NO sooner was it known that Miss Nightingale had arrived, than hosts of visitors poured in from all directions, amongst whom were Commissary Filder, Mr. Henderson, Chief Doctor at the Balaklava Hospital, the Clergyman, Doctor Sutherland, Mr. Anderson, &c., &c., which caused her to hold a kind of floating drawing-room. Mr. Bracebridge was also busily engaged, so I did not see him again till dinner-time. I despatched the four soldier cooks I had instructed and brought with me to the Sanatorium, as the troops were landing, and they were required on shore. Having settled my future plan of operations with my secretary, and closed our post for the next day, I was quite at liberty to accompany Miss Nightingale in the morning on her visit to the various hospitals, as we had previously decided.
The same evening, about nine, a terrible cannonade was heard from the besieged city, which produced more effect upon us than upon the initiated. The report of the fusillade was also plainly heard. This proved to be a sortie, which it appeared often happened, and produced no effect upon the inhabitants. Such, however, was not the case with P. M., though I tried to persuade him that there was no danger, “except,” said I, “in case the enemy should prove victorious, and retake Balaklava, which might happen through some ruse de guerre unknown to the allied army.” “Well,” said P. M., “but I did not bargain for that, and I assure you I very much regret having come at all. Oh, give me London and Red Lion Square before any of your seats of war, for I see no fun in glory.”
“Now we are in for it,” I said, “we must go bravely through it. Screw your courage to the sticking point, and Wigham Ward for ever!”
The next morning, at seven, everybody was up and busily engaged, when Mr. Bracebridge came and told me that Miss Nightingale had been up, writing since daybreak, and would be ready immediately after breakfast. About eight o’clock, in poured a second series of visitors. Among the earliest arrivals were Sir J. Macneil and Captain Tulloch; the former gentleman I had the pleasure of knowing at the Reform Club a few years back. We then had a short conversation touching the soldiers’ food, and cooking in general. Colonel Harding, Admiral Boxer, Commissary Filder, &c., came next. Miss Nightingale had given notice that she must be at the hospital by half-past ten, and was then upon deck ready to start. I took the opportunity of impressing upon her the necessity of leaving the ship at once, or the day would pass without our doing anything. We embarked in a small boat and went on shore, followed by young Thomas, the drummer-boy, whom I must introduce to my readers as a little wonder; and, although he had not taken time to grow to manhood, he did not like to be called a boy. Although but twelve years old, he always called himself Miss Nightingale’s and Mr. Bracebridge’s man. He was a regular enfant de troupe, full of activity, wit, intelligence, and glee. He had quitted his instruments and sticks, as he called them, to devote his civil and military career to Miss Nightingale, that lady having claimed his services. To her he was as devoted as an aide-de-camp to his general. Before the enemy could have approached his adored mistress, the drummer boy, would have been cut to pieces. This he told me himself at a later period, when a report was in circulation that the Russians were likely to attack Balaklava by the Kamara side. Miss Nightingale’s hut being the nearest that way on the Genoese heights, would certainly have been attacked first.
Though the weather was fine overhead, there was about ten inches of mud in the unpaved and uneven streets of Balaklava, which caused us to be half-an-hour going a distance that might, under ordinary circumstances, have been accomplished in ten minutes. On our arrival at the General Hospital, we were received by Miss Wear, the matron of the hospital, “under Miss Nightingale.” Miss Nightingale requested me to try and find Doctor Henderson, who unluckily, as we thought through a mistake, was waiting for us at the Sanatorium on the Genoese heights. In his absence, Miss Wear and the medical superintendent showed us over the wards, which were crammed full of sick and wounded. We then visited the general kitchen, which, though rather short of cooking utensils and accommodation, was kept tolerably clean. A civilian cook was engaged making rather good soup, but it had boiled too fast. At all events, it was a satisfaction to me to find some one willing to improve, as he observed. Promising to send him my receipts and have his kitchen comfortably arranged, and to supply him with a few tin utensils, we left him.
We next went to the extra-diet kitchen, which was anything but a comfortable one, though Mrs. Davis, who made the extra diets, managed pretty well, by dint of perseverance and a deal of trouble. She was compelled to use preserved soups, which are not wholesome for delicate or weak stomachs, and are, moreover, generally served up too strong, as scarcely any one who uses them will take the trouble to read the instructions pasted upon each case, and add the proper quantity of water required. These are at all times better adapted for persons in health than for the sick, always excepting the essence of beef (see Hospital Diets), which, when properly seasoned according to my receipt, is really very good. I made a list of what apparatus and kitchen utensils were required, and then we left Miss Davis, much pleased with Miss Nightingale’s kind remarks, my approbation of her services, and, above all, very proud of having, two days before, been visited and highly complimented by Lady Stratford de Redcliffe and the other ladies. Lord Stratford and family had passed us at sea the day before, on their return to Constantinople, on board the Caradoc; a circumstance I much regretted, as I had anticipated the pleasure of accompanying Lord and Lady de Redcliffe to the various camp and hospital kitchens. We then left the General Hospital, and ascended to the Sanatorium by a narrow and almost perpendicular road cut out of the rock; in consequence of the ups and downs, it took us full three-quarters of an hour to accomplish the distance, and very uncomfortably too, the roads being so dirty. The view during the ascent is transcendently beautiful and refreshing—the sight of the harbour beneath filled with ships, the chain of rocky mountains, distant view of the Guards’ camp, the village of Kadikoi, its Greek church, the Zouave camp, and the traffic of thousands below, busily running to and fro, formed a naval and military tableau which well repaid us for our trouble. On reaching the verge of the hill facing the grand tower, which proudly bore the British flagstaff, Miss Nightingale and myself made an involuntary halt to admire this splendid view.
“Did you ever see anything more picturesque than this, Mademoiselle? And were it not for the everlasting report of the cannon, could you not believe you were in the Land of Promise, redolent with the green bloom of nature, which almost covers those rocky mountains? Turn your eyes on that side towards the busy harbour—can you not imagine you are looking at Landseer’s celebrated pictures on one side of Peace and the other side of War?”
Miss Nightingale replied, “I had heard Balaklava was a very pretty place, but I did not expect to find anything so beautiful.”
“I believe, Mademoiselle, that gentleman coming down from the Sanatorium is Dr. Henderson? I recollect having seen him inquiring after you last evening.”
“So it is, Monsieur Soyer; I suppose he has waited so long for us, that he is coming back to the General Hospital.”