Possible Clues:

• Despite timidity, beast went a little way by frozen water
• Yellowness
• It takes firm fighting to make one craven with the cubes
• Timidity - lack of courage
• Lack of courage, pusillanimity
• Chicken and cow are heard to die
• Pusillanimity
• Charge overcome by pacifist joining reserve?
• Officer to take a risk about fight, a court-martial offence
• Spinelessness of officer taking gamble after battle