The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-06-18
ENGLISH AUTHORS ADVENTURES
WITH THE TURKS N TR|POLI
lThe Daily ChronIeIe. London

has been with the Turkish headquar-
tiers in the Tripolitan Hinterland
since December last, has reached
London. He left the Turks on March
IS, and after an adventurous journey
en- foot in the course of which he
was lost in the desert, was robbed
ly Arabs, and finally imprisoned By
an Arab garrison, reached London by
way of Tunis.
Speaking to Reuters representative
of his experiences, Mr.. Abbott said
81 have spent about four months
with the main Turkish and Arab |
forces in the desert round the town |
of Tripoli with a view to writing |
book on the war.
On London ! had been warned /
that the Arabs themselves would cut
my throat or that the Italians would
shoot me at sight if they caught me
Well, the Arabs, so far from cutting
my throat, as soon as they made sure
that | was not an Italian, treated me
as a friend, while the Italians never
had a chance of catching and shoot.
| ms me, for the very simple reason
that they dared not come out of their
trenches. The only real difficulties
[ encountered were those unavoid,
able in desert travel-long marches
on foot, on horse or on camel back,
ard, at the beginning, scarcity of
provisions.
"The English Red Cross arrived
most opportunely to assist the Turk
ish and German doctors already in
= the feld-for fever really proved a
much more formidable enemy than
S the Italian fire. Had the Italians fol
lowed up their occupation of the town
D Of Tripoli by a vigorous advance alone
B. the coast and into the interior
n have no doubt they would have beer
If able to possess themselves within |
e month, of all the territory as fal
= south as the Diehal Mountains. The
i Turks had lost their prestige amonl
e the natives by evacuating the capital
The Arab recruits had deserted then
, On masse.
"The Arab population was ready t,
submit to the invader without strik
ing a blow Indeed, in several places
like Azizia and Zanzur, which nov
are Turkish camps, they had hasten
cd to hoist the white flag.
G Missed Their Opportunity.
# For a few weeks the small it,
o. lophile party of influential natives il
k the town of Tripoli had it all thei
n, own way. No resistance seemed pc,
lie sible
tt Unfortunately for themselves, tn
in Italians missed the psychological mt
'r ment. AS is clear from their subs
ly quent behavior, they had come {
IL T.lpol prepared to annex and m
IT, to conquer, and they wasted thei
81 time in changing the status of tn
~ country on paper instead of occup,
ing it with garrsons.
- Their blunder gave the Turk
- ana the Arab patriots time to rail-
-, Fervid appeals were made to the POI
al ulation to rise in defence of the
If country and faith. The populatio
or responded with admirable spirit. TIL
ne white flags were hauled down, an
al the first contingents of Arab volu
ne teers began to arrive from the int
ch rior.
ly Then came the massacres at II
poll to fan the Arab spirit into Here
On flames. From that moment submit
ed sion became as impossible as rests
OIL ance had at first seemed to be. Fro
as that moment, too, the position of Il
ol Italians has been growing weake
lP and more volunteers-some on hors
Nv back, most on foot-are daily flockiI
kLp from the south to fight under Il
Sultan's flag, and week after wet
80 I saw these warriors, who at fir
,s had little besides bravery to quail
no them as soldiers, learning the TIL,
am ments of discipline and tactics al
ne. the use of modern rifles.
in. "The attitude of those men can
,ut summed up in one sentence, which
ak constantly on their lips We shall
dy on fighting as long as there is o
I'M drop of blood left in our veins. tn
am this is not an empty piece of rheto
'rk / am convinced by repeated person
experience. l have seen Arabs woul
ed two, three, four, or five times, a
each time, Immediately the wou
was healed, returning to fight aga