"From the outset of the advance the German artillery, ignoring for the moment the Russian artillery action, began shelling the onrushing mass with wonderfully timed shrapnel, which burst low over the advancing lines and tore sickening gaps. "But the Russian line never stopped. For the third time in two days they came tearing on, with no indication of having been affected by the terrible consequences of the two previous charges. As a spectacle the whole thing was maddening. "On came the Slav swarm, into the range of the German trenches, with wild yells and never a waver. Russian battle flags--the first I had seen--appeared in the front of the charging ranks. The advance line thinned and the second line moved up. "Nearer and nearer they swept toward the German positions. And then came a new sight. A few seconds later came a new sound. First I saw a sudden, almost grotesque melting of the advancing line. It was different from anything that had taken place before. The men literally went down like dominoes in a row. Those who kept their feet were hurled back as though by a terrible gust of wind. Almost in the second that I pondered, puzzled, the staccato rattle of machine guns reached us. My ear answered the query of my eye. MACHINE GUN FIRE TELLS "For the first time the advancing line hesitated, apparently bewildered. Mounted officers dashed along the line, urging the men forward. Horses fell with the men. I saw a dozen riderless horses dashing madly through the lines, adding a new terror. Another horse was obviously running away with his officer rider. The crucial period for the section of the charge on which I had riveted my attention probably lasted less than a minute. To my throbbing brain it seemed an hour. Then, with the withering fire raking them even as they faltered, the lines broke. Panic ensued. It was every man for himself. The entire Russian charge turned and went tearing back to cover and the shelter of the Russian trenches. "I swept the entire line of the Russian advance with my glasses--as far as it was visible from our position. The whole advance of the enemy was in retreat, making for its intrenched position. DEAD MEN COVER ACRES "After the assault had failed and the battle had resumed its normal trend I swept the field with my glasses. The dead were everywhere. They were not piled up, but were strewn over acres. More horrible than the sight of the dead, though, were the other pictures brought up by the glasses. Squirming, tossing, writhing figures everywhere! The wounded! All who could stumble or crawl were working their way back toward their own lines or back to the friendly cover of hills or wooded spots. "After the charge we moved along back of the German lines at a safe distance and found the hospital corps bringing back the German wounded.