Page:Memorials of Capt. Hedley Vicars, Ninety-seventh Regiment by Marsh, Catherine, 1818-1912.djvu/187

180 great day, has my courage failed and my tongue been silent. May God forgive me for the many times I have thus acted the coward, and been ashamed of Jesus, my dearest Friend, and Saviour, and King."

"Late at night, February 16th. — The camp is hushed in sleep, and nothing is to be heard save the occasional booming of artillery and rattle of musketry, or the rumbling of ammunition-waggons on their way to the batteries from Balaklava. I own to being rather tired after the duties of the day; but were I an hundred tunes more so, I could not rest till I have written to you in answer to your two last most precious letters.

You ask my opinion as to our prospects. Do not believe for a moment that I take the gloomy view of matters which so many of the newspapers take. No! Although I have seen many a noble soldier laid low for ever, and regiments reduced to less than half their numbers by sickness since the 20th of last November, I have no fear of the eventual result, by the help of God. The French have a large army in the Crimea (80,000 or 90,000 men), and more regiments arriving every week. And what with these and 12,000 British, we are well able to defeat any Russian army Menschikoff or any of his generals may bring into the field against us. As to taking Sebastopol, that will be an affair of several months. But the warm weather will soon be coming now, and then day and night duty in the trenches will be rather good fun than otherwise. So cheer up, my own beloved friend and comforter. You have cheered us by telling us of the hope that a day of prayer is about to be granted. A great answer must and will follow; for does not Jesus himself say, 'If (even) two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.' May God the Holy