Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-08-10

az "a right ANGLE to one OF the British
trenches and bullets whiZzed past eve
cry instant Meanwhile some other
British battery had taken up the fire
and several shrapnel increased the
interest 0f The party which. never
thelesS. Kept close 90 q clay bank ana
continued ON It's way to the front.
More reserve troops were passed and
more -merhabas' We're heard. Every
where smiling faces and eyes grateful
Tor the recognition of salute.
The ride 20 the actual firing line
continued under a shrapnel and shell
fire which az times became rather
critically uncomfortable. Wounded
men were being met now. Most OF
them walked. few We're carried on
stretChers-al were Wen bandaged,
as an inspection established.
Here is another danger zone, said
the officer guide. and sped off. This
time the ground had TO be covered at
fun speed. Through low shrub and
across rocks he led the way When
the party halted i'm a dry river bed,
the trenches of the Turks had been
reached.
Good IIumOr Prevails.
In the shelter of a high emhank-
ment rested more Turkish soldiers.
Most of them were men on fatigue.
They had been making a portable
barbed- wire ENHANCEMENT known as
Spanish horse A few of the men
had come from the trenches for wat
err, others for the evening meal The
same good humor was met in their
case. though few of the men had
slept the previous nieht. owing 20 an
attack they had made ON the British
in front of them.
The correspondent was received by
captain and his sergeant, presiding
geniuses of machine gun section
Coffee was offered i'm little wooden
shack which the two inhabit The
attack on the previous night had been
severe, said the captain. The British
had thrown hand grenades but the
Turks had occupied part of the trench
and were still holding il.
II am against your going into the
trenches this afternoon continued
the captain The shrapnel fire Is
too severe. Come back tomorrow
Just before shutdown the party left
for another section of the Turkish
line The artillery fire on both sides
had become more severe; machine
guns began to be heard and the bull
/
clay bank nearby
zone of the oldest things we have
around here is the village of Kir-
thia," said the officer guide. The
allies have almost RACED it with shell
and fire and since then they have
tried innumerable times 10 take it by
assault Do you want TO go thereY'
To reach Kirthia one had TO ira
verse the broad ridge of a low hill,
swept bay the shells of the allied bat
teries
when we get 10 that bush over
there break into "A gallop, cautioned
the officer Ride for all you are
worth until you get into the COM
munication trench This advice was
followed. and the trench was reach
ed just i'm time to escape two shells,
compliments OF the ever-alert allied
gunners Their range was poor, but
"a marked Improvement was all too no
ticeable as an attempt was made to
survey the contested terrain from a
point from which it was visible IN its
entirety
Kirthia, once a flourishing Greek
settlement, presented melancholy
spectacle. The allied shells had
| wrecked every house and fire had
consumed most of the debris. A few
starved cats were its only denizens.
one of the streets of the place is still
swept by the rifle fire from a British
trench. The party advanced as far
las this street and then decided to re
turn, instead of visiting the Turkish
positions some 1000 yards south of
the last house.
Gauntlet of Shrapnel.
There was a surprise in store for
the party on the return Just be-
tore the danger zone was approached
the officer recommended that one
man at a time cross the summit at
fun gallop. The Interpreter, an
Arab, went first, the correspondent
was second the two riding about 800
yards apart Evidently the allied
gunners guessed that the men, who,
half an hour ago had raced down the
slope, would return that way, and
were ready one after another the
shrapnel shrieked over head or burst
close by, but shelter Was reached in
safety
"That was experience enough for
one afternoon" said General Weber
| that evening at dinner. 81 must con-
fess that the allied artillery is very
very diligent Just why they go to
the trouble of wasting shells on indi-
viduals, don't know. No doubt
they have plenty OF them
During dinner, General Weber went
over the major features of the cam
paign of the allies against the bar
daneles. His praise of the Turkish
soldiers was unstinted.
"They are probably the most fru-
| cal of men" he said and uncom-
planning 10 a fault ! am beginning
/ to understand the military successes
of the Osmanli when they first came
to Europe. The Turkish soldier Is
satisfied with piece of dry bread
and q little water when he cant get
/ anything else. He is remarkably
immune from disease, Injured to
| hardship and almost shock-proof. He
! has nerves. of course, but ] am sure
they do not bother him. His indit-
ference to the possibility Of dying any
| instant is due, | believe. to his fer
vent adherence to his religion. The
Mohammedan, generally, is very pious
and to him life hereafter is much
more Of q reality thgn TO most others
! To be as sure Of eternal bliss as the
average Turkish soldier is, makes dy-
/ ing easy"
The Turkish soldier prefers bayo-
net work to rifle fire, because in this
manner he gets at his antagonist
thought Weber Pacha There is an
exhilaration to man-to-man fighting