and
transferring. He was also empowered to appoint inspectors throughout
the rest of the kingdom. Naturally, the royalist press came out in
strong denunciations, but these were terminated when the French
established a press censorship.

On the 22d the Allied governments demanded that the Greek force
concentrated at Larissa be withdrawn from that point and scattered
throughout the southern part of the country, and this demand was also
promised. During the rest of the month there were reports of
conferences between King Constantine and the French admiral and the
representatives of the Entente, all tending to show that he was again
becoming intensely pro-Ally.

CHAPTER XXXIX

THE BULGARIANS DRIVEN BACK

The quiet which prevailed in the field of military effort in Macedonia
toward the end of October, 1916, continued well into November, 1916,
save for local artillery activity and trench raids. But on the 11th
fighting broke out again in the bend of the Cerna River on the sector
held by the Serbians and French. That the Allies here made serious
gains was proved by the fact that for the first time Sofia dispatches
admitted an enemy advance, though they minimized it to trifling
significance. On that date the Serbians began a series of attacks
which resulted in the capture of Polog and 600 prisoners. During all
of the following day the battle continued, and again the Serbians
advanced, supported by the French, this time penetrating the enemy's
lines for a distance of seven miles, enabling them to take the village
of Iven and another 1,000 prisoners. On this date the Serbians
announced that since September 14, 1916, when the offensive began,
they had taken 6,000 prisoners, 72 cannon, and 53 machine guns. Again
the Sofia dispatch admitted that the Serbians had succeeded in "making
a salient before our positions northeast of Polog."

The Serbians had now broken through the range of hills intervening
between themselves and the eastern edge of the Monastir Plain. For a
day there was a lull, and then the Serbians and French resumed their
attacks. Northeast of Iven the Bulgarians and Germans were compelled
to fall back, close pressed by the Serbians, who occupied the village
of Cegal. North of Velyeselo the French and Serbians also advanced;
the fighting spread westward as far as Kenali. The prisoners taken
during the past few days now numbered 2,200, among whom were 600
Germans. But more important still, the Allies wer