Bizarre sounds in Constantinople

From the memoirs of Anton Lipovž, petty officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy (Batuje pri Ajdovščini 1892 – Ljubljana 1970)

 

Due to the Balkan Wars, Anton Lipovž was forced to postpone his training at the Artillery School in Pula in November 1912. He was assigned to the light cruiser Aspern, which was ordered to sail to Constantinople. Apart from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ships from other European countries also sailed there in order to protect their subjects in the city. In Constantinople, as Anton Lipovž wrote, it was becoming increasingly tense from day to day. The crew listened to the thunder of cannons as the Serbian-Bulgarian troops advanced towards the city. Part of the crew, Anton included, was sent ashore. He was ordered to guard the Austro-Hungarian secondary school there.

"The front line was already so close to Constantinople that we could hear the shouting of the assaulting troops. The city was full of wounded men. One night I was on duty from 4 to 6. When a junior officer brought me to the guard post, he told me once more what to do if I hear any suspicious shouting. I was allowed to have only one cartridge in the rifle, but not in the barrel, but under the cartridge carrier, so that I would have to repeat the rifle before firing. Well, I didn't like this at all, and as soon as the officer went away, I took that cartridge out and put the whole magazine in. Then I walked up and down.
I was most cautious and every single noise made me terribly nervous. Suddenly I heard a high-pitched shout, something like the howl of a jackal. Gee, I said to myself, this must be a call for slaughter. So, I took the rifle off my shoulder and shot twice, but not up into the sky, but in the direction from which the shouting was coming. Immediately, a patrol from the guardhouse came rushing to me. The guard commander asked me why I shot twice, and I told him. In the meantime, our company commander, accompanied by one French, one English and one Russian officer, arrived and questioned me about what was going on. Then they all burst out laughing, while our commander, Lieutenant Budisavljević, tapped me on the shoulder and said: Eh, Carniolan, you obviously don't know that this was a Turkish priest calling the faithful to prayer. I answered: "Jawohl", and the matter was over". 

Prepared by: Bogdana Marinac