Part 6 (2/2)

For a moment the Russians, as they poured from the houses, paused in ignorance of the direction of their foes, but a shout from the sentry indicated this, and a scattering fire was opened. This, however, was at once checked by the shout of the officer to dash forward with all speed after the enemy. As the ma.s.s of Russians rushed from the village, the howitzer in the bows of the launch poured a volley of grape into them, and checked their advance. However, from along the bushes on either side fresh a.s.sailants poured out.

”Jump on board, lads, jump on board!” Mr. Hethcote shouted, and each sailor, discharging his musket at the enemy, leapt into his place.

”Give them a volley, Mr. Pascoe. Get your head round and row. Don't let the men waste time in firing.”

The volley from the launch again momentarily checked the enemy, and just as she got round, another discharge from the gun further arrested them. The boats were not, however, thirty yards from the sh.o.r.e before this was lined with dark figures who opened a tremendous fire of musketry.

”Row, lads, row!” Mr. Pascoe shouted to his men. ”We shall be out of their sight in another hundred yards.”

CHAPTER VI.

THE ALMA

Desperately the men bent to their oars, and the heavy boat surged through the water. Around them swept a storm of musket b.a.l.l.s, and although the darkness and their haste rendered the fire of the Russians wild and uncertain, many of the shot took effect. With a sigh, Mr. Pascoe fell against Jack, who was sitting next to him, just at the moment when Jack himself experienced a sensation as if a hot iron had pa.s.sed across his arm. Several of the men dropped their oars and fell back, but the boats still held rapidly on their way, and in two or three minutes were safe from anything but random shot. At this moment, however, three field pieces opened with grape, and the iron hail tore up the water near them. Fortunately they were now almost out of sight, and although the forts threw up rockets to light the bay, and joined their fire to that of the field guns, the boat escaped untouched.

”Thank G.o.d we are out of that!” Mr. Hethcote said, as the fire ceased and the boats headed for a light hung up to direct then.

”Have you many hurt, Mr. Pascoe?”

”I'm afraid, sir, Mr. Pascoe is either killed or badly wounded. He is lying against me, and gives no answer when I speak to him.”

”Any one else hurt?” Mr. Hethcote asked in a moment.

The men exchanged a few words among themselves.

”There are five down in the bottom of the boat, sir, and six or seven of us have been hit more or less.”

”It's a bad business,” Mr. Hethcote said. ”I have two killed and three wounded here. Are you hit yourself, Mr. Archer?”

”I've got a queer sensation in my arm, sir, and don't seem able to use it, so I suppose I am, but I don't think it's much.”

”Pull away, lads,” Mr. Hethcote said shortly. ”Show a light there in the bow to the steamer.”

The light was answered by a sharp whistle, and they heard the beat of the paddles of the ”Falcon” as she came down towards them, and five minutes later the boats were hoisted to the davits. ”No casualties, I hope, Mr. Hethcote?” Captain Stuart said, as the first lieutenant stepped on board. ”You seem to have got into a nest of hornets.”

”Yes, indeed, sir. There was a strong garrison in the village, and we have suffered, I fear heavily. Some eight or ten killed and as many wounded.”

”Dear me, dear me!” Captain Stuart said. ”This is an unfortunate circ.u.mstance, indeed. Mr. Manders, do you get the wounded on board and carried below. Will you step into my cabin, Mr. Hethcote, and give me full details of this unfortunate affair?”

Upon mustering the men, it was found that the total casualties in the two boats of the ”Falcon” amounted to, Lieutenant Pascoe killed, Mids.h.i.+pman Archer wounded; ten seamen killed, and nine wounded. Jack's wound was more severe than he had at first thought. The ball had gone through the upper part of the arm, and had grazed and badly bruised the bone in its pa.s.sage. The doctor said he would probably be some weeks before he would have his arm out of a sling. The ”Falcon” spent another week in examining the Crimean coast, and then ran across again to Varna. Here everything was being pushed forward for the start. Over six hundred vessels were a.s.sembled, with a tonnage vastly exceeding that of any fleet that had ever sailed the seas. Twenty-seven thousand English and twenty-three thousand French were to be carried in this huge flotilla; for although the French army was considerably larger than the English, the means of sea-transport of the latter were vastly superior, and they were able to take across the whole of their army in a single trip; whereas, the French could convey but half of their force. Unfortunately, between Lord Raglan, the English Commander-in-Chief, and Marshal Saint Arnaud, the French commander, there was little concert or agreement. The French, whose arrangements were far better, and whose movements were prompter than our own, were always complaining of British procrastination; while the English General went quietly on his own way, and certainly tried sorely the patience of our allies. Even when the whole of the allied armies were embarked, nothing had been settled beyond the fact that they were going to invade the Crimea, and the enormous fleet of men-of-war and transports, steamers with sailing vessels in tow, extending in lines farther than the eye could reach, and covering many square miles of the sea, sailed eastward without any fixed destination. The consequence was, as might be expected, a lamentable waste of time.

Halts were called, councils were held, reconnaissances sent forward, and the vast fleet steamed aimlessly north, south, east, and west, until, when at last a landing-place was fixed upon, near Eupatoria, and the disembarkation was effected, fourteen precious days had been wasted over a journey which is generally performed in twenty-four hours, and which even the slowly moving transports might have easily accomplished in three days.

The consequence was the Russians had time to march round large bodies of troops from the other side, and the object of the expedition--the capture of Sebastopol by a _coup de main_--was altogether thwarted. No more imposing sight was ever seen than that witnessed by the bands of Cossacks on the low sh.o.r.es of the Crimea, when the allied fleets anch.o.r.ed a few miles south of Eupatoria. The front extended nine miles in length, and behind this came line after line of transports until the very topmasts of those in the rear scarce appeared above the horizon. The place selected for the landing-place was known as the Old Fort, a low strip of bush and s.h.i.+ngle forming a causeway between the sea and a stagnant fresh-water lake, known as Lake Saki.

At eight o'clock in the morning of the 14th of September, the French admiral fired a gun, and in a little more than an hour six thousand of their troops were ash.o.r.e, while the landing of the English did not commence till an hour after. The boats of the men-of-war and transports had already been told off for the s.h.i.+ps carrying the light division, which was to be the first to land, and in a wonderfully short time the sea between the first line of s.h.i.+ps and the sh.o.r.e was covered with a mult.i.tude of boats crowded with soldiers. The boats of the ”Falcon” were employed with the rest, and as three weeks had elapsed since Jack had received his wound, he was able to take his share of duty, although his arm was still in a sling. The s.h.i.+p to which the ”Falcon's” boats were told off lay next to that which had carried the 33d, and as he rowed past, he exchanged a shout and a wave of the hand with Harry, who was standing at the top of the companion-ladder, seeing the men of his company take their seats in the boats. It was a day of tremendous work. Each man and officer carried three days' provisions, and no tents or other unnecessary stores were to be landed. The artillery, however, had to be got ash.o.r.e, and the work of landing the guns on the s.h.i.+ngly beach was a laborious one indeed. The horses in vain tugged and strained, and the sailors leaped over into the water and worked breast high at the wheels, and so succeeded in getting them ash.o.r.e. Jack had asked permission from Captain Stuart to spend the night on sh.o.r.e with his brother, and just as he was going off from the s.h.i.+p for the last time.

Simmonds, who had obtained his acting commission in place of Mr.

Pascoe, said, ”Archer, I should advise you to take a tarpaulin and a couple of bottles of rum. They will be useful before morning, I can tell you, for we are going to have a nasty night.”

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