The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-09-15
THE SENTENCE.

exercised over his soldiers. sit is not the
| enemy you must fear, but me" he would
| often remark to the young soldiers who
came to increase the ranks. Thus his army
was an army of heroes, who had no fear on
the battlefield, but who trembled in the
presence of their leader.
The first campaign in which they fought
was at Albania, in the battle against the
rebel Greeks, and on that occasion Me-
hemed's men proved themselves efficient.
1t happened that Mehemed one day ordered
eight soldiers b remain in ambush at the
'five fountains of Arta, at which point
the Greeks were likely to open their attack.
! They were to stop any one who should try
to pass by, and they were strictly cautioned
not to dismount or fall asleep. The sol
diers executed with exactness all their in
structions.
A vehicle which attempted toward mid
night to cross the line unobserved was dis
covered and stopped. The man who had
J charge of the oxen which drew it ran away,
abandoning his wagon. On this wagon was
barrel. 1t was easy to ascertain what the
barrel contained, even without dismount-
ing and without falling asleep. You only
had to open the bunghole to smell the pleas
ant odor of liquor escaping from it. And it
must have been an excellent liquor, COM
pounded largely Of figs and raisns The Gil
aurri (Christians) undoubtedly knew what
was good.
The soldiers had not been forbidden if
they seized liquor to drink it. And really
they did not drink directly from the barrel.
They merely sunk bulrushes in it, through
which they slipped the sweet and intoxicat-
ing liquid. Was it not harmless to sip with
such thin rushes? One could scarcely call
that drinking. But justly does the prophet
remark that wine is Il deceitful beverage in
which the devil has had his hand since
this drink brings men to every evil.
First the soldiers asked each other why
they should sit in their hard saddles when
the grass made such a soft bed on the
ground. And if they lay there for only
short while nobody would know it. They
could tie the horses to the wagon, and these
certainly could tell no tales After they
had dismounted the internal drink persuad-
ed them that it was useless task for eight
men to remain on guard. Four would suf-
fee, and the rest could sleep. To the four
men who were to keep awake the waiting
for their turn seemed too long, and they
agreed that two might sleep while the 9TH
er two remained true to the orders.
Maruf and Sefer were the two designated
to watch for the rest.
"Do you know" said Sefer to his friend
"do you know that one man is of the same
value in this case as two? 1t will do Just
as well if only one of us watches. Do you
not agreep
Maruf assented.
II PROPOSE" continued Sefer, "that we
play game OF chess. The loser will have
to watch, and the winner may sleep"
Maruf accepted the conditions.
The two Bedouins prepared the ground in
front of where they stood, and with their
spears they traced a square, dividing it into
GA smaller squares. Then they substituted
for the regular pawns the fruits of the
woods. The wild pears became kings, the
apples queens; the castles were represented
by acorns, the bishops by rose hips, the
knights by nuts and the pawns by berries
The men thus provided, the game began by
the light of the campfire.
At first Sefer held the advantage but
that inebriating drink overcame him little
by little, so that he was not in condition to
distinguish his pawns. He lost his queen
and was very near being checkmated.
"Sefer, you are in bad mess" remarked
Maruf when he saw that the game was in
his hands.
you are right. am as sleepy as the sea
when it is calm"
You ARE losing the game"
II can see that too"
"Well, lie down in the name of Allah.
will watch for you"
Sefer shook his friends hand in grateful
owledgment of the sacrifice, and he
thought he spoke to him, but he only
dreamed it, for he fell asleep Immediately.
Maruf, on the contrary, kept his eyes
open, and leaning on his gun he looked at
his sleeping companions. But that devilish
drink began to murmur softly:
"Why do you not sit down. You could
see just as we'll"
AS soon as he was seated Satan again be-
gan to tempt him.
why do you tire your eyes? If you shut
one of them, you will see with the other just
as well as with BOTH"
Maruf reflected that if his eyes were
closed his ears were open, and that he would
be ready to start at the smallest danger that
might threaten his companions and him
self. And with the firm purpose of not fall
ing asleep he slumbered as heavily as the
rest.
In the meantime the hidden Greeks came
all Of a sudden upon the sleeping men, un-
tied the horses of the Turks, and would
certainly have killed them had not Maruf's
horse, as though he foresaw the danger, be-
gun to neigh. The first to awaken was
Maruf, and in few moments the rest were
ready. They ran to get their arms and stood
en- the defense, now fully awake and sober.
They threw themselves on the enemy,
but it was of no avail. The Greeks had
mounted the horses and laughed at the
Turks, who endeavored to overcome them
on foot.
Marufs horse alone would not submit to
the Greek who had mounted him and be-
gan to rear and plunge until he had sue
ceeded in throwing the rider. He then
kicked him and returned to his owner
Eight men had one horse left among
them. What was Mehemed going to say?
The Bedouins, yet young, were cast down
at the thought of death The knew their
leader would have no pity for them, and
still sadder were they at the loss Of their
BELOVED horses. or what use is a man with
out horsef
| Mortally worried at the punishment they
expected. they returned to headquarters,
they narrated what had happened. how
they had disobeyed his orders, how they
had fallen asleep after drinking the liquor,
how the last two watchmen had played
chess, and finally how they had lost their
A l. 4 l., he. kol,f