Jack Archer: A Tale of the Crimea Page 8

  CHAPTER VIII.

  BALAKLAVA

  On the morning of the 25th Harry ran into Jack's tent.

  "Wake up, Jack, there is a row down near Balaklava. The Russians arecoming on in force. You're off duty, are you not? So am I. We onlycame out of the trenches half an hour ago. Hurry on your things andcome along."

  Jack was only a minute or two getting into his clothes, the othermidshipmen off duty also hurrying up. Tom Hammond brought in four cupsof hot coffee, which they drank hastily, and then munching their hardbiscuits as they went, the party of four hurried off.

  On reaching the edge of the plateau the whole scene was visible. Onfour knolls in the plain, redoubts had been erected, and these weregarrisoned by the Turks. Some two miles out ran the little rivercalled the Tchernaya, which runs through the valley of Inkerman intothe head of the harbor of Sebastopol, and upon this a body of Russiantroops had been for some time encamped. Large bodies of the enemy wereknown to be gathered on the Mackenzie heights, a range of hills whichbounded the plain upon the opposite side. These had been stronglyreinforced, and at daybreak the Russian army, having gathered at theTchernaya, advanced upon the Turkish redoubts. The scene when the boysreached the edge of the plateau was a stirring one. Great bodies ofinfantry were marching across the undulating plain. Strong regimentsof cavalry swept hither and thither, and two batteries of light gunshad already opened on the redoubts. Lines of British infantry could beseen drawn up at the foot of the slopes from Balaklava to the MarineHeights, where the marines were getting the guns in a position tocommand the plain. Solid bodies of British cavalry were drawn up nearthe mouth of the valley. The drums and bugles were sounding all overthe plateau behind the group, and the troops were already forming up,and staff-officers were dashing about with orders.

  "There goes my regimental call," Harry said. "I must go back again,Jack."

  "I shall push on," Jack said. "Come along, you fellows, we're too faroff to see much of it here. Let us get down as near Balaklava as wecan."

  So saying, the midshipmen set off at a run. For a few minutes the gunsof No. 1 redoubt, the farthest out of all, replied to the Russianfire, and then the Turks, menaced by overwhelming forces, and beyondthe possibility of any assistance, left their guns and bolted acrossthe plain towards the second redoubt. Few of them, however, reachedit, for the Russian cavalry swooped down on them and nearly all weresabred as they ran. As soon as the Russians obtained possession of theredoubt they turned its guns upon the British, and the 93d Highlanderswho were drawn up in front of the entrance to the Balaklava valley,were forced to fall back. Our cavalry, which were formed up in aslight dip of the ground, were invisible to the enemy. As the Russiansadvanced, the Turks in the second redoubt fled towards the third, butthe Russian cavalry were too quick for them, and but few escaped. Theguns were turned by the Russians upon the third redoubt, and, untaughtby the fate of their comrades that it was safer to stand than to run,the Turks here also bolted, and ran for the town. Again did theRussian cavalry sweep down. The naval guns from the Marine Heights,the French and Turkish batteries on the road up to the camp in vainspoke out, and sent their shot and shell far out on the plain. Thedistance was too great, and many of the Turks were cut down, the restreaching our lines where they formed up behind the 93d.

  By this time the whole sweep from the Sebastopol plateau to Balaklavawas alive with spectators. The British infantry were drawn up ready todefend their position or to march down and take part in a generalbattle. Heavy columns of the French were marching from their distantcamps, while groups of generals and mounted officers watched theprogress of the fight. Lord Raglan and General Canrobert, who nowcommanded the French (Marshal St. Arnaud having gone on board ship aday or two after the battle of the Alma, where he died two dayslater), had taken up their position on some rising ground aboveKadikoi, a village which lay near the mouth of the Balaklava valley.

  As the Russian cavalry on the left of their advance crowned the slopethey saw the Highlanders drawn up in line across the plain. Theyhalted till joined by numbers of other squadrons. Then they dashed atthe Highlanders. As they came sweeping in magnificent array the Turksfired a volley and bolted. The Highlanders stood firm and immovable.When the Russians came within 600 yards, a long flash of fire ranalong the British front. The distance, however, was too great, and theRussians came steadily on, although the shot from the Britishbatteries were plunging thick among them.

