THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. 267 least infelicitous, and devoid of that warlike grace chap. which would have belonged to it if he had come ' out of action only a little while later with the remnant of his shattered brigade ; but despite the mischance, or the want of swift competence in emergency, which marred his last act, he yet gave, on the whole, an example of that kind of devotion which is hardly less than absolute. He construed his orders so proudly, and obeyed them with a persistency at once so brave and so fatal, that — even under the light evolved from a keen, search- ing controversy — his leadership of this singular charge still keeps its heroic proportions. The handful of men which had charged under operations Morris pursued the defeated Hussars in the direc- remnants oi tion of our left front, and drove them in on their line: supports ; but when the Eussians found out that their heavy squadrons were suffering pressure from what, after all, was no more than a small knot or group of horsemen, they turned upon their assailants; and the little band of Lancers meuofmb then beginning at last to retreat, came back in- termixed more or less with the enemy's grey-coated horsemen. Presently they were met by some men of their own regiment who turned with them, and joined their retreating movement.* The united groups of these 17th Lancer men were pursued by the Russian cavalry, and soon found also that they
- The men they thus met were those who (as will be pre-
sently mentioned) were acting under Sergeant O'Hara.
