Lovely.

The rifle, (or at least its buttplate!) being issued to Canadians in 1898, may well have been used in the Boer War at Paardeberg, which is the place associated with Canadians in South Africa. You can read about them here Canadian Military Heritage and see relics and accounts of the battle at Boer War Relics Susan Botha Enslin Paardeberg
Picture shows Canadians near the battlefield.Attachment 44854

"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past". William Faulkner