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Article The Cross Of honour, ← Page 4 of 5 Article The Cross Of honour, Page 4 of 5 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Cross Of Honour,
the minute brought ronnd the New Year . With the Black Watch this was invariably a season of jollity , and even out there in the wilderness we were true to the customs and traditions of our race and country . I'or a fortnight we piled it on thick in the matter of games , athletic competitions , concerts and balls , and then our long - series of ' high jinks ' was brought to a sudden close in a way few ol us anticipated .
" So profound was the calm in which we bail spent our days latterly that the peacefully inclined among us had given up all thought , as the lire-eaters had given up all hope , of ever seeing a real live rebel again . However we were mistaken , for on the morninjj of the loth we were roused from our idyllic slumbers by the men on
guard , who excitedly reported that heavy tiring had been going on since daybreak in the direction of the detached company . The whole ciniji was soon agog , and soon after , as the firing still continued , the trumpets of the Artillery and our own bugles summoned us to stand to our arms .
" In this interesting , though somewhat awkward , predicament we remained for about two hours , and then the order was issued to strike tents and get ready for a move . This welcome order had just been executed when a native messenger , mounted on a camel , arrived in hot haste , followed in a few minutes by another messenger of the same stamp , urgently demanding help from the detached company which was all but surrounded by many hundreds of rebels , and barely able to hold its own . Here was news with a vengeance !
" Well , off we started at a jog-trot , leaving our luggage , under a small guard , to follow as best it could . Even on the best of roads the best pedestrian cannot cover two-and-twenty miles in a hop , skip and a jump , and for men who have almost all their worldl y goods on their persons it is more arduous still when you remember that we had to travel through the jungle . And to make matters
worse m our case the jungle between us and our gallant comrades had been set on fire in the early morning ; and although a favourable breeze had swept the flame out of our path , the heat and sooty ashes of the smouldering grass added greatl y to our discomfort , which was sufficiently serious without this aggravating heaping up of trouble .
' •Anyhow , " continued the speaker , more cheerfully , drawing comfort , apparently , from his recollection of past afflictions , " when in the evening we reached the scene of conflict we were as near exhausted as men could be who had in immediate prospect a stiff ,
stubborn , and unequal light . We did not stop to make any nice inquiries , or to draw up the rules of the game , , but went for the rebels nearest us with a whole-souled disregard of consequences which must have been gratifying to the worn out men of the No . 6 Company .
"A long days fighting is about as hard and harassing a job as any son of Adam needs to tackle ; and the fire-eaters of No . b' must have had a belly full of it when we got there , But the rebels also , despite their superior numbers , had no desire to continue the argument with us , so they scuttled across the river hastily , losing very heavily in the operation , leaving us masters of the situation , man ) prisoners , all their guns , and a quantity of heavy baggage . "
The man of the Black Watch passed his fingers through his white beard , sipped his " special " with the manner of a connoisseur , nnd then with eyes that had visibly brightened he took up his recital . " When the last shot hud been fired nt the retreating foe wc set about- to collect the dead and wounded ; and under the quiet stars we saw some sights which would have gladdened the heart of the
President of the Peace Society . We found the bod y of Private Charlie Wugstaffe holding court like a mute king with it circle of fourteen black devils , all slain apparently by the hand of the powerful young Lancashire hero . And not far a way we came upon Sergeant Andy Jjimdell ' s corpse , and round him lay eleven dusk y rebels , mutely testifying to the powers of the young stripling from Auld Reekie . There were plenty of other examples lying about to prove that , ( he men of No . G set an extremely high value on their lives .
•¦ Stubborn as our comrades had been , they had suffered severelyhow severely we began to realise when our task was completed , and the last silent witness brought in from the field of battle . Then we learned also how the thing had come about . Captain VV . Lawsouwho had been severely wounded earl y in the day—not to be caught napping , had placed a picket nightly near the ford he had been
instructed to watch , and hud taken every precaution a good soldier could be expected to take . But knowing the country anil the river better than us , the rebels had crossed the stream by a ford , quite unknown to ourselves , a mile and a half higher , and the picket only discovered the movement when they were themselves cut off from the main body .
"To re-establish the interrupted communication had been the object of the Captain ' s tactics in the early part of the day , but when this had been effected Captain Lawson had been placed liors de ctimlntt , the full strength of the rebels had been placed in the field , and it , was found necessary to strain every nerve , no ! so much to repulse the enemy as to prevent themselves being exterminated before assistance could arrive . The odds , I may observe " - —this was said verv drily— " were only a matter of twenty to one .
