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diff --git a/old/65570-0.txt b/old/65570-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4776539..0000000 --- a/old/65570-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7026 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of General Wauchope, by William Baird - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: General Wauchope - -Author: William Baird - -Release Date: June 11, 2021 [eBook #65570] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GENERAL WAUCHOPE *** - - - - - - -[Frontispiece: Major-General WAUCHOPE, C.B., C.M.G., LL.D. _From a -Photograph by Horsburgh, Edinburgh._] - - - - - GENERAL WAUCHOPE - - - BY - - WILLIAM BAIRD, F.S.A. SCOT. - - AUTHOR OF - 'JOHN THOMSON OF DUDDINGSTON, PASTOR AND PAINTER' - 'ANNALS OF DUDDINGSTON AND PORTOBELLO' - 'SIXTY YEARS OF CHURCH LIFE IN AYRE' - ETC. - - - - EDINBURGH AND LONDON - OLIPHANT ANDERSON AND FERRIER - 1900 - - - - - - TO THE - OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE HIGHLAND BRIGADE - WHO BRAVELY FOUGHT AT MAGERSFONTEIN - THIS MEMOIR OF THEIR LEADER - IS INSCRIBED - - - - -CONTENTS - - - -INTRODUCTION - -CHAP. - -I. THE WAUCHOPES OF NIDDRIE MARISCHAL - -II. CHILDHOOD--EARLY TENDENCIES--THE 'HOUSEHOLD -TROOP'--EDUCATION--NAVAL TRAINING--THE 'BRITANNIA'--THE 'ST. -GEORGE'--PRINCE ALFRED - -III. ENTERS THE ARMY--THE BLACK WATCH--ASHANTI WAR--RETURN -HOME--BANQUET AT PORTOBELLO - -IV. DEATH OF WAUCHOPE's FATHER--ORDERED TO -MALTA--REMINISCENCES--RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS--CYPRUS--APPOINTMENT AS -CIVIL COMMISSIONER OF PAPHO--REMINISCENCES--SIR ROBERT BIDDULPH--THE -SULTAN'S CLAIMS - -V. WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA--ARABI PASHA'S REBELLION IN -EGYPT--TEL-EL-KEBIR--MARRIAGE--LIFE IN CAIRO - -VI. THE EASTERN SOUDAN--BATTLE OF EL-TEB--ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE GENERAL -GORDON--ASCENT OF THE NILE--THE WHALE-BOATS--BATTLE OF -KIRBEKAN--RETURN TO CAIRO--MALTA--GIBRALTAR - -VII. THE MIDLOTHIAN CAMPAIGN - -VIII. THE 73RD REGIMENT AT MARYHILL BARRACKS--INCIDENTS OF HOME -LIFE--MILITARY LIFE AT YORK--APPOINTMENT TO SOUDAN CAMPAIGN - -IX. THE SOUDAN--BATTLES OF ATBARA AND OMDURMAN--ARRIVAL -HOME--RECEPTION AT NIDDRIE--DEGREE OF LL.D.--PAROCHIAL -DUTIES--PARLIAMENTARY CONTEST FOR SOUTH EDINBURGH - -X. OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA--COMMAND OF THE HIGHLAND -BRIGADE--DEPARTURE FOR SOUTH AFRICA--THE SITUATION--BATTLE OF -MAGERSFONTEIN--DEATH--FUNERAL--AFTER THE BATTLE - -XI. CHARACTERISTICS - -INDEX - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -PORTRAIT . . . . Frontispiece - -NIDDRIE MARISCHAL, FRONT VIEW - -ANDREW WAUCHOPE, MIDSHIPMAN, AGE 14 - -ANDREW WAUCHOPE, AGE 30 - -NIDDRIE MARISCHAL, BACK VIEW - -GENERAL WAUCHOPE ON HORSEBACK - -THE GRAVE ON THE BATTLEFIELD - -THE GRAVE AT MATJESFONTEIN - - - - -{9} - -INTRODUCTION - -On the 11th day of December 1899, amid the rattle of rifles, the -fierce booming of cannon, and the sharp bang of exploding shells, a -British force of Scottish Highlanders found themselves suddenly -confronted in the darkness of an early African morning by an unseen -enemy. All night they had been on the march, tramping the bare rocky -veldt north of the Modder river, to attack, and if possible capture, -the fortified and strongly entrenched position held by the Boer army -of General Cronje among the rocks and cliffs of Magersfontein. This -was full of difficulty and danger. But the relief of the beleaguered -garrison of Kimberley was urgent, and if the work were to be done, it -demanded the best the British army could achieve. Steadily and -determinedly stepped out the men of the Highland Brigade, commanded -by him they had long had reason to trust. As lieutenant, as captain, -as colonel, they had followed him in many a well-fought battle, and -now with Major-General Wauchope leading them in the darkness, no -doubt or fear entered their breast. - -But suddenly there was a flash of light from the rocks above, -followed immediately by a long belching flame of fire from a thousand -rifles in front. They had unexpectedly {10} stumbled on the enemy. -There was no time for reorganisation, and in the midst of an -entanglement of trenches and barbed wire fencing, and exposed the -while to a withering fire against which nothing human could stand, -the Highland Brigade was mown down. Here it was, but well in front -of his men, endeavouring to the last to cheer on his followers, one -of the most gallant and daring of modern British generals fought and -fell, a martyr for his Queen and country. - -General Wauchope's tragic end was no unfitting conclusion to a life -of devoted, arduous service. He died as he had lived, ever in the -midst of strife, an earnest, brave, and self-denying man, thinking -more of others than himself; graced with the dignity that comes from -inborn gentleness of spirit, and ever in his conduct exemplifying the -faith he professed. No wonder that when such a man fell, there was a -wail of lamentation, not merely around his own home in Edinburgh -where he was best known and loved, but throughout the whole British -Empire. - -The story of his life is one of incident and hairbreadth escapes, and -it deserves to rank high in the military annals of our country; for -among those who have helped to raise Great Britain to the honourable -position she holds among the nations of the world, as the vindicator -of freedom, as the protector of the weak against the strong, as the -pioneer of commerce, and the disseminator of Christianity, there are -few who have laboured more zealously or fought more bravely than he -whose career we shall in the following pages attempt to sketch. - -{11} - -In biography there is perhaps nothing more alluring than to trace out -traits in remote kindred, and to watch them coming forth with new -accompaniments in later generations, to work out, as it were, the -full story of the race, and probably to mark a climax in some chosen -individual. Though we have not space to follow this out in the -present case, the distinguishing characteristics of General -Wauchope's ancestors may easily be discerned throughout his career; -to them he doubtless owed that simple manliness which looked upon -every man--whatever his station--as a brother; that unswerving -courage in time of danger, that unflinching devotion to duty, that -cheerfulness of disposition, which made him a general favourite; all -sobered by a sense of the unseen and eternal which entered into the -very heart of his life. - -The author's efforts to gather the scattered material of so chequered -a career have been met on all hands by so willing a response from -those who could in any way claim the General's acquaintance, that his -task has been a pleasant and a comparatively easy one. For -interesting details and incidents coming under their personal -observation, his best thanks are due to Admiral Lord Charles W. D. -Beresford, C.B.; General Sir Robert Biddulph, G.C.M.G., G.C.B., -lately Governor of Gibraltar; Sir John C. M'Leod, G.C.B.; Colonel R. -K. Bayly, C.B.; Colonel Brickenden; Colonel Gordon J. C. Money; Major -A. G. Duff; Captain Christie, and other of his brother officers who -shared with him the dangers and toil of naval and military service, -in various parts of the world. - -{12} - -He cannot too gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance heartily -given by the Rev. George Wisely, D.D., Malta; the Rev. John -Mactaggart, Edinburgh; and the Rev. Alexander Stirling, York, army -chaplains. Their contributions have been invaluable. - -So fully indeed has material been placed at the author's disposal, -that the volume might have been easily extended beyond its present -limits. But enough, it may be hoped, has been said in illustration -of General Wauchope's career as a soldier, and his character as a -man, to enable his fellow-countrymen to realise that in his lamented -death the nation has lost one of its bravest and best. - - - - -{13} - -CHAPTER I - -THE WAUCHOPES OF NIDDRIE MARISCHAL - - -Andrew Gilbert Wauchope came of a long line of ancestry, who have -distinguished themselves as soldiers, as churchmen, or in the more -commonplace capacity of country gentlemen. - -The family history can be traced back for several centuries at least, -as occupying in the immediate vicinity of Edinburgh the estate of -Niddrie Marischal; and throughout the various troubles in which -Scottish history has been involved, the Lairds of Niddrie had their -fair share, forfeitures and restorations being an experience not -uncommon in their career. - -Glancing over their genealogy, one might almost say with truth that -the Wauchopes have ever been a fighting race, holding opinions -strongly, and as strongly asserting them by word or deed when -occasion arose. - -The very name of their estate has a smack of the military in it, if -it is true, as Celtic scholars say, that 'Niddrie' is derived from -the Gaelic _Niadh_ and _Ri_--signifying, in the British form of -Celtic, the king's champion. Then the addition to the word, as -distinguishing it from several other Niddries in Scotland, of -Marischal, Marishal, or Merschell appears to have been given to the -{14} estate from the fact that the Wauchopes of Niddrie were in early -times hereditary bailies to Keith Lords Marischal, and later, -Marischal-Deputies in Midlothian, in the reign of James v. - -Whether it be true, as stated by Mackenzie in his _Lives of Eminent -Scotsmen_, that the Wauchopes had their first rise in the reign of -Malcolm Caenmore, and that they came from France, we shall not stay -to discuss; but it is generally allowed that the name is a local -patronymic, common in the south of Scotland, and that the Wauchopes -of Niddrie Marischal belonged originally to Wauchopedale in -Roxburghshire, where they were for long vassals of the Earls of -Douglas. - -The records of the earlier generations of the family having been -lost, one cannot with accuracy say who was its founder, or when he -lived. In James the Second's reign, for making an inroad into -England, and again in Queen Mary's time, for espousing the cause of -that unfortunate sovereign, the estate of Niddrie was confiscated and -passed for a time into the hands of others, while the feu-charters -that remained were afterwards destroyed when the English under Oliver -Cromwell came to Scotland. But notwithstanding these misfortunes, -there are documents extant which go to show that as far back as the -time of Robert III., who began to reign in 1390, there was one -Gilbert Wauchope holding the lands of Niddrie from that king, who is -supposed to be the grandson of _Thomas Wauchope in the county of -Edinburgh_, mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296. - -One scion of the family, born about the year 1500, in the reign of -James IV. attained to considerable distinction as an ecclesiastic. -This was Robert, the famous Archbishop of Armagh, a younger son of -Archibald, the Laird of Niddrie. Defective in his vision almost to -blindness, he was, {15} notwithstanding this misfortune, possessed of -great natural abilities, and by diligent study attained to high and -varied accomplishments. So proficient did he become in the study of -the Scriptures, the Fathers, and the Councils, that he was appointed -Doctor of Divinity in the University of Paris; and in 1535, having -attracted the notice of Pope Paul III., he was called to Rome, and -employed by him as legate to the Emperor of Germany and the King of -France, in both of which commissions he is said to have exhibited the -highest qualifications as an ambassador. Some time after he was -promoted to be Archbishop of Armagh, in Ireland. There he laboured -with incredible pains to enlighten the ignorant natives, travelling -about his diocese, and often preaching to them four or five times a -week. Archbishop Wauchope found scope for his great talents at the -Council of Trent. This famous council, called together by the Pope -to counteract the influence of the Reformation initiated by Luther in -Germany, met in March 1544, and continued its sittings till 1551. -The archbishop not only took a part in its proceedings, but wrote a -full account of them, a labour which, however, proved too much for -his strength, for he died at Paris on his way home on 9th November -1551. He appears to have been held by his contemporaries in high -admiration. Lesley says: 'Such was his judgment in secular affairs, -that few of his age came near him,' and in his capacity as legate 'he -acquitted himself so well that every one admired his wit, judgment, -and experience.' - -Sir James Ware, speaking of him in a similar strain, and alluding, -like Lesley, to his having been born blind, says: 'He was sent legate -_a latere_ from the Pope to Germany, from whence came the German -proverb, "a blind legate to the sharp-sighted Germans."' - -{16} - -[Sidenote: Some ancestors] - -Robert's elder brother, Gilbert Wauchope, was meanwhile Laird of -Niddrie, acquiring more property, extending his borders, and getting -himself involved in the local feuds peculiar to the time of James V.; -that king on one occasion, April 1535, having to grant a letter of -protection in favour of him 'and his wife and bairns' against Sir -Patrick Hepburn of Wauchtonne and thirty-four others for 'umbesetting -the highway for his slaughter.' In this quarrel, even the Pope was -called upon to interfere in the interest of peace and safety. In -1539 Paul III. put forth a mandate to the Dean of the Church of -Restalrig, stating that a beloved son, a noble man, Gilbert Wauchope, -lord in temporals of the place of Niddriffmarschall, within the -diocese of St. Andrews, had represented to the Pope that some sons of -iniquity, whom he was altogether ignorant of, had wickedly brought -many and heavy losses upon the said Gilbert Wauchope by concealing -the boundaries and limits or marches of the piece of land or place -called Quhitinche, feued to him by the Abbot and Convent of the -Monastery of the Holy Cross (Holyrood).... Therefore the Pope -intrusted to the discretion of the said Venerable Dean and Commissary -to admonish publicly in churches, before the people, ... all holders, -etc., and to discover and restore these to the said Gilbert Wauchope -or to the Abbot of the Monastery, under a general sentence of -excommunication against these persons, till suitable satisfaction was -made. - -But the Reformation brought many changes, upsetting the laws, -customs, and opinions held sacred for centuries. The sons no longer -walked in the ways of their fathers, but began to think for -themselves. And so we find that Gilbert, the son of the laird who -had sought and obtained protection from the Pope, renounced the Pope -and took {17} an active part in promoting the Reformation. He was -present at Knox's first sermon at St. Andrews in 1547. And at the -conference of notables that afterwards was held, where Knox and his -preaching were fully discussed, and Wauchope was asked what he -thought of the Reformer, 'this answer gave the Laird of Nydre--"a man -fervent and uprycht in religioun."' This Gilbert Wauchope of Niddrie -was a member of the famous Parliament, held at Edinburgh in August -1560, by which the Reformation was established. - -Later on we have a George Wauchope, a celebrated Professor of Civil -Law at Caen, in Normandy, who was a grandson of Gilbert, and who in -1595, when he was about twenty-five years of age, wrote _A Treatise -concerning the Ancient People of Rome_. - -But the early Wauchopes were a wonderfully varied class of men, who -could take their share of fighting when necessary; and towards the -close of the sixteenth century their feuds, their 'slauchters,' and -political partisanship well-nigh led to their extinction. The feuds -with the neighbouring Hepburns and Edmonstons were the occasion of -many unhappy conflicts, while their adhesion to the cause of Queen -Mary for a time brought ruin on the family. Professor Aytoun, in his -poem of 'Bothwell,' referring to Bothwell's attempt to intercept the -Queen on her way from Stirling and carry her to Dunbar Castle, says:-- - - 'Hay, bid the trumpets sound the march, - Go, Bolton, to the van; - Young Niddrie follows with the rear; - Set forward every man.' - - -The estate of Niddrie is quite close to Craigmillar Castle, where -Mary frequently resided, and in all {18} probability the fascination -of her character brought the Wauchopes into frequent contact with -her, and led them to espouse her cause when many of the leaders of -the Scottish nobility had declared against her. We find, therefore, -that Robert Wauchope and his son Archibald are mentioned in the -'charge agains personis denuncit rebellis' in June 1587. This -Archibald appears to have been a youth of wonderful pugnacity, and to -have got himself continually involved in trouble with the authorities -for breaches of the peace, out of which he as often extricated -himself, with no little cleverness. Once, in 1588, for an attempted -'slauchter' of 'umquhile James Giffert, and Johne Edmonston,' the -adjoining laird, he was arrested, tried, and warded in the Tolbooth -of Edinburgh; but 'no pardoun being granted' by the king, 'and about -a thousand persouns in the Tolbuith waiting upon the event, the -candles were put furth about ellevin houres at night, and Nidrie and -his complices escaped out at the windowes.' It is a curious -reflection upon the Wauchopes of this time that their name should be -associated with the wild Clan Gregor of Perthshire as disturbers of -the peace. King James VI. was married in 1590 to the Princess Anne -of Denmark. On the 1st May the king and queen landed at Leith, amid -a great concourse of loyal subjects, 'and with volleys of cannon, and -orations in their welcome.' James had been absent from Scotland more -than six months, and it was remarked at the time, and came to be -memorable afterwards, that these months were a time of universal -peace and good order in Scotland. 'The only notable exceptions,' -according to Spottiswood, 'had been a riot in Edinburgh by Wauchope -of Niddry, and an outbreak of the Clan Gregor in Balquhidder.' - -In connection with this, we find Wauchope charged {19} by the Privy -Council (7th January 1590), 'along with all other keepers of the -places and fortalices of Rossyth and Nudry,' to deliver the same to -the officer executing these letters, within six hours after charge, -under penalty of treason; the said officer to fence the goods and -rents belonging to Wauchope, which are ordered to remain under arrest -at the instance of the King's Treasurer, 'aye and quhill he be tryit -foule or clene of sic crymes quharof he is dilaitet.' - -[Sidenote: Attack on Holyroodhouse] - -Not to mention other scrapes of a similar kind, Archibald Wauchope -was implicated in the attack on the palace of Holyroodhouse, 27th -December 1591, and for this and other misdemeanours he was forfeited, -along with the Earl of Bothwell and others, and had to leave the -country for a time. He afterwards came to an untimely end by falling -from a window in Skinner's Close in Edinburgh, about the year 1596. - -It was apparently about this period that the old house or tower of -Niddrie Marischal--'so commodious that it could garrison a hundred -men'--was destroyed by the enemies of the family. - -For some years the estate was in the hands of Sir James Sandilands of -Slamannan, until 1608, when, through the good graces of James VI., it -was restored to Francis, son of Archibald Wauchope, a restitution -which was confirmed by Act of Parliament in 1609. Francis (usually -styled Sir Francis Wauchope) appears to have done a good deal for the -estate, but his son, Sir John Wauchope, may be regarded as the chief -restorer of the house of Niddrie. He was frugal in his living, and -he added several adjoining properties to the estate by purchase, and -received the honour of knighthood from Charles I. on his visit to -Scotland in 1633. He was an intimate friend of the {20} notorious -Duke of Lauderdale in their younger days, living with him, and spoken -of as 'his bed-fellow.' - -Sir John exercised great judgment in the management of his affairs; -so much so, that in 1661 he acquired by purchase the border estate of -Yetholm or Lochtour, in Roxburghshire, which has remained in the -family ever since. He was present in London at the coronation of -Charles II.; in 1663 he was elected a member of the Scottish -Parliament, and one of the Committee for the Plantation of Kirks; and -in 1678 was a member of the Convention of Estates. - -Other lairds appear in succession as the years rolled on. There are -Williams, Andrews, Gilberts, Roberts, following one another as the -leaves succeed in the spring to those that have fallen in the autumn, -but it is not our purpose to follow their story. One fought and fell -at Killiecrankie with Viscount Dundee in 1689; another fought for the -Stuarts at the Revolution, and afterwards rose to high command in the -French and Spanish services; and though the Wauchopes took no active -part in the Stuart risings of 1715 and 1745, their sympathies were -all for the exiled race. - -In Niddrie House there are to be seen full-length portraits of -Charles I. and his queen; four small half-lengths of the Chevalier -and his consort, and their two sons, Prince Charles Edward and the -Cardinal York, as boys. These are understood to have been forwarded -direct from the Chevalier himself to the Niddrie family as an -acknowledgment of their loyalty, and the assistance--pecuniary and -otherwise--which the royal line of Stuart had received at their hands. - -[Sidenote: A 'Minden' hero] - -To come to more recent times, we find that Andrew Wauchope of -Niddrie--the great-grandfather of the subject {21} of our sketch, -born about the year 1736--was a captain in the First Regiment of -Dragoon Guards, and fought at the battle of Minden in Westphalia, -where in 1759 the French were defeated by an army of Anglo-Hanoverian -troops. He lived to a good old age, for it was he who was alluded to -by Sir Walter Scott in the ballad written on the occasion of the -visit of George IV. to Scotland in 1822:-- - - Come, stately Niddrie, auld and true, - Girt with the sword that Minden knew; - We have owre few sic lairds as you, - Carle, now the King's come. - -This Andrew Wauchope married, in 1786, Alicia, daughter of William -Baird, Newbyth, and sister of the celebrated Sir David Baird, the -hero of Seringapatam, who a few years afterwards--in 1805--commanded -the expedition to the Cape of Good Hope which, after a decisive -victory over the Dutch, received, on 6th January 1806, the surrender -of the colony to Great Britain. There were nine children of this -marriage, five boys and four girls. The eldest, Andrew, was killed -in 1813 at the battle of the Pyrenees while in command of the 20th -Regiment of Foot, and so the second son, William, succeeded to the -property, old Andrew Wauchope having resigned it in his favour in -1817, retaining for himself the liferent. - -William Wauchope, who had the year before married Elizabeth, eldest -daughter of Robert Baird of Newbyth, and niece of the then -Marchioness of Breadalbane, was a lieutenant-colonel in the army. -Curiously enough, William's younger brother, Admiral Robert Wauchope, -was stationed at Cape Town at the beginning of the century, where he -resided for many years with his wife. They knew the Dutch well, and -were on the most friendly terms with both Dutch and English settlers -in the colony. - -{22} - -William Wauchope died in 1826, leaving a family of two, the eldest of -whom, Andrew Wauchope, born in 1818, being then a minor, succeeded to -the property. His sister, Hersey Susan Sydney, was married in 1842 -to George Elliot, captain, Royal Navy, eldest son of the Hon. Admiral -Elliot. Andrew Wauchope, the father of the subject of our memoir, -was for a time in the army--an officer in the dragoons; but, being of -a delicate constitution, he retired after his marriage to reside at -Niddrie, where he was long known and respected as a kind and -indulgent landlord, ever ready to give a helping hand to his tenants -or to religious and philanthropic objects. He did a great deal -towards completing the extensive improvements begun by his father on -the house and grounds of Niddrie. - -The newer part of the house, forming the north-east wing, was erected -by William Wauchope about seventy-five years ago. It contains some -handsome apartments, and it is interesting to note that the -celebrated Hugh Miller, when a lad, was employed (in 1823) as a mason -at the work, and is said to have carved a number of the ornamental -chimneys which form a distinctive feature of a most picturesque -edifice. What the father began, the son ultimately completed. The -park was extended, new approaches and avenues were formed, lodges -erected, and gardens and vineries laid out--the whole place being -transformed into one of the most beautiful country seats to be found -in the county of Midlothian. These somewhat extensive works, resumed -by the father of the General about the year 1850, were steadily -carried on year by year until his death, 22nd November 1874, for he -took much pride in the work, and made it his life hobby. - -[Sidenote: Sir William Wallace] - -So far this brief genealogy of General Wauchope's family has been -traced through the male line, but it would be {23} incomplete and -lacking in public interest, did we not also refer to his descent on -the female side from the family of Sir William Wallace, the champion -of Scottish freedom. This interesting connection is traced to James -Wauchope, the grandfather of the 'Minden' hero. In 1710 he married -Jane, daughter of Sir William Wallace, Bart, of Craigie, near Ayr, -whose eldest son, Andrew, succeeded his cousin in 1726, and in his -line the property has remained to the present time. - -[Illustration: Niddrie Marishchal, Front View] - -Over the fireplace of the dining-room of Niddrie House there is a -painting on canvas inserted in panelling said to be a portrait of -'Wallace Wight.' It has been in possession of the family for nearly -two hundred years, being mentioned in various inventories of the -property from the year 1707. An interesting notice of it appeared in -James Paterson's _Wallace and his Times_, and the family tradition is -that it is a genuine portrait of the hero, the words inscribed above -the likeness, 'Gvl: Wallas: Scotvs: Host: ivm: Terror,' certainly -giving colour to the supposition. We are more inclined to think, -however, that the portrait represents one of the more immediate -ancestors of the Jane Wallace who brought the connection into the -family--probably Sir William Wallace of Craigie, who distinguished -himself as a loyalist in the civil wars. It certainly came into the -family through the marriage of James Wauchope in 1710 with Jane, -daughter of Sir William Wallace of Craigie, and if it does not -represent the champion of Scottish independence, it is from the same -source as a similar portrait preserved at Priory Lodge, Cheltenham, -in the hands of a descendant of the Craigie-Wallace family. - -It was when he was serving with his regiment at Monaghan, in Ireland, -that the father of General Wauchope first met his future wife, -Frances Maria, daughter of Henry Lloyd of {24} Lloydsburgh, County -Tipperary. They were married on 26th March 1840, and two sons and -two daughters were the issue of the marriage. These were-- - -1. William John Wauchope, born in September 1841. - -2. Harriet Elizabeth Frances, afterwards married to Lord Ventry of -County Kerry, Ireland, by whom she has issue, five sons and four -daughters, of whom her daughter, the Hon Hersey Alice -Eveleigh-De-Moleyne, is the present Countess of Hopetoun. - -3. Andrew Gilbert, the subject of our story, born at Niddrie on 5th -July 1846. - -4. Hersey Josephine Frances Mary, now residing in London. - - -A typical Scotsman, loyal to the backbone to the land of his birth, -Andrew Gilbert Wauchope had always a warm corner in his heart for -Ireland, and was ever ready to acknowledge, and indeed to boast of, -his Irish extraction. Combining as he did much of the canniness of -the Scot with that steady-going determination of purpose and -fearlessness in danger peculiar to his countrymen, he displayed the -Irish side of his character in that generous light-heartedness and -impulsive good nature which often led him into self-denying deeds of -kindness, and now and again into trouble. General Wauchope was, as -we have seen, the heir to no mean family traditions. The record of -the Wauchopes is one of patriotic energy through five or six hundred -years of stirring Scottish history, many of them years of turmoil and -strife; and the warlike spirit of the fathers, as well as their more -peaceful characteristics, may be found not infrequently imaged in -this last scion of the race. - - - - -{25} - -CHAPTER II - -CHILDHOOD--EARLY TENDENCIES--THE 'HOUSEHOLD TROOP'--EDUCATION--NAVAL -TRAINING--THE 'BRITANNIA'--THE 'ST. GEORGE'--PRINCE ALFRED. - - -General Wauchope's boyhood was spent mostly at Niddrie, with -occasional short visits in summer to the other property of the family -at Yetholm, among the pastoral Cheviot hills. - -A high-spirited, frolicsome boy, delighting in the open air and every -kind of outdoor sport, 'Andy,' as he was familiarly called, found -scope for his energies in the beautifully wooded park surrounding the -house. Bird-nesting, rabbit-catching, and fishing in the burn which -meanders through the estate, found him an ardent enthusiast, but -often brought him into trouble with his father and mother. His -bird-nesting feats, prosecuted with all the zest of a professional -poacher, often resulted in the dislocation of his clothes, and shoes -and stockings too often betrayed the fact that friendly visits to the -burn were more frequent and prolonged than ought to be. Many a time -Andy was thus in a sore plight. Drenched and torn, he would go to -the kindly gardener's wife, to get the rents in his jacket sewed, his -stockings changed, and his shoes dried, before venturing into the -family presence. In his adventures over the property, the burn was -never a barrier to his {26} progress. It was the same with hedges, -ditches, or stone walls. If he wanted to reach a certain point, he -made a straight road to it over every obstacle. - -[Sidenote: Youthful tendencies] - -But the limits of the park did not always satisfy his roving desires. -He soon made himself acquainted with the surroundings of his home. -Craigmillar Castle was a favourite resort on the one side; the beach -at Portobello gave him a taste for the sea and aquatic exercise; -while the neighbouring little village of Niddrie was not long in -making his acquaintance. Here he was known to every one, for Andy -made himself at home in every cottage; and if the boys stood in some -awe of him, and mothers blamed him for sending their sons home with -their clothes torn, or their noses bleeding, still, for all that, he -was always welcomed among them, sometimes with a 'jeelie' (jelly) -piece or a new-baked scone! - -Many a frolic he and the boys of the village were engaged in, if all -tales were told, and sometimes Andy got credit for more than he -deserved. Boys will be boys, but his boyhood early showed the spirit -of the man, for to have a number of country boys together, and put -them through military drill, was the height of his delight. He was a -born leader, and he doubtless imbibed his love of soldiering from the -frequent opportunities he had of seeing military manoeuvres in the -Queen's Park, or more likely on Portobello sands, where at that time -there was a great deal of drilling, both of the regulars and of the -yeomanry cavalry. That the military instinct revealed itself early -may be gathered from the following:--One day the village dominie, -worthy old Mr. Savage, looking out of the school door across the -road, saw the youthful form of Andy--then about seven or eight years -old--on the top of the high boundary wall of his father's park, which -at that place is {27} nearly nine feet high. 'What are you doing up -there?' shouted the dominie; 'get down at once, you young rascal, or -you'll get killed!' But Andy only waved his hand as he shouted back, -'It's all right, Mr. Savage: I'm only viewing the enemy,' and off he -scampered along the top of the wall! - -Andy's 'household troop' was not a large one, but it sufficed. With -Tom and Jim, the gardener's sons, and their sisters, Jess and Bella, -assisted by a few male and female recruits from among the children of -the other workers, with his sister Fanny and his cousins Elizabeth -and Nina Elliot, now Lady Northesk and Mrs. J. Dacre Butler -respectively--one of whom carried the banner, and another the -drum--the youthful general managed to make a fair show. He drilled -them well, and was naturally very proud of them. One day there -happened to be company at the house. Andy, anxious to display his -forces, marched them up to the front door, and there, seated on his -little black pony 'Donald,' he put them through their facings, to the -great entertainment of the visitors. He was not content with this, -however. He must needs take the place by storm, and so, putting -himself at the head of his troop, he gave the word of command, -'Forward, march!' and actually marched them into the hall, and -through the dining-room to the terrace at the back of the house, -bravely leading them on his pony! - -The ice-house stood in the park not very far from the house. It was -a vaulted chamber covered with turf, forming externally a mound which -made a capital fort. Many a time was it the scene of mimic warfare, -its defence or assault giving splendid scope for the youthful -general's military genius,--brilliant attacks being as brilliantly -defeated without any great loss of life! - -Sometimes 'Andy's' attacks took a wider range, and {28} nocturnal -escapades of a frolicking nature are said to have been not -infrequent. It is told of him that having gathered a few of the -village boys together, they made a raid one night upon the workshop -of the village joiner, and took away a number of odd cart-wheels -lying about in the yard. These they fastened to the doors of some of -the cottages, where they were found next morning, much to the -surprise of the inmates, who had some difficulty in getting egress -from their houses! Nobody, of course, could tell who was to blame; -but, as our informant remarked, 'They a' kent wha did it: it was just -some o' Maister Andra's mischief.' - -One old woman in the village, whose temper was not very good, and who -laboured under the conviction that her hen-house was from time to -time robbed of its roosters, had made herself somewhat obnoxious, and -it was determined to give her a real fright. So one evening, after -all decent folks were supposed to be in bed, Andy and his company -slipped quietly round to the hen-house, and presently there was a -great commotion and cackling among the feathered occupants. The old -lady in her bed heard it all, but was too frightened to come to the -rescue. She was certain, however, that some of her favourite hens -had been taken, and next day she went up to the laird at the big -house to complain, and to ask compensation. Andy was with his father -when the old woman was laying off her story, but betrayed no signs of -his complicity in the transaction, wisely preferring to keep his own -counsel in the matter. Of course the boys had taken none of her -property. They only wanted to play a trick upon her. - -Andy was, however, not a boy who would perpetrate any wilful -mischief, or do anything that would cause pain. He hated cruelty, -and once when he was accused of having {29} killed the cat of an old -servant of the family, who lived as a pensioner in the village, he -heard the accusation with the greatest indignation. Going at once to -Mary's house he strongly asserted his innocence, telling her with all -earnestness, 'I'd rather shoot myself, as shoot your cat, Mary.' - -Very early in life he evinced a strong desire to share in the sport -of the hunting-field. His father would not, however, hear of it, and -refused to allow him to get a proper rig-out. But Master Andrew was -not to be balked in his ambition, for one morning, getting into a -pair of his father's top-boots, many sizes too large for him, and -securing the biggest horse in the stables, he boldly set off for the -hunt. The appearance of such a mite with boots that would scarcely -keep on his feet, on the back of a big hunter, created great laughter -among the county gentry at the meet. - -[Sidenote: Early education] - -During these early years of Wauchope's life, so free from restraint, -his education was being carried on at home under a tutor. At the age -of eleven he was sent to a school at Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, but -he did not remain there very long. He had a hankering for active -life, and specially for the sea. It was accordingly resolved to -prepare him for entering the navy as a midshipman, and he was sent to -Foster's School, Stubbington House, Gosport. His experience here was -also a short one, and was marked by an incident characteristic of his -spirit of adventure and faithfulness to obligations; though in this -case we must say the latter virtue was rather misapplied, and it -might well be said 'his faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.' The -boys at Foster's, evidently wanting to vary the monotony of school -life--perhaps none of the brightest--thought it would be a good lark -if one would run away from the school, and they resolved to draw lots -who it {30} should be. The lot fell upon young Andy Wauchope, and, -like the loyal lad he was, he resolutely stuck to the agreement and -ran off from the school, but of course he was promptly brought back -by his people, and no doubt received the just reward of his frolic! - -He used to say long afterwards that he had only been at two schools -when he was a boy. 'At one of them he was said to be the best boy in -the school, but at the other he was the very worst!' - -With what would now be considered a very inadequate training, young -Wauchope was on the 10th September 1859 entered as a naval cadet on -board Her Majesty's ship _Britannia_, there to pick up in the rough -school of a sailor's life that knowledge of the world, and -particularly of his naval duties, which books and schooling had -denied him. At the same time, though deprived of the advantages of -Eton or Harrow, or any of the Scottish Universities, he had a much -better gift than education--an immense natural shrewdness, and a -persevering application, which afterwards made him a good French and -German scholar. Among his shipmates on the _Britannia_ he was a -general favourite. He was only thirteen years of age, but appears to -have been a plucky little fellow, full of life and fun, and quite -capable of standing up for himself, or for a friend if need be; and -in the thirteen months of his service in the ship he made several -lifelong friendships. Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, writing to us -of that period, mentions that he and Wauchope joined the navy about -the same time. 'I remember,' he says, 'our chests were close -together in the _Britannia_. We separated when we went to sea, but -we never lost the friendship we formed in the _Britannia_. We met -often in different parts of the world, and I always {31} found him -the same sterling, honest, strong, and chivalrous friend, whose -splendid characteristics had so impressed me as a boy. I have always -regarded his friendship for me with sentiments of pride. He was very -proud of being a Scotsman, and being an Irishman myself, we had many -arguments--as boys will have--as to which nation possessed the most -interesting personalities. We agreed cordially on every other point, -but never once on this. The nation has lost one of its best in poor -Andy Wauchope.' There are doubtless others of his _Britannia_ -shipmates surviving who could give similar testimony. - -[Sidenote: Enters the Navy] - -On the 5th October 1860, Wauchope received his discharge from the -_Britannia_, and was entered as a midshipman on board H.M.S. _St. -George_, and he mentions himself with what pride and satisfaction he -found himself on that autumn day walking down the main street of -Portsmouth in his new uniform to join the _St. George_. 'It was one -of the happiest days of my life,' he says; 'a day in which I felt -myself identified as an officer in Her Majesty's service, more -particularly as on the way down to the harbour I was met and saluted -by one of the marines.' - -The _St. George_ was manned by eight hundred men, and in 1860 was -considered a well-equipped vessel, and as compared with the days of -Nelson and Collingwood showed a great advance in naval strength and -efficiency. At Trafalgar the biggest gun in the whole British fleet -was only a fifty-six pounder, but the _St. George_ had in addition to -a number of that calibre several sixty-eight pounders, while her -speed of ten knots an hour was considered highly satisfactory. -Though these equipments would not bear comparison with present-day -standards, the young midshipman was proud of his ship and proud of -the service, and in after years could with no little exultation {32} -honestly say that, 'though armaments had changed, the hearts of oak -remained as of yore; while the old red rag, which had withstood the -battle and the breeze for a thousand years, was still able to claim -the allegiance of its people.' - -[Sidenote: H.R.H. Prince Alfred] - -Wauchope's commanding officer on board the _St. George_ was Captain -the Hon. Francis Egerton--whose son, Commander Egerton, was killed at -Ladysmith in November 1899--and among his brother officers were -H.R.H. Prince Alfred, afterwards the Duke of Edinburgh, and latterly -known as the Duke of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, and Admiral Sir Robert -Harris, now Commander-in-Chief of the Cape of Good Hope station. - -The _St. George_ was commissioned at Portsmouth, and was transferred -to Devonport early in 1861. She was then one of the noblest and most -imposing-looking ships of the service, having the year before been -thoroughly overhauled and converted from a one hundred and twenty gun -ship to one of ninety guns. As a three-decker sailing ship she was -considered one of the finest fighting vessels afloat, and her -conversion to a steamship of the line had been attended with the most -successful results. She was selected by Prince Albert for his son, -the youthful Prince Alfred, who joined her as a midshipman a few -months after Wauchope--on the 16th January 1861--as she lay in -Plymouth Sound, under orders for a cruise to the British North -American Stations and the West India Islands. - -The greater part of the year seems to have been spent in and about -Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, which became a centre for -cruises in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Canadian ports. We have -it on the authority of several of those who were midshipmen with the -Prince, that they were a jovial, happy company, all on the most -friendly {33} terms with one another. The Prince, who was very fond -of 'Andy,' as he was always called, showed him particular friendship, -and the affection which as boys and shipmates they formed then -continued more or less in later years. - -The Prince came back to England in the month of August to spend a -short holiday with his parents at Balmoral, but rejoined his ship, -which was lying at Halifax, in October. His return was welcomed by -his mates and by the citizens of that town; and the Governor, the -Earl of Mulgrave, entertained His Royal Highness and the officers of -the _St. George_ at a state dinner on the eve of their departure for -a cruise to Bermuda. Among the sunny islands of the South the ship -and her crew were everywhere received with the utmost enthusiasm, the -black and white population alike vying with each other in their -demonstrations of loyalty; but the sudden death of the Prince Consort -at the end of December compelled the return home for a time of Prince -Alfred, who left his ship at Halifax on receipt of the sad news, with -every expression of sympathy from his brother officers. In the -spring of 1862 Wauchope's ship paid another visit to the West India -Islands, taking up her station for some weeks with other six ships of -the line at Bermuda, where the young 'middies' were entertained to a -continued round of amusements and excursions. - -A seafaring life, if often one of risks and toil, has its seasons of -enforced idleness. Midshipmen's amusements and practical jokes are -proverbial, and the quarter-deck of the _St. George_ was not always -free of them. Many pranks were played upon one another in idle hours -by these sprightly young officers, leading sometimes to reprimands by -their superiors; and young Andy Wauchope did not {34} always escape -the suspicion that he was an active leader in such ploys. It has -even been hinted that he had on one occasion the pluck--or, shall we -say, audacity?