484 
WITH THE TURKS. 
From 
Salonica to 
Elassona. 
Swiss Mili¬ 
tary Mission 
by the newly-made direct line to Salonica, which was either blocked at 
some point or fully taken up in conveying troops and stores to the 
frontier. I did not consequently reach Salonica till the 6th May. 
On the 8th having, thanks to the energy and kindness of the Consul- 
General, obtained the necessary letter of recommendation to the Mushir 
(Field-Marshal), Edhem Pasha, from the Mushir Commanding the 3rd 
Army District at Salonica, I was able to make an early start for Verria, 
generally known by the Turkish name “ Karaferia,” the nearest point 
on the railway to the Turkish base at Elassona. The road by Sorovitch, 
three or four hours further west, was, however, said to be the best one 
and that chiefly used for the transport of stores. I arrived at Verria 
at about 10 a.m. and was fortunate enough again to meet the Swiss 
Military Mission, consisting of Colonel Boy de la Tour, Chief of the 
Staff, 1st Army Corps (at Berne) ; Major Bornand, 9th Regiment; and 
Captain de Watteville of the Artillery, but in staff employ, who had 
already been my fellow travellers between Nisch and Salonica and in 
whose company I remained, to my great advantage, until I left for 
England after the fight at Dhomokos. We paid the usual formal visit 
to the Kaimakan and Commandant of Karaferia and, after breakfasting 
d la Turque with these officers, who, like most other officials whom I 
subsequently met, were only too hospitable, started together with our 
respective dragomans in three carriages for Elassona and Larissa at 
about 1 p.m. 
The road immediately enters the mountains and for the first 10 miles, 
surprised us by its excellence, afterwards, however, becoming very 
rough in places, and we had several narrow escapes of a roll down the 
hillside. Darkness overtook us some 10 or 15 miles from Serfidjie, 
the nearest town, and we were obliged to throw ourselves for the night 
on the hospitality of a local squire at the village of Karanja, who en¬ 
tertained us with a sumptuous dinner at his chateau at 1 a.m. 
I should have mentioned that we were lucky enough to have for a 
fellow traveller the Turkish Consul at Larissa, who was, of course, well 
known on the road and who made the necessary arrangements for our 
accommodation. 
Next morning we were again under way at 8.30 and soon afterwards, 
at the junction of the high road from Sorovitch already referred to, 
we met a Turkish officer sent by Edhem Pasha to meet the Swiss 
Mission and conduct them to Head-Quarters. Passing trains of am¬ 
munition and stores on pack-mules and ponies, we reached Serfidjie at 
about 1 p.m. and, having called on the Governor of the District (Hifsa 
Pasha), were again en route by 2 p.m. Shortly after we heard of the 
murder of a Turkish officer with his orderly and the driver of his 
carriage on the road not far from Serfidjie during the previous night, 
and the officer commanding a battalion, which passed us when break¬ 
fasting by the roadside, was courteous enough to detail a party to 
escort us for a certain distance on our way; we reached Elassona, 
however, without any adventure, but in pouring rain, at 11 p.m. The 
horses were in a state of collapse and, owing to some misunderstanding, 
