Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/285

 THE OPENING OF THE SIEGE. 255 to great straits in this respect, because the plat- chap, forms sent out with their siege-trains were of ' a new and ingenious structure, which, though promising to serve its end admirably when tried upon a perfect level at Woolwich, turned out to be altogether unfdted for the rocky, and neces- sarily uneven ground where our batteries had to bo placed. So, all at once, it appeared that plat- forms of the r»ld-fashioned sort must be framed; and, to meet the emergency, most of the few buildings which stood on the Chersonese were quickly stript of their roofs. It was only neces- sity which drove Lord Eaglan to this measure, for he Avell knew of course that, in many ways, the roofed buildings found on the Chersonese could not but be of great value to his army. An- other house standing within reach of a sally which the enemy undertook for the purpose, was by him set on fire, and burnt down. INIarked tluis, with the ruins of men's homes standing up here and there on the sky-line, the hills began to look jrhastlv.