The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-03

NE meagre insignificant hall
u page Of the Graphic. and that
81 IA on the last leaf facing the adj
II n vertising columns. was grudg-
ingly spared mo by the famous
promoter and editor Of that IL
Illustrated weekly, the late w.
L. Thomas, for one Of my supreme efforts,
q sketch Of as picturesque battle as any
special artist would wish to see. The
editor, however, from journalistic point
OF view, was quite right. Some incident
of deeper interest nearer home-a steam
boat accident on the Thames or q railway
smash-occupted public attention at the
time In England, and the paper in ques-
ton was full up with the subject. The
Servo Turkish war. which had crowded it's
pages with Quadruple, double, and full
page illustrations for many weeks, was
now shut out by the tragedy nearer home,
and my sketches, which had cost me
week Of hardships, fraught with consider
able danger. were boiled down to
wretched, mean insignificant half-page
block. It made mo absolutely Ill with dis
gust when, on eagerly scanning the num-
Der Of tho Graphic in question. I d1scov-
cred that all my energy, fasting, and
nervous strain had come to this miserable
result. And, even then, the draughtsman
who reduced my sketch on wood for the
engraver-for there were few photo-blocks
In those days-was 50 uncertain whether
my rough drawing represented wet or fine
weather that he boldly split the difference
by making one side Of the picture raining
cats and dogs while the other was sunny
and dry!
The incident I write Of occurred in the
early autumn of 1876. The Servlan army,
tho very roughly mauled by the enemy in
the Morava Valley and. in fact, pretty
nearly everywhere else along her frontiers,
was still on the aggressive, and quite
ready to go into winter quarters II the
Turks still pressed them. It was a ques
ton with Serv1a Of holding out and dis
turbing the peace until the European po-
licemen came in to restore order, and
when the sight period arrived she knew
would arbitrate to her advantage against
the hated and down-at-heel Moslem pow
err.
It was the end Of a glor1ously hne and
dry summer. The first chill winds of au-
tumn swept over the valley, and high
rain clouds hung over the mountains,
threatening torrential downpours. Cam
pa1gning in sunshine and genial weather
IS to me a more or less perpetual picnic,
with a spice Of adventure thrown in; but
keen winds and rain every day make the
warpath slippery and less fascinating.
It was a gloomy, moist afternoon when
my friend Forbes came back from his
visit to General Tchernaieff's headQuar
tiers and broke my s1esta in our little
dugout matched with reeds on the banks
Of the gentle Morava.
''Villiers," said he, there's something
In the wind to-day which portends more
rain. We going to have fight, and
big one, too. The Serbs are about to
try to retake Zaitchar, and my friend
Dochtourof Is going to boss the show
We have both leave to join him, 80 hurry
up, get into your boots and come along"
Zaitchar had been a bone of contention
between the Turk and the Serb for some
time, having been captured by the former
early In the campaign I rem ember read
ing the late G. A. Henty's description OF
that fight In the Standard, the last letter
he wrote, I believe, war correspond
ent before he took to delighting the souls
of the youth of the English speaking world
with his books of daring adventure.
General Dochtouroff, the Russian office,
whom Forbes and I accompanied, was
tall, thin man with a pale, almost cadav
erous face, and a black, fluffy beard. Keel
dark eyes, with gentle, kind expression
looked at you from over a. rather long
prominent nose. He rode a black pony
Unlike the famous General Skobelen tn
younger, who always went into battle OF
a white charger. Dochtouroff would,
possible, never bestride any animal bu
a black one. Some said this was owinl
to an old soothsayer telling him, whel
quite young, that he would never be kille
a horse Of the ''good-luck' hue Curl
ously enough, the only time the genera
was wounded was when he was riding
horse Of another color.