se cold had frozen the oil in the buffers of the pom poms
and machine guns, rendering them worse than useless. Fortunately, this
was discovered in time to prevent any casualties, for it was later found
that there were between five hundred and one thousand of the enemy
located in this position and that they were intrenched in prepared
positions and well equipped with rifles, machine guns and artillery.

Our forces, of course, were compelled to retreat, but this maneuver
naturally gave the enemy greater courage and the following week it was
reported that they were advancing from Kodima on Shenkursk. We at once
dispatched a large force of infantry, artillery, and mounted Cossacks to
delay this advance. This maneuver was also a miserable failure, and it
is not difficult to understand the reason for same when one considers
that this detachment was composed of Americans, Canadians, and Russians,
of every conceivable, type and description, and orders issued to one
body might be and usually were entirely misunderstood by the others.

Shortly after this, however, the Cossack Colonel desired to vindicate
his troops and a new attack was planned in which the Cossacks, supported
by their own artillery, were to launch a drive against the enemy at
Kodima. After a big night's pow-wow and a typical Cossack demonstration
of swearing eternal allegiance to their leader and boasting of the dire
punishment they were going to inflict upon the enemy, they sallied forth
from Shenkursk with their banners gaily flying. No word was heard from
them until the following evening when just at dusk across the river
came, galloping like mad, the first news-bearers of our valiant cohorts.
On gaining the shelter of Shenkursk, most of them were completely
exhausted and many of their horses dropped dead from over-exertion on
the way, while others died in Shenkursk.

Our first informants described at great detail a thrilling engagement in
which they had participated and how they had fought until their
ammunition became exhausted, when they were forced to retreat. Others
described in detail how Prince Aristoff and his Adjutant, Captain
Robins, of the British Army, had fought bravely to the last and when
about to be taken prisoners, used the last bullets remaining in their
pistols to end their lives, thus preventing capture. More and more of
the scattered legion were constantly arriving, and each one had such a
remarkably different story to tell from that of h