Chapter XIII: Eastward Ho!

Life at sea on board a troopship is to the soldier a dull time. To Jack the first few days were especially so, as he was prostrated by sea-sickness, being tormented from time to time by the assiduous attentions of those of his comrades who were not so bad, and who seemed never tired of asking him to ‘try a bit of fat pork.’ When he got about again they were three days out, and standing well down for the Bay of Biscay.

The colonel kept his men pretty busy, and Jack soon had enough to do. The second deck had been fitted up as a mess-deck for the men, and below that was the horse-deck. This was separated longitudinally into three divisions, the horses standing on each side with their heads facing inwards, the centre walk being for the men. Each horse was separated from its companion by a barrier, and had a sling beneath it to prevent slipping.

Necessarily a good part of the day was spent at ‘stables,’ as tending the horses was still called; then there was drill when the weather permitted, and various parades.

There was a good deal of skylarking going on, and much ingenuity was often displayed in devising practical jokes. In the evening the men would gather on the forecastle and smoke and tell yarns, those who had already seen service being eagerly listened to as they told tales of hairbreadth escapes or thrilling deeds.

Jack and his comrades were thus sitting one fine night, when Sergeant Linham, taking his pipe from his mouth, blew violently down his nose, and prefacing his remarks with his usual exclamation, said, ‘Now I want to know what in all goodness have the Turks to do with this affair? What are we going to fight the Russians for, and where are we going to begin, for no one at present seems to know?’

‘You want to know a good deal, sergeant,’ said a trooper named Pearson. ‘As far as I can make out, the Czar’s trying to collar Turkey, and we’re going to stop him. Anyway, we’re going to have a dust-up; that’s all I care about.’

‘Just like all the other fools,’ said Linham scornfully; ‘no matter what the reason so long as we fight; but I want to understand.’

‘A very laudable wish, sergeant,’ said a friendly voice from behind, and turning they saw Cornet Leland, cigar in hand, among them. The men would have jumped up, but the cornet bade them keep seated.

‘Would you mind telling us, sir, what we _are_ going to fight about?’ said Linham. ‘I suppose there _is_ a cause.’

‘I suppose there is,’ laughed Leland; ‘but it’s a very involved one. My uncle has deeply studied the question, and he tells me we have been partly led into this affair by the French Emperor, who is compelled to make war on somebody to prevent his country from dwelling on awkward questions at home.’

‘Just what I should have expected,’ growled Linham; ‘we’re the cat’s-paw to get the chestnuts out of the fire as usual.’

‘There may be some truth in that,’ said the young officer; ‘but, of course, there are other causes. The Czar of Russia is practically a fanatic, with a raging hatred of Moslems; this he makes a pretext for wishing to take Constantinople under his protection. The other nations cannot agree to this, especially we who govern millions of Moslems in India. The Czar has poured an army into Turkey, and we are going either to drive it out or defend the country against fresh inroads, and the French are going to help us.’

‘Then we’re not bound for Russia at all?’ said Sergeant Linham in some disgust.

‘As far as I know, we are not,’ replied Cornet Leland.

‘H’m!’ said Sergeant Linham; ‘seems rather a muddled-up affair to start with; who knows what it’ll be in six months’ time?’

The sergeant’s words were prophetic.

The voyage was fairly uneventful. Jack was greatly struck with the appearance of Gibraltar, and he caught a glimpse of Malta. In the Mediterranean bad weather was experienced, and after passing the Dardanelles on the 19th of May the _Eveline_ arrived off Constantinople. The men cheered loudly as they caught their first glimpse of the enchanting-looking city of mosques and minarets. They proceeded to Kulali, and there they disembarked and went under canvas. The troops arrived, and the regiment was all together again, having lost only twenty-six horses during the passage. On the last day of May they were marched off to Scutari and inspected by his Imperial Majesty the Sultan of Turkey, accompanied by a large and glittering staff.

Tired with a long day in the saddle, under a broiling sun, Jack was preparing to turn in when he saw Will looking for him.

‘Hurrah, Jack! Heard the news?’ cried his chum.

‘No. What is it?’

‘We’re to embark at once for Varna and join the troops there. We shall be in the thick of it soon, or my name’s not Hodson.’

‘And the sooner the better,’ said Jack; ‘there doesn’t seem to be much doing here, and it’s hardly worth while coming a thousand or so miles to be reviewed by an old effigy who hardly seems able to sit a horse.’

Sergeant Linham had much to say about this second embarkation. ‘Seems to me we’re like a lot of blessed pilgrims wandering about to try and find a resting-place,’ he said when they were again aboard. ‘Why the dickens don’t we go somewhere and do something?’

