Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole - Chapter 11

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter eleven of Wonderful Adventures of missus Sekual in Many
Lands by Mary Seakull. This LibriVox recording is in the
public domain. Chapter eleven. My life in Balaklava could not
but be a rough one. The exposure by day was
enough to try any woman's strength, and at night one

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was not always certain of repose. Nor was it the
easiest thing to clamber up the steep sides of the Medora.
And more than once I narrowly escaped a sousing in
the harbor. Why it should be so difficult to climb
a ship's side, when a few more staves in the ladder,
and those a little broader would make it so easy.
I have never been able to guess. And once on

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board the Medora, my birth would not altogether have suited
a delicate female with weak nerves. It was an ammunition ship,
and we slept over barrels of gunpowder and tons of cartridges,
with the by no means impossible contingency of their prematurely
igniting and giving us no time to say our prayers
before launching us into eternity. Great care was enjoined, and

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at eight o'clock every evening Captain s would come down
and order all lights out for the night, but I
used to put my lantern into a deep basin behind
some boxes, and so evaded the regulation. I felt rather
ashamed of this breach of discipline one night, when another
ammunition ship caught fire in the crowded harbor and threatened

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us all with speedy destruction. We all knew if they
failed in extinguishing the fire pretty quickly, what our chances
of life were worth, and I think the Bravest drew
his breath heavily at the thought of our danger. Fortunately,
they succeeded in extinguishing the firebrand before any mischief was done.
But I do not think the crew of the Medora

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slept very comfortably that night. It was said that the
Russians had employed in incendiary but it would have been
strange if in that densely crowded harbor some accidents had
not happened and without their agency. Harassing work indeed, was
the getting our stores on shore with the aid of
the Greek and Maltese boatmen whose profession is thievery. Not

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only did they demand exorbitant sums for the carriage, but
they contrived to rob us by the way in the
most ingenious manner. Thus many things of value were lost
in the little journey from the albatrost and non peree
to the shore which had made the long voyage from England.
Safely keep as sharp a lookout as I might, some
package or box would be tipped overboard by the sudden

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swaying of the boat, or passing by of one of
the boatmen, of course, accidentally, and no words could induce
the rascals, in their feigned ignorance of my language, to
stop and looking back at the helpless waif it was
not altogether consolatory to see another boat dart from between
some shipping where it had been waiting, as accidentally, ready

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to pounce upon any such wind or waterfall. Still more
harassing work was it to keep the things together on
the shore, often in the open light of day, while
I sat there. After my duties on the sick wharf
were over selling stores or administering medicine the men of
the Land Transport and Army Works Corps and others, who

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soon found out my skill. Valuable things would be abstracted
while there was no limit to the depredations. By night,
of course, we hired men to watch, but our choice
of servants was very limited, and very often those we
employed not only shut their eyes to the plunder of
their companions, but helped themselves freely. The adage set a

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thief to catch a thief answered very badly in Balaklava.
Sometimes Jiu Johnny would volunteer to watch for the night,
and glad I was when I knew that the honest
lynk Side fellow was there. One night he caught a
great limbed turk making off with a furkin of butter
and some other things. The fellow broke away from Johnny's

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grasp with the butter, but the lad marked him down
to his wretched den behind the engineer's quarters, and on
the following morning quietly introduced me to the lazy culprit
who was making up for the partial loss of his
night's rest. Among as evil looking a set of comrades
as I have ever seen. There was a great row
and much indignation shown at the purpose of my visit,

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but I considered myself justified in calling in the aid
of one of the Provst Marshal's officers, and in the
presence of this most invaluable official, a confession was soon
made beneath the fellow's dirty bed, the butter was found buried,
and in its company a two dozen cays of sherry,
which the rogue had, in flagrant defiance of the prophet's injunction,

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stolen for his own private drinking a few nights previously.
The thievery in this little out of the way port
was something marvelous, and the skill and ingenuity of the
operators would have reflected c read it upon the elite
of their profession, practicing in the most civilized city of Europe.
Nor was the thievery confined altogether to the professionals, who

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had crowded to the scene of action from the cities
and islands of the Mediterranean. They robbed us, the Turks
and one another, but a stronger hand was sometimes laid
on them. The Turk, however, was sure to be the
victim let who might be the oppressor in this predatory
warfare as in more honorable service. The dwarves particularly distinguished themselves.

