THE TURK AND HIS WAYS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 261, 21 October 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE TURK AND HIS WAYS.

MORE OF THE THRILLING JOURNALISTIC EXPERIENCES OF JOHN FOSTER FRASER.

(From “ Answers.”)

WHEN the Turks were engaged tn cutting the throats of Armenians to teach them that ( hristmns were dogs and deserving no better fate at the hands of the Mohammedans, 1 was at Mcrsina, in Asia Minor. On the plain outside the town weto considerable bodies of lurkish soldicrsa good-natured, easy-going, but dirty and unkempt crowd They were going to be moved on into Armenia, and 1 had reason to suspect what their puipose was. So when they were moved up country, I made it my business to accompany them. TURNED BACK.

It was not long, however, before I was made aware that my presence was not required. The Turkish officers were ewil anil courteous. The soldiers were told off to watch me, and never once was I allowed out of sight. Anyw*ay, I got as far as Adana, and there I was a=ked point-blank to return. Of course. I demurred*, but 1 was relucauitiy obliged to submit, and under a sort ol escort I was brought back to Mersina. Ten da vs bter the infamous massacre took place at Marash. when some seven hemlred Cb.ristmns were killed. I,liter on. bv wav of I rans-Caucasia. I got into Russia Armenia. Refugees fleeing from Turkish barbarities at \ an were pouring over the bordei , and seeking shelter in tho quaint old monaster'* of Etchmiadzin. which lies right within th*' shadow of Mount Ararat. I never saw such a miserable, limited-looking crowd. , Liter on. I went to Moiiastir. the very centre of the trouble, and made the acquaintance of a most interesting man, tho governor of the province, Hilmi Pasha, who subsequently became Prime Minister of Turkey'.

BULGARIANS v. GREEKS. I have seen killing in the streets of Warsaw and Baku during the Russian revolution, but 1 have never been ill <>i:ito so jumpv a place as Monastic. It lies jurt about half-nay between Bulgaria and Greece. The population apart tiom the Turkish soldiers, was of Bulgarians and Greeks. But Greeks, if thev belonged to the Bulgarian Church, were counted as Bulgarians by Bulgaria; whilst Bulgarians who belonged to tho Greek Church were reckoned as Greeks bv the Greeks, 'then both nationalities insisted that their own people were Greeks or Bulgarians, no matter to v.lmt Church they belonged.

Bands of Bulgarians were going into Bnbi'.iriaii villages, reckoned as Greek bee;iuse of religion, and, by methods quite as cruel as those adopted by the Turks, converted them to tho faith ol tlmir fathers. Ihe Greeks did the sairw thing with their people. \Mien tv.o converted bands of marauders, ostensibly pretending that they were there to gourd their co-reiigiuinsts from Moslem Fury, met, they fell upon one another, and there was sl'inghLei*. The Turks got bb.ined for a good deal of this, though they had nothing whatever to do with it " Turkish troops wore frequent 1 v sent to punish the disturbers of the peace. As the Turk is cine] and barbarous, he burnt houses, insulted women, and left scores oi bodies to fes,5 sjAY v, i-;; THE CONSUL. iC’ ni C'T.’. -.l’.’.’) me an escort of ; ...t An. for three weeks I w . fl v.-ih km, into the mountains, pnCn; i. .it, m. > the worst parts o: .’i>iI ::’tth.-ring what information 1 uiuiJ a!., i ".hat was going on in that region. The- soldiers were given not out of any pci-onal regard, but simply to prevent me from being captured by brigands and field for a considerable sum as ransom, which the Turkish authorities would probably have to pay. 1 reniember staying with the British Consul at Moiiastir; and one morning, after breakfast, we found lying outside tho door a parcel containing an car, v.-liicb was said to belong to a young fellow of Greek-British, parentage, who bad been captured. Of course, 1 knew c.f cases where the capture was what may be described as ” a plant.” That is, a, foreign Christian would allow himself or herself to be seized by alleged brigands, but really political partisans, and hidden in the mountains while a ransom was being squeezed out of the Turkish Government.

Now. on the hilltops, especially in the wild territory of Albania, we frequently saw bands of horsemen watching us. Had they liked, they could have easily overwhelmed cur little party. But, des pitothe absence of telegraph-wires, news travois quickly over the hills, and the bandsmen were well aware that a British journalist and his servant were travelling through the country. Indeed. I nursed the idea that, instead of the Turkish soldiers guarding me, I was really guarding them, because both 1 and my servant were wearing grey slouch hats, which was a better indication than a passport that we were not Mohaniincdans SURROUNDED BY THLI.SMEN.

There was one night when I thought ihero •wonid be trouble. We had be ei in the saddle for sixteen hours, traversing the most rnggeu country imaginable. We lit our fires, cooked our food, I'.i-d turn filed on the Hour ami went to sleep. Suddenly my servant wakened me, and in a whisp-.i I was • inform-, d that tbe place vias surrounded by hills-

Throrgh tl-.e narrow slits which served ns windows I was about to peer into t!,.? darkness; and tlrnre, sure enough, beyond the wall' the compound, where our horses weie, was a band of hillsm'"i i'h-'y obviously intended an attack. \Ve were al! right in ordinary ligli'ii'.g lint vik-it we were afra'd of was thi-.t s->nio of the attackers would got up to th? doorway with bund!-." of straw, ret lire to it and smoke or burn 11? out.

THE END OF \N ADVENTURE. It. wis vary dramatic, the manner in which the Turki h soldo--.: vm-y quietly got (heir guns, ami each took up a position at a window, and waited tor cv cntnalities. The hill-men. moving in a dark thremg. made cautious survey. We waited for them to come nearer fie_ foro -vfi.'ninir fire. 1 wr.s -]g 1,• 1 -

cd. lir-e."nsi' I anticipated we were in for a real adventure. But truth e-’inp mo t.» teli that when dawn came the liillsmen cleared off, and wo wer - nlilo to li'> down and bov,- more sleep—rest that was sorely needed. Living roughly, following wavs which were often nothing b’lt rude tracks over the mom,t-dns. frequenth drenched to the skin by storms, having lifle to eat, and often at night tno tired tn prena-e :• w’ oh'wm.n meal ■ constantly running

rate, sr.-ending a cnuj.ie of days in th.* v.-TC-tch* dm -w of fever, it may lie thought 1 v the hntne-iiving man that such a life no pleasures in it Yet. when once a life has boon tasted, the naturally healthy man gets to like it.