第66部分(第4/7 頁)

e　gold　wherewith　to　finance　them；　most　of　which　the　British　public　has；　I　imagine；　lost。　But　the　Empire　has　gained；　for　Rhodesia　does　not　run　away；　like　the　capital；　in　over…financed　and　unremunerative　panies。　One　day　it　may　be　a　great　asset　of　the　Crown；　if　the　Imperial　possessions　hold　together。

It　would　almost　seem　as　though　Rhodes　was　one　of　those　men　who　have　been　and　still　are　raised　up　by　that　Power；　of　the　existence　of　which　he　seems　to　have　been　dubious；　to　fulfil　certain　designs　of　Its　own。　There　have　been　a　good　many　with　somewhat　similar　characteristics。　Alexander；　Caesar；　Napoleon；　Chaka；　e　to　my　mind　as　I　write。　Roosevelt；　though　his　is　a　finer　mind；　may　or　may　not　prove　another：　at　the　moment　it　rather　looks　as　though　his　cards　were　played；　but　who　knows？

Had　it　not　been　for　Rhodes　I　incline　to　the　belief　that　the　Germans　would　have　taken　Rhodesia；　perhaps　after　a　preliminary　occupation　by　the　Boers。　That　danger；　I　think；　was　present　to　his　thoughts　and　was　one　of　the　reasons　which　induced　him　to　strike；　and　strike　hard；　caring　nothing　for　the　blood　that　splashed　up　from　the　blow。　In　the　same　way　he　wished　to　seize　the　Transvaal　by　a　coup　de　main；　or　rather　a　coup　d’epee；　but　here　he　miscalculated　the　strength　of　the　opposing　forces。　Or　perhaps；　as　he　himself　said；　Jameson　—　whom　I　also　knew　and　who　possesses；　I　think；　in　some　ways　a　higher　nature　than　did　Rhodes　—　upset　his　“apple…cart。”　At　least；　whatever　his　faults；　he　was　a　great　figure　in　his　generation；　and　his　name　must　always　be　remembered　if　only　by　that　of　the　vast　territory　he　seized；　which　he　still　surveys　from　his　tomb…eyrie　on　the　Matoppos。

Rhodes　had　his　weaknesses；　like　other　men。　A　few　years　ago　I　was　staying　with　Lord　Carrington；　now　the　Marquis　of　Lincolnshire。　He　t