376 





Prime Konstantinos At Larisaa formally assumed 

 arm) in TheaMJy. 1 



;hcn 50.000 Turkish Iroo'pe massed nt Sa. 

 and on th> fr. ntier. The staff, railroad nutl t 

 port arrangement*, medical ami unbalance s. 

 and commissariat werv organized on European 

 owing to the instrm t v..n tier i;..ii/ and 



r German officer*. Th> artillery \\a- abundant, 

 coiwsting . rith pi. n'> ' am- 



mi. nil ion. The mobili/ation of so large an army 

 withta the speoe of three weeks was it self an acl 



its van capable of, The Turk- 

 ish Heet had U 1 ^"' >"'' >? to be 

 mannttl. |iiip|*Hl. and maile ready for sen, l.ut 

 scarcely one of the vessel* <''> Id be put int.- efficient 

 tight iiij; condition, though large Rums of money had 

 l,i turn- I- -1 up..n tin-in. The 



f the Grek population in the 



e* was S|M< .lily -ii|'pre-sed after u 

 good many Mohammedan f.mnlie- had i--n robbed 

 l.y freebooters. The Chri-tia- \\h.. had 



been supplied with weapons by ihe Kthnike Hetairia 

 were disarmed, and many prominent members of 



reek community were am-tcd. Turkish ami 

 Albanian brigands were also arrest el ami tril. 

 Some correspondence passed I- ;-.\..n the (in-ek 

 and Turkish governments relative to the mobili/a- 

 ti.-n <>f the (ireek troops, against which the Turk- 

 ish minister at Athens. As-im Bey. rai-ed a pi 



'ireek Govern men t unred that Turkey take the 

 first Step by withdrawing her lro,,p-. ami. m-iili.-r 

 party being willing to take the initial step, the 



;ations came to an end. Afi-T tin- com-en- 



M of troops on the frontier the pow< T- again 

 <li-< u ! the question of a blockade of the IV 

 to wln.-h <.r.-;it Britian was still opposed. A final 

 warning was sent to both (iivece and Turkey at the 

 suggestion of Count MuravicfT. in the form of a col- 



note, declaring that in the event ..fan armcil 

 conflict on the frontier all the responsibility would 

 rest on the aggressor, ami the powers, firmly re- 

 solved to maintain the general p. . leter- 



. that the aggressor should not be allowed to 

 reap any advantage from eventual victory. The 

 war spirit in (Jreeee became more and more un- 

 manageable. Bands of volunteers arrived at Athens 

 daily from every part "f (Jr.-*.-.-. adding to the em- 

 barrassments of* the military authorities, which had 

 iiotti provide them with arms, uniform-, 



and tran-port to the frontier, and found dilliculty 

 din:: them. S-veral thousand Albanian vol- 

 unteers were enrolled in the Turkish army. The 

 Turk- fortified all their positions on the frontier; 



reeks erected no fortifications, but acted as if 

 their plan wa to march into Turkish territory, 

 though they lacked all the essentials for long 

 column marches, and had not even taken eft*. 

 measures to arm and organi/e t he ( 'hrist ian peasan- 

 try for a ri-ini: in the rear of the Turkish army. 



April 9 a force of 2,600 Greek irregulars 

 eotipped by the Kthnike II ctairia crossed the fn.n- 

 Etalambaka with artillery and advanced 

 in th- -;a. firing with their 



upon tlie Turki-h Murk houses, from which th- 

 ItKWs retir.-.l to Bull i no. The I',, r te addre< 

 protect t. the p<.wi-r*. declaring tliat the a< 



.mmitt.-.l by a regular militarv fon-e 

 with artillery, r-ommanded by bugle call, virtually 

 .it ion of'war, and denouncing 

 Greece as the aggressor. M. Del vanni* dJearowea 

 all responsibility for the a , t-.,f th.- Kthnike Hetairia. 

 The powrn hail already cc.nie to an agn-emi-nt for 

 the joific blo<-kade of the Greek ports, but the 

 admirals of the international !!: at Crete were 

 still discussing ttie parti-ular- r- L-ar-iini: the naval 

 force to be furnished by each power when t 

 cursion of the Greek irregulars changed the situa- 



tion. Nothing now could restrain tl.. I ireek army. 

