The news of a possible move spread like fire through the camp, and at once the spirits of the soldiers rose. Despair gave way to cheerfulness, and whistling and singing were again to be heard. At last came the orders to embark, and on September 4th the British fleet, which stretched away to the horizon, set sail for an unknown port, and with an agreement to meet the French and Turkish vessels _en route_. It is unnecessary to detail the vexatious dallying and delay that occurred. Had fixed plans been drawn out before the departure from Varna, the allied armies could have reached the Crimea and landed upon its shores in three days, but nothing had been arranged. The fleets sailed hither and thither aimlessly, it seemed, and finally anchored, while a party was sent forward to reconnoitre. The natural result was that the Russians suspected that a descent was contemplated upon Sebastopol and at once prepared for emergencies, entrenching the landward face of the town and fortress, which till then was almost devoid of batteries and fortifications. But at last something was decided, and at daybreak on September 14th the huge fleet of transports, now joined by French and Turks, dropped anchor off Lake Saki, near Eupatoria, some 34 miles from Sebastopol. The boom of a gun at once echoed along the shore, followed by a puff of smoke from a port-hole of the French flagship. At once a boat shot away from her stern and made for the beach. "Ah! the beggars!" exclaimed Phil. "They will be the first ashore. Why does not our general send a boat to race them?" "Plenty of time, mate," growled Tony, no more pleased than his friend to see their dapper allies to the front. "We'll show 'em yet; see if we don't." All eyes were fixed on the boat. It ran gently on to the beach, its crew sprang out, and within a few minutes a flagstaff was erected, and the tricolour run up to the accompaniment of a shrill "Vive l'Empereur!" faintly heard across the water. "Yes, shout if yer like," cried Tony in disgust. "See how we'll show yer. It don't take much to put up a flag there on the shore, but wait till it comes to planting it in a fort; we'll be there with yer, and p'r'aps show yer the way." "Come, come," laughed Phil. "It's all your jealousy. The French are a brave nation and can fight; though I'm glad to think that we have always beaten them. Ah! there goes another gun, and see, they are disembarking." "Yes, so they are; but look away over there," exclaimed Tony, pointing to the shore, where on an upland plateau, above the lake, some two hundred yards from the sea, stood five shaggy-looking ponies with figures seated on their backs holding long lances in their hands. "Cossacks!" remarked Phil. "They are watching us. It seems strange that the Russians have made no preparations to oppose our landing, but I suppose they were quite uncertain as to the exact spot we should hit upon."