THE COVENANTER
Major Brian Leishman MBE has prevailed shall return unto the land of their fathers,
upon me to include some more short extracts where the sun shall no more smite then,
from my “Lamentations of Alpha”, written and they shall have rain in abundance.”
at Sharjah early in 1958 and published in But after a few days their strength returned
the Covenanter. unto them, and Bigbil said unto Bigron,
the son of Gib: “Thou shalt take with
Now it came to pass that in the fifth year thee Chinook and two score valiant men
that Elizabeth was Queen there went forth which dwell in the tents of Tooplatoon,
a decree in the East that the Sons of Alpha and thou shaltjoumey unto an exceeding
that are of the tribe of the Cameronianites, desolate place which is by the shore of the
from the Captain even unto his she-dog, bitter sea; and thou shalt abide there a
should be led into captivity unto a desert short time until thy men are skilled with
place which is called Sharjah. And there the firearm and the shooting star which is
was weeping and wailing and gnashing of called mortarbom.” And he did so.
teeth in the camp of the Sons of Alpha. And And the men of Wunplatoon did behold
they arrayed themselves in sackcloth of their chariots departing, and did laugh
Effessemo, and they cried with a loud voice: among themselves and did mock Bigron’s
“Let the Children of Delta go unto Sharjah, men. But Bigbil heard their laughter and was
but let us abide here among the vineyards wroth and said unto them: “Laugh not, for
of Naffi.” the day cometh and is even very nigh when
But Kemal, the High Priest, hardened his ye also shall also go out after them. And
heart against them and hearkened not unto they shall return without thee and laugh
their cries, and said unto them: “Ye shall you to scorn.”
arise very early in the morning ere the cock And Melvil, leader of Wun was sore
shall crow, and shall fly with the wings of dismayed.
the wind unto the desolate place which is
prepared for you. And your habitation shall That might be an appropriate point at which
be with the Raff and with the Teeyo-Ess,” to break off, as, when I left ‘A’ Company, Lt
And it was so even as Kemal had decreed. Melville was given the, unenviable task
And it came to pass, while they were yet in of writing the next episodes of these
Bahrain, that they did see the Sons of Bravo Lamentations. Bigbil was of course Captain
afar off, fleeing from the face of Oman. And Alan Campbell and Nick was Captain Nick
they beheld them come with great haste, Carter. The Trucial Oman Scouts were the
even he that is called Nick, with many men TOS - which also signified the Tarn 0’ Shanter
and goats. Thus the Sons of Alpha came incidentally. Full service marching order was
unto Sharjah, and they are there even unto FSMO. Company ‘heraldic’ colours were
this age and generation. And they took fashionable; anything that did not move
possession of the dwellings of the Sons of was fair game for a splash of paint. Bigron
Bravo. was 2Lt Ron Gibson, who later became a
Now Bigbil, Captain of the Sons of Alpha, notable Arabic speaker; he gave me my first
spake, saying: “Ye shall put away from driving lesson in the desert. He must have
before thee all the idols of Bravo, and ye been good as I have held a clean licence for
shall bum them upon the altar, Incinerator. forty-nine years. Thanks! The goats were
Ye shall not look upon their pinups, neither a present from a Bedouin chieftain at the
upon their carvings upon the walls of the Buraimi Oasis. Cameronians were good
marsh place that is called Boggz.” Now all at making friends. I referred to Captain
that the Sons of Bravo had left behind them Campbell’s golden labrador, Sheila. I have
in their flight was dyed with the blue of the her on 8mm film barking silently but
sea. And one, Penman, was commanded excitedly at camels drawing water from a
that these should henceforth be green, from deep well somewhere up-country in the
the postbox even unto the detailboard. Trucial States.
And it came to pass after the feast that is They tell me things are a little different in
called Hogmanay, that the Sons of Alpha and around Sharjah nowadays. I wonder.
were weak by reason of their rejoicings. For Can that be true?
Bigbil had said unto them: “Eat, drink and
be merry, for the old year is passed away
From Sergeant to Student.
and a new year is come, which shall be unto
Between passing my Army First and my
many of them which are called Nashees, a
arrival at the Intelligence Corps Centre (ICC)
year of jubilee called discharge; and they
in 1955 I had begun to study to qualify for
22
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