30
midnight, when a rather exciting incident occurred. The station
commandant approached Colonel Frank and appealed to him for help to send
home a party of Serbian soldiers who had procured drink without payment
at the point of their swords and revolvers, and had stripped a young
woman passenger and exposed her for their orgies. Other bestial things
were alleged against them, but no one had so far dared to interfere to
restore order. After a moment's consideration Colonel Frank decided to
go into the buffet and ask them to go quietly home, and if they refused,
to secure force to arrest and remove them. I naturally followed.
It was a big stone-floored room with the door at one end and a long bar
at the other. The alleged Serbian soldiers were seated in a cluster on
the right in front of the bar at the far end of the room. Colonel Frank
advanced to them and said, "Brothers, you have had enough to drink, you
are keeping all the attendants from their proper rest; it is time for
you to go home." It was like an electric shock. About a dozen of the
ruffians sprang to their feet hurling every possible Slavonic epithet at
this brave Russian officer who was merely performing a public duty. One
dark-visaged Serb cavalryman drew his sword and tried a lunge at the
colonel across the table, and while the colonel watched this infuriated
aborigine a Serbian officer close behind Frank tore the epaulette from
the colonel's uniform and trampled it underfoot, shouting, "Death to
this officer of the old regime!"
I picked up the epaulette just as the other Serb, sword in one hand and
revolver in the other, edged round the tables to the centre of the room
for his attack upon my liaison officer.
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