Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/313

This page needs to be proofread.

BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 287 scantily provided. He therefore sent first one chap, and then another Staff officer to the commander ' of the cavalry, with orders to give up the pursuit of prisoners, and return to the duty of escorting the guns. Thereupon, Lord Lucan recalled the troopers in advance, and the prisoners they had taken were set free. XXXVIl. It will be remembered that at the time when Piogress of the head of the first French Division was pushed artniery- back by the 'great column of the eight battalions,' thepiateaa General Canrobert was still witliout his artillery, to east. But these batteries having been sent down to Almatamack, and having there crossed the river, had at last been brought up to the plateau, and (along with some guns belonging to Bosquet's Division) they were now travelling eastward. In the part of the field where Bosquet stood, and from which this long train of artillery had commenced its eastward journey, there was no enemy at hand ; and even when the guns had come to within a short distance of the ground in front of Canrobert's right wing, there was no Taissian battalion which could be seen by the French artillerymen ; for the train was moving along a hollow which, so long as a man rode low down, was deep enough to hinder him from see- ing far either on his right hand or on his left. But some of the officers who were with the guns now thought it was time to obtain a M'idcr view