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Show If. J r . . Ifo $7r& cF? t JJPv - " iron ;, V , :; --1, -r -2 . - . 1 f : i '). " 3 1 : , L.T-- j; : British Sailors Find. I Food for Blockaders in I -; Great Herds t' ; of Cattle that Are i 'if Seized Around f : " Saloniki Despite Greeks' Protest. I I HB business of foraging for 3 food In war time Is ordl- i ""i I narlly supposed to bo part of ' . ' I a soldier's work, to bo tho , I necessary duties of land 3 i- i . ; I forces advancing into a new fl ' II country, and obliged, bc- , : ! . J ' cause of the difficulties of Ay' 4 obtaining provisions, to help .! tj- xj themselves to tho provender I ' , of tho country In which they are operating. But to think of naval forces as engaged in tho ' . J , uamo sort of work Is not only highly unusual, t but rarely ever done. , . This curious anomaly, however, has come out 1 1 of the present great war. Tho British fleet ,s- ": which has been blockading tho Aegean waters j 'J ' has done Just this very thing. Far from Its ' i L . bases, tho fleet has been obliged to Uvo off tho ; i , country. And tho Grcoks, neutrals, are suffer- tr-,;-Tl ;. lng lor it. & ' Around Saloniki cattlo raising 13 one of the i ! extensive occupations of tho Greek land owners. , : And It has been upon thc30 cattlo that the sailors of the fleet have been living for some t" , j tlmo past. Foraging expeditions havo been .' f'i A going ashore, and, coming upon a herd of llkely- j ' looking cattle, compelling tho owner to drlvo " ,' J thcr.i to the coast, whero they are slaughtered . ' and taken aboard tho shlp3, to bo quartered ' : ! ' and eaten In tho ships mess. As for payment ;' ; i' for tho cattle well, that may como later, and i ; , j 't again It may not. ,5- Quite natural It is that tho natives should r; ! resent such usurpation as another of the i i ) entente allies' offensive acts to Greek ncu- f- trallty. The Government of Greece, however, . i ' ', Is not In a position to oppose these acts with I . sufficient force to gain anything by armed ' measures. Sut the people are not so calm, p. ' i They, Individually, have made tho work of tho K foraging expeditions not only unpleasant, but - . extremely hazardous. " v The resentment ot the Greeks has been grow- 5 lng with each now herd of cattle Helzcd. The '. sailors have been encountering a moro determined deter-mined opposition, and, In fact, have, In some ' cases, returned, not only without cattle, but without one or two members of tho party. ; , The country Is just tho kind to afford tho '' native ample opportunity to Imperil tho foragers " ( and to niako their incursions fraught with " potential danger. Many accounts of the resistance resist-ance of tho natives have been told, but the experience- of Bobert Alexander Carter of, tho royal navy Is probably as CI030 a call as any single-handed fighter in the foraging expedition has had. Attacked treacherously in the night by tho man whose roof was sholtlng him, he escaped death only by tho quickness of hls hand and mind, and returned to his frlcnd3 with his arm hopelessly shattered. The foraging expeditions had twlco gono ashore, and each tlmo had found no cattle. The natives wero bland, very bland. They did not know where thero were any cattle; the English had taken them all, tho Greeks explained. ex-plained. But the sailors were not to bo deceived de-ceived by the subtleties of tho land folk. In tho obviously feigned ignorance of tho natives tho British caught the hidden challenge. How to take up that challengo was a problem of somo difficulty. Carter was selected for the effort. A young fellow, only 20 years of age, ho had a various experience In life. He was a good shot, a good fencer, could rldo well and was generally the type of man, a sort of cosmopolitan, upon whom dependence could -be placed "for such an enterprise. Carter left Saloniki and started for the army by a route which had not been before traveled" by the British forces. It was a longer route and not so easy to use. This courso would bring Carter through a new country and give him ample opportunity to survey a section of Northern Greece heretofore unfamiliar to tho British. If any cattlo wore there, certainly they would have boon driven into this unfrequented unfre-quented section of the country to secure them against English foraging. He rodo for two days on his rcconnolterlni; expedition, without seeing any of tho signs that he had been sont to find. An occasional peasant's home along tho way and a few of tho peasants working In tne ceia were mo omy manlfestatlcjis ho found th.it tho country was Inhabited. Tho first night ho ate and Blept with one ot the natives. Tho people of tho country Fcomod not ao bitter against tho army as thoy worn towards tho men of tho navy. Tho army had been supplied largely with tho things It needed, and' besides was so far away that It could hardly affect the people along Carter's journoy. "With