The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1918-05-17
HOW DUCKS SERVED
THEIR COUNTRY

Mitrovic lies ON the north bank oi
The river Sava. in salvonia. On tho
south bank Of the river. which is
serhian, lies Mitrovica. Roth places
are important s~lraiegical bases.
writes George A. schrcincr In Har-
per's Magazine for APRIL.
The sava is a broad sheet of water
nj this point and up TO the middle
Of November, 1914, neither Serb nor
Ausiro- Hungarian had been able 10
gain loothold ON The others hank
Though the Auslro H%unparians had
made many attempts Ia ros the
river In sufficient force. they always
found that the Serbs were we'll In
formed as Ia The strength Of the
forces they had Ia checkmair. No
matter what the Austrian con
mander might do. h. would lind that
The Serbs had anticipated him. n
he made an attempt In cross tho
river Ia The west of Mtrn,ir tho
Serbs were sure lu be- there cn
massr. Several attempts Ia cross
The sava opposite Sabacs were
frustrated IN n like manner.
II was plain that spies were nj
work.
THIS was M startling discovery
boy the way. Many of The slavuniau
sympalhilrd with The Serbs. lupo
SlaVism had ripcned ln that extent
anyway Many arrests were madr
among The inhabitants " Milrovir
and The villages M and dowu thc
river.
liul that did NIL sccm tn improve
matters, ~ General polorrk found
out un several ucrasions. The river
hank was carefully pairolled. ~
hnal wa, ever seen Ia rruss The Saw
aud nobody SEEMED Ia fish for bot
lies which mipht have contained ihr
Information No trace of hclio
graph, ,rmnphurcs, wire, signal Ian
terms and the like was ever found
The cas-" seemed hopeless.
lNui unr day nm Austrian officer. O.
lillr .hrrwdrr than the rest. uulirru
That there we're ducks un the river
There Was u shallow place IN M,
water near by and Ia THIS the birds
had been IN the habit uf pnmg ~
search or luod
~ would have been u simple mat
ter Ia order the ducks un the river
But the Au,triaus had lu,l ~ murh
time by nov that u few days dtd
not matter II seemed more I'm
pprtani Ia ind oul whether the
ducks served any particular pur
pos" aside from their u.ust one.
Tho dt said the base com
mandrr of Miro,ir NJ W. discussed
III" poo We Wairhed the owner
of The durts aud -puu learned what
hr WIS about The first Thug w.
noticed WI, that h. never let the
ducks po IN M" water ut the samo
Time of day That WA unusual
Ggu"ypi', duris are lett lo roam as
lhrS Nil They go uul uu the water
a. dayhrcgG, if not restrained and
return ~ their pcn late m tho AFT
rrunon.
Rat these ducks made ior their
feeding ground Away nm the hour
SUWciimoS that would be- : IN the
murnIng, then II might h. .. ~ again
hoy mighi moi appear until . m The
u"nonu We lrarucd That the man
I"pt lhcm m the yard when he
lildut want them IN the river and
lhpl usual, he did not allow an 1T
M" hirds thoir freedom We also
N"rlancd that he houghi more
lkks all uf them white.
Onr day We arrested the man and
h'lSc W. hHusrd him we got his
'"n'i n wa a mn.i elaborate
'ch'ih consisting nj over sixty
'omhlR ions. When the birds ra
me I''olg place We're all white II
uh''l' IhA ~ many uf our bat
'h'lo''' IN uNNr were birds had gone
'hlu''fh WIN ic m q westerly n
rrrlion Whrlk mon. ,,s ,p, r,t,r,d
DIT" "h''ll ~ II meant llstt -o
many hatlaliouA nJ p,r, ,,.t lnt
tAlions going ndnb v,,, indicated
ny IN" ''l"''" ~ and so on. IN
lll ''''s tue Wu'Nducks Indicated
the h'l'lu'' ~ "'INlnp and arrIV-
lli h'''a''h'@. W"N tue cnlured
bird, Indicated the hutr d,r,r,,,p
- serbian officer STAINED nu lbc
roof of the custom hoL m Ntrcvic
used Ia count the durA and send.
up q small smohrbpll wlesb, had
understood We had g e a.
lhnrr mnny q limr. hnl LhnmalN