Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/262

 240 THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. chap, some time Lord George Paget laboured with voice ' and gesture to call on, and call in to his side the diverging regiment ; and it seems that he de- spatched a message to Colonel Shewell with the same object ; but his efforts were vain ; and presently the increasing pace of the first line made him give his whole care to the duty of following it with a sufficient closeness ; for the sound of that ' Mind, Lord George, your best ' support ! ' still haunted his memory, and it seemed to him that there was no evil so great as the evil of lagging behind. Nor was the task of bringing and keeping the regiment to the pace of the first line so easy as it might seem at first sight ; for the squadron- leaders, being both of them men of singular firm- ness, would not suffer themselves nor their troops to be hurried by stress of fire, nor even by the impatience of their chief; and therefore, whilst Lord George was labouring to force the pace, and from time to time crying ' Keep up ! ' the two imperturbable squadron-leaders so ignored any difference there might be for such purpose be- tween wearisome practice at home and desperate service in battle, that without remission or in- dulgence the teachings of Hounslow Heath and the Curragh were repeated in this fatal valley. The crash of dragoons overthrown by round-shot, by grape, and by rifle -ball, was alternate with dry technical precepts : ' Back, right flank ! ' ' Keep back, Private This ! ' ' Keep back, Private 1 That ! ' ' Close in to your centre ! ' 'Do look