sides evidently wished to wait until the fog lifted, but by ten o'clock Skobeleff grew impatient, and sent his men to capture a third knoll still nearer the Krishin redoubt, though then protected from its fire by the fog.
Skobeleff's men were somewhat disturbed by the Turks in the neighboring rifle-pits, and there was a good deal of firing between them. While this fight was going on, the Turks made a sortie in the direction of Kryloff's front; under cover of the fog they were fairly within the Russian lines before they were perceived, but as soon as the firing began they were promptly repulsed. The 63d regiment met and defeated them; it was joined by the 117th, and together they not only drove the Turks back, but followed them into their redoubts. Here they found themselves caught in a trap, as the redoubts were full of men, and a terrible fire of bullets was poured on the Russians from all sides. Fully half the men and most of the officers were killed or wounded, and only a small contingent out of those two regiments managed to make its way back to the Russian lines. It was a severe blow to Kryloff, as it completely paralyzed his left wing.
The Roumanians with two divisions attacked the Grivitza redoubt from the north and east, while a Russian brigade attacked it from the south. In spite of the assault on three sides, the Turks were able to hurl back their assailants. By some miscalculation the Roumanian and Russian assaults were not delivered simultaneously; there was an interval of half an hour between the assaults of the two Roumanian divisions, while the Russian assault was still half an hour later. The columns were beaten in detail and with heavy loss, especially in officers, until about five o'clock when the redoubt was carried. The losses of the allies in the afternoon's battle were nearly 4,000, including 78 officers. Repeated assaults were made upon redoubt No. 10, but though they lost no officers and 5,200 men, the Russians were unable to carry it. The