  When within 250 yards of the Highlanders another flash of fire sweptout along the line, and this time so great was the effect that theRussian squadrons recoiled, and in another minute were galloping backtowards their main body, while a cheer ran along the heights from themarine battery to Sebastopol.

  Lord Raglan now sent orders to Lord Lucan to advance, and the HeavyBrigade moved forward just as a large body of Russian cavalry cameover the brow in front of them. The British trumpets rang out thecharge, and the Scots Greys and Inniskillings, who formed the firstline of the Heavy Brigade, dashed at the enemy. Gathering speed asthey went, these two splendid regiments rode at the heavy masses ofRussian cavalry. Faster and faster grew their speed till, with amighty shout, they flung themselves upon the foe. For a moment allseemed wild confusion to the spectators. Redcoats and black wereinextricably mixed together, and over them like a play of rapidlightning was the flash of steel as the swords rose and fell.Presently the Redcoats were seen emerging from the rear, having cuttheir way through the surging mass. The flanks of the Russian column,however, were lapping them in, and it seemed that the little bodywould be annihilated, when the 4th and 5th Dragoon Guards, forming thesecond line of the Heavy Brigade, burst upon them like a torrent.Smitten, as if by a thunderbolt, the Russian cavalry, men and horses,rolled over before the stroke, and the column, shattered and brokeninto fragments, galloped away to the shelter of their infantry, whilea roar of triumph arose from long lines of the allies.

  By this time the French infantry had arrived upon the ground, andBalaklava was safe. Then came the episode by which the battle ofBalaklava is best known, the famous charge of the Six Hundred. Anorder was sent from Lord Raglan to Lord Lucan to advance the lightcavalry farther. Captain Nolan, who bore the order, was himself alight cavalry officer of great enterprise and distinction, and who hadan unlimited faith in the powers of British light cavalry. Excitedprobably by the sight of the glorious feat achieved by the "heavies,"and burning to see it emulated by his comrades of the light regiments,he so gave the order to Lord Lucan that the latter conceived it to behis duty to charge. The order was simply to advance, but when LordLucan asked him, "How far are we to advance?" he replied, pointing tothe Russians, "There are the enemy and there are the guns."

  Lord Lucan, conceiving that his orders were absolute, ordered LordCardigan to advance upon the guns. Lord Cardigan saw at once thedesperate nature of the enterprise. The guns were a mile and a halfdistant, backed by the whole Russian army. The line to be ridden overwas swept not only by the fire of the guns he was about to charge, butby those of other batteries on the flank. No support was possible, forthe heavy cavalry were at this time far away, executing a movementwhich had been ordered. Lastly, even if successful, the charge couldbe attended with no great results, as it would be impossible either tohold or carry away the guns.

  The enterprise was indeed a desperate one. Lord Cardigan gave theorder, and the Light Brigade, numbering in all but the strength of asingle regiment, set out at a trot towards the distant Russians. Asthey approached they quickened their speed, and the spectators sawwith feelings of mixed horror and admiration, the enterprise on whichthey had embarked. When at the distance of 1200 yards from theRussians, thirty pieces of artillery opened fire upon them. Men andhorses rolled over before the iron shower, but the squadrons closed uptheir gaps and rode straight forward, with sabres flashing in the sun,leaving the plain behind them dotted with killed and wounded.

  Again, as they neared the battery, the iron shower swept through theirranks; then with a mighty shout they dashed upon the guns. Brie
f wasthe struggle here. The Russian gunners were cut down, and gatheringtogether, boot to boot, the British cavalry rode straight at a Russianline of infantry which formed up 100 yards behind the guns, poured avolley into them. There was no pause, but straight, and with the shockof an avalanche, they hurled themselves at the Russians. There was ayell, a crash, the clash of sabre on bayonet, the shout of the victor,the scream of the dying, and the British horsemen burst through theRussian line. Their work was done. They were conquerors, but alone inan army of enemies. Turning now, they swept back again through theguns on their homeward way. The flank batteries belched their fireupon them, the rattle of musketry sounded round them, a regiment ofcavalry was hurled upon their flanks, but these, weak as they were,they dashed aside, and wounded and bleeding, the remnant of thegallant band rode on until met by the Heavy Brigade, advancing toassist them and cover their retreat.

