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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The White Road to Verdun, by Kathleen Burke
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The White Road to Verdun
+
+
+Author: Kathleen Burke
+
+
+
+Release Date: October 25, 2005  [eBook #16945]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE ROAD TO VERDUN***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Irma Spehar, Emmy, and the Project Gutenberg Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) from images
+generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries
+(http://www.archive.org/details/toronto)
+
+
+
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+      or
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+
+      Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive:
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+      http://www.archive.org/details/whiteroadverdun00burkuoft
+
+
+
+
+
+THE WHITE ROAD TO VERDUN
+
+by
+
+KATHLEEN BURKE
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Frontispiece.]
+
+
+
+
+Hodder and Stoughton
+London New York Toronto
+Printed in Great Britain by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and
+Aylesbury
+
+MCMXVI
+
+
+
+
+TO
+
+DR. C.O. MAILLOUX
+
+(NEW YORK)
+
+MR. AND MRS. L.B. FRANKLIN
+
+AND
+
+JEANNETTE FRANKLIN
+
+AND TO MY
+
+MOTHER
+
+WHO BY THEIR AFFECTION AND PRACTICAL
+
+SYMPATHY HELPED ME IN ALL THE
+
+WORK I HAVE UNDERTAKEN.
+
+
+
+                                                     10th August, 1916.
+
+We left Paris determined to undertake the journey to the front in the
+true spirit of the French _poilu_, and, no matter what happened, "_de ne
+pas s'en faire_."
+
+This famous "motto" of the French Army is probably derived from one of
+two slang sentences: "De ne pas se faire des cheveux" ("To keep one's
+hair on"), or "De ne pas se faire de la bile" (or, in other words, not
+to upset one's digestion by unnecessary worrying). The phrase is typical
+of the mentality of the _poilu_, who accepts anything and everything
+that may happen, whether it be merely slight physical discomfort or
+intense suffering, as part of the willing sacrifice which he made on the
+day that, leaving his homestead and his daily occupation, he took up
+arms "offering his body as a shield to defend the Heart of France."
+
+Everything might be worse than it is, says the _poilu_, and so he has
+composed a litany. Every regiment has a different version, but always
+with the same fundamental basis:
+
+"Of two things one is certain: either you're mobilised or you're not
+mobilised. If you're not mobilised, there is no need to worry; if you
+are mobilised, of two things one is certain: either you're behind the
+lines or you're on the front. If you're behind the lines, there is no
+need to worry; if you're on the front, of two things one is certain:
+either you're resting in a safe place or you're exposed to danger. If
+you're resting in a safe place, there is no need to worry; if you're
+exposed to danger, of two things one is certain: either you're wounded
+or you're not wounded. If you're not wounded, there is no need to worry;
+if you are wounded, of two things one is certain: either you're wounded
+seriously or you're wounded slightly. If you're wounded slightly, there
+is no need to worry; if you're wounded seriously, of two things one is
+certain: either you recover or you die. If you recover, there is no need
+to worry; if you die, you can't worry."
+
+When once past the "Wall of China," as the French authorities call the
+difficult approaches of the war zone, Meaux was the first town of
+importance at which we stopped.
+
+We had an opportunity to sample the army bread, as the driver of a
+passing bread-wagon flung a large round loaf into our motor.
+
+According to all accounts received from the French soldiers who are in
+the prison-camps of Germany, one of the greatest hardships is the lack
+of white bread, and they have employed various subterfuges in the
+endeavour to let their relatives know that they wish to have bread sent
+to them. Some of the Bretons writing home nicknamed bread "Monsieur
+Barras," and when there was a very great shortage they would write to
+their families: "Ce pauvre Monsieur Barras ne se porte pas très bien à
+présent." Finally, the Germans discovered the real significance of M.
+Barras, and they added to one of the letters: "Si M. Barras ne se porte
+pas très bien à présent, c'est bien la faute de vos amis les Anglais"
+("If M. Barras is not very fit, it is the fault of your friends the
+English"), and from then all the letters referring to M. Barras were
+strictly suppressed.
+
+While the German Press may not be above admitting a shortage of food in
+Germany, it seriously annoys the Army that the French prisoners or the
+French in the invaded regions should hear of it. I heard one story of
+the wife of a French officer in Lille who was obliged to offer unwilling
+hospitality to a German captain, who, in a somewhat clumsy endeavour to
+be amiable, offered to try to get news of her husband and to convey it
+to her. Appreciating the seeming friendliness of the captain, she
+confided to him that she had means of communicating with her husband who
+was on the French front. The captain informed against her, and the next
+day she was sent for by the Kommandantur, who imposed a fine of 50 frs.
+upon her for having received a letter from the enemy lines. Taking a
+100-fr. note from her bag, she placed it on the desk, saying, "M. le
+Kommandantur, here is the 50 frs. fine, and also another 50 frs. which I
+am glad to subscribe for the starving women and children in Berlin."
+
+"No one starves in Berlin," replied the Kommandantur.
+
+"Oh, yes, they do," replied Madame X. "I know, because the captain who
+so kindly informed you that I had received a letter from my husband
+showed me a letter the other day from his wife, in which she spoke of
+the sad condition of the women and children of Germany, who, whilst not
+starving, were far from happy." Thus she not only had the pleasure of
+seriously annoying the Kommandantur, but also a chance to get even with
+the captain who had informed against her, and who is no longer in soft
+quarters in Lille, but paying the penalty of his indiscretion by a
+sojourn on the Yser.
+
+The bridge at Meaux, destroyed in the course of the German retreat, has
+not yet been entirely repaired. Beneath it rushes the Marne, and the
+river sings in triumph, as it passes, that it is carrying away the soil
+that has been desecrated by the steps of the invader and that day by day
+it is washing clean the land of France.
+
+In the fields where the corn is standing, the tiny crosses marking the
+last resting-places of the men are entirely hidden; but where the grain
+has been gathered, the graves stand out distinctly, marked not only by a
+cross, but also by the tall bunches of corn which have been left growing
+on these small patches of holy ground. It has always been said that
+France has two harvests each year. Certainly in the fields of the Marne
+there is not only the harvest of bread--there is also springing up the
+harvest of security and peace.
+
+The peasants as they point out the graves always add: "We of the people
+know that those men sacrificed their lives that our children might live.
+Those who have died in vain for an unjust cause may well envy the men of
+France who have poured out their blood for the benefit of humanity."
+
+Looking on the crosses on the battlefield of the Marne, I realised to
+the fullest extent the sacrifices, borne with such bravery, of the women
+of France. I thought of the picture I had seen in Paris of a group of
+mothers standing at the foot of Calvary, looking out over the fields of
+small black crosses, lifting their hands to Heaven, with the words--"We
+also, God, have given our sons for the peace of the world."
+
+At Montmirail the real activity of the war zone first became apparent.
+We drew the car to the side of the road and waited whilst a long
+procession of empty munition-wagons passed on the way back from the
+munition-parks near the fighting-line. There was a smile on the face of
+every one of the drivers. Each of them had the satisfaction of knowing
+that there was no chance of his returning with an empty wagon, as there
+is no lack of provisions to feed the hungriest of the "75's" or any of
+her larger sisters.
+
+The fact that it is known that there is an ample supply of munitions
+plays an important part in the "moral" of the troops. The average
+_poilu_ has no sympathy with the man who grumbles at the number of hours
+he may have to work. We heard the tale of a munition-worker who was
+complaining in a café at having to work so hard. A _poilu_ who was _en
+permission_ and who was sitting at the next table, turned to him,
+saying, "You have no right to grumble: you receive 10 to 12 francs a day
+for making shells, and we poor devils get 5 sous a day for stopping
+them!"
+
+We lunched in the small but hospitable village of Sézanne, in company
+with a most charming invalided officer who informed us that he was the
+principal in that district of the S.D.R.D.R. (Service de Recherche des
+Rattiers) (the Principal Recruiting Officer for Rat-catchers). In other
+words, he is spending his time endeavouring to persuade suitable
+"bow-wows" to enlist in the service of their country. Likely dogs are
+trained until they do not bark, and become entirely accustomed to the
+sound of firing; they are then pronounced "Aptes à faire campagne," or
+"Fit for service," receive their _livret militaire_, or
+certificates--for not every chance dog is allowed in the trenches--and
+are dispatched to the trenches on a rat-hunting campaign.