tho navy It was different. Tlmo and again tho sailors had como a day or two days', distance dis-tance and scoured the land of Its cattle. Carter's second night was passed In the same manner that tho first ono went. Continuing on his way tho third morning, ho saw what seemed to him from the distance ho was riding to be a herd of cattle. They wero oft far from tho road, and he was obliged to cut Into tho country In order to get near enough to do the work of hlo mission. It was Bhortly past noon beforo he finally came upon tho cattle. He mado a few notes of tho route ho, took across country, and wa3 estimating the number of tho herd when ho suddenly became aware that ho was being watched by two of tho natives. Feigning Indifference, In-difference, ho started off on a long try for tho road ho had left somo time beforo. Tho Greeks, howovcr, dotourcd behind a small hill, and, when he had almost attained tho road again, presented themselves beforo him. There were only two of them, apparently father and son, as tho lieutenant Judged from tho differences differ-ences la their ages. The son, for so he later "Carter sprang at the Greek." 1 ' .. ..... . .... . t t v,,t tho shnrl learned the relation of the two, was a suuen youth of about twenty-five years, "well armed and tho picture of desperate hostility. Quito tho opposite va3 tho older man. Armed, too, ho nevertheless possessed a crafty air that was all friendliness, and, Carter noted, exceptionally exception-ally cunning. Tho Englishman nodded to tho two In a friendly a tone as ho could, and, to his surprise, tho older of tho two men answered In rather good English. Carter told tho father of his assumed mission, explaining his presence In the field with tho casual statement that ho had taken what seemed to him a short course, Tho man was very friendly, offering to show him a way by which ho could savowmanjr ... - - t nours ol nis journey, no cut could not be made In tho remaining hours of the day. and volunteered tho hospitality of his home, which, he said, was on tho way, for the night. . , The three act out In tho direction tho father Picked. Carter and tho older man rodo ahead, talking with a great deal ot interest. followed the son, nover having lost his sullen expression. Tho father. Carter learned, had been to America for some length of time and was keenly interested In the war. ( "You English have not considered us much, the Greek said, "but wo. or at least myself, feel that It be best for our land If you win. Carter liked tho man's friendliness, but could ' - not overcomo his hidden, almost premonltional, feeling that the old fellow was only covering his cunning with apparent warmth for the English. Eng-lish. Consequently? tho sailor remained on guard, although the two hours' rldo almost served to remove his fears. Toward sunset the party drew near a secluded llttlo cottage among the rocks and trees. They dismounted, tho boy led the horses around to the rear, and to tho old woman at tho door tho Greek spoke In his native tongue, and soon she was bustling over tho evening meal with an eagerness which further disarmed Carter's suspicions. sus-picions. The three ate the meal. Carter and the lord of the houehold carrying on a conversation conver-sation about tho war and America, while the son and tho mother talked earnestly, and, much to Carter's uneasiness, in the language, which was, of courso. utterly unintelligible to tho Englishman. Occasionally "the father would be addressed and he would reply shortly and go on with his talk with Carter. Thero wero only three rooms in the cottago, two besides the room In which the eating and cooking was done. Ono of the rooms was used by tho parents, tho other by the son. Carter was given the son's room. Upon preparing for the night, as a precaution, Carter, when alone, changed the bed to the other side of tho room and placed the rude chair bofore the room's only door, so that anyone entering would, If unaware that the chair was there, stumble over It and awaken tho sleeper. Carter placed his revolver hanay and dropped off to sleep in his uniform. Tho bed could hardly bo dignified by the term. 1 was only a groat bag, filled with straw and dropped down on the floor. However, It was not Cartor's first experience with sleeping quarters unliko those of his Sussex' home. Tho serenity of night soon settled down; the nearly spent moon of late In me month arose after midnight. Cartor slept on. The door of tho room opened slowly, cautiously. Two figures fig-ures entered tho sleeping man's chamber, approaching ap-proaching foot by foot Inch by inch. Suddenly tho first one pushed against tho chair, wh'ch fell over with u crash. Silence ensuco. But the noise had served its purpose. For a minute Carter lay awake without moving mov-ing or making a sound. Neither did any sound como from the other two beings, whom Carter knew to be crouched behind tho overturned chair. Then the lieutenant again