" As luck or Providence had arranged il , Colonel Smytlie , cjinmadunt of the battery of Native Artillery , reached bis detachment on a visit of inspection on the night before the onfall of the rebels . With that line feeling of chivalry for which the ollicers of the Company had long been famous , the Colonel refused fo take advantage of an accident , and rob Captain Lawson of a chance of
The Cross Of Honour,
distinction , and cheerfully served under him as a simple subaltern in charge of the two guns—which , by the way , he handled with splendid effect—until poor Lawson was disabled and carried off the field . " Then , of course , the demand devolved upon Colonel Smytlie and although he couldn't ho expected to work miracles , he did
everything it was possible for a bravo and skilful man to do in order to outmanteuvrc a powerful and savage foe , and to put new courage int-j the men under his command . Accompanied by two Sowars , who were splendid specimens of Eastern manhood , and devoted to him , he rode continually along the line , his eyes and his voice everywhere , and wherever danger threatened there the Colonel appeared as if by magic .
" I dare say it is unnecessary to spin the story out . Some of you must have read how the affair ended . Well , if you say so , I must . Well , next morning , which , I remember somehow , was a very bright day , there were the odds and ends of the feast to gather together .
We had our own dead to bury ; the bodies of the rebels to burn , chuck into the river , or otherwise dispose of . Besides we had a crowd of prisoners to get rid of . The usual course we adopted with the captured mutineers was to either hang or shoot them—some of the worst wc used to blow away from the guns .
"Beyond all this business there was , I well remember , a parade ordered by Colonel Smytlie to take place in the evening and to be attended by every man in hospital . In the course of the day the Colonel and his two Sowars visited the tents given up to the sick and wounded and minutely inspected every man . Then came the
parade , and when Colonel Smytlie rode into the small square formed by his own men and ourselves—I should have said that our commanding officer was a Major as the Colonel was on sick leavehe proceeded to compliment us all , esjieeially the No . 6 , on our fine soldierly qualities .
" From a paper he carried he solemnly read the names of the men we had buried . ' Had those men survived , 'he said , 'it would have been at once my duty and my pleasure to have recommended them to Her Majesty the Queen for the decoration of the Victoria Cross . They have not survived , unfortunately ; but I shall do my duty to their memory by placing their deeds and my intention upon record .
There is , however , 'he continued , ' one man in the ranks of No . 6 still , I believe , alive , who has been mentioned to me by my Sowars as eminently worth }' , on account of acts of personal gallantry performed yesterday , of the decoration for valour . The object of the present parade is the discovery of that man , and if my recommendation will suffice for the purpose he may rely on being decorated . '
" After that the Colonel spoke rapidly a few words m Hindustani to his attendant Sowars ; when those warriors descended solemnly from their saddles and took their places before the remnants of the No . 6 Company . Down the front rank they slowly went , peeving slowly into every face , but without success ; nnd when the rear rank had been submitted to a similar scrutiny the dusky inquisitors stepped back into the square , saluted , and solemnly shook their heads .
"' Is every man belonging to No . 6 on parade , ' exclaimed the Colonel , ' except the men in hospital , whom we have seen ? ' "A short consultation was held between the Sergeant , the Major , and the other officers of the Company , when the first turned to the Colonel , sainted , and replied . " ' Yes , sir , nil the men are here . '
" ' Are you quite sure r' ngain demanded the Colonel ; while his two scrutineers looked gravely on , and took whispered counsel with each other . " There was another short consultation among the aforesaid officials , which resulted in the somewhat inconsequent reply of the Sergeant-Major . " ' One man in charge of the cooks is not on parade , sir , '
"' Let him be brought at once , in any dress , " commanded the Colonel , with unmistakable emphasis in his loud ringing voice . "A message was dispatched forthwith forthe missing man , and in a few minutes he was standing in the centre of the . square , with the critical gaze of Colonel Smytlie , the inquisitive orbs of the two Sowars , and the astonished eyes of the whole of the Black Watch bent upon him . My own bewilderment was greatest of all . The
Sowars turned eagerly to the man before them , and their examination began . They gazed keenly at him , and then looked questioning ' , * into each other ' s eyes , chattering meanwhile with an immense volubilit y' in their own lingo , but in careful lowered tones , and will ' hardly suppressed gestures . At last they turned to the Colonel saluted him gravely , nodded affirmatively , and then , at a sign from their commander , they clambered into their saddles .
"What is your name , my man Y " inquired the Colonel , kindly , addressing the rigid form of the man the Sowars had inspected . " ' Duncan Marcier , No . •2 o' 4 . ' { , sir , ' came the answer , in a quavering voice , while a broad smile flew round our ranks . "' Private Duncan Marcier , ' the Colonel went on , 'I shall have much p leasure in recommending you to Her Majesty the Queen I '"' the decoration of the Victoria Cross . You may now return t "
your duty . "A few months afterwards a grand parade was held at Bareillyat which some quite superior person , of the military profession , p inned with his own hand on the breast of Duncan Marciei ' s tunic the greatly coveted bronze decoration , the Victoria Gi'os--For Valour . " As the Old Soldier finished his story , he calmly finished 'llS
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Cross Of Honour,
the minute brought ronnd the New Year . With the Black Watch this was invariably a season of jollity , and even out there in the wilderness we were true to the customs and traditions of our race and country . I'or a fortnight we piled it on thick in the matter of games , athletic competitions , concerts and balls , and then our long - series of ' high jinks ' was brought to a sudden close in a way few ol us anticipated .
