Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/122

 Surmise as to the cause of the halt. 100 THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. chap, seemingly enormous mistake on the part of Gen- eral Ryjoff; and the Russians, not caring to dwell on the story of their conflict with our Heavy Dragoons, have never thrown light on the ques- tion. It, however, seems likely that a commander leading down his massed thousands with design to attack may have judged that he was met by a formidable obstacle when he saw extending be- fore him a camp imperfectly struck, where some of the tents were yet standing and where also some horses were picketed.* If such was Gen- eral Ryjoff' s apprehension, he may well have been strengthened in it by observing the deliberately ceremonious preparations of the scanty red squad- rons below : because he would be led to infer that their apparent sense of security must be based on knowledge of the ground in their front, and the hindrances with which it was strewed. Or, again, it may be that, from the first, the enemy had intended to halt at what he judged a fit distance, for the purpose of executing and perfecting the manoeuvre which must now be described. Deployment Either whilst the mass was descending, or else the Russians as soon as it halted, a partial deployment was Hank of effected, which brought the force, taken as a column. whole, into a state of formation not new to St Petersburg, though but little affected elsewhere. In prolongation of the two front ranks of the column both to the right and to the left, two
 * Sick horses.