atter at some length,
because it is the only instance where my musical ear was of value
during my service.

To return to my narrative, the losses which my battalion suffered
that day seemed extraordinarily small when compared with the
accuracy of the Russian artillery's aim and the number of missiles
they fired. I counted seventy-four shrapnel that burst in a circle of
half a mile around us in about two hours, and yet we had no more
than about eighteen casualties. The most difficult part was to lie still
and motionless while death was being dealt all about us and it was
then and there that I had my first experience of seeing death next to
me. A soldier of my platoon, while digging in the trench, suddenly
leaned back, began to cough like an old man, a little blood broke
from his lips, and he crumpled together in a heap and lay quite still.
I could not realize that this was the end, for his eyes were wide open
and his face wore the stamp of complete serenity. Apparently he
had not suffered at all. The man had been a favorite with all his
fellows by reason of his good humor, and that he was now stretched
out dead seemed unbelievable. I saw a great many men die
afterwards, some suffering horribly, but I do not recall any death that
affected me quite so much as that of this first victim in my platoon.

II

The artillery duel died out with the coming of darkness and we
settled down to rest, half of the men taking watch while the others
slept. At five o'clock in the morning our regiment suddenly received
the order to fall in, and, together with two other regiments, was
drawn out of the fighting line. Our commanding general had
received news that an isolated detachment on the extreme right
wing of our army, about fifteen miles east of us, had been entirely
surrounded by a strong Russian body, and we were ordered to
relieve them. It must not be forgotten that our men had been under
a most incredible strain for the last three days with barely any rest
during the nights and not more than one meal a day. They had
actually welcomed entering the firing line, as a relief from the
fatigues of marching with their heavy burdens. It is curious how
indifferent one becomes to danger if one's organism is worn down
and brain and faculty of perception numbed by physical exertion. It
was, therefore, with badly broken-down strength that we started on
this relief expedition, and it was good to see how unflinchingly the
so