Jack Archer: A Tale of the Crimea Read online

  JACK ARCHER

  A Tale of the Crimea

  By G. A. HENTY

  Author of "The Boy Knight," "With Clive in India,""True to the Old Flag," Etc., Etc.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter I. The MidshipmanChapter II. An Adventure at GibChapter III. The EscapeChapter IV. GallipoliChapter V. A Brush with the EnemyChapter VI. The AlmaChapter VII. Before SebastopolChapter VIII. BalaklavaChapter IX. InkermanChapter X. The Great StormChapter XI. Taken PrisonersChapter XII. Prisoners on ParoleChapter XIII. A Nominal ImprisonmentChapter XIV. A Suspected HouseholdChapter XV. A Struggle for LifeChapter XVI. An Escape from PrisonChapter XVII. A Journey in DisguiseChapter XVIII. The Polish InsurgentsChapter XIX. To the RescueChapter XX. In a Lion's DenChapter XXI. Back at the FrontChapter XXII. The Repulse at the RedanChapter XXIII. The Battle of the TchernayaChapter XXIV. A Fortunate StormChapter XXV. The Capture of SebastopolChapter XXVI. Conclusion

  CHAPTER I.

  THE MIDSHIPMAN

  The first day of term cannot be considered a cheerful occasion. As theboys arrive on the previous evening, they have so much to tell eachother, are so full of what they have been doing, that the chatter andlaughter are as great as upon the night preceding the breaking-up. Inthe morning, however, all this is changed. As they take their placesat their desks and open their books, a dull, heavy feeling takespossession of the boys, and the full consciousness that they are atthe beginning of another half year's work weighs heavily on theirminds.

  It is true enough that the half year will have its play, too, itsmatches, with their rivalry and excitement. But at present it is thelong routine of lessons which is most prominent in the minds of thelads who are sitting on the long benches of the King's School,Canterbury.

  As a whole, however, these have not great reason for sadness. Not morethan a third of them are boarders, and the rest, who have in truth,for the last week, begun to be tired of their holidays, will, whenthey once get out of school, and begin to choose sides for football,be really glad that the term has again commenced.

  "So your brother is not coming back again, Archer?" one of the boyssaid to a lad of some fifteen years old, a merry, curly-haired fellow,somewhat short for his age, but square-shouldered and sturdy.

  "No. He is expecting in another six months to get his commission, andis going up to town to study with a coach. My father has lodged themoney for him, and hopes to get him gazetted to his old regiment, the33d."

  "What is he going to a coach for? There is no examination, is there?And if there was, I should think he could pass it. He has been in thesixth for the last year."

  "Oh, he is all right enough," Archer said. "But my father is sendinghim to an army man to get up military drawing and fortification. Dadsays it is of no use his going on grinding here at Greek and Latin,and that he had much better spend the time, till he gets hiscommission, in learning something that may be of use to him. I wish Ihad done with Latin and Greek too, I'm sure they'll never be of anyuse to me, and I hate them."

  At this moment the conversation between the boys was abruptly brokenoff by Archer being called up by the class master.

  "Archer," he said, looking up from the papers on the desk before him,"these verses are disgraceful. Of all in the holiday tasks sent in,yours appears to me to be the worst."

  "I'm very sorry, sir," Jack Archer said, "I really tried hard to dothem, but somehow or other the quantities never will come right."

  "I don't know what you call trying hard, Archer, but it's utterlyimpossible, if you had taken the trouble to look the words out inthe Gradus, that you could have made such mistakes as those here."

  "I don't know, sir," Jack answered. "I can do exercises andtranslations and all that sort of thing well enough, but I alwaysbreak down with verses, and I don't see what good they are, exceptfor fellows who want to write Latin verses for tombstones."

  "That has nothing to do with it," the master said; "and I am not goingto discuss the utility of verses with you. I shall report you to Dr.Wallace, and if you will not work in your holidays, you will have todo so in your play-hours."

  Jack retired to his seat, and for the next ten minutes indulged in adiatribe against classical learning in general, and hexameters andpentameters in particular.

  Presently one of the sixth form came down to where Jack was sitting,--

  "Archer, Dr. Wallace wants you."

