Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/146

 124 THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. chap, under the head of 'light cavalry;' but in the ___! tight now about to be waged this difference was of less importance than might be imagined. The weight of our men and the weight of their horses had served them well in the charge ; and even in the closely-locked combat of few against many to which they had now committed themselves, the red-coated troopers were likely to be advantaged by their greater height from the ground and the longer reach of their sword arms ; but in point of defensive accoutrements they were less protected than the light cavalry were with whom they had to contend. Except the helmets worn by the one squadron of the Inniskillings, the ' three hundred ' had no sort of covering or accoutrement con- trived for defence.* They were without their shoulder-scales, and even without their gauntlets. The Bussians, on the other hand (with the ex- ception of a very small proportion of them who wore and disclosed their pale-blue hussar jackets), were all encased in what was (for the purpose of this peculiar combat) a not inefficient suit of armour; for the thick, coarse, long grey outer- coat which they wore gave excellent protection against the cuts of an Englishman's sabre, and was not altogether incapable of even defeating a thrust ; -f- whilst the shako was of such strength but can hardly be said to have been contrived for the purpose. + The edges of our men's sabres seemed to rebound from the loose thick grey cloth, and sometimes — I know one instance especially — the point of a sword thrust hard at a Russian thiu clothed was bent back i> the resistance it encountered.
 * Tin: bearskins of the Greys gave no doubt great protection,