THE ENEMY'S GREAT NIGHT ATTACK. 89 The night was dark, and a wind blowing high chap. intercepted the sound of troops marching, when L . at about ten o'clock nine battalions of infantry commanded by General Khrouleff moved out from the flanks of the Kamtchatka Lunette along the Victoria Eidge ; and, another battalion acced- ing, it was with a strength of no less than 5500 men that the Russians soon came into action.* What these forces had before them were first, die disputed lodgments, next, the foremost of the new French 'approaches' where (with no troops at all under arms except a few score of Zouaves) 500 men gathered in ' working - parties ' were labouring at their appointed tasks, and beyond, the one parallel which as yet had been brought to completion. The French 'guards of the ' trenches,' that night, were under General d'Au- temarre, and comprised four battalions. Three of these were so posted that they could be brought up in time for resistance to Khrouleff s impending attack. Though not without some hard fighting, and even at one point encountering a somewhat long check, General Khrouleff s battalions recovered the lodgments which their adversary had been suffered to occupy, advanced to the head of the sap, and invaded the foremost ' approaches,' whence — after, however, encountering a brave and stubborn resistance — they at last drove in the French working-parties along with the hand-
- Khrouleff was the general repulsed by the Turks when
assailing Eupatoria. See ante, chap. ii.
