A GENEROUS OFFER. 189 have just presented to him a commission. Now please let me know, Captain Lakeman, what I can do for you." I was turning over in my mind what answer to give to this polite inquiry, when this usually taciturn military secretary, in seemingly overflowing spirits, burst out again, with a wave of the hand "Oh, it is needless to ask; his Grace has kindly spoken in your behalf, but really I am sorry to say that we have bestowed so many commissions of late, that I think, after all, as you are rich, you had better purchase, and I will do all I can to remove any impediments in the way as to age, &c." I was then twenty-four. This very kind proposal had such a supremely ridiculous effect on me, that notwithstanding all my efforts to contain myself before so dignified a person as the Military Secretary, I could not help laughing audibly. It did not even occur to me that I ought to make any attempt to conceal my amusement at this ridiculous proposal, so, bowing lowly, I rose and left the room, leaving the somewhat astonished Colonel alone in his doubts as to whether, after all, Viscount Forth or myself had the best claims to a commission in her Majesty's service. This was the discouraging result of a military education, finished at the best Continental schools, with the further advantage of having accompanied European armies in the field for the sake of instruction; of having placed the modern rifle, at my own expense, in the hands of the British soldier; of showing the use of better accoutrements (my men wore the helmet in 1851); of having been mentioned many times in general orders for gallant conduct in the field, &c., &c. Well, I thought, the sooner this state of affairs is changed the sooner Old England will find better servants. In this mood I went to report progress in Downing Street. His Grace of Newcastle was kind and considerate as usual, and abused the Horse Guards as heartily as the British Radical, and finally left me to consult with Mr Rhis private secretary, as to what now remained to be done to meet the views of the colonists concerning a recognition of my services to them. In the present state of affairs nothing suitable seemed to present itself; a civil employment abroad-the only gift at the disposal of the Colonial Office-did not meet my views; so, after a lengthened confab, I returned to my lares and penates, and awaited events. 192 CHAPTER XV. START ON A MISSION TO THE EAST-VISIT GALLIPOLI, AND REPORT MONOLOGUES EVENTS came rapidly enough. Those shadows in the East at which Colonel Airey had been throwing his pen, and was now preparing his sword to demolish, were thickening fast. A mission was offered to me to go to Constantinople, which I eagerly accepted, and in September 1853 I left England for the East. On my arrival there I was sent by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to Gallipoli. I made a lengthy report MISSION TO THE EAST. 193 to show the uselessness of that spit of land as a place of rendezvous for the English and French to fight the Russians, then hundreds of miles away across the Balkans and the Danube. Gallipoli is a point that may be used to threaten Asia, but not Europe. As such it was used by the Galli or Gauls-hence its name. I exposed the fact that an army disembarking for the purpose of repelling an invader, which the Russian army was, army was, lost all the prestige of success by preparing defences in case of retreat, and the fortifying of Gallipoli meant nothing else. It seemed almost cowardly thus to begin when the Turks alone were meeting the Russians in the open field. After Lord Stratford had received this report, he sent me further directions to visit the whole length of the Dardanelles and investigate the military and political influence they would possess in the East, supposing a war took place between England and Russia. These instructions I followed out, and afterwards returned to Constantinople along the shores of the Sea of Marmora, giving further details concerning the entire coast. His lordship was so satisfied with the manner in which N |