 | Ballads of the War |  |
26
Bible v. Bullet
There are more bullets than man can make,
In a single page of the printed Word:
The God of battles with Truth can break
Rifle and cannon and spear and sword.
In a single page of the printed Word:
The God of battles with Truth can break
Rifle and cannon and spear and sword.
And tho' I was only an ignorant Boer,
Fresh from the Veldt with my rifle at trail,
I knew that the Vision of John was sure,
And the Spirit of God, not might, would prevail.
Fresh from the Veldt with my rifle at trail,
I knew that the Vision of John was sure,
And the Spirit of God, not might, would prevail.
For a night or two back, over kraal and fold,
The Stars of Heaven fell unto the earth:
The clouds with thunder apart were rolled,
And the hills were moved from the place of their birth.
The Stars of Heaven fell unto the earth:
The clouds with thunder apart were rolled,
And the hills were moved from the place of their birth.
I thought, To thy servants, Lord, this is a sign,
To show what shortly shall come to pass,
When with stars and with thunder of battle line,
We meet and the foemen fall like grass.
To show what shortly shall come to pass,
When with stars and with thunder of battle line,
We meet and the foemen fall like grass.
For the kings and nobles of high degree,
And the rich, and the captains and mighty men,
Bondmen and free to the rocks shall flee
And hide them each in the mountain den.
And the rich, and the captains and mighty men,
Bondmen and free to the rocks shall flee
And hide them each in the mountain den.
27
Hark to the mountains and rocks they cry,
“Fall on us; hide us from Him on the Throne,
For the day of the wrath of the God is nigh,
And who shall be able to stand alone.”
“Fall on us; hide us from Him on the Throne,
For the day of the wrath of the God is nigh,
And who shall be able to stand alone.”
We met, and by thunder of clouds and war,
That chapter six of the Book was proved;
For all night long star fell upon star,
And all day through the hills were moved.
That chapter six of the Book was proved;
For all night long star fell upon star,
And all day through the hills were moved.
And after the battle I, watching afield,
Chanced on a stranger. I sprung with a call,
Forth for his taking, and bade him yield,
But I felt God's Word was far better than ball.
Chanced on a stranger. I sprung with a call,
Forth for his taking, and bade him yield,
But I felt God's Word was far better than ball.
So I dropped my rifle and opened the Book,
And I motioned him mark God's Word was sure
There at the chapter six:—so took
My way—an ignorant Veldt-side Boer.
And I motioned him mark God's Word was sure
There at the chapter six:—so took
My way—an ignorant Veldt-side Boer.
Note.—“The Hon. George Peel, who was present at the battle of Belmont, got into a warm corner, the bullets flying thickly around him, and as he was only a spectator, he prudently scrambled back to the rear of the fighting line. After resting, he started again for the purpose of exploring, when he found himself suddenly in the enemy's camp. An old Boer jumped up from behind a rock, and Mr. Peel prepared to sell his life dearly, when, instead of a bullet, the Boer offered him a Bible, open at Revelation, and then fled precipitately.”— (Daily Telegraph), Cape Town Times, November 27, 1899.
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