LAM) A N D W A T li R . December ,23. iyi5. 
THE FLIGHT FROM SERBIA. 
Bv Jan Gordon. 
WE spent luilt of the night of the ;,oth of October 
on the roof of a Serbian train, tlie other half 
in a telegraph ofiue at Kralievo, which lies 
to the north of Nish, lulled by the sonorous 
sleep of two French surgeon-nuijors who were using the 
large table as a four-poster bed. In the station trains 
were being shunted almost continuously, and in the few 
intervals of silence one could hear the faint boom of the 
distant cannon. With the dawn of the next day the 
Serbian Headquarter Staff left Kralievo for Rashka. 
Nish had been evacuated, Kraguevatch occupied by the 
(iermans, and Mladnovatch by the Austrians, thus 
turning the strong defeu'ies of Ovchar and Chachak upon 
which the Serbs had placed such hopes ; and the Serbian 
army was falling back as rapidly as was possible. 
W'v ourselves took the road on the morning of the 
tliird. The route was crowded with wounded soldiers, 
Austrian prisoners and Serbian boys whom the Govern- 
nu-nt had formed into battalions. We all reached Rashka 
in three davs and shortly after Kralie\o had fallen, as had 
Tr.tcrnick and Krusevatclu The Austro-German forces 
were thus shepherding the Serbian army towards Kossovo, 
that fatal plain where the old Byzantine culture had 
crumbled beneath the onrush of the Turk. 
I have heard this final flight of the Serbian army 
spoken of as though the operations had been taking place 
in Belgium, many seem to have ignored that country 
described as mountainous means country in which paths 
are few and far between, and roads as peaches in May ; 
there arc nly thre3 by which material could be retreated ; 
one from Kralievo to Rashka. one from Krusevatch to 
Mitrovitza, and one from Nish to Pristina, and all of 
them bad as only Serbian roads are bad. 
The Headquarter Staff moved to Mitrovitza, while 
1, ignoring advice to the contrary, passed on to Novi 
Bazar. The Serbians had persuaded thertiselves that 
Skoplje must be retaken by the French in very few days 
-altliDUgh the French troops were not then at Veles— 
and so, instead (^f ridding themsehes of their encum- 
brances — that is, the children and the Austrian prisoners, 
by. sending them along the route we followed, No\'i 
Bazar to Beranc ; they kept them at the rail head, hoping 
for tlie impossible. From Mitrovitza growing danger 
drove the Headquarter Staff to Prizren, whence a few 
days later it fled to Scutari, escaping (only by a few 
hours) from a Bulgarian band sent to cut them off. 
The Serbian army was now completely hemmed in on 
the plain of Kossovo. To the south the Bulgais held 
Skoplje the railway, the Katchamk pass and straddled 
the road to Scutafi. to the north the Austro-Germans 
had driven the Montenegrins froni Chanutza and were 
attacking Plevlie and Bielcpolje and another detachment 
were moving on or had occupied Siemtza The Jorthern 
Serbian army had defended more than tvvo-thirds of the 
frontier, including Chabaz, Obienovatz Belgrad Seme- 
dria Zaichar and Pirot,'and it is probable that a full two- 
thirds of Serbia's total armv. say 200,000 men, were thus 
locked up, and this army with all its guns, provisions, and 
transport was thrown back on Jakova, Ipek and Novi 
Bazar Already its condition was deplorable, and even 
N\hile the Headquarter Staff was yet at Prizren, the 
soldiers were in such pitiable plight that they were eating 
roots and dead horses. , ,, , 
Behind were the barren mountains of Montenegro 
and high Albania, in front the enemy whom they could 
not repulse. Behind them the three roads were dwindling 
into three pony tracks, Uechani to Podgoritza, passing 
by Plav and Gussigne, Ipek to Andrievitza, and Novi 
Bazar to Berane. The first two, passing through ternble 
stony country, mounting high up into the snow with its 
autiimn avalanches, are only passable to foot and pack- 
horse and in these wild solitudes where one sees but rock, 
houses are six or seven hours apart, and even in summer- 
.time food is dithcult to procure. The latter route, passing 
"through country slightly more generous, though still poor, 
is blocked at Beranc— the bridge is washed away— by £ 
deep and rapid river. 
The task of getting this army through these three 
passes would resemble that of pouring sand from a bottle 
grain by grain, and if it has been accomplished the Serbian 
command has performed a miracle far greater than that 
of the defeat of the Austrian punitive expedition of last 
year. But once in the mountains, what then ? 
Inhospitable Mountains. 
The mountain Albanians will give no food to their 
old enemy the Serb, but the latter will not hesitate to 
help himself, looting and burning the Albanian houses 
when grain is not forthcoming, and the Albanians will 
retaliate, shooting down the wretched starving soldiers 
in a country that is ideal for the sniper. 
What can be the final fate of the Serbian army and of 
the Serbian children ? Starvation and murder awaits 
them in the mountains, and capture in the plains. And 
the plight of the Austrian prisoners, whom they have 
dragt'ed with them in their flight, is even more terrible, foi 
Tliere is still death in the mountains, but for them th( 
plains offer no better protection. Most are Czechs, 
Bohemians and Croats and, long suspected of infidelity to 
Austria, they surrendered by thousands to the Serbs 'as; 
winter. Of the regiments which retreated into Austria 
one man in every ten was shot " pour encourager les 
autres," and it is probable that of those who surrendered 
not one man in ten will escape what Austria considers to 
be a punishment for treachery. 
If the Serbian army is to survive it must have food 
and clothing, Hour, sugar, blankets and boots at once ; 
it is of no use adding Bovril, or butter or condensed milk, 
for the Serb will have none of these. The problem of 
how and where is however difficult. 
The Italian forces have landed at Valona, but what 
are they going to do there ? They may force their way 
inland towards Monastir and be an annoyance to the 
Bulgar or Austro-German flank, but they can give little 
help to the poor Serb. There arc no passes south tc 
north, and the snow oh the mountains would make com- 
munications almost, and the transport of stores from 
Valona quite impossible, even if the enemy had not 
occupied Elbasan. From Durazzo again the snow is a 
chief though not the only bar. The horses of the 
Peninsular have been terribiy depleted, both by three wars 
and by insufficient food. Pack animals cannot oe con- 
jured into existence, and especially pack animals com- 
bining the qualities of horse, goat, and monkey, such as 
are needed in these mountains. 
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