+
+From Sézanne we proceeded direct to the new camp for German prisoners at
+Cannantre. The prisoners were mostly men who had been taken in the
+recent fighting on the Somme or round Verdun. The camp was already
+excellently installed, and the prisoners were busy in groups gardening,
+making bread, or sitting before great heaps of potatoes, preparing them
+for the evening meal. The German sense of order was everywhere in
+evidence. In the long barracks where the men slept the beds were tidy,
+and above each bed was a small shelf, each shelf arranged in exactly
+the same order, the principal ornaments being a mug, fork, and spoon;
+and just as each bed resembled each other bed, so the fork and spoon
+were placed in their respective mugs at exactly the same angle. There
+were small partitioned apartments for the noncommissioned officers. The
+French Commander of the camp told us that the German love of holding
+some form of office was everywhere apparent. The French made no attempt
+to command the prisoners themselves, but always chose men from amongst
+the prisoners who were placed in authority over their comrades. The
+prisoners rejoiced exceedingly and promptly increased in self-importance
+and, alas! decreased in manners, if they were given the smallest
+position which raised them above the level of the rest of the men.
+
+In the barrack where they were cutting up bread for the prisoners, we
+asked the men if they deeply regretted their captivity. They replied
+unanimously that they were "rather glad to be well fed," which seemed an
+answer in itself. They did not, however, appreciate the white bread and
+stated that they preferred their own black bread. The French officers
+commanding the camp treat the prisoners as naughty children who must be
+"kept in the corner" and punished for their own good. In all my travels
+through France I have never seen any bitterness shown towards the
+prisoners. I remember once at Nevers we passed a group of German
+prisoners, and amongst them was a wounded man who was lying in a small
+cart. A handbag had fallen across his leg, and none of his comrades
+attempted to remove it. A French woman, pushing her way between the
+guards, lifted it off and gave it to one of the Germans to carry. When
+the guards tried to remonstrate, she replied simply, "J'ai un fils
+prisonnier là-bas, faut espérer qu'une allemande ferait autant pour lui"
+("I have a son who is a prisoner in their land, let us hope that some
+German woman will do as much for him").
+
+On the battlefields the kindness of the French medical men to the German
+wounded has always been conspicuous. One of my neutral friends passing
+through Germany heard from one of the prominent German surgeons that
+they were well aware of this fact, and knew that their wounded received
+every attention. There is a story known throughout France of a French
+doctor who was attending a wounded German on the battlefield. The man,
+who was probably half delirious, snatched at a revolver which was lying
+near by and attempted to shoot the doctor. The doctor took the revolver
+from him, patted him on the head, and said, "Voyons, voyons, ne faites
+pas l'enfant" ("Now then, now then, don't be childish"), and went on
+dressing his wounds.
+
+Everywhere you hear accounts of brotherly love and religious tolerance.
+I remember kneeling once by the side of a dying French soldier who was
+tenderly supported in the arms of a famous young Mohammedan surgeon, an
+Egyptian who had taken his degree in Edinburgh and was now attached to
+the French Red Cross. The man's mind was wandering, and seeing a woman
+beside him he commenced to talk to me as to his betrothed. "This war
+cannot last always, little one, and when it is over we will buy a pig
+and a cow and we will go to the curé, won't we, beloved?" Then in a
+lucid moment he realised that he was dying, and he commenced to pray,
+"Ave Maria, Ave Maria," but the poor tired brain could remember nothing
+more. He turned to me to continue, but I could no longer trust myself to
+speak, and it was the Mohammedan who took up the prayer and continued it
+whilst the soldier followed with his lips until his soul passed away
+into the valley of shadows. I think this story is only equalled in its
+broad tolerance by that of the Rabbi Bloch of Lyons, who was shot at the
+battle of the Aisne whilst holding a crucifix to the lips of a dying
+Christian soldier. The soldier-priests of France have earned the love
+and respect of even the most irreligious of the _poilus_. They never
+hesitate to risk their lives, and have displayed sublime courage and
+devotion to their duty as priests and as soldiers. Behind the first line
+of trenches a soldier-priest called suddenly to attend a dying comrade
+took a small dog he was nursing, and handing it to one of the men,
+simply remarked, "Take care of the little beast for me; I am going to a
+dangerous corner and I do not want it killed."
+
+I have seen the Mass celebrated on a gun-carriage. Vases made of
+shell-cases were filled with flowers that the men had risked their lives
+to gather, in order to deck the improvised altar. A Red Cross ambulance
+drove up and stopped near by. The wounded begged to be taken out on
+their stretchers and laid at the foot of the altar in order that "they
+might receive the blessing of the good God" before starting on the long
+journey to the hospital behind the lines.
+
+Outside the prison-camp of Cannantre stood a circle of French soldiers
+learning the bugle calls for the French Army. I wondered how the Germans
+cared to listen to the martial music of the men of France, one and all
+so sure of the ultimate victory of their country. Half a kilometre
+farther on, a series of mock trenches had been made where the men were
+practising the throwing of hand grenades. Every available inch of space
+behind the French lines is made to serve some useful purpose.
+
+I never see a hand grenade without thinking how difficult it is just now
+to be a hero in France. Every man is really a hero, and the men who have
+medals are almost ashamed, since they know that nearly all their
+comrades merit them. It is especially difficult to be a hero in one's
+own family. One of the men in our hospital at Royaumont had been in the
+trenches during an attack. A grenade thrown by one of the French
+soldiers struck the parapet and rebounded amongst the men. With that
+rapidity of thought which is part of the French character, Jules sat on
+the grenade and extinguished it. For this act of bravery he was
+decorated by the French Government and wrote home to tell his wife. I
+found him sitting up in bed, gloomily reading her reply, and I inquired
+why he looked so glum. "Well, mademoiselle," he replied, "I wrote to my
+wife to tell her of my new honour; and see what she says: 'My dear
+Jules, we are not surprised you got a medal for sitting on a hand
+grenade; we have never known you to do anything else but sit down at
+home!'"
+
+It was at Fère Champinoise that we passed through the first village
+which had been entirely destroyed by the retreating Germans. Only half
+the church was standing, but services are still held there every Sunday.
+Very little attempt has been made to rebuild the ruined houses. Were I
+one of the villagers, I would prefer to raze to the ground all that
+remained of the desecrated homesteads and build afresh new dwellings;
+happy in the knowledge that with the victory of the Allies would start a
+period of absolute security, prosperity, and peace.
+
+It was on the same day that we had the privilege of beholding some of
+the 400-cm. guns of France, all prepared and ready to travel at a
+minute's notice along the railway lines to the section where they might
+be needed. Some idea of their size may be obtained from the fact that
+there were ten axles to the base on which they travel. They were all
+disguised by the system of _camouflage_ employed by the French Army, and
+at a very short distance they blend with the landscape and become almost
+invisible. Each gun bears a different name, "Alsace," "Lorraine," etc.,
+and with that strange irony and cynical wit of the French trooper, at
+the request of the men of one battery, one huge gun has been christened
+"Mosquito," "because it stings."
+
+The French often use a bitter and biting humour in speaking of the
+enemy. For instance, amongst the many pets of the men, the strangest I
+saw was a small hawk sitting on the wrist of a soldier who had trained
+him. The bird was the personification of evil. If anyone approached, he
+snapped at them and endeavoured to bite them. I asked the man why he
+kept him, and he replied that they had quite good sport in the trenches
+when they allowed the hawk to hunt small birds and field-mice. Then, his
+expression changing from jovial good-humour to grimness, he added: "You
+know, I call him 'Zepp,' because he kills the little ones" ("parcequ'il
+tue les tous petits").
+
+In one small cantonment where 200 _poilus_ sang, shouted, ate, drank,
+and danced together to the strain of a wheezy gramophone, or in one word
+were "resting," I started to investigate the various kinds of pets owned
+by the troopers. Cats, dogs, and monkeys were common, whilst one _poilu_
+was the proud possessor of a parrot which he had purchased from a
+refugee obliged to fly from his home. He hastened to assure us that the
+bird had learned his "vocabulary" from his former proprietor. A study
+in black and white was a group of three or four white mice, nestling
+against the neck of a Senegalais.
+
+The English Tommy is quite as devoted to animals as is his French
+brother. I remember crossing one bitter February day from Boulogne to
+Folkestone. Alongside the boat, on the quay at Boulogne, were lined up
+the men who had been granted leave. Arrayed in their shaggy fur coats,
+they resembled little the smart British Tommy of peace times. It was
+really wonderful how much the men managed to conceal under those fur
+coats, or else the eye of the officer inspecting them was intentionally
+not too keen.
