Soon all were prepared; the regiments fell into the various places allotted to them; the light artillery, to which were harnessed the strongest and most active bullocks—each piece having an elephant behind to urge it over the roughest or most inaccessible places—brought up the rear. Each man was as lightly equipped as possible, that he might not be distressed by climbing; and, as a last order, might be heard the words ‘Fix bayonets, with cartridge prime and load!’ pass from regiment to regiment, succeeded by the rattling of the muskets and jingling sound of ramrods, as each sent home the ball which he firmly hoped might in its discharge bear with it the life of one of his enemies.
Herbert and his young friend Balfour had long been ready, and waiting for the signal to advance at the head of the column; their men were impatient, and their blood was chilled with the long detention which the preparation of so large a body necessarily occasioned. They were standing around a fire which one of the men had kindled with some dry leaves and sticks gathered from the adjacent thickets. All about them was obscure; for the thick vapour which had wreathed itself about the mountain-tops early in the night, had now descended, and occupied the whole of the narrow valleys in dense volumes, so that nothing could be seen beyond their immediate vicinity; they could only hear the bugle-sounds, as they arose one by one, and the measured tramp of many feet as the corps moved to take up their various positions.
‘This is very tiresome, Herbert,’ said Balfour; ‘I wish we were off. I think we could do much under cover of this darkness; we might surprise the fellows above, and be at the top before they knew what we were about.’
‘I rather think we shall wait for daylight; but what is your opinion, Mr. Wheeler?’ he said to the young man who had just joined them.
‘I think with you. The general most likely has heard that this fog will rise with the daylight, and screen us half way up, perhaps better than the night; but here is Captain Dalton, who looks as if he had orders for the advanced guard.’
‘Where is your captain?’ they heard him ask of one of the sergeants; ‘I have orders for him.’
‘Yonder, sir,’ replied the man, whose concluding words were unheeded in the cry of ‘Here, here, by the fire!’ which arose from the trio around it.
‘Well, Philip, are we to move on? I suppose there will be no signal?’ asked Herbert, as Dalton rode up.
‘Not yet, not yet; we are to wait till daylight,’ returned the other; ‘the fellows who came in last night have offered to lead up two detachments, so that the whole force can advance and the columns support each other.’
‘That is well, so far; but we are still to have the main path, I hope.’