At that time he was building four railways in Rhodesia, which country was also pinning its faith to him for its development, its prosperity, and, indeed, its _modus vivendi_.

Apart from this, Cape politics, although he then held no official position, were occupying a great deal of his time and thoughts in view of future Federation.

It was, therefore, marvellous to see him putting his whole mind to such matters as his prize poultry and beasts at the home farm, to the disposing of the same in what he termed "my country," or to the arranging of his priceless collection of glass--even to the question of a domicile for the baby lioness lately presented to him.

Again, one moment he might be talking of De Beers business, involving huge sums of money, the next discussing the progress of his thirty fruit-farms in the Drakenstein district, where he had no fewer than 100,000 fruit-trees; another time his horse-breeding establishment at Kimberley was engaging his attention, or, nearer home, the road-making and improvements at Groot Schuurr, where he even knew the wages paid to the 200 Cape boys he was then employing.

Mr.Rhodes was always in favour of doing things on a large scale, made easy, certainly, by his millionaire's purse.