Part 1 (1/2)
Beneath the Banner
by F J Cross
ONLY A NURSE GIRL!
THE STORY OF ALICE AYRES
On the night of Thursday, 25th April, 1886, the cry rang through Union Street, Borough, that the shop of Chandler, the oilress of the fire that, by the tiues of fla out from the s, and it was iunpowder had exploded with great violence, and casks of oil were burning with an indescribable fury
As the people rushed together to the exciting scene they were horrified to find at one of the upper s a girl, clad only in her night-dress, bearing in her ar for help
It was Alice Ayres, who, finding there was no way of escape by the staircase, was seeking for soe The frantic crowd gathered below shouted for her to save herself; but that was not her first ai sh theThis the crowd held whilst she carefully thren to thehted safe on the bed
Again the people in the street called on her to save her own life; but her only ansas to go back into the fierce fla out another child, which was safely transferred to the crowd below
Once again they frantically entreated her to juered back blinded and choking into the fiery furnace; and for the third ties, whose life also was saved
Then, at length, she was free to think of herself But, alas! her head was dizzy and confused, and she was no longer able to act as surely as she had hitherto done She ju below, her body struck against the projecting shop-sign, and rebounded, falling with terrific force on to the hard paveh everything possible was done for her at Guy's Hospital, whither she was re Sunday
Beautiful s have been erected at Red Cross Hall, Southwark, to commemorate her heroism; but the best memorial is her own expression: ”I tried to do my best”--for this will live in the hearts of all who read of her self-devotion She had tried to do her best _always_ Her loving tenderness to the children coentle life were reht of her dying a heroic death So, when the great trial came, she was prepared; and what seems to us Divine unselfishness appeared to her but simple duty
A SLAVE TRADE WARRIOR
SOME STORIES OF SIR SAMUEL BAKER
Sir Saed seventy-three, will always be re the four years he ruled there, and for his explorations in Africa
In earlier life he had done good service in Ceylon, had been in the Cri the Russian war, and had superintended the construction of the first Turkish railway
Then, at the age of forty, he turned his attention to African travel
Accompanied by his wife, he left Cairo in 1861; and, after exploring the Blue Nile, arrived in 1862 at Khartoum, situated at the junction of the White and Blue Nile Later on he turned southward In spite of the opposition of slave owners, and without guide or interpreter, he reached the Albert Nyanza; and when, after ypt, his fame as an explorer was fully established
His was the first expedition which had been successful in penetrating into Central Africa froland he elcomed with enthusiasm, and received many honours
In the year 1869, at the request of the Khedive of Egypt, Sir Samuel undertook a journey to the Soudan to put down the slave trade
He was given supreme power for a period of four years In December, with a small army of about 1500 men, he left Cairo for Gondokoro, about 3000 miles up the Nile, accompanied by his wife It was a terrible journey His men fell ill, the water in the river was low in e blocked up At times he had to cut channels for his shi+ps; the men lost heart; and, had the leader not been firm and steadfast, he would never have reached his destination
On one occasion he found his thirty vessels stranded, the river having alh a ress of only twelve ht At the end of this ti that course, and had to return to the place he had left and begin again
Still, in spite of all obstacles, he ress