244 Ikinas of tbe Ibunting^jfielb 



me, nor render Lord Cardigan's conduct less incom- 

 prehensible. 



At last his opportunity came, and he was given such 

 a chance of showing what stuff he was made of as falls 

 to the lot of few men. That he wholly and fatally mis- 

 understood the order sent to him by Lord Lucan on that 

 memorable 25th of October 1854 needs no demonstra- 

 tion. The fiery and impetuous Nolan at first confirmed 

 Cardigan's mistaken view of the duty assigned him, and, 

 unfortunately, that gallant officer was struck dead by a 

 shell when in the very act of frantically pointing out to 

 Cardigan his error. Faithfully and heroically the leader 

 of the Light Brigade obeyed the order which he had so 

 tragically misunderstood, and led his devoted band into 

 the jaws of death. And Lord Lucan took no steps to 

 stop him in his mad career, though it seems certain that 

 he might have done so. Kinglake thus graphically 

 describes the appearance of the leader of the Light 

 Brigade, as he rode out on that glorious but insane 

 charge. 



' Lord Cardigan had so good a stature that, although 

 somewhat long in the fork, he yet sat rather tall in 

 the saddle, and notwithstanding his fifty-seven years, 

 he had a figure which retained the slenderness of youth. 

 His countenance, highly bred and of the aquiline cast, 

 had not been without such humble share as a mere 

 brother might be expected to have of that beauty which 

 once made famous the ancient name of Brudenell. Far 

 from disclosing the real faults of his character, the 

 features of the man rather tended to confirm the first 

 popular impression that was created by the tidings of 

 the light cavalry charge, and to indicate a nature which 

 might have in it something of chivalrous, nay, even 