" So profound was the calm in which we bail spent our days latterly that the peacefully inclined among us had given up all thought , as the lire-eaters had given up all hope , of ever seeing a real live rebel again . However we were mistaken , for on the morninjj of the loth we were roused from our idyllic slumbers by the men on
guard , who excitedly reported that heavy tiring had been going on since daybreak in the direction of the detached company . The whole ciniji was soon agog , and soon after , as the firing still continued , the trumpets of the Artillery and our own bugles summoned us to stand to our arms .
" In this interesting , though somewhat awkward , predicament we remained for about two hours , and then the order was issued to strike tents and get ready for a move . This welcome order had just been executed when a native messenger , mounted on a camel , arrived in hot haste , followed in a few minutes by another messenger of the same stamp , urgently demanding help from the detached company which was all but surrounded by many hundreds of rebels , and barely able to hold its own . Here was news with a vengeance !
" Well , off we started at a jog-trot , leaving our luggage , under a small guard , to follow as best it could . Even on the best of roads the best pedestrian cannot cover two-and-twenty miles in a hop , skip and a jump , and for men who have almost all their worldl y goods on their persons it is more arduous still when you remember that we had to travel through the jungle . And to make matters
worse m our case the jungle between us and our gallant comrades had been set on fire in the early morning ; and although a favourable breeze had swept the flame out of our path , the heat and sooty ashes of the smouldering grass added greatl y to our discomfort , which was sufficiently serious without this aggravating heaping up of trouble .
' •Anyhow , " continued the speaker , more cheerfully , drawing comfort , apparently , from his recollection of past afflictions , " when in the evening we reached the scene of conflict we were as near exhausted as men could be who had in immediate prospect a stiff ,
stubborn , and unequal light . We did not stop to make any nice inquiries , or to draw up the rules of the game , , but went for the rebels nearest us with a whole-souled disregard of consequences which must have been gratifying to the worn out men of the No . 6 Company .
"A long days fighting is about as hard and harassing a job as any son of Adam needs to tackle ; and the fire-eaters of No . b' must have had a belly full of it when we got there , But the rebels also , despite their superior numbers , had no desire to continue the argument with us , so they scuttled across the river hastily , losing very heavily in the operation , leaving us masters of the situation , man ) prisoners , all their guns , and a quantity of heavy baggage . "
The man of the Black Watch passed his fingers through his white beard , sipped his " special " with the manner of a connoisseur , nnd then with eyes that had visibly brightened he took up his recital . " When the last shot hud been fired nt the retreating foe wc set about- to collect the dead and wounded ; and under the quiet stars we saw some sights which would have gladdened the heart of the
President of the Peace Society . We found the bod y of Private Charlie Wugstaffe holding court like a mute king with it circle of fourteen black devils , all slain apparently by the hand of the powerful young Lancashire hero . And not far a way we came upon Sergeant Andy Jjimdell ' s corpse , and round him lay eleven dusk y rebels , mutely testifying to the powers of the young stripling from Auld Reekie . There were plenty of other examples lying about to prove that , ( he men of No . G set an extremely high value on their lives .
•¦ Stubborn as our comrades had been , they had suffered severelyhow severely we began to realise when our task was completed , and the last silent witness brought in from the field of battle . Then we learned also how the thing had come about . Captain VV . Lawsouwho had been severely wounded earl y in the day—not to be caught napping , had placed a picket nightly near the ford he had been
instructed to watch , and hud taken every precaution a good soldier could be expected to take . But knowing the country anil the river better than us , the rebels had crossed the stream by a ford , quite unknown to ourselves , a mile and a half higher , and the picket only discovered the movement when they were themselves cut off from the main body .
"To re-establish the interrupted communication had been the object of the Captain ' s tactics in the early part of the day , but when this had been effected Captain Lawson had been placed liors de ctimlntt , the full strength of the rebels had been placed in the field , and it , was found necessary to strain every nerve , no ! so much to repulse the enemy as to prevent themselves being exterminated before assistance could arrive . The odds , I may observe " - —this was said verv drily— " were only a matter of twenty to one .
