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 province 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. 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.
Battle of El-Teb
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 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 Wauchope 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 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 inspection 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.'
Relief of Khartoum
The sequel proved this to be a true forecast. The expedition was beset with difficulties from first to last, and the 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 commander-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 idleness 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 forward movement for the relief of General Gordon commenced, 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 fifty miles was safely accomplished to Wady Halfa, after which, avoiding the second cataract of the Nile, the journey to Sarras was made overland. Here there was considerable 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 greatness!
The Nile Expedition
As it was, the British soldier—'capable of going anywhere 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, considering that it was through an almost entirely unknown country and among hostile tribes their course lay. With a falling river, too, the 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 perpendicular 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 formation 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 himself. 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 necessary to get one at a time over it, but through some hitch one of these with its contents would have been irretrievably 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.'
Fighting the Cataracts
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 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 I 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 supplies 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 overboard 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. Evening came, and tea was being made when word was passed 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.
Battle of Kirbekan
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 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 Cornwall'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 Bird 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 entrenchments. 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 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 11th 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 successfully 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.
Death of Gordon
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 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 himself 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 ready 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.'
A staunch Prespyterian
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 felt that the consolations of religion should be within the soldier's reach when needed. He was a staunch Presbyterian, 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'll 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'll never do anything 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 reaching 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 ordering 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.'
The Soudan abandoned
When once more the expedition headed down-stream, difficult as they had found it to ascend, the return movement was even more risky and dangerous. The eighty-five Canadian steersmen were now found to be invaluable, or, as one has remarked, 'were 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 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 Halfa, 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 27th June, Lord Wolseley telegraphing to London, '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 movements in the Nile Expedition, were compiled by Colonel Wauchope himself, Colonel Bayly, who was then its commanding 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.
Malta and Gibraltar
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 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 Mediterranean, 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 disembarked at the Rock on the 13th, taking up their quarters in the south barracks. The regiment had a prolonged stay of nearly three years at Gibraltar, but during that period Colonel 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.
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.