hey are having reaches its climax
when you hear the polite condolences to the victims uttered in exquisite
French.

But Colonel Robertson had gone to "Vlady," and his place had been taken
by a typical Britisher in the person of Consul Hodgson, who took a
correct measure of the situation, and in less than forty-eight hours
herded the whole caboose back into their own compounds. It is surprising
that the influence of one virile, definite personality can be so great,
and it proves how necessary it is that in this seemingly endless turmoil
only the best men should be burdened with the responsibility of our
representation. I started on my mission to the Urals with absolute
confidence that, in the absence of General Knox, our interests in Omsk
would not suffer so long as they were in the hands of our senior consul.

After infinite trouble with Russian official elements, I started on my
western journey on April 5. The mission consisted of Colonel Frank
(liaison officer), Madame Frank (translator), Regt-Sergt.-Major Gordon,
in charge of an escort of twenty-two N.C.O.s and men, with one machine
gun. We were now entering the district behind the Ural front. These
towns had not long been cleared of the Bolsheviks, so that it was
interesting to discover how far their ideas had gained possession of the
minds of the people. The new Russian armies were rapidly pushing
forward. Their progress had been made more general and persistent since
the end of November, 1918, the date on which the Czechs finally refused
to take part in the great Perm offensive. When they read in the English
papers of January, 1919, how the Czech, Italian, French, and Allied
forces had inflicted defeat upon the Bolsheviks at Perm, it caused a
grim smile to pass over the faces of the Russian officers who did the
job. Not a single Czech, Italian, French, or Allied soldier fired a shot
after Admiral Koltchak assumed supreme command. There is one notable
exception. The armoured trains from H.M.S. _Suffolk_, under the command
of Captain Wolfe Murray, continued to fight along the Ufa front well
into January, 1919. Only the intense cold and the necessity of
recoupment and re-equipment caused them to retire to Omsk. The British
Navy fighting on the Urals was the only reminder the Russian soldier had
that the Allies of his country had not entirely deserted her.

We arrived at Tumen on April 7, and held a fine meeting of the workmen,
who seemed quite pleased to hear that