Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/299

 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 273 cause, that, althoufrli loii;:^ confronted by a com- chap, paratively small body of liorse, it had not only ' abstained from all challenge, but had twice bovnc to look upon the open flank of a slender infantry line ascending to carry the heights without inter- posing in the fight ; and now, M'hen the faithful battalions might well look for charges of horse- men to cover the retreat, the Russian cavalry still remained idle, though it lingered for a while on the field.* Our cavalry, long impatient of the restraint imposed upon it by the commander of the forces, had crossed the river without Lord Eaglan's authority ; and although the nature of the ford and the upset of a gun - car li age had caused a good deal of delay, they reached the top of the hill soon after the Highlanders had crowned it. With Lord Lucan's sanction, three guns of the horse-artillery, under Captain Maude, were placed in battery, and three guns of Captain Brandling's troop, which came up at the time, were estab- lished on the right of the 42d. The fire of slaughter , . 1111 ) of the these SIX guns told cruelly upon the enemy s retreatins 11 masses by retreating masses ; and, the like being done by artuieiy. other English batteries on the west of the Kour- gane Hill, the slaughter was so great that, of ])risiii;f intentions of the Rnssian cavahy had been detected by Sir George Catlicart. Being on our extreme left, he had nar- rowly watched the enemj''s horsemen, and even before the de- ployment of the Lst Division he had found himself able to assure Lord liaglan that nothing serious was likely to be attempted by the enemy's cavalry on the right bank of the river. This mes- sage was carried, I think, by Captain Elliot. VOL. III. S
 * At an early period of the netioii, symptoms of the niienter-