"I congratulate you heartily, Mr. Bathurst," the old officer said:
"I have had the pleasure of speaking in the highest terms of the
bravery you displayed in carrying my message through heavy fire a
score of times during the late operations."
Great as the honor of the Victoria Cross always is, to Bathurst
it was much more than to other men. It was his rehabilitation. He
need never fear now that his courage would be questioned, and the
report that he had before left the army because he lacked courage
would be forever silenced now that he could write V. C. after his
name. The pleasure of Dr. Wade and Wilson was scarcely less than
his own. The latter's regiment had suffered very heavily in the
struggle at Lucknow, and he came out of it a captain, having escaped
without a wound.
A week later Bathurst resigned his appointment. There was still
much to be done, and months of marching and fighting before the
rebellion was quite stamped out; but there had now arrived a force
ample to overcome all opposition, and there was no longer a necessity
for the service of civilians. As he had already left the service of
the Company, he was his own master, and therefore started at once
for Calcutta..
"I shall not be long before I follow you," the Doctor said, as they
spent their last evening together. "I shall wait and see this out,
and then retire. I should have liked to have gone home with you,
but it is out of the question. Our hands are full, and likely to
be so for some time, so I must stop.
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