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i9I3] COLLAPSE OF BULGARIA 197
were mistaken. As was proved later by Italian
revelations, Austria did in fact wish to intervene and to attack
Serbia, but she was stopped firstly by Italy’s flat
refusal to be associated in such a policy, and secondly,
and more especially by the veto of Germany. The latter
had a more important and pressing object in view—
that of restoring Thrace to the Turks, and of
reconquering her own former influence in Stambul. And
from Berlin the Austrians were told: " Wait. The time
is not yet. Our day will come."
The day came exactly a year later, in July, 1914.
On the 9th (22nd) July, Adrianople was retaken
without a blow being struck by the Turkish troops,
who after that never thought of pausing, but advanced
rapidly, retaking all the territory which the Bulgarians
had taken from them.
We were going through sad times in Sofia then.
The Rumanians were camping only 15 kilometres from
the Bulgarian capital; driving one day along the
Ork-hanie highroad about ten kilometres from the town, with
my glasses I could see the silhouettes of the Rumanian
patrols in the plain beyond the Isker. During the day
the Rumanian aeroplane1 flew over Sofia and threw out
harmless pamphlets. Alarming news came from
Kustendil : mutinous soldiers were threatening a march on
the capital. And meantime the Greeks had approached
Samokov and were proclaiming reprisals for the
Bulgarian atrocities. Finally the rumour spread that
the Turks had crossed the former frontier of Bulgaria
and were beginning to plunder and set fire to the
villages. The Bulgarians belonging to the leisured and
ruling classes lost their heads and sent letters to us
begging for refuge if necessary in the foreign legations.
In the courtyard of the Palace, near the back door, two
royal motor cars stood ready day and night to take the
King and his family away from the capital. The foreign
Ministers met at the house of our senior to discuss
1 There was only one in the Rumanian Army !
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