Norwich bulletin., 1916-01-12
Stories of the War
krivoIak the French Headquarters.

Krivolak, Servia, is the debarkation point of the French armies in the field in the Balkan campaign-as a village, it is small and unclean, with more the character of Turkish or a Bulgarian than a Serbian town. There are no accomodations for any body The railway station, with its chimney knocked down by Bufsar- ian shell, is the most imposing build ing. To the east is the Vardar, still swollen with rains, shifting, uncertain, narrow, deep. To the north, where the Vardar bends in a westerly direc- tion, is gwhat the French call "The English bridge'-a pontoonS structure for the building of which the British army lent the men and the materials. To the southeast is a hill, command ing as an artillery position every nook and corner of the curve of the river. To the north beyond the Vardar is the key of the whole French position the mountain of Kara HodZali.
 Strong as the point Is naturally and the French Balkan campaign so far has confined itself to the tactics of occupying and holding if possible the maximum number of strong natur- al positions-it is open to hostile bonn bardment from the hills on the oppo- site shore of the river few mo- ments ago half a dozen large calibre shells fell in the river near the Eng fish bridge. Just now one has fallen on the hillside to the southeast of the station. Constantly the bridge, the station and the railroad are the mark of Bulgarian long range artillery. But the mark is too distant. The Bulgar- ian artillery fire generally is excel lent, but it lacks the scientific accu- racy of the French, and as yet the Bulgars have no aeroplanes to verify thier fire, gas the French have. So Krivolak remains unharmed. Shortly the hills to the east are to be cleaned of their batteries. Then Krivolak will be tranquil.
 olak, by the single track railroad seems interminable. Fifteen hours to do seyenty-f1ve miles. The French complain bitterly that the delay is in the Greek end of the line. Already French engineers are double-tracking the railroad from the Greek Serbian frontier, north.
 There are no fixed train lines. Ev- erything is subserviated to the trans port of troops, munitions, supplies. On the return journey, it is the transport of the wounded,-of armies needing ! repair, of empty rolling stock, of which there is too little. There is but one passenger coach on the train, | crowded with officers charged with the communications of the various armies engaged-for the telegraph
 wires are also uncertain-with sani- 1 tary officers, medical officers, com
 missary staff and a few civilians, | bound for Greek villages between Sa- 1, loniki and the frontier. The station | at Saloniki is a military one, a couple | of fields towering with the tents o1
 the British, finally beginning to move l towards the front.
 The train is long-a1l freight cars save the one reserved for the more | distinguished. But almost all of the l froieyhf have fhail- m load well. The men sleep on straw on the
 floor throughout the wearisome jour- 1 ney.
 At Strumitsa station a Serbian offi- cer comes quietly down the corridor l "All lights out, he ordered. From of the enemy. They generally drop {
 few at passing trains if they set them" The order seems super1uoul
 in view of the fact that the car iG improvided with any lighting system or at least any that works. But a few candles and 1t Is these that must b. exringuished.
 Slowly the train approaches kilo | meter s8 where the railway crossel the vardar to the side of the Bulgar
 fans. The bridge was destroyed thre, and has not been properly rebuil since. The train creeps across 1t. Th' swirling waters of the Vardar art
 white in the moonlight. Against ; 1 sand bar the current has washed thre black objects. Logs? As the train
 looked out of the train windows se
 that one of the black objects ends il
 a white oval-a face upturned to tn moon. The eyes are black -shadowe,
 holes. The mouth is wide open. mat of hair alternately covers and re