the days of my life-第90章

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was　moderate　enough　and；　I　think；　would　have　been　useful。　But　it　did　me　more　harm　than　good；　since　what　I　had　said　was　of　course　distorted　in　the　usual　fashion。
The　fight　raged　for　some　months　and　was　very　severely　contested；　especially　during　the　last　six　weeks　or　so　after　the　Government　had　gone　out；　which　I　spent　on　board　a　wherry　cruising　from　part　to　part　of　that　wide　and　awkward　constituency。　I　believe　there　are　persons　who　take　to　wherrying　as　a　pastime；　but　so　unpleasant　are　my　associations　with　that　form　of　lootion　that　never　would　I　again　willingly　set　foot　upon　one　of　those　lumbering　boats。　Sometimes　I　had　to　address　three　meetings　a　day；　and　always　there　was　one　or　more；　besides　innumerable　visits　and　much　letter…writing。　My　old　friend　Arthur　Cochrane　was　my　panion　in　this　adventure；　as　in　many　others；　and　nobly　did　he　work。
The　burden　of　the　meetings　and；　still　worse；　of　the　smoking　concerts　fell　mostly　on　us　two；　for；　a　General　Election　being　in　progress；　but　little　help　was　forthing　from　outside。　I　would　speak　for　half　an　hour　or　forty　minutes　to　an　audience　mainly　posed　of　agricultural　labourers；　some　of　whom　—　they　were　nearly　all　partisans　of　the　other　side　—　were　wont　to　express　their　active　dislike　of　me　and　my　opinions　by　making　hideous　noises　resembling　those　of　the　lower　animals　in　pain。　One　man　used　to　follow　me　about　and　“baa”　like　a　sheep　in　the　front　row。　He　only　stopped　when　Cochrane　began　his　ic　songs；　which　I　suppose　appealed　to　such　intelligence　as　he　possessed。
I　think　these　ic　songs　were　the　most　popular　part　of　the　proceedings。　Also　they　were　necessary；　as　my　opponent　was　a　master　of　this　form　of　entertainment　and　was　said　to　owe　much　of　his　popularity　to　a　ditty　called　“The　Baby　on　the　Shore。”　Alas！　in　this　matter　I　could　not　hope　to　pete　with　him。　When　the　meeting　was　over　my　wife　and　I；　with　Cochrane　and　some　other　ladies；　used　to　emerge　and　face　the　booing　without；　which　sometimes　was　acpanied　by　hustling　and　stone…throwing。
The　odd　thing　is　that；　but　for　an　accident；　or　rather　a　piece　of　carelessness；　I　should；　I　believe；　have　won　after　all。　When　I　was　making　my　tour　of　the　constituency　on　the　day　of　the　election　I　called　in　at　the　head　office　at　Yarmouth　and　chanced　to　notice　a　huge　pile　of　letters　which　stood　as　high　as　the　writing…desk　in　the　room　—　there　must　have　been　several　hundreds　of　them。　I　asked　the　agent　what　they　were。　He　replied　with　some　hesitation　that　they　were　polling…cards　returned　by　the　Dead　Letter　Office　marked　“Not　known。”　It　seemed　that　the　addresses　of　the　out…voters　had　not　been　checked　for　years；　and　therefore　these　persons；　of　whom　practically　every　one；　as　owners　of　property　and　Conservatives；　would　have　voted　for　me；　had　never　received　my　polling…card　and；　consequently；　did　not　put　in　an　appearance。　Moreover；　there　were　individuals　in　the　constituency　itself　who　did　not　receive　their　polling…cards；　while　other　out…voters　who　did　receive　them　were　sent　to　the　wrong　polling…places；　and　arrived　there　too　late　to　reach　the　stations　at　which　their　votes　could　be　legally　recorded。　I　remember　a　piteous　letter　from　a　gentleman　who　had　travelled　all　the　way　from　Cornwall；　reaching　Norwich　somewhere　about　7　P。M。；　only　to　discover　that　he　must　vote　at　Yarmouth　within　an　hour；　which　of　course　he　was　unable　to　do。　When　one　considers　how　paratively　small　was　the　number　of　votes　necessary　to　turn　the　scale　in　my　favour；　it　is　easy　to　understand　what　this　blundering　meant　to　me。　Still；　for　reasons　that　I　have　already　given；　I　do　honestly　believe　that　all　was　for　the　best。
Although　I　might　have　done　so　more　than　once；　never　again　have　I　stood　for　Parliament。　To　tell　the　truth；　the　whole　business　disgusts　me　with　its　atmosphere　of　falsehood；　or　at　the　least　of　prevarication；　and　its　humiliating　quest　of　support。　In　such　struggles　in　Britain　there　is；　it　is　true；　little　actual　corruption；　but　of　indirect　corruption　there　is　still　a　great　deal。　From　the　moment　a　candidate　appears　on　the　field　he　is　fair　game；　and　every　man’s　hand　is　in　his　pocket。　Demands　for　“your　patronage　and　support”　fall　on　him；　thick　as　leaves　in　Vallombrosa。　I　remember　that　I　was　even　pestered　to　supply　voters　with　wooden　legs！　Why　should　an　election　in　a　county　division　cost；　as　this　one　did；　something　over　2000　pounds　in　all？
