The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-29
MARVELLOUS TALES OF WAR IN TR|POL| Hairbreadth Escapes Read Almost Like Fiction BOMBS PLAY ANTICS One Explodes in Tent Beside Sleep ing Child, But the Little One
 Gets Away Without
 Injury

From the London Standard
 ''In the first bomhardment of the 'tuth' ish camp by the big guns of the Italian navy shell fell into Bedoun's tent and there ourst. Luckily the inmates of the tent were mostly out in the open; the man was fighting in the ranks and the women were busy washing some 20 paces away. But the only child, pretty little baby a few weeks old, was sleeping peacefully in it's cradle, a round basket of plaited cane.
 Anyone who knows the destruction wrought by a large shell will have no doubts as to the fate of tho tent and It's small inhabi.ant. The stuff composing the tent was mostly burnt. and the rest of it was torn into minute fragments and in company with the furniture. also broken into atoms, was whirled far away and scattered over large area. On the site once occupied by the tent was now to be seen only a deep hole and round 1t heap of earth burnt black by the ex- plosion. Thrse or four steps from this hole lay the overturned cradle, and from beneath 1t came loud walings from tho Bedouins little girl. who was quite safe and sound. Swept out of the tent by the rush of air. she had been protected oy the basket from the flying splinters.
 "The shells seem to have a vein of humor They seldom live up to their gruesome reputation and often their only effect is to terrfy people out of their wits. In the first days of the last bonn bardment an Arab family gathered round the cooking pot were amusing themselves with small wltticisms over the detona- tions. One of the shells flying around must have heard their insulting remarks, for it suddenly plunged plump with roar into the middle of the party. sent them all flying head over heels, hurled some handfuls of sand fin their faces, an1 sent the cooking pot in highly dismem- bered condition flying away on the blast. When the party collected their sense they found the site of their pleasant dinner now occupied by a black smudge, and so the mockers had that day at any rate to go dinnerless and suffer the bangs ot hunger. unless the excitement had robbed them of appetite.
 Another time I was sitting under a thorn bush, drinking tea with colleague. Suddenly a shrapnel burst above our heads. My colleague sprang to his feet to sec If he could see where 1t came from At the same moment the base of the she'll some six or seven pounds fin weight, buried itself at the exact spot on which
 
 flying at my head
 "A strange piece of mingled good and bad luck fell to the lot of a Turkish of- flcer on the last day of tie cannonade There had been pause of several hours In the firing. and the officer had seized the opportunity to have q midday siesta from which he was rudely awakened by the first shot of the second chapter of the bombardment. The shell plunged right into his tent, tore 1t to pieces and scattered the fragments far and wide He told mo afterward that tho fiery heat of the explosion gave him feeling as if his legs had been torn of or burnt. Some time elapsed before he had sufficiently recovered himself to sec whether he could still move his legs.
 "The experiment succeeded beyond his widest hopes, and then he crept me- chanically out of the chaos of debris round him and stood up on his feet. Then at last it daUned upon him that he had passed almost scathless through the or deal The only injury was to the drum of one ear. but he will not lose his hear ing. Two days after his adventure he showed me the trousers and shirt which he was wearing at the time. The trous- CTS were cut to shreds and as black as coal: most of the shirt was burnt. of his handkerchief only a blackened frag- ment remained. His box was smashed to smithereens. and the clothes in 1t re- duced to the condition of sieves and ba1- ly scorched pair of new boots were found 50 yards away with all their uppers gone Near them lay all that had sur-