The last of the great Austro-German strokes had failed, and before the beginning of October, 1915, the line of the enemy in the east was established precisely where it was to be found unchanged until the great offensive delivered upon its southern part by the Russians in the beginning of June, 1916. Lord Kitchener put the matter simply and in words the accuracy of which could be gauged by the exasperation they caused at Berlin, when he said that the enemy had now in the East "shot his bolt." It was a phrase exactly true. The expense in men, the difficulty of bringing up munitionment; the entry into territories with worse roads and less opportunities of supply; the fact that the line now reached was cut by the great belt of marshes in the centre--all these things between them brought the great adventure to a stand. HILAIRE BELLOC. _in Land and Water._ [Illustration] "_Cheer up, Austria, you have Germans and Bulgarians to help you this time_" * * * * * Until October, 1915, the Austro-Hungarian forces entrusted with the invasion and subjection of Serbia had failed in their objectives. After an initial success the armies of the Dual Empire met with several defeats and were finally driven across the Danube. At the beginning of the year the Serbian campaign was abandoned and Field Marshal Pottionek in command of the Austrian Armies was removed from his post. [Illustration] _FERDINAND, THE CHAMELEON_ "_I was a Catholic, but needing Russian help, I became a Greek Orthodox. Now I need the Austrians I again become Catholic. Should things turn out badly I can again revert to Greek Orthodoxy._" * * * * * Bulgaria must fight at the victor's side. The Germans and Austro-Hungarians are victorious on all fronts. Russia soon will have collapsed entirely. Then will come the turn of France, Italy, and Serbia. Bulgaria would commit suicide if she did not fight on the side of the central powers, which offer the only possibility of realizing her desire for union of all Bulgarian peoples. In the beginning none could foresee how events would develop and which side would be victorious. If the Government had resolved to participate in the great war it might have committed the fault of joining the side that would have been beaten, and thus jeopardize the existence of the present Bulgarian Empire. _From Bulgarian Manifesto. October, 1915._ [Illustration] _SERBIA. AUTUMN, 1915_ "_Now we can make an end of him_" * * * * * The Balkan campaign is the easiest task ever intrusted to an army leader. If the present plan is carried out it will be impossible for the Allies to escape capture or disaster, and the only real military task is to accomplish all this with the smallest possible loss to ourselves.