hough it amounted only to a few regiments, had held
a slice of Bosnia for some time, formed the left flank of the whole
Serbian position and did good service during the earlier stages of the
conflict, being opposed to the Austrian lines around Fotcha and on the
Lim, a branch of the Drina.

But the Austrians along this part of the front were satisfied merely
to hold the Montenegrins back, not a very difficult task, considering
their numbers. On the other hand, any attempt to advance into their
mountainous country would have been an extremely arduous undertaking,
entirely out of proportion to the importance of the Montenegrin
forces, from a military point of view.

When Serbia had finally been overrun, Mackensen withdrew his Germans
and also some of the Austrians, these being sent north up to the
Russian front, where there seemed danger of renewed activities on the
part of the czar's forces. Especially threatening were the rumors that
the Russians were about to make a descent on Bulgaria through Rumania,
or across the Black Sea.

The Austrians along the Montenegrin front, however, remained where
they were and presently they were strongly reenforced, for Austria was
determined on the permanent elimination of Montenegro, as she had been
determined on putting an end to the Serbian nation. Nor was this
impossible, in spite of the mountainous nature of the country, if only
the invaders were provided with heavy enough guns. What could be done
in Serbia could also be done in Montenegro.

As far back as the middle of November, 1915, it was announced in the
dispatches from Rome that Austria was assembling a force of three army
corps in Herzegovina to attack Montenegro from that side. There was
also available the Austrian troops already in Serbia on the eastern
frontier of Montenegro, to say nothing of the Bulgarians, who so far
assisted the Austrians as to take Djakova, on December 3, 1915. The
whole expedition was put under the command of Von Koevess, shortly
after the fall of Mitrovitza.

King Nicholas was not ignorant of what was coming. At the end of
November, 1915, after Serbia's last resistance had been overcome, he
issued a proclamation to his people in which he said that Montenegro
would continue the fight to the bitter end, even though it was
probable that she would share the fate of Serbia. The Allies, he went
on to state, would make every effort to keep, not only the army, but
the people as well, supplied with all