WITH THE TURKS. 
485 
we did not obtain shelter (in the house of a Greek merchant) till mid¬ 
night. 
Next morning, after a more or less peaceful night, during which 
some of the party were severely mauled by wild beasts, we were on our 
legs in time to receive that part of our baggage which had followed us 
on pack-animals from Karaferia and which was, as might have been 
anticipated, in a hypersaturated condition. 
Starting again at 9.30 a.m., on the 10th, we were on the Meluna Meluna P&sa 
Pass by 11 o’clock. Here we saw two captured guns of position of 
about b" calibre on overbank carriages and wondered much how the 
Greeks got them there and what they had intended doing with them. 
The Turkish officer in command of the post, a good fellow who I heard 
had distinguished himself in the fighting there, pointed out with some 
pride the effect of two M.B. shell, fired from the heights above, which 
had struck the blockhouse on the pass and doubtless hastened the 
the strategic retirement of the Greek army. 
From what I could gather regarding the relative position and 
strength of the two armies when war was proclaimed, it appeared to 
me that the position occupied by the Greeks on the pass itself must 
from the first have been untenable, having been commanded by higher 
ground within the Turkish frontier at a distance of about 1200 yards 
which they failed to capture at the outset—even if they had been 
successful they could at the most only have delayed the Turkish 
advance for a time and could hardly have hoped to force a passage 
through the mountains to the north into Macedonia. 
No doubt they were mislead as to the readiness for revolt of the 
population of that province; so far as I could judge, Turkish rule was 
not, on the whole, unpopular and at places which I passed through 
there seemed to be great enthusiasm over Turkish successes and the 
despatch of troops to the front. 
From the Meluna the road descends at once into the plains of 
Thessaly, at that time covered with corn as far as the eye could see; 
at the foot of the pass it becomes an unmetalled cart track and con¬ 
tinues so, for the most part, as far as Pharsala and Dhomokos; owing, 
however, to the gravelly nature of the soil, it is in dry weather fairly 
good going for wheels and even in wet weather (it had been raining 
for some days previous to our journey) is probably quite practicable 
for guns. 
About a mile south of the pass is a magnificent spring of excellent 
water of which we took advantage for our midday meal by the road¬ 
side. 
About five miles further on 1 we entered the small town of Tyrnavos, Tyruavc9 . 
the first captured by the Turks and taken, so to speak, red-handed and 
deserted by its ordinary inhabitants. It was not therefore, I think, 
a matter for surprise that it appeared to have been systematically 
looted. We entered, from curiosity, one of the houses which, from 
1 Passing the position of Mati held by the Greeks until the occupation by the enemy of the hills 
fo the west compelled them to abandon it. 
