Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/407

 PLAN OF THE FLANK MARCH. 381 instinctive power, which showed liim from afar chap. where fields of action were opening ; and he was ' so prone to decide and dart forward whilst others were only pondering that, however many there might have been with wishes and plans like his, yet commonly of late years he has been the first to alight upon the scene of coming events. So it happened that, before the home statesmen of the day had begun to take the alarm, this restless, sagacious traveller had half divined the war, and already was pacing those ridges and knolls and ravines npon which, a little while later, his country was to rivet her thoughts. For some time, it had been the policy of the Czar to with- draw Sebastopol from the eyes of Europe ; and, in general, no traveller was suffered to enter the place. But an obstacle of this kind was sure to be overcome by the spirit of enterprise ; and Mr Oliphant not only found means to enter Sebas- topol, but succeeded in informing himself of the then state of the land defences on the south side of the harbour. Eeturning to England, he quickly made known the result of his observations, and caused to be published these words : — ' But of one fact there is no doubt, that how- ' ever well fortified may be the approaches to ' Sebastopol by sea, there is nothing whatever to ' prevent any number of troops landing a few ' miles south of the town in one of the six con- ' venient bays with which the coast as far as Cape ' Kherson is indented, and, marching down the ' main street (provided they were strong enough