Ask no more, child. Never heed Either Russ, or Frank, or Turk; Right of nations, trampled creed, Chance-poised victory's bloody work; Any flag i' the wind may roll On thy heights, Sevastopol! Willie, all to you and me Is that spot, whate'er it be, Where he stands--no other word-- _Stands_--God sure the child's prayers heard-- Near the Alma River. Willie, listen to the bells Ringing in the town to-day; That's for victory. No knell swells For the many swept away-- Hundreds, thousands. Let us weep, We, who need not--just to keep Reason clear in thought and brain Till the morning comes again; Till the third dread morning tell Who they were that fought and--_fell_ By the Alma River. Come, we'll lay us down, my child; Poor the bed is--poor and hard; But thy father, far exiled, Sleeps upon the open sward, Dreaming of us two at home; Or, beneath the starry dome, Digs out trenches in the dark, Where he buries--Willie, mark! Where _he buries_ those who died Fighting--fighting at his side-- By the Alma River. Willie, Willie, go to sleep; God will help us, O my boy! He will make the dull hours creep Faster, and send news of joy; When I need not shrink to meet Those great placards in the street, That for weeks will ghastly stare In some eyes--child, say that prayer Once again--a different one-- Say "O God! Thy will be done, By the Alma River." Open your atlas at the map of Russia. Look down toward the bottom, at that part of the great empire which borders on the Euxine or Black Sea; there you will find a small peninsula--it is really almost an island, being surrounded on three sides by water--labeled "_Crimea_." It is only a part of one of the smallest of Russia's forty-odd provinces, the province of Taurida; yet it is one of the famous places of history, for here, in the years 1854 and 1855, was fought the Crimean War, one of the greatest wars of modern times. Russia and Turkey have never been good neighbors. They have always been jealous of each other, always quarreling about this or that, the fact being that each is afraid of the other's getting too much land and too much power. In these disputes the other countries of Europe have generally sympathized with Turkey, feeling that Russia had quite enough power, and that if she had more it might be dangerous for all of them. Some day you will read in history about the Eastern Question and the Balance of Power, and will find out just what these meant in the Fifties; but this is all that you need know now, in order to understand what I am going to tell you.