Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/31

 SEBASTOPOL AT BAY. CHAPTER I. The night they lay on the Belbec, the Allies were chap. still in blank ignorance of the enemy's plans ; and '. , although they supposed that the Eussian army must be almost, as it were, in their presence, they (hd not know where it uas posted. Of course, tliis still undispersed darkness in regard to the enemy's counsels and movements v,'as of itself a source of srave damrer ; and nnless they were largely reckoning upon the despondency or the nnskilfulness of the enemy, the Allies might Avell cntirai ,. " .,.,, ,•, iiosition of believe that the circumstances m Aviiich tiiey stooil the AUies; were critical even to jeopardy. Hitherto, each day's march had ended by relinking the (tempo- rarily) abandoned communication between the land and the sea force? of the Allies ; but now that the invaders had made np their minds to leave the month of the river on which they were bivonacked to the undisturbed control of the enemy, it re- sulted that, except by a retrograde march to the VOL. IV. A