World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, English; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, Turkish
After several miles of up and down going, we reached the first river we
had to cross. Along each side were irrigated maize-fields, but,
fortunately, we managed to get through these and over the stream without
coming to any houses or dogs, although there were villages and farms
quite close. Another ascent met us on the further side and we plodded
slowly on. The country was mostly open pasture and plough-land and there
were few trees except those beside the streams in the valleys.
Eventually, we got to the top of the ridge and a little later found
ourselves overlooking another deep valley with a stream running a
thousand feet below us. After a steep scramble down, we reached the
water and called a halt. A tin of tongue presented by some one at the
last minute was opened and eagerly consumed. It was now about 3 a.m. and
we had not much more than another hour and a half to two hours before
daylight, when we had to be safely under cover. On leaving the stream,
we found we were not far from a hamlet, and roused the attentions of
another dog. However, we plodded on once more. We could now see woods in
the distance but, before reaching them, had some difficult country to
cross. Tip and K. were feeling very done up and, as there were signs of
dawn and other dogs taking up the hue and cry, we began to feel a bit
anxious. These dogs seemed to be approaching from a village; but we just
managed to get away from them, although it seemed that they must rouse
the whole countryside. During our next halt of a few minutes, we heard
a cart coming along from the village, and, evidently, the peasants were
already starting on the toil of another long harvest day, even though it
was only just beginning to get light. Sweet and I had gone on, and on
looking back could see no signs of the others. We went back a little way
and luckily found them. We had just scrambled up a steep hill and were
all fairly well done up. A little further took us to a pine wood, where
we decided to lie up for the day. We lay just inside while the cart we
had heard approached and passed on up the track we had just left. Then
we turned and went into the wood, only to find, however, that sheep
tracks ran everywhere and that the wood itself only extended two hundred
yards to the top of the ridge where there were open fields--also, what
was worse still, no part of the wood was really thick or offered good
cover. Still, now it was too late to go on even if we had had the
energy, and the only thing to do was to stay and make the best of it and
trust to luck. We looked to each side, but the sheep-tracks were almost
as thick in all directions. This meant that at any time, but
particularly in the evening, we might expect a flock to come along and
that would also mean a man or a boy and a dog.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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