The Chronicles of a Gay GordonGordon, J. M. (Joseph Maria)
History
The Chronicles of a Gay Gordon
Gordon, J. M. (Joseph Maria)
Generals -- England -- Biography; Gordon, J. M. (Joseph Maria), 1856-1929
The order of procedure was as follows: The tribe already in possession of
the camp piled up a couple of trucks with barrels of beer, bottles of
rum, gin, brandy and whisky. These trucks were run down the rails to the
end of the jetty and were left there to await the arrival of the swimming
tribe, while the others remained on the shore end to welcome them. The
new-comers, tired after their long swim, greatly appreciated the kind
thought of their hosts, and immediately set to work to consume as much of
the good gifts as the gods, or, rather, their legal opponents, offered
them. These, drawn up in battle array, impatiently awaited their arrival,
the braves all in front in such a position as they considered advisable,
from their military point of view, to impress their guests with a sense
of their prowess. Behind the fighting line the womenfolk were drawn up.
In their front line were their best-looking girls. They were specially
put there to catch the eye of the leading young men among their guests.
The elderly women and the youngsters formed the third line.
Thus the hosts waited for the arrival of their guests. The original idea
was that the tribe arriving would take a certain amount of the drink
offered to them, enough to fortify themselves so as to arrive at the end
of the jetty in fairly good condition. But the hopes of the hosts were
unjustified. There was nothing left on the trolley at the end of the
jetty but empty beer barrels and glass bottles. Watching them as I did,
from the little fort just overlooking the jetty, I was wondering how the
advance of the visiting tribe down the jetty was going to be carried out.
I gathered, from what I had seen, that the amount of spirits consumed
would produce some comical effects. I was quite disappointed. I wondered
also whether the procession down the jetty was to be carried out in the
clothes in which they arrived, which were nil. It would have been a
quaint experience to have seen a whole naked tribe arriving at quite a
respectable English settlement. But, no. Their coverings had been
carefully carried by the swimmers on the top of their heads and kept dry.
And while they refreshed themselves from the friendly truck they donned
such garments as made them quite respectable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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