Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-03-09
Nac,ionald's sword.
south African News

l"Col. Hector Mac lonald, who did such
wonders at 0 ndurm IN, and who rose fro II
the ranks, was one of ,tha officers who sur
vived 4uba hill, where he was taken
prisoner. The sword he wore had been pre-.
scented him by the men of his company when
he won his commission. and bore on its blade
an in :crlptiin to that effect. The Boer leaders
noticed it among the surrendered arms and
brought ii back to Macdonald, telling him to
wear it, rs q man who had won such sword
should not be separated from it. COL Mac
donald still tells the story, and says That
those men were gentlemen."-T. p. O'Connor
in "M. A. P"
The campfire was red on our faces, but de.
spair in our hearts was black;
We had fought. we had fought we had
failed-they had beaten us back and
back!
Our country's nag and her honor to us had
been given in trust,
Her honor we'd lost on the mOuntainl Her
flag we'd trailed in the dust
All, many "A comra lie lying still on That stark
hillside
We envied with bitter longing; would God we
had also died
Sweeter were death than capture sweeter
were de tth than shame,
The shame that our pr ide had yielded to a foe
of despised name
The campfire shone on cur captors, those
men of the vel II and farms;
Sober, rugged, uncultured, unsllilled Save in
use of arms.
Straight from the pillow and the sowing they
had shOuldered their roers for the fight.
And we had gone down before them gone
Gown in our well-dl HE'D might
Oh, well might they look with triumph upon
our grim despair,
As slowly within the red light we filed before
them there.
And our captain gave his sword up-its
blade tonight was dim),
The sword his comra les gave to sh wv their
pride in him.
lie gave ii up in silence, but we who know
his heart
Could guess the wild regretting, the aching
pain and smart;
To yield his sword il an anguish that cuts a
man full sore,
And his wore sting still keener, for he gave
il up to a lioer.
And they took it too, in silence, that sternly
quiet band.
And read of honor that won it as they passed
IL from hand to hand.
And then they turned to us, standing still in
the dust and the glow.
with our thoughts up there on the mountain
and black in our hearts the woe.
They spoke in our English language, theil
words were few and plain,
ave take not the sword of brave man
and they handed IL back again.
! That nj ght when the stars were glnting abovt
| the campfire flare,
As we lay around in the shadows, and the
Beers with their guns watched there,
Our captain spoke to us shortly "Men. We
have lost the day;
Yet hold we are not dishonOrcd, whatever
the world may say;
I To yield to II foe ignoble, is a true cause fol
shame,
To souls small and ungenerous, no matter
their race or name;
Our mag has gone down on Majuba, our pride
is stricken sore;
But we've learnt that our foe is worthy, al
though that foe be n Boer"
Many IA sun DER Majuba since then has risel
and set;
Many n year has fieetod since Boer ant
soldier met.
The winds of this life have scattered them
scattered them wide ana far;
The men who from down the mountain car
ried heart.deep scar.
Yet, wherever our paths may wander, wher
ever our winds may blow,
To us that stood round that campfire, tina
faded so long ago,
No scornful speech may be uttered iof tn,
Boer. nor contemptuous word,
For long as our life is with us, Wen remem
Der Macdonald's swords
Bloemfontein. b. NJ. BROMLEY.