and it is really nice. I wish
friends would send me newspapers; they would be very welcome. I picked
up a cannon ball and horseshoe to add to my treasures. We had another
bad storm; the rain drops are as large as a 2_s._ piece. It is really
amusing when it gets windy as every one rushes to their tent to
tighten their guy ropes, and when it has been raining some little time
they have to be loosened. In the night it is not so pleasant turning
out of a nice comfortable bed. But for all this camp life is very
delightful.
The Serbians have been at war for the last four years. They fought
first against Turkey, then against Bulgaria, and twice against
Austria-Hungary.
Valievo was in the hands of the Austrians at the beginning of
December, 1914. Then the Austrians captured Belgrade where they
remained for thirteen days. On December 15 Belgrade was recaptured by
the Serbians. Of the army of 300,000 who crossed the Save River,
nearly half was put out of action. More than 41,500 prisoners were
taken together with 133 guns, 71 maxims, 386 ammunition wagons, 3,350
transport wagons, and more than 3,250 horses and oxen. The dead and
wounded Austro-Hungarians left on the battlefield exceeded 60,000.
Thursday, _May 20, 1915._
The cannon ball that I told you about that I picked up was used 100
years ago against the Turks; there are no end lying about the fields.
Dr. May returned to England this evening; she will be away about six
weeks. She will bring out more stores and will collect fresh funds for
the upkeep of our Hospital and Dispensary.
Transport wagons are passing along the road near our camp all night,
so perhaps we shall move on shortly. Oxen are used and they only
travel about twenty English miles a day.
We have no fresh cases in hospital because there is no fighting at
present. There are over one hundred patients at the road-side
dispensary; each day some of the cases are terrible--typhus, scarlet
fever, diphtheria, and a very bad case of small-pox, but there are no
hospitals to send these sort of cases to. To-day a poor girl arrived
with one foot black, all the flesh eaten off her leg with gangrene;
she had a tubercular foot which she had had a year and it had never
been attended to. Women arrive with dreadful diseases, some with
cancer.
People in dear old England cannot imagine the state of this part of
the world; thousands and thousands are suffering and cannot get
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