d a means of
sending word of his safety to Consul Denniston in Semlin.

"I've got ways of sending such messages, of course," the consul
explained. "They can't interfere with the messages of an American
consul. I saw Mr. Denniston a little while before the bridge was
destroyed, and he was quite worried about you. He'll be glad to know
that you are safe so far. I suppose, by the way, that you are strictly
neutral, as an American should be?"

Dick hesitated, and the consul roared with laughter.

"You don't have to answer that question!" he said. "I've got to be
neutral, worse luck! But, even so, sometimes I think I'll resign, just
so that I can take a chance with the side I'm on."

"Which side is that, sir?" asked Dick, innocently.

Once more the consul laughed.

"I refuse to answer!" he said. "You might send a report back to
Washington and get me into trouble. But perhaps you can guess."

The times that followed were uneventful enough in Belgrade, though
beyond the limits of the belabored Servian capital great things were
happening. There were scenes of wonderful rejoicing when it became known
that Russia had thrown herself to the aid of the little Slav state, and
still more wonderful scenes when the Servians learned that England and
France, as well, had been enlisted in their quarrel. They knew now that
they would not be made again a sacrifice to the peace of Europe, and
that Austria's attempt to bully them had precipitated the great war.

Closer at hand, however, was the actual fighting between the Servians
and Austrians. On the Danube and the Save there were minor skirmishes.
Servian forts fired on Austrian vessels. In the Save, near the wrecked
bridge, a Servian mine destroyed an Austrian monitor. And along the line
of the border there was constant skirmishing. Red Cross flags began to
fly from many houses in Belgrade, and there was a constant stream of
wounded men. Not many came at once, or in any one day, but every day saw
some additions to the wounded who were being cared for.

"But this doesn't look like a real battle yet, Steve," said Dick. "These
men have been wounded in outpost affairs, when at the most only a few
hundred men were engaged on either side."

"Wait," said Stepan. "The great battles will come."

And come they did. The news came first from Schabatz, as a wild rumor.
Belgrade was incredulous. The first reports were of a complete Servian
victory, of Austrian troops in panic-stricken flight