en ox carts for the morrow. Two large motor
lorries had turned up to take the two contingents of the "Stobarts."
They were packing in, and we asked them to take our holdall as far as
Rashka, for we were still distrustful of the ox carts. We had begun to
get into a habit of not believing in anything till it was actually
there.

An Englishman came suddenly in with a face purple with anger and
swearing. He was the dispenser from Krag who had been left at Lapovo to
bring on the stores.

"What's the matter?" we cried.

"Brought my motor from Lapovo with the hospital stuff," he said
furiously. "Left it out there on the road. Came in here to tell you
about it; and when I go back the cussed thing isn't there. Found all the
stores in a beastly bullock cart. The people said that a Serb officer
had come along, turned all our stuff out, and gone off with the motor. *
* * *."

There was nothing to be done, so we went on packing. An aeroplane was
seen in the distance; everybody watched it.

"Taube," said somebody.

The Taube sailed slowly round, surveying the town. It passed right
overhead. Everybody stared upwards wondering if it were going to "bomb,"
for we were just opposite to the railway station. But it passed over and
flew away. As it went guns fired at it, and many of the Serbs let off
their rifles. We have often wondered where all the bits of the shells go
to, for nobody ever seems to be hit by them, even when they are bursting
right overhead.

The motor gave several snorts, everybody climbed aboard. The driver let
in the clutch, there was a tearing sound from underneath, but the motor
did not go. One of the drivers clambered down, and after examination
said that it could not go on that day, and they immediately began to
take it to pieces. The aeroplane came back twice, sailing to and fro
without hindrance.

[Illustration: PEASANT WOMEN LEAVING THEIR VILLAGE.]

[Illustration: SERB FAMILY BY THE ROADSIDE.]

It is impossible to describe properly the feeling in the town: it was
like standing in the influence of high-pressure electricity, even in the
daytime the soldiers in their rags--but with barbarously coloured rugs
and knapsacks--were sleeping in the hedges and gutters. There were vague
rumours that Rumania and Greece had finally joined in; many seized upon
these statements as being true, and one found little oases of rejoicings
amongst the almost universal pessimism. We ourselves doubted the
reports. Sir Ralph