the duties of a medical attendant, needs no
comment.

(Signed) "A. G. M.,

"Late Medical Officer, West Granada
Gold-mining Company."

So I made long and unwearied application at the War Office, in
blissful ignorance of the labour and time I was throwing away. I have
reason to believe that I considerably interfered with the repose of
sundry messengers, and disturbed, to an alarming degree, the official
gravity of some nice gentlemanly young fellows, who were working out
their salaries in an easy, off-hand way. But my ridiculous endeavours
to gain an interview with the Secretary-at-War of course failed, and
glad at last to oblige a distracted messenger, I transferred my
attentions to the Quartermaster-General's department. Here I saw
another gentleman, who listened to me with a great deal of polite
enjoyment, and--his amusement ended--hinted, had I not better apply
to the Medical Department; and accordingly I attached myself to their
quarters with the same unwearying ardour. But, of course, I grew tired
at last, and then I changed my plans.

Now, I am not for a single instant going to blame the authorities who
would not listen to the offer of a motherly yellow woman to go to the
Crimea and nurse her "sons" there, suffering from cholera,
diarrhoea, and a host of lesser ills. In my country, where people
know our use, it would have been different; but here it was natural
enough--although I had references, and other voices spoke for me--that
they should laugh, good-naturedly enough, at my offer. War, I know, is
a serious game, but sometimes very humble actors are of great use in
it, and if the reader, when he comes in time to peruse the evidence of
those who had to do with the Sebastopol drama, of my share in it, will
turn back to this chapter, he will confess perhaps that, after all,
the impulse which led me to the War Department was not unnatural.

My new scheme was, I candidly confess, worse devised than the one
which had failed. Miss Nightingale had left England for the Crimea,
but other nurses were still to follow, and my new plan was simply to
offer myself to Mrs. H---- as a recruit. Feeling that I was one of the
very women they most wanted, experienced and fond of the work, I
jumped at once to the conclusion that they would gladly enrol me in
their number. To go to Cox's, the army agents, who were most obliging
to me, and obtain the Secretary-at-War's private address, did n