PLAYFUL TURKS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 32, 13 January 1916, Page 6

PLAYFUL TURKS.

AMIABLE COMPLIMENTS. An Australian, in a letter to his sister, writes ; " 'Johnny Turk,' as the Ghurkas call him, got up to more of his jokes again recently by pushing up a shovel and waving it for us to have a shot. We put a couple into it. and down it went. Then, after a couple of minutes, a small parcel tied to a stick was shot over to lis, and it turned out to be some cigarettes and matches. Then Johnny waved a couple of little white flags, and also his hand, and as no one fired he ventured to put up his head. We waited to see what would happen, and in a minute another parcel came over, but it fell short of our trench, so they tried another one. This fell short, too, so Johnny put his head up again and pointed to us, and then to the parcel, a s much as to say 'Come and get them.' Up came a few more heads now. so some of the hoys got out, over the parapet and got the parcels. We began to send some over to them then, and they enjoyed the joke, some of them getting right out and picking up what we had thrown. "Well, in the backs of the packets they sent over they urote in French.. 'To our heroic enemies,' and another, 'To our brave enemies.' They also sent a note over, and in it they said, 'Austrolian K good, no enemy.' They also said they could not say how far it was to Constantinople, but we would • not get there this month. After half j an hour's fun they gave us the office to duck our heads and fight on, and they did so also". It appears they had an annual festival of some kind on, and were jnaking things a hit merry in the trench. At any rate, it shows what sports they are, and that they have a streak of fair play in them."