Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-01-14
THE pAsTINIE OF A SULTAN.

Sadyck-Pasha relates the following,
from the private live of Abdul Azys, late
emperor Of Turkey:
lie was accustomed to remain in his
poultry-yard for whole hours, feeding
he fowl from his own hands, adniring
and caressing his fayorites. Not seldom,
through his eunuchs, did he call the fair
inhabitants Of the harem, that they, too,
might participate in his favorite sport.
Sometimes he ordered his wives and
odalisques to catch some of the birds
which he himself pointed out. The rum
ming and jumping Of the women greatly
amused the sultan, and those who dis
@tinguished themselves by their skin and
agility, received rich presents.
Besides this, in the basins and ponds of
the various palaces and kiosks were as
sembled large flocks Of tame water-fowl
but the sultan was especially fond of
lighting cocks, to which he gave the
names of emperors, kings, statesmen,
and other important persons. Among
these cocks We're Franz-Josef, Garibaldi,
Bismarck, Napoleon, the Car Alex
ander, Emperor William, Fuad Pasha,
Ali-Pasha, and so on.
The number of cocks constantly in
creased. 1t became customary for every
dignitary sent to the provinces on some
state affair TO present to the sultan, on
his return, either beasts or birds.
Once a certain Boitor, a veterinary, in
the rank of sub-eolonel, Mechmet-
Eifendi, sent to Asia Minor, brought
back an uncommonly large and bel
ligerent rooster, and presented him to
The palace steward, asking him to give
his name to the fowl. The bird was
brought to the palace at time when
she padishah was very angry with his
ministers. Fuad and Ali. Noticing the
large rooster, he ordered him to be let
loose on the feathered namesakes Of the
ministers. The new champion attacke
his antagonists with such ferocity thai
the rooster Ali was killed on the spot
and Fuad was carried half dead from
the battlefield.
The sultan became paciiied, aud in
CURED who brought the bird, remarking
thoughtftlly that its owner must be an
undaunted man, if he could train such a
rooster Immediately the secretary Of
war received an order to promote Mech
met-Effendi to the rank of colonel, and
on the occurrence of vacancy, to that
Of commander of regiment.
A few days after this, the sultan be-
came dissatisfied with Garibaldi and the
italian king on account of their propa-
ganda in Albany, and ordered that the
ROSTERS bearing their names should
fight with the newly-acquired warrior.
in this case also military fortune was
on he side of the latter, and his former
fortunate owner was promoted to the
rank of iyya, or brigadier general. This
rooster had also conquered the cocks
William and Bismarck, when the en-
peror being for some reason dissatisfied
with Germany, had used the same
method to cool his temper.
On another occasion, disguised with
his ministers, he ordered all the roosters
bearing their names TO be brought into
the arena to fight Boitor. A ferocious
and bloody battle occurred, the result of
which was that only Boitor remained on
his feet, but slightly harmed for this
rooster tourney the General Mechmet-
Pasha received the rank Of gencral-in-
chief. as commander of one of the five
The serascir. secretary of war, Illus
seyn Amy, although he was well dis
posed toward Mechmet coming from the
same military school. could not restrain
himself from exclaiming:
10 whom shall give the command
OF the army corps, to thee or to thy
rooster"
The new general-in-chief answered:
ITO neither of us | beg but one
favor of you; dismiss me from the mill
tary service
Mechmet-Pasha was an honest,
straightforward man; he did not wish
to occupy position in which he would
only be injurious TO his country. The
secretary of war asked permission to
send him rs goyernor-general to one of
the provinces, but the sultan refused.
LET him remain here and raise roos-
ters; that viii be useful
Thanksto the rooster, Mechmet-Pasha
had, in the course of few months, at
tanned the rank of general-in-chief.
Iluthfulness and common sense pre-
vented him from accepting command
of any army corps, place for which he
ANAe Hiihoch unptcpsleu' 1HcIeiuic Hc
did not lead the Turkish soldiers in the
disastrous campaign of 1877.
This sad honor fell to the lot of other
generals. who had acquired their posi-
tons as easily as he, and for similar
service, confirming by their example the
words of Napoleon J., that with good
leaders, badly organized and poorly
clad armies can be perhaps made avail
able; but, with the incapable, even the
best provided and well-disciplined sol
diers make but very poor army"