The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-01
The Pass ing of the Laird,


: till dusk-when the last gun had sem
; its whfstling SIN rapnel-the air had SEEM
ed TO live and screech and scream, and
TO MAIN. blast nd ither the TIel Of the
Highland Briga le
The dark Afr ican night had flung its
blackness over dagersfontein, and In the
| scanty scrub an d stony hollows remained
those who cou d not well retire when
the bugles, will reluctant notes. sound
ed the retreat
! Piper Duncan Farquharson sat UP and
groaned. His Ia ST experience OF life had
been rather mi, ed. He remembered re-
firing behind a wire fence, and after he
had scrambled over the veldt a few
dozen yards son fething happened. what
this was Duncsr was uncertain bat as
/ he felt his heal he knew he had been
hit
He sat up and considered Where was
his company? Where was the captain,
and his lieutensx nt-the young laird, who
bore the same name as he bore? He
would go to the m. So he went.
There were gro ans and curses and sooS
from the darkness s, and sometimes a lid
yell tore the MIA II asunder. There were
calls for water m all the dialects spoken
north of the TIn aed and in many forms
of southern Anssl o-Saxon.
Duncan crawled through them. At asst
he came TO the barbed wire ensan3le-
!
| barbs tore his kib and hose. and ne felt
them enter his flesh; but at last re
threw himself Gle ar.
Then he rolled q )wn a short way, and q
| boulder brought him up. He put out
| his hand to protet t his face, and caught
another hand, col i and claunmy, in his
own.
The other groank aloud.
is that you, la ird?" said Piper Dun
can FarQuharson
''Ah, It's you, DIS .ncan,' said Lieutenant
Duncan Farquhals son.
"Ay. it's me, laird! Are ye sair
hurtft?"
"Oh, 1 don't know, Duncan! For
| heavens sake, if you have any water
| give me sonnet
i've nae water, laird, but I'll get We
some Ye are avs u caul, though said
the piper
He took off his ii mic and wrapped the
4 laird in it, as we'll as could be done I'M
der the Circumstance es.
! The laird suddena stirred.
| Duncan, lad. if you can move, bring
me a drink of waite r"
Duncan sat still az I'D felt his head. He
! heard with his eary, but his brain had
/ not yet compreh4n1a 1
| Then consciousness came to him. He
must obey the laird.
| 1t was in these circumstances that
| Piper Farquharson obced the Gead en-
| MsEersfoat1in.
Duncan pillaged fro n an officer sill
yer flask which its s)wner wUui1 neTe:
| mere req1ire
With another melan eholy look Duncan
crawled slowly back II the laird, and
feeling for his fa,e, ne poured whisky
and water between his lips
He drank the MKT ure, and, as the
spirit brought back Lii into his trem-
bling frame, he said:
Man, laird, 1 houp that officer chiel
was a good-levin' man. He deserves to
gang to a place there s nae such
drouth as there's here
You We're always ps lucky, Duncan
said the lieutenant, "a ut I'm going"
His voice was now at whisper.
ma, ma, ven TAX an ither drappie!"
said the piper. And agai in he poured
few drops between the Ia ird's lips.
Duncan, could you pla y march he
fore 1 go?'
TN try; but ma heide; awful queer.
Hiv We my pipes?"
Yes; kept them in ma left hand"
Piper Farquharson tuned his pipes.
Now, the "Haughs O. c rodale," Dun
can, I'm goingr whispered the laird.
Ma, ma, yer nae gaun, Ia ird. I'll play
ye a reel And over he desofation
foated the springing cri pness of the
16fIn Hunt.
From the darkness the SET ntries on the
heights and in the trenches fired off their
rifles, and their sleepy co { 1rades stood
to their arms. These yer omed petit
coat rooineks were to make a night at
tack. Suddenly the music 9 topped.
'Dae We mind that? 1t WI 5 danced at
your coming O age"
Yes, 1 remember, Duncan. But play
the march, and sit down here beside me;
I'm cold. 1t will soon be $ now. A0un-
can"
Duncan, whose head was throbbing
with the effort made in playiu the reel.
crawled down beside his laird
'Ay; l think it will be 5 now afore
mornin," he said.
Then Piper Farquharson plaJ ed march
es and strathpeys, and in the cold and
darkness death came TO many CT his aud
fence But as they fell asleep. and their
thirst was stated. and their pi Tin eased.
their lullaby was to them the sweetest
they had heard since childhood
Duncan. could play no more 1t was
indeed only fitfully he had Z layed at
ali.
And the laird was passing.
:'Good-by, old man, and thanlCs" sigh
ed the laird. If you go home tell them |
sent my love 1 wrote them all yes
terday Good
There was a slight tinkle, and the laird /
fell sideways. He had gone with his COM |
rades
The dawn would come soon. Already |
the SUBMITS of the eastern hills were /
beginning TO appear through the gray /
ness. Day was coming and IN night /
and those who had gone under 1t black /
ness were now TO be numbered W tth that /
which had been
Duncan, however. was only CO.. 1cerned
about one thing.
The laird was gone. He had ask d him
for a march, he should have one. Dun /
can rose, propped himself agains= the
bowlder, and stood over the body MS
lieutenant.
Then over the veIdt the low, va iling
strains of ''Lochaber No More" ros 6 and
swelled in the dawn, like the voice u a
mother mourning with a sore. inartic late
grief the loss OF her children.
The Boer sentinel in the advs iced
trench saw, Is the dawn came. a tool
mex standing facing him He was a pet
tic0at and might have thousands he : ind
him. THE sentry brought his rife TO the
Present" II was an easy shot-a tan
ran. with no khaki tunic TO deceive sthe
n aTksman- Then the Mauser barked
In this wise Piper Duncan Farquharr 3n
II the Highland Brigade rejoined b IS
aird.-AnSwers