Some　years　before　this　time　my　brother　Alfred　conceived　the　plan　of　obtaining　some　great　concession　of　land　and　minerals　from　Lobengula。　He　was；　I　recollect；　angry　with　me　because　I　would　not　enter　into　his　scheme　with　enthusiasm；　and　I　think　has　never　quite　forgiven　me　my　backwardness。　But　I　knew　a　good　deal　about　the　Matabele；　also　I　held　that　Lobengula　would　never　grant　him　what　he　wanted　unless　it　was　wrung　from　him　by　force　of　arms。　Indeed　I　am　convinced　to　this　day　that　no　one　except　Cecil　Rhodes；　with　his　vast　mand　of　money；　could　have　dispossessed　this　tyrant　and　annexed　those　great　territories。
I　did　not　know　Cecil　Rhodes　in　Africa；　where　we　never　crossed　each　other’s　paths；　indeed　I　think　he　arrived　there　only　towards　the　end　of　my　time。　We　first　met　in　London；　I　believe　somewhere　about　the　year　1888；　when　I　was　asked　to　meet　him　at　the　National　Liberal　Club。　At　that　time　he　was　little　known；　I　do　not　think　that　I　had　ever　heard　of　him　before。　He　impressed　me　a　good　deal；　and　I　remember　his　explaining　to　me　in　great　detail　the　provisions　of　a　measure　he　was　introducing　into　the　Cape　Parliament　—　I　think　it　was　the　Glen　Grey　Act　—　in　such　detail；　indeed；　that　I　lost　the　thread　of　the　thing　and　grew　bewildered。　Rhodes　could　rarely　be　persuaded　to　write　a　letter；　but　my　recollection　is　that　he　could　talk　at　a　great　pace　when　he　was　in　the　mood。
When　he　was　in　England；　just　before　the　Jameson　Raid；　I　saw　Rhodes　several　times；　for　it　was　then　that　the　African　people　were　anxious　that　I　should　stand　for　Parliament。　I　remember　going　to　breakfast　with　him　at　the　Burlington　Hotel。　He　was　then　at　the　height　of　his　success；　and　the　scene　was　very　curious。　Already　before　breakfast　a　number　of　people；　some　of　them　well　known；　who　were　not　asked　to　that　meal；　were　waiting　about　in　ante…rooms　on　the　chance　of　getting　a　word　with　or　favour　from　the　great　man。　It　reminded　me　of　a　picture　I　have　seen　of　Dr。　Johnson　and　others　hanging　about　in　the　vestibule　of；　I　think；　Lord　Chesterfield’s　apartment　for　a　like　object。　There　was　the　same　air　of　patient　expectancy　upon　their　faces。　In　a　china　bowl　on　a　table　I　observed　a　great　accumulation　of　unopened　letters；　most　of　which　had　a　kind　of　society　look　about　them；　probably　they　were　invitations　and　so　forth。　It　was；　I　have　understood；　one　of　the　habits　of　the　Rhodes　entourage　not　to　trouble　to　open　letters　that　came　by　post。　Unless　these　were　of　known　importance　they　only　attended　to　those　that　were　sent　by　hand；　or　to　telegrams；　and　the　replies　were　generally　verbal　or　telegraphic。　Perhaps　this　was　owing　to　press　of　business；　or　perhaps　to　a　pose；　or　to　a　bination　of　both。
The　last　time　that　I　ever　saw　Rhodes　must　have　been　about　a　year　later；　probably　when　he　was　in　England　after　the　Jameson　Raid　affair。　I　went　to　call　on　him　on　some　matter　—　I　entirely　forget　what　it　was　—　at　the　Burlington　Hotel；　and　found　him　alone。　We　talked　for　a　long　while；　though　again　I　forget　the　subject　of　our　conversation。　What　I　remember　is　the　appearance　of　the　man　as　he　paced　restlessly　up　and　down　the　long　room　like　a　lion　in　a　cage；　throwing　out　his　words　in　jerky；　isolated　sentences；　and　in　a　curious　high　voice　that　sometimes　almost　attained　to　a　falsetto。　He　gave　me　the　idea　of　being　in　a　very　nervous　state；　as　I　dare　say　was　the　case。
His　was　one　of　those　big；　mixed　natures　of　which　it　is　extremely　difficult　to　form　a　just　opinion。　My　own；　for　what　it　is　worth；　is　that　he　loved　his　country　and　desired　above　all　things　to　advance　her　interests；　also　that　he　was　personally　very　ambitious。　He　set　great　ends　before　himself　and　went　to　work　to　attain　them　at　any　cost。　To　begin　with；　he　saw　that　money　was　necessary；　so　he　rubbed　shoulders　with　speculators；　with　Jews；　with　anybody　who　was　useful；　and　by　means　of　this　deal　or　that　deal　made　the　money；　not　for　its　own　sake；　but　that　he　might　use　it　to　fulfil　the　purposes　of　his　busy　and　far…reach