East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-12-12
.StRVISNS HURL TIN
CANS At AUSTRIANS
FROM THE TRENCHES
SOLDIERS MAKE A NOISE LIKE A
BOMB But IT'S JUST A
PASTIME.
Troops Facing One Another While
Away Long Hours In Various Ways
-Austrians can Swear In Several
Different Tongues and Use Their
Ability on Every Occasion.

NIsH. Servia, Nov. -(By Mail to
New York.)-At Kraupanj. on the
eastern bank OF the Drina, situation
has developed probably without par
allel in all the present European war.
Although able to boast OF the fact
that they are in the enemy's terri
tory, the Austrians are in the rather
embarrassing position of neither be-
ing able to advance nor retire. The
least movement on their part would
mean the certain annihilatlon OF the
entire detachment.
For over a month now these few
Austrians near Krupanj have been
face to face with the Servians, the
trenches OF the two armies not being
on an average OF more than so yards
apart II is this proximity. together
with the apparent friendliness that
has grown up between the two bodies
OF troops, that has given rise to the
most unusual situation.
Every evening the Servians have re-
source to a most ingenious method
OF tantallzing their Austrian neigh
bors in the trenches so near at hand.
This is for the Servians to sing the
folk songs OF the various district OF
Servia. In the Austrian ranks there
are many Slavs, or Servians. coming
from Bosnia, Dalmatia, Crotia, Sla-
vonia, and other Servian provinces
which are under Austrian rule. That
these folk songs OF the Servians drive
almost to madness and desertion their
brothers in the rival trenches there
can be no doubt, and no small por-
ton OF the duty of the Austrian sem
unels is that OF guarding against Ser
Wan desertions within the Austrian
ranks rather than Servian attacks
from without.
In response to these folk songs OF
the Servians. the Austrians who are
not Of Slav origin set up cries of
Come on You half starved Servians;
surrender yourselves; come over to
us; well give you something to eat"
In response to this, the servians. to
show that they are not half starved
cease singing and shower the Aus
trian trenches with chicken bones
and other remnants of the evenings |
repast.
Another favorite pastime Of the !
Servians is to hurl a whole volley of |
tin cans and boxes at the trenches
they are bombs and ac-
companying them with vocal volleys
which initiate to perfection the sound
OF exploding shells The Austrians
reply by swearing at the Servians in
all twelve OF the languages most com.
monty spoken in the Austrian empire
together with a goodly number of
dialect "cuss words"
Despite this seeming friendliness,
there is never a relaxation for a mo-
ment either in the military precau-
tons or in the conciousness on both
sides that the instant the order comes
TO fight, 1t means fight to the last
man. The Austrians change their
men in the trenches every "a hours.
The Servians. being numerically in
ferior, are not able to do so, and the
men now in the trenches have been
there for a month without change.
The odor Of decaying bodies. which
lie between the two trenches, rises
also constantly to the nostrils Of both
little armies. but despite the menace
of this, and despite the seeming
friendliness between the two lines,
here is not a man who does not
know that to venture forth even to
bury or drag away the corpses would
mean instant death.