Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-11-04
CHAPTER XII.
before the battle.

Before the Battle.
It was at Koprena that Vaughan was
destined to learn his first lesson in the
art Of war, the Importance of COM
missairiat. All around them when
they landed, they found stacks of mill
tary stores, all of which were to be car
ried to Arta, but there was no railway,
and the number OF vehicles and horses
at the disposal of the military author
tiles was quite inadequate to do the
work required. With some unwisdom
the English volunteers had brought
their luggage from Athens, and they
thus found themselves pinned by the
foot and unable to move forward.
It was not till the afternoon of the
day after their arrival that they OBJ
tanned carriage to carry them over
The ten miles which lay between them
and the headquarters of the army.
AT first it did not seem as if even
food were to be obtained at the little,
port, which consisted practically of a
few block houses with neither shops.
nor dwellings
They slept on board the steamer and
managed to secure a few eggs to eat.
The two or three soldiers in charge of
the place showed them every cordial
ity. and one man, finding how short
they were of provisions, came ZIP to
them in great triumph, carrying a
huge goose's egg, which was boiled on
the spot and furnished substantial
meal
Among the other passengers on the
steamer who were also waiting for the
means of conveyance to Arta, was
government telegraphist sent to the,
front with a special view to the war
correspondents of the English papers.
He knew little English, but unfor-
tunately he appeared to be somewhat
deficient in intellect and Vaughan
could not help surmising that the tel
egrams which passed through his hands
would be the cause Of considerable diff
fculty to the sub-editors of the news
papers to which they were addressed.
Communication between the part and
Aria was carried on by means of the
Photograph, and the winking poin. o.
light on the distant hill recalled to the
Major his former campaigns in India.
He explained the system by which
the messages were transmitted with
great accuracy, but when it came to
dispatching a message by the aelio-
graph to Aria to demand conveyance
a difficulty arose.
However, finally a clumsy vehicle
did come into sight late in the after
noon, the four volunteers squeezed
themselves into it, and about seven
o'clock they found themselves at last
In the streets of the town of Aria.
Aria, like Patras, appeared to be rath
er a medieval than classic town.
j mere were no IGIululSCACSS VI LIE Dllcl
reign of Pyrrhus, whose capital had
once occupied that very site. But
there were many evidences of the Ven
etian occupation, including an old stone
fortress, which crowned the brow of
he hill, Immediately behind the town.
Aria was situated at the extreme
point of sort OF promontory, formed
by the winding of the river Aracthos,
which emptied itself into the Gulf of
Aria. ten miles below. The river
formed a loop. and all inside the loop
was Greek territory, while beyond lay
the dominions of the Sultan. The river
was crossed by a quaint stone bridge
attributed to some Roman Emperor,
but bearing very little resemblance to
the stately works of Trojan or a
Hadrian.
1t consisted of two arches, one low
on the Greek side, and another much
higher on the Turkish, so that it some
what reminded Vaughan of switch
back railway. The Greek forces, I'M