Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/155

 T5ATTLE OF THE ALMA. 129 in the army. They are, for the most part, men chap. well born or well connected ; and being aided by ^' a singularly able body of sergeants and corporals, they are not so over-burtheued in peace-time by their regimental duties as to have their minds in the condition which too often results from mono- tonous labour. They have deeply at heart the honour of the whole body of the Guards as well as of their respective regiments ; and the feeling is quickened by a sense of the jealousy which their privileges breed, or rather, perhaps, by the tradition of that ancient rivalry which exists be- tween the ' Guards ' and the ' Line.' The Guardsmen of the rank and file have some advantages over the line in the way of allowances and accoutrements. They are all of fine stature. Without being overdrilled, they are well enough practised in their duties ; and whoever loves war sees grandeur in the movement of the stately forms and the towering bearskins which mark a battalion of the Guards. It is true that these household troops are cut off from the experience gained by line regiments in India and the colon- ies ; but whenever England is at war in Europe, or against people of European descent, it is the custom and the pride of the Guards to take their part. The officers of the Guards have so many rela- tives and friends amongst those who generate con- versation in London, that when two or three of their battalions are sent upon active service, the war in which they engage becomes, as it were for VOL. III. I