ANECDOTES OF THE COLOSSUS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7417, 31 May 1902, Page 2

ANECDOTES OF THE COLOSSUS.

Soaw of oscil Eiodes's 'Words aa& Deeds. ■- ■ ; (P«OMoh*« Weekly.) . The Colossus of Africa has not been a man of many words, hub when he has spoken it has 'been to some effect. . In little phrases of two or tHree words He has t on a dozen great state occasions, summed up the situation \pnd) His own policy. One of these phrases particularly indicates this whole life work. Pointing to a map of Africa thirty years or so ago, He saidt "All that red t that's any ambition." And red it mow is, save for a small strip, from Cairo to Cape Tpwn. •• Before we Had conquered the Soudan, Rhodes 6ought to further His scheme of constructing a telegraph from north to south of Africa by getting the Mahdi to consent to His running it through his then dominions. When people doubted the pos- - sibility of his doing it he replied: "I- Save never known a man with whom I could hot do adsaL" . ;■ .• :;": ; ■; When the Jamesen Raid was the sole topic of conversation six years ago, Rhodes was suspected to have been a party to it, He was. called upon to say a good, de&hr and what He said were a few phrases which to this day t^e public remembers, and will continue to remember. . ' When He resigned the Gape Preinierßhip and sailed; to England to meet the consequences of the Raid £ He told his friends that he was going to "face the music.'' This phraee set the cartoonists bUsyi and "Rhodes facing tHe music" formed the subject of many a pictorial jest> one* representing the snusio as a cat on the jtiles^jat which Rhodes, facing .it, was. flinging 3 a boot. ■ .. * .. "... >./, : DB JIM "tHPSBT HIS APFLB-CAilTi* " ; , " The unctuous rectitude of my fellowcountrymen," was the phrase with whicH Rhodes summed up British public opinion, and: it hit very hard indeed. At the time of the Raid we were just a trifle Hypocritical an our denunciation of the" promoters of the conspiracy to start an amateur War with Oom Paul, and certainly Rhodes was happy in His expression. . .. -^ When Rhodes, while at Buluwayo, heard of the sentence on "Dr Jim," He remarked : " What a tribute to the moral rectitude of a nation that Has 'jumped! the world ! ' " And bearing in mind that most of Our great oojonies have been built up by the Dr Jims who succeeded instead of failed, few people' can deny that the Colossus had ground for; making that remark. < ; : ~ Yet another famous expression came from Rhodes during that critical time. When he heard; that Jameson Had crossed the border and had been defeated and captured by the Boersj, he exclaimed with a groan: "Old Jameson has upset my apple-cart," which indicated that the doctor, by failing te^carry out His plans, had spoilt Rhodes's great scheme for overthrowing they Transvaal 5 Government without the intervention of the Colonial Office at Home. Before the Jameson. Raidj Rhodes was talking to a journalist about the position of aif airs in the Transvaal. After showing iiim now impossible it was that a community of business men -such, as the Jphannesburgers could live with a nation of farmers, He said: "The Transvaal is^an inverted pyramid.:: Sooner oir later it must topple over." •RHObES^ CHAKEEBS A STEAMER. Rhodes Has beeti, said to " think ia Empires." He also thought through brick walls ji they stood in his way. TMs was the case in hia whole range of action, whether in his house, Groote Schuur z or in the Empire at large, v THus once He "Had taken a fancy to a set of old' oak shelves, and ordered that they "were : '& be placed in a certain" corner of the ball. He was told that it was impossible, as they projected a foot , into the doorway. "Then cut a doorway elsewhere," remarked Rhodes, and they Had to do so. He would not let obstacles, large or small, stand in His way. When He Had returned to England" to have a chat with MrGHamberlain after the Jameson RaidY~"fi« was anxious to get back to Rhodesia as soon, as ship would carry Him. So he started for Suez, wHere he joined the German steamer Kanteler, which was to bear him direct to Beira, the nearest port to where he was bound. i ' However, the steamer went aground in the Suez Canal,, and appeared to be likely to remain there for some time. This was. not good enough for Rhodes, so, quick as lightning, went the message to Messrs Cook to place a steamer at his disposal, which would take him at once to Beira. In twodays he had embarked on this boat, the Orestes, which set sail forthwith, its sole cargo being one Cecil Rhodes. ! Another incident, showing how little M^r ! iinodes would allow maritime considerations; to prevent; Him from getting where He wisned, was after the siege of Kimberley, when he left Cape Town for Beira. The captain Had to discharge cargo- at Delagoa Bay, but Rhodes said: "No, you don't, lake me to Beira £ and don't stop for anything." And the captain obeyed, though ib cost Cecil Rhodes £1200 to get him to do : 60. ■: - . .. ; Distance was nothing to Rhodes, as all know who Have read of his constant flit- : tings to and from Africa to Englandj a jour-/ ney he thought as little of as many Britons' ; who run across to Paris. •- Fancy a man reading up for jan Ox- ■■ ford exam, on the diamond fields of Atrica! Yet this was How Rhodes' spent has spare time one year, and as soon as the date of the examination approached he cut over to England to sit, and was back again in Africa soon after taking His degree. While at college, he gained some reputation as Having got the better of a proctor, or " University Bulldog," a 'being who exercises no small sway over the undergraduates. Being accosted by one of these gentlemen when walking with another student minus the necessary cap and gown, and questioned as to 'his name and .college, Rhodes, being unknown at Oxford, got out of it by replying : "My name is Rhodes, and I'm from the Cape, making a short stay at Oxford. And now, sir, your name and college?" The proctor thought He Had; made a mistake, and went' away confused, which caused great delight when Rhodes related the incident. ■ ' - Rhodes had remarkable capacity for winning over people, whether in thousands or individually. Amongst those He has magnetised into acquiescing in His plans was: the famous De la Rey. When the Boers were attacking a Bechuan* chief, with the ultimate object oi annexing Bechuanaland, . Rhodes saw th>t the only way to avoid this was to effect conciliation between the Boers and the natives. BIS FRIENDSHIP WITH SB >liA. 3tEf . This jho did by strolling over to De la Rey's tent and inviting Himself to breakfast. While the Boers were hospitably getting it for Him, De la Rey turned round to Rhodes suddenly and said : " Blood must flow." " Well," said Rhodes coolly, " give me my breakfast, and we'll talk about it." This coolness flabbergasted the now. famous general, and when Rhodes afterwards carried it to the extent of staying with him for a. week, becoming godfather to His child, and making himself so generally agreeable, De la. ..Rey found Himself cooled into making a settlement of peace through Rhodes, which kept the Boers out of. Bechuanaland, and paved the Way for Rhodes planting the British standard there. This is one of the things Kruger will never forgive him for, and there are many other instances of Rhodes's marvellous diplomatic powers. \ One of the greatest of them, however, is that by which he alone, and unarmed, brought to an end the Matabele rebellion of 1896/ After months of -BeVere- fighting,' Rhodes and two other white men, with two

natives, proceeded without unit into tit* heart of ta« MatopopO Hills, the ensmy*f chief stronghold. He asked several of &• chiefs to/Wet him also unarmed, and when they agreed, an indaba, or council, was arranged, .in which Rhodes and the chiefs were to discuss terms of peace before ths assembled Matabele Host. After talking in an easy way on differ* ent subjects, Rhodes suddenly tariffed frit tit* chiefs and denounced them fot {befr cruel massacres. So terrified were they tsj th« fierce look of the great wifl» mia .ths* they bowed their heads' in meek submission. Rhodes had tamed the, Matabele By a look and a. g&tare» and *ac chiefs foiiKwith agreed to make peace. , . .