Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/171

 THE APRIL BOMBARDMENT. 139 On the 10th, and on all the days following, chap, until the close of the 18th of April, they — less 1_ rapidly and with long intermissions — continued a n£ ea nd to work their guns, and to work them with de- fffectofthe structive effect; but then always at night-time, m ° en t; though still more or less under fire, the enemy laboured indomitably, never failing before morn- ing dawned to repair his broken defences and restore his artillery -power. Still, although the gains made good by day were thus subject to resumption at night (since not clenched in good time by assault), it is nevertheless strictly true (this will afterwards be shown more particularly) that, so far as concerned the great duel of guns against guns when regarded as a conflict apart, the besiegers prevailed in the west against the lines of Sebastopol, and prevailed besides in the over both r the Town east against the main counter -approaches pro- front and tecting its Karabel Faubourg; for (with some part of the °, . Faubourg ; little help from our people) French siege-guns broke down the most precious, the most fondly cherished defences of what was called the ' Town ' front ' ; and again in the opposite quarter, put to silence the two ' White Eedoubts ' that had fastened themselves on Mount Inkerman ; whilst (with aid from Canrobert's ordnance) our English artillery mastered the interposed batteries of that Kamtchatka Lunette which had blocked all ap- proach to the Malakoff. With the light that has tardily fallen on the contrivance of the French Emperor, and the two or three agents who served him, it is galling to