--to have a stand-up fight with the Queen's son. We do -not vouch for the story; but of this we are certain, that, if he had -a just cause of quarrel, he was not the boy to let even the prestige -of royalty stand between him and the punishment due to the aggressor, -whoever he might be. - -Some years afterwards, in the winter of 1863-64, when Prince Alfred -resided at Holyrood Palace, and was a student of Edinburgh -University, he paid a friendly visit to his old shipmate at Niddrie, -spending the day in pigeon-shooting. He and a number of his friends -arrived in the forenoon on horseback, and the identity of the party -not having been made known to the keeper of the Niddrie toll, through -which they had to pass to reach the house, he peremptorily insisted -upon payment. But being told that it was the Queen's son going to -see the laird, his loyalty so much got the better of him that he -would not take a copper. - -After luncheon the party adjourned to the park to have some shooting. -Mr. Wauchope, 'Andy's' father, was with them, and was persuaded to -try a shot, but unfortunately the piece went off in his hand before -he could take aim, and one of the footmen in attendance was hit in -the arm by the charge. Mr. Wauchope was so distressed over the -accident that he vowed he would never again take a gun in his hand. - -[Illustration: ANDREW WAUCHOPE, Midshipman, Age 14.] - -But it was not in the navy that young Wauchope was destined to -distinguish himself. It has been said that the severity and even -harshness of the naval discipline gave him a distaste of the service, -and drove him from it. Possibly some remarks he made on one occasion -as to his {35} having been unjustly punished for some petty offence -may have given some colour to this supposition. We rather incline to -accept the explanation of a brother officer, who asked him afterwards -why he left the navy. His reply was, 'for no reason except that his -father wished him, and that his father desired that he should have a -naval training before he entered the army.' - -[Sidenote: The St. George] - -The experience gained at sea was certainly not lost, for his father's -wisdom furnished him with a dual equipment which in after years was -not infrequently of value. The injustice of the punishment he -received when in the _St. George_, whatever it may have been, -certainly impressed itself upon him to this extent, that later in -life he made it a rule never to punish a soldier until thoroughly -satisfied of his guilt, and he always was inclined to give a man the -benefit of a doubt. - -The _St. George_ returned home in the beginning of July 1862 from her -long cruise in American waters, and with her return young Wauchope -closed his naval career. The official Admiralty record simply states -that 'on the 3rd of July 1862 Midshipman Wauchope was discharged from -the service at his own request, in order that he might qualify for -the army.' His whole naval experience, therefore, covered a period -of scarcely three years, but it gave him a knowledge of men and -things, and a knowledge of the world, better, perhaps, than any study -of books could afford. - - - - -{36} - -CHAPTER III - -ENTERS THE ARMY--THE BLACK WATCH--ASHANTI WAR--RETURN HOME--BANQUET -AT PORTOBELLO. - - -Young Wauchope had not long to wait for a commission. At that time -positions in the army could only be got by purchase and strong -influence, but he was fortunate in being enrolled as ensign, in -November 1865, in the 42nd Highlanders, one of the most popular and -distinguished of Scottish regiments, and familiarly known as the -'Black Watch.' He was only nineteen years of age at the time when he -joined the regiment at Stirling Castle, and is described by one of -his superiors as then 'a merry, rollicking lad, full of life and -fun.' 'Andy,' as he used to be called by the officers, and 'Red -Mick' more frequently by the men, was a general favourite; and, -notwithstanding his natural lightness of heart, he had soundness of -brain and judgment enough to know that promotion would only come to -him by diligent study and close application to his profession. His -commanding officer, Sir John M'Leod, appears, at all events, to have -been struck with the young man's energy of character and -indefatigable 'go,' for he describes him as at that time 'a -particularly energetic young lad, who thought nothing of walking from -Stirling to Niddrie to see his old father whenever he could get a few -days' leave at a week-end.' This, he explains, was not {37} at all -from motives of economy, 'but merely to walk off superfluous energy.' -Assiduous in the matter of drill, Wauchope soon became as proficient -as his instructor, for he took a thorough pleasure in the exercise. -The innate smartness and recklessness of the red-polled ensign at -once endeared him to a grave old Crimean drill-sergeant, who -forthwith charged himself with his training. Concerning this latest -accession to the commissioned strength of the Black Watch, the man of -stripes was wont to say--'That red-headed Wauchope chap will either -gang tae the deil, or he'll dee Commander-in-Chief!' - -[Sidenote: The Black Watch] - -Though the worthy sergeant's prediction has in neither case been -verified, young Wauchope, though at first inclined to consider his -superiors a trifle slow, soon fell into the steady sober ways of the -42nd, then as now noted for the gentlemanly conduct of its officers, -and the upright character of its rank and file. 'Step out, -shentlemens; step out. You're all shentlemens here; if you're not -shentlemens in the Black Watch, you'll not be shentlemens anywhere.' -Such was the opinion of their old Highland sergeant as he put them -through their drill. We have been told that at that time one might -be a year among the officers and never hear an oath uttered, while -smoking and drinking were scarcely known. Wauchope was thus -fortunate in being, at a critical period of his life, associated with -men who shunned what was vulgar, and whose influence over him was for -good. In military matters he early manifested the inquiring mind. -Points in drill or tactics, which he might not at first understand, -set him thinking, and he would not rest till he got an explanation of -their meaning and object. Captain Christie, then adjutant of the -Black Watch, lately governor of Edinburgh Prison, was early taken -into the young ensign's {38} confidence in difficulties of this kind. -Having been through the hard fighting and the terrible scenes of the -Indian Mutiny, the captain was made frequently to 'fight his battles -o'er again,' explaining the methods and tactics by which decisive -results were attained in the various engagements. Never what may be -called a great reader of books, Wauchope had two, however, placed in -his hand by his adjutant when in Stirling Castle, which he studied -assiduously. These two books--Macaulay's _Essays_ and Burke's -_French Revolution_--he read and re-read, borrowing them several -times, and there is little doubt that the perusal of them made a deep -and lasting impression upon his mind, going a long way towards the -formation of that strong political sagacity, administrative ability -in civil affairs, and military genius which were displayed on many -occasions in his after-life. - -In 1867 Wauchope went to Hythe, where he passed in the Military -School of Instruction first-class in musketry, and in June of that -year was promoted to be lieutenant. So proficient was he found in -the matter of drill that, in spite of his youth, he was appointed to -the important position of adjutant to the regiment in 1870, though -still retaining the rank of lieutenant, a position which he held with -the utmost credit for the next three years. During this time he -served successively with the 42nd in garrison duty at Edinburgh, -Aldershot, and Devonport. - -Leaving Edinburgh in 1869 by the transport _Orontes_, from Granton to -Portsmouth, the regiment reached Aldershot camp on the 12th November, -and was stationed there for two and a half years. After taking a -part in the Autumn Manoeuvres at Dartmoor in August 1873, they were -stationed for a few months at the Clarence Barracks, Portsmouth. His -duties during all these years were of the {39} most arduous and -trying description, but his singularly lovable and attractive nature -made him so many friends that difficulties disappeared before his -cheerful countenance. Speaking of this period in his career, Colonel -Bayly, afterwards his commanding officer, says--'It was very early in -his subaltern career that Wauchope was voted for the appointment of -adjutant, and he made one of the best that had ever been appointed. -His charm of disposition enabled him to gain the love of his men, -whilst his tact and firmness enabled him to enforce the necessary -discipline.' - -[Sidenote: Ashanti war] - -On the outbreak of the Ashanti war on the west coast of Africa in the -autumn of 1873, young Lieutenant Wauchope found his first -opportunity, in active foreign service, of showing the metal of which -he was made. - -The king of Ashanti--Koffee Kalcallee--the head of a strong warlike -kingdom on the north of the Gold Coast, had long asserted his -authority over the neighbouring provinces of Akim, Assin, Gaman, and -Denkira, down to the very coast where the Dutch and English had -settlements. The transfer, in 1872, of the Dutch possessions -adjoining Cape Coast Castle to Great Britain for certain commercial -privileges, gave King Koffee of Ashanti the opportunity for asserting -what he considered his lawful authority over the Fantees or adjoining -coast tribe. This, however, was only a covert excuse for striking a -blow at British rule on the Gold Coast, and in January 1873 an army -of 60,000 warriors--and the Ashantis, though cruel, are brave and -warlike--was in full march upon Cape Coast Castle and Elmina. The -British force on the spot under Colonel Harley was only a thousand -men, mainly West India troops and Haussa police, with a few marines; -and though the neighbouring friendly tribes, whose interest it {40} -was to remain under the British protectorate, raised a large -contingent for their own defence, this was a force that could not be -relied on. By the month of April the Ashantis had crossed the river -Prah, the southern limit of their kingdom, and were within a few -miles of Cape Coast Castle, and matters were looking serious. With -the aid of a small reinforcement of marines, the enemy were -fortunately kept at bay until the 2nd October, when a strong force -arrived from England, which turned the tide against King Koffee, and -ultimately swept him and his warriors back upon his capital. This -expedition, under Major-General Sir Garnet Wolseley, with his staff -and a body of five hundred sailors and marines, not only held their -own, but by the end of November, after much hard preliminary work, -had forced the king to retreat to Kumasi. Wolseley, finding the -expedition a more arduous one than was at first expected, had -meantime asked for further reinforcements, and on the 4th December -the Black Watch, accompanied by a considerable number of volunteers -from the 79th, left Portsmouth, arriving on 4th January 1874 at their -destination. Sir Garnet had now at his disposal a force consisting -of the 23rd, 42nd, and 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade, detachments of -Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and Royal Marines, which, with -native levies, formed a small but effective army wherewith to advance -into the enemy's country. - -This was no light task, more especially when the dangerous nature of -the climate is taken into account, and the necessity there was that -the enterprise should be accomplished, if at all, before the rainy -season, with all its concomitant malaria, set in. To pierce into the -heart of a country like Ashanti, with its marshes and matted forests, -its pathless jungles and fetid swamps, with a {41} cunning foe ever -dogging their steps, was the service imposed on this brave little -army of British. As Lord Derby remarked at the time, this was to be -'an engineers' and doctors' war.' Roads had to be made, bridges -built, telegraphs set up, and camps formed. But by the energy and -skill of General Wolseley, ably supported by such men as Captain (now -Sir) Redvers Buller, Colonel (afterwards Sir John) N'Neil, -Lieut.-Colonel (afterwards Sir Evelyn) Wood, Colonel (now Sir John) -M'Leod, and others who have since risen to distinction in the army, -the enterprise was successfully and brilliantly accomplished within a -month. The Ashantis were forced back upon their own territory in a -number of engagements, until at last their capital was seized and -burned to the ground. - -[Sidenote: Wauchope's black boys] - -Lieutenant Wauchope's share in this expedition was highly creditable -to his bravery and military skill. Accompanying Sir Garnet Wolseley -at an early stage of the struggle, as one of the staff, he resigned -his adjutantship of the Black Watch, and was afterwards fortunate in -obtaining special employment as a commander of one of the native -regiments formed at Cape Coast Castle, namely, Russell's regiment of -Haussas, the Winnebah Company. To form such crude material into a -well-disciplined body of soldiers seemed at first a well-nigh -hopeless undertaking. Their fear made cowards of them all. The very -sight of a gun terrified them, and for long they held their arms in -such superstitious dread, that they would hang them up in the trees -and actually worship them. But Wauchope's admirable drilling -qualifications stood him in good stead. He took, we are told, a -great pride in the training of his 'black boys,' as he called them, -and infused into them much of his own daring spirit. This -appointment separated him for a time from his own regiment, but on -{42} the Black Watch arriving afterwards at the Gold Coast, he had -frequent opportunities of fighting by their side. - -In the advanced guard, the 42d Regiment and Russell's Haussas, under -Colonel M'Leod, having crossed the Adansi hills, reached Prah-su on -the 30th January, and occupied a position about two miles from the -Ashanti main position at Amoaful. Surmounting innumerable -difficulties, and carrying all before them, the Highlanders by their -dash and intrepidity were a splendid example to those led by -Wauchope, who sometimes had difficulty in inspiring his men with -courage enough to face their much-dreaded enemy. In scouting and -clearing the ground his men were, however, invaluable, and if we -consider the dense undergrowth that covered the country traversed, -this was a work of great importance. By one traveller we are told -'the country hereabout (at Amoaful) is one dense mass of brush, -penetrated by a few narrow lanes, where the ground, hollowed by -rains, is so uneven and steep at the sides as to give scanty footing. -A passenger between the two walls of foliage may wander for hours -before he finds that he has mistaken the path. To cross the country -from one narrow clearing to another, axes and knives must be used at -every step. There is no looking over the hedge in this oppressive -and bewildering maze.' It was in such a position as this that the -battle of Amoaful was fought. The enemy's army was never seen in -open order, but its numbers are reported by Ashantis to have been -from fifteen to twenty thousand. After a stubborn day's fight in the -entanglement of the forest, the Ashantis were finally defeated with -great loss. - -[Sidenote: Attack on Kumasi] - -On the 1st February, the day following this important engagement, -orders were issued for an attack upon Becquah, towards which Captain -Buller and Lord Gifford {43} scouted at daybreak. The attack was -intrusted to Sir Archibald Alison, who had under his orders the Naval -Brigade, one gun and one rocket detachment, Rait's Artillery, -detachment of Royal Engineers, with labourers, 23rd Fusiliers, five -companies of 42nd Highlanders, and Russell's regiment of Haussas, -with scouts. This force was divided into an advanced guard and main -body, and Wauchope was again honoured with the post of danger, his -regiment of Haussas being in the advanced guard along with the Naval -Brigade and Rail's Artillery, all under the command of Colonel -M'Leod. After a toilsome march through the bush under a tropical -sun, the town of Becquah was reached, and a sharp but decisive -engagement took place, the main brunt of which fell upon Lord -Gifford's scouts and the Haussas. Still pressing on, the intrepid -little army, through many mazy trampings, arrived at Jarbinbah, every -inch of the ground being disputed by the enemy. Here Wauchope was -wounded in the chest by a slug fired down upon him from one of the -tall trees in the swampy ground in front of an ambuscade; but, -serious enough though it was, and causing much loss of blood, it did -not prevent him sticking to his post and looking after his 'black -boys.' After this battle King Koffee sent in a letter to Sir Garnet -Wolseley, with vague promises of an indemnity, hoping to prevent the -invading army approaching his capital; but his previous -prevarications did not admit of his tardy proposals being for a -moment entertained. The king, realising this, resolved to dispute -the passage of the river Ordah. The stream was about fifty feet -wide, and waist-deep, and the enemy, to the number of at least 10,000 -men, were posted on the further side. Russell's regiment of Haussas -was, on the afternoon of the 3rd February, at once passed to the -other side of the stream as a covering party to the Engineers, who -{44} were ordered to throw over a bridge. They rapidly made -entrenchments, and cleared the ground on the north side, so that the -whole advanced guard might successfully cross. In this affair -Lieutenant Wauchope acquitted himself with much coolness and bravery, -notwithstanding his wounded state, Colonel M'Leod reporting the -regiment as 'being in front the whole day, and having behaved with -remarkable steadiness under trying circumstances, _reserving their -fire_ with remarkable self-control.' This shows a decided -improvement in the discipline of Wauchope's 'black boys' from a -former despatch, where their firing was characterised as 'wild.' By -daybreak on the morning of the 4th February the bridge over the Ordah -was completed, amid drenching rain, which had continued all night, -and the whole available force was successfully passed over in spite -of the vigorous resistance of the Ashantis, who, with drums beating -and great shouting, were endeavouring to circle round the British. -'For the first half-mile from the river the path rose tolerably -even,' says one report; 'then after a rapid descent it passed along a -narrow ridge with a ravine on each side; dipped again deeply, and -then finally rose into the village. To the south-west of the -village, extending almost to the village itself, and for a -considerable distance along the road, the enemy had made a clearing -of several acres, by cutting down a plantain-grove. Colonel M'Leod -steadily advanced along the main road under cover of a gun, after a -few rounds from which the Rifles made a corresponding advance; then -the gun was brought up again, and another advance made; and in this -manner the village was at last reached and carried.' The Ashantis -fought well, and with a vigour and pertinacity which won the praise -and admiration of the Highlanders. The soldiers were put to their -mettle, and even the Haussas, as if {45} catching the fierce courage -of the Scotsmen, laboured with vigour and energy not eclipsed by any -in the field. The dislodgment of the enemy was not effected, -however, without considerable loss, Lieutenant Eyre being killed, -while Wauchope received a second severe wound, this time on the -shoulder. - -[Sidenote: Kumasi captured] - -The battle virtually decided the fate of Kumasi and King Koffee. On -the news of the defeat of his army the king fled, no one knew -whither, and the victorious General Wolseley, with his troops, -entered the blood-stained capital in the evening. Attempts were made -to negotiate with the king. He preferred to keep in hiding, and -after two days' stay in his capital in order, if possible, to compel -him to come to terms, it was at length resolved to destroy the place -and at once retire to Cape Coast Castle. Kumasi was burned to the -ground on the 6th February, and the British troops having -accomplished their purpose retraced their steps, and notwithstanding -the swollen state of the rivers--for the rainy season had just set -in--their destination was reached in twelve days. No time was lost -in getting the troops out of the influence of the deadly climate, and -accordingly by the 4th March the whole expeditionary force was -embarked for home. - -Wauchope's wounds, thanks to a good constitution, readily healed, and -by the time of his arrival at Portsmouth he was fairly convalescent, -though every effort made to extract the slug had been unsuccessful. -He left his favourite Haussas--his 'black boys'--with every -manifestation of regret, at Cape Coast Castle. Nor was the regret -only on his side, for we learn from one of his brother officers that -'they looked up to him as a father, and would willingly have followed -him through any danger, even to death itself.' - -{46} - -[Sidenote: Home again] - -For his conspicuous bravery in the various engagements in Ashanti, -Sir Garnet Wolseley's despatches brought Wauchope under the -favourable notice of the Government, and he was awarded the Ashanti -medal and clasp. On the return of the troops, they were received -with the utmost enthusiasm, commanders and men being fêted and -thanked, both at Cape Coast Castle and in England, for their -brilliant services. The expedition entered Portsmouth in March 1874, -with loud demonstrations of welcome, the Black Watch especially -coming in for a large share of popular attention. - -Sir Garnet Wolseley had in London and elsewhere a repetition of the -extraordinary reception he and his followers had experienced at Cape -Coast Castle on their triumphal return from Kumasi. - -A civic banquet was given in April by the Lord Mayor of London in the -Egyptian Hall, at which nearly three hundred guests sat down, -including nearly all the officers of the expedition. Among those -present were the Prince of Wales, Prince Arthur, the Duke of -Cambridge, and the Duke of Teck, besides a number of members of the -Cabinet. But although the bulk of the honours naturally fell to Sir -Garnet Wolseley and the senior officers of the expedition, and -Wauchope's name scarcely appears in these public demonstrations, his -friends in Scotland had their eye upon the young lieutenant who had -in a few short months carved out for himself a distinguished -reputation, and had added to the laurels of the house of Niddrie. -The people of Portobello specially determined to show their -appreciation of his gallant services by a public banquet, and though -at first the natural modesty of the young soldier shrank from such a -recognition of his services, after some persuasion he consented. The -{47} banquet took place on the 12th June in the Town Hall. There was -a large gathering of the principal inhabitants. Provost Wood -presided, and was supported by, among others, Sir James Gardiner -Baird, Lord Ventry, and a number of county gentry. - -In proposing the toast of the evening, Provost Wood took occasion to -say:--'We are met to do honour to a soldier who volunteered to serve -on the staff of General Wolseley in the recent war. At that time it -was thought that British troops would not be required, but that the -friendly natives, commanded and disciplined by British officers, -would be able to cope with the savage Ashantis. Lieutenant Wauchope, -on his arrival at the Gold Coast, was appointed one of the officers -of the Haussas--a body of natives who proved themselves superior in -courage and endurance to any of our African allies. Commanded and -led by British officers--the chief being the gallant Lord -Gifford--these troops did much valuable service. They formed the van -of our advancing army, and were frequently engaged in the most severe -and wild fighting. Our guest, in his ardour to see active service, -had voluntarily separated himself from his own regiment. Yet he was -destined to share with them the dangers and glory of the war. The -War Office, finding that the Ashantis were more formidable than was -at first expected, and that our native allies were less to be relied -upon, resolved to send out British troops. This meeting must feel -proud, as an assemblage of Scotsmen, that the 42nd Royal Highlanders -was one of the chosen regiments, and our guest must have felt -gratified when he found he had an opportunity of fighting beside his -own regiment at Amoaful; and at that place, while leading on his -Haussas, our gallant guest was wounded. He did not, however, fall to -the rear, but continued to {48} push forward, and, along with the -glorious 42nd, he entered the now famous city of Kumasi. I need -scarcely recall the events of the campaign--how a very small British -army, with little assistance from native allies, in the course of a -few weeks beat and shattered the enormous Ashanti forces, and -compelled the hitherto unconquered Ashantis to sue for peace, and -give freedom and security to the country round. It has always been -the pride and the pleasure of the people of this country to do honour -to those who have fought and bled for their country's cause, -especially so when that cause is associated, as it was in this -instance, with the spread of civilisation and the prevention and -prohibition of slavery and cruelty. The newspaper reports showed us -that the Lothians had gallant representatives at the Ashanti war, and -the people of Portobello felt proud to see the old and honoured name -of Wauchope prominently noticed. We also felt a desire to give -expression to the sympathy and respect we entertain for the house of -Niddrie by a public demonstration in honour of a young scion of that -house, who has proved that he has within him a dauntless spirit -worthy of his ancient lineage. We desire this evening to -congratulate our guest, that a kind Providence has guarded his life, -and protected him through the imminent risks of a pestilential -climate and the dangers of a wild war; and we hope yet to see -Lieutenant Wauchope rise to that high position in the service which -his talents and abilities so eminently qualify him to fill.' - -[Sidenote: Banquet at Portobello] - -Lieutenant Wauchope's reply was characteristic of the man. He was -not quite so much at his ease, or felt he was in his proper place, as -if he had been at the head of his Haussas. 'He thanked the Provost -for the too flattering words in which he had referred to his -services. He had {49} not deserved such great honour at their hands. -His services as rendered to the State were poor and -insignificant--very much so indeed. But he felt himself standing on -firmer ground when he remembered that he was an officer in the 42nd -Royal Highlanders. He recognised in the entertainment a desire to -mark their appreciation of the conduct of the regiment to which he -had the honour to belong. He had no hesitation in saying that the -42nd deserved well of its country, and he thought that it had added -honour to its history. - -'They were all well aware that the Ashantis had invaded our allies' -country, and had perpetrated many horrible cruelties. Our -representative on the coast sent remonstrances and threats, but these -were all in vain until backed by picked battalions. Two hundred -marines were first sent out. They landed at a most unhealthy season, -and most of them died. Sir Garnet Wolseley then arrived on the -scene, accompanied by British officers, and the result was that the -Ashantis were driven back beyond the river Prah, and within fifteen -miles of Kumasi. On the 4th February, King Koffee gave instructions -to his bodyguard that any man who ran away would have his head cut -off. But even King Koffee himself had to run before the British -bullets. He did not think that the lives that were lost, or the -money that was spent, were given in vain, because it would show those -barbarous nations that the glory of old England was not to be -trampled upon with impunity--that if people would invade our -territory and commit murders and crime, the retribution would be -terrible. The British lion took a long time to rise. He was a grand -old animal in his way; but when he did rise, the vengeance would be -speedy. He believed that the King of Ashanti bitterly regretted the -{50} day that he first invaded the British Protectorate.' He thanked -the company for the high honour they had done him, and concluded with -a few jocular remarks as to his connection with the town and -district. He could assure them, he said, that if fortune should -smile on him, and if on a future occasion he should return from some -campaign as a successful soldier, he should be disappointed if he was -not entertained by them in a similar manner. He was proud of the -district--of the county which gave him birth. He had often said to -himself that he would spend the latter days of his life in -Portobello. It might be that yet he would take the position of a -town councillor of the Burgh. He had no doubt he would make a most -excellent civil magistrate, and be a terror to evil-doers! In -afterwards replying to the toast of the House of Niddrie, Lieutenant -Wauchope referred to the long connection it had with the district, -and 'expressed the hope that as it had never brought dishonour upon -its name, it would never do so in the future. So far as in him lay, -he would always try to sustain its honour.' - -It is perhaps not wise to attach too much importance to after-dinner -speeches, but there is a ring of sincerity of purpose in these last -words, which in the light of after events gives them an importance -they might not otherwise have. Wauchope lived up to his ideal -standard of a chivalrous knight, and nobly upheld the honour of his -name. What Chaucer five hundred years ago wrote of his imaginary -knight, we to-day may say of our real one: - - 'He nevere yit no vileinye ne sayde - In al his lyf, unto no maner wight, - He was a verray perfight gentil knight.' - -{51} - -[Sidenote: Father and son] - -Wauchope's father was unfortunately unable to be present on so -auspicious an occasion on account of the state of his health, but he -was much gratified by this public recognition of his son's services. -The latter, still in indifferent health, with the slug-wounds in his -chest giving him no little trouble, had, however, a long period of -rest, and was much of the time at Niddrie. His attention to his -father was very marked while at home--father and son being frequently -seen arm in arm walking through the grounds. - - - - -{52} - -CHAPTER IV - -DEATH OF WAUCHOPE'S FATHER--ORDERED TO -MALTA--REMINISCENCES--RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS--CYPRUS--APPOINTMENT AS -CIVIL COMMISSIONER OF PAPHO--REMINISCENCES--SIR ROBERT BIDDULPH--THE -SULTAN'S CLAIMS. - - -In November 1874 Wauchope had the misfortune to lose his father, for -whom, especially since the death of his much-loved mother in the -summer of 1858, he had the closest affection, never permitting any -opportunity to pass without visiting the paternal roof. Though Mr. -Andrew Wauchope of Niddrie was only fifty-six when he died, he had -for some years been very much of an invalid, and was latterly unable -to take any active part in public business. He spent much of his -time in and about his house and grounds, taking a considerable -interest in their improvement; but outside he was well known for his -efforts to improve the position of those dependent upon him, and for -his quiet but consistent Christian character. - -He attended for several years before his death the Free Church at -Portobello, then under the ministry of the Rev. Robert Henderson -Ireland. There was no more regular attender of the church than Mr. -Wauchope, who was generally accompanied by one of his daughters, and -by his son Andrew when he happened to be at home, and {53} to the -last the friendship between Mr. Wauchope and his minister was of the -most cordial and kindly nature. We believe he often expressed his -sense of the benefit he derived from sitting under Mr. Ireland's -ministry. - -On Mr. Wauchope's death Lieutenant Wauchope's elder brother, William -John Wauchope, then a Major in the Enniskilling Dragoons, succeeded -to the estates, and in some measure this change altered his -relationship to the old home. It could not now be the same to him as -formerly, though he was on the most friendly terms with his brother, -and not unfrequently spent some of his time at Niddrie and Yetholm. - -There is little doubt that his father's death, coupled with his own -precarious state of health, brought to his mind a deeper conviction -of the seriousness of life, and led to his forming more pronounced -views of religious truth. But Lieutenant Wauchope, having creditably -won his spurs and fought and bled in his country's service, was not -the man to rest upon his laurels. He was ready, notwithstanding -former wounds, for further service when the occasion might arise. - -[Sidenote: Ordered to Malta] - -In November 1875 he again joined his regiment at Malta, where it had -been stationed for nearly a year. His arrival among his old comrades -was the occasion of a cordial welcome at the Floriana barracks, and -he at once threw himself with spirit into the whole work and drill of -the regiment, taking a lively interest in the welfare of the men and -also of their wives and children. A brother officer who was then -also a subaltern, and had joined the regiment at Malta a few months -later, says: 'Wauchope was the "Father of the Subalterns" or senior -Lieutenant, and right well he "fathered" newly joined youngsters, -always ready to help them in any way--lending {54} them ponies to -ride and play polo on. I was always,' he continues, 'associated with -him on the mess committee, and served under him, and what struck one -most about him was the thoroughness with which he tackled whatever -was on hand.' - -As regards the rank and file, he was a very brother to many of them, -as the following from one of the colour-sergeants will -show:--'Lieutenant Wauchope was always a favourite with the men, and -in Malta he took a deep interest in them and did much for them, -always manifesting a kindly sympathy towards any who were married -without leave, or who happened to be involved in any trouble which -entailed a deduction from their pay. On pay-day, while the sergeant -was paying the men, Wauchope would often sit at the table looking on, -and note any who got only a few coppers on account of stoppage for -support of wife and family, or for other reasons. He would quietly -tell them to wait a little till the company was all paid. Then he -would speak to each separately, giving them a word of sympathy or -admonition, along with a piece of money, expressing the hope as he -dismissed them that they would try to do better in the future. This -was so unusual as between officers and men that it had a wonderful -effect upon them.' Even in their recreations and amusements he -showed an interest, and encouraged them in every possible way. 'He -kept a small yacht while at Malta, and he was in the habit of -inviting the sergeants to an afternoon's enjoyment in cruising about -the harbour for an hour or two.' - -[Sidenote: Life in Malta] - -With him, care for his men was his first thought; and in commanding -the G company of the 42nd in Floriana barracks, another of his -sergeants observes 'that even in the hot summer afternoons, when the -men were lying {55} down in their beds, he used regularly to sit on -the barrack-room table lecturing them on minor tactics, often, I -fear, more to his own satisfaction than to their edification!' - -Of this period of Wauchope's life we have a most interesting sketch -from one who had ample opportunities of seeing his conduct, and -forming a judgment upon the motives and disposition of heart and mind -which governed his actions. Dr. Wisely, who has for many years been -army chaplain at Malta to the Presbyterian soldiers stationed there, -formed a close and intimate friendship with the young lieutenant on -his arrival in the island. He saw much of him, and their -acquaintance was renewed on several occasions when Wauchope happened -afterwards to be there. His opinion is therefore of some value. 'It -is,' says he, 'almost a quarter of a century since I became -acquainted with the late General Wauchope. He was then about thirty -years of age; and although he had been in the Black Watch for twelve -years or more, and had also for a considerable period been adjutant -of the regiment, he was still only a subaltern, and it seemed quite -uncertain when he would get his company. Promotion in the 42nd was -at that time very slow, and I asked him whether he had ever thought -of changing into some other regiment, where he might have a better -chance. His answer was a very emphatic "No." He wished to remain in -the old corps and take what came. - -'Wauchope held some special appointment at home, and his regiment had -been in Malta for several months before he joined them after the -Ashanti war. He had been severely wounded in that war. A leaden -slug, fired by one of the savages hidden among the branches of trees, -entered his breast, and it was a marvel he was not killed on the -spot. He told me he bled like an ox. His account of {56} how the -blood at last stopped was somewhat curious. His old colonel, Sir -John M'Leod, came to see him after he was wounded, and on leaving he -presented him with a copy of the Book of Psalms. Wauchope said that -he began wondering whether "old Jack," as he familiarly called his -commanding officer, whom he greatly venerated, was in the habit of -carrying about copies of the Psalms in his pocket to give to officers -when dangerously wounded, and it struck him in such a ludicrous light -that, after the good colonel was out of sight, he burst into such a -fit of laughing that he could not stop--and that, he said stopped the -bleeding! Sir John and Wauchope had a great respect for each other. -Wauchope looked up to Sir John with admiration bordering on awe. The -colonel regarded his lieutenant as a model officer. He told me that -Wauchope's character commanded universal respect, and that his high -moral tone and the thoroughness with which he discharged all his -duties gave him an influence which was invaluable. - -'On his arrival in Malta he was appointed musketry Instructor at -Pembroke Camp. The men's shooting did not come up to the standard -which it was thought it ought to reach; and one day Sir John said to -me: "Wauchope is making himself perfectly ill with his anxiety about -it. If he would only be anxious twenty-three hours out of the -twenty-four I would not mind so much, but he is anxious all the -twenty-four hours of the day!" - -'At that time, however, Wauchope was anxious not only about his -professional duties, but he was concerned about himself, for he knew -that his life was a most precarious one, scarcely worth a day's -purchase. The slug which pierced his chest had not been extracted. -It kept moving about, and at any moment might cause death. {57} This -he knew full well. He consulted the best surgeons in the island, but -they were unable to do anything. It was not, I believe, till about a -year afterwards that the slug was at last extracted by an Edinburgh -surgeon. - -[Sidenote: The drawn sword] - -'During this period of Wauchope's stay in Malta, when there was, as -it were, this drawn sword hanging over his head, although he -maintained a quiet exterior, he felt that there was but a step -between him and death. I saw a great deal of him then. He had -brought a letter of introduction to me from his law-agent in -Edinburgh, my old friend the late Mr. Colin Mackenzie, W.S., and from -the first he honoured me with his confidence. He spoke freely of the -possibility, not to say the probability, that his time on earth might -be short, but he showed no craven fear. He said he wished to know as -much as he could about the world into which he might soon be -going--that "undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller -returns." I have seldom met a man further removed from fanaticism, -and at the same time so full of reverence. From his earliest days he -seems to have feared God. He had not, however, escaped from the -doubts and difficulties raised by the sceptical spirit of the age. -He shrank from taking a leap in the dark. He wanted to be sure that -there was no mistake, and he took the best means of becoming sure. -"If any man will do His will," Christ says, "he shall know of the -doctrine, whether it be of God." This is what Wauchope did. He put -the desire to do God's will into every duty which fell to him. He -followed on to know the Lord, and he came to know the truth of the -Gospel, not only as a truth of faith, but a truth of personal -experience.' - -Lieutenant Wauchope was home on furlough more than once during the -period of the 42nd regiment's stay in {58} Malta, extending to nearly -four years, and it was on one of these visits to Edinburgh he was -operated upon successfully, as mentioned by Dr. Wisely. - -Though still only a lieutenant, he was appointed to the command of E -company in July 1878, while in Malta. With a wider range of duties -and greater responsibilities, this appointment gave him much -satisfaction, and he set himself to the task of making E company -_the_ company of the regiment, sparing neither time nor money to -advance its efficiency, and at the same time to add to the comfort -and pleasure of his men. To be one of Wauchope's company was -considered a high privilege. Two months afterwards--in September--he -received his full commission as captain. In addition to the yacht in -which he would give them occasional cruises, we are told by one of -his men that 'the company had a good boating-crew, and at a cost of -about £20 he had the best boat built for them that Malta could -produce. On one occasion, when they had some races, Captain Wauchope -steered them in a match with the 101st regiment, but not to victory. -Wauchope's boat, named "The Black Watch," was beaten, but he was the -first to declare that the race was lost owing entirely to his bad -steering.' - -[Sidenote: Occupation of Malta] - -The occupation of the island of Cyprus by Great Britain in 1878 gave -Wauchope a splendid opportunity for the exercise of his talents, not -only as a military man, but in the capacity of a civil administrator -and judge. The island was taken over from the Turks in July of that -year. Their government of it for centuries had been a curse to the -people and a curse on the land, and it had lapsed into one of the -forgotten spots of God's earth. The advent of British rule proved -the beginning of a new era for both its Greek and Turkish population. -Endowed with a healthy {59} climate and a fertile soil, Cyprus--once -so fruitful and prosperous--may yet rank as one of the most -flourishing dependencies of the Crown. It is full of romance, for -its lovely scenery and relics of the past well entitle it to be -called 'an Enchanted Island.' With mediæval traditions of its -occupation by the Crusaders, and with its still older classical -reminiscences of the heathen worship of Aphrodite, supplanted by the -early conversion of its people to Christianity through the visit of -St. Paul, St. Mark, and Barnabas, not to speak of its repeated -conquest by Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, Venetians, and Turks, -there is no more interesting island to be found in the Mediterranean. - -[Illustration: Captain WAUCHOPE at the Age of 30.] - -In July 1878 a regiment of Scottish Highlanders was sent to occupy -this fair island of the Orient in name of the Queen. The Black Watch -from Malta, in the transport _Himalaya_, landed at Larnaka, and were -distributed at various points for garrison duty, under the direction -of General Sir Garnet Wolseley, as High Commissioner. Wolseley, -having divided the island into districts, deputed the civil -administration of these to a number of the most skilled of the -military officers of the regiment. To Lieutenant Wauchope, then -thirty-two years of age, was given, with the title of captain, the -charge of the town and district of Papho--the ancient Paphos, where -the Apostles' journey through the island closed, and where Elymas the -sorcerer was struck blind for a time. As assistant-commissioner -Wauchope was well supported by Lieutenant A. G. Duff, a young officer -of his company, who furnishes us with some particulars of their -duties and difficulties there. The post was anything but a sinecure. -He had the superintendence of the revenue under Sir Robert Biddulph, -then Financial Commissioner of the island. In this important office -he set {60} himself with all the earnestness of his nature to the -correction of abuses, the suppression of crime, and the establishment -of law and order, out of which only can freedom and security be -attained. We have it on the authority of Mr. F. H. Parker, the -District Judge of Limasol, that 'not only was he a most efficient -governor, but in those days, when Ottoman judges sat in the Daavi -(District) Court, he presided as a just and capable judge. Though -more than twenty years have elapsed since then, the inhabitants,' he -says, 'irrespective of creed or nationality, still look back on his -civil administration with admiration and deep respect. Even to this -day his decisions in disputed land or water rights are relied on as -_res judicata_, and he invariably decided these after minute and -personal local inquiries.' During his two years' service on the -island--from 17th June 1878 till July 1880--Wauchope acquitted -himself with much judgment and discretion, and the honours thrust -upon him were worthily achieved as they were gratefully given. But -while Captain Wauchope's administration in Cyprus was marked with -justice, it was sometimes of a kind that did not always give -satisfaction. His punishment, for instance, of heinous crimes was -considered by the natives to be of such severity that a complaint was -lodged with the Colonial Office against some sentences where he had -ordered the delinquents to be flogged. On inquiry being made of him -by the Colonial Office as to what he had to say in the matter, his -reply was that 'flogging was the only thing for them, as they richly -deserved more than the punishment they had got, and he thought it was -better for them than hanging'! - -[Sidenote: Sergeant M'Gaw's funeral] - -His duties did not end in military, or administrative, or judicial -service, for sometimes he had even to act as chaplain in cases of -emergency, as the following instance {61} will show. A day or two -after they landed, Sergeant M'Gaw of the 42nd--who had gallantly won -the Victoria Cross at Amoaful--took ill under the excessive heat and -died. The regimental chaplain was not present, but Wauchope followed -the funeral with his company, and at the grave, stepping forward as -the body was about to be committed to the dust, feelingly addressed -his men in a few appropriate words of exhortation, and concluded, to -the surprise and gratification of all, with an earnest extempore -prayer. Tears, we are told by one who witnessed the occurrence, were -in the eyes of many a stalwart soldier that day, and the incident -made a deep impression at the time and was never forgotten by them. -A sequel to Sergeant M'Gaw's funeral may here be mentioned as another -instance of Wauchope's thoughtful care. Some time afterwards it was -discovered that the Cypriote farmer on whose land the sergeant was -buried, had removed the little wooden head-mark, and not unnaturally -ploughed up the land and destroyed all trace of the grave. The -Government was asked to take action, but declined to interfere. So -Wauchope and some others went on a moonlight night, and after taking -measurements from a certain tree, discovered the grave, dug up the -remains, removed them to Kyrenia, and placed them in what is now -known as the Black Watch cemetery. A pure white marble sarcophagus -now covers Sergeant M'Gaw's grave. - -After the long reign of Turkish misrule it will be easily understood -that Commissioner Wauchope and his colleague Lieutenant Duff did not -all at once find things easy. On the contrary, they found it very -hard work. The rascality of the natives was as idyllic as innocence. -Murder and theft were so common that they were scarcely considered -culpable, and this in what has been called an {62} 'enchanted -island,' full of every beauty to satisfy the eye, and every fruit to -satisfy the taste. Even ten years after the occupation by the -British, and notwithstanding all our efforts to restore order and -justice, W. H. Mallock, describing his visit to Cyprus in 1888, says -that 'he found there more crime in proportion to the population than -in any other known country in the world.' In Nicosia the prisons -were full of persons, male and female, confined for murder, theft, -etc. 