tion of Sebastopol. Soon after this,
Jack and his companions, who were watching the English cavalry,
expecting to see some of them sent in pursuit of the Cossacks, greatly
to their surprise observed the whole of them moving away to the
northward over the ridge till they were lost to sight, summoned,
apparently, by one of Lord Raglan's aides-de-camp, thus leaving
Balaclava without any other defence than the Highlanders and the battery
of field-guns.

At this juncture a large body of Russian cavalry appeared in the
direction of the third and fourth redoubts, having come thus far up the
North Valley. Just then the English batteries on the edge of the
Chersonese opened on them; this turned them, and they came moving over
the causeway, as if about to descend into the South Valley, while the
Russian artillery, which had advanced over the ridge, opened fire on the
Highlanders and Turks, who were posted at the foot of Balaclava heights.
Sir Colin, therefore, ordered them to move back to the foot of a
hillock which they had before crowned, and to lie down under shelter.
Directly afterwards four squadrons of the Russian cavalry, detached from
the larger mass, came shaping their way across the southern valley
towards the gorge which led to the harbour, the defence of which had
been confided to the Highlanders, who were now supported by a hundred
invalid soldiers, marched up from Balaclava. Directly the Russian
cavalry were seen, the greater number of the Turks, thoroughly
disorganised by their previous defeat, again took to flight, and rushed
off towards the harbour, shrieking out, "Ship! ship! ship!" as if their
only hope of escaping was to get on board the vessels in the harbour.
The Highlanders, who were still lying down, watched them with
contemptuous looks, and not a little merriment, as they observed the
frightened expression of their countenances. Within sight, behind them,
was the Highlanders' camp. As the terror-stricken Osmanlis were
scampering away past it, some even attempting to find shelter within,
there issued forth a tall figure with a thick stick in hand, who, by her
dress, was seen to be a female of Amazonian proportions.

Shouting loudly in Gaelic, she ordered the fugitive Turks to return to
their ranks, but her voice being unheeded, she placed herself before
them and attempted to drive them back with her cudgel. Her efforts
being still of no avail, after striking at several on either side, she
rushed at