Dr.
Hall might snort when he heard of it, asking, with a growl, what
a soldier wanted with a tooth-brush; but the good work went on.
Eventually the whole business of purveying to the hospitals was,
in effect, carried out by Miss Nightingale. She alone, it seemed.
whatever the contingency, knew where to lay her hands on what was
wanted; she alone could dispense her stores with readiness; above
all, she alone possessed the art of circumventing the pernicious
influences of official etiquette. This was her greatest enemy,
and sometimes even she was baffled by it. On one occasion 27,000
shirts, sent out at her instance by the Home Government, arrived,
were landed, and were only waiting to be unpacked. But the
official 'Purveyor' intervened; 'he could not unpack them,' he
said, 'with out a Board.' Miss Nightingale pleaded in vain; the
sick and wounded lay half-naked shivering for want of clothing;
and three weeks elapsed before the Board released the shirts. A
little later, however, on a similar occasion, Miss Nightingale
felt that she could assert her own authority. She ordered a
Government consignment to be forcibly opened while the miserable
'Purveyor' stood by, wringing his hands in departmental agony.
Vast quantities of valuable stores sent from England lay, she
found, engulfed in the bottomless abyss of the Turkish Customs
House.
Pages:
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191