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GENERAL    WAUCHOPE 


Mai-  WAUCHOPE,  C.B.,  C.M.G.,  LL.D. 


GENERAL    WAUCHOPE 


BY 


WILLIAM    BAIRD,    RS.A.Scot. 

AUTHOR   OF 

*  JOHN  THOMSON  OF  DUDDINGSTON,  PASTOR  AND  PAINTKR  ' 

'ANNALS    OF    DUDDINGSTON    AND    PORTOBELLO ' 

'SIXTY  YEARS   OF   CHURCH    LIFE    IN    AYR ' 

ETC. 


A- 


EDINBURGH    AND    LONDON 

OLIPHANT  ANDERSON  AND  FERRIER 

1900 


Edinburgh  :  T.  and  A.  Constable,  Printers  to  Her  Majesty 


TO  THE 

OFFICERS  AND  MEN  OF  THE  HIGHLAND  BRIGADE 

WHO  BRAVELY  FOUGHT  AT  MAGERSFONTEIN 

THIS  MEMOIR  OF  THEIR  LEADER 

IS   INSCRIBED 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
INTRODUCTION    .......  9 

CHAP. 

i.  the  wauchopes  of  niddrie  marischal  .  .        13 

ii.  childhood — early  tendencies— the  '  household 
troop  '  —  education  —  naval  training  —  the 
(  britannia' — the  'st.  george ' — prince  alfred       2$ 

iii.  enters    the    army— the    black    watch — ashanti 

war— return  home — banquet  at  portobello  .        36 

iv.  death  of  wauchope's  father — ordered  to  malta — 
reminiscences — religious  convictions— cyprus 
— appointment  as  civil  commissioner  of  papho 
— reminiscences— sir  robert  biddulph — the 
sultan's  claims      .....        52 

v.  war  in  south  africa—  arabi  pasha's  rebellion  in 

egypt— tel-el-kebir— marriage— life  in  cairo        68 

vi.  the  eastern  soudan — battle  of  el-teb— attempt 
to  relieve  general  gordon — ascent  of  the 
nile — the  whale-boats — battle  of  kirbekan 
— return  to  cairo — malta — gibraltar  .  .        89 

vii.  the  midlothian  campaign       .  .  .  io9 


viii  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

CHAP.  PAGE 

VIII.  THE  73RD  REGIMENT  AT  MARYHILL  BARRACKS— IN- 
CIDENTS OF  HOME  LIFE— MILITARY  LIFE  AT  YORK 
—APPOINTMENT  TO  SOUDAN  CAMPAIGN  .  .         I3I 

IX.  THE  SOUDAN— BATTLES  OF  ATBARA  AND  OMDURMAN— 
ARRIVAL  HOME — RECEPTION  AT  N I DDRIE— DEGREE 
OF  LL.D.— PAROCHIAL  DUTIES— PARLIAMENTARY 
CONTEST  FOR  SOUTH  EDINBURGH       .  .  .         I46 

X.  OUTBREAK  OF  HOSTILITIES  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA — COM- 
MAND OF  THE  HIGHLAND  BRIGADE— DEPARTURE 
FOR  SOUTH  AFRICA — THE  SITUATION— BATTLE  OF 
MAGERSFONTEIN— DEATH— FUNERAL— AFTER  THB 
BATTLE  .  .  .  .  .  .172 

XI.    CHARACTERISTICS  .  .  .  .  .         198 

INDEX       ........         209 


INTRODUCTION 

On  the  nth  day  of  December  1899,  amid  the  rattle  of 
rifles,  the  fierce  booming  of  cannon,  and  the  sharp  bang 
of  exploding  shells^  a  British  force  of  Scottish  Highlanders 
found  themselves  suddenly  confronted  in  the  darkness  of 
an  eaily  African  morning  by  an  unseen  enemy.  All 
night  they  had  been  on  the  march,  tramping  the  bare 
rocky  veldt  north  of  the  Modder  river,  to  attack,  and  if 
possible  capture,  the  fortified  and  strongly  entrenched 
position  held  by  the  Boer  army  of  General  Cronje  among 
the  rocks  and  cliffs  of  Magersfontein.  This  was  full  of 
difficulty  and  danger.  But  the  relief  of  the  beleaguered 
garrison  of  Kimberley  was  urgent,  and  if  the  work  were  to 
be  done,  it  demanded  the  best  the  British  army  could 
achieve.  Steadily  and  determinedly  stepped  out  the  men 
of  the  Highland  Brigade,  commanded  by  him  they  had  long 
had  reason  to  trust.  As  lieutenant,  as  captain,  as  colonel, 
they  had  followed  him  in  many  a  well-fought  battle,  and 
now  with  Major-General  Wauchope  leading  them  in  the 
darkness,  no  doubt  or  fear  entered  their  breast. 

But  suddenly  there  was  a  flash  of  light  from  the  rocks 
above,  followed  immediately  by  a  long  belching  flame  of 
fire  from  a  thousand  rifles  in  front.    They  had  unexpectedly 


io  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

stumbled  on  the  enemy.  There  was  no  time  for  reorganisa- 
tion, and  in  the  midst  of  an  entanglement  of  trenches  and 
barbed  wire  fencing,  and  exposed  the  while  to  a  withering 
fire  against  which  nothing  human  could  stand,  the  High- 
land Brigade  was  mown  down.  Here  it  was,  but  well 
in  front  of  his  men,  endeavouring  to  the  last  to  cheer  on 
his  followers,  one  of  the  most  gallant  and  daring  of 
modern  British  generals  fought  and  fell,  a  martyr  for  his 
Queen  and  country. 

General  Wauchope's  tragic  end  was  no  unfitting  con- 
clusion to  a  life  of  devoted,  arduous  service.  He  died  as 
he  had  lived,  ever  in  the  midst  of  strife,  an  earnest,  brave, 
and  self-denying  man,  thinking  more  of  others  than  him- 
self; graced  with  the  dignity  that  comes  from  inborn 
gentleness  of  spirit,  and  ever  in  his  conduct  exemplifying 
the  faith  he  professed.  No  wonder  that  when  such  a  man 
fell,  there  was  a  wail  of  lamentation,  not  merely  around 
his  own  home  in  Edinburgh  where  he  was  best  known  and 
loved,  but  throughout  the  whole  British  Empire. 

The  story  of  his  life  is  one  of  incident  and  hairbreadth 
escapes,  and  it  deserves  to  rank  high  in  the  military 
annals  of  our  country ;  for  among  those  who  have  helped 
to  raise  Great  Britain  to  the  honourable  position  she  holds 
among  the  nations  of  the  world,  as  the  vindicator  of 
freedom,  as  the  protector  of  the  weak  against  the  strong, 
as  the  pioneer  of  commerce,  and  the  disseminator  of 
Christianity,  there  are  few  who  have  laboured  more 
zealously  or  fought  more  bravely  than  he  whose  career 
we  shall  in  the  following  pages  attempt  to  sketch. 


INTRODUCTION  n 

In  biography  there  is  perhaps  nothing  more  alluring 
than  to  trace  out  traits  in  remote  kindred,  and  to  watch 
them  coming  forth  with  new  accompaniments  in  later 
generations,  to  work  out,  as  it  were,  the  full  story  of  the 
race,  and  probably  to  mark  a  climax  in  some  chosen 
individual.  Though  wre  have  not  space  to  follow  this  out 
in  the  present  case,  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of 
General  Wauchope's  ancestors  may  easily  be  discerned 
throughout  his  career ;  to  them  he  doubtless  owed  that 
simple  manliness  which  looked  upon  every  man — whatever 
his  station — as  a  brother;  that  unswerving  courage  in 
time  of  danger,  that  unflinching  devotion  to  duty,  that 
cheerfulness  of  disposition,  which  made  him  a  general 
favourite ;  all  sobered  by  a  sense  of  the  unseen  and  eternal 
which  entered  into  the  very  heart  of  his  life. 

The  author's  efforts  to  gather  the  scattered  material  of 
so  chequered  a  career  have  been  met  on  all  hands  by  so 
willing  a  response  from  those  who  could  in  any  way  claim 
the  General's  acquaintance,  that  his  task  has  been  a 
pleasant  and  a  comparatively  easy  one.  For  interesting 
details  and  incidents  coming  under  their  personal  observa- 
tion, his  best  thanks  are  due  to  Admiral  Lord  Charles 
W.  D.  Beresford,  C.B.;  General  Sir  Robert  Biddulph, 
G.C.M.G.,  G.C.B.,  lately  Governor  of  Gibraltar;  Sir  John 
C.  M'Leod,  G.C.B. ;  Colonel  R.  K.  Bayly,  C.B.;  Colonel 
Brickenden  ;  Colonel  Gordon  J.  C.  Money ;  Major  A.  G. 
Duff;  Captain  Christie,  and  other  of  his  brother  officers 
who  shared  with  him  the  dangers  and  toil  of  naval  and 
military  service,  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 


12  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

He  cannot  too  gratefully  acknowledge  the  kind  assist- 
ance heartily  given  by  the  Rev.  George  Wisely,  D.D., 
Malta;  the  Rev.  John  Mactaggart,  Edinburgh;  and  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Stirling,  York,  army  chaplains.  Their 
contributions  have  been  invaluable. 

So  fully  indeed  has  material  been  placed  at  the  author's 
disposal,  that  the  volume  might  have  been  easily  extended 
beyond  its  present  limits.  But  enough,  it  may  be  hoped, 
has  been  said  in  illustration  of  General  Wauchope's  career 
as  a  soldier,  and  his  character  as  a  man,  to  enable  his 
fellow-countrymen  to  realise  that  in  his  lamented  death 
the  nation  has  lost  one  of  its  bravest  and  best. 


CHAPTER    I 

THE   WAUCHOPES   OF   NIDDRIE   MARISCHAL 

Andrew  Gilbert  Wauchope  came  of  a  long  line  of 
ancestry,  who  have  distinguished  themselves  as  soldiers, 
as  churchmen,  or  in  the  more  commonplace  capacity  of 
country  gentlemen. 

The  family  history  can  be  traced  back  for  several 
centuries  at  least,  as  occupying  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Edinburgh  the  estate  of  Niddrie  Marischal;  and  through- 
out the  various  troubles  in  which  Scottish  history  has  been 
involved,  the  Lairds  of  Niddrie  had  their  fair  share, 
forfeitures  and  restorations  being  an  experience  not  un- 
common in  their  career. 

Glancing  over  their  genealogy,  one  might  almost  say 
with  truth  that  the  Wauchopes  have  ever  been  a  fighting 
race,  holding  opinions  strongly,  and  as  strongly  asserting 
them  by  word  or  deed  when  occasion  arose. 

The  very  name  of  their  estate  has  a  smack  of  the 
military  in  it,  if  it  is  true,  as  Celtic  scholars  say,  that 
'Niddrie'  is  derived  from  the  Gaelic  Niadh  and  Ri — 
signifying,  in  the  British  form  of  Celtic,  the  king's  cham- 
pion. Then  the  addition  to  the  word,  as  distinguishing  it 
from  several  other  Niddries  in  Scotland,  of  Marischal, 
Marishal,  or  Merschell  appears  to  have  been  given  to  the 

18 


M 

estate  from  the  met  that  the  Wane  hope?  of  Niddrie  were 
in  early  times  hereditary  bailies  to  Keith  Lords  Marischai, 
and  later,  Marisc hal- Deputies  in  Midlothian,  in  the  reign 
of  James  w. 

Whether  it  be  true,  as  stated  by  Mackenzie  in  his  Zmv 
cf  Eminent  Scotsmen,  that  the  Waachopes  had  their  first  rive 
in  the  reign  of  Malcolm  Caenmore,  and  that  they  came 
from  France,  we  shall  not  stay  to  discuss ;  but  it  is  generally 
allowed  that  the  name  is  a  local  patronymic,  common  in 
the  sooth  of  Scotland,  and  that  the  Wanchopes  of  Niddrie 
Manschal  belonged  originally  to  Waocbopedale  in  Rox- 
binghshire,  where  they  were  for  long  vassals  of  the  Earls 
of  Douglas. 

The  records  of  the  earlier  generations  of  the  family 

hating  been  lost,  one  cannot  with  accuracy  say  who  was 

its  founder,  or  when  he  fired    In  James  the  Second's  reign, 

.-  stating  m  inroad  mte  England,  and  agam  in  Queen 

Mary's  time,  for  espousing  the  cause  of  that  unfortunate 

for  a  time  into  the  hands  of  others,  while  the  ten-charters 
that  irmainrri  were  afterwards  destroyed  when  the  Engl ish 
under  Ofcfer  CioiswB  eaast  to  Scotland  But  notwroV 
muadtng  mess  misfortunes,  mese  are  documenti  extant 
which  go  to  dtOV  mat  a*  far  hnefc  a-  me  time  of  Robert :::., 
who  began  to  reign  in  1390,  there  was  one  Gilbert  Wauchope 
holding  the  lands  ofXiddrie  from  that  king,  who  is  supposed 
to  be  the  grandson  of  Thomas  Wauchafe  in  ttu 
Edinburgh  mentioned  in  the  Bagman  Rous  of  1296, 

One  scion  of  the  family,  bom  about  the  year  1500,  in  the 
reign  of  James  it.  attained  to  considerable  distinction  as 
an  ecclesiastic.  This  was  Robert,  the  famous  Archbishop 
of  Armagh,  a  younger  son  of  Archibald,  the  Laird  of 
Niddrie.    DefecoTein  his  vision  almost  to  blindness,  he  was, 


THE    WAUCHOPKS    OV    NIDDK  I  K 

lr.l;ui(|in;',  lliis  misloi  time,   pos  ■;<•:;:.«•<  I  ol    ;■:,  ,il     ii.ilin.il 

abilities,  and  \>y  dili  lined  i«»  high  and  varii  d 

.1'  ( omplisli  profl(  lent  did  i><'  bei  """■  In  iii<- 

study  of  \\i<-  Scripturef,  the  Fathers,  and  the  <  :oum  its,  iii.it 
he  WM  appointed    DoctOl   <>l    Divinity  in  the  University  ol 

and  in    i  <\  '/;,  having  attra<  t<  <!    tin    noti<  c   <>l    Popt 
Paul   in.,   Iir  wa  ,  called   '<>  Rome,  and   employed   l>y  him 

[ate  f<>  tii'-  Emperoi  <<i  ( rermany  and  the  I 

France,  in  both   Ol   which  commissions   he    i.  -aid   In  have 

>ited  the  highest   qualification!  as  nn  aml>a.v;adoi 

i     time    after     he    was   promoted    to    he    Archbishop   Ol 

Armagh,  in  inland.    There  he  lahoiired  with  Incredible 
pain',  to  eniiejiten  the  Ignoranl  natives,  travelling  aboul 

his    dio'ese,    and    oflm    prea<  liin^    to    ih<-m    lorn     01     ftV€ 

timet  Archbishop  Wauchope  found  icopefoi  his 

talents  at  the  <  Jouru  11  o(  'I  n-m     'i  hr,  iamour.<  oum  ii, 

by  the  Pope  to  I  0Uiitera<  i  th«-  iidlii<  n<  <    (>f 

Reformation  initiated  by  Luthei  In  Germany,  mel  "> 
h   1 544,  and  ( ontinui  d  Its  sittings  till   1551     1  hi 
1  not  '>u\y  toot  1  pari  In  Its  pro*  ei  dings,  bul 
wrote  a  full  account  oi  them,  1  laboui  which, 

d    tOO  mn'  1.   fd   In.  itTl  n^tli,  foi    In    di<  d   ;il     I'.ur.    on 

onse  on  9th  Nov<  tnb<  1   155 1,     1  It  1 

held    \>y  hr,  <  onl<-mporar i»-.  in  hi;di  admiration, 
i/    .'  /       /'.  :  '  :,u<  h  WU  hll  judgment  in  :,<  <  ulaj  affairs,  thai 

*he  acquitted  h  -    admin  il    In-; 

'  sv 

BJ  bin  m  I  •.nnilar   Miam,  and 
alludu  ,,1,    hhiid,  ■.;.'/•. 

c  I  \<  a  /ulrri   from    the    l'op<    to   (iem 


16  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

Robert's  elder  brother,  Gilbert  Wauchope,  was  mean- 
while Laird  of  Niddrie,  acquiring  more  property,  extending 
his  borders,  and  getting  himself  involved  in  the  local  feuds 
peculiar  to  the  time  of  James  v.;  that  king  on  one  occasion, 
April  1535,  having  to  grant  a  letter  of  protection  in  favour 
of  him  'and  his  wife  and  bairns'  against  Sir  Patrick  Hep- 
burn of  Wauchtonne  and  thirty-four  others  for  '  umbeset- 
ting  the  highway  for  his  slaughter.'  In  this  quarrel,  even 
the  Pope  was  called  upon  to  interfere  in  the  interest  of 
peace  and  safety.  In  1539  Paul  in.  put  forth  a  mandate 
to  the  Dean  of  the  Church  of  Restalrig,  stating  that  a 
beloved  son,  a  noble  man,  Gilbert  Wauchope,  lord  in 
temporals  of  the  place  of  Niddriflmarschall,  within  the 
diocese  of  St.  Andrews,  had  represented  to  the  Pope  that 
some  sons  of  iniquity,  whom  he  was  altogether  ignorant  of, 
had  wickedly  brought  many  and  heavy  losses  upon  the 
said  Gilbert  Wauchope  by  concealing  the  boundaries  and 
limits  or  marches  of  the  piece  of  land  or  place  called 
Quhitinche,  feued  to  him  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  the 
Monastery  of  the  Holy  Cross  (Holyrood).  .  .  .  Therefore 
the  Pope  intrusted  to  the  discretion  of  the  said  Venerable 
Dean  and  Commissary  to  admonish  publicly  in  churches, 
before  the  people,  ...  all  holders,  etc.,  and  to  discover 
and  restore  these  to  the  said  Gilbert  Wauchope  or  to  the 
Abbot  of  the  Monastery,  under  a  general  sentence  of 
excommunication  against  these  persons,  till  suitable  satis- 
faction was  made. 

But  the  Reformation  brought  many  changes,  upsetting 
the  laws,  customs,  and  opinions  held  sacred  for  centuries. 
The  sons  no  longer  walked  in  the  ways  of  their  fathers, 
but  began  to  think  for  themselves.  And  so  we  find  that 
Gilbert,  the  son  of  the  laird  who  had  sought  and  obtained 
protection  from  the  Pope,  renounced  the  Pope  and  took 


SOME   ANCESTORS  17 

an  active  part  in  promoting  the  Reformation.  He  was 
present  at  Knox's  first  sermon  at  St.  Andrews  in  1547. 
And  at  the  conference  of  notables  that  afterwards  was  held, 
where  Knox  and  his  preaching  were  fully  discussed,  and 
Wauchope  was  asked  what  he  thought  of  the  Reformer, 
1  this  answer  gave  the  Laird  of  Nydre — "  a  man  fervent  and 
uprycht  in  religioun." '  This  Gilbert  Wauchope  of  Niddrie 
was  a  member  of  the  famous  Parliament,  held  at  Edin- 
burgh in  August  1560,  by  which  the  Reformation  was 
established. 

Later  on  we  have  a  George  Wauchope,  a  celebrated 
Professor  of  Civil  Law  at  Caen,  in  Normandy,  who  was  a 
grandson  of  Gilbert,  and  who  in  1595,  when  he  was  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  wrote  A  Treatise  concerning  the 
Ancie?it  People  of  Rome. 

But  the  early  Wauchopes  were  a  wonderfully  varied 
class  of  men,  who  could  take  their  share  of  fighting  when 
necessary  j  and  towards  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century 
their  feuds,  their  '  slauchters,'  and  political  partisanship 
well-nigh  led  to  their  extinction.  The  feuds  with  the  neigh- 
bouring Hepburns  and  Edmonstons  were  the  occasion  of 
many  unhappy  conflicts,  while  their  adhesion  to  the  cause 
of  Queen  Mary  for  a  time  brought  ruin  on  the  family. 
Professor  Aytoun,  in  his  poem  of  '  Both  well,'  referring  to 
Bothwell's  attempt  to  intercept  the  Queen  on  her  way 
from  Stirling  and  carry  her  to  Dunbar  Castle,  says : — 

'  Hay,  bid  the  trumpets  sound  the  march, 
Go,  Bolton,  to  the  van  ; 
Young  Niddrie  follows  with  the  rear; 
Set  forward  every  man.' 

The  estate  of  Niddrie  is  quite  close  to  Craigmillar 
Castle,  where  Mary  frequently  resided,  and  in  all  proba- 


18  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

bility  the  fascination  of  her  character  brought  the 
Wauchopes  into  frequent  contact  with  her,  and  led  them 
to  espouse  her  cause  when  many  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Scottish  nobility  had  declared  against  her.  We  find, 
therefore,  that  Robert  Wauchope  and  his  son  Archibald 
are  mentioned  in  the  '  charge  agains  personis  denuncit 
rebellis'in  June  1587.  This  Archibald  appears  to  have 
been  a  youth  of  wonderful  pugnacity,  and  to  have  got  him- 
self continually  involved  in  trouble  with  the  authorities  for 
breaches  of  the  peace,  out  of  which  he  as  often  extricated 
himself,  with  no  little  cleverness.  Once,  in  1588,  for  an 
attempted  'slauchter'  of  'umquhile  James  Giffert,  and 
Johne  Edmonston,'  the  adjoining  laird,  he  was  arrested, 
tried,  and  warded  in  the  Tolbooth  of  Edinburgh ;  but  '  no 
pardoun  being  granted'  by  the  king,  'and  about  a 
thousand  persouns  in  the  Tolbuith  waiting  upon  the  event, 
the  candles  were  put  furth  about  ellevin  houres  at  night, 
and  Nidrie  and  his  complices  escaped  out  at  the  windowes.' 
It  is  a  curious  reflection  upon  the  Wauchopes  of  this  time 
that  their  name  should  be  associated  with  the  wild  Clan 
Gregor  of  Perthshire  as  disturbers  of  the  peace.  King 
James  vi.  was  married  in  1590  to  the  Princess  Anne  of 
Denmark.  On  the  1st  May  the  king  and  queen  landed 
at  Leith,  amid  a  great  concourse  of  loyal  subjects,  'and 
with  volleys  of  cannon,  and  orations  in  their  welcome.' 
James  had  been  absent  from  Scotland  more  than  six 
months,  and  it  was  remarked  at  the  time,  and  came  to  be 
memorable  afterwards,  that  these  months  were  a  time  of 
universal  peace  and  good  order  in  Scotland.  '  The  only 
notable  exceptions,'  according  to  Spottiswood,  '  had  been 
a  riot  in  Edinburgh  by  Wauchope  of  Niddry,  and  an  out- 
break of  the  Clan  Gregor  in  Balquhidder.' 

In  connection  with  this,  we   find  Wauchope  charged 


ATTACK   ON   HOLYROODHOUSE         19 

by  the  Privy  Council  (7th  January  1590),  'along  with  all 
other  keepers  of  the  places  and  fortalices  of  Rossyth  and 
Nudry,'  to  deliver  the  same  to  the  officer  executing  these 
letters,  within  six  hours  after  charge,  under  penalty  of 
treason;  the  said  officer  to  fence  the  goods  and  rents 
belonging  to  Wauchope,  which  are  ordered  to  remain  under 
arrest  at  the  instance  of  the  King's  Treasurer,  'aye  and 
quhill  he  be  tryit  foule  or  clene  of  sic  crymes  quharof  he  is 
dilaitet.' 

Not  to  mention  other  scrapes  of  a  similar  kind,  Archi- 
bald Wauchope  was  implicated  in  the  attack  on  the  palace 
of  Holyroodhouse,  27th  December  1591,  and  for  this  and 
other  misdemeanours  he  was  forfeited,  along  with  the  Earl 
of  Bothvvell  and  others,  and  had  to  leave  the  country  for  a 
time.  He  afterwards  came  to  an  untimely  end  by  falling 
from  a  window  in  Skinner's  Close  in  Edinburgh,  about 
the  year  1596. 

It  was  apparently  about  this  period  that  the  old  house 
or  tower  of  Niddrie  Marischal — 'so  commodious  that  it 
could  garrison  a  hundred  men' — was  destroyed  by  the 
enemies  of  the  family. 

For  some  years  the  estate  was  in  the  hands  of  Sir  James 
Sandilands  of  Slamannan,  until  1608,  when,  through  the 
good  graces  of  James  vi.,  it  was  restored  to  Francis,  son 
of  Archibald  Wauchope,  a  restitution  which  was  confirmed 
by  Act  of  Parliament  in  1609.  Francis  (usually  styled  Sir 
Francis  Wauchope)  appears  to  have  done  a  good  deal  for 
the  estate,  but  his  son,  Sir  John  Wauchope,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  chief  restorer  of  the  house  of  Niddrie.  He 
was  frugal  in  his  living,  and  he  added  several  adjoining 
properties  to  the  estate  by  purchase,  and  received  the 
honour  of  knighthood  from  Charles  1.  on  his  visit  to 
Scotland   in    1633.     He   was   an  intimate   friend  of  the 


so  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

notorious  Duke  of  Lauderdale  in  their  younger  days,  living 
with  him,  and  spoken  of  as  '  his  bed-fellow.' 

Sir  John  exercised  great  judgment  in  the  management 
of  his  affairs;  so  much  so,  that  in  1661  he  acquired  by 
purchase  the  border  estate  of  Yetholm  or  Lochtour,  in 
Roxburghshire,  which  has  remained  in  the  family  ever 
since.  He  was  present  in  London  at  the  coronation  of 
Charles  11.;  in  1663  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Scottish  Parliament,  and  one  of  the  Committee  for  the 
Plantation  of  Kirks;  and  in  1678  was  a  member  of  the 
Convention  of  Estates. 

Other  lairds  appear  in  succession  as  the  years  rolled  on. 
There  are  Williams,  Andrews,  Gilberts,  Roberts,  following 
one  another  as  the  leaves  succeed  in  the  spring  to  those 
that  have  fallen  in  the  autumn,  but  it  is  not  our  purpose  to 
follow  their  story.  One  fought  and  fell  at  Killiecrankie 
with  Viscount  Dundee  in  1689;  another  fought  for  the 
Stuarts  at  the  Revolution,  and  afterwards  rose  to  high  com- 
mand in  the  French  and  Spanish  services ;  and  though 
the  Wauchopes  took  no  active  part  in  the  Stuart  risings 
of  1 7 15  and  1745,  their  sympathies  were  all  for  the  exiled 
race. 

In  Niddrie  House  there  are  to  be  seen  full-length 
portraits  of  Charles  1.  and  his  queen ;  four  small  half- 
lengths  of  the  Chevalier  and  his  consort,  and  their  two 
sons,  Prince  Charles  Edward  and  the  Cardinal  York,  as 
boys.  These  are  understood  to  have  been  forwarded 
direct  from  the  Chevalier  himself  to  the  Niddrie  family  as 
an  acknowledgment  of  their  loyalty,  and  the  assistance — 
pecuniary  and  otherwise — which  the  royal  line  of  Stuart 
had  received  at  their  hands. 

To  come  to  more  recent  times,  we  find  that  Andrew 
Wauchope  of  Niddrie — the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject 


A   'MINDEN'   HERO  21 

of  our  sketch,  born  about  the  year  1736 — was  a  captain  in 
the  First  Regiment  of  Dragoon  Guards,  and  fought  at  the 
battle  of  Minden  in  Westphalia,  where  in  1759  the  French 
were  defeated  by  an  army  of  Anglo-Hanoverian  troops. 
He  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  for  it  was  he  who  was  alluded 
to  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  the  ballad  written  on  the  occasion 
of  the  visit  of  George  iv.  to  Scotland  in  1822  : — 

Come,  stately  Niddrie,  auld  and  true, 
Girt  with  the  sword  that  Minden  knew ; 
We  have  owre  few  sic  lairds  as  you, 
Carle,  now  the  King 's  come. 

This  Andrew  Wauchope  married,  in  1786,  Alicia,  daughter 
of  William  Baird,  Newbyth,  and  sister  of  the  celebrated 
Sir  David  Baird,  the  hero  of  Seringapatam,  who  a  few 
years  afterwards — in  1805— commanded  the  expedition 
to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  which,  after  a  decisive  victory 
over  the  Dutch,  received,  on  6th  January  1806,  the 
surrender  of  the  colony  to  Great  Britain.  There  were 
nine  children  of  this  marriage,  five  boys  and  four  girls. 
The  eldest,  Andrew,  was  killed  in  1813  at  the  battle  of  the 
Pyrenees  while  in  command  of  the  20th  Regiment  of  Foot, 
and  so  the  second  son,  William,  succeeded  to  the  property, 
old  Andrew  Wauchope  having  resigned  it  in  his  favour  in 
181 7,  retaining  for  himself  the  liferent. 

William  Wauchope,  who  had  the  year  before  married 
Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter  of  Robert  Baird  of  Newbyth, 
and  niece  of  the  then  Marchioness  of  Breadalbane,  was  a 
lieutenant-colonel  in  the  army.  Curiously  enough,  William's 
younger  brother,  Admiral  Robert  Wauchope,  was  stationed 
at  Cape  Town  at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  where  he 
resided  for  many  years  with  his  wife.  They  knew  the 
Dutch  well,  and  were  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  both 
Dutch  and  English  settlers  in  the  colony. 


22  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

William  Wauchope  died  in  1826,  leaving  a  family  of  two, 
the  eldest  of  whom,  Andrew  Wauchope,  born  in  1818, 
being  then  a  minor,  succeeded  to  the  property.  His  sister, 
Hersey  Susan  Sydney,  was  married  in  1842  to  George 
Elliot,  captain,  Royal  Navy,  eldest  son  of  the  Hon.  Admiral 
Elliot.  Andrew  Wauchope,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
our  memoir,  was  for  a  time  in  the  army — an  officer  in  the 
dragoons ;  but,  being  of  a  delicate  constitution,  he  retired 
after  his  marriage  to  reside  at  Niddrie,  where  he  was  long 
known  and  respected  as  a  kind  and  indulgent  landlord, 
ever  ready  to  give  a  helping  hand  to  his  tenants  or  to 
religious  and  philanthropic  objects.  He  did  a  great  deal 
towards  completing  the  extensive  improvements  begun  by 
his  father  on  the  house  and  grounds  of  Niddrie. 

The  newer  part  of  the  house,  forming  the  north-east 
wing,  was  erected  by  William  Wauchope  about  seventy-five 
years  ago.  It  contains  some  handsome  apartments,  and 
it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  celebrated  Hugh  Miller, 
when  a  lad,  was  employed  (in  1823)  as  a  mason  at  the 
work,  and  is  said  to  have  carved  a  number  of  the  orna- 
mental chimneys  which  form  a  distinctive  feature  of  a 
most  picturesque  edifice.  What  the  father  began,  the 
son  ultimately  completed.  The  park  was  extended,  new 
approaches  and  avenues  were  formed,  lodges  erected,  and 
gardens  and  vineries  laid  out — the  whole  place  being 
transformed  into  one  of  the  most  beautiful  country  seats 
to  be  found  in  the  county  of  Midlothian.  These  some- 
what extensive  works,  resumed  by  the  father  of  the  General 
about  the  year  1850,  were  steadily  carried  on  year  by  year 
until  his  death,  22nd  November  1874,  for  he  took  much 
pride  in  the  work,  and  made  it  his  life  hobby. 

So  far  this  brief  genealogy  of  General  Wauchope's  family 
has  been  traced  through  the  male  line,  but  it  would  be 


SIR   WILLIAM   WALLACE  23 

incomplete  and  lacking  in  public  interest,  did  we  not  also 
refer  to  his  descent  on  the  female  side  from  the  family  of 
Sir  William  Wallace,  the  champion  of  Scottish  freedom. 
This  interesting  connection  is  traced  to  James  Wauchope, 
the  grandfather  of  the  '  Minden '  hero.  In  17 10  he 
married  Jane,  daughter  of  Sir  William  Wallace,  Bart,  of 
Craigie,  near  Ayr,  whose  eldest  son,  Andrew,  succeeded 
his  cousin  in  1726,  and  in  his  line  the  property  has  re- 
mained to  the  present  time. 

Over  the  fireplace  of  the  dining-room  of  Niddrie  House 
there  is  a  painting. on  canvas  inserted  in  panelling  said  to 
be  a  portrait  of  '  Wallace  Wight.'  It  has  been  in  posses- 
sion of  the  family  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  being  men- 
tioned in  various  inventories  of  the  property  from  the  year 
1707.  An  interesting  notice  of  it  appeared  in  James 
Paterson's  Wallace  and  his  Times,  and  the  family  tradition 
is  that  it  is  a  genuine  portrait  of  the  hero,  the  words 
inscribed  above  the  likeness,  '  Gvl :  Wallas  :  Scotvs  :  Host : 
ivm :  Terror,'  certainly  giving  colour  to  the  supposition. 
We  are  more  inclined  to  think,  however,  that  the  portrait 
represents  one  of  the  more  immediate  ancestors  of  the 
Jane  Wallace  who  brought  the  connection  into  the  family — 
probably  Sir  William  Wallace  of  Craigie,  who  distinguished 
himself  as  a  loyalist  in  the  civil  wars.  It  certainly  came 
into  the  family  through  the  marriage  of  James  Wauchope 
in  1 7 10  with  Jane,  daughter  of  Sir  William  Wallace  of 
Craigie,  and  if  it  does  not  represent  the  champion  of 
Scottish  independence,  it  is  from  the  same  source  as  a 
similar  portrait  preserved  at  Priory  Lodge,  Cheltenham,  in 
the  hands  of  a  descendant  of  the  Craigie-Wallace  family. 

It  was  when  he  was  serving  with  his  regiment  at  Monaghan, 
in  Ireland,  that  the  father  of  General  Wauchope  first  met  his 
future  wife,  Frances  Maria,  daughter  of  Henry  Lloyd  of 


24  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

Lloydsburgh,  County  Tipperary.  They  were  married  on 
26th  March  1840,  and  two  sons  and  two  daughters  were 
the  issue  of  the  marriage.     These  were — 

1.  William  John  Wauchope,  born  in  September  1841. 

2.  Harriet   Elizabeth    Frances,   afterwards    married    to 

Lord  Ventry  of  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  by  whom 
she  has  issue,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom 
her  daughter,  the  Hon.  Hersey  Alice  Eveleigh-De- 
Moleyne,  is  the  present  Countess  of  Hopetoun. 

3.  Andrew  Gilbert,  the   subject   of  our  story,  born  at 

Niddrie  on  5th  July  1846. 

4.  Hersey  Mary  Josephine,  now  residing  in  London. 

A  typical  Scotsman,  loyal  to  the  backbone  to  the  land  of 
his  birth,  Andrew  Gilbert  Wauchope  had  always  a  warm 
corner  in  his  heart  for  Ireland,  and  was  ever  ready  to 
acknowledge,  and  indeed  to  boast  of,  his  Irish  extraction. 
Combining  as  he  did  much  of  the  canniness  of  the  Scot 
with  that  steady-going  determination  of  purpose  and  fear- 
lessness in  danger  peculiar  to  his  countrymen,  he  displayed 
the  Irish  side  of  his  character  in  that  generous  light- 
heartedness  and  impulsive  good  nature  which  often  led  him 
into  self-denying  deeds  of  kindness,  and  now  and  again 
into  trouble.  General  Wauchope  was,  as  we  have  seen, 
the  heir  to  no  mean  family  traditions.  The  record  of  the 
Wauchopes  is  one  of  patriotic  energy  through  five  or  six 
hundred  years  of  stirring  Scottish  history,  many  of  them  years 
of  turmoil  and  strife  ;  and  the  warlike  spirit  of  the  fathers, 
as  well  as  their  more  peaceful  characteristics,  may  be  found 
not  infrequently  imaged  in  this  last  scion  of  the  race. 


CHAPTER    II 

CHILDHOOD—EARLY  TENDENCIES THE  'HOUSEHOLD  TROOP 

— EDUCATION — NAVAL  TRAINING — THE  '  BRITANNIA  '-- 
THE  '  ST.  GEORGE  ' — PRINCE  ALFRED. 

General  Wauchope's  boyhood  was  spent  mostly  at 
Niddrie,  with  occasional  short  visits  in  summer  to  the 
other  property  of  the  family  at  Yetholm,  among  the 
pastoral  Cheviot  hills. 

"A  high-spirited,  frolicsome  boy,  delighting  in  the  open 
air  and  every  kind  of  outdoor  sport,  'Andy,'  as  he  was 
familiarly  called,  found  scope  for  his  energies  in  the  beauti- 
fully wooded  park  surrounding  the  house.  Bird-nesting, 
rabbit-catching,  and  fishing  in  the  burn  which  meanders 
through  the  estate,  found  him  ,an  ardent  enthusiast,  but 
often  brought  him  into  trouble  with  his  father  and  mother. 
His  bird-nesting  feats,  prosecuted  with  all  the  zest  of  a 
professional  poacher,  often  resulted  in  the  dislocation  of 
his  clothes,  and  shoes  and  stockings  too  often  betrayed  the 
fact  that  friendly  visits  to  the  burn  were  more  frequent  and 
prolonged  than  ought  to  be.  Many  a  time  Andy  was  thus 
in  a  sore  plight.  Drenched  and  torn,  he  would  go  to 
the  kindly  gardener's  wife,  to  get  the  rents  in  his  jacket 
sewed,  his  stockings  changed,  and  his  shoes  dried,  before 
venturing  into  the  family  presence.  In  his  adventures 
over   the  property,  the  burn  was  never  a  barrier  to  his 


26  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

progress.  It  was  the  same  with  hedges,  ditches,  or  stone 
walls.  If  he  wanted  to  reach  a  certain  point,  he  made  a 
straight  road  to  it  over  every  obstacle. 

But  the  limits  of  the  park  did  not  always  satisfy  his 
roving  desires.  He  soon  made  himself  acquainted  with 
the  surroundings  of  his  home.  Craigmillar  Castle  was  a 
favourite  resort  on  the  one  side ;  the  beach  at  Portobello 
gave  him  a  taste  for  the  sea  and  aquatic  exercise;  while  the 
neighbouring  little  village  of  Niddrie  was  not  long  in 
making  his  acquaintance.  Here  he  was  known  to  every 
one,  for  Andy  made  himself  at  home  in  every  cottage ;  and 
if  the  boys  stood  in  some  awe  of  him,  and  mothers  blamed 
him  for  sending  their  sons  home  with  their  clothes  torn, 
or  their  noses  bleeding,  still,  for  all  that,  he  was  always 
welcomed  among  them,  sometimes  with  a  '  jeelie '  (jelly) 
piece  or  a  new-baked  scone  ! 

Many  a  frolic  he  and  the  boys  of  the  village  were  engaged 
in,  if  all  tales  were  told,  and  sometimes  Andy  got  credit 
^or  more  than  he  deserved.  Boys  will  be  boys,  but  his 
boyhood  early  showed  the  spirit  of  the  man,  for  to  have  a 
number  of  country  boys  together,  and  put  them  through 
military  drill,  was  the  height  of  his  delight.  He  was  a 
born  leader,  and  he  doubtless  imbibed  his  love  of  soldier- 
ing from  the  frequent  opportunities  he  had  of  seeing 
military  manceuvres  in  the  Queen's  Park,  or  more  likely 
on  Portobello  sands,  where  at  that  time  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  drilling,  both  of  the  regulars  and  of  the  yeomanry 
cavalry.  That  the  military  instinct  revealed  itself  early  may 
be  gathered  from  the  following  : — One  day  the  village 
dominie,  worthy  old  Mr.  Savage,  looking  out  of  the  school 
door  across  the  road,  saw  the  youthful  form  of  Andy— then 
about  seven  or  eight  years  old — on  the  top  of  the  high 
boundary  wall  of  his  father's  park,  which  at  that  place  is 


YOUTHFUL   TENDENCIES  27 

nearly  nine  feet  high.  'What  are  you  doing  up  there?' 
shouted  the  dominie;  'get  down  at  once,  you  young 
rascal,  or  you  '11  get  killed  ! '  But  Andy  only  waved  his 
hand  as  he  shouted  back,  '  It 's  all  right,  Mr.  Savage  :  I  'm 
only  viewing  the  enemy,'  and  off  he  scampered  along  the 
top  of  the  wall ! 

Andy's  'household  troop'  was  not  a  large  one,  but  it 
sufficed.  With  Tom  and  Jim,  the  gardener's  sons,  and  their 
sisters,  Jess  and  Bella,  assisted  by  a  few  male  and  female 
recruits  from  among  the  children  of  the  other  workers,  with 
his  sisters,  Harriet  .and  Hersey,  and  his  cousin,  Elizabeth 
Elliot,  now  Countess  of  Northesk — one  of  whom  carried 
the  banner,  and  another  the  drum — the  youthful  general 
managed  to  make  a  fair  show.  He  drilled  them  well,  and 
was  naturally  very  proud  of  them.  One  day  there  happened 
to  be  company  at  the  house.  Andy,  anxious  to  display  his 
forces,  marched  them  up  to  the  front  door,  and  there, 
seated  on  his  little  black  pony  'Donald,'  he  put  them 
through  their  facings,  to  the  great  entertainment  of  the 
visitors.  He  was  not  content  with  this,  however.  He 
must  needs  take  the  place  by  storm,  and  so,  putting  him- 
self at  the  head  of  his  troop,  he  gave  the  word  of  command, 
'  Forward,  march  ! '  and  actually  marched  them  into  the 
hall,  and  through  the  dining-room  to  the  terrace  at  the 
back  of  the  house,  bravely  leading  them  on  his  pony  ! 

The  ice-house  stood  in  the  park  not  very  far  from  the 
house.  It  was  a  vaulted  chamber  covered  with  turf,  form- 
ing externally  a  mound  which  made  a  capital  fort.  Many 
a  time  was  it  the  scene  of  mimic  warfare,  its  defence  or 
assault  giving  splendid  scope  for  the  youthful  general's 
military  genius, — brilliant  attacks  being  as  brilliantly  de- 
feated without  any  great  loss  of  life  ! 

Sometimes    'Andy's'  attacks  took  a  wider  range,  and 


28  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

nocturnal  escapades  of  a  frolicking  nature  are  said  to  have 
been  not  infrequent.  It  is  told  of  him  that  having  gathered 
a  few  of  the  village  boys  together,  they  made  a  raid  one 
night  upon  the  workshop  of  the  village  joiner,  and  took 
away  a  number  of  odd  cart-wheels  lying  about  in  the  yard. 
These  they  fastened  to  the  doors  of  some  of  the  cottages, 
where  they  were  found  next  morning,  much  to  the  sur- 
prise of  the  inmates,  who  had  some  difficulty  in  getting 
egress  from  their  houses !  Nobody,  of  course,  could  tell 
who  was  to  blame ;  but,  as  our  informant  remarked, '  They 
a'  kent  wha  did  it :  it  was  just  some  o'  Maister  Andra's 
mischief.' 

One  old  woman  in  the  village,  whose  temper  was  not 
very  good,  and  who  laboured  under  the  conviction  that 
her  hen-house  was  from  time  to  time  robbed  of  its 
roosters,  had  made  herself  somewhat  obnoxious,  and  it 
was  determined  to  give  her  a  real  fright.  So  one  evening, 
after  all  decent  folks  were  supposed  to  be  in  bed,  Andy 
and  his  company  slipped  quietly  round  to  the  hen-house, 
and  presently  there  was  a  great  commotion  and  cackling 
among  the  feathered  occupants.  The  old  lady  in  her  bed 
heard  it  all,  but  was  too  frightened  to  come  to  the  rescue. 
She  was  certain,  however,  that  some  of  her  favourite  hens 
had  been  taken,  and  next  day  she  went  up  to  the  laird  at 
the  big  hou?e  to  complain,  and  to  ask  compensation.  Andy 
was  with  his  father  when  the  old  woman  was  laying  off  her 
story,  but  betrayed  no  signs  of  his  complicity  in  the  trans- 
action, wisely  preferring  to  keep  his  own  counsel  in  the 
matter.  Of  course  the  boys  had  taken  none  of  her 
property.     They  only  wanted  to  play  a  trick  upon  her. 

Andy  was,  however,  not  a  boy  who  would  perpetrate 
any  wilful  mischief,  or  do  anything  that  would  cause  pain. 
He  hated  cruelty,  and  once  when  he  was  accused  of  having 


EARLY   EDUCATION  29 

killed  the  cat  of  an  old  servant  of  the  family,  who  lived  as 
a  pensioner  in  the  village,  he  heard  the  accusation  with 
the  greatest  indignation.  Going  at  once  to  Mary's  house  he 
strongly  asserted  his  innocence,  telling  her  with  all  earnest- 
ness, '  I  'd  rather  shoot  myself,  as  shoot  your  cat,  Mary.' 

Very  early  in  life  he  evinced  a  strong  desire  to  share 
in  the  sport  of  the  hunting-field.  His  father  would  not, 
however,  hear  of  it,  and  refused  to  allow  him  to  get  a 
proper  rig-out.  But  Master  Andrew  was  not  to  be  balked 
in  his  ambition,  for  one  morning,  getting  into  a  pair  of  his 
father's  top-boots,  many  sizes  too  large  for  him,  and  securing 
the  biggest  horse  in  the  stables,  he  boldly  set  off  for  the 
hunt.  The  appearance  of  such  a  mite  with  boots  that 
would  scarcely  keep  on  his  feet,  on  the  back  of  a  big 
hunter,  created  great  laughter  among  the  county  gentry 
at  the  meet. 

During  these  early  years  of  Wauchope's  life,  so  free  from 
restraint,  his  education  was  being  carried  on  at  home  under 
a  tutor.  At  the  age  of  eleven  he  was  sent  to  a  school  at 
Worksop,  in  Nottinghamshire,  but  he  did  not  remain  there 
very  long.  He  had  a  hankering  for  active  life,  and  specially 
for  the  sea.  It  was  accordingly  resolved  to  prepare  him 
for  entering  the  navy  as  a  midshipman,  and  he  was  sent 
to  Foster's  School,  Stubbington  House,  Gosport.  His 
experience  here  was  also  a  short  one,  and  was  marked 
by  an  incident  characteristic  of  his  spirit  of  adventure 
and  faithfulness  to  obligations;  though  in  this  case  we 
must  say  the  latter  virtue  was  rather  misapplied,  and  it 
might  well  be  said  '  his  faith  unfaithful  kept  him  falsely 
true.'  The  boys  at  Foster's,  evidently  wanting  to  vary  the 
monotony  of  school  life — perhaps  none  of  the  brightest — 
thought  it  would  be  a  good  lark  if  one  would  run  away 
from  the  school,  and  they  resolved  to  draw  lots  who  it 


3o  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

should  be.  The  lot  fell  upon  young  Andy  Wauchope,  and, 
like  the  loyal  lad  he  was,  he  resolutely  stuck  to  the  agree- 
ment and  ran  off  from  the  school,  but  of  course  he  was 
promptly  brought  back  by  his  people,  and  no  doubt 
received  the  just  reward  of  his  frolic  ! 

He  used  to  say  long  afterwards  that  he  had  only  been 
at  two  schools  when  he  was  a  boy.  '  At  one  of  them  he 
was  said  to  be  the  best  boy  in  the  school,  but  at  the  other 
he  was  the  very  worst ! ' 

With  what  would  now  be  considered  a  very  inadequate 
training,  young  Wauchope  was  on  the  ioth  September 
1859  entered  as  a  naval  cadet  on  board  Her  Majesty's 
ship  Britannia,  there  to  pick  up  in  the  rough  school  of 
a  sailor's  life  that  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  particularly 
of  his  naval  duties,  which  books  and  schooling  had  denied 
him.  At  the  same  time,  though  deprived  of  the  advan- 
tages of  Eton  or  Harrow,  or  any  of  the  Scottish  Univer- 
sities, he  had  a  much  better  gift  than  education — an 
immense  natural  shrewdness,  and  a  persevering  applica- 
tion, which  afterwards  made  him  a  good  French  and 
German  scholar.  Among  his  shipmates  on  the  Britannia 
he  was  a  general  favourite.  He  was  only  thirteen  years 
of  age,  but  appears  to  have  been  a  plucky  little  fellow, 
full  of  life  and  fun,  and  quite  capable  of  standing  up 
for  himself,  or  for  a  friend  if  need  be;  and  in  the 
thirteen  months  of  his  service  in  the  ship  he  made  several 
lifelong  friendships.  Admiral  Lord  Charles  Beresford, 
writing  to  us  of  that  period,  mentions  that  he  and 
Wauchope  joined  the  navy  about  the  same  time.  'I 
remember,'  he  says,  '  our  chests  were  close  together  in  the 
Britannia.  We  separated  when  we  went  to  sea,  but  we 
never  lost  the  friendship  we  formed  in  the  Britannia.  We 
met  often  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  and  I  always 


ENTERS   THE   NAVY  31 

found  him  the  same  sterling,  honest,  strong,  and  chivalrous 
friend,  whose  splendid  characteristics  had  so  impressed  me 
as  a  boy.  I  have  always  regarded  his  friendship  for  me 
with  sentiments  of  pride.  He  was  very  proud  of  being  a 
Scotsman,  and  being  an  Irishman  myself,  we  had  many 
arguments — as  boys  will  have — as  to  which  nation 
possessed  the  most  interesting  personalities.  We  agreed 
cordially  on  every  other  point,  but  never  once  on  this. 
The  nation  has  lost  one  of  its  best  in  poor  Andy 
Wauchope.'  There  are  doubtless  others  of  his  Britannia 
shipmates  surviving. who  could  give  similar  testimony. 

On  the  5th  October  i860,  Wauchope  received  his  dis- 
charge from  the  Britannia,  and  was  entered  as  a  midship- 
man on  board  H.M.S.  St.  George,  and  he  mentions  himself 
with  what  pride  and  satisfaction  he  found  himself  on  that 
autumn  day  walking  down  the  main  street  of  Portsmouth 
in  his  new  uniform  to  join  the  St.  George.  *  It  was  one  of 
the  happiest  days  of  my  life,'  he  says ;  {a  day  in  which  I 
felt  myself  identified  as  an  officer  in  Her  Majesty's  service, 
more  particularly  as  on  the  way  down  to  the  harbour  I  was 
met  and  saluted  by  one  of  the  marines.' 

The  St.  George  was  manned  by  eight  hundred  men,  and 
in  i860  was  considered  a  well-equipped  vessel,  and  as 
compared  with  the  days  of  Nelson  and  Collingwood 
showed  a  great  advance  in  naval  strength  and  efficiency. 
At  Trafalgar  the  biggest  gun  in  the  whole  British  fleet  was 
only  a  fifty-six  pounder,  but  the  St.  George  had  in  addition 
to  a  number  of  that  calibre  several  sixty-eight  pounders, 
while  her  speed  of  ten  knots  an  hour  was  considered 
highly  satisfactory.  Though  these  equipments  would  not 
bear  comparison  with  present-day  standards,  the  young 
midshipman  was  proud  of  his  ship  and  proud  of  the 
service,  and  in  after  years  could  with  no  little  exultation 


32  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

honestly  say  that,  '  though  armaments  had  changed,  the 
hearts  of  oak  remained  as  of  yore ;  while  the  old  red  rag, 
which  had  withstood  the  battle  and  the  breeze  for  a 
thousand  years,  was  still  able  to  claim  the  allegiance  of 
its  people.' 

Wauchope's  commanding  officer  on  board  the  St. 
George  was  Captain  the  Hon.  Francis  Egerton — whose 
son,  Commander  Egerton,  was  killed  at  Ladysmith  in 
November  1899 — and  among  his  brother  officers  were 
H.R  H.  Prince  Alfred,  afterwards  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh, 
and  latterly  known  as  the  Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg  Gotha, 
and  Admiral  Sir  Robert  Harris,  now  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  station. 

The  St.  George  was  commissioned  at  Portsmouth,  and 
was  transferred  to  Devonport  early  in  1861.  She  was  then 
one  of  the  noblest  and  most  imposing-looking  ships  of  the 
service,  having  the  year  before  been  thoroughly  overhauled 
and  converted  from  a  one  hundred  and  twenty  gun  ship  to 
one  of  ninety  guns.  As  a  three-decker  sailing  ship  she 
was  considered  one  of  the  finest  fighting  vessels  afloat, 
and  her  conversion  to  a  steamship  of  the  line  had  been 
attended  with  the  most  successful  results.  She  was  selected 
by  Prince  Albert  for  his  son,  the  youthful  Prince  Alfred,  who 
joined  her  as  a  midshipman  a  few  months  after  Wauchope 
— on  the  16th  January  1861 — as  she  lay  in  Plymouth 
Sound,  under  orders  for  a  cruise  to  the  British  North 
American  Stations  and  the  West  India  Islands. 

The  greater  part  of  the  year  seems  to  have  been  spent  in 
and  about  Halifax,  the  capital  of  Nova  Scotia,  which  be- 
came a  centre  for  cruises  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and 
the  Canadian  ports.  We  have  it  on  the  authority  of  several 
of  those  who  were  midshipmen  with  the  Prince,  that  they 
were  a  jovial,  happy  company,  all  on  the  most  friendly 


H.R.H.    PRINCE   ALFRED  33 

terms  with  one  another.  The  Prince,  who  was  very  fond 
of  'Andy,'  as  he  was  always  called,  showed  him  particular 
friendship,  and  the  affection  which  as  boys  and  ship- 
mates they  formed  then  continued  more  or  less  in  later 
years. 

The  Prince  came  back  to  England  in  the  month  of 
August  to  spend  a  short  holiday  with  his  parents  at  Bal- 
moral, but  rejoined  his  ship,  which  was  lying  at  Halifax,  in 
October.  His  return  was  welcomed  by  his  mates  and  by 
the  citizens  of  that  town ;  and  the  Governor,  the  Earl  of 
Mulgrave,  entertained  His  Royal  Highness  and  the  officers 
of  the  St.  George  at  a  state  dinner  on  the  eve  of  their 
departure  for  a  cruise  to  Bermuda.  Among  the  sunny 
islands  of  the  South  the  ship  and  her  crew  were  everywhere 
received  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm,  the  black  and  white 
population  alike  vying  with  each  other  in  their  demonstra- 
tions of  loyalty;  but  the  sudden  death  of  the  Prince 
Consort  at  the  end  of  December  compelled  the  return 
home  for  a  time  of  Prince  Alfred,  who  left  his  ship  at 
Halifax  on  receipt  of  the  sad  news,  with  every  expression 
of  sympathy  from  his  brother  officers.  In  the  spring  of 
1862  Wauchope's  ship  paid  another  visit  to  the  West 
India  Islands,  taking  up  her  station  for  some  weeks 
with  other  six  ships  of  the  line  at  Bermuda,  where  the 
young  '  middies '  were  entertained  to  a  continued  round  of 
amusements  and  excursions. 

A  seafaring  life,  if  often  one  of  risks  and  toil,  has  its 
seasons  of  enforced  idleness.  Midshipmen's  amusements 
and  practical  jokes  are  proverbial,  and  the  quarter-deck  of 
the  St.  George  was  not  always  free  of  them.  Many  pranks 
were  played  upon  one  another  in  idle  hours  by  these 
sprightly  young  officers,  leading  sometimes  to  reprimands 
by  their  superiors;  and  young  Andy  Wauchope  did  not 

c 


34  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

always  escape  the  suspicion  that  he  was  an  active  leader  in 
such  ploys.  It  has  even  been  hinted  that  he  had  on  one 
occasion  the  pluck — or,  shall  we  say,  audacity? — to  have  a 
stand-up  fight  with  the  Queen's  son.  We  do  not  vouch 
for  the  story;  but  of  this  we  are  certain,  that,  if  he  had 
a  just  cause  of  quarrel,  he  was  not  the  boy  to  let  even  the 
prestige  of  royalty  stand  between  him  and  the  punishment 
due  to  the  aggressor,  whoever  he  might  be. 

Some  years  afterwards,  in  the  winter  of  1863-64,  when 
Prince  Alfred  resided  at  Holyrood  Palace,  and  was  a 
student  of  Edinburgh  University,  he  paid  a  friendly  visit  to 
his  old  shipmate  at  Niddrie,  spending  the  day  in  pigeon- 
shooting.  He  and  a  number  of  his  friends  arrived  in  the 
forenoon  on  horseback,  and  the  identity  of  the  party  not 
having  been  made  known  to  the  keeper  of  the  Niddrie 
toll,  through  which  they  had  to  pass  to  reach  the  house,  he 
peremptorily  insisted  upon  payment.  But  being  told  that 
it  was  the  Queen's  son  going  to  see  the  laird,  his  loyalty  so 
much  got  the  better  of  him  that  he  would  not  take  a 
copper. 

After  luncheon  the  party  adjourned  to  the  park  to  have 
some  shooting.  Mr.  Wauchope,  'Andy's'  father,  was  with 
them,  and  was  persuaded  to  try  a  shot,  but  unfortunately 
the  piece  went  off  in  his  hand  before  he  could  take  aim, 
and  one  of  the  footmen  in  attendance  was  hit  in  the  arm 
by  the  charge.  Mr.  Wauchope  was  so  distressed  over  the 
accident  that  he  vowed  he  would  never  again  take  a  gun 
in  his  hand. 

But  it  was  not  in  the  navy  that  young  Wauchope  was 
destined  to  distinguish  himself.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
severity  and  even  harshness  of  the  naval  discipline  gave 
him  a  distaste  of  the  service,  and  drove  him  from  it.  Pos- 
sibly some  remarks  he  made  on  one  occasion  as  to  his 


IU. 


THE   'ST.   GEORGE'  35 

having  been  unjustly  punished  for  some  petty  offence  may 
have  given  some  colour  to  this  supposition.  We  rather 
incline  to  accept  the  explanation  of  a  brother  officer,  who 
asked  him  afterwards  why  he  left  the  navy.  His  reply 
was,  'for  no  reason  except  that  his  father  wished  him,  and 
that  his  father  desired  that  he  should  have  a  naval  training 
before  he  entered  the  army.' 

The  experience  gained  at  sea  was  certainly  not  lost,  for 
his  father's  wisdom  furnished  him  with  a  dual  equipment 
which  in  after  years  was  not  infrequently  of  value.  The 
injustice  of  the  punishment  he  received  when  in  the 
St.  George,  whatever  it  may  have  been,  certainly  impressed 
itself  upon  him  to  this  extent,  that  later  in  life  he  made  it 
a  rule  never  to  punish  a  soldier  until  thoroughly  satisfied 
of  his  guilt,  and  he  always  was  inclined  to  give  a  man  the 
benefit  of  a  doubt. 

