3-10 THE HALT ON THE CHAP. In answer to this proposal lor an immediate ^^^' advance and attack upon the Northern Forts, Marshal St Arnaud said that 'liis troops 'svcro ' tired, and that it could not be done.' * Lord llaglan, as may be supposed, 'was disap-
- pointed by this answer/ and ' could not,' he said,
' understand it; for he knew that the troops could 'not 1)0 tired, and that there must be some other ' reason for the JNIarshal's answer.' -|- After this, Lord Raglan had another interview M ith INFarshal St Arnaud, at which he exerted his power of persuasion in ' again urging the Frencli ' General to advance across the Belbec ; ' but in reply the Marshal now said : ' He had ascertained ' that the Russians had thrown up strong earth- ' works on the banks of the river ; and, though ' he did not doubt that the Allies could force them, ' as they had the Avorks on the Alma, they could
- not afford the loss that would be entailed.' J
In his power of warding off or concealing every access of despondency which might be hurtful to the public service, Lord Raglan stood above other men ; but even he could not hide — not, at least, from his fi'iend Sir Edmund Lyons — the dejection of spirits which was brought upon him by Marshal St Arnaud's refusal to go on with the campaign as hitherto planned.§ And, indeed, the conjunc-
- The lis. inenioriindum iiu'iitioiu'il in note, ante, p. 338.
t Ibid. My surmise as to what the other ren.son was will he given, post, chap. v. t Ibid. § Sir Edmund s:iys he 'found liim (Lord Eaglan) in Ijw
