gave no
more information than we had the day before. He tried to impress us by
taking his pistol and pointing out on a map of the area just where his
troops were that day surrounding our comrades in the beleagured camp in
the woods at Verst 18 on the road, as well as many versts beyond them
cutting a trail through the deep snow to the very railroad in rear of
Obozerskaya. He boasted that his forces that day would crush the
opposing force and he would move upon Obozerskaya and go up and down the
railroad and clear away every obstacle as he had done in the Upper Vaga
Valley, where he boasted he had driven the Allied troops from Shenkursk
and pursued them for over sixty miles. Then he informed us that we were
to be sent as prisoners to Moscow.

"Later in the morning we were started south toward Emtsa on foot. We
could hear the distant cannonading on the 445 front as we marched along
during the day on the winter trail which if it had been properly
patrolled by the French and Russians would not have permitted the
surprise flank march in force by this small army that menaced the whole
Vologda force. Our thirty-five verst march that day and night--for we
walked till 10:00 p. m.--was made more miserable by the thought that our
comrades were up against a far greater force than they dreamed, as was
evidenced to us by the hordes of men we had seen in Bolsheozerki and the
transportation that filled every verst of the trail from the south. We
made temporary camp in a log hut along the road, building a roaring fire
outside. We would sleep a half hour and then go outside the hut to thaw
out by the fire, and so on through the wretched night.

"At 4:00 a. m. we started again our footsore march, after a fragment of
black bread and a swallow of water, and walked twenty-seven versts to
Shelaxa, the Red concentration camp. Here we underwent a minute search.
All papers were taken for examination. Our American money was returned
to us, as was later a check on a London bank which one of my officers
had given me. I secreted it and some money so well in a waist belt that
later I had the satisfaction of cashing the check in Sweden into kronen
in King Gustave's Royal Bank in Stockholm. After a meal of salt fish and
black bread fried in fish oil, and some hot water to drink, we were
given an hour's rest and then started on the road again to Emtsa,
twenty-four versts away, reaching that railroad point at midnight. Here
we were brought before the ca