!LAND AND [WATER 
October 30. 1915. 
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an ordered retirement of the Serbian forces in 
the north. This is clearly proved by the sudden 
forward move of the enemy without any corres- 
ponding capture of prisoners or guns. At the 
end of the third week of his attempt the enemy's 
positions lay along the line of dots in the south 
of the line of dashes, representing a further 
advance upon a belt roughly ten to twelve 
iwiles broad. 
Meanwhile the Austro-Germans had obtained 
a further crossing of the Danube at Orsava, near 
the Iron Gates, where the Roumanian, Hun- 
garian, and Serbian frontiers meet. The town of 
Orsava lies along the northern shore of the 
Danulje upon the railway which here comes 
down from the north and follows the stream 
into Roumania. The further southei'n shore 
is steep and wooded. The crossing was 
effected, in the main, at the island below the 
.town. The enemy is occupying the slopes and 
tlie summit of these hills, 405 and 348 metres 
above the sea, and now dominates with his 
artillery the whole bend of the river. There are 
slightly higher summits in the woods to the south, 
but those the enemy holds master the river. It will 
be a matter of but a few hours before the 
Bulgarian outposts riding north from Prahovo 
and the German outpost coming south from these 
hills join hands. Further, by this action the 
Danube is now open for such ammunition as the 
enemy can spare to be sent down the river to the 
Bulgarians, and through Bulgaria to Con- 
stantinople. 
The Bulgarians had reached Negotin (and 
the Danube route was open, hj which the enemy 
could send munitions into Bulgaria and on to 
Turkey) as early as last Sunday, the 24th, and con- 
temporaneously witli tliis Bulgarian pressure 
upon the East three battalions crossed the Drina, 
at Vishegrad on the west, just beyond the political 
