ne-gun fire, but we had orders to hold our position at all cost
and to the last man. Unfortunately our ammunition was giving out,
in spite of our husbanding it as much as possible and shooting only
when we had a sure target. The Russians soon found that each
shot meant a victim and took no chances on showing even the tips
of their caps. Neither could we move the least bit without being the
target for a volley from their side. Up to this day I cannot
understand why they did not try to rush us, but apparently they were
unaware of our comparative weakness.

Also for another reason our position had become more and more
untenable. We were on swampy ground and the water was
constantly oozing in from the bottom of the trench, so that we
sometimes had to stand nearly knee-deep and were forced to bail
the water out with our caps. It is difficult to imagine a more
deplorable situation than to have to stay for four days in a foul
trench, half filled with swamp water, constantly exposed to the
destructive fire of the enemy, utterly isolated and hopeless.

Soon we were completely without any food or water and our
ammunition was almost exhausted. During the night, here and
there daring men would rush through the space swept by the
Russian gun fire, which was kept up constantly, trying to bring us
what scanty supplies they could procure from neighboring trenches
better provided than we were, but the little they brought was nothing
compared to our needs.

On the evening of that third day, knowing that our ammunition was
giving out, we felt that the next day would bring the end, and all our
thoughts turned homewards and to the dear ones. We all wrote
what we considered our parting and last farewell, each one pledging
himself to deliver and take care of the letters of the others if he
survived. It was a grave, sad, deeply touching moment, when we
resigned ourselves to the inevitable, and yet somehow we all felt
relieved and satisfied that the end might come and grimly resolved
to sell our lives dearly.

Never before had I as much reason to admire the wonderful power
of endurance and stoicism of our soldiers as on that night. Once
resigned to the worst, all the old-time spirit returned, as if by magic.
They sat together playing cards in as much moonlight as would fall
into the deep trench, relating jokes and bolstering up one another's
courage.

The fourth day broke gloomy, with a drizzling rain. At ten o'clock
one of o