Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/134

 lOd BATTLE OF THE ALMA. CIIAP. crowd of soldiers licmiued in under the bank a3 • Avould enable him to repair the evil b}- covering his brigade with skirmishers. XXI. Nelson, gliding into the Bay of Aboukir, told his assembled captains that if any one of them in the coming battle should chance to be disturbed by doubts about what he ought to do, he might find a good way out of trouble by closing with au enemy's ship ; and it was a solution of this sort that now, as it happened, won favour in the heart of an admiral's son. codrington With 110 autlioi'ity except that which was cast storm the upou him by the stress of the moment, General uedoubt. Coilrinu'ton resolved to storm the Great licdoubt; and he resolved to do this instantly. His im- mediate power over the disordered masses around him was confined to the range within which he could make himself heard ; but, lifting himself His words a little in his stirrups, he spoke to the men in his clear ringing voice, and ordered them (all who could hear him) ' to fix bayonets, get up the bank, ' and advance to the attack.' ne pains Tiieu, also, Codrington imagined that the need tile bank, of the momcut was a ready leader rather than a cool and placid general Besides, this was his first battle ; and perhaps — our army, and not the worhl, will understand him if so it was — he un- consciously felt that the foremost place was peculiarly befitting a Guardsman who commanded