Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/366

 3-10 THE HALT ON THE CHAP. In answer to this proposal lor an immediate ^^^' advance and attack upon the Northern Forts, Marshal St Arnaud said that 'liis troops 'svcro ' tired, and that it could not be done.' * Lord llaglan, as may be supposed, 'was disap- ' understand it; for he knew that the troops could 'not 1)0 tired, and that there must be some other ' reason for the JNIarshal's answer.' -|- After this, Lord Raglan had another interview M ith INFarshal St Arnaud, at which he exerted his power of persuasion in ' again urging the Frencli ' General to advance across the Belbec ; ' but in reply the Marshal now said : ' He had ascertained ' that the Russians had thrown up strong earth- ' works on the banks of the river ; and, though ' he did not doubt that the Allies could force them, ' as they had the Avorks on the Alma, they could In his power of warding off or concealing every access of despondency which might be hurtful to the public service, Lord Raglan stood above other men ; but even he could not hide — not, at least, from his fi'iend Sir Edmund Lyons — the dejection of spirits which was brought upon him by Marshal St Arnaud's refusal to go on with the campaign as hitherto planned.§ And, indeed, the conjunc- t Ibid. My surmise as to what the other ren.son was will he given, post, chap. v. t Ibid. § Sir Edmund s:iys he 'found liim (Lord Eaglan) in Ijw
 * pointed by this answer/ and ' could not,' he said,
 * not afford the loss that would be entailed.' J
 * The lis. inenioriindum iiu'iitioiu'il in note, ante, p. 338.