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 improvement; 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 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, notwithstanding former wounds, for further service when the occasion might arise.
Ordered to Malta
In November 1875 he 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 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 interest 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 wonderful 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.'
Life in Malta
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 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 interesting 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.
'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 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 precarious 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. 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.
The drawn sword
'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 introduction 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. From 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 Malta, extending to nearly four years, and it was on one of these visits to Edinburgh he was operated upon successfully, 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 company was considered a high privilege. Two months afterwards—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 101st 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.'
Occupation of Malta
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 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 mediæval traditions of its occupation by the Crusaders, and with its still older classical reminiscences of the heathen worship of Aphrodite, 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.
Captain WAUCHOPE at the Age of 30.
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 himself with all the earnestness of his nature to the correction of abuses, the suppression of crime, and the establishment 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 Ottoman 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 considered 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'!
Sergeant M'Gaw's funeral
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 will show. A day or two after they landed, Sergeant M'Gaw of the 42nd—who had gallantly won the Victoria Cross at Amoaful—took ill under the excessive heat and died. The regimental chaplain was not present, but Wauchope followed the funeral with his company, and at the grave, stepping forward as the body was about to be committed 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-mark, 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 colleague 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 '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, describing his visit to Cyprus in 1888, says that 'he 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 acquaintance 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 naïve 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!'
A Cyprian judge
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 105°, 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, involved 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 ceremony, 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 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 pronounced the sentence, and the murderer was publicly executed. The Commissioner took the precaution, however, 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.
Commissioner at Papho
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 recreation. But notwithstanding the pressing requirements of 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 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.'
We have been favoured with similar testimony from Sir Robert Biddulph, sometime High Commissioner of Cyprus, 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, and which had many adherents 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 Government 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.'
The Sultan's claims
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 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.