Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/242

 212 EFFECT PRODUCED BY THE CHAP. mere. Cannon and Bent, with their riflemen, not XIII L_ only withstood this attack, but drove their assail- ants back into the fosse from which they had issued, and there, it seems, a good deal of slaugh- ter took place. Afterwards the riflemen were forced to give way, and fall back upon the main body of the troops, which had effected their land- ing ; but young Ballard led forward another body of skirmishers, and kept the enemy back. What was needed was, that the troops which had landed should intrench themselves ; but they had como without gabions or sand-bags, and nothing as yet could be done towards gaining a firm lodgment. There was a good deal of confusion amongst the troops, and the enterprise seemed likely to fail, when Ali Pasha, who was a brave and an able officer, came over with fresh troops. He soon restored order, and the men began to throw up intreuchments. Meanwhile two battalions, led on by Ogilvy, Ilinde, Arnold, Meynell, and Burke, had crossed the river higher up, in detached bodies ; and although these small bands were left from first to last without reinforcements — although they had to move flankwise close under the guns of a Russian battery, which killed very many — and although they were sharply attacked and at one time hard pressed by the enemy's infantry, as well as by four squadrons of cavalry — the rem- nant of these venturesome men fought their way down along the river's bank, and at last made good their junction with the main body, theu