escort of infantry. They were of all ages, some
young boys of 15, some old men, bowed of back, with grey in their
beards, hungry-looking, ragged, bearing the marks of their long fight in
the pass. They shambled along, evidently without any idea as to what
their fate was to be, till they came close to where this newly-dug pit
lay open. There the command to halt was given, and they stood or sat,
surrounded by their guards, for about an hour.

"At the end of that time another body of men could be seen coming out of
the town. They were Bulgarian cavalry, about eighty of them, with a
captain in command. At a deliberate walk they came on towards the throng
of prisoners and guards at the pit-side. When they were still several
hundred yards away, a young Serbian soldier evidently grasped what was
preparing. Making a sudden dart, he sprang through the cordon of guards,
and was off, running at a surprising speed. The guards shouted, but
their rifles, though with bayonets fixed, were not loaded, and it
looked for the moment as if he might get clear away. Then the captain of
the cavalry troop caught sight of him, turned round in the saddle, and
shouted an order to his men. Half a dozen spurred their horses, and left
the ranks at a gallop. It was a short chase. Hearing the thud of the
horses' hoofs behind him, the young Serbian turned his head for an
instant, then ran on faster than before. The galloping cavalry were soon
close up with him. As the first man, with a shout, raised his sword, the
fugitive doubled like a hare, and was away at right angles. Two more
horsemen were close behind, though. The first rode him down; the second
leaned out of his saddle and pierced him through, as he scrambled to
regain his feet. By this time the guards with the rest of the Serbians
had loaded their rifles, and stood round them in a ring, with levelled
bayonets, while, huddled together, their prisoners embraced each other
or sank in apathy to the ground.

"The cavalry captain rode up to the miserable throng. 'Each man will
bind the eyes of his neighbour,' he shouted in Serbian. They did so. It
took a long time, and was a pitiable sight. Some young boys were crying.
Many of the men shouted defiance at the guards, who looked expectantly
on, and at the cavalry, whose swords were drawn ready for the butchery.
They blindfolded each other with strips torn from their waistcloths, or
whatever else they had. 'Now kneel down,' came the harsh order, and one