The Angels Weep - Smith Wilbur - Страница 74
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"Do not be emotive, Doctor Jim," Rhodes remonstrated mildly. "Let us concern ourselves merely with the facts." "And what are the' facts Mr. Rhodes?" Zouga Ballantyne leaned forward eagerly from the head of the table..
"The facts are that an ignorant old bigot, who believes that the rabble of illiterate Dutch nomads that he leads are the new Israelites, specifically chosen by their Old Testament God. this extraordinary personage sits astride a vast stretch of the richest part of the African continent, like an unkempt and savage hound with a bone, and growls at all efforts at progress and enlightenment." They were all silenced by this bitter invective, and Mr. Rhodes looked around at their faces before he went on. "There are thirty-eight thousand Englishmen on the gold fields of Witwatersrand, Englishmen who pay nineteen of every twenty pounds of the revenue that flows into Kruger's coffers, Englishmen who are responsible for every bit of civilization in that benighted little republic, and yet Kruger denies them the franchise, they are taxed mercilessly and denied representation. Their petitions for the vote are greeted in the Volksraad by the contemptuous derision of a motley assembly of untutored oafs." Rhodes glanced at Fitzpatrick.
"Am I being unfair, Percy? You know these people, you live with them on a day-to-day basis. Is my description of the Transvaal Boer accurate?" Percy Fitzpatrick shrugged. "Mr. Rhodes is correct. The Transvaal Boer is a different animal from his Cape cousins. The Cape Dutch have had the opportunity of absorbing some of the qualities of the English way of life. By" comparison they are an urbane and civilized people, while the Transvaaler has unfortunately lost none of the traits of his Dutch ancestry. he is Slow, obstinate, hostile, suspicious, cunning and malevolent. it galls a man to be told to go to hell by that ilk, especially when we ask only for our rights as free men, the right to vote." Mr. Rhodes, not long to be denied the floor, went on. "Not only does Kruger insult our countrymen, but he plays other more dangerous games. He has discriminated against British goods with punitive tariffs. He has given trade monopolies in all essential mining goods, even dynamite, to members of his family and government.
He-is blatantly arming his burghers with German guns and building a corps of German Krupp artillery, and he is openly flirting with the Kaiser." Rhodes paused. "A German sphere of influence in the midst of Her Majesty's domains would forever damn our dreams of a British Africa. The Germans do not have our altruism." "All that good yellow gold going to Berlin," Ralph mused softly, and immediately regretted having spoken, but Mr. Rhodes did not seem to have heard, for he went on.
"How to reason with a man like Kruger? How can one even talk to a man who still believes implicitly that the earth is flat?" Mr. Rhodes was sweating again, although it was cool in the room. His hand shook so that as he reached for his glass, he knocked it over, and the golden cognac spread across the polished table-top. Jordan rose quickly and mopped it up before it could cascade into Mr. Rhodes" lap, and then he took a silver pillbox from his fob pocket, and from it placed, a white tablet close to Mr. Rhodes" right hand. The big man took it, and still breathing heavily, placed it under his tongue. After a few moments his breathing eased and he could speak again. (I went to him, gentlemen. I went to Pretoria to see Kruger at his own home. He sent a message with a servant, that he could not see me that day." They had all of them heard this story, their surprise was only that Mr. Rhodes could recount such a humiliating incident.
President Kruger had sent a black servant to one of the richest and most influential men in the world with this message.. "I am rather busy at the moment. One of my burghers has come to discuss a sick ox with me. Come back on Tuesday." "God knows," Doctor Jim intervened to break the embarrassed silence. "Mr. Rhodes has done everything a reasonable man could. To risk further insult from this old Boer could bring discredit not only on Mr. Rhodes personally, but on our Queen and her Empire." The little doctor paused and looked at each of his listeners in turn. Their faces were rapt, they waited intently for his next words. "What can we do about it? What must we do about it?" Mr. Rhodes shook himself, and looked at the young staff officer in his resplendent mess kit.
"Bobbie?"he said in invitation.
"Gentlemen, you may be aware that I have just returned from the Transvaal." Bobbie White lifted a leather briefcase from the floor beside his chair to the table, and from it produced a sheaf of crisp white paper. He passed a sheet to every man at the table.
Ralph glanced at his copy, and started slightly. It was the order of battle of the army of the South African Republic. His surprise was so intense that he missed the first part of what Bobbie White was saying.
"The fort at Pretoria is under repair and extension. The walls have been breached for this purpose and will be entirely vulnerable to a small determined force." Ralph had to force himself to believe what he was hearing. "Apart from the corps of artillery, there is no regular standing army. As you can see from the paper before you, the Transvaal depends upon its citizen commandos for defence. It requires four to six weeks for them to assemble into an effective force." Bobbie White finished his recital, and Mr. Rhodes turned from him to Percy Fitzpatrick.
"Percy?" he invited.
"You know what Kruger calls those of us whose capital and resources have developed his gold-mining industry for him? He calls us the "Uitlanders", the "Outlanders", the "Foreigners". You know also that we Outlanders have elected our own representatives, which we call the "Johannesburg Reform Committee". I have the honour to be one of the elected members of that Committee, and so I speak for every Englishman in the Transvaal." He paused and carefully dressed his moustache with his forefinger, and then went on. "I bring you two messages. The first is short and simple. It is, "We are determined and united to the cause. You may rely upon us to the utmost."" The men about the table nodded, but Ralph felt his skin tingle. They were taking this seriously it was not some boyish nonsense. They were plotting one of the most audacious acts of piracy in history. He kept his expression serious and calm with an enormous effort as Fitzpatrick went on.
"The second message is in the form of a letter signed by all the members of the Reform Committee. With your permission I shall read it to you. It is addressed to Doctor Jameson in his capacity as Administrator of Rhodesia, and it reads as follows. "Dear Sir, Johannesburg. The position of matters in this state has become so critical that we are assured that at no distant period there will be a conflict between the Transvaal government and the Uitlander population.
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