UP THROUGH CANTERBURY WITH "FIGHTING MAC."

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11108, 29 October 1901, Page 5

UP THROUGH CANTERBURY WITH "FIGHTING MAC."

A SERIES OF OVATIONS. '■ REMARKABLE SCENES EN ROUTE. TEE PEOPLE'S HERO. (BY OCR SPECIAL MPOBTIB.I '< Wβ ran out of Christohuroh, brooding j under the dull grey sky of an incipient | nor'-wester, into bright, hot sunshine, too bright, indeed, for Canterbury is at present a dry and thirsty land, and a-cloud of dust hanging over a mob of travelling sheep told n tale to which mile afbe-r mile of tsun-dried plain added fresh pages. From the danger that, according to report, be- ' sets a whip with three clergymen on board, a train is evidently free. If there was one ( parson on. board the southern express yesterday there -were thirty—Presbyterians bound for Dunedin and the official union of the two Churches. The prevailing tinge was black or dark grey, and the conversation was decidedly clerical. Tlieir rank* were recruited at every station, bat despite ] -the reputed malefic influence of the cloth, no mishap occurred to the train. And so, in process of time, we came to Studholme Junction. There we dropped the Church in favour of the Army. .For once the somewhat dTeary place of meeting for tho expresses bound north and south had doffed its melancholy and presented an air of activity and cheerfulness. Half the countryside seemed to be there, and everyone •wore a visible air of expectation. Another minute and expectation gave way to, frantic excitement, for, with the arrival of the incoming train, was heard the sound of the pipes, and as the train ran into the station three pipers standing on the iplatform of a reserved carriage betrayed the presence of Major-General Sir Hector Maodonaid. A wild- rush up the platform to hie carriage w*s followed by a ibaekward rush, ac the General, escorted ■by Mr C S. Mathias, of the Waimate Caledonian Society, was led to the little waiting-room, there to be welcomed to Canterbury. The gathering iwas swelled by the presence of a strong contingent of officers' of the South Canterbury Caledonian Society, who hod come down from Timaru to bring back the General in triumph, among them being,,also Mr W. FraeerjTa '''townie*' of'the General. Wβ left the station, amid volleying cheers.. If Studhblrae Junction was excited, Timaru was boiling over. Spectators had gathered everywhere . and on everything that ■afforded foothold, and the cheering that greeted the' visitor as he stepped across ■ the platform 'to inspect .the cadet? was deafening. Two rows of small soldiers, some in ecarlet and obhers in naval uniform, saluted their illiustrioue inspectingofficer, and maintained a becoming stolidity in a situation not free from embarrassment, for they Mere the focus of all eyes, and the crowd behind threatened to break through the ranks in their anjiety to get close to their hero. One email cadet had the bliss of attracting the Generei's notice by hie exceedingly martial bearing, and it was ejnusing to notice* how bis sense of discipline struggled to prevent his gratification showing itself in the broadest of smiles.' There should be at least one boy in Timaru ooofced from yesterday for a military career. A struggle in a dense crowd landed us in the waiting-room, where the Mayor and the President of the Caledonian.Society tendered a welcome to Sir , He.ctor, and where Colonel Jowsey and Major Crawshaw cajne in for a few pleasant word*, and then, after the presentation of an engraved silver match-box—"They are forcing mc into a bad- habit," remarked the General, who does not smoke —and much "Auld Lang Syne," Sir Hector resumed hie journey, still escorted ■ by some faithful Caledonians. The run to Temuka was enlivened by some chat between the visitor and an»o*d Highland Settler. Most of it was in Gaelic, so the other guests of the General in his carriage listened in respectful silence, and regretful non-comprehen-sion. Sir Hector, as we had heard, sDeaks the Highland tongue, but if, as he says, he occasionally mixes it with Arabic, one' can understand why he and his old compatriot did not always seem to make them, selves clear to each otherMore enthusiasm at Temuka and at every stopping place up the line, and oceans of"it at A»hbnrton, where the entfre population seemed to be gathered in and around the station. The cheering here was something heroic, and the way the small boys clambered about the carriages and got between the wheels, and generally invited death if the train had moved, would have made the General nervous, if such a thing could be. Hβ showed at least some anxiety until all were safely clear of the cere. There was intense eagerness to get him to speak to the crowd. "Just for halt a minute —just a few words.' . The appeal wan touchmgly urgent, but Sir Hector was firm. Tm not a talking machine," he said with a nnile. "A fighting machine," shouted some admirer, and tho disappointment of the packed crowd varnished in a dheer. If. however, he did not speak, he gave Asbburton plenty of opportunity to see nim, for be stood on toe carriage platform the whole time. And it was carious bow long the stoppages at some of the stations seemed—almost as if the railway authorities were winking at delay to give the spectators a better chance of looking their fill at. one of the heroes of the Empire. That, however, .was the General's last pdblic appearance until' Chnatohurcb was reached. He lores the son and heat, Highlander though he is he detests cold and rain, of which New Zealand has already given him more than enough, and he was feeling the cool of the evening. What is he like, this General after the people's own heart? Not tall, though well set-up, and in mufti not very much like the "Fighting Mac" we know in ecarlet uniform and with a row of medaJb blazing across his breast Keen-eyed, trith grizzled hair, abort clipped moustache, and a distinctly Scottish cast of countenance, one that give* the impression of great reserved power. Quiet, and thoroughly deserving of that mnch-abnsed term "genial," with at times a laugh that is infectious in its heartiness, Sir Hector has at times a stern, almost a grim, look, that makes one realise that he has won his way by twenty years of fighting. Bis tones vary from gentle comments to the short, sharp questions that sound like order* , on parade, and that admit of no fencing. 1 He is courtesy itwlf. * All day resterdav he was to be seen shaking hands with this, that,

