Small wonder if the inexperienced peasants from the plains of Hungary,
unused till then to any sight more bloody than a brawl in the village
inn, trembled before this onslaught. Their officers shouted
encouragement and oaths, barely audible above the mad yells of
the Serbians. Nevertheless, they gave way before the gleaming line
of bayonet blades before them. Some few rose to fight, stirred by
some long-submerged instinct generated in the days of Genghis Khan.
But the majority turned and fled, helter-skelter, down the sides of
the mountains toward the valleys, leaving behind guns, ammunition,
and cannon. One regiment, the Hundred and Second, stood its ground
and fought. As a result it was almost completely annihilated. The
same fate befell the Ninety-fourth Regiment. But the majority sought
and found safety in flight. By dark the whole Austrian center was
beaten back, leaving behind great quantities of war material.
* * * * *
CHAPTER L
FIRST VICTORY OF THE SERBIANS
The Serbians had made their first move successfully on that day of
August 16, 1914. More important than this mere preliminary defeat
of the enemy was the fact that the Austrians in Shabatz were now
definitely cut off from any possible juncture with the Austrians
in the south. For the present they were debarred from entering
the main field of operations. This freed the Serbian cavalry for
action elsewhere.
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