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191
TEL-EL-KEBIR.
On the Desert lay silence unbroken and deep,
And the shadows of night gathered round like a pall;
Our men flung them down on the sand-dunes to sleep,
To snatch a brief rest sorely needed by all.
And the shadows of night gathered round like a pall;
Our men flung them down on the sand-dunes to sleep,
To snatch a brief rest sorely needed by all.
Weird, awful, and solemn to watchers that night,
The battalions in slumber beneath the broad sky,
Just seen, and no more, by the Desert's strange light,
And the gleam of the stars that shone faintly on high.
The battalions in slumber beneath the broad sky,
Just seen, and no more, by the Desert's strange light,
And the gleam of the stars that shone faintly on high.
Our horses stood ready at every man's side,
Each bridled and saddled with stirrup and rein:
In a moment might reach us the orders to ride,
And cross the vast stretches of desert again.
Each bridled and saddled with stirrup and rein:
In a moment might reach us the orders to ride,
And cross the vast stretches of desert again.
But some on the saddle all through the long night
Sat moveless and silent,—not statues more still,—
And with passionate yearning they watched for the light,
Though they tamed throbbing hearts to a resolute will.
Sat moveless and silent,—not statues more still,—
And with passionate yearning they watched for the light,
Though they tamed throbbing hearts to a resolute will.
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Here, three days before, a fierce skirmish was fought,
And close to our camp some hundreds lay dead:
On the breath of the night death odours were brought
From the corses on which foul corruption had bred.
And close to our camp some hundreds lay dead:
On the breath of the night death odours were brought
From the corses on which foul corruption had bred.
We felt sick as the scent crept past on the air,
Borne heavily to us across the sand-bars;
And we thought of the dead, with their eyeballs astare,
And their white faces turned to the passionless stars.
Borne heavily to us across the sand-bars;
And we thought of the dead, with their eyeballs astare,
And their white faces turned to the passionless stars.
Not a watch-fire was lighted through all the long night,
Not a soldier dare put in his lips a cigar,
For the foe must not hear of our march till the light,
Then,—ah, then with the dawn would come conflict and war.
Not a soldier dare put in his lips a cigar,
For the foe must not hear of our march till the light,
Then,—ah, then with the dawn would come conflict and war.
The shelterless sands must be crossed before day,
That the darkness might save us from shot and from shell:
Such were Wolseley's commands,—'twas ours to obey,—
We felt sure what he did was done wisely and well.
That the darkness might save us from shot and from shell:
Such were Wolseley's commands,—'twas ours to obey,—
We felt sure what he did was done wisely and well.
Close on midnight was whispered our General's word,
Which passed down the lines, and from rank to rank ran;
And as soon as the order to saddle was heard,
We leaped to our horses once more to a man.
Which passed down the lines, and from rank to rank ran;
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We leaped to our horses once more to a man.
Like shadows we moved through the clear Eastern night;
For a hush as of death held each one of our band,
As with slow measured tread we marched on to the fight,
And the tramp of our horses fell dead on the sand.
For a hush as of death held each one of our band,
As with slow measured tread we marched on to the fight,
And the tramp of our horses fell dead on the sand.
The Highland Brigade was the first to advance,
The Camerons soon formed themselves into rank,
And then the Black Watch, firm in step, bold in glance,
Fell in as one man to the right on the flank.
The Camerons soon formed themselves into rank,
And then the Black Watch, firm in step, bold in glance,
Fell in as one man to the right on the flank.
As trackless as ocean the great desert waste,
Not a sign far or near to point out a way,—
By the light of the stars our pathway we traced,
All hoping to reach the entrenchments ere day.
Not a sign far or near to point out a way,—
By the light of the stars our pathway we traced,
All hoping to reach the entrenchments ere day.
Rawson steered by the compass and planets' pale light,
And guided our march towards Tel-el-Kebir,
Gave the line of advance as we marched through the night,
And followed his steps, nor thought of a fear.
