Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/327

 THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. 305 down towards the bank of the aqueduct, when at chap. length he found himself confronted by bodies of cavalry too large to be fair opponents for his Their little band of Hussars. He therefore fell back ; and the Russian cavalry, in their turn, made a show of pursuing, but in a harmless, irresolute way. Presently the 4th Light Dragoons, whilst advancing, was met on its left front by the 11th Hussars in retreat ; and at the sight of their com- rades retiring, the men of the 4th Light Dragoons being still in the disorganised state which had resulted from its desultory combat in the battery, were surprised into an act of imitation. They hesitated, stopped, and, without word of com- mand, went about, aligning themselves in their retreat with the 11th Hussars. Masses of the enemy's cavalry were at this Approach time pursuing the 11th Hussars, and the foremost Russian bodies of them were already within about forty ptrsuit. in yards, but in a disorderly state, and disclosing once more that appearance of hesitation and bewilderment which had been observed in the morning at the time of the Heavy Cavalry charge; but the enemy was overwhelmingly strong in numbers, and now that two English regiments had successively retreated before him, it was to be expected, of course, that be would begin to act with increasing boldness. When Lord George Paget saw the enemy's i^-a George horse at a distance of only some forty yards from T^aUo Ma our two retreating regiments, he judged the mo- reg "" unt ment to be critical. With the whole power of vol. v. u