weakness of those dethroned kings who, in exile, still like to have a
Court about them and to travel in state. Rhodes had a court, and also
travelled with a suite who, under the pretence of being useful to him,
effectually barred access to any stranger. But for his entourage it is
likely that Rhodes might have outlived the odium of the Raid. But, as Mrs.
van Koopman said to me, "What is the use of trying to help Rhodes when one
is sure that he will never be allowed to perform all that he might
promise?"

The winter which followed upon the relief of Kimberley Rhodes spent almost
entirely at Groote Schuur, going to Rhodesia only in spring. During these
months negotiations between him and certain leaders of the Bond party went
on almost uninterruptedly. These were either conducted openly by people
like Mr. David de Waal, or else through other channels when not entrusted
to persons whom it would be relatively easy later on to disavow. Once or
twice these negotiations seemed to take a favourable turn at several
points, but always at the last minute Rhodes withdrew under some pretext
or other. What he would have liked would have been to have, as it were,
the Dutch party, the Bond, the English Colonists, the South African
League, President Kruger, and the High Commissioner, all rolled into one,
fall at his feet and implore him to save South Africa. When he perceived
that all these believed that there existed a possibility for matters to be
settled without his intervention, he hated every man of them with a hatred
such as only very absolute natures can feel. To hear him express his
disgust with the military authorities, abuse in turns Lord Roberts, whom
he used to call an old man in his dotage, Lord Kitchener, who was a
particular antipathy, the High Commissioner, the Government at home, and
the Bond, was an education in itself. He never hesitated before making use
of an expression of a coarseness such as does not bear repeating, and in
his private conversations he hurled insults at the heads of all. It is
therefore no wonder that the freedom of speech which Rhodes exercised at
Groote Schuur added to the difficulties of a situation the brunt of which
not he, but Sir Alfred Milner, had to bear.

More than once the High Commissioner caused a hint to be conveyed to Cecil
Rhodes that he had better betake himself to Rhodesia, and remain there
until there was a clearer sky in Cape Colony. These hints were always
given in the most del