Britain, the queen of isles, our fair possession, Secured by nature, laughs at foreign force; Her ships her bulwark, and the sea her dike, Sees plenty in her lap, and braves the world. _Havard._ * * * * * Island of bliss! amid the subject seas That thunder round thy rocky coast, set up, At once the wonder, terror, and delight Of distant nations: Whose remotest shores Can soon be shaken by the naval arm; Not to be shook thyself, but all assaults Baffling, as thy hoar cliffs, the loud sea wave. _Thomson._ CHAPTER V. The Storming of the Town--A Description of the Assault--Capture of the Malakoff and Redan--Am left on the Field Wounded--Our Loss, the French Loss, and the Enemy's Loss--The Spoil--The Aspect of the Interior of the Town after the Siege--Napoleon's Opinion as to the Source of England's Strength--Letter of 14th Sept., 1855. SEBASTOPOL STORMED. We fell in at 9 a.m.; a dram of rum was issued to each man as he stood in the ranks; all hands had previously been served with two days' rations. There were in our ranks a great number of very young men, who had not much idea of the terrible work that lay before them; but there were others who knew only too well, having helped to unfurl the Standard of Old England, in conjunction with that of France, on the Heights of Alma, the 20th September, 1854; who had routed the enemy on the heights of Inkermann, and had had near twelve months' hard wrestling with the foe--and no mean foe either; men who had proved themselves on many a hard-fought field worthy the name of Britons, for neither the storms of autumn, nor the snows of winter, nor the heat of a July sun, neither the sword nor bayonet, nor the musketry fire could subdue them. Although backed by a countless host, the Russians could not withstand "the astonishing infantry,"--which had not degenerated from their forefathers, who had stormed the bloody parapets of Badajoz, San-Sebastian, and Ciudad Rodrigo, and England might well be proud of them; and I can say it was a pleasure to look upon and attend to the wants of such cool, determined men. Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide, Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit To his full height. On, on, you noble Briton, Whose blood is fetch'd from fathers of war-proof. _Shakespeare._ We were about to face the enemy in deadly conflict once more. The defence of Sebastopol had raised the Russians in the estimation of the bravest of the brave, and their Sovereign and country had no reason to regret entrusting that defence to their hands.