The times., 1897-06-06


known in history, has ROW begun, and it
is process that will occupy good deal of
time, and perhaps involve some dispute
among the various observers. But, first,
there remain 10 be told few good stories
about the last days fighting, before the
making of an ar,nistice last Tuesday. With
out the battles OF the last week the cam
paign would scarcely deserve the name of
war in its modern sense. There was gen
uine, serious, deadly fighting at Velestino,
at Domokos, and during the second in
vasion OF Epirus. More lives were lost
m these engagements than in all Others
combined, ana the courage and intrepdity
or the Greek troops were amply vinJi-
Gated.
IL rs a pleasure 10 discover among the
products of these last da Us of the war anew
chronlcler of martial events, who VIII take
rank with G w Stevens as a worthy sue
cessor OF the W ar correspondents or Il gen.
Grafton ago. The account which he has
written anon ymously for the Times of the
battles outside veleslnois the most graphic
and entertaining bit of literature which the
later days OF the war have produced. Its
nlatlltkl kIteuDtil cAuEStidAion anu
heroics, which have spoiled the work of
men who have introduced the methods of
the new journalism into their war stories,
only adds TO the impressions of the vi"id
and graphic picture which he draws. l
quote below the larger portion of his mar
rative:
"Thc battle had opened In fierce hall
storm, which came and went in sudden
.f..f, TNftrl-
had advanced boldly. But now the sun
was shining again, and the birds and the
insects of the field We're filling the air
with a drowsy, contented chorus. With
these familiar accents of peace came the
long rattle of the Gras rifles from the
trenches, and the rustic of the Turkish
bullets overhead and the whining jar
of the shrapnel A bareheaded peasant
boy in dirty white petticoats, who seemed
to consider the engagement In the light Of
an entertainment, came dancing down the
hill to show us the footpaths that led up
tie different ridges. He was one OF the
few villagers who had not run away or
were not further up in the valley taking
pot shots at the hated Turks from behind
the rocks. He talked and laughed as he
ran ahead of US with many gestures, and
lIlllldttu bhC VI viz builSNoB
and warned us with grave solicitude to he
careful, as though he were in no possible
danger himself 1 saw him a great many
times during the day, guiding company
after company through the gullies and
showing tGem how to advance protected
10y the slope of the hills-a self-constituted
scout and with much the manner OF a
landed proprietor escorting a party OF
~ ta+a AM <r-ha
d shell struck near him he would run and
retrieve the pieces and lay them trium-
phantly at the feet of the officers, like
little fox terrier that has scampered
after stick and brought it to his masters
feet.
Just behind the top of each ridge the
men hal followed out long trenches about
two feet wide and two feet deep, and had
piled the earth they had taken from them
on to tine ridge itself. When they We're
crouching in a sitting posture this gave
them rampant few inches higher than
their heads. When ordered to fire they
faced about in the trench and knelt, rest
Ing their rifles on the earth rampant, and
so exposing the head and shoulders 10 the
fire of tie enemy.
'The men in the first trench, which was
lIG ODt ltidb gave tltdi view vi on
of the Turkish forces, received us with
cheerful mods, and scraped out a place
beside them, and covered the moist earth
with theiI blankets. They exhibited a
sort of childish pride and satisfaction at
being under lire; and, SO far from showing
the nervousness and shat ttered morale which
mad been prophesied for them after the
rout at Larssa, they appeared, on the con-
cn, they became even lahguidIy bored with
1t all, and some sang in low, grooming
tone, and others, in spite of the incesSant
rush of the shells, doZed in the full glare
OF the sun, and still others lay bumped
and erouched against the earthworks,
exclaiming bitterly when the projectles
tore mp the ramparts on the hill behind us.
But when the order came to fire they would
scramble to their knees with alacrity and
their eyes would brighten, and many CT
them would continue firing of their own
account, carefully, with intent, long after
the whistle had sounded to cease firing
Some Of the officers walked up and down
and directed the men in the trenches at
their feet with the cir of judges or time
keepers at an athletic meeting who were
observing a tug-of-war. Others exposed |
braggadocio, for they moved with a swaggCr |
and called upon the men to notice how |
brave they were Other officers rose only |
when IL was necessary to observe some |
fresh movement upon the part of the enemy, |
and they did this without the least haste |
and simply ar a Ialt of their work. and |
regarded the bullets that instantly beset |
them as little as though they were so many |
nies.
The Turks were now about 700 yards |
distant, behind bushes and impromptu |
earthworks, and III consequence what i'm |
pressed one most about the fighting was |
that there was nothing human in sight at |
which the men could shoot, and that after |
such an intolerable expenditure of car
tridges there should be no obvious result |
1t was impossible to waken the soldiers to |
any great degree of enthusiasm when they
could see nothing of the enemy but drifting
whiffs of white smoke or long black blot |
on the green prairie And il was not until |
l saw Turkish officer run forward over
hill with feZ on his head and with his |
sword waving in the air that the situation
became comprehensive. He at least was
a man, not a long, snakelike column twist |
Ing across the plain, and on account of him
the fight at once took on the humaninterest
it had lacked And a few moments later
the men seemed to show that the same point |
OF view had come to them A Turkish sol
der dragging mule loaded with ammuni-
tion had appeared a quarter ofa mile below
us, and at sight of him the soldiers at once
recognized thatthere was something tangi-