CHAPTER I
SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR (1779-1782) | PAGES |
| The position of the Rock—State of defence—Food-supply—Rodney brings relief—Fire-ships sent in—A convoy in a fog—Heavy guns bombard the town—Watching the cannon-ball—Catalina gets no gift—One against fourteen—Red-hot shot save the day—Lord Howe to the rescue | 17-27 |
CHAPTER II
DEFENCE OF ACRE (1799) | |
| Jaffa stormed by Napoleon—Sir Sidney Smith hurries to Acre—Takes a convoy—How the French procured cannon-balls—The Turks fear the mines—A noisy sortie—Fourteen assaults—A Damascus blade—Seventy shells explode—Napoleon nearly killed—The siege raised—A painful retreat | 28-36 |
CHAPTER III
THE WOUNDED CAPTAIN IN TALAVERA (1809) | |
| Talavera between two fires—Captain Boothby wounded—Brought into Talavera—The fear of the citizens—The surgeons’ delay—Operations without chloroform—The English retire—French troops arrive—Plunder—French officers kind, and protect Boothby—A private bent on loot beats a hasty retreat | 37-52 |
CHAPTER IV
THE CAPTURE OF CIUDAD RODRIGO (1812) | |
| A night march—Waiting for scaling-ladders—The assault—Ladders break—Shells and grenades—A magazine explodes—Street fighting—Drink brings disorder and plunder—Great spoil | 53-61 |
CHAPTER V
THE STORMING OF BADAJOS (1812) | |
| Rescue of wounded men—A forlorn hope—Fire-balls light up the scene—A mine explodes—Partial failure of the English—Escalade of the castle—Pat’s humour and heroism—Saving a General—Wellington hears the news—The day after the storm | 62-75 |
CHAPTER VI
A PRISONER IN ST. SEBASTIAN (1813) | |
| The coup de grÂce—The hospital—A cruel order—An attempt at escape—Removed to the castle—The English at the breach—Many are wounded—French ladies sleep in the open—A vertical fire—English gunners shoot too well—A good sabre lightly won | 76-89 |
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| Position of the town—Sale’s brigade rebuilds the defences—A sortie—Bad news—A queer noise—A ruse that did not succeed—The only survivor comes in—Story of a massacre—The earthquake—The walls are down—Are rebuilt—English magic—Pollock comes—Fight outside—The peril of Lady Sale | 90-109 |
CHAPTER VIII
SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL (1854-1856) | |
| The English land without tents—Mr. Kinglake shows off before Lord Raglan—The Alma—Strange escapes—Looted houses—Fair plunder—Balaklava Bay—Horses lost at sea—A derelict worth having—Jack very helpful—The Heavy and Light Brigades—Spies—Fraternizing | 110-125 |
CHAPTER IX
AFTER INKERMANN (1854) | |
| Valiant deeds—Lord Raglan under fire—Tryon the best shot—A Prince’s button—A cold Christmas—Savage horses—The Mamelon redoubt—Corporal Quin—Colonel Zea | 126-136 |
CHAPTER X
THE INDIAN MUTINY—DELHI (1857-1858) | |
| The Mutiny begins—A warning from a sepoy—A near thing—A noble act of a native officer—In camp at Delhi with no kit—A plan that failed—Our first check—Wilson in command—Seaton wounded—Arrival of Nicholson—Captures guns—The assault—The fate of the Princes—Pandy in a box | 137-158 |
CHAPTER XI
THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW (31st of May to 25th of September, 1857) | |
| Firing at close quarters—Adventures of fugitives—Death of Sir H. Lawrence—His character—Difficulty of sending letters—Mines and counter-mines—Fulton killed—Signs of the relief coming—A great welcome—Story of the escape from Cawnpore | 159-174 |
CHAPTER XII
THE RELIEF OF LUCKNOW (1857) | |
| The scene at Cawnpore—Fights before Lucknow—Nearly blown up—A hideous nightmare—Cheering a runaway—All safe out of the Residency—A quick march back—Who stole the biscuits?—Sir Colin’s own regiment | 175-190 |
CHAPTER XIII
RUNNING THE BLOCKADE (1861) | |
| North v. South—A new President hates slavery—Port Sumter is bombarded—Ladies on the house-top—Niggers don’t mind shells—A blockade-runner comes to Oxford—The Banshee strips for the race—Wilmington—High pay—Lights out—Cast the lead—A stern chase—The run home—Lying perdu—The Night-hawk saved by Irish humour—Southern need at the end of the war—Negro dignity waxes big | 191-201 |
CHAPTER XIV
THE FIRST IRONCLADS (1862) | |
| Will they sink or swim?—Captain Ericsson, the Swede—The Merrimac raised and armoured—The Monitor built by private venture—Merrimac sur
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