'In the country districts,' he says, 'the cause of murders has -generally some connection with sheep-stealing or disputes about -boundaries and water rights, or matters equally simple. In the towns -the Turkish murders nearly always originate in some ordinary fit of -sombre but sudden passion, and the Greek murders in some half-drunken -brawl. Curiously enough, a number of these last take place at -weddings. Wine has flowed; quarrelling has arisen out of laughter; -knives have flashed, and in a second or two one knife has been red -with blood. Yet amid so much crime there exists among this degraded -people a whimsical simplicity almost justifying a smile.' One -instance, as given by Mr. Mallock, will suffice to illustrate this. -One of three men implicated in a murder fled to the hut of a -shepherd, and begged to be kept there in hiding. The shepherd, who -had only a slight acquaintance with the man, asked why he wished to -be hidden. On this the murderer, more like a child than a man, -explained everything in the most naïve manner possible. The shepherd -looked grave. He said that this was a serious matter, and that under -the circumstances his protection would have to be paid for. The -murderer replied that the booty had not yet been divided; 'I have no -money,' he said, 'but save me and I will steal a sheep for you!' - -{63} - -[Sidenote: A Cyprian judge] - -It was among criminals such as these, and a population with the -vaguest possible notions of morality, that Wauchope had to deal out -justice. How did he accomplish his task? His friend and colleague, -now Major Duff, tells us: 'His administration of justice was a -marvel, and astonished both Turks and Greeks. He would frequently -sit a whole day in the Konak or court-house, dispensing even-handed -justice. All the evidence had to be taken through an interpreter, -involving much delay, and frequently he sat in this way under high -fever. I have sometimes taken his temperature to find it at 105°, -but he bore all physical pain without a murmur, and no complaint ever -passed his lips.' Papho was considered the most lawless district in -the island; and the administration of justice, in both civil and -criminal cases, in the hands of Captain Wauchope and Lieutenant Duff, -with the aid of an interpreter, involved painstaking discretion of no -ordinary kind. 'The Cadi--a Turkish judge--had a seat on the bench -along with them, and his opinion was always taken, though not always -followed. One incident comes to my memory relating to an execution. -We had passed sentence upon a murderer, but were in a difficulty -about the gallows, and did not know what to do for want of a suitable -rope, but fortunately H.M.S. _Raleigh_ unexpectedly put in an -appearance in the bay, and the bluejackets readily came to our aid in -rigging up a makeshift gallows. The ceremony, however, was not -marked with complete success, as, at the first effort, the rope -broke; but death had supervened, so that it was of no consequence, as -the operation did not require to be repeated. There must have been -some flaw in the rope, as it had been previously tried with a very -heavy man's weight. We never had any difficulty in the -administration of justice. Wauchope's {64} impartial and thoroughly -sound sense of judgment as between man and man, always stood him well -with clients and malefactors.' - -One case came before him which in this connection is worthy of being -recorded. A Turk of infamous character, who had been guilty of -horrible crimes, but had escaped punishment under the Turkish rule, -was brought before Commissioner Wauchope on a charge of murder. The -murder was clearly proved, but doubts were entertained whether the -Commissioner would sentence a Mohammedan to be hanged. No such -instance had ever been known in the island before. Wauchope did not -flinch. He pronounced the sentence, and the murderer was publicly -executed. The Commissioner took the precaution, however, of having a -company of his Royal Highlanders on the ground to see that there -should be no disturbance or any attempt at rescue, and all passed off -peacefully. - -[Sidenote: Commissioner at Papho] - -Besides the judicial functions of the Commissioner of Papho, there -were the fiscal duties of Government. Taxes had to be collected, and -these, with the relative duties of finance and the management of the -post office, were entirely under the personal control of Wauchope and -his colleague. The latter service alone must have involved -considerable labour. Besides this, they had at Papho one company of -the 42nd, camped some little distance out of the town, but near -enough to be readily available when required. So busy were they kept -with these varied onerous duties, that Wauchope and his friend, -frequently working at high pressure, had few opportunities for -recreation. But notwithstanding the pressing requirements of the -moment, and the somewhat circumscribed social aspect of the place, -they were on the best of terms with some of the leading native -gentry: the Greek bishop {65} was particularly friendly, and they -often dined with him at his palace. A worthy old fellow he appears -to have been, who could enjoy a good dinner with a prime bottle of -Cyprus wine. In recognition of his great kindness to them Major Duff -mentions that they 'gave him in return such a banquet on St. Andrew's -night as seemed to gladden his soul.' - -Of amusements, or anything in the way of English sports, there were -few or none, even had time permitted. Still, they would not have -been British if they had not introduced among the natives some sports -from the old country. They accordingly started pony races for the -zaptiehs or police of the district. 'Our chief difficulty,' says -Major Duff, 'was to get the Turks and Greeks to run together in the -same coach, and for this difficult task Wauchope was eminently -qualified, as, in addition to all his many sterling attributes, must -be added that of being a student of human nature, without which he -never would have been the leader of men he unquestionably was.' - -So much did Captain Wauchope accomplish during his term of office at -Papho, that Dr. Wisely informs us 'the inhabitants looked on him as -an angel from heaven--and well they might, when they contrasted his -righteous rule with the wretched rule of the Turkish officials who -had tyrannised over them. Yet Wauchope was by no means an easy-going -ruler. He investigated with the greatest patience every case that -was brought before him, and spared himself no pains to get at the -truth. This made such an impression upon the Turks, as well as upon -the Greek-speaking community, that all classes alike respected him, -and when the time came for the Commissioner to retire from office, -there was a universal desire expressed that he might be retained.' - -{66} - -We have been favoured with similar testimony from Sir Robert -Biddulph, sometime High Commissioner of Cyprus, lately Governor of -Gibraltar, who informs us that 'in carrying out his duties Captain -Wauchope showed much administrative ability, as well as great tact -and judgment in dealing with the inhabitants. This enabled him to -steer a clear course through the political agitation which broke out -in Cyprus early in 1879, and which had many adherents in Papho. When -Sir Garnet Wolseley left the island at short notice in May 1879 in -order to command the troops in Natal and Zululand, his departure, -coinciding with the attacks made in Parliament on the Cyprus -administration, caused several of the civil commissioners to send in -their resignations.' Colonel Biddulph, who had been sent from Cyprus -to Constantinople in March 1879 to negotiate with the Porte -concerning the 'tribute,' was in June following instructed by the -Home Government to return and assume the government of the island as -High Commissioner. On his arrival he was met by Captain Wauchope, -who had come with several of the other commissioners to wish him -good-bye before leaving the island. Sir Robert at once realised the -gravity of the situation. 'I told them,' says he, 'that I could not -consent to their leaving all together at this crisis, and Wauchope -willingly consented to remain for, at all events, some months longer. -In September I went home for two months on private affairs, and -Wauchope then went home with me, having resigned his appointment with -my consent.' - -[Sidenote: The Sultan's claims] - -In the interval, certain questions as to personal claims by the -Sultan to property in Cyprus were presented to the British -Government, and it was decided to appoint a qualified British -delegate to investigate these claims on {67} the spot. On the -recommendation of Sir Robert Biddulph, Lord Salisbury appointed -Captain Wauchope for this somewhat difficult duty, and he and Sir -Robert returned to Cyprus together in November of the same year. In -his official capacity Wauchope explored the whole of Cyprus, making -full inquiries wherever he went as to the properties alleged to -belong to the Sultan, and gathering much information as to the -condition of the people in the rural districts, and the state of -agriculture generally. - -'The investigation of the Sultan's claims,' says Sir Robert Biddulph, -'occupied several months, during which time Captain Wauchope again -displayed great tact and judgment in this very delicate matter, and -maintained at the same time very friendly relations with the Turkish -officer who was sent by the Sultan to support his claims. This was -the more remarkable, because every one of the Sultan's claims was -rejected.' - -The Government recognised the thoroughness with which Captain -Wauchope had accomplished his task, by conferring upon him, -immediately on his return home in August 1880, the Order of St. -Michael and St. George. - - - - -{68} - -CHAPTER V - -WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA--ARABI PASHA'S REBELLION IN -EGYPT--TEL-EL-KEBIR--MARRIAGE--LIFE IN CAIRO. - - -Shortly after Captain Wauchope's return home from Cyprus another -opportunity for foreign service presented itself in South Africa, and -he lost no time in offering himself to the War Office. He was -accepted for staff duty, and received a commission to go out at once. -So limited was the time given him for preparation that he had not -even an opportunity to go to Aldershot, where his baggage was lying, -to make up his kit, but he telegraphed from London to the -quartermaster of the regiment--Captain Forbes--to throw him in a -small kit into a bullock-trunk and forward it to Southampton at once, -as he was off to South Africa next day. - -[Sidenote: The Transvaal] - -The country had drifted almost unconsciously into a trouble which has -since cost so much in loss of life and treasure. The South African -Republic, or the Transvaal, was founded some sixty or seventy years -ago by Boer farmers from Cape Colony, who, being dissatisfied with -British rule and its interference with them and their peculiar -notions as to slavery, sought to establish an independent state for -themselves where they might without hindrance carry out their ideas -as they pleased. They, in fact, sought liberty {69} to make the -natives their slaves. Conflicts were, of course, the natural outcome -of their attempts to acquire the land beyond the Vaal; but -notwithstanding this, the new settlers in 1840 were so far -established in possession, and their numbers had so much increased, -that they formed themselves into a Republic for mutual protection. -At that time the possibilities of the future importance of this part -of South Africa, or indeed of our colonies there, were not -sufficiently realised by either our Government or our people at home. -Neither the Transvaal Republic nor the Boers seemed to be any concern -of ours. It was left to a few Scotch missionaries such as Moffat, -Livingstone, Stewart, and Mackenzie to make these known, and to -endeavour to educate and civilise the degraded natives in the science -of social life and in the truths of Christianity. In this effort -they met from the first the virulent opposition of the Boer settlers, -who neither wanted the natives to be educated nor to be Christianised. - -Acts of oppression naturally brought their own retribution. The -natives rose against their oppressors; feuds, murders, and thefts -were acts of daily occurrence, until at last the infant Republic -became so involved in native wars and internal troubles, that with a -view to restore peace and order and to prevent anarchy and bankruptcy -from spreading into Cape Colony, the British Government was -constrained to interfere. In this intervention many of the Boers -cordially acquiesced, and welcomed the protection of our troops, the -more so that the financial difficulties of their independent action -were in a measure cleared away. On the other hand there was a strong -party among them who, in spite of mismanagement and debt, thought -they could carry on a free Republican Government. The security of -the British colonies was, however, of {70} paramount importance, and -it was deemed advisable in their interest as well as in the interest -of the Transvaal Boers themselves that the Transvaal should have the -benefit of British protection. Accordingly its annexation to the -British Crown was in 1877 proclaimed by Sir Theophilus Shepstone, -followed by the appointment of Sir W. Owen Lanyon as British -Administrator. This necessary step by no means pleased the Boer -faction who had attempted to rule, and they did not cease to agitate -for the restoration of the old order of things, bad as these were. -For a time English money and English enterprise worked wonders: -markets were created for produce, and land rose in value. - -In December 1880, however, a majority of the Boers took up arms -against the British authority. They invested towns held by Imperial -troops, and surprised a detachment on the march. The situation was -becoming critical. The Government, which at the time was deeply -engrossed in other matters, did not sufficiently realise the gravity -of the situation, for although troops were at once despatched to the -assistance of those at the Cape, these were insufficient, and arrived -too late to be of service. The Boers, ever on the alert, had seized -the passes of the Drakensberg Mountains, and had strongly fortified -themselves at Laing's Nek. Here they were attacked by Sir G. P. -Colley, but without success. He was defeated with considerable loss, -and shortly afterwards, attempting to check the enemy at Majuba Hill -with a small force of six hundred men, he was again defeated with -loss and was himself killed in the action. - -[Sidenote: The Boer Treaty of 1881] - -Immediately on receipt of this news Mr. Gladstone's Government gave -instructions for an armistice in order to see if satisfactory terms -could not be arranged for the {71} restoration of peace. After a -month's negotiation a treaty was made giving the Transvaal -self-government in internal matters, but reserving all rights -connected with foreign affairs, Great Britain to be recognised as the -Suzerain, including the right to move Imperial troops through the -country in time of war. - -This restoration of independence to the Boers was viewed both at home -and in Cape Colony not only with grave suspicion and distrust, but -with high indignation; and so strong was this feeling against the -home Government that in a great popular demonstration at Cape Town -the effigy of Mr. Gladstone, the Prime Minister, was publicly burned, -and the British lion was caricatured, while many English residents in -Pretoria and other towns left the country rather than remain under -the oligarchical government of the Boers. So ended this part of the -Transvaal drama. - -The action of the British Government was at the time attributed to -various motives. By some it was considered the magnanimous action of -a strong power, willing to help a weak but struggling state in its -efforts at self-government; by others it has been described as a -pusillanimous shrinking from a stern duty which it owed to its -colonies around the Transvaal. President Brand declared the treaty -to be 'in his opinion the noblest act England has ever done'; but the -Boers themselves considered the peace as the result of their own -efforts and of Britain's fear to prosecute the war. The after -results have been most calamitous, and go to show the folly of not -facing and overcoming the beginnings of a corrupt system. - -Captain Wauchope returned on the conclusion of peace in the summer of -1881, having been only a few months abroad, and without engaging in -active service. He was chiefly employed on the line of communication -as one of {72} the staff. His return home was accompanied with -anything but feelings of respect for the Government which had so -ingloriously stopped short in their work--a feeling very generally -shared by the officers and men. Some years afterwards, when alluding -to this episode in his life at a meeting in Edinburgh, he said of -it:--'I was in the Transvaal during those terrible times in 1881 when -we suffered the terrible disgrace from which all our after-troubles -there arose. It was the vacillation and weakness and change of -policy that caused all the trouble then.' - -But while in one part of Africa a temporary peace had been patched -up, in another part of that great continent, and that the most -ancient, events were in the beginning of 1882 hastening to a rupture -which was destined to open up a fresh field for the active military -genius of young Wauchope. Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs, and in -some respects the cradle of European culture, which had long been -oppressed by Turkish tyranny, was showing signs of vitality, and was -recognised as still a country capable of great resources, and having -considerable commercial importance. The opening of the Suez Canal -had much to do with this; and Britain having a large stake in the -Canal as a means of communication with her Eastern possessions, was -naturally interested in the well-being of the country through which -it passed. Nominally a viceroy of the Sultan of Turkey, the Khedive -of Egypt ruled despotically, and did little for the people he ruled. -Discontent was general; and to screen themselves, those in authority -endeavoured to create a feeling of antipathy against the Europeans -residing and trading in Egypt. A party of military adventurers, -headed by Arabi Pasha, and secretly abetted by the Sultan of Turkey, -had seized the reins of government, and endeavoured, with the aid of -the army, {73} to drive all Europeans out of Egypt, and secure the -control of foreign traffic through the Suez Canal to their own -advantage. Arabi commenced the erection of forts at Alexandria, to -command the harbour. This and other war-like preparations were made -in defiance, it was said, of the authority of the Khedive, who was -merely a puppet in Arabi's hands. - -[Sidenote: Bombardment of Alexandria] - -On the 11th June 1882 a large body of Arabs made a murderous attack -on the European residents in Alexandria, and so serious was the -matter considered that a week or two after, the Ambassadors of the -Great Powers met in conference at Constantinople to take the crisis -under review. As no redress was forthcoming, Admiral Sir Beauchamp -Seymour, commander of the British fleet in Egyptian waters, having -ascertained that work on the new fortifications at Alexandria was -being continued, notwithstanding promises made that all such -operations would be suspended, sent to Arabi Pasha, who was nominally -the Egyptian minister of war, an ultimatum that unless the work -ceased immediately the fleet would open fire upon the forts. The -reply was a denial that any such work was being carried on. Three -days afterwards the Admiral discovered that his ultimatum was treated -with contempt, and that guns bearing upon the harbour had been -mounted since the date of his message. He at once prepared a -proclamation calling upon the Egyptian authorities to surrender the -fortifications within twelve hours, otherwise they would be -demolished by the fleet. On the 11th July the bombardment commenced, -and nearly the whole of the fortifications were soon laid in ruins. -Next day hostilities were resumed, but, on a flag of truce being -hoisted, the Admiral ordered firing to cease. On the morning of the -13th it was found that, under cover of the flag of truce, {74} the -Egyptian troops, headed by Arabi Pasha, had evacuated Alexandria, -leaving it to be pillaged and fired by a riotous mob of Arabs, who -massacred a large number of Europeans. To protect life, and save the -place from total destruction, Admiral Seymour landed a force of -seamen and marines, who kept the city in order until the arrival of -British troops a few days afterwards. - -In the course of the following fortnight a force of about 16,000 -occupied Alexandria, Ramleh, and the delta of the Nile, under the -command of Sir Garnet Wolseley. Meantime Arabi Pasha had occupied -Cairo, which was strongly fortified, while he had formidable -entrenched camps some miles south of Ramleh, and also at Port Said -and Ismailia on the Suez Canal, and at Kassassin and Tel-el-Kebir, on -the sweet-water canal route between Ismailia and Cairo. - -Throughout the whole business the authority of the Khedive was not -only ignored, but remonstrances from foreign powers were of no -effect. Arabi was determined to make himself ruler of Egypt, and to -assert his position by force of arms. His formal dismissal as -Minister of War, on 22nd July, was the last weak attempt by the -Khedive to maintain his sovereign authority. But Arabi paid no -attention to it, and continued his warlike preparations. His -position at Kafr-dawar was strategically a strong one, for he was -entrenched there at a point where the isthmus, running inland between -Lake Medieh and Lake Mareotis, is only about four miles broad. He -thus commanded both the Mahmoudieh Canal and the railway to Cairo, -which ran past his camp. Arabi's intention was to hold his own at -this position till the annual rise of the Nile was at its fullest in -August, when he counted upon being able to flood the country, and -seriously impede hostile operations against him. - -{75} - -The rising had now assumed all the character of an organised -rebellion, and was a standing menace to British commerce passing -through the Suez Canal; and as the crisis came to be more clearly -realised in this country, further relays of troops were despatched. -In the subsequent operations against Arabi the Black Watch took a -prominent part. After its return from Cyprus and Gibraltar in 1879, -the regiment was brigaded for a time at Aldershot. It was then -located partly at Maryhill barracks, near Glasgow, and at Edinburgh -Castle, under the command of Colonel R. K. Bayly. Captain Wauchope -served at Maryhill from May 1881 till August 1882. - -[Sidenote: The 42nd leaving Edinburgh] - -On the outbreak of hostilities in Egypt the regiment, which was then -about 800 strong, received orders to embark for the East. The -Maryhill contingent, in which he commanded the E Company, left by -train for Edinburgh on the 4th August 1882, and arrived in the -capital amidst much enthusiasm. After two days in Edinburgh Castle, -the whole regiment was entrained for London on the 6th August, their -send-off from the city being one of the most extraordinary ever -witnessed. Wauchope himself, ten years afterwards, at a meeting of -the old members of the Black Watch in Glasgow, when he had become -Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment, said 'he would never forget the -scene.' 'He had of late,' he said, 'seen great excitement in the -political world, he had seen political leaders received in Edinburgh -(referring to Mr. Gladstone and the Midlothian election of 1892), and -no doubt at times there had been a pretty brave show, but the -people's heart never went out to these leaders as it went out to the -42nd when they were leaving Edinburgh Castle for active service in -Egypt in 1882. It seemed to him as if every man and woman in -Edinburgh was out to see {76} them off. He would never forget that -scene of enthusiasm and farewell, and he felt convinced that it -affected the whole regiment, more than the eye could see or words -could express. On the lips of many a brave man before that campaign -was over, the last words had been "Scotland for ever," and he had no -doubt their last thoughts were of their homes and native country.' - -Having embarked at Gravesend in the transport _Nepaul_, Wauchope, -with his regiment, landed at Alexandria on the 20th August, and -proceeded to Ramleh, where they formed a part of the Highland Brigade -under General Sir Archibald Alison. Here Wauchope very soon found -his field of action in more than one engagement, and had one or two -hairbreadth escapes. On one occasion a body of the rebels held a -portion of the city, from which they were to be dislodged. Wauchope -got the order to clear the streets. Coming to a house, from every -window of which rifles were pointed, he halted his men, but only for -a moment. Sword in hand, the captain rushed in, followed by his men. -A rifle was pointed full at him, and but for the presence of mind of -one of his followers, it would have ended his career. Dashing in -front of his officer, the soldier threw up the rebel's rifle just as -he fired, the bullet passing through Wauchope's helmet. - -[Sidenote: Tel-el-Kebir] - -The occupation of the Canal and the various ports upon its banks were -important steps in Sir Garnet Wolseley's endeavour to secure Zagazig, -some forty-five miles from Ismailia, the key to the railway system of -Egypt. Arabi had also realised its importance, and in order to -retain it at all hazards and to prevent the British advance in that -direction, had strongly fortified himself at Tel-el-Kebir, about -fifteen miles eastward. - -On the 20th August, Port Said, Kantara, Ismailia, and {77} the Suez -Canal were taken possession of by the British. A few days after, a -determined stand was made by the Egyptian army, about 10,000 strong, -a few miles from Ismailia, but they were utterly defeated by Sir -Garnet Wolseley, who was now reinforced by the Highland Brigade. - -This was followed up by a renewed attack on the British position at -Kassassin Lock on the Ismailia Canal three days later, when the -Egyptians were again repulsed with great loss. - -On the evening of the 12th September, the British army at Kassassin -Lock struck camp. It had been well reinforced, and counted 15,000 -men in cavalry, infantry, and artillery, and was now in a position to -attack Arabi in his stronghold at Tel-el-Kebir. On the verge of a -broad, dreary desert, with lines of entrenchments and redoubts well -mounted with guns, and held by a large force, no better position, it -is said, could have been chosen for offering resistance to any army -approaching the Delta, or the capital of Egypt, from the Suez Canal. - -After an all-night march, Sir Garnet Wolseley found himself within -striking distance of the enemy's trenches before the first streaks of -dawn appeared on the eastern sky. The Egyptians were taken by -surprise, but the alarm once given, they sprang to their feet to face -the attack; and immediately, along the whole front of their line of -defence, was poured upon our troops a fierce artillery and rifle -fire, which, however, was so ill directed that it did no great harm. -With the utmost coolness, the British were formed for the assault. -The Highland Brigade in the centre, with bayonets fixed, was -supported by cavalry on both flanks With a loud cheer the Highlanders -stormed the entrenchments, driving everything before them. The -struggle was {78} short but decisive, not more than twenty minutes -elapsing between the first onset on the trenches and the capture of -the main or inner fortress. The odds were as two to one--26,000 -Egyptians to 13,000 British--but the zeal and soldierly qualities of -our men, with the confidence they had in their leaders, proved the -mettle of which our military are made. Where all did well, it seems -invidious to distinguish. But of this fine force--perhaps the finest -ever seen in Egypt--it was generally admitted that to the Highland -Brigade and the Royal Irish Rifles special honour was due. This -important engagement, in which forty guns were captured, 2000 -Egyptians fell, and 3000 were taken prisoners, opened the way to -Cairo. - -Through all the campaign, Captain Wauchope, with the E Company of the -42nd, had bravely borne his share of the toil and dangers of the -situation. At Tel-el-Kebir, he was among the first to enter the -enemy's trenches sword in hand. The encounter was a fierce one while -it lasted, and it was a marvel how he escaped injury in such a mêlée. -But though the impetuosity of the charge bore down all before it, -when the fight was over, it was found that no less than 200 of his -men had fallen. - -[Sidenote: After Tel-el-Kebir] - -Wauchope's first care was to see that the wounded were attended to, -for his interest in his men was ever uppermost in his mind. He liked -to treat them as brothers as well as subordinates, sharing with them -the roughest work and the greatest dangers; and now particularly, -when many of them were bruised and bleeding, he had all a woman's -sympathy, and did his best to alleviate their sufferings. He went -carefully over the ground after the battle, searching out from among -the dead such of his men who might be alive, relieving some with a -draught of water from his bottle, and seeing that they were removed -to shelter, where they could {79} be surgically attended to; in some -cases, tenderly helping to carry them himself off the field. Such -scenes always filled him with sadness, as they did the heart of -Wellington, who was wont to say: 'Take my word for it, if you had -seen but one day of war, you would pray to Almighty God that you -might never see such a thing again.' The horrors of war make most -brave natures shudder. - -Immediately after the capture of Arabi's camp at Tel-el-Kebir, at the -next halting-stage in the army's progress to Cairo, the 42nd was -marched into the square of a cavalry barracks to wait for a train -being made to enable them to follow the retreating enemy to -Zagazig--an important railway junction on the way. They were in very -rough quarters, but were glad to get any sort of shelter from the -scorching sun. One of the staff-sergeants, wearied out and oppressed -with heat, stumbled into a room which, unknown to him, happened to be -occupied by Captain Wauchope and his subordinate officer, Lieutenant -Duff. 'As I attempted to withdraw--for I had entered not knowing -they were there'--said the sergeant, describing the occurrence, -'Captain Wauchope at once called out in a kindly voice, "Come in, -Pinkney, come in and sit down, you have as much right to be here as -we have."' - -But though this was so, Pinkney, who was not one of his men, did not -fare so well on another occasion when his presence stood in the way -of the convenience of the men of his company, Captain Wauchope having -then no hesitation in leaving him to shift for himself. We give the -story in the sergeant's own words:--'Shortly after this, we were -marched down to the railway and literally packed into trucks. I -being a staff-sergeant, and in a sense "nobody's child," crawled into -one marked E. It was Wauchope's, and as all his men could not find -room, I was ignominiously {80} ordered out by the same gallant -gentleman! We were very good friends, but as I did not belong to his -company, he could not allow me to interfere with their comfort!' - -Sergeant Pinkney also relates an incident of the same day -illustrating Wauchope's thoughts on the inhumanity of war. 'We were -all sitting together on the mud floor of the room where we were -sheltering, discussing the events of the morning. "Andy," as we all -loved to call our captain, had not, for a wonder, been wounded, but a -Remington bullet through the scabbard of his sword had bent it nearly -double, so that he could not return the weapon. Another bullet -through his helmet had disarranged the pugaree and heckle, of which -he was so proud. He drew my attention as armourer to the condition -of his scabbard, and I took it into my hand and broke it across my -knee, so that he could sheath his sword, though some eight inches of -the blood-stained blade were exposed. While I was next adjusting his -pugaree, he suddenly exclaimed, "I say, Duff, what brutes we men -are." We were silent for a minute, and then seeing our surprised -look, as we stopped our work, he continued, "Do you know, I felt this -morning just as if I was on the moors, and for a while I was quite as -anxious to make a good bag; man, Duff, we are terrible brutes, after -all!"' - -[Illustration: Niddrie Marischal, Back View] - -The same day Wauchope's regiment proceeded to within a few miles of -Zagazig, reaching that place in the morning of the 14th September. -Here they seized the railway stock, and went on to Belbeis, an -important junction on the edge of the desert. There they remained -under the utmost discomfort, without tents and without equipage, -until the 23rd September, when they moved forward to Ghezireh, near -to Cairo, and were again quartered with the Highland Brigade, under -Lieut.-General Sir E. Hamley. - -{81} - -The subsequent occupation of Cairo, the arrest and banishment of -Arabi Pasha, and the restoration of the Khedive under British -protection, are matters of history. The war was closed, but still -much required to be done to restore order and peace, and so the -expeditionary force became an army of occupation. - -Captain Wauchope, after a few weeks' encampment at Ghezireh, on the -west bank of the Nile, was moved with his regiment into Kass-el-Nil -barracks, where they were to be quartered for the winter. A time of -peace succeeded a time of sharp fighting. But whether fighting or at -peace, Wauchope gave himself no rest. His military duties might be -heavy enough, but his self-imposed exertions in looking after the -wounded and the sick were varied by efforts to find amusement and -recreation for those who were well. - -For his services in this campaign, Captain Wauchope received the -medal with clasp, and the Khedive's Star, as the public recognition -of the British and Egyptian Governments. - -[Sidenote: Return to Scotland] - -His stay in Egypt was unexpectedly interrupted by the serious illness -of his elder brother, Major William Wauchope, which eventually -resulted in his death on the 28th November 1882. Returning home a -few weeks before that sad event, he was fortunately enabled to look -after the settlement of family affairs and the future management of -the estates. - -The death of his brother without issue made a considerable change in -his position, and when he arrived at Niddrie early in December, he -was welcomed as the new laird with every expression of goodwill. -Though he had been little about the old place for years, the tenants -and servants had warm recollections of 'Andy' as a good, kind, genial -soul, and they all hoped that he might now {82} return to occupy the -ancestral home, and settle down among 'his ain folk.' - -As a pledge that such a consummation might be looked for in the near -future, and taking advantage of his casual visit home, he was married -on the 9th of December to Miss Elythea Ruth Erskine, second daughter -of Sir Thomas Erskine of Cambo, Fife, to whom he had for some time -been engaged. - -The wedding had been arranged to be celebrated at Cambo in a quiet -way, as our informant said, 'without any fuss'; but though this was -so, Captain Wauchope found to some extent the adage verified, that -'the course of true love never did run smooth.' In arranging for his -marriage in the stormy month of December, he did not at all events -lay his account with the elements. These did their best to frustrate -the happy event. - -[Sidenote: Marriage] - -Cambo is situated two or three miles distant from Fife Ness, the -extreme eastern point of the county of Fife. It is now easily -accessible by the railway skirting the northern shore of the Firth of -Forth, connecting Thornton Junction and St. Andrews, by way of -Anstruther and Crail. But at that time the railway was not completed -further than Anstruther on the one side and St. Andrews on the other, -and Cambo was about eight or nine miles from either place. Starting -from Edinburgh on the morning of the day fixed for the wedding, -Captain Wauchope should easily have arrived at Cambo in the forenoon, -but a protracted snowstorm of several days had completely blocked -railways and roads. Thinking he would be more likely to get a -conveyance to carry him to his destination if he went by St. Andrews, -he took that instead of the route to Anstruther; but on arriving at -that ancient city, he was chagrined to find that the roads were so -completely {83} blocked with snow that no one would venture the -journey for him. Taking his luggage to the Royal Hotel, he tried all -his persuasive powers with Mr. Davidson, the genial host, to get a -carriage, or even a dogcart, ready for him without delay. But the -storm still raged, and he was told that the roads were quite -impassable either for driving or riding, and he would require to -remain where he was for the night. 'But,' said the would-be and now -desperate Benedict, 'I _must_ get to Cambo, as I am to be married -to-night.' The hotelkeeper assured him that in the circumstances it -was impossible, but promised to do the best he could for him the next -morning if the weather moderated. At length, convinced that nothing -more could be done, the disappointed swain was obliged to bow to the -inevitable, and eat his solitary dinner with what resignation he -could command. It was a severe trial of patience, but there was -nothing else for it, and so he remained overnight in the friendly -shelter of the 'Royal,' in the hope that he might get release the -following day. Sir Thomas Erskine, meanwhile, expecting the -bridegroom to come by way of Anstruther, where the roads happened not -to be so badly blocked, had sent a carriage with the young bride to -meet him there. But no Wauchope appeared, and the young lady had to -return home without tidings of her lover. The disappointment of all -may be better imagined than described, and the wedding was of course -postponed _sine die_. The following morning the storm had somewhat -abated, but the snow-drift still lay deep on the roads, making them -quite impassable for wheeled vehicles. Davidson, true to his word, -however, gave him the best horse in his stable, repacked his luggage -in carpet-bags slung across the back of another, and with a groom in -attendance Wauchope courageously faced the elements to {84} meet his -bride. It was a toilsome business, and not without danger. At -Browhill, some two miles from St. Andrews, the block was so deep that -they were compelled to make a detour, or 'a flank movement,' as he -afterwards described it, across the fields, but in doing so they came -to grief. The horse which Wauchope rode stumbled and fell through -the accumulated snow into a deep ditch, where it was well-nigh -smothered, and the combined efforts of Wauchope and groom utterly -failed to extricate the poor animal. At length assistance was -procured, a number of farm servants from the neighbourhood giving -willing help, and after a good deal of exertion it was at length got -out, while the groom, wiping the perspiration from his brow, -declared, 'This is terrible work, captain; it's worse than Egypt -yet!' The remainder of the nine-mile journey was completed in -safety. Love had triumphed. A warm welcome greeted the belated -bridegroom at Cambo, and though 'one day after date,' the marriage -cheque was duly honoured! - -The hopes of his friends at home that he might now give up active -service, and become a local county magnate, were not, however, to be -realised. Captain Wauchope, accompanied by his young wife, returned -to Egypt a few weeks after their marriage, to take up his military -duties with the Black Watch; and there, in the quaint old Oriental -city of Cairo, they spent together the first and, alas, the last year -of their married life. - -[Sidenote: Life in Cairo] - -Perhaps no other town under the sun has so many different -characteristics as Cairo, and certainly few places afford such strong -contrasts. It is at one and the same time an official capital, a -city of immemorial antiquity, a garrison town, a health resort, an -Oriental centre, and the Paris of the Dark Continent. Half the -hidden charm of {85} Cairo and its surroundings, it has been said, -consists of the strongly incongruous sights that meet an observant -eye: the modern woman leaning on her bicycle, and steadfastly looking -at the unchanging eyes of the Sphinx, or a laughing party of officers -and Americans in the shadow of the Great Pyramid, or among the tombs -of the caliphs, its Oriental bazaar crowded with British soldiers and -sailors: an old world and a new. Chief among the attractions of -Cairo is its climate, combining almost continuous sunshine, -comparative warmth, and an air of pure and tonic qualities. - -Mrs. Wauchope resided during these months at the Grand Hotel, within -comparatively easy distance of Kass-el-Nil barracks, where the -captain's daily duties lay, and amid new surroundings found much to -interest her, while she materially helped him in his work among the -men of his regiment. - -Unfortunately, though the climate as a rule is excellent during the -greater part of the year, sanitary arrangements and modes of living -were not then, whatever they may be now, such as to prevent the evils -to which most Eastern cities are subject. Cholera, one of the -scourges of the East, broke out in Cairo among the Copts in the -summer of 1883, and, spreading among the better classes of society, -even found its way among the British soldiers. Their removal from -Cairo for a time was considered absolutely necessary; but before this -could be effected, the Black Watch had suffered considerably from the -epidemic. As soon as possible, however, cholera-camps were formed at -Suez in July, where the greater part of the regiment remained till -the beginning of September. During this time Captain Wauchope, with -the rank of brigade-major, was left in charge of the Kass-el-Nil {86} -barracks with a small detachment; and surrounded as they were with an -epidemic which was then cutting down hundreds of poor natives, -without adequate means of relieving the distress, he was much moved -by what he saw, and did his utmost to help. His first care was of -course for the soldiers under his command. They did not altogether -escape, and in a number of cases that occurred he was assiduous in -his attention. Regardless of danger to himself, he would go back and -forward between the hospital and the barracks, giving all the comfort -and material assistance that were required. - -But it was not merely in his co-operation with medical men and nurses -that Wauchope's aid was given: he was a valued co-worker with the -chaplain, assisting him in visiting and addressing meetings. The -Rev. John Mactaggart, who was then acting with the 42nd in Egypt, -says, 'He was always ready to aid me, and willingly responded to any -reasonable request for money on behalf of the men, such as in helping -to defray expenses incurred in holding social, temperance, or -religious meetings.' 