Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-04-02
WHERE WAS VIlllERS2


Before let my little story answer this
question, it is eXpedicnt thatl explain who
Nilliers is. Nilliers. then, to begin with,
is one of the best fellows in the world.
He is the war-artiSt of the LoDdon Groph-
ic; and he has been my stanch comrade
in several campaigns, and on not a few
battlc-ticlds and since | went on the
shelf he. yet Young. has seen fighting
enough to constitute him Il veteran twice
over. lie came to me first in the middle
of the Scrvian war. with Il letter of intro
duction from dear friend of both of us.
His face was so ingenious. his manner so
modest. his simplicity so quaint. that
adopted him as 'my boy" before our first
interview was over. We loved each
other from the first Whenever, after
wards. the war-tocsin sounded, it was
the signal. too. of a letter or Il call from
Nilliers, to know when was setting out ::
it went without saying that he and | were
to 90 together. Thus it fell out that he
came to share most of my field experiences
we were campaigning with the Russian
army that had marched from the Pruth
down to the Danube, and had crossed the
king of European rivers into Bulgaria.
to drive the Turk across the Balkans. and
finally to follow him up rs he step by
step fell back. fighting hard, till at length
the minarets and dOmes of Constantine
pile greeted the eyes of the hardy child
rem of the great white Car"
Near the end of July in that year Vii
licr, and myself were with the advance
posts of that portion of the Russian army
which was commanded by the CeSare-
witt (now the EMPEROR. and which
was engaged in masking the Turk
i>h fortress of Ru>tchuk. lying, a. it
did. dangerously ON the left flank of the
Russian line of advance. We were happy
enough. but things were too quiet for
both of IT.. 10y great deal. II was lazy.
idle work. lying in the tent all day
long. go~-ping with Baron Dric>cl,
while Nillicr~ and dear old General Ar
noldi drew caiicaturc> of each other for
lack of any better occupation. 80 we
determined one morning to ride back to
the cmpcror'> headquarters in Bicla.
and find out there whether something
more stirring elsewhere was not to be
heard of. We did not mean to abandon
altogether the army of the Cc>arcWilz,
. but only to quit it for short holiday
80 we left our servants and wagon behind
IL. and started with only our saddle
horses. carrying each Il blanket and few
uccc>>aric> ON the saddle.
At Bicla we found General Ignaticll
living in mud-hul in the rear of Il farm
yard occupied by the emperor ticld-tcnt~.
lie advised w. to strike westward across
Something worth seeing. he said in his
vague. diplomatic way. was soon to hap
pen there. Prince huV>kuy-nohody
ever spelled the name right, and believe
the owner himself never spells ii twice
the same way-and old Baron krudcncr.
TWO generals commanding each nominal
army corps, were ma--iug their forces
with intent TO a~>ail O,man Pa>ha behind
those formidable carthWork- that he had
been 80 skilully and ,cdulouSly CON
structmg around the little Bulgarian
town on the banks of the O,ma. If We
/ made haste we should reach the vicinity
of Plcvna in time for the engagement
I@natcil' was 80 courteous IL 10 furnish
u, with letter of recommendation tt
the prince with the un-pcllabc name
and. full of cagcrnc,S for the excitement
we rode away on our lone croSS-countrN
Journey that same afternoon. 1t wa
| a Journey of about eighty miles, ~ fan
a. we were able To reckon. and the coun
try had been made somewhat dc>olate by
-. the raVagr, of war. We travelled 10y the
map. and without a guide, asking ON
way of peasants a. we went along. I4li'
method was not an entire success, ant
we wandered about OBVIOUSLY. For one
e thing our acquaintance with the Bulga
e ran language was strictly limited; fo
another. peasants were not always to BE-
: found when we wanted them: and for
o third, the Bulgarian peasant has yer!
r vague ideas both a. To distances and "a
5 to the points of the compass. He reckon
!. by hours. and with most irritating loose
ness: his hour is As elastic as the lrlsl
;, mile or the Scotch 'bittock." GLOW ia
to Akcair:'' | would ask. 1.-TWO hours
Is GospodiH r. would be the reply. "Wha
drection?" A wave of the hand to tn
right, and a wild, indiscrminate, unin
telligible howl, would be the lucid re
Spouse. We ride on for an hour, and eH
counter another peasant. Glow far t
Akcair?' "Three hours, Gospodin
"What direction:' \ wild, indetinit
wave of the hand to the left, and how
re as indescribable as that emitted by tn
Y gentleman we had previously interroga
81 hn Ln Of