A GRIM EXPERIENCE

Wairarapa Age, 2 January 1913, Page 3

A GRIM EXPERIENCE

General Martinoviteh, in awo-rding facilitus i'or myself and thro<> other Britisii correspondents to witness U>« i bombardment of Tarn bosh, (rpportf til? Central News war correspondent at Antivari) i promised that wo .should go ri'.rht into the Hoes of action. H# was even better than 'his word, fori . '.spent- two hours under firo in a Montenegrin battery. A?< wo wont along the track to the {runs the first Turkish shell eamo wreaming overhead. The two officers who were escorting us ■.;:■■:]r v ed ns to lie down. At the time of our arrival a lively bombardment was proceeding. The battery war' made up of Gin. .howitzers and 5n\ siege otitis, and was well hidden. The "-miners -wo.ro working the. puts smartly and" with great cheerfulness. rttlv lV'-eding tlr- vp!;:v':c;i of blood a.roiiTul them, which told of yo.ster- • '■T-' ■ casualties. The surroravding '•■M-t!i was nitted' by the explosion. oF the enemy's projectiles souic of the ]i')lr.s toni by the bursting shell's being Oft. de-p. Near one of the guns Ta.y a blood-stained .'-hell-carrier, which, with, its deadly load. w;vg yesterday on the point of being lifted to the gun breech, when Turkish shrapnel slew j one Aknvtenegrin. artilleryman and ' •'■■oonded another. Within 10 i«>conds ,' the vow shell, ensanguined as it wnf, J '■•iTsh.-vl jnt.n the Tarabosh forts, and' [ <-<v.i"-'\'uic:> bavin"- been dene, the gun- | n'vs vniiov-l their dead and wounded ] r—wp-Vs. It 'hard to ■realise on j this nlensant hillton, bathed'in golden ' .sunshine, that, such errim work was ■ ffoing on, Tt was hard to ibolievo I to the canmnanding j officer's hnlf-lauishiug request to seek i ore- misrM- m»?in n shittering death' ; f-om the unseen thii'ir which' screamed 1i i....„ 1 .,, r -] l +l i )f , ~,,. jtljovo us—that even j .shelter might -not avail' against the , •miidi'tv power of it" explosion. The I Turkish aim was always good, and ! T»-arlv cs accurate as that of the Moil- ' ; t-niegrin gunners, who seemed able to : pitch their missile?' just where th°y j choose. Th" Turks 'woke up in the afternoon, and for a couple of hours Muritzan was subjected to a soarch<ing fire. The Montenegrin gunners were undaunted, mid ?<ent hack shot for shot, -until the ai"- seemed alive with slriekiiv/ proieotiles. yot be- j neath aralw-di a Turkish hamlet an- ; peinred +o he slumbering and behind it the Adriatic shone like j molten silver. ]