" As luck or Providence had arranged il , Colonel Smytlie , cjinmadunt of the battery of Native Artillery , reached bis detachment on a visit of inspection on the night before the onfall of the rebels . With that line feeling of chivalry for which the ollicers of the Company had long been famous , the Colonel refused fo take advantage of an accident , and rob Captain Lawson of a chance of
The Cross Of Honour,
distinction , and cheerfully served under him as a simple subaltern in charge of the two guns—which , by the way , he handled with splendid effect—until poor Lawson was disabled and carried off the field . " Then , of course , the demand devolved upon Colonel Smytlie and although he couldn't ho expected to work miracles , he did
everything it was possible for a bravo and skilful man to do in order to outmanteuvrc a powerful and savage foe , and to put new courage int-j the men under his command . Accompanied by two Sowars , who were splendid specimens of Eastern manhood , and devoted to him , he rode continually along the line , his eyes and his voice everywhere , and wherever danger threatened there the Colonel appeared as if by magic .
" I dare say it is unnecessary to spin the story out . Some of you must have read how the affair ended . Well , if you say so , I must . Well , next morning , which , I remember somehow , was a very bright day , there were the odds and ends of the feast to gather together .
We had our own dead to bury ; the bodies of the rebels to burn , chuck into the river , or otherwise dispose of . Besides we had a crowd of prisoners to get rid of . The usual course we adopted with the captured mutineers was to either hang or shoot them—some of the worst wc used to blow away from the guns .
"Beyond all this business there was , I well remember , a parade ordered by Colonel Smytlie to take place in the evening and to be attended by every man in hospital . In the course of the day the Colonel and his two Sowars visited the tents given up to the sick and wounded and minutely inspected every man . Then came the
parade , and when Colonel Smytlie rode into the small square formed by his own men and ourselves—I should have said that our commanding officer was a Major as the Colonel was on sick leavehe proceeded to compliment us all , esjieeially the No . 6 , on our fine soldierly qualities .
" From a paper he carried he solemnly read the names of the men we had buried . ' Had those men survived , 'he said , 'it would have been at once my duty and my pleasure to have recommended them to Her Majesty the Queen for the decoration of the Victoria Cross . They have not survived , unfortunately ; but I shall do my duty to their memory by placing their deeds and my intention upon record .
There is , however , 'he continued , ' one man in the ranks of No . 6 still , I believe , alive , who has been mentioned to me by my Sowars as eminently worth }' , on account of acts of personal gallantry performed yesterday , of the decoration for valour . The object of the present parade is the discovery of that man , and if my recommendation will suffice for the purpose he may rely on being decorated . '
" After that the Colonel spoke rapidly a few words m Hindustani to his attendant Sowars ; when those warriors descended solemnly from their saddles and took their places before the remnants of the No . 6 Company . Down the front rank they slowly went , peeving slowly into every face , but without success ; nnd when the rear rank had been submitted to a similar scrutiny the dusky inquisitors stepped back into the square , saluted , and solemnly shook their heads .
"' Is every man belonging to No . 6 on parade , ' exclaimed the Colonel , ' except the men in hospital , whom we have seen ? ' "A short consultation was held between the Sergeant , the Major , and the other officers of the Company , when the first turned to the Colonel , sainted , and replied . " ' Yes , sir , nil the men are here . '
" ' Are you quite sure r' ngain demanded the Colonel ; while his two scrutineers looked gravely on , and took whispered counsel with each other . " There was another short consultation among the aforesaid officials , which resulted in the somewhat inconsequent reply of the Sergeant-Major . " ' One man in charge of the cooks is not on parade , sir , '
"' Let him be brought at once , in any dress , " commanded the Colonel , with unmistakable emphasis in his loud ringing voice . "A message was dispatched forthwith forthe missing man , and in a few minutes he was standing in the centre of the . square , with the critical gaze of Colonel Smytlie , the inquisitive orbs of the two Sowars , and the astonished eyes of the whole of the Black Watch bent upon him . My own bewilderment was greatest of all . The
Sowars turned eagerly to the man before them , and their examination began . They gazed keenly at him , and then looked questioning ' , * into each other ' s eyes , chattering meanwhile with an immense volubilit y' in their own lingo , but in careful lowered tones , and will ' hardly suppressed gestures . At last they turned to the Colonel saluted him gravely , nodded affirmatively , and then , at a sign from their commander , they clambered into their saddles .
"What is your name , my man Y " inquired the Colonel , kindly , addressing the rigid form of the man the Sowars had inspected . " ' Duncan Marcier , No . •2 o' 4 . ' { , sir , ' came the answer , in a quavering voice , while a broad smile flew round our ranks . "' Private Duncan Marcier , ' the Colonel went on , 'I shall have much p leasure in recommending you to Her Majesty the Queen I '"' the decoration of the Victoria Cross . You may now return t "
your duty . "A few months afterwards a grand parade was held at Bareillyat which some quite superior person , of the military profession , p inned with his own hand on the breast of Duncan Marciei ' s tunic the greatly coveted bronze decoration , the Victoria Gi'os--For Valour . " As the Old Soldier finished his story , he calmly finished 'llS