  Our infantry now made a forward movement. The Russians fell back, andat half-past eleven the battle of Balaklava was over. While theBritish charge was going on, 200 of the French cavalry made abrilliant charge on the left and carried a battery, but had to retreatwith a loss of two captains, and fifty men killed and wounded. Ourloss in all was thirteen officers killed or taken, and twenty-sevenofficers wounded, 162 men killed or taken, and 224 men wounded. Therewere 394 horses killed or missing, and 126 horses wounded. TheRussians carried off some ten guns from the redoubts which theycaptured in the morning.

  Jack and his friends returned at the conclusion of the fight to camp,where, as they had rather expected, they met with a severe reprimandfor their absence, being told that upon such an occasion, whether offduty or not, their duty was to remain in camp. Captain Peel indeed,was nearly sending them back to their ships again. But after a verysevere reprimand he allowed them to remain. The boys went back totheir tent somewhat crestfallen, but agreed that such a sight as theyhad witnessed was worth anything.

  October ended, and the batteries of besieged and besiegers continuedto play, the Russians causing much annoyance by the heavy shell whichthey threw up from their mortars; the battery worked by theblue-jackets suffering particularly. The Russians had now 240 guns intheir new works, a number far superior to those of the allies. As yetno damage whatever had been inflicted on the enemy's works. Each daytheir faces were pitted with shot, each night the Russians repairedthe damages. In the mean time the Russians had received very largereinforcements. Two of the Imperial Grand Dukes had also arrived, andthey were preparing for an attempt to sweep the allies into the sea.The weather had set in wet; the soldiers were weakened by theirincessant work in the trenches, by wet and exposure, and the strengthof many of the regiments was greatly reduced by disease. All hopes ofcapturing the fortress and returning to Constantinople to winter werenow at an end, and the roads having become mere quagmires, thesupplies of food and of fuel were growing scanty. On the 3d, Jack hadbeen sent down to Balaklava with a despatch from Captain Peel toAdmiral Lyons. Mr. Hethcote lent him his pony, and having deliveredhis message in the guard-ship in the harbor, whence it would be takenout to the "Agamemnon," Jack went on board some of the transports, anddischarged a number of commissions with which he had been intrusted byhis comrades. So numerous were they that he was obliged to get acouple of sacks which were completely filled with hams, bottled stout,fresh bread, potted meats, brandy, matches, and tobacco. He had, too,succeeded in purchasing several waterproof sheets and tarpaulins, andthese being fastened on the top of the sacks, were placed upon thepony's back, and, taking his bridle, Jack started through the mud forhis long tramp back to camp, for it was quite out of the question thatthe pony could carry him in addition to these burdens. Not a littlelaughter was excited on his arrival, and there was quite a rush of thevarious officers to procure their share of Jack's purchases, for noofficer had been down to Balaklava for a fortnight, and the stores ofluxuries were completely exhausted.

  Next night Jack and his messmates gave a grand entertainment. Harryand two other lieutenants of the 33d--for the battle of the Alma hadmade so many death vacancies in the regiment that he had obtained hispromotion--were there, and two young officers of the 30th who werecousins of one of Jack's tentmates. It certainly was a close pack. TomHammond had obtained some planks, and, laying these on the flourbarrel, had contrived a sort of circular table, round which theparties sat with their backs to the wall, on boxes, empty preservedpotato tins, rum kegs, and portmanteaus. There was no room for Tom toenter the tent, so the full dishes were handed in through theentrance, and the empty ones passed out. Each guest of course broughthis own plate, knife, fork, spoon, and drinking tin. As for a changeof plates, no one dreamed of such a thing.

  Outside, the night set in wet and gloomy, but four tallow candlesstuck in bottles threw a grand illumination.

  The first course was pea-soup. It smelt good, but it had a suspiciousappearance, globules of grease floated upon its surface. All fell towith a will, but with the first spoonful there was a generalexplosion.

  "What on earth is this, Jack?" Harry exclaimed.

  "What the deuce is it?" another said. "It is filthy!"

  While one of the young officers of the 30th exclaimed to his cousin,"Confound it, Ned! you haven't brought us here to poison us, haveyou?"

  This explosion was followed by a simultaneous shout for Tom by his sixangry masters.

  The top-man put his head in at the slit.

  "What the deuce have you been doing to this soup?" roared theindignant chorus.

  "Soup, your honors? Nothing."

