cavalry alone. That line had withstood both tests. By a combination of the two arms, the first had recoiled upon Ney himself; in the application of the second, an infantry of unparalleled constancy had broken up a mighty throng of horsemen, and the allied cavalry had completed their defeat. For nearly an hour the bands of furious horse had ridden, but not with impunity, through and through the allied lines, had searched every part between the angle of the two paved roads, and had found no weak place, had captured no single British trophy. It was a contest between bravery and stout-heartedness, between glory and duty, and duty and stout-heartedness prevailed.

The beaten cavalry retired to the hollows at the foot of the allied right centre, but no farther. Here, somewhat sheltered from the fire of the allied guns, which, by recoiling into the deep soil, had lost their true elevation, and protected by a heavy cannonade resumed by the French batteries, when their cavalry rolled down the slope, they sought to re-form their confused squadrons, and make ready for fresh exertions. The French line now extended northward from the hills east of Planchenoit to the hedges of Smohain, thence along the valley westward to La Haye Sainte, and, from that point, in a backward diagonal direction towards the Hougoumont inclosures; and thence through the wood in a westerly line to the Nivelles road.

The British line had been contracted, and the front reinforced, during the thick of the cavalry charges. Chassé's division was on the march from Braine l'Alleud, covered by the 2nd Light Dragoons of the German Legion. The front line of artillery on the right centre had been strengthened. Coming rapidly into action, one battery, covered by a bank, fired into a body of cuirassiers at thirty paces, and utterly routed them. Lord Hill had moved up Du Plat's brigade of German Legionaries, who, on the

march, encountered and repulsed a body of French cavalry, and then took post near to the hedge of the orchard of Hougoumont. In left rear of these, but behind the crest, were part of the Brunswick infantry. So keen were the French, cheered greatly by the presence of cavalry, that their skirmishers pressed up the slope on the left flank of Du Plat, and their fire became so biting, that the Duke, then near, directed Adam's brigade to "drive those fellows away." This was speedily accomplished, and the brigade, marching on, went down the slope and formed between the right of Maitland's guards and the north-eastern angle of the orchard; the 71st, and two companies of the 95th, on the right, the 52nd in squares of wings in the centre, and the 2nd battalion of the 95th on the left. Here they withstood several charges. It was the bold advance of these regiments, during the heat of the cavalry attack, that compelled the French horse to throw back their left; and the strong line formed by Adam was a bar to the advance of the French on that side. As part of the movement to reinforce the front line, Halkett's Hanoverians came up from Merbe Braine, and occupied a position on the outer slope of the ridge, in rear of Du Plat. The right had thus closed towards the centre, and the left had also closed towards the same point. Lambert had brought his three regiments closer to the front line on the east of the Charleroi road, to support Kempt and Ompteda. Pack's brigade, except the 1st Royals, who filled the interval between Kempt and Best, stood between Lambert and Kempt, and Vincke's four battalions of Hanoverians were on both sides of the road, near the farm of Mont St. Jean. Bylandt remained in rear of Best; only a gallant few of his troops, under a brave old soldier, fought in front line with the 1st regiment.