+
+Up the gangway trooped the men, and I noticed that two of them walked
+slowly and cautiously. The boat safely out of harbour, one of them
+produced from his chest a large tabby cat, whilst the other placed a
+fine cock on the deck. It was a cock with the true Gaelic spirit: before
+the cat had time to consider the situation it had sprung on its back.
+The cat beat a hasty retreat into the arms of its protector, who
+replaced it under his coat. Once in safety, it stuck out its head and
+swore at the cock, which, perched on a coil of rope, crowed
+victoriously.
+
+Both animals had been the companions of the men whilst in the trenches,
+and they were bringing them home.
+
+A soldier standing near me commenced to grumble because he had not been
+able to bring his pet with him. I inquired why he had left it behind,
+since the others had brought theirs away with them, and elicited the
+information that "his pet was a cow, and therefore somewhat difficult to
+transport." He seemed rather hurt that I should laugh, and assured me
+it was "a noble animal, brown with white spots, and had given himself
+and his comrades two quarts of milk a day." He looked disdainfully at
+the cock and cat. "They could have left them behind and no one would
+have pinched them, whereas I know I'll never see 'Sarah' again--she was
+far too useful."
+
+Entering Vitry-le-François we had a splendid example of the typical
+"motto" of the French trooper, "Il ne faut pas s'en faire." One of the
+motor-cars had broken down, and the officer-occupants, who were
+evidently not on an urgent mission, had gone to sleep on the banks by
+the side of the road whilst the chauffeur was making the necessary
+repairs. We offered him assistance, but he was progressing quite well
+alone. Later on another officer related to me his experience when his
+car broke down at midnight some 20 km. from a village. The chauffeur was
+making slow headway with the repairs. The officer inquired whether he
+really understood the job, and received the reply, "Yes, mon lieutenant,
+I think I do; but I am rather a novice, as before the war I was a
+lion-tamer!" Apparently the gallant son of Gaul found it easier to tame
+lions than to repair motors.
+
+We left Vitry-le-François at 6 o'clock next morning, and started "the
+hunt for generals." It is by no means easy to discover where the actual
+Q.G. (Headquarters) of the General of any particular secteur is
+situated.
+
+We were not yet really on the "White Road" to Verdun, and there was
+still much to be seen that delighted the eyes. In one yellow cornfield
+there appeared to be enormous poppies. On approaching we discovered a
+detachment of Tirailleurs from Algiers, sitting in groups, and the
+"poppies" were the red fezes of the men--a gorgeous blending of crimson
+and gold. We threw a large box of cigarettes to them, and were greeted
+with shouts of joy and thanks. The Tirailleurs are the "enfants
+terribles" of the French Army. One noble son of Africa who was being
+treated in one of the hospitals once presented me with an aluminium ring
+made from a piece of German shell. I asked him to make one for one of my
+comrades who was working at home, and he informed me that nothing would
+have given him greater pleasure, but unfortunately he had no more
+aluminium. Later in the day, passing through the ward, I saw him
+surrounded by five or six Parisian ladies who were showering sweets,
+cigarettes, and flowers on him, whilst he was responding by presenting
+each of them with an aluminium ring. When they had left I went to him
+and told him, "Mahmud, that was not kind. I asked you for a ring and you
+said you had not got any more aluminium." He smiled, and his nurse, who
+was passing, added, "No, he had not _got_ any more aluminium, but when
+he is better he will _get_ forty-eight hours' punishment; he had been
+into the kitchen, stolen one of our best aluminium saucepans, and has
+been making souvenirs for the ladies." He made no attempt to justify his
+action beyond stating: "Moi, pas si mauvais; toi, pas faux souvenir" ("I
+am not so bad; I did not attempt to give you a fake souvenir").
+
+Another of our chocolate-coloured patients found in the grounds of the
+hospital an old umbrella. Its ribs stuck out and it was full of holes,
+but it gave him the idea of royalty, and daily he sat up in bed in the
+ward with the umbrella unfurled whilst he laid down the law to his
+comrades. The nurses endeavoured to persuade him to hand it over at
+night. He obstinately refused, insisting that "he knew his comrades,"
+and he feared that one of them would certainly steal the treasure, so he
+preferred to keep it in the bed with him.
+
+At Villers-le-Sec we came upon the headquarters of the cooks for that
+section of the front. The cook is one of the most important men in a
+French regiment; he serves many ends. When carrying the food through the
+communicating trenches to the front-line trenches, he is always supposed
+to bring to the men the latest news, the latest tale which is going the
+round of the camp, and anything that may happen to interest them. If he
+has not got any news he must manufacture and produce some kind of story.
+It is really necessary for him to be not only a cook but also an author.
+
+There is a tale going the round of the French Army how one section of
+the cooks, although unarmed, managed to take some twenty German
+prisoners. As they went on their way, they saw the Germans in the
+distance approaching them; the head cook quietly drew the field-kitchens
+behind a clump of trees and bushes, placed his men in a row, each with a
+cooking utensil in his hand, and as the Germans passed shouted to them
+to surrender. The sun fell on the handles of the saucepans, causing them
+to shine like bayonets, and the Germans, taken unawares, laid down
+their arms. The head cook then stepped out and one by one took the
+rifles from the enemy and handed them to his men. It was only when he
+had disarmed the Germans and armed his comrades that he gave the signal
+for them to step out, and the Germans saw that they had been taken by a
+ruse. One can imagine the joy of the French troops in the next village,
+when, with a soup-ladle in his hand, his assistants armed with German
+rifles, followed by the soup-kitchen and twenty prisoners, he marched in
+to report.
+
+It is curious to note how near humour is to tragedy in war, and how
+quick-wittedness may serve a useful purpose and even save life. A young
+French medical student told me that he owed his life to the quick wit of
+the women of a village and the sense of humour of a Saxon officer.
+Whilst passing from one hospital to another, he was captured by a small
+German patrol, and in spite of his papers, proving that he was attached
+to the Red Cross Service, he was tried as a spy and condemned to be
+shot. At the opening of his trial the women had been interested
+spectators; towards the end all of them had vanished. He was placed
+against a barn door, the firing squad lined up, when from behind the
+hedge bordering a wood the women began to bombard the soldiers with
+eggs. The aim was excellent--not one man escaped; the German officer
+laughed at the plight of his men and, in the brief respite accorded, the
+young man dashed towards the hedge and vanished in the undergrowth. The
+Germans fired a few shots, but there was no organised attempt to follow
+him, probably because their own position was not too secure. He was
+loath to leave the women to face the music, but they insisted that it
+was "Pour la Patrie," and that they were quite capable of taking care of
+themselves. Later he again visited the village, and the women told him
+that beyond obliging them to clean the soldiers' clothes thoroughly, the
+German officer had inflicted no other punishment upon them.
+
+A certain number of inhabitants are still living in the village of
+Revigny. You see everywhere placards announcing "Caves pour 25," "Caves
+pour 100," and each person knows to which cellar he is to go if a Taube
+should start bombing the village. I saw one cellar marked "120 persons,
+specially safe, reserved for the children." Children are one of the most
+valuable assets of France, and a good old Territorial _Pè-père_ (Daddy),
+as they are nicknamed, told me that it was his special but difficult
+duty to muster the children directly a Taube was signalled, and chase
+them down into the cellar. Mopping his brow, he assured me that it was
+not easy to catch the little beggars, who hid in the ruins, behind the
+army wagons, anywhere to escape the "parental" eye. It is needless to
+add they consider it a grave infringement of their personal liberty and
+think that they should be allowed to remain in the open and see all that
+goes on, just as the little Londoners beg and coax to be allowed to stay
+up "to see the Zepps."
+
+Passing the railway-station, we stopped to make some inquiries, and
+promptly ascertained all we wished to know from the chef de gare.
+
+In the days of peace there is in France no one more officious than the
+station-master of a small but prosperous village. Now he is the meekest
+of men. Braided cap in hand, he goes along the train from carriage door
+to carriage door, humbly requesting newspapers for the wounded in the
+local hospitals. "Nous avons 125 blessés ici, cela les fait tant de
+plaisir d'avoir des nouvelles" ("We have 125 wounded here, and oh! how
+they love to have the latest news").
