THE GRECO-TURKISH WAR. 690 intentions were to keep Smolenski occupied by a demonstration from Gherli,bringHairiPasha's division closer to the Greek left, clear the hills north of the Kanarli River of the enemy's advanced troops,and mass his mainbody on the ground thus won, ready to make the general attack on the Pharsala-Velestino position on the 6th.

the first cannon shot told that the fight had begun in earnest. It was fired by a Greek battery near the hamlet of Hadji Bey. The target was the head of Menadhuk's column, which was just issuing from the village of Bakratsi. The centrecolumn,underHamdi,had reached Turkumesli. Theright column, under Neshat, was enteringBuglar. The sketchmaponp.688 shows thesituation on the eveningof the 4th. The advance began at sunrise on the 5th. Early in the day the Crown Prince received information from his outposts that Hairi's division was marching up the KanarliValleyfrom Kotseri,and that three strong Turkish columns were moving out from the camps near Larissa. At tlae same time came news from Smolenski at Velestino that Hakki's division was marching from Gherli. In all more than 50,000 Turks were advancing to the attack. The three columns coming from Larissa were convergingtowardsPharsala. Tlae right column (Neshat's division) was marching onBabasi;the centre column (Hamdi'sdivision) wasmarching on Tekkes; and the left column (Menadhuk's division) on Karademertsi. The cavalry wasin front of the advance, the reserve artillery behind tlae centre, Edhem Pasha and tlae headquarters' staff were with Hamdi's division.

Memdhuk brought a battery into action against the Greek guns, and deployed his division for the attack on Hadji Bey and Karademertsi, which wereheld by a single battalion of Euzonoi. The Turks, who ought to have pushed on boldly and swept away such feeble opposition, deployed and advanced in most leisurely fashion, as if they had to deal with forces at least equal to their own. At ten o'clock two more batteries had reinforced the Greek outpost line, and they had twenty-four guns inaction against Memdhuk's and Hamdi's artillery. The left column was exchanging rifle fire with the handful of Euzonoi in the villages, and the centre column had brought its infantry into action-against anotherbattalionof Euzonoi whooccupied the woodnorthof Tekkes. These white-kilted Greek riflemen, though hopelessly outnumbered, held their ground coolly and gallantly against the Turkish advance. On the Greek left the Englishcompany of the Foreign Legion,underCaptainBirch,wasin action beside the Euzonoi, and these brave volunteers were afterwardspublicly thankedby tlaeCrownPrince for themagnificent way in which they fought.

Tlae CrownPrince at once telegraphed to the threebattalionsand the battery at Domokos to move out to the villages of Kupredji and Hadji-Amar inhis left rear, so as to secure his line of retreat. The cavalry and the detachment at Sophades were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to fall on tlae flank of Hairi's advance. The outposts on the hills north of the rivSr (five battalions of Euzonoi and two batteries) had been originally ordered to fall back on Pharsala in case of a general advance of tlae Turks. This order was now countermanded. They were directed to stand fast, and the 1st Brigade,underColonelMastrapas,was sent across the river to takepost near the village of Driskoli and strengthen tlae left of the outpost line,the flank about which the Greek commander-inchief was most anxious. But Mastrapas was very slow inmoving off, and arrived too late to take any serious partin the fight.

Memdhuk Pasha used his superior numbers to prolong his line to the eastward, so as to threaten to outflank the Greek left. Under this pressure the Euzonoi began to retire a little after half-past eleven. But they did not go far. They took up a new position running from Tekkes eastwardalong the edgeof a small wood to the village of Kolaxizi,on the western slope of the KaraDagh. The Turkish centre andleft columns continued their stolid advance. Neshat on the right was moving slowly from Buglar on Babasi, and had not yet been in action. Hairi had occupied Hadjibashi without opposition, and in obedience to his orders halted there to waitfor further instructions.

The little Greek force that was in action could at most hope to retard the Turkish advance. It was far too weak to occupy the longline it was ordered to hold, and companies were trying to do the work of battalions. Shortly after one o'clock they fell back to the embankmentsof the railway. Mastrapas'brigade For more than three hours the Turkish columns had been tramping steadily forward along the rough, ill-paved roads through the corn-fields. Between eight and nine there was an occasional crackling burst of rifle fire as tlae scouts came upon Greek patrols. Just at nine