500 
WITH THE TURKS. 
good j the animals were kept in fair condition and I noticed few 
sore backs and very few dead transport animals lying on the road 
between Karaferia and Pharsala. The whole of the plain of Thessaly 
was at this time of the year covered with standing corn and barley 
seemed fairly plentiful. 
missariat. 2.—With regard to commissariat, again most fortunately for the 
Turks, their men are so hardy and naturally abstemious and self-reliant 
that they may almost be said to exist without commissariat. I believe 
that the ordinary ration consisted of two or three large biscuits made 
of coarse flour and weighing about \ lb. each, but it is doubtful whether 
they received this amount regularly even in standing camp. It 
appeared to me that ammunition on the road always took precedence 
of food supplies and absorbed a large proportion of the transport. 
No doubt a considerable quantity of grain was captured in the towns 
and villages and at Pharsala in particular. There were, I was told, at 
this place only three mills available for grinding corn, but I have little 
doubt that the Turkish soldier is quite competent to improvise means 
for this purpose. 
Owing to want of cavalry on the Turkish side, the Greeks were 
enabled to drive off most of their cattle and sheep; 1 2 I believe that 
there was considerable waste and extravagance on entering captured 
places owing to there being no regular system of collecting supplies. 
The crops standing if regularly harvested would, no doubt, prove 
sufficient to provide for a large army for some months, but I doubt 
whether a continued occupation would be feasible for anything like the 
force at present in Thessaly. A considerable quantity of standing corn 
was being consumed daily by the animals and I do not know whether 
special orders had been issued for the reservation of certain tracks. 
wngements" —Hospital : the ambulance arrangements were simply deplor- 
' able; there appeared to be very few surgeons belonging to the 
Turkish service; I could not discover that there was any system of 
collecting the wounded on the battle-field, or anything corresponding 
to our bearer companies; I saw no stretchers or ambulances in use and 
believe that the wounded were, for the most part, conveyed to the base 
hospitals on ponies and mules, irrespective of the nature of their 
injuries. No carts of any kind seemed to be available after the fight 
at Dhomokos. 
A considerable number of dilapitated carriages from Salonica and 
other places were despatched to the front for the use of the wounded 
(it was in some of these that we travelled to Pharsala) and paid for 
by the Turkish Government at the rate of 10s. per diem. 3 
There appeared to be very few veterinary officers with the force—I 
heard of one only with the Head-Quarters. 
Physique 4.—Physique, morale, &c. 
general The troops in Thessaly were drawn chiefly from Asia Minor and 
appeared to me, for the most part, to be small, sturdy men who 
1 There were, however, sufficient of the latter left behind to provide for the troops at Pharsala 
during the feast of Bahrain. 
2 A number of cacolets were captured at Pharsala, but I did not see any in use at Dhomokos. 
