almost the center of the new position which extended for perhaps
ten miles from northwest to southeast about eighteen miles south of
Lemberg.

The next few days were given to repairs, provisioning, and resting,
with occasional small skirmishes and shifting of positions. Then one
night a scouting aeroplane brought news of a forward movement of
about five Russian army corps, which seemed to push in the
direction of our center. Against this force we could muster only
about two army corps, but our strategical position seemed a very
good one, both the extreme flanks of our army being protected by
large and impassable swamps. Evidently the Russians had realized
the impossibility of turning our flanks and were endeavoring to
pierce our center by means of a vigorous frontal attack, relying upon
their great superiority in numbers. Every preparation had been
made to meet the onslaught during the night. Our trenches had
been strengthened, the artillery had been brought into position,
cleverly masked by means of transplanted bushes, the field in front
of us had been cleared of objects obstructing the view, and the
sappers had been feverishly busy constructing formidable
barbed-wire entanglements and carefully measuring the shooting
distances, marking the different ranges by bundles of hay or other
innocent-looking objects, which were placed here and there in the
field.

At nine o'clock in the morning everything was ready to receive the
enemy, the men taking a short and well-deserved rest in their
trenches, while we officers were called to the colonel, who
acquainted us with the general situation, and, giving his orders,
addressed us in a short, business-like way, appealing to our sense