We heard that a Colonel Milhaelovitch was the bread officer. He lived
somewhere in the back of the big yellow schoolhouse at the end of the
street. After tea we wandered drearily down to seek him, gained
permission from a sentry, and clambered up some stone stairs. Jan saw an
acquaintance from the Nish ministry, asked him a question, and was
ushered ... straight into the Ministry of War. They seemed in a
frightful stew about something, an air of disorder reigned everywhere,
but somebody found time to look at the order.

"Nachanlik," said he.

"We've been there already."

"Well, go there again and say we sent you, and that they must give you
bread."

We were worn out by this. Jo went off to the plank bed which the
Stobarts had promised to her, while Jan and Blease to the tents, where
Sir Ralph's men were sheltering.

All the streets were edged with motionless bullock carts, in which men
were sleeping, and even in the mud between their wheels were the dim
forms of the weary soldiery. The two splashed across the marsh and found
the tents.

Rogerson and Willett were there; Willett was seedy. Another Englishman
named Hamilton, who had an umbrella which he had sworn to take back
with him to England. Also two Austro-Serb boys who had been acting as
interpreters.

West and Mawson were not there. Rogerson said that Sir Ralph had sent
them with Mrs. M----to see the road and conditions at Mitrovitza; nobody
knew when they would be back. We got two beds, but there were no
mattresses on the springs. Jan rolled up in his Serbian rug, but it was
loosely woven, and not as warm as he had hoped. Just not warm enough,
one only dozed. About eleven o'clock, Cutting came in with Owen,
Watmough, Hilder, and Elmer. They had come from Vrnjatchka Banja with
Dr. Holmes. Some one had told them that we had deserted them and had
gone off to Rashka on our own; they were cheered to find us still there.
After that we lay awake discussing details. None of them had realized
the difficulties of the road and the probable lack of food, though the
Red Cross men had brought with them a case of emergency rations. Jan
exposed his idea of the route; somebody said that there was some corned
beef and rice in a Red Cross train on the siding.

Intermittently in the silences one could still hear the sound of the
guns.

Next morning at breakfast Dr. Holmes came in. He had thought us gone,
and so had procured for himself and the sister who was with him, se