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These undoubtedly gallant little fellows, always restless for action of
some sort, would, when the luxury of a brash with
the Russians was occasionally denied, them, come down to Balaklava
in search of opportunities of waging war against society at large.
Their complete and utter absence of conscientious scruples as to

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the rights of property was most amusing. The sierzoirv gravely
cheated turn work or trip up a Greek street merchant
or Maltese fruit seller and scud away with the spoil
cleverly stowed in his roomy red pantaloons was an operation,
for its coolness, expedition, and perfectness well worth seeing, and

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to a great extent they escaped scatheless. For the English
Provost Marshal's department was rather chary of interfering with the
eccentricities of our gallant allies. While if the French had
taken close cognisance of the Suave's amusements out of school,
one half of the regiments would have been always engaged
punishing the other half. The poor Turk it is lamentable

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to think how he was robbed, abused and bullied by
his friends. Why didn't he show a little pluck? There
wasn't a rough sailor or shrewd boy. The English boy,
in all his impudence and prejudice, flourished in Balaklava. Who
would not gladly have patted him upon the back if
he would but have held up his head and shown
ever so little spirit. But the Englishman cannot understand a

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coward will scarcely take the trouble to pity him. And
even the craven Greek could laud it over the degenerate
descendants of the fierce Arabs, who, so they told me
on the spot, had rested Constantinople from the Christians. In
those old times of which I know so little, very
often an injured Turk would run up to where I
sat and stand there wildly telegraphing his complaints against some

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villainous looking Greek or Italian, whom a stout English lad
would have shaken out of his dirty skin in five minutes. Once, however,
I saw the tables turned. As the anecdote will help
to illustrate the relative positions of the predatory tribes of Balaklava,
I will narrate it. Hearing one morning a louder hubbub

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than was usual upon the completion of a bargain and
the inevitable quarreling that always followed, I went up to
where I saw an excited crowd collected around a Turk
in whose hands a god Greek was struggling vainly. This
Greek had, it seemed, robbed his enemy. But the Turk
was master this time and had in order to force

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from the robber a confession of the place where the
stolen things were deposited. Like dogs as they were, these
fellows were fond of burying their plunder, resorted to torture.
This was effected most ingeniously and simply by means of
some pack thread, which bound round the Greek's two thumbs,
was tightened on the torniquet principle, until the pain elicited

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a confession. But the Turk, stimulated to retaliation by his triumph,
bagged the Greek's basket, which contained, amongst other things, two watches,
which their present owner had no doubt stolen. Driven to
the most ludicrous show of despair, the Greek was about
to attempt another desperate struggle for the recovery of his goods,

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when two swarves elbowed their small persons upon the crowded stage,
and were eagerly referred to by all parties concerned in
the squabble. How they contrived it, I cannot say so
prompt with their movements, but In a very few minutes,
the Watches were in their possession and going much faster
than was agreeable to either Turk or Greek, who both

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combined to arrest this new movement, and thereby added a
sharp thrashing to their other injuries. The dwarves effected their
escape safely, while the Greek, with a despair that had
in it an equal share of the ludicrous and the tragic,
threw himself upon the dusty ground and tore his thin
hair out by handfuls. I believe that the poor wretch,

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whom we could not help pitying, journeyed to Camieresche to
discover his oppressors, but I fear he didn't gain much
information there. Had it not been for the unremitting activity
of the authorities, no life would have been safe in Balaklava,
with its population of villains of every nation, as it was,

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was sometimes added to robbery, and many of the rascals
themselves died suspicious deaths, with the particulars of which the
authorities did not trouble themselves. But the officials worked hard,
both in the harbor and on shore to keep order.
Few men could have worked harder. I often saw the
old gray head admiral about before the sun had fairly

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shown itself, and those of his subordinates must have been
somewhat heavy sleepers who could play the sluggard. Then at
length the necessary preparations to establish our store were made.
We hit upon a spot about two miles from Balaklava,
in advance of Cadakoy, close to where the railway engines
were stationed, and within a mile of headquarters. Leave having

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been obtained to erect buildings here, we set to work
briskly and soon altered the appearance of spring Hill, so
we christened our new home, sometimes on horseback, sometimes getting
a lift on the commissariat carts and a caseation on
the ammunition railway wagons. I managed to visit spring Hill
daily and very soon fitted up a shed sufficiently large

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to take up my abode in. But the difficulty of
building our store was immense. To obtain material was next
to impossible, but that collected not a little was by
leave of the Admiral, gleaned from the floating rubbish in
the harbor. To find workmen to make use of it
was still more difficult. I spent days going round the

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shipping offering great wages even for an invalid able to
handle sore and hammer. However, roughly and many a long
ride through the camps did I take on the same
errand at length, by dint of hard canvassing, we obtained
the aid of two English sailors, whom I nicknamed Big
and Little Chips, and some Turks, and set to work

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in good earnest I procured the Turks from the Pasha
who commanded the division encamped in the neighborhood of Hill.
It was decided that we should apply to him for help,
and accordingly I became ambassadors on this delicate mission, and
rode over to the Pasha's quarters Giujohnny, attending me as interpreter.
I was received by the Passua with considerable kindness and

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no trifling amount of formality, and after taking coffee, I
proceeded through Giujohnny to explain the object of my visit,
while his excellency, a tall man with a dark pleasing face,
smoked gravely and took my request into his gracious consideration.
On the following day came the answer to my request

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in the persons of two curious Turkish carpenters, who were
placed at our orders After a little while too, a
Turkish officer whom I christened Captain Ali Barba, took so
great an interest in our labors that he would work
like any carpenter, and with a delight and zeal that
were astonishing. To see him fall back and look smilingly

