| Show ret PIP eh at A H alp 1 E IN i VIT Y 1 w E ra 1 Is W A R THE BLOODY TRAGEDY OF A RUSSIAN PATROL fierce russian wolves prove dead tier her foe than human enemy met in battle one man lives live to tell the tale talc war was ended the soldier smoked his pipe at ease idly dreaming ot of happier days to come before him me westward bestard lay the german empire and the Georg enburg iron frontier tier sta eta tion with its eagle flag unfurled ills back leaned against a flagstaff lag staff of the tsar and the green wooded land of his country stretched far behind him here all was suggestive of peace save in n the blood red glow of the set ting sun and that too would boon be blotted out in the darkness of the summer night A bugle call rang out the tha russian shook the ashes from his pipe and rifle in hand himself added a third man to the small patrol A corporal made the fourth and under his coin mand the men set out from the sta eta tion the crimson glow in the west paled to a steely blue and a few stars stare blinked in the darkening sky now the patrol was mas marching through the forest their footsteps cryn crunched ched harshly in the stillness and the owl hooted as it made its silent flight at an open space in the trees the corporal called a halt A grunt of sat Is faction fell from ble bis three dubor dilates dl dI nates as they cast down their heavy knapsacks and prepared to bivouac suddenly a long di awn out cut wall broke in upon their occupation the men paused and with some at the corporal it was sue BUG ceedee by another louder and ei ei daentl nearer the corporal laid a hand on his bis rifle as a sound of breaking twigs rose from the undergrowth again that same howl struck chill in every vein A deadly terror lay at each mans man s heart away in the far east they had bad fought but with no such fear as this closer and closer the snapping of undergrowth told of their fast ap pio pi caching aching enemy more firmly each nan man gripped his rifle and strained 0 pierce the blackness of the bush rho fhe japanese gave quarter not so the Riis blan wolf fierce swift sift and hun gering tor for their flesh two rifles voke as ono one then all four belched orth their flame the long baltek fell biou hou ettes of six huge wolves tore round hem again and again the soldiers fired but the darkness spoiled their sim aim two wolves rolled over in the scrub yet undaunted the remaining four came on now rifles were discarded at such close battle they proved useless each man drew his bla sword and tried to ward off the monster that balancing itself on hind legs snapped furiously at his hi a throat A quarter of an hour the fight thus raged the corporal had bad fallen al 4 J 1 wit f 4 A each man drew his hie sword and strove to ward off the monster that tha snapped furiously at his throat ready victory was mas leaning towards the wolves now one of the soldiers snatching his great coat from the ground cast it over the head bead of the tha wolf olf that was attacking him now he at the creature with his sword then turning climbed fr frantl cal ly the neatest beai eat tree and he bb alone of the tour four survived to tell the tale |
