Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/404

 382 COMBAT OF THE 26TH OF OCTOBER. chap, responding to his almost Quixotic appeal, they some of them advanced a little way and fired a few shots, thus causing the foremost of the Rus- sians to fall back upon their main body. The huge body of Russians on the one side and the small band of two hundred and forty English on the other, stood confronting one another for some length of time, but combating only with firearma The enemy ceased to gain ground.* Defeat of his It was evident that if the Russian Commandei advancfng would cling to the enterprise, he now must sup- port his first line ; and the merit of the plan which Evans had been following might be pres- ently put to the proof. From the crest of Shell Hill, a column began to descend; and at first with impunity, for our gunners were only getting its range. Then round-shot tore in through its ranks ; and the column breaking at once abruptly turned fiankwise for shelter, dropping down into the Quarry Ravine ; but even there it continued to suffer, for our skirmishers gained the edge of the bank, and fired down upon the fugitive crowd. Another strong column began to descend the hill side, but upon encountering the fire of our batteries it broke, and retired the way it came."f- A third column showed itself, and met the same fate.} Presently the men of the first column, after hav- ing descended a little way down the ravine, began t ' Campaign of Sebastopol,' by Colonel Haniley, an eyewit- ness, p. 83. X Narrative by an eyewitness, Mr Cavendish Taylor, late of the 9f>th Regiment, vol. i. p. 47. This careful observer specially
 * Champion's despatch toGeneral Pennefather, 27th Oct. 1854.