196 THE WINTER TROUBLES.
- hap. heights before Sebastopol to the edge of the sea,
^^' to embark all their strength, all their treasures of war on board numberless ships, and finally, to cover these operations from the assaults of an exultant enemy pouring down from the heights with horse, foot, and artillery missiles to make the retreat a disaster — all this must have been a desperate, not to say an impossible, task. Theexpedi- What, then, was the course to be taken by an it resortod. army in this state of duress ? Apart from the rejected expedient of averting an attack by at once breaking into Sebastopol, there was plainly nothing better to do than to stand firm and show a good countenance to the enemy until re- inforcements should come. This simple plan had the advantage of harmonising with ulterior pros- pects ; for at some future time, the continuance of siege operations might prove to be a real and useful advance towards what, for the present, was — not so much their primary but — rather their ostensible object, and meanwliile would help to accomplish a purpose not only more pressing, but also of far deeper moment, namely, that of deterring the enemy during several weeks from any aggressive enterprise by putting him on his defence. And the plan was one of such kind that — because involving no change of measures, but only a change of the immediate purpose — it could be tacitly adopted at once without being preceded by the always anxious process of nego- tiating an agreement in words between General Canrobert and Lord Eaglan. For this expedient of showing a good counte-
