Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/210

 166 THE BAn'LK OF INKERMAN. rj HAP. VI 2d Period. and of Camobert : his direction to the Connaught Rangers : their loyal coniphanc.o. the General answered that he 'did not know ' where to put his hand on a round or a maru ' and that the Rangers must stand their ground, ' and give the Russians the bayonet, or be driven ' into the sea ' — words apparently importing a belief that the next task reserved for our people in this part of the field might be one of almost desperate resistance ; and General Canrobert too may be instanced as one of the chiefs who shared the prevailing opinion, and anticipated more or less surely a second attack from the west; for, having ridden forward with Maxwell (then re- turning from his errand) to the ground where the Rangers were lying, he declared the position they occupied on the Mikriakoff Spur to be one of great importance, and not only urged them to hold it fast despite their want of ammunition, but to ofier a show of strength, and make their bayonets visible above the stems of the brush- wood.* The Rangers, one may mention in pass- ing, did not fail to obey this direction ; and when (being descried by the enemy) they began to draw fire from Shell Hill, their commander still deferred so exactly to the wishes of Can- robert that he would not move them back to a out ammunition General Canrobert answered : ' N'importe. ' Deployez en ligue, fixez les baionettes. Faites une appa- ' rence ; ' and upon coming up to the four companies on the Mikriakoff Spur, he said : ' C'est une position trts impoi+ante. ' 11 faut faire une apparence. ' Of liis request that the bayonets should be made visible above the brusliwood he has himself been accustomed to speak.
 * To Maxwell who had told liim that the Kaiigers wfie with-