The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-04-04


lieutenant-colonel, commanding a mill
tary post on the Bosporus.
1t was to negotiate the lease of a
house belonging to a relative of this ole
soldier that called on him one day al
his official residence. The yellow guard
house where he lives looks out over the
blue stream toward Asia, whose vine
clad hills stretch away three or -four
miles toward STEAMBOAT before the point
OF Defterdar Bournou with its royal vii
las cuts off the vitw. As drew near
the guardhouse the sentry loungtng up
on his gun eyed me with suspicion,
brought his gun to a shoulder, as If
facing a crisis, and finally called out:
Corporal of the guard, bashi- bazouk
is coming!" One has to suffer surprises
in dealing with Turks, and this epithet
was surprise to one who imagines his
dress and general appearance less fam
tastic than that of the typical bashi-
bazouz. The corporal of the guard
slouched out of the door, his feet in
slippers, and addressed ME with the
| III sh" which is the soldiers hail to an
unknown party. what do you want?"
was his rather gruff inquiry.
rs Hafiz Bey here?''
WYATT there and I'll see"
The corporal of the guard disappeared
and shortly the weather beaten visage
of the Bey, who was in his shirt sleeves,
cautiously projected itself from behind
the doorpost to study the bashi-bazouk.
He is harmless; let him come" was his
verdict. Then, having thrown his uni
form coat loosely over his shoulders, he
came forward with a beaming smile on
his lips, to hold out his hand and greet
me like the dearest of his friends. Hafiz
Bey had but one eye, the penetrating
keenness of which made amends for its
lack of comrade His grizzled hair,
as the Turks say, had not been whit
ened in a flour mill" His thin Voltair-
ian lips, surprising in a Turk, suggest
ed that his adventures had not been
those of a soldier only, and supported
the impression produced by his manner
that in his nature there was the ground
plan Of a courtier. At the same time
certain childlike innocence which APP
peared on closer acquaintance implied
that, varied as had been his experiences
of the world, he had passed through
them without seeing all that might have
been seem,
The room to which the veteran led the
way was scantily furnished 1t contain
ed ittle> beside the inevitable divan
across the end opposite the door, the
low stand for writing materials, by
which the adjutant of the post was seat
ed on the floor composing his report,
and the FURNISHED copper brazler which
warmed the room. The corporal of the
guard silently offered us a coal from
the brazier to light our cigarettes while
we exchanged the piously sonorous sal
utations of Oriental etiquette. and in
response to his chiefs laconic order,
1.-TWO. sugared, : he brought us two cups
of black coffee on little brass tray and
then left the room. Our bushes was
soon arranged. Hafiz Bey had seen the
owner of the house that very morning,
and had told hi moi my offer of $3.50 |
But the man will not take penny less
than $275. You have only to accept and |
the thing is done" said the Bey. Il |
am not one of those rotten Turks who |
bargain and chatter to get half dollar
more. No God forbid that I should |
stoop to that" As he said this Hatiz
Bey let his eyeltd fall over his eye at
the same time Jerking his head back
ward two or three times and putting
his hands forth In an expressive gesture
of repulsion Of evil thoughts. II am
and fear God. I am also an
of the same stock as your
self. We are all of English blood and
believe in honesty-one word and one
price-as the rule of business" Later
an interview With the owner of the
house, at which Hafiz Bey did not as
sist revealed the circumstance that the
price of the house was really but $780,
and the Bey had asked $275, expecting
to pocket the difference. But this later
'evelation was not of nature to shake
he bland self complacency Of the Bey,
nor to diminish the pleasure which l
look in his acquaintance.
Feeling little FESTIVE under the cpl
.het of .'bashi- bazouk" applied to me
nan used it,
"Oh," said Hafz Bey, "our soldiers
ire from Anatolia, and have not learned
ooiteness They are good boys, but
lsed to living with oxen rather than
With men. Soldiers have chief rules,
discipline, everything in order. But peo
lie not in the army have no rope or
handle by which you can hold them, no
hief to rule them, and SO our boys call
hem bashi- bazouks-that is, people
Without a chief"
1.-THE bashi-bazouks in the army, then, |
re reckoned as civilians only?'
"They are not in the ARMY" said the
3ey holly. They are only in the ar
ny's way, curse them! We call them
olunteers, but they volunteer for eve
ything except fighting. They go to
var without pay for the sake of gaining
epute for piety, since war is worship.
We use them for scouting. They go on
aids, and find out for us the places
where there is no enemy. Then they
ONE back and tell of their great deeds,
5hich are like the deeds of the wolf
mong the sheep before the dog gets
here. They. do no plundering as they
o out, but when they come back they
trip the country of everything which
ill SELL from girl to a glue pot. OF
curse they are curse to enemy, and
hat is why we use them. But they
ill not fight; in battle we have to
rotect them as if they were women!"
Nevertheless Hafz Bey believes in
ar of the old school, with gun"
aid he. as we chatted OH tactics, "you I