 Although the (iovernment had practiced rcon,.mies 

 and hoarded gold for t\\" y-ur> I" pr.'\i,l. ;iL r :iiii>t 



Sltch Jl!l 611 Ml of keel 



in. ii under arms was alreatly u se\ 

 n-ouree.s. the-e exp.'ii-e> amounting ' 

 drachmai a day. The Turki-h ( i.\ . rnineiit le- 

 elared that 1 1: ,lar soldi. r-> in 



uniform among the raid. -i :\ oilicrrs 



III .iniiiaii.l. Kdhem I'a-lia I. 



nee as Soon a- he found such ! bcth. 

 Itut Turkey, \\hich ha-l a caxim lull- 

 from the time t : 



.id no desire to reli 



critical situation M> |..ng a- the military posit io us 

 on the frontier wi-re not in 

 regulars cro.rd the frontier at dilferent poi; 

 small |.artii-s. but would n<.t lire <>n tin- Turk 

 would the Turk- lire on t hem. m ii h. i Hl.- 

 willing to lire the first -hot. lest the other should 

 point to them a- the aggressors, i 



Her cap'.urin- three oiii|- 



finally attaoked ami captured the town of P.altino, 

 which the Turkish garri-on had stoutly defended. 

 The main body reached Krania. where it' was i 

 surrounded by a strong Turkish detachment, whico 

 compelled it "to retr.at ami recrOM the lr..ntier, 

 having l<t more than 200 men. Among the fili- 



bu-teix Were Italian Volunteer- led by the Socialist 



I>eputy ( 'ipriani. who bore their part in tip 

 fighting, but many of them could not -land tin- 

 cold and the hard marching, and theivf..i 

 camped at the first opportunity. The (ireek fron- 

 tier out posts were strongly re-enforced. When the 

 lioiile reassembl.-d on April 11 M. Delvannis 



pfnlits amount i i. hmai for 



the army and navy, and received inst. . 

 for four months and authority to i 

 bond- for -JIUMMMMI') drachma] in addition t.. 10.- 

 000,000 drachmai already i-sm-d. The 1'ivmi. i 



uTird to the frontier inesti.n: "It o\v. 

 origin to the singular conduct of a neighl 

 state, which brought about the exi-ting <-omplica- 



. \\"e found it our duty therefore 

 ourselves principally with military affairs and to 

 prepare an army which can enter upon a cam- 

 paign in order to defend the honor and | i 

 the interests of the nation. We can a ure the 

 Chamber that we have been abl- to make good the 

 defects du<- to the ha-t y rnobili/ation of the army, 

 and we hope within a few dav- to remedy them 

 completely, -o that our army will be able \l> fulfill 



it- minion." 



The invading bands that w.iv not driven out by 

 the Turks continued their activity in the f 

 and mountain- near Krania. and enlisted many of 

 the inhabitants, who were supplied from the depot 

 at Baltino. for the Turks had not ipied 



this part of their frontier. A itrong force of 'I 

 from Metsovo advanced on Krania. and at;, .-ked u 

 of 400 intrcncheil there, drivini: it into the 

 mountains. They then reoceiipied I 'Ithe 



other frontier posts. The failvre to -:irup;i 

 eral in-urn-ct i..n in Macedonia was di-h.-ani 

 to the (Jreeks. who were i : em- 



ing it a point of national honor to fight though <li-- 



iin. The confident hope ..f \ 

 to vani-h when they confronted the in 

 nable line of defense for 80 miles on either side of 

 -a. and the routes held by the Turk- by which 

 they could concentrate their battalions upon the 

 Thessalinn capital from several direction-. 



Both armies were brought up to the fr< 

 rapidly as possible. The Creek- constructed block- 

 hoii-e- and earthwrrks facing the Turki-h v. 

 The Turkish general with difTiculty restraine.l the 

 junior officers and soldiers from precipitating a 



