“Your poor brother was too badly hit.  We could not save him.”

He stared at me for a moment, not understanding.  Then he turned and flung himself down upon the body, weeping more bitterly than before.

I went to the ambulance and took it back to its place.

The aeroplane returning from the arsenal had flung three gratuitous bombs at the camp itself, one had fallen in the Serbian hospital yard, and had killed an Austrian prisoner; one had fallen in the top corner of the camp field, but had not exploded.  The third had missed, only by a little, the room in which the two dead German aeroplanists were lying, had plunged into the Stobarts’ storeroom, and had burst in the last case of marmalade which they possessed.  It was an awful mess.  Had it fallen three yards to the left it would have killed the chief cook, who was just on the other side of the wall.

I went back to the arsenal.  None of the bombs had struck any important part, almost all had fallen in open places, though one had burst on the roof of the woodshed, only a few yards from the petrol store.  Two cans of petrol had been punctured by bits of shell, and Austrian prisoners were hurriedly pumping them out.  Almost half the work of the arsenal was done by Austrian prisoners.  Another bomb had fallen in the horseshoe store, and inside horseshoes were everywhere, some even sticking in the beams like great staples.  I had no idea before that the bombs had such force.  Sava said he had been standing in a doorway and a bomb had exploded quite close, a piece had whizzed by his nose and had torn down the name board over his head.  When he turned round to go on with the work the aide had fled and never appeared again.

I met Dr. Churchin.  He is one of the best Serbs I have yet met, a philosopher.  He was looking after the English units in Kragujevatz and I learnt did it excellently, and with a devotion to his duties altogether unusual.  He told me that I had been nominated an honorary captain; but I am under the impression that it is an honour I cannot by national law accept.

We went in the afternoon in the car towards Rudnik to examine the one which had broken down.  I soon saw that nothing could be done on the spot, and ordered it to continue its “bullocky” progress to the camp.  In the evening went off to the Government motor school, where I found my old friend Ristich and Colonel Derrock; both these men are first-class Serbs—­jolly, keen and friendly.

October 5th.  Our car not being finished, Mr. Berry and Sister Hammond went back to Vrntze in a car lent by Colonel Derrock.  I was to stay till all the repairs were completed on ours.  There was another scare of aeroplanes, and the whole town emptied itself, families pouring by en route for the country; but the planes did not come.  I went down to the arsenal and got on with the repairs.  Dr. May lent me her camera and I got some photos.  Mrs. Stobart went off with her “flying field force,” taking with her nearly all the men and almost all the cars:  if the hospital get many serious cases I imagined that they would be dreadfully shorthanded.