With the Serbs in Macedonia

246 WITH THE SERBS IN MACEDONIA
and the Scottish Women's Hospitals, who did
splendid work, and certain American units,
most of which did not arrive, however, till the
rush was over. Their wounded had to jolt
down to the clearing stations on mules and in
Ford vans and heavy lorries. In the same way,
in the trenches, they were short of all comforts
not absolutely necessary. There was no money
for war's luxuries. Exiled and impoverished,
they had to depend upon the Allies for everything,
and though they were well fed and well
supplied with ammunition they did undeniably
go short of many things which would have made
their hard lot among the unfriendly mountains
easier ; which, of course, only makes their
glorious
resistance the more wonderful.
The outstanding, the astonishing fact about
them is that, in spite of all they had suffered
and lost, their hearts should never have failed.
At Christmas, 1917, the Germans again offered
them terms—
splendid terms but ; though the
politicians had a little family crisis among
themselves, soon settled by their aged and
astute Premier, M. Pashitch, the soldiers never
even dallied with the tempting offer. Loyalty
seems to be a word which the Serbs understand
as well as any nation in the world. All
through the War no Ally could possibly have
been more absolutely loyal, read} i any time