War's Brighter Side Part 28

GENERAL JOUBERT.[12]

[Footnote 12: Copyrighted in England and America; used here by permission.]

(Died March 27, 1900.)

BY RUDYARD KIPLING.

With those that bred, with those that loosed the strife, He had no part whose hands were clear of gain; But, subtle, strong and stubborn, gave his life To a lost cause, and knew the gift was vain.

Later shall rise a People, sane and great, Forged in strong fires, by equal war made one-- Telling old battles over without hate, Not least his name shall pa.s.s from sire to son.

He shall not meet the onsweep of our van In the doomed city where we close the score; Yet o'er his grave--his grave that holds a Man-- Our deep-tongued guns shall answer his once more!

_(Editorial.)_

DEATH OF GENERAL JOUBERT.

No words of ours are needed to supplement the telegram of Lord ROBERTS and the three stanzas by Mr. RUDYARD KIPLING, which we print to-day, upon the news we have received of General JOUBERT'S death. We feel that we are but giving expression to the feeling of every man in the army of occupation in expressing our most sincere regret in hearing of the sudden decease of the great leader of our enemy.

FABLES FOR THE STAFF.[13]

[Footnote 13: Copyrighted; used here by permission.]

BY RUDYARD KIPLING.

V.

A General, having offered libations to Fortuna, went out to fight a Battle in the course of which his Frontal Attack developed into a Rear Guard action, and his left Flank became a Modulus of varying Elasticity for several hours, owing to his right Flank having wandered towards the Equator.

The Enemy seeing these Inexplicable Evolutions, were so overcome with Amazement that They retired in large Numbers and left the General a complete Victory.

A week later, the General, learning from the Reports of his Staff that he was a Heaven-born Strategist, diligently read a Book and gave Battle upon the lines therein laid down.

After this he was never seen to smile but frequently heard to murmur: "If I had only trusted my bally Luck instead of a bally Book, I should not be now travelling first-cla.s.s to Stellenbosch."

MORAL.--Invention is a good servant, but the Letter killeth.

A BRAVE CANADIAN.

BLOEMFONTEIN, _March 28th_.

DEAR SIR,--In answer to a paragraph appearing in your paper of a past date under the heading of "Acts of Bravery performed during the War,"

allow me to quote one which I witnessed at Paardeberg on the morning of Cronje's surrender on February 27th. Every one knows of the gallant display made by the Royal Canadians on that never-to-be-forgotten morning, and how, as daylight broke, they had again occupied their trenches, leaving sixty killed and wounded on the field. As the sun came up behind the kopjes, revealing once more to Cronje and his men the exact position of our trenches, they opened a heavy fire upon them, and woe to the man who was indiscreet enough to show his head and shoulders over the earthworks! Between the trenches and the Boer position lay Canadian dead and dying. About 5.30 a wounded man about five hundred yards away was seen to be trying to make for our trenches under a heavy fire, but was at last observed to fall. Now and then, between the volleys, he was seen to wave his hands as if for a.s.sistance. Suddenly from the left of us a form was seen to climb the earthworks in front of our trenches, jumping down to make straight for the place where the wounded man lay, about ninety yards from the Boer trenches. Utterly regardless of the scathing fire which hissed about him, he ran on, and at last reached the wounded man and tried to lift him, but it was too late, for the poor fellow had breathed his last. Seeing it was of no avail, his would-be rescuer walked back over the ground he had covered, and although bullets whistled around him and tore up the ground in every direction, he coolly regained his trenches with a pipe stuck between his teeth. I have since ascertained his name was Private Thompson, of the Royal Canadians, and although I do not know whether his case is one _recommended_ for distinction or not, still I have never during the campaign seen a case of such coolness and pluck as that displayed by Private Thompson. Considering the galling fire that swept the distance of four or five hundred yards which he covered in his endeavour to reach the wounded man, also his close proximity to the Boer trenches, it seems marvellous that he ever lived to get within four hundred yards of him, not to mention getting back without a scratch. His case is one of the most deserving of recognition, coming, as it does, from amongst the ranks of the gallant Canadian Volunteers, by whose side we have fought and marched since we left Graspan, and than whom a jollier or pluckier lot of boys never lived.

ONE OF THE GORDONS WHO WAS THERE.

THE EMPIRE'S DEFENDERS.

BY B. CHARLES TUCKER.

See, they come marching over the plain, Cheerfully bearing their wounds and pain, Soldiers and sailors alike to the work, Never a man of them doing a s.h.i.+rk.

These are the men that you owe a debt; England, remember it; never forget.

Scorched and parched 'neath the broiling sun, Not a word of complaint, work _must_ be done.

Wounded and shattered, bespattered with blood, Drinking of water akin to mud.

These are the men you owe a debt; England, remember it; never forget.

Ponder it well in your leisured ease, These, the soldiers of lands and seas, Building the Empire hour by hour, These, the foundation of all thy power.

These are the men whom you owe a debt; Empire, remember; you dare not forget.

THE SILENT ARMY.

BY A. E. C.

The Silent Army 'as its work, Duties that it cannot s.h.i.+rk, Six days a week; then there's kirk For us in the Silent Army.

There's guards ter mount, fatigues to do, Bread ter make an' meat ter stew.

If yer think there's time ter write to you, Well! strite! yer must be barmy.

Yer says yer owns as we can fight, Able to read, but not to write; We tries to fly our own kite, Us chaps in the Silent Army.

We're glad enough ter git your print, Glad enough when bound with lint, Y're dull if yer can't take the 'int; Indeed! yer must be barmy.

It isn't always that us men Finds the time to use a pen, For we've work to do, sir, when We are in the Silent Army.

We 'as our duties to attend, Food to cook and clothes to mend; Arsk Kiplin', he's the sojers' friend-- The friend of the Silent Army.

[The hint has been taken as far as the hospitals are concerned. They get THE FRIEND on application.--THE EDS.]

GRUMBLES FROM THE RANKS.

That a soldier's life is a merry one Is what some people say, But when you're on short rations, Well, it isn't half so gay; And you can't "live fat" in Bloemfontein Upon a bob a day.

_Grumble No. 1._--This is a recognised fact with bread at 1s. per loaf, tea at 6d. per cup, and sugar at 1s. 6d. per lb.

If you've had a present sent from home, You can take the tip from me, It's been "commandeered" by somebody, And it's one you'll never see, So as each mail arrives you ask, "Where can that parcel be?"