The Harrison times., 1915-06-19


age had a spice Of excitement
Nv about IL. With the exception
A Of the leader of the expedi-
tion, not one Of us had ever
been in Serbia before; nor indeed,
had we more than the yaguest mo-
tions regarding the country and It's
people. Some Of us, moreover, like
myself, had no experience whatever OF
hospital work; so that the whole ad'
venture seemed as underlined and
shadowy as any lover Of romance
could desire, writes John w. N, Sui
livan in the Illustrated London News,
We started at midnight, but none Of
us were in bed. The rumor that we
were presently to pass through an
area of floating mines laid by the Ger
mans, combined with the natural eX'
citement of leaving England for an in
definite period, effectually banished
sleep for the time being, And we were
to have a convoy! As a matter Of
fact, the convoy was very tame ai'
fair. We occasionally saw a smudge
on the horizon which we were in
formed was one Of the eBcorting cruis-
ers, and sometimes two or three vi
cious-looking destroyers would come
near enough to bo seen; but apart
from these transient appearances the
convoy, from the spectacular point OF
view, might just as well not have
existed, II left us at Gibraltar and
from there til Malta It was no longer
necessary to have lights out at night,
From Malta to salonikl the wealth.
or was bad, and, except for two days
respite at Athens, tho time was spent
In enduring violent internal upheay'
ais succeeded by spells Of sad medIta'
tion, But from Salonid II IN merely
days train journey TO SkoplJo
Usltub, az the Turks called it when
II belonged to them-and ut Skopljo
our hospital is situated
A Serbian train Is never ina hurry
II proceeds with lel8urely dignity
along its sIngle.track railway taking
10 hours TO travel l50 miles, and thus
airordlng one plenty Of time to study
Serbian scenery, Tho Vardar, q river
which resembles n tumultuouB stream
OF pea's0up, accompanies tho railway
throughout ia entire longth At in'
torvals we crawl cautiously and almost
lmporcoptibly over high wood bridges,
the Vardar boiling beneath and tho
bleak, bare mountains enclosing one
on either side, Stationed at regular
distances along the line wO sec
little matched mud hut, and stand
ing beside Il n motlonleBB Serbian
sentry, apparently quito alone in tho
surrounding deaolntion, II has Il
SOLDERING effect, this Serbian scenery
wo gradually lose tho holiday feeling
wo become serious and u littlo do
pressed
Arrival at Uskub.
with the fall Of dusk wo Hight our
candles, sticking them on projecting
parts OF the carriage Il have not got
the grease of my uniform yoO, and
open our bags OF provisions. Fortu.
nately II is warm day, for there
is no heating or lighting apparatus on
the train, We finish our moNl talk
a little and sleep u little, until pres,
entity the train olNnks slowly TO u
standstlll, We have arrived,
Skoplje or ushub has as we dis
covered later moro points Of interest
than most serbian towns II Ia hi.
aoctod by tho Vardar, ono Bido bolnb
Turkish In population and buildings
and the other side Serbian, The con-
trast ID really very lntoreatlng, and
in some ways instructive but nj first
one had no opportunity Of acolng the
town, the hospital claimed all 0no'a
attention, After working twelve TO
fifteen hours every day, one has little
leisure or inclination for slghtseolng
Tho walk On high rubber boots)
through tho aomlliQuld alroota OF
ualtub from tho ordorloa ulooplng
quarters 20 the hospital and the
view OF the distant mountains from
the hospital windows was for some
time our sole acquaintance with this
part OF Serbia. On the other hand,
one gained quite good insight into
the character Of tho Serbian people
from the patients IN the wards,
They are a curious race, That they
arc brave and efficient fighters ID
shown by their records In this and
other wars but II In more interesting
10 note what one might call their
peace qualities The first thing which
strikes one about the Serbian patients
in ward In their extraordinary yolu'
bilty and eheerfulneHs, They turn
everything into Joke, including death
"a ~ II