THE MAIN FIGUT. 383 FIFTH rERIOD. 10 A.M. TO 11 A.M. When Bosquet lieard of the fighting by which chap. a too scanty soldiery had long been defending " Home Ridge, his first impulse apparently was to ^"' ^'^"'"'■ • PI ■ ^ ^ ^ • Bosqucl's reinforce them without the loss ot a moment, and original intention to act in wholesome concert with our people ; for to support ^ ^ ' Lord Raylan he sent an aide-de-camp to Lord Raglan entreat- and act in '- ° concert with ing him ' not to let the Ridge be abandoned by wm- ' his troops, however exhausted they might be, ' until his ' (Bosquet's) ' troops could come into ' line and replace them.' Lord Raglan answered quietly, ' You are right ; ' adding afterwards, as a motive for despatch on the part of the French, that his men had not broken their fast and were without cartridges.* Thus the understanding between Lord Raglan Tie appeal and Bosquet was for the moment complete ; but changed his r8solvc t there soon came a fatal disturber of plans and promises in the person of that flurried staff officer whom we saw riding back bareheaded with his sword in the air. By him or by the message he brought General Bosquet was so eagerly peti- tioned to provide instant help for the two French battalions already engaged under Bourbaki that, whilst hastening forward in person, he sent back an order requiring the 450 chasseurs to come on
- 'Souvenirs de la Guerre de Criinee,' by Fay, aide- de camp
to Bosquet, p. 137.
