“You mean, who caught the captain,” said I, “who could not smell a rat?”
The boy returned, and informed me that Miss Nightingale was very much obliged to me, and that she had written to Lord Raglan upon business that very morning.
I then started. The roads were still very heavy from the immense quantity of rain which had fallen, but the weather was fine overhead, and everybody seemed to be out. People, in fact, sprang up like mushrooms in a green field after a little rain and a few hours of August sunshine. I met numerous friends and acquaintances between Balaklava and Kadikoi. Many of these—military as well as medical gentlemen—I had seen at Scutari. Indeed, the excursion put me more in mind of riding in Hyde Park on a Sunday afternoon, than being in a distant country, and at the seat of war. For above a mile it was a constant nodding of heads and shaking of hands. As my time was short, I felt anxious to get on my journey as fast as possible. I did not know the way to head-quarters, so I inquired of an officer which was the shortest road. He kindly informed me that he was going there, and knew the short cuts, but that he was in a great hurry, and if I could ride fast, he should be much pleased to show me the way. Of course I expressed my willingness to accommodate my pace to his, and away we went across country. After riding for twenty-five minutes, we arrived near the ever-celebrated farm which constituted the head-quarters. Its appearance was by no means grand nor imposing, and put me very much in mind of Shakspeare’s house at Stratford, or the humble cot of the poet Burns in Ayrshire.
My readers are too well acquainted with the locality and the non-architectural design of the house and its dependencies for me to attempt giving a description. The well-known spot was first taken as the English head-quarters, and retaken by drawing, daguerreotyping, engraving, photographing, lithographing, &c.: in fact, it became, as well as the wooden French head-quarters, so celebrated during the war-time, that the Tuileries, Windsor, and the marble palace of Dolma Bach were actually cast into the shade, and a very deep shade too. Even cities were at a discount compared with Sebastopol. Yes, Sebastopol, pretty, picturesque Sebastopol, with its few thousand inhabitants, was in everybody’s mouth and thoughts.
The court-yard at head-quarters that morning presented a very lively scene. I found it, to my great disappointment, filled with officers’ chargers, which were being slowly led about by the orderlies. There were some belonging to Sardinians, French, and Turks, besides English ones. This sight made me despair of seeing the General that morning, and I feared that I should lose another day. Time was then precious to me.
Upon inquiry, I was informed that the Sardinian General, Della Marmora, was returning a visit to Lord Raglan and to General Canrobert, and that they would all be off directly, as a grand review of their troops was to take place the following day. This afforded me an opportunity of paying my second visit to Dr. Hall, the chief superintendent. He was out, but I was told that he would be home by one or two o’clock. On retracing my steps to head-quarters, I found, as I had been at first informed, every one on the point of departure. The different uniforms formed an exquisite contrast in the military cavalcade. The court-yard was soon cleared, and I went in, and had the pleasure of seeing General Airey, Colonel Steele, &c. Colonel Steele said I was just in time to see Lord Raglan, and I was at once ushered in.
“What have you to show me, Monsieur Soyer?” said Lord Raglan, after a kind greeting.
“I wish to submit to your lordship’s inspection the model of my field-stove, and if you approve of it, the progress of my undertaking will be greatly accelerated.”
“Very well; explain it at once.”
“In the first place, here is a simple plan of the kitchen in course of erection at the Sanatorium Hospital.” I pointed out the details, which his lordship seemed to understand at first sight.