Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-04-14
se>0@S@'1'~e@'''''~'1'~01
I Taking the Flag in Corfu )
"A Hitherto Unrecorded Assault on
q Greek Fortress. (
AAs~>>S~~~~~>~-A~~~~~e~"-~"~~

raneGD, ana tilS IuUJOl, "AA 49,
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 we"
and changed the subject, which worked
very we'll 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. Ii is like murder, and
will out, so the best way to get oil
lightly is to turn states evidence and
ease up in the telling as much as pos
sible. Sot it was with these two otli-
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 "fzz."
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
nj the doctor and cleared his throat and
the doctor nodded affirmatively back to
the major. ;,
Corfu" sang cut Williams. Corfu
chorused 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
ard went TO Corfu strictly for the
nurpose of art, he to put on canvas the
Glorious tints of the mountains and the
bav. while my camera and I promised
ourselves no end of pleasure among the
groves and landscapes. At the outset
our trip came near being failure, as
two internal boatmen got into row
rs to which was to take us ashore, re-
smiling in a collision which spashed
nv camera thoroughly, while only a
lucky grab of the doctor saved his
Daint box on the bottom Of the sea.
arrived on the beach, we registered
m tbe hotel as plain Mr. Lewis and
DR.. Benson, of New York, and imme-
dia,elv 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
rant business in ST. Louis In The after
noon we strolled around picking up
choice bits here and there. and by din
ner time we had enlarged our circle OF
acouaintances through talking some
cxecrable French to young gentleman
from Ruda-Pesth. He was nice fell
low. and the chief charm about him
was that he had mighty pretty sister,
who sat near us at the dinner table.
Did You meet the sister, major|'
asked Williams.
You think I'm a chunp?" replied the
major.
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 a little cabaret 10 discuss
the wines of Corfu with Il 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
citadel the medicus had struck up a
friendship with a surgeon in the Greek
armv.. our party at the cabaret num-
bcred 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
nearly so, was as lively as any of us.
and a sport to his finger tips. In his
turn each member Of the party would
be host for the evening, and finally it
came around 10 the turn Of the Greek
doctor; his name is simply unpro.
nounceable, so to distinguish him ]
called him doctor while our mess
mate across the table answered to med
icus.'
THE Greek doctors supper was mag
nificent; he had the advantage of know
ing his ground, and there were tooth
some dishes and wines without end.
The doctor was too Jealous, however.
for lust as we were all getting warmed
NJ TO our work, he laid his head back on
MS chair and calmly slipped under the
| able. To see him home was the de-
cjsion Of a council of war, so we es-
corted him to the citadel, and support
ed on one side by the medicus, on the
other by the Hungarian, the doctor was
delivered over at the portals OF the
tort"
At this point the ships doctor COM
menced TO idget uneasily in his chair,
but it was hard to tell whether it was
because of what was coming or because
the wine boy was silently placing the
fat bottomed, long-stemmed glasses
around the table. But the major went
on:
"The moat around the fort is quite q
wide one, and while we were there, 1t
being Greek Easter, the bridge was
decorated with various Greek flags.
For some unknown reason it entered
the medicus' head TO capture one OF
these flags, and on imparting his idea
to the young Hungarian the latter i'm
proved on it by suggesting that the flag
pole be placed in the middle of the
plaza or esplanade, between the fort
and the St. George hotel, and where the
troops drilled every day. So these. two
started to break off the light tiagpole,
and as they were in the middle OF il
there came the sharp challenge OF the
sentry and the rattle of arms.
Discretion was the better part OF
Yalor. and without asking questions the