Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/351

THE HALT UN THE ElELD OF THE AL.MA. 3J5 CHAPTER 11. When the fi^htinf? on the banks of the Alma had chap. . .II. ceased along the whole line, more than one of the English generals prayed hard that their troops might be suffered to come down and bivouac near the bank of the stream ; for the labour already undergone by the men had been so great, that it was painful to have them distressed by the toil of going a long way for water, and fetching it up to the heights. But not choosing to loose xiieAiued his hold of ground carried at no small cost of the battie'oi life, Lord Eaglan was steadfast in his resist- ance to all these entreaties, and ordered that his troops should bivouac upon the heights they had won. With the sanction of his chief, General Airey placed our infantry for the night in a line of columns on the heights, with the artillery in rear of each column ; and the disposition of these two arms had been so contrived that, although the artillery was covered, yet at any moment, and without there being any need of moving the infantry, the guns could be rapidly brought to