by either dearth of numbers or military incapacity.  In the last stage of his movement his communications stretched for twenty-three miles along our flank, with three posts of just over one hundred men to protect his supply trains.  If the commander of that force is still alive he probably has a poor opinion of the ability of his opponents.  We were ready to deal him a death-blow at any moment from the day he occupied Uspenkie until he crossed the river before Antonovka.  He and his column were only saved by orders from Vladivostok.

For two days no movement was observable in the enemy lines, and it began to look as though he would or could not take full advantage of his extremely favourable position.

I had waged an unequal contest with millions of mosquitoes while trying to sleep in a field telephone hut made of rough branches and marsh grass.  The Czech soldier who acted as operator had helped me as much as possible, but at last in desperation I got up and walked about until the wonderful colouring in the East heralded another glorious Siberian summer day.  The bluey-purple pall had given place to a beautiful orange-tinted yellow such as I had never seen before.  The sentry prodded a sleeping Tommy who had a huge black frog sitting on the highest point of his damp, dewy blanket, and a bugle glistening by his side.  The sleeper awoke, and after washing his lips at the tank, sounded the soldiers’ clarion call, the “Reveille.”  Instantly the whole bivouac was alive, but scarcely had the bugle notes died away when the telephone buzzer began to give forth a series of sharp, staccato sounds.  The Czech operator gave a sharp ejaculation, like “Dar!  Dar!  Dar!” looking more serious as the sounds proceeded.  He then calmly hung up the speaking-tube on the tree that supported our home and began to explain to my interpreter, Lieutenant Bolsaar, the message just received.  It was that Major Pichon wished to see me at his headquarters at once in reference to the serious position of Antonovka.  I mounted my horse, “Nero,” which was a beautiful present from Captain Pomerensiv on handing over his command, and soon arrived at Kraevesk and heard the full story of the surprise at Antonovka.

From Major Pichon I gathered that Ataman Kalmakoff with his Cossacks had taken up a position on the high ground in the village of Antonovka, keeping touch with the French on his left, and a company of the 5th Battalion of Czechs on his right, who guarded the road to Svagena, and that though he posted sentries in the usual way during the night, the enemy in large numbers crept between them, and when the alarm was given and Kalmakoff mounted his horse he found some thirty of his men already wounded or dead and his machine guns in enemy hands.  Most of his troops were in a cul-de-sac, and had to charge a high fence and by the sheer weight of their horses break a way out.  Kalmakoff with a few Cossacks tried to retake the guns with a superb charge, but though he got through