It was a cheerless morning. From the sea, a biting wind swept over the land; clouds of white dust and dusky-brown smoke, that came from more than one blazing street and burning ship--among the latter was a two-decker, fired by the French rockets--rose high above the green spires8 and batteries of Sebastopol, and overhung it like a sombre pall9, while shorn of its rays the sun resembled a huge red globe hung in mid-air above us. Gradually it seemed to fade out altogether, and then the whole sky became of a dull, leaden, and wintry gray. By this time our epaulettes had entirely10 disappeared, and our uniforms were hopeless rags; in some instances eked11 out by plain clothes, or whatever one could pick up; and the government contractors12 had such vague ideas of the dimensions of the human foot, that some of the boots issued to the soldiers would not have fitted a child of ten years old, and as they dared not throw away her Majesty's property, many men went bare-footed, with their boots dangling13 from their knapsack or waist-belt.
"In our present toggery we may meet the Russians," said Dyneley, our adjutant; "but I should scarcely like to figure in them before the girls at Winchester, in 'the Row,' or at the windows of 'the Rag.'"
In great masses, 30,000 Frenchmen were forming to assault the Malakoff, with 5,000 Sardinians as supports.
A long line of cavalry--Hussars with their braided dolmans, Lancers with their fluttering banneroles, Dragoons with glittering helmets, and all with loaded carbine on thigh14, had been, from an early hour, thrown to the front, to form a cordon15 of sentinels, to prevent straggling; while a similar line was formed in our rear to keep back idlers from Balaclava; yet to obtain glimpses of the impending16 attack, groups of red-fezzed Turks, of picturesque-looking Eupatorians, and fur-capped Tartars, began to cluster on every green knoll17 at a safe distance, where, in their excitement, they jabbered18 and gesticulated in a manner most unusual for people so generally placid19 and stolid20.
At half-past eleven A.M. the pipes of the Highland21 Brigade were heard, as it marched in from Kamara, and got into position in reserve of the right attack; and the fine appearance of the men of those mountains--"the backbone22 of Britain," as Pope Sylvester called them of old--elicited a hearty23 cheer from the Royal Welsh as they defiled24 past, with all their black plumes and striped tartans waving in the biting wind.
During all the preceding day, the batteries had thundered in salvoes against Sebastopol; and hence vast gaps were now visible in the streets and principal edifices25, most of which were half hidden in lurid27 sheets of fire; and by the bridge of boats that lay between the north and south side, thousands of fugitives28, laden29 with their goods and household lares, their children, sick, and aged30, had been seen to pour so long as light remained.
Until the French began to move, the eyes of all in our division were turned on our famous point of attack--the Redan; and I may inform the non-military reader, that a redan in field fortification means simply an indented31 work with lines and faces; but this one resembled an unfinished square, with two sides meeting at the salient angle in front of our parallels, i. e., the trenches32 by which we had dug our way under cover towards it.
With a strong reinforcement, Nicholaevitch Tolstoff, now, as before stated, a general, had entered the Redan by its rear or open face; and since his advent33, it had been greatly strengthened. In the walls of the parapet he had constructed little chambers34 roofed with sacks of earth, and these secure places rendered the defenders35 quite safe from falling shells. In the embrasures were excavations36 wherein the gunners might repose37 close by their guns, but ever armed and accoutred; and by a series of trenches it communicated with the great clumsy edifice26 known as the Malakoff Tower.
By a road to the right, the Redan also communicated with the extensive quadrangle of buildings forming the Russian barracks, one hundred yards distant; and in its fear there lay the Artillery38 or Dockyard Creek39. The flat caps, and in other instances the round glazed40 helmets, of the Russians and the points of their bayonets, bristling41 like a hedge of steel, could be seen above the lines of its defence and at the deeply-cut embrasures, where the black cannon5 of enormous calibre peered grimly down upon us.
