From certain movements in the enemy’s line, there was reason to expect an attack of infantry towards the right of Alten’s division. Part of the King’s dragoon guards and Blues were moved towards that point. The Cumberland Hanoverian hussars, posted some distance from the front, were also moved close up to general Halkett’s squares; but a few musket-balls whistling about them, and a shell falling into a Nassau square close by, so alarmed them, that they took themselves off. Upon seeing this, lord Uxbridge sent an aide-de-camp, captain T. Wildman, to bring them back, but to no purpose, and Uxbridge, deeming his absence long, sent a second messenger after them, captain H. Seymour, who, finding that the colonel and his men were anxious to quit the scene of action, took the former by the collar, and nearly shook him out of his saddle; he then inquired for the next in command, but it appeared there was no one; Seymour then laid hold of the bridle of colonel Hake’s horse, to lead him back to his post, hoping that the men would follow, but to no purpose: the colonel and his regiment preferred going to Brussels in whole skins, to the chance of having them perforated in the field. So strong was their dislike to the smell of gunpowder, that they had no perception of the honours that a gallant bearing might win. The cowards proceeded forthwith to Brussels, spreading a false alarm throughout the journey. The regiment was soon after disbanded, and the colonel cashiered[47]. The expected attacking infantry were now seen in motion on the heights in front of La Belle-Alliance; a body of cuirassiers from the valley under our position near La Haye-Sainte joined them, keeping a little on their right rear. As they neared the point about where the Lion now stands, lord Edward Somerset led part of his brigade down to meet them: he was received with a heavy fire; his men however galloped down upon the head of the column, but, being at this time very much reduced, they could not penetrate it; they nevertheless checked the enemy. Lord Uxbridge rode up to Tripp’s brigade, and after addressing a few words to them, turned round to lead them on: he had scarcely crossed the ridge and begun to descend the slope towards the enemy, when he found that he was alone, no one following him; upon which he returned to Tripp, expressed himself in severe terms, and rode off in anger. After this, one of the German light cavalry regiments was led on, and it succeeded in stopping the enemy, but it was much cut up.