of August 16 we were all at Mittoevo, extremely
anxious about our friends. Molozov was in a great state of alarm. The
sanitars with the wagons that arrived at about four o'clock in the
afternoon told us that a violent attack in the intermediate
neighbourhood of our white house was expected at any moment. The
wagons were to return as quickly as possible, and bring every one
away. They left about five o'clock in charge of Molozov and Goga, who
were bursting with excitement. I knew that they could not be with us
again until at any rate nine o'clock, but I was so nervous that at
about seven I walked out to the cross and watched.

It was a very dark night, but the sky was simply on fire with
searchlights and rockets, very fine behind the Forest and reflected in
the river. The cannonade was incessant but one could not tell how
close it was. At last, at about half-past eight, I could endure my
ignorance no longer and I went down the hill towards the bridge. I had
not been there more than ten minutes and had just seen a shell burst
with a magnificent spurt of fire high in the wood opposite, when our
wagons suddenly clattered up out of the darkness. I saw at once that
something was wrong. The horses were being driven furiously although
there was now no need, as I thought, for haste. I could just see
Semyonov in the half light and he shouted something to me. I caught
one of the wagons as it passed and nearly crushed Goga.

We were making so much noise that I had to shout to him.

"Well?" I cried.

Then I saw that he was crying, his arms folded about his face, sobbing
like a little boy.

"What is it?" I shouted.

"Mr...." he said, "Andrey Vassilievitch...." I looked round. One of
the sanitars nodded.

Then there followed a nightmare of which I can remember very little.
It seems that at about four in the afternoon the Austrians made a
furious attack. At about seven our men retreated and broke. They were
gradually beaten back towards the river. Then, out of Mittoevo, the
"Moskovsky Polk" made a magnificent counter-attack, rallied the other
Division and finally drove the Austrians right back to their original
trenches. From nine o'clock until twelve we were in the thick of it.
After midnight all was quiet again. I will not give you details of
our experiences as they are not all to my present purpose.

At about half-past one in the morning I found Nikitin standing in the
garden, looking in front of him across the river, over