I Am Not Going To Pretend,
However, That The Course Which We Chose To Adopt On The Occasion
Can Be Perfectly Justified.
The impropriety of a traveller's
setting at naught the regulations of a foreign State is clear
enough, and the bad taste of compassing such a purpose by mere
gasconading is still more glaringly plain.
I knew perfectly well
that if the Pasha understood his duty, and had energy enough to
perform it, he would order out a file of soldiers the moment we
landed, and cause us both to be shot upon the beach, without
allowing more contact than might be absolutely necessary for the
purpose of making us stand fire; but I also firmly believed that
the Pasha would not see the befitting line of conduct nearly so
well as I did, and that even if he did know his duty, he would
hardly succeed in finding resolution enough to perform it.
We ordered the boat to be got in readiness, and the officers on
shore seeing these preparations, gathered together a number of
guards, who assembled upon the sands. We saw that great excitement
prevailed, and that messengers were continually going to and fro
between the shore and the citadel. Our captain, out of compliment
to his Excellency, had provided the vessel with a Russian war-flag,
which he had hoisted alternately with the Union Jack, and we agreed
that we would attempt our disembarkation under this, the Russian
standard! I was glad when we came to that resolution, for I should
have been sorry to engage the honoured flag of England in such an
affair as that which we were undertaking.
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