Presently the Lancers were ordered to mount, and a further advance was made till they were pretty close to the river. Musket and rifle balls began to hum over their heads, and they were again dismounted. From the spot where Jack was he could obtain a very good view of the field, and, his heart throbbing wildly, he gazed upon the fascinating scene. The round-shot were now causing considerable execution, and the regiments of the Light Division were ordered to lie down. Here a terrible trial of passive endurance awaited them. Round-shot tore through them, shells exploded over them, while a shower of bullets pinged and buzzed about them. Casualties were frequent, but the gallant fellows, few of whom had ever been under fire before, bore their trial bravely. They laughed and joked, and as they watched the dread guns which were spreading death and destruction amongst them they began to distinguish their different sounds. Then men were heard remarking, ‘Look out, Bill, here’s Shrieking Eliza coming again!’ or ‘There goes Barking Tom!’ Every now and then a mighty blast of wind would sweep by a soldier, the earth would receive a shattering shock, and what one instant was a living soldier would next be a shapeless mass. His comrades would rise and gently carry his remains to the rear; then resume their places. This went on for a terrible time, till even the iron nerves of the British soldiers began to feel the strain. ‘We ain’t afraid of dying,’ said a man of the 33rd to his captain; ‘but we’d like to have a smack at they Rooshians. Lead us on, sir; lead us on.’ ‘Steady, men--steady,’ was the reply; ‘we shall get our chance directly.’ And the intrepid officers would walk up and down in front of their companies to inspire confidence in the men. The British were waiting till the French had effected the turning movement; but they were in difficulties, and time passed slowly. The Light Division began to murmur; a lull took place in the battle. Affairs seemed critical. Lord Raglan and his staff rode up and down the line, the round-shot ploughing up the ground all round them. The commander-in-chief looked anxious. At last he made up his mind to advance. At that time the village of Bourliouk was set in flames, which caused much confusion, as it was impossible for the English to cross the river for a space of two hundred yards on either side of the burning mass. The smoke also blotted out that part of the field from the view. Nothing, however, could daunt the British. A staff-officer, the impetuous Nolan, in his resplendent Hussar uniform, was seen to gallop along the lines of the Light Division, saying a few words to each commander. Then the regiments sprang to their feet--the 7th, 23rd, and 77th--dressed their ranks, and with a front of two miles and a depth of only two men marched grandly down the slope.