Fantasy Football Challenge - Football Fanatics Library

Fantasy Football Challenge - Library of Books for Football Fanatics

Fantasy Football Challenge presents
Young Knights of the Empire

5 of 87

up, and, closing in towards its neighbour, galloped forward to back up the General in the charge. The Scots Greys, in red tunics and bearskins, mounted on their grey horses, were in the front line with some of the Irish Inniskilling Dragoons, and close behind them came the 5th Dragoon Guards and the 1st Royal Dragoons, with their red tunics and shining helmets. There were not more than three hundred of them altogether, while the Russian column amounted to some twelve thousand. 'It looked as if the British must be smashed up by such overwhelming odds. [Illustration: This sketch map stows the positions of the British and Russian Forces in the charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava.] But the General knew that he must do his best to save "the thin red line" from being overridden, and the men knew that they had got the order to "charge," and it was their business to carry out the order, and not to look at the danger in doing it. So they charged. The Russians were not less astonished than the British had been; instead of surprising the British, they were themselves surprised. For a minute or two they hesitated. No officer gave any command, no one knew quite what to do, and in another minute the bolt burst upon them. General Scarlett and his staff came--bang, _smash_!--right through their front ranks, followed immediately by the crashing weight of the Greys and the wildly cheering Inniskillings. The shock of this charge rolled the foremost ranks of the Russians down underfoot as it ploughed its way into the centre of the column, and gave a sort of backward surge to the whole mass-for the Russian force was simply a big, square mass of men and horses. Our charge, being made by a very small body, only broke into the central part of the Russian front, so the two flanks of their line wheeled forward like two arms to enfold it. But just as they were in the act of doing so they were caught by our second line of Royal Dragoons, 5th Dragoon Guards and Inniskillings; and were rolled up and ridden over in an awful confusion. These heavy blows seemed to send the great Russian mass staggering backwards, when at this critical moment two more squadrons of Heavies, belonging to the 4th Dragoon Guards, suddenly plunged into the right flank of the Russian column, and completed its break-up. It reeled again, and in a few minutes more was gradually melting and spreading over the hills behind in hurried flight from the battlefield. And the thin red line was saved. The whole fight had lasted only eight minutes, the British loss was fifty killed and wounded, while the Russians lost about four hundred. This battle, like Trafalgar and like many other British victories, showed that, with good, plucky leaders, backed up by men _who can be trusted to obey their orders,_ we could attack overwhelming forces against us and come out victorious every time. Without discipline it could never have been done. * * * * * THE LOYALTY OF JACK TARS. Sir Christopher Myngs was one of the tough sea-dogs of the British Navy in the old days. He was killed in action at sea in 1666. He had been wounded by a bullet in the throat, but he held the wound together with his fingers and went on fighting till a second shot struck him, and he shortly afterwards died of his wounds. He was a splendid leader, brave and strict, and beloved by his men. His body was brought ashore to be buried in London, and at the funeral a party of sailors came up to the carriage in which Sir W. Coventry sat, and the leader of them, with tears in his eyes, asked him to beg of the King to give them an old ship which they might use as a fire-ship, and with which they might sail into the middle of the enemy's fleet and set fire to it. They would, of course, all lose their lives in doing this, but they did not mind so long as they could avenge the death of their beloved leader. It was a fine spirit of loyalty to their chief which led these simple seamen to do this, and their loyalty--not the spirit of revenge--is an example to all to be loyal to their chief in whatever line they may be. Don't look out for faults in him; note his good points, and stick to him through thick and thin, for the good of what you and he are

5 of 87 pages. Go to page:

Go to this Book's Directory Page