"In loving memory of John Mitchell Elliott
Aged 37. Captain and Paymaster of the 94th Regiment,
Who was killed for Queen and Country
while crossing the Vaal River on the night of
Dec. 29th, 1880."
There, too, I found one other slab which recorded in this strange style the closing of a most ignoble chapter in our imperial history:—
"This Cemetery was planted, and the graves left in good repair by the men of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, prior to the evacuation of Pretoria, 1881."
Two brief decades rush away, and once again that same cemetery opens wide its gates to welcome new battalions of British soldiers, each of whom like his forerunner of 1877 "gave up his life in the service of his country"; but these late-comers represent every province and almost every hamlet of a far-reaching empire, as well as every branch of the service; while over all and applicable to all alike is the epitaph on the tomb of the Hampshire Volunteers, "We answered duty's call!"
Death and Life in Pretoria.
The Dutch section of that cemetery also witnessed some sensational scenes during the period now referred to.
On July 20th Mrs Kruger, the ex-President's wife, died, and as one of a prodigious crowd I attended her homely funeral. She was herself well-nigh the homeliest woman in Pretoria, and one of the most illiterate; but precisely because she was content to be her simple God-fearing self, put on no airs, and intermeddled not in matters beyond her ken, she was universally respected and regretted.
During this second period of the war the troops in Pretoria continued to justify Lord Roberts' description of them as "the best-behaved army in the world." The Sunday evening services in Wesley Church were always crowded with them, and the nightly meetings held in the S.A.G.M. marquees were not only wonderfully well attended but were also marked by much spiritual power. Pretoria, after we took possession of it, witnessed many a tear, and occasional tragedies; but it was in Pretoria I heard a young Canadian soldier sing the following song, which aptly illustrates the type of life to which many a trooper has more or less fully attained during this South African campaign:—
I'm walking close to Jesus' side,
So close that I can hear
The softest whispers of His love
In fellowship so dear,
And feel His great Almighty hand
Protects me in this hostile land.
Oh wondrous bliss, oh joy sublime,
I've Jesus with me all the time!
I'm leaning on His loving breast
Along life's weary way;
My path illumined by His smiles
Grows brighter day by day;
No foes, no woes, my heart can fear
With my Almighty Friend so near.
Oh wondrous bliss, oh joy sublime,
I've Jesus with me all the time![Back to Contents]