'I remember,' he continues, 'in the summer of -1883, the cholera, after raging for weeks among the native -population, attacked the British troops. As a precautionary measure, -these were dispersed and located at considerable distances from -Cairo, the Black Watch being sent to the brackish lake near Suez. -Captain Wauchope's sympathetic nature was deeply stirred by the many -sad sights around him in Cairo, where he remained through it all with -a small company of the regiment. Two of his men were stricken down, -one immediately after the other, with the fell disease, and not being -able myself to attend to them at once, he was full of anxiety about -them, and could not rest till he got me to see them at the barracks, -quite heedless of danger to himself.' - -{87} - -To many a poor fellow he was throughout all this trying time a friend -indeed, counselling, helping, and encouraging wherever he had the -opportunity. - -At the evening voluntary meetings in the barracks, too, he frequently -took a part with the chaplain in the religious services. His -consistent manly conduct and the quiet, unobtrusive profession of his -faith at this time, not only endeared him to many, but gave him a -wonderful influence for good which it is difficult fully to estimate. - -[Sidenote: A Cairo mob] - -Every one has his own characteristic: Wauchope's was consideration -for his men. 'Years ago,' says a friend, 'I was in the street in -Cairo with him, when there approached us a bareheaded Highlander, -running for his life, and pursued by a crowd of Arabs armed with -sticks. Captain Wauchope halted the fugitive, turned about, ordered -him to fall in in front, and thus we marched to the barracks, the mob -howling behind. The Captain handed the man over to the sergeant of -the guard, and notified his intention of giving evidence in the -orderly-room next morning. A few days later I was to meet the -Captain at the club and take a drive with him. On arrival there, I -found a note directing me to come to the hospital. The orderly led -me to a ward, but I could see no Captain. I interviewed the orderly -again, and he told me to go to the far end and I would find him. -There, on the bed of his colour-sergeant, retailing the day's news, -sat the officer commanding his company. On my approach, with a -cheery adieu and a promise to come back again on the morrow, Wauchope -rose and went for his drive.' - -Mrs. Wauchope was sent home in the summer of 1883, as it was not -considered safe for her to remain in Cairo, and she was joined by the -Captain in November. They took up their residence at Niddrie for six -weeks, afterwards going to Cambo on {88} a visit. Towards the end of -January they proceeded to London, where Mrs. Wauchope gave birth to -twins--both boys. The joy of this event was, however, speedily -followed a few days after, on the 3rd February, by the death of Mrs. -Wauchope. - -It was a terrible blow to the Captain, and though he bowed -submissively to the will of God, he none the less felt his loss -keenly, and for a time was inconsolable. - -The children were taken to Cambo, where, under the charge of Lady -Erskine, they were tenderly nursed and cared for, while Wauchope -himself sought in renewed activity to forget, if possible, the misery -of his bereavement. When they were three years old both the children -unfortunately caught scarlet fever. One, a specially promising -child, died, and the other was left a hopeless invalid. - - - - -{89} - -CHAPTER VI - -THE EASTERN SOUDAN--BATTLE OF EL-TEB--ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE GENERAL -GORDON--ASCENT OF THE NILE--THE WHALE-BOATS--BATTLE OF -KIRBEKAN--RETURN TO CAIRO--MALTA--GIBRALTAR. - - -Though peace had been restored to Egypt by our arms, and security of -life and property was being established and upheld by the presence in -the country of the army of occupation, new troubles were brewing in -the upper waters of the Nile. General Gordon, as the representative -of the Khedive in the far-away capital of the Soudan province of -Upper Egypt, was endeavouring to maintain law and order in the midst -of turbulent tribes of wild Arabs. Disaffection and rebellion -against Egyptian authority broke out on all sides, and the first -murmurings were heard of a new power emerging out of the African -darkness, threatening to overwhelm and sweep before its fanatical -sword every evidence of modern civilisation. The rise of the Mahdi -as a religious and political force was one of the most extraordinary -movements of modern times, and can only find a parallel in that of -Mohammed himself, whose follower the Mahdi or Prophet of God -professed to be. With a success at first truly marvellous, he -managed so to impress his claims to sanctity upon the Arab tribes of -the Soudan, that they flocked to his standard in thousands. {90} -Cleverly seizing the occasion of discontent at excessive taxation and -the destruction of the slave trade, which, under European influence, -the Egyptian government had attempted, the Mahdi el Muntazer raised -the cry of revolt, and openly proclaimed himself, by the grace of God -and his Prophet, master of the country. His fanatical pretensions, -carrying the weight of religious sanctity, bore down all opposition -for a time. General Gordon was sent to stem the torrent, and -reaching Khartoum on the 18th of February 1884, bravely held it -against overwhelming numbers for eleven months. - -The British authorities who were responsible for Gordon's -appointment, but who were unfortunately not equally alive to the -danger of his position, resolved at length upon an expedition for his -relief, to proceed by the Red Sea to the port of Suakim to operate in -the Eastern Soudan, between the sea and the River Nile, where a -number of Egyptian garrisons were being threatened by the rebellious -tribes under Osman Digna. British troops in and about Cairo, -Alexandria, and other stations were at once despatched under the -command of Sir Gerald Graham to quell the disturbance. Wauchope, who -had received the appointment from Lord Wolseley of Assistant-Adjutant -and Quartermaster-General to the expedition, left England on short -notice, and, accompanied by Sir Redvers Buller, arrived in the Red -Sea towards the end of February, in time to take his share in active -operations against the enemy, who were strongly fortified and in -possession of Tokar. - -[Sidenote: Battle of El-Teb] - -The expeditionary force was landed at Trinkitat, a port on the Red -Sea, some miles south of Suakim, and Tokar being inland, a long and -fatiguing march had to be undertaken to reach it. When half-way they -encountered {91} the Arabs in a strongly entrenched position in the -desert at the wells of El-Teb, and here, on the 29th February, a -fierce conflict took place, the Arabs fighting with great -determination. The Black Watch and the York and Lancashire Regiment -took a prominent part in the battle, and suffered severely. To the -former fell the main attack on the right and centre of the enemy's -position, where their chief strength lay, protected as it was by -skilfully constructed rifle-pits, defended by resolute men, ready to -die rather than yield. - -Captain Wauchope escaped with his life as by a miracle. Being on -horseback, charging the enemy's guns, he was a prominent figure in -the fight, and was unfortunately struck down by a musket-shot, which -entered the lower part of his body. He was only saved from instant -death by the friendly intervention of his binoculars, which were -hanging by his side, the bullet striking the glass and smashing it to -pieces. He was carried off the field, and at once attended to. But -the wound was of such a serious nature that little hope was -entertained of his recovery. The battle over, and the Arabs -completely routed, the British force proceeded on their way to Tokar -without further opposition, and relieved the small garrison there. -Wauchope and the other wounded men were taken back to Trinkitat and -put on board ship for Suez. - -When sufficiently recovered to be able to be removed from the -hospital, he rejoined the Black Watch at Cairo in the month of April. -The binoculars which, it may be said, saved his life at El-Teb have -been carefully preserved, and may now be seen in their shattered -condition among other relics and war trophies in Niddrie House. - -For his gallant conduct at the battle of El-Teb, Wauchope received a -favourable mention in General {92} Graham's despatches, which -procured for him the medal and two clasps, and what was perhaps of -more importance, the rank of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel. - -He suffered long and severely from the wound he had received, but he -was much benefited in health by a visit which he made to his old -friend Sir Robert Biddulph at Mount Troodos in Cyprus during the -summer of that year. - -In the autumn came further rumours from the Soudan of the rising -power of the Mahdi, and the danger with which General Gordon was -threatened of being overwhelmed in the capture of Khartoum. It was -now resolved that active and immediate steps should be taken in order -if possible to relieve him, notwithstanding that the distance was -great, and the road perilous, and to a great extent unknown. The -Black Watch was called upon once more to undertake this difficult -task, and officers and men responded to the call with enthusiastic -delight. The regiment at Cairo numbered about 700, and at an -inspection there by General Sir Garnet Wolseley on 16th September, he -complimented Colonel Bayly and the officers and men under him on the -highly efficient state in which they then were, and the pride with -which the people of England had followed them in the gallant -upholding of 'the honour of their splendid and historic regiment.' -'I do not think,' he continued, 'there will be much fighting in the -coming campaign, but there will be very hard work, and I shall want -you to show that you can work hard as well as fight. If there is any -fighting to be done, I know that I have only to call on the Black -Watch, and you will behave as you have always done.' - -[Sidenote: Relief of Khartoum] - -The sequel proved this to be a true forecast. The expedition was -beset with difficulties from first to last, and the {93} labour -involved was enormous--the pity of it being, that after all, the -result was not commensurate with the cost, and was altogether -disappointing. With Cairo as their starting-point and Khartoum as -their goal, the intervening space of over fifteen hundred miles, with -its sandy plains, its waste howling wilderness, held by hostile -tribes of Arabs, had to be covered by our troops. This was a work of -no ordinary kind, and involved not only skill in planning, but -persevering toil in execution, which tried to the utmost the stuff -our soldiers are made of. The Black Watch, led by such men as -Colonels Green, Bayly, Kidston, Coveny, Eden, and Wauchope were a -host in themselves, and abundantly justified the confidence reposed -in them by the commander-in-chief. The expedition started on 5th -October by rail to Assouan, where they hoped immediately to begin the -ascent of the Nile by steamers and barges. Unfortunately, one or two -cases of smallpox here broke out among the men of the 42nd, and the -regiment was compelled to go into quarantine for four weeks. They -pitched their camp within a palm-grove close to Assouan on the banks -of the Nile, and the tedium of enforced idleness was relieved by -preparation for the arduous task before them. Colonel Wauchope -energetically exerted himself during these weeks, and in the off -hours of drill encouraged the men not only in out-door sports of all -kinds, but was active in getting up theatrical and other -entertainments for their amusement. In this way the time passed -pleasantly until the regiment was released from quarantine on 12th -November, when the real forward movement for the relief of General -Gordon commenced, so far as the Black Watch was concerned. Embarking -at Philae, famed for its ancient island temple, in steamers and -barges, the voyage of two hundred and {94} fifty miles was safely -accomplished to Wady Halfa, after which, avoiding the second cataract -of the Nile, the journey to Sarras was made overland. Here there was -considerable detention waiting the arrival of a large flotilla of 800 -whale boats--which had been commissioned from England by Lord -Wolseley for transporting the troops up the river. Regiment after -regiment were here embarked to fight the cataracts, the rapids, and -the shallows of the mysterious river whose source had for ages been -hidden in the dark recesses of the African Continent. Surely no -stranger or more gigantic armed force ever floated on its waters -either before or since the days of Egypt's ancient greatness! - -[Sidenote: The Nile Expedition] - -As it was, the British soldier--'capable of going anywhere and doing -anything'--had for the nonce to convert himself into a boatman; and -that he had much to learn in this capacity may be gathered from one -of the jokes familiar to the expeditionary force, to the effect that -one day a man at the helm, on receiving the order 'put your helm -down,' immediately proceeded to place the tiller in the bottom of the -boat, and innocently awaited further orders! The boats provided were -about thirty feet long, seven feet beam, and with a draught of two -and a half feet. As the boats were destined each to be -self-supporting, they had, when finally loaded, supplies of -ammunition, ordnance, and commissariat stores for fourteen men for -one hundred days. But it was not unusual for the boats to be -carrying practically one hundred and twenty days' rations and other -stores, and reserve ammunition for fourteen men, with a crew of eight -men in each boat. Great caution and skill were necessary in an -expedition so full of novelty and danger, and if accidents did -happen, it is no matter of surprise, {95} considering that it was -through an almost entirely unknown country and among hostile tribes -their course lay. With a falling river, too, the dangers and -difficulties were increased, for boats were frequently striking -sunken rocks, and springing leaks, which necessitated their being -hauled up on the river bank, unloaded of their tons of stores, and -then repaired by the soldiers themselves, for there was no one else -to do it. In some places there was barely room for a loaded camel to -pass between the perpendicular rocks; in others, where the path was -wider, the rocks had been prepared for defence by loop-holed stone -sconces. There was no order or regularity in the formation of the -rocks. 'They seemed,' said one eye-witness, 'to have been upheaved -in a mass, in some great volcanic convulsion, and to have fallen one -upon another in every direction.' - -Throughout this remarkable voyage Colonel Wauchope's early naval -experience stood him in good stead. Having the command of the E -company of the Black Watch he had charge of sixteen boats, with ten -men in each. He divided the company into two parts so that each -section might have free scope, and collisions be avoided; and, thanks -to his ever watchful eye and naval skill, the soldiers in the boats -speedily became expert sailors. From the Rev. Mr. Mactaggart, who -accompanied the expedition at the special desire of Colonel Wauchope, -and was in his company, we give the following narrative. 'According -to Lord Wolseley's orders, each boat was to have been provided with -one or two Canadian steersmen, but in some way it was found -impossible to get this, and after two days' delay we succeeded in -getting away with one Canadian in every second boat--eight men -instead of thirty-two; much therefore depended on Wauchope {96} -himself. Before starting on several occasions, I remember he had all -of us assembled on the river-side, and gave out minute instructions -theoretically and practically how to enter the boat, how to sit on -the bench, how to handle the oar, and how to splice a rope. His -instructions were always much needed and most excellent. Then as to -loading and unloading, he would demonstrate how this could most -easily be done, and with least danger. He was careful to emphasise -his caution as to managing the boats in the strong eddies and -currents of the stream, and above all to avoid racing or endeavouring -to get ahead of each other. With a vein of humour in his voice, and -yet meant as a serious joke, he would say--"Mind you, my men, no -Derby racing!" On one occasion, in pulling the boats over a strong -current, two boats' crews were necessary to get one at a time over -it, but through some hitch one of these with its contents would have -been irretrievably lost but for his opportune energy and pluck. The -men, exhausted with the heavy strain upon them, slackened the rope, -and in a moment the boat had turned and was being carried back. -Wauchope at once seized the rope, and held on to it tenaciously, -though drawn in among the rocks at the edge of the rapid, and had his -hands very much lacerated for his pains.' - -[Sidenote: Fighting the Cataracts] - -Many incidents--some amusing and some serious enough--occurred in -these daily battles with the river; but Wauchope was ever in the -thick of it if a difficulty occurred; and while as commander he was -prompt in giving his orders, he was never above giving his men a -helping hand when needed. 'It was during our toilsome ascent of the -third and fourth cataracts,' says another comrade of the expedition, -'a staff officer was detailed in charge of different districts up the -banks, whose duty {97} it was to guide and instruct the boats in -their passage up the rapids, or, as the men put it, "to worry and -irritate the troops." On one occasion Colonel Wauchope's boat was in -trouble, and the staff officer was shouting any amount of advice -gratis from the bank. Thinking apparently that enough notice was not -being taken of his instructions, he called out, "You No. 2 boat -there, do you know who I am? I am Colonel Primrose of the Guards." -This immediately drew the following answer from a wild-looking, -red-headed, and half-naked worker in the boat, "And do you know who I -am, sir? I am Colonel Wauchope of the Black Watch, so honours are -easy!"' Though otherwise kind to a fault, in the matter of -discipline he was firm as a rock in adhering strictly to orders. -Indeed at this juncture he was invaluable to the regiment, for he -acted at the same time both as president of the canteen and mess; and -as one of his brother officers informs us, 'it was only through his -continual forethought that we were able to obtain supplies for our -daily wants.' 'A favourite dinner on the Nile,' says one of his men, -'which was looked upon as a great luxury, was one pound of bacon per -man, in place of the usual tinned meat, as by dint of self-denial a -bit of it might be saved for breakfast next morning. This was served -out by the captain, and great was the consternation one day in the -drum-major's boat when the cook fell overboard with the boat's -rations in his hand. The man was secured, but the bacon went to the -crocodiles. The matter being reported to Colonel Wauchope, it was -hoped the rations might be replaced. But not having seen the -accident, he was obdurate. The ration had been issued and could not -be replaced, so the unfortunate boat's crew worked hard all that day -on biscuit and tea only. Evening came, and tea was being made when -word was passed {98} along the bank that the drum-major was wanted by -Colonel Wauchope. Hope sprang up that he had relented at the -eleventh hour; but no such luck. To his honour be it said, however, -he divided his own pound of bacon with the drum-major that night, and -it was his all, for officers and men fared alike at that time.' -Still they knew their commander, and no grumble was heard. Though he -might be strict, they all felt he had their interest at heart. - -The rough work of fighting the cataracts was telling sorely upon -uniforms and shoes, some of the men being actually in rags. They had -proceeded as far as Ambu-Kui, and the necessity for having new boots -was so pressing, Wauchope set out two or three miles inland to where -there was a bazaar and bought for his men all the boots and shoes he -could get. The old dervish from whom he purchased them assured him -with all seriousness of their excellence, saying, 'Well now, oh ye -faithful, if you buy them you can go straight to Paradise'--a -recommendation of his goods which the colonel enjoyed immensely. - -[Sidenote: Battle of Kirbekan] - -Struggling on from day to day in their toilsome up-river journey, one -hope animated every breast, that the gallant general holding his own -with defection and treachery among his native troops in Khartoum, and -a fanatical horde of Arabs under the Mahdi outside its walls, would -be able to hold out until the arrival of the British force on its way -to relieve him. General Gordon was in a most critical position. The -enemy being numerous, and ever increasing, hemmed him in on all -sides, while famine was pressing him even more seriously within. It -was a long road, and bravely Lord Wolseley encouraged his troops to -renewed exertions. In the first week of January 1885 the leading -companies of the 42nd Highlanders arrived at Korti, and on the 13th -January the headquarters rowed into Hamdab with {99} fifty-four -boats. By the 20th the whole regiment was once more together at -Hamdab, and with the South Staffordshire, the 2nd Battalion of the -Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, the 1st Battalion of the Gordon -Highlanders, one squadron of the 19th Hussars, an Egyptian Camel -Corps, and a section of the Engineers and Bluejackets, formed the -Nile River Column, under Major-General Earle. Making a further -advance, the difficult Edermih Cataract was surmounted on the 25th -January, and the Kab-el-Abd Cataract two days after. But it was only -by the daring skill of the Canadian voyageurs and the constant toil -of the whole force that the boats were got successfully over, for now -the currents of the river were getting more difficult to face. At -the fourth or Bird Cataract they began to feel the enemy in stronger -force, and at Kirbekan, some seven miles further on, the ground -overlooking the Nile was found to be fortified with every -determination to resist the passage of the boats. The troops were -accordingly formed for battle, and the British line under General -Earle advanced upon the entrenchments. Finding it impossible, -however, to dislodge the Arabs by musketry fire alone, orders were -given for the Black Watch to carry the position by the bayonet. The -regiment responded gallantly to the order. The pipers struck up, and -with a cheer the Black Watch rushed forward with a steadiness and -valour that were irresistible, and which called forth the -enthusiastic admiration of the general. From the loop-holed walls of -the enemy the rifle puffs shot out continuously, but, undaunted by -danger, the 42nd scaled the rocks, and at the point of the bayonet -drove them from their shelter. - -Colonel Bayly of the 42nd, who commanded the left-half battalion, has -favoured us with the following account {100} of Wauchope's intrepid -daring in this action. 'Kirbekan,' he says, 'was one of the last -fights at which I was present with him. He was in command of a -company of my half battalion in the attack on the Arabs' position, a -high, precipitous rocky range rising from the river's bank. We were -fully engaged, when Wauchope, asking my leave, descended the -precipitous bank of the river, then in full flood. Returning in a -few minutes, he said he could take the company over the rocks, and -with perhaps a little wading he could turn the flank of the kopje -held by the enemy. This he did, and rolled the enemy up to their -final stand, a roughly built stone shanty, where General Earle (who -was in command) and Colonel Coveny met their deaths. And here -Wauchope himself was badly wounded.' Meanwhile the cavalry had -captured the enemy's camp, and the Staffordshire regiment had -gallantly stormed the last remaining ridge. The battle of Kirbekan -was won on the 11th February. - -Wauchope was assisted down from among the high rocks by his friends -Captain Stewart and Mr. Mactaggart, the chaplain, and had his wound -attended to by Dr. Harvey and Dr. Flood. They found his shoulder -very much shattered, and were of opinion that his arm would have to -be amputated. He himself was apparently not conscious that he was -dangerously wounded, and endeavoured to treat the matter lightly. -Having persuaded the doctors to delay the operation till next day, we -are told he seemed after a little to be more concerned about the -condition of his brother officer, Lord Alexander Kennedy, who had -also been severely wounded in the action, than about himself. After -further consultation, to the great relief of Wauchope, it was -determined to give him a chance of saving his arm. The wound was -carefully and successfully {101} dressed. This disablement, however, -reduced him from the position of an active leader in the expedition -to that of a mere spectator. He was quite laid aside for a time, and -compelled to remain in one of the boats floating on the Nile--no -pleasant experience for one of his active temperament. - -Still keeping Khartoum, with its noble defender, in view, the -expedition, though yet more than 450 miles from their destination, -pushed on with vigour. Passing Hebbath, the scene of poor Colonel -Stewart's murder by the chief of the Monassir tribe a few months -before, thence to El Kab, where the current is very swift, the 215 -boats of the force arrived at Huella, not far from Abu Ahmed, with -its beautiful green sward on the banks of the river. - -[Sidenote: Death of Gordon] - -This was destined to be the furthest point to which the river -expedition was to penetrate. Relief had arrived too late, for here -the British force learned that the end had come in Khartoum, and that -all their labour had been in vain. The city had been treacherously -taken by the Mahdi, and General Gordon had been killed on the 25th -January, or nearly a month before. - -As the object of the expedition was said to be merely for the relief -of Gordon with his Egyptian garrison, and the British Government had -determined to abandon the Soudan entirely, there was nothing left for -Lord Wolseley to do on the receipt of this sad intelligence but to -retrace his steps. On the 13th February, Sir Redvers Buller, with -the Desert Column, which had reached Gubat, evacuated that place; -and, as the reason for the occupation of Berber by the River Column -had practically ceased, orders were received commanding a halt. Ten -days afterwards the flotilla commenced the return journey down the -swift and {102} broken waters of the Nile. It was an unfortunate end -of an undecided policy which delayed the relief of the noble Gordon -until it was too late. Had the Government taken up the matter -earnestly some months earlier than they did, Lord Wolseley's -expedition would not only have saved Gordon a tragic death and -relieved Khartoum, but would then have crushed the power of the Madhi -for ever. Thus would have been accomplished in 1885 a piece of work -which, simply by being then neglected, had again to be taken up -thirteen years afterwards, but which was brought then to a successful -issue by the entire overthrow on 2nd September 1898 of the Mahdi's -successor by General Sir Herbert Kitchener at Omdurman. - -Wauchope all through this expedition had proved himself an invaluable -pioneer in the rough and arduous work they had to encounter, and the -many difficulties to be overcome. He was highly popular with all -ranks from the Commander-in-Chief to the youngest drummer, for he -looked upon every one as simply his fellow-workers, and was ever -ready to help any in trouble. 'Gifted,' as one of his brother -officers has said of him, 'with a singularly attractive and lovable -disposition, he made friends of every one he met. With the simplest -of tastes himself, and (after the deaths of his father and brother) -with ample means at his disposal, he used to help more particularly -those married with or without leave in the regiment, and these cases -I only heard of by accident. He never spoke of them himself.' - -[Sidenote: A staunch Prespyterian] - -Nor was his interest in his men limited to merely secular matters. -He was deeply impressed with the conviction that, carrying as the -soldier did his life in his hand, there was no class of men who ought -more to be prepared for death. And facing death, as he so often did -himself, he {103} felt that the consolations of religion should be -within the soldier's reach when needed. He was a staunch -Presbyterian, loyal to his national religion, and ever ready to give -the chaplain of his regiment his support and help. When the Nile -Expedition had reached Korti it was resolved that none but fighting -men should go further, and some of the chaplains were accordingly -left behind as an unnecessary impediment. Just before starting, an -officer of the staff came to the chaplain of the Black Watch, who -happened at the time to be standing beside Colonel Wauchope, with the -order that he was not to proceed further. The chaplain replied that -there was nothing for him to do at Korti, if he were separated from -the regiment; he urged that he had been sent from Cairo with the -Gordons and the Black Watch, and that he would go with them where -duty called. Wauchope at once said, 'Stick to that and I will back -you up.' The chaplain without any further demur was allowed to -proceed, and he was the only chaplain who got beyond the base to be -in time to do duty in action. In this connection an instance of his -strict military discrimination may be mentioned. A man of his -company came and complained to him that he had been told off by the -sergeant-major to remain at the base. A certain number of men of -each corps had been so ordered, and naturally the best soldiers were -not left behind. Wauchope replied to this man, 'You are a soldier -who is often drunk, often late for parade, often absent, and we can't -depend upon you. We prefer to take men we can trust.' The man, very -much crestfallen, and evidently disappointed, said, 'Sir, if you will -take me to the front, I promise you I'll never be brought before an -officer again.' Wauchope said, 'Very well, I'll take you at your -word, but if you don't keep it, I'll never do {104} anything more for -you.' The man behaved perfectly well during the campaign, and -loyally kept his word. 'It may be hoped,' says the friend from whom -we have the story, 'that Wauchope's considerate action was the means -of pulling up a man who was on the downward course, and the making of -a good soldier out of a bad one.' - -One may be sure that the disappointment of not reaching Khartoum, and -the sudden cessation of their active efforts, had a depressing effect -upon the whole force. Lord Wolseley, in his message to the Nile -Column ordering it to return, sought to soften the disappointment in -some measure by judicious praise. 'Please,' said he, 'express to the -troops Lord Wolseley's high appreciation of their gallant conduct in -action, and of the military spirit they have displayed in overcoming -the great difficulties presented by the river. Having punished the -Monassir people for Colonel Stewart's murder, it is not intended to -undertake any further military operations until after the approaching -hot season.' - -[Sidenote: The Soudan abandoned] - -When once more the expedition headed down-stream, difficult as they -had found it to ascend, the return movement was even more risky and -dangerous. The eighty-five Canadian steersmen were now found to be -invaluable, or, as one has remarked, 'were worth their weight in -gold.' Boat after boat with their loads of troops came down at -lightning speed in order of two fathoms' length between each boat. -It required a quick eye and steady steering to avoid collision or -being thrown on the rocks, for half a second was as good as a wreck -when shooting madly between the sunken rocks of the cataracts. A few -boats came to grief, but only one belonging to the Black Watch. And -so Wauchope and the other wounded were steered down the great -river--perhaps the most wonderful stream {105} in this world of -ours--to Meraivi. Rochefoucauld has said that strong minds suffer -without complaining, while weak ones complain without suffering. -Wauchope's exemplary patience under such trying and painful -circumstances, we have been told, was extraordinary. He was ever -cheerful, and not a murmur escaped his lips. At Meraivi the regiment -erected huts and an hospital, and remained for two months, but were -always on the alert night and day against threatened attacks by -unfriendly Arabs. The Government ultimately abandoned the idea of -the reconquest of the Soudan at that time. It was left to its fate -in the hands of the victorious Mahdi, all the troops being recalled. -Leaving the boats at Akasheh on 8th June, the Black Watch took train -for Wady Halfa, thence to Assouan, then by steamers and _diabehas_ to -Assiout, and thereafter by train to Cairo, which was safely reached -on the morning of the 27th June, Lord Wolseley telegraphing to -London, 'The Black Watch has arrived in splendid condition, and -looking the picture of military efficiency.' - -Colonel Wauchope's services in the Nile Expedition of 1884-85 were -acknowledged by two clasps to his Egyptian medal, inscribed Nile and -Kirbekan. - -It is a significant commentary upon the modesty of the man, that -while the records of the regiment at this time, from which we have -gathered these particulars of its movements in the Nile Expedition, -were compiled by Colonel Wauchope himself, Colonel Bayly, who was -then its commanding officer, has pointed out to us 'that just for -that reason we will find his name less mentioned than it ought to be.' - -The Black Watch returned to Cairo, where they remained for over a -year, during which time Wauchope had quite recovered from his wounds -and was able to resume duty. - -{106} - -[Sidenote: Malta and Gibraltar] - -On the 30th April 1886 the regiment left Cairo, sailing from -Alexandria in the steamship _Poonah_ under orders for Malta, and -reaching that interesting island on the 5th May. During the three -years that followed, when the 42nd were quartered there, and -afterwards at Gibraltar, Colonel Wauchope was several times home on -leave of absence, but not for any lengthened period. During these -years, the 42nd had the round of the various barracks with which that -important military station is studded--Ricasoli, St. Elmo, Floriana, -Gozo, and Pembroke Camp. The last, which is about two miles west of -the harbour and fortifications of Valletta, was occupied for a time -when the troops were engaged in firing practice, and one gentleman -who was then in Malta, acting as assistant to Dr. Wisely, the -resident chaplain, mentions that he always found the Colonel -exceedingly kind, occasionally asking him to join the officers' mess, -and showing him much attention. From frequent intercourse with him, -he formed the impression that 'he was one of the most modest and -unassuming of men; and, he might add, one of the most sensible.' - -But Wauchope's influence and personality were not limited to his -military duties, or to the British soldiers merely. He had a great -deal to do with the Maltese, especially in connection with the -formation of a Malta Militia. We are told by Dr. Wisely that he -'entered into the organisation of a body of native militia with his -usual thoroughness; and,' he says, 'by none was he more respected -than by the native inhabitants of the island. The Maltese loved him. -When the news came of his death, some of them I know wept for sorrow.' - -At the sale of the whale-boats of the Nile Expedition, Wauchope -purchased two or three of them, and had them {107} sent to Malta, -where they were largely used, and to good effect, by his men for -recreation purposes. With a good deal of the sailor in him, he -encouraged races and aquatic sports in and about Valletta, he himself -taking an active personal interest in them, and being a good deal out -with the boats. - -His old shipmate of the _St. George_, Prince Alfred, who had now been -created Duke of Edinburgh, and was then serving as captain of one of -the warships in the Mediterranean, and afterwards as -commander-in-chief of the Malta station, came a good deal in contact -with Wauchope at this time. There was a frequent interchange of -visits between them. 'The Duke,' says Colonel Bayly, 'had always the -greatest regard for Wauchope, calling him, as of old, by his -Christian name of Andy, and showing the utmost friendship.' In this -way the otherwise tedious routine of garrison duty was considerably -lightened. - -In June 1889, Wauchope was honoured by having conferred upon him by -Her Majesty the distinction of Companion of the Most Honourable Order -of the Bath, in recognition of his splendid services in Egypt. - -On the 8th August, the battalion of the Black Watch left Malta for -Gibraltar in H.M.S. _Himalaya_, and disembarked at the Rock on the -13th, taking up their quarters in the south barracks. The regiment -had a prolonged stay of nearly three years at Gibraltar, but during -that period Colonel Wauchope, in addition to his being home several -times on furlough, had frequent opportunities of making visits in -Spain and on the coast of Algiers and Morocco. His actual term of -foreign service only extended to February 1891, when he returned to -Scotland to take the command of the 2nd Battalion at Maryhill -Barracks, Glasgow. - -{108} - -During his residence at Gibraltar in 1890, he twice over occupied for -a time a rather unusual position, being called upon to take command -of the garrison. While actually in charge of only a company, he also -commanded the battalion owing to the temporary absence of Colonel -Gordon on leave. The major-general having been called away at the -same time, Wauchope, by virtue of his army seniority, took over the -command of the infantry brigade of four regiments as well. None were -quicker than himself to see the possibilities of this peculiar -situation. As he put it, with a humorous smile--'Now, suppose a man -of my company has a complaint to make, and I decide against him, as I -probably should: his remedy is to appeal to the officer commanding -his regiment, and he gets Andrew Wauchope again to judge the case. -His next appeal would be to the general, and again he comes before -Andrew Wauchope; but being only human myself, I fear he would find -the decision confirmed, and he would go away with the reflection, -that it was "Andrew Wauchope all along the line!"' - -It is needless to say this problematical contingency never arose, and -so he was saved from acting in any such triple capacity. - - - - -{109} - -CHAPTER VII - -THE MIDLOTHIAN CAMPAIGN - - -'A Scot of the Scots,' General Wauchope was a man of many parts. -Great in arms, he was equally great in the arts of peace; and in the -political world, strangely enough, he carved out for himself a -reputation quite unique. Though his countrymen were naturally proud -of his distinguished services as a soldier, they knew him also, it -has been well said, as the man who by pertinacious pluck and sweet -conciliation brought down Mr. Gladstone's majority in the county of -Midlothian. Liberal politicians both in England and Scotland will -not have forgotten the horrified astonishment with which they read -the figures of the poll in that county at the General Election of -1892. - -Mr. Gladstone had been returned for the metropolitan county of -Scotland in 1880, after his great campaign, by a small majority -against the present Duke of Buccleuch, at that time Earl of Dalkeith. -That was under the old and restricted franchise. In 1885, when the -miners and farm hands had largely through his influence obtained -votes, he defeated Sir Charles Dalrymple--a man respected by all who -knew him, and by many who did not--by two to one, and something over. -Nobody thought any more about Midlothian. It was regarded as Mr. -Gladstone's {110} stronghold, and the Liberals went to sleep in the -comfortable assurance that the seat was theirs so long as he lived. -Nor were their slumbers disturbed by the unopposed election of July -1886, when throughout the country the Liberal party suffered a -serious defeat consequent upon Mr. Gladstone's attempt, as Prime -Minister, to pass what was popularly known as the Home Rule Bill for -Ireland. Mr. Gladstone retained his seat, but was obliged to resign -his position as First Lord of the Treasury; and the Home Rule Bill in -course of the next six years, under the administration of Lord -Salisbury, became practically a thing of the past. During that time -remarkable changes were effected in the constituency. In Edinburgh -the Conservative party had rallied. Its leaders did not lack -courage, even under the most hopeless circumstances, and they -resolved to bring forward one whose determination and courage had -been well tried, though in an entirely different field. At a meeting -of the Midlothian Liberal Unionist Association in Edinburgh on the -18th November 1889, the proposal of the committee to adopt Colonel -Wauchope of Niddrie as their representative was unanimously carried. - -[Sidenote: Opposes Mr. Gladstone] - -It was admitted on all hands that his acceptance of such a proposal -involved the undertaking of a very hard task: one speaker at the -meeting even going so far as to say that 'while he did not anticipate -they were to win the county, he was sure that if Colonel Wauchope led -this forlorn hope, it would not be an inglorious defeat.' - -Notwithstanding the rather doubtful prospects of success which his -supporters gave, Wauchope's reply was characteristic of the man. He -accepted the honour and the responsibility all the more readily, it -would appear, that it was accompanied by difficulties. After -thanking the meeting for asking him to come forward at the next -election, {111} he said he should be more than human if he did not -feel deeply gratified. If he had been an orator, or if he had been a -man engaged in public affairs, he would not have been surprised. But -though he was an utterly untried man, he would do his best to try and -serve, he should not say their interests, but the interests of the -cause which they had all at heart. He was sure they would rally -round the old flag--the flag of the Union. It spoke well for the -future of Unionism throughout the land; and their native county of -Midlothian had in this respect shown a good example to the rest of -the country. They must never lose sight of the fact that this battle -that was going on now was not a battle only in Midlothian, but it was -a battle 'all along the line,' from Land's End to John o' Groats. -They were only a mere part of that fight; and if it were a 'forlorn -hope' here, it was of the greatest advantage to the great cause that -they made a good 'forlorn hope' of it! He felt the responsibility -very much to play the part of leader to them when they might so -easily have got a better one. 