Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-08-18
THE ROCK.


THE ROCK.
A Nest of Soldiers and a Relief After
Spain.
"Gib" the natives call 1t and mean
by that the struggled streets trimming
the bay Moreover, during your first
visit to Glib these streets and natives
are more interesting than the rock
fort itself Especially If you have ar
rived by way Of Spain after some
months of submersion in alien speech
and alien customs you will pay small
heed to the Strongest fortress on
earth"
For three days you are lost in the
satisfaction Of understanding every
word you hear and in the delight Of
using your own tongue again and Of
reading the street signs at the first
glance. Equally inspiring are the
names written up at corners; waterproof
street, Cannon alley, Parliament lane,
Europa road. There is English and
Englishness everywhere: Glib is a
home coming.
OF course, you see soldiers-regi-
ments Of them. Still, you are not
forcibly reminded that Glib is a fort
until some afternoon when one Of
these soldiers on sentinel duty cuts
short your walk at the towns out
skirts. He demands passes. Further
you come to realize that it is an enc
my's fort, for you are denied passes If
you are not subject to his majesty.
Forbidden to spy the horrors Of
O'Hara's tower, or highest point, you
may, however, view Highland kits
strolling in Irishtown, or, looking
down from Crutchett's ramp, see
squads in khaki wheeling on the
green. On ragged Staff flank, near
Ragged Staff stairs, youthful buglers
are learning the music Of Mars.
Busy orderlies will come out of the
marine inspection station and disap-
pear In the adjutant's Office. officers
stalk along looking greatly dignified
until they turn and whistle themselves
scarlet for vagrant dog. Horse-
men go afoot slapping crops against
their leathery legs. In some dim bar
racks hallway will be a silhouette Of
trim knees and wrinkled riding
breeches and hands pulling on gloves.
And about the door will loaf a hored
Tommy hung up upon one hip; his
hands will be in his pockets and he
will note you with an inquisitive up
tilt Of the chin.
The barracks itself will have an air
Of Queen Anne and cumbrousness.
There will always be worn uniform
carrying fagots or boxes into it, or a
soldier in shirt sleeves shaving at a
window, or another trying to sing the
latest madness of the music hall, piec-
ing out the forgotten lines with a rat
-ta-tap Of fingers on the sill,
but wording the eloquent refrain "ab-
solootly avn the jump"
In the morning files of redjackets
flash through the green bushes along
Prince Edwards road. In the after
noon those on duty kick football
about the Alameda or play handball
in the courts on the flats.
1t is toward evening, however, that
Gibraltar manifests itself emphatical-
ly fort and on guard. Then the air
thrills and the pomp and circumstance
IN,
the length of the town. Through
Southport gate it comes with front
and crest Of red and will sweep down
waterproof street to Casemate square
the evening drum corps.
Tourists laugh and crowd after IT..
Big Moors from Tangier regard 1t
from the curb with a down glance Of
superiority. Ten drummers head it.,
their left legs covered with sort Of
white apron to protect them against
abrasion by the keglike instruments.
Then the bass drummer, a real-built
fellow of seven foot stature and a
score of splitting fifers, with music
sheets on bracelets at their wrists.
Sometimes a drum major directs the
opening and close Of march or re-
ioices small boys a-making wheels
with his baton. House windows rat
tie trying to rebuff the echoes and the
turbulent hurly-burly makes your
blood jump and your shoulders square.
The drummers divert your eyes as
we'll with gyratory arts. They seem to
be all engaged In weaving circles In
the air. It is only incidentally that
their sticks rap out such a rolling
racket. In this science the bass drum
mer is the lion. At intervals he seems
to be trying to play upon the heavens,
but always at the right beat descends
upon his heads in thunder. Or he
crosses his beaters above his drum or
behind his back and plays right-hand
music with the left hand, after the
manner Of the piano virtuoso. Or he
simply moves one arm up and down
with swing like a we'll sweep, only
faster, and a thump to which regl-
ments a mile away could step.
In the square there is silence
made and the buglers line up and be-
gin to adjust their mouthpieces as the
minute hand of the clock draws near
$50. The evening gun booms far and
high on the rock and at once the line
of bugles sings out in long drawn ca
dences the ringing close of a day on
guard at the Pillars Of Hercules
Chicago News.
THOUGHT ONLY OF THE DYNAMITE
Some grim stories are told or LORD
Kitchener, says the United States
Gazette, and we have read one which,