On the evening of that third day, knowing that our ammunition was giving out, we felt that the next day would bring the end, and all our thoughts turned homewards and to the dear ones.  We all wrote what we considered our parting and last farewell, each one pledging himself to deliver and take care of the letters of the others if he survived.  It was a grave, sad, deeply touching moment, when we resigned ourselves to the inevitable, and yet somehow we all felt relieved and satisfied that the end might come and grimly resolved to sell our lives dearly.

Never before had I as much reason to admire the wonderful power of endurance and stoicism of our soldiers as on that night.  Once resigned to the worst, all the old-time spirit returned, as if by magic.  They sat together playing cards in as much moonlight as would fall into the deep trench, relating jokes and bolstering up one another’s courage.

The fourth day broke gloomy, with a drizzling rain.  At ten o’clock one of our men became suddenly insane, jumped out of the trench, danced wildly and divested himself of every stitch of clothing while doing so.  Strange to say, the Russians must have realized that the man was insane, for they never fired at him, neither did they at the two men who jumped out to draw him back.  We succeeded in comforting and subduing him, and he soon fell into a stupor and remained motionless for some time.  As soon as darkness fell we succeeded in conveying him back to the reserves and I understand that he got quite well again in a few days.

At five o’clock that afternoon we suddenly received orders through a running messenger, who was braving the incessant machine-gun fire, that our positions were about to be abandoned and that we were to evacuate our trench under the cover of darkness, at eleven o’clock.  I cannot but confess that we all breathed more freely on the receipt of that information, but unfortunately the purpose could not be carried out.  The Russians by this time evidently had realized our comparatively defenseless condition and utter lack of ammunition, for that same night we heard two shots ring out, being a signal from our sentinels that they were surprised and that danger was near.  I hardly had time to draw my sword, to grasp my revolver with my left hand and issue a command to my men to hold their bayonets in readiness, when we heard a tramping of horses and saw dark figures swooping down upon us.  For once the Cossacks actually carried out their attack, undoubtedly owing to their intimate knowledge of our lack of ammunition.  My next sensation was a crushing pain in my shoulder, struck by the hoof of a horse, and a sharp knife pain in my right thigh.  I fired with my revolver at the hazy figure above me, saw it topple over and then lost consciousness.