The Angels Weep - Smith Wilbur - Страница 75

As the letter unfolded, Ralph recognized that it was a justification for armed insurrection.

"A foreign corporation of Germans and Hollanders is controlling our destinies, and in conjunction with the Boer leaders endeavouring to cast them in a mould which is wholly alien to the genius of the British peoples..

They were going to try to take by force of arms the richest gold reef in existence, Ralph sat bemused.

When our petition for franchise was debated in the Transvaal Volksraad, one member challenged the Uitlanders to fight for the rights they asked for, and not a single member spoke against him. The Transvaal government has called into existence all the elements necessary for armed conflict.

I It is under these circumstances that "we feel constrained to call upon you, as an Englishman, to come to our aid should a disturbance arise. We guarantee any expense you may incur by helping us, and we ask you to believe that nothing but sternest necessity has prompted this appeal." Percy Fitzpatrick looked up at Doctor Jim, and then finished.

"It is signed by all the members of the committee, Leonard, Phillips, Mr. Rhodes" brother Francis, John Hays Hammond, Farrar and by myself. We have not dated it." At the head of the table, Zouga Ballantyne let out his breath in a low whistle, but nobody else spoke while Jordan rose and passed down the table re-filling each glass from the crystal decanter. Mr. Rhodes was slumped forward over the table, his chin resting on the heel of his hand, staring out of the windows down across the lawns towards the far blue line of hills, the Hills of the Indunas, where once the Matabele king's kraal had stood. Everybody at the table waited for him, until at last he sighed heavily.

"I much prefer to find a man's price, and pay it, rather than to fight him, but we are not dealing with a normal man here. God save us all from saints and fanatics, give me a solid rogue every time." His head turned towards Doctor Jameson, and the dreaming blue eyes focused. "Doctor Jim," he invited, and the little doctor rode his chair back on its hind legs and thrust his hands deep into his pockets.

"We will need to send five thousand rifles and a million rounds of ammunition into Johannesburg." Intrigued and fascinated despite himself, Ralph interrupted to ask, "Where will you where will we get those? They are not common trade goods." Doctor Jim nodded. "That's a good question, Ballantyne. The rifles and ammunition are already in the mine stores of De Beers at Kimberley." Ralph blinked, the plot was far advanced, further than he had believed possible. Then he recalled the little doctor's suspicious behaviour at the base camp from which they had discovered the Harkness reef They must have been busy for months. He must find out all the details.

"How will we get them into Johannesburg? They'll have to be smuggled in, and it's a bulky shipment-" "Ralph," Mr. Rhodes smiled.

"You didn't really believe you were invited here for a social luncheon.

Who would you judge to be the most experienced of us in shipping weapons? Who carried the Martini rifles to Lobengula? Who is the shrewdest transport operator on the sub-continent?" " Ralph was startled.

"You," agreed Mr. Rhodes, and as Ralph stared at him, he felt a sudden unholy excitement welling up within him. He was to be at the centre of this fantastic conspiracy, privy to every detail. His mind began to race, he knew intuitively that this was one of the opportunities that comes a man's way once in a lifetime, and he had to wring from it every last advaniage.

"You will do it, of course?" A small shadow' passed across the penetrating blue eyes.

"Of course," said Ralph, but the shadow persisted. "I am an Englishman. I know my duty, "Ralph went on quietly and sincerely, and he saw the shadow clear from Mr. Rhodes" eyes. That was something he could believe in, something he could trust. He turned back to Doctor Jameson.

I am sorry, Mr. Rhodes said. "We interrupted you." And Jameson went on. "We will raise a mounted force of around six hundred picked men here-" and he looked at John Willoughby and Zouga Ballantyne, both of them proven soldiers. "I will rely heavily on you two." And Willoughby nodded, but Zouga frowned and asked, "Six hundred men will take weeks to ride from Bulawayo to Johannesburg." "We will not start from Bulawayo," Jameson replied evenly. "I have the approval of the British government to maintain a mobile armed force in Bechuanaland, on the railway concession strip which runs down the border of the Transvaal. The force is for the protection of the railway, but it will be based at Pitsani, a mere one hundred and eighty miles from Johannesburg. We can be there in fifty hours" hard riding, long before the Boers could raise any kind of resistance." It was at that moment that Ralph realized that it was feasible. Given Doctor Leander Starr Jameson's legendary luck, they could pull it off. They could take the Transvaal with the same ease as they had seized Matabeleland from Lobengula.

By God, what a prize that would be! A billion pounds sterling in gold, annexed to Rhodes" own land, Rhodesia. After that everything else was possible British Africa, a whole continent. Ralph was stunned at the magnitude of the design.

It was Zouga Ballantyne again who unerringly identified the fatal flaw in the scheme. "What is the position of Her Majesty's government?

Will they support us?" he asked. "Without them it will all be in vain." "I have just returned from London," Mr. Rhodes replied. "While I was there I dined with the colonial secretary, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain.

As you know, he has instilled a new spirit of vigour and determination into Downing Street. He is in complete sympathy with the plight of Our subjects in Johannesburg. He is also fully aware of the dangers of German intervention in southern Africa. Let me just assure you all that Mr. Chamberlain and I understand each other. I can say no more at this stage, you must trust me." If that is true, Ralph thought, then the chances of complete success were better than even. The swift thrust to the heart of the unprepared enemy, the uprising of armed citizenry, the appeal to a magnanimous British government, and finally the annexation.

As he listened to the planning, Ralph was swiftly calculating the consequences of the successful outcome of the involved, Corner House mining group, Rand Mines, Consolidated Goldfields, would all crash with it. A simple bear coup on the Johannesburg stock exchange could net millions of pounds.