+
+In addition to levying a toll on printed matter, he casts a covetous and
+meaning glance on any fruit or chocolate that may be visible. Before the
+train is out of the station, you can see the once-busy and in his own
+opinion all-important railway official vanishing down the road to carry
+his spoils to his suffering comrades. Railway travelling is indeed
+expensive in France. No matter what time of day or night, wet or fine,
+the trains are met at each station by devoted women who extract
+contributions for the Red Cross funds from the pockets of willing
+givers. It is only fair to state, however, that in most instances the
+station-master gets there first.
+
+From the time we left Revigny until we had passed into the Champagne
+country, upon the return journey from Verdun, we no longer saw a green
+tree or a blade of green grass; we were now indeed upon the "White Road
+which leads into Verdun." Owing to an exceptionally trying and dry
+summer the roads are thick with white dust. The continual passing of the
+_camions_, the splendid transport-wagons of the French Army, carrying
+either food, munitions, or troops, has stirred up the dust and coated
+the fields, trees, and hedges with a thick layer of white. It is almost
+as painful to the eyes as the snow-fields of the Alps.
+
+I saw one horse that looked exactly like a plaster statuette. His master
+had scrubbed him down, but before he dried the white dust had settled on
+him everywhere. Naturally "humans" do not escape. By the time our party
+reached the headquarters of General Pétain, we had joined the White
+Brigade. I excused myself to the General, who smilingly replied, "Why
+complain, mademoiselle? You are charming; your hair is powdered like a
+marquise." The contrast with what had been a black fur cap on what was
+now perfectly white hair justified his compliment.
+
+I have never been renowned in my life for fear of any individual, but I
+must admit that I passed into the presence of General Pétain with a
+great deal of respect amounting almost to awe. The defence of Verdun
+through the bitter months of February and March by General Pétain, a
+defence which is now under the immediate control of his able
+lieutenants, General Nivelle and General Dubois, has earned the respect
+and admiration of the whole world. It is impossible not to feel the
+deepest admiration for these men who have earned such undying glory, not
+only for themselves, but for their Motherland.
+
+No one could have been more gracious and kind than General Pétain, and
+in his presence one realised the strength and power of France.
+
+Throughout all the French Headquarters one is impressed by the perfect
+calm that reigns; no excitement--not even a paper on the Generals'
+desks--everything perfectly organised.
+
+General Pétain asked me at once to tell him what I desired. I asked his
+permission to go to Rheims. He at once took up a paper which permitted
+me to enter the war zone, and endorsed it with the request to General
+Debeney in Rheims to allow me to penetrate with my companions into the
+city. He then turned to me again and asked me with a knowing smile if
+that was all I required--for his headquarters were hardly on the direct
+road to Rheims! I hesitated to express my real wish, when my good
+counsellor and friend, with whom I was making the journey, the
+Commandant Jean de Pulligny, answered for me--"I feel sure it would be a
+great happiness and honour if you would allow us, General, to go to
+Verdun." General Pétain appeared slightly surprised, and turning to me,
+asked, "Do you thoroughly realise the danger? You have crossed the
+Atlantic and faced submarines, but you will risk more in five minutes in
+Verdun than in crossing the Atlantic a thousand times." However, seeing
+that I was really anxious to go, and that it might be of great service
+to me in my future work to have seen personally the defence of Verdun,
+he added smilingly: "Well, then, you can go if you wish, at your own
+risk and peril." He then telephoned to General Nivelle the necessary
+permission for us to enter Verdun.
+
+I doubt whether General Pétain realises the respect in which he is held
+in all the civilised countries of the world. Probably he does not yet
+understand that people would come thousands of miles to have five
+minutes' audience with him, for he inquired if we were in any hurry to
+continue our journey, and added with charming simplicity--"Because if
+not, and you do not mind waiting an hour, I shall be glad if you will
+lunch with me."
+
+We lunched with General Pétain and his état-major. A charming and most
+interesting addition to the party was M. Forain, the famous French
+caricaturist, and now one of the chief instructors of the French Army in
+the art of _camouflage_--the art of making a thing look like anything in
+the world except what it is! He has established a series of schools all
+along the French front where the _poilus_ learn to bedeck their guns and
+thoroughly disguise them under delicate shades of green and yellow, with
+odd pink spots in order to relieve the monotony. Certainly the
+appearance of the guns of the present time would rejoice the heart and
+soul of the "Futurists." It was most interesting to hear him describe
+the work in detail and the rapidity with which his pupils learned the
+new art. For one real battery there are probably three or four false
+ones, beautiful wooden guns, etc., etc., and he told us of the _poilus'_
+new version of the song "Rien n'est plus beau que notre Patrie"
+("Nothing is more beautiful than our country "). They now sing "Rien
+n'est plus faux que notre batterie" ("Nothing is more false than our
+battery").
+
+It was M. Forain who coined the famous phrase "that there was no fear
+for the ultimate success of the Allies, if only the civilians held out!"
+
+I was much amused at M. Forain's statement that he had already heard
+that a company had been formed for erecting, after the war, wooden
+hotels on the battlefields of France for the accommodation of
+sightseers. Not only was it certain that these hotels were to be built,
+but the rooms were already booked in advance.
+
+It was strange to find there, within the sound of the guns--sometimes
+the glasses on the table danced to the music, although no one took any
+notice of that--surrounded by men directing the operations of the war
+and of one of the greatest battles in history, how little war was
+mentioned. Science, philosophy, and the work of women were discussed.
+
+The men of France are taking deep interest in the splendid manner in
+which the women of all the different nations are responding to the call
+to service. I described to General Pétain the work of the Scottish
+Women's Hospitals. These magnificent hospitals are organised and staffed
+entirely by women, and started, in the first instance, by the National
+Union of Women's Suffrage (Scottish Branch). He was deeply interested to
+learn that what had been before the war a political society, had, with
+that splendid spirit of patriotism which had from the first day of the
+war animated every man, woman, and child of Great Britain, drawn upon
+its funds and founded the hospital units. I explained to him that it was
+no longer a question of politics, but simply a case of serving humanity
+and serving it to the best possible advantage. The National Union had
+realised that this was a time for organised effort on the part of all
+women for the benefit of the human race and the alleviation of
+suffering.
+
+I spoke of the bravery of our girls in Siberia; how many of them had
+laid down their lives during the typhus epidemic; how cheerfully they
+had borne hardships, our doctors writing home that their tent hospitals
+were like "great white birds spreading their wings under the trees,"
+whereas really they had often been up all night hanging on to the
+tent-poles to prevent the tents collapsing over their patients.
+
+A member of the État-Major asked how we overcame the language
+difficulty. I pointed out that to diagnose typhus and watch the progress
+of the patient it was not necessary to speak to him, and that by the
+magic language of sympathy we managed to establish some form of
+"understanding" between the patients, the doctors, and the nurses.
+
+The members of our staff were chosen as far as possible with a knowledge
+of French or German, and it was possible to find many Serbians speaking
+either one of these languages. We also found interpreters amongst the
+Austrian prisoner orderlies. These prisoner orderlies had really proved
+useful and had done their best to help us. Naturally they had their
+faults. One of our lady doctors had as orderly a Viennese professor,
+willing, but somewhat absent-minded. One morning she sent for him and
+asked him, "Herr Karl, can you tell me what was wrong with my bath water
+this morning?" "I really don't know, Fräulein, but I will endeavour to
+find out."
+
+Ten minutes later he returned, looking decidedly guilty, and stammered
+out: "I do not know how to tell you what happened to that bath water."
+"Nonsense!--it can't be very terrible," replied Doctor X; "what was
+wrong?" "Well, Fräulein, when I went into the camp kitchen this morning
+there were two cauldrons there--one was your bath water, and the other
+was the camp soup; to you, Fräulein, I brought the camp soup."
+
+We who had worked with the Serbians had learned to respect and admire
+them for their patriotism, courage, and patient endurance. We felt that
+their outstanding characteristic was their imagination, which, turned
+into the proper channels and given a chance to develop, should produce
+for the world not only famous painters and poets, but also great
+inventors. This vivid imagination is found in the highest and lowest of
+the land. To illustrate it, I told my neighbour at table a tale related
+to me by my good friend Dr. Popovic. "Two weary, ragged Serbian soldiers
+were sitting huddled together waiting to be ordered forward to fight.