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at every piece of his workmanship was a sight to
restore the most severely tried temper. I really think that
the good hearted fellow thought it splendid fun and never
wearied of it. But for him, I do not know
how we should have managed with our other Turkish chips,
chips of the true old Turkish block. They were deliberate,

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slow and indolent, breaking off into endless interruptions for the
sacred duties of eating and praying, and getting into out
of the way corners at all times of the day
to smoke themselves to sleep. In the midst of our work,
a calamity occurred which was very nearly becoming a catastrophe.
By the giving way of a dam. After some heavy rains,

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the little stream which threaded its silvery way past spring
Hill swelled without any warning into a torrent, which, sweeping
through my temporary hut, very nearly carried us all away
and destroyed stores of between one and two hundred pounds
in value. This calamity might have had a tragical issue
for me, for seeing a little box which contained some

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things valuable as relics of the past, being carried away,
I plunged in after it, and, losing my balance, was
rolled over and over by the stream, and with some
difficulty reached the shore. Some of Lord Ragland's staff, passing
our wreck on the following day, made inquiries respecting the

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loss we had sustained, and a messenger was sent from headquarters,
who made many purchases in token of their sympathy. My
visit to the Turkish Pasha laid the foundation of a
lasting friendship. He soon found his way to spring Hill,
and before long became one of my best customers and
most frequent visitors. It was astonishing to note how completely,

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now that he was in the land of the Jowers,
he adapted himself to the tastes and habits of the infidels,
like a Scotch Presbyterian on the continent. For a holiday,
he threw aside all the prejudices of his education and
drank bottled beer, sherry and champagne with an appreciation of
their qualities that no thirsty souled Christian could have expressed

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more gratefully. He was very affable with us all, and
would sometimes keep Ju Johnny away from his work for
hours chatting with us or the English officers who would
lounge into our as yet unfinished store. Sometimes he would
come down to breakfast and spend the greater part of
the day at spring Hill. Indeed, the wits of spring

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Hill used to laugh and say that the crafty pasture
was throwing his pocket handkerchief at Madame secual widow. But
as the honest fellow candidly confessed he had three wives
already at home, I acquipped him of any desire to
add to their number. The Pasha's great ambition was to
be familiar with the English language, and at last nothing

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would do but he must take lessons of me. So
he would come down, and, sitting in my store with
a turqu or so at his feet, to attend to
his most important pipe. By inserting little red hot pieces
of charcoal at intervals, would try hard to sew a
few English sentences in his treacherous memory. He never got
beyond half a dozen. And I think if we had

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continued in the relation of pupil and mistress until now,
the number would not have been increased greatly. Madam Sea Coal, gentlemen,
good morning and more Champagne, with each syllable much dwelt
upon were his favorite sentences. It was capital fun to
hear him when I was called away suddenly to attend

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to a customer, or to give a sick man medicine,
repeating gravely the sentence we had been studying, until I
passed him and started him with another. Very frequently he
would compliment me by ordering his band down to spring
Hill for my amusement. They played excellently well, and I
used to think that I preferred their music to that

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of the French and English regimental bands. I laughed heartily
one day when, in compliance with the kind hearted Anglo
Turkish Pasha's orders, they came out with a grand new
tune in which I, with difficulty recognized a very distant
semblance to God save the Queen altogether. He was a

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capital neighbor, and gave such strict orders to his men
to respect our property that we rarely lost anything on
the whole. The Turks were the most honest of the nations.
There I accept the English and the Sardinians and the
most tractable, But the Greeks hated them, and showed their
hate in every way. In bringing things up for the

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Pasha's use, they would let the mules down and smash
their loads most relentlessly. Now and then they suffered, as
was the case one day when I passed through the
camp and saw my friends superintending the correction of a
Greek who was being bastinadoed, it seemed a painful punishment.
I was sorry therefore when my friend's division was ordered

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to Camara and we lost our neighbors, but my pupil
did not forget his schoolmistress. A few days after they
had left the neighborhood of spring Hill came a messenger
with a present of lambs, poultry and eggs, and a
letter which I could not decipher, as many of the
interpreters could speak English far better than they could write it.

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But we discovered that the letter contained an invitation to
missed Day and myself to go over to Kamara and
select from the spoil of the village anything that might
be useful in our new buildings. And a few days
later came over a large araba, drawn by four mules
and laden with a pair of glass doors and some
window frames, which the thoughtful kind Pasture had judged, and

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judged rightly, would be a very acceptable present. And very
often the good natured fellow would ride over from Kamara
and resume his acquaintance with myself and my Champagne, and
practice his English sentences. We felt the loss of our
Turkish neighbors in more more ways than one. The neighborhood

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after their departure, was left lonely and unprotected, and it
was not until the Division of the Land Transport Corps
came and took up their quarters near us that I
felt a tall secure of personal safety. Mister Day rarely
returned to spring Hill until nightfall relieved him from his
many duties, and I depended chiefly upon two sailors, both

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of questionable character, two black servants ju Johnny, and my
own reputation for determination and courage, a poor delusion which
I took care to heighten by the judicious display of
a double barreled pistol lent me for the purpose by
mister Day, and which I couldn't have loaded to save
my life. End of Chapter eleven