The  St.  George  returned  home  in  the  beginning  of  July 
1862  from  her  long  cruise  in  American  waters,  and  with 
her  return  young  Wauchope  closed  his  naval  career.  The 
official  Admiralty  record  simply  states  that  { on  the  3rd  of 
July  1862  Midshipman  Wauchope  was  discharged  from  the 
service  at  his  own  request,  in  order  that  he  might  qualify 
for  the  army.'  His  whole  naval  experience,  therefore, 
covered  a  period  of  scarcely  three  years,  but  it  gave  him  a 
knowledge  of  men  and  things,  and  a  knowledge  of  the 
world,  better,  perhaps,  than  any  study  of  books  could 
afrord. 


CHAPTER    III 

ENTERS   THE   ARMY — THE    BLACK   WATCH — ASHANTI    WAR — 
RETURN    HOME — BANQUET   AT   PORTOBELLO. 

Young  Wauchope  had  not  long  to  wait  for  a  commission. 
At  that  time  positions  in  the  army  could  only  be  got  by 
purchase  and  strong  influence,  but  he  was  fortunate  in 
being  enrolled  as  ensign,  in  November  1865,  in  the  42nd 
Highlanders,  one  of  the  most  popular  and  distinguished 
of  Scottish  regiments,  and  familiarly  known  as  the  '  Black 
Watch.'  He  was  only  nineteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  when 
he  joined  the  regiment  at  Stirling  Castle,  and  is  described 
by  one  of  his  superiors  as  then  •  a  merry,  rollicking  lad, 
full  of  life  and  fun.'  'Andy,'  as  he  used  to  be  called 
by  the  officers,  and  '  Red  Mick '  more  frequently  by  the 
men,  was  a  general  favourite;  and,  notwithstanding  his 
natural  lightness  of  heart,  he  had  soundness  of  brain  and 
judgment  enough  to  know  that  promotion  would  only 
come  to  him  by  diligent  study  and  close  application  to  his 
profession.  His  commanding  officer,  Sir  John  M'Leod, 
appears,  at  all  events,  to  have  been  struck  with  the  young 
man's  energy  of  character  and  indefatigable  'go,'  for  he 
describes  him  as  at  that  time  '  a  particularly  energetic 
young  lad,  who  thought  nothing  of  walking  from  Stirling 
to  Niddrie  to  see  his  old  father  whenever  he  could  get  a 
few  days'  leave  at  a  week-end.'    This,  he  explains,  was  not 


THE   BLACK   WATCH  37 

at  all  from  motives  of  economy,  '  but  merely  to  walk  off 
superfluous  energy.'  Assiduous  in  the  matter  of  drill, 
Wauchope  soon  became  as  proficient  as  his  instructor,  for 
he  took  a  thorough  pleasure  in  the  exercise.  The  innate 
smartness  and  recklessness  of  the  red-polled  ensign  at 
once  endeared  him  to  a  grave  old  Crimean  drill-sergeant, 
who  forthwith  charged  himself  with  his  training.  Con- 
cerning this  latest  accession  to  the  commissioned  strength 
of  the  Black  Watch,  the  man  of  stripes  was  wont  to  say — 
'That  red-headed  Wauchope  chap  will  either  gang  tae  the 
deil,  or  he  '11  dee  Commander-in-Chief ! ' 

Though  the  worthy  sergeant's  prediction  has  in  neither 
case  been  verified,  young  Wauchope,  though  at  first  in- 
clined to  consider  his  superiors  a  trifle  slow,  soon  fell  into 
the  steady  sober  ways  of  the  42nd,  then  as  now  noted  for 
the  gentlemanly  conduct  of  its  officers,  and  the  upright 
character  of  its  rank  and  file.  '  Step  out,  shentlemens ; 
step  out.  You're  all  shentlemens  here;  if  you're  not 
shentlemens  in  the  Black  Watch,  you'll  not  be  shentle- 
mens anywhere.'  Such  was  the  opinion  of  their  old 
Highland  sergeant  as  he  put  them  through  their  drill.  We 
have  been  told  that  at  that  time  one  might  be  a  year 
among  the  officers  and  never  hear  an  oath  uttered,  while 
smoking  and  drinking  were  scarcely  known.  Wauchope 
was  thus  fortunate  in  being,  at  a  critical  period  of  his  life, 
associated  with  men  who  shunned  what  was  vulgar,  and 
whose  influence  over  him  was  for  good.  In  military 
matters  he  early  manifested  the  inquiring  mind.  Points 
in  drill  or  tactics,  which  he  might  not  at  first  understand, 
set  him  thinking,  and  he  would  not  rest  till  he  got  an 
explanation  of  their  meaning  and  object.  Captain  Christie, 
then  adjutant  of  the  Black  Watch,  now  governor  of 
Edinburgh  Prison,  was  early  taken  into  the  young  ensign's 


38  GENERAL    WAUCHOPE 

confidence  in  difficulties  of  this  kind.  Having  been 
through  the  hard  fighting  of  the  Crimean  war  and  the 
Indian  Mutiny,  the  captain  was  made  frequently  to  '  fight 
his  battles  o'er  again,'  explaining  the  methods  and  tactics 
by  which  decisive  results  were  attained  in  the  various 
engagements.  Never  what  may  be  called  a  great  reader 
of  books,  Wauchope  had  two,  however,  placed  in  his  hand 
by  his  adjutant  when  in  Stirling  Castle,  which  he  studied 
assiduously.  These  two  books — Macaulay's  Essays  and 
Burke's  French  Revolution — he  read  and  re-read,  borrowing 
them  several  times,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  the 
perusal  of  them  made  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  upon 
his  mind,  going  a  long  way  towards  the  formation  of  that 
strong  political  sagacity,  administrative  ability  in  civil 
affairs,  and  military  genius  which  were  displayed  on  many 
occasions  in  his  after-life. 

In  1867  Wauchope  went  to  Hythe,  where  he  passed  in 
the  Military  School  of  Instruction  first-class  in  musketry, 
and  in  June  of  that  year  was  promoted  to  be  lieutenant. 
So  proficient  was  he  found  in  the  matter  of  drill  that,  in 
spite  of  his  youth,  he  was  appointed  to  the  important 
position  of  adjutant  to  the  regiment  in  1870,  though  still 
retaining  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  a  position  which  he  held 
with  the  utmost  credit  for  the  next  three  years.  During 
this  time  he  served  successively  with  the  42nd  in  garrison 
duty  at  Edinburgh,  Aldershot,  and  Devonport. 

Leaving  Edinburgh  in  1869  by  the  transport  Orontesy 
from  Granton  to  Portsmouth,  the  regiment  reached 
Aldershot  camp  on  the  12th  November,  and  was  stationed 
there  for  two  and  a  half  years.  After  taking  a  part  in  the 
Autumn  Manoeuvres  at  Dartmoor  in  August  1873,  they 
were  stationed  for  a  few  months  at  the  Clarence  Barracks, 
Portsmouth.     His  duties  during  all  these  years  were  of  the 


ASHANTI   WAR  39 

most  arduous  and  trying  description,  but  his  singularly 
lovable  and  attractive  nature  made  him  so  many  friends 
that  difficulties  disappeared  before  his  cheerful  counten- 
ance. Speaking  of  this  period  in  his  career,  Colonel 
Bayly,  afterwards  his  commanding  officer,  says — 'It  was 
very  early  in  his  subaltern  career  that  Wauchope  was 
voted  for  the  appointment  of  adjutant,  and  he  made  one 
of  the  best  that  had  ever  been  appointed.  His  charm  of 
disposition  enabled  him  to  gain  the  love  of  his  men,  whilst 
his  tact  and  firmness  enabled  him  to  enforce  the  necessary 
discipline.' 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  Ashanti  war  on  the  west  coast 
of  Africa  in  the  autumn  of  1873,  young  Lieutenant 
Wauchope  found  his  first  opportunity,  in  active  foreign 
service,  of  showing  the  metal  of  which  he  was  made. 

The  king  of  Ashanti — Koffee  Kalcallee — the  head  of  a 
strong  warlike  kingdom  on  the  north  of  the  Gold  Coast, 
had  long  asserted  his  authority  over  the  neighbouring  pro 
vinces  of  Akim,  Assin,  Gaman,  and  Denkira,  down  to  the 
very  coast  where  the  Dutch  and  English  had  settlements. 
The  transfer,  in  1872,  of  the  Dutch  possessions  adjoin- 
ing Cape  Coast  Castle  to  Great  Britain  for  certain  com- 
mercial privileges,  gave  King  Koffee  of  Ashanti  the 
opportunity  for  asserting  what  he  considered  his  lawful 
authority  over  the  Fantees  or  adjoining  coast  tribe.  This, 
however,  was  only  a  covert  excuse  for  striking  a  blow  at 
British  rule  on  the  Gold  Coast,  and  in  January  1873  an 
army  of  60,000  warriors — and  the  Ashantis,  though  cruel, 
are  brave  and  warlike — was  in  full  march  upon  Cape  Coast 
Castle  and  Elmina.  The  British  force  on  the  spot  under 
Colonel  Harley  was  only  a  thousand  men,  mainly  West 
India  troops  and  Haussa  police,  with  a  few  marines;  and 
though  the  neighbouring  friendly  tribes,  whose  interest  it 


4o  GENERAL    WAUCHOPE 

was  to  remain  under  the  British  protectorate,  raised  a  large 
contingent  for  their  own  defence,  this  was  a  force  that 
could  not  be  relied  on.  By  the  month  of  April  the 
Ashantis  had  crossed  the  river  Prah,  the  southern  limit 
of  their  kingdom,  and  were  within  a  few  miles  of  Cape 
Coast  Castle,  and  matters  were  looking  serious.  With  the 
aid  of  a  small  reinforcement  of  marines,  the  enemy  were 
fortunately  kept  at  bay  until  the  2nd  October,  when  a 
strong  force  arrived  from  England,  which  turned  the  tide 
against  King  Kofifee,  and  ultimately  swept  him  and  his 
warriors  back  upon  his  capital.  This  expedition,  under 
Major-General  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley,  with  his  staff  and  a  body 
of  five  hundred  sailors  and  marines,  not  only  held  their  own, 
but  by  the  end  of  November,  after  much  hard  preliminary 
work,  had  forced  the  king  to  retreat  to  Kumasi.  Wolseley, 
finding  the  expedition  a  more  arduous  one  than  was  at 
first  expected,  had  meantime  asked  for  further  reinforce- 
ments, and  on  the  4th  December  the  Black  Watch,  accom- 
panied by  a  considerable  number  of  volunteers  from  the 
79th,  left  Portsmouth,  arriving  on  4th  January  1874  at  their 
destination.  Sir  Garnet  had  now  at  his  disposal  a  force 
consisting  of  the  23rd,  42nd,  and  2nd  Battalion  Rifle 
Brigade,  detachments  of  Royal  Artillery,  Royal  Engineers, 
and  Royal  Marines,  which,  with  native  levies,  formed  a 
small  but  effective  army  wherewith  to  advance  into  the 
enemy's  country. 

This  was  no  light  task,  more  especially  when  the 
dangerous  nature  of  the  climate  is  taken  into  account,  and 
the  necessity  there  was  that  the  enterprise  should  be 
accomplished,  if  at  all,  before  the  rainy  season,  with  all  its 
concomitant  malaria,  set  in.  To  pierce  into  the  heart  of 
a  country  like  Ashanti,  with  its  marshes  and  matted 
forests,    its   pathless  jungles   and   fetid   swamps,    with   a 


WAUCHOPE'S    BLACK   BOYS  41 

cunning  foe  ever  dogging  their  steps,  was  the  service  im- 
posed on  this  brave  little  army  of  British.  As  Lord  Derby 
remarked  at  the  time,  this  was  to  be  'an  engineers' and 
doctors'  war.'  Roads  had  to  be  made,  bridges  built,  tele- 
graphs set  up,  and  camps  formed.  But  by  the  energy  and 
skill  of  General  Wolseley,  ably  supported  by  such  men  as 
Captain  (now  Sir)  Redvers  Buller,  Colonel  (afterwards  Sir 
John)  N'Neil,  Lieut.-Colonel  (afterwards  Sir  Evelyn)  Wood, 
Colonel  (now  Sir  John)  M'Leod,  and  others  who  have 
since  risen  to  distinction  in  the  army,  the  enterprise  was 
successfully  and  brilliantly  accomplished  within  a  month. 
The  Ashantis  were  forced  back  upon  their  own  territory  in 
a  number  of  engagements,  until  at  last  their  capital  was 
seized  and  burned  to  the  ground. 

Lieutenant  Wauchope's  share  in  this  expedition  was 
highly  creditable  to  his  bravery  and  military  skill.  Accom- 
panying Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  at  an  early  stage  of  the 
struggle,  as  one  of  the  staff,  he  resigned  his  adjutantship  of 
the  Black  Watch,  and  was  afterwards  fortunate  in  obtain- 
ing special  employment  as  a  commander  of  one  of  the 
native  regiments  formed  at  Cape  Coast  Castle,  namely, 
Russell's  regiment  of  Haussas,  the  Winnebah  Company. 
To  form  such  crude  material  into  a  well-disciplined  body 
of  soldiers  seemed  at  first  a  well-nigh  hopeless  undertak- 
ing. Their  fear  made  cowards  of  them  all.  The  very 
sight  of  a  gun  terrified  them,  and  for  long  they  held  their 
arms  in  such  superstitious  dread,  that  they  would  hang 
them  up  in  the  trees  and  actually  worship  them.  But 
Wauchope's  admirable  drilling  qualifications  stood  him  in 
good  stead.  He  took,  we  are  told,  a  great  pride  in  the 
training  of  his  '  black  boys,'  as  he  called  them,  and  infused 
into  them  much  of  his  own  daring  spirit.  This  appointment 
separated  him  for  a  time  from  his  own  regiment,  but  on 


42  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

the  Black  Watch  arriving  afterwards  at  the  Gold  Coast,  he 
had  frequent  opportunities  of  fighting  by  their  side. 

In  the  advanced  guard,  the  426.  Regiment  and  Russell's 
Haussas,  under  Colonel  M'Leod,  having  crossed  the 
Adansi  hills,  reached  Prah-su  on  the  30th  January,  and 
occupied  a  position  about  two  miies  from  the  Ashanti 
main  position  at  Amoaful.  Surmounting  innumerable 
difficulties,  and  carrying  all  before  them,  the  Highlanders 
by  their  dash  and  intrepidity  were  a  splendid  example  to 
those  led  by  Wauchope,  who  sometimes  had  difficulty  in 
inspiring  his  men  with  courage  enough  to  face  their 
much-dreaded  enemy.  In  scouting  and  clearing  the 
ground  his  men  were,  however,  invaluable,  and  if  we  con- 
sider the  dense  undergrowth  that  covered  the  country 
traversed,  this  was  a  work  of  great  importance.  By  one 
traveller  we  are  told  '  the  country  hereabout  (at  Amoaful) 
is  one  dense  mass  of  brush,  penetrated  by  a  few  narrow 
lanes,  where  the  ground,  hollowed  by  rains,  is  so  uneven 
and  steep  at  the  sides  as  to  give  scanty  footing.  A 
passenger  between  the  two  walls  of  foliage  may  wander  for 
hours  before  he  finds  that  he  has  mistaken  the  path.  To 
cross  the  country  from  one  narrow  clearing  to  another,  axes 
and  knives  must  be  used  at  every  step.  There  is  no  look- 
ing over  the  hedge  in  this  oppressive  and  bewildering 
maze.'  It  was  in  such  a  position  as  this  that  the  battle  of 
Amoaful  was  fought.  The  enemy's  army  was  never  seen 
in  open  order,  but  its  numbers  are  reported  by  Ashantis 
to  have  been  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand.  After  a 
stubborn  day's  fight  in  the  entanglement  of  the  forest,  the 
Ashantis  were  finally  defeated  with  great  loss. 

On  the  1  st  February,  the  day  following  this  important 
engagement,  orders  were  issued  for  an  attack  upon 
Becquah,  towards  which  Captain  Buller  and  Lord  Gifiord 


ADVANCE   ON    KUMASI  43 

scouted  at  daybreak.  The  attack  was  intrusted  to  Sir  Archi- 
bald Alison,  who  had  under  his  orders  the  Naval  Brigade, 
one  gun  and  one  rocket  detachment,  Rait's  Artillery,  detach- 
ment of  Royal  Engineers,  with  labourers,  23rd  Fusiliers, 
five  companies  of  42nd  Highlanders,  and  Russell's  regiment 
of  Haussas,  with  scouts.  This  force  was  divided  into  an 
advanced  guard  and  main  body,  and  Wauchope  was  again 
honoured  with  the  post  of  danger,  his  regiment  of  Haussas 
being  in  the  advanced  guard  along  with  the  Naval  Brigade 
and  Rait's  Artillery,  all  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
M'Leod.  After  a  toilsome  march  through  the  bush  under 
a  tropical  sun,  the  town  of  Becquah  was  reached,  and  a 
sharp  but  decisive  engagement  took  place,  the  main  brunt 
of  which  fell  upon  Lord  Gifford's  scouts  and  the  Haussas. 
Still  pressing  on,  the  intrepid  little  army,  through  many 
mazy  trampings,  arrived  at  Jarbinbah,  every  inch  of  the 
ground  being  disputed  by  the  enemy.  Here  Wauchope 
was  wounded  in  the  chest  by  a  slug  fired  down  upon  him 
from  one  of  the  tall  trees  in  the  swampy  ground  in  front 
of  an  ambuscade;  but,  serious  enough  though  it  was,  and 
causing  much  loss  of  blood,  it  did  not  prevent  him  sticking 
to  his  post  and  looking  after  his  '  black  boys.'  After  this 
battle  King  Koffee  sent  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley, 
with  vague  promises  of  an  indemnity,  hoping  to  prevent 
the  invading  army  approaching  his  capital;  but  his  previous 
prevarications  did  not  admit  of  his  tardy  proposals  being 
for  a  moment  entertained.  The  king,  realising  this,  resolved 
to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  river  Ordah.  The  stream  was 
about  fifty  feet  wide,  and  waist-deep,  and  the  enemy,  to  the 
number  of  at  least  10,000  men,  were  posted  on  the  further 
side.  Russell's  regiment  of  Haussas  was,  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  3rd  February,  at  once  passed  to  the  other  side  of 
the  stream  as  a  covering  party  to   the   Engineers,   who 


44  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

were  ordered  to  throw  over  a  bridge.  They  rapidly  made 
entrenchments,  and  cleared  the  ground  on  the  north  side, 
so  that  the  whole  advanced  guard  might  successfully  cross. 
In  this  affair  Lieutenant  Wauchope  acquitted  himself  with 
much  coolness  and  bravery,  notwithstanding  his  wounded 
state,  Colonel  M'Leod  reporting  the  regiment  as  'being  in 
front  the  whole  day,  and  having  behaved  with  remarkable 
steadiness  under  trying  circumstances,  reserving  their  fire 
with  remarkable  self-control.'  This  shows  a  decided  im- 
provement in  the  discipline  of  Wauchope's  'black  boys' 
from  a  former  despatch,  where  their  firing  was  characterised 
as  '  wild.'  By  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  February 
the  bridge  over  the  Ordah  was  completed,  amid  drenching 
rain,  which  had  continued  all  night,  and  the  whole  avail- 
able force  was  successfully  passed  over  in  spite  of  the 
vigorous  resistance  of  the  Ashantis,  who,  with  drums 
beating  and  great  shouting,  were  endeavouring  to  circle 
round  the  British.  'For  the  first  half-mile  from  the  river 
the  path  rose  tolerably  even/  says  one  report;  'then  after  a 
rapid  descent  it  passed  along  a  narrow  ridge  with  a  ravine 
on  each  side ;  dipped  again  deeply,  and  then  finally  rose 
into  the  village.  To  the  south-west  of  the  village,  extend- 
ing almost  to  the  village  itself,  and  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance along  the  road,  the  enemy  had  made  a  clearing  of 
several  acres,  by  cutting  down  a  plantain-grove.  Colonel 
M'Leod  steadily  advanced  along  the  main  road  under 
of  a  gun,  after  a  few  rounds  from  which  the  Rifles 
made  a  corresponding  advance ;  then  the  gun  was  brought 
up  again,  and  another  advance  made ;  and  in  this  manner 
the  village  was  at  last  reached  and  carried.'  The  Ashantis 
fought  well,  and  with  a  vigour  and  pertinacity  which  won 
the  praise  and  admiration  of  the  Highlanders.  The  soldiers 
were  put   to   their  mettle,  and  even    the  Haussas,  as  if 


KUMASI   CAPTURED  45 

catching  the  fierce  courage  of  the  Scotsmen,  laboured  with 
vigour  and  energy  not  eclipsed  by  any  in  the  field.  The 
dislodgment  of  the  enemy  was  not  effected,  however,  with- 
out considerable  loss,  Lieutenant  Eyre  being  killed,  while 
Wauchope  received  a  second  severe  wound,  this  time  on 
the  shoulder. 

The  battle  virtually  decided  the  fate  of  Kumasi  and 
King  Koffee.  On  the  news  of  the  defeat  of  his  army  the 
king  fled,  no  one  knew  whither,  and  the  victorious  General 
Wolseley,  with  his  troops,  entered  the  blood-stained  capital 
in  the  evening.  Attempts  were  made  to  negotiate  with 
the  king.  He  preferred  to  keep  in  hiding,  and  after  two 
days'  stay  in  his  capital  in  order,  if  possible,  to  compel 
him  to  come  to  terms,  it  was  at  length  resolved  to  destroy 
the  place  and  at  once  retire  to  Cape  Coast  Castle. 
Kumasi  was  burned  to  the  ground  on  the  6th  February, 
and  the  British  troops  having  accomplished  their  purpose 
retraced  their  steps,  and  notwithstanding  the  swollen  state 
of  the  rivers — for  the  rainy  season  had  just  set  in — their 
destination  was  reached  in  twelve  days.  No  time  was 
lost  in  getting  the  troops  out  of  the  influence  of  the  deadly 
climate,  and  accordingly  by  the  4th  March  the  whole 
expeditionary  force  was  embarked  for  home. 

Wauchope's  wounds,  thanks  to  a  good  constitution, 
readily  healed,  and  by  the  time  of  his  arrival  at  Portsmouth 
he  was  fairly  convalescent,  though  every  effort  made  to 
extract  the  slug  had  been  unsuccessful.  He  left  his 
favourite  Haussas — his  'black  boys' — with  every  manifes- 
tation of  regret,  at  Cape  Coast  Castle.  Nor  was  the  regret 
only  on  his  side,  for  we  learn  from  one  of  his  brother 
officers  that  '  they  looked  up  to  him  as  a  father,  and  would 
willingly  have  followed  him  through  any  danger,  even  to 
death  itself.' 


46  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

For  his  conspicuous  bravery  in  the  various  engagements 
in  Ashanti,  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley's  despatches  brought 
Wauchope  under  the  favourable  notice  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  he  was  awarded  the  Ashanti  medal  and  clasp. 
On  the  return  of  the  troops,  they  were  received  with  the 
utmost  enthusiasm,  commanders  and  men  being  feted  and 
thanked,  both  at  Cape  Coast  Castle  and  in  England,  for 
their  brilliant  services.  The  expedition  entered  Ports- 
mouth in  March  1874,  with  loud  demonstrations  of  wel- 
come, the  Black  Watch  especially  coming  in  for  a  large 
share  of  popular  attention. 

Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  had  in  London  and  elsewhere  a 
repetition  of  the  extraordinary  reception  he  and  his  fol- 
lowers had  experienced  at  Cape  Coast  Castle  on  their 
triumphal  return  from  Kumasi. 

A  civic  banquet  was  given  in  April  by  the  Lord  Mayor 
of  London  in  the  Egyptian  Hall,  at  which  nearly  three 
hundred  guests  sat  down,  including  nearly  all  the  officers 
of  the  expedition.  Among  those  present  were  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  Prince  Arthur,  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  and  the 
Duke  of  Teck,  besides  a  number  of  members  of  the 
Cabinet.  But  although  the  bulk  of  the  honours  naturally 
fell  to  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  and  the  senior  officers  of  the 
expedition,  and  Wauchope's  name  scarcely  appears  in 
these  public  demonstrations,  his  friends  in  Scotland  had 
their  eye  upon  the  young  lieutenant  who  had  in  a  few 
short  months  carved  out  for  himself  a  distinguished  reputa- 
tion, and  had  added  to  the  laurels  of  the  house  of  Niddrie. 
The  people  of  Portobello  specially  determined  to  show 
their  appreciation  of  his  gallant  services  by  a  public 
banquet,  and  though  at  first  the  natural  modesty  of  the 
young  soldier  shrank  from  such  a  recognition  of  his 
services,    after    some    persuasion    he    consented.       The 


HOME   AGAIN  47 

banquet  took  place  on  the  12th  June  in  the  Town  Hall. 
There  was  a  large  gathering  of  the  principal  inhabitants. 
Provost  Wood  presided,  and  was  supported  by,  among 
others,  Sir  James  Gardiner  Baird,  Lord  Ventry,  and  a 
number  of  county  gentry. 

In  proposing  the  toast  of  the  evening,  Provost  Wood 
took  occasion  to  say : — '  We  are  met  to  do  honour  to  a 
soldier  who  volunteered  to  serve  on  the  staff  of  General 
Wolseley  in  the  recent  war.  At  that  time  it  was  thought 
that  British  troops  would  not  be  required,  but  that  the 
friendly  natives,  commanded  and  disciplined  by  British 
officers,  would  be  able  to  cope  with  the  savage  Ashantis. 
Lieutenant  Wauchope,  on  his  arrival  at  the  Gold  Coast, 
was  appointed  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Haussas — a  body 
of  natives  who  proved  themselves  superior  in  courage  and 
endurance  to  any  of  our  African  allies.  Commanded  and 
led  by  British  officers — the  chief  being  the  gallant  Lord 
Gifford — these  troops  did  much  valuable  service.  They 
formed  the  van  of  our  advancing  army,  and  were  frequently 
engaged  in  the  most  severe  and  wild  fighting.  Our  guest, 
in  his  ardour  to  see  active  service,  had  voluntarily  separated 
himself  from  his  own  regiment.  Yet  he  was  destined  to 
share  with  them  the  dangers  and  glory  of  the  war.  The 
War  Office,  finding  that  the  Ashantis  were  more  formid- 
able than  was  at  first  expected,  and  that  our  native  allies 
were  less  to  be  relied  upon,  resolved  to  send  out  British 
troops.  This  meeting  must  feel  proud,  as  an  assemblage 
of  Scotsmen,  that  the  42nd  Royal  Highlanders  was  one  of 
the  chosen  regiments,  and  our  guest  must  have  felt  gratified 
when  he  found  he  had  an  opportunity  of  fighting  beside 
his  own  regiment  at  Amoaful;  and  at  that  place,  while 
leading  on  his  Haussas,  our  gallant  guest  was  wounded. 
He  did  not,  however,  fall  to  the  rear,  but  continued  to 


48  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

push  forward,  and,  along  with  the  glorious  42nd,  he 
entered  the  now  famous  city  of  Kumasi.  I  need 
scarcely  recall  the  events  of  the  campaign — how  a  very 
small  British  army,  with  little  assistance  from  native  allies, 
in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  beat  and  shattered  the 
enormous  Ashanti  forces,  and  compelled  the  hitherto  un- 
conquered  Ashantis  to  sue  for  peace,  and  give  freedom 
and  security  to  the  country  round.  It  has  always  been 
the  pride  and  the  pleasure  of  the  people  of  this  country  to 
do  honour  to  those  who  have  fought  and  bled  for  their 
country's  cause,  especially  so  when  that  cause  is  associated, 
as  it  was  in  this  instance,  with  the  spread  of  civilisation 
and  the  prevention  and  prohibition  of  slavery  and  cruelty. 
The  newspaper  reports  showed  us  that  the  Lothians  had 
gallant  representatives  at  the  Ashanti  war,  and  the  people 
of  Portobello  felt  proud  to  see  the  old  and  honoured 
name  of  Wauchope  prominently  noticed.  We  also  felt  a 
desire  to  give  expression  to  the  sympathy  and  respect  we 
entertain  for  the  house  of  Niddrie  by  a  public  demonstra- 
tion in  honour  of  a  young  scion  of  that  house,  who  has 
proved  that  he  has  within  him  a  dauntless  spirit  worthy  of 
his  ancient  lineage.  We  desire  this  evening  to  congratulate 
our  guest,  that  a  kind  Providence  has  guarded  his  life, 
and  protected  him  through  the  imminent  risks  of  a 
pestilential  climate  and  the  dangers  of  a  wild  war;  and 
we  hope  yet  to  see  Lieutenant  Wauchope  rise  to  that  high 
position  in  the  service  which  his  talents  and  abilities  so 
eminently  qualify  him  to  fill.' 

Lieutenant  Wauchope's  reply  was  characteristic  of  the 
man.  He  was  not  quite  so  much  at  his  ease,  or  felt  he  was 
in  his  proper  place,  as  if  he  had  been  at  the  head  of  his 
Haussas.  '  He  thanked  the  Provost  for  the  too  flattering 
words  in  which  he  had  referred  to  his  services.    He  had 


BANQUET   AT    PORTOBELLO  49 

not  deserved  such  great  honour  at  their  hands.  His 
services  as  rendered  to  the  State  were  poor  and  insignifi- 
cant— very  much  so  indeed.  But  he  felt  himself  standing 
on  firmer  ground  when  he  remembered  that  he  was  an 
officer  in  the  42nd  Royal  Highlanders.  He  recognised 
in  the  entertainment  a  desire  to  mark  their  appreciation 
of  the  conduct  of  the  regiment  to  which  he  had  the 
honour  to  belong.  He  had  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
the  42nd  deserved  well  of  its  country,  and  he  thought  that 
it  had  added  honour  to  its  history. 

'They  were  all  .well  aware  that  the  Ashantis  had  in- 
vaded our  allies'  country,  and  had  perpetrated  many 
horrible  cruelties.  Our  representative  on  the  coast  sent 
remonstrances  and  threats,  but  these  were  all  in  vain 
until  backed  by  picked  battalions.  Two  hundred  marines 
were  first  sent  out.  They  landed  at  a  most  unhealthy 
season,  and  most  of  them  died.  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  then 
arrived  on  the  scene,  accompanied  by  British  officers,  and 
the  result  was  that  the  Ashantis  were  driven  back  beyond 
the  river  Prah,  and  within  fifteen  miles  of  Kumasi.  On 
the  4th  February,  King  Koffee  gave  instructions  to  his 
bodyguard  that  any  man  who  ran  away  would  have  his 
head  cut  off.  But  even  King  Koffee  himself  had  to  run 
before  the  British  bullets.  He  did  not  think  that  the 
lives  that  were  lost,  or  the  money  that  was  spent,  were 
given  in  vain,  because  it  would  show  those  barbarous 
nations  that  the  glory  of  old  England  was  not  to  be 
trampled  upon  with  impunity  —  that  if  people  would 
invade  our  territory  and  commit  murders  and  crime,  the 
retribution  would  be  terrible.  The  British  lion  took  a  long 
time  to  rise.  He  was  a  grand  old  animal  in  his  way  ;  but 
when  he  did  rise,  the  vengeance  would  be  speedy.  He 
believed  that  the  King" of  Ashaoti  bitterly  regretted  the 

D 


50  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

day  that  he  first  invaded  the  British  Protectorate.'  He 
thanked  the  company  for  the  high  honour  they  had  done 
him,  and  concluded  with  a  few  jocular  remarks  as  to  his 
connection  with  the  town  and  district.  He  could  assure 
them,  he  said,  that  if  fortune  should  smile  on  him,  and  if 
on  a  future  occasion  he  should  return  from  some  cam- 
paign as  a  successful  soldier,  he  should  be  disappointed 
if  he  was  not  entertained  by  them  in  a  similar  manner. 
He  was  proud  of  the  district  —  of  the  county  which 
gave  him  birth.  He  had  often  said  to  himself  that 
he  would  spend  the  latter  days  of  his  life  in  Portobello. 
It  might  be  that  yet  he  would  take  the  position  of 
a  town  councillor  of  the  Burgh.  He  had  no  doubt  he 
would  make  a  most  excellent  civil  magistrate,  and  be  a 
terror  to  evil-doers !  In  afterwards  replying  to  the  toast 
of  the  House  of  Niddrie,  Lieutenant  Wauchope  referred 
to  the  long  connection  it  had  with  the  district,  and  'ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  as  it  had  never  brought  dishonour 
upon  its  name,  it  would  never  do  so  in  the  future.  So 
far  as  in  him  lay,  he  would  always  try  to  sustain  its 
honour.' 

It  is  perhaps  not  wise  to  attach  too  much  importance 
to  after-dinner  speeches,  but  there  is  a  ring  of  sincerity 
of  purpose  in  these  last  words,  which  in  the  light  of  after 
events  gives  them  an  importance  they  might  not  otherwise 
have.  Wauchope  lived  up  to  his  ideal  standard  of  a 
chivalrous  knight,  and  nobly  upheld  the  honour  of  his 
name.  What  Chaucer  five  hundred  years  ago  wrote  of 
his  imaginary  knight,  we  to-day  may  say  of  our  real 
one: 

'He  nevere  yitno  vileinye  ne  sayde 
In  al  his  lyf,  unto  no  maner  wight, 
He  was  a  verray  perfight  gentil  kniyht.' 


FATHER   AND   SON  51 

Wauchope's  father  was  unfortunately  unable  to  be  present 
on  so  auspicious  an  occasion  on  account  of  the  state  of  his 
health,  but  he  was  much  gratified  by  this  public  recogni- 
tion of  his  son's  services.  The  latter,  still  in  indifferent 
health,  with  the  slug-wounds  in  his  chest  giving  him  no 
little  trouble,  had,  however,  a  long  period  of  rest,  and  was 
much  of  the  time  at  Niddrie.  His  attention  to  his  father 
was  very  marked  while  at  home — father  and  son  being 
frequently  seen  arm  in  arm  walking  through  the  grounds. 


CHAPTER    IV 

DEATH  OF  WAUCHOPE'S  FATHER — ORDERED  TO  MALTA — 
REMINISCENCES — RELIGIOUS  CONVICTIONS — CYPRUS — 
APPOINTMENT  AS  CIVIL  COMMISSIONER  OF  PAPHO 
—  REMINISCENCES  —  SIR  ROBERT  BIDDULPH  —  THE 
SULTAN'S  CLAIMS. 

In  November  1874  Wauchope  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
his  father,  for  whom,  especially  since  the  death  of  his 
much-loved  mother  in  the  summer  of  1858,  he  had  the 
closest  affection,  never  permitting  any  opportunity  to  pass 
without  visiting  the  paternal  roof.  Though  Mr.  Andrew 
Wauchope  of  Niddrie  was  only  fifty-six  when  he  died,  he 
had  for  some  years  been  very  much  of  an  invalid,  and  was 
latterly  unable  to  take  any  active  part  in  public  business. 
He  spent  much  of  his  time  in  and  about  his  house  and 
grounds,  taking  a  considerable  interest  in  their  improve- 
ment; but  outside  he  was  well  known  for  his  efforts  to 
improve  the  position  of  those  dependent  upon  him,  and 
for  his  quiet  but  consistent  Christian  character. 

He  attended  for  several  years  before  his  death  the  Free 
Church  at  Portobello,  then  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev. 
Robert  Henderson  Ireland.  There  was  no  more  regular 
attender  of  the  church  than  Mr.  Wauchope,  who  was 
generally  accompanied  by  one  of  his  daughters,  and  by 
his  son  Andrew  when  he  happened  to  be  at  home,  and 

M 


ORDERED   TO   MALTA  53 

to  the  last  the  friendship  between  Mr.  Wauchope  and  his 
minister  was  of  the  most  cordial  and  kindly  nature.  We 
believe  he  often  expressed  his  sense  of  the  benefit  he 
derived  from  sitting  under  Mr.  Ireland's  ministry. 

On  Mr.  Wauchope's  death  Lieutenant  Wauchope's 
elder  brother,  William  John  Wauchope,  then  a  Major  in 
the  Enniskilling  Dragoons,  succeeded  to  the  estates,  and 
in  some  measure  this  change  altered  his  relationship  to 
the  old  home.  It  could  not  now  be  the  same  to  him  as 
formerly,  though  he  was  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with 
his  brother,  and  -not  unfrequently  spent  some  of  his  time 
at  Niddrie  and  Yetholm. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  his  father's  death,  coupled  with 
his  own  precarious  state  of  health,  brought  to  his  mind  a 
deeper  conviction  of  the  seriousness  of  life,  and  led  to  his 
forming  more  pronounced  views  of  religious  truth.  But 
Lieutenant  Wauchope,  having  creditably  won  his  spurs 
and  fought  and  bled  in  his  country's  service,  was  not  the 
man  to  rest  upon  his  laurels.  He  was  ready,  notwithstand- 
ing former  wounds,  for  further  service  when  the  occasion 
might  arise. 

In  November  1875  ne  again  joined  his  regiment  at 
Malta,  where  it  had  been  stationed  for  nearly  a  year. 
His  arrival  among  his  old  comrades  was  the  occasion 
of  a  cordial  welcome  at  the  Floriana  barracks,  and  he 
at  once  threw  himself  with  spirit  into  the  whole  work 
and  drill  of  the  regiment,  taking  a  lively  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  men  and  also  of  their  wives  and  children. 
A  brother  officer  who  was  then  also  a  subaltern,  and  had 
joined  the  regiment  at  Malta  a  few  months  later,  says : 
'Wauchope  was  the  "Father  of  the  Subalterns"  or  senior 
Lieutenant,  and  right  well  he  "fathered"  newly  joined 
youngsters,  always  ready  to  help  them  in  any  way — lending 


54  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

them  ponies  to  ride  and  play  polo  on.  I  was  always,'  he 
continues,  'associated  with  him  on  the  mess  committee, 
and  served  under  him,  and  what  struck  one  most  about 
him  was  the  thoroughness  with  which  he  tackled  whatever 
was  on  hand.' 

As  regards  the  rank  and  file,  he  was-  a  very  brother  to 
many  of  them,  as  the  following  from  one  of  the  colour- 
sergeants  will  show  : — '  Lieutenant  Wauchope  was  always 
a  favourite  with  the  men,  and  in  Malta  he  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  them  and  did  much  for  them,  always  manifesting 
a  kindly  sympathy  towards  any  who  were  married  without 
leave,  or  who  happened  to  be  involved  in  any  trouble 
which  entailed  a  deduction  from  their  pay.  On  pay-day, 
while  the  sergeant  was  paying  the  men,  Wauchope  would 
often  sit  at  the  table  looking  on,  and  note  any  who  got 
only  a  few  coppers  on  account  of  stoppage  for  support  of 
wife  and  family,  or  for  other  reasons.  He  would  quietly 
tell  them  to  wait  a  little  till  the  company  was  all  paid. 
Then  he  would  speak  to  each  separately,  giving  them  a 
word  of  sympathy  or  admonition,  along  with  a  piece  of 
money,  expressing  the  hope  as  he  dismissed  them  that 
they  would  try  to  do  better  in  the  future.  This  was  so 
unusual  as  between  officers  and  men  that  it  had  a  wonder- 
ful effect  upon  them.'  Even  in  their  recreations  and 
amusements  he  showed  an  interest,  and  encouraged  them 
in  every  possible  way.  '  He  kept  a  small  yacht  while  at 
Malta,  and  he  was  in  the  habit  of  inviting  the  sergeants  to 
an  afternoon's  enjoyment  in  cruising  about  the  harbour  for 
an  hour  or  two.' 

With  him,  care  for  his  men  was  his  first  thought;  and 
in  commanding  the  G  company  of  the  42nd  in  Floriana 
barracks,  another  of  his  sergeants  observes  '  that  even  in 
the  hot   summer   afternoons,   when   the   men   were  lying 


LIFE   IN   MALTA  55 

down  in  their  beds,  he  used  regularly  to  sit  on  the  barrack- 
room  table  lecturing  them  on  minor  tactics,  often,  I  fear, 
more  to  his  own  satisfaction  than  to  their  edification ! ' 

Of  this  period  of  Wauchope's  life  we  have  a  most  in- 
teresting sketch  from  one  who  had  ample  opportunities  of 
seeing  his  conduct,  and  forming  a  judgment  upon  the 
motives  and  disposition  of  heart  and  mind  which  governed 
his  actions.  Dr.  Wisely,  who  has  for  many  years  been 
army  chaplain  at  Malta  to  the  Presbyterian  soldiers 
stationed  there,  formed  a  close  and  intimate  friendship 
with  the  young  lieutenant  on  his  arrival  in  the  island.  He 
saw  much  of  him,  and  their  acquaintance  was  renewed  on 
several  occasions  when  Wauchope  happened  afterwards  to 
be  there.  His  opinion  is  therefore  of  some  value.  '  It  is,' 
says  he,  '  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  since  I  became 
acquainted  with  the  late  General  Wauchope.  He  was  then 
about  thirty  years  of  age ;  and  although  he  had  been  in  the 
Black  Watch  for  twelve  years  or  more,  and  had  also  for  a 
considerable  period  been  adjutant  of  the  regiment,  he  was 
still  only  a  subaltern,  and  it  seemed  quite  uncertain  when 
he  would  get  his  company.  Promotion  in  the  42nd  was 
at  that  time  very  slow,  and  I  asked  him  whether  he  had 
ever  thought  of  changing  into  some  other  regiment,  where 
he  might  have  a  better  chance.  His  answer  was  a  very 
emphatic  "No."  He  wished  to  remain  in  the  old  corps 
and  take  what  came. 

1  Wauchope  held  some  special  appointment  at  home,  and 
his  regiment  had  been  in  Malta  for  several  months  before 
he  joined  them  after  the  Ashanti  war.  He  had  been 
severely  wounded  in  that  war.  A  leaden  slug,  fired  by  one 
of  the  savages  hidden  among  the  branches  of  trees,  entered 
his  breast,  and  it  was  a  marvel  he  was  not  killed  on  the 
spot.     He  told  me  he  bled  like  an  ox.     His  account  of 


56  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

how  the  blood  at  last  stopped  was  somewhat  curious.  His 
old  colonel,  Sir  John  M'Leod,  came  to  see  him  after  he 
was  wounded,  and  on  leaving  he  presented  him  with  a 
copy  of  the  Book  of  Psalms.  Wauchope  said  that  he 
began  wondering  whether  "old  Jack,"  as  he  familiarly 
called  his  commanding  officer,  whom  he  greatly  venerated, 
was  in  the  habit  of  carrying  about  copies  of  the  Psalms  in 
his  pocket  to  give  to  officers  when  dangerously  wounded, 
and  it  struck  him  in  such  a  ludicrous  light  that,  after  the 
good  colonel  was  out  of  sight,  he  burst  into  such  a  fit 
of  laughing  that  he  could  not  stop — and  that,  he  said, 
stopped  the  bleeding!  Sir  John  and  Wauchope  had  a 
great  respect  for  each  other.  Wauchope  looked  up  to  Sir 
John  with  admiration  bordering  on  awe.  The  colonel 
regarded  his  lieutenant  as  a  model  officer.  He  told  me 
that  Wauchope's  character  commanded  universal  respect, 
and  that  his  high  moral  tone  and  the  thoroughness  with 
which  he  discharged  all  his  duties  gave  him  an  influence 
which  was  invaluable. 

'  On  his  arrival  in  Malta  he  was  appointed  musketry 
Instructor  at  Pembroke  Camp.  The  men's  shooting  did 
not  come  up  to  the  standard  which  it  was  thought  it  ought 
to  reach ;  and  one  day  Sir  John  said  to  me :  "  Wauchope 
is  making  himself  perfectly  ill  with  his  anxiety  about  it. 
If  he  would  only  be  anxious  twenty-three  hours  out  of  the 
twenty-four  I  would  not  mind  so  much,  but  he  is  anxious 
all  the  twenty-four  hours  of  the  day  ! " 

'At  that  time,  however,  Wauchope  was  anxious  not 
only  about  his  professional  duties,  but  he  was  concerned 
about  himself,  for  he  knew  that  his  life  was  a  most  pre- 
carious one,  scarcely  worth  a  day's  purchase.  The  slug 
which  pierced  his  chest  had  not  been  extracted.  It  kept 
moving  about,  and  at  any  moment  might  cause  death. 


THE   DRAWN   SWORD  57 

This  he  knew  full  well.  He  consulted  the  best  surgeons 
in  the  island,  but  they  were  unable  to  do  anything.  It 
was  not,  I  believe,  till  about  a  year  afterwards  that  the 
slug  was  at  last  extracted  by  an  Edinburgh  surgeon. 

1  During  this  period  of  Wauchope's  stay  in  Malta,  when 
there  was,  as  it  were,  this  drawn  sword  hanging  over  his 
head,  although  he  maintained  a  quiet  exterior,  he  felt  that 
there  was  but  a  step  between  him  and  death.  I  saw  a 
great  deal  of  him  then.  He  had  brought  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  me  from  his  law-agent  in  Edinburgh,  my  old 
friend  the  late  Mr.  Colin  Mackenzie,  W.S.,  and  from  the 
first  he  honoured  me  with  his  confidence.  He  spoke 
freely  of  the  possibility,  not  to  say  the  probability,  that 
his  time  on  earth  might  be  short,  but  he  showed  no  craven 
fear.  He  said  he  wished  to  know  as  much  as  he  could 
about  the  world  into  which  he  might  soon  be  going— that 
"undiscovered  country  from  whose  bourn  no  traveller 
returns."  I  have  seldom  met  a  man  further  removed  from 
fanaticism,  and  at  the  same  time  so  full  of  reverence. 
P'rom  his  earliest  days  he  seems  to  have  feared  God.  He 
had  not,  however,  escaped  from  the  doubts  and  difficulties 
raised  by  the  sceptical  spirit  of  the  age.  He  shrank  from 
taking  a  leap  in  the  dark.  He  wanted  to  be  sure  that 
there  was  no  mistake,  and  he  took  the  best  means  of 
becoming  sure.  "If  any  man  will  do  His  will,"  Christ 
says,  "he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of 
God."  This  is  what  Wauchope  did.  He  put  the  desire 
to  do  God's  will  into  every  duty  which  fell  to  him.  He 
followed  on  to  know  the  Lord,  and  he  came  to  know  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel,  not  only  as  a  truth  of  faith,  but  a 
truth  of  personal  experience.' 

Lieutenant  Wauchope  was  home  on  furlough  more  than 
once  during  the  period  of  the  42nd  regiment's  stay  in 


58  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

Malta,  extending  to  nearly  four  years,  and  it  was  on  one  of 
these  visits  to  Edinburgh  he  was  operated  upon  success- 
fully, as  mentioned  by  Dr.  Wisely. 

Though  still  only  a  lieutenant,  he  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  E  company  in  July  1878,  while  in  Malta. 
With  a  wider  range  of  duties  and  greater  responsibilities, 
this  appointment  gave  him  much  satisfaction,  and  he  set 
himself  to  the  task  of  making  E  company  the  company  of 
the  regiment,  sparing  neither  time  nor  money  to  advance 
its  efficiency,  and  at  the  same  time  to  add  to  the  comfort 
and  pleasure  of  his  men.  To  be  one  of  Wauchope's  com- 
pany was  considered  a  high  privilege.  Two  months  after- 
wards— in  September — he  received  his  full  commission  as 
captain.  In  addition  to  the  yacht  in  which  he  would  give 
them  occasional  cruises,  we  are  told  by  one  of  his  men 
that  '  the  company  had  a  good  boating-crew,  and  at  a  cost 
of  about  ^20  he  had  the  best  boat  built  for  them  that 
Malta  could  produce.  On  one  occasion,  when  they  had 
some  races,  Captain  Wauchope  steered  them  in  a  match 
with  the  1 01  st  regiment,  but  not  to  victory.  Wauchope's 
boat,  named  "  The  Black  Watch,"  was  beaten,  but  he  was 
the  first  to  declare  that  the  race  was  lost  owing  entirely  to 
his  bad  steering.' 

The  occupation  of  the  island  of  Cyprus  by  Great  Britain 
in  1878  gave  Wauchope  a  splendid  opportunity  for  the 
exercise  of  his  talents,  not  only  as  a  military  man,  but  in 
the  capacity  of  a  civil  administrator  and  judge.  The 
island  was  taken  over  from  the  Turks  in  July  of  that  year. 
Their  government  of  it  for  centuries  had  been  a  curse  to 
the  people  and  a  curse  on  the  land,  and  it  had  lapsed  into 
one  of  the  forgotten  spots  of  God's  earth.  The  advent  of 
British  rule  proved  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  for  both  its 
Greek  and  Turkish  population.     Endowed  with  a  healthy 


OCCUPATION   OF   CYPRUS  59 

climate  and  a  fertile  soil,  Cyprus — once  so  fruitful  and 
prosperous — may  yet  rank  as  one  of  the  most  flourishing 
dependencies  of  the  Crown.  It  is  full  of  romance,  for  its 
lovely  scenery  and  relics  of  the  past  well  entitle  it  to  be 
called 'an  Enchanted  Island.'  With  mediaeval  traditions 
of  its  occupation  by  the  Crusaders,  and  with  its  still  older 
classical  reminiscences  of  the  heathen  worship  of  Aphro- 
dite, supplanted  by  the  early  conversion  of  its  people  to 
Christianity  through  the  visit  of  St.  Paul,  St.  Mark,  and 
Barnabas,  not  to  speak  of  its  repeated  conquest  by 
Phoenicians,  Egyptians,  Greeks,  Venetians,  and  Turks, 
there  is  no  more  interesting  island  to  be  found  in  the 
Mediterranean. 

In  July  1878  a  regiment  of  Scottish  Highlanders  was 
sent  to  occupy  this  fair  island  of  the  Orient  in  name  of  the 
Queen.  The  Black  Watch  from  Malta,  in  the  transport 
Himalaya,  landed  at  Larnaka,  and  were  distributed  at  various 
points  for  garrison  duty,  under  the  direction  of  General 
Sir  Garnet  Wolseley,  as  High  Commissioner.  Wolseley, 
having  divided  the  island  into  districts,  deputed  the  civil 
administration  of  these  to  a  number  of  the  most  skilled 
of  the  military  officers  of  the  regiment.  To  Lieutenant 
Wauchope,  then  thirty-two  years  of  age,  was  given,  with 
the  title  of  captain,  the  charge  of  the  town  and  district  of 
Papho — the  ancient  Paphos,  where  the  Apostles'  journey 
through  the  island  closed,  and  where  Elymas  the  sorcerer 
was  struck  blind  for  a  time.  As  assistant-commissioner 
Wauchope  was  well  supported  by  Lieutenant  A.  G.  Duff, 
a  young  officer  of  his  company,  who  furnishes  us  with  some 
particulars  of  their  duties  and  difficulties  there.  The  post 
was  anything  but  a  sinecure.  He  had  the  superintendence 
of  the  revenue  under  Sir  Robert  Biddulph,  then  Financial 
Commissioner  of  the  island.    In  this  important  office  he  set 


6o  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

himself  with  all  the  earnestness  of  his  nature  to  the  correc- 
tion of  abuses,  the  suppression  of  crime,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  law  and  order,  out  of  which  only  can  freedom 
and  security  be  attained.  We  have  it  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  F.  H.  Parker,  the  District  Judge  of  Limasol,  that  'not 
only  was  he  a  most  efficient  governor,  but  in  those  days, 
when  Ottomin  judges  sat  in  the  Daavi  (District)  Court, 
he  presided  as  a  just  and  capable  judge.  Though  more 
than  twenty  years  have  elapsed  since  then,  the  inhabitants,' 
he  says,  'irrespective  of  creed  or  nationality,  still  look 
back  on  his  civil  administration  with  admiration  and  deep 
respect.  Even  to  this  day  his  decisions  in  disputed  land 
or  water  rights  are  relied  on  as  res  judicata,  and  he 
invariably  decided  these  after  minute  and  personal  local 
inquiries.'  During  his  two  years'  service  on  the  island — 
from  17th  June  1878  till  July  1880— Wauchope  acquitted 
himself  with  much  judgment  and  discretion,  and  the 
honours  thrust  upon  him  were  worthily  achieved  as  they 
were  gratefully  given.  But  while  Captain  Wauchope's 
administration  in  Cyprus  was  marked  with  justice,  it  was 
sometimes  of  a  kind  that  did  not  always  give  satisfaction. 
His  punishment,  for  instance,  of  heinous  crimes  was  con- 
sidered by  the  natives  to  be  of  such  severity  that  a 
complaint  was  lodged  with  the  Colonial  Office  against 
some  sentences  where  he  had  ordered  the  delinquents  to 
be  flogged.  On  inquiry  being  made  of  him  by  the 
Colonial  Office  as  to  what  he  had  to  say  in  the  matter,  his 
reply  was  that  '  flogging  was  the  only  thing  for  them,  as 
they  richly  deserved  more  than  the  punishment  they  had 
got,  and  he  thought  it  was  better  for  them  than  hanging ' ! 
His  duties  did  not  end  in  military,  or  administrative,  or 
judicial  service,  for  sometimes  he  had  even  to  act  as 
chaplain  in  cases  of  emergency,  as  the  following  instance 


SERGEANT   M'GAW'S   FUNERAL  61 

will  show.  It  was  only  a  day  or  two  after  he  and  his 
regiment  had  landed,  that  one  of  his  sergeants,  named 
M'Gaw,  took  ill  under  the  excessive  heat  and  died.  The 
regimental  chaplain  was  not  present,  but  Wauchope  fol- 
lowed the  funeral  with  his  company,  and  at  the  grave, 
stepping  forward  as  the  body  was  about  to  be  com- 
mitted to  the  dust,  feelingly  addressed  his  men  in  a  few 
appropriate  words  of  exhortation,  and  concluded,  to  the 
surprise  and  gratification  of  all,  with  an  earnest  extempore 
prayer.  Tears,  we  are  told  by  one  who  witnessed  the 
occurrence,  were  in  the  eyes  of  many  a  stalwart  soldier 
that  day,  and  the  incident  made  a  deep  impression  at  the 
time  and  was  never  forgotten  by  them.  A  sequel  to 
Sergeant  M'Gaw's  funeral  may  here  be  mentioned  as 
another  instance  of  Wauchope's  thoughtful  care.  Some 
time  afterwards  it  was  discovered  that  the  Cypriote 
farmer  on  whose  land  the  sergeant  was  buried,  had  removed 
the  little  wooden  head-maik,  and  not  unnaturally  ploughed 
up  the  land  and  destroyed  all  trace  of  the  grave.  The 
Government  was  asked  to  take  action,  but  declined  to 
interfere.  So  Wauchope  and  some  others  went  on  a 
moonlight  night,  and  after  taking  measurements  from  a 
certain  tree,  discovered  the  grave,  dug  up  the  remains, 
removed  them  to  Kyrenia,  and  placed  them  in  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Black  Watch  cemetery.  A  pure  white 
marble  sarcophagus  now  covers  Sergeant  M'Gaw's  grave. 

After  the  long  reign  of  Turkish  misrule  it  will  be  easily 
understood  that  Commissioner  Wauchope  and  his  col- 
league Lieutenant  Duff  did  not  all  at  once  find  things  easy. 
On  the  contrary,  they  found  it  very  hard  work.  The 
rascality  of  the  natives  was  as  idyllic  as  innocence. 
Murder  and  theft  were  so  common  that  they  were  scarcely 
considered  culpable,  and  this  in  what  has  been  called  an 


62  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

'enchanted  island,'  full  of  every  beauty  to  satisfy  the  eye, 
and  every  fruit  to  satisfy  the  taste.  Even  ten  years  after 
the  occupation  by  the  British,  and  notwithstanding  all  our 
efforts  to  restore  order  and  justice,  W.  H.  Mallock,  de- 
scribing his  visit  to  Cyprus  in  1888,  says  that  che  found 
there  more  crime  in  proportion  to  the  population  than  in 
any  other  known  country  in  the  world.'  In  Nicosia  the 
prisons  were  full  of  persons,  male  and  female,  confined 
for  murder,  theft,  etc.  '  In  the  country  districts,'  he  says, 
'the  cause  Of  murders  has  generally  some  connection  with 
sheep-stealing  or  disputes  about  boundaries  and  water 
rights,  or  matters  equally  simple.  In  the  towns  the 
Turkish  murders  nearly  always  originate  in  some  ordinary 
fit  of  sombre  but  sudden  passion,  and  the  Greek  murders 
in  some  half-drunken  brawl.  Curiously  enough,  a  number 
of  these  last  take  place  at  weddings.  Wine  has  flowed ; 
quarrelling  has  arisen  out  of  laughter ;  knives  have  flashed, 
and  in  a  second  or  two  one  knife  has  been  red  with  blood. 
Yet  amid  so  much  crime  there  exists  among  this  degraded 
people  a  whimsical  simplicity  almost  justifying  a  smile.' 
One  instance,  as  given  by  Mr.  Mallock,  will  suffice  to 
illustrate  this.  One  of  three  men  implicated  in  a  murder 
fled  to  the  hut  of  a  shepherd,  and  begged  to  be  kept  there 
in  hiding.  The  shepherd,  who  had  only  a  slight  acquaint- 
ance with  the  man,  asked  why  he  wished  to  be  hidden. 
On  this  the  murderer,  more  like  a  child  than  a  man, 
explained  everything  in  the  most  naive  manner  possible. 
The  shepherd  looked  grave.  He  said  that  this  was  a 
serious  matter,  and  that  under  the  circumstances  his 
protection  would  have  to  be  paid  for.  The  murderer 
replied  that  the  booty  had  not  yet  been  divided ;  '  I  have 
no  money,'  he  said,  '  but  save  me  and  I  will  steal  a  sheep 
for  you  1 ' 


A   CYPRIAN   JUDGE  63 

It  was  among  criminals  such  as  these,  and  a  population 
with  the  vaguest  possible  notions  of  morality,  that  Wauchope 
had  to  deal  out  justice.  How  did  he  accomplish  his  task? 
His  friend  and  colleague,  now  Major  Duff,  tells  us :  '  His 
administration  of  justice  was  a  marvel,  and  astonished 
both  Turks  and  Greeks.  He  would  frequently  sit  a  whole 
day  in  the  Konak  or  court-house,  dispensing  even-handed 
justice.  All  the  evidence  had  to  be  taken  through  an 
interpreter,  involving  much  delay,  and  frequently  he  sat 
in  this  way  under  high  fever.  I  have  sometimes  taken 
his  temperature  to  find  it  at  1050,  but  he  bore  all  physical 
pain  without  a  murmur,  and  no  complaint  ever  passed  his 
lips.'  Papho  was  considered  the  most  lawless  district  in 
the  island;  and  the  administration  of  justice,  in  both  civil 
and  criminal  cases,  in  the  hands  of  Captain  Wauchope 
and  Lieutenant  Duff,  with  the  aid  of  an  interpreter,  in- 
volved painstaking  discretion  of  no  ordinary  kind.  'The 
Cadi — a  Turkish  judge — had  a  seat  on  the  bench  along 
with  them,  and  his  opinion  was  always  taken,  though  not 
always  followed.  One  incident  comes  to  my  memory 
relating  to  an  execution.  We  had  passed  sentence  upon 
a  murderer,  but  were  in  a  difficulty  about  the  gallows,  and 
did  not  know  what  to  do  for  want  of  a  suitable  rope, 
but  fortunately  H.M.S.  Raleigh  unexpectedly  put  in  an 
appearance  in  the  bay,  and  the  bluejackets  readily  came 
to  our  aid  in  rigging  up  a  makeshift  gallows.  The  cere- 
mony, however,  was  not  marked  with  complete  success, 
as,  at  the  first  effort,  the  rope  broke;  but  death  had 
supervened,  so  that  it  was  of  no  consequence,  as  the 
operation  did  not  require  to  be  repeated.  There  must 
have  been  some  flaw  in  the  rope,  as  it  had  been  previously 
tried  with  a  very  heavy  man's  weight.  We  never  had  any 
difficulty   in   the  administration   of  justice.     Wauchope's 


64  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

impartial  and  thoroughly  sound  sense  of  judgment  as 
between  man  and  man,  always  stood  him  well  with  clients 
and  malefactors.' 

