Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/226

 200 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. C II A I' I. Evans's situation iu the u.can time a mass of the enemy's infantry. That stand that Lacy Yea had been making was a liingc on which a gocxl deal might turn. If he should hold his ground a few minutes more, he would cover from the enemy's masses the left ihink and left front of Evans's three battalions, and at the end of that time the supports would be up. Evans was an old commander, who knew how to read the signs of a battle, and he was able to see and understand that the enemy, almost iu the very moment of his success at the Great IJedoubt, was palsied by the guns still sounding from tlio knoll, and was losing his freedom of action, lie resolved to stand firm in the Pass ; and he established his thirty guns near the site of the l)atteries which had just been withdrawn by the Piussians. For some minutes, his position was rather critical ; and he had to trust much to the hope that Lacy Yea and his Fusiliers would be able to hold their OTound. Pi-otractcd fight be- tween the Royal FusiViers and the left Kazan colunm. XXIX. It was between the Great Causeway and the slopes of the Kourgan6 Hill that Lacy Yea, with his Royal Fusiliers, had long been maintaining an obstinate conflict. Long ago, as we saw, he had crossed the river, had brought his men to the top of the bank, and was trying to form them, when there came down marching upon him a strong Russian column — a column of two bat- talions, and numbering some loOO men. These