THE MAIN FIGHT. 269 his horse up alongside them — had not long been chap, VI climbing the steep, when on the shoulder of the ' hill they emerged all at once from below into ^'^^^^ the close presence of the enemy. Then, panting after their effort, they sprang at the left of the column, the part directly confronting them ; and the Eussians there exposed to the onset began to break and give way witliout awaiting the thrust of the bayonet. But in the right hand part of the column its troops stood their ground with more firmness, and did not fall back. Even there, however, the Russians though not turn- ing round, still so far gave way to the English ascendant that they ' accepted the files.' * Here there, and in several places, they allowed some strong wilful assailant to tear his way in through their ranks, and every intruder thus received into the hostile mass fought hard, as may well be sup- posed, for life no less than for victory, using some- times the point of the bayonet, sometimes the butt-end of the musket, sometimes a ready frag- ment of rock.-f* A column which endures this kind of invasion is commonly doomed ; but here, the disproportion of numbers was overwhelming ; and, however for- midable the intruding assailant might prove to any hapless Russians so planted or packed as to be within reach of his bayonet, the paths of blood
- With respect to the use of this phrase in our army, see ' In-
vasion of the Crimea,' vol. v. of Cabinet Edition, pp. 120, 121. t From the vantage-height of his saddle, Maitlaud was able to see the combats thus maintained on his left.
