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Finally , we $ 11 started for the shore , and with some difficulty succeeded in hiring arabas ; for the crowd of amateurs and tourists , in all kinds of eccentric costume , was more like the gathering at some English sea-side regatta , than that remote spot in the Czar ' s dominions .
We therefore jogged hastily off towards the highest ground we could find near the camp , along with the rest of the mob . We found , however , that the order for the exclusion of stragglers was most strictly enforced , and in spite of the bold manoeuvres of travelling gentlemen to turn the flanks of sentinels , few could get past the outposts . We stopped within a couple of miles of them , where a rising ground afforded a tolerable view of the scene ; but we might as well have stayed in the yacht for all we could make out . Clouds
of smoke shrouded the whole , and seemed to wrap the whole in an impenetrable gloom ; occasionally the fell swoop of some mighty shell raised it above this curtain , a faint cheer reached us at intervals , while the awful monotony of thunder , laid a stern stillness on the heart itself . Soon the ladies begged , with pale cheeks and trembling voices to be taken back ; and at this moment , we , to our delight , descried the colonel making his way towards us . He told us , what we knew , that it was the French who were
cannonading the Bastion Centrale and Bastion du Mat , and advised us not to waste our time now in looking at the smoke , but to return after dark , when all the allied batteries were to join in a terrible bombardment . He also said , that before many days were over , something very decisive would have been accomplished . Sir Arthur was burning to penetrate as far as Cathcart's Hill , and the colonel promised to do his best to get us passes , —while the ladies
implored us not to venture so far . Miss P veiling her dark eyes beneath their long lashes , asked if he had heard anything of Captain H . ?— "I saw him yesterday in high preservation , " returned the colonel , smiling : " and I suppose he is so still , as nothing particular has happened since . Now I would advise you all to go back , and return again after dark . " We took his advice . The ladies went on board the yacht , Sir Arthur and the Hon . C . A . Fitzurse preferred wandering about the
outposts , and Herr Miiller and myself went rambling about Balaklava too excited to stay quiet . Qlli . —Having despatched a late dinner , for Sir Arthur and his friend did not return till seven o ' clock yesterday , and then with all sorts of rumours , we prepared for the shore . It was past nine o'clock considerably when we took up our position , under Colonel ' s guidance , on a ridge to the right of
that we had occupied in the morning . From this nothing could surpass the awful magnificence of the sight . A black pall of dense smoke hung over the devoted town , as a curtain descends upon the stage when the drama is acted out ; and this solemn pall was perpetually torn with fiery streams , and
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
Finally , we $ 11 started for the shore , and with some difficulty succeeded in hiring arabas ; for the crowd of amateurs and tourists , in all kinds of eccentric costume , was more like the gathering at some English sea-side regatta , than that remote spot in the Czar ' s dominions .
We therefore jogged hastily off towards the highest ground we could find near the camp , along with the rest of the mob . We found , however , that the order for the exclusion of stragglers was most strictly enforced , and in spite of the bold manoeuvres of travelling gentlemen to turn the flanks of sentinels , few could get past the outposts . We stopped within a couple of miles of them , where a rising ground afforded a tolerable view of the scene ; but we might as well have stayed in the yacht for all we could make out . Clouds
of smoke shrouded the whole , and seemed to wrap the whole in an impenetrable gloom ; occasionally the fell swoop of some mighty shell raised it above this curtain , a faint cheer reached us at intervals , while the awful monotony of thunder , laid a stern stillness on the heart itself . Soon the ladies begged , with pale cheeks and trembling voices to be taken back ; and at this moment , we , to our delight , descried the colonel making his way towards us . He told us , what we knew , that it was the French who were
cannonading the Bastion Centrale and Bastion du Mat , and advised us not to waste our time now in looking at the smoke , but to return after dark , when all the allied batteries were to join in a terrible bombardment . He also said , that before many days were over , something very decisive would have been accomplished . Sir Arthur was burning to penetrate as far as Cathcart's Hill , and the colonel promised to do his best to get us passes , —while the ladies
implored us not to venture so far . Miss P veiling her dark eyes beneath their long lashes , asked if he had heard anything of Captain H . ?— "I saw him yesterday in high preservation , " returned the colonel , smiling : " and I suppose he is so still , as nothing particular has happened since . Now I would advise you all to go back , and return again after dark . " We took his advice . The ladies went on board the yacht , Sir Arthur and the Hon . C . A . Fitzurse preferred wandering about the
outposts , and Herr Miiller and myself went rambling about Balaklava too excited to stay quiet . Qlli . —Having despatched a late dinner , for Sir Arthur and his friend did not return till seven o ' clock yesterday , and then with all sorts of rumours , we prepared for the shore . It was past nine o'clock considerably when we took up our position , under Colonel ' s guidance , on a ridge to the right of
that we had occupied in the morning . From this nothing could surpass the awful magnificence of the sight . A black pall of dense smoke hung over the devoted town , as a curtain descends upon the stage when the drama is acted out ; and this solemn pall was perpetually torn with fiery streams , and