‘What’s up, Jack? You look as solemn as if you were going to your own funeral,’ said Will, who was trying to roast some green coffee-berries on a mess-tin.
‘I did jolly nearly go just now,’ said Jack; and he related what had happened.
‘Whew!’ whistled Will, ‘that’s too near to be pleasant. I thought I heard a shell pass pretty close. But give me a hand with the grinding, will you?’
The scorched berries were put into a piece of an old exploded five-inch shell, and then with a couple of nine-pounder balls the trumpeters crushed them up, finally emptying them into the pot when the water boiled. They at last succeeded in making a greasy sort of browny-coloured liquid, having fragments of berries floating about on the top of it, and this, with some hard biscuit, was to form their breakfast.
They had hardly, however, tasted this beverage, which, poor stuff that it was, was more than welcome, when bang! bang! rang out a couple of carbines.
All jumped to their feet, and Pearson, looking down the valley, said, ‘There’s something up, the vedettes are retiring and circling left, and here comes an orderly.’
A Dragoon was seen coming towards the light cavalry camp at full gallop; then the trumpets in the heavy cavalry camp were heard sounding boot-and-saddle, and the Scots Greys with a troop of horse artillery were seen galloping to the front.
The guns in the Turkish redoubts opened fire and the trumpets of the light cavalry sounded boot-and-saddle.
Jack and Will took up the call, and in a few minutes Lancers and Hussars were trotting down the valley, leaving their breakfast behind them.
When they arrived at the Turkish redoubts it was seen that a large body of Russian infantry had debouched from the ravine and taken up a position some two thousand yards away on the left front. Cossacks appeared on the ridges, and it seemed as if an advance were intended. A couple of hours passed however, and nothing further happened, then the English cavalry returned, all but one regiment which remained watching the enemy, being relieved in a couple of hours by another one.