The Scarlet Thief Read Online Free PDF

since that shameful episode at Sinope when those Russian blackguards massacred those poor Turkish sailors, the papers have been calling for something to be done. And I for one am in full agreement! Even as we speak, Lord Raglan is putting his command to readiness and I have it on good authority that the King’s Royal Fusiliers are to be a part of his force. They expect to sail shortly and although I shall not be there to join them before they are despatched, I expect to be able to follow them without much delay. Indeed, time is of the essence. I would not have anyone say we dallied and I am keen for us to arrive and take command of my new company before the campaign starts properly.’
    ‘But the government hasn’t declared war yet, has it, sir?’
    ‘No, it hasn’t, but the papers have been demanding nothing less for months and I fully expect war to be declared before the end of the month. The Turks and the Russians have been battering at each other for an age now so the stage is set for us to remind the world that the British army is still to be feared, even if we are to be allied with the damned French.’
    ‘Doesn’t that strike you as queer, sir? Us fighting alongside the Crapauds.’
    ‘It is war.’ Sloames looked suitably grave, an expression at odds with his obvious excitement about his new commission. ‘It is not pleasant but I am sure the government knows what it is about. If I am ordered to fight alongside the French then I shall do so with pride. My own misgivings cannot be placed above the needs of the country.’
    Jack nodded in agreement, doing his best to match his officer’s gravity. It shamed him that he did not know more about the situation that would soon lead his country to declare war. He had free access to Sloames’s newspapers but had never bothered to take the trouble to read them.
    ‘So where will we be sent exactly, sir?’
    ‘Here, let me show you.’ Sloames reached for that day’s paper which was on his desk. ‘ The Times has an excellent representation. Yes, here it is.’ Sloames folded the paper so that a half-page map appeared uppermost. He made space on his desk’s blotter and smoothed The Times flat. Jack moved forward and leant over his officer’s shoulder to see. The two men shared a moment’s companionable silence as they gave the map their fullest attention.
    ‘Here is Moldova.’ Sloames’s finger moved over the map. ‘The Russians invaded back in June last year. This here is Wallachia. The Turks have been fighting the Russians in these parts since October. It is a nasty business but if the reports are to be believed, the Turks have given the Russians a bloody nose or two. As yet it is not clear where our army is to find work but I would not be surprised if we were to join the Turkish army here, near the Danubian principalities. However, there is some pressure for us to do something a little more dramatic and some observers are calling for a campaign here on the Crimean Peninsular with a view to seizing the Russian naval port at Sevastopol. That would make Tsar Nicolas sit up and take note.’
    Jack listened to the exotic names and tried to work out exactly where these strange foreign places might be in relation to England. His knowledge of geography was scant, to say the least. As Sloames spoke of the protracted series of events that had led Britain to contemplate going to war for the first time in nearly forty years, Jack did his best to read the article that accompanied the simple map. He was so engrossed that he didn’t notice that Sloames had stopped talking and was staring at him.
    ‘You find this interesting, don’t you, Lark?’
    Jack pulled himself upright and took a respectful step away from the desk. For a few minutes the social gulf between the two men had been bridged by their shared interest in the wider events of the world.
    ‘Yes, sir.’ Jack’s use of the honorific broke the spell, re-establishing their respective ranks.
    ‘You may take the