The Battle of the Alma_ was sung
again, Daniel White told us that when the Blue-jackets commenced
cheering under the hail of grape-shot, he remembered that the Scots
Greys and Ninety-Second Highlanders had charged at Waterloo singing
_Bruce's Address at Bannockburn_, "Scots wha hae," and trying to think
of something equally appropriate in which Peel's Brigade might join, he
could not at the moment recall anything better than the old Crimean song
aforesaid.

After clearing the canal and re-forming our ranks, we came under shelter
of a range of brick kilns behind which stood the camp of the enemy, and
behind the camp their infantry were drawn up in columns, not deployed in
line. The rum against which Sir Colin had warned us was in front of the
camp, casks standing on end with the heads knocked out for convenience;
and there is no doubt but the enemy expected the Europeans would break
their ranks when they saw the rum, and had formed up their columns to
fall on us in the event of such a contingency. But the Ninety-Third
marched right on past the rum barrels, and the supernumerary rank soon
upset the casks, leaving the contents to soak into the dry ground.

As soon as we cleared the camp, our line of infantry was halted. Up to
that time, except the skirmishers, we had not fired a shot, and we could
not understand the reason of the halt till we saw the Ninth Lancers and
the detachment of Hodson's Horse galloping round some fields of tall
sugar-cane on the left, masking the light field-battery. When the enemy
saw the tips of the lances (they evidently did not see the guns) they
quickly formed squares of brigades. They were armed with the old musket,
"Brown Bess," and did not open fire till the cavalry were within about
three hundred yards. Just as they commenced to fire, we could hear Sir
Hope Grant, in a voice as loud as a trumpet, give the command to the
cavalry, "Squadrons, outwards!" while Bourchier gave the order to his
gunners, "Action, front!" The cavalry wheeled as if they had been at a
review on the Calcutta parade-ground; the guns, having previously been
charged with grape, were swung round, unlimbered as quick as lightning
within about two hundred and fifty yards of the squares, and round after
round of grape was poured into the enemy with murderous effect, every
charge going right through, leaving a lane of dead from four to five
yards wide. By this time our line was advanced close up behind the
battery, and we c