The Washington times., 1916-01-12

here in hundreds; in all the phantas-
magoria of wagons, horses. steers, mo-
tor buses, and limousines which NIL
the foggy waterfront streets of Sa-
loniki today. He lends a new and
sombre color to the brown of the
Greek, the grey of the French. the
khaki of the British, and the green of
the Serbian soldiers.
He has done little talking. His very
presence here with his detected fam
lily and his pitiful little possessions
speak louder than anything he could
say. He Is a refugee from Serbia. Not
from northern Serbia where the Ger
mans and Austrians have been sweep
ing Serbia clean, but from the Serbian
soil that borders on Greece only TWEEN
~ miles from here. The Germans and
Austrians have not driven him out
from his home; II Is the work of the
Bulgarians.
The patter of his oxens feet and the
creak of thorough wheels of his wag-
on say louder than any communicate
or any nice words of generals that
the Bulgarians are driving the~allies
You can always believe him, this
man with his faHnfly, travelling out in
The cold and the mud. with the wor-
ried face and the perplexed soul; he
doesn't leave his home and his farm
until he must; until the guns are
booming and the shells are blowing
his farm for him When he goes you
may be sure the enemy is coming. on
behind him. and that the army Of his
country Is in retreat. I've seen him
in Galicia. France, italy. Serbia,
Greece. He has never lied. His pres
ence always means retreat"
Tents for Refugees.
Being a Serbian. his Christmas will
come ON January z. Small chance
Santa Claus will have to get down the
chimney OF this mans home this year.
On the outskirts of SaIoniki this aft
ernoon men are erecting tents, in a
muddy field, for the Serbian refugees
and their families. Within the last
six weeks nearly half . million dol
lars Of American and British money
have been sent mere for such an emer-
Eency and today, for the first time,
the money Is being put to Use.
The harbor of Saloniki is almost
empty OF boats, though usually II is
fun. For several days forty-six
had newly come to Saloniki and who
had not disemharked, lay in the har-
Dor. Now they have gone, troops and
all. No one in Saloniki knows where
People are speculating about the posi-
bllity that the allies may be driven
clear back and out Of Saloniki. and
forced to leave Greece. 1t will take at
least three weeks to get away from
Saloniki on ships. There are hundreds
OF tons. of wagons, cannon. amnuni-
ton. foodstuffs. shovels. lumber horses.
portable houses and camp-httingS~ to Re
loaded on the boats. as II 10000 circuscs
rolled into one were moving. And Chere
are tens of thousands of men-perhaps
, twenty of them who must be en-
haTked. II the allies should decide to
withdraw.
Would Mean Fighting.
n this thing should happen. there
VIII be three weeks full of fighting, the
Bulgarlans pressing against the allies
lines. trying to interfere with the en-
barkation. SalOnih must be ringed with
ally trenches; and allied soldiers must
De nghtinE to hold back the Bulgars.
WINE other allied soldiers work like
All this If the Bulgars continue to
press on toward Saloniki. Just at
present the allied retreat Is in fun tide.
Inc Bulgars are nearing the borders OF
Greece. not much more than twenty-five
miles from Salonlki,
To have a view of this sixty-mile
strip or retreat; to hear the Bulgarian
guns booming ana to stand beside the
French and British guns as they answer
to sit beside the temporary campfire OF
retreating French soldiers and talk to
them OF home and of what the future
holds for them and their country; 10
sleep in tent beside a railroad where
throughout the night the thunder OF
trains carrying supplies and wounded
soldiers back TO the safety OF Saloniki
shook the ground: to cross bridges
which were LOADED" with dynamite and
were to be blown up within twenty
four hours; to chat with group after
group Of steel-casqued French zouavea
who came on foot, trudging slowly but
surely toward Greece, with grim faces
but affable greetings; to chat with Brit
ish soldiers who knew that the next
day would see them moving in that
direction which a British soldier hates
the direction away from the enemy
nine days Of all this association with
the ally withdrawal leaves on my mind
the impression that ] have had some
monstrous dream, all on the same
theme, but full of weird mixture OF
small detail.
There is play and fun mixed up in
this story, as we'll as tragedy and Sor-
row. When the communicates use the
simple word retreat" or retirement,
they are covering a vast field OF human
activity and human emotions, and 10
see this activity and behold the human
emotions at work under such circum-
stances Is an opportunity which, / be-
lieve, few war reporters have had In
this war.
AZ experience began on the afternoon