Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/13

A PREFACE TO THE PRESENT EDITION. ix back, and his body — vainly asked for soon afterwards by General Tchernaieff — remained in the hands uf the Turks. These are the bare facts upon which a huge super- structure was speedily raised. It may be that the grandeur of the young colonel's form and stature, and the sight of the blood, showing vividly on his white attire, added something extraneous and weird to the sentiment which might well be inspired by witnessing his personal heroism ; and few people, understanding ' Young Muscovy,' will be slow to be- lieve that designing men, enchanted with the bright opportunity, took good care to seize and use it by putting in motion all the democratic and ecclesiastical machinery they had at their command. But, be that as it may, the actual result was that accounts of the incident — accounts growing every day more and more marvellous — flew so swiftly from city to city, from village to village, that before seven days had passed, the smouldering fire of Russian enthusiasm leapt up into a dangerous flame. Under countless green domes, big and small, priests fiercely chanting the ' Requiem ' for a young hero's soul, and setting forth the glory of dying in defence of ' syn-ortho- ■ dox ' brethren, drew warlike responses from men who — whilst still in cathedral or church — cried aloud that they, too, would go where the young Kireeff had gone ; and so many of them hastened to keep their word, that before long a flood of volunteers from many parts of Russia was pouring fast into