Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/305

 RECALL OF THE KERTCH EXPEDITION. 273 against our troops on the shore. But even sup- chap. posing them safe against any fire from the sea,. — the Russian horse, if thus venturing, would have found themselves confronted by bodies of infantry which (duly forewarned as they were, against the attempted surprises of horsemen by Lord Raglan's thoughtful precaution) might be expected to prove staunch as rocks against cavalry charges, and well able to meet all such onsets with so steady a fire as would be likely to prevent the experiments from being too often repeated. Turning thence to conjecture on the subject of infantry against infantry, we find on the one side, a body of 1750 Fencibles with only 133 men of the Line supported by four guns ; on the other, the Highland Brigade, with 700 of the Royal Marines, with a battery of field-artil- lery, and besides a number of Riflemen, and a company of Sappers under Gordon, all contri- buting to make that choice body of less than 3000 men a formidable instrument of warlike power. Under conditions like these, there was no such approach to equality as could well raise a doubt of the issue. What however seems most likely is that not deeming himself to be in- sulted by the scantiness of a disembarked force which was, after all, greater in numbers than his own 1900 foot-soldiers, Baron Wrangel would have acted on his foregone resolve, and aban- doned at once to our people the seven precious coast batteries which formed the key of the Straits* VOL. VIII. S
 * See post, vol. ix. chap. iv.