Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/58

 28 TIIK FLANK MAKCII. CHAP. II. Lord Rag- lan riding towards the water's edge ; and an Eng- lish vessel of war com- ing iu : Lord Rag- lan's first words. of his arm — lie was one who had known other wars. Riding forward to where, on liis right, the way opened down to the water, Lord IJaglaii approached the pool or basin which lies parallel with the little street; but, shut iu, as it was, by steep, lofty hills towards the south, the water still looked like a tarn or small mountain lake ; and whilst some who had studied the maps were only now at length convincing themselves that what they saw must be indeed the port of Balaclava, there occurred a conjuncture of the kind which a dramatist makes free to create, but one too signal and too aptly timed to be commonly met with in the confusions of the actual world.* Lord liaglan had scarce stopped his horse, and was glancing across the small sheet of water before him, when from between the enfolding hills a vessel came gliding in, and she carried the English flag. Once more, after a hazardous time of separation, the land and the sea forces met. The words which Lord Laglan spoke at this moment disclosed that quality of his nature which made him ever thoughtful of others. It from the north, the port secins to be much more closely land- locked than could be easily supposed possible b}' one deriving his impression from maps and charts. And although it may be true that mensuration does not err, no one seemed to bo pre» pared to find the port looking so exceedingly diminutive as it did. Its length is stated to be as much as l-IOO, and iU breadth 230 yards.
 * To an observer st;uiding at Balaclava or approaching it