+One asked the other, 'Do you know how this war started, Milan? You
+don't?--well then, I'll tell you. The Sultan of Turkey sent our King
+Peter a sack of rice. King Peter looked at the sack, smiled, then took a
+very small bag and went into his garden and filled it with red pepper.
+He sent the bag of red pepper to the Sultan of Turkey. Now, Milan, you
+can see what that meant. The Sultan of Turkey said to our Peter, 'My
+army is as numerous as the grains of rice in this sack,' and by sending
+a small bag of red pepper to the Sultan our Peter replied, 'My army is
+not very numerous, but it is mighty hot stuff.'"
+
+Many members of the units of the Scottish Women's Hospitals who had been
+driven out of Serbia at the time of the great invasion had asked to be
+allowed to return to work for the Serbians, and we were now equipping
+fresh units entirely staffed by women to serve with the Serbian Army,
+besides having at the present time the medical care of 6,000 Serbian
+refugees on the island of Corsica.
+
+General Pétain said, smiling, that before the war he had sometimes
+thought of women "as those who inspired the most beautiful ideas in men
+and prevented them from carrying them out," but the war, he added, had
+certainly proved conclusively the value of women's work.
+
+M. Forain expressed the desire to visit the chief French hospital of the
+Scottish women at the Abbaye de Royaumont. The General laughingly told
+him, "You do not realise how stern and devoted to duty these ladies are.
+I wonder if you would be permitted to visit them?"
+
+I consoled M. Forain by pointing out that surely as Chief Camoufler
+(Disguiser) of the French Army he could disguise himself as a model of
+virtue (_de se camoufler en bon garçon_). Certainly this son of France,
+who has turned his brilliant intellect and his art to the saving of
+men's lives, would be welcome anywhere and everywhere. I hastened to
+assure him that I was only teasing him, and added that I only teased the
+people I admired and liked. General Pétain immediately turned to the
+Commandant de Pulligny--"Please remark that she has not yet teased me."
+
+"Probably because she fears to do it, and has too much respect for you,"
+replied the Commandant.
+
+"Fears! I do not think we need talk of that just now, when she dares to
+go to Verdun."
+
+[Illustration: Memoribilia]
+
+[Illustration: Handwritten note:
+To Miss Burke
+
+In remembrance of your very
+kind visit in Verdun and of
+the noble aim you pursue in
+favour of our wounded and sick
+soldiers. We have been extrememly
+honoured that you were so kind
+to dine with us to-day 26th Juli
+1916
+
+-Signatures-]
+
+[Illustration: Menu]
+
+[Illustration: A Handwritten Note]
+
+Whilst at coffee after lunch the news came of the continued advance of
+the British troops. General Pétain turned to me and said: "You must
+indeed be proud in England of your new army. Please tell your
+English people of our admiration of the magnificent effort of England.
+The raising and equipping of your giant army in such a short time was
+indeed a colossal task. How well it was carried out all the world now
+knows, and we are reaping the harvest."
+
+The General's Chief of Staff added: "Lord Kitchener was right when he
+said the war would last three years--the first year preparation, the
+second year defence, and the third year ... _cela sera rigolo_--it will
+be huge sport." He quoted the phrase as Lord Kitchener's own.
+
+Before we left the General signed for me the menu of the lunch, pointing
+out to me, however, that if I were at any time to show the menu to the
+village policeman, I must assure him that the hare which figured thereon
+had been run over at night by a motor-car and lost its life owing to an
+accident, otherwise he might, he feared, be fined for killing game out
+of season!
+
+I shall always remember the picture of General Pétain seeing us into our
+car with his parting words, "You are about to do the most dangerous
+thing you have ever done or will ever do in your life. As for Verdun,
+tell them in England that I am smiling, and I am sure that when you see
+General Nivelle you will find him smiling too. That is the best answer I
+can give you as to how things are going with us at Verdun." Then with a
+friendly wave of his hand we passed on our way.
+
+After leaving the headquarters of General Pétain we were held up for
+some time at a level crossing and watched the busy little train puffing
+along, carrying towards Verdun stores, munitions, and men. This level
+crossing had been the scene of active fighting; on each side were
+numerous graves, and the sentinels off duty were passing from one to the
+other picking a dead leaf or drawing a branch of trailing vine over the
+resting-places of their comrades.
+
+Above our heads circle _les guêpes_, the wasps of the French Army. They
+had been aroused by the appearance of a Taube and were preparing to
+sting, had the Taube waited or made any further attempt to proceed over
+the French lines. However, deciding that discretion was the better part
+of valour, it turned and fled. It is unwise, however, to stir up the
+"wasps of France"; they followed it, and later in the day we heard that
+it had been brought down near Verdun.
+
+We were now in the centre of activity of the army defending Verdun. On
+every hand we saw artillery-parks, ammunition-parks, and regiments
+resting, whilst along the road a long line of _camions_ passed
+unceasingly. During the whole length of my stay on the French front I
+only saw one regiment marching. Everywhere the men are conveyed in the
+_camions_, and are thus spared the fatigue which would otherwise be
+caused by the intense heat and the white dust. There are perhaps only
+two things that can in any way upset the perfect indifference to
+difficulties of the French trooper: he hates to walk, and he refuses to
+be deprived of his _pinard_. The men of the French army have named their
+red wine _pinard_, just as they call water _la flotte_, always, however,
+being careful to add that _la flotte_ is excellent "for washing one's
+feet."
+
+As we passed through the headquarters of General Nivelle, he sent down
+word to us not to wait to call on him then, but to proceed at once to
+Verdun, as later the passage would become more difficult. He kindly sent
+down to us one of the officers of his staff to act as escort. The
+officer sat by our chauffeur, warning him of the dangerous spots in the
+road which the Germans had the habit of "watering" from time to time
+with _marmites_, and ordering him to put on extra speed. Our speed along
+the road into Verdun averaged well over a mile a minute.
+
+Within range of the German guns, probably not more than four or five
+kilometres from Verdun, we came on a line of men waiting their turn to
+go into the cinema. After all, there was no reason _de s'en faire_, and
+if they were alive they decided they might as well be happy and amused.
+Just before entering the gate of Verdun we passed a number of
+ambulances, some of them driven by the American volunteers. These young
+Americans have displayed splendid heroism in bringing in the wounded
+under difficult conditions. Many of them have been mentioned in
+dispatches, and have received from France the Croix de Guerre. I also
+saw an ambulance marked "Lloyd's."
+
+It would be useless to pretend that one entered Verdun without emotion.
+Verdun, sorely stricken, yet living, kept alive by the indomitable soul
+of the soldiers of France, whilst her wounds are daily treated and
+healed by the skill of her Generals. A white city of desolation,
+scorched and battered, yet the brightest jewel in the crown of France's
+glory; a shining example to the world of the triumph of human resistance
+and the courage of men. A city of strange and cruel sounds--the short,
+sharp bark of the '75's, the boom of the death-dealing enemy guns, the
+shrieks of the shells and the fall of masonry parting from houses to
+which it had been attached for centuries, whilst from the shattered
+window-frames the familiar sprite of the household looked ever for the
+children who came no longer across the thresholds of the homes. Verdun
+is no longer a refuge for all that is good and beautiful and tender, and
+so the sounds of the voices of children and of birds are heard no more.
+Both have flown; the children were evacuated with the civilians in the
+bitter months of February and March, and the birds, realising that there
+is no secure place in which to nest, have deserted not only Verdun but
+the whole of the surrounding district.
+
+We proceeded to a terrace overlooking the lower part of the town and
+witnessed a duel between the French and German artillery. The Germans
+were bombarding the barracks of Chevert, and from all around the French
+guns were replying. It was certainly a joy to note that for one boom of
+a German cannon there were certainly ten answers from the French guns.
+The French soldiers off duty should have been resting in the caves and
+dug-outs which have been prepared for them, but most of them were out on
+the terraces in different parts of the city, smoking and casually
+watching the effect of the German or of their own fire. I inquired of
+one _poilu_ whether he would be glad to leave Verdun, and he laughingly
+replied: "One might be worse off than here. This is the time of year
+that in peace times I should have been staying in the country with my
+mother-in-law."
+
+There is no talk of peace in Verdun. I asked one of the men when he
+thought the war would end. "Perfectly simple to reply to that,
+mademoiselle: the war will end the day that hostilities cease."
+
+I believe that the Germans would not be sorry to abandon the siege of
+Verdun. In one of the trench newspapers I saw the following verse:
+
+    Boches, à l'univers votre zèle importun
+    Fait des 'communiqués' dont personne n'est dupe.
