St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-05-07
! Taking the Flag in Corfu.
A Hitherto Unrecorded Assault on
. Greek Fortress.

"
. Greek Fortress.
4>~>~>~>>~>~>
IT WAS little bit queer that ''med
icus' and the ma jor" had returned
aboard ship two days before their leave
had expired. Such things are not the
custom in the navy, and it set Tommy
Williams to thinking. Tommy was the
most inveterate leg-puller in the mess
and on this occasion he determined to
get at the bottom of matters, have
whole months of fun for himself and
incidentally make the major and the
medicus set up champagne to the mess.
The ship was cruising in the Mediter-
ranean, and the major, who was the
marine officer, and the medicus, who
was the doctor, had obtained two
weeks leave and spent it, or rather all
except the two days, in the lovely little
island of Corfu, the largest of the
Ionia group. When asked if they
had a good time they answered yes
and changed the subject, which worked
very well at first, but later it was the
signal for both to dive below when the
word Corfu was mentioned.
Aboard ship no one is secure from a
Joke on himself. 1t is like murder, and
will out, so the best way to get off
lightly is to turn states evidence and
ease up in the telling as much as pos
sible. Sot it was with these two Off
GERS; it was no fun to be continually
diving below hatchways, besides. the
industrious Williams had received sew
eral answers to his letters to Corfu.
and the caterer at the wine mess had
announced the arrival of new and
expensive brand of "fizz."
The dinner was over one Saturday
night-the night for yarn spinning
and as the dinner was good and the mess
looked kindly spirited. the major looked
at the doctor and cleared his throat and
the doctor nodded affirmatively back to
the major.
Corfu" sang out Williams. Corfu"
choruscd the mess, and Corfu" weak
IL replied the major, as he gulped down
his coffee and prepared himself for the
ordeal.
AS you fellows know, the medicus
and / went to Corfu strictly for the
purpose of art, he to put on canvas the
glorious tints of the mountains and the
bay. while my camera and I promised
ourselves no end of pleasure among the
groves and landscapes. At the outset
our trip came near being a failure, as
two Internal boatmen got into 4 row
as to which was to take us ashore. re-
sulting in collision which splashed
my camera thoroughly, while only
lucky grab of the doctor saved his
paint box on the bottom of the sea.
arrived on the beach, we registered
ut the hotel as plain Mr.. Lewis and
DR. Benson. of New York. and imme-
dia.ely hurt the proprietor's feelings
because he thought that the United
States was such a small place that we
surely ought to know his friend, Mr.. |
Mavrochephalo, who carried on a cur
noon we strolled around picking up
choice bits here and there, and by din
ner time we had enlarged our circle of
through talking some
eNecrable French to young gentleman
from Buda-Pesth. He was nice fell
low, and the chief charm about him
was that he had a mighty pretty sister,
who sat near us at the dinner table,.
did you meet the sister, ma jor?"
asked Williams.
'.You think I'm chump?" replied the
ma jor.
well, after dinner, we went to the
opera, and that over, we escorted the
young lady home, and the three of us
went out to little cabaret to discuss
The wines of Corfu with bit Of caviar.
This manner of passing the evening was
so pleasant that we thought we would
continue it, but as in going about the
.itadel the medicus had struck up
with surgeon in the Greek
army, our party at the cabaret num-
bered four on the second day. On the
third day we were still further in
creased by the arrival of retired cap
tain of Belgian cavalry, who, though
yearly so, was as lively as any of us.
and a sport to his finger tips. In his
urn each member Of the party would
be host for the evening. and finally it
.sme around to the turn of the Greek
ioctor: his name is simply unpro
so to distinguish him I
.alled him doctor while our mess
nate across the table answered to med
GUS
'sThe Greek doctors supper was mag
,ificent; he had the advantage of know
ng his ground, and there were tooth
ome dishes and wines without end
rhe doctor was too jealous, however,
or just as we were al getting warmed
,p to our work, he laid his head back on
lis chair and calmly slipped ',nder the .
able. To see him home was the de- ,
ision of council of war, so we es- |
orted him to the citadel, and support :
d on one side by the medicus, on the !
,ther by The Hungarian, the doctor was :
delivered over at the portals Of the /
ort-" IL
Al this point the ships doctor COM I
nenced to fdget uneasily in his chair. s
mi It was hard to tell whether it was d
,ecanse of what was coming or because /
lie wine boy was silently placing the i
long-stemmed glasses i
round the table. But the major went II
.:
seThe moat around the fort is quite a
vida one, and while we we're there, it