Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/83

 EVE OF THE ACTION. 39 ivere attacked. Ewart obeying carried the in- chap. telligence straiglit to Headquarters, and before many minutes had passed Lord Kaglan was in J^'fn^^' ,1 jji saddle. the saddle. By this time, firing was to be heard more or Firing heard /.liiii'i many less from almost every part oi that extended directiona. front of battle which the Russians, as we saw, were to be presenting at an early hour along a curved line of twelve miles ; and the now fast awakening thunder of French artillery on the Sapoun^ Ridge might well be assigned as a proof that Bosquet must think himself challenged. But although these encompassing sounds as of battle reached Lord Raglan at once from many a quarter, they did not distract him. Balaclava, indeed, for aught he knew, might be the object of attack ; but he trusted that Sir Colin Campbell and Vinoy would find means to defend the place, and that even if — belying his hope — their forces should prove too scanty for the task assigned them, he had it not now in his power to ward off the disaster by sending down troops to their aid. He therefore at once gave his undivided mind to Loni uag- the hypothesis of an attack on the Chersonese ; ciusiou. d, supposing it taken for granted that this was to be the real object, he did not, it seems, doubt a moment that the blow would fall on Mount Inkerman. Thither, therefore, he rode, and thil-her his mea- also, after rapidly providing that the ground in immediate _,, . , , n T 1 111 departure front of the English left and centre should be for Mount 111 11' Inkerman. watched by Sir Richard England, he ordered rein- forcements to march.