Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-22

with the others. applauded the speech q
few nights later when it was delivered.
At last the great night arrived. Ear
was OH hand. Il perfect master of cere-
monies. He had once been "a steward or
yacht belonging to IL member of the
New York Yacht Club. Everything wen
off without hitch. He had two boys tt
wait on table and Tansan, the cook, KEEP
things going in the kitchen.
Late in the afternoon we suddenly dis
covered that we had no cocktails. What
would an American banquet be without
cocktails? For a few moments we fel,
the claret, the champagne, the cordialS-
but no cocktails.
But we had not gone so far to be
downed at the last ditch We went into
the chests and drew forth the medicinal
brandy. This We mixed with condensed
milk. served in granite cups and labeled
Montana cocktails.
We explained that these We're not regI-
lar, bona fide American cocktails. that
under no circumstances would we deceive
our guests, but that they We're the sort
of cocktails our army sometimes reSorted
to when OH the frontier fighting Indians.
The time for the banquet was set for S
o'clock
Promptly at s Gen. Nogi entered in
full dress uniform and. as he stepped
within the tent, at Ears signal the band
struck up the latest Sousa march.
That sounded the tempo for the even
ing. Four hours later. just at midnight.
as the band was playing Aud Lang
Syne,' Gen. Nogi arose, saluted the con-
pany and withdrew.
The next day he told he felt IS:
though he had taken "a trip to foreign
country. We had been fortunate enough
for a few hours to take his mind from
his colossal problem.
Nor did he forget. Two months later.
the night before we left the army TO
come home, Nogi gave Washburn and
me a banquet which was almost Il rep
lica of Fourth of July affair. His
officers had been given orders to du-
plicate it.
The general was not feeling well
enough to attend that farewell banquet.
but was represented by his chief of staff
However he appeared at the end, a gaunt
tigure-with his throat wrapped up-he
had slight attack of grip-and dra nix
a toast with us.
Then he inquired at what hour we in
tended to leave in the morning. Eight
o'clock, we replied.
1t was a few minutes after the next
morning when we rode from the town
for the last time AS we appeared The
Stars and Stripes Forever burst upon
our ears.
hundred yards down the hill, was the
bandO standing at attention for US to
pass. Beyond was a group of twelve
horsemen.
At the head rode Gen. Nogi. The other
eleven were members of his staff. L
rode up to him and he took my hand
and gave it a hearty grip, saying some
thing in Japanese and smiling. They
were his words of farewell. l was too
choked with emotion to say much of
anything, realizing that l was looking at
him for perhaps the last time.
Then the general called his interpreter
to his side and spoke rapidly. The inter-
prefer rode over to me and said:
1T is the generals wish that you ride
down the road to the point where it
turns and is lost in the hills. Then if
you will pause and look back he will
wave a farewell
We turned our horses toward the east
toward Mukden. Yokohama, New York
and rode slowly, while the band played
Dixie" Half a mile farther on the road
went into the hills. There We halted and
turned in our saddles. AT that moment
the band changed its tune to The Star
Spangled Banner
AS we turned we saw the slim military
figure on the nearest horse-it was ko-
tubiki the Arabian, which Stoessel had