THE MAN OF CONTRADICTIONS 15 



ments/' which Lord Roberts (the antithesis of 

 Kitchener as regards expenditure) had effected 

 during his command. 



I told him that the agreement, however dis- 

 astrous to public funds, was quite en rlgle and 

 must be respected. 



He asked me to be present at the conference 

 with the company's officials, but extracted a 

 promise that I would not utter one word from first 

 to last. 



After playing with his adversaries as a cat with 

 a mouse, and with extra velvety paws, he sighed 

 and, pointing to me, said: " I don't like to insist, 

 but there sits a gentleman sent out by the Govern- 

 ment to order me to withdraw all protection from 

 your property unless you agree to review this 

 agreement." And he got his way. 



I remained speechless, not only during, but for 

 long after, the termination of the conference ! 



Another " contradiction " is his scrupulous ob- 

 servance of a financial undertaking and his bare- 

 faced readiness to repudiate an engagement in 

 which no money is involved. 



I experienced this more than once in South 

 Africa. Kitchener cabled to the Government and 

 asked that I should be sent out. I was Assistant 

 Under-Secretary of State for War at the time, and 

 retained that rank whilst abroad, so that I was 

 in a large measure independent of him. 



From first to last we got on splendidly, and I 

 have nothing but very pleasant recollections of our 

 association, but just at first I had one severe 

 tussle with him. 



We had come to an understanding that if what 



