Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-11-10
The Amenities of Army Life.

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Fraternizing! Serb and Turk forget
ting their hatred and joining hands
Such was the sight which met me when
next returned to the camp. 1t was
scarcely light when | once more passed
the Morava and came into the Turkish
camp. The night had been bitterly cold; I;
rain had fallen in torrents for three or
four hours, and penetrated the roofs of
the oakbranch huts in which the Osmanli
troops had rested Rested! What bur-
lesque on the wordl To lie with your
rifle on your arm and your cartridge-box
under your side; wrapped all INSULT
ciently in thin canvas overcoat which
let in the rain and let out the heat; hud-
died with eight others on the damp
ground, beneath dripping branches and
leaves; with your cloth or woolen boots
soaked, your fez and tassel soddened,
and the chill wind whistling round you
as though it would blow your miserable
hut away and leave you even more ex-
posed to the violence of the storm. Such
was the rest of the Turkish troops for
four hours of that weary night. When
daylight came and brought with it ray
of sunshine, actually without fog, ,sswhat
need for wonder if the Turkish troops
arose and gladly hailed it as an end of
their woe? Perhaps their trouble had
made them more amiable than usual,
perhaps the conviction that the war was
virtually over came upon thcm-who
can tellP One thing alone is certain:
that they looked toward the Servian out
posts without anathematizing the Mus
GOV, and, when presently some blue caps
appeared on the other side of the river,
went down to meet them without grasp
ing their rifles and looking if the barrels
had cartridge in them. The truth
was that last night began the fast of
Ramazan, and from sunrise to sunset no
good son of the Prophet eats, drinks, or
smokes, and in an hour the sun would
be up, so they must be quick if they
would eat and be merry, True that
Mohammed provided that the soldier
need not fast; yet what conscientious
Moslem would fail to make use of this
season of repentance? Not anyone
among the outpOsts certainly; they were
far too exact in their creed for that.
Down they went to the river bank to
look at the unarmed Serbs on the other
bank, one of whom held out a white
handkerchief and held in his hand some
little loaves of bread. "Have you any
tobacco?" shouted the rebel. And the
reply was: eyes" "Then let us
change" said the Serb, as, wading half
way across the food, he threw the loaves
on to the shore. Away ran Turk, and
came back with two or three packets of
the weed which his enemies coveted, ran
into the river and threw them across;
and then one Serb asked for light,
while another produced a little piece of
cheese, and very soon Turks and Serbs
were seated on the opposite banks, one
party smoking and the other party eat
ing, all equally pleased with the ex-
change which had been made. 1.-THE
Giaours are not very bad men, said a
Moslem, as he filed his mouth with such
bread as he, biscuit-fed for long enough,
had not tasted for weeks. AT last the
feast had an end, the rays of the sun
were stretching across the sky; each
Mussulman placed the bread he had left
in his wallet or bosom, and, rising,
saluted the Serbs on the other side; then
both parties quilted the river and the
fraternizing was over.-COr. London
Telegraph.