Evening star., 1877-10-20
Types sf the Turk ish Soldier.

The other day while crossing An immense
sandy expanse, dotted here and there Only
Dy friendly wells, raising their long sweeps
like skinny arms, beckoning the traveller to
approach aud be refreshed, came upon 500
prisoners, escorted by about 10 sold ers toll
Ing along the wastes of this oriental desert.
The procession was picturesque enough,
certainly, but 1t was all full OF m ssry.
There were three officers in an OK cart Ole
was the traditional ragged captain, wao has
not been paid for two or three years and
whose European like uniform is a mass OF
rags and patches. To see such a scare Gro "
officer equipped with elegant side arms-a
beautiful Damascus blade and an Am jrican
revolyer-cannOt but provoke a smile Bat
the captains men was as proud as thou gh his
pockets were loaded with gold, AMI VII an he
pulled his blue tatteret coat about him. aad
turned his bronze cOiOret face toward the
sky with grim dignity, he seemed to be
inv0k ng the spprobat;Ol of Allah for his
patience and selfdenial. The second was
an officer of high rank-evidently OF Asiatlc
birth, and one of the old school Turks,
VINO did not believe that the infidei
has any right to live, and who has proud
memories about the grandeur OF The Turkish
empire once upon atlme. He wore a turban,
gracefully folded around his head, but
pashed back from broad and rather i'm
pressive brow He looked neither to the
his arms were folded on his breast and his
gaze was proudly fixed on vacancy. He was
made OF the stuff which prom pts the fanatical
Turk To order the Wholesale slaughter of
o.
Lovca and Plevna, at PnillipopOlis aud Ad-
rianople, at KaZanlik and karabunar. His
clothes were rich and his arms were deco
rated with silver and gems. Why the Rus
slams allow these fellows to retain their
swords have not been able to discover 1t is
certain that IL the emperor had not made
many express commands concerning the ex-
ercise OF mercy and courtesy toward the enc
my, some of these superior Turkish ofi .ers
would have Jared very badly. The third
pr1sonerin the ox-cart was thOrou yh type of
n hrin
there ever was oae, a profe Ssional murderer,
who would prefer to cut a throat rather than
spare life, whose hatred for the Russian
was only an excuse for the exercise of his
villainous trade. This man reminded me,
while gazing at his face, OF a fox and tiger.
tie had all the slyness of one and the capri
other written on his mean, 10 v brow, in rapid
glances OF his small, twinkling eyes, and in
MS rapid, sinuOus movements. Such men,
when taken, are nearly always fou nd armed
ike crescent. The geotle New England
reader may place perfect credence i'm the fact
that this knife Is manufactured expressly for
the purpose OF cutting throats. Its peculiar
shape renders it specially adapt able to this
amusement. In addition to this knife,
the commander of the irregulars generally
ion, and firing ball about the size of
marble. such as boys play with at school: q
vatagan, with an ivory or bone handle and a
blade on which some very mysterious 10 Dk-
ing characters are traced In the Turkish
script; a small steel pin, used for putting
out the eyes OF prisoners; and an ugly look
ing guo, which, am happy to state, Is gem
orally not very dangerous. Some of these
hends, however, are beginning 10 get % posses-
sion OF Winchester rifles, made Ia Am orica,
TO Kill Christians with, and sold with tne
knowledge that they will be u sed to shed the
ol0od OF harmless women and Chill iran.
Hum! 1t makes one pause aud reflect,
doesn't it?l A great many of the ie COM
manders Of irregulars have been killed in
skirmtshes, owing to their reckless brayado.
They have certain kind of rule tactics,
which they have no chance to bring into
they generally go to the wall when encoun.
ters with the latter occur. But they come
out strong in following up the retreats of
small bodies, in cutting of stragglers, and
in massacreing, after horrible tOrtures, the
wounded that the Russians are compelled to
leave behind.-[ Kings Letter ia Boston Jour
MAJ