  "Oh, lord," Jack groaned, "now I'm in for it! I haven't seen Marshallget out of his seat. I suppose he has written a report about thosebeastly verses."

  The greeting of Dr. Wallace was, however, of a different nature fromthat which he had anticipated.

  "Archer," he said, "I have just received a note from your father. Youare to go home at once."

  Jack Archer opened his eyes in astonishment. It was but an hour and ahalf since he had started from Harbledown, a mile or so distant fromthe school. His father had said nothing at breakfast, and what onearth could he want him home again for?

  With a mechanical "Yes, sir," he returned to his place, gathered uphis books hastily together, fastening them with a strap, and was soonon his way home at a rapid trot. He overtook ere long the servant whohad brought the note--an old soldier, who had been Major Archer'sservant in the army.

  "What is the matter, Jones? Is any one ill at home?"

  "No, sir; no one is ill as I knows of. The major called me into hisstudy, and told me to take a note to Dr. Wallace, and, of course, Iasked the master no questions."

  "No," Jack said, "I don't suppose you did, Jones. I don't supposeyou'd ask any questions if you were told to take a letter straight tothe man in the moon. I wonder what it can mean."

  And continuing his run, he soon left the steady-going old soldier farbehind. Up High Street, under the great gate, along through the wide,straggling street beyond, into the open country, and then acrossthrough the fields to Harbledown. Jack never paused till, hot andpanting, he entered the gate.

  His father and his elder brother, who had seen him coming across thefields, were standing in the porch.

  "Hurrah! Jack," the latter shouted; "you're going to be first outafter all."

  "Going to be first out?" Jack gasped. "What on earth do you mean,Harry?"

  "Come into the parlor, Jack," his father said, "and you shall hear allabout it."

  Here his mother and two sisters were sitting.

  "My dear boy," the former said, rising and throwing her arms round hisneck, "this is sudden indeed."

  "What is sudden, mother? What is sudden?" Jack asked. "What is it allabout?" and noticing a tear on his mother's cheek, he went on, "Itcan't be those beastly verses, is it?" the subject most upon his mindbeing prominent. "But no, it couldn't be that. Even if Wallace took itinto his head to make a row about them, there would not be time. Butwhat is it, mother?"

  "Sit down, Jack," his father said. "You know, my boy, you have alwayssaid that you would like to go to sea. I had no interest that way, butsix months ago I wrote to my nephew Charles, who is, as you know, afirst lieutenant in the navy, and asked him if he thought he could getyou a midshipman's berth. He wrote back to say that he was at presenton half pay, and feared it would be a long time before he was afloatagain, as there were but few ships in commission, and he had not muchinterest. But if he were appointed he might be able to get you a berthon board the ship. As that didn't seem very hopeful, I thought itbetter to say nothing to you about it. However, this morning, justafter you had started for school, the postman brought a letter fromhim, saying that, owing to the threatening state of affairs in theEast, a number of ships were being rapidly put in commission, and thathe had been appointed to the 'Falcon,' and had seen the captain, andas
the latter, who happened to be an old friend of his, had no one inparticular whom he wished to oblige, he had kindly asked the Admiraltyfor a midshipman's appointment for you. This he had, of course,obtained. The 'Falcon' is being fitted out with all haste, and you areto join at once. So I shall take you to Portsmouth to-morrow."

  Jack was too much delighted and surprised to be able to speak atfirst. But after a minute or two he recovered his breath, uttered aloud hurrah of delight, and then gave vent to his feelings byexuberantly kissing his mother and sisters.

  "This is glorious," he said. "Only to think that I, who have just beenblown up for my verses, am a midshipman in her Majesty's service. Ican hardly believe that it is true. Oh, father, I have so wished to goto sea, but I have never said much about it because I thought you didnot like it, and now to think of my getting it when I had quite givenup all hope, and just at a time, too, when there seems to be a chanceof a row. What is it all about, father? I have heard you say somethingabout a dispute with Russia, but I never gave much attention to it."

  "The cause of the dispute is trumpery enough, and in itself whollyinsufficient to cause a war between two great nations. It began by asquabble about the holy places at Jerusalem, as to the rights of theGreek and Latin pilgrims respectively."

