We led the paper with the full text of Mr. Kipling's poem, only one verse of which had reached us a week before.
THE FRIEND.
(Edited by the War Correspondents with Lord Roberts' Force.)
BLOEMFONTEIN, MARCH 23, 1900.
POEM BY RUDYARD KIPLING.
(Owing to the exigencies of war, we were unable at the time to print more than one stanza of Mr. Kipling's poem, which we now present in its entirety.)
Oh! Terence dear, and did ye hear
The news that's going round?
The Shamrock's Erin's badge by law
Where'er her sons are found!
From Bobsfontein to Ballyhack
'Tis ordered by the Queen—
We've won our right in open fight,
The Wearin' of the Green!
We sailed upon commando
To vierneuk our Brother Boer—
A landlord and a Protestant,
What could the bhoys want more?
But Redmond cursed and Dillon wept,
And swore 'twas shame and sin;
So we went out and commandeered
The Green they dared not win.