THE LITTLE BOOTMAKER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2819, 10 July 1916, Page 6

THE LITTLE BOOTMAKER

MASCOT OF THE FIFTEENTH

MARCHES OVER RIMUTAKA

The Fifteenth Infantry Reinforcements, nearly 1800 strong, swung through tho gates of Trenthain camp on Saturday forenoon. They had finished the loug march from Featherston, over the mountain road, had spent long, drizzling hours of darkness in night manoeuvres at Mangaroa, and performed the exciting military operation known as an attack at dawn. Yet there was vim and spring in their marching, and the two score and ten of lusty bandsmen, the Fifteenth's own regimental band, who marched at tho head of the troops, seemed to express oil instruments of brass and silver the high spirits of. the troops. If anyone had asked these bandsmen, clad in denims and shorts, and with the stains of the bud weather upon them, why they played bo cheerily and why the troops inarched in so blithely ■nigh tlie rain, they would have, pointed to a little man who marched ahead of all, carrying a red ensign; and they would have said that it was been use their mascot was with thcin—tno little bootmaker.

When the t column turned from the main road towards tho gates tho sentries, .on. their' bouts, and tho destors, who waited to bend keen professional eyes on tho incoming soldiers, saw the ilutter of the red flag and the short figure, in a blue uniform witli while facing, striding along. They asked one another who this could bo. Tho order eaino, ero the gates were reached, for tho fnarching men to tilt their li'als back from their faces so that the-doc-tors could toll if any were not fit, the little bootmaker tilted his cap too, and Avith the band's full voice shouting behind him, passed through the gates and away to itlie right towards headquarters. From all directions the troops in camp, who wero off duty, came running to welcome their comrades .of tho Fifteenth. And they cheered the little bootmaker, without in the least knowing who he was and how ho camo to be there.

Ho has a boot shop in Feathcrston, a shop much patronised by tho soldiers from the camp; overyono who went to it came to know tho kindly bootmaker who worked hard, and long ov/t their boots. . Soldiers may have rough ways and seesi not to care, but they really liked the little bootmaker. When tho Tontlußeinforcomonts marched past his shop at break of day on their way to cross the' hill, a blue-clad figure with a red ensign in his hand, stepped out of the boot shop and cheered them—cheered and cheered them till his voice oracked with i tho , effort. To him it. was just as though they wero in France, marching out to fight. And tho brawny lads in khaki grinned and shouted to tho old umn with tlio fresli Jace and grey hair, as they strode past at their steady, strong marching stride, tho stride that seems to bp slow, yet is a distance-dovourer. After that, each Reinforcement was cheered by tho little bootmaker, who donned his uniform of the Wellington City Rifles for the occasion. Nothing was too much trouble for him to do for the soldier boys—"tho lads who will maybe die for us," as ho put it. But it was the boys of tho_ Fifteenth by wliom tho little bootmaker was most deeply stirred. Some of them wero chaffing him in his shop ono night about his prowess ns a walker.

"Yon'vo often marched to the foot of tlie hill with -i'lieni," said one of the soldiers. "Why don't you come to the top with us? Tou say you are a good marcher. Come and be our mascot. "For two pins I would come all tho way," 'was the reply.. They laughed, but the subject often cropped up, and at last the bootmaker announced his intentioifof marching with his flag from his shop to Trenthani .camp, a good 20 miles. "We'll look out for you," was the last'word he had from the soldiers, "I'll be there," he answered. On the cvo of the march, some of his civilian -friends told .him that he was not to be allowed to march, that 'the colonel had hoard of it, and would prevont it. But ho had so often got up early and got into his uniform to 'se<s the boys march past that [it was nothing -out of tho way to do it again. When he heard the bands—the Fifteenth's and the Camp Bands—in tho distance, he put on his cap with the heavy silver band and picked up bis flag. Just as the column came opposite his door he stepped out, a'little nervous, by reason of his great resolve. For a moment lie hesitated. Then a big bands, man nodded his head, indicating tho head of the column, and the little bootmaker stepped boldly out and took the lead, while a grin travelled down (ho ranks of brown faces. He held his flag high and sailed away with such dash ttiat a bandsman had to cease Wowing and say, "Hold ou, not so fast; wo're not racr> horses." _ Tlie onlookers cheered, taking it as a joke, and expecting . the veteran would fall out at the foot of the hill. The colonel smiled, too, perhaps with the same thought.- But the little -bootmaker did not tall out at the foot of the, hill, "j It was a clear, ffesh morning, the hills were green and the skies blue, anil the stirring music of the band, cchoin sm the gullies, as the column wound up and up and upwards, seemed to renew his youth—the days when he was a tireless marcher. When the troops halted nnd the leading company fell to tho rear, as they always do on route marches, the mascot of tlie Fifteenth did not sit-down or show any sign of weariness, and the leading company that was falling behind told the others to watch tlie little bootmaker. "He's the one," they said, though they hardly expected he would stick it out up the long steep hill. But he did. He was still going on before them when the hut of the good people who make tea and proparo food for the troops came into sight. Tlie. smoking boilers were a welcome sight to tlie men, for tlie.y told that the top of the .hill was reached, and that means a lot when troops are in full marching kit. Tho Chief of tho Staff, who always meets the troops at tho crest of the hill, I asked the little bootmaker if he was going right through. Ho said he was, if .lie were allowed. So ho set off for Kai-' toko, and c-aiiic smiling into tlie bivouac there, tired, but qui to tit and proud ot his march. Tliat night he slept on tho floor of a cottage, and the next day marched to Upper Hutt. While tho troops went out over the hills to their Gham-fight, he rested. Then, on Saturday, he took his place in the lead again, he and his little red ensign, held so steadily, on its short staff..

"He dill it," the Fifteenth say, when you ask tliem how it was they came through so well. Oirthc other hand, it is just as 'certain that it was those 1800 big, bare-kneed lads marching so steadily behind him, and the helpful music of tho band, that kept the little bootmaker's heart up in the long, stiff inarch, and, ill case anyone holds that it was irregular l'or him to march at the head of troops, let it lie remembered that it was the will of 18(10 men to have him there, and that nowhere else is there so -much real human feeling as among troops who aro going out to fight and "perhaps die for us," as the little bootmaker put it.