Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/228

 184 THE WINTER TROUBLES. CHAP, number of those who lay wounded or sick in the ^"^" hospitals, and sorting out hour by hour the lessening remnant of strength ; but to Lord Eaglau every day of his life, and ' with dread- ' ful exactness, the "morning state" told all.'(^'^) With the absolute hideous truth thus day by day spread out before him, he did not for a moment deceive himself by observing that no man com- plained. On the contrary, his visits to the divisional camps and field -hospitals impressed him more and more painfully with the extent of the sufferings endured. In his way of mak- in<T these visits he neglected — what sometimes is of use, though distasteful to an honest man's nature — he neglected the ostentation of care. He used to ride almost always with but a single aide-de-camp ; and, it chancing that the wrapper he wore in those days had so much of the cloak formation as to conceal his loss of an arm, he was but little observed in passing, and not often recognised.(^^) It was in general by work — continuous work at his desk — that he obtained such distraction from grief as made endurance possible ; and this kind of toil must have been the more welcome to him, because his rare capa- city for official work, combined with minute and accurate knowledge of all the many subjects he dealt with, enabled him to feel that he was not only labouring for the weal of his army, but labouring always in a right direction. In the whole multitude of the despatches and letters, general orders, specific directions, memoranda, remonstrances, and minutes that he penned at