One  case  came  before  him  which  in  this  connection  is 
worthy  of  being  recorded.  A  Turk  of  infamous  character, 
who  had  been  guilty  of  horrible  crimes,  but  had  escaped 
punishment  under  the  Turkish  rule,  was  brought  before 
Commissioner  Wauchope  on  a  charge  of  murder.  The 
murder  was  clearly  proved,  but  doubts  were  entertained 
whether  the  Commissioner  would  sentence  a  Mohammedan 
to  be  hanged.  No  such  instance  had  ever  been  known  in 
the  island  before.  Wauchope  did  not  flinch.  He  pro- 
nounced the  sentence,  and  the  murderer  was  publicly 
executed.  The  Commissioner  took  the  precaution,  how- 
ever, of  having  a  company  of  his  Royal  Highlanders  on 
the  ground  to  see  that  there  should  be  no  disturbance  or 
any  attempt  at  rescue,  and  all  passed  off  peacefully. 

Besides  the  judicial  functions  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Papho,  there  were  the  fiscal  duties  of  Government.  Taxes 
had  to  be  collected,  and  these,  with  the  relative  duties  of 
finance  and  the  management  of  the  post  office,  were 
entirely  under  the  personal  control  of  Wauchope  and  his 
colleague.  The  latter  service  alone  must  have  involved 
considerable  labour.  Besides  this,  they  had  at  Papho  one 
company  of  the  42nd,  camped  some  little  distance  out  of 
the  town,  but  near  enough  to  be  readily  available  when 
required.  So  busy  were  they  kept  with  these  varied 
onerous  duties,  that  Wauchope  and  his  friend,  frequently 
working  at  high  pressure,  had  few  opportunities  for  re- 
creation. But  notwithstanding  the  pressing  requirements 
or  the  moment,  and  the  somewhat  circumscribed  social 
aspect  of  the  place,  they  were  on  the  best  of  terms 
with  some  of  the  leading  native  gentry :  the  Greek  bishop 


COMMISSIONER   AT  PAPHO  65 

was  particularly  friendly,  and  they  often  dined  with  him 
at  his  palace.  A  worthy  old  fellow  he  appears  to  have 
been,  who  could  enjoy  a  good  dinner  with  a  prime  bottle 
of  Cyprus  wine.  In  recognition  of  his  great  kindness 
to  them  Major  Duff  mentions  that  they  '  gave  him  in 
return  such  a  banquet  on  St.  Andrew's  night  as  seemed  to 
gladden  his  soul.' 

Of  amusements,  or  anything  in  the  way  of  English 
sports,  there  were  few  or  none,  even  had  time  permitted. 
Still,  they  would  not  have  been  British  if  they  had  not 
introduced  among  the  natives  some  sports  from  the  old 
country.  They  accordingly  started  pony  races  for  the 
zaptiehs  or  police  of  the  district.  'Our  chief  difficulty,' 
says  Major  Duff,  '  was  to  get  the  Turks  and  Greeks  to  run 
together  in  the  same  coach,  and  for  this  difficult  task 
Wauchope  was  eminently  qualified,  as,  in  addition  to  all 
his  many  sterling  attributes,  must  be  added  that  of  being  a 
student  of  human  nature,  without  which  he  never  would 
have  been  the  leader  of  men  he  unquestionably  was.' 

So  much  did  Captain  Wauchope  accomplish  during  his 
term  of  office  at  Papho,  that  Dr.  Wisely  informs  us  '  the 
inhabitants  looked  on  him  as  an  angel  from  heaven — and 
well  they  might,  when  they  contrasted  his  righteous  rule 
with  the  wretched  rule  of  the  Turkish  officials  who  had 
tyrannised  over  them.  Yet  Wauchope  was  by  no  means 
an  easy-going  ruler.  He  investigated  with  the  greatest 
patience  every  case  that  was  brought  before  him,  and 
spared  himself  no  pains  to  get  at  the  truth.  This  made 
such  an  impression  upon  the  Turks,  as  well  as  upon  the 
Greek-speaking  community,  that  all  classes  alike  respected 
him,  and  when  the  time  came  for  the  Commissioner  to 
retire  from  office,  there  was  a  universal  desire  expressed 
that  he  might  be  retained.' 


66  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

We  have  been  favoured  with  similar  testimony  from  Sir 
Robert  Biddulph,  then  High  Commissioner  of  Cyprus  and 
lately  Governor  of  Gibraltar,  who  informs  us  that  'in 
carrying  out  his  duties  Captain  Wauchope  showed  much 
administrative  ability,  as  well  as  great  tact  and  judgment 
in  dealing  with  the  inhabitants.  This  enabled  him  to  steer 
a  clear  course  through  the  political  agitation  which  broke 
out  in  Cyprus  early  in  1879,  an^  which  had  many  ad- 
herents in  Papho.  When  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  left  the 
island  at  short  notice  in  May  1879  in  order  to  command 
the  troops  in  Natal  and  Zululand,  his  departure,  coinciding 
with  the  attacks  made  in  Parliament  on  the  Cyprus 
administration,  caused  several  of  the  civil  commissioners 
to  send  in  their  resignations.'  Colonel  Biddulph,  who 
had  been  sent  from  Cyprus  to  Constantinople  in  March 
1879  to  negotiate  with  the  Porte  concerning  the  'tribute,' 
was  in  June  following  instructed  by  the  Home  Govern- 
ment to  return  and  assume  the  government  of  the  island 
as  High  Commissioner.  On  his  arrival  he  was  met  by 
Captain  Wauchope,  who  had  come  with  several  of  the 
other  commissioners  to  wish  him  good-bye  before  leaving 
the  island.  Sir  Robert  at  once  realised  the  gravity  of 
the  situation.  '  I  told  them,'  says  he,  '  that  I  could 
not  consent  to  their  leaving  all  together  at  this  crisis, 
and  Wauchope  willingly  consented  to  remain  for,  at  all 
events,  some  months  longer.  In  September  I  went  home 
for  two  months  on  private  affairs,  and  Wauchope  then 
went  home  with  me,  having  resigned  his  appointment  with 
my  consent.' 

In  the  interval,  certain  questions  as  to  personal  claims 
by  the  Sultan  to  property  in  Cyprus  were  presented  to  the 
British  Government,  and  it  was  decided  to  appoint  a 
qualified  British  delegate   to  investigate  these  claims  on 


THE   SULTAN'S   CLAIMS  67 

the  spot.  On  the  recommendation  of  Sir  Robert  Biddulph, 
Lord  Salisbury  appointed  Captain  Wauchope  for  this 
somewhat  difficult  duty,  and  he  and  Sir  Robert  returned 
to  Cyprus  together  in  November  of  the  same  year.  In  his 
official  capacity  Wauchope  explored  the  whole  of  Cyprus, 
making  full  inquiries  wherever  he  went  as  to  the  properties 
alleged  to  belong  to  the  Sultan,  and  gathering  much 
information  as  to  the  condition  of  the  people  in  the  rural 
districts,  and  the  state  of  agriculture  generally. 

'The  investigation  of  the  Sultan's  claims,'  says  Sir 
Robert  Biddulph,  '  occupied  several  months,  during  which 
time  Captain  Wauchope  again  displayed  great  tact  and 
judgment  in  this  very  delicate  matter,  and  maintained  at 
the  same  time  very  friendly  relations  with  the  Turkish 
officer  who  was  sent  by  the  Sultan  to  support  his  claims. 
This  was  the  more  remarkable,  because  every  one  of  the 
Sultan's  claims  was  rejected.' 

The  Government  recognised  the  thoroughness  with 
which  Captain  Wauchope  had  accomplished  his  task,  by 
conferring  upon  him,  immediately  on  his  return  home  in 
August  1880,  the  Order  of  St.  Michael  and  St.  George. 


CHAPTER  V 

WAR     IN     SOUTH     AFRICA — ARABI     PASHA'S     REBELLION     IN 
EGYPT — TEL-EL-KEBIR — MARRIAGE — LIFE  IN  CAIRO. 

Shortly  after  Captain  Wauchope's  return  home  from 
Cyprus  another  opportunity  for  foreign  service  presented 
itself  in  South  Africa,  and  he  lost  no  time  in  offering  him- 
self to  the  War  Office.  He  was  accepted  for  staff  duty, 
and  received  a  commission  to  go  out  at  once.  So  limited 
was  the  time  given  him  for  preparation  that  he  had  not 
even  an  opportunity  to  go  to  Aldershot,  where  his  baggage 
was  lying,  to  make  up  his  kit,  but  he  telegraphed  from 
London  to  the  quartermaster  of  the  regiment — Captain 
Forbes — to  throw  him  in  a  small  kit  into  a  bullock-trunk 
and  forward  it  to  Southampton  at  once,  as  he  was-  off  to 
South  Africa  next  day. 

The  country  had  drifted  almost  unconsciously  into  a 
trouble  which  has  since  cost  so  much  in  loss  of  life  and 
treasure.  The  South  African  Republic,  or  the  Transvaal,  was 
founded  some  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago  by  Boer  farmers 
from  Cape  Colony,  who,  being  dissatisfied  with  British  rule 
and  its  interference  with  them  and  their  peculiar  notions 
as  to  slavery,  sought  to  establish  an  independent  state  for 
themselves  where  they  might  without  hindrance  carry  out 
their  ideas  as  they  pleased.     They,  in  fact,  sought  liberty 


THE   TRANSVAAL  69 

to  make  the  natives  their  slaves.  Conflicts  were,  of  course, 
the  natural  outcome  of  their  attempts  to  acquire  the  land 
beyond  the  Vaal ;  but  notwithstanding  this,  the  new  settlers 
in  1840  were  so  far  established  in  possession,  and  their 
numbers  had  so  much  increased,  that  they  formed  them- 
selves into  a  Republic  for  mutual  protection.  At  that  time 
the  possibilities  of  the  future  importance  of  this  part  of 
South  Africa,  or  indeed  of  our  colonies  there,  were  not 
sufficiently  realised  by  either  our  Government  or  our  people 
at  home.  Neither  the  Transvaal  Republic  nor  the  Boers 
seemed  to  be  any  concern  of  ours.  It  was  left  to  a  few 
Scotch  missionaries  such  as  Moffat,  Livingstone,  Stewart, 
and  Mackenzie  to  make  these  known,  and  to  endeavour 
to  educate  and  civilise  the  degraded  natives  in  the  science 
of  social  life  and  in  the  truths  of  Christianity.  In  this 
effort  they  met  from  the  first  the  virulent  opposition  of 
the  Boer  settlers,  who  neither  wanted  the  natives  to  be 
educated  nor  to  be  Christianised. 

Acts  of  oppression  naturally  brought  their  own  retribu- 
tion. The  natives  rose  against  their  oppressors;  feuds, 
murders,  and  thefts  were  acts  of  daily  occurrence,  until  at 
last  the  infant  Republic  became  so  involved  in  native  wars 
and  internal  troubles,  that  with  a  view  to  restore  peace  and 
order  and  to  prevent  anarchy  and  bankruptcy  from  spread- 
ing into  Cape  Colony,  the  British  Government  was  con- 
strained to  interfere.  In  this  intervention  many  of  the 
Boers  cordially  acquiesced,  and  welcomed  the  protection 
of  our  troops,  the  more  so  that  the  financial  difficulties  of 
their  independent  action  were  in  a  measure  cleared  away. 
On  the  other  hand  there  was  a  strong  party  among  them 
who,  in  spite  of  mismanagement  and  debt,  thought  they 
could  carry  on  a  free  Republican  Government.  The 
security  of  the   British   colonies  was,  however,  of  para- 


70  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

mount  importance,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  in  their 
interest  as  well  as  in  the  interest  of  the  Transvaal  Boers 
themselves  that  the  Transvaal  should  have  the  benefit  of 
British  protection.  Accordingly  its  annexation  to  the 
British  Crown  was  in  1877  proclaimed  by  Sir  Theophilus 
Shepstone,  followed  by  the  appointment  of  Sir  W.  Owen 
Lanyon  as  British  Administrator.  This  necessary  step 
by  no  means  pleased  the  Boer  faction  who  had  attempted 
to  rule,  and  they  did  not  cease  to  agitate  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  old  order  of  things,  bad  as  these  were.  For 
a  time  English  money  and  English  enterprise  worked 
wonders  :  markets  were  created  for  produce,  and  land  rose 
in  value. 

In  December  1880,  however,  a  majority  of  the  Boers 
took  up  arms  against  the  British  authority.  They  in- 
vested towns  held  by  Imperial  troops,  and  surprised  a 
detachment  on  the  march.  The  situation  was  becoming 
critical.  The  Government,  which  at  the  time  was  deeply 
engrossed  in  other  matters,  did  not  sufficiently  realise  the 
gravity  of  the  situation,  for  although  troops  were  at  once 
despatched  to  the  assistance  of  those  at  the  Cape,  these 
were  insufficient,  and  arrived  too  late  to  be  of  service. 
The  Boers,  ever  on  the  alert,  had  seized  the  passes  of  the 
Drakensberg  Mountains,  and  had  strongly  fortified  them- 
selves at  Laing's  Nek.  Here  they  were  attacked  by  Sir 
G.  P.  Colley,  but  without  success.  He  was  defeated  with 
considerable  loss,  and  shortly  afterwards,  attempting  to 
check  the  enemy  at  Majuba  Hill  with  a  small  force  of 
six  hundred  men,  he  was  again  defeated  with  loss  and 
was  himself  killed  in  the  action. 

Immediately  on  receipt  of  this  news  Mr.  Gladstone's 
Government  gave  instructions  for  an  armistice  in  order  to 
see  if  satisfactory  terms  could  not  be  arranged  for  the 


THE   BOER   TREATY   OF    1881  71 

restoration  of  peace.  After  a  month's  negotiation  a  treaty 
was  made  giving  the  Transvaal  self-government  in  internal 
matters,  but  reserving  all  rights  connected  with  foreign 
affairs,  Great  Britain  to  be  recognised  as  the  Suzerain, 
including  the  right  to  move  Imperial  troops  through  the 
country  in  time  of  war. 

This  restoration  of  independence  to  the  Boers  was  viewed 
both  at  home  and  in  Cape  Colony  not  only  with  grave 
suspicion  and  distrust,  but  with  high  indignation ;  and  so 
strong  was  this  feeling  against  the  home  Government  that 
in  a  great  popular  demonstration  at  Cape  Town  the  effigy 
of  Mr.  Gladstone,  the  Prime  Minister,  was  publicly  burned, 
and  the  British  lion  was  caricatured,  while  many  English 
residents  in  Pretoria  and  other  towns  left  the  country  rather 
than  remain  under  the  oligarchical  government  of  the 
Boers.     So  ended  this  part  of  the  Transvaal  drama. 

The  action  of  the  British  Government  was  at  the  time 
attributed  to  various  motives.  By  some  it  was  considered 
the  magnanimous  action  of  a  strong  power,  willing  to  help 
a  weak  but  struggling  state  in  its  efforts  at  self-govern- 
ment; by  others  it  has  been  described  as  a  pusillanimous 
shrinking  from  a  stern  duty  which  it  owed  to  its  colonies 
around  the  Transvaal.  President  Brand  declared  the 
treaty  to  be  '  in  his  opinion  the  noblest  act  England  has 
ever  done';  but  the  Boers  themselves  considered  the 
peace  as  the  result  of  their  own  efforts  and  of  Britain's  fear 
to  prosecute  the  war.  The  after  results  have  been  most 
calamitous,  and  go  to  show  the  folly  of  not  facing  and 
overcoming  the  beginnings  of  a  corrupt  system. 

Captain  Wauchope  returned  on  the  conclusion  of  peace 
in  the  summer  of  1881,  having  been  only  a  few  months 
abroad,  and  without  engaging  in  active  service.  He  was 
chiefly  employed  on  the  line  of  communication  as  one  of 


72  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

the  staff.  His  return  home  was  accompanied  with  any- 
thing but  feelings  of  respect  for  the  Government  which  had 
so  ingloriously  stopped  short  in  their  work — a  feeling  very 
generally  shared  by  the  officers  and  men.  Some  years 
afterwards,  when  alluding  to  this  episode  in  his  life  at  a 
meeting  in  Edinburgh,  he  said  of  it : — '  I  was  in  the  Trans- 
vaal during  those  terrible  times  in  1881  when  we  suffered 
the  terrible  disgrace  from  which  all  our  after-troubles  there 
arose.  It  was  the  vacillation  and  weakness  and  change  of 
policy  that  caused  all  the  trouble  then.' 

But  while  in  one  part  of  Africa  a  temporary  peace  had 
been  patched  up,  in  another  part  of  that  great  continent, 
and  that  the  most  ancient,  events  were  in  the  beginning  of 
1882  hastening  to  a  rupture  which  was  destined  to  open 
up  a  fresh  field  for  the  active  military  genius  of  young 
YVauchope.  Egypt,  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs,  and  in  some 
respects  the  cradle  of  European  culture,  which  had  long 
been  oppressed  by  Turkish  tyranny,  was  showing  signs  of 
vitality,  and  was  recognised  as  still  a  country  capable  of 
great  resources,  and  having  considerable  commercial 
importance.  The  opening  of  the  Suez  Canal  had  much  to 
do  with  this ;  and  Britain  having  a  large  stake  in  the  Canal 
as  a  means  of  communication  with  her  Eastern  possessions, 
was  naturally  interested  in  the  well-being  of  the  country 
through  which  it  passed.  Nominally  a  viceroy  of  the 
Sultan  of  Turkey,  the  Khedive  of  Egypt  ruled  despotically, 
and  did  little  for  the  people  he  ruled.  Discontent  was 
general  ;  and  to  screen  themselves,  those  in  authority 
endeavoured  to  create  a  feeling  of  antipathy  against  the 
Europeans  residing  and  trading  in  Egypt.  A  party  of 
military  adventurers,  headed  by  Arabi  Pasha,  and  secretly 
abetted  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  had  seized  the  reins  of 
government,  and  endeavoured,  with  the  aid  of  the  army, 


BOMBARDMENT  OF  ALEXANDRIA   73 

to  drive  all  Europeans  out  of  Egypt,  and  secure  the  control 
of  foreign  traffic  through  the  Suez  Canal  to  their  own 
advantage.  Arabi  commenced  the  erection  of  forts  at 
Alexandria,  to  command  the  harbour.  This  and  other  war- 
like preparations  were  made  in  defiance,  it  was  said,  of  the 
authority  of  the  Khedive,  who  was  merely  a  puppet  in 
Arabi's  hands. 

On  the  nth  June  1882  a  large  body  of  Arabs  made  a 
murderous  attack  on  the  European  residents  in  Alex- 
andria, and  so  serious  was  the  matter  considered  that  a 
week  or  two  after}  the  Ambassadors  of  the  Great  Powers 
met  in  conference  at  Constantinople  to  take  the  crisis 
under  review.  As  no  redress  was  forthcoming,  Admiral 
Sir  Beauchamp  Seymour,  commander  of  the  British  fleet 
in  Egyptian  waters,  having  ascertained  that  work  on  the 
new  fortifications  at  Alexandria  was  being  continued,  not- 
withstanding promises  made  that  all  such  operations  would 
be  suspended,  sent  to  Arabi  Pasha,  who  was  nominally 
the  Egyptian  minister  of  war,  an  ultimatum  that  unless  the 
work  ceased  immediately  the  fleet  would  open  fire  upon 
the  forts.  The  reply  was  a  denial  that  any  such  work  was 
being  carried  on.  Three  days  afterwards  the  Admiral  dis- 
covered that  his  ultimatum  was  treated  with  contempt, 
and  that  guns  bearing  upon  the  harbour  had  been  mounted 
since  the  date  of  his  message.  He  at  once  prepared  a 
proclamation  calling  upon  the  Egyptian  authorities  to 
surrender  the  fortifications  within  twelve  hours,  otherwise 
they  would  be  demolished  by  the  fleet.  On  the  nth  July 
the  bombardment  commenced,  and  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  fortifications  were  soon  laid  in  ruins.  Next  day  hos- 
tilities were  resumed,  but,  on  a  flag  of  truce  being  hoisted, 
the  Admiral  ordered  firing  to  cease.  On  the  morning  of 
the  13th  it  was  found  that,  under  cover  of  the  flag  of  truce, 


74  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

the  Egyptian  troops,  headed  by  Arabi  Pasha,  had  evacuated 
Alexandria,  leaving  it  to  be  pillaged  and  fired  by  a  riotous 
mob  of  Arabs,  who  massacred  a  large  number  of  Europeans. 
To  protect  life,  and  save  the  place  from  total  destruction, 
Admiral  Seymour  landed  a  force  of  seamen  and  marines, 
who  kept  the  city  in  order  until  the  arrival  of  British  troops 
a  few  days  afterwards. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  fortnight  a  force  of  about 
16,000  occupied  Alexandria,  Ramleh,  and  the  delta  of  the 
Nile,  under  the  command  of  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley.  Mean- 
time Arabi  Pasha  had  occupied  Cairo,  which  was  strongly 
fortified,  while  he  had  formidable  entrenched  camps  some 
miles  south  of  Ramleh,  and  also  at  Port  Said  and  Ismail.a 
on  the  Suez  Canal,  and  at  Kassassin  and  Tel-el-Kebir,  on 
the  sweet-water  canal  route  between  Ismailia  and  Cairo. 

Throughout  the  whole  business  the  authority  of  the 
Khedive  was  not  only  ignored,  but  remonstrances  from 
foreign  powers  were  of  no  effect.  Arabi  was  determined 
to  make  himself  ruler  of  Egypt,  and  to  assert  his  position 
by  force  of  arms.  His  formal  dismissal  as  Minister  of  War, 
on  22nd  July,  was  the  last  weak  attempt  by  the  Khedive 
to  maintain  his  sovereign  authority.  But  Arabi  paid  no 
attention  to  it,  and  continued  his  warlike  preparations. 
His  position  at  Kafr-dawar  was  strategically  a  strong  one, 
for  he  was  entrenched  there  at  a  point  where  the  isthmus, 
running  inland  between  Lake  Medieh  and  Lake  Mareotis, 
is  only  about  four  miles  broad.  He  thus  commanded 
both  the  Mahmoudieh  Canal  and  the  railway  to  Cairo, 
which  ran  past  his  camp.  Arabi's  intention  was  to  hold 
his  own  at  this  position  till  the  annual  rise  of  the  Nile  was 
at  its  fullest  in  August,  when  he  counted  upon  being  able 
to  flood  the  country,  and  seriously  impede  hostile  opera- 
tions against  him. 


THE   42ND   LEAVING   EDINBURGH       75 

The  rising  had  now  assumed  all  the  character  of  an 
organised  rebellion,  and  was  a  standing  menace  to  British 
commerce  passing  through  the  Suez  Canal;  and  as  the 
crisis  came  to  be  more  clearly  realised  in  this  country, 
further  relays  of  troops  were  despatched.  In  the  subse- 
quent operations  against  Arabi  the  Black  Watch  took  a 
prominent  part.  After  its  return  from  Cyprus  and  Gib- 
raltar in  1879,  the  regiment  was  brigaded  for  a  time  at 
Aldershot.  It  was  then  located  partly  at  Maryhill  barracks, 
near  Glasgow,  and  at  Edinburgh  Castle,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  R.  K.  Bayly.  Captain  Wauchope  served 
at  Maryhill  from  May  1881  till  August  1882. 

On  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  in  Egypt  the  regiment, 
which  was  then  about  800  strong,  received  orders  to 
embark  for  the  East.  The  Maryhill  contingent,  in  which 
he  commanded  the  E  Company,  left  by  train  for  Edin- 
burgh on  the  4th  August  1882,  and  arrived  in  the  capital 
amidst  much  enthusiasm.  After  two  days  in  Edinburgh 
Castle,  the  whole  regiment  was  entrained  for  London  on 
the  6th  August,  their  send-off  from  the  city  being  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  ever  witnessed.  Wauchope  him- 
self, ten  years  afterwards,  at  a  meeting  of  the  old  members 
of  the  Black  Watch  in  Glasgow,  when  he  had  become 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  regiment,  said  c  he  would 
never  forget  the  scene.'  '  He  had  of  late/  he  said,  '  seen 
great  excitement  in  the  political  world,  he  had  seen  political 
leaders  received  in  Edinburgh  (referring  to  Mr.  Gladstone 
and  the  Midlothian  election  of  1892),  and  no  doubt  at 
times  there  had  been  a  pretty  brave  show,  but  the  people's 
heart  never  went  out  to  these  leaders  as  it  went  out  to 
the  42nd  when  they  were  leaving  Edinburgh  Castle 
for  active  service  in  Egypt  in  1882.  It  seemed  to  him  as 
if  every  man  and  woman  in  Edinburgh  was  out  to  see 


76  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

them  off.  He  would  never  forget  that  scene  of  enthusiasm 
and  farewell,  and  he  felt  convinced  that  it  affected  the 
whole  regiment,  more  than  the  eye  could  see  or  words 
could  express.  On  the  lips  of  many  a  brave  man  before 
that  campaign  was  over,  the  last  words  had  been  "  Scotland 
for  ever,"  and  he  had  no  doubt  their  last  thoughts  were  of 
their  homes  and  native  country.' 

Having  embarked  at  Gravesend  in  the  transport  Nepaul, 
Wauchope,  with  his  regiment,  landed  at  Alexandria  on  the 
20th  August,  and  proceeded  to  Ramleh,  where  they  formed 
a  part  of  the  Highland  Brigade  under  General  Sir  Archibald 
Alison.  Here  Wauchope  very  soon  found  his  field  of 
action  in  more  than  one  engagement,  and  had  one  or  two 
hairbreadth  escapes.  On  one  occasion  a  body  of  the  rebels 
held  a  portion  of  the  city,  from  which  they  were  to  be 
dislodged.  Wauchope  got  the  order  to  clear  the  streets. 
Coming  to  a  house,  from  every  window  of  which  rifles  were 
pointed,  he  halted  his  men,  but  only  for  a  moment.  Sword 
in  hand,  the  captain  rushed  in,  followed  by  his  men.  A 
rifle  was  pointed  full  at  him,  and  but  for  the  presence  of 
mind  of  one  of  his  followers,  it  would  have  ended  his 
career.  Dashing  in  front  of  his  officer,  the  soldier  threw 
up  the  rebel's  rifle  just  as  he  fired,  the  bullet  passing 
through  Wauchope's  helmet. 

The  occupation  of  the  Canal  and  the  various  ports  upon 
its  banks  were  important  steps  in  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley's 
endeavour  to  secure  Zagazig,  some  forty-five  miles  from 
Ismailia,  the  key  to  the  railway  system  of  Egypt.  Arabi  had 
also  realised  its  importance,  and  in  order  to  retain  it  at  all 
hazards  and  to  prevent  the  British  advance  in  that  direc- 
tion, had  strongly  fortified  himself  at  Tel-el- Kebir,  about 
fifteen  miles  eastward. 

On  the  20th  August,  Port  Said,  Kantara,  Ismailia,  and 


TEL-EL-KEBIR  77 

the  Suez  Canal  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  British. 
A  few  days  after,  a  determined  stand  was  made  by  the 
Egyptian  army,  about  10,000  strong,  a  few  miles  from 
Ismailia,  but  they  were  utterly  defeated  by  Sir  Garnet 
Wolseley,  who  was  now  reinforced  by  the  Highland 
Brigade. 

This  was  followed  up  by  a  renewed  attack  on  the  British 
position  at  Kassassin  Lock  on  the  Ismailia  Canal  three 
days  later,  when  the  Egyptians  were  again  repulsed  with 
great  loss. 

On  the  eveningof  the  12th  September,  the  British  army  at 
Kassassin  Lock  struck  camp.  It  had  been  well  reinforced, 
and  counted  15,000  men  in  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery, 
and  was  now  in  a  position  to  attack  Arabi  in  his  stronghold 
at  Tel-el-Kebir.  On  the  verge  of  a  broad,  dreary  desert, 
with  lines  of  entrenchments  and  redoubts  well  mounted 
with  guns,  and  held  by  a  large  force,  no  better  position,  it 
is  said,  could  have  been  chosen  for  offering  resistance  to 
any  army  approaching  the  Delta,  or  the  capital  of  Egypt, 
from  the  Suez  Canal. 

After  an  all-night  march,  Sir  Garnet  Woiseley  found 
himself  within  striking  distance  of  the  enemy's  trenches 
before  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  appeared  on  the  eastern  sky. 
The  Egyptians  were  taken  by  surprise,  but  the  alarm  once 
given,  they  sprang  to  their  feet  to  face  the  attack;  and 
immediately,  along  the  whole  front  of  their  line  of  defence, 
was  poured  upon  our  troops  a  fierce  artillery  and  rifle  fire, 
which,  however,  was  so  ill  directed  that  it  did  no  great 
harm.  With  the  utmost  coolness,  the  British  were  formed 
for  the  assault.  The  Highland  Brigade  in  the  centre,  with 
bayonets  fixed,  was  supported  by  cavalry  on  both  flanks 
With  a  loud  cheer  the  Highlanders  stormed  the  entrench- 
ments, driving  everything  before  them.     The  struggle  was 


78  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

short  but  decisive,  not  more  than  twenty  minutes  elapsing 
between  the  first  onset  on  the  trenches  and  the  capture  of 
the  main  or  inner  fortress.  The  odds  were  as  two  to  one 
— 26,000  Egyptians  to  13,000  British — but  the  zeal  and 
soldierly  qualities  of  our  men,  with  the  confidence  they  had 
in  their  leaders,  proved  the  mettle  of  which  our  military  are 
made.  Where  all  did  well,  it  seems  invidious  to  distin- 
guish. But  of  this  fine  force — perhaps  the  finest  ever  seen 
in  Egypt — it  was  generally  admitted  that  to  the  Highland 
Brigade  and  the  Royal  Irish  Rifles  special  honour  was 
due.  This  important  engagement,  in  which  forty  guns 
were  captured,  2000  Egyptians  fell,  and  3000  were  taken 
prisoners,  opened  the  way  to  Cairo. 

Through  all  the  campaign,  Captain  Wauchope,  with  the 
E  Company  of  the  42nd,  had  bravely  borne  his  share 
of  the  toil  and  dangers  of  the  situation.  At  Tel-el-Kebir, 
he  was  among  the  first  to  enter  the  enemy's  trenches  sword 
in  hand.  The  encounter  was  a  fierce  one  while  it  lasted, 
and  it  was  a  marvel  how  he  escaped  injury  in  such  a 
melee.  But  though  the  impetuosity  of  the  charge  bore 
down  all  before  it,  when  the  fight  was  over,  it  was  found 
that  no  less  than  200  of  his  men  had  fallen. 

Waucho'pe's  first  care  was  to  see  that  the  wounded  were 
attended  to,  for  his  interest  in  his  men  was  ever  uppermost 
in  his  mind.  He  liked  to  treat  them  as  brothers  as  well  as 
subordinates,  sharing  with  them  the  roughest  work  and  the 
greatest  dangers ;  and  now  particularly,  when  many  of  them 
were  bruised  and  bleeding,  he  had  all  a  woman's  sympathy, 
and  did  his  best  to  alleviate  their  sufferings.  He  went 
carefully  over  the  ground  after  the  battle,  searching  out 
from  among  the  dead  such  of  his  men  who  might  be  alive, 
relieving  some  with  a  draught  of  water  from  his  bottle,  and 
seeing  that  they  were  removed  to  shelter,  where  they  could 


AFTER  TEL-EL-KEBIR  79 

be  surgically  attended  to ;  in  some  cases,  tenderly  helping  to 
carry  them  himself  off  the  field.  Such  scenes  always  rilled 
him  with  sadness,  as  they  did  the  heart  of  Wellington,  who 
was  wont  to  say :  '  Take  my  word  for  it,  if  you  had  seen 
but  one  day  of  war,  you  would  pray  to  Almighty  God  that 
you  might  never  see  such  a  thing  again.'  The  horrors  of 
war  make  most  brave  natures  shudder. 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  Arabi's  camp  at  Tel-el- 
Kebir,  at  the  next  halting-stage  in  the  army's  progress  to 
Cairo,  the  42nd  was  marched  into  the  square  of  a  cavalry 
barracks  to  wait  for  a  train  being  made  to  enable  them  to 
follow  the  retreating  enemy  to  Zagazig — an  important  rail- 
way junction  on  the  way.  They  were  in  very  rough 
quarters,  but  were  glad  to  get  any  sort  of  shelter  from 
the  scorching  sun.  One  of  the  staff-sergeants,  wearied  out 
and  oppressed  with  heat,  stumbled  into  a  room  which, 
unknown  to  him,  happened  to  be  occupied  by  Captain 
Wauchope  and  his  subordinate  officer,  Lieutenant  Duff. 
'As  I  attempted  to  withdraw — for  I  had  entered  not  know- 
ing they  were  there' — said  the  sergeant,  describing  the 
occurrence,  'Captain  Wauchope  at  once  called  out  in  a 
kindly  voice,  "  Come  in,  Pinkney,  come  in  and  sit  down, 
you  have  as  much  right  to  be  here  as  we  have."  ' 

But  though  this  was  so,  Pinkney,  who  was  not  one  of  his 
men,  did  not  fare  so  well  on  another  occasion  when  his 
presence  stood  in  the  way  of  the  convenience  of  the  men  of 
his  company,  Captain  Wauchope  having  then  no  hesitation 
in  leaving  him  to  shift  for  himself.  We  give  the  story  in  the 
sergeant's  own  words  : — '  Shortly  after  this,  we  were  marched 
down  to  the  railway  and  literally  packed  into  trucks.  I 
being  a  staff-sergeant,  and  in  a  sense  "nobody's  child," 
crawled  into  one  marked  E.  It  was  Wauchope's,  and  as 
all  his  men  could  not  find  room,   I  was  ignominiously 


80  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

ordered  out  by  the  same  gallant  gentleman !  We  were 
very  good  friends,  but  as  I  did  not  belong  to  his  company, 
he  could  not  allow  me  to  interfere  with  their  comfort ! ' 

Sergeant  Pinkney  also  relates  an  incident  of  the  same 
day  illustrating  Wauchope's  thoughts  on  the  inhumanity  of 
war.  '  We  were  all  sitting  together  on  the  mud  floor  of  the 
room  where  we  were  sheltering,  discussing  the  events  of 
the  morning.  "Andy,"  as  we  all  loved  to  call  our  captain, 
had  not,  for  a  wonder,  been  wounded,  but  a  Remington 
bullet  through  the  scabbard  of  his  sword  had  bent  it  nearly 
double,  so  that  he  could  not  return  the  weapon.  Another 
bullet  through  his  helmet  had  disarranged  the  pugaree 
and  heckle,  of  which  he  was  so  proud.  He  drew  my 
attention  as  armourer  to  the  condition  of  his  scabbard, 
and  I  took  it  into  my  hand  and  broke  it  across  my 
knee,  so  that  he  could  sheath  his  sword,  though  some 
eight  inches  of  the  blood-stained  blade  were  exposed. 
While  I  was  next  adjusting  his  pugaree,  he  suddenly  ex- 
claimed, "  I  say,  Duff,  what  brutes  we  men  are."  We  were 
silent  for  a  minute,  and  then  seeing  our  surprised  look,  as 
we  stopped  our  work,  he  continued,  "  Do  you  know,  I  felt 
this  morning  just  as  if  I  was  on  the  moors,  and  for  a  while 
I  was  quite  as  anxious  to  make  a  good  bag ;  man,  Duff,  we 
are  terrible  brutes,  after  all !  "  ' 

The  same  day  Wauchope's  regiment  proceeded  to  within 
a  few  miles  of  Zagazig,  reaching  that  place  in  the  morning 
of  the  14th  September.  Here  they  seized  the  railway  stock, 
and  went  on  to  Belbeis,  an  important  junction  on  the  edge 
of  the  desert.  There  they  remained  under  the  utmost  dis- 
comfort, without  tents  and  without  equipage,  until  the  23rd 
September,  when  they  moved  forward  to  Ghezireh,  near  to 
Cairo,  and  were  again  quartered  with  the  Highland  Brigade, 
under  Lieut.-General  Sir  E.  Hamley. 


RETURN   TO   SCOTLAND  81 

The  subsequent  occupation  of  Cairo,  the  arrest  and 
banishment  of  Arabi  Pasha,  and  the  restoration  of  the 
Khedive  under  British  protection,  are  matters  of  history. 
The  war  was  closed,  but  still  much  required  to  be  done  to 
restore  order  and  peace,  and  so  the  expeditionary  force 
became  an  army  of  occupation. 

Captain  Wauchope,  after  a  few  weeks'  encampment  at 
Ghezireh,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Nile,  was  moved  with 
his  regiment  into  Kass-el-Nil  barracks,  where  they  were  to 
be  quartered  for  the  winter.  A  time  of  peace  succeeded  a 
time  of  sharp  fighting.  But  whether  fighting  or  at  peace, 
Wauchope  gave  himself  no  rest.  His  military  duties 
might  be  heavy  enough,  but  his  self-imposed  exertions 
in  looking  after  the  wounded  and  the  sick  were  varied 
by  efforts  to  find  amusement  and  recreation  for  those 
who  were  well. 

For  his  services  in  this  campaign,  Captain  Wauchope 
received  the  medal  with  clasp,  and  the  Khedive's  Star,  as 
the  public  recognition  of  the  British  and  Egyptian  Govern- 
ments. 

His  stay  in  Egypt  was  unexpectedly  interrupted  by  the 
somewhat  sudden  death  of  his  elder  brother,  Major 
William  Wauchope  of  Niddrie,  on  the  28th  November 
1882.  Having  got  leave  of  absence,  he  at  once  returned 
home  to  Scotland  to  look  after  the  settlement  of  family 
affairs  and  the  future  management  of  the  estates. 

The  death  of  his  brother  without  issue  made  a  con- 
siderable change  in  his  position,  and  when  he  arrived  at 
Niddrie  early  in  December,  he  was  welcomed  as  the  new 
laird  with  every  expression  of  goodwill.  Though  he  had 
been  little  about  the  old  place  for  years,  the  tenants 
and  servants  had  warm  recollections  of  '  Andy '  as  a  good, 
kind,  genial  soul,  and  they  all  hoped  that  he  might  now 

F 


8a  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

return  to  occupy  the  ancestral  home,  and  settle  down 
among  '  his  ain  folk.' 

As  a  pledge  that  such  a  consummation  might  be  looked 
for  in  the  near  future,  and  taking  advantage  of  his  casual 
visit  home,  he  was  married  on  the  9th  of  December  to  Miss 
Elythea  Ruth  Erskine,  second  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas 
Erskine  of  Cambo,  Fife,  to  whom  he  had  for  some  time 
been  engaged. 

The  wedding  had  been  arranged  to  be  celebrated  at 
Cambo  in  a  quiet  way,  as  our  informant  said,  '  without 
any  fuss ' ;  but  though  this  was  so,  Captain  Wauchope 
found  to  some  extent  the  adage  verified,  that  '  the  course 
of  true  love  never  did  run  smooth.'  In  arranging  for  his 
marriage  in  the  stormy  month  of  December,  he  did  not  at 
all  events  lay  his  account  with  the  elements.  These  did 
their  best  to  frustrate  the  happy  event. 

Cambo  is  situated  two  or  three  miles  distant  from  Fife 
Ness,  the  extreme  eastern  point  of  the  county  of  Fife.  It 
is  now  easily  accessible  by  the  railway  skirting  the  northern 
shore  of  the  Firth  of  Forth,  connecting  Thornton  Junction 
and  St.  Andrews,  by  way  of  Anstruther  and  Crail.  But  at 
that  time  the  railway  was  not  completed  further  than 
Anstruther  on  the  one  side  and  St.  Andrews  on  the  other, 
and  Cambo  was  about  eight  or  nine  miles  from  either 
place.  Starting  from  Edinburgh  on  the  morning  of  the 
day  fixed  for  the  wedding,  Captain  Wauchope  should 
easily  have  arrived  at  Cambo  in  the  forenoon,  but  a  pro- 
tracted snowstorm  of  several  days  had  completely  blocked 
railways  and  roads.  Thinking  he  would  be  more  likely  to 
get  a  conveyance  to  carry  him  to  his  destination  if  he  went 
by  St.  Andrews,  he  took  that  instead  of  the  route  to 
Anstruther;  but  on  arriving  at  that  ancient  city,  he  was 
chagrined    to   find   that    the   roads   were   so    completely 


MARRIAGE  83 

blocked  with  snow  that  no  one  would  venture  the  journey 
for  him.  Taking  his  luggage  to  the  Royal  Hotel,  he  tried 
all  his  persuasive  powers  with  Mr.  Davidson,  the  genial  host, 
to  get  a  carriage,  or  even  a  dogcart,  ready  for  him  without 
delay.  But  the  storm  still  raged,  and  he  was  told  that 
the  roads  were  quite  impassable  either  for  driving  or 
riding,  and  he  would  require  to  remain  where  he  was  for 
the  night.  'But,'  said  the  would-be  and  now  desperate 
Benedict,  'I  must  get  to  Cambo,  as  I  am  to  be  married 
to-night.'  The  hotelkeeper  assured  him  that  in  the  cir- 
cumstances it  was  impossible,  but  promised  to  do  the  best 
he  could  for  him  the  next  morning  if  the  weather  moderated. 
At  length,  convinced  that  nothing  more  could  be  done,  the 
disappointed  swain  was  obliged  to  bow  to  the  inevitable, 
and  eat  his  solitary  dinner  with  what  resignation  he  could 
command.  It  was  a  severe  trial  of  patience,  but  there 
was  nothing  else  for  it,  and  so  he  remained  overnight  in 
the  friendly  shelter  of  the  '  Royal,'  in  the  hope  that  he 
might  get  release  the  following  da)'.  Sir  Thomas  Erskine, 
meanwhile,  expecting  the  bridegroom  to  come  by  way  of 
Anstruther,  where  the  roads  happened  not  to  be  so  badly 
blocked,  had  sent  a  carriage  with  the  young  bride  to  meet 
him  there.  But  no  Wauchope  appeared,  and  the  young 
lady  had  to  return  home  without  tidings  of  her  lover. 
The  disappointment  of  all  may  be  better  imagined  than 
described,  and  the  wedding  was  of  course  postponed  sine 
die.  The  following  morning  the  storm  had  somewhat 
abated,  but  the  snow-drift  still  lay  deep  on  the  roads, 
making  them  quite  impassable  for  wheeled  vehicles. 
Davidson,  true  to  his  word,  however,  gave  him  the  best 
horse  in  his  stable,  repacked  his  luggage  in  carpet-bags 
slung  across  the  back  of  another,  and  with  a  groom  in 
attendance  Wauchope  courageously  faced  the  elements  to 


84  GENERAL   WAUCIIOPE 

meet  his  bride.  It  was  a  toilsome  business,  and  not 
without  danger.  At  Browhill,  some  two  miles  from  St. 
Andrews,  the  block  was  so  deep  that  they  were  compelled 
to  make  a  detour,  or  '  a  flank  movement,'  as  he  afterwards 
described  it,  across  the  fields,  but  in  doing  so  they  came 
to  grief.  The  horse  which  Wauchope  rode  stumbled  and 
fell  through  the  accumulated  snow  into  a  deep  ditch, 
where  it  was  well-nigh  smothered,  and  the  combined  efforts 
of  Wauchope  and  groom  utterly  failed  to  extricate  the  poor 
animal.  At  length  assistance  was  procured,  a  number  of 
farm  servants  from  the  neighbourhood  giving  willing  help, 
and  after  a  good  deal  of  exertion  it  was  at  length  got  out, 
while  the  groom,  wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  brow, 
declared,  'This  is  terrible  work,  captain;  it's  worse  than 
Egypt  yet ! '  The  remainder  of  the  nine-mile  journey  was 
completed  in  safety.  Love  had  triumphed.  A  warm 
welcome  greeted  the  belated  bridegroom  at  Cambo,  and 
though  '  one  day  after  date,'  the  marriage  cheque  was  duly 
honoured ! 

The  hopes  of  his  friends  at  home  that  he  might  now 
give  up  active  service,  and  become  a  local  county  magnate, 
were  not,  however,  to  be  realised.  Captain  Wauchope, 
accompanied  by  his  young  wife,  returned  to  Egypt  a  few 
weeks  after  their  marriage,  to  take  up  his  military  duties 
with  the  Black  Watch;  and  there,  in  the  quaint  old  Oriental 
city  of  Cairo,  they  spent  together  the  first  and,  alas,  the 
last  year  of  their  married  life. 

Perhaps  no  other  town  under  the  sun  has  so  many 
different  characteristics  as  Cairo,  and  certainly  few  places 
afford  such  strong  contrasts.  It  is  at  one  and  the  same 
time  an  official  capital,  a  city  of  immemorial  antiquity,  a 
garrison  town,  a  health  resort,  an  Oriental  centre,  and  the 
Paris  of  the  Dark  Continent.     Half  the  hidden  charm  of 


LIFE   IN   CAIRO  85 

Cairo  and  its  surroundings,  it  has  been  said,  consists  of 
the  strongly  incongruous  sights  that  meet  an  observant 
eye :  the  modern  woman  leaning  on  her  bicycle,  and  stead- 
fastly looking  at  the  unchanging  eyes  of  the  Sphinx,  or  a 
laughing  party  of  officers  and  Americans  in  the  shadow  of 
the  Great  Pyramid,  or  among  the  tombs  of  the  caliphs, 
its  Oriental  bazaar  crowded  with  British  soldiers  and 
sailors  :  an  old  world  and  a  new.  Chief  among  the  attrac- 
tions of  Cairo  is  its  climate,  combining  almost  continuous 
sunshine,  comparative  warmth,  and  an  air  of  pure  and 
tonic  qualities.    ' 

Mrs.  Wauchope  resided  during  these  months  at  the 
Grand  Hotel,  within  comparatively  easy  distance  of  Kass- 
el-Nil  barracks,  where  the  captain's  daily  duties  lay,  and 
amid  new  surroundings  found  much  to  interest  her,  while 
she  materially  helped  him  in  his  work  among  the  men  of 
his  regiment. 

Unfortunately,  though  the  climate  as  a  rule  is  excellent 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  sanitary  arrangements 
and  modes  0/  living  were  not  then,  whatever  they  may 
be  now,  such  as  to  prevent  the  evils  to  which  most 
Eastern  cities  are  subject.  Cholera,  one  of  the  scourges 
of  the  East,  broke  out  in  Cairo  among  the  Copts  in  the 
summer  of  1883,  and,  spreading  among  the  better  classes 
of  society,  even  found  its  way  among  the  British  soldiers. 
Their  removal  from  Cairo  for  a  time  was  considered 
absolutely  necessary;  but  before  this  could  be  effected, 
the  Black  Watch  had  suffered  considerably  from  the 
epidemic.  As  soon  as  possible,  however,  cholera-camps 
were  formed  at  Suez  in  July,  where  the  greater  part  of  the 
regiment  remained  till  the  beginning  of  September. 
During  this  time  Captain  Wauchope,  with  the  rank  of 
brigade-major,   was    left    in    charge    of    the    Kass-el-Nil 


86  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

barracks  with  a  small  detachment ;  and  surrounded  as  they 
were  with  an  epidemic  which  was  then  cutting  down 
hundreds  of  poor  natives,  without  adequate  means  of  reliev- 
ing the  distress,  he  was  much  moved  by  what  he  saw,  and 
did  his  utmost  to  help.  His  first  care  was  of  course  for 
the  soldiers  under  his  command.  They  did  not  altogether 
escape,  and  in  a  number  of  cases  that  occurred  he  was 
assiduous  in  his  attention.  Regardless  of  danger  to  him- 
self, he  would  go  back  and  forward  between  the  hospital 
and  the  barracks,  giving  all  the  comfort  and  material 
assistance  that  were  required. 

But  it  was  not  merely  in  his  co-operation  with  medical 
men  and  nurses  that  Wauchope's  aid  was  given :  he  was 
a  valued  co-worker  with  the  chaplain,  assisting  him  in 
visiting  and  addressing  meetings.  The  Rev.  John  Mac- 
taggart,  who  was  then  acting  with  the  42nd  in  Egypt,  says, 
'He  was  always  ready  to  aid  me,  and  willingly  responded 
to  any  reasonable  request  for  money  on  behalf  of  the  men, 
such  as  in  helping  to  defray  expenses  incurred  in  holding 
social,  temperance,  or  religious  meetings.'  'I  remember,' 
he  continues,  'in  the  summer  of  1883,  the  cholera,  after 
raging  for  weeks  among  the  native  population,  attacked 
the  British  troops.  As  a  precautionary  measure,  these 
were  dispersed  and  located  at  considerable  distances  from 
Cairo,  the  Black  Watch  being  sent  to  the  brackish  lake 
near  Suez.  Captain  Wauchope's  sympathetic  nature  was 
deeply  stirred  by  the  many  sad  sights  around  him  in  Cairo, 
where  he  remained  through  it  all  with  a  small  company  of 
the  regiment.  Two  of  his  men  were  stricken  down,  one 
immediately  after  the  other,  with  the  fell  disease,  and  not 
being  able  myself  to  attend  to  them  at  once,  he  was  full  of 
anxiety  about  them,  and  could  not  rest  till  he  got  me  to  see 
them  at  the  barracks,  quite  heedless  of  danger  to  himself.' 


A  CAIRO   MOB  87 

To  many  a  poor  fellow  he  was  throughout  all  this  trying 
time  a  friend  indeed,  counselling,  helping,  and  encouraging 
wherever  he  had  the  opportunity. 

At  the  evening  voluntary  meetings  in  the  barracks,  too, 
he  frequently  took  a  part  with  the  chaplain  in  the  religious 
services.  His  consistent  manly  conduct  and  the  quiet, 
unobtrusive  profession  of  his  faith  at  this  time,  not  only 
endeared  him  to  many,  but  gave  him  a  wonderful  influence 
for  good  which  it  is  difficult  fully  to  estimate. 

Every  one  has  his  own  characteristic :  Wauchope's  was 
consideration  for  his  men.  'Years  ago,'  says  a  friend, 
'I  was  in  the  street  in  Cairo  with  him,  when  there 
approached  us  a  bareheaded  Highlander,  running  for  his 
life,  and  pursued  by  a  crowd  of  Arabs  armed  with  sticks. 
Captain  Wauchope  halted  the  fugitive,  turned  about, 
ordered  him  to  fall  in  in  front,  and  thus  we  marched 
to  the  barracks,  the  mob  howling  behind.  The  Captain 
handed  the  man  over  to  the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  and 
notified  his  intention  of  giving  evidence  in  the  orderly- 
room  next  morning.  A  few  days  later  I  was  to  meet  the 
Captain  at  the  club  and  take  a  drive  with  him.  On 
arrival  there,  I  found  a  note  directing  me  to  come  to  the 
hospital.  The  orderly  led  me  to  a  ward,  but  I  could  see 
no  Captain.  I  interviewed  the  orderly  again,  and  he  told 
me  to  go  to  the  far  end  and  I  would  find  him.  There,  on 
the  bed  of  his  colour-sergeant,  retailing  the  day's  news,  sat 
the  officer  commanding  his  company.  On  my  approach, 
with  a  cheery  adieu  and  a  promise  to  come  back  again  on 
the  morrow,  Wauchope  rose  and  went  for  his  drive.' 

Captain  and  Mrs.  Wauchope  left  Cairo  in  November 
1883,  where  they  had  been  witness  to  so  much  trouble, 
to  come  home  to  England,  taking  up  their  residence  at 
Niddrie  for  six  weeks,  and  afterwards  going  to  Cambo  on 


SS  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

a  visit.  Towards  the  end  of  January  they  proceeded  to 
London,  where  Mrs.  Wauchope  gave  birth  to  twins — 
both  boys.  The  joy  of  this  event  was,  however,  speedily 
followed  a  few  days  after,  on  the  3rd  February,  by  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Wauchope. 

It  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the  Captain,  and  though  he 
bowed  submissively  to  the  will  of  God,  he  none  the  less 
felt  his  loss  keenly,  and  for  a  time  was  inconsolable. 

The  children  were  taken  to  Cambo,  where,  under  the 
charge  of  Lady  Erskine,  they  were  tenderly  nursed  and 
cared  for,  while  Wauchope  himself  sought  in  renewed 
activity  to  forget,  if  possible,  the  misery  of  his  bereave- 
ment. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  EASTERN  SOUDAN — BATTLE  OF  EL-TEB — ATTEMPT  TO 
RELIEVE  GENERAL  GORDON — ASCENT  OF  THE  NILE — 
THE  WHALE-BOATS — BATTLE  OF  KIRBEKAN — RETURN 
TO  CAIRO — MALTA — GIBRALTAR. 

Though  peace  had  been  restored  to  Egypt  by  our  arms, 
and  security  of  life  and  property  was  being  established 
and  upheld  by  the  presence  in  the  country  of  the  army 
of  occupation,  new  troubles  were  brewing  in  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Nile.  General  Gordon,  as  the  representative 
of  the  Khedive  in  the  far-away  capital  of  the  Soudan  pro- 
vince of  Upper  Egypt,  was  endeavouring  to  maintain  law 
and  order  in  the  midst  of  turbulent  tribes  of  wild  Arabs. 
Disaffection  and  rebellion  against  Egyptian  authority  broke 
out  on  all  sides,  and  the  first  murmurings  were  heard  of 
a  new  power  emerging  out  of  the  African  darkness, 
threatening  to  overwhelm  and  sweep  before  its  fanatical 
sword  every  evidence  of  modern  civilisation.  The  rise  of 
the  Mahdi  as  a  religious  and  political  force  was  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  movements  of  modern  times,  and  can 
only  find  a  parallel  in  that  of  Mohammed  himself,  whose 
follower  the  Mahdi  or  Prophet  of  God  professed  to  be. 
With  a  success  at  first  truly  marvellous,  he  managed  so  to 
impress  his  claims  to  sanctity  upon  the  Arab  tribes  of  the 
Soudan,  that  they  flocked  to  his  standard  in  thousands. 

89 


90  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

Cleverly  seizing  the  occasion  of  discontent  at  excessive 
taxation  and  the  destruction  of  the  slave  trade,  which, 
under  European  influence,  the  Egyptian  government  had 
attempted,  the  Mahdi  el  Muntazer  raised  the  cry  of 
revolt,  and  openly  proclaimed  himself,  by  the  grace  of 
God  and  his  Prophet,  master  of  the  country.  His 
fanatical  pretensions,  carrying  the  weight  of  religious 
sanctity,  bore  down  all  opposition  for  a  time.  General 
Gordon  was  sent  to  stem  the  torrent,  and  reaching 
Khartoum  on  the  18th  of  February  1884,  bravely  held  it 
against  overwhelming  numbers  for  eleven  months. 

The  British  authorities  who  were  responsible  for 
Gordon's  appointment,  but  who  were  unfortunately  not 
equally  alive  to  the  danger  of  his  position,  resolved  at 
length  upon  an  expedition  for  his  relief,  to  proceed  by 
the  Red  Sea  to  the  port  of  Suakim  to  operate  in  the 
Eastern  Soudan,  between  the  sea  and  the  River  Nile,  where 
a  number  of  Egyptian  garrisons  were  being  threatened 
by  the  rebellious  tribes  under  Osman  Digna.  British 
troops  in  and  about  Cairo,  Alexandria,  and  other  stations 
were  at  once  despatched  under  the  command  of  Sir 
Gerald  Graham  to  quell  the  disturbance.  Wauchope, 
who  had  received  the  appointment  from  Lord  Wolseley 
of  Assistant-Adjutant  and  Quartermaster-General  to  the 
expedition,  left  England  on  short  notice,  and,  accompanied 
by  Sir  Redvers  Buller,  arrived  in  the  Red  Sea  towards 
the  end  of  February,  in  time  to  take  his  share  in  active 
operations  against  the  enemy,  who  were  strongly  fortified 
and  in  possession  of  Tokar. 

