Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/135

 THE ENEMY'S GREAT NIGHT ATTACK. 103 capture of any small chattel — was perhaps some- c ha p. what slow to infer that those who had thrown _ down their tools might have taken up arms — might be on him with what men in general can see through even much darkness — the shining of bayonets fixed. Yet that was the sequel awaiting him. Captain but routed by the meu Chapman of the 20th (but acting that night as an of our r u working- engineer) led forward some men of the working- parties. party who already had stood to their arms against the 500 intruders, overthrew them by a charge with the bayonet, and drove them all out of our siege-works. They left behind them ten of their killed, and two of their wounded men. In two out of those four sorties which the comment on i -ii J. -i • -i-i t i the four sor- enemy thus aimed with much skill at his English ties directed J against the besiegers, he surprised the guards of the trenches, English. so that obviously, in the planting of the out- sentries, or in some of the other known tasks by which troops maintain a good watch, there must needs have occurred grave defaults ; but against want of vigilance — the usual defect of our people — may be set the rare prowess, the warlike presence of mind, the inborn love of close fighting which sooner or later defeated and turned to rout and confusion every one of these midnight attacks. Lord Eaglan was warm in his praises of the gallantry with which officers and men — men. so many of them called from their toil with pickaxe and spade — had met the successive emergencies,