Gilpin observer., 1915-12-23
CRADLE OF THE WORLD IS
SCENE OF WARS WRATH

tion, smugglers and a years war have
brought wealth of arms and muni-
tions; without any cohesion or policy
they are neither for British nor Turk;
on the day OF battle they haunt the
outskirts of the fight, plunder the
wounded and stragglers impartially,
harass the retreat of the defeated side,
hoist white flags over their tents and
make professions of unswerving fidel-
ity to whoever seems to be in the
ascendant.
Before the occupation of Kut mat
ters were thus: astride the river stood
the Turks; on the left bank three
swamps were linked by chains of en-.
trenchments traced with every device
known to the science of the Teutonic
engineer; on the right bank the posi-
tion was continued with equal care
| and preparation, and so conforming it.
self In relation to the bends in the
river as to oblige an enemy endeavor-
ing to turn 1t from the landward side,
to make detour which could not be
compassed unobserved In the space
of one dark night. In this position
numerically superior. well armed,
plentifully supplied and supported by
a greater number of field guns than
those against them.
Seven miles i'll rear OF this prepared
position lay the town of Kut: midway
between Kut and the entrenchments
the river was spanned by pontoon
iOh of
ber % the striking force of the Brit
ish army in Mesopotomia lay six
miles from the Turkish entrench-
! ments. On the night of the 29th the
British were in occupation OF Kut with
above thousand prisoners. half the
enemys artillery, and considera ble
| quantity of ammunition in their hands.
while the Turkish army was putting
as large an available space between
itself and its enemy as the river, the
Arabs, the swamps and canals would
allow.
Amid the din and thunder of the
great war this achievement may pass
almost unnoticed. and yet such bat
tie fought across level plain in the
face of perfect entrenchments. mod.
ern artillery and machine guns. in an
unmapped country, with rumors of
large forces of hostile tribesmen
menacing communications. will. when
things come to be reasoned out and
proportioned. rank well enough in our
annals.
kut the day after its occupation was
as Kut OF the day before, yet with a
difference. the Turks had gone and
the British had come.
The British soldier and his brother,
the Sepoy. were in possession. Now
neither Briton nor Indian owe any
debt of gratitude to the Arab tribes
men who have plundered. wounded,
mutilated the dead. sniped, pilfered,
| spied and betrayed; there is no reason
| why our fighting men should distin.
| guish between the inhabitants OF the
towns and the encampments roughly
dress. language. habits and appear.
ance are one, and in war the soldier
has no time for nice chronological diff.
ferences and the historical influences.
No Justice or Right Doing.
The British o Indian soldier does
not know that since Ja'afer the Bar.
mecide was exc, ,uted by the despair.
ing Harun'al-Rashi no man south of
Bagdad has stood for justice and right
doing: that all has been wrong doins
from the age when Ma'amun fought
Amin for Bagdad, to the day when
Hulagu the monster pierced the
canals and annihilated by famine a
population OF 100000. and thence to
the committee of union and progress
and the concessionaires who have
thrived on intrigue and wicsedness in
these later days.