Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/227

 THE RATTLE OF BALACLAVA. 205 to the line of the heights ; for, besides that he chap had come fresh from the high ground which com- L.._ manded a full view of the enemy's position, and had just been gathering the true purpose of the orders from the lips of Lord Kaglan himself, it so happened that he had a special and even personal interest in the recapture of the heights and the guns, because he had maintained, and maintained for a time, against the judgment of some of our Engineers, that the construction of redoubts on the line of the Causeway Heights was an expe- dient measure. With the overstrained notions he had of what squadrons of horse might achieve, he cannot have failed to ascribe the loss of a position thus specially valued by him to the general officer whom he long had regarded as the obstructor of all cavalry enterprise. And it may well be imagined that he came down exulting in the terms of an order which was framed for com- pelling Lord Lucan to try to recover the guns. The notion of his having intended to divert our cavalry from the Causeway Heights and send it down the North Valley seems altogether untenable. If Nolan had been the bearer of a mere verbal order, then, indeed, this outbreak of his might have been in a high degree embarrassing. It might have forced Lord Lucan to consider whether he should send for further instructions, or whether he should instantly gallop up to a ground from which lie could have such a survey of the enemy as to know where to attempt an attack ; or. finally,