todleben's town-side encroachments. 205 French did not come on at once to storm his chap. vii Flagstaff Bastion, he professed that he could not L_ divine.* Passing yet further west to the front of the Todleben's Central Bastion, Colonel Todleben at this time mentsin front of tho began to fasten new Works on the zone there central . . Bastion. dividing his lines from the French, doing this — at the first — by establishing lengthened chains of those greatly aggravated Rifle-pits which he has taught us to distinguish as ' lodgments ' ; and, as previously on Mount Inkerman, and the Victoria Ridge, so here too before the Town front, General canrobertg Canrobert, it seems, showed reluctance to make nesstore- any resolute stand against the offensive encroach- ments.! In professing to explain the reluctance attri- buted to General Canrobert, Niel, as usual, has passed by in silence that ill-omened ' Mission ' of his which, we know, was the true master-key for unlocking any such secrets ; J and instead, has given this reason to account for his Chief's state of mind : — He has explained General Canrobert's reluctance to withstand the enemy's main en- croachments in this western part of the tield by saying that the Malakoff had become the real object of attack, that the siege against the Town front had grown to be a task of less moment, and that therefore, to grudge making sacrifices in
- Todleben, vol. ii. p. 150.
+ Niel, p. 239 ; Rousset, vol. ii. pp. 166, 167. + See ante chap. v.
