The Star. MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1899. MAcDONALD OF OMDURMAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6521, 26 June 1899, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1899. MAcDONALD OF OMDURMAN.

"FIGHTING IVIAC" CQMES TO HIS i (MM,. [From Ova Cobbesponpbnt.l LONDON^ May 12. If Colonel Hector Mac Donald had nafc, up to last Saturday, obtained, his full shara of credit for the victory at Omdurman he received it then with, full arrears of compound interest, at the. banquet given, him. , at the Hotel Cecil by tha Highland Societies of Scotland. It was .distinctly a Scottish function. Very much.. in. evidence were the Scottish lion, the Scottish, haggis,, pipers of '< the Black Watch, Scottish, singsis,, Scottish ! arasic and songs, and ..aw addneas finiahiing iim the Gaelic tongue. Biifc mem of war aodl I listen of peace from all: garts of the 1 Empire, ! some four hundred strong,, had assembled «<a do honour to the.hendi Ihdflie,. who r entering the army as a private,. ios& from th» nvnks tiirough every- step to BrigadierGeneral at the age .-off f orty-BeTeßi. CoTonel Mac Donald was the san of at amaßE crofter in. Rossshire, became a draper's appran'tice at thirteen, but EBlinquished tie tape- | yard for the musketra* ninsteen^ when he [enlisted as aprivateih the> Gordta Hign- | landers. The Dukfe of At&oW, presiding at the banquet, gave.-a short rifcetdir of • Ms fine career, the active' sensice of which tegan in the 'Afghan w,ar of 1879-80. In but one fight had he .suffered 1 ' defeat— Majnba, Hill. Lieutenant -Mac's company was almost annihilated, and!thie Boers "came omfe to cut up the remains:"' One grabbed the Lieutenant's sporran, bob received a kick" in the stomach. Another Boer "Was about to shoot the Lieutenant, but the firststruck up his c§Bßrad!e ? 's rifte, saying,- " l N"0>. 'he is a brave man— 4oo> good to kill." The Colonel had so gained the love andconfi= dence of his Soa^tnese that a black sergeant told off eight -men to snrround him, sothtut 'no bullet could- reach him, and whenever jthe Colonel pl&ced himself in front, one of the men puslftjd between him and' tbe enemy, saying-, "That place is dangerous;" The Duke declared that Omdurman was mainly won- by Colonel Mac Donald and" Mis black troops, whose position was the-oocfc:-pit of the fight. Relapsing into Gaelic, the Duke once* more emerged into English to buckle upon the gallant Colonel the sword of honour* with the words, "I present this sword to you with the old Spanish proverb, 'Draw me not without reason,; sheath me not without honour.' " " The Hleland Laddie "* skirled from the pipers^ and the assembled company cheered till tile walls rang again, and sang, '"Ho ro mo> Nighean Dhonn Boideachd." The Colonel", in refurniinr thanks, was as modest- as he had been brave at the battle. He> gave a different account of the fighting from those wbi'eh the correspondents have already told us. Lord Kitchener showed Ms foresight by placing three lotteries of artillery at the Colonel's command when the march towards Omduronun began. The Colonel's brigade was not assailed by the dervish army, but he brought wp tbe three bati"teries and assailed the dervisbes. The fire ■ of these batteries brought the. great liosts down xipon the infantry, which, •iv the meantime, Avere deployed in line, with; rifles a t rest, ready to fire when the .'dervishes came withftv effective range. It was thus that the first attack was destroyed when the brigade was enabled to change its front. As tlie Colonel sat. down the diners once more drank his health -with "Highland honours," with one foot On "the table, and then burst into a discordant pasan of " He's a jolly good fellow." , ■The following day the gajlLant Colonel had to undergo another feting at Glasgow Although he ; arrived before 'breakfast, there waa a big gathering ■& fl w watlftl station

to- fi?e»t hiniy while tibie pipers played, '* Tite Return of. Mac Donald from the -Wars." ■ lit' ! the afternoon the Corporation of Glasgow entertained- Mm at luncheon,, and in his speech at. that function the Colonel disclosed ona of the secrets of the success of the 1 Egyptian aiany.- They had, he said, learned a lesson fcoot the: volunteers^ Their dn'l= < was largely bortr-owM' from a baok called- s " Drill- Without Stays>" written .by a volun- < teer officer, generally known as "The ' Heaven-born soldier;"' Colonial' veiunfeers ' will be interested to know this is a norn de" ! guerre for LordJ Kingsburgh,- ' Thefe was something more in tlie festiyjties than a mere"' display of S(sbtiikn jttide" 1 at the 1 sUcc^sa of as toother Scot. Thar* was , - a general feeling; at the time the honotira '. were ahtlbudced that' MdcDonalil Bad ■ not received his' de^eHs} and- a certsitf etts 1 -- j picion,- that the fact that he is a ' ranker * j had not a little to do with :no imidmy cf •, the reward- bestowed upon him. :