  "But what have we got to do with either the Latin or the Greekpilgrims?" Jack asked. "I should have thought that we were quitebothered enough with Latin and Greek verses, without having anythingto do with pilgrims. Besides, I didn't know there were any Latins now,and the Greeks ain't much."

  Major Archer smiled.

  "The Latin pilgrims are the members of the countries which profess theRoman Catholic religion, while the Greeks are those who profess thereligion of the Greek Church. That is to say, in the present case,principally Russians. There have for years been squabbles, swellingsometimes into serious tumults, between the pilgrims of these creeds,the matter being generally complicated by the interference of theTurkish authorities with them. The Russian government has beenendeavoring to obtain from Turkey the protectorate of all Christiansin her dominions, which France, as the leading Catholic country,naturally objects to. All this, however, is only a pretext. The realfact is that Russia, who has for centuries been casting a longing eyeupon Turkey, thinks that the time has arrived when she can carry outher ambitious designs. It has always been our policy, upon the otherhand, to sustain Turkey. We have large interests in the Mediterranean,and a considerable trade with the Levant, and were Russia to extendher dominion to Constantinople, our position would be seriouslymenaced. Moreover, and this perhaps is the principal point, it isabsolutely necessary for us in the future to be dominant in the eastof the Mediterranean. Egypt is rapidly becoming our highway to India,and many men think that in the future our trade with that greatdependency will flow down the valley of the Euphrates. Consequently,it is necessary to prevent Russia, at any cost, obtaining a footingsouth of the Black Sea."

  "And do you think, father, that there will really be a war?"

  "I'm inclined to think that there will be, Jack, although this is notthe popular opinion. We have so long, in England, been talking aboutthe iniquity of war that I believe that the Emperor Nicholas haspersuaded himself that we will not fight at any price. In this I amsure that he is wholly mistaken. So long as there was no probabilityof war, the people of England have quietly permitted the cheese-paringpoliticians who govern us to cut down the army and navy to a pointwhen we can hardly be said to have an army at all. But I am convincedthat the people of England are at heart as warlike as of old. Fewnations have done more fighting than we, and, roughly speaking, thewars have always been popular. If the people at large once becomeconvinced that the honor and interest of England are at stake, theywill go to war, and the politicians in power will have to follow thepopular current, or give way to men who will do so. At present,however, the general idea is that a demonstration upon the part ofEngland and France, will be sufficient to prevent Russia from takingany further steps. I think myself that Russia has gone too far to drawback. Russia is a country where the czars are nominally all-powerful,but where, in point of fact, they are as much bound as othersovereigns to follow the wishes of the country. The conquest ofConstantinople has long been the dream of every Russian, and now thatthe Czar has held out hopes that this dream is about to be realized,he will scarcely like to draw back."

  "But surely, father," Harry Archer said, "Russia cannot think herselfa match for England and France united."

  "I don't know that, my boy. Russia has an enormous population, farlarger than that of England and France united. Every man, from thehighest to the lowest, is at the disposal of the Czar, and there isscarcely any limit to the force which he is capable of putting intothe field. Russia has not fought since the days of Napoleon, and inthose days the Russian troops showed themselves to be as good as anyin Europe. At Borodino and Smolensko they were barely defeated afterinflicting enormous losses on the emperor's army, and, as in the end,they annihilated the largest army even Napoleon had ever got together,they may well think that, fighting close to their own borders, whileEngland and France have to take their troops across Europe, they willbe more than a match for us. And now, Jack, we must go down to thetown. There is much to do and to think about. The principal part ofyour outfit I shall, of course, get at Portsmouth, where the tailorsare accustomed to work at high pressure. But your underclothes we canget here. Now, my dear, if you will go upstairs and look throughJack's things, and let me know exactly how he stands, I will go downwith him to the town, and get anything he requires."

  "And will you be able to spare me for a quarter-of-an-hour, father? Ishould like to be outside the school when they come out at oneo'clock, to say good-bye to them. Won't they be surprised, and jollyenvious? Oh no, I should think not! They would give their ears, someof them, I know, to be in my place. I should like to say good-bye,too, to old Marshall. His face will be a picture when he finds that heis not going to drop on me for those verses, after all."

