overed ten miles of lost ground within the Hungarian frontier,
driving the Austrians and the Germans before them.

[Illustration: Teutonic Invasion of Rumania.]

A month had now passed since the outbreak of hostilities and the
Rumanians were still holding a large conquered territory, nearly a
third of Transylvania, or about 7,000 square miles of country. They
were in complete occupation of four out of fifteen administrative
departments and a portion of five others. Up to this time 7,000
prisoners had been captured. Meanwhile large forces of Germans
continued arriving and reenforcing the enemy's lines, and now the
determination of the Germans to devote their best energies to the
punishment of Rumania was indicated by the fact that this northern
army was under the command of General von Falkenhayn, formerly chief
of the German General Staff.

On September 26, 1916, the Germans began their first really serious
advance, the point of attack falling on the Rumanians near
Hermannstadt, about fifty miles northeast of Vulkan Pass. For three
days the Rumanians made a heroic resistance against a great
superiority in men and heavy cannon on the part of the enemy. On the
third day the Rumanians found themselves entirely surrounded, their
retreat through the Red Tower Pass being cut off by a column of
Bavarian Alpine troops who had scaled the mountain heights and
occupied the pass in the rear. Rendered desperate by this situation,
the Rumanians now fought fiercely to escape through the ring that
encircled them, but only a comparatively few succeeded in reaching
Fogaras, from which town another Rumanian force had been trying to
make a diversion in their favor. In this action, according to German
accounts, the Rumanians lost 3,000 men, thirteen guns, ten
locomotives, and a quantity of other material. This battle, called by
the Germans the Battle of Hermannstadt, enabled them to occupy again
the Red Tower Pass. On October 1, 1916, they had continued beyond this
pass and were attacking a Rumanian force south of it, near Caineni, on
Rumanian territory. Thus, with the first of the new month the
Rumanians were on the defensive in this region.

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE RUMANIAN RAID ACROSS THE DANUBE

On the following day general attention was again attracted toward the
Dobrudja by a feat on the part of the Rumanians which for the moment
gave the impression that she was about to strike the enemy an
unexpected and decisive blow. A