  "Nothing! Don't tell me, you ruffian!" exclaimed Allison, the oldestof the midshipmen. "It's poison! What have you been doing to it?"

  "Well, your honor, the only way I can account for it is that a whileago I took off the lid to see if it was boiling nicely, when a bit oftallow candle I had in my fingers slipped and fell into it. I couldn'tget it out, though I scalded my fingers in trying, and it just meltedaway in no time. I skimmed the fat off the top, your honors, anddidn't think it would make no matter."

  The shout of laughter which greeted the explanation was loud andgeneral.

  "You're a scoundrel, Tom!" Allison said, "and I shall have to ask Mr.Hethcote to disrate you, and get some one here who is not a bornidiot. Here, take this horrible mess away! Pour the contents of yourplates back into the pot, boys, and put the plates together. You mustwash them, Tom, or the tallow will taste in everything we have."

  The things were passed out of the tent, and after five minutes theplates were returned, and with them a great tin piled up with Irishstew, the contents of five tins. A cheer rose as the smell of the foodgreeted their nostrils.

  "Hurrah! This is something like! I don't think there's any mistakethis time."

  Nor was there. The stew was unanimously voted to be perfect, and Tomwas again called to the tent-door, and solemnly forgiven.

  Then came fried rashers of ham, eaten with hard biscuit. Then came thegreat triumph of the banquet--a great plum-pudding, which had beensent out from England in a tin, ready cooked, and which had onlyrequired an hour's boiling to warm it through.

  In order to eat this in what the midshipmen called proper style, a tinpannikin half filled with brandy was held over the candles, and thebrandy being then ignited, was poured over the pudding. Not a scrap ofthis was left when the party had finished, and the table beingcleared, pipes were brought out and lighted; the drinking-cupsrefilled with grog, and the party set-to to enjoy a long evening.

  "It is a beastly night," the one sitting next to the door said,peering out into the darkness. "It is a fine rain, or rather a Scotchmist, so thick I can hardly see the next tent. It will be as much asyou fellows will be able to do to find your way back to your camps.

  "Now," Allison said, "let us make ourselves comfortable. It is onlyseven o'clock yet, and you've got three hours before 'lights out.'It's my duty as president of the mess to call upon some one for asong, but as I'm a good fellow I will set the example myself. Upon thepresent occasion we can't do better than begin with 'The Red, White
,and Blue,' and, mind, a good chorus every one. Any one shirking thechorus will have no share of the next round of grog, and any one whodoes not sing when called upon, or who attempts to make any baseexplanations or excuses, will have to drink his tin full of salt andwater."

  Without further delay Allison began his song, one very popular at thattime. There was no occasion for him to use his authority as presidentin the infliction of fines, for every one in turn, when called upon,did his best, and the choruses were heard over the whole of the navalcamp.

  "Hullo! What's all this noise about?" said a cheery voice presently,as a head was put through the opening of the tent.

  The midshipmen all jumped to their feet.

  "We are having a jollification, sir," Allison said, "on the thingsArcher brought up from Balaklava yesterday. Are we making too muchnoise, sir?"

  "Not a bit, lads," the first lieutenant said. "It's cheerful to hearyou. It isn't much enjoyment that we get on this bleak plateau. Well,good-night. You mustn't keep it up after 'lights out,' you know."

  "That's something like a first lieutenant," Allison said, when Mr.Hethcote had retired. "Most of them look as if they'd swallowed aramrod, and treat middies as if they were the dust of the earth. I'mquite sure that a man who is genial and nice gets his work done everso much better than do those stand-off fellows. I see in your camp,"he said to the officers, "colonels and majors standing and chatting tothe young officers just as pleasantly and freely as a party ofgentlemen on shore. Why the captain of a ship should hold himself asif he were a little god, is a thing I have never been able to makeout. I'm sure you fellows obey orders on parade none the less promptlyand readily because the colonel has been chatting with you in themess-room half an hour before. But don't let us waste time. Archer,it's your turn for a song."

  And so merrily the hours passed away, until it was time to break upand put out the lights. And as the young fellows laughed and sung,while the mist and rain came down pitilessly outside, they littlethought what was preparing for the morrow, or dreamed that thechurches in Sebastopol were crowded with Russian soldiers praying thesaints to give them victory on the morrow, and to aid them to drivethe enemies of the Czar into the sea.