppo Hills,
Where Lies the Body of the
Famous Cecil Rhodes,

One can easily appreciate the cir
cumstances which induced Cecil
Rhodes to select for his resting place
the solemn, peaceful grandeur of the
Matoppo hills, says the London Mail.
For it was there that the most tragic
episodes of his life were enacted, and
it was there also that in the dark days
of the Matabele rebellion he saw men
willingly sacrifice themselves in the
cause of empire.
But of the many brave deeds per-
formed by the men who took part in
what has been described as "the race
for the V. Co. near the place where
he is buried, non surpassed the act
of heroism by which Mr.. Rhodes
brought the war to an end. Unarmed,
he rode into the heart of the enemy's
encampment, called a great indaba or
conference of the chiefs, spoke to them
as a father might to his rebellious
children, and did not leave until he
had induced them to proclaim peace.
The rock upon which Mr.. Rhodes sat
az tHiS IiSlblIS ossClibiS 10 ~" u
tranquil spot, which he always loved,
and is the place of his s~epulchre-a
tomb more enduring that the Pyra-
mids.
The Matoppo hills stretch in a north
easterly direction from Buluwayo for
a distance of a hundred miles, their
greatest breadth being IS miles. The
place of burial is situated about 30
miles from the town.
Nearby is a part of the hills which
bears the important title of "The
Worlds View" The prospect from
any chosen summit makes a deep i'm
preston on the spectator. 1t is i'm
pressive without being picturesque.
AS far as the eye can see there is
spread out before him a panorama of
mostly of abrupt outline, suggestive
of a turbulent sea stilled by an Om-
nipotent hand. The base of the hills is
fringed with trees, and here and there
is a clump of thick bush. In places
great gorges draw black lines between
the mountains, which, moreover, are
punctured with giant caves. where the
Matabele took refuge during the re-
bellion, and could have held out for an
indefinite period had not the genius
and daring of Mr.. Rhodes put an end
to the outbreak. The predominant
note is massiveness and stability, for
the hills are of granite; but the hard
ness is toned down by the green of the
lower foliage and the soft. velvety
azure of the sky above. 1t was the
poet in Cecil Rhodes which impelled
him to his choice.
In places the traveller comes upon
groups of ruins which in this out-of-
the-world region strangely stir the
imagination. 1t is difficult to realize
that these habitations were occupied
by gold seekers so long ago as 1000 B,
C. When one thinks of Rhodesia it is
invariably of the great possibilities
which the future holds for the coun-
try. But what of Rhodesia's past?
Three thousand years ago as gold
hungry as the "~greenest" prospector
of to-day secured the Matoppos and
the surrounding country for the pre-.
cious metal. These crumbling ruins
once contained the furnaces for the re
torting and smelling of the gold. In
many quarters huge excavations are
found where the ancients dug far down
into the bowels of the earth in search
of the metal. Several of these mines
are still the largest on the earth's sur.
face. The galleries are caked with
layers of SCOT from the torches of the