The  expeditionary  force  was  landed  at  Trinkitat,  a  port 
on  the  Red  Sea,  some  miles  south  of  Suakim,  and  Tokar 
being  inland,  a  long  and  fatiguing  march  had  to  be 
undertaken  to  reach  it.     When  half-way  they  encountered 


BATTLE   OF   EL-TEB  91 

the  Arabs  in  a  strongly  entrenched  position  in  the  desert 
at  the  wells  of  El-Teb,  and  here,  on  the  29th  February,  a 
fierce  conflict  took  place,  the  Arabs  fighting  with  great 
determination.  The  Black  Watch  and  the  York  and 
Lancashire  Regiment  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  battle, 
and  suffered  severely.  To  the  former  fell  the  main  attack 
on  the  right  and  centre  of  the  enemy's  position,  where 
their  chief  strength  lay,  protected  as  it  was  by  skilfully 
constructed  rifle-pits,  defended  by  resolute  men,  ready  to 
die  rather  than  yield. 

Captain  Waucliope  escaped  with  his  life  as  by  a  miracle. 
Being  on  horseback,  charging  the  enemy's  guns,  he  was  a 
prominent  figure  in  the  fight,  and  was  unfortunately  struck 
down  by  a  musket-shot,  which  entered  the  lower  part  of 
his  body.  He  was  only  saved  from  instant  death  by  the 
friendly  intervention  of  his  binoculars,  which  were  hanging 
by  his  side,  the  bullet  striking  the  glass  and  smashing  it  to 
pieces.  He  was  carried  off  the  field,  and  at  once  attended 
to.  But  the  wound  was  of  such  a  serious  nature  that  little 
hope  was  entertained  of  his  recovery.  The  battle  over,  and 
the  Arabs  completely  routed,  the  British  force  proceeded  on 
their  way  to  Tokar  without  further  opposition,  and  relieved 
the  small  garrison  there.  Wauchope  and  the  other  wounded 
men  were  taken  back  to  Trinkitat  and  put  on  board  ship 
for  Suez. 

When  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  able  to  be  removed 
from  the  hospital,  he  rejoined  the  Black  Watch  at  Cairo 
in  the  month  of  April.  The  binoculars  which,  it  may  be 
said,  saved  his  life  at  El-Teb  have  been  carefully  preserved, 
and  may  now  be  seen  in  their  shattered  condition  among 
other  relics  and  war  trophies  in  Niddrie  House. 

For  his  gallant  conduct  at  the  battle  of  El-Teb, 
Wauchope    received    a    favourable    mention   in    General 


92  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

Graham's  despatches,  which  procured  for  him  the  medal 
and  two  clasps,  and  what  was  perhaps  of  more  importance, 
the  rank  of  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

He  suffered  long  and  severely  from  the  wound  he  had 
received,  but  he  was  much  benefited  in  health  by  a  visit 
which  he  made  to  his  old  friend  Sir  Robert  Biddulph 
at  Mount  Troodos  in  Cyprus  during  the  summer  of  that 
year. 

In  the  autumn  came  further  rumours  from  the  Soudan  of 
the  rising  power  of  the  Mahdi,  and  the  danger  with  which 
General  Gordon  was  threatened  of  being  overwhelmed  in 
the  capture  of  Khartoum.  It  was  now  resolved  that 
active  and  immediate  steps  should  be  taken  in  order  if 
possible  to  relieve  him,  notwithstanding  that  the  distance 
was  great,  and  the  road  perilous,  and  to  a  great  extent 
unknown.  The  Black  Watch  was  called  upon  once  more 
to  undertake  this  difficult  task,  and  officers  and  men 
responded  to  the  call  with  enthusiastic  delight.  The 
regiment  at  Cairo  numbered  about  700,  and  at  an  in- 
spection there  by  General  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  on  16th 
September,  he  complimented  Colonel  Bayly  and  the 
officers  and  men  under  him  on  the  highly  efficient  state 
in  which  they  then  were,  and  the  pride  with  which  the 
people  of  England  had  followed  them  in  the  gallant 
upholding  of  'the  honour  of  their  splendid  and  historic 
regiment.'  'I  do  not  think,'  he  continued,  '  there  will  be 
much  fighting  in  the  coming  campaign,  but  there  will  be 
very  hard  work,  and  I  shall  want  you  to  show  that  you 
can  work  hard  as  well  as  fight.  If  there  is  any  fighting  to 
be  done,  I  know  that  I  have  only  to  call  on  the  Black 
Watch,  and  you  will  behave  as  you  have  always  done.' 

The  sequel  proved  this  to  be  a  true  forecast.  The  expedi- 
tion was  beset  with  difficulties  from  first  to  last,  and  the 


RELIEF   OF   KHARTOUM  93 

labour  involved  was  enormous — the  pity  of  it  being,  that 
after  all,  the  result  was  not  commensurate  with  the  cost, 
and  was  altogether  disappointing.  With  Cairo  as  their 
starting-point  and  Khartoum  as  their  goal,  the  intervening 
space  of  over  fifteen  hundred  miles,  with  its  sandy  plains, 
its  waste  howling  wilderness,  held  by  hostile  tribes  of  Arabs, 
had  to  be  covered  by  our  troops.  This  was  a  work  of  no 
ordinary  kind,  and  involved  not  only  skill  in  planning,  but 
persevering  toil  in  execution,  which  tried  to  the  utmost  the 
stuff  our  soldiers  are  made  of.  The  Black  Watch,  led  by  such 
men  as  Colonels  -  Green,  Bayly,  Kidston,  Coveny,  Eden, 
and  Wauchope  were  a  host  in  themselves,  and  abundantly 
justified  the  confidence  reposed  in  them  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief. The  expedition  started  on  5th  October 
by  rail  to  Assouan,  where  they  hoped  immediately  to 
begin  the  ascent  of  the  Nile  by  steamers  and  barges. 
Unfortunately,  one  or  two  cases  of  smallpox  here  broke 
out  among  the  men  of  the  42nd,  and  the  regiment  was 
compelled  to  go  into  quarantine  for  four  weeks.  They 
pitched  their  camp  within  a  palm-grove  close  to  Assouan 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and  the  tedium  of  enforced  idle- 
ness was  relieved  by  preparation  for  the  arduous  task 
before  them.  Colonel  Wauchope  energetically  exerted 
himself  during  these  weeks,  and  in  the  off  hours  of  drill 
encouraged  the  men  not  only  in  out-door  sports  of  all 
kinds,  but  was  active  in  getting  up  theatrical  and  other 
entertainments  for  their  amusement.  In  this  way  the 
time  passed  pleasantly  until  the  regiment  was  released 
from  quarantine  on  12th  November,  when  the  real  for- 
ward movement  for  the  relief  of  General  Gordon  com- 
menced, so  far  as  the  Black  Watch  was  concerned. 
Embarking  at  Philae,  famed  for  its  ancient  island  temple, 
in  steamers  and  barges,  the  voyage  of  two  hundred  and 


94  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

fifty  miles  was  safely  accomplished  to  Wady  Haifa,  after 
which,  avoiding  the  second  cataract  of  the  Nile,  the  journey 
to  Sarras  was  made  overland.  Here  there  was  consider- 
able detention  waiting  the  arrival  of  a  large  flotilla  of  800 
whale  boats — which  had  been  commissioned  from  England 
by  Lord  Wolseley  for  transporting  the  troops  up  the  river. 
Regiment  after  regiment  were  here  embarked  to  fight  the 
cataracts,  the  rapids,  and  the  shallows  of  the  mysterious 
river  whose  source  had  for  ages  been  hidden  in  the  dark 
recesses  of  the  African  Continent.  Surely  no  stranger 
or  more  gigantic  armed  force  ever  floated  on  its  waters 
either  before  or  since  the  days  of  Egypt's  ancient  great- 
ness! 

As  it  was,  the  British  soldier — ■  capable  of  going  any- 
where and  doing  anything ' — had  for  the  nonce  to  convert 
himself  into  a  boatman;  and  that  he  had  much  to  learn 
in  this  capacity  may  be  gathered  from  one  of  the  jokes 
familiar  to  the  expeditionary  force,  to  the  effect  that 
one  day  a  man  at  the  helm,  on  receiving  the  order  '  put 
your  helm  down,'  immediately  proceeded  to  place  the 
tiller  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  innocently  awaited 
further  orders!  The  boats  provided  were  about  thirty 
feet  long,  seven  feet  beam,  and  with  a  draught  of  two  and 
a  half  feet.  As  the  boats  were  destined  each  to  be  self- 
supporting,  they  had,  when  finally  loaded,  supplies  of 
ammunition,  ordnance,  and  commissariat  stores  for 
fourteen  men  for  one  hundred  days.  But  it  was  not 
unusual  for  the  boats  to  be  carrying  practically  one 
hundred  and  twenty  days'  rations  and  other  stores,  and 
reserve  ammunition  for  fourteen  men,  with  a  crew  of 
eight  men  in  each  boat.  Great  caution  and  skill  were 
necessary  in  an  expedition  so  full  of  novelty  and  danger, 
and  if  accidents  did  happen,  it  is  no  matter  of  surprise, 


THE    NILE   EXPEDITION  95 

considering  that  it  was  through  an  almost  entirely  un- 
known country  and  among  hostile  tribes  their  course 
lay.  With  a  falling  river,  too,  tha  dangers  and  difficulties 
were  increased,  for  boats  were  frequently  striking  sunken 
rocks,  and  springing  leaks,  which  necessitated  their  being 
hauled  up  on  the  river  bank,  unloaded  of  their  tons  of 
stores,  and  then  repaired  by  the  soldiers  themselves,  for 
there  was  no  one  else  to  do  it.  In  some  places  there  was 
barely  room  for  a  loaded  camel  to  pass  between  the  per- 
pendicular rocks ;  in  others,  where  the  path  was  wider,  the 
rocks  had  been  prepared  for  defence  by  loop-holed  stone 
sconces.  There  was  no  order  or  regularity  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  rocks.  '  They  seemed,'  said  one  eye-witness, 
'  to  have  been  upheaved  in  a  mass,  in  some  great  volcanic 
convulsion,  and  to  have  fallen  one  upon  another  in  every 
direction.' 

Throughout  this  remarkable  voyage  Colonel  Wauchope's 
early  naval  experience  stood  him  in  good  stead.  Having 
the  command  of  the  E  company  of  the  Black  Watch  he 
had  charge  of  sixteen  boats,  with  ten  men  in  each.  He 
divided  the  company  into  two  parts  so  that  each  section 
might  have  free  scope,  and  collisions  be  avoided;  and, 
thanks  to  his  ever  watchful  eye  and  naval  skill,  the 
soldiers  in  the  boats  speedily  became  expert  sailors. 
From  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mactaggart,  who  accompanied  the 
expedition  at  the  special  desire  of  Colonel  Wauchope, 
and  was  in  his  company,  we  give  the  following  narrative. 
'According  to  Lord  Wolseley's  orders,  each  boat  was  to 
have  been  provided  with  one  or  two  Canadian  steersmen, 
but  in  some  way  it  was  found  impossible  to  get  this,  and 
after  two  days'  delay  we  succeeded  in  getting  away  with 
one  Canadian  in  every  second  boat — eight  men  instead  of 
thirty-two ;  much  therefore  depended  on  Wauchope  him- 


96  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

self.  Before  starting  on  several  occasions,  I  remember 
he  had  all  of  us  assembled  on  the  river-side,  and  gave 
out  minute  instructions  theoretically  and  practically  how 
to  enter  the  boat,  how  to  sit  on  the  bench,  how  to  handle 
the  oar,  and  how  to  splice  a  rope.  His  instructions  were 
always  much  needed  and  most  excellent.  Then  as  to 
loading  and  unloading,  he  would  demonstrate  how  this 
could  most  easily  be  done,  and  with  least  danger.  He 
was  careful  to  emphasise  his  caution  as  to  managing  the 
boats  in  the  strong  eddies  and  currents  of  the  stream,  and 
above  all  to  avoid  racing  or  endeavouring  to  get  ahead  of 
each  other.  With  a  vein  of  humour  in  his  voice,  and  yet 
meant  as  a  serious  joke,  he  would  say — "  Mind  you,  my 
men,  no  Derby  racing  ! "  On  one  occasion,  in  pulling  the 
boats  over  a  strong  current,  two  boats'  crews  were  neces- 
sary to  get  one  at  a  time  over  it,  but  through  some  hitch 
one  of  these  with  its  contents  would  have  been  irretriev- 
ably lost  but  for  his  opportune  energy  and  pluck.  The 
men,  exhausted  with  the  heavy  strain  upon  them,  slackened 
the  rope,  and  in  a  moment  the  boat  had  turned  and  was 
being  carried  back.  Wauchope  at  once  seized  the  rope, 
and  held  on  to  it  tenaciously,  though  drawn  in  among  the 
rocks  at  the  edge  of  the  rapid,  and  had  his  hands  very 
much  lacerated  for  his  pains.' 

Many  incidents  —  some  amusing  and  some  serious 
enough — occurred  in  these  daily  battles  with  the  river; 
but  Wauchope  was  ever  in  the  thick  of  it  if  a  difficulty 
occurred ;  and  while  as  commander  he  was  prompt  in 
giving  his  orders,  he  was  never  above  giving  his  men  a 
helping  hand  when  needed.  '  It  was  during  our  toilsome 
ascent  of  the  third  and  fourth  cataracts,'  says  another 
comrade  of  the  expedition,  'a  staff  officer  was  detailed 
in  charge  of  different  districts  up  the  banks,  whose  duty 


FIGHTING  THE   CATARACTS  97 

it  was  to  guide  and  instruct  the  boats  in  their  passage  up 
the  rapids,  or,  as  the  men  put  it,  "to  worry  and  irritate  the 
troops."  On  one  occasion  Colonel  Wauchope's  boat  was 
in  trouble,  and  the  staff  officer  was  shouting  any  amount 
of  advice  gratis  from  the  bank.  Thinking  apparently  that 
enough  notice  was  not  being  taken  of  his  instructions,  he 
called  out,  "  You  No.  2  boat  there,  do  you  know  who  I  am? 
I  am  Colonel  Primrose  of  the  Guards."  This  immediately 
drew  the  following  answer  from  a  wild-looking,  red-headed, 
and  half-naked  worker  in  the  boat,  "  And  do  you  know  who 
/am,  sir?  I  am  Colonel  Wauchope  of  the  Black  Watch, 
so  honours  are  easy ! " '  Though  otherwise  kind  to  a 
fault,  in  the  matter  of  discipline  he  was  firm  as  a  rock 
in  adhering  strictly  to  orders.  Indeed  at  this  juncture  he 
was  invaluable  to  the  regiment,  for  he  acted  at  the  same 
time  both  as  president  of  the  canteen  and  mess ;  and  as 
one  of  his  brother  officers  informs  us,  'it  was  only  through 
his  continual  forethought  that  we  were  able  to  obtain  sup- 
plies for  our  daily  wants.'  '  A  favourite  dinner  on  the 
Nile,'  says  one  of  his  men,  '  which  was  looked  upon  as  a 
great  luxury,  was  one  pound  of  bacon  per  man,  in  place  of 
the  usual  tinned  meat,  as  by  dint  of  self-denial  a  bit  of  it 
might  be  saved  for  breakfast  next  morning.  This  was 
served  out  by  the  captain,  and  great  was  the  consternation 
one  day  in  the  drum-major's  boat  when  the  cook  fell  over- 
board with  the  boat's  rations  in  his  hand.  The  man  was 
secured,  but  the  bacon  went  to  the  crocodiles.  The 
matter  being  reported  to  Colonel  Wauchope,  it  was  hoped 
the  rations  might  be  replaced.  But  not  having  seen  the 
accident,  he  was  obdurate.  The  ration  had  been  issued 
and  could  not  be  replaced,  so  the  unfortunate  boat's  crew 
worked  hard  all  that  day  on  biscuit  and  tea  only.  Even- 
ing came,  and  tea  was  being  made  when  word  was  passed 

G 


98  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

along  the  bank  that  the  drum-major  was  wanted  by  Colonel 
Wauchope.  Hope  sprang  up  that  he  had  relented  at  the 
eleventh  hour ;  but  no  such  luck.  To  his  honour  be  it 
said,  however,  he  divided  his  own  pound  of  bacon  with 
the  drum-major  that  night,  and  it  was  his  all,  for  officers 
and  men  fared  alike  at  that  time.'  Still  they  knew  their 
commander,  and  no  grumble  was  heard.  Though  he 
might  be  strict,  they  all  felt  he  had  their  interest  at  heart. 

The  rough  work  of  fighting  the  cataracts  was  telling 
sorely  upon  uniforms  and  shoes,  some  of  the  men  being 
actually  in  rags.  They  had  proceeded  as  far  as  Ambu-Kui, 
and  the  necessity  for  having  new  boots  was  so  pressing, 
Wauchope  set  out  two  or  three  miles  inland  to  where 
there  was  a  bazaar  and  bought  for  his  men  all  the  boots 
and  shoes  he  could  get.  The  old  dervish  from  whom  he 
purchased  them  assured  him  with  all  seriousness  of  their 
excellence,  saying,  '  Well  now,  oh  ye  faithful,  if  you  buy 
them  you  can  go  straight  to  Paradise' — a  recommendation 
of  his  goods  which  the  colonel  enjoyed  immensely. 

Struggling  on  from  day  to  day  in  their  toilsome  up-river 
journey,  one  hope  animated  every  breast,  that  the  gallant 
general  holding  his  own  with  defection  and  treachery  among 
his  native  troops  in  Khartoum,  and  a  fanatical  horde  of 
Arabs  under  the  Mahdi  outside  its  walls,  would  be  able  to 
hold  out  until  the  arrival  of  the  British  force  on  its  way  to 
relieve  him.  General  Gordon  was  in  a  most  critical  position. 
The  enemy  being  numerous,  and  ever  increasing,  hemmed 
him  in  on  all  sides,  while  famine  was  pressing  him  even 
more  seriously  within.  It  was  a  long  road,  and  bravely 
Lord  Wolseley  encouraged  his  troops  to  renewed  exertions. 
In  the  first  week  of  January  1885  the  leading  companies 
of  the  42nd  Highlanders  arrived  at  Korti,  and  on  the 
13th  January  the  headquarters  rowed  into  Hamdab  with 


BATTLE   OF   KIRBEKAN  99 

fifty-four  boats.  By  the  20th  the  whole  regiment  was 
once  more  together  at  Hamdab,  and  with  the  South 
Staffordshire,  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  Duke  of  Corn- 
wall's Light  Infantry,  the  1st  Battalion  of  the  Gordon 
Highlanders,  one  squadron  of  the  19th  Hussars,  an 
Egyptian  Camel  Corps,  and  a  section  of  the  Engineers  and 
Bluejackets,  formed  the  Nile  River  Column,  under  Major- 
General  Earle.  Making  a  further  advance,  the  difficult 
Edermih  Cataract  was  surmounted  on  the  25th  January, 
and  the  Kab-el-Abd  Cataract  two  days  after.  But  it  was 
only  by  the  daring  skill  of  the  Canadian  voyageurs  and 
the  constant  toil  of  the  whole  force  that  the  boats  were 
got  successfully  over,  for  now  the  currents  of  the  river 
were  getting  more  difficult  to  face.  At  the  fourth  or  Birti 
Cataract  they  began  to  feel  the  enemy  in  stronger  force, 
and  at  Kirbekan,  some  seven  miles  further  on,  the  ground 
overlooking  the  Nile  was  found  to  be  fortified  with  every 
determination  to  resist  the  passage  of  the  boats.  The 
troops  were  accordingly  formed  for  battle,  and  the  British 
line  under  General  Earle  advanced  upon  the  entrench- 
ments. Finding  it  impossible,  however,  to  dislodge  the 
Arabs  by  musketry  fire  alone,  orders  were  given  for  the 
Black  Watch  to  carry  the  position  by  the  bayonet.  The 
regiment  responded  gallantly  to  the  order.  The  pipers 
struck  up,  and  with  a  cheer  the  Black  Watch  rushed 
forward  with  a  steadiness  and  valour  that  were  irresistible, 
and  which  called  forth  the  enthusiastic  admiration  of  the 
general.  From  the  loop-holed  walls  of  the  enemy  the 
rifle  puffs  shot  out  continuously,  but,  undaunted  by  danger, 
the  42nd  scaled  the  rocks,  and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet 
drove  them  from  their  shelter. 

Colonel  Bayly  of  the  42nd,  who  commanded  the  left- 
half  battalion,  has  favoured  us  with  the  following  account 


ioo  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

of  Wauchope's  intrepid  daring  in  this  action.  ■  Kirbekan,' 
he  says,  '  was  one  of  the  last  fights  at  which  I  was  present 
with  him.  He  was  in  command  of  a  company  of  my  half 
battalion  in  the  attack  on  the  Arabs'  position,  a  high, 
precipitous  rocky  range  rising  from  the  river's  bank.  We 
were  fully  engaged,  when  Wauchope,  asking  my  leave, 
descended  the  precipitous  bank  of  the  river,  then  in  full 
flood.  Returning  in  a  few  minutes,  he  said  he  could  take 
the  company  over  the  rocks,  and  with  perhaps  a  little 
wading  he  could  turn  the  flank  of  the  kopje  held  by  the 
enemy.  This  he  did,  and  rolled  the  enemy  up  to  their 
final  stand,  a  roughly  built  stone  shanty,  where  General 
Earle  (who  was  in  command)  and  Colonel  Coveny  met 
their  deaths.  And  here  Wauchope  himself  was  badly 
wounded.'  Meanwhile  the  cavalry  had  captured  the 
enemy's  camp,  and  the  Staffordshire  regiment  had 
gallantly  stormed  the  last  remaining  ridge.  The  battle 
of  Kirbekan  was  won  on  the  nth  February. 

Wauchope  was  assisted  down  from  among  the  high 
rocks  by  his  friends  Captain  Stewart  and  Mr.  Mactaggart, 
the  chaplain,  and  had  his  wound  attended  to  by  Dr.  Harvey 
and  Dr.  Flood.  They  found  his  shoulder  very  much 
shattered,  and  were  of  opinion  that  his  arm  would  have  to 
be  amputated.  He  himself  was  apparently  not  conscious 
that  he  was  dangerously  wounded,  and  endeavoured  to 
treat  the  matter  lightly.  Having  persuaded  the  doctors  to 
delay  the  operation  till  next  day,  we  are  told  he  seemed 
after  a  little  to  be  more  concerned  about  the  condition  of 
his  brother  officer,  Lord  Alexander  Kennedy,  who  had 
also  been  severely  wounded  in  the  action,  than  about 
himself.  After  further  consultation,  to  the  great  relief  of 
Wauchope,  it  was  determined  to  give  him  a  chance  of 
saving  his  arm.     The  wound  was  carefully  and  success- 


DEATH   OF   GORDON  101 

fully  dressed.  This  disablement,  however,  reduced  him 
from  the  position  of  an  active  leader  in  the  expedition  to 
that  of  a  mere  spectator.  He  was  quite  laid  aside  for  a 
time,  and  compelled  to  remain  in  one  of  the  boats  floating 
on  the  Nile — no  pleasant  experience  for  one  of  his  active 
temperament. 

Still  keeping  Khartoum,  with  its  noble  defender,  in 
view,  the  expedition,  though  yet  more  than  450  miles 
from  their  destination,  pushed  on  with  vigour.  Passing 
Hebbath,  the  scene  of  poor  Colonel  Stewart's  murder  by 
the  chief  of  the  Monassir  tribe  a  few  months  before, 
thence  to  El  Kab,  where  the  current  is  very  swift,  the 
215  boats  of  the  force  arrived  at  Huella,  not  far  from 
Abu  Ahmed,  with  its  beautiful  green  sward  on  the  banks 
of  the  river. 

This  was  destined  to  be  the  furthest  point  to  which  the 
river  expedition  was  to  penetrate.  Relief  had  arrived  too 
late,  for  here  the  British  force  learned  that  the  end  had  come 
in  Khartoum,  and  that  all  their  labour  had  been  in  vain. 
The  city  had  been  treacherously  taken  by  the  Mahdi,  and 
General  Gordon  had  been  killed  on  the  25th  January,  or 
nearly  a  month  before. 

As  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  said  to  be  merely 
for  the  relief  of  Gordon  with  his  Egyptian  garrison,  and 
the  British  Government  had  determined  to  abandon  the 
Soudan  entirely,  there  was  nothing  left  for  Lord  Wolseley 
to  do  on  the  receipt  of  this  sad  intelligence  but  to  retrace 
his  steps.  On  the  13th  February,  Sir  Redvers  Buller,  with 
the  Desert  Column,  which  had  reached  Gubat,  evacuated 
that  place ;  and,  as  the  reason  for  the  occupation  of  Berber 
by  the  River  Column  had  practically  ceased,  orders  were 
received  commanding  a  halt.  Ten  days  afterwards  the 
flotilla  commenced  the  return  journey  down  the  swift  and 


io2  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

broken  waters  of  the  Nile.  It  was  an  unfortunate  end  of 
an  undecided  policy  which  delayed  the  relief  of  the  noble 
Gordon  until  it  was  too  late.  Had  the  Government  taken 
up  the  matter  earnestly  some  months  earlier  than  they  did, 
Lord  Wolseley's  expedition  would  not  only  have  saved 
Gordon  a  tragic  death  and  relieved  Khartoum,  but  would 
then  have  crushed  the  power  of  the  Madhi  for  ever.  Thus 
would  have  been  accomplished  in  1885  a  piece  of  work 
which,  simply  by  being  then  neglected,  had  again  to  be 
taken  up  thirteen  years  afterwards,  but  which  was  brought 
then  to  a  successful  issue  by  the  entire  overthrow  on  2nd 
September  1898  of  the  Mahdi's  successor  by  General  Sir 
Herbert  Kitchener  at  Omdurman. 

Wauchope  all  through  this  expedition  had  proved  him- 
self an  invaluable  pioneer  in  the  rough  and  arduous  work 
they  had  to  encounter,  and  the  many  difficulties  to  be 
overcome.  He  was  highly  popular  with  all  ranks  from  the 
Commander-in-Chief  to  the  youngest  drummer,  for  he 
looked  upon  every  one  as  simply  his  fellow-workers,  and 
was  ever  readj^to  help  any  in  trouble.  '  Gifted,'  as  one 
of  his  brother  officers  has  said  of  him,  '  with  a  singularly 
attractive  and  lovable  disposition,  he  made  friends  of 
every  one  he  met.  With  the  simplest  of  tastes  himself, 
and  (after  the  deaths  of  his  father  and  brother)  with  ample 
means  at  his  disposal,  he  used  to  help  more  particularly 
those  married  with  or  without  leave  in  the  regiment,  and 
these  cases  I  only  heard  of  by  accident.  He  never  spoke 
of  them  himself.' 

Nor  was  his  interest  in  his  men  limited  to  merely  secular 
matters.  He  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  conviction 
that,  carrying  as  the  soldier  did  his  life  in  his  hand,  there 
was  no  class  of  men  who  ought  more  to  be  prepared  for 
death.     And  facing  death,  as  he  so  often  did  himself,  he 


A  STAUNCH   PRESBYTERIAN  T03 

felt  that  the  consolations  of  religion  should  be  within  the 
soldier's  reach  when  needed.  He  was  a  staunch  Presby- 
terian, loyal  to  his  national  religion,  and  ever  ready  to  give 
the  chaplain  of  his  regiment  his  support  and  help.  When 
the  Nile  Expedition  had  reached  Korti  it  was  resolved  that 
none  but  fighting  men  should  go  further,  and  some  of  the 
chaplains  were  accordingly  left  behind  as  an  unnecessary 
impediment.  Just  before  starting,  an  officer  of  the  staff 
came  to  the  chaplain  of  the  Black  Watch,  who  happened 
at  the  time  to  be  standing  beside  Colonel  Wauchope,  with 
the  order  that  he  was  not  to  proceed  further.  The 
chaplain  replied  that  there  was  nothing  for  him  to  do  at 
Korti,  if  he  were  separated  from  the  regiment ;  he  urged 
that  he  had  been  sent  from  Cairo  with  the  Gordons  and 
the  Black  Watch,  and  that  he  would  go  with  them  where 
duty  called.  Wauchope  at  once  said,  '  Stick  to  that  and 
I  will  back  you  up.'  The  chaplain  without  any  further 
demur  was  allowed  to  proceed,  and  he  was  the  only 
chaplain  who  got  beyond  the  base  to  be  in  time  to  do 
duty  in  action.  In  this  connection  an  instance  of  his 
strict  military  discrimination  may  be  mentioned.  A  man 
of  his  company  came  and  complained  to  him  that  he  had 
been  told  off  by  the  sergeant-major  to  remain  at  the  base. 
A  certain  number  of  men  of  each  corps  had  been  so 
ordered,  and  naturally  the  best  soldiers  were  not  left 
behind.  Wauchope  replied  to  this  man,  'You  are  a 
soldier  who  is  often  drunk,  often  late  for  parade,  often 
absent,  and  we  can't  depend  upon  you.  We  prefer  to 
take  men  we  can  trust.'  The  man,  very  much  crestfallen, 
and  evidently  disappointed,  said,  '  Sir,  if  you  will  take  me 
to  the  front,  I  promise  you  I  '11  never  be  brought  before  an 
officer  again.'  Wauchope  said,  'Very  well,  I'll  take  you 
at  your  word,  but  if  you  don't  keep  it,  I  '11  never  do  any- 


io4  GENERAL    WAUCHOPE 

thing  more  for  you.'  The  man  behaved  perfectly  well 
during  the  campaign,  and  loyally  kept  his  word.  '  It  may 
be  hoped,'  says  the  friend  from  whom  we  have  the  story, 
'that  Wauchope's  considerate  action  was  the  means  of 
pulling  up  a  man  who  was  on  the  downward  course,  and 
the  making  of  a  good  soldier  out  of  a  bad  one.' 

One  may  be  sure  that  the  disappointment  of  not  reach- 
ing Khartoum,  and  the  sudden  cessation  of  their  active 
efforts,  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  whole  force. 
Lord  Wolseley,  in  his  message  to  the  Nile  Column  order- 
ing it  to  return,  sought  to  soften  the  disappointment  in 
some  measure  by  judicious  praise.  '  Please,'  said  he, 
'express  to  the  troops  Lord  Wolseley's  high  appreciation 
of  their  gallant  conduct  in  action,  and  of  the  military  spirit 
they  have  displayed  in  overcoming  the  great  difficulties 
presented  by  the  river.  Having  punished  the  Monassir 
people  for  Colonel  Stewart's  murder,  it  is  not  intended  to 
undertake  any  further  military  operations  until  after  the 
approaching  hot  season.' 

When  once  more  the  expedition  headed  down-stream, 
difficult  as  they  had  found  it  to  ascend,  the  return  move- 
ment was  even  more  risky  and  dangerous.  The  eighty-five 
Canadian  steersmen  were  now  found  to  be  invaluable,  or, 
as  one  has  remarked,  cwere  worth  their  weight  in  gold.' 
Boat  after  boat  with  their  loads  of  troops  came  down  at 
lightning  speed  in  order  of  two  fathoms'  length  between 
each  boat.  It  required  a  quick  eye  and  steady  steering 
to  avoid  collision  or  being  thrown  on  the  rocks,  for  half 
a  second  was  as  good  as  a  wreck  when  shooting  madly 
between  the  sunken  rocks  of  the  cataracts.  A  few  boats 
came  to  grief,  but  only  one  belonging  to  the  Black  Watch. 
And  so  Wauchope  and  the  other  wounded  were  steered 
down  the  great  river — perhaps  the  most  wonderful  stream 


THE    SOUDAN   ABANDONED  105 

in  this  world  of  ours — to  Meraivi.  Rochefoucauld  has  said 
that  strong  minds  suffer  without  complaining,  while  weak 
ones  complain  without  suffering.  Wauchope's  exemplary 
patience  under  such  trying  and  painful  circumstances,  we 
have  been  told,  was  extraordinary.  He  was  ever  cheerful, 
and  not  a  murmur  escaped  his  lips.  At  Meraivi  the  regiment 
erected  huts  and  an  hospital,  and  remained  for  two  months, 
but  were  always  on  the  alert  night  and  day  against 
threatened  attacks  by  unfriendly  Arabs.  The  Government 
ultimately  abandoned  the  idea  of  the  reconquest  of  the 
Soudan  at  that  time.  It  was  left  to  its  fate  in  the  hands 
of  the  victorious  Mahdi,  all  the  troops  being  recalled. 
Leaving  the  boats  at  Akasheh  on  8th  June,  the  Black 
Watch  took  train  for  Wady  Haifa,  thence  to  Assouan, 
then  by  steamers  and  diabehas  to  Assiout,  and  thereafter 
by  train  to  Cairo,  which  was  safely  reached  on  the  morning 
of  the  27  th  June,  Lord  Wolseley  telegraphing  to  London, 
1  The  Black  Watch  has  arrived  in  splendid  condition,  and 
looking  the  picture  of  military  efficiency.' 

Colonel  Wauchope's  services  in  the  Nile  Expedition  of 
1884-85  were  acknowledged  by  two  clasps  to  his  Egyptian 
medal,  inscribed  Nile  and  Kirbekan. 

It  is  a  significant  commentary  upon  the  modesty  of  the 
man,  that  while  the  records  of  the  regiment  at  this  time, 
from  which  we  have  gathered  these  particulars  of  its  move- 
ments in  the  Nile  Expedition,  were  compiled  by  Colonel 
Wauchope  himself,  Colonel  Bayly,  who  was  then  its  com- 
manding officer,  has  pointed  out  to  us  '  that  just  for  that 
reason  we  will  find  his  name  less  mentioned  than  it  ought 
to  be.' 

The  Black  Watch  returned  to  Cairo,  where  they  remained 
for  over  a  year,  during  which  time  Wauchope  had  quite 
recovered  from  his  wounds  and  was  able  to  resume  duty. 


106  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

On  the  30th  April  1886  the  regiment  left  Cairo,  sailing 
from  Alexandria  in  the  steamship  Poonah  under  orders 
for  Malta,  and  reaching  that  interesting  island  on  the 
5th  May.  During  the  three  years  that  followed,  when  the 
42nd  were  quartered  there,  and  afterwards  at  Gibraltar, 
Colonel  Wauchope  was  several  times  home  on  leave  of 
absence,  but  not  for  any  lengthened  period.  During 
these  years,  the  42nd  had  the  round  of  the  various  barracks 
with  which  that  important  military  station  is  studded — 
Ricasoli,  St.  Elmo,  Floriana,  Gozo,  and  Pembroke  Camp. 
The  last,  which  is  about  two  miles  west  of  the  harbour 
and  fortifications  of  Valletta,  was  occupied  for  a  time 
when  the  troops  were  engaged  in  firing  practice,  and  one 
gentleman  who  was  then  in  Malta,  acting  as  assistant  to 
Dr.  Wisely,  the  resident  chaplain,  mentions  that  he  always 
found  the  Colonel  exceedingly  kind,  occasionally  asking 
him  to  join  the  officers'  mess,  and  showing  him  much 
attention.  From  frequent  intercourse  with  him,  he  formed 
the  impression  that  '  he  was  one  of  the  most  modest  and 
unassuming  of  men ;  and,  he  might  add,  one  of  the  most 
sensible.' 

But  Wauchope's  influence  and  personality  were  not 
limited  to  his  military  duties,  or  to  the  British  soldiers 
merely.  He  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  Maltese, 
especially  in  connection  with  the  formation  of  a  Malta 
Militia.  We  are  told  by  Dr.  Wisely  that  he  '  entered  into 
the  organisation  of  a  body  of  native  militia  with  his 
usual  thoroughness ;  and,'  he  says,  '  by  none  was  he  more 
respected  than  by  the  native  inhabitants  of  the  island. 
The  Maltese  loved  him.  When  the  news  came  of  his  death, 
some  of  them  I  know  wept  for  sorrow.' 

At  the  sale  of  the  whale-boats  of  the  Nile  Expedition, 
Wauchope  purchased  two  or  three  of  them,  and  had  them 


MALTA   AND   GIBRALTAR  107 

sent  to  Malta,  where  they  were  largely  used,  and  to  good 
effect,  by  his  men  for  recreation  purposes.  With  a  good 
deal  of  the  sailor  in  him,  he  encouraged  races  and  aquatic 
sports  in  and  about  Valletta,  he  himself  taking  an  active 
personal  interest  in  them,  and  being  a  good  deal  out  with 
the  boats. 

His  old  shipmate  of  the  St.  George,  Prince  Alfred,  who 
had  now  been  created  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  and  was  then 
serving  as  captain  of  one  of  the  warships  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  afterwards  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  Malta 
station,  came  a  good  deal  in  contact  with  Wauchope  at 
this  time.  There  was  a  frequent  interchange  of  visits 
between  them.  'The  Duke,'  says  Colonel  Bayly,  'had 
always  the  greatest  regard  for  Wauchope,  calling  him,  as 
of  old,  by  his  Christian  name  of  Andy,  and  showing  the 
utmost  friendship.'  In  this  way  the  otherwise  tedious 
routine  of  garrison  duty  was  considerably  lightened. 

In  June  1889,  Wauchope  was  honoured  by  having 
conferred  upon  him  by  Her  Majesty  the  distinction  of 
Companion  of  the  Most  Honourable  Order  of  the  Bath,  in 
recognition  of  his  splendid  services  in  Egypt. 

On  the  8th  August,  the  battalion  of  the  Black  Watch 
left  Malta  for  Gibraltar  in  H.M.S.  Himalaya,  and  dis- 
embarked at  the  Rock  on  the  13th,  taking  up  their 
quarters  in  the  south  barracks.  The  regiment  had  a  pro- 
longed stay  of  nearly  three  years  at  Gibraltar,  but  during 
that  period  Captain  Wauchope,  in  addition  to  his  being 
home  several  times  on  furlough,  had  frequent  opportunities 
of  making  visits  in  Spain  and  on  the  coast  of  Algiers  and 
Morocco.  His  actual  term  of  foreign  service  only  extended 
to  February  1891,  when  he  returned  to  Scotland  to  take 
the  command  of  the  2nd  Battalion  at  Maryhill  Barracks, 
Glasgow. 


108  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

During  his  residence  at  Gibraltar  in  1890,  he  twice  over 
occupied  for  a  time  a  rather  unusual  position,  being  called 
upon  to  take  command  of  the  garrison.  While  actually  in 
charge  of  only  a  company,  he  also  commanded  the  battalion 
owing  to  the  temporary  absence  of  Colonel  Gordon  on 
leave.  The  major-general  having  been  called  away  at  the 
same  time,  Wauchope,  by  virtue  of  his  army  seniority,  took 
over  the  command  of  the  infantry  brigade  of  four  regiments 
as  well.  None  were  quicker  than  himself  to  see  the 
possibilities  of  this  peculiar  situation.  As  he  put  it,  with 
a  humorous  smile — 'Now,  suppose  a  man  of  my  company 
has  a  complaint  to  make,  and  I  decide  against  him,  as  I 
probably  should :  his  remedy  is  to  appeal  to  the  officer 
commanding  his  regiment,  and  he  gets  Andrew  Wauchope 
again  to  judge  the  case.  His  next  appeal  would  be  to  the 
general,  and  again  he  comes  before  Andrew  Wauchope; 
but  being  only  human  myself,  I  fear  he  would  find  the 
decision  confirmed,  and  he  would  go  away  with  the 
reflection,  that  it  was  "Andrew  Wauchope  all  along  the 
line ! " ' 

It  is  needless  to  say  this  problematical  contingency  never 
arose,  and  so  he  was  saved  from  acting  in  any  such  triple 
capacity. 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE   MIDLOTHIAN    CAMPAIGN 

'A  Scot  of  the  Scots,'  General  Wauchope  was  a  man  of 
many  parts.  Great  in  arms,  he  was  equally  great  in  the 
arts  of  peace ;  and  in  the  political  world,  strangely  enough, 
he  carved  out  for  himself  a  reputation  quite  unique. 
Though  his  countrymen  were  naturally  proud  of  his  distin- 
guished services  as  a  soldier,  they  knew  him  also,  it  has 
been  well  said,  as  the  man  who  by  pertinacious  pluck  and 
sweet  conciliation  brought  down  Mr.  Gladstone's  majority 
in  the  county  of  Midlothian.  Liberal  politicians  both  in 
England  and  Scotland  will  not  have  forgotten  the  horrified 
astonishment  with  which  they  read  the  figures  of  the  poll 
in  that  county  at  the  General  Election  of  1892. 

Mr.  Gladstone  had  been  returned  for  the  metropolitan 
county  of  Scotland  in  1880,  after  his  great  campaign,  by  a 
small  majority  against  the  present  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  at 
that  time  Earl  of  Dalkeith.  That  was  under  the  old  and 
restricted  franchise.  In  1885,  when  the  miners  and  farm 
hands  had  largely  through  his  influence  obtained  votes, 
he  defeated  Sir  Charles  Dalrymple — a  man  respected  by  all 
who  knew  him,  and  by  many  who  did  not — by  two  to  one, 
and  something  over.  Nobody  thought  any  more  about 
Midlothian.     It  was  regarded  as  Mr.  Gladstone's  strong- 

100 


no  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

hold,  and  the  Liberals  went  to  sleep  in  the  comfortable 
assurance  that  the  seat  was  theirs  so  long  as  he  lived.  Nor 
were  their  slumbers  disturbed  by  the  unopposed  election 
of  July  1886,  when  throughout  the  country  the  Liberal 
party  suffered  a  serious  defeat  consequent  upon  Mr. 
Gladstone's  attempt,  as  Prime  Minister,  to  pass  what  was 
popularly  known  as  the  Home  Rule  Bill  for  Ireland.  Mr. 
Gladstone  retained  his  seat,  but  was  obliged  to  resign  his 
position  as  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury ;  and  the  Home  Rule 
Bill  in  course  of  the  next  six  years,  under  the  administration 
of  Lord  Salisbury,  became  practically  a  thing  of  the  past. 
During  that  time  remarkable  changes  were  effected  in  the 
constituency.  In  Edinburgh  the  Conservative  party  had 
rallied.  Its  leaders  did  not  lack  courage,  even  under  the 
most  hopeless  circumstances,  and  they  resolved  to  bring 
forward  one  whose  determination  and  courage  had  been  well 
tried,  though  in  an  entirely  different  field.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  Midlothian  Liberal  Unionist  Association  in  Edinburgh 
on  the  1 8th  November  1889,  the  proposal  of  the  com- 
mittee to  adopt  Colonel  Wauchope  of  Niddrie  as  their 
representative  was  unanimously  carried. 

It  was  admitted  on  all  hands  that  his  acceptance  of  such 
a  proposal  involved  the  undertaking  of  a  very  hard  task ; 
one  speaker  at  the  meeting  even  going  so  far  as  to  say  that 
'while  he  did  not  amticipate  they  were  to  win  the  county, 
he  was  sure  that  if  Colonel  Wauchope  led  this  forlorn  hope, 
it  would  not  be  an  inglorious  defeat.' 

Notwithstanding  the  rather  doubtful  prospects  of  success 
which  his  supporters  gave,  Wauchope's  reply  was  char- 
acteristic of  the  man.  He  accepted  the  honour  and  the 
responsibility  all  the  more  readily,  it  would  appear,  that  it 
was  accompanied  by  difficulties.  After  thanking  the  meet- 
irg  for  asking  him  to  come  forward  at  the  next  election, 


OPPOSES   MR.   GLADSTONE  in 

he  said  he  should  be  more  than  human  if  he  did  not 
feel  deeply  gratified.  If  he  had  been  an  orator,  or  if  he 
had  been  a  man  engaged  in  public  affairs,  he  would  not 
have  been  surprised.  But  though  he  was  an  utterly  untried 
man,  he  would  do  his  best  to  try  and  serve,  he  should  not 
say  their  interests,  but  the  interests  of  the  cause  which 
they  had  all  at  heart.  He  was  sure  they  would  rally  round 
the  old  flag — the  flag  of  the  Union.  It  spoke  well  for  the 
future  of  Unionism  throughout  the  land ;  and  their  native 
county  of  Midlothian  had  in  this  respect  shown  a  good 
example  to  the  rest  of  the  country.  They  must  never  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  this  battle  that  was  going  on  now  was 
not  a  battle  only  in  Midlothian,  but  it  was  a  battle  'all 
along  the  line,'  from  Land's  End  to  John  o'  Groats.  They 
were  only  a  mere  part  of  that  fight;  and  if  it  were  a 
'forlorn  hope'  here,  it  was  of  the  greatest  advantage  to 
the  great  cause  that  they  made  a  good  '  forlorn  hope '  of 
it !  He  felt  the  responsibility  very  much  to  play  the 
part  of  leader  to  them  when  they  might  so  easily  have  got 
a  better  one.  '  However,'  he  said,  'the  choice  is  with  you. 
I  did  not  seek  it,  but  shall  do  my  best  to  come  to  the  end 
of  the  business  in  a  proper  way.'  Here  it  will  be  seen 
there  was  both  boldness  and  modesty,  confidence  in 
the  cause  he  was  to  champion,  and  self-reliance,  without 
overrating  his  ability  for  the  hazard.  His  opposition 
to  Irish  Home  Rule  and  the  possible  disintegration  of  the 
Empire  made  him  fearless,  even  to  the  extent  of  daring 
to  oppose  in  person  the  great  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Home  Rule  army. 

At  this  time  he  was  home  from  Gibraltar  for  a  short 
furlough,  and  with  evidently  no  expectation  of  taking 
any  prominent  part  in  politics  ;  and  so,  his  term  of  leave  of 
absence  having  nearly  expired,  he  was  unable  to  follow  up 


ii2  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

his  nomination  by  any  active  movement.  He  accordingly 
returned  to  Gibraltar  on  4th  December.  In  January 
following  he  got,  however,  a  further  leave  of  absence  from 
29th  January  till  31st  May,  during  which  time  he  took 
full  advantage  of  the  opportunity.  Though  there  was 
no  near  prospect  of  an  election,  he  at  once  set  about  his 
canvass  with  all  the  characteristic  energy  of  his  nature, 
devoting  all  his  spare  time  to  addressing  meetings  of  the 
electors  in  the  various  villages  and  parishes  of  the  county. 
This  preliminary  canter  over,  he  rejoined  his  regiment 
at  Gibraltar  in  June  1890,  leaving  politics  all  behind  him, 
and  entering  with  fresh  zest  into  his  military  duties. 

The  Liberal  press  of  the  country,  as  a  rule,  treated  Colonel 
Wauchope's  candidature  with  the  utmost  indifference,  if 
not  with  contempt,  regarding  it  as  a  foregone  conclusion 
that  it  would  end  in  nothing.  Indeed,  his  splendid 
audacity  provoked  the  Radical  party  to  mirth,  and  even 
in  Unionist  circles  there  was  much  shaking  of  heads.  On 
all  hands,  by  political  friends  and  foes  alike,  every  con- 
sideration and  deference  was  shown,  and  he  was  listened 
to  generally  in  respectful  silence,  rarely  with  open  oppo- 
sition ;  but  his  claims  were  not  considered  serious  enough 
to  work  out  to  a  conclusion  that  would  at  all  affect  Mr. 
Gladstone's  position  as  the  sitting  member.  Was  Mr. 
Gladstone  not  the  first  statesman  of  the  day,  and  the  most 
brilliant  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  of  the  century? — a 
man  who,  it  has  been  wittily  said,  'could  apply  all  the 
resources  of  a  burnished  rhetoric  to  the  illustration  of 
figures;  who  could  make  pippins  and  cheese  interesting, 
and  tea  serious  ;  who  could  sweep  the  widest  horizon  of  the 
financial  future  and  yet  stop  to  bestow  the  minutest  atten- 
tion on  the  microcosm  of  penny  stamps  and  post  horses.' 
To  oppose  such  a  man  seemed  madness.    The  feeling  was, 


CANVASS   OF   THE   ELECTORS  113 

however,  more  of  pity  that  a  good  man  should  waste  his 
energies  on  a  hopeless  effort,  than  any  fear  of  danger  to 
the  Liberal  cause.  The  following,  as  the  expression  of  a 
Liberal  editor,  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  specimen  of  the 
general  feeling  at  the  time  : — 'The  answer  to  the  question 
of  the  Scotsman,  "  Where  is  the  candidate  for  Midlothian  ?  " 
has  at  last  been  answered.  Colonel  Wauchope  is  a  good 
and  a  brave  man,  and  one  almost  regrets  that  he  should 
have  been  prevailed  upon  to  lead  a  forlorn  hope.  Almost 
all  that  was  said  of  Sir  Charles  Dalrymple  when  he  con- 
tested the  county,' may  be  said  of  the  Laird  of  Niddrie. 
His  heart  is  in  the  right  place.  He  is  justly  held  in  much 
esteem  as  a  landlord  and  county  gentleman,  as  well  as  for 
his  gallant  services  to  his  country.  Sir  Charles  is,  how- 
ever, more  of  and  perhaps  a  better  politician,  and  where 
he  failed,  Colonel  Wauchope  can  have  little  chance  of 
success.' 

These  pessimistic  effusions  had  no  more  effect  upon 
Wauchope  than  water  on  a  duck's  back.  He  had  given 
his  word,  the  die  was  cast,  and  deliberately  and  systemati- 
cally he  carried  out  his  resolution.  Beginning  at  his  own 
village  of  New  Craighall — chiefly  inhabited  by  the  miners 
belonging  to  the  coal-pits  on  his  estate — he  commenced  his 
campaign  in  the  schoolroom  on  10th  February  1890,  his 
friend  and  neighbour  Sir  Charles  Dalrymple  acting  as  chair- 
man. In  the  course  of  his  speech,  Sir  Charles  referred 
to  the  difficult  task  Colonel  Wauchope  had  undertaken,  but 
was  of  opinion  that  his  experience  in  the  army  had  taught 
him  not  to  shrink  from  a  task  because  it  was  difficult. 
Indeed,  he  thought  that  to  Colonel  Wauchope  a  task  of 
difficulty  was  more  attractive  than  an  easy  one.  He  was 
above  all  things  plain-spoken  and  thorough,  and  if  he 
made  statements  on  public  questions,  they  might  be  sure 

H 


H4  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

that  he  would  not  have  to  answer  them  or  explain  them 
away  at  a  subsequent  period. 

It  is  not  necessary  we  should  follow  his  footsteps 
throughout  the  county  on  this  first  round  of  addresses 
to  the  electors,  or  of  his  second  round  the  following  year, 
when  he  again  returned  from  Gibraltar,  and  finally  in  1892 
when  the  general  election  took  place.  His  personal  can- 
vass too  of  nearly  fifteen  thousand  electors  was  a  remarkable 
experience,  and  was  conducted  by  him  with  much  tact. 

It  is  needless  to  say  these  repeated  appearances  proved  an 
excellent  training  for  him  in  the  art  of  public  speaking.  He 
addressed  the  electors  on  all  subjects  of  public  importance 
from  Home  Rule  as  the  all-absorbing  question  of  the  day, 
to  questions  of  Imperial  and  local  interest.  It  must  be 
admitted  his  early  speeches  bore  the  unmistakable  signs 
of  the  amateur  in  platform  oratory,  and  when  too  hard 
pressed  by  a  pertinacious  heckler  he  had  sometimes  to 
admit  he  was  nonplussed,  but  that  he  would  give  the 
embarrassing  question  his  full  attention,  and  express  his 
opinion  on  it  when  he  had  formed  it.  This  want  of 
experience  told  heavily  against  him,  and  frequently  he  had 
difficulty  in  getting  a  hearing,  or  in  being  able  clearly  to 
express  his  views  on  some  of  the  topics  dealt  with.  But 
a  breakdown  did  not  put  him  very  much  out ;  he  always 
managed  to  please  his  audience  before  he  was  done,  with 
some  happy  remark  given  with  the  utmost  good-nature. 
His  utterances,  sometimes  diffuse  and  incoherent  at  first, 
very  soon  grew  in  confidence  as  well  as  in  clearness,  and 
before  the  election  was  over  there  were  few  public  speakers 
better  able  to  command  the  attention  of  a  large  audience 
than  Andrew  Gilbert  Wauchope  of  Niddrie. 

As  he  progressed  in  fluency  of  utterance  he  grew  in 
popularity.     The  householders  of  the  middle  class  cer- 


ELECTIONEERING    DIFFICULTIES     115 

tainly  showed  no  sympathy  for  his  claims,  and  almost 
closed  their  doors  in  his  face.  They  were  Gladstonian 
to  a  man.  But,  notwithstanding  this,  the  Colonel  gradually 
acquired  a  hold  upon  the  industrial  and  agricultural  work- 
men. He  had,  as  they  said,  '  a  way  with  him.'  He  talked  to 
them  in  every  village  about  politics  and  about  their  own 
lives.  He  never  indulged  in  personal  abuse  of  Mr.  Glad- 
stone— on  the  contrary,  when  he  did  refer  to  him  it  was 
always  with  the  utmost  respect,  as  one  or  two  of  his  speeches 
before  us  testify.  As  a  rule,  the  working  classes  are  not 
slow  to  recognise  'a  gentleman,  and  they  soon  found  the 
Colonel  was  one  to  the  back-bone ;  one  who  had  a  human 
heart  and  could  do  a  kind  deed.  At  a  meeting  in  the 
early  part  of  the  campaign,  a  mining  village  had  crowded 
its  men  into  a  hall  to  hear  the  man  who  dared  to  oppose 
Mr.  Gladstone.  The  meeting  was  very  noisy,  and  ill- 
disposed  to  listen — so  much  so  that  a  speech  was  impos- 
sible. When  things  were  becoming  serious,  a  smart- 
looking  working  man,  apparently  in  the  thirties,  stepped 
on  to  the  platform  amidst  the  hubbub,  much  to  the 
Colonel's  surprise.  Nobody  knew  what  was  coming,  and 
the  singularity  of  the  proceeding  secured  silence,  in  which 
the  unexpected  orator  spoke  to  the  following  effect : — '  I 
dinna  ken  very  much  about  politics,  but  I  was  wounded  at 
Tel-el-Kebir,  and  a  man  came  up  to  me  as  I  lay  on  the 
ground,  and  after  giving  me  a  drink  from  his  water-bottle 
carried  me  back  to  a  place  of  safety.  That  man  is  on  the 
platform  to-night,  and  that 's  the  man  I  'm  gaen  to  vote 
for.'  The  effect  was  electrical ;  the  Colonel  was  not  only 
listened  to,  he  was  cheered  to  the  echo,  and  the  incident 
made  a  deep  impression  on  many  present. 

Frequently,  of  course,  he  had  to  stand  a  good  deal  of 
interruption  and  good-natured  chaff,  but  he  was  generally 


n6  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

ready  with  a  happy  retort.  '  Does  your  mother  know 
you're  out?'  was  shouted  to  him  from  the  back  part  of  a 
hall  one  night  in  the  middle  of  his  speech  by  a  roisterous 
opponent.  '  Oh  yes,'  quietly  replied  the  Colonel  parentheti- 
cally, '  but  she  will  very  soon  know  that  I  am  in  ! ' 

Another  questioner,  evidently  thinking  he  had  a  ;, 
put  it  to  the  candidate :  ■  If  war  breaks  out,  will  you  be 
able  to  represent  the  county?'  to  which  he  returned  the 
laconic  and  crushing  reply :  '  My  man,  if  war  breaks  out, 
I  '11  be  there ' — an  answer  which  at  once  evoked  a  ringing 
cheer  and  turned  the  meeting  largely  in  his  favour.  Of 
course  he  did  not  convert  all  the  miners  to  his  way  of 
thinking,  but  he  managed  to  retain  their  esteem  all  the 
same.  'I  like  ye,  Colonel,  but  I  canna  vote  for  ye,' said 
a  conscientious  miner  to  him  one  day,  and  doubtless  the 
Colonel  appreciated  his  humble  political  opponent  all  the 
more  for  his  genuine  frankness.  Few  who  were  present  at 
his  first  political  meeting  in  New  Craighall  schoolroom 
will  readily  forget  the  difficulty  he  had  in  getting  through 
with  the  subject  of  land  values.  After  wandering  over 
half  the  Continent  for  practical  illustrations,  he  at  length 
lost  the  thread  of  his  discourse,  and  got  into  a  hopeless 
maze.  For  a  minute  or  two  he  stood  speechless,  while  his 
face  became  quite  florid,  as  he  fiercely  pounded  his  left 
hand  with  his  fist  in  his  own  characteristic  fashion.  A 
happy  inspiration  came  at  last.  Turning  his  back  upon 
the  audience,  he  suddenly  seized  one  of  the  newspaper 
reporters  sitting  near,  and  commanded  him  to  stand  up. 
1  What  have  you  got  down  there  ?  Read  it ! '  With  some 
difficulty  the  reporter  obeyed.  '  That 's  not  what  I  want 
to  say  at  all.  Put  it  out.  We  can't  have  that  go  into  the 
papers ;  put  it  down  this  way,'  and  then  he  proceeded  to 
tell  him  what  he  meant  to  say. 


TRAMPING   THE   CONSTITUENCIES     117 

'I  was  miserably  beaten,'  he  remarked  next  day  to  a 
friend;  'but  I've  determined  to  master  politics,  and  I'll 
do  it.'  How  he  did  it  every  one  knows.  With  a  volume 
of  Gladstone's  speeches  in  his  pocket,  he  tramped  the 
constituencies,  and  on  the  eve  of  the  election,  at  a  meeting 
of  seventeen  hundred  persons  in  the  Corn  Exchange  of 
Dalkeith,  which  was  even  honoured  by  the  presence  of 
cabinet  ministers,  the  speech  of  the  evening  was  admitted 
to  be  that  made  by  Colonel  Wauchope. 

