Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/160

loO IIKROIC IlESISTANCE OF SKBASTOl'OL CHAP. hs aiiiiy. 'Tlius,' so Todleben writes, ' the de- • ' fenders of KSebastopol had no help that they Mr,riiin?of ' could reclvon on. It has been seen that it was SfLastopni ' absolutely impossible for them to repel the at the iiiprcy • i i i p , i • ■ i of uic Allies. ' enemy with only the lorce the garrison consisted ' of. So there remained to them no alternative ' but that of seeking to die gloriously at the post ' committed to their bravery.' Solemnity Supposing it usoful aud fitting for a people, in iiiriine.sof the time of their peril, to strive to approach the Almighty by help of bishops and priests, the solemnity enacted by the Church on the 27th of September was indeed opportune. It was not upon the issue of a battle, nor indeed upon things material, that the fate of Sebastopol was hanging that day. It was hanging upon the resolve of three or four men in the enemy's camp, who would bo trying to govern events by dint of thought and hard reason. Therefore, even amongst those Kussians who could hardly make bold to expect the corporeal intervention of Heaven in the conflicts of mortals, there well might be some who trusted that at the prayer of the Orthodox Church, the Lord would so far vouchsafe to chas- tise a schismatic, an impious enemy, as to cloud his mind with surmises and reasonings, give him cleverness instead of wisdom, incline his heart to delay, and in short make him weak of counsel. It was along the lines of defence that the cere- mony had been ordained to take place. At an early hour, the troops stood ranged in order of battle, some battalions being in extended