Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/210

 188 THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. CHAP, the enemy to abandon his already relaxing hold, L and give up the captured redoubts. He watched Theimpa- j n va j n His cavalry did not move forward. tience and >> amongst From the way in which he saw the Russians Headquarter withdrawing their cavalry and artillery, but also staff from the general aspect of the field, he knew that the minutes then passing were minutes of depres- sion to the enemy, and therefore of opportunity for the English. It may well be imagined that at such a time the delayed compliance with his order was provoking ; and if his words and his features betrayed mere vexation, or, at all events, well-governed anger, the more youthful men of his Staff were not, I imagine, so careful as to suppress their murmurs of impatience and indignation. In this temper the Headquarter Staff were gaz- ing upon the field, when some of them who had been pointing their field-glasses along the line of the Causeyvay ridge perceived all at once, as they thought, that the enemy was bringing forward some teams of artillery horses, with the lasso tackle attached to them ; * and they did not doubt — what otherwise seemed very probable — that the enemy, who was evidently, preparing to retreat, must be seeking to carry off with him as trophies the English guns taken from the Turks. It seems probable that, before this, Lord Rag- lan's patience must have almost come to its end and that, without any new motive, he would have formed, though In the absence of proof from Russian sources, I have avoided the Language of positive assertion.
 * I do not myself doubt the accuracy of the impression thus