A HIGHLAND FUNERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 85

A HIGHLAND FUNERAL.

■ ;*; * By G. Macdonald. * "Have you heard th© itew.s?- No! Well, Callum >-Fraser was taken away last night." , - : "Poor old Callum! - We Trill never see the- likes o* him again." "He was such, a good aryi kind old man." "Aye, aye; am' he will be having such a gran' funeral — <t<he minister will be there, and the elders will be there, and everybody will be there." "Oohonel Ochone! It Avas a bad day for the Glen when the saintly Callum was called home. But, poor man, ha is at rest now; peace bo with him." Such was th© • morning salute of two cottars in the Glen, Strathinore. The departed. Callum was a man of great re-pute-in the neighbourhood. Be was said to hold ooofitant; converse with God, and was much beloved of Jus neighbours. It 'is tine he was but a poor cottar, yet he •»'aa a prince amongst his people. If Callum gave his "ipse drxit" upon any <if fih© religious or civil questions of tdio day it>- was equally » as sound as if the minister himself had settled the question. p Of cotarae hie was ill for some time, aiiil the people of the Strath wondered if -lie wanted to stay among them or go to the- great' home. TJiey were .quite cer'«iin ~that if he were taken, away ho •would enter the heavenly home they all ; sighed! after. The minister had paid Mm frequent visits of late, ' and it was said ■by the neagKbours that they had wonderful .glimpses of heaven in their prayers and conversation;. The elders "said the books" every mprning and evening at Oaliiun's bedside, and everybody was sad and sorrowful at. the thought of parting with a maar who brought- wisdom and blessings in his every word) and act. Calluiu was not an elder, nor did he sit at "th-3 tables." This was the talk of the whole Strath for many years, and Callum's explanation, of the circumstance was that hie was a soldiei when a young maon ; and then in a subdued voice lie would add, "Y® ben, soldiers are men under command, and they must obey, and in doing so they do some strange things. " They tnew that Callum was at Jdma, and Balaclava, and had given a good account of Ibimse'lf, for was he not made a sergeant, in the Queen's army after six months' soldiering, and had ii© not his breast covered with medals and ribbons, the outtvard signs of his greatness ! This was sufficient explanation: Callum was a brave anan and a soldier, and' if he caused a few of his country's enemies to stumble at his country's call — well, it was nobody's business, and God would* think none- the less of Callum. As was the custom, SBamus, the herd laddie, went round all the Strath, and at every door shouted the prescribed formula, "You are warned to attend the funeral of Sergeant Callum Fraser on Wednesday at 'S o'clock, and God be with us." This^was the signal for the goodwife to unearth John's sacrament coat from the ibottom of tie clothes kist and to polis-ii ihis lum hat. The decent man usually had two tailor-made coats in his married life, and generally they were procured for his sreddinje day. The one was made from fine

' broadcloth, aaid the other a reefing jacket made of blue pilot cloth. The broadcloth coat was used only on great occasions, such as Sacrament Sunday or the funeral of some great man, such as the minister or an elder. The pilot jacket did service at all minor functions. Every other article of clothing was made by Jenny herself. Oallum, of course, was a great man — a , famous sergeant, a defender of his coraij Hy, a nvwi'of medals and pension, a man ! in command, and, greatest of all, the minisJ ter's right-hand man. Besides that, did he not dress every funeral in the Strath for 20 years and more, and were not nis commands of "Fall in," "Shoulder high," "March," "Halt," "Relief," "Uncover, 1 " and "Steady, boys, steady" things to be rememberedi. Now the honours would pass to Sergeant Andy Cameron — "Big Andy," as he was familiarly called. Every night since Callums departure Big Andy and two or three of the neighbours kept watch over "the remains." "The books" were taken evp>ty mo-rning and evening, and all possible" honours were paid to the departed hero. ~—

