A Staff Captain at twenty-three, the Prince, heir to the Crown of the British Empire, is a pattern of the best soldierly qualities. He can only live happily among the soldiers, with whom he is prodigiously popular.
It is said that he would have liked to do still more.
One day he asked permission of Lord Kitchener, who was then Secretary of State for War, to perform the ordinary duties of an officer with his regiment, the Grenadier Guards. He proposed to lead his men in an advance.
But Kitchener refused absolutely, and we can imagine the valiant argument which ensued between Prince and Sirdar—the one all youth and pluck, the other concerned alone with the welfare of the Empire.
The Prince ultimately was obliged to yield to reasons of State. It was a soldier's first victory—over himself.
[CHAPTER II.]
A HERO AFTER THE MANNER OF ROLAND.
December.