The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-22

Toward noon we came to an exten- sive eptrenchment camp where numer- ous fires were burning and big kettles swung from cross sticks showed that the soldiers were preparing tea. Here the general commanding and group of stan officers welcomed Jus and in addition to the tea one of them actual ly produced lemon to so with 1t. How a lemon got into that portion of Man. churia was a mystery that the lieuten- ant refused to solve.
 Ahead of this on the reverse face of
 the eliff were scores of what looked
 like gigantic swallows nests. They
 were simply holes in the cliff, each
 hole matched around with woven
 funnel of kaolin stalks. Here the men
 live dozen to the dugout. packed like
 sardines at night for warmth. but com fortabie. Some of the oficer's dug
 outs are fairly luxurious.
 Both Armies After Pig.
 The men have plenty of tea and they
 are fairly fed. but fresh meat is .
 luxury that is not neglected at any junoture and suddenly while we were
 talking by the fire some fresh meat
 made its appearance. There was a
 rush toward the forward lines of
 trenches that might have presaged a
 Japanese attack and we rushed to Q
 knoll that commanded a view. There from seemingly deserted Chinese
 house rushed half grown pig, a shoat
 of the Manchurian raxor-back variety.
 After it went a Cossack in hot pur-
 suit. Other Cossaclxs joined the chase
 but the pig, threading the trenches,' gained the open ground and headed for the Japanese lines less than 400 yards
 away. Reckless of death or anything
 else six Cossacks dashed in pursuit
 with their .long brown coats tucked about their waists. The pig headed
 across the imaginary dividing line and
 charged the Japanese position. The opposition hillslope had been to all ap- pearences vacant and silent as the grave, but hidden trench suddenly gave up a party of Japanese and away
 they went after the pig. The Cossacks | stopped and the Japanese headed the pig diagonalty back towards the Rus sian lines. They did not catch 1t, but | a fresh relay of Russians took up the chase and the pig veered over again | to the Japanese. Not shot was fired all this time and the Japanese and Cossacks stood within hundred paces | of each other in the open laughing at | each others non-success and hurting
 mutual maledictions after the pig. The last we saw of 1t the pig was keeping strictly to the neutral strip be- tween the forces and heading westward l in the direction of Liso River.
 The General laughed though he also sighed at the thought of the vanished pig and invited us to have more tea at his palace"
 fl do not patronixe anything but palaces" he exclaimed as we mounted to follow him, and there being none hereabouts. I had one built" Over hanging the edge of narrow valley was the palace, more than usually | commodious dugout. and inside a stove was cunningly built into the wall with homemade bricks. Before 1t on the ground was Prince Radziwil, just come in from a scout and warming his red hands against the bricks. There was a table and a tiny window and hot tea. without lemon this time, added to the joys of living.
 We turned back later along the route we had come The opposite hill side was vacant and silent as usual. But from a far distant crest came a wink of light almost like heliograph, and a few seconds later big byzan- tine shell burst with thunderous noise and & cloud of smoke and dirt close to the trench where we had seen the pig race in the morning.
 We climbed to a heliograph station on the cliff above and found the off1- cer in charge flashing message to Poutiioff Hill. Though the binoculars we could see Poultiloffs tiny mirror winking fin reply.
 New battery" said the officer jerk ing his head towards where the shot had come from, while a signal sergeant through a transit was scanning the hill crest. "Poutiloff and I have both got his angle approximately" he exclaim- ed, and we know the base line from here to Poutiloff Hill so the next time he shoots we can triangulate on him and get the exact range. We will make things interesting for him a lit- tie later" he added significantly.
 So we rode slowly back to our dug outs leaving the signal officer trying to beat some circulation into his nit tened hands There may be fight to- night or there may not, but that is all there Is to tell just now of a day along the front. =