The Log of a Would-Be War Correspondent

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: MANOEUVRING FOR A START CHAPTER II MANCEUVRING FOR A START The afternoon of my arrival I went to see the American minister, fully expecting to obtain a full pass to the front. To my bitter disappointment, I was told that a notice had been sent to all the legations that no more petitions for passes to journalists or others be sent to the Ottoman government. It further stated that no more foreigners would be allowed within the lines under any conditions, whether petitions should be presented in form from the legations or no. I knew nothing of the Turks at the time, and the emphatic language of the note seemed terribly final. I thought that all my hopes and ambitions were utterly knocked on the head, and it seemed too hard to bear. The minister evidently understood my feelings, for he very kindly explained that while he could do nothing for me, the matter was probably not so black as it looked, and suggested that a visit with an interpreter to the Ministry of War would surely result in my seeing some one of importance, possibly Nazim Pasha himself, and that some compromise might be effected. He counselled me very wisely that talk, if given in sufficient quantities, often could accomplish wonders with a Turkish official. I dashed back to the hotel, hired a dragoman and started in a cab for the Ministry of War. It is a long drive, down the hill through Galata, across the bridge and a long climb up another series of hills to the highest point in Stamboul. The Ministry stands in a huge, bare parade ground, with cobbled roads running to the various gates, for the whole place is enclosed by a high iron fence. A slim round stone tower rises from an arbitrary spot within the enclosure and is used as a flag signal station and fire alarm. Onbirthdays of the Prophet flags are displa...