sensed tho movements of tho two figures. Slowly they crept over tho floor whero the son's bed should fee. The room was nlmost dark. Except for a lit .e shaft of moonlight, It would have been absolutely so. From tho far sldo of the room Carter could Just discern tho two crouching figures. Suddenly tho two Intruders gave a lungo at the placo whero Carter should have been sleeping sleep-ing and planted their knives deep into the floor as they had Intended to plant them In the sleeping sleep-ing man. From the floor across the room, Carter's revolver re-volver flashed out twice. There was a scream and fi hf.lVV boilv full nrnlnir fV mn' nntii-nlv alert Englishman. But with the body's fall tho gun had been Knocked from Carter's hand. In the dark u knv It would be Impossible to recover his weapon. He must rely then on thp long lenifo ho earned.' Fomouhero In the room he know there was another man, a mortal enemy, a'so armed w.lh a knife. Neither emiWJ make out the form of he other. Soth ircu"hcd, walling to spr'nf.. Then tho Idon '" - ' Carter which saveJ his life. He kiuw he wua near the ovcrturmul chair, teaching around cautiously, h found It. anil, seizing it. no threw It Into the light which penetrated f.-.intly through '.he window-Quick window-Quick as n lla.h ithc Greek started, and,, a!- f though It was too late, tried to drop back again , out of the faint ray. Cartor had found him J and sprang unerringly upon him. J Tho two ni' 4i a death strugple. ,i Keforo Carter could catch the knife arm of his j assailant, tho Greek had Inflicted a gash tbe l lengtn of Carter s arm. They closed together, f each vith a grip upen the other's knife, each L llghtlng to freo his arm that ho might strife I with his own knife. Back and forth they swayed before the window and Its little streai of light. For what seemed an intermlnai:i length of tlmo they held one another, eaca t impotent to harm his opponent. Carter realized tho futility of such an exhausting ex-hausting and desperate struggle. He saw that a quick termination must come If ho ever ex- pected to escape. The women he supposed had gono to summon others of tho tribe at the . sound of tho shots. In this he was right Evea y then the kinsmen of his enemy wero coming. Carter had been accredited as the best wres i tier of his class at tho naval training school, and It suddenly occured to him to utilize some ' of his tricks In the terrible combat he was en- gaged In. Without loosening his hold on his i opponent and without freeing himself from the I grasp of tho Greek ho slid out his foot until h he had It in the precise position. A sudden push and tho natlvo lost his balance. Til S moment ho relaxed Carter was free, and through p the window to the open field. He ran Immediately for the horses, but Just -as he was about to spring Into the saddlo ot his mount he heard tho galloping tribesmen coming out of tho distance. To leap qn the horso and try to ride away would have b?ea fataL Besides, Carter knew bo was not well W enough acquainted with tho land for that. And F to wait there would have been equally hazard- l ous. Loading out his horse, he lashed tho anlmd unmercifully until It leaped away at a gallo?- I Dropping behind a bush, ho saw the m3n t i had been grappling with emerge from the t, window, knlfo in hand. Upon hearing tho bfat L of Carter's horse, tho Greek leaped upon h-J own, and, with a shout to tho approaches I ; horsemen, started In hot pursuit. C ' The others galloped up and on after t-J young Grcok and his supposed quarry. Cart' did not know that one of them had dismount and gone Into tho house. From his seclusion was too far to obsorvo that. When the efam lng of the galloping horses had receded into ts i dlaUnco Carter ventured forth. Thero still left ono .horse, ho thought. His own f had drlvon away. The young Greok had f"1" lowed tho riderless horse upon his own ati ' And the father's mount Bhould still rero, fc' This horso Carter found, but he vras trouble i to note that another was there, too. 1" Dismissing the worry engendered by tho ne t. discovery, he mounted his victim's win' . I animal and turned full speed In tho direction 0 tho encamped army opposite the way In W"1 6 tho pursuit had gone after his lone horse. I Then It was that ho learned what the eJ'j , E. horse rn,cart, for In a moment ho heard pursuing beat of the othor mount, tho hor" which belonged to the Grook who hnd dls" R mounted and entered the house. . u However, Carter's danger was not enL. Q "When the Greek saw ho was being outu tanced ho began to llro after the fleeing alia ej 1 With a coincidence stranger than fiction, one . the half dozen shots took cffetl-ln 'r 1 I which had been slashed by the Greek's W ' R Dizzy and weak, Cartor cqntinuod. -Nlor" . I; broke, and Cartel- still pushed, on over the A. (Ionian plains. An hour -uer an oufo:.i 11 . jfl army stoppud a das'.iln horse witi) a j V soious man clinging over the animal's neck |
