Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/461

 THE ITTII OF OCTOBEIJ. 431 perceived that the siege was likely to become a chap. protracted undertaking.* ^^^^- The Eussians were strangely slow in their en- The enemy deavours to draw a conclusion from the silence of eniight'ejitd the French batteries; but in the course of the suenceof afternoon they began to surmise that the assail- batterfe"! ' ants thus paralysed might have altogether aban- doned their trenches ; and in order to learn the truth, a small reconnoitring force, consisting of sailors under Lieutenant Hiliban, was despatched at about four o'clock to the crest of IMount Eo- dolph. The force pushed boldly forward to with- in a hundred yards of the trenches, and was then driven back. From the insight obtained by this reconnoitring force, Sebastopol learnt that the batteries on Mount Eodolph, though silenced, were still amply guarded. On the part of the English, the firing was con- Couciusion tinned till the evening without adding signal nonade for results to those already obtained. At dusk, the '^ ^^' cannonade ceased. In this the first day's conflict of the land bat- closed his clear perception of the unfavourable change which had come over the prospects of the Allies. Lest it should be thought that a mere traveller was guilty of intrusion in re- maining -vvith Lord Raglan at a time and place when any need- less addition to the group might tend to draw fire upon the Headquarters Staff, I may be suffered to mention that I had chosen for myself another post of observation. Lord Raglan, however, finding where f was, kindly sent to request that I would come to the spot at which he had stationed himself. From him at the time a request was of course a command.
 * Lord Raglan, at the time, spoke to me in a way which dis-