brighter with. each passing day.'
'He is a great man, Papa.'
'Or a great rogue.' Then Zouga smiled apologetically.
'I am sorry, I know how highly you think of him. Let's have a glass of sherry, Jordie, while Jan Cheroot makes lunch for us.' He smiled again. 'We miss your cooking.
You will find it poor fare, I'm afraid.'
While he poured sweet Cape sherry into long glasses, he asked over his shoulder: 'And Ralph, what do you hear of Ralph?'
'We meet often in Kimberley or at the railhead. He always asks after you.'
'How is he?'
'He will be a big man, Papa. Already his wagons run to Pilgrims' Rest and those new goldfields on the Witwatersrand. He has just won the fast coach contract from Algoa Bay. He has trading posts at Tati and on the Shashi river.'
They ate in front of the fire, sour bread and cheese, a cold joint of mutton and a black bottle of Constantia wine, and Jan Cheroot hovered over Jordan, scolding him fondly for his appetite and recharging his glass when it was barely a quarter empty.
At last they finished and stretched out their legs towards the fire, while Jan Cheroot brought a burning taper to light the cigars which Jordan pro from a gold pocket case.
Jordan spoke through the perfumed wreaths of smoke.
'Papa, the concession, 'And for the first time an angry arrowhead creased the skin between Zouga's eyes.
'I had hoped that you came to see us,' he said coldly.
'I keep forgetting that you are Rhodes' man, ahead of being my son.'
'I am both,' Jordan contradicted him evenly. 'That's why I can talk to you like this.'
'What message has the famous mister Rhodes for me this time?' Zouga demanded.
'Maund and Selous have both accepted his offers. They have sold their concessions to mister Rhodes, and both are ten thousand pounds richer.'
Maund was a soldier and an adventurer. Fred Selous, like Zouga, a hunter and explorer. Also, like Zouga, Selous had written a well-received book on the African chase A Hunter's Wanderings in Africa. Both of these men had at different times prevailed on Lobengula to grant them concessions to ivory and minerals in his eastern dominions.
'mister Rhodes wants me to point out to you that both the Maund and Selous concessions are over the same territory as the concession that Mzilikazi granted to you.
He owns both of them now, the validity of all the treaties is hopelessly confused and hazy.'
'The Ballantyne concession was granted first, by Mzilikazi; the ones that followed have no force,' snapped zouga.
'mister Rhodes' lawyers have advised 'Damn mister Rhodes and his lawyers. Damn them all to hell.'
Jordan dropped his eyes and was silent, and after a long pause Zouga sighed and stood up. He went to the yellow wood cupboard and took out a stained and dog-eared document, so ragged that it had been pasted onto a backing to prevent it falling to pieces.
The ink had faded to brown, but the script was bold and spiky, the hand of an arrogant and cocksure young man.
The document was headed: EXCLUSIVE CONCESSION TO MINE GOLD AND HUNT IVORY IN THE SOVEREIGN TERRITORY OF MATABELELAND And at its foot was a crude wax seal with the image of a bull elephant, and the words:
KKOSI NKHULU, GREAT KING Below it a shaky cross in the same faded ink:
MZILIKAZI, his mark Zouga laid the document on the table between them, and they both stared at it.
'All right,' Zouga capitulated. 'What do mister Rhodes' lawyers advise?'
'That this concession could be set aside on separate points of law.'
'I would fight him.'
'Papa. He is a determined man. His influence is enormous. He will be Prime Minister of the Cape Parliament at the next session, there is little doubt of that.' Jordan touched the red wax seal. 'His fortune is vast, perhaps ten million pounds, '
'Still I will fight him,' Zouga said, and then stopped Jordan speaking with a hand on his arm. 'Jordan, don't you understand. A man must have Something, a dream, a light to follow in the darkness. I can never sell this, it has been all of my life for too long. Without it I shall have nothing.'
'Papa 'I know what you will say, that I can never make this into reality. I do not have the money it would need. You might even say that I no longer even have the strength of purpose. But, Jordan, while I have this piece of paper I can still hope, I still have my dream to follow. I can !' never sell it.'
'I told him that, and he understood immediately. He wants you to be a part of it.'
Zouga lifted his head and stared at his son.
'A seat on the Board of Governors of the company for which mister Rhodes will petition a Royal Charter from Her Majesty. Then you will have grants of farm land, gold claims, and an active command in the field. Don't you see, Papa, he is not taking your dream away from you, he is making it come true at last.'