+    Vous dites: "Nos soldats occuperont Verdun.
+    Jusqu'ici c'est plutôt Verdun qui les occupe."
+
+    (You say that you soon will hold Verdun,
+    Whilst really Verdun holds you.)
+
+We left the car and climbed through the ruined streets to the top of the
+citadel. No attempt has been made to remove any of the furniture or
+effects from the demolished houses. In those houses from which only the
+front had been blown away the spoons and forks were in some instances
+still on the table, set ready for the meal that had been interrupted.
+
+From windows lace curtains and draperies hung out over the fronts of the
+houses. Everywhere shattered doors, broken cupboards, drawers thrown
+open where the inhabitants had thought to try to save some of their
+cherished belongings but had finally fled, leaving all to the care of
+the soldiers, who protect the property of the inhabitants as carefully
+as if it were their own.
+
+It would be difficult to find finer custodians. I was told that at
+Bobigny-près-Bourget there is on one of the houses the following
+inscription worthy of classical times:
+
+"The proprietor of this house has gone to the war. He leaves this
+dwelling to the care of the French. Long live France." And he left the
+key in the lock.
+
+The soldiers billeted in the house read the inscription, which met with
+their approval, and so far each regiment in passing had cleaned out the
+little dwelling and left it in perfect order.
+
+From the citadel we went down into the trenches which led to the lines
+at Thiaumont. The heat in the city was excessive, but in the trenches it
+was delightfully cool, perhaps a little too cool. We heard the men make
+no complaints except that at times the life was a little "monotonous"!
+One man told me that he was once in a trench that was occupied at the
+same time by the French and the Germans. There was nothing between them
+but sandbags and a thick wall of clay, and day and night the French
+watched that wall. One day a slight scratching was heard. The men
+prepared to face the crumbling of the barrier when through a small hole
+popped out the head of a brown rabbit. Down into the trench hopped Mrs.
+Bunny, followed by two small bunnies, and although rabbit for lunch
+would have improved the menu, the men had not the heart to kill her. On
+the contrary, they fed her on their rations, and at night-fall she
+departed, followed by her progeny.
+
+From all the dug-outs heads popped out, and the first movement of
+surprise at seeing a woman in the trenches turned to a smile of delight,
+since the _poilu_ is at all times a chivalrous gentleman. One man was
+telling me of the magnificent work that had been accomplished by his
+"compagnie." I congratulated him and told him he must be happy to be in
+such a company. He swept off his iron casque, bowed almost to the
+ground, and answered: "Certainly I am happy in my company, mademoiselle,
+but I am far happier in yours."
+
+The principal grief of the _poilus_ appeared to be that a shell two or
+three days before had destroyed the store of the great _dragée_ (sugared
+almond) manufactory of Verdun. Before leaving, the manufacturer had
+bequeathed his stock to the army, and they were all regretting that they
+had not been greedier and eaten up the _dragées_ quicker.
+
+In the trenches near Verdun, as in the trenches in Flanders, you find
+the men talking little of war, but much of their homes and their
+families. I came once upon a group of Bretons. They had opened some tins
+of sardines and, sitting around a bucket of blazing coals, they were
+toasting the fish on the ends of small twigs. I asked them why they
+were wasting their energies, since the fish were ready to be eaten
+straight from the tins. "We know," they replied; "but it smells like
+home." I suppose with the odour of the cooking fish, in the blue haze of
+the smoke, they saw visions of their cottages and the white-coiffed
+Bretonnes frying the fresh sardines that they had caught.
+
+The dusk was now falling, and, entering the car, we proceeded towards
+the lower part of the town at a snail's pace in order not to draw the
+German fire. We were told that at the present time approximately one
+hundred shells a day still fall on Verdun, but at the time of the great
+attack the number was as high as eight hundred, whilst as many as two
+hundred thousand shells fell daily in and around Verdun.
+
+Just before we reached the entrance to the citadel, the enemy began to
+shell the city, and one of the shells exploded within two hundred feet
+of the car. We knew that we were near the entrance to the vaults of the
+citadel and could take refuge, so we left the car and proceeded on foot.
+Without thinking, we walked in the centre of the road, and the sentinel
+at the door of the citadel began in somewhat emphatic French to
+recommend us to "longer les murs" (to hug the walls tightly). The
+Germans are well aware of the entrance to the citadel and daily shell
+the spot. If one meets a shell in the centre of the road it is obviously
+no use to argue, whilst in hugging the side of the wall there is a
+possibility of only receiving the fragments of the bursting shell.
+
+The subterranean galleries of the citadel of Verdun were constructed by
+Vauban, and are now a hive of activity--barbers' shops, sweet shops,
+boot shops, hospitals, anything and everything which goes to make up a
+small city.
+
+One of the young officers placed his "cell" at our disposal. The long
+galleries are all equipped with central heating and electric light, and
+some of them have been divided off by wooden partitions or curtains like
+the dormitories in a large school. In the "cell" allocated to us we
+could see the loving touch of a woman's hand. Around the pillow on the
+small camp-bed was a beautiful edging of Irish lace, and on the
+dressing-table a large bottle of eau-de-Cologne. There is no reason to
+be too uncomfortable in Verdun when one has a good little wife to think
+of one and to send presents from time to time.
+
+Emerging from the galleries we met General Dubois, a great soldier and a
+kindly man, one who shares the daily perils of his men. The General
+invited us to remain and dine with him. He had that day received from
+General Nivelle his _cravate_ as Commander of the Legion of Honour, and
+his officers were giving him a dinner-party to celebrate the event. "See
+how kind fate is to me," he added. "Only one thing was missing from the
+feast--the presence of the ladies--and here you are."
+
+It would need the brush of Rembrandt to paint the dining-hall in the
+citadel of Verdun. At one long table in the dimly lighted vault sat
+between eighty and ninety officers, who all rose, saluted, and cheered
+as we entered. The General sat at the head of the table surrounded by
+his staff, and behind him the faces of the cooks were lit up by the
+fires of the stoves. Some short distance behind us was an air-shaft. It
+appears that about a week or a fortnight before our arrival a German
+shell, striking the top part of the citadel, dislodged some dust and
+gravel which fell down the air-shaft on to the General's head. He simply
+called the attendants to him and asked for his table to be moved forward
+a yard, as he did not feel inclined to sit at table with his helmet on.
+
+An excellent dinner--soup, roast mutton, fresh beans, salade Russe,
+frangipane, dessert--and even champagne to celebrate the General's
+_cravate_--quite reassured us that people may die in Verdun of shells
+but not of hunger. We drank toasts to France, the Allies, and, silently,
+to the men of France who had died that we might live. I was asked to
+propose the health of the General, and did it in English, knowing that
+he spoke English well. I told him that the defenders of Verdun would
+live in our hearts and memories, that on behalf of the whole British
+race I felt I might convey to him congratulations on the honour paid to
+him by France. I assured him that we had but one idea and one hope, the
+speedy victory of the Allied arms, and that personally my present desire
+was that every one of those present at table might live to see the flag
+of France waving over the whole of Alsace-Lorraine. They asked me to
+repeat a description of the flag of France which I gave first in Ottawa;
+so there, in the citadel of Verdun with a small French flag before me, I
+went back in spirit to Ottawa and remembered how I had spoken of the
+triumph of the flag of France: "The red, white, and blue--the red of
+the flag of France a little deeper hue than in time of peace, since it
+was dyed with the blood of her sons, the blood in which a new history of
+France is being written, volume on volume, page on page, of deeds of
+heroism, some pages completed and signed, others where the pen has
+dropped from the faltering hands and which posterity must needs finish.
+The white of the flag of France, not quite so white as in time of peace,
+since thousands of her sons had taken it in their hands and pressed it
+to their lips before they went forward to die for it, yet without stain,
+since in all the record of the war there is no blot on the escutcheon of
+France. And the blue of the flag of France, true blue, torn and tattered
+with the marks of the bullets and the shrapnel, yet unfurling proudly in
+the breeze whilst the very holes were patched by the blue of the sky,
+since surely Heaven stands behind the flag of France."
+
+The men of Verdun were full of admiration for the glorious Commander of
+the Fort de Vaux. They told me that the fort was held, or rather the
+ruins of the fort, until the Germans were actually on the top and firing
+on the French beneath.
