Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/253

 THE MAIN FIGHT, 209 talious of Guards had relinquished the paralysing c ii a p. shelter of the Sandbag Battery, had fallen back L_ upon higher ground, had refastened their line at ^'^ ^^"^ some distance in rear of the work, had covered the change throughout by a ceaseless fire, and were now reunited in a convex array, which still offered a front to the east as well as a front to the north. About this time Neville fell, and Napier Sturt, who carried the Queen's colour of the Grenadiers, was severely wounded. Stagger- ing under the blow, and hardly able to crawl, he still held fast to the colour till he had placed it in the strong, faithful hands whence it passed at a later moment to the care of Lieutenant Turner. After all, there was only a portion of the Eng- lish thus newly arrayed who knew anything of the evil which had attended the occupation of the Sandbag Battery. Far from priding them- selves on the wholesome change they had con- curred in effecting, the great bulk of them saw with indignation that the ground on which they had just before stood was passing into the hands of the enemy, and the Kussians, on the other hand, gave unrestrained voice to the joy with which they sprang forward to seize the aban- doned work. From the great column of the Okhotsk bat- Tiie talions advancing against the north front, and Battery also, although in less measure, from the Selin- by the RussianB ghmsk columns on the east, the Kussian soldiery in great numbers rushed up towards the Sandbag Battery ; and as many as could thronged together VOL. VI.