he town, Dick having
determined that he would travel home by easy stages, while Jack, of
course, would journey direct to join his ship.

He had written immediately upon his arrival to acquaint his family,
and that of Dick, that both were alive and had escaped from Russia.
The tailors had been set to work, and the midshipmen presented a
respectable appearance. Dick was still so weak that he could scarcely
stand, and Jack tried hard to persuade him to stay for another week.
But Dick was pining to be home, and would not hear of delay. A day's
travel in a diligence brought them to a railway station, and twelve
hours later they arrived at Vienna.

Here they stopped for a day in luxurious quarters, and then Jack,
after seeing his friend into the train on his way home, started to
travel over the Semmering pass down to Trieste, where he knew he
should find no difficulty in obtaining a steamer to Constantinople.

After forty-eight hours' diligence travelling, Jack reached the pretty
seaport on the northern shore of the Adriatic. He found to his
satisfaction that one of the Austrian Lloyd's steamers would sail for
Constantinople on the following morning. He spent the evening in
buying a great stock of such articles as he had most found the want of
in camp, and had accumulated quite a respectable stock of baggage by
the time he went on board ship. After six days' steaming, during which
they were never out of sight of land, they cast anchor opposite
Constantinople.

Jack did not report himself to the naval authorities here, as he
thought it quite possible that the "Falcon" had been recalled or sent
on other service, and he hoped that in that case he would, upon
reaching the front, be appointed to some other ship.

There was no difficulty in obtaining a passage to Balaklava, for two
or three transports, or merchantmen laden with stores, were going up
every day. He paused, however, for three days, as it was absolutely
necessary for him to obtain a fit-out of fresh uniforms before
rejoining, and at Galata he found European tailors perfectly capable
of turning out such articles.

Jack felt uncommonly pleased as he surveyed himself in a glass in his
new equipment; for it was now eight months since he had landed in the
Crimea, and the dilapidation of his garments had from that time been
rapid. The difficulties of toilet had, too, been great, and white
shirts were things absolutely unknown; so that Jack had never felt
really prese