Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/32

 1 THE NIGHT ox THE TELREC. CHAP. Katclia, or hy an adventure across the country __!__ to tli3 southern, coast qf the peninsula, they could no longer gain Acc^sss ta their shipping. On their right, (h&r^ ; was the ^ea-shore, controlled hy the enemy, and not approached by the succouring fleets. Before them, they had that Severnaya or north side of Sebastopol, which, since they had determined not to attack it, was as hampering to them as if it had been really impregnable. On their left, tlio Allies had a wooded and broken country, to them quite strange, though of course well known to the enemy ; and the condition of things was such that it was competent to the Rus- sian Commander, without hazard (and even with- out being seen till the work should be nearly done), to move his army at pleasure to any part of the Belbec which was far enough above the English lines to be clear of their outlying picket* If it could have been taken for granted that the troops which retreated from the Alma were still a coherent army, there would have been no reason M'hy the morrow's dawn should not show Prince jNfentschikoff coming down in force upon the left flank of the Allies, and threatening to roll up their line. In that case the Allies — first the English and then the French — would have had to change their front, and to range themselves as best they could, Math the north side of Sebastopol ment which was actually made by the Russian army in the night of the 24th and the morning of the 25th. See post, chap. iii.
 * The .souiidness of this obsovvation is proved by the move-