Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/265

 VI. 2d Period. THE MAIN FIGHT. 221 order. After executing this shout, the hapless chap. column would continue its advance, but under so terrible a fire that flesh and blood could barely, if at all, endure the ordeal. Whilst still at a distance of several paces the column in general would stop and waver. That moment of anguish and doubt on the part of the enemy is the one which, in general, an English commander would seize for delivering a bayonet-charge ; but here, our officers knew that to charge down the hill would be to break in pursuit, and being still able to hold back their men, they took care not to strike at the column in this crisis of its fate. Therefore, the heaving mass, though tormented by fire, was still not bereft of free-will by the crash of a charge tearing bodily into its ranks. Between the endur- ance of yet more slaughter and yet another retreat, it could choose. Then — their swords shining high in the air, and waving as in passionate signal — numbers of Russian officers, with a valour our people admired, would spring out to the front, striving eagerly by voice and example to lead on the mass. One young fellow, as though refusing to live in the endurance of successive defeats, held on his brave way to the face of the Sandbag Bat- tery, climbed up to the top of its parapet, and — followed by only one soldier — leapt down upon the death that was proffered him from a hedgerow of bayonet-points. These efforts of example and leadership did not often so take effect as to draw on the suffering column ; and, in general, the mass after more or