LAND AND WATER 
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IX 
regions of Pinczow, Vislica, and New Korcyn, near 
the mouth of the river. And the enemy were so 
far pushed back that the Russians now stand upon 
the right bank. The next obstacle between them 
and Cracow is the Nidzika, about a day's march 
further on. These operations took place in the 
week before Christmas, and up to and including 
Christmas Day, and left pei'haps a couple of thousand 
prisoners in Russian hands, but no field guns. 
To the south of the Vistula the Russians 
pushed on to the Lower Donajez, crossed the Biala, 
and established themselves firmly upon the further 
bank. But the most remarkable of these move- 
ments of their counter-offensive was that taken 
along the arrows from Jaslo and Krosno up to the 
foot of the Dukla Pass. An advance was made of a 
full day's march from the front Jaslo-Krosno, to the 
front Dukla-Zmigrcd, at the foot of the mountains. 
Some 15,000 of the enemy fell into the hands of the 
advancing Russians, and it is probable that at 
the moment of writing the Dukla Pass itself — upon 
the possession of which depends every strategic 
movement in Galicia north of the Carpathians and 
every threat against Hungary to the south — is being 
fought for, if not decided. This success was achieved 
upon Christmas Day. What the fate of the 
Austrians was in the Lupkow Pass meanwhile we 
have no official information to guide us ; but we 
know that on this same Christmas Day the Uszcc 
wastaken by Austrian troops, or at least the crest 
of it ; it remains to be asked whether this 
movement, counter-balancing the Russian success at 
the foot of the Dukla, will do anything for the relief 
of Pi-zemysl and the pushing back of the Russian 
line. 
To venture a guess, it would seem that the 
possession of the Uszoc, in spite of the fact that the 
railway from the Hungarian plains to Lemberg goes 
over that gap, would not prove of permanent value 
to the Austrians. And one's reason for hazarding 
that guess is that the Uszoc is too far away from 
the main operations to be valuable, save in the 
hands of a very large body of men, who sh )uld also 
be operating -against a much smaller bdy beyond 
the mountains. You cannot outflank with inferior 
numbers. You cannot outflank in a very long 
detour save with heavily superior numbers. And 
if, of the two passes, the Dukla falls into the hands 
of the Russians its possession will outweigh by far 
the possession by the Austrians of the Uszoc to the 
west. 
We may take it, then, that in its present phase 
the battle for Cracow consists in a successful and 
continuous counter-offensive on the part of the 
Russians, who are using their reinforcements to 
press back again along the road which, during the 
last month, they abandoned. It remains to be seen 
whether Germany and Austria combined can still 
produce further reinforcements which shall check 
the movement ; but, for the moment, both the 
initiative and the offensive are, in this region, again 
in Russian hands. 
Mr. Bklloc's next lecture at Queen's Hall on the War will 
be on Wednesday, January 27tli. 
A CHILD'S HISTORY OF THE WAR.* 
Although written primarily for young readers, this book does 
not fall altogether into the category of what are generally known as 
children's books. The author has kept in min-d the fact that the great 
war which is at present being waged will be the first important memory 
of a host of children, and thus "it is the more necessary that there 
should be shown to them as soon as possible the other side of the shield 
.... that the memory of the Great War should be touched to noble 
issues — that it should be, first and foremost, a memory of deeds as 
gallant as any that have been inscribed in Christendom's long ro"l of 
honour." In linking up the incidents of the book to form a connected 
story of the first days of the war, the author has achieved this greater 
aim, and, having said this, further criticism is unnecessary. Wo 
heartily recommend the book. 
*"Told in Gallant Deeds." By Mrs. Belloc Lowndes. (Nisb«t 
and Co.) 6s. net. 
12* 
