The Strand Magazine, Vol. 01, No. 06, June 1891: An Illustrated Monthly — John Shaqi
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 01, No. 06, June 1891: An Illustrated MonthlyVarious
General
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 01, No. 06, June 1891: An Illustrated Monthly
Various
English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
Those Parisian shadows suggest to me a strange shadow pantomime I once
saw in Spain, during the Carlist campaign, at an engagement at Behobie.
The fighting began at about five in the morning in a dense white fog,
when the Carlists made a desperate effort to take that small town from
an inferior but unflinching force. The effect was, on approaching the
scene, most ludicrous. In the first place, one was strangely impressed
by mingled sounds as of the barking of dogs and the quacking of
ducks, which turned out to be only terms of derision which each side
was hurling at the other. Then, on coming closer still, the shadow
pantomime of which I have spoken presented itself, just for all the
world like mimic war on a white sheet, till, the veil of fog lifting,
fighting--literally to the knife--presented itself in all its terrible
reality. Under cover of that fog the Carlist hordes had come down from
their Pyrenean retreats without the aid of those arranged ruses which
the armies of all nations have so often to fall back upon. Amongst
these is the common one, when wind and locality serve, of attacking
under cover of the smoke of burning forests or furze bushes. One ruse
during the siege of Plevna has always struck me in this connection as
having been cleverly conceived.
The Turks, on the occasion of a sortie, secured as many uniforms
of dead Russians as was possible. These they promptly put on, and,
covering their main body, advanced _backwards_, as if retreating
in good order on a strong Russian position. The Turkish officer in
command--understanding the Russian tongue--gave the order to "Retire."
Seeing and hearing this, the Russians, supposing it to be an unexpected
retreat of their own men, made no defence, till, when too late, they
discovered them to be Moslems in Muscovite garb, who, after a most
sanguinary fight, succeeded in occupying the vantage point they had
gained.
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