and the other one, giving interviews to old soldiers and to felW-patsenfers on tb« train who sought for a few worob with him, jostled on platforms by eager crowds, staraj on by hundreds of eyes, and always with a smile. He does not talk much, this famous fighter. What he does say is tempered with, extreme modesty and oonsiderabw caution, and an evidentV sincere dedre not to pose as a critic, though there are few mw from whom one would rather take an opinion on jnilU tary affairs than from this one, who know* them from the bottom upwards. Discipline and shooting, shooting and discipline—these are his mottoes for a colonial defence force. His scheme, whioh h» put forward merely as his own private idea and possessing r.o value or public interest, runs- on something of these lines—The State undertakes the education of boys, and so fits thtm to learn how- to earn their living; let it also teach them how to keep whet they have got. The colonies, by their action during the war, have materially altered their condition and their attitude towards defence matters , , they have assumed a , share of the ' wapoosibUities of Empire, and must bear it for the future. In other words, they must defend their country. The General would have every boy taught to use a rifle. He'thinks very little of such weapons as the/cadets' use at present; they should have rifles that they can shoot with. On leaving school they should have rifles of their own, provided by the Government, should be encouraged as much as possible to become proficient in their use, and should be given w ammunition at. cost price. They would at this stage be under the eye of the district commandant. After a few years, say at the age of twenty, they should be called up for a certain period of thorough strict drilling and discipline, the length of such period varying according to the aptness of each one. It might be taree months, it might be a year. After this they should be drafted into a reserve, still encouraged to keep up their shooting, and liable to be called upon in batches from time to time for fur.taer shorter periods of drill. He repeated yesterday what he said in Dqpedin:—"The price of our voluntary partnership -with the Mother land is that* every man in the country should be at the call of his country when the need arises." An armed force without discipline and the strict and instantaneous obedience- that comes of discipline is nothing but a rabble. It is a gospez that some of our officers who have returned from South Africa hay« frequently preached, and it comes with still greater force from Sir Hector Macdonald. He spoke with aamiration of the work done by the Canadian Military School in training officers for the army, amd pointed to Colonel Gi.rouard, Lord Kitchener's right-hand engineer, as a splendid product oi that school. The appointment ac Commandant for New, Zealand of Major-General Babington was spoken of, and the General was asked if he knew ham. It appeared that he in well acquainted with him, and he spoke very highly of him. General Babington's regiment, the, 16bh Lancers, he characterised as one of the smartest in the whole army, and he added' that all cavalry officers think a great deal of its commander, whom he described as a most charming man. It is astonishing how much Sir Hector has learned of the colony since he fended, and how his questions and remarks on topics of the day go straight to the heart of the matter. He in in the way of receiving much, advice as to where he shall go. One wanted him to visit the West Coast, another invited him to stay for a day or two in Caaterbury and see what the life in the country was like. A third wished he could stay and see the show. "Ah," remarked the General, "I'm an authority on cattle—oxen, trekoxen." he added, with a broad smile, and the admission that, he had seen all he wished of that particular breed for a long time. He goes on to Wellington on Wednesday, thence up the Wanganui to Rotorua and Auckland, on to Sydney, and after stopping a week in Western Australia leaves Australia for India. The long journey—none too long lor those who had the pleasure of talking with thijftveteran of the wars—camera* Inst to nn end, and in the darkness of a nor'-west night the express steamed into Christohurch. The residents of this loyal city have found means afc different times "during the past two years of venting their enthusiasm, , but it is doubtful if they ever did it so thoroughly as last night. The station vrae packed, the streets outside were thronged, and amid the cheering of the people ana the piping of the pipers, it is no wpnoerthat <the Mayor in his words of welcome was inaudible to all except those standing close to him. Only a fog-horn could have penetrated Jhiti din., A few introductions, and the Mayor led the guest to tba carriage-waiting outside. Thereupon arose a cheer that drowned every other sound, a cheer that was raised again and again until people had>no voices to cheer with, and had to content themselves witih dumb show of their feelings. It was a fitting olimax to the ovations oi' the day, and nothing like the scene as the Scottish Rifles and many willing helpers, the horses having been unharnessed, drew the carriage through the strata, has '. been witnessed in Christchurch. Preceded! by pipers, followed by. >i> band, and sur-! rounded on every eide by a cheering throng,' "Fighting Mac" was eecorted on Trie,way. No General returning to hie native town from a victorious campaign could have' had a more hearty welcome. Jt was one more proof to Sir Hector that he has a< home in every heart in New Zealand. i