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Article A CHRISTMAS DAY BEFORE THE ENEMY. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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A Christmas Day Before The Enemy.
could be , and their principal desire seemed to be to " get at ' em , " ancl " warm their hides for them : " This will seem to some of us rather a sad parody on the words of peace which Christmas Day proclaims to a warring world . But alas ! such is the truth , and , without any namby-pamby sentiment , let us admit that such must be the inevitable collision of civilization with barbarism . I only state facts .
"Bad luck to thim Caffres , naygurs , you may call them , " said Mrs . Magrath , " who . can't be laving Christian people alone to ate their Christmas dinner in pace . " I said to Magrath to-day ( Corporal Magrath ) , — "I ' m a-thinking that them Caffres will bo paying us a visit at a very unsuitable season , and spoiling our plum-puddings ancl mince-pies , ancl all our good things . " But all the reply I could get from him was , — " Well , if they do , they'll go off like the shape of little Bo-pape , ancl carry their . tails behint them . "
But , yon know , Sergeant Jones , the corporal was always fond of his joke . " Yes , Mrs . Magrath , " said that gallant non-commissioned officer ( no better anywhere ) , slowly and solemnly , for so he always spoke , "I remarked to Mrs . Jones this morning , ' Caffres is Caffres , and always will be Caffres . I have seen a good deal of service , Mrs . Jones , but I have always observed this , Mrs . Jones , that when men are so scantily clothed as the Caffres are , Mrs . Jones , and , as you know , there is always a great
want of good behaviour , Mrs . Jones ; and as for them Caffres , they have neither clothes nor decent conduct , Mrs . Jones ; aud therefore it is not likely that such as them will know how to respect Christmas Day . ' " Sergeant Jones ' s eloquent remarks were cut short by a summons from his officer ,, who was very properly anxious about everything , and especially his men . "WellSergeant Jones" he saidafter the usual salute" I hope have got tho
, , , , you men ' s pouches " filled up , " and the reserve ammunition ready , and a couple of men told off to look to it . " Sergeant Jones assured him that that most important duty had been " properly attended to . "
"Ive been thinking , " said the officer , "in case any of our men are wounded , toplace ' them in store-room D . We can put up a few iron bedsteads , and Corporal Magrath has been an hospital orderly , and had better be detached to attend to the wounded —if any . " " Yes , sir , " said Sergeant Jones , " he knows how to put on a ' turnicock , ' sir . " Those were the days , kind readers , when the schoolmaster was not so much " at . home " among our gallant soldiers as he is now .
Some think we are overdoing it ; but I for one do not believe it . We must , if weare _ sensible , remember this , that nothing stands still here , ancl that soldiers , like civilians , have to " go ahead . " Whatever his officer thought , however , he said nothing , and Corporal Magrath soon put store-room D , as he said , in " ship-shape , " so much so that he declared it . almost looked as neat as an "hospital ward at Netley . "
btrangefy enough , though the soldiers lay down ready to turn out at a moment snotice , fully accoutred , no attack was made during the night , and though the sentries were very watchful , and the officer went his round several times over , everything wasquiet ancl still . No enemy appeared . But in the early dull grey morning , when theofficer looked out from a stone sentry box on the parapet , he saw what to others mig ht , seem black spots , but were to his practised eye Caffres , amid the thick grass , on the sloping hill— -and in swarms .
So the men were quietly " warned , " and with that peculiar steadiness and solidity of English infantry which the old Duke was so fond of , and made Marshal Bugeaucl declare that the " English Infantry was the finest in the world , " they all were " told off" to their respective posts . " Luckily , Sergeant Jones , " said the active officer , " we have plenty of amunition ,. and if they will onl y come within good range we shall give them ' a devil of a peppering . ' "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Christmas Day Before The Enemy.
could be , and their principal desire seemed to be to " get at ' em , " ancl " warm their hides for them : " This will seem to some of us rather a sad parody on the words of peace which Christmas Day proclaims to a warring world . But alas ! such is the truth , and , without any namby-pamby sentiment , let us admit that such must be the inevitable collision of civilization with barbarism . I only state facts .
"Bad luck to thim Caffres , naygurs , you may call them , " said Mrs . Magrath , " who . can't be laving Christian people alone to ate their Christmas dinner in pace . " I said to Magrath to-day ( Corporal Magrath ) , — "I ' m a-thinking that them Caffres will bo paying us a visit at a very unsuitable season , and spoiling our plum-puddings ancl mince-pies , ancl all our good things . " But all the reply I could get from him was , — " Well , if they do , they'll go off like the shape of little Bo-pape , ancl carry their . tails behint them . "
But , yon know , Sergeant Jones , the corporal was always fond of his joke . " Yes , Mrs . Magrath , " said that gallant non-commissioned officer ( no better anywhere ) , slowly and solemnly , for so he always spoke , "I remarked to Mrs . Jones this morning , ' Caffres is Caffres , and always will be Caffres . I have seen a good deal of service , Mrs . Jones , but I have always observed this , Mrs . Jones , that when men are so scantily clothed as the Caffres are , Mrs . Jones , and , as you know , there is always a great
want of good behaviour , Mrs . Jones ; and as for them Caffres , they have neither clothes nor decent conduct , Mrs . Jones ; aud therefore it is not likely that such as them will know how to respect Christmas Day . ' " Sergeant Jones ' s eloquent remarks were cut short by a summons from his officer ,, who was very properly anxious about everything , and especially his men . "WellSergeant Jones" he saidafter the usual salute" I hope have got tho
, , , , you men ' s pouches " filled up , " and the reserve ammunition ready , and a couple of men told off to look to it . " Sergeant Jones assured him that that most important duty had been " properly attended to . "
"Ive been thinking , " said the officer , "in case any of our men are wounded , toplace ' them in store-room D . We can put up a few iron bedsteads , and Corporal Magrath has been an hospital orderly , and had better be detached to attend to the wounded —if any . " " Yes , sir , " said Sergeant Jones , " he knows how to put on a ' turnicock , ' sir . " Those were the days , kind readers , when the schoolmaster was not so much " at . home " among our gallant soldiers as he is now .
Some think we are overdoing it ; but I for one do not believe it . We must , if weare _ sensible , remember this , that nothing stands still here , ancl that soldiers , like civilians , have to " go ahead . " Whatever his officer thought , however , he said nothing , and Corporal Magrath soon put store-room D , as he said , in " ship-shape , " so much so that he declared it . almost looked as neat as an "hospital ward at Netley . "
btrangefy enough , though the soldiers lay down ready to turn out at a moment snotice , fully accoutred , no attack was made during the night , and though the sentries were very watchful , and the officer went his round several times over , everything wasquiet ancl still . No enemy appeared . But in the early dull grey morning , when theofficer looked out from a stone sentry box on the parapet , he saw what to others mig ht , seem black spots , but were to his practised eye Caffres , amid the thick grass , on the sloping hill— -and in swarms .
So the men were quietly " warned , " and with that peculiar steadiness and solidity of English infantry which the old Duke was so fond of , and made Marshal Bugeaucl declare that the " English Infantry was the finest in the world , " they all were " told off" to their respective posts . " Luckily , Sergeant Jones , " said the active officer , " we have plenty of amunition ,. and if they will onl y come within good range we shall give them ' a devil of a peppering . ' "