Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/88

 62 BATTLE OF THE ALMA. CHAP, towards the unoccupied cliff on his extreme left. • At first, lie was so shocked by the dislocation which his ideas would have to undergo if his left flank were indeed to be turned, that he had no refuge for his confusion except in mere disbelief, and he angrily refused to give faith to the unwel- come tidings.* For days, he had been on the ground which he himself had chosen for the great struggle ; but he was so certain that he had effectually learnt its character by glancing at its (general features, that he had not, it seems, had the industry to ride over it, nor even to find out the roads by which the villagers were accustomed to ascend the heights with their waggons. He seems to have imagined it to be impossible that ground so steep as the cliff had appeared to be could be ascended by troops at any point west- ward of the Telegraph Height; but when at length he was compelled to know that the French and the Turks were marching in force towards the mouth of the river, his mind underwent so great a revulsion, that, having hitherto taken no thought for his left, he now seemed to have no care for any other part of the position. In his place, a general, calm, skilful, and conscious of knowing the ground, might have seen the turning movement of the French and the Turks with un- speakable joy ; but instead of tranquilly regard- ing the whole field of battle under the new aspect which was given to it by this manoeuvre, he only laboured to see how best lie could imitate the
 * Chodasiewicz.