324 THE CANNONADE OF C IT A P. Xlll. his (Ic- parturc. Bctwcou 10 and 10.30 A.M. KomilofTs liiovcineiits the direc- tions he g.ive. ScLastopol was justifKMl, that persuasion alone, however perverse it may seem, M'ouhl still go far to account for the step which he thought fit to take* But what we know is, that the town of Sebas- topol, with the Man-of-war Harbour, the fleet, and the arsenal, being now once more in a crisis of its fate, Prince jNIentschikoff again withdrew from it. He got into a boat at the Catherine landing-place, and crossed over to the north of the roadstead. After receiving a farewell — the last farewell — from his chief, KornilofT rode along the Catherine Street to tlio Theatre Square, and thence, after despatching tliree of his Staff, with special orders for the relief of the wounded, and the supply of ammunition, he returned once more to the Flag- staff Jki.stion.-f- Captain Gendre at that time was the only officer with him. At every step the Admiral was met by litters bearing away the Avounded and dead ; and, great as was the number thus carried away, very many still lay where they fell. It was only by great and increased exertions that the Flagstaff Bastion could at length be cleared of the dead and the wounded. It would seem that at this time Korniloff first heard of the great explo.^ion which had occurred
- The tlipoiy .spoken of, ante, chap. vi. sec. xv., which inain-
taincil that Sol)astopol was of smaller account than the rest of the Crimea— that the kernel va.s of less worth than the shell. t One of the officers whom Korniloff despatched on these errands was his aide-de-camp, Shestakoff, who, np to that time, had rot qnitted his chief for a moment.
