Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/170

 1-10 IlEliOIC KESISTANCE OF SEBASTOPOL CHAP. bay(jnet, and the riflcinau'a far-niiitiinf' bullet had VI . o o ' each, he aekuowledged, its use ; and now too, if ever in war, the spade and the pickaxe were needed ; but still, in his mind, these things were chiefly of worth, because they either tended to avert the assault, or else, more or less, were auxiliary and conducing to his one cherished pur- pose — to his one cherished purpose of meeting the assaulting column, whatever the time, whatever the point of attack, with a pelting blast of mittail. This was one of the aspects of the conflict in or by In- which the garrison were engaging; but, consist- 'A'iiies°to' ently Mith full adherence to Colonel de Todle- att!i(k-. ben's plan of defence, and even, indeed, residting from it, there was open to the defenders of Sc^bas- topol another and a more hopeful view of the future. That which can kill may also deter; and it was possible, as has been part said alread}', that the very sight of preparations for resistance might bring the enemy to adopt counter-measures for neutralising those same preparations, inducing him to delay his attack. In other words, it was hoped that the enemy might be brought to refrain IVom at once attacking Sebastopol, with a view to txpressioii includes all the uoiinioneuts of that li.iil wluch drives through the air wlieu rifle or musket balls are flying along with grape and canister. It must be acknowledged that the word thus chosen liy Todleben, as sufficing to denote his main pur- ])Ose, is one which (in French) has great power ; for, besides that its mere sound hel]is somewhat to make it expressive of destructivencss, this word lias the quality of indicating that I the shot of which it speaks is in considerable volume, and is — not in the mere inert atate of ammunition, but — cutting througl* the air, or actually striking.