During the next few days the pickets and vedettes, keeping an ever watchful eye on the enemy, noticed that enormous reinforcements reached the Russians, and it was evident that the Czar, probably enraged at the idea of a mere handful of hardy soldiers invading his territories and sitting down before his fortress of Sebastopol, had determined to use all the resources of his mighty empire to sweep the arrogant invaders into the sea. Thousands upon thousands of men, horse, foot, and artillery, were poured into Sebastopol, whole divisions at a time, and to the badly fed, ragged, and overworked heroes in the allied camps it became evident that soon, very soon, they would have to wage grim battle against their enemy for their very existence. CHAPTER XXXV. THE CAVES OF INKERMANN. About a week after the charge, the remnant of the brigade made a rather extended reconnaissance in the direction of Baktchi Serai, with the idea of discovering whether any very large body of troops had been massed in that direction. The brigade descended from the heights, crossed the swampy ground, and got across the Tchernaya or Black River by the ford. Thence they went on for some distance in the direction of Mackenzie’s Farm; and as Jack recognised the country he and his comrades, then so full of high spirits after the victory of the Alma, had crossed over on the flank march, his heart grew heavy within him. Where were those comrades now? Alas! they were gone to await that final muster at which all must answer to their names and give an account of their lives. Many Cossack vedettes were seen, but these promptly retired from ridge to ridge before the British cavalry, who, making a detour to their left, skirted the Inkermann ruins, reforded the Tchernaya, and regained their camp, having discovered nothing of any importance. It was on the Friday following that a whole division of horse, foot, and artillery were seen to be entering Sebastopol, and every one knew a great battle was near at hand. All day Saturday it poured with rain, and in the evening Jack and Will, after vainly striving to light a fire with damp roots, gave it up, and wrapping themselves in their cloaks retired inside their tent. ‘Do you know, Will,’ said Jack, ‘I can’t rid myself of a sort of feeling of impending disaster.’ ‘After Balaclava no disaster can trouble me much,’ said Will gloomily. ‘True; but after all the cavalry were the only sufferers there. If anything happened to the whole army we should be in a hole if you like, and with the reinforcements the Russians have been receiving lately they must outnumber us and the French and Turks by at least two to one.’ ‘I dare say.’ ‘And tied up as we are, having to find all the pickets and guards, to man the trenches, keep open our road to Balaclava and guard that, why, if the Russians delivered an attack in force we couldn’t put ten thousand men in the field to face them to save our lives.’ ‘Cheerful outlook,’ growled Will.