SERBS AND BULGARS AT WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3048, 9 April 1917, Page 7

SERBS AND BULGARS AT WAR

A "CLUBBY" AFFAIR

EASY-GOING DESERTIONS FROM THE ENEMY '

It's quite a neighbourly sort of affair the war in the Balkans, at least as far as the Serbians and Bulgarians are concerned (writes Mr. Herbert Corey in the New York "Globe"). No idealistic image of Fritz and Gasfcon swapping pipes of tobacco across barb-ed-wire entanglements can compare with the., actual-realisation of the entente existing between the troops of the two Balkan nations. When the trenches are close together, as they often are, especially when the scene of the fighting is v in a narrow place. There is an ' almost continuous correspondence going on between the

men on each side. There is, moreover, a kind of understanding about gunfire, and neither side, it is said, will fire, as a rule, before breakfast. It is a very clubby ■affair, much like the fraternity existing between the players of two rival football teams.

"Each side knows the other side through some centuries of fighting and trading. The individual knows the idiosyncracies of the individual on the other side, and 1 respeots them—and sometimes takes advantage of them. On© rarely hears gunfire before breakfast, for example. That sort of thing is badfor the' digestion. -Eaoh side takes its siesta, at noon, and knows perfectly well that during that siesta tho other side is making use of- the informal truoe. Neither side destroys the Macedonian, villages. I have ridden through scores of towns in which not a, tile is out of place. Yet most of these villages were held by. the Bulgarians before they were driven back and the inhabitants are beyond question friendly to the Bulgarians to-day. town showed signe of punishment. Part of it had been, burned ivhen its comitjadis fired on. troops. " 'It became very annoying, said the lieutenant in command of a trenoh section, on Vetternik. 'The Bulgarians fired on our dinner-pails.' "There is no outrage which, quite compares with that for the soldier. The peculiarity of ih& Serbian is that he never asks the other side to lot up. Hβ just fights harder. So that for a time tho Bulgarians were treated to a hot ineSs of bombs and rifle-firing, with occasional butt and bayonet interruptions, at the meal hour. This wearied the Bulgarian soul. The cook corvee would come along with its clinking cans and its savoury odoure of paprika soup, and immediately the Serbians wou*i get so busy that all thought-of eating was out of tho question.. .One could stand for that for a timo, but when it became apparent that the Serbian was specialising.on meal-hour war the Bulgarian called quits, " 'Let up on this,' he said in complaining fashion one day. 'My gosn, almighty, man'—or whatever may be the Balkan equivalent for thiat—'have n heart. Wβ haven't had a stew in four days that wasn't as cold as' 'Pharaoh.' "•'All right,''said the Serbian, 'only you let up, too.' • "So that nowadays the two sides fight industriously all night long, take a rest at breakfast-time, fight some more, and when tho clatter of the cook's pans is heard, the fighting automatically ceases. There is no neud to remind the ' other fellow of the agreement. The fragrance of hot coffee and the adorable outgiving of kpupos dispose each man to tender peace. It is only sifter good digestion, has sufficiently waited upon appetite that the fighting begins again. And then a new chummy spirit came into being among the ranks on both sides when somebody in tho Serbian Army discovered the deep truth that a livo Bulgarian, was just as good ae a dead one, provided he was in tho right place. Obviously, then, the right and. proper thing to do was to invite him to come ovor and surrender, in the most hospitable manner possible. "The word was passed along the line, and all the Serbians began' writing affectionate notes inviting the Bulgarians to cross the line. As the trench lines are in many places, only a few yards apart,' and as the neighborly fighting men have long been in- the habit of exchanging 'books and newspapers, it. was not difficult to get the jnyitations in the hands of the potential guests. . « "'Vah,' said the Bulgarians, incredulously. The Serbian has no respect for the ethical quality of the Bulgarian. Hβ insists the man has no comprehension of honour. 'Yah,? said' the Bulgarians. 'You want to get us over there and kill us. .

. " 'Fools," said the Serbians, nantly, 'Do ■Wβ look like jnen -who would do that sort of thing? Here— we'll show you.' '' Whereupon they rounded up a recent catch of Bulgarian prisoners from this section of the front and photographed them, and passed the photographs into the : other lines. I have seen these photographs. They show .large bodies of Bulgarians ; lolling about on the grass' with the _ air or guests at a lawn-party, rather inclined to bq amused by the new entertainment! Thoy are fat and comfortably dressed. A prisoner's life is assuredly en© to, be envied by a man .who must sit in the unsanitated trench the Bulgarian affects, to be potted at by Serbians.

"'But what do they say about it?' insisted the cynical Bulgarians; 'We want to know how they like it. .

"Whereupon the situation was outlined to the Bulgarian prisoners, and those obliging yo.ung men immediately sat themselves down and began to write notes to their friends on the other side. The translations I have read were couched in the most glowing terms. ■■ Tht inside of the Serbian lines was described, as flowing with .milk and honey, and the prisoners asserted they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Now and then a stubborn Bulgarian would refuse to ask" a friend to desert; but would express a wish to send news of hiniself to his tome. Whereupon the Serbian, who is distinctly a good fellow, told him to go to it. The across-the-lines post is now in full operation. Every' day_ a. small mess of Bulgarians trickles into the Serbian, lines. "Of course, all this, as we are told, gets on the nerves of the Bulgarian officers. It is very annoying to have a lot of men to command, and then find someone, who ought to be making life miserable for them, seeking to lure them away. The officers attempted to put a stop to thetrafnoof notes, but as they are usually stationed at some distance behind the. trendies activity as censor is well-nigh .impossible. Mr. Corey says: . . "Even -when the officer sees a note fall in the trench, the man who picks it up is apt to read it before he turns it in. The ordere are strict that de-, sorters shall be.shot.ae they leave the trench, but, even w>, ingenious soldiers find a way to escape .in eafety._ The other day one Bulgarian, found himself, in a shorf. length of trench with four companions. " 'Let us stack our rifles here , ,' said he. pointing to a convenient place. 'Then you can sit down and i smoke these oigarettes while I stand guard. , "When the four cigarette smokers heard the clatter they looked up, but the accommodating oomrado was then on his way out of the trench, his arms filled with five rifles. In one iustance a deserter walked calmly over to the Serbians. They were amazed that he was not shot at by the men in the trench he had abandoned. _ " 'You see,' said he, 'it is tTiis wey. I represent the other men. If I say it is aIL right, they will come in, t00. , .