This picture, taken during the
Austrian retreat, shows a wounded soldier being taken down the
mountain by this means.
[Illustration: Photograph: Soldier working on a telephone connection.]
Copyright Underwood and Underwood, N. Y.
British Official Photo
THE NERVE-SYSTEM OF THE FIGHTING ARMIES
What the nerves are to the human body the signal system was to the
armies, transmitting warnings of danger from the outposts to a central
brain, and flashing back the thing to be done to meet it.
The Austrian treatment of the Slavs was a source of constant irritation
to Serbia. Roumania had a divided feeling. Her loss of Bessarabia to
Russia had caused ill feeling, but in Austria's province of Transylvania
there were millions of Roumanians, whom Roumania desired to bring under
her rule. Greece was fearful of Russia, because of Russia's desire for
the control of Constantinople. All of these nations, too, were deeply
conscious of the Austro-German ambitions for extension of their power
through to the East. Each of these principalities was also jealous of
the other. Bulgaria and Serbia had been at war; many Bulgarians were in
the Roumanian territory, many Serbians, Bulgarians and Greeks in
Macedonia. There was only one tie in common, that was their hatred of
Turkey. In 1912 a league was formed, under the direction of the Greek
statesman, Venizelos, having for its object an attack on Turkey.
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