'However,' he said, 'the choice is -with you. I did not seek it, but shall do my best to come to the end -of the business in a proper way.' Here it will be seen there was -both boldness and modesty, confidence in the cause he was to -champion, and self-reliance, without overrating his ability for the -hazard. His opposition to Irish Home Rule and the possible -disintegration of the Empire made him fearless, even to the extent of -daring to oppose in person the great commander-in-chief of the Home -Rule army. - -At this time he was home from Gibraltar for a short furlough, and -with evidently no expectation of taking any prominent part in -politics; and so, his term of leave of absence having nearly expired, -he was unable to follow up {112} his nomination by any active -movement. He accordingly returned to Gibraltar on 4th December. In -January following he got, however, a further leave of absence from -29th January till 31st May, during which time he took full advantage -of the opportunity. Though there was no near prospect of an -election, he at once set about his canvass with all the -characteristic energy of his nature, devoting all his spare time to -addressing meetings of the electors in the various villages and -parishes of the county. This preliminary canter over, he rejoined -his regiment at Gibraltar in June 1890, leaving politics all behind -him, and entering with fresh zest into his military duties. - -[Sidenote: Canvass of the Electors] - -The Liberal press of the country, as a rule, treated Colonel -Wauchope's candidature with the utmost indifference, if not with -contempt, regarding it as a foregone conclusion that it would end in -nothing. Indeed, his splendid audacity provoked the Radical party to -mirth, and even in Unionist circles there was much shaking of heads. -On all hands, by political friends and foes alike, every -consideration and deference was shown, and he was listened to -generally in respectful silence, rarely with open opposition; but his -claims were not considered serious enough to work out to a conclusion -that would at all affect Mr. Gladstone's position as the sitting -member. Was Mr. Gladstone not the first statesman of the day, and -the most brilliant Chancellor of the Exchequer of the century?--a man -who, it has been wittily said, 'could apply all the resources of a -burnished rhetoric to the illustration of figures; who could make -pippins and cheese interesting, and tea serious; who could sweep the -widest horizon of the financial future and yet stop to bestow the -minutest attention on the microcosm of penny stamps and post horses.' -To oppose such a man seemed madness. The feeling was, {113} however, -more of pity that a good man should waste his energies on a hopeless -effort, than any fear of danger to the Liberal cause. The following, -as the expression of a Liberal editor, may be taken as a fair -specimen of the general feeling at the time:--'The answer to the -question of the Scotsman, "Where is the candidate for Midlothian?" -has at last been answered. Colonel Wauchope is a good and a brave -man, and one almost regrets that he should have been prevailed upon -to lead a forlorn hope. Almost all that was said of Sir Charles -Dalrymple when he contested the county, may be said of the Laird of -Niddrie. His heart is in the right place. He is justly held in much -esteem as a landlord and county gentleman, as well as for his gallant -services to his country. Sir Charles is, however, more of and -perhaps a better politician, and where HE failed, Colonel Wauchope -can have little chance of success.' - -These pessimistic effusions had no more effect upon Wauchope than -water on a duck's back. He had given his word, the die was cast, and -deliberately and systematically he carried out his resolution. -Beginning at his own village of New Craighall--chiefly inhabited by -the miners belonging to the coal-pits on his estate--he commenced his -campaign in the schoolroom on 10th February 1890, his friend and -neighbour Sir Charles Dalrymple acting as chairman. In the course of -his speech, Sir Charles referred to the difficult task Colonel -Wauchope had undertaken, but was of opinion that his experience in -the army had taught him not to shrink from a task because it was -difficult. Indeed, he thought that to Colonel Wauchope a task of -difficulty was more attractive than an easy one. He was above all -things plain-spoken and thorough, and if he made statements on public -questions, they might be sure {114} that he would not have to answer -them or explain them away at a subsequent period. - -It is not necessary we should follow his footsteps throughout the -county on this first round of addresses to the electors, or of his -second round the following year, when he again returned from -Gibraltar, and finally in 1892 when the general election took place. -His personal canvass too of nearly fifteen thousand electors was a -remarkable experience, and was conducted by him with much tact. - -[Sidenote: Electioneering difficulties] - -It is needless to say these repeated appearances proved an excellent -training for him in the art of public speaking. He addressed the -electors on all subjects of public importance from Home Rule as the -all-absorbing question of the day, to questions of Imperial and local -interest. It must be admitted his early speeches bore the -unmistakable signs of the amateur in platform oratory, and when too -hard pressed by a pertinacious heckler he had sometimes to admit he -was nonplussed, but that he would give the embarrassing question his -full attention, and express his opinion on it when he had formed it. -This want of experience told heavily against him, and frequently he -had difficulty in getting a hearing, or in being able clearly to -express his views on some of the topics dealt with. But a breakdown -did not put him very much out; he always managed to please his -audience before he was done, with some happy remark given with the -utmost good-nature. His utterances, sometimes diffuse and incoherent -at first, very soon grew in confidence as well as in clearness, and -before the election was over there were few public speakers better -able to command the attention of a large audience than Andrew Gilbert -Wauchope of Niddrie. - -As he progressed in fluency of utterance he grew in popularity. The -householders of the middle class {115} certainly showed no sympathy -for his claims, and almost closed their doors in his face. They were -Gladstonian to a man. But, notwithstanding this, the Colonel -gradually acquired a hold upon the industrial and agricultural -workmen. He had, as they said, 'a way with him.' He talked to them -in every village about politics and about their own lives. He never -indulged in personal abuse of Mr. Gladstone--on the contrary, when he -did refer to him it was always with the utmost respect, as one or two -of his speeches before us testify. As a rule, the working classes -are not slow to recognise a gentleman, and they soon found the -Colonel was one to the back-bone; one who had a human heart and could -do a kind deed. At a meeting in the early part of the campaign, a -mining village had crowded its men into a hall to hear the man who -dared to oppose Mr. Gladstone. The meeting was very noisy, and -ill-disposed to listen--so much so that a speech was impossible. -When things were becoming serious, a smart-looking working man, -apparently in the thirties, stepped on to the platform amidst the -hubbub, much to the Colonel's surprise. Nobody knew what was coming, -and the singularity of the proceeding secured silence, in which the -unexpected orator spoke to the following effect:--'I dinna ken very -much about politics, but I was wounded at Tel-el-Kebir, and a man -came up to me as I lay on the ground, and after giving me a drink -from his water-bottle carried me back to a place of safety. That man -is on the platform to-night, and that's the man I'm gaen to vote -for.' The effect was electrical; the Colonel was not only listened -to, he was cheered to the echo, and the incident made a deep -impression on many present. - -Frequently, of course, he had to stand a good deal of interruption -and good-natured chaff, but he was generally {116} ready with a happy -retort. 'Does your mother know you're out?' was shouted to him from -the back part of a hall one night in the middle of his speech by a -roisterous opponent. 'Oh yes,' quietly replied the Colonel -parenthetically, 'but she will very soon know that I am in!' - -[Sidenote: Tramping the constituencies] - -Another questioner, evidently thinking he had a poser, put it to the -candidate: 'If war breaks out, will you be able to represent the -county?' to which he returned the laconic and crushing reply: 'My -man, if war breaks out, I'll be there'--an answer which at once -evoked a ringing cheer and turned the meeting largely in his favour. -Of course he did not convert all the miners to his way of thinking, -but he managed to retain their esteem all the same. 'I like ye, -Colonel, but I canna vote for ye,' said a conscientious miner to him -one day, and doubtless the Colonel appreciated his humble political -opponent all the more for his genuine frankness. Few who were -present at his first political meeting in New Craighall schoolroom -will readily forget the difficulty he had in getting through with the -subject of land values. After wandering over half the Continent for -practical illustrations, he at length lost the thread of his -discourse, and got into a hopeless maze. For a minute or two he -stood speechless, while his face became quite florid, as he fiercely -pounded his left hand with his fist in his own characteristic -fashion. A happy inspiration came at last. Turning his back upon -the audience, he suddenly seized one of the newspaper reporters -sitting near, and commanded him to stand up. 'What have you got down -there? Read it!' With some difficulty the reporter obeyed. 'That's -not what I want to say at all. Put it out. We can't have that go -into the papers; put it down this way,' and then he proceeded to tell -him what he meant to say. - -{117} - -'I was miserably beaten,' he remarked next day to a friend; 'but I've -determined to master politics, and I'll do it.' How he did it every -one knows. With a volume of Gladstone's speeches in his pocket, he -tramped the constituencies, and on the eve of the election, at a -meeting of seventeen hundred persons in the Corn Exchange of -Dalkeith, which was even honoured by the presence of cabinet -ministers, the speech of the evening was admitted to be that made by -Colonel Wauchope. - -All this involved, of course, active exertion, as well as -concentration of thought and study, and the very servants in the -house could see he was absorbed in thought as he never had been -before. Even his walks about the grounds were less frequent than -before, for the things that used formerly to interest him were passed -unheeded by, as with face to the ground he appeared to be thinking -out some problem or composing a speech. In his room piles of papers -littered the floor, and the preparations for speeches must have been -enormous for one not accustomed to this kind of work. One night he -had sat up late preparing a speech, making cuttings and pasting them -together to be ready for reference. In order that they might be -properly dried, he left them on the fender overnight, and when the -girl came in in the morning to put on the fire, thinking it was a lot -of wastepaper she used it for that purpose. Of course the Colonel -made inquiries about his papers, and for some time there was great -consternation among the servants when it was known what had happened, -and the admission had to be made that they had been destroyed. It -was very different with him, however. He laughed the matter over, -and told the poor girl never to mind, as it was more than likely it -would end in smoke at any rate! - -{118} - -By the end of March 1891 Colonel Wauchope had a second time visited -the whole of the constituency, or, as a Radical paper put it, 'had -been overhauling the preserves of the Grand Old Man,' but admitting -frankly, at the same time, that 'he seemed everywhere to be received -with marked attention and respect.' - -[Sidenote: An eventful night] - -One of the largest of these meetings, held in Dalkeith on 31st -January, gave him an opportunity of twitting the Liberals upon their -alliance with Mr. Parnell, and upon the exposure made to the country -by his having a bag of lime thrown in his face, 'not by an alien -Saxon, but by a Paddy belonging to the soil, in the county of -Kilkenny, in the very midst of dear old Ireland.' The great issue, -he said, now before the country has been wonderfully cleared up, and -he strongly believed that if the people of this country could have -the truth put before them, there would be no more talk of Home -Rule--referring, of course, to the scandal connected with the Irish -leader's temporary retirement from political life by recent exposures -in the Divorce Court. - -These peregrinations through the county brought Colonel Wauchope in -contact with all classes of people. The very reporters, whose duty -it was to follow him and report his speeches, he made friends of, and -by all who had dealings with him he was regarded as the most genial -and generous-minded of political candidates. As one of them said, -'he was affability itself, and gave the impression of regarding the -reporters as his personal friends.' One of these gentlemen has given -us the following graphic account of an electioneering visit to one of -the outlying parishes in the county:-- - - -Once in the course of one of his Midlothian tours we had something in -the nature of adventure. He was to address an {119} evening meeting -at Heriot, and arrangements were duly made for the stopping of an -outgoing express which left the Waverley Station about six o'clock, -as well as for the stopping of the Pullman express in order to bring -him back to Edinburgh. The arrangement was so beautifully fine that -it failed disastrously. To begin with, the departure of the outgoing -train was delayed for over twenty minutes awaiting a Glasgow -connection, and, to make matters worse, the fact that the village of -Heriot is about two miles distant from the railway station had been -totally disregarded--if, indeed, it was known. The result was that -the candidate, his agent, and the writer alighted at Heriot Station -just about the time that the meeting was announced to begin. There -was nothing for it but walking. In a drenching rain the three of us -set out for the meeting-place. When we had accomplished a -considerable part of the journey we were overtaken by a light country -van. The driver on having our plight explained to him, readily gave -us a 'lift,' and in this way we reached Heriot about the time we -ought to have been leaving it in order to catch the train that was -being stopped for the express purpose of picking us up. The -audience, it was evident, was not quite in the best of humour at -having been kept waiting so long; but the explanation of the Colonel, -and his candid, honest attitude won the hearts of his audience, and -he had an excellent reception. A passage in his speech on that -occasion is worth recalling in the light of the event over which all -Scotland to-day mourns. 'People state,' he said, 'that I am a -warlike candidate; but, gentlemen, I have twice or thrice been shot -in the body already, and I declare to you I have no great desire to -be shot again.' At the close of the meeting we set out on the return -trudge to Heriot, painfully aware of the fact that the last train had -gone, and not knowing in the least how or where we were going to pass -the night. In the course of our march, I remember, the Colonel -turned to me and said seriously, 'I hope you don't get into any -bother over this?' I assured him that he need have no anxiety on -that score. 'Because,' he added, 'I'll sign any certificate you -like.' The remark was quite like him. It reflected at once the -soldier and the considerate gentleman. Well, when we {120} got to -the railway station, we found that the train that was to have picked -us up, had passed quite an hour previously. The stationmaster, I -remember, took in the situation sympathetically at a glance. If he -was not a sturdy Unionist he must have been one of the General's -numerous admirers. 'There is nothing for it,' said he, 'but to walk -up the line to Falahill, where we may have a chance of getting a -pilot engine to run you down at least to Dalkeith.' Accordingly the -stationmaster lit a lamp, and the four of us started to walk up the -line in the dark, wet night. When we reached Falahill we learned -with intense relief that a spare engine was at that very moment -pushing up a goods train from Eskbank. The train arrived at the -signal-box in the course of a very few minutes, and in the course of -a few minutes more the Colonel, his agent, and myself had mounted the -spare engine. The engine-driver was a brick. He drove us down the -hill like the wind--tender first, by the way. We alighted from the -engine at the point where the Dalkeith section debouches from the -main line, and after the chilling effect of our rough ride, at once -started off at a smart pace to walk to Dalkeith Station. We reached -Dalkeith exactly at ten minutes to ten o'clock. There were thus ten -minutes left to us in which to obtain a much-needed refreshment, and -we needed little persuasion to visit an adjoining inn for the -purpose. We caught the last train from Dalkeith, and were in the -Waverley Station about half-past ten o'clock. Many a time afterwards -was that eventful evening recalled by all three. - - -In the spring of this same year (1891), when political parties in -Midlothian were busy preparing for the possibility of a general -election occurring in the following year, a portion of Colonel -Wauchope's regiment was ordered home from Gibraltar, and he was -posted to the Second Battalion to be stationed at Belfast. This -transference made him now second in command, with the rank of Senior -Major of the Black Watch. He did not therefore require to go back to -Gibraltar again, but served the {121} greater part of this and the -following year, first in Belfast and afterwards in Limerick. - -[Sidenote: Third tour of Midlothian] - -In January 1892 Colonel Wauchope began his third tour of Midlothian, -carrying it on with energy for the next three months. Still the -dogged determination to do well and thoroughly what he had undertaken -is patent in all the steps of his progress. The 'forlorn hope' was -now looking more hopeful, and his opponents were beginning to take -alarm. At one meeting it had been insinuated that Mr. Gladstone -being an old man of eighty-two, he was only working with a view to -ultimately taking the great statesman's place. He repudiated the -idea with all the eloquence he could command. 'It had been said that -he was waiting to step into dead men's shoes. That, he thought, was -striking a bit below the belt. He certainly could look any man in -Midlothian straight in the face--ay, into his very eye--and say that -he was waiting to fill no dead man's shoes. He was telling the -truth, and nothing but the truth, when he said he hoped Mr. Gladstone -might live for many years. He knew that a greater statesman than Mr. -Gladstone perhaps never lived in this country; but, despite that, he -was sorry to say he could not agree with his policy. Indeed, the -more he admired Mr. Gladstone's genius, and the more wonderful he -considered all that he had done, the more deeply and the more -profoundly did he regret the course he had pursued in regard to the -Irish Home Rule question. There was no doubt that the greatest men -had made the greatest mistakes.' Home Rule he characterised in -another speech as 'Federalism that would completely change the -character of the Government of the United Kingdom,' and 'he could not -help feeling it was a measure which would never be sanctioned by the -people of this country.' - -{122} - -As a counteractive to the Colonel's prolonged canvass, a great -Liberal demonstration took place in Edinburgh on 29th March, when, in -addition to the great statesman himself, Lord Carrington, Governor of -New South Wales, appeared. - -Parliament was dissolved three months after, on 25th June, and -immediately the electoral battle was waged with greater intensity. -Mr. Gladstone came down to Edinburgh on the 30th June to begin a tour -of the county, and the eyes of the whole country were turned upon -Midlothian and the fate of the great leader of the Liberal party. -Charmed with the flow of eloquence, crowded audiences hung upon his -lips, and, no doubt, led away with the popular enthusiasm with which -he was on all hands greeted, Mr. Gladstone's supporters overlooked -the influence that had silently but surely been working against his -return, and were incredulous as to the possibility of defeat, while a -too confident committee were thought to have relaxed their efforts. -One Radical writer had no hesitation in saying, that 'as to the -result of the election, no one seems to have any doubt. It is fully -admitted that Colonel Wauchope is in many respects an admirable -candidate, but to compare him with Mr. Gladstone is looked upon by -the latter gentleman's followers as almost ludicrous!' - -The result was nevertheless looked forward to with the utmost -interest. Speculation ran high; and while the odds were certainly in -favour of Mr. Gladstone, an element of uncertainty was daily growing -as the polling-day drew near, which only whetted public curiosity the -more. - -[Sidenote: Getting into a funk] - -It was even said that the Colonel himself, in view of his rapidly -increasing popularity, was beginning to be apprehensive that he was -actually to be elected--a result he {123} neither expected nor -greatly wished. 'I am getting into a funk,' he remarked--whether -seriously or not we cannot tell--when his agents told him he was -likely to win the seat from Mr. Gladstone. 'You know, I don't want -to go into Parliament; I want to be Commander of the Black Watch.' -He had stood forward when asked as the champion of his party. He had -opposed what he considered the errors of the Liberals. He would have -none of Mr. Gladstone's Home Rule policy. He was opposed to the -Disestablishment of the Church of Scotland. He was against the -enforcement of an eight hours limit of labour as an infringement of -individual liberty, while he held that the foreign policy of the -country under Liberal Governments had not always commanded public -confidence. For three years he had earnestly and well enunciated the -principles for which he contended, but as to turning Mr. Gladstone -out of his seat at last, we can well believe that he shrank from the -bare possibility of it as the day of the poll approached. - -The Midlothian election took place on the 12th July. Out of a -constituency of 13,134, no less than 11,000 tendered their votes--or -84 per cent. of the total. It must be borne in mind that a large -number of the returns throughout the country had already been made, -and these in many cases showed in favour of the Liberal cause. -Indeed, Lord Salisbury's majority in the House of Commons had -disappeared, and each day brought additions to the Liberal majority. -The party was naturally elated, and so far as Midlothian was -concerned it was confidently predicted that Mr. Gladstone's majority -would not be less than 2500. The result of the poll was made known -next day at the Edinburgh County Buildings before an immense -concourse of people. It was one of the biggest {124} surprises Mr. -Gladstone's supporters encountered during the General Election, so -far certainly as Scotland was concerned. The counting of the votes -was completed about a quarter to one o'clock, and an unofficial -intimation of the result soon found its way outside. It put Mr. -Gladstone's majority at 673. There was a crowd of some thousands in -number on the street in front of the court-house, and the -announcement that Mr. Gladstone's majority had been reduced below 700 -gave rise to a scene of extraordinary excitement. The crowd surged -up to the door to hear the figures, and as the cry 'Gladstone in by -700' was passed from one to another, a roar of astonishment, we are -told, went up from a thousand throats. The noise brought hundreds of -more excited politicians flocking to the scene. Town Council -committee men and young men from the adjoining Parliament House of -every shade of politics hurried up to join the excited throng. Blank -dismay took hold of every Gladstonian countenance. Some of them -could nor restrain themselves, and the most convenient object on -which to vent their indignation was apparently the Church of -Scotland, which came in for no little share of abuse as the cause of -it all. - -[Sidenote: Result of the poll] - -When it is recalled that in 1885 Mr. Gladstone had been elected by a -majority of 4631, and that in the following year his return was not -opposed, the figures of 1892 very well justified Colonel Wauchope's -daring. These were, for Mr. Gladstone 5845, and for the Colonel -5150--a majority for the former of 690. In other words, Mr. -Gladstone had lost 2000 votes, and Colonel Wauchope had polled nearly -2000 more than had been recorded for Sir Charles Dalrymple in 1885. -Neither of the candidates happened to be at the County Buildings when -the declaration of the poll was made, so that after the first -surprise {125} was over the crowd dispersed. It had been the -intention to have at once sent a telegram to Mr. Gladstone, who was -residing with Lord Rosebery at Dalmeny, but it is said that so great -was the perplexity among his supporters, that the telegram though -made out was not despatched till later on, for, like the crowd -outside, the people in the corridors refused for a time to credit the -figures. Colonel Wauchope had a most enthusiastic reception accorded -to him at his committee rooms in Princes Street, and on being called -upon for a speech, said he would not make a speech, because he felt -it to be true that it was the committee of Midlothian that had won -this victory. It was, he repeated, the committee; it was the men who -had stood by their guns at the committee rooms, the men who had -assiduously and earnestly worked for the cause--a duty he feared not -always of the most agreeable kind. But they had done their work -well, and it was to them that they owed this great victory--because -it was a victory--that would resound throughout the length and -breadth of the land. 'It is true, I have been the standard-bearer in -this fight, and I hope I have borne the standard not without -discredit to myself. But it is very little that a standard-bearer -can do if he is not supported by an army on the right and an army on -the left of him, and I am here to acknowledge that I have been -supported, and well supported, by a noble army both on my right and -on my left. We have fought a good fight, and a straight fight, and -we have proved that the heart of Midlothian beats sound enough.' - -The result of this Midlothian election was admitted on all hands, and -by none more so than the Liberals themselves, as 'a grievous -surprise,' 'an eye-opener,' 'a severe lesson.' It was realised now -that after all Colonel Wauchope's candidature had not been quite the -'forlorn {126} hope' they had at first predicted it to be. As one of -the party papers afterwards remarked, 'They had been taught the -lesson that it does not do to depend too much upon the individuality -of any one, however eminent, to carry a seat.... The advanced party -was caught napping.' ... 'It is,' they said, 'most astonishing to -find how well Colonel Wauchope is respected in the constituency now, -and how much he has improved in his treatment of political questions. -The outspoken and transparent honesty of his character has made him -troops of friends in all quarters, and the attention with which he -was received both by friends and opponents at the various -polling-booths must have been gratifying to the gallant Colonel -himself in no ordinary degree, as well as encouraging alike to him -and his supporters to try conclusions again.' - -Seldom has a defeat been reckoned so much of a victory. Those of the -'forlorn hope' were amazed, for what at first appeared so hopeless -had come within the region of possibility. Wauchope's name was on -every lip and at the point of every pen. The Midlothian election -startled the political world, and sobered the joy of Liberals; for -even the return of a majority of members to Parliament, sufficient -with the aid of the Irish Nationalists to turn out the Conservative -Government of Lord Salisbury and to place Mr. Gladstone in office, -was, in the estimation of many of that great statesman's admirers, -scarcely compensation enough for such a downcome. - -[Sidenote: Corn Exchange banquet] - -Immediately after the election, on the 18th July, Colonel Wauchope -was entertained to a house dinner by the Scottish Conservative Club, -at which Sir Charles Dalrymple presided. The Unionists of Midlothian -also recognised Colonel Wauchope's efforts and the sacrifices he had -made in the contest by a grand banquet given {127} in his honour in -the Corn Exchange, one of the largest halls in Edinburgh, on the 20th -August. Beautifully decorated for the occasion, and filled as it was -by over a thousand of the leading men of the party, and a large -number of ladies in the galleries, the banquet was a spectacle of -remarkable brilliancy and beauty. - -The meeting was presided over by the Duke of Buccleuch, who, in -proposing their guest's health, congratulated the company upon the -occasion which had brought so many of them together as -representatives of every parish in the county, after a fight in which -the interest of the whole country had been centred--a fight which was -looked upon a short time ago as a forlorn hope--a fight with one of -the most powerful men in the kingdom--one who came down here, you may -say, as the idol of the people. 'It is unusual,' said his Grace, 'to -celebrate a defeat; I will not call it that. I cannot call it a -victory, but I will call it a very great success. It has been a -success that has astonished ourselves, but it has done more than -that--it has created consternation among our opponents. A few more, -or, I would say, one more success of this kind, will not only be a -victory, but a very great one. For a majority of 4631 to have been -reduced on this last occasion to 690 is no small thing to have been -accomplished. It has been accomplished by two causes, or, I might -say, three perhaps. One was a first-class candidate; the second was -hard-working constituents; the third--a very important one--was a -good cause.' His Grace then referred to the Colonel's family as -holding an honoured place in the history of Midlothian for nearly six -hundred years, and to his own good qualities as a soldier who had -fought hard for his country's honour, and faithfully served his Queen. - -{128} - -Colonel Wauchope's reply was at once modest, vigorous, and humorous, -but our space will not permit us to give it in its entirety. In his -most light-hearted bantering manner he referred to the consternation -of their Liberal opponents on hearing that Mr. Gladstone had only -been returned by a majority of 690. 'They said it must be a blunder; -there must be something wrong; a "one" dropped out from before the -"six"; it was absurd; the figure will be at least 1690.' 'Ah, but -they looked, and they better looked, but there was no number "one" -before the "six." The fact was this, my friends, that Mr. -Gladstone's majority was down 4000, and so the news had to travel to -Dalmeny, where, I fancy, it was not received with great cordiality!' -After complimenting the committee for the manner in which they had -all exerted themselves, and a graceful acknowledgment to the ladies -who had also assisted, he concluded by thanking his supporters for -the great kindness he had experienced, and the great honour they had -done him, and sat down amid a perfect storm of applause, the large -audience once more rising to their feet, cheering to the echo. - -One of the other speakers--Mr. Martin, manager of the works at New -Craighall--mentioned that the miners of Niddrie, who had supported -the Colonel with loyal devotion, were going to work on till they had -returned him as member for Midlothian. And as an evidence of their -admiration, on the 17th December they also in their own humble way -honoured him with a banquet. It was given in the schoolroom of the -village, and about a hundred and fifty warm sympathisers were -present, presided over by Mr. Martin. It was in every way a -demonstration creditable to the gratitude of the men for many acts of -kindness shown to them in the past, and a manifestation of {129} -their personal esteem, which the Colonel was not slow to recognise -and appreciate. - -[Sidenote: Wauchope and Gladstone] - -A noteworthy feature of this contest between Colonel Wauchope and Mr. -Gladstone was the entire absence of personal animosity. Both -candidates treated each other, as they were entitled to do, with the -utmost respect. This is not always so in the heat of political -warfare. But Wauchope had the good sense to avoid any reference to -his opponent, and for long Mr. Gladstone did not condescend to reply -to any strictures upon his policy. When Wauchope had decided to -become a candidate for Midlothian, he went to Sir Robert Biddulph, -afterwards Governor of Gibraltar, and told him he would have to -canvass regularly until the next general election. Sir Robert's -advice was wise:--'I told him,' said he, 'that he should never make -any personal attack on Gladstone, nor ever mention his name in his -public speeches. I said, "Gladstone is so strong a man, and so -powerful a speaker, that he can tear you to pieces. You should not, -therefore, give him the least opening for attacking you, but just act -as if no such man existed." Some time after,' continues Sir Robert, -'he reminded me of that advice, and said he had scrupulously acted -upon it, so much so that Mr. Gladstone had never attacked him, and -had even spoken of him as a worthy and estimable man!' - -Notwithstanding his military duties, of which he was far from being -forgetful, amid all the political excitement of 1892, Colonel -Wauchope, encouraged by the enthusiasm of his friends, and still -determined to uphold what he considered Constitutional principles, -though, at the same time, conscious of his own deficiencies, -continued his candidature for some time in view of the possibility of -another election soon. Writing from Limerick Barracks {130} on 28th -July 1892 to a friend in Dalkeith who had sent him some complimentary -verses on the recent election, he says:--'Many thanks for your kind -letter. It is such that repay me for any little trouble I may have -taken in the good old cause. No one feels more than I do how unfit I -am in many ways for the position of candidate. For instance, during -next month we are to be at field manoeuvres, and I am tied by the leg -during that time. But Midlothian deals very tenderly with all my -wants--very much, I take it, that I am one of themselves.' - -It was his strong opinion that the Liberal policy of the time was to -prove disastrous to the best interests of his country which made him -so keen an opponent of Mr. Gladstone. Against that great statesman -he had not the slightest personal feeling. Speaking to a friend -afterwards who was congratulating him upon his having so nearly been -returned to Parliament, he said, 'I never expected to win the seat, -_but I wanted to hash their batteries_!' Before long it became -apparent, however, that it would be a needless waste of energy to -continue the struggle; and, besides this, other duties supervened, -and Colonel Wauchope saw fit to withdraw altogether from politics for -a season. - - - - -{131} - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE 73RD REGIMENT AT MARYHILL BARRACKS--INCIDENTS OF HOME -LIFE--MILITARY LIFE AT YORK--APPOINTMENT TO SOUDAN CAMPAIGN. - - -In the autumn of 1892 Colonel Wauchope's residence in Limerick came -to a close on his appointment to the command of the 73rd Perthshire -Regiment, or the 2nd Battalion of the Black Watch, then stationed at -Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow. This well-earned promotion to a position -he had long aspired to occupy enabled him to be more frequently at -Niddrie than formerly. During the twenty-seven years he had been -connected with the Black Watch, he had risen slowly but steadily from -the rank of subaltern through the various intermediate stages to the -first position, by dint of persevering effort and close application -to his military duties. He was by no means a dilettante officer. He -loved his profession, and he made it his life work, while the -enthusiasm with which he was inspired he imparted to those around -him. We find this exemplified in a speech made at a large gathering -of the old members of the 42nd held in the Trades Hall, Glasgow, on -the 17th September, where he presided. Many of those present had -been with him through the Ashanti and Soudan campaigns, as well as in -Cyprus, Malta, and Gibraltar, and in referring to former times he -{132} recalled their relationship with no little satisfaction. He -felt, he said, as if he was back at Aldershot under his dear old -colonel, now Sir John M'Leod, and once more an ensign, and the -adjutant of the 42nd. But let them not forget their comrades of the -73rd regiment. Almost since the beginning of the century, the 73rd -had been part and parcel of the 42nd, having been indeed the second -battalion of the regiment. That alliance had been a happy one. -Personally he had now served the second battalion for eighteen -months, and it had been to him a period of great pleasure in his -duties. That which bound them together and gave them so much in -common was the glorious traditions of the 42nd. Their hearts warmed -to each other and the old regiment as they thought of Waterloo and -Quatre Bras. But it was not only traditions they had. He saw men -before him who had fought in a European theatre of war, and who had -taken part in the great battle of the Alma, of which they were now -celebrating the anniversary. He had spent twenty-seven years in the -old regiment, and the longer he was in it the better he loved it. In -concluding an eloquent address, he said: 'The 42nd stood high in the -esteem of the Scottish people, for there was no regiment that -Scotland loved more than the "Auld Forty-twa," and well they might. -By sea and by land, at home and abroad, the 42nd had fought and -always deserved well of its country. Our old regiment has become -renowned chiefly, I believe, because of the strict and stern yet good -discipline exercised by such commanders as Sir Daniel Cameron, Sir -John M'Leod, and others. These men had always stood up for -discipline, and it was discipline that brought the soldier comfort, -whilst it was the reverse that brought disorder and crime, and -everything that was disagreeable.' - -{133} - -[Sidenote: 'Right-about wheel!'] - -The Colonel was not, however, always so successful as a speaker. An -amusing incident is told of him when in command at Maryhill Barracks -which shows that an eloquent man may not always have command of his -tongue. One morning on parade he purposed giving the men an address, -and from the demeanour of their colonel the men anticipated something -eloquent. The genial Andrew, however, had only got the length of -'Men of the gallant 42nd,' when his tongue seemed to cleave to the -roof of his mouth. Thrice did he make the attempt, and thrice did he -fail to make progress, until, exasperated with himself, he suddenly -exclaimed, to the astonishment of the regiment--'Men of the gallant -42nd, right-about wheel!' - -But while the Colonel was strong in politics and diligent in the -discharge of barrack duties, he did not forget his old ancestral home -at Niddrie. It was never his lot to make anything like a permanent -residence at Niddrie House, but so long as he was stationed either at -Maryhill or afterwards in Edinburgh Castle he embraced every -opportunity of making short visits home; and when home he never -failed to interest himself in the welfare of all in the -neighbourhood. In the spring of 1893, being then in command in -Edinburgh Castle, he had more frequent opportunities of being among -'his ain folk,' and taking a more active interest in their welfare -than was formerly possible. It is with almost a smile we read of his -being at home at that time, and attending a meeting mostly composed -of miners and labourers in the Niddrie School, to present prizes to -the members of the local Bowling Club, in whose success he took a -lively interest. A social meeting held after this ceremony was -heartily enjoyed by all present, the Colonel entering freely into the -spirit of the occasion, making himself the gayest of {134} the gay -and 'everybody's body,' among men, women, and children. As one has -well said, 'he had a magnetism about him which not only made him the -friend of all, but made all his friends.' - -It will be long before the people of Niddrie and New Craighall -villages forget his kindness to them. One and all while he lived -regarded him with pride, affection, and gratitude. Nor is this to be -wondered at, for he held their loyalty and friendship by simple and -unaffected acts of kindness and helpfulness, never making them feel -that his friendship was an act of condescension, but rather the -outcome of a warm heart and a generous nature. Their acknowledgment -of his services when occasion arose was always spontaneous and -sincere. - -This was strikingly exemplified on the occasion of Colonel Wauchope's -marriage in 1893 to Miss Jean Muir, the daughter of the venerable -Principal of Edinburgh University. On the Saturday previous, the -villagers and others turned out in full force, and by their gifts as -well as by their presence showed how gratified they were with the -lady of his choice, and how their good wishes went out towards them -both. Two bands headed the procession to the mansion-house, and when -the lawn was reached the Colonel was presented in name of them all -with a silver punch-bowl, on a polished cannel-coal stand taken from -the Niddrie coal-pits. The presents from the school children, the -tenants on the estate, and other incidents of the day testified -unmistakably in the same way to the cordial relations subsisting -between the laird and his neighbours and dependants. - -'A better man never lived' was the terse estimate of one of the -villagers when speaking of him lately, and the echo of it will long -keep his memory green. - -{135} - -[Sidenote: Charlie Egan] - -One touching incident illustrating his goodness of heart is told by -the Rev. George Dodds, the Free Church Minister of Liberton, as -occurring about this time. When in command at Maryhill Barracks the -Colonel one day inspecting the hospital had his attention directed to -a boy--one of two brothers in the band of the Black Watch--who was -dying of consumption, and it touched the soldier's heart. Finding -out that the boy was an orphan, he had him removed to a room in his -own house, the Colonel himself accompanying the lad from Glasgow to -Niddrie, where every possible attention was paid to him. Dr. A. -Balfour of Portobello was asked to look after the case, and it was -the Colonel's wish that a nurse should attend him. The lad, however, -got so attached to the housekeeper at Niddrie--one of the kindest and -most faithful of servants--that he would have no other attention than -hers. During all the illness of the brave little chap, no one knows -but the kindly nurse, the doctor, and the minister, the Colonel's -tenderness and anxiety and unstinted generosity towards his little -friend. When at length after some weeks he died, it was a sight not -to be forgotten, how at the close of the funeral service he stood -weeping at the head of the coffin which was laid on trestles in the -hall. It was a stormy wintry day at the end of April, the snow lying -thick on the ground; but, following the bier, he walked uncovered -through the snow with all the reverence of a bereaved man to the -grave in the little private burying-ground in the Niddrie policies, -where the young soldier, whose closing weeks of life he had soothed -so tenderly, was laid to rest by his comrades from Edinburgh Castle. - -Poor little Charlie Egan, with only his fifteen summers over his -head, truly found in his commanding officer one {136} who was touched -with the truest Christian sympathy, and acted well towards him the -part of the Good Samaritan. Such conduct is a noble example. It is -the secret of lasting popularity. It is more,--it is the secret of -true happiness. - -In 1894 occurred a protracted strike among the colliers throughout -the country. The Niddrie coal-works were affected by it, and for -seventeen weeks the men were out of employment, and their families -suffering the severest hardship. On this question he expressed -himself at a later date most forcibly in these words:--'I do not know -anything to a patriotic mind more terrible for the country, and bad -for it, than anything in the shape of strikes--those industrial wars -which the country has witnessed and which had been an evil thing in -every way. I know it will be said that I am a man of war, and that I -love war, and all that sort of thing. Never was there a greater -fable. Though I have never had to stand on a great European field of -battle, I have seen too much of war in all its horrible aspects not -to hate it in every sense of the word. In the same way with those -industrial wars, there is nothing more deplorable and nothing which -has tended more to unhappy homes, and all the consequences thereof.' -But the Niddrie miners were in sore straits, and a deputation of them -went to the Colonel to lay their case before him, and they did not -appeal in vain. He told them very plainly he had no sympathy -whatever with the strike; 'but man, Tam,' addressing the leader of -the deputation, 'I would rather do anything than see the women and -weans starving,' and there and then he promised to give one pound -daily to keep the soup-kitchen going, so that they might at least -have one good meal a day. Not only so, but as long as the strike -lasted, vegetables in abundance were supplied from the Niddrie House -gardens. - -{137} - -[Sidenote: The country gentleman] - -In New Craighall there is a large reading-room and bagatelle-room. -Many years ago the building was erected by the Wauchope family for a -school, and was used as such up till 1896, when it was superseded by -the large school erected by the Board at Niddrie Mill. Niddrie -bowling-green, gifted to the villagers lately by Sir Charles -Dalrymple, has been a great boon to the men; and Colonel Wauchope -contributed largely to the expense connected with its formation. A -bleaching-green in the centre of the village--part of it fenced off -for football; the local football club; the local brass band--these -were all objects of his liberality. Was a site for a church or a -chapel wanted, it was given ungrudgingly, and his grounds were thrown -open for Sunday-school excursions and picnics during the summer -months. In cases of accident to any of the miners, he had an -ambulance waggon ready at the collieries, and in many other ways he -indicated his interest in the villagers. - -Similar instances of generosity among the people of Town and Kirk -Yetholm--where the other family estate is situated--made him, we are -told, the 'admired of all admirers.' There he bestowed large -monetary help in providing better water supply and sanitary -requirements for these villages. In Yetholm district he was an -open-handed benefactor, and will probably be longer remembered as -such than for his warlike achievements. And all this kindness was -done without ostentation. It was the outcome of a noble and generous -disposition. 