THE DEFENCE OF VELESTINO. 685 hills at its head and advance against the Greek position at daybreak on April 30th.

their line to the left along tlae Kara Dagh hills and so check the Turkish turning movement. The Greek artillery was well handled,butit had defective ammunition,manyof the shells failing to burst. The Turks made very little progress all tlaemorning, andSmolenski very early in the day felt quite confident that he would be able to holdhis own.

Mahmud Bey had made a correct estimate of theGreek force that heldVelestino. Smolenski had received no reinforcementssince his victory on the 27th. He had actually with him only a mountain battery, four battalions of infantry, and about 1,000 irregulars. He had been busy strengthening his position with entrenchments. On the evening of the 29th, as it was obvious that he was about to be attacked in force, he had telegraphed to Pharsala for reinforcements, and during the night and on the morning of the 30th the Crown Prince sent him by rail and Shortly before noon Suleiman and Mahmud received a pressing message from Nairn Pasha, begging them to push their attackon the Greek left more actively, as otherwise he could make noprogress. He had attacked the Greek right on the Pilaf Tepeand on the edgesof the woods WAITING I-0R THE TURKS TO COME WITHIN RANGE.

road four more battalions and twelve guns, so that on the day ofbattle the Turkish superiority innumbers had disappeared.

Nairn Pasha reinforced Mahmud's column on the right with one of his battalions, kept a battalion and a half inreserve at Rizomylon,and formed the rest of the left column in the plain south of the village. At dawn the fight began oil the hills to the right, whereGreek andTurk were already in touch. Mahmud used part of his force to keep the Greeks occupied in front, and with the rest of his infantry tried to move round their left flank by the higher ground, his horse battery being in action behind his own nght. The Greeks replied with two batteries from the hills near Velestino, and with rifle lire triple row of trenches dug on the slopes below the artillery position, at the same time using their superiority of numbers to extend in front of Velestino, but had found his advance everywhere cheeked by a heavy fire of rifles supportedby the guns on the heights near the station, which his own battery triedin vain to silence. Smolenski, who had been receiving reinforcements since morning, had now about 8,000 menand eighteen guns inaction, against a Turkish force of some 4,000 with twelve guns. The Pilaf Tepe on the Greek left was held by ill Euzonoi, who had entrenched themselves on the hill. The three battalions of the 8th Infantry and a field battery held the woods and the approaches to Velestino in the centre. The 4th Euzonoi, a battalion of reservists, and twobatteries held the -purs of the Kara Dagh on the left. The reserves were kept near the junction. A large number of irregulars took part in the fight, and the inhabitants of Velestino had taken up arms, and, led by tl.eir