Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions

must introduce to my readers as a little wonder; and, although he had not taken time to grow to manhood, he did not like to be called a boy. Although but twelve years old, he always called himself Miss Nightingale’s and Mr. Bracebridge’s man. He was a regular _enfant de troupe_, full of activity, wit, intelligence, and glee. He had quitted his instruments and sticks, as he called them, to devote his civil and military career to Miss Nightingale, that lady having claimed his services. To her he was as devoted as an aide-de-camp to his general. Before the enemy could have approached his adored mistress, the drummer boy, would have been cut to pieces. This he told me himself at a later period, when a report was in circulation that the Russians were likely to attack Balaklava by the Kamara side. Miss Nightingale’s hut being the nearest that way on the Genoese heights, would certainly have been attacked first. Though the weather was fine overhead, there was about ten inches of mud in the unpaved and uneven streets of Balaklava, which caused us to be half-an-hour going a distance that might, under ordinary circumstances, have been accomplished in ten minutes. On our arrival at the General Hospital, we were received by Miss Wear, the matron of the hospital, “under Miss Nightingale.” Miss Nightingale requested me to try and find Doctor Henderson, who unluckily, as we thought through a mistake, was waiting for us at the Sanatorium on the Genoese heights. In his absence, Miss Wear and the medical superintendent showed us over the wards, which were crammed full of sick and wounded. We then visited the general kitchen, which, though rather short of cooking utensils and accommodation, was kept tolerably clean. A civilian cook was engaged making rather good soup, but it had boiled too fast. At all events, it was a satisfaction to me to find some one willing to improve, as he observed. Promising to send him my receipts and have his kitchen comfortably arranged, and to supply him with a few tin utensils, we left him.