Our arrangements were very simple. At noon the French were to attack the Malakoff; and as soon as they fell to work we were to assault the Redan, and I had volunteered for the scaling-ladder party, which consisted of 320 picked men of the Kentish Buffs and 97th or Ulster Regiment42.
In the trenches of our left attack could be seen the black bearskins of our Brigade of Guards, and massed in dusky column on the hill before their camp, their red now changed to a very neutral tint43 indeed, were the slender battalions44 of the Third Division, motionless and still, save when the wind rustled45 the tattered46 silk of the colours, or the sword of an officer gleamed as he dressed the ranks. A cross cannonade was maintained, as usual, between our batteries and those of the enemy. The balls were skipping about in all directions, and several "roving Englishmen," adventurous47 tourists, "own correspondents," and unwary amateurs, who were there, had to scuttle48 for their lives to some place of shelter.
As I joined the ladder party, I could not help thinking of many a past episode in my life: of Estelle, who had been false; of Valerie, who was lost to me; and of the suspicion that Winifred Lloyd loved me. Ere another hour, I might be lying dead before the Redan, and there forget them all! Our covering party consisted of 200 of the Buffs and Rifles under Captain Lewes; but alas49 for the weakness of our force, as compared with thousands of men to oppose. The strength of the Second Division detailed50 against the Redan consisted only of 760 men of the 3rd, 41st, and 62nd regiments51, with a working party of 100 from the Royal Welsh. The rest of Colonel Windham's brigade was in reserve.
Brigadier Shirley, who was to command the whole, had been ill on board-ship; but the moment the gallant52 fellow heard that an assault was resolved on, he hastened to join us. Prior, however, to his coming, Colonel Windham and Colonel Unett of the 29th were deciding which of them should take precedence in leading the attack. They coolly tossed up a shilling, and the latter won. Thus he had the alternative of saying whether he would go first, or follow Windham; but a glow spread over his face, and he exclaimed,
"I have made my choice, and I shall be the first man inside the Redan!"
However, it was doomed53 to be otherwise, as soon afterwards a ball from the abattis severely54 wounded and disabled him. When we had seen that our men had carefully loaded and capped and cast loose their cartridges55, all became very still, and there was certainly more of thought than conversation among us. Many of the men in some regiments were little better than raw recruits, and were scarcely masters of their musketry drill. Disease in camp and death in action had fast thinned our ranks of the carefully-trained and well-disciplined soldiers who landed in Bulgaria; and when these--the pest and bullet--failed, the treachery of contractors, and the general mismanagement of the red-tapists, did the rest. Accustomed as we had been to the daily incidents of this protracted57 siege, there was a great hush58 over all our ranks; the hush of anticipation59, and perhaps of grave reflection, came to the lightest-hearted and most heedless there.
"What is the signal for us to advance?" I inquired.
"Four rockets," replied Dyneley, our adjutant, who was on foot, with his sword drawn60, and a revolver in his belt.
"There go the French to attack the tower!" cried Gwynne; and then a hum of admiration61 stole along our lines as we saw them, at precisely62 five minutes to twelve o'clock, "like a swarm63 of bees," issue from their trenches, the Linesmen in kepis and long blue coats, the Zouaves in turbans and baggy64 red breeches, under a terrible shower of cannon and musketry, fiery65 in their valour, quick, ardent66, and eager! They swept over the little space of open ground that lay between the head of their sap, and, irresistible67 in their number, poured on a sea of armed men, a living tide, a human surge, section after section, and regiment after regiment, to the assault.
"O'er ditch and stream, o'er crest68 and wall,
They jump and swarm, they rise and fall;
With vives and cris, with chee0rs and cries.
Like thunderings in autumnal skies;
Till every foot of ground is mud,
With tears and brains and bones and blood.
Yet, faith, it was a grim delight
To see the little devils fight!"
With wonderful speed and force, their thousands seemed to drift through the gaping69 embrasures of the tower, which appeared to swallow them up--all save the dead and dying, who covered the slope of the glacis; and in two minutes more the tricolor of France was waving on the summit of the Korniloff bastion!