‘Not being a Field-Marshal or a Cabinet Minister, sergeant, I can’t tell you,’ replied Jack as he gazed over the ship’s side.

The sergeant snorted and walked off, and Jack gazed with admiration at the magnificent scenery. The sea was a deep-blue, the coast-line much indented, showing light-green herbage, luxuriance of trees and flowers, and rounded hills in the background. As they steamed along the blue channel of ever-varying width, they passed beautiful groupings of wood and dale, ravine and hillside, among which kiosks, bastions, tall mosques, noble mansions, and picturesque villages nestled.

The waters abounded in fish, porpoises and dolphins plashing and playing round the vessel as she cleaved her way against the rapid flood. Sword-fish occasionally made lightning-like raids at their prey, and hawks, kites, and sea-eagles flew skimming the surface of the water.

Night set in before they reached the entrance of the Black Sea. As they passed the forts the sentries yelled out strange challenges and burned blue lights, which were answered from the vessel. Then they ran into a drifting, clammy fog, which settled round them like a shroud and rendered everything as black as pitch, when, shivering after the heat of the day, Jack sought his berth.

In the morning the same haze hung over everything; but as the sun increased in power it lifted and soon a line of land, marked by a band of white clouds, came in sight. As the atmosphere got clearer, undulating folds of greensward, rising one above the other, and behind them hilly peaks, all covered with fine verdure, came in sight. The transport rounded a promontory on the left, passed an earthen fort, and entered a semicircular bay about a mile and a half in length and a couple of miles across, and there on its northern side lay Varna. It was a fine-looking place, showing up well against the hills behind it, a black-and-white coloured tower and the great lighthouse being the most conspicuous buildings.

In the bay lay British and Turkish men-of-war and Bulgarian and Armenian vessels. Small boats by the hundred, mostly containing either jolly Jack-tars or red-coated soldiers, darted here and there, and many and cheery were the salutations exchanged.

The transport went on and dropped anchor at the pier, when Jack saw that the town was surrounded by a stone wall ten feet high, painted white and loopholed, and that there were some detached batteries mounting heavy guns.

‘Rum sort of show,’ said Will to Jack. ‘Seems pretty strong.’

‘May be,’ replied Jack; ‘but what’s this coming?’

What had attracted his attention was a regular fleet of large, flat-bottomed boats, which were then approaching the transport. They were manned by British tars and marines, and it soon became evident that the boats were intended to disembark the cavalry. A rare job it was; but, however, it was at last accomplished successfully, and the ‘Death or Glory Boys’ assembled together on Bulgarian soil.

They were at once marched off to the British camp, which had been pitched on a scrub-covered plain about a mile from the town and half a mile from a large fresh-water lake. As they proceeded they met detachments of Riflemen, Highlanders, light infantry, Guards, and Marines; red-coats swarmed everywhere. Presently they passed a number of French soldiers, Zouaves, fine fellows in baggy red breeches, white gaiters, and tight-fitting blue jackets, swinging along with their peculiar gait.

Jack’s was the first cavalry regiment to arrive, and as the Frenchmen critically surveyed the smart blue and white uniforms, the fluttering lance-pennons, and other gay trappings, they burst out into a kind of yell, which the light cavalrymen, taking to be a compliment, answered with a cheer.

‘If that noise is the best thing the “mounseers” can do in the shape of a cheer,’ growled Sergeant Linham, glaring at the voluble Frenchmen from under the peak of his lance-cap, ‘I don’t think much of it.’

English staff-officers were seen in their plain uniforms galloping here and there, besides dozens of French officers in brass helmets or showy busbies, glittering with a profusion of gold and silver lace, and putting the British quite in the shade.

They also saw groups of lazy, indolent Turks, bands of villainous, cunning-looking Greeks, strings of Armenians, and an occasional Bulgarian driving an _araba_, handsome fellows, in black sheepskin caps, baggy breeches, and loose brown jackets, exposing their sunburned chests. In the sash encircling the waist a yataghan or a pistol was often stuck; but for all that they had a dull, dejected look, born of long and cruel oppression by the Turk.

At last the camp, pitched on a dry, sandy table-land was reached. The artillery were on the right; the commissariat, surrounded by carts, flocks of sheep, and cattle, on the left; and the Rifles and infantry in the centre.

Jack’s regiment, after being marched and counter-marched for a considerable time, was located near the commissariat.

‘Seems as if they didn’t quite know what to do with us now we are here,’ said Jack.

‘Anyway, we’re close to the grub,’ cried Pearson, as he dismounted, ‘and that’s a thing I highly approve of.’