Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/51

 Tin: FLANK MAltClI. 21 Could be luivclly iillayed by rellectiiig that the ciiAi'. man, after all, was an eiieniy. Lord Eaglaii was ' so revolted that, yielding to impulse, lie broke away from the sight, thus abandoning all personal endeavour to learn what the prisoner could tell. Yet to the Allies that drunken man's knowledge, if patiently and with due care extracted from him, would have proved to be beyond measure valu- able. As it was, during all that da}^, and even tik- imiiort indeed till long afterwards, the magnitude and the Kussian > 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 tilt ■ march still purpose or the change winch iiad brought itussian unapi.re- -,, , ATI • > T> lieiided. troo[)S trom Sebastopol to JNlackenzies I'arm re- mained unknown at the English Headquarters. But whoever has formed any conception of the ])erilous character of this Hank march will easily believe that, at this time, almost the whole stress of the English General's attention must have been brought to bear upon the object of recovering his communications with the sea. The army again moved forward, and, in a little Lord Rag- while, it had reached the southern crest of those resumed. ^Mackenzie Heights upon which, during many TheMac- 1 1 i-i Tt !• 1 11T keiizie long months, the Ureat rowers oi the est were iieiguta. destined to be gazing with the eyes of baflled desire. Moving down from the summit of these heights to their base by a steep mountain-road, the English army descended into the valley of the Tcliernaya. Still pushing forward, but by a painful effort (for this day's was a long and forced march), the bulk of the army at last descended upon the Tcliernaya, at the point where its waters ourarmy 11 1 rii • 1 • 1 1,11 reachiiij; ilie were crossed by the iractir bridge; but darkness TL-hemuyu.