"Can I go myself, sir?"
"Certainly. The quartermaster is on deck?"
"Yes."
The Gurnet was hove to, and in a short time, rowed by its brawny crew, and steered by Jack himself, the whaler was bounding over the waves towards the men. Yes, men they had been; but now, horrible to relate, they were but hideous, grinning corpses. Buried they had been—that is, buried at sea, and hastily, too, with shot to sink them; but this had not been sufficient. It was a ghastly sight. The men lay on their oars for a time looking horrified. Silent, too, for a time, till one old sailor spoke out.
"Them's cholera corpses, sir. Hadn't we better put back?"
Jack had really been wondering whether it was not his duty to take them in tow, so that they might be properly buried. A cold shudder ran through him, however, when he learned the truth; and so the boat was put about and rowed swiftly back to the ship.
"I thought as much," said Sturdy, when Jack went below again to report. "Ah, lad! if the cholera has broken out among our troops and seamen, we'll be held in check by an enemy far more terrible than the Russians."
That evening Dr. Reikie and Jack went on shore to pay a visit to the camp of the Highlanders under the brave Sir Colin Campbell, who, years after this, became the hero of India during the awful mutiny. Everywhere they were met by troops on the march towards the hastily-constructed piers that our engineers had made to assist the embarkation. Slowly and sadly these troops marched; so weak and sickly did they appear, that scarce could they carry their knapsacks. It was but little wonder. The whole air had the odour of a charnel-house.
They found their way to the Highlanders' camp at last; and rushing out from his tent-door, the first to bid Jack welcome was his cousin Llewellyn. He had just come off duty, and had not had time to divest himself of his accoutrements.
"Duty," he said, smiling a little sadly; "why, Jack, it's all duty just at present. It is duty all day long and most of the night, and I'm never out of my war-paint. But perhaps our brave fellows have suffered as little as any from the scourge, though we have buried quite a number. At first, Jack, we used to play them to the grave with the 'Dead March,' you know. But la! lad, there is no music now.—Dr. Reikie, I have heard so much about you from Cousin Jack's letters that I appear to have known you all my life. But, bless me, boys, come under canvas. I and Lieutenant Murray are quartered here. Snug enough? Oh yes; we don't complain about anything but the delay in getting off. We want to fight. Oh, I feel sure when we get into grips with the Russians the cholera will be scared away."