thing _could_ happen which would warrant
their stopping on their busy way.

We spent a short time at Gibraltar, and you may imagine that I was
soon on shore making the best use of the few hours' reprieve granted
to the "Hollander's" weary engines. I had an idea that I should do
better alone, so I declined all offers of companionship, and selecting
a brisk young fellow from the mob of cicerones who offered their
services, saw more of the art of fortification in an hour or so than I
could understand in as many years. The pleasure was rather fatiguing,
and I was not sorry to return to the market-place, where I stood
curiously watching its strange and motley population. While so
engaged, I heard for the first time an exclamation which became
familiar enough to me afterwards.

"Why, bless my soul, old fellow, if this is not our good old Mother
Seacole!" I turned round, and saw two officers, whose features, set in
a broad frame of Crimean beard, I had some difficulty in recognising.
But I soon remembered that they were two of the 48th, who had been
often in my house at Kingston. Glad were the kind-hearted fellows, and
not a little surprised withal, to meet their old hostess in the
market-place of Gibraltar, bound for the scene of action which they
had left invalided; and it was not long before we were talking old
times over some wine--Spanish, I suppose--but it was very nasty.

"And you are going to the front, old lady--you, of all people in the
world?"

"Why not, my sons?--won't they be glad to have me there?"

"By Jove! yes, mother," answered one, an Irishman. "It isn't many
women--God bless them!--we've had to spoil us out there. But it's not
the place even for you, who know what hardship is. You'll never get a
roof to cover you at Balaclava, nor on the road either." So they
rattled on, telling me of the difficulties that were in store for me.
But they could not shake my resolution.

"Do you think I shall be of any use to you when I get there?"

"Surely."

"Then I'll go, were the place a hundred times worse than you describe
it. Can't I rig up a hut with the packing-cases, and sleep, if need
be, on straw, like Margery Daw?"

So they laughed, and drank success to me, and to our next meeting;
for, although they were going home invalided, the brave fellows'
hearts were with their companions, for all the hardships they had
passed through.

We stopped at Malta also, where, of course, I landed, and stared about
me,