But the victory was short-lived.  True, the right of the 6th Division had crumpled up, but a regiment of the 1st Division came up at the critical moment and stiffened up the left and center, and again the tide of battle swayed irresolute; then, ten minutes later perhaps, a regiment from the 5th Division came up at the double on the right rear of the Bulgarians, taking them in reverse and enfilade.  The Bulgarian right and center crumpled like a rotten egg, while their left fell hastily back.  The Bulgars had thrown their last hazard and had lost.  The carnage was appalling on both sides.  The Greek 6th Division had commenced the day with about 6,000 men; at sunset barely 2,000 remained.  Opposite the Greek positions nearly 10,000 Bulgarians were buried next day, which speaks well for the fighting power of the Greek when he is making his last stand.

The holocaust of wounded beggars description, but that eminent French painter, George Scott, told me an incident which came to his own notice.  He was riding up to the front the day after Semitli, and was just emerging from the awesome Kresna Pass, when he and his companion came upon a Greek dressing station.  The narrow space between cliff and river was entirely occupied by some hundreds of Greek wounded, some of them already dead, many dying, and others fainting.  They were lying about awaiting their turn for the surgeon’s knife.  In the center stood the surgeon, with the sleeves of his operating-coat turned up, his arms red to the elbow in blood, all about him blood-stained bandages and wads of cotton-wool.  They reined in their horses and surveyed the scene; as one patient was being removed from the packing-case that served as operating-table, the surgeon raised his weary eyes and saw them, the only unwounded men in all that vast and silent gathering.  “You are newspaper correspondents?” he asked.  “Well, tell me, tell me when this butchery will cease!  For seventy-two hours I have been plying my knife, and look at those who have yet to come”—­he swept the circle of wounded with an outstretched bloody hand.  “O God!  If you know how to write, write to your papers and tell Europe she must stop this gruesome war.”  Then, tired out and enervated, he swooned into the arms of the medical orderly.  As he came to to be apologized.  “That,” he said, “is the third time I have fainted; I suppose I must waste precious time in eating something to sustain me!”

The battle of Semitli was fought almost contemporaneously with that of the 3d and 10th Greek Divisions on the extreme Greek left flank, which latter action resulted in a Bulgarian repulse after a temporary success, and these were the last great battles of the shortest and bloodiest campaign on record.  On the 29th and 30th of July there were some skirmishes three miles south of Djumaia.  On the 31st of July the armistice was conceded.  During the month of July the Greek army had practically wiped out the 1st, 3d, 4th, and 14th Bulgarian Divisions, some 160,000 strong; they had marched 200 miles over terrible mountains; they had taken 12,000 prisoners, 120 guns; and had cheerfully sustained 27,000 casualties out of a total number of 120,000 troops engaged.