The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-02-28

obtain sufficient supply. 1 should Judge that
% husstan pOnyskin coats, which have often been
20 popular in America. ought to be cheaper than
ever this season II there has been any way Of
curing and transporting the skins of these glossy
coated animals Of the steppes.
Womens army kitchens adequately sup
piled with horse meat, and from ladies of rank
to serfs the women soldiers haye learned how to
prepare palatable food. They have also learned
9ot only to draw their field pieces but actually
Garry them
All women enrolled in the infantry division
OF the army, SO that theirs are machine guns.
Some of these guns are light enough to be borne
on the shoulders of one woman.
While Russians are not good marksmen they are
expert at bayonet work, and there is nothing the
Germans fear more than a Russian bayonet
counter, when the sturdy dwarf Of the North not
only sticks his enemy through but has an appal-
ling habit Of lifting him up the bayonet.
saw one victim of this shocking act slide of the
keen blade, dead.
And II the Germans fear such attacks of unin-
spired Russian men. they dread the savage charge
Of fiery Russian women. and when they succeeded
in capturing three in battle they tortured them to
death by way of satisfying spite against those
hundreds Of young women who lay slain-martyrs
to patriotism.
1 watched women soldiers dig out their own
trenches where rain bombardment had caused
them to fall in; pull around their heavy ammuni-
ton wagons and guns, well as their field kitch-
ems, and set up their barbed-wire entanglementS.
Many Of them were noblewOmen and wealthy men,
bers Of the upper froth" Of Russia quite a num-
ber were wives and mothers whose husbands were
fighting in another sector the line; and every
one was volunteer.
With courage went cheerfulness. In the midst
Of the hardships of trench nfe-nnd they can
scarcely be observation-disclosures women sang bal
lads and catchy songs they worked at the busi-
ness Of death. Some played on musical instru-
ments that they had brought into the trenches.
while most of them found time to attend to the COM
fort of their pets, especially the battalion mascots
"a parrot and a cat.
All were short Of clothing-simple was their
uniform. 1t consisted of grayish khaki coored
material like washed-out khaki made in overas
and jumper. with a tght-ftting high collar and
belt They wore the same boots as were used by
men, and some had their feet encased in shoes and
puttees. One of the chief difficulties in equipping
women has been to fit the upper froth' with
boots, and to the rigors of trench life has been
added the discomfort and. I fancy pain Of dainty
feet in coarse. heavy unaccustomed boots. stand
ing often in mire Of mud and water.
Women soldiers had shifts Of ten days in first
line trenches Of the enemy with four hours on and
four hours of duty. At the least unusual noise
or sudden skirmish the whole 2,5OO women were
out and in readiness for battle
Every thirty feet in the women's sector stood
post" or sentry who fred without ceasing. 1t
was her duty to call out. occasion. the soldiers
who rested in their malodorous dugouts on shelves
that protruded from the walls along each siaiA
Mere children were many Of these modern ANA
IONS. for their ages vary from fifteen to thrty-ve
years, and for ten days on stretch they had no