The Drake Letters 038
YOU ARE HERE: Drake Letters ► 38. Drake to Louisa 18 December 1854
37. Drake to Louisa 13 December 185 ◄ ● ► 39. Drake to Louisa 22 December 1854
William Henry Drake (Balaklava) № 29 – Louisa Drake (London), 18 December 1854
| № 29 | Balaklava 18 Decr. 54 1 |
My dear Lu,
Nothing in the Public line has happened since my last Our roads become worse More horses & mules died & then Ld. Raglan ordered the Cavalry to furnish us with 500 horses daily these 500 carry 240 bags bread 240 privates to lead them & the rest Officers & Non Coms.
I sent you Treasury Bill for £100 in my last of which I now send the 2nd for myself I have been rather seedy & rheumatic but not ill or laid up as most people are I have kept my legs, & done my work. The 16th I completed 9 years as an A.C.G. & the evening before or rather in the very early morning of the 16 had a Singular piece of luck it was this; I dined with a large party on board a large Steamer some 20 people besides the Officers of the Ship After dinner they commenced playing Rouge & Noir 2 as you know I never do play these games in fact I don’t understand R. & Noir so I sat chatting & otherwise amused myself – this went on for a long time when a Light Dragoon who was dealing offered a bet on some part of the Game of 50 to 1 in Sovs. all laughed at him & said the odds were much more. he turned to me, (I was standing near) & said Drake what odds will you take? I said what will you give – he said 55 to 1. I sd. very well – he evidently saw he had caught a tiger; post the Cash Said he – I laid £1 on the table & he made great show & laughed much at me as he put 55 Sovs. on it, all laughed at my throwing away a Sovereign but lo! the thing turned out for me & I won the bet & coolly pocketed his Cash – He is a Dragoon with 10 or 12000 a year so I did not pity him – After this we supped & then had some singing I put my Pea Coat 3 on & was quietly retiring, but some of the Cardplayers were making what they called a Sweepstakes – we call it fright of 5 Sovs. each & they halloo’d at me to give up my odd £5 for the purpose, I did on condition that my Friend the Dragoon drew for me as I was going to bed & I slipped off plus £50 but what was my astonishment next morning while at breakfast to see the Capt. of the Steamer come in & lay on the table £65 I having won or rather the Dragoon for me – only think £115 – which I litterally [sic] have at this moment – if I were a young fellow this wd. make a gambler of me for life but all I can say is I don’t regret it I am not likely to be injured by it, I do not send it home as my Lords wd. think me too rich if I took a Ty. Bill & I cannot get another I like, after the end of the month I shall be able to get some Navy Pay Bills – I intend to appropriate £100 to buy Silver to replace!!! what we sold at St John 4 & a Silver Breakfast & Tea Set for you when we go to a decent Station, as D.C.G. in Charge, do you agree to this – one does not often catch a Dragoon asleep. –
The 89 & 17 Regt. 5 have arrived with some Artillery – today being St Nicholas’ Day an attack was anticipated but as yet none has been made, we made great preparation for it – The French have an addition of 10000 men & some 15000 Turks & some say Omer Pacha 6 are landed at Eupatoria & are to be reinforced to 28 or 30,000. Seven of our large Steamers are employed in taking them there from Varna
Surely all these troops must do something I hope so at all events for all are tired of doing nothing here but getting sick. We are a queer looking set I have not touched a razor for above a month & have a great mind not to until you see what a beauty your old Hub is with a long red beard & moustache – the most ridiculous thing is to see so many officers with very grey [written across the page] Whiskers & beards who hitherto have them of glossy black, but no doubt this is the effect of Climate
Today the weather is beautiful, a bright sun clean air & healthy but our roads are as muddy as they can be nearly Knee deep
With best love & kisses to all believe me
Your ever affectionate Hub
W. H. Drake
Footnotes
1. Private family manuscript (Judith Hall and Sally Mac, Auckland, New Zealand). ▲
2. Rouge et noit: (Literally, red and black). A game at cards in which persons play against the owner of the table or banker – so called because the table is divided into small compartments coloured red and black. [The household dictionary of the English language, p. 652.] ▲
3. Pea-jacket: A thick woollen jacket worn by seamen, &c. [The household dictionary of the English language, p. 532.] ▲
4. St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. Henry and Louisa had been stationed at St. John from 1850 to 1854. ▲
5. 17th Leicestershire Regiment of Foot. ▲
6. Omar Pasha, born Michael Lattas, supreme commander of the Turkish army. ▲
37. Drake to Louisa 13 December 185 ◄ ● ► 39. Drake to Louisa 22 December 1854
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