The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-07
THE FOOD SOLDIERS LIVE UPON.

The correspondent of the London TEL
GgrabA writes: "If the Turk and his com,
rades fight well it is not; because they are
well-fed or well clothed on the contrary,
their daily bread seems to be about the
last thing Of which those who bear rule
and authority over them have ever
thought. Their commissariat system is
even more deplorable than ours, in fact
1t can scacrely be said to exist If there
are arrangements of any kind they may
be briefly SAID to consist of happy re.
lance upon chance and broad hopeful
trust in something turning up, 1t was
indeed, felt that the men must have
something in the way Of solid food, and
accordingly the bakers at Nisch and So
phia were set to make thousands of hard
biscuits, which it was determined to for
ward to the troops. To get them there,
however, was another puzzle, for there
is no Turkish transport service, and in
the end all !he wagons and carts in the
country had to be requisitloned, together
with their bullocks and drivers, Then
long trains of these laden with the biscuits
were daily dispatched over the rocky
roads, and so they have gone on ever
since. DR.. Leslie told me that he had
found some men who had tasted nothing
but biscuits and roasted maize stalks for
seven weeks; and he madea present to
the army, in the name of the excellent
Red Cross Society which he represented,
1000 sheep and some bullocks. But what
were they among so.money? Hardly
'kabok apiece for the As 900 hungry men
who wanted them. Yet the Turks had
gone contentedly on soaking the brick
like biscnitsin the muddy water they have
obtained from the Morava Valley--some
times so fortunate as to be able to sup.
plement it with little coffee or roasted
maize stalks, occasionally with Servian
fowl caught in some deserted village or a
piece of hare which had been shot down
in the long grass, but generally with
nothing at all. could symnathze with
them; for once or twice, being short of
provisions myself owing to accident,
tried to soften the miserable biscuits by
immersing it in liquid Of some kind or
other. The attempt used to result in the
rudest failure-it seemed to defy all my
efforts. Perhaps was unskilled or
happened to get hold of unusually hard
specimens-there was no picking or
choosing allowed. Toward night, by the
6tful glare of the torch or a fire, the
purveyor of such articles would be seen
perched on the sack doling out the ra
tions to the quarermaster sergeants of
the different regiments, who used again
to count them out TO their assistance for
each company. There was no jingling
two broken pieces of fair size equaled |
one biscuit or two handsful of crumbs;
and this latter substitute seemed to be
preferred as softer and more reduceable
to food. On went the Turk counting in
a monotonous tone, Beer, eckse, e7VcA, |
Ge7Oa, till at last the full tale was made |
up and then the messenger would fold |
up his sack and Silently steal away"
He must hurry off to his company, give
them their food, do his best to measure
out the crumbs and the pieces SO as to
make it all go round and leave him a lit
tie piece for himself, and his work was
done. So went on, day after day, the
Turks meanwhile fighting like heroes,
and never finching even when danger
was greatest and the enemy's fire hottest.