and clothing, and stores, and
provisions were arriving in the camp of the allies. Affairs looked
brighter than they had done for many a day; the fleet, notwithstanding
the battering some of the ships had received at the opening of the
bombardment, was in as efficient a state as ever. It had rendered good
service at Eupatoria in assisting the Turks to defend the place against
a powerful force of Russians, which had been driven back with great
loss. The naval brigade had been doing good service on shore, not only
in the batteries, but by laying down a railway from Balaclava to the
Chersonese, by which the transport of heavy guns, ammunition, and stores
was greatly facilitated.

The _Tornado_ had not been idle, though, in consequence of the straining
her engines had received during the storm, she had been compelled to
remain some time at Constantinople, to have them set to rights. Once
more she was steaming across the waters of the Black Sea, with another
vessel of similar size in company.

"The _Giaour_ will beat us if we can't get up more steam," observed Jack
to his first lieutenant, who was walking the deck with him.

"We have on our full power, and are doing our utmost," answered Higson;
"the _Giaour's_ engines are new, and we must make up our minds, I
suspect, to let Commander Murray get ahead of us."

"I am always happy to follow wherever he leads," said Jack; "if there is
work to be done, he'll find out the way to do it."

The _Giaour_ was coming up slowly on the _Tornado's_ quarter, gaining
foot after foot but never losing an inch, so that at length she was
abreast of her; both vessels were steering for Sebastopol. The land was
soon afterwards made, and, as they approached, the admiral's flag was
seen flying at the masthead of the _Royal Albert_, a magnificent
three-decker of a hundred and thirty guns, to which Sir Edmund Lyons had
shifted it from the _Agamemnon_. She, and several other English and
French line-of-battle ships, lay across the entrance of the harbour,
effectually preventing any of the enemy's ships from getting out.

"The admiral is speaking to us and the _Giaour_" said Tom, who was
acting as signal-midshipman.

"Let's see what he is saying," said Jack, looking at the signal-book;
"it's `Keep under weigh' and `Commanders to repair on board the
admiral's ship.' We are to be sent somewhere together, I hope."

The two steamers closed rapidly with the fleet, beyond which could be
seen t