Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 6.djvu/361

Sd Penod THE MAIN FIGHT. 317 'hi on liis riyht, and the one which hunn on his CHAP. . . VI left, thus, no doubt, exposing the thick sheath of soldiery with which he covered his flanks to incessant though petty attacks, hut encountering only slight obstacles in his direct front. Acting under such conditions, the enemy at some points bore the fire on his flanks with such excellent for- titude as even to seem unconscious of the inflic- tion. At others the ensheathing columns were roughly handled and closed in upon by our out- fighting troops ; and it is curious to observe that these English — even whilst the great onset pro- ceeded — were tearing batches of prisoners from the enemy's flanks, and quietly marching them in ; so that Russian assailants and Russian cap- tives were now and then seen to be moving, not only at the same time and in the same direction, but so close to one another as to be actually at some moments intermixed. Except on his flanks, however, the enemy encountered no grave resist- ance. He was not entangled, this time, in any long, obstinate fight, arresting or even retarding his onward march ; and if he did not at once deliver his vanguard from the few score of Eng- lish soldiery who had stood direct in its path, he at least forced them ceaselessly back without once being brought to a halt. Thus Pennefather's beloved plan of fending off pennefathei the strife from Home Ridge by seeking it out in his'own °" the front was, this time, destined to fail, or rather, to speak with more strictness, it did not fairly come into play ; and not having been able to