AN APOLOGY.

Evening Post, Volume LIX, Issue 11, 13 January 1900, Page 4 (Supplement)

AN APOLOGY.

A contemporary publishes the folio-w-ing, addressed to the omniscient British Public by an erring subject : — I'm ono of the Gloster Fusiliers wot fought at Ladysmith And surrendered to the captivatin' Bores, I ain't got no excuses for to gain your favour with, And for sympathy I'm asking not for yours, But I feel it somwot 'ard That we're everywhere debarr'd From speaking just a word in explanation ; You can bet your bloomin' boots We was not such dam galoots As needlessly to hunt for degradation. We was sixteen hundred Tommies, with a mountain batt'ry corps, As was sent to clear away the lurking foe, And had you been in command we'd 'aye "wallered in their gore, And our faces ne'er with shame 'aye 'ad to glow. We 'ad fought five solid hours in the blazin' bumin' sun, With every rock 'an tree-stump spittin' lead, An' as fast as we moved forward, thinkin' all the foes 'ad run, They was waitin' with a volley just ahead. We'd never 'aye minded that, of course, but tfhe giddy mules got scared, An' bolted with our ammunition store ; Yet, . I know, we should hare acted on yer spirited advice An' died belore we yielded to the Bore. Yes, of course, it wasn't British-like to save our blessed skins Wo should 'aye stud aud died for Queen and glory, But still there's ono excuse for vs — we 'adu't got you there, Or we'd now be tellin' quite a different stoiy. Of course you wasn't in it all, a~gropin' in the dark, An' a-dcaliug Avith the cussodness of facs, You 'adn't got to operate on lyin' false reports, An' hustle where there wasn't any tracks. You only 'card it after — but law, ,we must admit That you'd 'aye 'ad a different tale to tell For you'd 'aye made no error, you'd 'aye pushed tho business through, An' we bin saved from wot' 3as bad as 'ell. It's wonderful to contemplate, 'ow if you'd bossed the show 'Ow mighty tew of us wud now be dead, For, no one can deny it, we'd 'aye seen the Boers run ; Ay, you'd 'aye donkeylicked them on yer 'cad. Y«s, wove got to grin and bear it wen we 'ear them snort an' say — "E's a bloomin' cliicken-'earted Fusilier," But we can'b 'elp feelin' 'umpy when we think wot we'd 'aye done If we'd only had the luck to 'aye you theer.

Owing to the roads to Eoulia (Q.) being impassable t for teams, flour and tea are being forwarded there by paresis post..