'No man is truly great who is not gentle,' it has been -wisely remarked, for a gentleman must be kind and considerate for -others; and though the work of a soldier is to fight, and if need be -to kill, he is all the stronger in his hour of struggle against the -enemy that he carries within him a gentle heart. - -{138} - -Colonel Wauchope's heart was in the right place, and his influence -was consequently far-reaching. It is told of him that one day he had -as a companion in a country walk an ex-brother officer, not very -popular among the private soldiers. As they sauntered along, they -forgathered with a big boisterous bully who had been drummed out of -his regiment, taking with him a rankling ill-will against this -officer. He gave vent to his wrath against the Colonel's companion, -and threatened that he would 'do' for him, showing at the same time -every disposition to carry his threat into effect; but Wauchope -promptly stepped between the two, when the rowdy somewhat changed his -manner, saying, 'Captain, I would not lift a hand against so gallant -an officer as you; it is lucky for Mr. ---- that you are with him,' -whereupon the Colonel lectured him upon the impropriety of his -conduct, and with sundry other good advices parted from him by -leaving a silver coin in his hand. This was too much for the man, -and he burst into tears. - -Nor was he above doing a kindly action, even though asked in not the -most polite fashion. Once he happened to be visiting his friend Sir -Charles Dalrymple, at Newhailes, dressed in plain rustic costume. He -had scarcely entered the grounds, and closed the gate behind him, -when he heard a shrill voice calling out, 'Hae, man! come and open -the gate, will ye?' Looking round, Colonel Wauchope descried two -fish-women with their creels on their backs, vainly endeavouring to -effect an entrance. On the request being repeated, he at once turned -back, politely opened the gate, and walked on! They had taken him -for one of the workmen, and were rather disconcerted when they -afterwards discovered who had been acting the part of porter for them. - -{139} - -Such acts of courtesy came natural to Colonel Wauchope: they were not -put on for occasion. Whether in openhanded generosity and -hospitality, or in the mere opening of a gate, he exemplified -Emerson's idea of what a gentleman should be. As that writer -expresses it, 'When I view the fine gentleman with regard to his -manners, methinks I see him modest without bashfulness; frank and -affable without impertinence; obliging and complaisant without -servility; cheerful and in good humour without noise. These amiable -qualities are not easily obtained, neither are there many men that -have a faculty to excel this way. A finished gentleman is perhaps -the most uncommon of all the characters in life.' - -[Sidenote: The miners' strike] - -Colonel Wauchope stood well by the miners through their long enforced -idleness, with all its concomitant troubles, and when the time of -distress was at last over and the pits had resumed work, the men -determined to show their appreciation of his conduct by a public -recognition of their esteem. On the 3rd May 1895, a large gathering -took place in the New Craighall schoolroom, presided over by the -manager of the works, when an illuminated address expressive of their -gratitude, affection, and admiration, was presented to him in a -silver-mounted casket. That he valued such an expression of -affection from 'his own people,' as he liked to call them, goes -without saying. In acknowledging the gift he said: 'This address -will stand foremost among our household gods. On the face of it is a -view of the old house of Niddrie, where for centuries my forefathers -have lived before me. I will say that in distant lands and in -moments of danger, my thoughts have always been of my old home and -the people of Niddrie and this neighbourhood. And as to my poor -services, I feel proud when they are brought to the {140} notice of -my own people in my own country. And you may depend, that when the -hour of danger is, if there is one thing that supports me in that -hour, it is the knowledge that those at home are thinking about me, -and should I fall, that their thoughts would be kindly towards me -when I am no more.' Referring to a passage in the address that spoke -of his relationship as owner of the soil to his dependants being ever -of a kindly nature, he said: 'I would be no man at all if I were not -pleased to hear that.' Then as for the unfortunate strike some -months ago: 'I knew there were difficulties, and I stepped forward in -a small way to try and help my countrymen and women. As for strikes, -I don't like them. They are not good for our pockets, they are not -good for our tempers, and they are unfortunate in every respect. It -is an ill wind that blows nobody good, however, and that strike has -done this good for me--it has given me this presentation, which shall -for ever be valued. The strike will also have done good to the -community, inasmuch as it has shown that when difficulties are around -us, and trials and tribulations come, we can stand shoulder to -shoulder.' After a graceful allusion to Mrs. Wauchope as one -desirous of doing her duty, and who in the address had been called -his 'Gentle Consort,' the Colonel concluded amid great applause by -thanking them all for the great kindness which had prompted such a -meeting. - -It does one good in these times, when capital and labour are too -often in antagonism, to find such cordiality of affection and -identity of interest. - -[Sidenote: Departure from Edinburgh] - -After three years' residence in Edinburgh Castle, the and Battalion -of the Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) received orders in the autumn -of 1896 to take up their quarters in the city of York, and -accordingly on 26th {141} September they left Edinburgh, where they -had so long enjoyed the esteem of the citizens for their excellence -of conduct. Colonel Wauchope and his gallant Highlanders paraded at -seven in the morning at the Castle Esplanade, and although one -hundred and seventy of the regiment were at the time at Ballater as a -guard of honour to Her Majesty, the muster was five hundred and fifty -strong. It spoke volumes for their discipline and good conduct, that -Colonel Wauchope was able to say as the regiment was addressed before -their departure, that 'there was not a single absentee from parade, -nor yet a prisoner.' - -The Black Watch were garrisoned in York for the following eighteen -months, and both officers and men gained for themselves in that -ancient cathedral city much popular favour. Effective discipline and -systematic drill were never relaxed, and what they might lose in ease -or pleasure was compensated by admirable efficiency. - -In the Sussex military manoeuvres of August and September 1897, -Colonel Wauchope with a brigade of the Black Watch went from York to -take a part in the proceedings. Joining the force of General -Burnett, which had fallen back from Waltham, and had bivouacked -overnight near Arundel, Wauchope's timely reinforcement enabled him -to retrace his steps westwards. Passing through the ducal Arundel -Park, he struck across Houghton Forest, deploying his battalions as -the area of conflict neared, and encountered the opposing force under -General Gosset, when some smart skirmishing (continued for several -days) took place at Burton Down, Dignor Hill, and Bury Hill. The -attempt to drive Burnett and Wauchope back over the river Arun, -though gallantly attempted, was ultimately declared by the umpires to -have {142} failed. Wauchope and his brigade were reported as having -done splendidly. - -[Illustration: GENERAL WAUCHOPE. _From a Photograph by arrangement -with Mr Thomas Kemp, Dalkeith._] - -In such exercises Wauchope was an adept. In military science he made -it a point to be thoroughly conversant not only with the details of -drill, but in general strategy, to be able to grip a given situation -with comprehensive tact. A born soldier, he instinctively realised -what was the right thing to do and the right time to attempt it. Nor -was he the man to ask his men to do anything that he would not -himself do, or take a part in. When in Edinburgh Castle it was his -habit, in order to keep the regiment up to the fighting standard of -physical endurance, to march them out a nine or ten miles round of -country, and that in all sorts of weather; sunshine or rain -apparently made no difference. Frequently have we seen him swinging -along at the head of his men, sometimes on horseback, but more often -on foot, over roads inches deep with mud. Like most favourite -officers, he had his pet name. As we have already said, the name by -which he was familiarly known in the Black Watch was 'Red Mick.' One -day the regiment had been ordered out for a march, and in passing a -group of the men the Colonel happened to overhear one of them say, -'Red Mick will be going to ride to-day.' The regiment was in due -time drawn up on parade, and addressed by their commander as to the -order of march; then looking the man who had made the remark straight -in the face, he finished up by saying, 'but to-day Red Mick will -walk!' - -[Sidenote: Military life at York] - -While the regiment was in York, Wauchope took a deep interest in the -benevolent institutions of the city, and specially in the Scotch -community. He was the President of the St. Andrew's Society, which, -through his active interest in its affairs, greatly increased in -numbers and {143} influence. 'He always,' says one who knew him -there, 'let it be known that he was a Scotsman, and was proud of his -country. The stirring speeches that he made before the St. Andrew's -Society are still remembered with delight; and as an evidence of the -regard in which his memory is still held there, that Society is about -to erect a tablet in the Presbyterian church to the memory of the -officers and men of the Black Watch who have since fallen in battle.' - -It was noticed also that the same chivalrous feeling of relationship -existed between him and his men as existed formerly between a -Highland chief and his clan. His interest in them and their families -was ever showing itself in kindly visits to the married quarters of -the barracks, in order to look after the welfare of the women and -children, so as to increase their comfort. Fêtes and social meetings -were not unfrequent, and at Christmas time it was his custom to have -a well-laden Christmas tree, on which were suitable presents for the -children, while the mothers had welcome little gifts of money -distributed to them. All this, says the Rev. Alexander Stirling, -minister of the Presbyterian church, York, was at his own private -expense, and must have cost him not less than £50 on each occasion. -In spite of the attractive splendours of a grand cathedral, Colonel -Wauchope preferred to worship according to his accustomed manner in -the simpler form of the Presbyterian church. There, too, by his -arrangement, the regiment worshipped in force, and he always insisted -upon a full complement of officers accompanying the men. Not only -so, but, as Mr. Stirling informs us, Mrs. Wauchope and the officers -of the Black Watch were in many ways helpful to him and his -congregation, taking a part in much of their church work, and showing -their loyalty to their Presbyterian principles in many ways. - -{144} - -In July 1898, Colonel Wauchope was selected by Lord Wolseley to -command a brigade in the expedition then being organised under -General (now Lord) Kitchener for the reconquest of the Soudan. The -42nd regiment was not ordered out for this service, and so the time -had come when, after thirty-three years of close connection with them -both in peace and in war, that connection must for a time be broken. -One of his brother officers, writing afterwards of that period and -the grief that was in every heart over the prospect of losing him, -says: 'The send-off he received at York when he left will never be -effaced from the memory of those who took part in it. I have never -seen Scotch soldiers exhibit any such emotion, or give way so -thoroughly to their feelings. They knew whom they were losing; they -realised their loss, and gave vent accordingly.' - -At the same time, the circumstances, if touching, were not without a -dash of the ludicrous; but they show how warmly attached the Black -Watch were to one who from the rank of subaltern had risen steadily -to be their colonel, and was now to leave them for the command of a -brigade. Many a man among them wished he had the chance to accompany -him. - -[Sidenote: Send-off from York] - -The regiment was at the time camped out for summer quarters at -Strensall camp, about five miles from York. On the evening of a hot -July day, when Colonel Wauchope was to leave for the Soudan, there -was an open mess among the officers, and the health and prosperity of -their departing colonel was enthusiastically drunk. It was arranged -that he was to go south by the midnight train at York, and as the -evening hours sped on, the regiment as usual retired to their tents -to rest for the night, after tuck of drum. They did not, however, -retire to {145} sleep, for no sooner were the wheels of the Colonel's -carriage heard than there was a general move. It was a little after -twelve o'clock, and the men were stripped and in bed. But in an -instant every tent was astir, and like a swarm of bees the whole -regiment broke loose. Every tent belched forth its quota of excited -men, and without taking time to dress they had surrounded the -carriage, cheering, and enthusiastically shaking hands with their -departing chief. Many of them, with only their nightshirts on, ran -after the carriage a considerable distance, still cheering as they -went along! It was such a send-off as few officers ever experienced. - -It is a striking testimony to the impression made during these two -years upon the community of the city of York by this good Scotsman -and his regiment, that at the unveiling of a handsome marble memorial -in the Presbyterian Church, Prior Street, on the 26th November 1900, -all classes were represented, and the Dean of York gave expression to -the thoughts of many when he said that, although he never saw General -Wauchope until he came to York, and during his residence there with -his regiment it was not very often they met, 'yet there was in some -characters a sort of magnetic attraction so that one felt at once -drawn to them because they were sterling material, true metal. It -would be impossible to be in General Wauchope's company, and be -associated in any way with him, or to hear very much about him, -without feeling that he was not only a soldier of the Crown but -eminently a soldier of the Cross. It was right that his memory -should be perpetuated in York, it was right that it should be -perpetuated in that house of God which he specially identified -himself with, and which specially belonged to his nationality.' - - - - -{146} - -CHAPTER IX - -THE SOUDAN--BATTLES OF ATBARA AND OMDURMAN--ARRIVAL HOME--RECEPTION -AT NIDDRIE----DEGREE OF LL.D.--PAROCHIAL DUTIES--PARLIAMENTARY -CONTEST FOR SOUTH EDINBURGH. - - -Once more Wauchope found himself on the way to the front for active -service, this time back to the scene of his former exploits in the -Soudan. Matters there, ever since the withdrawal of the British and -Egyptian troops in 1885, when the then all-conquering Mahdi took -Khartoum and slew the gallant General Gordon, had gone on from bad to -worse. Over-running the whole valley of the Nile, the Egyptian -boundary-line had been much circumscribed, and was now fixed as far -north as Wady Halfa, the prophet holding almost undisputed sway over -the whole Soudan, except that part of it contiguous to the Red Sea in -the neighbourhood of Suakim. On the death of the Mahdi in 1885, his -tomb at Omdurman became a sanctuary, round which the faithful -gathered themselves. Under the sway of his successor, Khalifa -Abdullahi of the Baggara tribe, cruelty and oppression ground down -with iron hand every neighbouring tribe. Military despotism stamped -out commerce, and trade and agriculture; the people were ruined, and -slaughter and devastation ruled where formerly there had been -prosperity and peace. {147} Even Egypt was not safe from the inroads -of the Dervish host, attempts being made several times to invade its -borders; but Tokar was their utmost limit. In 1892, Colonel Horatio -Herbert Kitchener recaptured that town, but no further attempt was -made to regain lost ground till 1896, when that officer, now -Major-General and Sirdar, or Commander of the Egyptian army, received -orders to advance up the Nile for the reconquest of the Soudan. The -days of Egypt's weakness were past, for during the interval between -this and Tel-el-Kebir, when the then wretched Egyptian army was -smashed to pieces, English officers had been actively licking into -shape a new native force. Drill and discipline, combined with -growing confidence in their officers, had in those years built up an -army able and willing to dare anything. The Sirdar was ready to -fight the Khalifa, but he realised that in an invasion of the Soudan -the real enemy to be faced was the Soudan itself--'its barrenness -which refuses food, and its vastness which paralyses transport.' - -These were the problems to be overcome by the general who would -conquer the Soudan and plant his flag on the walls of Khartoum. - -Science and engineering skill came to the rescue, and with these -under the guidance of a marvellous military genius that took in every -situation, and turned it to his advantage, the enterprise was -ultimately crowned with success. Hitherto military movements in the -Soudan had been either by camels and weary foot trudging, or by boats -on the Nile. Kitchener determined upon Wolseley's idea of crossing -the desert between Wady Halfa and Abu-Hammed, but not by camels. He -resolved to do it by rail, and to build the railway as they marched. -It was a bold stroke. This is how it was done. Starting from {148} -Wady Halfa, a surveying party set out for ten miles or so, making a -rough survey of the lie of the ground, marking as they went the -proposed course; about five miles behind the surveying parties came -working parties 1200 strong, levelling and embanking where necessary. -Two miles behind these came 550 platelayers, and half a mile after -them a gang of 400 men to lift, straighten, and ballast the line. -One mile behind these again came 400 men to put on the finishing -touches, and the line was complete, but ever progressing to its -ultimate terminus, carrying forward its own materials of rails and -sleepers, as well as supplies for troops on the march. The credit of -this great work was largely due to the young lieutenants of the Royal -Engineers under the direction of Lieutenant Girouard, a Canadian -officer. - -[Sidenote: On the Atbara] - -It was steady, plodding work; slow, perhaps, as a fighting campaign, -but every mile of advance the army made sure of its position, and was -kept within touch of Cairo. The campaign of 1897 found the greater -part of the Sirdar's force as far as Ed-Damer, seven miles beyond the -junction of the Nile and the Atbara river. - -Here a strong camp was formed and preparations were made for -encountering the enemy who were massing some distance up the Nile at -Matemneh, under Mahmoud, the son of the Khalifa, and old Osman Digna. -These joined forces at Shendi, about half-way between Berber and -Khartoum, their strength being about eighteen thousand men. - -General Kitchener, leading and directing every movement, returned -from Cairo in December 1897, having arranged with the British -Government for the sending out of a small British force to assist the -Egyptian troops already in the field. - -{149} - -These were at once granted, and the reserve British force at Cairo, -consisting of the 1st Warwicks, 1st Lincolns, and 1st Cameron -Highlanders, left for the front, their places being taken by several -regiments sent out from England. - -With such generals as Hunter and Hector Macdonald the Sirdar had -worked his way up the Nile valley, overcoming all difficulties, with -his Egyptian force of some ten thousand men and forty-six guns. The -arrival of the British Division in two brigades under General Gatacre -in March and April added largely to the strength of the force. The -command of the First Brigade was afterwards given to Colonel -Wauchope, now promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General. How -different his journey up the Nile on this occasion from his -experience fourteen years before with the weary whale-boats! Now, -thanks to the energy of the Sirdar, he could travel to Berber in a -saloon carriage. Speaking of this afterwards, he said he was never -so struck in his life as when he saw that railway across the desert, -which did so much for the expedition. - -Before his arrival at the front, however, one brilliant fight had -taken place. Mahmoud had been discovered securely, as he thought, -entrenched some seventeen miles up the river from Abador, or about -forty from Atbara camp; and it was not fitting, notwithstanding the -difficulties of transport by camels for twelve thousand men, that so -large a British force should sit down within so short a distance of -an enemy and not attempt to drive him out of his position. The -forward order was given, and on 8th April, after a long night-march, -the troops found themselves facing Mahmoud's zareba at Nakheila, on -the Atbara. - -The story of the attack has been given with all the graphic skill of -an eye-witness, by G. W. Steevens in his {150} book, _With Kitchener -to Khartoum_. When the sun rose behind the Sirdar's men, it revealed -a stockade made up of timber, and a ten-foot hedge of camel-thorn, -with entrenchments behind--a formidable enough obstacle to face. -Without delay arrangements were made for the attack. The enemy's -base rested on the river, and the Sirdar, determined that he should -not escape, formed his force in a semi-circle round him. At 6.20 the -first gun announced the advent of battle, and for an hour and twenty -minutes Mahmoud's zareba was pounded with shot, shell, and rocket, -after which the Egyptian and British troops advanced to the attack -all along the line. Maxwell's, Macdonald's, and Hunter's Egyptians -deployed on the right. Gatacre's British Division had the Cameron -Highlanders in the place of honour, formed in line along their whole -front; then, in columns of their eight companies, the Lincolns on the -right, the Seaforths in the centre, and the Warwicks--two companies -short--on the left. The orders to these were, not to advance till it -was certain the Dervish cavalry, hovering to the left of the zareba, -would not charge in flank. Behind all was Lewis's brigade ready for -any emergency that might occur. Stirring addresses having been made -by the leading officers, the Sirdar called upon the men to 'remember -Gordon,' and all being ready, 'the word came, and the men sprang up. -The squares shifted into fighting formations; at one impulse, in one -superb sweep, nearly twelve thousand men moved forward towards the -enemy. All England and all Egypt, and the flower of the black lands -beyond, Birmingham and the West Highlands, the half-regenerated -children of the earth's earliest civilisation, and grinning savages -from the uttermost swamps of Equatoria, muscle and machinery, lord -and larrikin, {151} Balliol and the Board School, the Sirdar's brain -and the camel's back--all welded into one, the awful war machine went -forward into action.' - -[Sidenote: Attack on the Zareba] - -The Camerons no sooner got the word to advance than, with a wild -rush, the pipers meanwhile playing 'The March of the Cameron Men,' -they made for the zareba some three hundred yards ahead. Forward and -forward, midst a rain of bullets, they reached the hedge of -camel-thorn. In a few moments it was torn to pieces and scattered -like brushwood, Gatacre being among the first to lay hands on the -obstruction, and the Highlanders were inside the stockade and in the -trenches, where now sprang out of the earth dusty, black, half-naked -shapes, running and turning to shoot, but running away. 'It was a -wild confusion of Highlanders, purple tartan, and black green too, -for now the Seaforths had brought their perfect columns through the -teeth of the fire, and were charging in at the gap.' The enemy -scarcely waited to fight, so impetuous was the rush upon them, and -they fled in the utmost confusion for the river, where they were cut -down by the pursuing cavalry, and General Lewis's half brigade of -Egyptians. - -In the attack on the right, the Egyptian troops, led by British -officers under Generals Hunter, Maxwell, and Macdonald, behaved with -great gallantry, carrying all before them. The ground was easier on -their side than that covered by Gatacre's men, and they entered the -zareba a few minutes before the Highlanders, not a man flinching from -the encounter. The battle of the Atbara--thanks to British -discipline and drill--definitely placed the blacks and the once -contemned Egyptians in the ranks of the very best troops in the -world. In forty minutes the Dervish host had been driven out of -their lair, thousands of them had been killed, and four thousand, -including their leader {152} Mahmoud, were prisoners in the Sirdar's -hands. The way was now so far open to Khartoum, but the opportunity -was not yet. - -Reserves and supplies were needed, and a strong base had still to be -secured before the final advance on the Khalifa's capital could be -attempted. The whole force, British and Egyptian, accordingly -retraced their steps down the Atbara river to El Hudi, where they -struck across the desert to the various camps they had formerly -occupied at Kenur, Darmali, Assilem, Berber, and Fort Atbara, at the -junction of the rivers. - -The 1st Brigade of British, viz. the Camerons, the Lincolns, -Seaforths, and Maxim battery resumed their quarters at Darmali, where -they remained throughout the summer. By the month of August, -however, when Wauchope joined them, casualties in action and deaths -and invalidings from sickness had seriously affected the strength of -the brigade, though officers and men upon the whole stood the climate -well. 'The sick list had never touched six per cent. There were not -fifty graves in the cemetery; and most of the faces at the mess table -were familiar.' The Lincolns, who had come up over 1100 strong, -still had 980; the other three battalions were each about 750 strong, -and the Warwicks were expecting a further draft of men. The total -strength of Wauchope's brigade would thus come to nearly 3500 men. -With eager expectation they now awaited the order to advance on -Khartoum. - -[Sidenote: Advance on Khartoum] - -The forward movement began on 3rd August, regiment after regiment -first concentrating at Atbara fort, then being shipped by steamer up -the Nile to Shabluka, where they were to reform and make the -remainder of the journey in six marches on the west bank to Omdurman. -Even with several steamers at the Sirdar's disposal it {153} was a -tedious business, and occupied nearly a month. Wauchope's brigade -passed up in the steamers on the 14th August, a four days' voyage, -and on the 23rd, when paraded with the and Brigade, they were -reported as 'in splendid condition.' - -On the 25th August, the 1st Brigade marched out of Wad Hamed, and the -scene is described by one who saw it as a most imposing spectacle. -The four battalions of which it was composed moved off with their -baggage at the bugle-call, taking the road in four parallel columns. -'Many of the men were bearded, and all were tanned with the sun, -acclimatised by a summer in the country, hardened by perpetual -labours, and confident from the recollection of victory--a -magnificent force, which any man might be proud to accompany into the -field.' General Wauchope's men were worthy of their commander, and -it was, we may be sure, with no little elation that he stepped out -with them that day on the way to their final triumph. - -Keeping his forces well in hand, the Sirdar had the whole army -encamped at Wadi Abid on the evening of the 29th, the British -Division marching in by moonlight. They were now within twenty-eight -miles of Omdurman, and the two following days' marches brought them -within touch of the enemy and in sight of the Mahdi's tomb. - -The 2nd of September saw the last stand for Mahdism and its complete -overthrow. - -Resting their base upon the river, where they were supported by five -gun-boats, the British formed their camp within a few miles of -Omdurman, the Sirdar taking the precaution to entrench in case of -surprise. Early in the morning the Khalifa brought out his whole -force, computed to be about fifty thousand men, making a dead {154} -onset upon the British position. If overpowering numbers could have -achieved victory he had it in his grasp. - -But British coolness and pluck won the day. The Dervish host on -horseback swept the plain with a rush that no infantry could have -withstood. 'They came very fast, and they came very straight; and -then presently they came no further. With a crash the bullets leaped -out of the British rifles,' Egyptians, Englishmen, and Highlanders -pouring out death as fast as they could load and press trigger; while -shrapnel whistled and Maxims growled savagely. - -[Sidenote: Battle of Omdurman] - -We need not describe the details of the fighting. The Khalifa's -attack was speedily turned into a rout, though many a brave stand was -made by the Dervish host. Attacked on two sides, the British force -gradually spread itself out like an opening fan, under admirable -handling by their generals. At a critical point in the engagement, -when Generals Hunter and Macdonald in the front were being threatened -by an outflanking movement of the enemy's cavalry, Hunter sent for -Wauchope's 1st Brigade to fill the gap between Macdonald on the right -and Lewis on the left. The request went to General Gatacre first -instead of the Sirdar; but with the soldier's instinct he immediately -set the Brigade in motion. Wauchope, cool as a statue, took in the -situation at once, and moved his men forward as if on parade, while -the Lincolns and the Warwicks under his command--said to be the best -shooting regiments in the British army--did great execution, and -effectually kept the enemy at bay. They saved the position, for, as -one correspondent has said, 'It was the very crux and crisis of the -fight. If Macdonald went, Lewis on his left, and Collinson and the -supporting camel-corps and the newly returned cavalry, all on his -right or {155} rear must all go too.' Exposed to a withering fire, -the enemy were unable to withstand the steady discipline of our men. -Defeated on all sides, the Khalifa turned and fled. Then was the -time for our cavalry. With a dash the 21st Lancers made for the -retreating foe, pursuing and slaughtering up to the walls of -Omdurman. The bravery of the Dervishes was unquestionable. They -literally threw themselves upon the British lines, only to be -overwhelmed in a common ruin. Over 11,000 of the enemy were killed, -16,000 wounded, and 4000 were taken prisoners, and this by an army -numbering not more than 22,000 men. On the Anglo-Egyptian side the -losses were comparatively light, killed and wounded not amounting to -above 500. - -General Wauchope was fortunate on this occasion in coming out of the -engagement without a scratch. In some respects the battle of -Omdurman has been described as 'a less brilliant affair than the -Atbara. On the other hand it was more complex, more like a modern -battle. The Atbara took more fighting, Omdurman more generalship. -Success in each was complete and crushing.' Mahdism was no more. It -died well. 'It had earned its death by its iniquities, it had -condoned its iniquities by its death.' Gordon was avenged. And not -only so, it was the dawn of a new era for the long down-trodden -Soudan, so that it might in future be a country fit to live in. - -We have already referred to General Wauchope's attachment to Scottish -Presbyterianism, and told how loyally and consistently he adhered to -the Church of his fathers. From the days when he was an ensign, it -was known among his brother officers as a _casus belli_ to speak -slightingly to him of his Church. He would stand up for -Presbyterianism, and would suffer for it if necessary, when its -claims were in danger of being thrust into the background. A -difficulty {156} of this kind arose after the taking of Omdurman, and -it is interesting to note how he acted. Orders had been given to all -the chaplains, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Anglican, for a -combined Gordon Memorial Service at Khartoum. The Anglican chaplain -in Wauchope's division intimated, however, that he would take no part -in it if the Presbyterian chaplain were to share in the function. -The General used what persuasion he could to move the chaplain to a -broader view of things, declaring that he would not displace the -Presbyterian, whom he considered one of the best of men. He was, he -said, a Presbyterian himself, along with most of his regiment. At -last, when persuasion failed, and the Anglican still held his point, -the General said, 'then there is nothing for me but to report you to -my General of Division.' When General Gatacre heard the story he -reported the affair to the Sirdar, who called the three -chaplains--Presbyterian, Anglican, and Roman Catholic--and said -laconically, something like this: 'You are each under orders, and the -man who disobeys must fall to the rear.' This settled the question; -all of them took a part. The Memorial Service and the formal entry -into Omdurman and Khartoum, taken part in by all the troops, were -most impressive spectacles. These over, arrangements were at once -made for the withdrawal of the greater part of the army. - -[Sidenote: Welcome home] - -The troops returned immediately down the Nile, the British regiments -being shipped for England, where they arrived in the early part of -October. A hearty welcome greeted their arrival, all classes of -society vying with one another in heaping honours upon them. - -General Wauchope hurried home so soon as he was relieved of his -official duties, and after a short visit to {157} Yetholm, where he -was received with great enthusiasm, he and Mrs. Wauchope set out for -Niddrie on Monday, 10th October, by train from Kelso. - -It was only on the Saturday previous that the villagers of New -Craighall heard that the General was to return, but short as was the -time for preparation, the determination to give him a hearty welcome -was so enthusiastically proceeded with that when he did reach it, the -rather quiet and dreary exterior of the village presented quite a -festive appearance. Triumphal arches, flags, and streamers floated -in the breeze, and wreaths of flowers and evergreens were everywhere -visible. It was the home-coming of a victor, beloved by his -neighbours, and well known beyond the limits of his demesne. - -At the Newhailes station, which was also gaily adorned, the General -and Mrs. Wauchope were received on alighting from the train by quite -a crowd of friends, among others being Sir Charles Dalrymple and the -Misses Dalrymple, Mrs. Arbuthnot and Miss Muir, Councillor and Mrs. -Cranston, Edinburgh, Rev. A. Prentice, Rev. R. Burnett, Liberton, -Mrs. General Hoggan, and Ex-Provost Young, Loanhead, with the whole -village, men, women, and children at their back. - -It was a good-humoured, enthusiastic crowd, and at a convenient part -of the road the horses were unyoked from his carriage and their -places supplied by hundreds of willing miners, who dragged the -carriage up to the gate of Niddrie Marischal, where it was given over -to the tenantry. - -The procession was a long one, and was headed by the school children, -preceded by the local pipe band. Then came the Niddrie brass band, -playing 'See the Conquering Hero comes,' and after them appeared the -members of {158} the 'A. G. Wauchope' Lodge of Shepherds, bearing -aloft their banner with his portrait on it. The incidents of the -march were many. Some were amusing, some were pathetic, but all told -of the loyalty and enthusiasm of the people among whom the General -had his home. Bunting was displayed on all hands. Women and -children cheered vociferously. At the square of the village the -first halt was made, and an address of welcome in name of the -villagers was presented by Mr. Robert Wilson, one of their number, in -which expression was made of their pride in the distinguished place -the General had held in the Soudan war, of their joy at his safe -return from a battlefield where the mention of his services by the -Sirdar in his despatches for the special consideration of the Queen -had caused them the utmost gratification. - -[Sidenote: Lord Kitchener, the Sirdar] - -General Wauchope, who was apparently unprepared for such a -manifestation of public feeling, made the following reply:--'I can -assure you that the splendid reception you have accorded me is one -which I shall never forget. I know very well that much of it is -owing to the fact that we have been neighbours now for many a long -year, and there is nothing that gave me greater pride and -satisfaction than being told two or three years ago that the people -of New Craighall looked upon me as being one of themselves. In -addition to that, there is another feeling that has prompted you in -this reception, and it is that in me you recognised one--a humble -one, perhaps, but still one--of those who tried to serve his country -under, perhaps, difficult circumstances; and something is also due to -the fact that we have been completely successful in planting our -standards on the ruined palaces of Khartoum. At Yetholm I said, and -I am going to say it again, that fact alone would be a great gain to -civilisation and to the world. {159} If the Dervish power had been -continued for any length of time, hundreds and, perhaps, hundreds of -thousands of people who in the future will have a chance of living in -comfort and peace, would never have been able to live at all. It was -a power based on murder, rapine, and cruelty, and it was our bounden -duty to put an end to that power, because Great Britain was -responsible for the condition of things that existed in that part of -the world. Scotland was well represented at the battle of Khartoum -by two of our Highland regiments. (Here a voice shouted out, -"Scotland Yet!") Yes, Scotland yet, and Scotland for ever, will be -the cry; and I can speak for those two battalions that they in no way -went behind from what other regiments had done in other fields of our -great empire; and you may be sure of this, that our Scottish -regiments will always be able to show that high and distinguished -valour and discipline for which they have so long been noted.... It -would almost seem by the splendid reception you have given me here, -and which I have had in another part of Scotland, that you thought I -had played a very great part in the campaign. I feel bound, as an -honest man, to disabuse you of such a misapprehension. The campaign -was carried out by a very great man, the Sirdar, Lord Kitchener, who -is a man of great ability, and who in the future undoubtedly will -shine as one of our great soldiers. The campaign was a marvel of -organisation. It was marvellous how that railway was made across the -desert. Great credit was due to the Sirdar, but I should like also -to bring before you another name--that of the general of our -division--General Gatacre, whose constant care and great power of -leading men aided the successful issue of events. There is still -another man I should like to mention. He is a Scotsman, General -Macdonald, who led one of the {160} Egyptian brigades. He got his -chance, and he was able to take it, and certainly by his tactics, by -his coolness, by his perception at the proper moment, he had a great -deal to do with the success of the day; and it was a great -satisfaction to myself to be able with the brigade under my command -to go and support him on a somewhat critical occasion.' - -He concluded his address by a humorous reference which pleased an -audience of miners: to the effect that in the near future he hoped -the line to Khartoum would be supplied with coal from the Niddrie -pits! As the cavalcade proceeded, presentations of bouquets of -flowers, wreaths of laurel, and other kindly greetings marked the -General's way. At the entrance-hall of Niddrie Marischal, Mr. Thomas -Skirving of Niddrie Mains, on behalf of himself and the tenantry, -presented an address of welcome. This was feelingly replied to by -the General in a few well-chosen words, concluding as follows:--'No -Roman emperor coming from a victorious campaign could have been half -so well received as I to-day have been, and as long as I live I can -never forget it. If there is one thing that makes a man nerve -himself to accomplish a difficult task, it is the thought that he is -thought well of by the people in the midst of whom he lives. I -cannot tell you all I feel--I should be more than human if I could.' - -It may here be mentioned that General Wauchope brought home with him -one of the Khalifa's banners which had been given to him by General -Macdonald as a memento of his timely assistance at the battle of -Omdurman. It is of white damur cotton, with a line of Arabic in blue -across its face inscribed, 'Mohammed Ahmed el Mahdi Kalifat er -Rasul.' On a gold band on the staff is the inscription, 'September -1898. They were brave {161} foemen, these Dervishes.' This and -other trophies now find a resting-place in Niddrie Marischal. - -A time of busy activity in metropolitan and county affairs followed -General Wauchope's return home, and his high place as a public man -was now universally recognised. His services were largely in request -specially in connection with public and social functions of various -kinds,--opening of bazaars of ladies' work, inspecting boys' -brigades, presiding at lectures and concerts, school board work, -county council work, and his duties as an elder of the Church of -Scotland--these all engrossed much of his attention and a large share -of his time during the winter and spring following his return from -the Soudan. - -[Sidenote: At Windsor Castle] - -Honours also were heaped upon him on all sides, but without in any -way marring his simplicity of character, or causing him to be any the -less the plain, free and easy approachable man he ever was, even to -the meanest hodman. To high and low alike he was ever courteous and -considerate, and he most willingly lectured, or presided at lectures, -concerts, or meetings of friendly societies, wherever he thought he -could be useful. For his distinguished services in the Soudan -campaign Wauchope was now promoted from Brigadier to the rank of -Major-General, and towards the end of November 1898 he received the -Queen's commands to attend at Windsor Castle, and had the privilege -on that occasion of dining with Her Majesty along with his brother -officer Sir William Gatacre--not the first time he had been similarly -honoured. - -Of course every other engagement must give way to a summons of this -kind; and Major-General Wauchope's presence at a meeting in Dalkeith -on the evening of the same day had to be dispensed with, though much -to the disappointment of those who had come to hear him speak. - -{162} - -At bazaars he was always happy in his remarks, and whether the object -were the building of a new church, or a manse, or getting up funds -for a drill hall, he commended it with earnestness and wit, and at -the same time did not stint his own contribution to the cause. On -one of these occasions he was appropriately introduced to the company -by Dr. Gray of Liberton 'as a sincere Christian, a true-hearted -gentleman, a brave soldier, and a modest man.' - -In the work of the Boys' Brigade and Volunteer gatherings he was -delighted to give his support, and was frequently asked to take a -part in their meetings both at New Craighall and Portobello. - -It was so characteristic of the outspoken candour of his nature, that -his inspections were not matters of formal display, or the mere -occasion of fulsome praise. Drill to him was business; and he was -quick to detect faults, and if needful correct them. Once at an -open-air inspection of the Portobello Company of the Boys' Brigade, -after a thorough examination of the lads, he addressed them upon the -various points of drill, and emphasised certain weaknesses noticed by -him; for, as he expressed it, 'he did not come there to tell them -they were the best creatures on earth, for he did not believe they -were. Taking all things into consideration, he thought they did very -well, but they might do better.' The spectators were somewhat amused -at the critical attitude of the General, but it was none the less -appreciated, for on this subject an ounce of criticism from him was -worth a ton of praise from any other person. - -[Sidenote: Liberton School Board] - -The same qualities of thoroughness and close application -characterised General Wauchope's conduct in the School Board and -Parish Council of Liberton, of both of which he was for some time a -member. He was specially {163} interested in the education of the -young, and spent much time making himself acquainted with the -intricacies of the code and details of school management, and on a -recent occasion it is recalled how at the annual visit of the -Government Inspector, he followed close upon the Inspector's heels -during his visit, in order that he might fully comprehend the whole -system of public school education, and make himself familiar with its -requirements. - -On one occasion, in the absence of the chairman, Major Gordon -Gilmour, he was called upon to preside at a meeting of the School -Board, but having ridden over from Niddrie House to Liberton -Church--in the vestry of which the meeting was held--in riding -costume, with top boots, spurs, riding-breeches, etc., he was -reluctant to pose as chairman. Yielding to pressure, he, however, at -length consented, jocularly appealing to the reporters not to _take -off_ his coat, or mention his costume in their report! - -In the routine of parochial work the General took his full share, and -never shirked discussions on even the smallest details of poor relief. - -While he did not care to bulk largely in the public eye, and was -specially desirous that his private benefactions should be known as -little as possible, yet it was well understood that he was an -unobtrusive but most liberal benefactor to the district. Dr. Andrew -Balfour of Portobello gives the following instance. 