And guided our march towards Tel-el-Kebir,
Gave the line of advance as we marched through the night,
And followed his steps, nor thought of a fear.
Poor Rawson! all loved him, so gallant, so brave,
He was first, as he scaled the entrenchments, to fall:
I had died,—so had many,—that young life to save,
We'd have bared our own breasts to receive the death-ball.
He was first, as he scaled the entrenchments, to fall:
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We'd have bared our own breasts to receive the death-ball.
Was he loved? You may judge,—our commander rode back
Through the rush and the roar, clash of arms and the shell,
Through the whistling of bullets that fell thick on his track,
To bid his brave friend a last, hurried “farewell.”
Through the rush and the roar, clash of arms and the shell,
Through the whistling of bullets that fell thick on his track,
To bid his brave friend a last, hurried “farewell.”
Came there now through the darkness a rifle's sharp sound,
And the thought rose at once, “Did an army lie there,
Beyond those dark lines, and across the deep mound?
And was Arabi's host of our closeness aware?”
And the thought rose at once, “Did an army lie there,
Beyond those dark lines, and across the deep mound?
And was Arabi's host of our closeness aware?”
All at once on our eyes flashed a flood of red flame
In a bright, dazzling stream,—and the strife was begun,
And the pale, phantom lines into view slowly came,
As rang rattle of rifle and thunder of gun.
In a bright, dazzling stream,—and the strife was begun,
And the pale, phantom lines into view slowly came,
As rang rattle of rifle and thunder of gun.
Then the pibroch shrilled forth in tones loud and clear,
And the Highlanders raised a wild cheer in reply;
We felt more than saw that the enemy was near,
And the blast of a bugle came echoing by.
And the Highlanders raised a wild cheer in reply;
We felt more than saw that the enemy was near,
And the blast of a bugle came echoing by.
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We welcomed the sound with a thrill of delight,
Knowing now we should close with the foe before day,
That the light would reveal the entrenchments to sight,
Behind whose black lines the Egyptians lay.
Knowing now we should close with the foe before day,
That the light would reveal the entrenchments to sight,
Behind whose black lines the Egyptians lay.
So on through the hours we kept nearing the foe,
All hoping for battle ere blush of the dawn;
And what could we do as the minutes passed slow,
But stare right through the dark and march steadily on?
All hoping for battle ere blush of the dawn;
And what could we do as the minutes passed slow,
But stare right through the dark and march steadily on?
Then as the light broadened we saw on our right
Graham's men, and the brave Duke of Connaught's Brigade,
With Hamley's Division all burning for fight,
And to carry by storm the foe's strong barricade.
Graham's men, and the brave Duke of Connaught's Brigade,
With Hamley's Division all burning for fight,
And to carry by storm the foe's strong barricade.
There at last! right in front lay Tel-el-Kebir;
And Alison whispered, “Fix bayonets: lie down!”
Then the crash of a rifle,—sharp,—short,—smote the ear,
And a circle of fire wreathed the air like a crown.
And Alison whispered, “Fix bayonets: lie down!”
Then the crash of a rifle,—sharp,—short,—smote the ear,
And a circle of fire wreathed the air like a crown.
Then we ran a few paces, and lay down again,
And the enemy's guns shot their shells o'er our head;
And the bullets poured down from the trenches like rain,
And under the shower many a soldier dropped dead.
And the enemy's guns shot their shells o'er our head;
And the bullets poured down from the trenches like rain,
And under the shower many a soldier dropped dead.
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Now the order to “Charge” came welcome to all,
And we rose as one man,—rose at once into life,—
And the pibroch struck up and re-echoed the call,
And with a loud ringing cheer we rushed to the strife.
And we rose as one man,—rose at once into life,—
And the pibroch struck up and re-echoed the call,
And with a loud ringing cheer we rushed to the strife.
