The Eighth Contingent.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 51, 19 December 1901, Page 19

The Eighth Contingent.

1 What's y'r opinion iv the Eighth Conting-erne it ? ' enquired Bartle of me one day during the week. 'Oh — am- er — well, I don't, y' know,' sail I. 'But I don't think England needs any more men.' ' Shure, I kno w she don't. But the eighth contingement ought to go nevertheless. In fact, it should ov gone before th' Seventh. Iv coorse th' war was over (accordin' to Joey Chamberlain) just before th' last General Election, an' th' dear ol' mother-counthry shouldn't want any more iv th' Auathralian Riff-Riff Riders to crush th' hated foe. An 1 she haven't axed f'r any. Joey Chamberlain just Bint a telegraft to Mr. Seddon, an' he jist said, says he : ' Canady,' says he, ' a col'ny, like y'rself,' says he, ' is sindin' more throops to th' Thranavaal,' says he, ' aa' kinu regards to y'raelf an' tu' missus., # 'What,' continued Bartle, 'do Joe want m'n for if th' war is over? D'ye renumber Carmody, Quip — Pnillim Carmoly ? He wint to a wake on White Island wanut whero he wasn't wanted, an' the people iv the place just cotch hould iv him be the fourth riiminsion [an' threw him onto th' r-thr'eet, wi loit t»aym' yi j , aye, or no. He thought that wua a Hoart iv a kind iv a h ; ?it thai; he wasn't sint for. So he wint home. Nobody toulil him to go home. An' th' Rjoahins or th' Prco3hius can't say that Chamberlain sint f'r more mm. When Mr. Seddon resaved th' pictoral letter-cird from Joe, he lost his timper, thinkin' that Lurry Hare, the Prynuer of Canady, got in ahead iv him, an' afther regrettin' that he lutln't cultivated a loose leg to kick hisself wid, he wrote t' th' papers that he was willin' to sacrifice ev'rythin', barrin' his billet, to ktep th Itnpire united to New Zailand, an' that if ev'ry wake man in the Col'ny. includin' women and childre', was to lave i'r th' trout, he'd make a farewell spiff at ev'ry eind-off. An' he's right. Ih 1 eighth contingement is goin', anyway. The war ain't over, Quip. Mebbe it won't be over till th' eve iv the next elections, an' whin they'se fightin' about it's hard t' keep New Zailinders quite, an' Kitchener wants 'em worser nor he wants anybody else. Moreover, it 'd be a turr'ble thing intirely at th' corryuation n<;x' June if Larry Hare was made a Knight iv th' Garther, an' our Dick got nothin' at all at all— not that he's hankerin' afther garthers or wears 'em. but it's noble to refuse what ye don't want, or what it don't shuit ye to have.'