+
+I discussed with my neighbour the fact that the Germans had more hatred
+for us than for the French. He said the whole world would ridicule the
+Germans for the manner in which they had exploited the phrase "Gott
+strafe England," writing it even on the walls anywhere and everywhere.
+He added laughingly that it should not worry the English comrades. "When
+they read 'Gott strafe England,' all they needed to reply was 'Ypres,
+Ypres--Hurrah!'"
+
+He told me that he had been stationed for some time with his regiment
+near the English troops, and there had been loud lamentations among the
+_poilus_ because they had been obliged to say good-bye to their English
+comrades. He added that the affection was not entirely disinterested.
+The English comrades had excellent marmalade and jam and other good
+things which they shared with their French brothers, who, whilst
+excellently fed, do not indulge in these luxuries. He told me a
+delightful tale of a French cook who, seeing an English soldier standing
+by, began to question him as to his particular branch of the service,
+informing him that he himself had had an exceedingly busy morning
+peeling potatoes and cleaning up the pots and pans. After considerable
+conversation he inquired of the English comrade what he did for his
+living. "Oh," replied the Englishman, "I get my living fairly
+easily--nothing half so strenuous as peeling potatoes. I am just a
+colonel."
+
+The clean-shaven Tommy is the beloved of all France. I remember seeing
+one gallant khaki knight carrying the market-basket of a French maiden
+and repaying himself out of her store of apples. I regret to say his
+pockets bulged suspiciously. Whilst at a level crossing near by, the old
+lady in charge of the gate had an escort of "Tommies" who urged her to
+let the train "rip." This was somewhat ironical in view of the fact that
+the top speed in that part of the war zone was probably never more than
+ten miles an hour.
+
+Tommy is never alone. The children have learned that he loves their
+company, and he is always surrounded by an escort of youthful admirers.
+The children like to rummage in his pockets for souvenirs. He must
+spend quite a good deal of his pay purchasing sweets, so that they may
+not be disappointed and that there may be something for his little
+friends to find. I remember seeing one Tommy, sitting in the dusty road
+with a large pot of marmalade between his legs, dealing out spoonfuls
+with perfect justice and impartiality to a circle of youngsters. He
+speaks to them of his own little "nippers" at home, and they in turn
+tell him of their father who is fighting, of their mother who now works
+in the fields, and of baby who is fearfully ignorant, does not know the
+difference between the French and the "Engleesch," and who insisted on
+calling the great English General who had stayed at their farm "papa."
+It matters little that they cannot understand each other, and it does
+not in the least prevent them from holding lengthy conversations.
+
+I told my companion at table that whilst visiting one of the hospitals
+in France I had heard how one Englishman had been sent into a far
+hospital in Provence by mistake. He was not seriously injured, and
+promptly constituted himself king of the ward. On arrival, he insisted
+on being shaved. As no shaving-brush was available, the _piou-piou_ in
+the next bed lathered him with his tooth-brush. The French cooking did
+not appeal to him, and he grumbled continuously. The directress of the
+hospital sent her own cook from her château to cater for Mr. Atkins. An
+elaborate menu was prepared. Tommy glanced through it, ordered
+everything to be removed, and commanded tea and toast. Toast-making is
+not a French art, and the château chef was obliged to remain at the
+hospital and spend his time carefully preparing the toast and seeing
+that it was served in good condition. When Mr. Atkins felt so disposed,
+he would summon a _piou-piou_ to give him a French lesson, or else
+request the various inmates of the ward to sing to him. He would in turn
+render that plaintive ditty "Down by the Old Bull and Bush." A nurse who
+spoke a little English translated his song to the French soldiers.
+Whilst not desiring to criticise the _rendez-vous_ selected by their
+_camarade anglais_, they did not consider that "près d'un vieux taureau"
+(near an old bull) was a safe or desirable meeting-place. When I
+explained to the nurse that "The Bull and Bush" was a kind of _cabaret_,
+she hastened from ward to ward to tell the men that after all the
+Englishman might have selected a worse spot to entertain his girl. He
+was at once the joy and the despair of the whole hospital, and the nurse
+had much trouble in consoling the patients when "our English" was
+removed.
+
+When Tommy indulges in the use of the French language, he abbreviates it
+as much as possible.
+
+One hot summer's day, driving from Boulogne to Fort Mahon, halfway down
+a steep hill we came upon two Tommies endeavouring to extract a
+motor-cycle and a side-car from a somewhat difficult position. They had
+side-slipped and run into a small tree. The cycle was on one side and
+the side-car on the other, and a steel rod between had been rammed right
+into the wood through the force of the collision.
+
+My three companions and myself endeavoured to help the men to pull out
+the rod, but the united efforts of the six of us proved unavailing. We
+hailed a passing cart and tied the reins around the motor-cycle, but
+immediately the horse commenced to pull the leather of the reins
+snapped. Behind the cart walked a peasant. Only one adjective can
+possibly describe him--he was decidedly "beery." He made no attempt to
+help, but passed from one Tommy to the other, patting them on their
+backs, assuring them "that with a little goodwill all would be well."
+There was a dangerous glint in the younger Tommy's eye, but in the
+presence of ladies he refrained from putting his thoughts into words.
+Finally, his patience evaporating, he suddenly turned on the peasant and
+shouted at him, "Ong, ong." It took me some time to grasp that this was
+Tommy's abbreviated version of "Allez-vous en" ("Clear out"). In any
+event it proved quite useless, as he continued to pat the Tommies
+affectionately and to bombard them with impracticable suggestions.
+
+We were joined later by three villagers, two gendarmes and a postman,
+and all pulling together we managed to extract the rod from the tree. A
+large lorry was passing, and on to it we heaved the wreckage. Up
+clambered the Tommies followed by their unwelcome friend, who managed to
+sit on the only unbroken portion of the side-car. This was too much for
+Messrs. Atkins' equanimity. Limp with laughter, we watched them pass
+from sight amidst a chorus of "Ong, ong," followed by flights of oratory
+in the English tongue which do not bear repeating, but which were
+received by the peasant as expressions of deep esteem and to which he
+replied by endeavouring to kiss the Tommies and shouting, "Vive
+l'Angleterre! Allright! Hoorah!"
+
+Our guiding officer began to show some signs of anxiety to have us leave
+before ten o'clock, but the good-byes took some time. Presents were
+showered upon us--German _dragées_ (shell heads and pieces of shrapnel)
+and the real French _dragées_, the famous sweet of Verdun.
+
+We crept out of the city, but unfortunately at one of the dangerous
+cross-roads our chauffeur mistook the route. A heavy bombardment was
+taking place, and the French were replying. We were lucky enough to get
+on to the route and into safety before any shell fell near us. It
+appears that the Germans systematically bombard the roads at night,
+hoping to destroy the _camions_ bringing up the food for the city, fresh
+munitions, and men.
+
+We slept that night at Bar-le-Duc and next morning saw the various
+ambulances and hospitals which the Service de Santé had particularly
+requested me to visit. I was impressed by the splendid organisation of
+the Red Cross even quite close to the firing-line.
+
+Passing through one tent hospital, an Algerian called out to me:
+
+"Ohé, la blonde, viens ici! J'ai quelque chose de beau à te montrer"
+("Come here, fair girl, I have something pretty to show you").
+
+He was sitting up in bed, and, as I approached, unbuttoned his
+bed-jacket and insisted on my examining the tag of his vest, on which
+was written, "Leader, London." The vest had come in a parcel of goods
+from the London Committee of the French Red Cross, and I only wished
+that the angel of goodness and tenderness who is the Presidente of the
+Croix Rouge, Mme. de la Panouse, and that Mr. D.H. Illingworth, Mr.
+Philip Wilkins, and all her able lieutenants, could have seen the
+pleasure on the face of this swarthy defender of France. In the next bed
+was a Senegalais who endeavoured to attract my attention by keeping up a
+running compliment to my compatriots, my King, and myself. He must have
+chanted fifty times: "Vive les English, Georges, et toi!" He continued
+even after I had rewarded him with some cigarettes. The Senegalais and
+the Algerians are really great children, especially when they are
+wounded. I have seen convalescent Senegalais and Algerians in Paris
+spend hours in the Champs Elysées watching the entertainment at the
+open-air marionette theatre. The antics of the dolls kept them amused.
+They are admitted to the enclosure free, and there is no longer any
+room for the children who frequented the show in happier days. These
+latter form a disconsolate circle on the outside, whilst the younger
+ones, who do not suffer from colour prejudice, scramble on to the knees
+of the black soldiers.