Our men climbed the trench, cheer on cheer, yell on yell,
What cared they? to kill? or be killed? if killed not in vain;
So surging and surging, some clambered, some fell,
Some were hurled from the parapet wounded or slain.
What cared they? to kill? or be killed? if killed not in vain;
So surging and surging, some clambered, some fell,
Some were hurled from the parapet wounded or slain.
As I entered the trench, a shell burst at my feet,
I felt blinded and deaf from the dust and the blare,
Was stifled and scorched by the sulphurous heat,
But I pressed on o'er the dead into Arabi's lair.
I felt blinded and deaf from the dust and the blare,
Was stifled and scorched by the sulphurous heat,
But I pressed on o'er the dead into Arabi's lair.
There, alas! I encountered a pitiful sight,
A woman lay dead in her blood on the ground;
She was killed by mischance in the dark of the night,
With a child on her breast, bleeding too from a wound!
A woman lay dead in her blood on the ground;
She was killed by mischance in the dark of the night,
With a child on her breast, bleeding too from a wound!
Dead mother! dead babe! the sole woman there,
With her husband she'd march'd at the war-trumpet's call,
And flying for safety in trembling despair,
Was shot through the heart by a death-wingèd ball.
With her husband she'd march'd at the war-trumpet's call,
And flying for safety in trembling despair,
Was shot through the heart by a death-wingèd ball.
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Some minutes of carnage,—a close-handed strife,
For the battle had now in grim earnest begun,—
A struggle for conquest,—nay, for more, for dear life,
And the riflemen charged in a swift steady run.
For the battle had now in grim earnest begun,—
A struggle for conquest,—nay, for more, for dear life,
And the riflemen charged in a swift steady run.
Before us,—behind us,—on flank and in rear,
Came the whizzing of shells and the musketry's ring,
And each bullet in passing rang a knell in some ear,
And our grape and our guns bore sure death on their wing.
Came the whizzing of shells and the musketry's ring,
And each bullet in passing rang a knell in some ear,
And our grape and our guns bore sure death on their wing.
Now rose the wild cheer of the Irish Brigade,
As the trenches were carried at point of the sword;
And there volleyed and thundered a fierce fusillade,
Poured again and again by Arabi's horde.
As the trenches were carried at point of the sword;
And there volleyed and thundered a fierce fusillade,
Poured again and again by Arabi's horde.
The Egyptians fought stoutly, at least for a space,
But feebler and feebler at length grew their fire;
And we trod o'er the dead as we filled up their place,
While the living before us began to retire.
But feebler and feebler at length grew their fire;
And we trod o'er the dead as we filled up their place,
While the living before us began to retire.
The batteries taken,—the foe at once fled,
And made for the open in dastardly flight,
But found in the sands a fitting deathbed,
By hundreds mown down in hand-to-hand fight.
And made for the open in dastardly flight,
But found in the sands a fitting deathbed,
By hundreds mown down in hand-to-hand fight.
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There was waving of swords and the bagpipe's shrill scream,
Each fought as if hope hung alone on his might,
And their lips had that smile, and their eyes had that gleam,
Which were omens that ours was success in the fight.
Each fought as if hope hung alone on his might,
And their lips had that smile, and their eyes had that gleam,
Which were omens that ours was success in the fight.
So it was! so it was! with small loss it was won,—
We had captured the stronghold of Tel-el-Kebir.
Before Englishmen what could the foe do but run?
And entering the breach we gave a loud cheer.
We had captured the stronghold of Tel-el-Kebir.
Before Englishmen what could the foe do but run?
And entering the breach we gave a loud cheer.
So ended the war,—thanks to Wolseley's rare skill,
No such march, no such battle had ever been seen,
All done in a night—well it makes the heart thrill,
But each man there had died for his country and Queen.
No such march, no such battle had ever been seen,
All done in a night—well it makes the heart thrill,
But each man there had died for his country and Queen.
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