ently recently added. The
collection itself, made by Mrs. Koopman at very moderate prices, before
experts bought up all the Dutch relics, was then supposed to be of great
value. Our hostess conversed in good English with a foreign accent, and
was evidently a person of much intelligence and culture. She had been,
and still was, a factor in Cape politics, formerly as a great admirer of
Mr. Rhodes, but after 1896 as one of his bitterest opponents, who used
all her considerable influence--her house being a meeting-place for the
Bond party--against him and his schemes. We had, in fact, been told she
held a sort of political salon, though hardly in the same way we think
of it in England as connected with Lady Palmerston, her guests being
entirely confined to one party--viz., the Dutch. This accounted for a
blunder on my part. Having heard that Mrs. Koopman had been greatly
perturbed by the young Queen of Holland's representations to President
Kruger in favour of the Uitlanders, and seeing many photographs of this
charming-looking girl in the room, I thought I should be right in
alluding to her as "your little Queen." "She is not my Queen," was the
indignant reply; "Queen Victoria is my Queen." And then, quickly turning
to Mr. Baker, she continued: "What have you been telling Lady Sarah to
make her think I am not loyal?" Of course I had to disclaim and
apologize, but, in view of her well-known political opinions and
sympathies, I could not help thinking her extreme indignation a little
unnecessary.

FOOTNOTES:

[9] Lord Randolph Churchill died in January, 1895.

[10] The soldiers' graves in South Africa have since then been carefully
tended by the Loyal Women's Guild.

[11] The President's favourite psalm was said to be the 144th, which he
always believed was written to apply specially to the Boers.

[12] Short whip.

[13] Major Heaney is an American, and was one of the pioneers who
accompanied Dr. Jameson to Mashonaland in 1891.

[14] Mr. Richard Solomon, then Attorney-General, now Sir Richard
Solomon.

CHAPTER VI

PREPARATIONS FOR WAR--MAFEKING, AND DEPARTURE THEREFROM

"War seldom enters, but where wealth allures."
DRYDEN.

In August we left Cape Town, and I went to Bulawayo, where I spent two
months. Gordon[15] had been appointed A.D.C. to Colonel Baden-Powell,
and during this time was with his chief on the western borders. The
latter was engage