But the work of the brave French did not end there. From twelve till seven at night, they had to meet and repulse70 innumerable attempts of the Russians to regain71 what they had lost--the great tower, which was really the key of the city; till, in weariness and despair, the latter withdrew, leaving the slopes covered with corpses72 that could only be reckoned by thousands. The moment the French standard fluttered out above the blue smoke and grimy dust of the tower, a vibration73 seemed to pass along all our ranks. Every face lit up; every eye kindled74; every man instinctively75 grasped more tightly the barrel of his musket56, or the blade of his sword, or set his cap more firmly on his head, for the final rush.
"The tricolor is on the Malakoff! By heavens, the French are in! hurrah76!" cried several officers.
"Hurrah!" responded the stormers of the Light and Second Divisions.
"There go the rockets!" cried Phil Caradoc, pointing with his sword to where the tiny jets of sparkles were seen to curve in the wind against the dull leaden sky, their explosion unheard amid the roar of musketry and of human voices in and beyond the Malakoff.
"Ladders, to the front! eight men per ladder!" said Welsford, of the 97th.
"It is our turn now, lads; forward, forward!" added some one else--Raymond Mostyn, of the Rifles, I think.
"There is a five-pound note offered to the first man inside the Redan!" exclaimed little Owen Tudor, a drummer of ours, as he slung77 his drum and went scouring78 to the front: but a bullet killed the poor boy instantly, and Welsford had his head literally79 blown off by a cannon ball.
In their dark green uniforms, which were patched with many a rag, a hundred men of the Rifle Brigade who carried the scaling ladders preceded us; and the moment they and we began to issue, which we did at a furious run, with bayonets fixed80 and rifles at the short trail, from the head of the trenches, the cannon of the Redan opened a withering81 fire upon us. The round shot tore up the earth beneath our feet, or swept men away by entire sections, strewing82 limbs and other fragments of humanity everywhere; the exploding shells also dealt death and mutilation; the grape and cannister swept past in whistling showers; and wicked little shrapnels were flying through the air like black spots against the sky; while, with a hearty and genuine English "hurrah!" that deepened into a species of fierce roar, we swept towards the ditch which so few of us might live to recross.
Thick fall our dead on every hand, and the hoarse83 boom of the cannon is sounding deep amid the roar of the concentrated musketry. Crawling and limping back to the trenches for succour and shelter, the groaning84 or shrieking85 wounded are already pouring in hundreds to the rear, reeking86 with blood; and, within a minute, the whole slope of the Redan is covered with our redcoats--the dead or the helpless--thick as the leaves lie "when forests are rended!"
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1
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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2
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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3
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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4
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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6
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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7
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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9
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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11
eked
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| v.（靠节省用量）使…的供应持久( eke的过去式和过去分词 )；节约使用；竭力维持生计；勉强度日 | |
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12
contractors
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| n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 ) | |
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13
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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14
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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15
cordon
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| n.警戒线，哨兵线 | |
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16
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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18
jabbered
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的过去式和过去分词 )；急促兴奋地说话 | |
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19
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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highland
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| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
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backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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23
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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24
defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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25
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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26
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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27
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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28
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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29
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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30
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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31
indented
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| adj.锯齿状的，高低不平的；缩进排版 | |
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32
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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33
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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34
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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35
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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36
excavations
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| n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹 | |
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37
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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38
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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39
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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40
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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41
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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42
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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43
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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44
battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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45
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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47
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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48
scuttle
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| v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗 | |
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49
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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50
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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51
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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52
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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53
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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54
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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55
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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56
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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57
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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58
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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59
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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60
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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61
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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62
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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63
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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64
baggy
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| adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的 | |
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65
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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66
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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67
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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68
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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69
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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70
repulse
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| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
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71
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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72
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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73
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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74
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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75
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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76
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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77
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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78
scouring
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| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
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79
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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80
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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81
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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82
strewing
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| v.撒在…上( strew的现在分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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83
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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84
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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85
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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86
reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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