Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-15
KING WITHOUT
COUNTRY LEADS
GHOSTLY LEGIONS
Peter of Serbia in Exile, Going
Blind and Deaf. Plans
New Campaigns

Aedypsos. Eubea. Greece. April IA.
correspondence of The Associated
Press. The spot wnere King Peter
Of Serbia is gathering strength TO
march at the head of his men," as he
puts it, might be one of the Greek
church monasteries on Mt. Athos, for
All the touch 1t has with the rest of
the world. Never easy of access
NedypsoS in winter is completely cut
Oft save by the Intermittent services
of Greek government tug which
runs from Stylis, on the mainland op-
posite, TO Aedypsos on the Island of
Eubea.
Occasionally smaller coasting steam
ers visiting the tiny ports of the Gulf
of Eubea and bound from Pireus or
Chalcis TO Nolo, stop at the wharf in
front of King Peters hotel. Now and
Athen French or British destroyer
pposes the shore, long enough TO dis
embark a messenger. or a British
mine-seeker anchors for an hour or
two while its commander gets a
whisky and soda in the deserted sum-
mer hotel.
Nothing could be lonelier than the
life of the King without a country
His suite consists of three of his
countrymen, big, genial Colonel
Todorovitch, his aid de camp; black
bearded, silent Captain Jukanovitch
y Y.
ovitch, the royal physician. In addi-
tion. there are, on behalf of the
Greek government, Lieutenant kolo-
kotronis and Sergeant Koressi and
twenty Greek policemen. And that is
all. The little collection of summer
villas and summer hotels grouped
around the hot springs of Aedypsos
are empty. Their windows are board
ed up. They have that fororn air
of houses really lived in-like Coney
Island in midwinter.
The routine of each of the Kings
days is in deadly monotony. Regular
ly. as punctual as any clock, he rises
at half past three every morning
takes his alkaline bath and returns to
bed until half past four. At five his
day begins-"the habits of a cam
paigner," he says apologetically. Il
suppose l am too old to change" He
goes over the newspapers and reports
that are sent to him, answers letters
when there are any to answer, and
reads such communiques of the pro-
gress of the war as reach him by
telegraph.
4 wish people wouldn't write so
legibly.' he complains Their let
ters are so quickly read.'
When the morning post Is over
(and as the post arrives only at rare
uncertain intervals it is often over be-
fore it is begun. out come the
world war, and the King without
country who is also a general with
out an army, and Colonel Todorovitch
and Captain Jukanovitch pore over
the hills and rivers and plains OF
France and Belgium and Poland and
Armenia and the Trentino, following
the armies step by step.
But the maps of Serbia are in a
heap at one side. No one unfolds
them. There are no military move
ments to follow in Serbia. Serbia's
battles are all fought. Finally every
advance and retreat and engagement,
great and small, recounted in the
communiques has been marked out
and discussed. A silence falls on the
three men who sit about the chart
covered table, as If it were the staff
table at army headquarters, the night
before a battle. The old King clears
his throat and slowly rises. Leaning
on his cane he hobbies to the trunk
on which the maps of his country lie
piled. His trembling, eager fingers
unfold them, and spread them out one
by one above the others, covering
over, blotting out the maps of all the
rest of the world. Serbia!
All was just thinking last
night about that little skirmish at
CUpriia-you remember, Berislav?"
he says to Colonel Todorovitch.
There was a hill over there and the
Aot look at the map. And his blind |
old eyes could not make it out if he !
did. He needs no map-it is all |
there in his head. every battle, every |
regiment, every shape or ground or
turn of waterway the very names /
of the men who fought and the viii |
lagos they came from. Adroitly he |
leads the others into a discussion that |
regenerates the long row of days |
triumph and despair that have made |
his life.
Slowly he leads the talk around 4
from the past to the future. Now. |
YOU see" he saws, I'VE could send 4
twenty thousand men up there and .
two divisions over here. from this di- .
rection. The French could send six
divisions and eight batteries Of three
inch guns from here TO here. And .
the British. by making a wide de- 7
tour And he fumbles over the ,