'I remember -well,' he says, 'that ere he went out to Egypt as captain in the -Black Watch, during the Arabi Pasha rebellion, he said to me, "Now, -Balfour, I will trust to you to let me know of anything going on at -Niddrie in which I can lend a helping hand." It so happened at that -time we started reading and recreation rooms for the miners, so I -wrote to him, as he desired, with the result that he at once sent -{164} me a kind letter and an order for £25 to help the scheme.' - -His private benefactions were as a rule administered with -praiseworthy discrimination, as the following incident will show. -Two little boys had been caught pilfering coal and were lodged in -jail. On the circumstance being reported to the General, he visited -the little fellows in prison, and learning the circumstances of their -family, and that their mother was a poor, struggling, hard-working -widow, he at once sent her half a ton of coals, and the boys were -liberated. - -On the 14th April 1899, General Wauchope had conferred on him the -honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Edinburgh. -The spring graduation ceremonial in which arts, science, and law -degrees are conferred, is generally of an interesting character, but -on this occasion it was more than usually imposing. This was owing -in some measure to its being performed in the recently opened M'Ewan -Hall, an adjunct of the University, and the handsomest hall in the -city; but more especially from the fact that like honorary degrees -were to be conferred at the same time on Lord Wolseley, the Marquis -of Dufferin, and other distinguished men. - -It was a magnificent spectacle, and the large audience which crowded -the spacious hall at an early hour in the forenoon cordially greeted -the General as he ascended the rostrum to receive the degree from his -father-in-law, Sir William Muir, who as vice-chancellor presided on -the occasion. - -In formally presenting him to the Senatus, Professor Sir Ludovic -Grant took occasion to say: 'It is a fortunate coincidence that a -graduation ceremonial which is honoured with the presence of the -Commander-in-Chief, should also {165} include among its distinguished -guests one who is so noble an embodiment of all that is best and -bravest in the British Army, as is to be found in General Wauchope. -Here in Scotland his name is a household word, synonymous with high -courage and devotion to duty. It were superfluous to recall the -occasions on which their gallant commander has led the Black Watch to -victory, or to rehearse the long tale of all his exploits and all but -mortal wounds. But it is not in his capacity as a soldier only that -he does with his might that which his right hand finds to do. There -is not a miner in the village of Niddrie who will not testify to the -watchful guardianship which he exercises over his people. He has -thrown himself with characteristic zest into public affairs, and we -all know that the battle of the warrior is not the only form of -contest in which he has shown himself a dauntless foeman. The -University rejoices to inscribe the name of so gallant and -public-spirited a soldier on her roll of honorary graduates in law.' - -That General Wauchope had not only won his spurs but his doctor's -hood in fair fight goes without saying. His military services could -not refuse him the former; and it says much for the discrimination of -the great Scottish University that it should have discerned in one -whose scholastic education was of the smallest, and who certainly had -not the benefit of a university training, a fitting subject for so -great an honour as it conferred. But the Senatus recognised this -fact, that his life all through had been an educational training, -equal at least to all the learning of the schools. A life of hard -experience well utilised has often achieved great results, as in -Wauchope's case it did. - -But honours of this kind did not turn his head, or cause {166} him to -forget the commoner duties of life, or lessen his interest in others. -He could and did sympathise with distress and trouble, and even the -brute creation were not forgotten by him, as the following instance -will show. Lord Wolseley arrived in Edinburgh the day preceding the -graduation ceremony, and was the guest of General Wauchope at -Niddrie. One evening the two officers were taking a walk together -round the grounds. As they passed the cottage door of one of his -tenants, the man's daughter was noticed to be leading a horse which -was labouring under a severe attack of inflammation. Wauchope at -once stopped and inquired of the girl what was the matter, and on -being informed, the two commanders were soon as much engrossed in the -discussion of the poor animal's malady, and the best remedy for it, -as if it had been a question of important military strategy. - -One other event in civil life gave General Wauchope in the summer of -this year considerable notoriety. On the sudden death in June of Mr. -Robert Cox, the member for South Edinburgh, he was, at the urgent -request of the Unionist party, induced once more to enter the lists -as a candidate for parliamentary honours against Mr. Arthur Dewar, -advocate, who represented the Liberal party. - -The contest was a short one, but while it lasted it was sharp, for -both the candidates and their supporters threw themselves into it -with vigour and earnestness. - -As in his famous campaign against Mr. Gladstone, the chief feature of -the General's policy was the integrity of the Empire, as opposed to -the cry of Home Rule for Ireland, and although other subjects formed -a part of his programme, still that was for him the root question of -all others at the time. - -At a largely attended meeting of his supporters, held {167} on the -9th June, Mr. John Harrison, the chairman, in formally nominating him -for the vacancy, spoke of the name of Wauchope 'as one which stirred -the blood of every one who had any pride in his country. He was -known wherever the English language was spoken. Wherever the British -went he was known as a gallant soldier, who had done his duty to his -country in many climes and in many circumstances, as a soldier of the -Crown. He was known in a narrower sphere all over Scotland as an -honourable politician, who fought some years ago a good fight in -Midlothian. He fought an uphill fight--what some considered an -impossible fight--and in losing it he scored a tremendous success. -But he was also known as a good neighbour, whose ancestors had -resided at Niddrie for centuries back.' - -General Wauchope's speeches at this and various other meetings, held -almost daily for the following two weeks, were of a most stirring -nature, but were always characterised by courtesy towards opponents, -and the utmost frankness in stating his opinions. He scorned to -'hedge' a question to secure votes, and when challenged with being a -Tory, and therefore ineligible for a Liberal constituency, he boldly -took up the challenge. 'Mr. Dewar had said he was a Tory. (A voice, -"Quite right.") Quite right. Yes. Mr. Dewar was quite right. He -never said he was wrong. He often wondered why there should be any -disgrace in being called a Tory. Who had done most for the working -classes in days gone by? Who passed the Factory Acts? Did Mr. -Gladstone or Mr. Bright pass the Factory Acts? No; it was the Tory -party--that party which had been so much abused.' At another time, -referring to free speech, he said: 'He knew there were many in the -hall opposed to him in politics. There was no use putting the -blinkers on that {168} fact; but he did not see why, though thus -opposed, they should not meet together as free citizens of a free -city, and have it out thoroughly. He never liked to use the word -opponent. He always said "political" opponent, because he found that -some of the best friends he had were politically opposed to him. He -was pleased to think that in this country more and more both sides -were coming together to discuss political affairs in a quiet and -proper manner. It was not always so. When he was young, things were -much hotter then. There was more powder in the air.' - -In reference to our foreign policy, the General spoke in the highest -terms of Lord Salisbury's dealing with the Soudan question, as -compared with that of Mr. Gladstone's Government, when divisions in -the Liberal party had led to so much loss of life and money without -corresponding results. And in regard to the Transvaal question, then -beginning once more to attract public attention, he insisted strongly -that his great anxiety was that peace should be preserved. There was -no man, he said, who was a greater lover of peace than he was, but he -deprecated the vacillation and weakness and change of policy of 1881 -that caused all the trouble then, and from which all the present -trouble had arisen. What he wanted to see now was a strong and firm -line taken, and he believed matters there would be put right. It -could not be to the advantage of the Transvaal that British subjects -should be treated as they were being treated now. What he wanted was -that their people should be treated as human beings, and have the -same voice in the government of the country as was given them in any -other civilised country.' He admitted that the Jameson Raid was a -most unwise and wicked proceeding, and had done a great deal to -damage their {169} relationship with the Transvaal, the Orange Free -State, and the Dutch portion of South Africa; 'but although that was -true, it did not remove the fact that the position of their -countrymen in the Transvaal had not been improved. The great mass of -them had nothing to do with the Jameson Raid. They were British -subjects, who went out there under the _ægis_ of the British Crown, -and surely it was their bounden duty as a nation to see that their -rights were respected.' - -The poll was taken on 19th June, with the result that Mr. Dewar, the -Liberal candidate, was returned with a majority of 831 over 4989 -votes given for General Wauchope. The General in a manly speech at -the close assured his supporters 'they had no cause to be -discouraged, for they had only to gird up their loins, and victory -would one day rest with them. He felt no bitterness whatever in -regard to this fight. He was honoured by their call, and they had -told him he had not dishonoured them. They had fought a square fight -on both sides, and if he was right in his estimate of the citizens of -South Edinburgh, they would very soon put matters right. It was only -the difference of 400 men going from the one side to the other, and -he would, so far as in him lay, do his very utmost at any time to -stand by and aid them.' - -It is due to Mr. Dewar to say that he looked upon the General as 'a -foeman worthy of his steel.' In returning thanks to his supporters, -he frankly acknowledged that 'we have won a victory against the -strongest and most gallant opponent that could have been put in the -field, and I rejoice to say that the contest has been carried on with -the utmost courtesy and good feeling on both sides.' These words, -spoken, as it were, in the very heat of the {170} controversy, were -more than confirmed some six months after, when the sad news of the -General's death on the battlefield reached Edinburgh. - -The annual meeting of the South Edinburgh Liberals--which was -intended to be of a social as well as business character--was held on -the evening of the 13th December, the very day on which the news -came; but instead of going on with the programme of proceedings, it -was resolved out of respect for the General's memory only to go -through with the ordinary formal business and then adjourn, Mr. Dewar -remarking, 'that having regard to the sad intelligence just received, -it would be utterly out of place that anything in the nature of a -social evening should be held.... When he stood before them in that -hall a few months ago, he had told them he counted it an honour to be -opposed by a soldier so distinguished, and a man so eminent and -thoroughly respected as General Wauchope. As the election proceeded, -their regard for him increased day by day, and now that he was dead -he felt as if they were in the very presence of death; ... and every -one would agree that the proper and respectful course to take was to -give their last tribute to a man who was a gallant opponent of -theirs, and who became their friend; and they should place upon his -grave a wreath of respect and regard.' The chairman, in seconding -the proposal, said 'he had frequently come in contact with General -Wauchope at the election, and it was remarkable that during the whole -contest, however keen it was, their opponent never uttered one single -word he had cause to regret. No election,' he added, 'was ever -fought with more good feeling than the contest between Mr. Dewar and -General Wauchope.' And as showing the entire accord of the large -meeting with what had been said, the audience in {171} silence, and -upstanding, signified their sympathy with the resolution, and quietly -dispersed. - -General Wauchope's political contests were thus characteristic of the -man. There was the set purpose, the indomitable will; no shrinking -from declaring what he thought was the truth, but an ever dauntless -standing up for the right at any hazard, all combined with a modest -diffidence of his own personal merits, and the utmost respect and -courtesy for his opponents' opinions. It has been said, 'he makes no -friend who never made a foe'; but the General had a happy way of -turning his political foes into fast friends. - -With him political opinion did not sever the ties of friendship. -Personalities did not enter into his political life. He would hold -his own tenaciously, and give blow for blow in fair fight, but there -it ended. Meeting a number of friends at the Church Offices, 22 -Queen Street, shortly after this election, who were sympathising with -him on his defeat, he cheerily replied, 'Oh, I don't think much of a -man if he can't take a beating.' - - - - -{172} - -CHAPTER X - -OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA--COMMAND OF THE HIGHLAND -BRIGADE--DEPARTURE FOR SOUTH AFRICA--THE SITUATION--BATTLE OF -MAGERSFONTEIN--DEATH--FUNERAL--AFTER THE BATTLE. - - -Another and a more stirring field of action was in store for General -Wauchope. In several of his election speeches reference, as we have -shown, was made to the question then beginning to agitate the public -mind, as to our relationship with the Transvaal Republic. It was not -thought, however, that the difficulty was of such a nature as could -not easily be overcome by diplomatic arrangement. True, the -correspondence between Mr. Chamberlain, the Colonial Secretary, and -the Transvaal Government had been protracted, and had practically -failed in securing any concession in favour of foreign residents in -the Transvaal; but few realised how near we were to the verge of a -war which has proved one of the greatest and most calamitous of the -century. - -[Sidenote: South Africa] - -It will be in the recollection of our readers that when in 1881 the -Boers invaded Natal and gained the victories of Laing's Nek and -Majuba Hill, Sir Evelyn Wood had ranged his forces for an extended -attack upon them and was ready for action; and notwithstanding that -Sir Frederick, now Lord Roberts, had reached South Africa with 10,000 -{173} additional men, the Government of Mr. Gladstone abandoned their -position and hurriedly patched up a peace with Mr. Kruger. All -accounts agree that the treaty or 'surrender' after Majuba was -regarded by both whites and blacks all over South Africa as an -absolute capitulation. It had at all events a most disastrous effect -upon British influence there. From that date arose in the Boer mind -that most fatal ingredient of racial animosity, contempt. As Kruger -afterwards said, 'he had once reckoned with the British army,' and he -felt he could safely do so again. The one idea apparently fixed in -his mind and growing every day was to get rid of his subordination to -the Queen, with a view, as the Transvaal grew in military efficiency, -to subvert her power in South Africa altogether, and set up a Dutch -Republic. - -Owing partly to the poverty of the country until the great influx of -British and foreign colonists, generally called 'Uitlanders,' and the -development of the gold and diamond mines after 1884-5, the politics -of the Transvaal created little or no attention in England till about -1895, when Boer raids into Bechuanaland and elsewhere obliged the -British authorities on the spot to protect our Colonial interests -against their further advances. But then came the Jameson Raid at -the very end of that year, which, though universally condemned both -by the British Government and people as an infraction of -international law, was yet the outcome of deep-rooted discontent in -the Transvaal by the English and other settlers there. The 'Raid' -was the turning-point in recent Transvaal history. In the first -place, it attracted the attention of the whole civilised world, and -placed the Transvaal, the Uitlanders, and the relationship of Great -Britain both to the one and to the other in the full glare of day. -From {174} the date of the raid the difficulties of the position were -more and more accentuated, and the designs of President Kruger for -entire independence were hastened to a consummation. By the Boer -government the course of justice was perverted, and the Chief-Justice -was made subordinate to the will of the Executive. Owing to -insecurity to life and property, mine owners could scarcely get a -supply of labourers. Kruger and his Hollanders ran the country for -their own benefit. They taxed and plundered the Uitlanders, while -neglecting such matters as roads, bridges, railways, sanitary and -educational schemes, but took care to arm the Boers while they -fattened on monopolies, and kept the Uitlanders from any share in the -government. In short, the Transvaal was a Republic in nothing but -the name. It was really a corrupt oligarchy, in which a privileged -minority made laws to suit themselves, and put the whole burden of -taxation on the shoulders of a majority who were deprived of the -franchise. - -[Sidenote: Uitlander grievances] - -With a largely increased revenue, President Kruger found he could now -indulge his hostility to this country and his long-cherished hopes of -independence by providing for a possible struggle. As Lord Selborne -said, 'the money was used to turn the whole of the Boer population -into soldiers; it was used to stock the whole country with millions -of cartridges, to buy battery after battery of guns, to buy rifles -enough to arm every Boer four or five times over, to build things -previously unknown in South Africa, namely, great fortresses in the -middle of the country, at Pretoria and at Johannesburg--such -fortresses as were not to be seen in England except to guard the -public dockyards, and such as could only be seen on the frontier -between France and Germany.' The course of the war has abundantly -shown that these enormous preparations {175} had been made in view of -other than mere native aggression; that, in fact, nothing less than -the entire subversion of British authority over our South African -Colonies was to be aimed at. - -So intolerable had the oligarchy at Pretoria made the position of the -Uitlanders, that these at length petitioned the Queen for some -redress of their grievances. This document, signed by 40,000 -persons, 21,000 of whom were British subjects in the Transvaal, was -handed to the British Agent in Pretoria for transmission to the High -Commissioner, and was forwarded by Mr. Conyngham Greene in the -ordinary official course to the Government. - -The petition showed that for many years discontent had existed among -the Uitlanders, who are mostly British subjects. The Uitlanders -possessed most of the wealth and intelligence in the country, and -they had no voice in its government. In spite of the promises of the -Transvaal Government and the petitions addressed to the President, -there had been no practical reforms. The discontent culminated in -the insurrection of 1895. The people then placed themselves in the -hands of the High Commissioner, and President Kruger promised -reforms. Since then their position had been worse. Legislation had -been unfriendly. The petition cited as examples the Aliens' -Immigration Act, withdrawn at the instance of the British Government; -the Press Law, giving the President arbitrary powers; the Aliens' -Expulsion Law, permitting the expulsion of British subjects at the -will of the President without appeal to the High Court, while -burghers cannot be expelled, this being contrary to the Convention. -The municipality granted to Johannesburg was worthless. It was -entirely subject to the Government. Half of the councillors are -necessarily burghers, though the {176} burghers and Uitlanders number -1000 and 23,000 respectively. The Government rejected the report of -the Industrial Commission, which was composed of its own officials. -The High Court had been reduced to a condition of subservience, the -revenues of the country had been diverted for the purpose of building -forts at Pretoria and Johannesburg in order to terrorise British -subjects; the police were exclusively burghers, ignorant and -prejudiced, and were a danger to the community; jurors were -necessarily burghers, and justice was impossible in cases where a -racial issue might be involved. - -[Sidenote: Petition of the Uitlanders] - -The petition went on to state that indignation was finally aroused by -the murder of Edgar and the favouritism displayed by the Public -Prosecutor. A petition to the Queen, presented by 4000 British -subjects, was rejected in consequence of informalities. For taking a -leading part in getting up the petition, Messrs. Dodd and Webb were -arrested under the Public Meetings Act, and were only released on -giving bail of £1000, five times the amount required for the murderer -of Edgar. A meeting within a closed place, permitted by law and -sanctioned expressly by the Government, was called by the South -African League on January 14. This was broken up by an armed and -organised band of burghers and police in plain clothes led by -Government officials. The police refused to interfere. The -behaviour of the British subjects was orderly. They did not -retaliate, preferring to lay their grievances before Her Majesty. No -arrests were made either of the officials responsible or of the -rioters. - -The condition of the British subjects, the petition concluded, was -intolerable. They were prevented by the direct action of the -Government from ventilating their grievances; 'wherefore the -petitioners pray Her Majesty {177} to extend her protection to them, -to cause an inquiry to be held into their grievances, to secure the -reform of abuses, and to obtain substantial guarantees from the -Transvaal Government and a recognition of the petitioners' rights.' -This important petition was accompanied by affidavits substantiating -the various allegations made in it. - -To have refused a petition like this under the circumstances which -had arisen, would have been tantamount to resigning the position of -paramount power. Negotiations and conferences ensued, in the vain -hope of adjusting racial differences, under Boer domination. They -came to nothing, and only proved that the Pretoria Government were -merely waiting their time to strike a blow which they hoped would for -ever terminate British authority in South Africa. The opportunity, -they thought, had at length come, and on Monday the 9th October an -ultimatum of the most insolent nature was presented to the British -Government, demanding not only the immediate withdrawal of our troops -on the borders of the Republic, but that all reinforcements which had -arrived since 1st June should be removed from South Africa. Not only -so, but that any of Her Majesty's troops now on the high seas should -not be landed in any part of our colonies! To these requirements an -immediate answer in the affirmative was demanded 'not later than 5 -o'clock on Wednesday'! No more ridiculous message has been received -by the British Government for over one hundred years. Her Majesty's -Government declined to discuss the conditions of the ultimatum, but -expressed regret that the Transvaal Government should contemplate so -extreme and so serious a step as war. The invasion of Natal by the -Boers followed at once, and the Orange Free State, though in no way -involved in the matter in dispute, gratuitously sided with the {178} -Pretoria Government, and an invasion of Cape Colony was made later on -chiefly by the Free Staters. With great boldness and, it must be -said, with much military skill, the Boer forces seized the passes, -attacked the small garrisons on the frontiers, and after several -successes and defeats they finally settled down to besiege Ladysmith -in Natal, and Kimberley and Mafeking in Cape Colony--sieges which -will be long memorable in the history of British South Africa. - -The war had only proceeded for about a week when General Wauchope -received a commission to command the Third or Highland Brigade, -forming part of the western column under General Lord Methuen for the -relief of Kimberley and Mafeking. This position was undoubtedly the -highest honour he had achieved, and its acquisition afforded him the -utmost satisfaction. He was residing at Niddrie at the time, and as -soon as it became known that he was ordered to the front, there was a -general desire among the miners and villagers that he should have a -suitable 'send-off,' and some arrangements had actually been made for -the occasion. But time was short, and besides, the General, always a -modest man, shrank from publicity where he would be the central -figure, and he would not consent to it. - -[Sidenote: Embarkation for the Cape] - -This, however, did not prevent him saying farewell to his old -friends. Amid all the bustle of preparation he found time to call at -the cottages of not a few in the grounds and in the village, to shake -hands with their inmates before he left; not, it is said, without -forebodings that it was for the last time. To a friend in Edinburgh -who, in saying 'good-bye,' expressed the hope that he would soon be -back again with fresh laurels, he replied with a shake of the head, -'I don't half like the job we {179} have got; we have a very hard nut -to crack with these Boers.' On Sunday, the 8th October, the General -and Mrs. Wauchope attended as usual the service in New Craighall -Parish Church. It forms a part of the parish of Liberton, and the -church was erected chiefly for the large mining portion of the -population at the east end of the parish, in which the General took -so much interest. He liked the simple, natural, artless form of the -Presbyterian service, and as his minister has since remarked, 'We -know how reverently and heartily he worshipped, and the pleasure he -had in hearing and in joining in the singing of the old psalms and -paraphrases, without any accompaniment.' It was his last quiet -Sabbath in Scotland. With a view to avoid fuss he slipped away that -evening by rail for London, without some of his nearest friends -knowing he was off, to see to the embarkation of his brigade. - -The Highland Brigade was made up of the Seaforth Highlanders, the -Second Battalion Royal Highlanders (or Black Watch), and the Gordon -Highlanders--three crack Scotch regiments, which any man might have -been proud to command. The two first embarked for South Africa at -Tilbury Fort on the 21st and 22nd October in the transports -_Mongolian_ and _Orient_ respectively, the total equipment in the -latter being about 1200 officers and men, including staff of a -cavalry brigade, medical corps, etc. These were followed a fortnight -later by the Gordons under Colonel Downman from Edinburgh, among the -citizens of which city officers and men had earned an honoured name. - -General Wauchope joined the transport _Aurania_ at Southampton on -23rd October, and some of his letters written on the eve of -embarkation are touching illustrations of kindly interest in others, -and specially in those {180} dependent on him. To his old friend and -colonel in the first Soudan Expedition, Colonel Bayly, he writes:-- - - -'MY DEAR OLD COLONEL,--Many thanks for your kind and affectionate -letter. I wish you were going out in charge of the brigade. I shall -sadly miss your wise counsels. Well, I will do my best; and this I -know, whether I succeed or fail, you will stick up for me.--Yours -ever, A. G. WAUCHOPE.' - - -To Mr. Martin, the manager of the Niddrie Collieries, he wrote as -follows:-- - - -'SOUTHAMPTON, 23_rd October_ 1899. - -'I am just about to embark. Please go and see Mrs. Wauchope when she -gets back. She will act for me at all times in my spirit. I hope -you understand about the send-off. I hate fuss. Give my love to all -my numerous friends in the works. I hope "Klondyke" [one of the new -workings] will prosper and flourish. I hope the war will soon be -over. Symons is a terrible loss. He was one of our best. [General -Symons fell at the battle of Glencoe in Natal, 20th October.] The -British officer and soldier is showing to the world that they are not -behind their fathers in the days of the Peninsula and Waterloo. I -hope all may continue so to do, and then make it up with the Boers, -who really must be reasonable. We have no grudge against them, -beyond that we cannot allow a Dutchman to be worth three -Scotsmen.--Ever yours, A. G. WAUCHOPE.' - - -To his head gardener, Mr. Alexander, also dated from Southampton on -23rd October, he writes:--'Dear Alexander, we are just off.... -Please convey to all our men and women my thanks for their faithful -service to me, and {181} that I will hope to see them soon -again.--Yours very truly, A. G. WAUCHOPE.' - - -That amid all the bustle of preparing to embark he should still have -time for loving thoughts of Niddrie and 'the old folks at home,' and -should at the last moment take the trouble to write such kindly -words, speaks eloquently of the affection in his breast for all that -he had left behind in Scotland. - -[Sidenote: Enthusiastic reception] - -The _Aurania_ took out with her the 1st Battalion of Highland Light -Infantry, and Wauchope was accompanied by Captain Rennie of the Black -Watch, as his _aide-de-camp_. The Black Watch in another vessel -reached Table Bay two or three days after the General's arrival, and -were at once entrained for De-Aar by half-battalions, so that until -he joined them a week or two afterwards, the General had had no -opportunity of coming in touch with his old regiment since his -appointment to the division. Major Duff, who was with the Black -Watch at De-Aar, speaks of their meeting as a remarkable one. 'I -went up,' he says, 'in command of the leading half-battalion, and -when the men first saw the General, their reception of him was a most -truly enthusiastic one. They cheered him over and over again, and it -reminded one of their send-off to him at York, as they had not seen -him since then.' - -While the British Government were thus hurrying forward troops to the -seat of war with all despatch, weeks of course elapsed before they -could be in a position to meet the invaders. - -The Boers in strong force, and evidently well prepared, had actively -assumed the aggressive, and in consequence of the unexpected -declaration of war by Presidents Kruger and Steyn, the northern part -of Cape Colony bordering {182} upon the Orange Free State was for a -time practically defenceless. Taking advantage of this fact, the -Boers had advanced boldly across the frontier, attacking many of our -towns and villages, and formally annexing them to the Free State. -The arrival of British troops at the Cape in November to some extent -arrested this invasion, and as troops were poured into the Colony in -quick succession, Generals French, Gatacre, and Methuen found -themselves ultimately in a position to assume the offensive, their -communications and supplies being kept up by the three lines of -railway from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and East London respectively. -The Highland Brigade, originally destined for Natal, was stopped at -Cape Town and at once sent on to reinforce Lord Methuen in command of -the western division. With his advanced base at De-Aar, at the -junction of the Port Elizabeth and Cape Town railways, and striking -north with what troops he had, Methuen engaged and defeated a party -of Boers near Belmont on the 10th November. Nine days after, he had -concentrated his troops on the Orange River, driving the enemy before -him, and on the 23rd November he attacked and completely routed the -enemy in the decisive battle of Belmont. - -After several skirmishes the battle of Modder River was fought, in -which the British encountered a Boer force of 11,000 men. It lasted -the whole of Tuesday the 28th November, and was keenly contested; but -in spite of the bravery and superior position of the enemy, they were -compelled to withdraw, and Methuen formed his advanced camp on the -north side of the river. After the Modder River fight he rested his -force until the 10th December, waiting for the battalions of -Wauchope's Highland Brigade, for the great naval gun, and the -howitzer battery, and for the {183} sorely needed cavalry. The -valiant Ninth Brigade, composed of Yorkshire Light Infantry, 5th -Northumberlands, Loyal North Lancashires, Northamptonshires, 9th -Lancers, and Mounted Infantry, which had done such gallant work in -the previous battles, was now to be scattered, and in some measure -supplanted by the Argylls, Seaforths, Gordons, Black Watch, and -Highland Light Infantry of the fresher brigade. - -Having secured his position on the Modder River, Lord Methuen found -the way to Kimberley still barred by the Boer army under General -Cronje. The enemy were strongly intrenched among the rocks and -precipices of the hilly region, some four miles from the river, -between the railway on the west and the highroad to Kimberley on the -east, and commanded the position with their artillery. - -[Sidenote: The Diamond City] - -Lord Methuen resolved upon making a frontal attack in full force on -this stronghold, so as to drive the Boers out and clear the road to -the Diamond City, now suffering acutely the miseries of a siege. - -Before making the attack, he resolved to shell the Boer position with -all his artillery and the great naval gun which had been dragged up -to a ridge overlooking the kopje occupied by the enemy, at ranges -varying between six thousand and eight thousand yards. The -bombardment while it lasted was a severe one. An eye-witness of the -scene says: 'The shells tore through the air with precisely the noise -of an express train rushing at highest speed, and when they burst -they seemed to envelop an acre of ground in heavy brown smoke, which -lifted and floated over the kopje as if it were a mass of pulverised -earth. The noise of each discharge was like the bark of a monster -bulldog, and the bursting of each shell sounded like the cough of a -giant.' It is believed that the lyddite {184} shells fell among the -Boers several times during the afternoon, but it is doubtful if the -damage done was sufficient to cause them to shift their position. -The naval gun remained on the ridge all night, and defined the -extreme left of the next day's battle-ground. This ground extended -from the railway where the gun stood, across the veldt to the river -and along its northern bank for two miles, or about four miles from -the railway to near the Kimberley road. It was covered--ridges and -level veldt alike--with bushes, or shapely little trees from four to -seven feet high, of round, full form, and pretty dense foliage. In -such a veldt as this the Boers had two miles of trenches in front of -their strongly fortified heights, well packed with riflemen. And not -only so; but to make the approach more difficult, lines of -barbed-wire fencing were run across the veldt parallel with the -trenches. - -To attack such a strong position required the very best troops of the -British army, if the assault were to be a success, and Wauchope's -Highland Brigade was selected for the work. Lord Methuen conceived -it to be his duty to take it at all hazards, seeing that his orders -were to relieve Kimberley, and the longer he remained inactive on the -Modder River, the probability was the enemy would become stronger in -front. As soon therefore as the last of his reinforcements arrived -from De-Aar, he resolved to attack the Magersfontein kopje. For this -purpose, as we have said, the heights were bombarded from 4.50 P.M. -to 6.40 P.M. on the 10th December, in the expectation that--judging -from the moral effect produced by his guns in the three previous -actions, and the anticipated effect of lyddite, to be used for the -first time--there would not only be great destruction of life in the -trenches, but a considerable demoralising effect on the enemy's -nerves. {185} Whether this was so is doubtful. A longer -bombardment, as the result proved, would in all probability have led -to a more successful issue of the enterprise, and with less loss to -our arms. - -[Sidenote: On the eve of battle] - -General Wauchope having received his orders, all were in readiness -for the attack, which it was resolved should be made in the darkness -of the early morning. - -Fireside romancers have pictured Wauchope on the evening before the -battle as full of despondency and prepossessed with a sense of -imminent disaster. Needless to say, these are purely imaginary -fancies. He was not the man either to shirk danger or dread a deadly -engagement. - -What afterwards happened is best described in the words of Lord -Methuen's despatch. 'The night march,' he says, 'was ordered for -12.30 A.M., the bearings and distance having been ascertained at -great personal risk by Major Benson, Royal Artillery, my Deputy -Assistant Adjutant-General. The distance is two and a half miles, -and daybreak was due at 3.25 A.M. About half an hour after the -Highland Brigade marched off it came on to pour, a heavy thunderstorm -accompanying the rain. The downpour lasted until daybreak. The -brigade was led with perfect accuracy to the point of assault by -Major Benson. The advance was slow, even for a night march. Major -Benson, with a compass in each hand, having frequently to halt on -account of the lightning and rifles affecting the compasses. I may -remark that two rifles went off by accident before the march -commenced, and it is pretty clear that flashes from a lantern gave -the enemy timely notice of the march. - -'Before moving off, Major-General Wauchope explained all he intended -to do, and the particular part each battalion of his brigade was to -play in the scheme. The brigade {186} was to march in mass of -quarter columns, the four battalions keeping touch and, if necessary, -ropes were to be used for the left guides; these ropes were taken, -but I believe used by only two battalions. What happened was as -follows:--Not finding any signs of the enemy on the right flank just -before daybreak, which took place at 4 A.M., as the brigade was -approaching the foot of the kopje, Major-General Wauchope gave the -order for the Black Watch to extend, but to direct its advance on the -spur in front, the Seaforth Highlanders to prolong to the left, the -Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to prolong to the right, the -Highland Light Infantry in reserve. Five minutes earlier (the kopje -looming in the distance) Major Benson had asked Major-General -Wauchope if he did not consider it to be time to deploy. -Lieut.-Colonel Hughes-Hallett states that the extension could have -taken place two hundred yards sooner, but the leading battalion got -thrown into confusion in the dark by a very thick bit of bush about -twenty or thirty yards long. The Seaforth Highlanders went round -this bush to the right, and had just got into its original position -behind the Black Watch when the order to extend was given by -Major-General Wauchope to the Black Watch. The Seaforth Highlanders -and two companies of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were also -moving out, and were in the act of extending, when suddenly a heavy -fire was poured in by the enemy, most of the bullets going over the -men. - -[Sidenote: Magersfontein] - -'Lieut.-Colonel Hughes-Hallett at once ordered the Seaforths to fix -bayonets and charge the position. The officers commanding the other -battalions acted in a similar manner. At this moment some one gave -the word "Retire." Part of the Black Watch then rushed back through -the ranks of the Seaforths. Lieut.