New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-09
Nv ARTHUR s. DRAPER.

the call TO the army Of the Little
White Father" IN the spring Of this
wear. Just over twenty. they were
strong and tall. healthy and happy, and
it was with high spirits that they put
on their uniforms and shouldered their
rifles for the first time.
Long marches over muddy roads,
short advances and long retreats, hard
work and scarcity Of food all these
things they took cheerfully and with
never A murmur. Now they we're fight
crs, full grown men, Independent, self
reliant and ready for any emergency.
Came a day just as the sun was sink
ing to the west Of that long battle line
stretching from the Baltic far down
into the Carpathians. when they found
themselves pinched of by perfect
hell Of shell fire TO the rear and storm
Of bullets TO face.
But even in this critical situation
they never forgot for a moment their
orders to preserve their ammunition
as they valued their lives. Slowly and
carefully they fred, never wasting a
bullet. But, despite their feeble reply,
the storm ragged about them with in
creasing fury. Suddenly the fire in
front ceased, and almost simultane-
ously they learned their own supply o.
cartridges was exhausted.
Germans Sweep On.
Out Of the opposite trenches and
across the shell-furrowcd field swept &
wave OF German soldiers. They came
in dozens. scores and hundreds. Out
Of their own trenches jumped Ivan and
Peter and their fellows. ready 70 meet
this onrushing horde with their only
weapons bayonet and butt Of rife II
was an unequal fight Colossal cour-
age and brute strength could not stand
long against equal courage and skill,
! backed up by superior arms. Ivan
stabbed here and there; Peter wildly
swung the butt Of his rifle against hui
man flesh and bone, SCATTERING every
thing which came in its way. The tell
ing takes longer than the acting Of this
tragedy.
plavmates and campmates, they soon
found themselves prson-mates. Back
beyond the firing line they we're
marched in company with nearly hum
dred Of their fellows, tired, war
stained. hungry and bewildered lot o.
f,htinc mon. Into two boXcars these
men were packed. Some Of them were
wounded. nearly all without coats or
orercoats. Th~. followed what seemed
70 them an unea ding journey through
country where even the signs on the
stations were strange and unintelligi-
HE. Always westward. the train crawled
on stopping at every siding 20 allow
another to dash by Bread and water
no meat. but now and then a few dried
fish were PASSED in 70 them. as az feed
ing time the food IS showed into the
ANIMALS cages at the zoo.
New Country Davns.
Finally the train stopped and they
were ordered out. Five days had
PASSED since they crowded into these
cold. filthy cars. Now they crawled
out. Everything was strange. It was a
new country TO them They halted be
fore a long, low wooden barracks, which
was 10 be their new home. Surround
ing il was high. bsrbed wire fence.
Here most of them saw for the hrst
time soldiers wearing British, French
and Belgian uniforms. II was crude
living place. bare, desolate ana iar
from, sanitary. But Ivan and Peter mad
never known luxury OF even the ordl-
narv comforts of life which We take
for granted. They made no complaints.
They silent on earthen floors, with
straw the only thing beneath them.
They had almost three-quarters OF 4
mound of black bread and PINT and
three-ouarters of coffee for breakfast.
Dinner consisted of the same amount
of weak vegetable soup. In the even
ing SOUP was served again. put no" Do
contained more water. Once wees a.
special treat they got a raWsnerrlhg
and few potatoes. but they mad no
mems IA cook them. On very rare oc-
casions meat was served, but they De
came i'll after eating H. a 10 had been
treated with potassium permanganate
10 disguise the smell.
They stood II all for there was notn-
inc else 20 do. Even when they saw
their fellow prisoners carried out VIC.
Tins of typhus and other diseases and
they themselves became weak and ema-
ciated they kept their courage. some
times they got only half the amount OF
food given 10 the French and Belglans.
The German guards. most of them nOn-
commissioned men, treated them harsh
IL. But life did not become unendura-
Die until they found that the other
prisoners British. French and Bel
gians received packages and parcels
Of food and clothing, and even books
and games. Then thel came % think
they had been forgotten and that their
usefulness was over
Fled-and Arrested
Which one thought Of it first I 10
lot know. bat Ivan = a natural leader
How they get OUT is another story. !,
must suffice 70 say they did escape
They left at night. their only burden
being a bag of black bread. They had
IN object in view. they still wore their
dirty, tattered uniforms; they Sew mo
language but Russian; they had less
than ten marks between them. They
travelled az night. sleeping IN the
woods IN daytime.
You may get an idea OF the route
they followed when II is told that once
they were arrested by Belgian soldiers
az German spies. Il was no easy tasf
20 explain. bur once they had then
Journey became easier