188 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



harbour on every side ; and it was therefore necessary 

 that its plan should in some way follow the lay of 

 the shore. It was crescent-shaped, inclining to a sort 

 of gorge at either end, and the rear was closed by a 

 curtain, with a small horse-shoe work abutting from 

 it. The guns from this face partially flanked the 

 towers, and commanded some parts of the ridge. 

 The internal arrangements were the same as in the 

 round towers. The double . tier of casemates, the 

 galleries, and the iron roof were all repeated. This 

 work had ninety-two guns, and was capable of hold- 

 ing three thousand men. Betwixt it and Fort Tsee 

 were the masses of unfinished buildings, which, when 

 completed, would have far exceeded all the other 

 fortifications in magnitude and strength. 



Thus, then, stood the defensive force of Russia. 

 There was one large fortress and three round towers, 

 placed all in commanding positions, armed with one 

 hundred and eighty guns, garrisoned by two thousand 

 four hundred soldiers, well stored and provisioned. 

 To meet this the allies were prepared to send ten 

 thousand French soldiers, a thousand English, six 

 line -of -battle ships, and a number of steamers. 



The odds seemed overwhelming, but the real odds 

 consisted in the power which the allies possessed of 

 cutting off all reinforcements. The capture became 

 thus merely a matter of time ; the assailants attacked 

 with a certainty of ultimate success, the besieged 

 defended without hope. Such are ever fearful odds. 



