Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-20

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the next morning we went pheasant
shooting. : i had been keeping q setter
with. a baggage train for some da;'s.
There was not a living sou1.i in all this
region but starving dogs and live
stock were running loose everywhere.
October 2-Patrols were sent out
early, but | took a rest, having had
enough work OF, the previous days.
However, e. and J, with our
usual staff of bugler, a member OF the
hospital corps, and an orderly rode to
He%renthout, without seeing anything
Of the enemy. Night quarters were
again at Itighem, with splendid fruit
) and walnuts in our garden. 'H 1'st
October 4--With the first battalion
and frst battery we marched against
Fort Kessel, Which was still occupied
by the enemy. We made no attack
and returned to itighem.
Poor Masesmanship.
October 5-Fort Kessel kept silence
during the night: Yesterdays detach.
ment again sent forward to storm 1t.
We led till We reached the open fields
around the fort. .WThea The, infantry
advanced in firing lines. SCARCELY did
it reach the open field, however. when
it was literally shoWered with shrap-
mel from Fort Bruechem. Shell after
she'll exploded In Their ranks. but
they occupied Fort akessel all the
same. The eneny's shrapnels had
little effect. For. three hours they
hailed upon U infantry, and the re-
snlt-two wounded meD. Oar squad.
ron remained behind in the woods,
K and I watching from it's edge.
while the shrapnels we're falling
among the infantry scarcely 100 yards
from us. We stood there fully two
hours with no shell dropping nearer
us than about 100 yards.
"Finally We started back to our
squadron, and had ahardly taken 100
steps when a shell exploded at the
spot where we had been standing.
What happy escape. I'VE had ex
actly the same experience. moreover,
on the following day. We get so ac-
customed TO shells and shrapnels,
however, that we don'taget out Of their
way unless they d%ropEnearer than 100
yards from us; otherwise we do not
let them bother us even when we are
eating. @ss "gaf 81 49,, +
October 6-k--a ad I were or
dered to recOnnoiter Fort aBoechem,
which is to tbe sshelled .by our Accent,
meter mortars. We rode with forty
uhlans to a point west of Nylen (about
eleven miles from Antwerp. In an
ancient linden tree on a slight eleva-
tion&We found a deserted Belgian ob-
s%ervation PLATFORM I'VE quickly
climbed. to 1t. @8*ai go VI
Closer and Closer. - g ,lq
"A wonderful sight--the- fort lay
about 1900 yards before us, every Eel.
gian soldier plainly visible through
our glasses. A splendid place. Pune
tualiy at s. O'clock the 42-centimeter
guns began to talk. . The first two
shots dropped LOO feet short. We
announced this at once. Every seven
minutes two shells We're thrown. The
next two dropped nearer, but not in
the fort. Again an urgent. signal, after
which every shot hit. We took note
OF every one, and continued to report
at once The fort. replied continually.
out our presence }inathe, tree. was not
yet discovered. Wereported what OF
the enemy's turrets were firing and a
MALT hour later the mortars directed
their tire upon them. Meanwhile
Lieutenant ~H--Eand three of orr
mel crept$to within $50 yards of the
lori and sent back reports by bicycl.
lats confirming our observations.
suddenly the Belgians appeared to
nave discovered our point Of o5serya.
Ton n three shells whizzed by u.s..
we gotdoWn and galloped nearer to
the fort. Later everything became
quiet: and after an hour We remounted