THE DEPARTURE OF THE CONTINGENT.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10483, 23 October 1899, Page 5

THE DEPARTURE OF THE CONTINGENT.

FAREWELL SCENES,

A REMARKABLE DEMONSTRATION.

(By Telegbafh.) (FBOM OTJB SPECIAL COIIttBSFONDENT.)

WELLINGTON, October 22.

In the streets of the windy town, often far into the night, the clatter of cavalry, the mustering of mon, and the driving of horses out at the camp, amid the green hills of Karori—equipment and drill never ending, with bugle calls and orders from early moxn t<, gye—thus day by day for the past fortnight, the military machine has gone on turning out the finished soldier; and now, on Saturday, the 21sfc October, in this year of British grace and Boer unenlightenment, on the ninety-fourth anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, our Contingent, spick and span, in trim kharkee, is ready to embark for foreign service. On the night before the town was gay with uniforms, and the men in "kharkee kit" mingled with the crowd, for there was general leave and the camp was almost deserted. The town was thronged, the converging trains from east and west, and the stearaew from north and south, had brought in their human, burdens. Every other man, woman, boy and girl you met was wearing the contingent badges, and bands of young men paraded the streets till far into the night, simjing in chorus the patriotic songs of the Empire. Everywhere were excitement and Policemen on their beat, who had special instructions to make due allowance fortfce agitated state of the public m=nd, xrere cheered, and even lifted shouider high; while onUide the Trocadero, where in several rooms different members of the contingent being entertained by their respective friends, the main street was blocked by a crowd of people who took up with tto ntmost vigour the refrain of the songs that w«e being sung inside. By Saturday, mora?mr the citizens had worked themsehree up to a hi* Bitch of eedtement. Business wwit br the* board, and Parliament, even in its dying hours, attracted no attention. THE LAST DAY AT THE CAMP. Out at the camp the last hours were spent in leave takings end foal preparations, pataoe and humour were strangely blended. A- tie «*te a man waa kissing good-bye to fc£ «d a B&ie farther on a felloe with no cares on his shoulders and a jnerry twinkle in his eye was comically waxinfi a big troops'* moustache with a tallow Fathers and mothers, brother* «iid farewell; aod small wcedtr

