Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-06-27

dons, CHARGE And the ,dauntlcss
Scotchmen rushed on at the head of
his fiery few. i,an re
The Beers heart is a brave heart,
and he who calls them cowards lies.
but never before had they faced so
grim charge. never before had they
seen a torrent Of steel advancing on
their lines In front Of tornado of
flesh and blood. On rushed the Scots,
on over fallen comrades, on over rocks
and clefts, on to the ranks Of the foe
and onward through them, sweeping
them down as l have seen wild horses
sweep through field of ripening corn.
The bayonets hissed as they crashed
through breastbone and backbone
Vainly the Boer dubbed his rife and
smote back. AS well might the wild
goat strike with puny hoofs when the
tiger springs. Nothing could stay the
fury OF that desperate rush. Do you
sneer at the Beers? Then sneer at half
the armies Of Europe, for never yet
have Scotland's sons been driven back
when once they reached foe to smite.
How do they charge, those bare
legged sons Of Scotia? Go ask the hills
Of Afghanistan, and II there be tongues
within them they will tell you that
they sweep like hosts from hell. Ask
In sneering Paris, and the red records
of Waterloo will give you answer. Ask
In st. Petersburg, and from Sevastopol
your answer will come. They thought
Of the dreary morning hours of
Magersfontein, and they smote the
steel downward through the neck into
the liver. They thought of the row
Of comrades In the graves beside the
Modder, and they gave the Beers the
'haymaker's lift and tossed the dead
body behind them. They thought of
gallant Wapchope riddled with lead,
and they sent the cold steel, with
horrible crash, through skull and brain,
leaving the face thing to make fiends
shudder. They thought Of Scotland,
and they sent the wild slogan of their
clan re-echoing through the gullies Of
the African hills until their comrades
far away along the line, hearing 1t.
turned to one another, saying: God
help the Beers this hour! Our Jocks
are into 'em with the bay'nitv
But, when they turned to gather up
those who had fallen, then they found
that he whose lion soul had pointed
them the crimson path to duty was
to lead them no more. The noble heart
that beat so true to honorS highest
notes was not stilled. but bullet,
missing the brain. had closed his eyes
forever to Gods sunlight leaving him
TO 60 through life in darkness, and
they nourned for him as they had
mourncd for noble. white souled
Wauchope. whose prototype he was.
They knew that many long, long
year would roll away before their eyes
would rest upon his like again in camp
or bloody field. But 1t gladdened their
stern warrior hearts to know that the
last sight he ever gazed upon was
Scotland sweeping on her foes.
"And when our noble queen shall
place upon his breast the cross which
Is the soldiers diadem their hearts
will throb In unison with his, for their
strong hands on that May day helped
him win what he Is SO fit to wear, and
when our sovereign honors him she
honors them, and we'll they know it..
And when the years have rolled away
and they are old and graz and spent
with wounds and toilg fit Tor nSthing
but, to dandle little grandbabes on their
knees, young men and maids will flock
around and, pointing out the veteran
to the curious stranger, say with hon
\ est nride 'He was with ToWse the dav
he won the Cross"