It was not till Saturday, August 19, that Alexinatz heard that species
of music. On that day a Turkish column dashed into the Morava valley
and fell upon the Servian advance-positions. There was some hard
fighting, but the Servians for that day at least held their own, and
prevented the Turks from getting farther forward than the village of
Supovatz. But on the Sunday, the latter, reinforced from Nisch, renewed
the offensive in force and with vigour. The Servians, who had also
been reinforced, made a sturdy fight of it out in front of Tessica.
From that village, where I had spent the night, I had early sent word
back to the surgeons of the St. Thomas’s Hospital ambulance, who had
pushed up to the front at Alexinatz, that they would find plenty of
employment about Tessica; and about noon had ridden back to meet
them. Near the bridge-head I encountered them, Mackellar in command,
with Sandwith, Hare, and poor Attwood in the waggon with him; and,
turning, went forward with them to what seemed a suitable spot for a
_Verband-platz_, at a cross-road where the wounded had already gathered
pretty numerously. As they tumbled out, pulled off their tunics,
rolled up their sleeves, and went to work, I took the precaution to
turn their waggon round, with the horses’ heads in the direction of
Alexinatz, since the road was too narrow for quick and easy turning, if
anything should occur to crowd it. But it was more from routine than
from any serious apprehension that I did this; for the Servians seemed
prospering fairly well in the long, hot struggle with their Turkish
assailants.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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