oners
had discovered a talent for stone carving, and Miss Dickenson was
designing a frieze for the door and on each side. There was a fine
ceremony--while we had been away--at the foundation, and Mr. Berry made
a speech in Serbian. The disinfector had also arrived and was soon got
into working order.

The news got better. The Austrians were now driven out of Belgrade with
immense slaughter, the whole line of the Danube and of the Save had
been reoccupied by the Serbs. Blease and Jan wondered if it were
necessary to go on with the rope handles. Our first wounded man arrived
in the evening, a non-commissioned officer, with a slightly wounded
thumb. He had arrived by train, asked in the town which was the most
comfortable hospital, and had walked up. We represented that we weren't
looking for thumbs, but had to put him up for the night; this meant the
whole business of washing, shaving, and disinfecting his clothes.

We heard that the French and English had arrived in Nish, 70,000 men,
and that they had been greeted with the wildest enthusiasm; but against
that was set the fact that Belgrade after all was not quite clear of
Austrians, in fact, they still held half the town, but that the "Swobs"
were not getting on at Chabatz. "Swobs" in Serbian are any of a Germanic
country, while in Austria it is a term of opprobrium, meaning "German."
One of our "Czech" orderlies said to Jo, pathetically--

"I never thought that I should be called a 'Swob.'"

Next day came a warning that two hundred wounded, serious cases, were to
be expected, so everything and everybody was in a rush. The bathrooms to
be cleaned, disinfecting-room and bags to be got ready, wards cleared
as much as was possible.

The wounded did not come, and the next day they did not come. The
chemist said that all the Austrians had been driven back, but that the
Bulgars had at last attacked. Mr. Berry thought the news rather serious,
and told us that Gaschitch had said that we must be prepared to move at
twenty-four hours' notice; so back we went to the work on the boxes.
Next day news was brought that the Bulgars had drawn back, and had said
that the Serbs had attacked them first, that the Powers had declared war
on Bulgaria, and that the Russians had bombarded Varna.

At last we got news that the wounded were really coming. We hurried into
our disinfecting garments--looking like pantaloons,--and scissors were
served out to all the assistants. It was dark before