The British ships at once entered the harbor, and the disembarkation of the stores and siege-train commenced.  The harbor of Balaklava was but ill-suited for the requirements of a large army.  It was some half mile in length and a few hundred yards broad, and looked like a little inland lake, for the rocks rose precipitously at its mouth, and the passage through them made a bend, so that the outlet was not visible from a ship once fairly inside.  The coast is steep and bold, the rocky cliff rising sheer up from the water’s edge to heights varying from 400 to 2000 feet.  A vessel coasting along it would not notice the narrow passage, or dream—­on entering—­that a harbor lay hidden behind.  On either side of the harbor inside the hills rose steeply, on the left hand, so steeply, that that side was useless for the purposes of shipping.  On the right hand there was a breadth of flat ground between the water and the hill, and here and upon the lower slopes stood the village of Balaklava.  The valley extended for some distance beyond the head of the harbor, most of the ground being occupied with vineyards.  Beyond was the wide rolling plain upon which the battles of Balaklava and Inkerman were to be fought.  Taken completely by surprise, the inhabitants of Balaklava had made no attempt to escape, but upon the arrival of the British general, a deputation received him with presents of fruit and flowers.

By this time the fleet had come round, and the sailors were soon hard at work assisting to unload the transports and get the stores and siege materials on shore.  It was reported that a marine battery was to be formed, and there was eager excitement on board as to the officers who would be selected.  Each of the men-of-war contributed their quota, and Lieutenant Hethcote found that he had been told off as second in command, and that he was to take a midshipman and twenty men of the “Falcon.”

The matter as to the midshipman was settled by Captain Stuart.

“You may as well take Archer,” he said.  “You won’t like to ask for him because he’s your cousin; but I asked for his berth, you know, and don’t mind doing a little bit of favoritism this once.”

And so, to Jack’s intense delight, he found that he was to form a portion of the landing party.

These were in all 200 in number, and their work was, in the first place, to assist to get the heavy siege guns from the wharf to the front.

It is necessary that the position occupied by the Allies should be perfectly comprehended, in order to understand the battles and operations which subsequently took place.  It may be described as a triangle with one bulging side.  The apex of the triangle were the heights on the seashore, known as the Marine Heights.

Here, at a point some 800 feet above the sea, where a ravine broke the line of cliffs, was the camp of the marines, in a position almost impregnable against any enemy’s force, following the seashore.  On the land-slopes of the hills, down towards Balaklava, lay the Highland Brigade, guarding the approach from the plains from the Marine Heights to the mouth of Balaklava Valley, at the mouth of which were the camps of the cavalry, and not far off a sailor’s camp with heavy guns and 800 men.