War had been declared against Russia, and the very gunboat they had seen had orders for the Gurnet—which her commander (a lieutenant he was) had not expected to meet here—to proceed eastwards with all speed, and wait further orders at Gibraltar.
END OF BOOK FIRST.
Book Second.
FOR HONOUR AND GLORY.
CHAPTER I.
"BLOW, GOOD WIND, AND WAFT US EAST."
War, war, war! Yes; war was the cry, from Land's End to John o' Groat's. In England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, war, war, war! In the drawing-rooms of the wealthy, in the humblest cottar's hut far away on Highland hillsides, you heard that song; it was sung by prince and peer and peasant, in theatre and concert and gutter. And even in churches, bishops, in their sleeves of lawn, prayed to Heaven to bless our arms, and for the "God of battle" to fight on our behalf.
Oh, Britain was valiant, Britain was brave in those days, just as she would be were war to be declared to-morrow against any nation, no matter which.
And we were in the right, too. So everybody believed, so everybody said.
Turkey, for this once at all events, was a poor, down-trodden country; Russia the cowardly, Russia the aggressive and grasping, had her heel upon her neck.