to
rush some of the outer works, but paid heavily for the venture. They
settled down before the forts of Pralkovice, Lipnik, Helicha and
Grochovce, and those round Tatarovka mountain. General Artamoff, the
Russian commander of Przemysl, had laboriously reconstructed some of
the old Austrian forts and equipped them with Russian 12-centimeter
howitzers. As the Austrians had brought only their 15-centimeter
howitzers, they were obliged to wait until their 30.5 batteries
arrived before they could undertake any serious attack.

These batteries came on the scene about May 25, 1915, it took five
days' preparation, and the final bombardment began on the 30th. It was
an ironical circumstance that the Austrians and Germans were in
numerous places sheltering themselves behind the very earthworks which
the Russians had constructed when they were besieging the place two
months earlier. There had been no time to destroy them on the retreat.

The northern sector of the outer ring of forts fell on May 30, 1915,
when the Bavarians captured the Russian positions near Orzechovce. A
terrific bombardment was directed against the entire northern and
northwestern front; great columns of infantry were pushed forward to
finish the cannons' work--still the Russians hung on, ever bent on
doing all possible damage to the enemy.

[Illustration: The triumphal entry of the Austrian uhlans and
artillery into Przemysl. Their horses are decorated with sprays of
leaves]

During the night of May 30-31, 1915, the enemy succeeded in
approaching within 200 paces, and at some points even in gaining a
footing in the precincts of Fort No. 7, around which raged an
obstinate battle that lasted until two in the afternoon of the 31st,
when he was repulsed after suffering enormous losses. The remnants of
the enemy who had entered Fort No. 7, numbering 23 officers and 600
men, were taken prisoners.

Since the 20th of May, 1915, the clearing of the road had been going
on; Von Mackensen battering the western forts and the river line as
far as Jaroslav, and Boehm-Ermolli struggling to force the southern
corner to get within range of the Lemberg railway. On his right, Von
Marwitz had become stuck in the marshes of the Dniester between
Droholycz and Komarno. The Bavarians on the north again let fly their
big guns against the forts round Dunkoviczki on May 31, 1915. At four
in the afternoon they ceased fire; the forts and defenses were
crumpled up into a shapeless