IN THE TURKISH CAMP.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2514, 26 January 1877, Page 3

IN THE TURKISH CAMP.

A correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph writes as follows from the headquarters of the Turkish army, at Nissa*, tinder date of 12th September t — I then proceeded to look at Huessin Pasha's men in the valley. A curiously composed force that. To say that there were.no tiona fidh Turks in it would perhaps be an ; exaggeration, for I think there were 150 Turkish .Cossacks and half a battalion of regular Osmanli infantry there. But the foot regimentg, of which there were two, close to the Morava stream, and within easy gun-! sshyV of AlexinatsS, ■ were certainly not Moslems. In uniform they were like their comrades of the line ; in drill and set-up they were, I fancied, a little superior to some battalions I had seen. They were, if anything, a little finer in point of stature, handsome sol* dierly men j and it was only when I came near their commander's tent, and saw unfolded the bright red banner, bearing alike the crescent and.the cross, that I learned I was amongst the Greek Christians of Constantinople who had enlisted to save the Porte from the designs of Moscow. I have read somewhere that not 500 were enlisted. Hero were 2500 as handsome volunteers as I ever saw in my life. " They , fight well, too," said a Turkish colonel. " I never saw the Serbs run away so fast before as when these Giaours came down that hill over there after them," he added. "You see that one," he continued, beckoning a fine light-haired, sharp-featured corporal to him; "he's a Jew. Yesterday we were going 1 over the hills, and we came across a party of Serbs. That fellow ran in and caught two of them, brought them in as prisoners, and is to be decorated for it. He's done equally good things before." Saying which he patted the young Hebrew on the back, while the soldier modestly smiled, made a salute then went away. " This is a good man, too," added the officer, calling upon another soldier. "He's a Pole, I believe; at any rate he fights like a lion." To my surprise the volunteer had no sooner saluted than he said, " I

beg your pardon, sir, but I have been in the English service ; I served in Abyssinia. My time being out, I came here; but the difference is that, whereas the English gave us plenty to eat and drink and regular pay, we here get scarcely enough to live upon, and no money. However, we want to teach these restless Serbs a lesson; so we don't mind much." And off he went to munch his hard biscuit and drink the particularly muddy water of the river. Buc these were only part of Hussein Pasha's happy family, the rest were the Circassians. Tales were told of personal adventure, the prospects of the war debated upon in rude fashion, and so the evening wore on. A fact for teetotalers : Not one of these men drank anything stronger than coffee ; and in this they followed the custom of all the Circassians in camp.