All  this  involved,  of  course,  active  exertion,  as  well  as 
concentration  of  thought  and  study,  and  the  very  servants 
in  the  house  could  see  he  was  absorbed  in  thought  as  he 
never  had  been  before.  Even  his  walks  about  the  grounds 
were  less  frequent  than  before,  for  the  things  that  used 
formerly  to  interest  him  were  passed  unheeded  by,  as  with 
face  to  the  ground  he  appeared  to  be  thinking  out  some 
problem  or  composing  a  speech.  In  his  room  piles  of 
papers  littered  the  floor,  and  the  preparations  for  speeches 
must  have  been  enormous  for  one  not  accustomed  to  this 
kind  of  work.  One  night  he  had  sat  up  late  preparing  a 
speech,  making  cuttings  and  pasting  them  together  to  be 
ready  for  reference.  In  order  that  they  might  be  pro- 
perly dried,  he  left  them  on  the  fender  overnight,  and 
when  the  girl  came  in  in  the  morning  to  put  on  the  fire, 
thinking  it  was  a  lot  of  wastepaper  she  used  it  for  that 
purpose.  Of  course  the  Colonel  made  inquiries  about  his 
papers,  and  for  some  time  there  was  great  consternation 
among  the  servants  when  it  was  known  what  had  happened, 
and  the  admission  had  to  be  made  that  they  had  been 
destroyed.  It  was  very  different  with  him,  however.  He 
laughed  the  matter  over,  and  told  the  poor  girl  never  to 
mind,  as  it  was  more  than  likely  it  would  end  in  smoke 
at  any  rate ! 


n8  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

By  the  end  of  March  1891  Colonel  Wauchope  had  a 
second  time  visited  the  whole  of  the  constituency,  or,  as 
a  Radical  paper  put  it,  'had  been  overhauling  the  pre- 
serves of  the  Grand  Old  Man,'  but  admitting  frankly,  at  the 
same  time,  that ■  he  seemed  everywhere  to  be  received  with 
marked  attention  and  respect.' 

One  of  the  largest  of  these  meetings,  held  in  Dalkeith 
on  31st  January,  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  twitting  the 
Liberals  upon  their  alliance  with  Mr.  Parnell,  and  upon 
the  exposure  made  to  the  country  by  his  having  a  bag  of 
lime  thrown  in  his  facej  '  not  by  an  alien  Saxon,  but  by  a 
Paddy  belonging  to  the  soil,  in  the  county  of  Kilkenny,  in 
the  very  midst  of  dear  old  Ireland.'  The  great  issue,  he 
said,  now  before  the  country  has  been  wonderfully  cleared 
up,  and  he  strongly  believed  that  if  the  people  of  this 
country  could  have  the  truth  put  before  them,  there  would 
be  no  more  talk  of  Home  Rule — referring,  of  course,  to 
the  scandal  connected  with  the  Irish  leader's  temporary 
retirement  from  political  life  by  recent  exposures  in  the 
Divorce  Court. 

These  peregrinations  through  the  county  brought  Colonel 
Wauchope  in  contact  with  all  classes  of  people.  The  very 
reporters,  whose  duty  it  was  to  follow  him  and  report  his 
speeches,  he  made  friends  of,  and  by  all  who  had  dealings 
with  him  he  was  regarded  as  the  most  genial  and  generous- 
minded  of  political  candidates.  As  one  of  them  said,  'he 
was  affability  itself,  and  gave  the  impression  of  regarding 
the  reporters  as  his  personal  friends.'  One  of  these  gentle- 
men has  given  us  the  following  graphic  account  of  an 
electioneering  visit  to  one  of  the  outlying  parishes  in  the 
county : — 

Once  in  the  course  of  one  of  his  Midlothian  tours  we  had 
something  in  the  nature  of  adventure.     He  was  to  address  an 


AN   EVENTFUL  NIGHT  119 

evening  meeting  at  Heriot,  and  arrangements  were  duly  made 
for  the  stopping  of  an  outgoing  express  which  left  the  Waverley 
Station  about  six  o'clock,  as  well  as  for  the  stopping  of  the 
Pullman  express  in  order  to  bring  him  back  to  Edinburgh. 
The  arrangement  was  so  beautifully  fine  that  it  failed  disas- 
trously. To  begin  with,  the  departure  of  the  outgoing  train 
was  delayed  for  over  twenty  minutes  awaiting  a  Glasgow  con- 
nection, and,  to  make  matters  worse,  the  fact  that  the  village 
of  Heriot  is  about  two  miles  distant  from  the  railway  station 
had  been  totally  disregarded — if,  indeed,  it  was  known.  The 
result  was  that  the  candidate,  his  agent,  and  the  writer  alighted 
at  Heriot  Station  just  about  the  time  that  the  meeting  was 
announced  to  begin.  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  walking. 
In  a  drenching  rain  the  three  of  us  set  out  for  the  meeting- 
place.  When  we  had  accomplished  a  considerable  part  of  the 
journey  we  were  overtaken  by  a  light  country  van.  The  driver 
on  having  our  plight  explained  to  him,  readily  gave  us  a  '  lift,' 
and  in  this  way  we  reached  Heriot  about  the  time  we  ought  to 
have  been  leaving  it  in  order  to  catch  the  train  that  was  being 
stopped  for  the  express  purpose  of  picking  us  up.  The  audience, 
it  was  evident,  was  not  quite  in  the  best  of  humour  at  having 
been  kept  waiting  so  long  ;  but  the  explanation  of  the  Colonel, 
and  his  candid,  honest  attitude  won  the  hearts  of  his  audience, 
and  he  had  an  excellent  reception.  A  passage  in  his  speech 
on  that  occasion  is  worth  recalling  in  the  light  of  the  event 
over  which  all  Scotland  to-day  mourns.  '  People  state,'  he 
said,  '  that  I  am  a  warlike  candidate ;  but,  gentlemen,  I  have 
twice  or  thrice  been  shot  in  the  body  already,  and  I  declare  to 
you  I  have  no  great  desire  to  be  shot  again.'  At  the  close  of 
the  meeting  we  set  out  on  the  return  trudge  to  Heriot,  painfully 
aware  of  the  fact  that  the  last  train  had  gone,  and  not  knowing 
in  the  least  how  or  where  we  were  going  to  pass  the  night. 
In  the  course  of  our  march,  I  remember,  the  Colonel  turned  to 
me  and  said  seriously,  '  I  hope  you  don't  get  into  any  bother 
over  this  ?'  I  assured  him  that  he  need  have  no  anxiety  on  that 
score.  '  Because,'  he  added,  '  I  '11  sign  any  certificate  you 
like.'  The  remark  was  quite  like  him.  It  reflected  at  once 
the  soldier  and  the  considerate  gentleman.     Well  when  we 


120  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

got  to  the  railway  station,  we  found  that  the  train  that  was  to 
have  picked  us  up,  had  passed  quite  an  hour  previously.  The 
stationmaster,  I  remember,  took  in  the  situation  sympathetically 
at  a  glance.  If  he  was  not  a  sturdy  Unionist  he  must  have 
been  one  of  the  General's  numerous  admirers.  'There  is 
nothing  for  it,'  said  he,  ■  but  to  walk  up  the  line  to  Falahill, 
where  we  may  have  a  chance  of  getting  a  pilot  engine  to  run 
you  down  at  least  to  Dalkeith.'  Accordingly  the  stationmaster 
lit  a  lamp,  and  the  four  of  us  started  to  walk  up  the  line  in  the 
dark,  wet  night.  When  we  reached  Falahill  we  learned  with 
intense  relief  that  a  spare  engine  was  at  that  very  moment 
pushing  up  a  goods  train  from  Eskbank.  The  train  arrived  at 
the  signal-box  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  minutes,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  minutes  more  the  Colonel,  his  agent,  and  my- 
self had  mounted  the  spare  engine.  The  engine-driver  was  a 
brick.  He  drove  us  down  the  hill  like  the  wind — tender  first, 
by  the  way.  We  alighted  from  the  engine  at  the  point  where 
the  Dalkeith  section  debouches  from  the  main  line,  and  after 
the  chilling  effect  of  our  rough  ride,  at  once  started  off  at  a 
smart  pace  to  walk  to  Dalkeith  Station.  We  reached  Dalkeith 
exactly  at  ten  minutes  to  ten  o'clock.  There  were  thus  ten 
minutes  left  to  us  in  which  to  obtain  a  much-needed  refresh- 
ment, and  we  needed  little  persuasion  to  visit  an  adjoining  inn 
for  the  purpose.  We  caught  the  last  train  from  Dalkeith,  and 
were  in  the  Waverley  Station  about  half-past  ten  o'clock. 
Many  a  time  afterwards  was  that  eventful  evening  recalled  by 
all  three. 

In  the  spring  of  this  same  year  (189 1),  when  political 
parties  in  Midlothian  were  busy  preparing  for  the  possi- 
bility of  a  general  election  occurring  in  the  following  year, 
a  portion  of  Colonel  Wauchope's  regiment  was  ordered 
home  from  Gibraltar,  and  he  was  posted  to  the  Second 
Battalion  to  be  stationed  at  Belfast.  This  transference 
made  him  now  second  in  command,  with  the  rank  of 
Senior  Major  of  the  Black  Watch.  He  did  not  therefore 
require  to  go   back  to   Gibraltar  again,   but   served   the 


THIRD   TOUR   OF  MIDLOTHIAN        121 

greater  part  of  this  and  the  following  year,  first  in  Belfast 
and  afterwards  in  Limerick. 

In  January  1892  Colonel  Wauchope  began  his  third 
tour  of  Midlothian,  carrying  it  on  with  energy  for  the  next 
three  months.  Still  the  dogged  determination  to  do  well 
and  thoroughly  what  he  had  undertaken  is  patent  in  all 
the  steps  of  his  progress.  The  '  forlorn  hope '  was  now 
looking  more  hopeful,  and  his  opponents  were  beginning 
to  take  alarm.  At  one  meeting  it  had  been  insinuated 
that  Mr.  Gladstone  being  an  old  man  of  eighty-two,  he 
was  only  working  with  a  view  to  ultimately  taking  the 
great  statesman's  place.  He  repudiated  the  idea  with  all 
the  eloquence  he  could  command.  '  It  had  been  said  that 
he  was  waiting  to  step  into  dead  men's  shoes.  That,  he 
thought,  was  striking  a  bit  below  the  belt.  He  certainly 
could  look  any  man  in  Midlothian  straight  in  the  face — 
ay,  into  his  very  eye — and  say  that  he  was  waiting  to 
fill  no  dead  man's  shoes.  He  was  telling  the  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  when  he  said  he  hoped  Mr. 
Gladstone  might  live  for  many  years.  He  knew  that  a 
greater  statesman  than  Mr.  Gladstone  perhaps  never  lived 
in  this  country ;  but,  despite  that,  he  was  sorry  to  say  he 
could  not  agree  with  his  policy.  Indeed,  the  more  he 
admired  Mr.  Gladstone's  genius,  and  the  more  wonderful 
he  considered  all  that  he  had  done,  the  more  deeply  and 
the  more  profoundly  did  he  regret  the  course  he  had 
pursued  in  regard  to  the  Irish  Home  Rule  question. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  the  greatest  men  had  made  the 
greatest  mistakes.'  Home  Rule  he  characterised  in  another 
speech  as  '  Federalism  that  would  completely  change  the 
character  of  the  Government  of  the  United  Kingdom,'  and 
'he  could  not  help  feeling  it  was  a  measure  which  would 
never  be  sanctioned  by  the  people  of  this  country.' 


122  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

As  a  counteractive  to  the  Colonel's  prolonged  canvass,  a 
great  Liberal  demonstration  took  place  in  Edinburgh  on 
29th  March,  when,  in  addition  to  the  great  statesman 
himself,  Lord  Carrington,  Governor  of  New  South  Wales, 
appeared. 

Parliament  was  dissolved  three  months  after,  on  25th 
June,  and  immediately  the  electoral  battle  was  waged 
with  greater  intensity.  Mr.  Gladstone  came  down  to 
Edinburgh  on  the  30th  June  to  begin  a  tour  of  the  county, 
and  the  eyes  of  the  whole  country  were  turned  upon 
Midlothian  and  the  fate  of  the  great  leader  of  the  Liberal 
party.  Charmed  with  the  flow  of  eloquence,  crowded 
audiences  hung  upon  his  lips,  and,  no  doubt,  led  away 
with  the  popular  enthusiasm  with  which  he  was  on  all 
hands  greeted,  Mr.  Gladstone's  supporters  overlooked  the 
influence  that  had  silently  but  surely  been  working  against 
his  return,  and  were  incredulous  as  to  the  possibility  of 
defeat,  while  a  too  confident  committee  were  thought  to 
have  relaxed  their  efforts.  One  Radical  writer  had  no 
hesitation  in  saying,  that  'as  to  the  result  of  the  election, 
no  one  seems  to  have  any  doubt.  It  is  fully  admitted 
that  Colonel  Wauchope  is  in  many  respects  an  admirable 
candidate,  but  to  compare  him  with  Mr.  Gladstone  is 
looked  upon  by  the  latter  gentleman's  followers  as  almost 
ludicrous  !' 

The  result  was  nevertheless  looked  forward  to  with  the 
utmost  interest.  Speculation  ran  high;  and  while  the 
odds  were  certainly  in  favour  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  an  element 
of  uncertainty  was  daily  growing  as  the  polling-day  drew 
near,  which  only  whetted  public  curiosity  the  more. 

It  was  even  said  that  the  Colonel  himself,  in  view  of  his 
rapidly  increasing  popularity,  was  beginning  to  be  appre- 
hensive that  he  was  actually  to  be  elected — a  result  he 


; 


GETTING    INTO    A    I 

neither  expected  nor  greatly  wished.  *  I  am  getting  into 
a  funk,'  he  remarked — whether  seriously  or  not  we  cannot 
tell — when  his  agents  told  him  he  was  likely  to  win  the 
seat  from  Mr.  Gladstone.  ■  You  know,  I  don't  want  to  go 
into  Parliament ;  I  want  to  be  Commander  of  the  Black 
h.1  He  had  stood  forward  when  asked  as  the 
champion  of  his  party.  He  had  opposed  what  he  con- 
sidered the  errors  of  the  Liberals.  He  would  hare  none 
of  Mr.  Gladstone's  Home  Rule  policy.  He  was  opposed 
to  the  Disestablishment  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  He 
was  against  the  enforcement  of  an  eight  hours  limit  of 
labour  as  an  infringement  of  individual  liberty,  while 
he  held  that  the  foreign  policy  of  the  country  under 
Liberal  Governments  had  not  always  commanded  public 
confidence.  For  three  years  he  had  earnestly  and  well 
enunciated  the  principles  for  which  he  contended,  but  as 
to  turning  Mr.  Gladstone  out  of  his  seat  at  last,  we  can 
well  believe  that  he  shrank  from  the  bare  possibility  of  it 
as  the  day  of  the  poll  approached. 

The  Midlothian  election  took  place  on  the  12th  July. 
Out  of  a  constituency  of  13,134,  no  less  than  11,000 
tendered  their  votes — or  84  per  cent  of  the  total  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  a  large  number  of  the  returns 
throughout  the  country  had  already  been  made,  and  these 
in  many  cases  showed  in  favour  of  the  Liberal  cause. 
Indeed,  Lord  Salisbury's  majority  in  the  House  of 
Commons  had  disappeared,  and  each  day  brought  addi- 
tions to  the  Liberal  majority.  The  party  was  naturally 
elated,  and  so  far  as  Midlothian  was  concerned  it  was 
confidently  predicted  that  Mr.  Gladstone's  majority  would 
not  be  less  than  2500.  The  result  of  the  poll  was  made 
known  next  day  at  the  Edinburgh  County  Buildings  before 
an  immense  concourse  of  people.    It  was  one  of  the  biggest 


i24  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

surprises  Mr.  Gladstone's  supporters  encountered  during 
the  General  Election,  so  far  certainly  as  Scotland  was  con- 
cerned. The  counting  of  the  votes  was  completed  about 
a  quarter  to  one  o'clock,  and  an  unofficial  intimation  of 
the  result  soon  found  its  way  outside.  It  put  Mr. 
Gladstone's  majority  at  673.  There  was  a  crowd  of 
some  thousands  in  number  on  the  street  in  front  of  the 
court-house,  and  the  announcement  that  Mr.  Gladstone's 
majority  had  been  reduced  below  700  gave  rise  to  a  scene 
of  extraordinary  excitement.  The  crowd  surged  up  to  the 
door  to  hear  the  figures,  and  as  the  cry  '  Gladstone  in  by 
700'  was  passed  from  one  to  another,  a  roar  of  astonish- 
ment, we  are  told,  went  up  from  a  thousand  throats. 
The  noise  brought  hundreds  of  more  excited  politicians 
flocking  to  the  scene.  Town  Council  committee  men  and 
young  men  from  the  adjoining  Parliament  House  of  every 
shade  of  politics  hurried  up  to  join  the  excited  throng. 
Blank  dismay  took  hold  of  every  Gladstonian  countenance. 
Some  of  them  could  not  restrain  themselves,  and  the  most 
convenient  object  on  which  to  vent  their  indignation  was 
apparently  the  Church  of  Scotland,  which  came  in  for  no 
little  share  of  abuse  as  the  cause  of  it  all. 

When  it  is  recalled  that  in  1885  Mr.  Gladstone  had 
been  elected  by  a  majority  of  4631,  and  that  in  the  follow- 
ing year  his  return  was  not  opposed,  the  figures  of  1892 
very  well  justified  Colonel  Wauchope's  daring.  These 
were,  for  Mr.  Gladstone  5845,  and  for  the  Colonel  5150 — 
a  majority  for  the  former  of  690.  In  other  words,  Mr. 
Gladstone  had  lost  2000  votes,  and  Colonel  AVauchope 
had  polled  nearly  2000  more  than  had  been  recorded  for 
Sir  Charles  Dalrymple  in  1885.  Neither  of  the  candidates 
happened  to  be  at  the  County  Buildings  when  the  declara- 
tion of  the  poll  was  made,  so  that  after  the  first  surprise 


RESULT   OF   THE    POLL  125 

was  over  the  crowd  dispersed.  It  had  been  the  intention 
to  have  at  once  sent  a  telegram  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  was 
residing  with  Lord  Rosebery  at  Dalmeny,  but  it  is  said  that 
so  great  was  the  perplexity  among  his  supporters,  that  the 
telegram  though  made  out  was  not  despatched  till  later  on, 
for,  like  the  crowd  outside,  the  people  in  the  corridors 
refused  for  a  time  to  credit  the  figures.  Colonel  Wauchope 
had  a  most  enthusiastic  reception  accorded  to  him  at  his 
committee  rooms  in  Princes  Street,  and  on  being  called 
upon  for  a  speech,  said  he  would  not  make  a  speech, 
because  he  felt*  it  to  be  true  that  it  was  the  committee  of 
Midlothian  that  had  won  this  victory.  It  was,  he  repeated, 
the  committee ;  it  was  the  men  who  had  stood  by  their 
guns  at  the  committee  rooms,  the  men  who  had  assiduously 
and  earnestly  worked  for  the  cause — a  duty  he  feared  not 
always  of  the  most  agreeable  kind.  But  they  had  done  their 
work  well,  and  it  was  to  them  that  they  owed  this  great 
victory — because  it  was  a  victory — that  would  resound 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  '  It  is  true, 
I  have  been  the  standard-bearer  in  this  fight,  and  I  hope  I 
have  borne  the  standard  not  without  discredit  to  myself. 
But  it  is  very  little  that  a  standard-bearer  can  do  if  he  is 
not  supported  by  an  army  on  the  right  and  an  army  on  the 
left  of  him,  and  I  am  here  to  acknowledge  that  I  have 
been  supported,  and  well  supported,  by  a  noble  army  both 
on  my  right  and  on  my  left.  We  have  fought  a  good  fight, 
and  a  straight  fight,  and  we  have  proved  that  the  heart  of 
Midlothian  beats  sound  enough.' 

The  result  of  this  Midlothian  election  was  admitted  on 
all  hands,  and  by  none  more  so  than  the  Liberals  them- 
selves, as  'a  grievous  surprise,'  'an  eye-opener,'  'a  severe 
lesson.'  It  was  realised  now  that  after  all  Colonel 
Wauchope's  candidature  had  not  been  quite  the  'forlorn 


i26  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

hope '  they  had  at  first  predicted  it  to  be.  As  one  of  the 
party  papers  afterwards  remarked,  '  They  had  been  taught 
the  lesson  that  it  does  not  do  to  depend  too  much  upon 
the  individuality  of  any  one,  however  eminent,  to  carry 
a  seat.  .  .  .  The  advanced  party  was  caught  napping.' 
.  .  .  'It  is,'  they  said,  'most  astonishing  to  find  how  well 
Colonel  Wauchope  is  respected  in  the  constituency  now, 
and  how  much  he  has  improved  in  his  treatment  of 
political  questions.?  The  outspoken  and  transparent 
honesty  of  his  character  has  made  him  troops  of  friends  in 
all  quarters,  and  the  attention  with  which  he  was  received 
both  by  friends  and  opponents  at  the  various  polling- 
booths  must  have  been  gratifying  to  the  gallant  Colonel 
himself  in  no  ordinary  degree,  as  well  as  encouraging  alike 
to  him  and  his  supporters  to  try  conclusions  again.' 

Seldom  has  a  defeat  been  reckoned  so  much  of  a 
victory.  Those  of  the  'forlorn  hope'  were  amazed,  for 
what  at  first  appeared  so  hopeless  had  come  within  the 
region  of  possibility.  Wauchope's  name  was  on  every 
lip  and  at  the  point  of  every  pen.  The  Midlothian  elec- 
tion startled  the  political  world,  and  sobered  the  joy  of 
Liberals;  for  even  the  return  of  a  majority  of  members  to 
Parliament,  sufficient  with  the  aid  of  the  Irish  Nationalists 
to  turn  out  the  Conservative  Government  of  Lord  Salisbury 
and  to  place  Mr.  Gladstone  in  office,  was,  in  the  estimation 
of  many  of  that  great  statesman's  admirers,  scarcely  com- 
pensation enough  for  such  a  downcome. 

Immediately  after  the  election,  on  the  18th  July, 
Colonel  Wauchope  was  entertained  to  a  house  dinner  by 
the  Scottish  Conservative  Club,  at  which  Sir  Charles 
Dalrymple  presided.  The  Unionists  of  Midlothian  also 
recognised  Colonel  Wauchope's  efforts  and  the  sacrifices 
he  had  made  in  the  contest  by  a  grand  banquet  given 


CORN  EXCHANGE  BANQUET    127 

in  his  honour  in  the  Corn  Exchange,  one  of  the  largest 
halls  in  Edinburgh,  on  the  20th  August.  Beautifully 
decorated  for  the  occasion,  and  filled  as  it  was  by  over 
a  thousand  of  the  leading  men  of  the  party,  and  a  large 
number  of  ladies  in  the  galleries,  the  banquet  was  a 
spectacle  of  remarkable  brilliancy  and  beauty. 

The  meeting  was  presided  over  by  the  Duke  of 
Buccleuch,  who,  in  proposing  their  guest's  health,  con- 
gratulated the  company  upon  the  occasion  which  had 
brought  so  many  of  them  together  as  representatives  of 
every  parish  in'  the  county,  after  a  fight  in  which  the 
interest  of  the  whole  country  had  been  centred — a  fight 
which  was  looked  upon  a  short  time  ago  as  a  forlorn 
hope — a  fight  with  one  of  the  most  powerful  men  in  the 
kingdom — one  who  came  down  here,  you  may  say,  as  the 
idol  of  the  people.  'It  is  unusual,'  said  his  Grace,  'to 
celebrate  a  defeat ;  I  will  not  call  it  that.  I  cannot  call  it 
a  victory,  but  I  will  call  it  a  very  great  success.  It  has 
been  a  success  that  has  astonished  ourselves,  but  it  has 
done  more  than  that — it  has  created  consternation  among 
our  opponents.  A  few  more,  or,  I  would  say,  one  more 
success  of  this  kind,  will  not  only  be  a  victory,  but  a  very 
great  one.  For  a  majority  of  4631  to  have  been  reduced 
on  this  last  occasion  to  690  is  no  small  thing  to  have  been 
accomplished.  It  has  been  accomplished  by  two  causes, 
or,  I  might  say,  three  perhaps.  One  was  a  first-class 
candidate;  the  second  was  hard-working  constituents; 
the  third — a  very  important  one — was  a  good  cause.'  His 
Grace  then  referred  to  the  Colonel's  family  as  holding  an 
honoured  place  in  the  history  of  Midlothian  for  nearly  six 
hundred  years,  and  to  his  own  good  qualities  as  a  soldier 
who  had  fought  hard  for  his  country's  honour,  and  faith- 
fully served  his  Queen. 


128  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

Colonel  Wauchope's  reply  was  at  once  modest,  vigorous, 
and  humorous,  but  our  space  will  not  permit  us  to  give  it  in 
its  entirety.  In  his  most  light-hearted  bantering  manner  he 
referred  to  the  consternation  of  their  Liberal  opponents  on 
hearing  that  Mr.  Gladstone  had  only  been  returned  by  a 
majority  of  690.  'They  said  it  must  be  a  blunder;  there 
must  be  something  wrong;  a  "one"  dropped  out  from 
before  the  "  six  ";  it  was  absurd  ;  the  figure  will  be  at  least 
1690.'  'Ah,  but  they  looked,  and  they  better  looked,  but 
there  was  no  number  "  one  "  before  the  "  six."  The  fact 
was  this,  my  friends,  that  Mr.  Gladstone's  majority  was 
down  4000,  and  so  the  news  had  to  travel  to  Dalmeny, 
where,  I  fancy,  it  was  not  received  with  great  cordiality  !' 
After  complimenting  the  committee  for  the  manner  in 
which  they  had  all  exerted  themselves,  and  a  graceful 
acknowledgment  to  the  ladies  who  had  also  assisted,  he 
concluded  by  thanking  his  supporters  for  the  great  kind- 
ness he  had  experienced,  and  the  great  honour  they  had 
done  him,  and  sat  down  amid  a  perfect  storm  of  applause, 
the  large  audience  once  more  rising  to  their  feet,  cheering 
to  the  echo. 

One  of  the  other  speakers — Mr.  Mai  tin,  manager  of  the 
works  at  New  Craighall — mentioned  that  the  miners  of 
Niddrie,  who  had  supported  the  Colonel  with  loyal 
devotion,  were  going  to  work  on  till  they  had  returned 
him  as  member  for  Midlothian.  And  as  an  evidence  of 
their  admiration,  on  the  17th  December  they  also  in  their 
own  humble  way  honoured  him  with  a  banquet.  It  was 
given  in  the  schoolroom  of  the  village,  and  about  a  hundred 
and  fifty  warm  sympathisers  were  present,  presided  over 
by  Mr.  Martin.  It  was  in  every  way  a  demonstration 
creditable  to  the  gratitude  of  the  men  for  many  acts  of 
kindness  shown  to  them  in  the  past,  and  a  manifestation  of 


WAUCHOPE  AND   GLADSTONE        129 

their  personal  esteem,  which  the  Colonel  was  not  slow  to 
recognise  and  appreciate. 

A  noteworthy  feature  of  this  contest  between  Colonel 
Wauchope  and  Mr.  Gladstone  was  the  entire  absence 
of  personal  animosity.  Both  candidates  treated  each 
other,  as  they  were  entitled  to  do,  with  the  utmost 
respect.  This  is  not  always  so  in  the  heat  of  political 
warfare.  But  Wauchope  had  the  good  sense  to  avoid  any 
reference  to  his  opponent,  and  for  long  Mr.  Gladstone  did 
not  condescend  to  reply  to  any  strictures  upon  his  policy. 
When  Wauchope  had  decided  to  offer  himself  as  a  candi- 
date for  Midlothian,  he  went  to  Sir  Robert  Biddulph,  the 
Governor  of  Gibraltar,  and  told  him  he  would  have  to 
canvass  regularly  until  the  next  general  election.  Sir 
Robert's  advice  was  wise  : — '  I  told  him,'  said  he,  '  that  he 
should  never  make  any  personal  attack  on  Gladstone,  nor 
ever  mention  his  name  in  his  public  speeches.  I  said, 
"  Gladstone  is  so  strong  a  man,  and  so  powerful  a  speaker, 
that  he  can  tear  you  to  pieces.  You  should  not,  therefore, 
give  him  the  least  opening  for  attacking  you,  but  just  act 
as  if  no  such  man  existed."  Some  time  after/  continues 
Sir  Robert,  '  he  reminded  me  of  that  advice,  and  said  he 
had  scrupulously  acted  upon  it,  so  much  so  that  Mr. 
Gladstone  had  never  attacked  him,  and  had  even  spoken 
of  him  as  a  worthy  and  estimable  man  ! ' 

Notwithstanding  his  military  duties,  of  which  he  was  far 
from  being  forgetful,  amid  all  the  political  excitement  of 
1892,  Colonel  Wauchope,  encouraged  by  the  enthusiasm 
of  his  friends,  and  still  determined  to  uphold  what  he  con- 
sidered Constitutional  principles,  though,  at  the  same 
time,  conscious  of  his  own  deficiencies,  continued  his 
candidature  for  some  time  in' view  of  the  possibility  of 
another  election  soon.     Writing  from  Limerick  Barracks 

1 


130  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

on  28th  July  1892  to  a  friend  in  Dalkeith  who  had  sent 
him  some  complimentary  verses  on  the  recent  election, 
he  says  : — '  Many  thanks  for  your  kind  letter.  It  is  such 
that  repay  me  for  any  little  trouble  I  may  have  taken  in 
the  good  old  cause.  No  one  feels  more  than  I  do  how 
unfit  I  am  in  many  ways  for  the  position  of  candidate. 
For  instance,  during  next  month  we  are  to  be  at  field 
manoeuvres,  and  I  am  tied  by  the  leg  during  that  time. 
But  Midlothian  deals  very  tenderly  with  all  my  wants — very 
much,  I  take  it,  that  I  am  one  of  themselves.'  Before  long 
it  became  apparent,  however,  that  it  would  be  a  needless 
waste  of  energy  to  continue  the  struggle ;  and,  besides 
this,  other  duties  supervened,  and  Colonel  Wauchope  saw 
fit  to  withdraw  altogether  from  politics  for  a  season. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

THE  7 3RD  REGIMENT  AT  MARYHILL  BARRACKS — INCIDENTS 
OF  HOME  -LIFE MILITARY  LIFE  AT  YORK APPOINT- 
MENT TO  SOUDAN  CAMPAIGN. 

In  the  autumn  of  1892  Colonel  Wauchope's  residence  in 
Limerick  came  to  a  close  on  his  appointment  to  the 
command  of  the  73rd  Perthshire  Regiment,  or  the  2nd 
Battalion  of  the  Black  Watch,  then  stationed  at  Maryhill 
Barracks,  Glasgow.  This  well-earned  promotion  to  a 
position  he  had  long  aspired  to  occupy  enabled  him  to 
be  more  frequently  at  Niddrie  than  formerly.  During 
the  twenty-seven  years  he  had  been  connected  with  the 
Black  Watch,  he  had  risen  slowly  but  steadily  from 
the  rank  of  subaltern  through  the  various  intermediate 
stages  to  the  first  position,  by  dint  of  persevering  effort 
and  close  application  to  his  military  duties.  He  was  by 
no  means  a  dilettante  officer.  He  loved  his  profession, 
and  he  made  it  his  life  work,  while  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  he  was  inspired  he  imparted  to  those  around  him. 
We  find  this  exemplified  in  a  speech  made  at  a  large  gather- 
ing of  the  old  members  of  the  42nd  held  in  the  Trades 
Hall,  Glasgow,  on  the  17th  September,  where  he  presided. 
Many  of  those  present  had  been  with  him  through  the 
Ashanti  and  Soudan  campaigns,  as  well  as  in  Cyprus, 
Malta,  and  Gibraltar,  and  in  referring  to  former  times  he 

131 


i32  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

recalled  their  relationship  with  no  little  satisfaction.  He 
felt,  he  said,  as  if  he  was  back  at  Aldershot  under  his  dear 
old  colonel,  now  Sir  John  M'Leod,  and  once  more  an 
ensign,  and  the  adjutant  of  the  42nd.  But  let  them  not 
forget  their  comrades  of  the  73rd  regiment.  Almost  since 
the  beginning  of  the  century,  the  73rd  had  been  part  and 
parcel  of  the  42nd,  having  been  indeed  the  second 
battalion  of  the  regiment.  That  alliance  had  been  a 
happy  one.  Personally  he  had  now  served  the  second 
battalion  for  eighteen  months,  and  it  had  been  to  him  a 
period  of  great  pleasure  in  his  duties.  That  which  bound 
them  together  and  gave  them  so  much  in  common  was  the 
glorious  traditions  of  the  42nd.  Their  hearts  warmed  to 
each  other  and  the  old  regiment  as  they  thought  of 
Waterloo  and  Quatre  Bras.  But  it  was  not  only  traditions 
they  had.  He  saw  men  before  him  who  had  fought  in  a 
European  theatre  of  war,  and  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
great  battle  of  the  Alma,  of  which  they  were  now  cele- 
brating the  anniversary.  He  had  spent  twenty-seven  years 
in  the  old  regiment,  and  the  longer  he  was  in  it  the  better 
he  loved  it.  In  concluding  an  eloquent  address,  he  said : 
'The  42nd  stood  high  in  the  esteem  of  the  Scottish  people, 
for  there  was  no  regiment  that  Scotland  loved  more  than 
the  "Auld  Forty-twa,"  and  well  they  might.  By  sea  and 
by  land,  at  home  and  abroad,  the  42nd  had  fought  and 
always  deserved  well  of  its  country.  Our  old  regiment 
has  become  renowned  chiefly,  I  believe,  because  of  the 
strict  and  stern  yet  good  discipline  exercised  by  such 
commanders  as  Sir  Daniel  Cameron,  Sir  John  M'Leod, 
and  others.  These  men  had  always  stood  up  for  discip- 
line, and  it  was  discipline  that  brought  the  soldier  com- 
fort, whilst  it  was  the  reverse  that  brought  disorder  and 
crime,  and  everything  that  was  disagreeable.' 


'RIGHT-ABOUT   WHEELI'  133 

The  Colonel  was  not,  however,  always  so  successful  as  a 
speaker  An  amusing  incident  is  told  of  him  when  in  com- 
mand at  Maryhill  Barracks  which  shows  that  an  eloquent 
man  may  not  always  have  command  of  his  tongue.  One 
morning  on  parade  he  purposed  giving  the  men  an  address, 
and  from  the  demeanour  of  their  colonel  the  men  antici- 
pated something  eloquent.  The  genial  Andrew,  however, 
had  only  got  the  length  of  'Men  of  the  gallant  42nd/ 
when  his  tongue  seemed  to  cleave  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth. 
Thrice  did  he  make  the  attempt,  and  thrice  did  he  fail  to 
make  progress,"  until,  exasperated  with  himself,  he  suddenly 
exclaimed,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  regiment — { Men  of 
the  gallant  42nd,  right-about  wheel ! ' 

But  while  the  Colonel  was  strong  in  politics  and  diligent 
in  the  discharge  of  barrack  duties,  he  did  not  forget  his 
old  ancestral  home  at  Niddrie.  It  was  never  his  lot  to 
make  anything  like  a  permanent  residence  at  Niddrie 
House,  but  so  long  as  he  was  stationed  either  at  Maryhill 
or  afterwards  in  Edinburgh  Castle  he  embraced  every 
opportunity  of  making  short  visits  home ;  and  when  home 
he  never  failed  to  interest  himself  in  the  welfare  of  all  in 
the  neighbourhood.  In  the  spring  of  1893,  being  then  in 
command  in  Edinburgh  Castle,  he  had  more  frequent 
opportunities  of  being  among  '  his  ain  folk,'  and  taking  a 
more  active  interest  in  their  welfare  than  was  formerly 
possible.  It  is  with  almost  a  smile  we  read  of  his 
being  at  home  at  that  time,  and  attending  a  meeting 
mostly  composed  of  miners  and  labourers  in  the  Niddrie 
School,  to  present  prizes  to  the  members  of  the  local 
Bowling  Club,  in  whose  success  he  took  a  lively  interest. 
A  social  meeting  held  after  this  ceremony  was  heartily 
enjoyed  by  all  present,  the  Colonel  entering  freely  into 
the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  making  himself  the  gayest  of 


134  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

the  gay  and  '  everybody's  body,'  among  men,  women,  and 
children.  As  one  has  well  said,  'he  had  a  magnetism 
about  him  which  not  only  made  him  the  friend  of  all,  but 
made  all  his  friends.' 

It  will  be  long  before  the  people  of  Niddrie  and  New 
Craighall  villages  forget  his  kindness  to  them.  One  and 
all  while  he  lived  regarded  him  with  pride,  affection,  and 
gratitude.  Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at,  for  he  held 
their  loyalty  and  friendship  by  simple  and  unaffected  acts 
of  kindness  and  helpfulness,  never  making  them  feel  that 
his  friendship  was  an  act  of  condescension,  but  rather  the 
outcome  of  a  warm  heart  and  a  generous  nature.  Their 
acknowledgment  of  his  services  when  occasion  arose  was 
always  spontaneous  and  sincere. 

This  was  strikingly  exemplified  on  the  occasion  of 
Colonel  Wauchope's  marriage  in  1893  to  Miss  Jean  Muir, 
the  daughter  of  the  venerable  Principal  of  Edinburgh 
University.  On  the  Saturday  previous,  the  villagers  and 
others  turned  out  in  full  force,  and  by  their  gifts  as  well 
as  by  their  presence  showed  how  gratified  they  were  with 
the  lady  of  his  choice,  and  how  their  good  wishes  went 
out  towards  them  both.  Two  bands  headed  the  proces- 
sion to  the  mansion-house,  and  when  the  lawn  was  reached 
the  Colonel  was  presented  in  name  of  them  all  with  a 
silver  punch-bowl,  on  a  polished  cannel-coal  stand  taken 
from  the  Niddrie  coal-pits.  The  presents  from  the 
school  children,  the  tenants  on  the  estate,  and  other 
incidents  of  the  day  testified  unmistakably  in  the  same 
way  to  the  cordial  relations  subsisting  between  the  laird 
and  his  neighbours  and  dependants. 

1 A  better  man  never  lived '  was  the  terse  estimate  of  one 
of  the  villagers  when  speaking  of  him  lately,  and  the  echo 
of  it  will  long  keep  his  memory  green. 


CHARLIE   EGAN  135 

One  touching  incident  illustrating  his  goodness  of  heart 
is  told  by  the  Rev.  George  Dodds,  the  Free  Church 
Minister  of  Liberton,  as  occurring  about  this  time.  When 
in  command  at  Maryhill  Barracks  the  Colonel  one  day 
inspecting  the  hospital  had  his  attention  directed  to  a  boy 
• — one  of  two  brothers  in  the  band  of  the  Black  Watch — 
who  was  dying  of  consumption,  and  it  touched  the  soldier's 
heart.  Finding  out  that  the  boy  was  an  orphan,  he  had  him 
removed  to  a  room  in  his  own  house,  the  Colonel  himself 
accompanying  the  lad  from  Glasgow  to  Niddrie,  where 
every  possible  attention  was  paid  to  him.  Dr.  A.  Balfour 
of  Portobello  was  asked  to  look  after  the  case,  and  it  was 
the  Colonel's  wish  that  a  nurse  should  attend  him.  The 
lad,  however,  got  so  attached  to  the  housekeeper  at 
Niddrie — one  of  the  kindest  and  most  faithful  of  servants 
— that  he  would  have  no  other  attention  than  hers. 
During  all  the  illness  of  the  brave  little  chap,  no  one 
knows  but  the  kindly  nurse,  the  doctor,  and  the  minister, 
the  Colonel's  tenderness  and  anxiety  and  unstinted 
generosity  towards  his  little  friend.  When  at  length  after 
some  weeks  he  died,  it  was  a  sight  not  to  be  forgotten, 
how  at  the  close  of  the  funeral  service  he  stood  weeping 
at  the  head  of  the  coffin  which  was  laid  on  trestles  in  the 
hall.  It  was  a  stormy  wintry  day  at  the  end  of  April,  the 
snow  lying  thick  on  the  ground ;  but,  following  the  bier, 
he  walked  uncovered  through  the  snow  with  all  the  rever- 
ence of  a  bereaved  man  to  the  grave  in  the  little  private 
burying-ground  in  the  Niddrie  policies,  where  the  young 
soldier,  whose  closing  weeks  of  life  he  had  soothed  so 
tenderly,  was  laid  to  rest  by  his  comrades  from  Edinburgh 
Castle. 

Poor  little  Charlie  Egan,  with  only  his  fifteen  summers 
over  his  head,  truly  found  in  his  commanding  officer  one 


136  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

who  was  touched  with  the  truest  Christian  sympathy,  and 
acted  well  towards  him  the  part  of  the  Good  Samaritan. 
Such  conduct  is  a  noble  example.  It  is  the  secret  of  lasting 
popularity.  It  is  more, — it  is  the  secret  of  true  happiness. 
In  1894  occurred  a  protracted  strike  among  the  colliers 
throughout  the  country.  The  Niddrie  coal-works  were 
affected  by  it,  and  for  seventeen  weeks  the  men  were  out 
of  employment,  and  their  families  suffering  the  severest  hard- 
ship. On  this  question  he  expressed  himself  at  a  later  date 
most  forcibly  in  these  words  : — 'I  do  not  know  anything 
to  a  patriotic  mind  more  terrible  for  the  country,  and  bad  for 
it,  than  anything  in  the  shape  of  strikes — those  industrial 
wars  which  the  country  has  witnessed  and  which  had  been 
an  evil  thing  in  every  way.  I  know  it  will  be  said  that 
I  am  a  man  of  war,  and  that  I  love  war,  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing.  Never  was  there  a  greater  fable.  Though 
I  have  never  had  to  stand  on  a  great  European  field  of 
battle,  I  ha "e  seen  too  much  of  war  in  all  its  horrible 
aspects  not  to  hate  it  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  In  the 
same  way  with  those  industrial  wars,  there  is  nothing 
more  deplorable  and  nothing  which  has  tended  more  to 
unhappy  homes,  and  all  the  consequences  thereof.'  But 
the  Niddrie  miners  were  in  sore  straits,  and  a  deputation 
of  them  went  to  the  Colonel  to  lay  their  case  before  him,  and 
they  did  not  appeal  in  vain.  He  told  them  very  plainly 
he  had  no  sympathy  whatever  with  the  strike  ;  '  but  man, 
Tarn,'  addressing  the  leader  of  the  deputation,  '  I  would 
rather  do  anything  than  see  the  women  and  weans  starving,' 
and  there  and  then  he  promised  to  give  one  pound  a  week 
to  keep  the  soup-kitchen  going,  so  that  they  might  at  least 
have  one  good  meal  a  day.  Not  only  so,  but  as  long  as 
the  strike  lasted,  vegetables  in  abundance  were  supplied 
from  the  Niddrie  House  gardens. 


THE   COUNTRY   GENTLEMAN         137 

In  New  Craighall  there  is  a  large  reading-room  and 
bagatelle-room.  Many  years  ago  the  building  was  erected 
by  the  Wauchope  family  for  a  school,  and  was  used  as 
such  up  till  1896,  when  it  was  superseded  by  the  large 
school  erected  by  the  Board  at  Niddrie  Mill.  Niddrie 
bowling-green,  gifted  to  the  villagers  lately  by  Sir  Charles 
Dalrymple,  has  been  a  great  boon  to  the  men ;  and 
Colonel  Wauchope  contributed  largely  to  the  expense 
connected  with  its  formation.  A  .bleaching-green  in  the 
centre  of  the  village — part  of  it  fenced  off  for  football; 
the  local  football  club ;  the  local  brass  band — these  were 
all  objects  of  his  liberality.  Was  a  site  for  a  church  or  a 
chapel  wanted,  it  was  given  ungrudgingly,  and  his  grounds 
were  thrown  open  for  Sunday-school  excursions  and  picnics 
during  the  summer  months.  In  cases  of  accident  to  any 
of  the  miners,  he  had  an  ambulance  waggon  ready  at  the 
collieries,  and  in  many  other  ways  he  indicated  his  interest 
in  the  villagers. 

Similar  instances  of  generosity  among  the  people  of 
Town  and  Kirk  Yetholm — where  the  other  family  estate 
is  situated — made  him,  we  are  told,  the  'admired  of  all 
admirers.'  There  he  bestowed  large  monetary  help  in  pro- 
viding better  water  supply  and  sanitary  requirements  for 
these  villages.  In  Yetholm  district  he  was  an  open-handed 
benefactor,  and  will  probably  be  longer  remembered  as  such 
than  for  his  warlike  achievements.  And  all  this  kindness  was 
done  without  ostentation.  It  was  the  outcome  of  a  noble 
and  generous  disposition.  '  No  man  is  truly  great  who  is 
not  gentle,'  it  has  been  wisely  remarked,  for  a  gentleman 
must  be  kind  and  considerate  for  others ;  and  though  the 
work  of  a  soldier  is  to  fight,  and  if  need  be  to  kill,  he  is  all 
the  stronger  in  his  hour  of  struggle  against  the  enemy  that 
he  carries  within  him  a  gentle  heart. 


138  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

Colonel  Wauchope's  heart  was  in  the  right  place,  and 
his  influence  was  consequently  far-reaching.  It  is  told  of 
him  that  one  day  he  had  as  a  companion  in  a  country 
walk  an  ex-brother  officer,  not  very  popular  among  the 
private  soldiers.  As  they  sauntered  along,  they  for- 
gathered with  a  big  boisterous  bully  who  had  been 
drummed  out  of  his  regiment,  taking  with  him  a  rankling 
ill-will  against  this  officer.  He  gave  vent  to  his  wrath 
against  the  Colonel's  companion,  and  threatened  that  he 
would  '  do '  for  him,  showing  at  the  same  time  every  dis- 
position to  carry  his  threat  into  effect;  but  Wauchope 
promptly  stepped  between  the  two,  when  the  rowdy  some- 
what changed  his  manner,  saying,  '  Captain,  I  would  not 
lift  a  hand  against  so  gallant  an  officer  as  you ;  it  is  lucky 

for  Mr. that  you  are  with  him,'  whereupon  the  Colonel 

lectured  him  upon  the  impropriety  of  his  conduct,  and 
with  sundry  other  good  advices  parted  from  him  by  leaving 
a  silver  coin  in  his  hand.  This  was  too  much  for  the 
man,  and  he  burst  into  tears. 

Nor  was  he  above  doing  a  kindly  action,  even  though 
asked  in  not  the  most  polite  fashion.  Once  he  happened 
to  be  visiting  his  friend  Sir  Charles  Dalrymple,  at  New- 
hailes,  dressed  in  plain  rustic  costume.  He  had  scarcely 
entered  the  grounds,  and  closed  the  gate  behind  him, 
when  he  heard  a  shrill  voice  calling  out,  ■  Hae,  man ! 
come  and  open  the  gate,  will  ye?'  Looking  round, 
Colonel  Wauchope  descried  two  fish-women  with  their 
creels  on  their  backs,  vainly  endeavouring  to  effect  an 
entrance.  On  the  request  being  repeated,  he  at  once 
turned  back,  politely  opened  the  gate,  and  walked  on ! 
They  had  taken  him  for  one  of  the  workmen,  and  were 
rather  disconcerted  when  they  afterwards  discovered  who 
had  been  acting  the  part  of  porter  for  them. 


THE   MINERS'   STRIKE  139 

Such  acts  of  courtesy  came  natural  to  Colonel  Wauchope ; 
they  were  not  put  on  for  occasion.  Whether  in  open- 
handed  generosity  and  hospitality,  or  in  the  mere  opening 
of  a  gate,  he  exemplified  Emerson's  idea  of  what  a  gentle- 
man should  be.  As  that  writer  expresses  it,  'When  I  view 
the  fine  gentleman  with  regard  to  his  manners,  methinks 
I  see  him  modest  without  bashfulness ;  frank  and  affable 
without  impertinence;  obliging  and  complaisant  without 
servility;  cheerful  and  in  good  humour  without  noise. 
These  amiable  qualities  are  not  easily  obtained,  neither 
are  there  many  men  that  have  a  faculty  to  excel  this  way. 
A  finished  gentleman  is  perhaps  the  most  uncommon  of 
all  the  characters  in  life.' 

Colonel  Wauchope  stood  well  by  the  miners  through 
their  long  enforced  idleness,  with  all  .  its  concomitant 
troubles,  and  when  the  time  of  distress  was  at  last  over 
and  the  pits  had  resumed  work,  the  men  determined  to 
show  their  appreciation  of  his  conduct  by  a  public  recog- 
nition of  their  esteem.  On  the  3rd  May  1895,  a  large 
gathering  took  place  in  the  New  Craighall  schoolroom, 
presided  over  by  the  manager  of  the  works,  when  an 
illuminated  address  expressive  of  their  gratitude,  affection, 
and  admiration,  was  presented  to  him  in  a  silver-mounted 
casket.  That  he  valued  such  an  expression  of  affection 
from  'his  own  people,'  as  he  liked  to  call  them,  goes 
without  saying.  In  acknowledging  the  gift  he  said  :  'This 
address  will  stand  foremost  among  our  household  gods. 
On  the  face  of  it  is  a  view  of  the  old  house  of  Niddrie, 
where  for  centuries  my  forefathers  have  lived  before  me.  I 
will  say  that  in  distant  lands  and  in  moments  of  danger, 
my  thoughts  have  always  been  of  my  old  home  and  the 
people  of  Niddrie  and  this  neighbourhood.  And  as  to  my 
poor  services,  I  feel  proud  when  they  are  brought  to  the 


14©  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

notice  of  my  own  people  in  my  own  country.  And  you  may 
depend,  that  when  the  hour  of  danger  is,  if  there  is  one 
thing  that  supports  me  in  that  hour,  it  is  the  knowledge 
that  those  at  home  are  thinking  about  me,  and  should  I 
fall,  that  their  thoughts  would  be  kindly  towards  me  when  I 
am  no  more.'  Referring  to  a  passage  in  the  address  that 
spoke  of  his  relationship  as  owner  of  the  soil  to  his 
dependants  being  ever  of  a  kindly  nature,  he  said:  'I 
would  be  no  man  at  all  if  I  were  not  pleased  to  hear  that.' 
Then  as  for  the  unfortunate  strike  some  months  ago :  '  I 
knew  there  were  difficulties,  and  I  stepped  forward  in  a 
small  way  to  try  and  help  my  countrymen  and  women.  As 
for  strikes,  I  don't  like  them.  They  are  not  good  for  our 
pockets,  they  are  not  good  for  our  tempers,  and  they  are 
unfortunate  in  every  respect.  It  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows 
nobody  good,  however,  and  that  strike  has  done  this  good 
for  me — it  has  given  me  this  presentation,  which  shall  for 
ever  be  valued.  The  strike  will  also  have  done  good 
to  the  community,  inasmuch  as  it  has  shown  that  when 
difficulties  are  around  us,  and  trials  and  tribulations  come, 
we  can  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder.'  After  a  graceful 
allusion  to  Mrs.  Wauchope  as  one  desirous  of  doing  her 
duty,  and  who  in  the  address  had  been  called  his  { Gentle 
Consort/  the  Colonel  concluded  amid  great  applause  by 
thanking  them  all  for  the  great  kindness  which  had 
prompted  such  a  meeting. 

It  does  one  good  in  these  times,  when  capital  and 
labour  are  too  often  in  antagonism,  to  find  such  cordiality 
of  affection  and  identity  of  interest. 

After  three  years'  residence  in  Edinburgh  Castle,  the 
2nd  Battalion  of  the  Royal  Highlanders  (Black  Watch) 
received  orders  in  the  autumn  of  1896  to  take  up  their 
quarters   in  the  city  of  York,   and  accordingly  on   26th 


DEPARTURE   FROM    EDINBURGH      141 

September  they  left  Edinburgh,  where  they  had  so  long 
enjoyed  the  esteem  of  the  citizens  for  their  excellence  of 
conduct.  Colonel  Wauchope  and  his  gallant  Highlanders 
paraded  at  seven  in  the  morning  at  the  Castle  Esplanade, 
and  although  one  hundred  and  seventy  of  the  regiment 
were  at  the  time  at  Ballater  as  a  guard  of  honour 
to  Her  Majesty,  the  muster  was  five  hundred  and  fifty 
strong.  It  spoke  volumes  for  their  discipline  and  good 
conduct,  that  Colonel  Wauchope  was  able  to  say  as 
the  regiment  was  addressed  before  their  departure,  that 
'there  was  not  a  single  absentee  from  parade,  nor  yet 
a  prisoner.' 

The  Black  Watch  were  garrisoned  in  York  for  the 
following  eighteen  months,  and  both  officers  and  men 
gained  for  themselves  in  that  ancient  cathedral  city  much 
popular  favour.  Effective  discipline  and  systematic  drill 
were  never  relaxed,  and  what  they  might  lose  in  ease  or 
pleasure  was  compensated  by  admirable  efficiency. 

In  the  Sussex  military  manoeuvres  of  August  and 
September  1897,  Colonel  Wauchope  with  a  brigade  of 
the  Black  Watch  went  from  York  to  take  a  part  in  the 
proceedings.  Joining  the  force  of  General  Burnett,  which 
had  fallen  back  from  Waltham,  and  had  bivouacked  over- 
night near  Arundel,  Wauchope's  timely  reinforcement 
enabled  him  to  retrace  his  steps  westwards.  Passing 
through  the  ducal  Arundel  Park,  he  struck  across  Hough- 
ton Forest,  deploying  his  battalions  as  the  area  of  con- 
flict neared,  and  encountered  the  opposing  force  under 
General  Gosset,  when  some  smart  skirmishing  (continued 
for  several  days)  took  place  at  Burton  Down,  Dignor 
Hill,  and  Bury  Hill.  The  attempt  to  drive  Burnett  and 
Wauchope  back  over  the  river  Arun,  though  gallantly 
attempted,  was  ultimately  declared  by  the  umpires  to  have 


142  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

failed.  Wauchope  and  his  brigade  were  reported  as 
having  done  splendidly. 

In  such  exercises  Wauchope  was  an  adept.  In  military 
science  he  made  it  a  point  to  be  thoroughly  conversant 
not  only  with  the  details  of  drill,  but  in  general  strategy,  to 
be  able  to  grip  a  given  situation  with  comprehensive  tact. 
A  born  soldier,  he  instinctively  realised  what  was  the 
right  thing  to  do  and  the  right  time  to  attempt  it.  Nor 
was  he  the  man  to  ask  his  men  to  do  anything  that  he 
would  not  himself  do,  or  take  a  part  in.  When  in  Edin- 
burgh Castle  it  was  his  habit,  in  order  to  keep  the 
regiment  up  to  the  fighting  standard  of  physical  endur- 
ance, to  march  them  out  a  nine  or  ten  miles  round  of 
country,  and  that  in  all  sorts  of  weather;  sunshine  or  rain 
apparently  made  no  difference.  Frequently  have  we  seen 
him  swinging  along  at  the  head  of  his  men,  sometimes  on 
horseback,  but  more  often  on  foot,  over  roads  inches  deep 
with  mud.  Like  most  favourite  officers,  he  had  his  pet 
name.  As  we  have  already  said,  the  name  by  which  he 
was  familiarly  known  in  the  Black  Watch  was  '  Red 
Mick.'  One  day  the  regiment  had  been  ordered  out  for 
a  march,  and  in  passing  a  group  of  the  men  the  Colonel 
happened  to  overhear  one  of  them  say,  '  Red  Mick  will  be 
going  to  ride  to-day.'  The  regiment  was  in  due  time 
drawn  up  on  parade,  and  addressed  by  their  commander 
as  to  the  order  of  march ;  then  looking  the  man  who  had 
made  the  remark  straight  in  the  face,  he  finished  up  by 
saying,  '  but  to-day  Red  Mick  will  walk  ! ' 

While  the  regiment  was  in  York,  Wauchope  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  benevolent  institutions  of  the  city,  and 
specially  in  the  Scotch  community.  He  was  the  President 
of  the  St.  Andrew's  Society,  which,  through  his  active 
interest  in  its  affairs,  greatly  increased  in   numbers  and 


MILITARY  LIFE   AT  YORK  143 

influence.  c  He  always,'  says  one  who  knew  him  there, 
*  let  it  be  known  that  he  was  a  Scotsman,  and  was  proud 
of  his  country.  The  stirring  speeches  that  he  made  before 
the  St.  Andrew's  Society  are  still  remembered  with  delight ; 
and  as  an  evidence  of  the  regard  in  which  his  memory  is 
still  held  there,  that  Society  is  about  to  erect  a  tablet  in 
the  Presbyterian  church  to  the  memory  of  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  Black  Watch  who  have  since  fallen  in  battle.' 

It  was  noticed  also  that  the  same  chivalrous  feeling  of 
relationship  existed  between  him  and  his  men  as  existed 
formerly  between' a  Highland  chief  and  his  clan.  His 
interest  in  them  and  their  families  was  ever  showing  itself 
in  kindly  visits  to  the  married  quarters  of  the  barracks, 
in  order  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  women  and 
children,  so  as  to  increase  their  comfort.  Fetes  and  social 
meetings  were  not  unfrequent,  and  at  Christmas  time  it 
was  his  custom  to  have  a  well-laden  Christmas  tree,  on 
which  were  suitable  presents  for  the  children,  while  the 
mothers  had  welcome  little  gifts  of  money  distributed  to 
them.  All  this,  says  the  Rev.  Alexander  Stirling,  minister 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  York,  was  at  his  own  private 
expense,  and  must  have  cost  him  not  less  than  ,£50  on 
each  occasion.  In  spite  of  the  attractive  splendours  of  a 
grand  cathedral,  Colonel  Wauchope  preferred  to  worship 
according  to  his  accustomed  manner  in  the  simpler  form 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  There,  too,  by  his  arrange- 
ment, the  regiment  worshipped  in  force,  and  he  always 
insisted  upon  a  full  complement  of  officers  accompanying 
the  men.  Not  only  so,  but,  as  Mr.  Stirling  informs  us, 
Mrs.  Wauchope  and  the  officers  of  the  Black  Watch  were 
in  many  ways  helpful  to  him  and  his  congregation,  taking 
a  part  in  much  of  their  church  work,  and  showing  their 
loyalty  to  their  Presbyterian  principles  in  many  ways. 


