has figured in many South African
novels, provided drastic punishment for dishonest dealing in the stones.
More than one South African millionaire owed the beginnings of his
fortune to evasion of this law.

Just about the time that Rhodes made the Rhodesian diamond deal a
prospector came to him and said: "If I bring you a handful of rough
diamonds what will I get?"

"Fifteen years," was the ready retort. He was never at a loss for an
answer.

We can now turn to the really romantic side of the Rhodesian mineral
deposits. One of the favorite pilgrimages of the tourist is to the
Zimbabwe ruins, located about seventeen miles from Victoria in Southern
Rhodesia. They are the remains of an ancient city and must at various
times have been the home of large populations. There seems little doubt
that Zimbabwe was the work of a prehistoric and long-forgotten people.

Over it hangs a mantle of mystery which the fictionist has employed to
full, and at times thrilling advantage. In this vicinity were the "King
Solomon's Mines," that Rider Haggard wrote about in what is perhaps his
most popular book. Here came "Allan Quartermain" in pursuit of love and
treasure. The big hill at Zimbabwe provided the residence of "She," the
lovely and disappearing lady who had to be obeyed. The ruins in the
valley are supposed to be those of "the Dead City" in the same romance.
The interesting feature of all this is that "She" and "King Solomon's
Mines" were written in the early eighties when comparatively nothing was
known of the country. Yet Rider Haggard, with that instinct which
sometimes guides the romancer, wrote fairly accurate descriptions of the
country long before he had ever heard of its actual existence. Thus
imagination preceded reality.

The imagination miracles disclose in the Haggard books are surpassed by
the actual wonder represented by Victoria Falls. Everybody has heard of
this stupendous spectacle in Rhodesia but few people see it because it
is so far away. I beheld it on my way from Bulawayo to the Congo. Like
the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, it baffles description.

The first white man to visit the cataract was Dr. Livingstone, who named
it in honor of his Queen. This was in 1855. For untold years the natives
of the region had trembled at its fury. They called it _Mois-oa-tunga_,
which means "Smoke That Sounds." When you see the falls you can readily
understand why they got this name. The mist is visible ten miles away
a