Morally he was
ever-unflinching. He abhorred a lie, and was always ready to stand up
for his convictions. But his physical frame was made of weaker
stuff--much to his own vexation.
One of the few early stories related of him is that he had difficulty
in learning to swim. He could not get the stroke and he had a horror
of being in water over his head. So he made a practise of deliberately
throwing himself into deep water, when out with his mates, knowing that
it was "sink or swim," or a case of getting pulled out. He was then
only nine.
A few years later, another instance reveals his determination. A great
circus was advertised in London, a novelty in those days, and the
Gordon boys had been promised the treat. But just before its arrival,
Charles fell into disgrace. He was charged with some fault which he
did not think should have been laid to his door. Later he was
forgiven, and told that he might attend the circus. But his pride was
aroused, and he refused to go.
When he was ten, the first definite step toward making him a soldier
was taken--for of course, being a Gordon, he must be a soldier. He was
sent to school at Taunton, preparatory to entering, as a cadet, the
Royal Military Academy, at Woolwich. At that time, its commandant was
a veteran of Waterloo, a peppery old chap who had left one of his legs
on the soil of France, as a souvenir.
Pages:
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123