ntein to the ultimatum, the British flag in South Africa
was stayed upon the "inflexible resolution" of one man. Two months
later, when the army corps was all but landed, the English at the Cape
gave speech. Then Sir David Gill's words at the St. Andrew's Day
celebration of November 30th, 1890 came as a fresh breeze dispersing
the miasmic humours of some low-lying, ill-drained plain.

[Sidenote: What the loyalists thought.]

"In the history of the British colonies," he said, "no Governor
has ever been placed in greater difficulties. In spite of a
support of the most shamelessly feeble character, and in spite of
a want of understanding at home, His Excellency has not only had
to originate and carry out a policy, but he has had to instruct
the whole nation in the dangers which threatened; and the means
which were necessary to remove that danger.

"When His Excellency came to this colony he found it honeycombed
with sedition. He found a canting loyalty, which aimed at the
overthrow of British supremacy in this colony, and not only in
this colony, but in South Africa as well.... There have been a
mighty lot of misunderstandings in this country, a mighty lot of
mealy-mouthed loyalty, that did not mean loyalty at all, and a
mighty working to overthrow the power of Englishmen (and
Scotchmen) in this country--first of all to bring them into
contempt with the native population; secondly, to deprive them of
all political power; and thirdly, to deprive them of all material
power.... We have a minister who has gone to the front,[172] but
it is a remarkable fact that since that minister has gone to the
front the accessions of colonists to the ranks of the rebels have
been tenfold greater than they were before he went. It is in the
face of these innumerable difficulties that Sir Alfred Milner has
carried out his work."

[Footnote 172: Mr. J. W. Sauer. The reference is (in Lord
Milner's words) to Mr. Sauer's "well-meant but unsuccessful
mission to Dordrecht, which was immediately followed by
rebellion in that district." The facts, as fully disclosed a
year later, are these. On November 23rd, 1899, Mr. Sauer held
a meeting at Dordrecht to dissuade the Dutch subjects of the
Crown in the Wodehouse Division of the Colony from joining in
the rebellion.