it was if now and then a tear started suddeaiv'dov.n a 1>.0».&.J chock* Voul. .*„ *<~! brushed as suddenly away. Letieii aud piles of iekyroais caaie pouring into the camp. One mossier alone brought out over a hundred te-egranu. A captain who had sunk his rank and joined as a trooper showed mc a bundle he had received. Here are a few of them: "Kind regard to Rhodes, and hang old Kruger." "Remember Majuba Hill!" "Aim Jow and shoot straight," acd finally, "God biass you, Tommy Atkins!" As the tame antral fb.il preparatione were made, and the men shouldered their rolled-up overcoats. The, order came for No. 1 division to fail in. The men lined ap between the rows of tents and marched to the parade ground, tie other divisions following quickly. Just outside the camp a small group of Permanent Artillerymen who had done co much of the rough work About the camp, assembled and cheered each division as it passed, the men ratorning the compliment with a will, and shouting their Maori war cry of "Ake, aks, kia kah*!" When the whole Contingent was assembled on the parade ground, Colonel Ponton rode up and addressed a few words to "the boys," wishing them God speed, lots of fighting, and a speedy return. Then the Contingent swung out in column into the road oa their last march from the Karori camp. '" THE MARCH INTO TOWN. For five or ten minutes they "strode along in silence; then a division "broke out in song, and soon the.whole Contingent was marching gaily to the chorus of "John Brown's iiody, , ' the concluding lines of which were quickly changed into— "We'll hang old Scotland on a sour apple tree." ..... Then they whistled in chorus "The Girl I Left Behind 'Mc," and as they climbed tihe first hill above the camp the whole crowd took up the stirring strains of "Soldiers of the Queen," and the last verse went with a "go" that cent the blood beating faster through the veins. Across a cutting a mile from camp the Union Jack, the Stars and Stripes, and the New Zealand flag fluttered bravely in the breeze, and the singing ceased; while each , division cheered and cheered again. Nearing town, we were met by a mounted escort of the Heretaunga Rifles, and convoyed to the boundary ot the city, where a dense crowd had gathered around the military bands. There was a brief halt here j then a few short words of command, the rolls of the drums, and to the spirited strains of "The Campbells are Coining, hurraii! hurrah!" amid enthusiastic cheering from the .crowd that lined the roadway on either side, we marched on. AN ENORiIOUS CROWD. In the city proper, all along the line of; route, there was a tremendous crush. T The people clustered at windows, crowded on to verandahs and the roofs of houses, and crammed the streets till there was scarcely marching room for the company. The cheering was deafening, and sometimes completely drowned the music of the bands. A man would wave his hat or in the air, and cheer. Immediately those In tho vicinity would take it up, and the effect was electrical, cheer after cheer thundering along the street on either side of us, only to die away for a moment and be renewed again and again. We passed through. 'lines of volunteers at the salute who joined in the cheering with the crowd, and occasionally spontaneously from a thousand throats' would come the chorus of "Soldiers of the Queen" or the refrain of the National Anthem. Every now and then some friend or relative would break from the^crowd-and grasp ihe hand of a trooper as he marched along, and the eyes that guided the hand were not always dry. After a march 6f an hour and a half, we reached the platform where the formal leave taking was to be held. From here the scene was never to be forgotten. A thousand flags fluttered in the wind, and a dense mass of humanity blocked the streets. The wharves, the steamers, and the roofs of buildings—every vantage point was occupied. The Contingent was cheered again and again, and the Governor and Lady .Ranfurly also received an ovation all along the line of route. The speeches were only heard by a very few of the vast crowd, but many who could not hear joined in the singing of the National Anthem, and "The Soldiers of the Queen." Several women and one or two men fainted in the crush. After the -formal proceedings the Governor and Lady Ranfurly shook hands with the officers, and then a«s the Contingent marched for the troopship the volunteers and the onlookers .mingled their voices in the words of "Auld Lang Syne." PATHETIC SCENES OF FAREWELL. The march back along Jervois Quay and the wharves was in the nature of a triumphal procession. At the troopship many affect,ing scenes were witnessed. Several of the friends and relatives of the members of the Contingent were Jiere to say their Utet farewelle. By this time there was a wistful and sad look on the faces of the men, and now, with their approaching departure, the tension increased. No sooner had the company halted than a young woman rushed up to one of the men, and, throwing her arms around him, kissed him fervently. Then she hurriedly went away, and her tears fell like rain. One man, 'had a ■touching farewell from 'his father and his brother, and one of <i& saddest good-byes of all was that from an old mother to her stalwart son. THE SCENE IN THE HARBOUR. While the roll was being slowly called, the steamers with, thousanas of passengers aboaipd swung out from the wharves and fonmed in two lines in itihe 'harbour. Down between slowly 'Steamed the Waiwera with the Contingent grouped on tih& after deck. The bands played, ibhe people sang, and cheer after cheer was sent across tie waters. Women were weeping now, and .there were even eober-sided business men. whose eyes were just a trifle dim. On the Tutanekai was hia Excellency the Governor, waving his hat. Captain Waxd, one of his aides-de-camp, was on board the troopship going out on leave, hoping to get hie regiment or to get a dhance in same other, one; and Captain Alexander, the Governor's private secretary and,cousin, was, we were told; hourly awaiting a cable message from England for ihia chance. From the bridge of the Mokoia, with her ■thousand souls on board, the sigH was a beautiful one. The sloping sun gleamed on the waters,: and lit up)t)he streams of flags, and fell upon thousands and thousands of faces that watched as iflie two lines of steamers, with the troopship in <t>L© centre, went slowly ahead dewn tho harbour- An old ram who had been a soldier, seized a walking-stick, and knotting to it Ms handkerchief, waved oat a sigcafman'fl message, which was promptly replied- to-by someone on the Waiwera. His eye lit up as he "talked" farewell in signs that we could not troderetand. Sons of fafhera who had fought and bied for the flag wore their father's medals- A Left Wing member of our Parliament, from &» solitary parch on the ship* crane, waved his handkerchief, and sang and shouted, ac big a Jingo es any man on board;; whiter just behind tie band an elderly clergymaji whoee datfh proclaimed his calling, saag. enthusiastically from beginning to end "T-he Soldiers of the Queen." And out on the troopvMp all the time -we could see the libtie band wavkig their farewells and endeavouring to return our cheers. A lady who wen* down the 'harbour oa the ship told mc afterwards that the prevailing note was one of sadness. Tlwre were many dim eyes, tie eend-off was such a touching and magnificent one. And one man quietly cried m the troopers' quarters down below Hβ will probably be not one vriut ies* brave thaa his fe&ows when the time comes for action. The young caajmacder, too, was greatly affected, but be did not show it much... He has a pile of two hundred tejegrams from friends acd acquaintances on -his cabin tai>se and there aire iaadreds more i or the men. These he will not give them till the following day. It will fa somethiiig for them to do then. But all this time we had been slouiy steaming down the ibarbour, oodnow the time came for return. At a signal the two lines of fiteasnene wheeled port and starboard, and, amid the music of the bands, the cheering, the singing, the wild shrieking of t&e steamoW whistles awl arsne, and .tie loud hanging oi innmnfieable shipe' rockets, the Contingent left us. The sun was dipping down beliiad the town and the upland 'hills were grey and""" gieen in the waning light as *he trooger steamed out iShrougb. the Heads. Tis men are done with play and are goiog to take a hand in tfca nal thing. If the eeoding away has

been sod, may the tome coming be fall of