A firing party was told off to fire over the
grave when all was over, and this brilliant procession was met at the
cemetery-gates by the bishop, attended by several clergymen and a
surpliced choir. I forgot to say that a string of carriages followed
the troops, and the entire procession could not have been much less
than a mile long.
"As we crossed the neutral ground this time, the sentry, with arms
reversed, saluted us; and the strains of Beethoven's 'Funeral March
of a Hero,' must have been heard all over Gibraltar as the three
bands--one in front, one in the rear, and one in the centre--all
pealed it forth.
"Of course, not one-third of the funeral _cortege_ could get near the
grave; but I managed to get pretty close. The service proceeded, and
at length the coffin was uncovered to be lowered into the grave; it
was smothered with flowers, but the wreaths were all carefully
removed, and the admiral's cocked-hat and sword, and then the
union-jack was off, and the bishop, the governor, and all the
officers near the grave pressed forward to look at the coffin.
"They looked once, they started; they looked again, they frowned;
they rubbed their eyes; they looked again, then they whispered; they
sniffed, they snorted, they grumbled; they gave hurried orders to
the sextons, who shovelled some earth on to the coffin, and the
bishop hurriedly finished the service.
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