The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-07-20

A. q. HaleS gives the following Qe
scription in the London News, OF mill
tary Tokyo and Of the departure TOT
the seat of war of the Imperial guaru:
All day long there had been signs OF
unusual stir and hustle in the Japa-
nese capital The quiet of the place
was shaken. women were going 10 ana
fro with anxious faces as though an
event Of Importance were about TO oc-
cur. AS the day wore away and the
dusk of evening settled upon the city
the pulse of the people began to throo
more forcefully. l sent my inter
prefer to find out what was afoot. He
came back at last with the news that
at an early hour in the night the I'm
perial guard of Tokyo were to leave
the city for the seat Of war. OF all the
troops known in the metropolis, per
haps none is so popular with the peo-
pie as the Imperial guard, and was
to have an opportunity of watching a
demonstration of a nature worth chron-
icling.
1t was about of the clock when
the great sight began. The night had
come on with sudden darkness, not a
star lit the black mantle that overhung
the world, there was no moon and the
shadows cast by the dwellings in the
unlit streets were scarce darker than
the surrounding void. A magnetic calm
had fallen upon the capital as If the
people were gathering themselves to-
gether for one great patriotic effort.
Suddenly the scene was changed. The
tramp Of armed men rang out upon the
night Short, sharp words of com
mand, spoken, strangely enough, In
the English tongue cut through the
clank of falling footsteps, and then we
knew that the Imperial guard was on
its way to the forefront of the war.
Then the people poured out of their
homes as a river in the full of its flood
pours over its banks. They came in
rivulets; they came in torrents, ana
from every throat went up a shout of
pride, a wild, shrill cry Of welcome
and farewell, and through the ever
varying cadences of the human voices
came the reverberating tramp Of war
r.ors' feet, and still the shadows lay
upon the land.
1t was weird, that march in the night, !
with the swelling cheers waking the |
&c, Oes, the clank of arms, the shutting |
foCtfall of the populace and ever and |
anon bugle's note. Then once again |
the scene was changed, 10000 lanterns
flashed into view, lanterns carried on
bambOos by men and lads and boys; |
lanterns of every size and shape, Ian
Germs pure white or blood red, lanterns |
green and gold, lanterns round, square
and Oblong-all carried high in the air
above the heads of the marching men,
and as the troops passed on each door
way opened wide and every doorway
sent a man or boy, armed with a blaz-
ing circle of flame, to swell the thrOng, |
until the very air danced with q blaze
ST beauty. Banners held aloft in wOm-
ems hands sparkle in the gorgeous !
cleaning folds of light, until the gaZer's |
eye was dazzling by the rainbow hues
3hat had sprung into being from the !
very womb of the night. Far up above |
she blackness lay unbroken; below, the |
earth was wrapped in shadows, while |
IN between the earth and sky a blaze
Of brilliance lay. The lights shone
down upon the hard, brown faces Of
the Imperial guard and flashed from
rifle barrels carried proudly by men
called forth to battle for a nations hon
or.
The lights CLEAN ruddily on bold I'M
1inching eyes and faces fixed in the
stern lines which duty carves and hon
Or glorifies, and as my eyes ranged
over that glittering mass, made up Of
men and women and warm, strong col
Sred things, nothing looked to me so
grand, so strong, so noble as the proud,
galm faces Of the Imperial guard fixed
like flint.
Now the dense mass grows denser.
From every alleyway and lane, from
svery street and highroad the people
poured with lanterns held alOft a dozen
feet above their heads Then some one
Broke into song. A swift rush of voices
followed as wave follows wave upon
she coast. Women and children sang,
nen danced and tossed their lanterns
high, boys clapped their hands and
sent shrill treble sounds far out into the
night. And yet above u all. above the
babel of sound. above the cheering and
the song came the stern, strong tread