January 9, 1915. 
LAND AND WATER 
come to an end through the exhaustion of the 
enemy. In the south the comparative lull 
(which is not absolute, for there is a continual 
Russian advance) is mainly imposed by the-abomin- 
able condition of the weather in the Carpathians 
and on the Galician plain at this moment. 
As to the comparative calm in the north, it 
still continues, though with reinforcements the 
enemy may renew the attack; but the great effort, 
which lasted up to and somewhat over Christmas 
Day, has definitely failed. There has succeeded 
to it a series of sharp encounters along the centre 
of the Polish line — none of them in any way deci- 
sive — and a curious movement, not very easy to 
understand, of the extreme north of the German 
line attempting to cross the Vistula. The position 
of the troops here dees not exactly correspond 
with the tributary rivers Bzura and Rawka. Wc 
can establish it more or less successfully from the 
telegrams and it seems to be somewhat as follows : 
^fv^ ^^ 
Mflioriczei. 
^oMmcM^ 
VI 
Along the Bzura the Russian trenches are every- 
■where along the right or Warsaw bank, except 
near its mouth. Here it would seem that the Rus- 
sian line crosses the stream, for Vitkoritze upon 
the further bank is in Russian hands. Further 
south along the Rawka, as that narrow stream 
gets shallower towards its sources, the Russian 
liue no longer corresponds with the water. So 
far as one can make out, it recedes considerably 
from the line of the Rawka in front of Bolimow, 
where the Germans have established themselves 
on the right or Warsaw bank. But it would also 
seem that the real difficulty for an advance upon 
Warsaw there lies not in the comparatively insig- 
nificant obstacle of the stream, but in the woods 
and low heights which the Russians are here hold- 
ing behind it. 
Still further south in the region of Rawa the 
line comes to the stream again, and there has been 
fighting for the points where the two brooks, 
Bialka and Rylka, fall into the upper waters of 
the Rawka. All this Russian line is thoroughly 
maintained and seems to be in no danger. But, as 
I have said, there is a curious movement going on, 
wherein the Germans seem to be trying to cross 
the Vistula in front of Vischegrod. It may be 
suggested that this attempt means that the enemy 
does not believe that even with reinforcements 
he can pierce the Bzura-Rawka line, and that if he 
is to make another attempt with such reinforce- 
ments to seize Warsaw, he can only do it by es!»ib- 
lishing a bridgehead beyond the Vistula, crossing 
troops there, and then advancing upon Warsaw 
in the direction of the arrow. Vischegrod, oppo- 
site the mouth of the Bzura, is a town upon which 
three main roads converge : it is a place whose the 
throwing of a pontoon would be comparatively 
easy by using the island of Yamytcheff, which 
stands here in mid-stream. The town is further 
protected by a tributary coming in upon the right 
bank of the Vistula. The "Vistula is here, fa 
normal times, about 1,000 yards broad or a little 
less : swollen by the recent thaws, it may be some- 
what broader at this moment. At any rate, the 
attempt of the Germans to cross here and to es- 
tablish a bridge with a bridgehead held beyond 
upon the northern bank, has been checked by the 
action of small armoured steamers, which have 
been sent downstream from the depots at Warsaw. 
Further south, in all the central part of the 
line, in the region in front of and below Petrokow, 
■f s- 
6 
One weekf averoffs 
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WTJ 
and so on to the Lotsosina, there have been quite 
inconclusive attacks, each checked in turn at the 
points marked upon the map by the crosses. It 
will be seen that this line runs without 
