Guessing that this was a prelude to the beginning of the battle,
we remained still and made ready.
We had not long to wait. Suddenly, like flame from a cannon's
mouth, out shot two great tongue-like forces of cavalry, and
came charging down the slope towards the little stream, slowly
at first, but gathering speed as they came. Before they got
to the stream, orders reached me from Sir Henry, who evidently
feared that the shock of such a charge, if allowed to fall unbroken
upon our infantry, would be too much for them, to send five thousand
sabres to meet the force opposite to me, at the moment when it
began to mount the stiffest of the rise about four hundred yards
from our lines. This I did, remaining behind myself with the
rest of my men.
Off went the five thousand horsemen, drawn up in a wedge-like
form, and I must say that the general in command handled them
very ably. Starting at a hand gallop, for the first three hundred
yards he rode straight at the tip of the tongue-shaped mass of
cavalry which, numbering, so far as I could judge, about eight
thousand sabres, was advancing to charge us. Then he suddenly
swerved to the right and put on the pace, and I saw the great
wedge curl round, and before the foe could check himself and
turn to meet it, strike him about halfway down his length, with
a crashing rending sound, like that of the breaking-up of vast
sheets of ice.
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