Balaclava, between the latter place and Sebastopol, and arranged partly on the slopes of the hills and partly in the valley, which grew nothing but thistles. Within a short distance of our encampment were pitched the tents of the 93rd Highlanders, and a little nearer the sea could plainly be seen the camping-ground of the Marines. On the hill-tops, farther away from Balaclava, were erected some earthen redoubts which were armed by heavy ship-guns, and manned by Turks. These redoubts were in tended to hold in check the enemy, should he advance from Sebastopol by any of the roads in the direction of Balaclava. Soon after daybreak on the 25th October, our outlying pickets discovered a large force of the enemy's horse, artillery and infantry, marching rapidly along the valley, and extending their artillery and cavalry within range of the Turkish redoubts before named. Mounted orderlies were at once despatched to the front for reinforcements. We had not yet broken our fast, neither had our horses been fed with their scanty rations, or even watered. There was not a moment to be lost, and in less time than it takes me to write three or four lines, every available man had leaped into his saddle--a few from each of the five regiments, the 8th and 11th Hussars, 4th and 18th Light Dragoons, and 17th Lancers, or, as they were familiarly styled, "death or glory boys," their regimental badge being a death's head and cross-bones, and their motto, "Death or Glory." The badge of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars is the "harp and crown," and their motto, _Pristinae Virtutis Memores_, with "Leswarre, Hindoostan," inscribed on their colours and shabraques-- the latter being the cloth covering of the saddle. The 4th Queen's Own Light Dragoons had inscribed on their colours and shabraques the names of the various actions in which they had been engaged--namely, "Talavera, Albuera, Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, Peninsula, Afghanistan, Ghuznee." The shabraques and colours of the 11th, Prince Albert's Own Hussars, bore the inscriptions, "Egypt, with the Sphinx, Salamanca, Peninsula, Waterloo, Bhurtpore;" and the 13th Light Dragoons wear the regimental motto, _Viret in aeternum_, with "Peninsula, Waterloo," on their colours.