The capture of Nikopolls is, however, already almost forgotten, in
the face of the passage of the Balkans. All the details of this great operation are not yet known, but it appears certain that General Gourko, with 15,000 men, 4,000 of them cavalry, was led across by refugee Bulgarians through two narrow passes— one of them a mere bridle-path—and reached the southern
slopes without firing a shot. Once there, his cavalry were sent forward as far as Yeni Sagra, which they either captured or threatened fruitlessly—accounts vary— while the main body attacked Kesanlik, to gain the best pass, the Shipka. This pass is defended, but as it is also attacked from the north by Grabova, it is believed that it must be aban- doned, and then the Russians will have a safe and easy passage across the Balkans. There are rumours that General Gourko has received heavy reinforcements from Tirnova, that he will march at once on Adrianople, and that there is no sufficient army between him and that city, or, indeed, according to a Constantinople cor- respondent of the Standard, who may be trusted as far as he knows, between him and the capital. These rumours, however, spring in part from panic. The Russians will not move forward without artillery, or a magazine south of the Balkans, and the collection of these things takes time.