144  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

In  July  1898,  Colonel  Wauchope  was  selected  by  Lord 
Wolseley  to  command  a  brigade  in  the  expedition  then 
being  organised  under  General  (now  Lord)  Kitchener  for 
the  reconquest  of  the  Soudan.  The  42nd  regiment  was 
not  ordered  out  for  this  service,  and  so  the  time  had 
come  when,  after  thirty-three  years  of  close  connection 
with  them  both  in  peace  and  in  war,  that  connection 
must  for  a  time  be  broken.  One  of  his  brother  officers, 
writing  afterwards  of  that  period  and  the  grief  that  was 
in  every  heart  over  the  prospect  of  losing  him,  says : 
1  The  send-off  he  received  at  York  when  he  left  will  never 
be  effaced  from  the  memory  of  those  who  took  part 
in  it.  I  have  never  seen  Scotch  soldiers  exhibit  any 
such  emotion,  or  give  way  so  thoroughly  to  their  feelings. 
They  knew  whom  they  were  losing;  they  realised  their 
loss,  and  gave  vent  accordingly.' 

At  the  same  time,  the  circumstances,  if  touching,  were 
not  without  a  dash  of  the  ludicrous ;  but  they  show  how 
warmly  attached  the  Black  Watch  were  to  one  who  from 
the  rank  of  subaltern  had  risen  steadily  to  be  their  colonel, 
and  was  now  to  leave  them  for  the  command  of  a  brigade. 
Many  a  man  among  them  wished  he  had  the  chance  to 
accompany  him. 

The  regiment  was  at  the  time  camped  out  for  summer 
quarters  at  Strensall  camp,  about  five  miles  from  York. 
On  the  evening  of  a  hot  July  day,  when  Colonel 
Wauchope  was  to  leave  for  the  Soudan,  there  was  an  open 
mess  among  the  officers,  and  the  health  and  prosperity  of 
their  departing  colonel  was  enthusiastically  drunk.  It 
was  arranged  that  he  was  to  go  south  by  the  midnight 
train  at  York,  and  as  the  evening  hours  sped  on,  the 
regiment  as  usual  retired  to  their  tents  to  rest  for  the  night, 
after  tuck  of  drum.      They  did   not,  however,  retire  to 


SEND-OFF   FROM   YORK  145 

sleep,  for  no  sooner  were  the  wheels  of  the  Colonel's 
carriage  heard  than  there  was  a  general  move.  It  was  a 
little  after  twelve  o'clock,  and  the  men  were  stripped  and 
in  bed.  But  in  an  instant  every  tent  was  astir,  and  like 
a  swarm  of  bees  the  whole  regiment  broke  loose.  Every 
tent  belched  forth  its  quota  of  excited  men,  and  without 
taking  time  to  dress  they  had  surrounded  the  carriage, 
cheering,  and  enthusiastically  shaking  hands  with  their 
departing  chief.  Many  of  them,  with  only  their  night- 
shirts on,  ran  after  the  carriage  a  considerable  distance, 
still  cheering  as"  they  went  along !  It  was  such  a  send-off 
as  few  officers  ever  experienced. 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE  SOUDAN — BATTLES  OF  ATRARA  AND  OMDURMAN — 
ARRIVAL  HOME  —  RECEPTION  AT  NIDDRIE  —  DEGREE 
OF  LL.D. — PAROCHIAL  DUTIES — PARLIAMENTARY  CON- 
TEST FOR  SOUTH  EDINBURGH. 

Once  more  Wauchope  found  himself  on  the  way  to  the 
front  for  active  service,  this  time  back  to  the  scene  of 
his  former  exploits  in  the  Soudan.  Matters  there,  ever 
since  the  withdrawal  of  the  British  and  Egyptian  troops 
in  1885,  when  the  then  all-conquering  Mahdi  took  Khar- 
toum and  slew  the  gallant  General  Gordon,  had  gone  on 
from  bad  to  worse.  Over-running  the  whole  valley  of  the 
Nile,  the  Egyptian  boundary-line  had  been  much  circum- 
scribed, and  was  now  fixed  as  far  north  as  Wady  Haifa, 
the  prophet  holding  almost  undisputed  sway  over  the 
whole  Soudan,  except  that  part  of  it  contiguous  to  the 
Red  Sea  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Suakim.  On  the  death 
of  the  Mahdi  in  1885,  his  tomb  at  Omdurman  became  a 
sanctuary,  round  which  the  faithful  gathered  themselves. 
Under  the  sway  of  his  successor,  Khalifa  Abdullahi  of  the 
Baggara  tribe,  cruelty  and  oppression  ground  down  with 
iron  hand  every  neighbouring  tribe.  Military  despotism 
stamped  out  commerce,  and  trade  and  agriculture;  the 
people  were  ruined,  and  slaughter  and  devastation  ruled 
where   formerly   there   had   been   prosperity   and    peace. 

146 


RECONQUEST   OF  THE  SOUDAN       147 

Even  Egypt  was  not  safe  from  the  inroads  of  the  Dervish 
host,  attempts  being  made  several  times  to  invade  its 
borders  j  but  Tokar  was  their  utmost  limit.  In  T892,  Colonel 
Horatio  Herbert  Kitchener  recaptured  that  town,  but  no 
further  attempt  was  made  to  regain  lost  ground  till  1896, 
when  that  officer,  now  Major-General  and  Sirdar,  or  Com- 
mander of  the  Egyptian  army,  received  orders  to  advance 
up  the  Nile  for  the  reconquest  of  the  Soudan.  The  days 
of  Egypt's  weakness  were  past,  for  during  the  interval 
between  this  and  Tel-el-Kebir,  when  the  then  wretched 
Egyptian  army  was  smashed  to  pieces,  English  officers  had 
been  actively  licking  into  shape  a  new  native  force.  Drill 
and  discipline,  combined  with  growing  confidence  in  their 
officers,  had  in  those  years  built  up  an  army  able  and 
willing  to  dare  anything.  The  Sirdar  was  ready  to  fight 
the  Khalifa,  but  he  realised  that  in  an  invasion  of  the 
Soudan  the  real  enemy  to  be  faced  was  the  Soudan  itself 
— 'its  barrenness  which  refuses  food,  and  its  vastness  which 
paralyses  transport.' 

These  were  the  problems  to  be  overcome  by  the  general 
who  would  conquer  the  Soudan  and  plant  his  flag  on  the 
walls  of  Khartoum. 

Science  and  engineering  skill  came  to  the  rescue,  and 
with  these  under  the  guidance  of  a  marvellous  military 
genius  that  took  in  every  situation,  and  turned  it  to  his 
advantage,  the  enterprise  was  ultimately  crowned  with 
success.  Hitherto  military  movements  in  the  Soudan  had 
been  either  by  camels  and  weary  foot  trudging,  or  by  boats 
on  the  Nile.  Kitchener  determined  upon  Wolseley's  idea 
of  crossing  the  desert  between  Wady  Haifa  and  Abu- 
Hammed,  but  not  by  camels.  He  resolved  to  do  it  by 
rail,  and  to  build  the  railway  as  they  marched.  It  was  a 
bold  stroke.      This  is   how  it  was  done.      Starting  from 


148  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

Wady  Haifa,  a  surveying  party  set  out  for  ten  miles  or  so, 
making  a  rough  survey  of  the  lie  of  the  ground,  marking 
as  they  went  the  proposed  course ;  about  five  miles  behind 
the  surveying  parties  came  working  parties  1200  strong, 
levelling  and  embanking  where  necessary.  Two  miles 
behind  these  came  550  platelayers,  and  half  a  mile  after 
them  a  gang  of  400  men  to  lift,  straighten,  and  ballast  the 
line.  One  mile  behind  these  again  came  400  men  to  put  on 
the  finishing  touches,  and  the  line  was  complete,  but  ever 
progressing  to  its  ultimate  terminus,  carrying  forward  its 
own  materials  of  rails  and  sleepers,  as  well  as  supplies 
for  troops  on  the  march.  The  credit  of  this  great  work 
was  largely  due  to  the  young  lieutenants  of  the  Royal 
Engineers  under  the  direction  of  Lieutenant  Girouard,  a 
Canadian  officer. 

It  was  steady,  plodding  work;  slow,  perhaps,  as  a 
fighting  campaign,  but  every  mile  of  advance  the  army 
made  sure  of  its  position,  and  was  kept  within  touch  of 
Cairo.  The  campaign  of  1897  found  the  greater  part  of 
the  Sirdar's  force  as  far  as  Ed-Damer,  seven  miles  beyond 
the  junction  of  the  Nile  and  the  Atbara  river. 

Here  a  strong  camp  was  formed  and  preparations  were 
made  for  encountering  the  enemy  who  were  massing  some 
distance  up  the  Nile  at  Matemneh,  under  Mahmoud,  the 
son  of  the  Khalifa,  and  old  Osman  Digna.  These  joined 
forces  at  Shendi,  about  half-way  between  Berber  and 
Khartoum,  their  strength  being  about  eighteen  thousand 
men. 

General  Kitchener,  leading  and  directing  every  move- 
ment, returned  from  Cairo  in  December  1897,  having 
arranged  with  the  British  Government  for  the  sending  out 
of  a  small  British  force  to  assist  the  Egyptian  troops 
already  in  the  field. 


ON   THE   ATBARA  149 

These  were  at  once  granted,  and  the  reserve  British 
force  at  Cairo,  consisting  of  the  1st  Warwicks,  1st  Lincolns, 
and  1st  Cameron  Highlanders,  left  for  the  front,  their 
places  being  taken  by  several  regiments  sent  out  from 
England. 

With  such  generals  as  Hunter  and  Hector  Macdonald 
the  Sirdar  had  worked  his  way  up  the  Nile  valley,  over- 
coming all  difficulties,  with  his  Egyptian  force  of  some 
ten  thousand  men  and  forty-six  guns.  The  arrival  of  the 
British  Division  in  two  brigades  under  General  Gatacre  in 
March  and  April  added  largely  to  the  strength  of  the  force. 
The  command  of  the  First  Division  of  the  British  Brigade 
was  given  to  Colonel  Wauchope,  now  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Brigadier-General.  How  different  his  journey  up 
the  Nile  on  this  occasion  from  his  experience  fourteen 
years  before  with  the  weary  whale-boats  !  Now,  thanks  to 
the  energy  of  the  Sirdar,  he  could  travel  to  Berber  in  a 
saloon  carriage.  Speaking  of  this  afterwards,  he  said  he 
was  never  so  struck  in  his  life  as  when  he  saw  that  railway 
across  the  desert,  which  did  so  much  for  the  expedition. 

And  now  for  the  enemy.  Mahmoud  was  discovered 
securely,  as  he  thought,  entrenched  some  seventeen  miles 
up  the  river  from  Abador,  or  about  forty  from  Atbara 
camp;  and  it  was  not  fitting,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties 
of  transport  by  camels  for  twelve  thousand  men,  that 
so  large  a  British  force  should  sit  down  within  so  short  a 
distance  of  an  enemy  and  not  attempt  to  drive  him  out  of 
his  position.  The  forward  order  was  given,  and  on  8th 
April,  after  a  long  night-march,  the  troops  found  themselves 
facing  Mahmoud's  zareba  at  Nakheila,  on  the  Atbara. 

The  story  of  the  attack  has  been  given  with  all  the 
graphic  skill  of  an  eye-witness,  by  G.  W.  Steevens  in  his 
book,   With  Kitchener  to  Khartoum.     When  the  sun  rose 


150  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

behind  the  Sirdar's  men,  it  revealed  a  stockade  made  up 
of  timber,  and  a  ten-foot  hedge  of  camel-thorn,  with 
entrenchments  behind — a  formidable  enough  obstacle  to 
face.  Without  delay  arrangements  were  made  for  the 
attack.  The  enemy's  base  rested  on  the  river,  and  the 
Sirdar,  determined  that  he  should  not  escape,  formed  his 
force  in  a  semi-circle  round  him.  At  6.20  the  first  gun 
announced  the  advent  of  battle,  and  for  an  hour  and 
twenty  minutes  Mahmoud's  zareba  was  pounded  with  shot, 
shell,  and  rocket,  after  which  the  Egyptian  and  British 
troops  advanced  to  the  attack  all  along  the  line.  Maxwell's, 
Macdonald's,  and  Hunter's  Egyptians  deployed  on  the 
right.  Gatacre's  British  Division,  with  General  Wauchope 
in  command  of  the  1st  Brigade,  had  the  Cameron 
Highlanders  in  the  place  of  honour,  formed  in  line  along 
their  whole  front;  then,  in  columns  of  their  eight  com- 
panies, the  Lincolns  on  the  right,  the  Seaforths  in  the 
centre,  and  the  Warwicks — two  companies  short — on  the 
left.  The  orders  to  these  were,  not  to  advance  till  it  was 
certain  the  Dervish  cavalry,  hovering  to  the  left  of  the 
zareba,  would  not  charge  in  flank.  Behind  all  was 
Lewis's  brigade  ready  for  any  emergency  that  might  occur. 
Stirring  addresses  having  been  made  by  the  leading 
officers,  the  Sirdar  called  upon  the  men  to  'remember 
Gordon,'  and  all  being  ready,  'the  word  came,  and  the 
men  sprang  up.  The  squares  shifted  into  fighting  forma- 
tions ;  at  one  impulse,  in  one  superb  sweep,  nearly  twelve 
thousand  men  moved  forward  towards  the  enemy.  All 
England  and  all  Egypt,  and  the  flower  of  the  black  lands 
beyond,  Birmingham  and  the  West  Highlands,  the  half- 
regenerated  children  of  the  earth's  earliest  civilisation, 
and  grinning  savages  from  the  uttermost  swamps  of 
Equatoria,    muscle    and    machinery,    lord    and    larrikin, 


ATTACK  ON  THE  ZAREBA     151 

Balliol  and  the  Board  School,  the  Sirdar's  brain  and 
the  camel's  back — all  welded  into  one,  the  awful  war 
machine  went  forward  into  action.' 

The  Camerons  no  sooner  got  the  word  to  advance  than, 
with  a  wild  rush,  the  pipers  meanwhile  playing  '  The  March 
of  the  Cameron  Men,'  they  made  for  the  zareba  some  three 
hundred  yards  ahead.  Forward  and  forward,  midst  a  rain 
of  bullets,  they  reached  the  hedge  of  camel-thorn.  In  a 
few  moments  it  was  torn  to  pieces  and  scattered  like  brush- 
wood, Gatacre  and  Wauchope  being  among  the  first  to  lay 
hands  on  the  obstruction,  and  the  Highlanders  were  inside 
the  stockade  and  in  the  trenches,  where  now  sprang  out  of 
the  earth  dusty,  black,  half-naked  shapes,  running  and 
turning  to  shoot,  but  running  away.  '  It  was  a  wild  con- 
fusion of  Highlanders,  purple  tartan,  and  black  green  too, 
for  now  the  Seaforths  had  brought  their  perfect  columns 
through  the  teeth  of  the  fire,  and  were  charging  in  at  the 
gap.'  The  enemy  scarcely  waited  to  fight,  so  impetuous 
was  the  rush  upon  them,  and  they  fled  in  the  utmost  con- 
fusion for  the  river,  where  they  were  cut  down  by  the 
pursuing  cavalry,  and  General  Lewis's  half  brigade  of 
Egyptians. 

In  the  attack  on  the  right,  the  Egyptian  troops,  led  by 
British  officers  under  Generals  Hunter,  Maxwell,  and 
Macdonald,  behaved  with  great  gallantry,  carrying  all 
before  them.  The  ground  was  easier  on  their  side  than 
that  covered  by  Gatacre's  and  Wauchope's  men,  and  they 
entered  the  zareba  a  few  minutes  before  the  Highlanders, 
not  a  man  flinching  from  the  encounter.  The  battle  of 
the  Atbara — thanks  to  British  discipline  and  drill — de- 
finitely placed  the  blacks  and  the  once  contemned 
Egyptians  in  the  ranks  of  the  very  best  troops  in  the 
world.     In  forty  minutes  the  Dervish  host  had  been  driven 


152  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

out  of  their  lair,  thousands  of  them  had  been  killed,  and 
four  thousand,  including  their  leader  Mahmoud,  were 
prisoners  in  the  Sirdar's  hands.  The  way  was  now  so 
far  open  to  Khartoum,  but  the  opportunity  was  not  yet. 

Reserves  and  supplies  were  needed,  and  a  strong  base 
had  still  to  be  secured  before  the  final  advance  on  the 
Khalifa's  capital  could  be  attempted.  The  whole  force, 
British  and  Egyptian,  accordingly  retraced  their  steps 
down  the  Atbara  river  to  El  Hudi,  where  they  struck 
across  the  desert  to  the  various  camps  they  had  formerly 
occupied  at  Kenur,  Darmali,  Assilem,  Berber,  and  Fort 
Atbara,  at  the  junction  of  the  rivers. 

Wauchope's  ist  Brigade  of  British,  viz.  the  Camerons, 
the  Lincolns,  Seaforths,  and  Maxim  battery  resumed  their 
quarters  at  Darmali,  where  they  remained  throughout  the 
summer.  By  the  month  of  August,  however,  casualties 
in  action,  and  deaths  and  invalidings  from  sickness, 
had  brought  down  the  strength  of  the  brigade,  though 
officers  and  men  upon  the  whole  stood  the  climate  well. 
'The  sick-list  had  never  touched  six  per  cent.  There 
were  not  fifty  graves  in  the  cemetery;  and  most  of  the 
faces  at  the  mess  table  were  familiar.'  The  Lincolns, 
who  had  come  up  over  noo  strong,  still  had  980;  the 
other  three  battalions  were  each  about  750  strong,  and 
the  Warwicks  were  expecting  a  further  draft  of  men. 
The  total  strength  of  Wauchope's  brigade  would  thus  come 
to  nearly  3500  men. 

The  forward  movement  began  on  3rd  August,  regiment 
after  regiment  first  concentrating  at  Atbara  fort,  then 
being  shipped  by  steamer  up  the  Nile  to  Shabluka,  where 
they  were  to  reform  and  make  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  in  six  marches  on  the  west  bank  to  Omdurman. 
Even   with    several   steamers  at   the   Sirdar's   disposal   it 


ADVANCE   ON   KHARTOUM  153 

was  a  tedious  business,  and  occupied  nearly  a  month. 
Wauchope's  brigade  passed  up  in  the  steamers  on  the 
14th  August,  a  four  days'  voyage,  and  on  the  23rd,  when 
paraded  with  the  2nd  Brigade,  they  were  reported  as  '  in 
splendid  condition.' 

On  the  25th  August,  the  1st  Brigade  marched  out  of 
Wad  Hamed,  and  the  scene  is  described  by  one  who  saw 
it  as  a  most  imposing  spectacle.  The  four  battalions  of 
which  it  was  composed  moved  off  with  their  baggage  at 
the  bugle-call,  taking  the  road  in  four  parallel  columns. 
'  Many  of  the  men  were  bearded,  and  all  were  tanned  with 
the  sun,  acclimatised  by  a  summer  in  the  country,  hardened 
by  perpetual  labours,  and  confident  from  the  recollection 
of  victory — a  magnificent  force,  which  any  man  might  be 
proud  to  accompany  into  the  field.'  General  Wauchope's 
men  were  worthy  of  their  commander,  and  it  was,  we  may 
be  sure,  with  no  little  elation  that  he  stepped  out  with 
them  that  day  on  the  way  to  their  final  triumph. 

Keeping  his  forces  well  in  hand,  the  Sirdar  had  the 
whole  army  encamped  at  Wadi  Abid  on  the  evening  of 
the  29th,  the  British  Division  marching  in  by  moonlight. 
They  were  now  within  twenty-eight  miles  of  Omdur- 
raan,  and  the  two  following  days'  marches  brought  them 
within  touch  of  the  enemy  and  in  sight  of  the  Mahdi's 
tomb. 

The  2nd  of  September  saw  the  last  stand  for  Mahdism 
and  its  complete  overthrow. 

Resting  their  base  upon  the  river,  where  they  were 
supported  by  five  gun-boats,  the  British  formed  their 
camp  within  a  few  miles  of  Omdurman,  the  Sirdar  taking 
the  precaution  to  entrench  in  case  of  surprise.  Early  in 
the  morning  the  Khalifa  brought  out  his  whole  force, 
computed  to  be  about  fifty  thousand  men,  making  a  dead 


i54  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

onset  upon  the  British  position.  If  overpowering  numbers 
could  have  achieved  victory  he  had  it  in  his  grasp. 

But  British  coolness  and  pluck  won  the  day.  The 
Dervish  host  on  horseback  swept  the  plain  with  a  rush 
that  no  infantry  could  have  withstood.  'They  came 
very  fast,  and  they  came  very  straight ;  and  then  presently 
they  came  no  further.  With  a  crash  the  bullets  leaped 
out  of  the  British  rifles,'  Egyptians,  Englishmen,  and 
Highlanders  pouring  out  death  as  fast  as  they  could  load 
and  press  trigger;  while  shrapnel  whistled  and  Maxims 
growled  savagely. 

We  need  not  describe  the  details  of  the  fighting.  The 
Khalifa's  attack  was  speedily  turned  into  a  rout,  though 
many  a  brave  stand  was  made  by  the  Dervish  host. 
Attacked  on  two  sides,  the  British  force  gradually  spread 
itself  out  like  an  opening  fan,  under  admirable  handling 
by  their  generals.  At  a  critical  point  in  the  engagement, 
when  Generals  Hunter  and  Macdonald  in  the  front  were 
being  threatened  by  an  outflanking  movement  of  the 
enemy's  cavalry,  Hunter  sent  for  Wauchope's  ist  Brigade 
to  fill  the  gap  between  Macdonald  on  the  right  and  Lewis 
on  the  left.  The  request  went  to  General  Gatacre  first 
instead  of  the  Sirdar;  but  with  the  soldier's  instinct  he  im- 
mediately set  the  Brigade  in  motion.  Wauchope,  cool  as  a 
statue,  took  in  the  situation  at  once,  and  moved  his  men 
forward  as  if  on  parade,  while  the  Lincolns  and  the 
Warwicks  under  his  command — said  to  be  the  best  shoot- 
ing regiments  in  the  British  army — did  great  execution, 
and  effectually  kept  the  enemy  at  bay.  They  saved  the 
position,  for,  as  one  correspondent  has  said,  '  It  was  the 
very  crux  and  crisis  of  the  fight.  If  Macdonald  went, 
Lewis  on  his  left,  and  Collinson  and  the  supporting  camel- 
corps  and  the  newly  returned  cavalry,  all  on  his  right  or 


BATTLE   OF  OMDURMAN  155 

rear  must  all  go  too.'  Exposed  to  a  withering  fire,  the 
enemy  were  unable  to  withstand  the  steady  discipline  of 
our  men.  Defeated  on  all  sides,  the  Khalifa  turned  and 
fled.  Then  was  the  time  for  our  cavalry.  With  a  dash 
the  2 1  st  Lancers  made  for  the  retreating  foe,  pursuing  and 
slaughtering  up  to  the  walls  of  Omdurman.  The  bravery 
of  the  Dervishes  was  unquestionable.  They  literally  threw 
themselves  upon  the  British  lines,  only  to  be  overwhelmed 
in  a  common  ruin.  Over  1 1,000  of  the  enemy  were  killed, 
16,000  wounded,  and  4000  were  taken  prisoners,  and  this 
by  an  army  numbering  not  more  than  22,000  men.  On 
the  Anglo-Egyptian  side  the  losses  were  comparatively 
light,  killed  and  wounded  not  amounting  to  above  500. 

General  Wauchope  was  fortunate  on  this  occasion  in 
coming  out  of  the  engagement  without  a  scratch.  In  some 
respects  the  battle  of  Omdurman  has  been  described  as  'a 
less  brilliant  affair  than  the  Atbara.  On  the  other  hand 
it  was  more  complex,  more  like  a  modern  battle.  The 
Atbara  took  more  fighting,  Omdurman  more  generalship. 
Success  in  each  was  complete  and  crushing.'  Mahdism 
was  no  more.  It  died  well.  '  It  had  earned  its  death  by 
its  iniquities,  it  had  condoned  its  iniquities  by  its  death.' 
Gordon  was  avenged.  And  not  only  so,  it  was  the  dawn 
of  a  new  era  for  the  long  down-trodden  Soudan,  so  that  it 
might  in  future  be  a  country  fit  to  live  in. 

We  have  already  referred  to  General  Wauchope's  attach- 
ment to  Scottish  Presbyterianism,  and  told  how  loyally  and 
consistently  he  adhered  to  the  Church  of  his  fathers.  From 
the  days  when  he  was  an  ensign,  it  was  known  among  his 
brother  officers  as  a  casus  belli  to  speak  slightingly  to  him 
of  his  Church.  He  would  stand  up  for  Presbyterianism, 
and  would  suffer  for  it  if  necessary,  when  its  claims  were 
in  danger  of  being  thrust  into  the  background.    A  difficulty 


156  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

of  this  kind  arose  after  the  taking  of  Omdurman,  and  it  is 
interesting  to  note  how  he  acted.  Orders  had  been  given 
to  all  the  chaphins,  Roman  Catholic,  Presbyterian,  and 
Anglican,  for  a  combined  Gordon  Memorial  Service  at 
Khartoum.  The  Anglican  chaplain  in  Wauchope's  division 
intimated,  however,  that  he  would  take  no  part  in  it  if 
{'  !  Presbyterian  chaplain  were  to  share  in  the  function. 
The  General  used  what  persuasion  he  could  to  move 
the  chaplain  to  a  broader  view  of  things,  declaring  that 
he  would  not  displace  the  Presbyterian,  whom  he  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  of  men.  He  was,  he  said,  a 
Presbyterian  himself,  along  with  most  of  his  regiment. 
At  last,  when  persuasion  failed,  and  the  Anglican  still 
held  his  point,  the  General  said,  '  then  there  is  nothing 
for  me  but  to  report  you  to  my  General  of  Division.' 
When  General  Gatacre  heard  the  story  he  reported  the 
affair  to  the  Sirdar,  who  called  the  three  chaplains — 
Presbyterian,  Anglican,  and  Roman  Catholic — and  said 
laconically,  something  like  this:  'You  are  each  under 
orders,  and  the  man  who  disobeys  must  fall  to  the  rear.' 
This  settled  the  question  ;  all  of  them  took  a  part.  The 
Memorial  Service  and  the  formal  entry  into  Omdurman 
and  Khartoum,  taken  part  in  by  all  the  troops,  were  most 
impressive  spectacles.  These  over,  arrangements  were  at 
once  made  for  the  withdrawal  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
army. 

The  troops  returned  immediately  down  the  Nile,  the 
British  regiments  being  shipped  for  England,  where  they 
arrived  in  the  early  part  of  October.  A  hearty  welcome 
greeted  their  arrival,  all  classes  of  society  vying  with  one 
another  in  heaping  honours  upon  them. 

General  Wauchope  hurried  home  so  soon  as  he  was 
relieved  of  his  official  duties,  and  after  a  short  visit  to 


I 


WELCOME   HOME  157 

Yetholm,  where  he  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm, 
he  and  Mrs.  Wauchope  set  out  for  Niddrie  on  Monday, 
10th  October,  by  train  from  Kelso. 

It  was  only  on  the  Saturday  previous  that  the  villagers 
of  New  Craighall  heard  that  the  General  was  to  return, 
but  short  as  was  the  time  for  preparation,  the  determination 
to  give  him  a  hearty  welcome  was  so  enthusiastically  pro- 
ceeded with  that  when  he  did  reach  it,  the  rather  quiet 
and  dreary  exterior  of  the  village  presented  quite  a  festive 
appearance.  Triumphal  arches,  flags,  and  streamers 
floated  in  the  breeze,  and  wreaths  of  flowers  and  ever- 
greens were  everywhere  visible.  It  was  the  home-coming 
of  a  victor,  beloved  by  his  neighbours,  and  well  known 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  demesne. 

At  the  Newhailes  station,  which  was  also  gaily  adorned, 
the  General  and  Mrs.  Wauchope  were  received  on  alighting 
from  the  train  by  quite  a  crowd  of  friends,  among  others 
being  Sir  Charles  Dalrymple  and  the  Misses  Dalrymple, 
Mrs.  Arbuthnot  and  Miss  Muir,  Councillor  and  Mrs. 
Cranston,  Edinburgh,  Rev.  A.  Prentice,  Rev.  R.  Burnett, 
Liberton,  Mrs.  General  Hoggan,  and  Ex-Provost  Young, 
Loanhead,  with  the  whole  village,  men,  women,  and 
children  at  their  back. 

It  was  a  good-humoured,  enthusiastic  crowd,  and  at  a 
convenient  part  of  the  road  the  horses  were  unyoked  from 
his  carriage  and  their  places  supplied  by  hundreds  of 
willing  miners,  who  dragged  the  carriage  up  to  the  gate 
of  Niddrie  Marischal,  where  it  was  given  over  to  the 
tenantry. 

The  procession  was  a  long  one,  and  was  headed  by  the 
school  children,  preceded  by  the  local  pipe  band.  Then 
came  the  Niddrie  brass  band,  playing  c  See  the  Conquering 
Hero  comes,'  and  after  them  appeared  the  members  of 


158  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

the  'A.  G.  Wauchope'  Lodge  of  Shepherds,  bearing  aloft 
their  banner  with  his  portrait  on  it.  The  incidents  of  the 
march  were  many.  Some  were  amusing,  some  were 
pathetic,  but  all  told  of  the  loyalty  and  enthusiasm  of  the 
people  among  whom  the  General  had  his  home.  Bunting 
was  displayed  on  all  hands.  Women  and  children  cheered 
vociferously.  At  the  square  of  the  village  the  first  halt 
was  made,  and  an  address  of  welcome  in  name  of  the 
villagers  was  presented  by  Mr.  Robert  Wilson,  one  of 
their  number,  in  which  expression  was  made  of  their  pride 
in  the  distinguished  place  the  General  had  held  in  the 
Soudan  war,  of  their  joy  at  his  safe  return  from  a  battle- 
field where  the  mention  of  his  services  by  the  Sirdar  in 
his  despatches  for  the  special  consideration  of  the  Queen 
had  caused  them  the  utmost  gratification. 

General  Wauchope,  who  was  apparently  unprepared  for 
such  a  manifestation  of  public  feeling,  made  the  following 
reply : — c  I  can  assure  you  that  the  splendid  reception 
you  have  accorded  me  is  one  which  I  shall  never  forget. 
I  know  very  well  that  much  of  it  is  owing  to  the  fact 
that  we  have  been  neighbours  now  for  many  a  long  year, 
and  there  is  nothing  that  gave  me  greater  pride  and 
satisfaction  than  being  told  two  or  three  years  ago  that 
the  people  of  New  Craighall  looked  upon  me  as  being  one 
of  themselves.  In  addition  to  that,  there  is  another  feeling 
that  has  prompted  you  in  this  reception,  and  it  is  that  in 
me  you  recognised  one — a  humble  one,  perhaps,  but  still 
one — of  those  who  tried  to  serve  his  country  under,  per- 
haps, difficult  circumstances ;  and  something  is  also  due 
to  the  fact  that  we  have  been  completely  successful  in 
planting  our  standards  on  the  ruined  palaces  of  Khartoum. 
At  Yetholm  I  said,  and  I  am  going  to  say  it  again,  that  fact 
alone  would  be  a  great  gain  to  civilisation  and  to  the  world. 


LORD    KITCHENER,   THE   SIRDAR     159 

If  the  Dervish  power  had  been  continued  for  any  length 
of  time,  hundreds  and,  perhaps,  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
people  who  in  the  future  will  have  a  chance  of  living  in 
comfort  and  peace,  would  never  have  been  able  to  live  at 
all.  It  was  a  power  based  on  murder,  rapine,  and  cruelty, 
and  it  was  our  bounden  duty  to  put  an  end  to  that  power, 
because  Great  Britain  was  responsible  for  the  condition 
of  things  that  existed  in  that  part  of  the  world.  Scotland 
was  well  represented  at  the  battle  of  Khartoum  by  two  of 
our  Highland  regiments.  (Here  a  voice  shouted  out,  "Scot- 
land Yet ! ")  Yes,*Scotland  yet,  and  Scotland  for  ever,  will 
be  the  cry ;  and  I  can  speak  for  those  two  battalions  that 
they  in  no  way  went  behind  from  what  other  regiments  had 
done  in  other  fields  of  our  great  empire ;  and  you  may  be 
sure  of  this,  that  our  Scottish  regiments  will  always  be  able 
to  show  that  high  and  distinguished  valour  and  discipline 
for  which  they  have  so  long  been  noted.  ...  It  would 
almost  seem  by  the  splendid  reception  you  have  given  me 
here,  and  which  I  have  had  in  another  part  of  Scotland, 
that  you  thought  I  had  played  a  very  great  part  in  the 
campaign.  I  feel  bound,  as  an  honest  man,  to  disabuse 
you  of  such  a  misapprehension.  The  campaign  was  carried 
out  by  a  very  great  man,  the  Sirdar,  Lord  Kitchener,  who 
is  a  man  of  great  ability,  and  who  in  the  future  un- 
doubtedly will  shine  as  one  of  our  great  soldiers.  The 
campaign  was  a  marvel  of  organisation.  It  was  marvellous 
how  that  railway  was  made  across  the  desert.  Great  credit 
was  due  to  the  Sirdar,  but  I  should  like  also  to  bring 
before  you  another  name — that  of  the  general  of  our 
division — General  Gatacre,  whose  constant  care  and  great 
power  of  leading  men  aided  the  successful  issue  of  events. 
There  is  still  another  man  I  should  like  to  mention.  He 
is  a  Scotsman,  General  Macdonald,  who  led  one  of  the 


160  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

Egyptian  brigades.  He  got  his  chance,  and  he  was  able 
to  take  it,  and  certainly  by  his  tactics,  by  his  coolness,  by 
his  perception  at  the  proper  moment,  he  had  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  the  success  of  the  day;  and  it  was  a  great 
satisfaction  to  myself  to  be  able  with  the  brigade  under 
my  command  to  go  and  support  him  on  a  somewhat  critical 
occasion.' 

He  concluded  his  address  by  a  humorous  reference  which 
pleased  an  audience  of  miners :  to  the  effect  that  in  the 
near  future  he  hoped  the  line  to  Khartoum  would  be 
supplied  with  coal  from  the  Niddrie  pits  !  As  the  caval- 
cade proceeded,  presentations  of  bouquets  of  flowers, 
wreaths  of  laurel,  and  other  kindly  greetings  marked  the 
General's  way.  At  the  entrance-hall  of  Niddrie  Marischal, 
Mr.  Thomas  Skirving  of  Niddrie  Mains,  on  behalf  of 
himself  and  the  tenantry,  presented  an  address  of  welcome. 
This  was  feelingly  replied  to  by  the  General  in  a  few 
well-chosen  words,  concluding  as  follows: — 'No  Roman 
emperor  coming  from  a  victorious  campaign  could  have 
been  half  so  well  received  as  I  to-day  have  been,  and  as 
long  as  I  live  I  can  never  forget  it.  If  there  is  one  thing 
that  makes  a  man  nerve  himself  to  accomplish  a  difficult 
task,  it  is  the  thought  that  he  is  thought  well  of  by  the 
people  in  the  midst  of  whom  he  lives.  I  cannot  tell  you 
all  I  feel — I  should  be  more  than  human  if  I  could.' 

It  may  here  be  mentioned  that  General  Wauchope 
brought  home  with  him  one  of  the  Khalifa's  banners 
which  had  been  given  to  him  by  General  Macdonald  as  a 
memento  of  his  timely  assistance  at  the  battle  of  Omdur- 
man.  It  is  of  white  damur  cotton,  with  a  line  of  Arabic 
in  blue  across  its  face  inscribed,  '  Mohammed  Ahmed  el 
Mahdi  Kalifat  er  Rasul.'  On  a  gold  band  on  the  staff  is 
the  inscription,    'September    1898.       They   were    brave 


AT   WINDSOR   CASTLE  161 

foemen,   these  Dervishes.'     This  and  other  trophies  now 
find  a  resting-place  in  Niddrie  Marischal. 

A  time  of  busy  activity  in  metropolitan  and  county 
affairs  followed  General  Wauchope's  return  home,  and 
his  high  place  as  a  public  man  was  now  universally  re- 
cognised. His  services  were  largely  in  request  specially 
in  connection  with  public  and  social  functions  of  various 
kinds, — opening  of  bazaars  of  ladies'  work,  inspecting  boys' 
brigades,  presiding  at  lectures  and  concerts,  school  board 
work,  county  council  work,  and  his  duties  as  an  elder  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland — these  all  engrossed  much  of  his 
attention  and  a  large  share  of  his  time  during  the  winter 
and  spring  following  his  return  from  the  Soudan. 

Honours  also  were  heaped  upon  him  on  all  sides,  but 
without  in  any  way  marring  his  simplicity  of  character,  or 
causing  him  to  be  any  the  less  the  plain,  free  and  easy 
approachable  man  he  ever  was,  even  to  the  meanest 
hodman.  To  high  and  low  alike  he  was  ever  courteous 
and  considerate,  and  he  most  willingly  lectured,  or  presided 
at  lectures,  concerts,  or  meetings  of  friendly  societies, 
wherever  he  thought  he  could  be  useful.  For  his  dis- 
tinguished services  in  the  Soudan  campaign  Wauchope 
was  now  promoted  from  Brigadier  to  the  rank  of  Major- 
General,  and  towards  the  end  of  November  1898  he  re- 
ceived the  Queen's  commands  to  attend  at  Windsor  Castle, 
and  had  the  privilege  on  that  occasion  of  dining  with  Her 
Majesty  along  with  his  brother  officer  Sir  William  Gatacre 
— not  the  first  time  he  had  been  similarly  honoured. 

Of  course  every  other  engagement  must  give  way  to  a 
summons  of  this  kind ;  and  Major-General  Wauchope's 
presence  at  a  meeting  in  Dalkeith  on  the  evening  of  the 
same  day  had  to  be  dispensed  with,  though  much  to  the  dis- 
appointment of  those  who  had  come  to  hear  him  speak, 

L 


i62  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

At  bazaars  he  was  always  happy  in  his  remarks,  and 
whether  the  object  were  the  building  of  a  new  church,  or 
a  manse,  or  getting  up  funds  for  a  drill  hall,  he  commended 
it  with  earnestness  and  wit,  and  at  the  same  time  did  not 
stint  his  own  contribution  to  the  cause.  On  one  of  these 
occasions  he  was  appropriately  introduced  to  the  company 
by  Dr.  Gray  of  Liberton  'as  a  sincere  Christian,  a  true- 
hearted  gentleman,  a  brave  soldier,  and  a  modest  man.' 

In  the  work  of  the  Boys'  Brigade  and  Volunteer 
gatherings  he  was  delighted  to  give  his  support,  and  was 
frequently  asked  to  take  a  part  in  their  meetings  both  at 
New  Craighall  and  Portobello. 

It  was  so  characteristic  of  the  outspoken  candour  of  his 
nature,  that  his  inspections  were  not  matters  of  formal 
display,  or  the  mere  occasion  of  fulsome  praise.  Drill  to 
him  was  business ;  and  he  was  quick  to  detect  faults,  and 
if  needful  correct  them.  Once  at  an  open-air  inspection 
of  the  Portobello  Company  of  the  Boys'  Brigade,  after 
a  thorough  examination  of  the  lads,  he  addressed  them 
upon  the  various  points  of  drill,  and  emphasised  certain 
weaknesses  noticed  by  him ;  for,  as  he  expressed  it,  'he 
did  not  come  there  to  tell  them  they  were  the  best 
creatures  on  earth,  for  he  did  not  believe  they  were. 
Taking  all  things  into  consideration,  he  thought  they  did 
very  well,  but  they  might  do  better.'  The  spectators  were 
somewhat  amused  at  the  critical  attitude  of  the  General, 
but  it  was  none  the  less  appreciated,  for  on  this  subject 
an  ounce  of  criticism  from  him  was  worth  a  ton  of  praise 
from  any  other  person. 

The  same  qualities  of  thoroughness  and  close  application 
characterised  General  Wauchope's  conduct  in  the  School 
Board  and  Parish  Council  of  Liberton,  of  both  of  which 
he   was    for   some   time  a   member.      He   was   specially 


LIBERTON   SCHOOL   BOARD  163 

interested  in  the  education  of  the  young,  and  spent  much 
time  making  himself  acquainted  with  the  intricacies  of  the 
code  and  details  of  school  management,  and  on  a  recent 
occasion  it  is  recalled  how  at  the  annual  visit  of  the 
Government  Inspector,  he  followed  close  upon  the 
Inspector's  heels  during  his  visit,  in  order  that  he  might 
fully  comprehend  the  whole  system  of  public  school  educa- 
tion, and  make  himself  familiar  with  its  requirements. 

On  one  occasion,  in  the  absence  of  the  chairman,  Major 
Gordon  Gilmour,  he  was  called  upon  to  preside  at  a  meeting 
of  the  School  Board,  but  having  ridden  over  from  Niddrie 
House  to  Liberton  Church — in  the  vestry  of  which  the 
meeting  was  held — in  riding  costume,  with  top  boots, 
spurs,  riding-breeches,  etc.,  he  was  reluctant  to  pose  as 
chairman.  Yielding  to  pressure,  he,  however,  at  length 
consented,  jocularly  appealing  to  the  reporters  not  to 
take  off  his  coat,  or  mention  his  costume  in  their  report ! 

In  the  routine  of  parochial  work  the  General  took  his  full 
share,  and  never  shirked  discussions  on  even  the  smallest 
details  of  poor  relief. 

While  he  did  not  care  to  bulk  largely  in  the  public  eye, 
and  was  specially  desirous  that  his  private  benefactions 
should  be  known  as  little  as  possible,  yet  it  was  well 
understood  that  he  was  an  unobtrusive  But  most  liberal 
benefactor  to  the  district.  Dr.  Andrew  Balfour  of  Porto- 
bello  gives  the  following  instance.  ■  I  remember  well,'  he 
says,  'that  ere  he  went  out  to  Egypt  as  captain  in  the 
Black  Watch,  during  the  Arabi  Pasha  rebellion,  he  said 
to  me,  "Now,  Balfour,  I  will  trust  to  you  to  let  me  know 
of  anything  going  on  at  Niddrie  in  which  I  can  lend  a 
helping  hand."  It  so  happened  at  that  time  we  started 
reading  and  recreation  rooms  for  the  miners,  so  I  wrote  to 
him,  as  he  desired,  with  the  result  that  he  at  once  sent 


164  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

me  a  kind  letter  and  an  order  for  ^25  to  help  the 
scheme.' 

His  private  benefactions  were  as  a  rule  administered 
with  praiseworthy  discrimination,  as  the  following  incident 
will  show.  Two  little  boys  had  been  caught  pilfering  coal 
and  were  lodged  in  jail.  On  the  circumstance  being 
reported  to  the  General,  he  visited  the  little  fellows  in 
prison,  and  learning  the  circumstances  of  their  family,  and 
that  their  mother  was  a  poor,  struggling,  hard-working 
widow,  he  at  once  sent  her  half  a  ton  of  coals,  and  the 
boys  were  liberated. 

On  the  14th  April  1899,  General  Wauchope  had  con- 
ferred on  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  by 
the  University  of  Edinburgh.  The  spring  graduation 
ceremonial  in  which  arts,  science,  and  law  degrees  are 
conferred,  is  generally  of  an  interesting  character,  but  on 
this  occasion  it  was  more  than  usually  imposing.  This 
was  owing  in  some  measure  to  its  being  performed  in  the 
recently  opened  M'Ewan  Hall,  an  adjunct  of  the  Univer- 
sity, and  the  handsomest  hall  in  the  city;  but  more 
especially  from  the  fact  that  like  honorary  degrees  were  to 
be  conferred  at  the  same  time  on  Lord  Wolseley,  the 
Marquis  of  Dufferin,  and  other  distinguished  men. 

It  was  a  magnificent  spectacle,  and  the  large  audience 
which  crowded  the  spacious  hall  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
forenoon  cordially  greeted  the  General  as  he  ascended  the 
rostrum  to  receive  the  degree  from  his  father-in-law,  Sir 
William  Muir,  who  as  vice-chancellor  presided  on  the 
occasion. 

In  formally  presenting  him  to  the  Senatus,  Professor 
Sir  Ludovic  Grant  took  occasion  to  say :  '  It  is  a  fortunate 
coincidence  that  a  graduation  ceremonial  which  is  honoured 
with  the  presence  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  should  also 


UNIVERSITY   HONOURS  165 

include  among  its  distinguished  guests  one  who  is  so 
noble  an  embodiment  of  all  that  is  best  and  bravest  in 
the  British  Army,  as  is  to  be  found  in  General  Wauchope. 
Here  in  Scotland  his  name  is  a  household  word,  synony- 
mous with  high  courage  and  devotion  to  duty.  It  were 
superfluous  to  recall  the  occasions  on  which  their  gallant 
commander  has  led  the  Black  Watch  to  victory,  or  to 
rehearse  the  long  tale  of  all  his  exploits  and  all  but  mortal 
wounds.  But  it  is  not  in  his  capacity  as  a  soldier  only 
that  he  does  with  his  might  that  which  his  right  hand 
finds  to  do.  There  is  not  a  miner  in  the  village  of  Niddrie 
who  will  not  testify  to  the  watchful  guardianship  which 
he  exercises  over  his  people.  He  has  thrown  himself 
with  characteristic  zest  into  public  affairs,  and  we  all 
know  that  the  battle  of  the  warrior  is  not  the  only  form 
of  contest  in  which  he  has  shown  himself  a  dauntless 
foeman.  The  University  rejoices  to  inscribe  the  name  of 
so  gallant  and  public-spirited  a  soldier  on  her  roll  of 
honorary  graduates  in  law.' 

That  General  Wauchope  had  not  only  won  his  spurs 
but  his  doctor's  hood  in  fair  fight  goes  without  saying. 
His  military  services  could  not  refuse  him  the  former; 
and  it  says  much  for  the  discrimination  of  the  great 
Scottish  University  that  it  should  have  discerned  in  one 
whose  scholastic  education  was  of  the  smallest,  and  who 
certainly  had  not  the  benefit  of  a  university  training,  a 
fitting  subject  for  so  great  an  honour  as  it  conferred.  But 
the  Senatus  recognised  this  fact,  that  his  life  all  through 
had  been  an  educational  training,  equal  at  least  to  all  the 
learning  of  the  schools.  A  life  of  hard  experience  well 
utilised  has  often  achieved  great  results,  as  in  Wauchope's 
case  it  did. 

But  honours  of  this  kind  did  not  turn  his  head,  or  cause 


166  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

him  to  forget  the  commoner  duties  of  life,  or  lessen  his 
interest  in  others.  He  could  and  did  sympathise  with 
distress  and  trouble,  and  even  the  brute  creation  were  not 
forgotten  by  him,  as  the  following  instance  will  show. 
Lord  Wolseley  arrived  in  Edinburgh  the  day  preceding 
the  graduation  ceremony,  and  was  the  guest  of  General 
Wauchope  at  Niddrie.  One  evening  the  two  officers  were 
taking  a  walk  together  round  the  grounds.  As  they  passed 
the  cottage  door  of  one  of  his  tenants,  the  man's  daughter 
was  noticed  to  be  leading  a  horse  which  was  labouring 
under  a  severe  attack  of  inflammation.  Wauchope  at  once 
stopped  and  inquired  of  the  girl  what  was  the  matter,  and 
on  being  informed,  the  two  commanders  were  soon  as  much 
engrossed  in  the  discussion  of  the  poor  animal's  malady, 
and  the  best  remedy  for  it,  as  if  it  had  been  a  question  of 
important  military  strategy. 

One  other  event  in  civil  life  gave  General  Wauchope 
in  the  summer  of  this  year  considerable  notoriety.  On 
the  sudden  death  in  June  of  Mr.  Robert  Cox,  the  member 
for  South  Edinburgh,  he  was,  at  the  urgent  request  of  the 
Unionist  party,  induced  once  more  to  enter  the  lists  as 
a  candidate  for  parliamentary  honours  against  Mr.  Arthur 
Dewar,  advocate,  who  represented  the  Liberal  party. 

The  contest  was  a  short  one,  but  while  it  lasted  it  was 
sharp,  for  both  the  candidates  and  their  supporters  threw 
themselves  into  it  with  vigour  and  earnestness. 

As  in  his  famous  campaign  against  Mr.  Gladstone,  the 
chief  feature  of  the  General's  policy  was  the  integrity  of 
the  Empire,  as  opposed  to  the  cry  of  Home  Rule  for 
Ireland,  and  although  other  subjects  formed  a  part  of  his 
programme,  still  that  was  for  him  the  root  question  of 
all  others  at  the  time. 

At  a  largely  attended  meeting  of  his  supporters,  held 


SOUTH   EDINBURGH   ELECTION 


167 


on  the  9th  June,  Mr.  John  Harrison,  the  chairman,  in 
formally  nominating  him  for  the  vacancy,  spoke  of  the 
name  of  Wauchope  'as  one  which  stirred  the  blood 
of  every  one  who  had  any  pride  in  his  country.  He 
was  known  wherever  the  English  language  was  spoken. 
Wherever  the  British  went  he  was  known  as  a  gallant 
soldier,  who  had  done  his  duty  to  his  country  in  many 
climes  and  in  many  circumstances,  as  a  soldier  of  the 
Crown.  He  was  known  in  a  narrower  sphere  all  over 
Scotland  as  an  honourable  politician,  who  fought  some 
years  ago  a  good  fight  in  Midlothian.  He  fought  an 
uphill  fight — what  some  considered  an  impossible  fight — 
and  in  losing  it  he  scored  a  tremendous  success.  But  he 
was  also  known  as  a  good  neighbour,  whose  ancestors 
had  resided  at  Niddrie  for  centuries  back.' 

General  Wauchope's  speeches  at  this  and  various  other 
meetings,  held  almost  daily  for  the  following  two  weeks, 
were  of  a  most  stirring  nature,  but  were  always  characterised 
by  courtesy  towards  opponents,  and  the  utmost  frankness 
in  stating  his  opinions.  He  scorned  to  '  hedge '  a  question 
to  secure  votes,  and  when  challenged  with  being  a  Tory, 
and  therefore  ineligible  for  a  Liberal  constituency,  he  boldly 
took  up  the  challenge.  'Mr.  Dewar  had  said  he  was  a  Tory. 
(A  voice,  "  Quite  right.")  Quite  right.  Yes.  Mr.  Dewar 
was  quite  right.  He  never  said  he  was  wrong.  He  often 
wondered  why  there  should  be  any  disgrace  in  being  called 
a  Tory.  Who  had  done  most  for  the  working  classes  in  days 
gone  by?  Who  passed  the  Factory  Acts?  Did  Mr.  Gladstone 
or  Mr.  Bright  pass  the  Factory  Acts?  No;  it  was  the 
Tory  party — that  party  which  had  been  so  much  abused.' 
At  another  time,  referring  to  free  speech,  he  said  :  '  He 
knew  there  were  many  in  the  hall  opposed  to  him  in 
politics.     There  was  no  use  putting  the  blinkers  on  that 


168  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

fact;  but  he  did  not  see  why,  though  thus  opposed, 
they  should  not  meet  together  as  free  citizens  of  a  free 
city,  and  have  it  out  thoroughly.  He  never  liked  to  use 
the  word  opponent.  He  always  said  "  political "  opponent, 
because  he  found  that  some  of  the  best  friends  he  had 
were  politically  opposed  to  him.  He  was  pleased  to  think 
that  in  this  country  more  and  more  both  sides  were 
coming  together  to  discuss  political  affairs  in  a  quiet  and 
proper  manner.  It  was  not  always  so.  When  he  was 
young,  things  were  much  hotter  then.  There  was  more 
powder  in  the  air.' 

In  reference  to  our  foreign  policy,  the  General  spoke 
in  the  highest  terms  of  Lord  Salisbury's  dealing  with  the 
Soudan  question,  as  compared  with  that  of  Mr.  Gladstone's 
Government,  when  divisions  in  the  Liberal  party  had  led 
to  so  much  loss  of  life  and  money  without  corresponding 
results.  And  in  regard  to  the  Transvaal  question,  then 
beginning  once  more  to  attract  public  attention,  he  in- 
sisted strongly  that  his  great  anxiety  was  that  peace  should 
be  preserved.  There  was  no  man,  he  said,  who  was  a 
greater  lover  of  peace  than  he  was,  but  he  deprecated  the 
vacillation  and  weakness  and  change  of  policy  of  1881 
that  caused  all  the  trouble  then,  and  from  which  all  the 
present  trouble  had  arisen.  What  he  wanted  to  see  now 
was  a  strong  and  firm  line  taken,  and  he  believed  matters 
there  would  be  put  right.  It  could  not  be  to  the  advan- 
tage of  the  Transvaal  that  British  subjects  should  be  treated 
as  they  were  being  treated  now.  What  he  wanted  was  that 
their  people  should  be  treated  as  human  beings,  and  have 
the  same  voice  in  the  government  of  the  country  as  was 
given  them  in  any  other  civilised  country.'  He  admitted 
that  the  Jameson  Raid  was  a  most  unwise  and  wicked 
proceeding,  and  had  done  a  great  deal  to  damage  their 


A   GALLANT   OPPONENT  169 

relationship  with  the  Transvaal,  the  Orange  Free  State,  and 
the  Dutch  portion  of  South  Africa ;  '  but  although  that  was 
true,  it  did  not  remove  the  fact  that  the  position  of  their 
countrymen  in  the  Transvaal  had  not  been  improved.  The 
great  mass  of  them  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  Jameson 
Raid.  They  were  British  subjects,  who  went  out  there 
under  the  cegis  of  the  British  Crown,  and  surely  it  was 
their  bounden  duty  as  a  nation  to  see  that  their  rights 
were  respected.' 

The  poll  was  taken  on  19th  June,  with  the  result  that 
Mr.  Dewar,  the  Liberal  candidate,  was  returned  with  a 
majority  of  831  over  4989  votes  given  for  General 
Wauchope.  The  General  in  a  manly  speech  at  the  close 
assured  his  supporters  'they  had  no  cause  to  be  dis- 
couraged, for  they  had  only  to  gird  up  their  loins,  and 
victory  would  one  day  rest  with  them.  He  felt  no  bitter- 
ness whatever  in  regard  to  this  fight.  He  was  honoured 
by  their  call,  and  they  had  told  him  he  had  not  dis- 
honoured them.  They  had  fought  a  square  fight  on  both 
sides,  and  if  he  was  right  in  his  estimate  of  the  citizens 
of  South  Edinburgh,  they  would  very  soon  put  matters 
right.  It  was  only  the  difference  of  400  men  going  from 
the  one  side  to  the  other,  and  he  would,  so  far  as  in 
him  lay,  do  his  very  utmost  at  any  time  to  stand  by  and 
aid  them.' 

It  is  due  to  Mr.  Dewar  to  say  that  he  looked  upon  the 
General  as  '  a  foeman  worthy  of  his  steel.'  In  returning 
thanks  to  his  supporters,  he  frankly  acknowledged  that 
'we  have  won  a  victory  against  the  strongest  and  most 
gallant  opponent  that  could  have  been  put  in  the  field, 
and  I  rejoice  to  say  that  the  contest  has  been  carried  on 
with  the  utmost  courtesy  and  good  feeling  on  both  sides.' 
These  words,  spoken,  as  it  were,  in  the  very  heat  of  the 


170  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

controversy,  were  more  than  confirmed  some  six  months 
after,  when  the  sad  news  of  the  General's  death  on  the 
battlefield  reached  Edinburgh. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  South  Edinburgh  Liberals — 
which  was  intended  to  be  of  a  social  as  well  as  business 
character — was  held  on  the  evening  of  the  13th  December, 
the  very  day  on  which  the  news  came;  but  instead  of  going 
on  with  the  programme  of  proceedings,  it  was  resolved  out 
of  respect  for  the  General's  memory  only  to  go  through  with 
the  ordinary  formal  business  and  then  adjourn,  Mr.  Dewar 
remarking,  *  that  having  regard  to  the  sad  intelligence  just 
received,  it  would  be  utterly  out  of  place  that  anything  in 
the  nature  of  a  social  evening  should  be  held.  .  .  . 
When  he  stood  before  them  in  that  hall  a  few  months 
ago,  he  had  told  them  he  counted  it  an  honour  to  be 
opposed  by  a  soldier  so  distinguished,  and  a  man  so 
eminent  and  thoroughly  respected  as  General  Wauchope. 
As  the  election  proceeded,  their  regard  for  him  increased 
day  by  day,  and  now  that  he  was  dead  he  felt  as  if  they 
were  in  the  very  presence  of  death j  .  .  .  and  every  one 
would  agree  that  the  proper  and  respectful  course  to  take 
was  to  give  their  last  tribute  to  a  man  who  was  a  gallant 
opponent  of  theirs,  and  who  became  their  friend ;  and  they 
should  place  upon  his  grave  a  wreath  of  respect  and 
regard.'  The  chairman,  in  seconding  the  proposal,  said 
1  he  had  frequently  come  in  contact  with  General  Wauchope 
at  the  election,  and  it  was  remarkable  that  during  the 
whole  contest,  however  keen  it  was,  their  opponent  never 
uttered  one  single  word  he  had  cause  to  regret.  No 
election/  he  added,  'was  ever  fought  with  more  good 
feeling  than  the  contest  between  Mr.  Dewar  and  General 
Wauchope.'  And  as  showing  the  entire  accord  of  the 
large  meeting  with  what  had  been  said,  the  audience  in 


POLITICAL   FOES,    FAST   FRIENDS     171 

silence,  and  upstanding,  signified  their  sympathy  with  the 
resolution,  and  quietly  dispersed. 

General  Wauchope's  political  contests  were  thus  char- 
acteristic of  the  man.  There  was  the  set  purpose,  the 
indomitable  will;  no  shrinking  from  declaring  what  he 
thought  was  the  truth,  but  an  ever  dauntless  standing  up 
for  the  right  at  any  hazard,  all  combined  with  a  modest 
diffidence  of  his  own  personal  merits,  and  the  utmost 
respect  and  courtesy  for  his  opponents'  opinions.  It  has 
been  said, '  he  makes  no  friend  who  never  made  a  foe ';  but 
the  General  had  a  happy  way  of  turning  his  political  foes 
into  fast  friends. 


CHAPTER    X 

OUTBREAK  OF  HOSTILITIES  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA — COMMAND 
OF  THE  HIGHLAND  BRIGADE — DEPARTURE  FOR  SOUTH 
AFRICA — THE  SITUATION — BATTLE  OF  MAGERSFONTEIN 
— DEATH — FUNERAL — AFTER  THE  BATTLE. 

