The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1904-12-15

was lined with what looked lika
enormous burrows or a corn field.
But no sooner had We entered tho
compound than We discovered that
these things were not burrows. but
long lines ~ bombproofs In which
soldiers lived They were CON-
Portable little places. these bomb
proofs. but We we're not interested
in them Ahead ~ US We could
hear the occasional crack OF a rifle
and we knew that we were near thu
front
In the largest house Of the COM
pound were the headquarters Of the
regiment which was holding that
portion % the line A captain cama
out 20 welcome 0s and took as IA
the front line This was another
half mile away and again We
walked through deep narrow
trenches. IN which a man was per-
feetly safe from rifle and shrapnel
fire. unless perchance the ghrapnel
shell should fall directly in the mar
row trenche before exploding
On the way we stopped az bat
TALON headquarters and the major
in command proudly showed us the
quarters the soldiers had made for
him. The entire place was under
ground but a large and very CON-
Portable room had been hallowed
cut of the clay and there the bat
TALON officers were as comfortable
as they would have been In tho
bridal chambers In the Waldorf
hotel
We passed through line after
line OF deep trenches and finally
reached a point whore We could see
the mud wall OF the village. Wa
entered a large and deep trench.
the quarters OF a captain. II had
been followed out on either side
by making a sort OF arehed cham
Der with the narrow opening OF tha
trench three feet above our heads
In one corner sat a suhaltern eat
ing his lunch, in another the COM
pany clerk was making up his re-
turns
From this chamber We entered
narrow passage. 10 feet deep. and
from that passed into the narrow
trench from which I saw my first
Russian in his native lair.
After n few minutes In this
trench we were conducted along
the front Of the entire battalion.
The trench was just inside the mud
wall Of the village, and Il was
pierced all along with loopholes.
As we moved along the line We
we're met by the captains In COM
mand OF the various companies,
who welcomed us as II glad OF any
relief from the tedium OF trench
duty and proudly showed us all the
sights along their particular por-
lions OF the front Il would take
the pen OF a Kipling to describe tho
sights we saw during that trip. The
trenches through which we walked
were narrow. but every few feet
there was an opening to one side
and there rooms had been followed
ont in which the soldiers lived.
These rooms were covered with
logs or planks piled high on top
with dirt. making them absolutely
homhproof, and In these the SOL
diers we're laughing and talking.
as comfortable as the proverbial
Nuk III u lhAs
Every captain insisted that we
should look through his loopholes.
One pointed out TO us the bodies OF
Chinaman. and Of two ponies still
hnrnessed toa Chinese cart. only
200 yards away The Russians had
killed both the horses and the man
the day before, we were told An
other pointed out 10 us the bodies
of two or three Russian soldiers
who had been killed in an attack
en- the japanese lines days before.
The Japanese had been unable To
bury the bodies. he told us. because
Of the fire from the Russian
trenches just beyond: the Russians
had not attempted to do SO.
And so we went through the
trenches. bending low here aud
there and hurrying past at inter
walls In other places, Just as we
we're asked to do. After passing
through the trenches at the front
we said goodbye to the captains
and the major and returned TO the
compound we had first visited
where, over tea and cake and cigar
cites we listened TO the story of tho
attack and capture of Lin -Shim-Pu
from the lips OF the colonel wh1
led the troops.
WILL II. BRILL.