They Came From A Natural Trench,
Formed By The Dried-Up Bed Of A Stream Which Lay Just Below The Hill
On Which The First Greek Trench Was Situated.
There were bushes
growing on the bank of the stream nearest to the Greek lines, and
these hid the men who occupied it.
Throughout the day there had been
an irritating fire from this trench from what appeared to be not more
than a dozen rifles, but we could see that it was fed from time to
time with many boxes of ammunition, which were carried to it on the
backs of mules from the Turkish position a half mile farther to the
rear. Bass and a corporal took a great aversion to this little group
of Turks, not because there were too many of them to be disregarded,
but because they were so near; and Bass kept the corporal's services
engaged in firing into it, and in discouraging the ammunition mules
when they were being driven in that direction. Our corporal was a
sharp-shooter, and, accordingly, felt his superiority to his
comrades; and he had that cheerful contempt for his officers that all
true Greek soldiers enjoy; and so he never joined in the volley-
firing, but kept his ammunition exclusively for the dozen men behind
the bushes and for the mules. He waged, as it were, a little battle
on his own account. The other men rose as commanded and fired
regular volleys, and sank back again, but he fixed his sights to suit
his own idea of the range, and he rose when he was ready to do so,
and fired whenever he thought best.
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