Another  and  a  more  stirring  field  of  action  was  in  store 
for  General  Wauchope.  In  several  of  his  election  speeches 
reference,  as  we  have  shown,  was  made  to  the  question 
then  beginning  to  agitate  the  public  mind,  as  to  our 
relationship  with  the  Transvaal  Republic.  It  was  not 
thought,  however,  that  the  difficulty  was  of  such  a  nature  as 
could  not  easily  be  overcome  by  diplomatic  arrangement. 
True,  the  correspondence  between  Mr.  Chamberlain,  the 
Colonial  Secretary,  and  the  Transvaal  Government  had 
been  protracted,  and  had  practically  failed  in  securing  any 
concession  in  favour  of  foreign  residents  in  the  Transvaal ; 
but  few  realised  how  near  we  were  to  the  verge  of  a  war 
which  has  proved  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  calamitous 
of  the  century. 

It  will  be  in  the  recollection  of  our  readers  that  when  in 
1 88 1  the  Boers  invaded  Natal  and  gained  the  victories  of 
Laing's  Nek  and  Majuba  Hill,  Sir  Evelyn  Wood  had  ranged 
his  forces  for  an  extended  attack  upon  them  and  was 
ready  for  action ;  and  notwithstanding  that  Sir  Frederick, 
now  Lord  Roberts,  had  reached  South  Africa  with  10,000 


SOUTH   AFRICA  173 

additional  men,  the  Government  of  Mr.  Gladstone  aban- 
doned their  position  and  hurriedly  patched  up  a  peace 
with  Mr.  Kruger.  All  accounts  agree  that  the  treaty  or 
'surrender'  after  Majuba  was  regarded  by  both  whites 
and  blacks  all  over  South  Africa  as  an  absolute  capitula- 
tion. It  had  at  all  events  a  most  disastrous  effect  upon 
British  influence  there.  From  that  date  arose  in  the  Boer 
mind  that  most  fatal  ingredient  of  racial  animosity,  con- 
tempt. As  Kruger  afterwards  said,  '  he  had  once  reckoned 
with  the  British  army,'  and  he  felt  he  could  safely  do  so 
again.  The  one  idea  apparently  fixed  in  his  mind  and 
growing  every  day  was  to  get  rid  of  his  subordination  to 
the  Queen,  with  a  view,  as  the  Transvaal  grew  in  military 
efficiency,  to  subvert  her  power  in  South  Africa  altogether, 
and  set  up  a  Dutch  Republic. 

Owing  partly  to  the  poverty  of  the  country  until  the 
great  influx  of  British  and  foreign  colonists,  generally 
called  'Uitlanders,'  and  the  development  of  the  gold  and 
diamond  mines  after  1884-5,  the  politics  of  the  Transvaal 
created  little  or  no  attention  in  England  till  about  1895, 
when  Boer  raids  into  Bechuanaland  and  elsewhere  obliged 
the  British  authorities  on  the  spot  to  protect  our  Colonial 
interests  against  their  further  advances.  But  then  came 
the  Jameson  Raid  at  the  very  end  of  that  year,  which, 
though  universally  condemned  both  by  the  British 
Government  and  people  as  an  infraction  of  international 
law,  was  yet  the  outcome  of  deep-rooted  discontent  in 
the  Transvaal  by  the  English  and  other  settlers  there. 
The  'Raid'  was  the  turning-point  in  recent  Transvaal 
history.  In  the  first  place,  it  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  whole  civilised  world,  and  placed  the  Transvaal,  the 
Uitlanders,  and  the  relationship  of  Great  Britain  both  to 
the  one  and  to  the  other  in  the  full  glare  of  day.     From 


174  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

the  date  of  the  raid  the  difficulties  of  the  position  were 
more  and  more  accentuated,  and  the  designs  of  President 
Kruger  for  entire  independence  were  hastened  to  a 
consummation.  By  the  Boer  government  the  course  of 
justice  was  perverted,  and  the  Chief-Justice  was  made 
subordinate  to  the  will  of  the  Executive.  Owing  to  in- 
security to  life  and  property,  mine  owners  could  scarcely 
get  a  supply  of  labourers.  Kruger  and  his  Hollanders 
ran  the  country  for  their  own  benefit.  They  taxed  and 
plundered  the  Uitlanders,  while  neglecting  such  matters  as 
roads,  bridges,  railways,  sanitary  and  educational  schemes, 
but  took  care  to  arm  the  Boers  while  they  fattened  on 
monopolies,  and  kept  the  Uitlanders  from  any  share  in  the 
government.  In  short,  the  Transvaal  was  a  Republic  in 
nothing  but  the  name.  It  was  really  a  corrupt  oligarchy,  in 
which  a  privileged  minority  made  laws  to  suit  themselves, 
and  put  the  whole  burden  of  taxation  on  the  shoulders  of 
a  majority  who  were  deprived  of  the  franchise. 

With  a  largely  increased  revenue,  President  Kruger 
found  he  could  now  indulge  his  hostility  to  this  country 
and  his  long-cherished  hopes  of  independence  by  providing 
for  a  possible  struggle.  As  Lord  Selborne  said,  'the  money 
was  used  to  turn  the  whole  of  the  Boer  population  into 
soldiers ;  it  was  used  to  stock  the  whole  country  with 
millions  of  cartridges,  to  buy  battery  after  battery  of  guns, 
to  buy  rifles  enough  to  arm  every  Boer  four  or  five  times 
over,  to  build  things  previously  unknown  in  South  Africa, 
namely,  great  fortresses  in  the  middle  of  the  country,  at 
Pretoria  and  at  Johannesburg — such  fortresses  as  were 
not  to  be  seen  in  England  except  to  guard  the  public 
dockyards,  and  such  as  could  only  be  seen  on  the  frontier 
between  France  and  Germany.'  The  course  of  the  war 
has  abundantly  shown  that  these  enormous  preparations 


UITLANDER   GRIEVANCES  175 

hid  been  made  in  view  of  other  than  mere  native  aggres- 
sion j  that,  in  fact,  nothing  less  than  the  entire  subversion 
of  British  authority  over  our  South  African  Colonies  was 
to  be  aimed  at. 

So  intolerable  had  the  oligarchy  at  Pretoria  made  the 
position  of  the  Uitlanders,  that  these  at  length  petitioned 
the  Queen  for  some  redress  of  their  grievances.  This 
document,  signed  by  40,000  persons,  21,000  of  whom  were 
British  subjects  in  the  Transvaal,  was  handed  to  the  British 
Agent  in  Pretoria  for  transmission  to  the  High  Commis- 
sioner, and  was  forwarded  by  Mr.  Conyngham  Greene  in 
the  ordinary  official  course  to  the  Government. 

The  petition  showed  that  for  many  years  discontent  had 
existed  among  the  Uitlanders,  who  are  mostly  British 
subjects.  The  Uitlanders  possessed  most  of  the  wealth 
and  intelligence  in  the  country,  and  they  had  no  voice 
in  its  government.  In  spite  of  the  promises  of  the 
Transvaal  Government  and  the  petitions  addressed  to 
the  President,  there  had  been  no  practical  reforms.  The 
discontent  culminated  in  the  insurrection  of  1895.  The 
people  then  placed  themselves  in  the  hands  of  the  High 
Commissioner,  and  President  Kruger  promised  reforms. 
Since  then  their  position  had  been  worse.  Legislation 
had  been  unfriendly.  The  petition  cited  as  examples  the 
Aliens'  Immigration  Act,  withdrawn  at  the  instance  of  the 
British  Government ;  the  Press  Law,  giving  the  President 
arbitrary  powers ;  the  Aliens'  Expulsion  Law,  permitting 
the  expulsion  of  British  subjects  at  the  will  of  the 
President  without  appeal  to  the  High  Court,  while 
burghers  cannot  be  expelled,  this  being  contrary  to  the 
Convention.  The  municipality  granted  to  Johannesburg 
was  worthless.  It  was  entirely  subject  to  the  Government. 
Half  of  the  councillors  are  necessarily  burgherSj  though  the 


176  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

burghers  and  Uitlanders  number  iooo  and  23,000  respec- 
tively. The  Government  rejected  the  report  of  the 
Industrial  Commission,  which  was  composed  of  its  own 
officials.  The  High  Court  had  been  reduced  to  a  condi- 
tion of  subservience,  the  revenues  of  the  country  had  been 
diverted  for  the  purpose  of  building  forts  at  Pretoria  and 
Johannesburg  in  order  to  terrorise  British  subjects ;  the 
police  were  exclusively  burghers,  ignorant  and  prejudiced, 
and  were  a  danger  to  the  community ;  jurors  were  neces- 
sarily burghers,  and  justice  was  impossible  in  cases  where 
a  racial  issue  might  be  involved. 

The  petition  went  on  to  state  that  indignation  was  finally 
aroused  by  the  murder  of  Edgar  and  the  favouritism  dis- 
played by  the  Public  Prosecutor.  A  petition  to  the  Queen, 
presented  by  4000  British  subjects,  was  rejected  in  conse- 
quence of  informalities.  For  taking  a  leading  part  in 
getting  up  the  petition,  Messrs.  Dodd  and  Webb  were 
arrested  under  the  Public  Meetings  Act,  and  were  only 
released  on  giving  bail  of  ^1000,  five  times  the  amount 
required  for  the  murderer  of  Edgar.  A  meeting  within  a 
closed  place,  permitted  by  law  and  sanctioned  expressly  by 
the  Government,  was  called  by  the  South  African  League 
on  January  14.  This  was  broken  up  by  an  armed  and 
organised  band  of  burghers  and  police  in  plain  clothes  led 
by  Government  officials.  The  police  refused  to  interfere. 
The  behaviour  of  the  British  subjects  was  orderly.  They 
did  not  retaliate,  preferring  to  lay  their  grievances  before 
Her  Majesty.  No  arrests  were  made  either  of  the  officials 
responsible  or  of  the  rioters. 

The  condition  of  the  British  subjects,  the  petition  con- 
cluded, was  intolerable.  They  were  prevented  by  the 
direct  action  of  the  Government  from  ventilating  their 
grievances ;  '  wherefore  the  petitioners  pray  Her  Majesty 


1 


PETITION    OF   THE   UITLANDERS       177 

to  extend  her  protection  to  them,  to  cause  an  inquiry  to  be 
held  into  their  grievances,  to  secure  the  reform  of  abuses, 
and  to  obtain  substantial  guarantees  from  the  Transvaal 
Government  and  a  recognition  of  the  petitioners'  rights.' 
This  important  petition  was  accompanied  by  affidavits 
substantiating  the  various  allegations  made  in  it. 

To  have  refused  a  petition  like  this  under  the  circum- 
stances which  had  arisen,  would  have  been  tantamount  to 
resigning  the  position  of  paramount  power.  Negotiations 
and  conferences  ensued,  in  the  vain  hope  of  adjusting 
racial  differences,  under  Boer  domination.  They  came  to 
nothing,  and  only  proved  that  the  Pretoria  Government 
were  merely  waiting  their  time  to  strike  a  blow  which  they 
hoped  would  for  ever  terminate  British  authority  in  South 
Africa.  The  opportunity,  they  thought,  had  at  length 
come,  and  on  Monday  the  9th  October  an  ultimatum  of 
the  most  insolent  nature  was  presented  to  the  British 
Government,  demanding  not  only  the  immediate  with- 
drawal of  our  troops  on  the  borders  of  the  Republic,  but 
that  all  reinforcements  which  had  arrived  since  1st  June 
should  be  removed  from  South  Africa.  Not  only  so,  but 
that  any  of  Her  Majesty's  troops  now  on  the  high  seas 
should  not  be  landed  in  any  part  of  our  colonies !  To 
these  requirements  an  immediate  answer  in  the  affirmative 
was  demanded  '  not  later  than  5  o'clock  on  Wednesday ' ! 
No  more  ridiculous  message  has  been  received  by  the 
British  Government  for  over  one  hundred  years.  Her 
Majesty's  Government  declined  to  discuss  the  conditions  of 
the  ultimatum,  but  expressed  regret  that  the  Transvaal 
Government  should  contemplate  so  extreme  and  so  serious 
a  step  as  war.  The  invasion  of  Natal  by  the  Boers  followed 
at  once,  and  the  Orange  Free  State,  though  in  no  way  in- 
volved in  the  matter  in  dispute,  gratuitously  sided  with  the 

M 


178  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

Pretoria  Government,  and  an  invasion  of  Cape  Colony 
was  made  later  on  chiefly  by  the  Free  Staters.  With  great 
boldness  and,  it  must  be  said,  with  much  military  skill, 
the  Boer  forces  seized  the  passes,  attacked  the  small 
garrisons  on  the  frontiers,  and  after  several  successes  and 
defeats  they  finally  settled  down  to  besiege  Ladysmith  in 
Natal,  and  Kimberley  and  Mafeking  in  Cape  Colony — 
sieges  which  will  be  long  memorable  in  the  history  of 
British  South  Africa. 

The  war  had  only  proceeded  for  about  a  week  when 
General  Wauchope  received  a  commission  to  command 
the  Third  or  Highland  Brigade,  forming  part  of  the  western 
column  under  General  Lord  Methuen  for  the  relief  of 
Kimberley  and  Mafeking.  This  position  was  undoubtedly 
the  highest  honour  he  had  achieved,  and  its  acquisition 
afforded  him  the  utmost  satisfaction.  He  was  residing  at 
Niddrie  at  the  time,  and  as  soon  as  it  became  known  that 
he  was  ordered  to  the  front,  there  was  a  general  desire 
among  the  miners  and  villagers  that  he  should  have  a 
suitable  'send-off,'  and  some  arrangements  had  actually 
been  made  for  the  occasion.  But  time  was  short,  and 
besides,  the  General,  always  a  modest  man,  shrank  from 
publicity  where  he  would  be  the  central  figure,  and  he 
would  not  consent  to  it. 

This,  however,  did  not  prevent  him  saying  farewell  to 
his  old  friends.  Amid  all  the  bustle  of  preparation  he 
found  time  to  call  at  the  cottages  of  not  a  few  in  the 
grounds  and  in  the  village,  to  shake  hands  with  their 
inmates  before  he  left ;  not,  it  is  said,  without  forebodings 
that  it  was  for  the  last  time.  To  a  friend  in  Edinburgh 
who,  in  saying  'good-bye,'  expressed  the  hope  that  he 
would  soon  be  back  again  with  fresh  laurels,  he  replied 
with  a  shake  of  the  head,  '  I  don't  half  like  the  job  we 


EMBARKATION   FOR   THE   CAPE        179 

have  got ;  we  have  a  very  hard  nut  to  crack  with  these 
Boers.'  On  Sunday,  the  8th  October,  the  General  and 
Mrs.  Wauchope  attended  as  usual  the  service  in  New 
Craighall  Parish  Church.  It  forms  a  part  of  the  parish 
of  Liberton,  and  the  church  was  erected  chiefly  for  the 
large  mining  portion  of  the  population  at  the  east  end  of 
the  parish,  in  which  the  General  took  so  much  interest.  He 
liked  the  simple,  natural,  artless  form  of  the  Presbyterian 
service,  and  as  his  minister  has  since  remarked,  ■  We  know 
how  reverently  and  heartily  he  worshipped,  and  the  pleasure 
he  had  in  hearing  and  in  joining  in  the  singing  of  the 
old  psalms  and  paraphrases,  without  any  accompaniment.' 
It  was  his  last  quiet  Sabbath  in  Scotland.  With  a  view  to 
avoid  fuss  he  slipped  away  that  evening  by  rail  for  London, 
without  some  of  his  nearest  friends  knowing  he  was  off, 
to  see  to  the  embarkation  of  his  brigade. 

The  Highland  Brigade  was  made  up  of  the  Seaforth 
Highlanders,  the  Second  Battalion  Royal  Highlanders  (or 
Black  Watch),  and  the  Gordon  Highlanders — three  crack 
Scotch  regiments,  which  any  man  might  have  been  proud 
to  command.  The  two  first  embarked  for  South  Africa 
at  Tilbury  Fort  on  the  21st  and  22nd  October  in  the 
transports  Mongolian  and  Orient  respectively,  the  total 
equipment  in  the  latter  being  about  1200  officers  and 
men,  including  staff*  of  a  cavalry  brigade,  medical  corps, 
etc.  These  were  followed  a  fortnight  later  by  the  Gordons 
under  Colonel  Downman  from  Edinburgh,  among  the 
citizens  of  which  city  officers  and  men  had  earned  an 
honoured  name. 

General  Wauchope  joined  the  transport  Aurania  at 
Southampton  on  23rd  October,  and  some  of  his  letters 
written  on  the  eve  of  embarkation  are  touching  illustra- 
tions of  kindly  interest  in  others,  and  specially  in  those 


180  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

dependent  on  him.     To  his  old  friend  and  colonel  in  the 
first  Soudan  Expedition,  Colonel  Bayly,  he  writes  : — 

'My  dear  old  Colonel, — Many  thanks  for  your  kind 
and  affectionate  letter.  I  wish  you  were  going  out  in 
charge  of  the  brigade.  I  shall  sadly  miss  your  wise 
counsels.  Well,  I  will  do  my  best ;  and  this  I  know, 
whether  I  succeed  or  fail,  you  will  stick  up  for  me. — Yours 
ever,  A.  G.  Wauchope.' 

To  Mr.  Martin,  the  manager  of  the  Niddrie  Collieries, 
he  wrote  as  follows  : — 

'Southampton,  2yd  October  1899. 
'  I  am  just  about  to  embark.  Please  go  and  see  Mrs. 
Wauchope  when  she  gets  back.  She  will  act  for  me  at  all 
times  in  my  spirit.  I  hope  you  understand  about  the 
send-off.  I  hate  fuss.  Give  my  love  to  all  my  numerous 
friends  in  the  works.  I  hope  "Klondyke"  [one  of  the 
new  workings]  will  prosper  and  flourish.  I  hope  the  war 
will  soon  be  over.  Symons  is  a  terrible  loss.  He  was  one 
of  our  best.  [General  Symons  fell  at  the  battle  of  Glencoe 
in  Natal,  20th  October.]  The  British  officer  and  soldier  is 
showing  to  the  world  that  they  are  not  behind  their  fathers 
in  the  days  of  the  Peninsula  and  Waterloo.  I  hope  all 
may  continue  so  to  do,  and  then  make  it  up  with  the  Boers, 
who  really  must  be  reasonable.  We  have  no  grudge  against 
them,  beyond  that  we  cannot  allow  a  Dutchman  to  be 
worth  three  Scotsmen. — Ever  yours, 

A.  G.  Wauchope.* 

To  his  head  gardener,  Mr.  Alexander,  also  dated  from 
Southampton  on  23rd  October,  he  writes: — 'Dear  Alex- 
ander, we  are  just  off.  .  .  .  Please  convey  to  all  our  men 
and  women  my  thanks  for  their  faithful  service  to  me,  and 


ENTHUSIASTIC   RECEPTION  181 

that  I  will  hope  to  see   them  soon  again. — Yours  very 
truly,  A.  G.  Wauchope.' 

That  amid  all  the  bustle  of  preparing  to  embark  he 
should  still  have  time  for  loving  thoughts  of  Niddrie  and 
'the  old  folks  at  home,'  and  should  at  the  last  moment 
take  the  trouble  to  write  such  kindly  words,  speaks 
eloquently  of  the  affection  in  his  breast  for  all  that  he  had 
left  behind  in  Scotland. 

The  Aurania  took  out  with  her  the  ist  Battalion  of 
Highland  Light  Infantry,  and  Wauchope  was  accompanied 
by  Captain  Rennie  of  the  Black  Watch,  as  his  aide-de-camp. 
The  Black  Watch  in  another  vessel  reached  Table  Bay  two 
or  three  days  after  the  General's  arrival,  and  were  at  once 
entrained  for  De-Aar  by  half-battalions,  so  that  until  he 
joined  them  a  week  or  two  afterwards,  the  General  had 
had  no  opportunity  of  coming  in  touch  with  his  old  regi- 
ment since  his  appointment  to  the  division.  Major  Duff, 
who  was  with  the  Black  Watch  at  De-Aar,  speaks  of  their 
meeting  as  a  remarkable  one.  'I  went  up,'  he  says,  'in 
command  of  the  leading  half-battalion,  and  when  the  men 
first  saw  the  General,  their  reception  of  him  was  a  most 
truly  enthusiastic  one.  They  cheered  him  over  and  over 
again,  and  it  reminded  one  of  their  send-off  to  him  at 
York,  as  they  had  not  seen  him  since  then.' 

While  the  British  Government  were  thus  hurrying 
forward  troops  to  the  seat  of  war  with  all  despatch,  weeks 
of  course  elapsed  before  they  could  be  in  a  position 
to  meet  the  invaders. 

The  Boers  in  strong  force,  and  evidently  well  prepared, 
had  actively  assumed  the  aggressive,  and  in  consequence 
of  the  unexpected  declaration  of  war  by  Presidents  Kruger 
and  Steyn,  the  northern  part  of  Cape  Colony  bordering 


z82  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

upon  the  Orange  Free  State  was  for  a  time  practically 
defenceless.  Taking  advantage  of  this  fact,  the  Boers 
had  advanced  boldly  across  the  frontier,  attacking  many 
of  our  towns  and  villages,  and  formally  annexing  them  to 
the  Free  State.  The  arrival  of  British  troops  at  the  Cape 
in  November  to  some  extent  arrested  this  invasion,  and 
as  troops  were  poured  into  the  Colony  in,  quick  succession, 
Generals  French,  Gatacre,  and  Methuen  found  themselves 
ultimately  in  a  position  to  assume  the  offensive,  their 
communications  and  supplies  being  kept  up  by  the  three 
lines  of  railway  from  Cape  Town,  Port  Elizabeth,  and 
East  London  respectively.  The  Highland  Brigade,  origin- 
ally destined  for  Natal,  was  stopped  at  Cape  Town  and 
at  once  sent  on  to  reinforce  Lord  Methuen  in  command 
of  the  western  division.  With  his  advanced  base  at 
De-Aar,  at  the  junction  of  the  Port  Elizabeth  and  Cape 
Town  railways,  and  striking  north  with  what  troops  he  had, 
Methuen  engaged  and  defeated  a  party  of  Boers  near 
Belmont  on  the  ioth  November.  Nine  days  after,  lie 
had  concentrated  his  troops  on  the  Orange  River,  driving 
the  enemy  before  him,  and  on  the  23rd  November  he 
attacked  and  completely  routed  the  enemy  in  the  decisive 
battle  of  Belmont. 

After  several  skirmishes  the  battle  of  Modder  River  was 
fought,  in  which  the  British  encountered  a  Boer  force  of 
11,000  men.  It  lasted  the  whole  of  Tuesday  the  2Sth 
November,  and  was  keenly  contested;  but  in  spite  of  the 
bravery  and  superior  position  of  the  enemy,  they  were  com- 
pelled to  withdraw,  and  Methuen  formed  his  advanced  camp 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  After  the  Modder  River  fight 
he  rested  his  force  until  the  ioth  December,  waiting  for 
the  battalions  of  Wauchope's  Highland  Brigade,  for  the 
great  naval  gun,  and  the  howitzer  battery,  and  for  the 


THE   DIAMOND   CITY  183 

sorely  needed  cavalry.  The  valiant  Ninth  Brigade,  com- 
posed of  Yorkshire  Light  Infantry,  5th  Northumberlands, 
Loyal  North  Lancashires,  Northamptonshires,  9th  Lancers, 
and  Mounted  Infantry,  which  had  done  such  gallant  work 
in  the  previous  battles,  was  now  to  be  scattered,  and  in 
some  measure  supplanted  by  the  Argylls,  Seaforths, 
Gordons,  Black  Watch,  and  Highland  Light  Infantry  of 
the  fresher  brigade. 

Having  secured  his  position  on  the  Modder  River,  Lord 
Methuen  found  the  way  to  Kimberley  still  barred  by  the 
Boer  army  under  General  Cronje.  The  enemy  were 
strongly  intrenched  among  the  rocks  and  precipices  of 
the  hilly  region,  some  four  miles  from  the  river,  between 
the  railway  on  the  west  and  the  highroad  to  Kimberley  on 
the  east,  and  commanded  the  position  with  their  artillery. 

Lord  Methuen  resolved  upon  making  a  frontal  attack  in 
full  force  on  this  stronghold,  so  as  to  drive  the  Boers  out  and 
clear  the  road  to  the  Diamond  City,  now  suffering  acutely 
the  miseries  of  a  siege. 

Before  making  the  attack,  he  resolved  to  shell  the  Boer 
position  with  all  his  artillery  and  the  great  naval  gun  which 
had  been  dragged  up  to  a  ridge  overlooking  the  kopje 
occupied  by  the  enemy,  at  ranges  varying  between  six 
thousand  and  eight  thousand  yards.  The  bombardment 
while  it  lasted  was  a  severe  one.  An  eye-witness  of 
the  scene  says :  '  The  shells  tore  through  the  air  with 
precisely  the  noise  of  an  express  train  rushing  at  highest 
speed,  and  when  they  burst  they  seemed  to  envelop  an 
acre  of  ground  in  heavy  brown  smoke,  which  lifted  and 
floated  over  the  kopje  as  if  it  were  a  mass  of  pulverised 
earth.  The  noise  of  each  discharge  was  like  the  bark  of 
a  monster  bulldog,  and  the  bursting  of  each  shell  sounded 
like  the  cough  of  a  giant.'     It  is  believed  that  the  lyddite 


184  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

shells  fell  among  the  Boers  several  times  during  the  after- 
noon, but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  damage  done  was  sufficient  to 
cause  them  to  shift  their  position.  The  naval  gun  remained 
on  the  ridge  all  night,  and  defined  the  extreme  left  of  the 
next  day's  battle-ground.  This  ground  extended  from  the 
railway  where  the  gun  stood,  across  the  veldt  to  the  river 
aid  along  its  northern  bank  for  two  miles,  or  about  four 
miles  from  the  railway  to  near  the  Kimberley  road.  It 
wis  covered — ridges  and  level  veldt  alike — with  bushes, 
or  shapely  little  trees  from  four  to  seven  feet  high,  of 
round,  full  form,  and  pretty  dense  foliage.  In  such  a 
veldt  as  this  the  Boers  had  two  miles  of  trenches  in  front 
of  their  strongly  fortified  heights,  well  packed  with  rifle- 
men. And  not  only  so ;  but  to  make  the  approach  more 
difficult,  lines  of  barbed-wire  fencing  were  run  across  the 
veldt  parallel  with  the  trenches. 

To  attack  such  a  strong  position  required  the  very 
best  troops  of  the  British  army,  if  the  assault  were  to  be 
a  success,  and  Wauchope's  Highland  Brigade  was  selected 
for  the  work.  Lord  Methuen  conceived  it  to  be  his  duty 
to  take  it  at  all  hazards,  seeing  that  his  orders  were  to 
relieve  Kimberley,  and  the  longer  he  remained  inactive 
on  the  Modder  River,  the  probability  was  the  enemy 
would  become  stronger  in  front.  As  soon  therefore  as 
the  last  of  his  reinforcements  arrived  from  De-Aar,  he 
resolved  to  attack  the  Mngersfontein  kopje.  For  this 
purpose,  as  we  have  said,  the  heights  were  bombarded 
from  4.50  p.m.  to  6.40  p.m.  on  the  10th  December,  in  the 
expectation  that — judging  from  the  moral  effect  produced 
by  his  guns  in  the  three  previous  actions,  and  the  anticipated 
effect  of  lyddite,  to  be  used  for  the  first  time — there  would 
not  only  be  great  destruction  of  life  in  the  trenches,  but 
a  considerable  demoralising  effect  on  the  enemy's  nerves. 


ON   THE   EVE   OF   BATTLE  185 

Whether  this  was  so  is  doubtful.  A  longer  bombardment, 
as  the  result  proved,  would  in  all  probability  have  led 
to  a  more  successful  issue  of  the  enterprise,  and  with  less 
loss  to  our  arms. 

General  Wauchope  having  received  his  orders,  all  were 
in  readiness  for  the  attack,  which  it  was  resolved  should 
be  made  in  the  darkness  of  the  early  morning. 

Fireside  romancers  have  pictured  Wauchope  on  the 
evening  before  the  battle  as  full  of  despondency  and  pre- 
possessed with  a  sense  of  imminent  disaster.  Needless  to 
say,  these  are  purely  imaginary  fancies.  He  was  not  the 
man  either  to  shirk  danger  or  dread  a  deadly  engagement. 

What  afterwards  happened  is  best  described  in  the  words 
of  Lord  Methuen's  despatch.  'The  night  march,'  he 
says,  '  was  ordered  for  12.30  a.m.,  the  bearings  and  distance 
having  been  ascertained  at  great  personal  risk  by  Major 
Benson,  Royal  Artillery,  my  Deputy  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General.  The  distance  is  two  and  a  half  miles,  and 
daybreak  was  due  at  3.25  a.m.  About  half  an  hour  after 
the  Highland  Brigade  marched  off  it  came  on  to  pour, 
a  heavy  thunderstorm  accompanying  the  rain.  The 
downpour  lasted  until  daybreak.  The  brigade  was  led 
with  perfect  accuracy  to  the  point  of  assault  by  Major 
Benson.  The  advance  was  slow,  even  for  a  night  march. 
Major  Benson,  with  a  compass  in  each  hand,  having  fre- 
quently to  halt  on  account  of  the  lightning  and  rifles 
affecting  the  compasses.  I  may  remark  that  two  rifles 
went  off  by  accident  before  the  march  commenced,  and 
it  is  pretty  clear  that  flashes  from  a  lantern  gave  the  enemy 
timely  notice  of  the  march. 

*  Before  moving  off,  Major-General  Wauchope  explained 
all  he  intended  to  do,  and  the  particular  part  each  battalion 
of  his  brigade  was  to  play  in  the  scheme.     The  brigade 


186  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

was  to  march  in  mass  of  quarter  columns,  the  four 
battalions  keeping  touch  and,  if  necessary,  ropes  were  to 
be  used  for  the  left  guides ;  these  ropes  were  taken,  but 
I  believe  used  by  only  two  battalions.  What  happened 
was  as  follows : — Not  finding  any  signs  of  the  enemy  on 
the  right  flank  just  before  daybreak,  which  took  place  at 
4  A.M.,  as  the  brigade  was  approaching  the  foot  of  the 
kopje,  Major-General  Wauchope  gave  the  order  for  the 
Black  Watch  to  extend,  but  to  direct  its  advance  on  the 
spur  in  front,  the  Seaforth  Highlanders  to  prolong  to 
the  left,  the  Argyll  and  Sutherland  Highlanders  to  prolong 
to  the  right,  the  Highland  Light  Infantry  in  reserve.  Five 
minutes  earlier  (the  kopje  looming  in  the  distance)  Major 
Benson  had  asked  Major-General  Wauchope  if  he  did  not 
consider  it  to  be  time  to  deploy.  Lieut-Colonel  Hughes- 
Hallett  states  that  the  extension  could  have  taken  place 
two  hundred  yards  sooner,  but  the  leading  battalion  got 
thrown  into  confusion  in  the  dark  by  a  very  thick  bit  of 
bush  about  twenty  or  thirty  yards  long.  The  Seaforth 
Highlanders  went  round  this  bush  to  the  right,  and  had 
just  got  into  its  original  position  behind  the  Black  Watch 
when  the  order  to  extend  was  given  by  Major-General 
Wauchope  to  the  Black  Watch.  The  Seaforth  Highlanders 
and  two  companies  of  the  Argyll  and  Sutherland  High- 
landers were  also  moving  out,  and  were  in  the  act  of 
extending,  when  suddenly  a  heavy  fire  was  poured  in  by 
the  enemy,  most  of  the  bullets  going  over  the  men. 

1  Lieut.-Colonel  Hughes-Hallett  at  once  ordered  the 
Seaforths  to  fix  bayonets  and  charge  the  position.  The 
officers  commanding  the  other  battalions  acted  in  a 
similar  manner.  At  this  moment  some  one  gave  the 
word  "  Retire."  Part  of  the  Black  Watch  then  rushed  back 
through  the  ranks  of  the  Seaforths.    Lieut.-Colonel  Hallett 


MAGERSFONTEIN  187 

ordered  his  men  to  halt  and  lie  down,  and  not  to  retire. 
It  was  now  becoming  quite  light,  and  some  of  the  Black 
Watch  were  a  little  in  front,  to  the  left  of  the  Seaforths. 
The  artillery,  advancing  to  the  support  of  the  attack,  had 
opened  fire  from  the  time  it  was  light  enough  to  see.  No 
orders  having  been  received  by  the  Seaforths,  the  com- 
manding officer  advanced  the  leading  units  to  try  and 
reach  the  trenches,  which  were  about  four  hundred  yards 
off;  but  the  officers  and  half  the  men  fell  before  a  very 
heavy  fire,  which  opened  as  soon  as  the  men  moved. 
About  ten  minutes  later  the  Seaforths  tried  another  rush, 
with  the  same  result.  Colonel  Hughes-Hallett  then  con- 
sidered it  best  to  remain  where  he  was  till  orders  came. 

'Meanwhile  the  9th  Lancers,  the  12th  Lancers,  G 
Battery  Royal  Horse  Artillery,  and  Mounted  Infantry 
were  working  on  the  right  flank.  At  twelve  midnight  on 
the  10th  the  12th  Lancers  and  Guards  marched  from 
camp,  the  former  to  join  the  Cavalry  Brigade,  the  latter 
to  protect  the  rear  and  right  of  the  Highland  Brigade. 
Considering  the  night,  it  does  Major-General  Sir  Henry 
Colville  immense  credit  that  he  carried  out  his  orders  to 
the  letter,  as  did  Major-General  Babington.  A  heavy 
fire  was  maintained  the  whole  morning.  The  Guards 
Brigade  held  a  front  of  about  one  and  three  quarter 
miles.  The  Yorkshire  Light  Infantry  protected  my  right 
flank  with  five  companies,  three  companies  being  left  at 
a  drift.  Captain  Jones,  Royal  Engineers,  and  Lieutenant 
Grubb  were  with  the  Balloon  Section,  and  gave  me 
valuable  information  during  the  day.  I  learnt  from  this 
source,  at  about  twelve  noon,  that  the  enemy  were  re- 
ceiving large  reinforcements  from  Abutsdam  and  from 
Spytfontein.  The  enemy  held  their  own  on  this  part 
of  the  field,  for  the  under-feature  was  strongly  entrenched, 


188  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

concealed  by  small  bushes,  and  on  slight  undulations. 
At  twelve  noon  I  ordered  the  battalion  of  Gordons,  which 
was  with  the  Supply  Column,  to  support  the  Highland 
Brigade.  The  trenches,  even  after  the  bombardment  by 
lyddite  and  shrapnel  since  daybreak,  were  too  strongly 
held  to  be  cleared.  The  Gordons  advanced  in  separate 
half-battalions,  and  though  the  attnck  could  not  be  carried 
home,  the  battalion  did  splendid  work  throughout  the 
day. 

'At  i  p.m.  the  Se;iforth  Highlanders  found  themselves 
exposed  to  a  heavy  crossfire,  the  enemy  trying  to  get 
round  to  the  right.  The  commanding  officer  brought  his 
left  forward.  An  order  to  "Retire"  was  given,  and  it 
was  at  this  time  that  the  greater  part  of  the  casualties 
occurred.  The  retirement  continued  for  five  hundred 
yards,  and  the  Highlanders  remained  there  till  dusk. 
Lieut.-Colonel  Downman,  commanding  the  Gordons,  gave 
the  order  to  retire,  because  he  found  his  position  unten- 
able, so  soon  as  the  Seaforth  Highlanders  made  the  turning 
movement  to  the  right.  This  was  an  unfortunate  retire- 
ment, for  Lieut.-Colonel  Hughes -Hallett  had  received 
instructions  from  me  to  remain  in  position  until  dusk, 
and  the  enemy  were  at  this  time  quitting  the  trenches  by 
tens  and  twenties.  I  have  made  use  of  Lieut.-Colonel 
Hughes-Hallett's  report  (the  acting  Brigadier)  for  the 
description  of  the  part  the  Highland  Brigade  took  in 
this  action. 

'Major-General  Wauchope  told  me,  when  I  asked  him 
the  question,  on  the  evening  of  the  ioth,  that  he  quite 
understood  his  orders,  and  made  no  further  remark.  He 
died  at  the  head  of  the  brigade,  in  which  his  name  will 
always  remain  honoured  and  respected.  His  high  military 
reputation  and  attainments  disarm   all   criticism.     Every 


; 


AN   ILL-FATED   ENTERPRISE  189 

soldier  in  my  division  deplores  the  loss  of  a  fine  soldier 
and  a  true  comrade.  The  attack  failed;  the  inclement 
weather  was  against  success  ;  the  men  in  the  Highland 
Brigade  were  ready  enough  to  rally,  but  the  paucity  of 
officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  rendered  this  no 
easy  matter.  I  attach  no  blame  to  this  splendid  brigade. 
From  noon  until  dark  I  held  my  own  opposite  to  the 
enemy's  intrenchments.  G  Battery  Royal  Horse  Artillery 
fired  hard  till  dark,  expending  nearly  two  hundred  rounds 
per  gun.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  conduct  of  the  troops 
from  the  time  of  the  failure  of  the  attack  at  daybreak. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  confusion,  though  the  fight 
was  carried  on  under  as  hard  conditions  as  one  can 
imagine,  for  the  men  had  been  on  the  move  from  mid- 
night, and  were  suffering  terribly  from  thirst.  At  7.15  p.m. 
fighting  ceased,  the  Highland  Brigade  formed  up  under 
cover,  the  Guards  Brigade  held  my  front,  the  Yorkshire 
Light  Infantry  secured  my  right  flank,  the  cavalry  and  guns 
were  drawn  in  behind  the  cavalry.' 

Many  descriptions  have  been  published  of  the  ill-fated 
enterprise,  differing  in  some  respects  from  the  despatch 
of  the  commander ;  and  much  controversy  has  been  raised 
as  to  an  alleged  difference  of  opinion  between  Generals 
Methuen  and  Wauchope  regarding  the  method  of  the 
attack  on  the  Boer  position,  and  as  to  who  was  responsible 
for  its  disastrous  failure.  Into  that  controversy  it  is  not 
our  purpose  to  enter,  seeing  so  much  of  it  is  founded  on 
mere  conjecture,  coloured  by  the  imagination  or  the  pre- 
judice of  some  of  the  writers.  Whether  blunder,  or 
miscalculation,  or  mere  misadventure,  no  voice  has  been 
ever  raised  to  cast  the  shadow  of  blame  on  the  officer 
who  gallantly  led  his  brigade  through  that  long  dark 
night  into  what  proved  an  impossible  position,  a  position 


190  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

which  the  best  troops  in  the  world  could  not  have  hoped 
to  take.  Every  precaution  was  made  that  forethought 
could  suggest.  Untoward  circumstances,  and  not  want 
of  courage,  ruined  all. 

That  the  fall  of  the  General  largely  contributed  to  the 
loss  of  the  battle,  seems  all  too  plain.  He  fell  after  being 
twice  hit  with  rifle  bullets  through  his  helmet,  and  even 
while  lying  on  the  ground,  when  struck  in  the  body,  he 
appears,  from  the  evidence  of  some  of  his  men  who 
passed  him  as  they  still  pressed  on  to  his  orders,  to  be 
able  to  raise  himself  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  taking 
a  long  farewell  of  his  comrades,  he  cried,  'Good-bye,  men; 
fight  for  yourselves.  It  is  man  to  man  now.'  Other  words 
are  said  to  have  been  uttered,  and  were  freely  circulated 
afterwards  about  the  camp,  and  found  their  way  into 
letters  written  to  friends  at  home ;  but  in  the  din  and  con- 
fusion of  such  a  moment  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  these — 
many  of  them  contradictory — can  be  accepted  as  his 
utterances.  One  witness  describes  the  scene  as  'an  awful 
sight.  The  bullets,'  he  says,  '  were  like  a  shower  of  hail, 
and  the  shells  were  bursting  all  around  us.  God  knows 
how  I  got  clear,  for  I  was  in  the  thick  of  it.  I  felt  the 
heat  of  a  shell  on  my  face.  I  never  was  so  near  being 
killed  in  my  life.  There  were  bullets  hitting  all  around 
me,  and  whistling  over  my  head.  I  have  been  in  a  few 
battles,  but  nothing  like  this.  .  .  .  We  would  have  beat 
them  had  our  General  not  been  killed.  He  was  shot  in 
three  places.' 

That  General  Wauchope  fought  and  fell  as  a  man  and 
as  a  soldier,  carrying  out  his  orders  loyally  to  the  end,  has 
never  been  called  in  question.  He  died  where  he  would 
have  wished  to  die,  at  the  head  of  his  gallant  Highlanders, 
with  his  face  to  the  foe. 


FALL   OF   THE   GENERAL  191 

All  that  fateful  day  the  battle  was  carried  on.  Our 
wounded  and  dead  lay  as  they  fell,  under  a  blazing  sun, 
close  to  the  Boer  lines.  Over  their  heads  the  shots  of 
friends  and  foes  passed,  without  ceasing.  '  Many  a  gallant 
deed  was  done  by  comrades  helping  comrades ;  men  who 
were  shot  through  the  body  lay  without  water,  enduring 
all  the  agony  of  thirst  caused  by  their  wounds  and  the 
blistering  heat.  To  them  crawled  Scots  with  shattered 
limbs,  sharing  the  last  drop  of  water  in  their  bottles,  and 
taking  farewell  messages  to  many  a  cottage  home  in  far-off 
Scotland.'  But  still  the  battle  raged.  Wounded  and  dead 
must  wait  alike  the  ultimate  fate  of  the  day.  Lying  on 
the  veldt  the  British  still  held  their  ground,  firing  when 
they  could,  but  drawing  a  hotter  fire  upon  themselves  from 
the  trenches.  For  fourteen  hours  they  thus  lay — from 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  six  at  night.  It  was  cruel 
work,  with  all  the  odds  against  the  attackers,  fighting 
against  a  foe  they  could  neither  see  nor  reach.  Once  the 
Guards  made  a  brilliant  dash  at  the  trenches,  and  like 
a  torrent  their  resistless  valour  bore  down  all  before  them, 
and  for  a  brief  few  moments  they  got  within  striking  dis- 
tance of  the  enemy ;  and  well  did  they  avenge  the  slaughter 
of  the  Scots.  With  bayonets  fixed  and  a  ringing  cheer 
the  Guardsmen,  we  are  told  by  a  graphic  writer,  '  tossed 
the  Boers  out  of  their  trenches  as  men  in  English  harvest- 
fields  toss  the  hay.'  Then  they  retired  under  the  deadly 
fire  from  the  heights  above,  falling  thick  as  hail  upon 
them. 

Not  till  the  evening  did  the  conflict  cease.  Then  there 
was  an  armistice,  and  our  ambulance  bearers  went  out  to 
bring  in  their  fallen  comrades.  The  Rev.  J.  Robertson, 
chaplain  of  the  brigade,  mentions  in  a  letter  :  '  I  was  with 
Wauchope  when  he  fell.     I  think  he  wished  me  to  keep 


u)2  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

near  him,  but  I  got  knocked  down,  and  in  the  dark  and 
wild  confusion  I  was  borne  away,  and  did  not  see  him  in 
life  again,  though  I  spared  no  effort  to  find  him,  in  the 
hope  that  he  might  be  only  wounded.'  This  statement 
is  confirmed  by  the  Anglican  chaplain  with  Lord  Methuen, 
who,  after  describing  the  battle  of  Magersfontein,  thus 
refers  to  the  Highland  Brigade  :  ■  Being  chiefly  Highlanders, 
they  were  in  Robertson's  charge.  He,  good-hearted  fellow, 
was  risking  his  life  in  the  trenches  and  under  fire  to  find 
General  Wauchope's  body.  Why  he  was  not  killed  in 
his  fearless  efforts  I  cannot  tell.'  The  General's  body 
was  found  next  morning  from  twenty  to  thirty  yards  off 
the  Boer  trenches,  '  riddled  with  bullets,'  and  was  carried 
reverently  back  into  camp,  amidi-t  the  unmistakable  grief 
of  every  soldier. 

The  exigencies  of  war  brook  no  delay,  and  so  the 
funeral  was  arranged  for  the  day  following.  Three 
hundred  yards  to  the  rear  of  the  township  of  Modder 
River,  just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  in  a  blaze  of  African 
splendour,  on  the  evening  of  Tuesday  the  13th  December, 
a  long  shallow  grave  lay  exposed  in  the  breast  of  the  veldt. 
To  the  westward  the  broad  river  fringed  with  trees  ran 
unconsciously  along;  to  the  eastward  the  heights  still 
held  by  the  enemy  scowled  menacingly ;  north  and  south 
stretched  the  long  swelling  plain.  A  few  paces  to  the 
north  of  the  grave,  fifty  dead  Highlanders  lay,  dressed  as 
they  had  fallen.  They  had  followed  their  chief  to  the 
field,  and  they  were  to  follow  him  to  the  grave.  It  was 
an  impressive  sight,  and  as  one  who  saw  it  has  said  :  '  The 
plaids  dear  to  every  Highland  clan  were  represented 
there,  and,  as  I  looked,  out  of  the  distance  came  the 
sound  of  the  pipes.  It  was  the  General  coming  to  join 
his  men.     There,   right  under  the  eyes  of  the  enemy, 


tl 


'LOCHABER   NO    MORE'  193 


moved  with  slow  and  solemn  tread  all  that  remained  of 
the  Highland  Brigade.  In  front  of  them  walked  the 
chaplain,  with  bared  head,  dressed  in  his  robes  of  office; 
then  came  the  pipers  with  their  pipes,  sixteen  in  all,  wailing 
out  "Lochaber  no  More";  and  behind  them,  with  arms 
reversed,  moved  the  Highlanders,  in  all  the  regalia  of 
their  regiments  ;  and  in  the  midst,  the  dead  General,  borne 
by  four  of  his  comrades.'  Many  a  cheek  was  wet  with 
tears,  and  many  a  heart  throbbed  with  emotion  as  the  last 
kind  offices  were  performed.  Right  up  to  the  grave  they 
marched,  then  broke  away  into  companies  until  the  General 
was  laid  in  the  shallow  grave,  with  a  Scottish  square  of 
armed  men  around  him.  The  simple  Presbyterian  service 
of  the  Scottish  Church  was  led  by  Mr.  Robertson,  the 
chaplain,  amid  profound  silence.  No  shots  were  fired. 
Only  the  silent  farewell  salute  of  his  sorrowing  men  as  they 
marched  campwards  in  the  gathering  darkness,  and  the 
black  pall  of  an  African  night  was  drawn  sadly  over  the 
scene. 

There,  among  his  men,  Wauchope's  body  might  have 
been  left  to  rest  on  the  open  veldt,  and  the  spot  would 
doubtless  ever  afterwards  have  been  consecrated  in  the 
heart  of  every  patriot  Briton,  lonely  and  wild  though 
it  be.  But  the  kindly  sympathy  of  a  brother  Scot  found 
for  him  a  last  resting-place  about  fourteen  miles  farther 
south  in  Cape  Colony,  at  Matjesfontein.  On  receipt  of 
the  news  of  Wauchope's  death,  the  Honourable  J.  D. 
Logan,  a  member  of  the  Cape  Legislative  Council,  who 
owns  an  extensive  estate  there,  on  which  there  is  a  small 
enclosed  private  burying-ground,  promptly  asked  per- 
mission to  bring  the  body  for  reinterment  there.  Permis- 
sion having  been  granted  by  General  Lord  Methuen,  Mr. 
Logan  proceeded  to  Modder  River,  and  returned  with  the 

N 


i94  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

body  in  a  zinc-lined  coffin  on  the  18th  December.  The 
remains  of  the  gallant  General  were  buried  next  morning 
with  full  military  honours,  in  presence  of  a  considerable 
number  of  people.  Those  present  included  Captain 
Rennie,  A.-D.-C.  to  the  General,  Mr.  Logan  and  his 
family,  Major  Stuart,  and  Colonel  Schrembrucker.  The 
escort  consisted  of  eleven  officers  and  195  non-commis- 
sioned officers  and  men  of  various  detachments,  including 
some  of  the  Highland  Brigade,  and  a  fife  band  with 
pipers.  The  coffin  was  borne  on  a  gun-carriage,  which 
was  covered  with  many  beautiful  wreaths,  one  bearing  the 
inscription,  'With  the  Logans'  deepest  sympathy.  In 
memory  of  one  of  Scotland's  brave  ones.'  And  on 
another  was  inscribed,  '  A  token  of  admiration  and  respect 
for  one  of  Scotland's  heroes,  from  his  fellow-countrymen 
at  Matjesfontein.'  The  favourite  charger  of  the  General 
followed  the  coffin,  and  the  service,  conducted  by  the 
Revs.  Messrs.  Robertson  and  Price,  army  chaplains,  was 
of  a  deeply  impressive  character.  Thus  passed  from 
sight,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four,  the  man  whose  career  it 
has  been  our  privilege  to  sketch. 

Few  episodes  in  the  Transvaal  war — and  there  have 
been  many  striking  ones — have  made  such  an  impression 
on  the  public  at  large,  or  on  those  immediately  con- 
cerned, as  the  fall  of  the  leader  of  the  Highland  Brigade 
on  that  disastrous  10th  of  December  1899. 

The  one  man  best  qualified  to  speak  of  its  effects  upon 
the  soldiers  at  the  front,  has  in  touching  letters  referred  to 
the  sadness  that  overspread  the  camp,  and  the  deep 
religious  feelings  which  were  awakened.  The  Rev.  J. 
Robertson  says:  'Of  the  seven  who  formed  our  original 
mess — General  Wauchope's  brigade  staff — only  Colonel 
Ewart  and  myself  remain.      He  is  an  old  campaigning 


AFTER   THE   BATTLE  195 

friend,  so  also  is  General  Macdonald,  who  has  now  joined 
us.  I  am  glad  I  knew  the  Brigadier  before.  It  makes  all 
the  difference,  messing  and  living  together.  I  am  not  to 
refer  to  General  Wauchope.  Mere  acquaintances  mourn 
his  loss,  how  much  more  one  who  was  honoured  with  his 
friendship  and  confidence  ?  As  for  the  Highland  Brigade 
— there  is  but  one  heart,  and  it 's  sore,  sore.  A  strange 
fatality  befell  all  my  best-known  friends.  Whenever  I  let 
myself  think  of  them,  there's  a  painful  tug  at  my  heart's 
strings.  God  knows  what  lies  before.  To  give  some 
idea  of  how  hearfs  have  been  touched,  on  the  last  Sunday 
of  the  year  I  had  communion.  I  thought  it  better  to  take 
it  then  than  on  the  first  Sunday,  when  the  year  would  be 
a  week  old  and  the  good  start  perhaps  lost.  I  did  not 
make  intimation  the  Sunday  before,  as  I  did  not  think 
I  would  be  able  to  get  communion  wine  in  time.  I  just 
stated  at  the  ordinary  parade  service  that  I  purposed 
having  it  after  the  benediction  was  pronounced.  I  in- 
vited any  and  every  one  to  come  forward,  even  though 
they  had  not  partaken  it  before,  saying  that  in  the  circum- 
stances I  took  it  upon  me  to  dispense  with  the  usual 
preparatory  forms  of  procedure.  To  my  great  surprise,  but 
to  my  heart's  joy,  knowing  how  backward  young  men  are — 
Highlanders  especially — in  coming  to  the  Lord's  Table, 
over  250  stepped  out,  and  many  more  would  have  come 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  they  had  to  go  at  once 
on  picket  duty.  In  fact,  they  had  strained  a  point  to 
attend  parade  service,  coming  all  ready  to  go  on  outpost, 
heavily  accoutred.  With  a  full  heart,  I  thanked  God  and 
took  courage.'  In  another  letter  the  chaplain  says  :  '  We 
were  a  sad,  a  very  sad  brigade,  for  though  we  tried  to 
hide  it,  we  took  our  losses  to  heart  sorely;  for  "men 
of  steel  are  men  who  feel."     But  out  of  evil  came  good. 


196  GENERAL   WAUCIIOPE 

The  depth  of  latent  religious  feeling  that  was  evoked  in 
officers  and  men  was  a  revelation  to  me,  and  were  it  not 
that  confessions,  and  acknowledgments,  and  vows  are 
too  sacred  for  repetition,  I  could  tell  a  tale  that  would 
gladden  your  hearts — not  that  I  put  too  much  stn 
what 's  said  or  done  at  such  an  impressionable,  solemnising 
time,  but  after-proof  of  sincerity  has  not  been  wanting.' 

The  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  General's  death  in 
England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  and  indeed  throughout 
the  world,  was  accompanied  with  every  expression  of  grief. 
It  was  felt  that  the  empire  had  lost  one  of  its  noblest  and 
best,  that  a  hero  had  gone  down  to  his  rest  ere  his  full  life's 
work  was  done.  Alike  from  soldier  and  civilian,  from  political 
opponent  and  political  friend,  came  the  common  lament ; 
while  the  fluent  pens  of  journalists  were  in  some  cases 
constrained  to  acknowledge  that  it  was  all  but  impossible 
to  write  with  calmness  of  the  sad  event. 

Her  Majesty  the  Queen  felt  the  loss  she  and  the 
country  had  sustained,  and,  with  her  usual  womanly  con- 
sideration, sent  a  message  through  her  Lord  Chamberlain, 
the  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  desiring  him  to  express  her  deep 
sympathy  with  Mrs.  Wauchope  of  Niddrie,  and  with  Lady 
Ventry,  the  General's  sister.  In  this  message,  it  is  under- 
stood the  Queen  paid  a  warm  tribute  to  the  General's 
fearless  qualities  as  a  soldier,  and  to  his  magnificent 
services  to  the  nation  ;  while  she  sympathetically  referred 
to  the  fact,  that  in  every  campaign  in  which  he  had  taken 
a  part  previously,  with  the  exception  of  the  Soudan  war  of 
1898,  he  had  had  the  misfortune  to  be  wounded. 

Seldom  has  so  general  and  so  spontaneous  an  expres- 
sion of  public  feeling  been  given  in  this  country.  In 
Scotland  especially  was  this  so,  as  might  naturally  be 
expected.      In  Edinburgh,  where  both  the  Black   Watch 


SYMPATHY   OF   THE    QUEEN 


T97 


and  the  Gordon  Highlanders  had  recently  been  stationed, 
the  death  of  Colonel  Downman  of  the  Gordons,  and  many 
others  with  him  in  the  same  engagement,  gave  a  sharper 
edge  to  the  calamity. 


CHAPTER   XI 

CHARACTERISTICS 

That  General  Wauchope  was  a  skilled  officer  goes  without 
saying.  He  had  made  military  tactics  his  life  study.  And 
he  had  the  personal  influence  that  enabled  men  to  follow 
his  leadership  without  hesitation.  Several  of  his  brother 
officers  who  had  been  with  him  for  years,  and  had  fought 
beside  him  in  many  a  battle,  have  favoured  us  with  their 
opinion  of  his  skill  as  a  commander ;  and,  as  to  his  respon- 
sibility for  the  blunder  or  misadventure  of  Magersfontein, 
one  of  them  says  :  '  As  a  commanding  officer,  he  was 
beloved  by  all  ranks ;  respected  as  a  born  leader  of  men, 
for  he  had  but  to  hold  up  his  little  finger  and  the 
whole  regiment  would  have  followed  him  to — anywhere ! 
He  brought  the  battalion  to  a  wonderful  pitch  of  ex- 
cellency, both  in  professional  and  social  success,  and 
invariably  received  the  highest  praise  from  every  general 
officer  who  ever  inspected  them.'  And  from  another  we 
have  the  remarkable  testimony:  'Wauchope  diligently 
studied  his  profession,  to  which  he  was  devoted,  and  was 
noted  in  his  regiment  for  his  coolness  and  judgment.  I 
say  this  with  special  reference  to  the  circumstances  pre- 
ceding his  lamentable  death,  and  the  loss  of  a  large 
part  of  the  Highland  Brigade  recently  in  South  Africa. 
Eminently  a  cool  and  cautious  leader,  Wauchope  would 
have  never  led  his  brigade  in  close  formation  into  the  very 


A   DEVOTED   SOLDIER 


199 


jaws  of  destruction  without  scouting  or  other  means  of 
discovering  the  near  proximity  of  the  enemy,  unless  he 
had  had  direct  stringent  orders  to  do  so.'  From  still 
another  distinguished  officer  comes  the  following  :  '  General 
Wauchope's  name  as  a  soldier  was  known  to  all  ranks  in 
the  army,  and  I  am  certain  that  time  will  prove  that  he 
was  not  responsible  for  the  decimation  of  the  brigade  he 
loved  so  well.  He  was  far  too  good  a  tactician  for  that 
blunder.' 

It  will  be  seen  as  our  narrative  has  proceeded,  that 
while  the  career*  of  Andrew  Gilbert  Wauchope  of  Niddrie 
is  in  the  main  that  of  an  earnest,  devoted  soldier  of  the 
Crown,  full  of  chequered  incident  and  varied  experience, 
there  is  at  the  same  time  a  many-sidedness  of  character 
developed  in  his  life.  A  soldier  first,  he  was  as  much  at 
home,  it  has  been  said,  in  the  commonplace  business 
of  the  local  School  Board  and  Parish  Council,  or  in  the 
transactions  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland.  Essentially  a  modest  man,  he  never  made  an 
affectation  of  superiority,  and  indeed  he  was  much  inclined 
to  underrate  his  own  ability  in  almost  every  work  in  which 
he  was  engaged.  As  a  politician  he  knew  his  own 
mind,  and  he  had  become  one  of  the  clearest  and  most 
humorous  exponents  of  the  policy  which  he  advocated. 
Great  in  arms,  he  was  equally  great  in  the  arts  of  peace; 
and  while  professionally  attached  to  his  duties  as  a  soldier, 
he  had  a  horror  of  war,  and  an  unbounded  appreciation 
of  the  blessings  of  peace. 

