i8 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER CHAP. 



shallow, square-shaped salt lake. Between the two lakes was a 

 level plain or table-land, partly covered by corn, which had just 

 been cut but not carried. The greater part, however, was un- 

 cultivated and covered with coarse grass and immense quantities 

 of wormwood, which gave a most fragrant odour as you walked 

 over it. Looking northward nothing but level plains are to be 

 seen ; the southern horizon is bounded by the outline of a chain 

 of fine-looking mountains. Being in the last division of infantry, 

 the Avon lay one of the farthest out to sea, and our turn for 

 landing came last, so we spent the greater part of the day in 

 watching the boats coming to the side of the other ships, being 

 filled with red-coated men, and then towed off to shore by little 

 steam-tugs. Our turn at length came about 4 o'clock ; a troop 

 of boats came alongside, and in about an hour the whole regiment 

 was safely landed on the Emperor of Russia's territories, without 

 passport or permission. 



We were ordered to land in full dress, 1 with no baggage but 

 what each officer could carry himself, including rations of salt 

 pork and biscuits and a keg full of water to last three days. The 

 night soon coming on after we had taken up the position assigned 

 to us on the beach, we began in earnest to experience the hard- 

 ships of war. We laid ourselves down in the sand with our 

 great-coats around us, and began to sleep comfortably enough ; 

 but before long I awoke with a most uncomfortable sensation of 

 dampness, and found it was pouring with rain. It had been 

 threatening, and indeed raining, a little all day long, but now it 

 came down vigorously ; however, there was nothing to be done, 

 so I pulled my coat closer round me and tried to sleep again. This, 

 however, was impossible, and the cold and damp increased so that 

 there was nothing for it but to get up and walk about. It was 

 now about one o'clock, but I found every one on the move from 

 the same cause ; a heavy surf had also risen on the sea, by which 

 many of the boats engaged in landing horses and artillery late in 

 the afternoon were wrecked and cast on shore, and tales were 

 circulated of men being drowned and others having narrowly 



1 Full dress: cocked hat, scarlet coatee, gold epaulettes, sword, pistol, 

 flask, and great-coat. 



