Then away went the mare, and many a yell from pursuer
Rose high on the air while fast o’er the wild veld they fled,
No braver heart beat on that day, no braver or truer
Than his whose strong arm snatched a comrade from realms of the dead.
Ere sundown they rode into camp and quickly dismounted,
And then they shook hands and parted, “To arms!” was the call.
Of all the good deeds that were done, oh! shall not be counted
Bold Beresford’s ride with the Sergeant the bravest of all?
A. Brodrick.
Pretoria, 1882.
THE BARON’S ADVENTURE.
(A FACT.)
Voici une pétite chanson
Pour le Baron de Sanson
A story—a tale, what you call episode—
On the trials he meet
Wiz his cart (de visite)
On ze laissez-faire, what you call Idle-burg Road.
You know how he state
Dis country is great?
And most be duv-velop, c’est vrai, it is true—
Vel, listen my story—
I tell con amore,
Ze Baron he nearly vos duvvel op too.
Ze chemin vos von mud,
Ze rain vos ze vlood,—
He arrive by ze river, ze water vos “grand,”
His friend look to him
And say, “Can you swim?”
Zen jomp comme un poisson and sit on ze land.
Mais le Baron vos tumble,
He make one big jumble,
And mix vis ze buggy and turn razzer pale,
And ze friend, he that voss up
Say to me, “It’s von toss up
What side is ze Baron, ze head of ze tail?”