The Kingdom of serbia : report upon the atrocities committed by the Austro-Hungarian Army during the first invasion of Serbia

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS 187

in repairing the roads, ete. One soldier (a Czech), an architect by profession, directed the construction of the bakehouse at Nish. The * one-year volunteers,” boys who have received a good education, are unoccupied, and complain of the weariness brought on by this lack of occupation. One of them, a student of engineering, asked me if he might not be employed in a technical office.

The prisoners were given the same food as the Serbian soldiers: soup twice a day, meat, vegetables, and an allowance of bread. Their companies are often commanded by officers of Serb race.

I have often seen the prisoners in contact with the native population, and I have never observed the slightest hostile demonstration on the part of the latter. There are many married men among the prisoners, and these are very anxious about their families, because they only very rarely hear from them.

As for the officers, wherever I have been, they are suitably lodged. In Nish, for instance, they are housed in the citadel. There was an Austrian commander there who assured me that every possible-thing was done to make matters agreeable for them and he only regretted one thing, which was that they were only allowed to go out once a week. At first they had been given their meals at the Officers’ Casino, but after the massacres at Shabatz, demonstrations were feared, and they were made to take their meals in the citadel. "This particular major told me that he quite understood the precautions which had been taken. For the rest they have the free use of a pretty garden, and