Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 5.djvu/325

THE BATTLE OF BALACLAVA. 303 there were both mounted and dismounted troopers chap. who had been so disabled by their own wounds or _ by the wounds of the overwearied state of their horses as to be more or less lagging behind. The sight of these disabled horsemen did not so far tempt Jeropkine's defeated squadrons as to bring them all back into the valley ; but his Lancers, here and there coming singly, or else in small knots, pressed on for a time, in pursuit, and killed or took some of the stragglers. Amongst others moving on foot was Major de Salis. With a rare generosity he had given up his own charger to a disabled trooper of the 8th Hussars, and the Major was seen leading the horse whilst the wounded man sat in his saddle. Soon, the efforts of the enemy's horsemen to kill or take any straggler they might find in their power were checked by their own fellow-country- men ; for the gunners who manned the batteries on the Causeway Heights would not suffer their energies to be paralysed by the presence of a few Russian Lancers, intermixed here and there with our stragglers; and, when it became plain that Jeropkine's horsemen were incurring fire from their own brethren, the trumpet sounded the re- call, and they desisted from their efforts. Then some of our disabled horsemen, who had been surrounded by Lancers, were enabled, after all, to escape. Thus, for instance, whilst Lieutenant Phillips (who had just had his horse shot under him) stood defending himself with his revolver against the Lancers who attacked him, he sud-