“You shall!” cried Hyde, who had been edging up towards the sailor, and now suddenly made a grab at his leg.

He caught it, and held it with an iron grip.  But Jack was not disposed to yield quietly.  With a loud oath, he struck viciously at the pony’s side with his disengaged foot.

It was a lively little beast, and went off at once, Hyde still clinging tenaciously to his prey.

But Jack was determined not to be beaten.  With one hand he tried to beat off Hyde, and with the other incited the pony to increase its pace.

In the end Hyde was thrown to the ground, and received two nasty kicks—­one in the forehead, the other in the breast—­from the heels of the excited horse.

The sailor got clear away, and our friend Hyde was picked up senseless half-an-hour later by a passing ambulance-cart, and carried back to camp.

* * * * *

THE THIN RED LINE.

VOLUME II

CHAPTER I.

SECRET SERVICE.

McKay, on returning to the Crimea, had resumed his duties at headquarters.  He was complimented by Lord Raglan and General Airey on the manner in which he had performed his mission.

“Matters have improved considerably in the month or two you were absent,” said the latter to him one day.  “Thanks to the animals you got us, we have been able to bring up sufficient shot and shell.”

“When is the new bombardment to take place, sir?”

“At once.”

“And the attack?”

“I cannot tell you.  Some of the French generals are altogether against assaulting the fortress.  They would prefer operations in the open field.”

“What do they want, sir?”

“They would like to divide the whole allied forces into three distinct armies:  one to remain and guard the trenches, another to go round by sea, so as to cut the Russian communications; and the third, when this is completed, to attack the Mackenzie heights, and get in at the back of the fortress.”

“It seems rather a wild plan, sir.”

“I agree with you—­wild and impossible.”

“Does the French commander-in-chief approve of it, sir?”

“General Canrobert does; but I think we have nearly seen the last of him.  I expect any day to hear that he has given up the command.”

“Who will succeed him, sir?”

“Pelissier, I believe—­a very different sort of man, as we shall see.”

A few days later the change which has already been referred to took place, and Marshal Pelissier came over to the English headquarters to take part in a council of war.  All the principal general officers of both armies were present, and so was McKay, whose perfect acquaintance with French made him useful in interpreting and facilitating the free interchange of ideas.

The new French commander-in-chief was a prominent figure at the council—­a short, stout, hard-featured man, brusque in movements and abrupt in speech; a man of much decision of character, one who made up his mind quickly, was intolerant of all opposition, and doggedly determined to force his will upon others.