The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-02-14

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Were Surprised by the Japanese.
Their Vain Attempts to Hide From
the Enemy.
Among the many soldiers tales re-
ceived from the front there is the fol-
lowing narration published in the Sara
tOff ListOk in the actual words of q
Cossack and teeming with naive hui
NOR, says the London Globe:
i''DOn't believe, sir, all that that Mkt
for tells you. You know he halls from
the village of Kebekoffka, the people
Of which, all and sundry, are famous
as braggarts, and he tells lies just like
all the rest. But l will tell you the
truth Of the affair. come from Kebe-
koffka. Well, we were with the whole
division as it retreated from Saimai-
tsi. After we had gone days march
detachments. Nikifor, Panas and
were sent off to reconnoiter. The sun
was going down, so we halted and in
trenched ourselves as we'll as we could.
The scent iof flowers was all around
us. Manchuria is, indeed, a heathen-
ish land, and therefore 1 will-still it is
a lovely place. Before we laid our
selves down to rest we thought we
would take bath in a little river that
ran before us at a distance of about a
couple hundred PAGES. You know, we
Orthodox must have our bath. We had
gone only a few steps when we OBJ
served about a dozen almond eyed vel
low skins. The devil only knows where
the rascals had come from, but there
they were, just as If they had popped
out of the ground.
'"True it is that the yellow skins are
not the worst enemies, although they
are SO sly and artful. We were not ex-
actly frightened on seeing the enemy in
larger numbers than ourselves; all the
same it became unpleasant when the
foe advanced against us at sharp
trot. What was to be done? We had
left our rifles and bayonets behind
There was no help for it. We must try
to get the better of the yellow skins by
cunning. So while the japanese were
hidden in a small ravine as they were
coming up we hid ourselves. Panas
climbed up big tree growing most
conveniently and disappeared among
it's branches, crept into large thick
ct, and Nikifor ran down to the river
and hid himself so carefully among the
powders that he could scarcely be
seen. We managed to hide ourselves
just in the nick of time, for the aim
ond eyed foe came up and halted just
in front Of the thicket in which l was
concealed. Then in their heathenish
language, which no honest Christian
understands (Nikifor says he can
make out what they say but Nikifor
comes from Kebekoffka), the little vel
low rascals held council Of war. Be
fore could repeat three Paternosters
the yellow devils had settled what they
would do.
'Nine of them rode off in various d.
rections, while the tenth, who seemed
to be in command, stationed himself SO
close to my thicket that could almost
have seized him in my arms. cursed
my lot in not having my rifle with me,
for it would have been so easy to have
settled the rascal with one thrust of
my bayOnet. l dared scarcely breathe
as I kept my eyes on the foe. How
trim and clean he was in brand new
uniform with facings of rich embroid
cry in gold! 49,
"All at once the japanese took
piece of paper out Of his pocket and
opened it. In twinkling he had
turned the paper into a drinking cup.
took a. deep breath. filled his paper
goblet with the refreshing water and
bore it to his lips. l envied him that
draft. AS l watched him and saw
that the draft was greatly to his
liking could not help calling out to
him, like good Christian, Good
healthr Great heavens! What was
the result of my doing so? The Jap
anese pulled a whistle out of his peck
ct and blew a shrill blast on it. and in
a twinkling up popped hfs comrades
from all sides. They dragged me out
of the thfcket and handcuffed me.
Well, while l was considering how l
could manage to give them the slip
Nikifor called to me from the river
bank, Ivan, you surely are mo-. going
to surrender to those fellows?' Then
down he popped his silly head, but he
was too late If he had not betrayed
himself by calling out, the japanese
would never have found him.. AS it
was, they went after him and returned
to me dragging Nikifor along. 1t serv
ed him right tor interfering in my az
fairs without being asked to give his
opinion.
$50 the Japanese made ready to take
us away with them. Just as we were
moving off Panas calls out mockingly
from his hiding place in the tree top:
oh, you fatheads, you fatheads. If
only you had kept your tongues quiet
Our comrades scorn, coming from his
hiding place, made us mad with rage.
We wanted to get at him, but the Jap
anese, the yellow heather, broke out
}y,fr, fiondicI, Iauohfar and then one of