THE REPULSE AT THE REDAN
The first impulse of Jack, after having stowed his
traps in the tent and introduced himself to his new
mess-mates, was to make his way to the lines of the
33d. Here he found that Harry had been sent home
sick in January, but that he had sailed from England
again with a draft, and was expected to arrive in
the course of a few days. Jack found but few
of the officers still there whom he had before known.
Several, however, were expected shortly back either
from England or from the hospitals at Scutari.
Greatly relieved to find that his brother was alive
and well, Jack returned to the naval camp, where he
speedily made himself at home. When he first
mentioned to his messmates, two lads about his own
age, that he had been a prisoner in Russia, the statement
was received with incredulity, and when, at their
request, he proceeded to tell some of his adventures,
they regarded him with admiration as the most stupendous
liar they had ever met. It was long indeed before
his statements were in any way believed, and it was
only when, upon the occasion of one day dining with
the officer in command of the brigade, Jack, at his
request, related in the presence of several officers
his adventures in Russia, that his statements were
really accepted as facts; for it was agreed that whatever
yarns a fellow might invent to astonish his comrades,
he would not venture upon relating them as facts to
a post-captain. This, however, was later on.
On the morning after his arrival all was expectation,
for it was known that the bombardment was about to
recommence. At half-past two o’clock the
roar of 157 guns and mortars in the British batteries,
and over 800 in those of the French, broke the silence,
answered a minute or two later by that of the Russian
guns along their whole line of batteries. The
day was hot and almost without a breeze, and the smoke
from so vast a number of guns hung heavily on the hill-side,
and nothing could be seen as to the effect which the
cannonade was producing. It was not until next
morning that the effect of the fire was visible.
The faces of the Russian batteries were pitted and
scarred, but no injury of importance had been inflicted
upon them. All day the fire continued with unabated
fury on the side of the allies, the Russians replying
intermittently. Presently the news circulated
through the camp that an assault would be made at six
o’clock, and all officers and men of duty thronged
the brow of the plateau, looking down upon the town.