-Colonel Hallett {187} ordered his -men to halt and lie down, and not to retire. It was now becoming -quite light, and some of the Black Watch were a little in front, to -the left of the Seaforths. The artillery, advancing to the support -of the attack, had opened fire from the time it was light enough to -see. No orders having been received by the Seaforths, the commanding -officer advanced the leading units to try and reach the trenches, -which were about four hundred yards off; but the officers and half -the men fell before a very heavy fire, which opened as soon as the -men moved. About ten minutes later the Seaforths tried another rush, -with the same result. Colonel Hughes-Hallett then considered it best -to remain where he was till orders came. - -'Meanwhile the 9th Lancers, the 12th Lancers, G Battery Royal Horse -Artillery, and Mounted Infantry were working on the right flank. At -twelve midnight on the 10th the 12th Lancers and Guards marched from -camp, the former to join the Cavalry Brigade, the latter to protect -the rear and right of the Highland Brigade. Considering the night, -it does Major-General Sir Henry Colville immense credit that he -carried out his orders to the letter, as did Major-General Babington. -A heavy fire was maintained the whole morning. The Guards Brigade -held a front of about one and three quarter miles. The Yorkshire -Light Infantry protected my right flank with five companies, three -companies being left at a drift. Captain Jones, Royal Engineers, and -Lieutenant Grubb were with the Balloon Section, and gave me valuable -information during the day. I learnt from this source, at about -twelve noon, that the enemy were receiving large reinforcements from -Abutsdam and from Spytfontein. The enemy held their own on this part -of the field, for the under-feature was strongly entrenched, {188} -concealed by small bushes, and on slight undulations. At twelve noon -I ordered the battalion of Gordons, which was with the Supply Column, -to support the Highland Brigade. The trenches, even after the -bombardment by lyddite and shrapnel since daybreak, were too strongly -held to be cleared. The Gordons advanced in separate -half-battalions, and though the attack could not be carried home, the -battalion did splendid work throughout the day. - -'At 1 P.M. the Seaforth Highlanders found themselves exposed to a -heavy crossfire, the enemy trying to get round to the right. The -commanding officer brought his left forward. An order to "Retire" -was given, and it was at this time that the greater part of the -casualties occurred. The retirement continued for five hundred -yards, and the Highlanders remained there till dusk. Lieut-Colonel -Downman, commanding the Gordons, gave the order to retire, because he -found his position untenable, so soon as the Seaforth Highlanders -made the turning movement to the right. This was an unfortunate -retirement, for Lieut.-Colonel Hughes-Hallett had received -instructions from me to remain in position until dusk, and the enemy -were at this time quitting the trenches by tens and twenties. I have -made use of Lieut.-Colonel Hughes-Hallett's report (the acting -Brigadier) for the description of the part the Highland Brigade took -in this action. - -'Major-General Wauchope told me, when I asked him the question, on -the evening of the 10th, that he quite understood his orders, and -made no further remark. He died at the head of the brigade, in which -his name will always remain honoured and respected. His high -military reputation and attainments disarm all criticism. Every -{189} soldier in my division deplores the loss of a fine soldier and -a true comrade. The attack failed; the inclement weather was against -success; the men in the Highland Brigade were ready enough to rally, -but the paucity of officers and non-commissioned officers rendered -this no easy matter. I attach no blame to this splendid brigade. -From noon until dark I held my own opposite to the enemy's -intrenchments. G Battery Royal Horse Artillery fired hard till dark, -expending nearly two hundred rounds per gun. Nothing could exceed -the conduct of the troops from the time of the failure of the attack -at daybreak. There was not the slightest confusion, though the fight -was carried on under as hard conditions as one can imagine, for the -men had been on the move from midnight, and were suffering terribly -from thirst. At 7.15 P.M. fighting ceased, the Highland Brigade -formed up under cover, the Guards Brigade held my front, the -Yorkshire Light Infantry secured my right flank, the cavalry and guns -were drawn in behind the cavalry.' - -[Sidenote: An ill-fated enterprise] - -Many descriptions have been published of the ill-fated enterprise, -differing in some respects from the despatch of the commander; and -much controversy has been raised as to an alleged difference of -opinion between Generals Methuen and Wauchope regarding the method of -the attack on the Boer position, and as to who was responsible for -its disastrous failure. Into that controversy it is not our purpose -to enter, seeing so much of it is founded on mere conjecture, -coloured by the imagination or the prejudice of some of the writers. -Whether blunder, or miscalculation, or mere misadventure, no voice -has been ever raised to cast the shadow of blame on the officer who -gallantly led his brigade through that long dark night into what -proved an impossible position, a position {190} which the best troops -in the world could not have hoped to take. Every precaution was made -that forethought could suggest. Untoward circumstances, and not want -of courage, ruined all. - -[Sidenote: Fall of the General] - -That the fall of the General largely contributed to the loss of the -battle, seems all too plain. He fell after being twice hit with -rifle bullets through his helmet, and even while lying on the ground, -when struck in the body, he appears, from the evidence of some of his -men who passed him as they still pressed on to his orders, to be able -to raise himself on his hands and knees, and taking a long farewell -of his comrades, he cried, 'Good-bye, men; fight for yourselves. It -is man to man now.' Other words are said to have been uttered, and -were freely circulated afterwards about the camp, and found their way -into letters written to friends at home; but in the din and confusion -of such a moment it is difficult to see how these--many of them -contradictory--can be accepted as his utterances. One witness -describes the scene as 'an awful sight. The bullets,' he says, 'were -like a shower of hail, and the shells were bursting all around us. -God knows how I got clear, for I was in the thick of it. I felt the -heat of a shell on my face. I never was so near being killed in my -life. There were bullets hitting all around me, and whistling over -my head. I have been in a few battles, but nothing like this.... We -would have beat them had our General not been killed. He was shot in -three places.' - -That General Wauchope fought and fell as a man and as a soldier, -carrying out his orders loyally to the end, has never been called in -question. He died where he would have wished to die, at the head of -his gallant Highlanders, with his face to the foe. - -{191} - -All that fateful day the battle was carried on. Our wounded and dead -lay as they fell, under a blazing sun, close to the Boer lines. Over -their heads the shots of friends and foes passed, without ceasing. -'Many a gallant deed was done by comrades helping comrades; men who -were shot through the body lay without water, enduring all the agony -of thirst caused by their wounds and the blistering heat. To them -crawled Scots with shattered limbs, sharing the last drop of water in -their bottles, and taking farewell messages to many a cottage home in -far-off Scotland.' But still the battle raged. Wounded and dead -must wait alike the ultimate fate of the day. Lying on the veldt the -British still held their ground, firing when they could, but drawing -a hotter fire upon themselves from the trenches. For fourteen hours -they thus lay--from three o'clock in the morning till six at night. -It was cruel work, with all the odds against the attackers, fighting -against a foe they could neither see nor reach. Once the Guards made -a brilliant dash at the trenches, and like a torrent their resistless -valour bore down all before them, and for a brief few moments they -got within striking distance of the enemy; and well did they avenge -the slaughter of the Scots. With bayonets fixed and a ringing cheer -the Guardsmen, we are told by a graphic writer, 'tossed the Boers out -of their trenches as men in English harvest-fields toss the hay.' -Then they retired under the deadly fire from the heights above, -falling thick as hail upon them. - -Not till the evening did the conflict cease. Then there was an -armistice, and our ambulance bearers went out to bring in their -fallen comrades. The Rev. J. Robertson, chaplain of the brigade, -mentions in a letter: 'I was with Wauchope when he fell. I think he -wished me to keep {192} near him, but I got knocked down, and in the -dark and wild confusion I was borne away, and did not see him in life -again, though I spared no effort to find him, in the hope that he -might be only wounded.' This statement is confirmed by the Anglican -chaplain with Lord Methuen, who, after describing the battle of -Magersfontein, thus refers to the Highland Brigade: 'Being chiefly -Highlanders, they were in Robertson's charge. He, good-hearted -fellow, was risking his life in the trenches and under fire to find -General Wauchope's body. Why he was not killed in his fearless -efforts I cannot tell.' The General's body was found next morning -from twenty to thirty yards off the Boer trenches, 'riddled with -bullets,' and was carried reverently back into camp, amidst the -unmistakable grief of every soldier. - -[Sidenote: 'Lochaber no more'] - -The exigencies of war brook no delay, and so the funeral was arranged -for the day following. Three hundred yards to the rear of the -township of Modder River, just as the sun was sinking in a blaze of -African splendour, on the evening of Tuesday the 13th December, a -long shallow grave lay exposed in the breast of the veldt. To the -westward the broad river fringed with trees ran unconsciously along; -to the eastward the heights still held by the enemy scowled -menacingly; north and south stretched the long swelling plain. A few -paces to the north of the grave, fifty dead Highlanders lay, dressed -as they had fallen. They had followed their chief to the field, and -they were to follow him to the grave. It was an impressive sight, -and as one who saw it has said: 'The plaids dear to every Highland -clan were represented there, and, as I looked, out of the distance -came the sound of the pipes. It was the General coming to join his -men. There, right under the eyes of the enemy, {193} moved with slow -and solemn tread all that remained of the Highland Brigade. In front -of them walked the chaplain, with bared head, dressed in his robes of -office; then came the pipers with their pipes, sixteen in all, -wailing out "Lochaber no More"; and behind them, with arms reversed, -moved the Highlanders, in all the regalia of their regiments; and in -the midst, the dead General, borne by four of his comrades.' Many a -cheek was wet with tears, and many a heart throbbed with emotion as -the last kind offices were performed. Right up to the grave they -marched, then broke away into companies until the General was laid in -the shallow grave, with a Scottish square of armed men around him. -The simple Presbyterian service of the Scottish Church was led by Mr. -Robertson, the chaplain, amid profound silence. No shots were fired. -Only the silent farewell salute of his sorrowing men as they marched -campwards in the gathering darkness, and the black pall of an African -night was drawn sadly over the scene. - -[Illustration: THE GRAVE ON THE BATTLEFIELD. _From a Photograph by -H. C. Shelley of "The King."_] - -There, among his men, Wauchope's body might have been left to rest on -the open veldt, and the spot would doubtless ever afterwards have -been consecrated in the heart of every patriot Briton, lonely and -wild though it be. But the kindly sympathy of a brother Scot found -for him a last resting-place four hundred miles farther south in Cape -Colony, at Matjesfontein. On receipt of the news of Wauchope's -death, the Honourable J. D. Logan, a member of the Cape Legislative -Council, who owns an extensive estate there, on which there is a -small enclosed private burying-ground, promptly asked permission to -bring the body for reinterment there. Permission having been granted -by General Lord Methuen, Mr. Logan proceeded to Modder River, and -returned with the {194} body in a zinc-lined coffin on the 18th -December. The remains of the gallant General were buried next -morning with full military honours, in presence of a considerable -number of people. Those present included Captain Rennie, _A.-D.-C._ -to the General, Mr. Logan and his family, Major Stuart, and Colonel -Schrembrucker. The escort consisted of eleven officers and 195 -non-commissioned officers and men of various detachments, including -some of the Highland Brigade, and a fife band with pipers. The -coffin was borne on a gun-carriage, which was covered with many -beautiful wreaths, one bearing the inscription, 'With the Logans' -deepest sympathy. In memory of one of Scotland's brave ones.' And -on another was inscribed, 'A token of admiration and respect for one -of Scotland's heroes, from his fellow-countrymen at Matjesfontein.' -The favourite charger of the General followed the coffin, and the -service, conducted by the Revs. Messrs. Robertson and Price, army -chaplains, was of a deeply impressive character. Thus passed from -sight, at the age of fifty-four, the man whose career it has been our -privilege to sketch. - -[Sidenote: After the battle] - -Few episodes in the Transvaal war--and there have been many striking -ones--have made such an impression on the public at large, or on -those immediately concerned, as the fall of the leader of the -Highland Brigade on that disastrous 10th of December 1899. - -The one man best qualified to speak of its effects upon the soldiers -at the front, has in touching letters referred to the sadness that -overspread the camp, and the deep religious feelings which were -awakened. The Rev. J. Robertson says: 'Of the seven who formed our -original mess--General Wauchope's brigade staff--only Colonel Ewart -and myself remain. He is an old campaigning {195} friend, so also is -General Macdonald, who has now joined us. I am glad I knew the -Brigadier before. It makes all the difference, messing and living -together. I am not to refer to General Wauchope. Mere acquaintances -mourn his loss, how much more one who was honoured with his -friendship and confidence? As for the Highland Brigade--there is but -one heart, and it's sore, sore. A strange fatality befell all my -best-known friends. Whenever I let myself think of them, there's a -painful tug at my heart's strings. God knows what lies before. To -give some idea of how hearts have been touched, on the last Sunday of -the year I had communion. I thought it better to take it then than -on the first Sunday, when the year would be a week old and the good -start perhaps lost. I did not make intimation the Sunday before, as -I did not think I would be able to get communion wine in time. I -just stated at the ordinary parade service that I purposed having it -after the benediction was pronounced. I invited any and every one to -come forward, even though they had not partaken it before, saying -that in the circumstances I took it upon me to dispense with the -usual preparatory forms of procedure. To my great surprise, but to -my heart's joy, knowing how backward young men are--Highlanders -especially--in coming to the Lord's Table, over 250 stepped out, and -many more would have come had it not been for the fact that they had -to go at once on picket duty. In fact, they had strained a point to -attend parade service, coming all ready to go on outpost, heavily -accoutred. With a full heart, I thanked God and took courage.' In -another letter the chaplain says: 'We were a sad, a very sad brigade, -for though we tried to hide it, we took our losses to heart sorely; -for "men of steel are men who feel." But out of evil came good. -{196} The depth of latent religious feeling that was evoked in -officers and men was a revelation to me, and were it not that -confessions, and acknowledgments, and vows are too sacred for -repetition, I could tell a tale that would gladden your hearts--not -that I put too much stress on what's said or done at such an -impressionable, solemnising time, but after-proof of sincerity has -not been wanting.' - -The receipt of the news of the General's death in England, Scotland, -and Ireland, and indeed throughout the world, was accompanied with -every expression of grief. It was felt that the empire had lost one -of its noblest and best, that a hero had gone down to his rest ere -his full life's work was done. Alike from soldier and civilian, from -political opponent and political friend, came the common lament; -while the fluent pens of journalists were in some cases constrained -to acknowledge that it was all but impossible to write with calmness -of the sad event. - -The national feeling was roused as it seldom has been before, and -from one correspondent we have the following remarkable testimony. -'I believe,' he says, 'that General Wauchope's tragic death did more -than anything else to bring the nation as a nation to call upon God. -No doubt before his death there was much prayer throughout the nation -both in private and in almost all the churches; but there was no -national acknowledgment of God--no day set apart by authority for -this purpose. General Wauchope's death awoke the national -conscience, and there was a public recognition of God by the nation. -It is a matter of history that when this took place the tide of -battle, which for so long had been against us, then began to turn in -our favour. Andrew Gilbert Wauchope did not die in vain.' - -[Sidenote: Sympathy of the Queen] - -Her Majesty the Queen felt the loss she and the country had -sustained, and, with her usual womanly {197} consideration, sent a -message through her Lord Chamberlain, the Earl of Hopetoun, desiring -him to express her deep sympathy with Mrs. Wauchope of Niddrie, and -with Lady Ventry, the General's sister. In this message, it is -understood the Queen paid a warm tribute to the General's fearless -qualities as a soldier, and to his magnificent services to the -nation; while she sympathetically referred to the fact, that in every -campaign in which he had taken a part previously, with the exception -of the Soudan war of 1898, he had had the misfortune to be wounded. - -Seldom has so general and so spontaneous an expression of public -feeling been given in this country. In Scotland especially was this -so, as might naturally be expected. In Edinburgh, where both the -Black Watch and the Gordon Highlanders had recently been stationed, -the death of Colonel Downman of the Gordons, and many others with him -in the same engagement, gave a sharper edge to the calamity. -Lieutenant F. G. Tail, also well known in Edinburgh, and popular all -over the country as a champion golfer, was wounded on this occasion. -After his recovery he went again to the front and was killed on 7th -February at Koodoosberg Drift. From Mr. Low's record of his life it -is interesting to quote what he says as to the Black Watch at -Magersfontein, inasmuch as it differs somewhat from the despatch of -Lord Methuen already quoted, and expresses the opinion of one who was -on the spot. 'The papers say the Highland Brigade retired and -re-formed. The Black Watch never did; and, furthermore, we held our -ground all day.' As to his commanding officer he says, 'General -Wauchope is in no way responsible for the fearful loss of life -amongst the Highland Brigade: he got his orders, and had to carry -them out, and he was killed in front of his brigade.' - - - - -{198} - -CHAPTER XI - -CHARACTERISTICS - -[Sidenote: A devoted soldier] - -That General Wauchope was a skilled officer goes without saying. He -had made military tactics his life study. And he had the personal -influence that enabled men to follow his leadership without -hesitation. Several of his brother officers who had been with him -for years, and had fought beside him in many a battle, have favoured -us with their opinion of his skill as a commander; and, as to his -responsibility for the blunder or misadventure of Magersfontein, one -of them says: 'As a commanding officer, he was beloved by all ranks; -respected as a born leader of men, for he had but to hold up his -little finger and the whole regiment would have followed him -to--anywhere! He brought the battalion to a wonderful pitch of -excellency, both in professional and social success, and invariably -received the highest praise from every general officer who ever -inspected them.' And from another we have the remarkable testimony: -'Wauchope diligently studied his profession, to which he was devoted, -and was noted in his regiment for his coolness and judgment. I say -this with special reference to the circumstances preceding his -lamentable death, and the loss of a large part of the Highland -Brigade recently in South Africa. Eminently a cool and cautious -leader, Wauchope would have never led his brigade in close formation -into the very {199} jaws of destruction without scouting or other -means of discovering the near proximity of the enemy, unless he had -had direct stringent orders to do so.' From still another -distinguished officer comes the following: 'General Wauchope's name -as a soldier was known to all ranks in the army, and I am certain -that time will prove that he was not responsible for the decimation -of the brigade he loved so well. He was far too good a tactician for -that blunder.' - -It will be seen as our narrative has proceeded, that while the career -of Andrew Gilbert Wauchope of Niddrie is in the main that of an -earnest, devoted soldier of the Crown, full of chequered incident and -varied experience, there is at the same time a many-sidedness of -character developed in his life. A soldier first, he was as much at -home, it has been said, in the commonplace business of the local -School Board and Parish Council, or in the transactions of the -General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Essentially a modest -man, he never made an affectation of superiority, and indeed he was -much inclined to underrate his own ability in almost every work in -which he was engaged. As a politician he knew his own mind, and he -had become one of the clearest and most humorous exponents of the -policy which he advocated. Great in arms, he was equally great in -the arts of peace; and while professionally attached to his duties as -a soldier, he had a horror of war, and an unbounded appreciation of -the blessings of peace. - -Those who knew him best, who had lived with him in barracks or camp, -who shared with him the dangers of war, bear witness to his many kind -deeds, and his sympathetic interest in others, of his kind-hearted -generosity, his homeliness, and general simplicity of heart. He was -{200} indeed a typical Scotsman, possessing all the best -characteristics of a Scotsman, with no fear in his heart but the fear -of God, or, as one has described him--'A man among men, and a man of -God.' - -[Sidenote: Honoured by all] - -To the people on his estate he was more than anything else a father, -in his interest and care; the active patron of everything that was -worthy, the participator in all that was helpful to their life; the -benefactor whose liberal hand supplied many a need, and brightened -and blessed many a home. When the news of his death came from South -Africa, all ranks and classes united in lamenting the fall of a brave -and a good man, of one who would be much missed, of one who could ill -be spared. 'From the Queen on the throne to some of her humblest -subjects, through all ranks of statesmen and politicians of all -shades of opinion, from soldiers and from sailors of all grades, and -most affectionately from the rank and file of his own historic -regiment, from newspapers throughout the length and breadth of the -land, from neighbours and friends--and who were not his friends who -knew him?--even from opponents; in short, from all classes, the -highest and the humblest, came tributes of respect and eulogy, and -expressions of sorrow over what seemed, at first thought, his -untimely end.' - -As it has been well said, 'the simple record of his campaigns and -wounds, in the service of Queen and country, would alone be -sufficient to confer greatness on any man. His was the truest -greatness, because he was so utterly unconscious that it was great; -and his extreme modesty, and almost diffidence, obscured it from the -merely superficial observer.' - -His was the kind of life that exerted a magnetic charm upon all with -whom he had dealings. His plain exterior, {201} his somewhat awkward -gait and habiliments, more frequently marked by the absence of -fashionable conventionality than by military smartness, were a -deception to a stranger. 'That the great Captain Wauchope!' said a -man on the road one day, when he was pointed out to him as the hero -of Tel-el-Kebir--'_That_ Captain Wauchope, impossible! I thought -that was a labourer!' Though carrying no outward symbol of what was -in him, to his friends he was dear. But we do not always gather -diamonds on the surface. ''Tis the mind that makes the body rich.' -He seemed best to those who knew him longest, for about his actions -there was a sincerity that was all the better because it was -spontaneous; and behind that bronzed, ascetic face--said by some to -resemble that of Cicero or Cæsar--there was a soul with the courage -of a hero and the tenderness of a woman. - -In a letter from Dr. Wisely of Malta, we have striking testimony in -confirmation of this. 'Wauchope,' he says, 'in a remarkable manner -fulfilled the New Testament injunction to "honour all men," and this, -I believe, was the secret of his being honoured by all, for he was -liked and trusted by all sorts and conditions of men. His brother -officers found in him a friend, and so did the men in the ranks. If -any man had a grievance he was sure of getting a fair hearing from -him. But Wauchope was not easily taken in. I remember seeing him -once standing in the street when I was speaking to a man of his -regiment, who had seen better days. After the man had left me, he -came up and said, "I was just waiting to warn you, lest you should be -taken in by that man. He will tell you plausible stories to get -money out of you, but don't listen to him. He is a humbug, and is -not to be trusted." I found he was right. But when there was {202} -real distress, Wauchope was ever ready to do what he could to relieve -it, and he did it in the most unostentatious way. In 1878, when he -went with his regiment to Cyprus, a man in his company, whom I knew, -died of heat apoplexy on landing. Wauchope immediately wrote to me -and enclosed a cheque for £10, to be given to the man's widow to help -her, as he said, to make a fresh start. I happened to mention this -incident recently to a lady, whose husband at one time commanded the -regiment, and she said "it was just like Wauchope," and that she knew -of many similar cases where his help was as quietly given. On one -occasion, when the regiment was in Egypt, he presented a cheque for -£200, to be expended, he informed me, for the benefit of the women of -the regiment, on the one sole condition that his name should not be -mentioned. He had his own way, however, of dispensing charity, and -was not afraid to refuse to subscribe to objects merely because other -people subscribed and thought he ought to do so too. He judged for -himself. And he did so, not only regarding cases of charity, but in -whatever he had to do with. Some years ago we happened to be -speaking of his tenants in Scotland, and he told me that he made a -point of occasionally seeing each one alone, without a factor or any -one being present, and he would ask the tenant to speak frankly to -him, and let him know of any grievance he had to complain of. He did -not promise to agree with him, or to see things in the same light, -but he promised to give the case a fair hearing, and to do his best -to remedy the grievance, if he was convinced that there was one.' - -[Sidenote: A religious life] - -It is not difficult to discern that the secret spring of such a life -is to be found not so much in early education, social influences, -rank, ample means, or even {203} natural kind-heartedness--though -these doubtless had a certain influence in the formation of -character--as in that fervent, devout spirit which characterised -nearly all that he said or did--in short, from that 'fear of the Lord -which is the beginning of wisdom.' Wauchope's life was indeed a -deeply religious life. Not religious certainly in the conventional -sense of the term, that looks to the repetition of favourite texts of -Scripture and the recurrence of pious sentiments; but in the -deep-down utterances of a devout heart that sought the expression of -his faith rather in deeds of kindness and thoughtful sympathy. His -whole life, as we have seen, was saturated with affection for those -in life's path who were bound to him by kindred ties, and for whom -his quick eye saw his help was needed. Yet, let it be said, he -shrank from no opportunity which presented itself of making a good -confession before men, or of giving religious comfort, or engaging in -religious services, where he might be able to do good. His daily -duties, he once remarked to a company of Sabbath-school boys, were -largely influenced by his morning devotions. The early training of a -Scottish home, with a pious father's example, laid the foundation of -a religious life, which after-trouble and affliction more fully -developed into ripe conviction, and matured Christian faith. He -believed in prayer and in family worship, and it was doubtless this -that so much imbued him with strength and courage for many a day of -arduous work and patient pain. How else can we explain that trying -period of his life when in Malta, with a drawn sword, as it were, -hanging over his head, and only a step between him and death? There -he sought to know of the doctrine whether it be of God, and with -reverent fear put himself into his Saviour's hands, with the desire -to do God's will in every duty that fell to him. 'He {204} followed -on to know the Lord,' says Dr. Wisely of Malta, 'and he came to know -the truth of the Gospel, not only as a truth of faith, but a truth of -personal experience.' - -How else can we explain that impressive scene at the grave in Cyprus -shortly afterwards, when in the absence of the chaplain he stepped -forward, and in the midst of his hushed and weeping comrades, -touchingly performed the last offices over the dead? - -All through his life it was the same. Consistent and true, but -without affectation, in his relationship to God and to man, he sought -to have a conscience void of offence, and to do his duty as in view -of the Eternal. - -[Illustration: THE GRAVE AT MATJESFONTEIN. Marked by Wreath on left -of the Cross.] - -Fearless of death, and accustomed to meet it on many occasions, he -dreaded it the less that he fully realised the after-issues. It has -been well said that the man who has no place for death in his -philosophy has not learned to live. The lesson of life is death. -For Wauchope, death had no terrors, because it had been overcome -through faith in Him who has conquered death and the grave. The -pathos of life was with him no forced sentiment, for he had often -felt the pity for suffering and bereavement which underlies all true -life. In his own family and person he had experienced the loss of -loved ones, and known the grief and disappointments of a bereaved -father. Such experiences broaden out sympathy and cause 'the primal -duties shine aloft like stars.' In his own parish of Liberton he -discharged the office of the eldership with much acceptance, visiting -among the parishioners, and officiating at the communion in the -parish church; leading a quiet, useful, unobtrusive life, doing good -where he had opportunity. On several occasions a representative -elder in the highest court of the Scottish Church, he took an active -part in the work of the General Assembly. {205} There indeed he was -a prominent figure, as he would sometimes take his seat in his -military uniform fresh from his duties as the officer commanding the -Black Watch at the Castle. The Church of Scotland had no more true -and loyal son, and in many ways he identified himself with her -interests, and was always ready to testify to the value of the -national recognition of religion. He was for some time vice-convener -of the Church's Committee on Temperance, and had he been spared -longer, his ripe judgment, his knowledge of men, and his own personal -experience would doubtless have been of much service in the -advancement of this important cause. - -[Sidenote: An elder of the Church] - -In 1895 he was chosen as one of the deputies by the Assembly to -represent the Church of Scotland at the General Assembly of the Irish -Presbyterian Church, which met in Belfast in June of that year. In -introducing him to the Assembly, the Rev. Professor Todd Martin, the -Moderator, paid a high tribute to his abilities as a soldier, and -spoke of the courage and bravery with which he had faced the Right -Honourable W. E. Gladstone, the greatest political general of the -age. 'Colonel Wauchope,' he said, 'had won for himself the -admiration and love of his most strenuous opponents. They honoured -him, however, specially because he took his place from year to year -as a ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church, and entered with great -enthusiasm into the maintenance of their Presbyterian faith, to the -advocacy of the simplicity of ritual, and to the furtherance of -temperance and every other good cause that was for the salvation of -the great body of the people.' Wauchope's address, which, according -to the prints of the day, was 'long, eloquent, and deeply -interesting,' feelingly referred at the outset to his Irish -connection through his mother; and after pointing out the {206} -dangers surrounding the Protestant population of Scotland and -Ireland, and the necessity for more united sympathy for each other, -he concluded as follows:--'I thank you, Moderator of this vast -Assembly, for the kind manner in which you have been pleased to -receive me as a member of the Church of Scotland. I am proud, and I -cannot say how proud, to be a member of it. It is also a matter of -great thankfulness to all of us, especially to us laymen, that now in -the Church of Scotland we have elders--men of great transcendent -ability--who love their Church, and work loyally as Christian men for -the furtherance of that great Church.' - -[Sidenote: A Christian gentleman] - -He had a high ideal of the Church's duty, and so far at least as in -him lay he sought to take his share of that duty. In the cause of -temperance he had done much among his soldiers, and in the Assembly -he was ever the eloquent advocate of its claims upon the attention of -the Church. - -To one like him, more accustomed to the political platform and the -style of address there required than to the ecclesiastical forms of -the Church, it was natural he should sometimes forget the ceremonial -style peculiar to the General Assembly. On one occasion he rose to -second a motion, and inadvertently addressed the venerable Assembly -not as 'Fathers and Brethren,' but as 'Gentlemen,' which immediately -caused a titter to pass over the House. He at once became conscious -of his mistake, and turning to the chair, said, 'Moderator, I am no -theologian, nor am I an ecclesiastic; I am a soldier; I second the -motion.' The brevity and pointed nature of this short speech drew -out an appreciative cheer, and the motion was carried _nem. con_. - -Though loving and serving his own Church faithfully {207} and well, -General Wauchope was no sectarian. He had seen too much of the world -not to take a wide view of the brotherhood of Christianity. As the -different regiments of one army serving a common cause, he viewed the -various sections of the Church of Christ--whether Roman Catholic or -Protestant, whether Established Church or Nonconformist, whether -Episcopal or Presbyterian--as all members one with another of the -great army of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the one Captain and -Head. He could, and often did, extend a helping hand to one and all -as he had opportunity. 'Wherever I am wanted, I shall be there, -straight,' was his prompt and witty reply once to a 'heckler' at one -of his political meetings, when asked how it was possible for him to -serve both in Parliament and in the army. The same answer might have -been given as to church and philanthropic demands made upon his -sympathy. 'Wherever he was wanted' to advance any good object, he -was ready to be 'there, straight.' - -The spontaneous references made after his death from nearly every -pulpit in Midlothian, and in various churches in England and -Scotland--too numerous to quote--and the more formal deliverance of -the General Assembly in May 1900, all bear testimony to the nation's -grief over the loss of one who could ill be spared. These -expressions may be found fittingly summarised in the words of one who -knew the General well, and who was accustomed to experience his -influence in his own parish of Liberton. The Rev. George Dodds, of -the Free Church there, in concluding a memorial service in his -church, and taking as his text 2 Samuel i. 25--'How are the mighty -fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, slain in thine high -places,' spoke as follows:--'Nothing which has hitherto {208} -occurred,' he said, 'and perhaps no casualty which can yet happen, -could to any greater extent quicken our imagination to realise the -horrors of war, and the desperate work these brave men face who fight -our battles. The people of this parish will always remember the -battle of Magersfontein as that which deprived them of one of whom -they were more than proud. General Wauchope was a man whom every one -loved, and it was little wonder. Anything else was impossible. A -man so real, with no vestige of the actor about him; so free from -narrowness both in church and political creed; so generous as a -patron, so philanthropic as a gentleman among his people; so -honourable as a public man, so brotherly as a neighbour--when shall -we look upon his like again? ... Liberton parish knows what the army -and the empire have lost, but our loss is one of those sacred things -with which no outsider can intermeddle.... Much which I could tell -of him makes me know with undying conviction that Andrew Gilbert -Wauchope of Niddrie was one of the finest Christian gentlemen one -could find in a lifetime.' - - 'Soldier, rest! thy warfare o'er, - Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking; - Dream of battlefields no more, - Days of danger, nights of waking. - No rude sound shall reach thine ear; - Armour's clang, or war-steed champing; - Trump nor pibroch summon here, - Mustering clan or squadron tramping.' - - - - -{209} - -INDEX - -Abu-Hammed, 147. - -Albert, Prince, 32. - -Aldershot, 38, 75. - -Alexandria, 73, 74, 90, 106. - -Alfred, Prince, Duke of Edinburgh, 32, 33, 34, 107. - -Alison, Sir Archibald, 76. - -Arabi Pasha, 73, 79, 163. - -Ashanti, 39, 46, 49. - -Assouan, 93, 105. - -Atbara River, 148, 151, 155. - - - -Babington, Major-General, 187. - -Baird, Sir David, 21. - ----- Sir James Gardiner, 47. - ----- Robert, 21. - ----- of Newbyth, William, 21. - -Balfour, Dr. Andrew, 135, 163. - -Ballater, 141. - -Balmoral, 33. - -Bayly, Colonel R. K., 11, 39, 75, 92, 99, 105, 107, 180. - -Belfast, 120, 205. - -Benson, Major, 185, 186. - -Berber, 149, 152. - -Beresford, Lord Charles, 11, 30. - -Bermuda, 33. - -Biddulph, Sir Robert, 59, 66, 92, 129. - -Black Watch, 36, 40, 75, 84, 86, 92, 99, 105, 123, 131, 140, 144, -163, 179, 181, 183, 196. - -_Britannia_, H.M.S., 30. - -Buccleuch, Duke of, 109, 127. - -Buller, Sir Redvers, 41, 42, 90, 101. - - - -Cairo, 74, 78, 80, 84, 86, 90, 105. - -Cambo, 82, 87, 88. - -Cameron Highlanders, 149, 150, 151, 152. - -Cameron, Sir Daniel, 132. - -Cape Colony, 21, 71, 178, 182, 193. - -Chamberlain, Right Hon. Joseph, 172. - -Charles Edward, 20. - ----- I., 19, 20. - ----- II., 20. - -Christie, Captain, 37. - -Church of Scotland, 124, 161, 199, 204, 206. - -Colville, Sir Henry, 187. - -Convention of Estates, 20. - -Cox, Robert, M. P., 166. - -Craigmillar, 17, 26. - -Cyprus, 58, 67, 75, 92, 202. - - - -Dalrymple, Sir Charles, 109, 113, 124, 126, 137, 138, 157. - -Devonport, 38. - -Dewar, Mr. Arthur, 166, 167, 169, 170. - -Dodds, Rev. George, 135, 207. - -Douglas, Earls of, 14. - -Downman, Colonel, 179, 188, 197. - -Duff, Major A. G., 11, 59, 63, 79, 181. - -Dufferin, Marquis of, 164. - -Dundee, Viscount, 20. - - - -Earle, Major-General, 99, 100. - -Ed-Damer, 148. - -Edinburgh, 38, 75, 133, 140, 142, 196. - ----- Duke of. _See_ Alfred, Prince. - ----- University, 164. - ----- South, Election, 166, 170. - -Egan, Charlie, 135. - -Egerton, Hon. Francis, 32. - -Egypt, 72, 75, 76, 81, 84, 89, 94, 147, 202. - -Elliot, Admiral, 32. - -Erskine, Sir Thomas, 82. - - - -Foster's School, Gosport, 29. - - -Gatacre, Major-General, 150, 154, 156, 159, 161, 181. - -Gibraltar, 11, 75, 107, 111, 114, 120. - -Gifford, Lord, 42. - -Gironard, Lieutenant, 148. - -Gladstone, Right Hon. W. E., 70, 109-129, 166, 168, 205. - -Gordon, General, 89, 93, 98, 101, 146. - -Gordon Highlanders, 179, 183, 188, 190. - -Gregor, Clan, 18. - -Grant, Professor Sir Ludovic, 164. - -Guards' Brigade, 187, 189, 191. - - - -Halifax, 32. - -Harley, Colonel, 39. - -Hamley, Sir E., 80. - -Highland Brigade, 9, 76, 185, 188, 193, 194, 198. - -Holyroodhouse, 16, 19, 34. - -Hopetoun, Earl of, 24, 196. - -Hughes-Hallett, Lieut.-Col., 186, 188. - -Hunter, General, 149, 150, 154. - -Hythe, 38. - - - -Ireland, Rev. Robert H., 52. - - - -James V., 16. - ----- VI., 18. - - - -Kass-el-Nil Barracks, 81, 85. - -Keith Lords Marischal, 14. - -Khalifa Abdullahi, 146. - -Khartoum, 92, 98, 101, 146, 147, 152, 158. - -King Koffee, 43. - -Kitchener, Lord, 102, 144, 147, 159. - -Kimberley, 178, 183, 184. - -Kirbekan, battle of, 99. - -Knox, John, 17. - -Kruger, President, 173, 174, 181. - -Kumasi, 45. - - - -Ladysmith, 178. - -Lauderdale, Duke of, 20. - -Liberton, 135, 162, 179. - -Limerick Barracks, 129, 131. - -Lloyd, Henry, 33. - -Lochtour, 20. - -Logan, Hon. J. D., 193. - - - -Macdonald, General, 149, 150, 154, 159, 160, 195. - -M'Gaw, Sergeant, 61. - -M'Leod, Sir John C., 11, 36, 42, 44, 56, 132. - -M'Neil, Sir John, 41. - -Mactaggart, Rev. John, 12, 86, 95, 100, 103. - -Mafeking, 178. - -Magersfontein, 184, 192, 208. - -Matjesfontein, 193. - -Malcolm Caenmore, 14. - -Mahdi, 89, 92, 101, 105, 146, 153. - -Mahmoud, 149. - -Majuba Hill, 70, 172. - -Malta, 53, 106, 203. - -Martin, Professor Todd, 205. - ----- Robert, 128, 180. - -Maryhill, 75, 107, 131, 133. - -Methuen, Lord, 178, 182, 183, 185, 189, 193, 198. - -Midlothian campaign, 109, 113, 121, 123, 126. - -Miller, Hugh, 22. - -Modder River, 182, 184, 192. - -Muir, Sir William, 134, 164. - - - -Natal, 177, 178, 180, 182. - -New Craighall, 113, 134, 137, 139, 157, 162, 179. - -Niddrie Marischal, 13, 19, 81, 133, 157, 160, 163, 167. - -Niddrie, 25, 34, 87, 134, 136, 157, 160, 163, 178. - -Nile Expeditions, 95, 97, 99, 103, 105, 146, 152, 156. - - - -Omdurman, 146, 152, 153, 155, 160. - -Orange Free State, 177, 182. - -Osman Digna, 148, - - - -Papho, Cyprus, 59. - -Parker, F. H., 60. - -Pinkney, Sergeant, 79, 80 - -Pope Paul III., 15, 16. - -Portobello, 26, 46, 162. - -Presbyterian Church, 103, 143, 155. - - - -'Red Mick,' 36, 142. - -Rennie, Captain, 181, 194. - -Restalrig, church of, 16. - -Roberts, Sir F., or Lord, 172. - -Robertson, Rev. J., 191, 193, 194. - -Rosebery, Lord, 125. - -Rossyth, 19. - - - -Salisbury, Lord, 67, 110, 123, 126, 168. - -Sandilands, Sir James, 19. - -St. Andrews, 82. - -_St. George_, H.M.S., 31, 33, 35, 107. - -Seaforth Highlanders, 152, 179, 186, 188. - -Selborne, Lord, 174. - -Seymour, Sir Beauchamp, 73, 74. - -Shepstone, Sir Theophilus, 70. - -Stirling Castle, 36. - -Stirling, Rev. Alexander, 12, 143. - -Soudan, the, 89, 92, 146. - -South Africa, 68, 173, 199. - -Spottiswood, 18. - -Steyn, President, 181. - -Suakim, 146. - -Suez Canal, 72, 75, 76. - -Sussex Manoeuvres, 141. - -Sutherland Highlanders, 186. - -Symons, General, 180. - - - -Tait, F. G., 197. - -Tel-el-Kebir, 74, 76, 78, 115, 147, 201. - -Transvaal, 68, 168, 172, 177. - -Trent, Council of, 15. - -Trinkitat, 90. - - - -Uitlander Grievances, 173, 175, 177. - - - -Ventry, Lord and Lady, 24, 47, 196. - - - -Wady Halfa, 94, 105, 147, 148. - -Wallace, Sir William, 23. - -Ware, Sir James, 15. - -Wauchope, Andrew, 21, 22, 34. - ----- Sir Francis, 19. - ----- George, 17. - ----- Gilbert, 16, 17. - ----- James, 23. - ----- Robert, Archbishop, 14, - ----- Thomas, 14. - ----- William, 21, 22. - ----- Major William, 53, 81. - -Wellington, Duke of, 79. - -Windsor, 161. - -Wisely, Dr. George, 12, 55, 65, 106. - -Wood, Sir Evelyn, 41, 172. - -Wood, Provost, Portobello, 47. - -Worksop, school at, 29. - -Wolseley, Sir G., or Lord, 40, 46, 59, 76, 90, 92, 98, 101, 104, 164, -166, 201, - - - -Yetholm, 20, 25, 137, 158. - -York, Cardinal, 20. - -York, city, 140, 141, 144. - - - -Zagazig, 76, 79, 80. - - - - Printed by T. and A. 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