Meanwhile, even before sunset, Gortschakoff was withdrawing his forces across a bridge that had purposely been built, and by means of boats to the north and therefore safe side of the great harbour. He had begun to retreat early in the afternoon, and before next day the whole army was across, and with them as many of the wounded as could be borne.
But what a night of terror and suffering that must have been to 2,000 desperately-wounded men, who were left behind in a huge hospital all helpless and alone! For throughout the darkness of night explosion after explosion of the magazines took place—thirty-five in all were blown up by the enemy—and the city took fire in every place where there was anything to burn, adding to the scene a terror that is indescribable. The last explosion was the loudest and most dreadful of all, and with it the very earth shook all around. It was the blowing up of the bridge.
Our losses were very great, those of the French treble, while altogether the Russians lost over 13,000 men.
But about those 2,000 wounded men? Ah! one's heart bleeds to think of their sad story. The doctors must, in many cases, have rushed in panic from the poor wretches without completing their operations; for when, forty-eight hours after the great day of battle, the Russian vessel Vladimir, under a flag of truce, came over to beg for the rest of their wounded, only 500 of them were found alive—many whose limbs were but half amputated being found lying face down in their own blood on the floor, where they had died in agony unutterable.
All the ships of war that had not been sunk were burned by the Russians themselves, and as their blackened and fiery hulls sunk hissing beneath the water, the curtain may have been said to drop on the last scene of this tragic and terrible war.
CHAPTER XIV.
"REMEMBER, WE SHALL ALL MEET AGAIN SOME
CHRISTMAS EVE ON HIGH."
Captain Gillespie of H.M.S. Gurnet was a somewhat shy man. Some sailors are. But all sailors are gallant; therefore when at Scutari, on her way home viâ Malta and Gibraltar, the Gurnet lay for a few days, and the worthy commander heard from Jack one evening that his sister and Sister Mary were waiting passage home, he looked over to Sturdy, who, with our young hero, was dining with him that night.
"I say, Sturdy, you know," he said, "though I think petticoats are very much out of place on board a man-o'-war, still—"
"I know what you're going to say, sir, and I quite agree with you. I myself, Captain Gillespie, both on shore and afloat, always port my helm if I see a lady; but still—"