South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 4 (of 8): From Lord Roberts' Entry into the Free State to the Battle of KarreeCreswicke, Louis
History
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 4 (of 8): From Lord Roberts' Entry into the Free State to the Battle of Karree
Creswicke, Louis
South African War, 1899-1902; Transvaal (South Africa) -- History
"A march of lions," said Mr. Churchill, who had played his part with
Lord Dundonald's force, and was now looked on as a critic. "A procession
of giants," said some one else, who watched the lines and lines of
heroes greeting each other with wild huzzas! Friends, kindred,
comrades-in-arms--from either side the yawning gulf of destruction, from
even the voracious maw of death--they came together again, all jubilant,
all generously appreciative, all self-respecting, and glowing with
honest and honourable emotion. The Gordon Highlanders cheered the
Dublins, the Dublins, with little sprigs of green in their caps,
responded right royally to the greeting of the Scotsmen. One battalion
of the Devons met its twin battalion: the men of doughty deeds,
large-hearted and large-lunged, accosted with zest the men of equally
doughty deeds but dwindled frames, whose deep bass notes cracked with
the strain of rollicking intention and futile realisation.
While all this was going forward, from the balcony of the gaol a
wondering crowd of Boer prisoners looked on agape. They could barely
believe the evidence of their eyes: the town was free. Had their
compatriots at last turned tail and bolted? They stared down on the vast
interminable avenue of men and guns winding through what only the day
before yesterday was a fiery concave--watched a continuous moving
multitude, tattered and begrimed, saddle-brown and burly--and little by
little began to fathom the meaning to themselves of this mighty display.
The despised rooineks had, after all, not even been thrust into the sea:
in fact, it appeared that the sea had cultivated a trick of casting up
rooineks by the thousand, to be killed in scores only to come up in
swarms!
By-and-by, when the military parade was over, the Mayor of the town, Mr.
Farquhar, presented Sir George White with an address, in which the
corporation and inhabitants expressed their appreciation of all that he
had done for them in those dark days of durance. Flattering reference
was also made to the services of General Hunter and Colonel Ward
(A.A.G.). To these officers the General, in reply, alluded gratefully,
eulogising the work done by the former, and describing the latter as the
"best supply officer since Moses." He then called attention to the
stubborn patience of the civilians of Ladysmith, "who had borne
themselves like good and true soldiers throughout a very trying time."
These remarks were followed by three hearty cheers for the civilians of
Ladysmith. The Mayor expressed his pride in the manner the civilian
population had comported itself, and the excellent feeling that had
existed between both civil and military authorities. He then presented
an illuminated address to Sir Redvers Buller, of which the following is
the text:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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