which a Kurdish regiment was holding in strength, K---- was shot
down, as also was his lieutenant, and half the squadron were left on
the ground. Fortunately, at the foot of the road leading down to the
plateau, the sergeant who led the men out of action found one of our
Caucasian regiments who are used to dealing with the fezzes, and they
came up at the double, and after two hours' fighting were reenforced
by another two companies and carried the trench.

"Farther back we found the enemy in a stronger plateau. Almost within
sight of the enemy we made tea and rested before attempting to push
forward to the fight.

"An officer of the staff who does not understand the Caucasian way
reproved the colonel for delaying, but he took a very philosophical
view, and pointed out that it was extremely doubtful whether he even
now had men enough to carry the enormous position, and that he
certainly could not do so with exhausted troops. So we had the
extraordinary spectacle of our men lying down flat, blowing their
fires and drinking their tea and laughing and joking as though they
were at a picnic, but when they had finished and had formed up they
made short work of the fellows in the trench. But think of what would
have happened if we had left this plateau unsearched!"

"On the Baiburt road," writes another Russian officer, "there was one
small pass which had been roughly reconnoitered, and through this we
were moving some of the heavy guns, not imagining that there were any
Turks within ten miles, when a heavy fire was opened from a fir wood a
thousand feet above us. The limbers of the guns were a long way in the
rear, and there was no way of shelling this enemy from his aerie.
There was nothing to do but for the battalion which was acting as
escort to the guns to move up the slope under a terrific machine-gun
and rifle fire and investigate the strength of the attack. The guns
were left on the road, and mules and horses were taken to whatever
cover could be found, and an urgent message was sent back to the
effect that the convoy was held up, but the majority of the infantry
had already passed the danger point. Two mountain batteries were
commandeered, however, and these came into action, firing incendiary
shells into the wood, which was soon blazing at several points.

"The battle which then began between the Turks who had been ejected
from the wood and the gun escort lasted for the greater part of the
afternoon. It was not u