ht, insisted in strong language that the order must be obeyed.
Supposing that the order was understood, Captain Nolan then placed
himself on the left of the light brigade, intending to charge with it.
Lord Cardigan, still under a wrong impression, obedient to the order
which he conceived had been sent him, placed himself at the head of his
gallant light cavalry, and gave the order to advance. Instead of
wheeling with their left shoulders forward towards the slope on their
right front, as the Commander-in-Chief expected them to do, the cavalry
continued straight down the valley, Lord Cardigan, on his tall charger,
at a distance of some five horses' lengths in front of the line, leading
them.

Scarcely had they gone a hundred paces when Captain Nolan, dashing out
from the left of the line, galloped diagonally across the front, waving
his sword and pointing eagerly towards the Russians on the right. There
might yet have been time to remedy the fatal error into which the
cavalry guards had fallen, but at that moment a shell burst close to the
brave aide-de-camp. His sword fell from his hand, while his arm still
remained extended; his horse wheeling, dashed back towards the advancing
ranks, passing between the 13th Light Dragoons, and he fell to the
ground a lifeless corpse.

Steadily on went those 600 men, almost to certain death, a perfect
marvel of discipline and heroic courage. From the Woronzoff heights on
the right, from the Fedhoukine hills on the left, came showering down
upon them shot and shell and rifle bullets, thinning their advancing
ranks. Each gap made by the deadly missiles was immediately filled up.
On went the devoted band. More and more dropped. Riderless horses
galloped back, some falling in their course, others uttering cries of
agony from the wounds they had received. Here and there human forms
could be distinguished lying in the quiet of death, others writhing on
the ground, or endeavouring to drag themselves back up the valley. As
the brigade, still as steady as if on parade, dashed forward, the guns
in their front opened their fire, filling the air with dense masses of
smoke. Right up to them they charged, Lord Cardigan still leading.
Amid the guns they forced their way, cutting down the gunners, who
either fled or endeavoured to find shelter under the carriages.

Lord Lucan, in the meantime, followed with the heavy cavalry to support
the light brigade, but having lost many men, he judic