Jottings from an Active Life

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H. Cranton, 1928 - Great Britain - 256 pages
 

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Page 32 - If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools...
Page 32 - If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!
Page 6 - So many Gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind, When just the art of being kind Is all this sad world needs.
Page 194 - England has ever sent from her shores. Despite the critical events in other parts of the field, I could hardly take my glasses from the Yeomen ; they moved like men marching on parade. Here and there a shell would take toll of a cluster ; there they lay ; there was no straggling ; the others moved steadily on ; not a man was there who hung back or hurried.
Page 30 - You see, I was a naughty boy, and you tried to whip me. Now my people were quite ready to whip me for being a naughty boy, but directly you did it, they said, " No, if this is anybody's business, it is ours.
Page 193 - The advance of these English Yeomen was a sight calculated to send a thrill of pride through anyone with a drop of English blood running in their veins. Such superb martial spectacles are rare in modern war. Ordinarily it should always be possible to bring up re serves under some sort of cover from shrapnel fire.
Page 4 - Though the envious blame and the jealous exclaim, " How that old fool buckets his mare ! " Who-whoop ! they have him, — they're round him ; how They worry and tear when he's down ! 'Twas a stout hill-fox when they found him, now 'Tis a hundred tatters of brown ! And the riders arriving as best they can, In panting plight, declare, That " First in the van was the old grey man, Who stands by his old grey mare.
Page 207 - Gorse. He's away ! I can hear the identical holloa ! I can feel my young thoroughbred strain down the ride, I can hear the dull thunder of hundreds that follow, I can see my old comrades in life by my side. Do I dream? All around me I see the dead riding, And voices long silent re-echo with glee ; I can hear the far wail of the Master's vain chiding, As vain as the Norseman's reproof to the sea.
Page 32 - If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, And make allowance for their doubting too...
Page 30 - I imagine that a verbatim report of the interview between Rhodes and the Emperor will never see the light of day, but there is reason to believe that during their conversation the Emperor asked for his opinion of his famous ' Kruger telegram ' at the time of the Raid, and that Rhodes replied, ' I will tell you, your Majesty, in a very few words. It was the greatest mistake you ever made in your life, but you did me the best turn one man ever did another.

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