The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-08-26

telegraph station. Every word must
be weighed carefully. Then there was
our long dispatch to be sent by courier.
night had spread across the courtyard.
A fire was built. BY its flames VIC
wrote. The STAFF chatted near by.
Soon Russian prisoners and wounded
began to be brought in. They sat in,
wall of the court. Candles were
brought out and threw an indistinct
Pickering light over the scene.
The prisoners were besmirched with
dirt and blood of battle. Some had
high s~heepskin caps: others were bare
headed. They were big, raw-boned
men with square. weather-beaten faces.
In their filth and CRIME, with the mad
ness and terror of battle not yet out
OF their eyes, they were a wild looking
crowd. An officer was brought in on a
stretcher. He was so tall that his legs
He was young. blonde, handsome and
had evidently been well groomed on
the day of this day. Out of his white
face, his big blue eyes sared dis
trustfully. The doctor came in with a
candle to examine him. He had been
once through the hand and once
through the chest. The French CORE
spondent was talking to a Russian Of
fcer. One of them was saying: The
army has been completely destroyed"
With the Wounded Russians.
BY the fire a litter was brought in.
On it a Russian soldier withered in.
agony. "Ach! mein schatz!" (my sweet
hearth, he repeated in dreadful mon.
otony. a comrade stood STOPPING. peer
Ing about with fear BORN of uncer-
tainty. The japanese guard nottoned
to him to sit down. The Russian did
not understand. Then the Japanese
put his hand on his shoulder, spoke to
him in japanese soothingly and pressed
him gently TO the ground. The wound
ed man on the stretcher tried to raise
himself, his eyes wild with delirium.
He saw Colonel Hagino. who was try
ing to quiet him in Russian. The man
cried out. pointing to the guard, DO
not let this man hurt me-" Have no
fear" said the colonel, gently.
Around the fire where rose and fell
the curling flame. throMing long
shadow about the courtyard, we
wrote. The japanese officers talked.
softly and occasionally laughed. The
wounded groaned. h prisoners sat
silent, dazed.
Delays at the Ferry.
At last the dispatches had all been.
read by the censor. Refusing an invi-
tation to dinner, We turned to retrace
our steps with empty stomachs. The
field postoffice was ten miles in the
rear and we had to file III dispatches
that night. By this time it was IL at.
night. We We're given an army Ian
tern marked with the black, Jagged
band Of teeth, the insignia of the army.
This lantern was to be our password.
Just outside the village of Chiulien-
cheng we met a man that had just
forded the All river. The gunners told
us that we could go q shorter way by
striking directly across the islands OF
Chongkiang. All and Kinteito, crossing
the river courses by pontoon boats and
finally over the first bridge built to
With. This route would shorten our
journey by four 1-..les. A short ride
took us to the Al. The ferry was in.
use, taking artillery across the river.
but the guard told US the stream was.
fordable a little higher up. We went
upstream and started across. At first
1t was shallow, but the two men in the
lead suddenly found their horses swim
ming. The current was swift and it
was a toss-up whether they could get
back to shore. Finally we were all on
dry land again.
The night was pitch black and it wa.
useless to try the hazardous experiment.
again. So we rode back to the ferry.
After a lengthy parley. such as are !nd.s-
pensable to the Japanese, our interpreter
was told that we could cross In the boats
five horses at a time. Two dead Japan
csc soldiers lay unheeded on the river
bank. almost under our horses hoofs. On.
the other shore were more guns awaiting,
their turn to get across.
Once again we waded in the sand across
a black island to the main stream Of he
1alu. Here there was another long par
ley. The ferrymen refused to work AMY
longer. 1t looked az II we would spends
the rest OF the night. shivering. hungry
and cold Uhor0 uy0 o&111 r $780, ~ ~
the interpreter to find the commanding Of
ncer IN the ~neighboring village OF Kong.
kiangdai. The village seemed deserted.
The few houses had been burned by me.
BY the door of the temple a
solitary horse, with military saddle. was
aeu. we entered the temple. The moon
was just rising and threw It's white light
through the open temple door on the huge
h.deously grinning, painted idols thrown
from their inches to the floor and battered
by Russian soldiers.
Held UP by sentries.
Nowhere was help to be found, so tho
ten correspondents ferried their own
horses across in two trips. A posse Of
men with loaded rifles waited for us on
pne ISLAND OF hinte1to. AT first they We're
somewhat skeptical about our e%xplana-
but the eloquence of our INTERPRETER
ana our army lantern pulled us through
ne lsiaho proved to be a series of IN
sVen. broken sand dunes. with here and
mere clumps of willows. 1t took us half
An hour 10 lose ourselves completely. We
an across the gun pits of the howitzers,
md marveled at the perfection OF their
construction. There were bombnro.ofx
out almost like cellars. to store
ammunition, and deep easements to
protect the men.
After wandering about aimlessly for.
time, dragging our tired ponies after.
IS, we came to a group OF soldiers about
: camp 1ire. Our Interpreter entered into
OF the inevitable long parleys. In
English one would have said. we are
ost. WIN one Of you show us the way
o the bridge that leads to Wijue" 1t
.ook a quarter OF an hour to saw this in
japanese. There were inumcrable COM
preludes an explanations be-
ore the real request could be tt,!ngly
But the end came at last.
kilograms Were Held Back,
The postoffce was open and took our
Messages. We arrived at our camp and
got a sup OF coffee at 4 in the morning,