Those  who  knew  him  best,  who  had  lived  with  him 
in  barracks  or  camp,  who  shared  with  him  the  dangers  of 
war,  bear  witness  to  his  many  kind  deeds,  and  his  sym- 
pathetic interest  in  others,  of  his  kind-hearted  generosity, 
his  homeliness,  and  general  simplicity  of  heart.     He  was 


200  GENERAL  WAUCHOPE 

indeed  a  typical  Scotsman,  possessing  all  the  best  charac- 
teristics of  a  Scotsman,  with  no  fear  in  his  heart  but  the 
fear  of  God,  or,  as  one  has  described  him — '  A  man  among 
men,  and  a  man  of  God.' 

To  the  people  on  his  estate  he  was  more  than  anything 
else  a  father,  in  his  interest  and  care;  the  active  patron 
of  everything  that  was  worthy,  the  participator  in  all  that 
was  helpful  to  their  life;  the  benefactor  whose  liberal 
hand  supplied  many  a  need,  and  brightened  and  blessed 
many  a  home.  When  the  news  of  his  death  came  from 
South  Africa,  all  ranks  and  classes  united  in  lamenting 
the  fall  of  a  brave  and  a  good  man,  of  one  who  would 
be  much  missed,  of  one  who  could  ill  be  spared.  '  From 
the  Queen  on  the  throne  to  some  of  her  humblest 
subjects,  through  all  ranks  of  statesmen  and  politicians 
of  all  shades  of  opinion,  from  soldiers  and  from  sailors  of 
all  grades,  and  most  affectionately  from  the  rank  and  file 
of  his  own  historic  regiment,  from  newspapers  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  from  neighbours  and 
friends— and  who  were  not  his  friends  who  knew  him? — 
even  from  opponents ;  in  short,  from  all  classes,  the  highest 
and  the  humblest,  came  tributes  of  respect  and  eulogy, 
and  expressions  of  sorrow  over  what  seemed,  at  first 
thought,  his  untimely  end.' 

As  it  has  been  well  said,  'the  simple  record  of  his 
campaigns  and  wounds,  in  the  service  of  Queen  and 
country,  would  alone  be  sufficient  to  confer  greatness  on 
any  man.  His  was  the  truest  greatness,  because  he  was  so 
utterly  unconscious  that  it  was  great;  and  his  extreme 
modesty,  and  almost  diffidence,  .obscured  it  from  the 
merely  superficial  observer.' 

His  was  the  kind  of  life  that  exerted  a  magnetic  charm 
upon  all  with  whom  he  had  dealings.     His  plain  exterior, 


HONOURED   BY   ALL  201 

his  somewhat  awkward  gait  and  habiliments,  more  fre- 
quently marked  by  the  absence  of  fashionable  conven- 
tionality than  by  military  smartness,  were  a  deception  to 
a  stranger.  c  That  the  great  Captain  Wauchope  ! '  said  a 
man  on  the  road  one  day,  when  he  was  pointed  out  to 
him  as  the  hero  of  Tel-el-Kebir — lThat  Captain  Wauchope, 
impossible!  I  thought  that  was  a  labourer!'  Though 
carrying  no  outward  symbol  of  what  was  in  him,  to  his 
friends  he  was  dear.  But  we  do  not  always  gather 
diamonds  on  the  surface.  "Tis  the  mind  that  makes  the 
body  rich.'  He  seemed  best  to  those  who  knew  him 
longest,  for  about  his  actions  there  was  a  sincerity  that 
was  all  the  better  because  it  was  spontaneous  ;  and  behind 
that  bronzed,  ascetic  face  —  said  by  some  to  resemble 
that  of  Cicero  or  Caesar  —  there  was  a  soul  with  the 
courage  of  a  hero  and  the  tenderness  of  a  woman. 

In  a  letter  from  Dr.  Wisely  of  Malta,  we  have  striking 
testimony  in  confirmation  of  this.  ■  Wauchope,'  he  says, 
'in  a  remarkable  manner  fulfilled  the  New  Testament 
injunction  to  "honour  all  men,"  and  this,  I  believe,  was 
the  secret  of  his  being  honoured  by  all,  for  he  was  liked 
and  trusted  by  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  His 
brother  officers  found  in  him  a  friend,  and  so  did  the 
men  in  the  ranks.  If  any  man  had  a  grievance  he  was 
sure  of  getting  a  fair  hearing  from  him.  But  Wauchope 
was  not  easily  taken  in.  I  remember  seeing  him  once 
standing  in  the  street  when  I  was  speaking  to  a  man  of 
his  regiment,  who  had  seen  better  days.  After  the  man 
had  left  me,  he  came  up  and  said,  "  I  was  just  waiting  to 
warn  you,  lest  you  should  be  taken  in  by  that  man.  He 
will  tell  you  plausible  stories  to  get  money  out  of  you, 
but  don't  listen  to  him.  He  is  a  humbug,  and  is  not  to  be 
trusted."     I  found  he  was  right.     But   when  there  was 


202  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

real  distress,  Wauchope  was  ever  ready  to  do  what  he 
could  to  relieve  it,  and  he  did  it  in  the  most  unostentatious 
way.  In  1878,  when  he  went  with  his  regiment  to  Cyprus, 
a  man  in  his  company,  whom  I  knew,  died  of  heat  apoplexy 
on  landing.  Wauchope  immediately  wrote  to  me  and 
enclosed  a  cheque  for  £10,  to  be  given  to  the  man's 
widow  to  help  her,  as  he  said,  to  make  a  fresh  start. 
I  happened  to  mention  this  incident  recently  to  a  lady, 
whose  husband  at  one  time  commanded  the  regiment,  and 
she  said  "it  was  just  like  Wauchope,"  and  that  she  knew  of 
many  similar  cases  where  his  help  was  as  quietly  given. 
On  one  occasion,  when  the  regiment  was  in  Egypt,  he 
presented  a  cheque  for  ^200,  to  be  expended,  he  informed 
me,  for  the  benefit  of  the  women  of  the  regiment,  on  the 
one  sole  condition  that  his  name  should  not  be  mentioned. 
He  had  his  own  way,  however,  of  dispensing  charity,  and 
was  not  afraid  to  refuse  to  subscribe  to  objects  merely 
because  other  people  subscribed  and  thought  he  ought 
to  do  so  too.  He  judged  for  himself.  And  he  did  so, 
not  only  regarding  cases  of  charity,  but  in  whatever  he 
had  to  do  with.  Some  years  ago  we  happened  to  be 
speaking  of  his  tenants  in  Scotland,  and  he  told  me  that 
he  made  a  point  of  occasionally  seeing  each  one  alone, 
without  a  factor  or  any  one  being  present,  and  he  would 
ask  the  tenant  to  speak  frankly  to  him,  and  let  him  know 
of  any  grievance  he  had  to  complain  of.  He  did  not 
promise  to  agree  with  him,  or  to  see  things  in  the  same 
light,  but  he  promised  to  give  the  case  a  fair  hearing,  and 
to  do  his  best  to  remedy  the  grievance,  if  he  was  convinced 
that  there  was  one.' 

It  is  not  difficult  to  discern  that  the  secret  spring 
of  such  a  life  is  to  be  found  not  so  much  in  early 
education,  social  influences,  rank,  ample  means,  or  even 


A   RELIGIOUS   LIFE 


203 


natural  kind-heartedness — though  these  doubtless  had  a 
certain  influence  in  the  formation  of  character — as  in  that 
fervent,  devout  spirit  which  characterised  nearly  all  that 
he  said  or  did — in  short,  from  that  'fear  of  the  Lord  which 
is  the  beginning  of  wisdom.'  Wauchope's  life  was  indeed 
a  deeply  religious  life.  Not  religious  certainly  in  the  con- 
ventional sense  of  the  term,  that  looks  to  the  repetition  of 
favourite  texts  of  Scripture  and  the  recurrence  of  pious  senti- 
ments j  but  in  the  deep-down  utterances  of  a  devout  heart 
that  sought  the  expression  of  his  faith  rather  in  deeds  of 
kindness  and  thoughtful  sympathy.  His  whole  life,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  saturated  with  affection  for  those  in  life's 
path  who  were  bound  to  him  by  kindred  ties,  and  for  whom 
his  quick  eye  saw  his  help  was  needed.  Yet,  let  it  be  said, 
he  shrank  from  no  opportunity  which  presented  itself 
of  making  a  good  confession  before  men,  or  of  giving 
religious  comfort,  or  engaging  in  religious  services,  where 
he  might  be  able  to  do  good.  His  daily  duties,  he  once 
remarked  to  a  company  of  Sabbath-school  boys,  were  largely  ■ 
influenced  by  his  morning  devotions.  The  early  training 
of  a  Scottish  home,  with  a  pious  father's  example,  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  religious  life,  which  after-trouble  and 
affliction  more  fully  developed  into  ripe  conviction,  and 
matured  Christian  faith.  He  believed  in  prayer  and  in 
family  worship,  and  it  was  doubtless  this  that  so  much 
imbued  him  with  strength  and  courage  for  many  a  day  of 
arduous  work  and  patient  pain.  How  else  can  we  explain 
that  trying  period  of  his  life  when  in  Malta,  with  a 
drawn  sword,  as  it  were,  hanging  over  his  head,  and 
only  a  step  between  him  and  death?  There  he  sought 
to  know  of  the  doctrine  whether  it  be  of  God,  and  with 
reverent  fear  put  himself  into  his  Saviour's  hands,  with  the 
desire  to  do  God's  will  in  every  duty  that  fell  to  him.     ' He 


204  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

followed  on  to  know  the  Lord,'  says  Dr.  Wisely  of  Malta, 
'  and  he  came  to  know  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  not  only  as 
a  truth  of  faith,  but  a  truth  of  personal  experience.' 

How  else  can  we  explain  that  impressive  scene  at  the 
grave  in  Cyprus  shortly  afterwards,  when  in  the  absence 
of  the  chaplain  he  stepped  forward,  and  in  the  midst  of 
his  hushed  and  weeping  comrades,  touchingly  performed 
the  last  offices  over  the  dead  ? 

All  through  his  life  it  was  the  same.  Consistent  and 
true,  but  without  affectation,  in  his  relationship  to  God 
and  to  man,  he  sought  to  have  a  conscience  void  of 
offence,  and  to  do  his  duty  as  in  view  of  the  Eternal. 

Fearless  of  death,  and  accustomed  to  meet  it  on  many 
occasions,  he  dreaded  it  the  less  that  he  fully  realised  the 
after-issues.  It  has  been  well  said  that  the  man  who  has 
no  place  for  death  in  his  philosophy  has  not  learned  to 
live.  The  lesson  of  life  is  death.  For  Wauchope,  death 
had  no  terrors,  because  it  had  been  overcome  through 
faith  in  Him  who  has  conquered  death  and  the  grave. 
The  pathos  of  life  was  with  him  no  forced  sentiment,  for  he 
had  often  felt  the  pity  for  suffering  and  bereavement  which 
underlies  all  true  life.  In  his  own  family  and  person  he 
had  experienced  the  loss  of  loved  ones,  and  known  the 
grief  and  disappointments  of  a  bereaved  father.  Such 
experiences  broaden  out  sympathy  and  cause  '  the  primal 
duties  shine  aloft  like  stars.'  In  his  own  parish  of 
Liherton  he  discharged  the  office  of  the  eldership  with 
much  acceptance,  visiting  among  the  parishioners,  and 
officiating  at  the  communion  in  the  parish  church  ;  leading 
a  quiet,  useful,  unobtrusive  life,  doing  good  where  he 
had  opportunity.  On  several  occasions  a  representative 
elder  in  the  highest  court  of  the  Scottish  Church,  he  took 
an   active   part  in   the   work   of  the   General   Assembly. 


AN    ELDER   OF   THE    CHURCH         205 

There  indeed  he  was  a  prominent  figure,  as  he  would 
sometimes  take  his  seat  in  his  military  uniform  fresh  from 
his  duties  as  the  officer  commanding  the  Black  Watch  at 
the  Castle.  The  Church  of  Scotland  had  no  more  true 
and  loyal  son,  and  in  many  ways  he  identified  himself 
with  her  interests,  and  was  always  ready  to  testify  to  the 
value  of  the  national  recognition  of  religion.  He  was  for 
some  time  vice-convener  of  the  Church's  Committee  on 
Temperance,  and  had  be  been  spared  longer,  his  ripe 
judgment,  his  knowledge  of  men,  and  his  own  personal 
experience  would. doubtless  have  been  of  much  service  in 
the  advancement  of  this  important  cause. 

In  1895  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  deputies  by  the 
Assembly  to  represent  the  Church  of  Scotland  at  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church,  which 
met  in  Belfast  in  June  of  that  year.  In  introducing  him 
to  the  Assembly,  the  Rev.  Professor  Todd  Martin,  the 
Moderator,  paid  a  high  tribute  to  his  abilities  as  a  soldier, 
and  spoke  of  the  courage  and  bravery  with  which  he  had 
faced  the  Right  Honourable  W.  E.  Gladstone,  the  greatest 
political  general  of  the  age.  '  Colonel  Wauchope,'  he 
said,  'had  won  for  himself  the  admiration  and  love  of  his 
most  strenuous  opponents.  They  honoured  him,  however, 
specially  because  he  took  his  place  from  year  to  year  as  a 
ruling  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  entered  with 
great  enthusiasm  into  the  maintenance  of  their  Presby- 
terian faith,  to  the  advocacy  of  the  simplicity  of  ritual,  and 
to  the  furtherance  of  temperance  and  every  other  good 
cause  that  was  for  the  salvation  of  the  great  body  of  the 
people.'  Wauchope's  address,  which,  according  to  the 
prints  of  the  day,  was  '  long,  eloquent,  and  deeply  interest- 
ing,' feelingly  referred  at  the  outset  to  his  Irish  connec- 
tion  through   his   mother ;    and   after   pointing   out   the 


o6  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

dingers  surrounding  the  Protestant  population  of  Scotland 
and  Ireland,  and  the  necessity  for  more  united  sympathy 
for  each  other,  he  concluded  as  follows : — ■  I  thank  you, 
Moderator  of  this  vast  Assembly,  for  the  kind  manner  in 
which  you  have  been  pleased  to  receive  me  as  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  I  am  proud,  and  I  cannot  say 
how  proud,  to  be  a  member  of  it.  It  is  also  a  matter  of 
great  thankfulness  to  all  of  us,  especially  to  us  laymen, 
that  now  in  the  Church  of  Scotland  we  have  elders — men 
of  great  transcendent  ability — who  love  their  Church,  and 
work  loyally  as  Christian  men  for  the  furtherance  of  that 
great  Church.' 

He  had  a  high  ideal  of  the  Church's  duty,  and  so  far  at 
least  as  in  him  lay  he  sought  to  take  his  share  of  that 
duty.  In  the  cause  of  temperance  he  had  done  much 
among  his  soldiers,  and  in  the  Assembly  he  was  ever  the 
eloquent  advocate  of  its  claims  upon  the  attention  of  the 
Church. 

To  one  like  him,  more  accustomed  to  the  political  plat- 
form and  the  style  of  address  there  required  than  to  the 
ecclesiastical  forms  of  the  Church,  it  was  natural  he  should 
sometimes  forget  the  ceremonial  style  peculiar  to  the 
General  Assembly.  On  one  occasion  he  rose  to  second 
a  motion,  and  inadvertently  addressed  the  venerable 
Assembly  not  as  '  Fathers  and  Brethren,'  but  as  '  Gentle- 
men,' which  immediately  caused  a  titter  to  pass  over  the 
House.  He  at  once  became  conscious  of  his  mistake, 
and  turning  to  the  chair,  said,  ■  Moderator,  I  am  no 
theologian,  nor  am  I  an  ecclesiastic;  I  am  a  soldier;  I 
second  the  motion.'  The  brevity  and  pointed  nature  of 
this  short  speech  drew  out  an  appreciative  cheer,  and  the 
motion  was  carried  nem.  con. 

Though  loving  and  serving  his  own  Church  faithfully 


A   CHRISTIAN   GENTLEMAN  207 

and  well,  General  Wauchope  was  no  sectarian.  He  had 
seen  too  much  of  the  world  not  to  take  a  wide  view 
of  the  brotherhood  of  Christianity.  As  the  different 
regiments  of  one  army  serving  a  common  cause,  he 
viewed  the  various  sections  of  the  Church  of  Christ — 
whether  Roman  Catholic  or  Protestant,  whether  Estab- 
lished Church  or  Nonconformist,  whether  Episcopal  or 
Presbyterian — as  all  members  one  with  another  of  the 
great  army  of  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  one 
Captain  and  Head.  He  could,  and  often  did,  extend  a 
helping  hand  to  one  and  all  as  he  had  opportunity. 
'  Wherever  I  am  wanted,  I  shall  be  there,  straight,'  was 
his  prompt  and  witty  reply  once  to  a  'heckler'  at  one 
of  his  political  meetings,  when  asked  how  it  was  possible 
for  him  to  serve  both  in  Parliament  and  in  the  army. 
The  same  answer  might  have  been  given  as  to  church 
and  philanthropic  demands  made  upon  his  sympathy. 
'Wherever  he  was  wanted'  to  advance  any  good  object, 
he  was  ready  to  be  '  there,  straight.' 

The  spontaneous  references  made  after  his  death  from 
nearly  every  pulpit  in  Midlothian,  and  in  various  churches 
in  England  and  Scotland — too  numerous  to  quote — and 
the  more  formal  deliverance  of  the  General  Assembly  in 
May  1900,  all  bear  testimony  to  the  nation's  grief  over  the 
loss  of  one  who  could  ill  be  spared.  These  expressions 
may  be  found  fittingly  summarised  in  the  words  of  one 
who  knew  the  General  well,  and  who  was  accustomed  to 
experience  his  influence  in  his  own  parish  of  Liberton 
The  Rev.  George  Dodds,  of  the  Free  Church  there,  in 
concluding  a  memorial  service  in  his  church,  and  taking 
as  his  text  2  Samuel  i.  25 — '  How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in 
the  midst  of  the  battle !  O  Jonathan,  slain  in  thine  high 
places,'  spoke  as  follows: — 'Nothing  which  has  hitherto 


208  GENERAL   WAUCHOPE 

occurred,'  he  said,  'and  perhaps  no  casualty  which  can 
yet  happen,  could  to  any  greater  extent  quicken  our 
imagination  to  realise  the  horrors  of  war,  and  the  desperate 
work  these  brave  men  face  who  fight  our  battles.  The 
people  of  this  parish  will  always  remember  the  battle  of 
Magersfontein  as  that  which  deprived  them  of  one  of 
whom  they  were  more  than  proud.  General  Wauchope 
was  a  man  whom  everyone  loved,  and  it  was  little  wonder. 
Anything  else  was  impossible.  A  man  so  real,  with  no 
vestige  of  the  a<  tor  about  him ;  so  free  from  narrowness 
both  in  church  and  political  creed;  so  generous  as  a 
patron,  so  philanthropic  as  a  gentleman  among  his  people; 
so  honourable  as  a  public  man,  so  brotherly  as  a  neighbour 
— when  shall  we  look  upon  his  like  again  ?  .  .  .  Liberton 
parish  knows  what  the  army  and  the  empire  have  lost,  but 
our  loss  is  one  of  those  sacred  things  with  which  no  out- 
sider can  intermeddle.  .  .  Much  which  I  could  tell 
of  him  makes  me  know  with  undying  conviction  that 
Andrew  Gilbert  Wauchope  of  Niddrie  was  one  of  the 
finest  Christian  gentlemen  one  could  find  in  a  lifetime.' 

'  Soldier,  rest !  thy  warfare  o'er, 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  no  breaking  ; 
Dream  of  battlefields  no  more, 

Days  of  danger,  nights  of  waking. 
No  rude  sound  shall  reach  thine  ear  ; 

Armour's  clang,  or  war-steed  champing ; 
Trump  nor  pibroch  summon  here, 

Mustering  clan  or  squadron  tramping.' 


INDEX 


Abu-Hammed,  147. 

Albert,  Prince,  32. 

Aldershot,  38,  75. 

Alexandria,  73,  74,  90,  106. 

Alfred,  Prince,  Duke  of  Edinburgh.  32, 

33,  34.  107. 
Alison,  Sir  Archibald,  76. 
Arabi  Pasha,  73,  79,  163. 
Ashanti,  39,  46,  49. 
Assouan,  93,  105. 
Atbara  River,  148,  151,  155. 

Babington,  Major-General,  187. 

Baird,  Sir  David,  21. 

- —  Sir  James  Gardiner,  47. 

Robert,  21. 

of  Newbyth,  William,  21. 

Balfour,  Dr.  Andrew,  135,  163. 

Ballater,  i4r. 

Balmoral,  33. 

Bayly,  Colonel  R.  K.,  11,  39,  75,  92,  99, 

105,  107,  180. 
Belfast,  120,  205. 
Benson,  Major,  185,  186. 
Berber,  149,  152. 
Beresford,  Lord  Charles,  n,  30. 
Bermuda,  33. 

Biddulph,  Sir  Robert,  59,  66,  92,  129. 
Black  Watch,  36,  40,  75,  84,  86,  92,  99, 

105,  123,  131,  140,  144,  163,  179,  181, 

183,  196. 
Britannia,  H.M.S.,  30. 
Buccleuch,  Duke  of,  109,  127. 
Buller,  Sir  Redvers,  41,  42,  90,  101. 

Cairo,  74,  78,  80,  84,  86,  90,  105. 

Cambo,  82,  87,  88. 

Cameron  Highlanders,  149, 150,  151,  152. 


Cameron,  Sir  Daniel,  132. 
Cape  Colony,  21,  71,  178,  182,  193. 
Chamberlain,  Right  Hon.  Joseph,  172. 
Charles  Edward,  20. 

1.,  19,  20. 

11.,  20. 

Christie,  Captain,  37. 

Church  of  Scotland,  124,  161,  199,  204, 

206. 
Colville,  Sir  Henry,  187. 
Convention  of  Estates,  20. 
Cox,  Robert,  M.P.,  166. 
Craigmillar,  17,  26. 
Cyprus,  58,  67,  75,  92,  202. 

Dalrymple,  Sir  Charles,  109,  113,  124, 

126,  137,  138, 157. 
Devonport,  38. 

Dewar,  Mr.  Arthur,  166,  167,  169,  170. 
Dodds,  Rev.  George,  135,  207. 
Douglas,  Earls  of,  14. 
Downman,  Colonel,  179,  188,  197. 
Duff,  Major  A.  G.,  11,  59,  63,  79,  18 1. 
Dufferin,  Marquis  of,  164. 
Dundee,  Viscount,  20. 

Earle,  Major-General,  99,  100. 

Ed-Damer,  148. 

Edinburgh,  38,  75,  133,  140,  142,  196. 

Duke  of.     See  Alfred,  Prince. 

University,  164. 

South,  Election,  166,  170. 

Egan,  Charlie,  135. 

Egerton,  Hon.  Francis,  32. 

Egypt,   72,   75,  76,  81,  84,  89,  94,  147. 

202. 
Elliot,  Admiral,  22. 
Erskine,  Sir  Thomas,  82. 


2IO 


INDEX 


Foster's  School,  Gosport,  29. 

Gatacre,  Major-General,  150,  154,  156, 

159,  161,  i8j. 
Gibraltar,  11,  75,  107,  lit,  114,  120. 
Giflford,  Lord,  42. 
Gironard,  Lieutenant,  14S. 
Gladstone,  Right  Hon.  W.  E.,  70,  109- 

129,  166,168,  205. 
Gordon,  General,  89,  93,  98,  iox,  146. 
Gordon  Highlanders,  179,  183,  188,  190. 
Gregor,  Clan,  18. 
Grant,  Professor  Sir  Ludovic,  164. 
Guards'  Brigade,  187,  189,  191. 

Halifax,  32. 

Harley,  Colonel,  39. 

Hamley,  Sir  E.,  80. 

Highland  Brigade,  9,  76,  185,   188,  193, 

194,  198. 
Holyroodhouse,  i*>,  19,  34. 
Hopetoun,  Earl  of,  24,  196. 
Hughes-Hallett,  Lieut.-Col.,  186,  188. 
Hunter,  General,  149,  150,  154. 
Hythe,  38. 

Ireland,  Rev.  Robert  H.,  52. 

James  v.,  16. 
vi.,  18. 

Kass-el-Nil  Barkacks,  81,  85. 

Keith  Lords  Marischal,  14. 

Khalifa  Abdullahi,  146. 

Khartoum,  92,  98,  iox,  146, 147, 152, 158. 

King  KoiTee,  43. 

Kitchener,  Lord,  102,  144,  147,  159. 

Kimberley,  178,  183,  184. 

Kirbekan,  battle  of,  99. 

Knox,  John,  17. 

Kruger,  President,  173,  174,  181. 

Kumasi,  45. 

Ladysmith,  178. 
Lauderdale,  Duke  of,  20. 
Liberton,  135,  162,  179. 
Limerick  Barracks,  129,  131. 
Lloyd,  Henry,  23. 
Lochtour,  20. 
Logan,  Hon.  J.  D.,  193. 


185,  189, 


campaign,    109,    113,    121, 


Macdonald,  General,  149,  150,  154, 

159,  160,  195. 
M'Gaw,  Sergeant,  61. 

M'Leod,  Sir  John  C,  n,  36,  42,  44,  56, 

M'Neil,  Sir  John,  41. 

Mactaggart,  Rev.  John,  12,  86,  95,  xoo, 

103. 
Mafeking,  178. 
Magersfontein,  184,  192,  208. 
Matjesfontein,  193. 
Malcolm  Caenmore,  14. 
Mahdi,  89,  92,  101,  105,  146,  153. 
Mahmoud,  149. 
Majuba  Hill,  70,  172. 
Malta,  53,  106,  203. 
Martin,  Professor  Todd,  205. 

Robert,  128,  180. 

Maryhill,  75,  107,  131,  133. 
Methuen,  Lord,  178,  182,  183, 

193,  198. 
Midlothian 

123,  126. 
Miller,  Hugh,  22. 
Modder  River,  182,  184,  192. 
Muir,  Sir  William,  134,  164. 

Natal,  177,  178,  180,  182. 

New  Craighall,  113,  134,  137,  x39,  i57, 

162,  179. 

Niddrie  Marischal,  13,  19,  81,  133,  157, 

160,  163,  167. 

Niddrie,  25,  34,  87,  134,  136,  157,  x6o, 

163,  178. 

Nile  Expeditions,  95,  97,  99,  103,   105, 
146,  152,  156. 

Omdurman,  146,  152,  153,  i55,  160. 
Orange  Free  State,  177,  182. 
Osman  Digna,  148. 

Paiiio,  Cyprus,  59. 
Parker,  F.  H.,  60. 
Pinkney,  Sergeant,  79,  80. 
Pope  Paul  ill.,  15,  16. 
Portobello,  26,  46,  162. 
Presbyterian  Church,  103,  143,  155. 

'  Red  Mick,'  36,  142. 
Rennie,  Captain,  181,  194. 
Restalrig,  church  of,  16. 


INDEX 


211 


Roberts,  Sir  F.,  or  Lord,  172. 
Robertson,  Rev.  J.,  191,  193.  J94> 
Rosebery,  Lord,  125. 
Rossyth,  19. 

Salisbury,    Lord,   67,    no,    123, 

168. 
Sandilands,  Sir  James,  19. 
St.  George,  H.M.S.,  31,  33.  35.  i°7- 
St.  Andrews,  82. 
Seaforth    Highlanders,    152,    179, 

188. 
Selborne,  Lord,  174. 
Seymour,  Sir  Beauchamp,  73,  74- 
Shepstone,  Sir  Theophilus,  70. 
Stirling  Castle,  36. 
Stirling,  Rev.  Alexander,  12,  T43. 
Soudan,  the,  89,  92,  146. 
South  Africa,  68,  173, 199- 
Spotiiswood,  18. 
Steyn,  President,  181. 
Suakim,  146. 
Suez  Canal,  72,  75,  76. 
Sussex  Manoeuvres,  141. 
Sutherland  Highlanders,  106. 
Symons,  General,  180. 

Tel-el-Kebik,  74.  76,  78,  iiSj  H7 
Transvaal,  68,  168,  172,  177- 
Trent,  Council  of,  15. 
Trinkitat,  90. 


UlTLANDER  GRIEVANCES,  173,  175.  *77- 

Ventry,  Lord  and  Lady,  24,  47,  196. 

Wady  Halfa,  94,  105,  147,  148. 
Wallace,  Sir  William,  23. 
Ware,  Sir  James,  15. 
Wauchope,  Andrew,  21,  22,  34. 

Sir  Francis,  19. 

George,  17. 

Gilbert,  16,  17. 

James,  23. 

Robert,  Archbishop,  14. 

Thomas,  14. 

William,  21,  22. 

Major  William,  53,  81. 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  79. 
Windsor,  161. 

Wisely,  Dr.  George,  12,  55,  65,  106. 
Wood,  Sir  Evelyn,  41,  172. 
Wood,  Provost,  Portobel'o,  47. 
Worksop,  school  at,  29. 
Wolseley,  Sir  G.,  or  Lord,  40,  46,  59, 
76,  90,  92,  98,  101,  104,  164,  166,  201. 

Yetholm,  20,  25,  137,  158. 
York,  Cardinal,  20. 
York,  city,  140,  141,  144. 

ZAGAZIG,  76,  79,  3o. 


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21   PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,   LONDON,  E.C. 


Crown  8vo,  Decorated  Cloth  Cover,  Price  3s.  6d. 


"Great  Books  as  Life-Teachers." 

By    NEWELL    DWIGHT    HILLIS, 

Author  of  "The  Investment  of  Influence," 
"A  Man's  Value  to  Society,"  etc. 


"The  papers  are  thoughtful  and  stimulating,  and  cannot  but  prove  interesting 
to  those  who  like  to  observe  the  higher  effects  of  literature." — Scotsman. 

"  In  a  dozen  carefully  elaborated  articles  Mr.  Hillis  presents  to  his  public  his 
well-known  views  on  the  tremendous  importance  of  character,  and  the  vast 
influence  that  great  books  may  have  on  the  development  of  that  valuable  human 
possession.  .  .  .  Full  of  that  enthusiasm  which  compels  the  reader  to  give 
him  a  willing  hearing." — North  British  Daily  Mail. 

"The  book  belongs  to  a  high  altitude,  and  takes  the  reader  away  from  the 
hum-drum  levels  that  many  thinkers  trudge  along  without  helping  themselves 
or  others."— Dundee  Advertiser. 

"The  volume  is  a  stimulating  one,  the  author  approaches  his  subject  with 
a  healthy  glow  and  fervour." — Evening  News. 

"Dr.  Hillis  has  lately  become  widely  known  through  his  act  of  severance 
from  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  America.  To  many,  however,  even  in  this 
country,  he  was  already  known  through  his  young  men's  books.  For  whatever 
else  he  has,  he  has  the  understanding  and  the  sympathy  that  are  needed  to  reach 
young  men.  In  this  latest  book  he  uses  some  masterpieces  of  literature  as  the 
channels  of  great  life  lessons.  He  has  no  hesitation  in  reading  these  lessons 
plain.  If  they  are  not  writ  on  the  face  of  the  original,  then  Dr.  Hillis  gathers 
them  out  of  the  heart  of  the  same  and  lays  them  bare,  that  he  may  run  who 
reads."— Expository  Times. 

"We  commend  the  volume  for  its  thoroughness  and  directness,  and  he  who 
reads  it  will  not  refuse  it  a  place  among  his  choice  books." — Teacher's  Aid. 

"  The  book  is  throughout  interesting  and  impressive.  Mr.  Dwight  Hillis 
manifests  a  fine  appreciation  of  the  ethical  and  spiritual  significance  of  the 
books  and  lives  he  treats  of,  and  writes  with  a  chaste  and  nervous  eloquence 
born  of  culture  and  conviction." — Daily  Free  Press. 

"Mr.  Hillis  has  shown  much  taste  and  refined  thought  in  his  addresses." — 
Morning  Leader. 

"This  fresh,  'live,'  timely,  and  suggestive  book." — Great  Thoughts. 

"The  book  is  one  of  those  that  whet  the  reader's  appetite  for  great  books." 
— Birmingham  Daily  Post. 

"Wholesome  and  edifying." — Glasgow  Herald. 

"  While  all  the  papers  are  good  reading  as  essays  in  biography  and  morals,  at 
least  three  deserve  praise  as  excellent  pieces  of  literary  criticism  and  analysis. 
These  are  the  studies  of  '  Romola,'  '  Les  Miserables,'  and  the  '  Scarlet  Letter.' " 
—Pilot. 

"  In  each  chapter  the  subject  is  warmed  by  a  glowing  sympathy  and  lighted 
up  by  happy  metaphor  and  illustration.  We  have  nothing  but  praise  for  the 
book.  The  traditions  of  Plymouth  Church  are  great.  They  will  be  sus- 
tained by  Dr.  Hillis."—  Literary  World. 


OLIPHANT,    ANDERSON    &    FERRIER, 

30  ST.  MARY  STREET,  EDINBURGH ; 

21  PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,  LONDON,  E.C. 


>ost  8vo,  Antique  Paper,  Cloth  Extra, 
Price  2s.  6d. 


"  Week- Day    Religion!' 


By  J.  R.  MILLER,  D.D. 


"The  tone  is  earnest  and  persuasive,  the  style  bright 
and  popular,  and  the  book  such  that  it  cannot  fail  to 
influence  for  good.  The  ethics  of  home  and  business 
life,  of  friendship,  of  marriage,  and  the  moral  aspects 
of  literature,  art,  and  amusement,  are  treated  in  a 
highly  attractive  and  practical  fashion." — Dundee 
Advertiser. 

"Those  who  are  seeking  some  real  help  in  the  effort 
to  bring  their  religion  into  direct  relation  to  their  toil, 
temptation,  and  care,  should  inquire  for  this  volume." — 
Scottish  Congregationalist. 

"  No  one  can  read  this  wholesome  and  elevating  book 
without  spiritual  profit." — Youth. 

"Sound  and  scriptural,  bright,  wholesome,  and 
attractive. " — Presbyterian   Witness. 

"  A  volume  of  short  pithy  papers,  animated  by  a  fine 
spirit  of  elevated,  yet  practical,  Christian  piety,  and 
designed  to  show  '  how  doctrine  should  become  life.'" 
—  United  Presbyterian  Magazine. 

"Contains  many  eloquent,  earnest  words  of  inspir- 
ation and  com  Tort  that  will  appeal  to  old  and  young 
alike. " — Daily  Free  Press. 

"An  excellent  book  for  young  people." — Christian 
Guardian. 

"The  book  consists  of  no  less  than  thirty-two  short 
chapters,  which  are  packed  full  of  good  advice,  tenderly 
though  pithily  given,  and  any  anxious  young  man  who 
wants  to  make  the  best  of  life,  and  realise  his  mission 
in  the  world,  will  here  find  many  helpful  suggestions 
from  one  who  has  gone  the  way  before  him,  and  whose 
ripe  experience  qualifies  him  for  showing  younger 
brothers  'the  more  excellent  way.'" — Young  Men's 
Christian  Magazine. 


OLIPHANT    ANDERSON    &    FERRIER, 

30  ST.  MARY  STREET,  EDINBURGH ; 

21  PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,  LONDON,  E.C. 


Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  gilt  edges,  price  2s.  6d. 


"  Successward" 

A    Young  Man's  Book  to   Young  Men. 

By  Edward  W.  Bok. 


"A  capital  guide-book  to  life,  and  full  of  shrewd 
common-sense. " — Scots  Magazine. 

"Made  up  of  a  set  of  earnest  practical  discourses  upon 
the  conduct  of  life,  which  are  all  the  more  readable,  and 
likely  to  prove  all  the  more  effective,  because  they  are 
written  without  that  didactic  tone  and  moral  or  religious 
appeal  so  common  in  this  class  of  book." — Scots/nan. 

"Short,  practical,  and  pithy  essays  for  young  men." — 
Aberdeen  Journal. 

"This  is  a  fresh  and  vigorously  written  book,  setting 
forth,  in  a  very  outspoken,  yet  winning  manner,  many 
important  truths  and  much  salutary  advice  as  to  how  the 
young  are  to  discriminate  between  what  is  real  and  what 
is  unreal." — Brechin  Advertiser. 

"Writing,  as  he  says,  from  the  very  (hick  of  the  fight, 
Mr.  Bok  gives  much  advice  of  an  encouraging  kind  to 
young  men  just  entering  upon  the  battle  of  life." — Daily 
News. 

"The  little  volume  should  be  read  not  only  by  every 
youth  but  by  all  who  would  possess  an  adequate  concep- 
tion of  the  proportions  and  possibilities  of  life." — Dundee 
Advei  tiser. 

"The  book  should  be  productive  of  great  good  among 
the  class  for  whom  it  is  intended." — Hawick  Advertiser. 

"An  eminently  healthy,  manly,  and  sensible  series  of 
chapters  bearing  upon  the  vital  principles  of  right  living, 
real  happiness,  and  true  succe.-s  in  life." — Kilmarnock 
Standard. 

"It  is  written  in  an  animated  st\le,  is  full  of  sound 
advice,  and  is  most  stimulating." — North  British  Daily 
Mail. 


OLIPHANT,  ANDERSON  &  FERRIER, 

ST   MARY   STREET,   EDINBURGH; 
21    PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,  LONDON,  E.C. 


Large  Crown  8vo,  Cloth  Extra,  Price  3s.  6& 

"  Sprays  of  Northern  Pine!' 

By  Fergus  Mackenzie, 

Author  of  "Cruisie  Sketches." 

"Asa  literary  artist — one  whose  pictures  are  traced  with  marvellcor 
fidelity,  whose  work  is  characterised  by  refreshing  simplicity  on 
style  and  an  entire  absence  of  any  straining  after  effect—  Fergus 
Mackenzie  has  no  compeer  in  the  whole  range  of  modern  delineator? 
of  Scottish  peasant  life  and  character.  .  .  .  The  opening  sketch, 
entitled  'The  Last  Sheaf,'  is  one  of  the  grandest  idylls  of  the 
'  hairst  field'  ever  given  to  the  world." — Kirriemuir  Observer. 

"  For  tender  pathos,  quiet  humour,  skill  in  portraiture,  and  true 
to  nature  delineations  of  humble  life,  he  has  no  living  equal.  The 
pure,  unadulterated  nature,  too,  of  his  Doric  adds  piquancy  to  the 
various  sketches." — Brechin  Advertiser. 

"  The  sketches  bring  out  the  poetry  underlying  the  sordid  pros:: 
of  Scottish  peasant  life.  They  illustrate  that  life  in  all  its  serious- 
ness, its  sombreness,  its  thrift,  its  unconscious  pawky  humour,  if 
innate  piety,  with  photographic  fidelity,  yet  with  the  artistic  touch 
of  imagination  and  delicate  tenderness." — Dundee  Advertiser. 

"  Mr.  Fergus  Mackenzie  provides  an  exceedingly  readable  series 
of  sketches  of  Scottish  village  life.  Glenbruar,  the  scene  of  most  oi 
the  sketches,  lies  within  sight  of  the  Grampians.  Of  its  inhabitants, 
Mr.  Mackenzie,  with  sympathetic  pen,  narrates  tales,  sometimes  sad 
and  sometimes  laughable,  but  all  in  their  way  thoroughly  interesting. 
There  is  a  refreshing  individuality  about  the  stories  which  charms 
the  reader." — Scotsman. 

"  It  is  not  because  of  scene  that  the  stories  are  so  richly  enjoyable,— 
indeed,  there  is  no  waste  of  landscape  description  in  the  book,— but 
their  intrinsic  truthfulness  to  fact  and  pathos ;  there  is  wealth  of 
humour,  human  sympathy,  clear  insight  into  character,  and  a  power 
of  story  telling  in  this  book." — Kilmarnock  Herald. 

"  In  every  tale  or  sketch  there  is  freshness  and  variety  ;  there  is 
rare  skill  in  portraiture ;  there  is  a  fine  sympathy  and  insight  into 
human  nature  ;  and  every  sentiment  rings  true.  Furthermore— and 
this  is  very  unusual  in  books  of  the  kind — all  the  sketches  are  of 
high  quality ;  there  is  not  one  that  would  have  been  better  omitted." 
—  Weekly  Scotsman. 

"•Sprays  of  Northern  Pine'  is  one  book  in  a  crowd,  but  itr 
superlative  merit  cannot  remain  long  hid.  There  is  talent  here  above 
the  average.  Fergus  Mackenzie  can  penetrate  into  the  inner  mean- 
ing of  men  and  things ;  he  can  produce  characteristic  and  striking 
portraits,  and  with  equal  felicity  paint  the  world  in  which  they  mov«>. 
Humour  and  pathos  alternate  like  the  shine  and  showers  of  an  AprP 
day;  the  fountains  of  laughter  and  tears  are  never  far  apart."-- 
Perthshire  Courier. 

"  Fergus  Mackenzie's  style  is  distinctly  his  own,  and  there  is  a 
truthfulness  and  a  sobriety  of  tone  in  all  these  sketches  that  bring* 
an  air  of  reality  into  them." — Booksellers'  Review. 

"  The  stories  are  short,  realistic,  and  faithful  sketches  of  Scottish 
rural  life  and  character.  The  author's  grip  and  sympathy  indicai  J 
that  he  has  felt  and  realised  the  higher  and  more  beautiful  side  of  a 
life  that  is  apt  to  be  commonplace  and  meagre.  His  pathos  is  reallj 
touching,  and  his  humour  spontaneous  and  genuine.  .  .  .  These; 
fresh  and  wholesome  stories  glisten  with  many  a  gem  of  humats 
nature,  and  beat  with  the  kindly  pulse  of  charity  and  affection  "— 
Leeds  Mercury.  

EDINBURGH  AND  LONDON      : 
OLIPHANT,    ANDERSON    &    FERRIER, 

AND   ALL    BOOKSFLLF.RS. 


Crown  8vo,  Cloth  Extra,  with  Maps,  and  Twenty-two 
Illustrations,  Price  3s.  6d. 


"A    Life  for   Africa!' 

A  Biography  of  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Good,  Ph.D.,  Missionary  in 
Equatorial  Central  Africa. 

By   HELEN    C.    PARSONS,    M.A. 

"The  story  of  Dr.  Good's  noble,  self-sacrificing  labours  is  a  stimulating  narrative, 
full  of  interest.  ' — Christian  Age. 

"  Miss  Parsons  has  been  judicious  in  her  selection  and  arrangement  of  materials, 
and  writes  in  a  sympathetic  style.  Besides  portraits  and  other  illustrations,  the  volume 
contains  two  maps — one  of  them  drawn  by  Dr.  Good  himself,  and  described  here  as  '  the 
first  accurate  map  of  the  Bulu  district  ever  made.'" — Glasgow  Herald. 

"The  author  has  done  her  work  well,  and  has  produced  a  missionary  biography 
worthy  to  rank  among  the  classics  in  this  field.  The  illustrations,  of  which  there  ai  e 
many,  are  superb  reproductions  of  photographs."— Methodist  R ecorder. 

"One  of  the  higher  class  of  books  on  missions.  Miss  Parsons  has  performed  her 
editorial  task  in  good  style,  and  the  book  is  altogether  one  of  the  most  attractive  and 
instructive  ever  issued  from  the  missionary  press." — Christian  Commonwealth. 

"This  record  of  the  self-denying  labours  of  a  young  American  Presbyterian 
missionary  in  Equatorial  West  Africa  gives  a  vivid  picture  of  dangers  and  difficulties 
cheerfully  encountered  and  overcome,  and  of  a  life  readily  yielded  up  in  the  cause  of 
religion  and  humanity." — Independent. 

"Apart  from  the  interest  attaching  to  the  modestly  told  story  of  Dr.  Good's  work 
as  a  pioneer  missionary  among  the  '  wild  Bulu '  people,  the  volume  affords  a  suggestive 
commentary  on  the  aggressive  policy  of  the  French  in  West  Africa." — Scotsman. 

"  A  short  comprehensible  biography.  Not  a  needless  word  has  strayed  into  it.  From 
beginning  to  end  it  can  be  read  with  pleasure,  and  it  leaves  a  picture  that  will  not  fade 
away.  There  is  some  valuable  scientific  work,  there  is  more,  and  far  more  valuable, 
spiritual  impulse.  But  its  most  useful  service  just  at  present  will  be  to  furnish  a 
description  of  the  actual  condition  of  the  tribes  that  dwell  along  the  banks  of  the 
Gtboon  and  Ogowe  rivers,  so  that  the  most  unsympathetic  listener  may  see  the 
necessity  for  sending  them  the  story  of  the  Cross." — Expository  Times. 

"The  life  which  Miss  Parsons  has  written  of  him,  gives  a  full  and  most  interesting 
account  of  his  labours,  and  will  commend  the  noble  work  in  which  he  sacrificed  himself. 
In  geography,  zoology,  and  anthropology  the  volume  also  contains  some  valuable 
contributions." — North  British  Daily  Mail. 

"Dr.  Good's  missionary  labours  in  that  deadly  climate,  from  his  arrival  until  his 
death  in  1894,  which  took  place  in  Bululand  from  malarial  fever,  are  graphically  and 
sympathetically  detailed  by  Miss  Parsons,  who  has  performed  her  task  well.  The 
descriptions  of  the  scenery  along  the  banks  of  silent  rivers,  and  through  pathless  forests 
and  swamps  infested  by  deally  snakes  and  troublesome  vermin,  and  poisonous  with 
fever  and  malaria,  taken  partly  from  the  intrepid  missionary's  diary,  is  interesting 
reading  in  these  days,  when  the  great  continent  in  all  its  length  and  breadth  is  so  much 
in  the  thoughts  of  all  of  us  ;  and  the  shrewd  descriptions  of  the  habits,  superstitions,  and 
characteristics  of  the  natives  is  equally  interesting  while  at  the  same  time  instructive  in 
the  highest  degree.  "—Daily  Free  Press. 

"An  intensely  interesting  record  of  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Good's  twelve  years'  work  in 
Equatorial  West  Africa." — Methodist  Times. 

"Of  all  the  noble  lives  that  have  been  laid  down  for  Africa,  this  was  one  of  the 
most  strenuous  and  devoted.  Nothing  but  an  iron  constitution  could  have  stood  for 
twelve  years  the  incessant  strain,  worry,  exposure,  and  hardship  that  Dr.  Good 
endured.  Dr.  Good  made  a  careful  study  of  the  native  ideas  of  God,  fables  and  jungle 
stories,  proverbs,  etc.,  and  the  results  are  most  valuable."  —  London  Missionary 
Chronicle.  

OLIPHANT,    ANDERSON    &    FERRIER, 

ST.  MARY   STREET,    EDINBURGH; 

21    PATERNOSTER   SQUARE,    LONDON,    E.C. 


INDIA. 


Post  8vo,  Cloth  Extra,  with  Portrait  and  Seven  Illustrations, 
Price  3s.  6d. 


11  In  the  Tiger  Jungle." 

By   Rev.  JACOB  CHAMBERLAIN,   M.D.,   D.D. 

' '  A  capital  collection  of  stories  and  sketches  of  mission  work  among  the 
Telugus  of  South  India." — British  Weekly. 

"Dr.  Chamberlain . has  given  us  here  a  fascinating  volume,  calculated  to 
create  and  sustain  a  deep  interest  in  missionary  labours.  It  is  worthy  of  a 
place  in  every  Sunday  school  library." — Birmingham  S.S.  Record. 

"There  is  a  romance  about  many  of  these  stories  which  will  appeal 
particularly  to  young  people  ;  but  the  missionary  aspect  is  never  lost  sight  of, 
and  the  volume  is  well  calculated  to  win  many  new  friends,  and  perhaps 
volunteers,  for  the  foreign  field.     The  illustrations  are  good." — Record. 

"  It  is  beautified  by  eight  full-page  illustrations,  and  an  admirable  photograph 
of  the  author.  We  heartily  commend  it  as  a  bright  and  breezy  volume,  rich 
in  stirring  incident  and  thrilling  narrative." — Sword  and  Trowel. 

"  The  author  is  possessed  of  a  facile  pen,  and  his  pictures  of  life  and  work 
among  the  villages  are  interesting  and  at  times  vividly  realistic.  They  bear 
testimony  to  the  resource  of  the  author  amid  difficult  and  dangerous  circum- 
stances, and  to  the  unfailing  enthusiasm  that  has  sustained  him  in  his  efforts 
for  the  Christianisation  of  the  people  of  India." — Daily  Free  Press. 

"A  bright  and  entertaining  narrative,  brimful  of  stirring  incidents.  We 
most  cordially  commend  the  volume  as  entertaining  and  highly  instructive." — 
Stirling  Observer, 

"  'In  the  Tiger  Jungle'  is  worth  reading  by  everyone  interested  in  India, 
whether  from  a  commercial  or  religious  point  of  view." — Dundee  Advertiser. 

"  There  are  records  of  thrilling  adventure  and  uphill  work,  while  the  large- 
heartedness  and  hopefulness  of  the  book  give  it  a  special  charm." — East  and 
West. 


OLIPHANT,    ANDERSON    &    FERRIER, 

ST.  MARY  STREET,  EDINBURGH  ; 

21  PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,  LONDON,  E.C. 


FORMOSA. 

Popular  Edition,  La.  Crown  8vo,  Art  Canvas,  with  Four  Maps 
and  Sixteen  Illustrations,  Price  5s. 


"From  Far  Formosa!' 

By  GEORGE    LESLIE    MACKAY,  D.D. 

"We  have  made  a  discovery.  And  lest  anyone  should  snatch  it,  let  us  hasten  to 
make  k  known.  We  have  discovered  a  great  explorer,  a  devoted  missionary,  and  a 
charming  writer,  and  these  three  are  one.  His  name  is  George  Leslie  Mackay." — 
Expository  Times. 

"  Bids  fair  to  equal  in  fame  and  interest  that  of  his  namesake  in  Uganda,  or  of  1'aton 
in  the  South  Seas." — Scotsman. 

"Most  opportune  is  the  appearance  of  this  handsome  volume,  rich  with  the  spoils  of 
the  traveller,  scientific  observer,  missionary,  and  hero."— Critic  (New  York). 

"One   of  the   most    interesting  hooks  on   missions  we  have  ever  come  across.  .  . 
A  thoroughly  interesting  and  valuable  book." — Glasgow  Herald. 

"  If  one  were  called  upon  to  select  from  all   missionary  literature  three  of  the  most 
fascinating  stories  of  modern  missions,  he  could  hardly  choose  any  of  more  romantic  and 
heroic  interest  than  the  career  of  John  Williams  in  the  South  Seas,  of  Robert  W. 
in  France,  and  of  George  L.  Mackay  in  Formosa,  each  of  which  covers  about  twenty-two 
years." — Missionary  Review  of  the  World. 

"  His  story  is  one  of  the  most  romantic." — Aberdeen  Free  Pi 

"A  truly  wonderful  book.  .  .  .  There  is  nothing  of  the  tourist  critic's  self-assertive, 
scrappy  style  ;  indeed,  one  can  only  realise  the  marvellous  modesty  of  such  a  beneficent, 
successful,  and  influential  worker  as  Dr.  Mackay,  by  taking  it  for  granted  that  he  lives 
and  labours  under  a  strong  sense  of  vivid  nearness  to  God."— Illustrated  Missionary 
News. 

The  accumulative  experience  of  a  keen  observer  like  the  author,  a  man  who  has 
nt  nearly  twenty-five  years  in  Formosa,  ought  to  count  for  something  at  home,  and 
when  he  says  that  all  of  it  points  to  the  one  great  conclusion,  the  training  of  native 


spent  nearly  twenty-five  years  in  Formosa,  ought  to  count  for  something  at  home,  and 

if  it  points  to  the  one  gr< 
missionaries  for  native  work,  home  authorities  should  take  the  proposition  seriously  to 


heart."— North  British  Daily  Mail. 

"Possesses  much  scientific  and  ethnologic  interest.  We  have  been  so  impressed 
with  its  value  that  we  have  put  it  in  the  hands  of  a  competent  writer  as  the  subject  for  a 
special  article." — Methodist  Magazine  (Toronto). 

"  The  chapters  on  the  geography  and  history,  the  geology,  trees,  plants,  and 
flowers,  and  animal  life  of  the  island,  have  a  distinct  scientific  value.  There  are  three 
good  maps  and  a  number  of  capital  illustrations.  This  is  a  book  that  should  be  read  and 
read  again." — Baptist  Magazine. 

"  We  do  not  suppose  that  any  book  has  yet  been  published  which  throws  more  light 
upon  the  island  than  does  this  one." — Free  Church  of  Scotland  Monthly. 

"  Dr.  Mackay  compels  our  esteem  as  a  man  of  varied  scientific  attainments,  and  our 
admiration  as  a  great  pioneer  missionary.  Both  as  a  standard  work  on  North  Formosa 
and  for  its  intrinsic  interest,  this  book  should  be  in  every  missionary  library." — United 
Presbyterian  Missionary  Record. 


OLIPHANT,    ANDERSON    &    FERRIER, 

ST.  MARY  STREET,  EDINBURGH  ; 

21  PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,  LONDON,  E.C. 


CHINA. 

Fifth  Edition,  Revised,  Demy  8vo,  Decorated  Cloth  Binding, 
Price  7s.  6d. 

Popular   Edition,   Sixth  Thousand,    Large   Crown    8vo,   Art 
Canvas,  with  Sixteen  Full-Page  Illustrations,  Price  5s. 


1  i  Chinese   Characteristics. " 

By   ARTHUR    H.    SMITH. 

"This  author  minutely  describes  the  various  characteristics  of  the  Chinese, 
and  humourously  contrasts  them  with  Western  civilisation.  His  experience 
in  the  country,  for  twenty-two  years,  as  an  American  missionary,  has  given  him 
opportunity  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  and  among  all  classes  of  the  people, 
to  observe  with  a  keen  eye,  and  no  little  humour,  many  phases  of  Chinese 
life,  manners,  customs,  notions  of  religious  belief,  habits  of  thought  and  modes 
of  expression,  and  he  has  narrated  them  from  a  genial  heart  in  an  amusing 
and  racy  manner.  This  is  a  popular  edition,  revised,  with  excellent  illus- 
trations, glossary  of  technical  terms,  and  a  copious  index." — Asiatic  Quarterly 
Review. 

"The  best  book  on  the  Chinese  people." — Examiner. 

"A  completely  trustworthy  study." — Advance. 

' '  Mr.  Arthur  Smith's  '  Chinese  Characteristics '  is  the  book  on  its  subject. 
It  has  taken  its  place  (this  is  the  fourth  edition)  as  the  authority.  And  it  has 
the  charm  that  authorities  rarely  have.  It  is  easily  written,  or  at  least  it  is 
easily  read.  Its  knowledge  is  surprising,  both  in  itself  and  in  its  minuteness. 
It  is  excellently  illustrated  from  many  original  photographs." — Expository 
Times. 

"  There  is  all  the  difference  between  an  intaglio  in  onyx  and  a  pencil  scrawl 
on  paper  to  be  discovered  between  Mr.  Smith's  book  and  the  printed  prattle 
of  the  average  globe-trotter.  Our  author's  work  has  been  done,  as  it  were, 
with  a  chisel  and  an  emery-wheel.  He  goes  deeply  beneath  the  surface." 
— Critic. 

"  It  is  scarcely  enough  to  say  about  this  book  that  it  is  both  interesting  and 
valuable.  Those  best  informed  call  it  without  exception  the  best  book  on 
the  Chinese  that  is  before  the  public,  and  a  pretty  careful  survey  of  it  confirms 
that  opinion." — Independent. 

u  A  very  striking  book.  One  of  the  best  modern  studies  of  that  remarkable 
people." — Sydney  Morning  Herald. 

"An  interesting,  graphic,  and  racy  volume." — Christian  Endeavour. 


OLIPHANT,     ANDERSON    &    FERRIER, 

ST.  MARY  STREET,  EDINBURGH  ; 

21  PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,  LONDON.  E.C. 


Large  Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  price  5s. 


"  For  Days  of  Youth? 

A  Bible   Text  and  Talk  for  every 

day  of  the   Year. 
By  the  Rev.  C.  A.  Salmond,  M.A. 

"In  point  of  quality  and  interest  it  is  remarkably  well 
sustained." — Daily  Free  Press. 

"The  Talks  are,  as  they  should  be,  simple,  earnest, 
varied,  instructive,  interesting,  and  above  all,  sympathetic." 
— Educational  News, 

"The  book  undoubtedly  supplies  a  felt  want,  and  the 
author  has  done  the  work  well.  Combined  with  careful  and 
painstaking  scholarship,  there  is  a  wealth  of  apt  illustration 
and  a  skilful  interweaving  of  present-day  life  incidents  that 
is  sure  to  meet  with  an  appreciative  and  hearty  response 
from  the  Christian  public  of  all  ages.  No  book  of  the  kind 
that  we  know  of,  at  all  equals  it." — The  Bulwark. 

"The  book  is  as  varied  in  scope  and  character  as  it  is 
possible  to  conceive,  and  throughout  its  pages  there  will  be 
met  with  much  that  is  helpful,  refreshing,  and  stimulating. 
Although  mainly  intended  for  individual  use,  the  portions 
would  serve  admirably  for  family  use  as  well,  and  we  offer  it 
our  heartiest  commendation.'' — Stirling  Observer. 

"  It  is  a  volume  which  young  folks  will  appreciate,  and 
one  with  which  some  older  people  may  be  glad  to  make 
acquaintance." — Scotsman. 

"  The  Talks  are  direct,  stimulating,  and  suggestive,  and 
the  book,  while  specially  prepared  for  the  young,  might  be 
very  suitably  used  at  family  worship,  as  either  young  or  old 
may  listen  to  the  talks  with  pleasure  and  profit." — Dundee 
Advertiser. 

"Bright,  interesting,  and  devotional."—  Great  Thoughts. 

''Instructive,  stimulating,  and  cheery.  We  cannot  re- 
member meeting  with  any  work  of  the  kind  more  interesting 
or  more  thoughtful." — Leeds  Mercury. 

"  Mr  Salmond  has  produced  a  work  for  the  young  likely 
to  take  a  permanent  place.  He  writes  with  clearness  and 
precision,  and  with  a  watchful  regard  for  the  needs  of  his 
youthful  readers." — Pray  and  Trust. 

"  Full  of  interesting  matter." — The  Arbroath  Guide. 


OLIPHANT,   ANDERSON   &   FERRIER, 

ST   MARY   STREET,   EDINBURGH; 
21    PATERNOSTER  SQUARE,   LONDON,   E.C. 


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