At length th 3 funeral day arrived. Big Andy was early astir, for this_ was his first " occasion in supreme command. He donned ail his old regimental honours, for -to-day a fallow-soldier would have the last regimental honours paid to him. After breakfast, with ercok in hand, his clothing spotlessly clean, his miedals newly polished, his Glengarry bonnet cocked to the- proper :uigle, and his plaid fluttering in the wind, Andy strolled off to the scene of the day's labour. There was tho barn to see' cleaned, and seats to arrange for the coming multitude. There was the cheese to cut, and the biscuits and oatcake to arrange. There was "the dram'" aaidi the glasses to procure, and all these things must ba well and orderly done. Punci/u'ally at 1 o'clock the minister arrived, and comforted the sorrowing relatives. On the people assembling "the books" were taken, and thereafter an appropriate sermonette was delivered up* oll the vanity and uncertainty of life, and the humble and exemplary life of the departed brother. This over, the minister gave the signal to Andy, and he in authoritative tone® ordered the "hospitalities" to be dispensed. Here three or four of the male relatives would pass down the lines with baskets of bread and cheese and "the dram." After "the hospitalities'' were duly dispensed, Andy, standing at the door, shouted, "Fall into line!" Then the people formed an open line from the door onwards. This completed, the next order was "Uncover," when instantly every head was bared. Then the coffin, resting on its bier, was brought forth by the nearest male relatives. Andy' marched down the Topen line in front with solemn mien and measured tread. On reaching the end of the line, he shouted, "Shoulder hiisrh!" With tli is the bier and its burden was raised to the shoulders of the four men last in the line. This done Andy undtfd the cords at the head of the coffin — for the dead were always carried feet foremost, — and placed it in the hands of the nearest male relatives. Then resuming his position at the head of the procession he shouted the double order of "Fall in!" "March!" The de-ceased being a military maai, a piper marched immediately behind Andy, and pealed forth such airs as were appropriate to the occasion. At evefry 300 or 400 yards Andy would turn round and give the command of "Halt! Relief!" — when instantly the whole procession came to a standstill. The four men under the- bier were relieved by the four next in succession ; those relieved would "fall oiit," and join at the rear. Then came the command "March!" — and thus the procession would march two, three, or four miles to the kirkyaird. On arriving at the yaird Andy stood at the gateway and shouted, "Halt! Lower bier, and nnoov-er! 1 ' Then the coffin, was carried to the graveside, the relatives stood around the grave, and gently lowered the coffin and its precious contents into thenlast -resting-place. As the coffin touched the bottom every bonnet was again doffed, and "Ochione! Ochone!" «vas upon every tongue. Tb&n each clansman tcok a handjful of soil or a tuft of heather and gently dropped it into the grave. The piper stood outside the- sacred .enclosure and played the' sad 1 strains of "Loohaber No More," "M'Crimlnon's Lanieirr," or "Donal" Dhu's Farewell." The wail of the pipes and the eternal "Good-bye" moved many of tihe people to tears. They met in twos and threes, discussed I'he events of the clay, and then set off for their homes. The relatives and immediate Mends returned to the home of the deceased. They partook of some food, took "the books,'"' eoi'gaged m prayer, and then dispersed to their homes. Thus ended midst a snnpfe and isolated people their last and loving duties towards a departed friend and neighbour. (Note, reader, that they never once used tho words dead or death, but always the softer expressions of "departed," "journeying/ or "going home.'") The ohief or laird was never there, for he was an absentee, and ihiaid no intepest in his people nor they in. h'ini. Oftentimes he was an alien, a rack renter, and sn eTictea' ; and liow could such, a man enter into their lives. The minister -Jid the elders were theii great men, for they took part in the eveiy-day life of the people. Every man was strong in the conviction that "better a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than the associate of princes who cared not for you." Reading, hearing, and witnessing of the death and funeral of the late chief Taiaroa led me to writ© the above as illustrating the truism that human nature is much the same all the world over. Then let us pray that come it may, As come it shall for a' thai, When man to man the warld o'er. Shall brithers be an' a' that.