"Yes, true; and if I were commander-in-chief, St. Arnaud should not rule me. I'd leave him to rest. But, my dear fellows, we must obey; obedience is a duty—when expedient."
The last words were spoken sotto voce, and more to himself than to the junior officers.
But Grant and Llewellyn smiled. They smiled heartily.
All along the route to the river Belbek, the arms and accoutrements, the dead and the struggling wounded, showed how complete the rout of the Russians had been, and how great their haste to escape.
At the mouth of the Belbek river the Scots Greys and another regiment were disembarked, and soon after the march was resumed.
Meanwhile, Menschikoff, who was an able tactician, sunk seven ships of war across the harbour mouth of Sebastopol, thus preventing our vessels from getting in, while those of his ships safely inside could pour a deadly fire upon the northern forts should they be attacked.
It is said by some that Lord Raglan consulted his chief engineer, Sir John Burgoyne, as to the feasibility of such an attack. This is denied by others.
However, a grand flank march was now determined upon, and a reconnaissance in some force was sent onwards to M'Kenzie's Farm, the army following on. The march was continued now to Traktir Bridge on the Balaklava road.
On the banks of the river our troops bivouacked for the night, and soon after, from the light in the sky, it was evident the French had occupied the M'Kenzie heights that we had just left.
Menschikoff, strangely enough, had passed our army without knowing it, within five miles or less of M'Kenzie's Farm. In fact, many of his last waggons, containing baggage, were captured. Still he did not know we were making that historical flank march. He was on his way to the upper part of the river Belbek, with the intention of keeping open the communications with Southern Russia, and receiving reinforcements. Cathcart's division, I wish you to note, had been left to cover the rear of our march, and to send the sick and wounded on to the mouth of the Katcha, where they would be embarked on the French and British ships.