  It was a day of bustle and business, and Jack, until the very momentwhen he was embracing his weeping mother and sisters, while his fatherstood at the door, in front of which was the pony-chaise, which waswaiting to take him down to the station, could hardly realize that itwas all true, that his school-days were over, and that he was really amidshipman in her Majesty's service.

  Harry had already gone to the station on foot, as the back seat in thepony-chaise was occupied by Jack's luggage, and the last words that hesaid, as he shook hands with his brother, were,--

  "I shouldn't be surprised, old boy, if we were to meet in the Eastbefore long. If anything comes of it, they will have to increase thestrength of the army as well as of the navy, and it will be bad luckindeed if the 33d is left behind."

  On arriving at Portsmouth, Major Archer took up his quarters at thefamous George Inn, and, leaving their luggage there, was soon on hisway down to the Hard. Half a century had gone by since Portsmouth hadexhibited such a scene of life and bustle. Large numbers of extrahands had been taken on at the dockyards, and the fitters and riggerslabored night and day, hastening on the vessels just put intocommission. The bakeries were at work turning out biscuits as fast asthey could be made, and the stores were crammed to repletion withcommissariat and other stores. In addition to the ships of war,several large merchant steamers, taken up as transports, lay alongsidethe wharves, and an unusual force of military were concentrated in thetown, ready for departure. By the Hard were a number of boats from thevarious men-of-war lying in the harbor or off Spithead, whose officerswere ashore upon various duties. Huge dockyard barges, piled withcasks and stores, were being towed alongside the ships of war, and thebustle and life of the scene were delightful indeed to Jack,accustomed only to the quiet sleepiness of a cathedral town likeCanterbury. Inquiring which was the "Falcon," a paddle steamer mooredin the stream was pointed out to them by a boatman.

  "Oh dear," Jack said, "she looks small in comparison with those bigmen-of-war."

  "She is none the worse,
Jack, for that," his father said. "If thereshould be fighting, it will scarcely be at sea. The Russian fleet willnot venture to engage the fleets of England and France united, and youare likely to see much more active work in a vessel like the 'Falcon'than in one of those floating castles. Hullo, Charles, is that you?"he broke off, lying his hand upon the shoulder of a naval officer, whowas pushing his way though the crowd of boatmen and sailors to aman-of-war gig, which, with many others, was lying by the Hard.

  "Hullo, uncle, is that you?" he replied. "I am glad to see you. I wasexpecting you here in a day or so. I thought you would run down withthe youngster. Well, Jack, how are you? Why, it must be eight yearssince I saw you. You were quite a little chap then. Well, are youthinking of thrashing the Russians?"

  "The boy is half out of his mind with pleasure, Charles," Major Archersaid, "and he and all of us are greatly obliged to you for yourkindness in getting him his berth. I think you will find him activeand intelligent, though I fear he has not shone greatly at school,especially," he said smiling, "in his Latin verses."

  "He will make none the worse sailor for that," Charles Hethcote saidwith a laugh. "But I must be going on board. I have a message from theadmiral to the captain and every moment is precious, for things areterribly behindhand. The dockyard people are wellnigh out of theirwits with the pressure put upon them, and we are ordered to be readyto sail in a week. How it's all to be done, goodness only knows. Youneed not come on board, Jack. I will tell the captain that you havearrived, and he would not thank me for bringing any live lumber onboard just at present. You had better get him his outfit, uncle, atonce, and then he can report himself in full trim to-morrow."

  Giving the major the address of the tailor who could be trusted tosupply Jack's uniform without loss of time, and accepting aninvitation to dine at the "George" that evening, if he could possiblyget away from the ship, Lieutenant Hethcote stepped into the gig, andmade his way to the "Falcon."

  Major Archer and Jack first paid a visit to the tailor, where all thearticles necessary for the outfit were ordered and promised for nextday. They then visited the dockyard, and Jack was immensely impressedat the magnitude of the preparations which were being made for thewar. Then they strolled down the ramparts, and stood for some timewatching the batches of recruits being drilled, and then, as the shortwinter day was drawing to a close, they returned to the "George."