Of

Firmly as the British line had stood the charges of 10,000 horsemen, yet it had suffered severely in officers, and men, and guns. The squares had been advanced to receive the cavalry; they were now withdrawn below the ridge, to shelter the men from the cannonade. Now they were to be more severely tried. Ney, driven into the valley, was still eager to win, and he sent Colonel Heymès to Napoleon to ask for infantry with which to sustain the battle. Napoleon's answer was abrupt and characteristic_" De l'Infanterie! Où voulez-vous que j'en prenne? Voulez-vous que j'en fasse!" ("Infantry! Whence am I to take them? Do you expect me to make them!") Words of terrible import at this period. They are the gauge of the alarm inspired by the Prussians, the measure of the losses inflicted on the French. The whole of Reille's corps had been drawn into the fight about Hougoumont. D'Erlon's corps, terribly mauled in its first encounter with the Allies, Durutte was wholly occupied with Prince Bernhard and Best; Marcognet could do nothing but skirmish in the valley; Quiot and Donzelot, alone, could supply infantry for onsets upon the centre. From La Haye Sainte they ascended the creste on both sides of the road, threw forward their clouds of skirmishers, and maintained a sharp and close fire upon the allied infantry. Ney sustained those on the west of La Hay Sainte with cavalry, and thus the British columns were exposed to a telling fire, which they could only answer with bullets, when they desired nothing better than a bayonet charge; but the latter they dared not attempt, because the horse were lying in wait behind the foot. The brunt of the infantry attack fell upon the left of Alten and the brigade of Lambert, and the right of Kempt. As the British were behind the ridge, the French were able to line the steep sides of the chaussée, and thus fire right and left on a level with the ground into

the very heart of the position, cruelly cutting up the allied infantry. Two guns were brought up to the crest, but they had not fired a second round ere the rifles of the 95th, from the hedges of the Wavre road, had destroyed the gunners. Vainly Donzelot and Quiot sought to press over the Wavre road. Their opponents, shattered where they stood, irritated, eager to charge, yet held in by the bonds of discipline, closed up over the dead and wounded, and would not give way. Alten's men, indeed, were sorely tried. So rapid, so heavy, was the incessant fire of the tirailleurs, that Alten requested Ompteda to deploy, and, "if practicable," drive them away. Ompteda, a good soldier, saw that it was not practicable, for he knew that a body of horse supported the daring French foot. Here again, as at Quatre Bras, the Prince of Orange was the unwitting destroyer of gallant men. Regardless of the arguments of the practised soldier, the Prince ordered Ompteda to deploy the 5th battalion of the Legion. The brave German obeyed, and charged. The French receded, then suddenly ran in, and at the same moment a regiment of cuirassiers dashed into the flank of the Germans, rolled them up and killed their commander, who thus fell a sacrifice, with many brave men, to the rashness of his superior officer. The fire of the 95th, and the charge of the 3rd German Hussars, rescued the wreck of the German foot, and drove off the French cavalry. The 1st Foot Guards were more fortunate. Assailed by a body of skirmishers, who dealt out their fire upon the left squares of Adam's brigade also, and caused great havoc in the ranks, the Guards, by the order of the Duke, deployed, and, charging, drove off the enemy. Threatened by cavalry like the Germans, the Guards wheeled back into square, repulsed the horse; and, while the latter, swerving to their left, fell under the fire of the 52nd and 95th,

the Guards moved in security back into their former position.

The Guards, Legionaries, and Nassauers had, during this period, received and, with varying fortune, ultimately repelled, the assaults upon Hougoumont. But the Duke, thinking that Adam's brigade was too much exposed, although Sir John Colborne was willing to remain, ordered the brigade to retire to the crest of the position. The troops fell back accordingly in perfect order, and when halted, occupied a front which formed an obtuse angle with the front of Maitland's brigade. But Du Plat remained in the valley, and Halkett's Hanoverians kept their position in support.

It is now time to show what had not only kept Napoleon's reserve of infantry immovable near La Belle Alliance, but had diminished its numbers. It is time to recount

§ 7. The Operations of Bulow.

It will be remembered that Bulow's corps had been moving through the heavy crops and muddy roads since break of day. Delayed by the fire in Wavre, delayed by the obstacles to the passage of artillery presented at every turn of the wheel by those horrible cross-roads, it was noon before the advanced division reached Chapelle St. Lambert. While waiting the arrival of the other divisions, Bulow sent strong patrols across the Lasne, and finding the wood of Paris unoccupied by the French, he at once, with two battalions of infantry and four squadrons of cavalry, secured this important point. It was a critical moment. The defile of the Lasne which lay beneath him was deep, narrow, and swampy; if he had been opposed, he would have found it difficult to pass; but now the quickness of