The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-08-08
BAKER PASHA.
Personal Poculiarities of q Turco- British
Leader.

Personal Pcculiarities of q Turco- British
Leader.
His friends say that by reason Of his
long residence among Turks General
Baker has acquired the habits of one;
and you see there is some truth in this,
when you notice his manner Of half
closing his eyes, of talking in whisper,
leisurely, monosyllabically, while he
gazes, as if in contemplation, through
his cigarette smoke, and sips the fra.
grant coffee, which an attendant pre-
sents in tiny cups, first to the guest and
next to the Pasha. The Turkish mar
ner is equally apparent in his caution
his impenetrable reserve. He can ex-
press himself fluently and incisively
enough when business demands it, or
when in private he liberates his soul to
some one whom he likes and trusts.
He is master of the art of turning a
subject, and he can "sit upon an I'm.
welcome quest,oner, apparently with
the lightness OF feather but in real
ity with crushing effect. At Suakim
there was certain official for whom,
partly by reason of his want of tact and
awkward air of self-importance, the
driblets of information from the naval
and military authorities Ito be commu-
nicated by the sad official to his For
eign Oflice) soon ran dry. An impor-
tant movement was on foot, and the
official wanted to know. He could
coax nothing out of Sir William Hew-
EFT. He tried General Baker, who, of
course, was in the secret, and whom
he found walking up and down his
Office in brown study. He poured
out a turgid complaint about the Adj
mirars taciturnity. Baker listened for
a long time unmoved; he then stopped
short, took his cigarette slowly out of
his mouth, held it between his fore
finger and thumb. peered upward into
vacancy, licked his lips lesurely Ga fire.
quent trick of his), and then, after a
long pause, whispered, with silky soft
ness: Perhaps he wants to keep it
dark" Blushing lobster-red, the Of
fetal clattered downstairs, and Baker,
with his hands on his hips and cigarette
in full cloud, unconcernedly resumed
his beat.
No one has ever known Baker lose
his temper. What one sees him, be-
hind his tobacco-smoke and Turkish
coffee, in La Maison Remington, that
he is in the din and confusion of camps
and the dire work OF the battle feld-
ever on the alert, but never furried,
never losing his self-possession. Once,
however, in the Suakim campaign he
nearly showed downright anger; that
was when shipload of Falstailian
scarecrows arrived to reinforce him for
the fight which was to take place thir-
ty-six hours after. The villains
} marched wide betwixt the legs, as if
they had gives on; and. indeed, it was
likely enough that many of them were
just out of prison. There was not q
shirt and a half in the whole company
! of them, and their leaders looked like
mere toasts-and-butter, who would as
soon hear the devil as drum. Some
of the warriors carried fowling-pieces,
and not one knew how to shoot With
set lips and pallor on his habitually
ruddy face, Baker rode away from the
apSuiu spcCbdClc, Ssit lllu Ou CaLlp
stool outside his tent on the sea-beach,
crossed his legs, struck light and
unused over the whims of fate, "They
might have fought for their lives"-
that was his criticism of the conduct Of
his so-called troops during the carnage
+ at Ell Teb the second day after; and i,
is perhaps the only criticism he has
ever made upon them. For Baker al
ways showed the most generous sense
of fair play. He keenly felt the neglect
of the Cairo officials, and he despiseo
the ordinary run of native officers; but
he never said hard things about hi
ditchers and ex-policemen, whom only
miracle could have made soldiers in
: six weeks. Baker has done many ;
brave thing, but none Drawer than hi,
hopeless march out with that chatter
ing slipshod rabble to the wells OF +
: Teb. London World.
-Bartholdi modelled his statue o
s.f ,ihertvn after his mother who WOO ,