Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-29

reinforcements rapidly, and the Rus
sian general and his division, in their
new position, were hard pressed. They
were almost isolated. practically sus-
rounded by sixty thousand fresh enemy
troops. The Russians kept up stolid
and heroic defense, but the enemy gave
them no rest. Soon korniloff's much
weakened force was in a desperate sit
uation. All their bravery and sacrifice
had been unavailing: the enemy was
gradually gaining upon them.
*
Calm and self possessed, Gen. Korni-
loft viewed the situation. We are too
feeble to resist any longer he told his
officers: 1--WE must attack" This was
Korniloff's method. He called his men
together and explained how things
stood. A small force must attack the
Austrians and thus cover the retreat OF
the main body. He called for volun-
teers. and from the serried ranks that
presented themselves formed small
detachment pledged to make the SUI
preme dash. 1t was a forlorn hope. this
attack. but it might save the rest of the
division. which was otherwise doomed
10 fall into the hands of the enemy.
Early on a beautiful spring morning
the resolute band mustered, and were
passed in pathetic little review by
their valiant chief, who knew that he
should look upon but few of those faces
again. AS they bowed devoutly before
the holy ikon raised above them, they
cried. For God. st. Nicholas, and the
cZar," Then they shouldered their ri
fles. and moment later were on the
move. headed by the commander him
self.
The maneuver surprised the enemy.
as il was intended to do. but the ad-
vancng force was violently aSsailed by
a triple fire from artillery. rifles and
machine guns. Still. however, they
stumbled on, singing chant popular
with the peasants on the banks of the
Nolga. Man after man fell around the
intrepid korniloff but the survivors
pressed on unheeding: they knew that
every yard they advanced meant more
chance for the 4Sth Division.
Steadily they ploughed their way on
ward until they were close to the
enemy's lines BY this time there was
but a handful of them left. Korniloff
himself was wounded and his strength
was fast falling him.
The Austrians looked on with aston
ishment Would these madmen never
surrender? The ground was strewn
with their dead and wounded What
could the last few survivors hope to ac-
complish? At last a bullet brought
down the indomtable general, and the
one-sided fight was over.
When kornilof came to himself
again, and was able to take account of
his surroundings. he found himself in
a hospital. being treated for his seri-
Gus wounds. He was a prisoner of the
Austrians. as were the few of his men
who had been left alive when he him
self was taken. But he breathed sigh
of relief. for the gallant 4Sth Division
had been saved by his devotion and the
sacrifice of his splendid little band.
Dreary months of illness and con-
valescence passed by. AT last the gen
eral was we'll enough to be moved from
the hospital. and his captors conveyed
him to safer and more suitable habit
tation. AS a prisoner of mark, a res
idence was chosen for him. at the
chateau of EsterhaZy, a EisenStadt, in
the Sopron department. in Hungary
This was the famous castle built in
1883. where Haydn was kappell-meister
to the Prince Esterhazy of the time.
korniloff made up his mind that Els
enstadt should not long have him as a
guest. and with increasing health and
strength he set about finding a means
of escape. First of all he made friends
with the men who acted as his guar
dians. and they were 1attered at the
notice taken of them by the redoubt-
able Russian general, whose fame had
spread over the empire. He took a
great interest in these common SOL
diers; he talked to them of their lives,
their homes. the fights they had been