scarcely above a
whisper. "The guns we hear must be those belonging to the army that
marched past us last night, and the cavalry are certainly the same who
sang while they filed by in the darkness. What does it all mean, Tony?
There must be some huge movement afoot, for I have never seen so many
men marching together, save when the Allies advanced on the Alma."

"And now it's the Russians advancing towards the camp of the Allies,"
Tony answered thoughtfully. "What's their game? you're asking, Phil.
Why shouldn't it be Balaclava? The harbour is just chock-full of
British shipping, and, if that was captured, where should we be without
our stores of grub and ammunition? Nowhere. That's their plan, I can
tell you. Depend upon it, that is what they're up to; but you'll see
how it will end. I give them a couple of hours to play about in, and
after that our chaps will drive 'em off the field."

"Then I hope we shall have a chance of joining friends soon, Tony, for
to be compelled to sit here and watch the battle would be harder luck
than we bargained for. But look at the Russian army. What a grand
sight it makes!"

And indeed the greatest enemy of Russia, with mind morbidly awry with
jealousy and dislike, could not look upon that advancing army and fail
to admire.

Steadily, and with a swing which told of long practice in marching, the
infantry advanced in thick columns, rifles at the slope and caps well
set back upon their heads. And between them and on either flank rumbled
heavy cannon, the drivers holding in their horses as yet, while they
turned eager eyes to the left to watch their more fortunate companions
who at the moment were engaging the Turkish redoubts. Beyond the guns,
and away in front of all, rode the huge force of cavalry, squadron upon
squadron, riding knee to knee and listening to the music of the guns and
the jingle of their own equipment.

Amidst the cavalry the flash of polished brass would occasionally be
seen, while sometimes, as the squadrons moved apart for the moment, a
battery of small field-guns came to view, the bright metal sparkling in
the sun. But though a casual glance might suggest the idea that these
were merely toys, given to the cavalry to play with, yet the day was not
to pass before the men who manned these tiny field-guns were to show
that, protected by horsemen and capable of an extremely rapid advance
and retreat, these same batteries became a formidable item when fi