SPORTS IN THE CAMP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 287, 1 August 1855, Page 4

SPORTS IN THE CAMP.

March 5. —A very fine, warm, bright day. This morning- early there <vas a repetition of the

affair between-the ■ French, and the Russians. Very little damage is said to have heen done considering the enormous waste of ammunition. The Russians are working in front of their batteries like bees. No effort is made to disturb them. At the armistice the other day some of the enemy who came out shook blankets with the broad arrow and B. O. on them in the faces of oui soldiers. They.'sire throwing up a new redoubt towards the Victoria redoubt. In order to strengthen our right, which the enemy menace more evidently every day, the whole of the 9th Division of the French army svas moved over there to-day. This reinforcement will enable the allies to give a goud account of any body of the enemy which may attack us in that direction. The 'sports of ihe camp have commenced. Dog-hunting has been " open" for some days past, and the cms of Karanje have had several hard but successful runs for their lives. To-day our first spring meeting took place, and was numerously attended. The races came off on a little piece of undulating ground, on the top of the ridges near Karanje. and were regarded with much interest by the Cossack pickets at Kamara and on Oanrobert's hill. They evidently thought at first that the assemblage was connected with some military demonstration,-and galloped about in a state of excitement to and fro. In the midst of the races a party of 12 Russians were seen approaching the vidette on No. 4 Old Redoubt in the valley. The dragoon fired his carbine, and 10 of the men turned round and fled, and' when the picket came up to the man, they found two deserters had come in. One of them was an officer, the other had been an officer, but had suffered degradation for " political causes." They were both P01e..-,, and. the ex-officer spoke French and German fluently and well. They expressed great satisfaction at their escape, and the latter said, "Send me wherever you like, provided I never see Russia again." They stated that they had deceived the men who were with them into the belief that the vidette was one of their own outposts, and, as they belonged to a party that had only just arrived, they believed it was so, and advanced boldly till the dragoon fired on them, when they discovered their mistake and fled. As the Poles were well mounted, they dashed on towards our post, and the '.Cossacks galloped down to try and cut them off but did not succeed. t On being taken to Sir Colin Campbell, they requested that the horses ihey rode might be sent back to the .Russian lines, for "as they did not belong to them thpy did not wish to be accused of theft. Sir Colin granted their request, and the horses were taken to the brow of the hill, and set free, when they at once galloped off towards the Cossacks. The races proceeded after this little episode just as'usual, and subsequently the company resolved itself into small packs of dog hunters. The deserters state that a corps of about 8,000 men have joined the army petween Baidar and Sioapheropol.