+
+The sister in charge was a true daughter of the "Lady of the Lamp."
+Provided they are really ill, she sympathises with all the grumblers,
+but scolds them if they have reached the convalescent stage. She carries
+a small book in which she enters imaginary good points to those who have
+the tables by their beds tidy, and she pinned an invisible medal on the
+chest of a convalescent who was helping to carry trays of food to his
+comrades. She is indeed a General, saving men for France.
+
+Not a man escaped her attention, and as we passed through the tents she
+gave to each of her "chers enfants"--black or white--a cheering smile or
+a kindly word. She did, however, whilst talking to us omit to salute a
+Senegalais. Before she passed out of the tent he commenced to call after
+her, "Toi pas gentille aujourd'hui--moi battre toi" ("You are not good
+to me to-day--me beat you"). This, it appears, is his little joke--he
+will never beat anyone again, since he lost both his arms when his
+trench was blown up by a land mine.
+
+It was at Triancourt that I first saw in operation the motor-cars that
+had been sent out fitted with bath tubs for the troops, and also a very
+fine car fitted up by the London Committee of the French Red Cross as a
+moving dental hospital.
+
+I regret to add that a _poilu_ near by disrespectfully referred to it as
+"another of the horrors of war," adding that in times of peace there
+was some kind of personal liberty, where as now "a man could not have
+toothache without being forced to have it ended, and that there was no
+possibility of escaping a dentist who hunted you down by motor."
+
+It was suggested that, as I had had a touch of toothache the night
+before, I might take my place in the chair and give an example of
+British pluck to the assembled _poilus_. I hastened to impress on the
+surgeon that I hated notoriety and would prefer to remain modestly in
+the background. I even pushed aside with scorn the proffered bribe of
+six "boche" buttons, assuring the man that "I would keep my toothache as
+a souvenir."
+
+At one of the hospitals, beside the bed of a dying man, sat a little old
+man writing letters. They told me that before the war he had owned the
+most flourishing wine-shop in the village. He had fled before the
+approach of the German troops, but later returned to his village and
+installed himself in the hospital as scribe. He wrote from morning until
+night, and watching him stretching his lean old hands, I asked him if he
+suffered much pain from writer's cramp. He looked at me almost
+reproachfully before answering, "Mademoiselle, it is the least I can do
+for my country; besides my pain is so slight and that of the comrades is
+so great. I am proud, indeed proud, that at sixty-seven years of age I
+am not useless."
+
+At one hospital I was shown a copy of the last letter dictated by a
+young French officer, and I asked to be allowed to copy it--it was
+indeed a letter of a "chic" type.
+
+"CHERS PARRAIN ET MARRAINE,
+
+"Je vous écris à vous pour ne pas tuer Maman qu'un pareil coup
+surprendrait trop.
+
+"J'ai été blessé le ... devant.... J'ai deux blessures hideuses et je
+n'en aurai pas pour bien longtemps. Les majors ne me le cachent même
+pas.
+
+"Je pars sans regret avec la conscience d'avoir fait mon devoir.
+
+"Prévenez donc mes parents le mieux que vous pourrez; qu'ils ne
+cherchent pas à venir, ils n'en auraient pas le temps.
+
+"Adieu vous tous que j'aimais.
+
+    "VIVE LA FRANCE!"
+
+
+"DEAR GODFATHER AND GODMOTHER.
+
+"I am writing to you, so as not to kill mother, whom such a shock would
+surprise too much. I was wounded on the ... at.... I have two terrible
+wounds and I cannot last long. The surgeons do not even attempt to
+conceal this from me. I go without regret, with the consciousness of
+having done my duty. Kindly break the news to my parents the best way
+you can; they should not attempt to come because they would not have
+time to reach me before the end.
+
+"Farewell to all you whom I have loved.
+
+    "LONG LIVE FRANCE!"
+
+
+Whilst loving his relatives tenderly, the last thought of the dying
+Frenchman is for his country. Each one dies as a hero, yet not one
+realises it. It would be impossible to show greater simplicity; they
+salute the flag for the last time, and that is all.
+
+From Triancourt we went straight to the headquarters of General Nivelle.
+They had just brought him the maps rectified to mark the French
+advance. The advance had been made whilst we were standing on the
+terrace at Verdun the night before. We had seen the rockets sent up,
+requesting a _tir de barrage_ (curtain of fire). The '75's had replied
+at once and the French had been able to carry out the operation.
+
+Good news had also come in from the Somme, and General Nivelle did not
+hesitate to express his admiration for the British soldiers.
+
+He said that there was no need to praise the first troops sent by
+Britain to France--everyone knew their value; but it should be a great
+satisfaction to Britain to find that the new Army was living up to the
+traditions of the old Army.
+
+He added: "We can describe the new army of Britain in two words: '_Ça
+mord_'--it bites."
+
+The Father of his own men, it is not surprising that General Nivelle
+finds a warm corner in his heart for the British Tommy, since his mother
+was an Englishwoman.
+
+At lunch General Nivelle and the members of his staff asked many
+questions as to the work of the Scottish Women's Hospitals. I told them
+that what appealed to us most in our French patients was the perfect
+discipline and the gratitude of the men. We are all women in the
+hospitals, and the men might take advantage of this fact to show want of
+discipline, but we never had to complain of lack of obedience. These
+soldiers of France may some of them before the war have been just rough
+peasants, eating, drinking, and sleeping, even having thoughts not akin
+to knighthood; but now, through the ordeal of blood and fire, each one
+of them has won his spurs and come out a chivalrous knight, and
+they bring their chivalry right into the hospitals with them. We had
+also learned to love them for their kindness to one another. When new
+wounded are brought in and the lights are low in the hospital wards,
+cautiously watching if the nurse is looking (luckily nurses have a way
+of not seeing everything), one of the convalescents will creep from his
+bed to the side of the new arrival and ask the inevitable question:
+"D'où viens-tu?" ("Where do you come from?"). "I come from Toulouse,"
+replies the man. "Ah!" says the inquirer, "my wife's grandmother had a
+cousin who lived near Toulouse." That is quite a sufficient basis for a
+friendship; the convalescent sits by the bedside of his new comrade,
+holding the man's hand whilst his wounds are being dressed, telling him
+he knows of the pain--that he, too, has suffered, and that soon all
+will be well.
+
+[Illustration: Menu, 27 Juillet]
+
+[Illustration: Note by General Nivelle]
+
+Lions to fight, ever ready to answer to the call of the defence of their
+country, yet these men of France are tender and gentle. In one hospital
+through which I passed there was a baby. It was a military hospital, and
+no civilian had any right there, but the medical officers who inspected
+the hospital were remarkably blind--none of them could ever see the
+baby. One of the soldiers passing through a bombarded village saw a
+little body lying in the mud, and although he believed the child to be
+dead, he stooped down and picked it up. At the evacuating station the
+baby and the soldier were sent to the hospital together; the doctors
+operated upon the baby and took a piece of shrapnel from its back, and
+once well and strong it constituted itself lord and master and king of
+all it surveyed. When it woke in the morning it would call "Papa," and
+twenty fathers answered to its call. All the pent-up love of the men for
+their own little ones from whom they had been parted for so long they
+lavished on the tiny stranger, but all his affection and his whole heart
+belonged to the rough miner-soldier who had brought him in. As the
+shadows fell one saw the man walking up and down the ward with the child
+in his arms, crooning the Marseillaise until the tired little eyes
+closed. He had obtained permission from the authorities to adopt the
+child, as the parents could not be found, and remarked humorously:
+"Mademoiselle, it is so convenient to have a family without the trouble
+of being married!"
+
+What we must remember is that the rough soldier, himself blinded with
+blood and mud, uncertain whether he could ever reach a point of safety,
+yet had time to stoop and pick that little flower of France and save it
+from being crushed beneath the _camion_ wheels. I told General Nivelle
+that the hospital staff intended to keep the child for the soldier until
+the end of the war, and we all hoped that he might grow up to the glory
+of France and to the eternal honour of the tender-hearted fighter who
+had rescued him.
+
+After lunch we stood for some time watching the unending stream of
+_camions_ proceeding into Verdun. I believe it has been stated that on
+the average one passed through the village every fifteen seconds, and
+that there are something like twelve thousand motor vehicles used in the
+defence of Verdun. The splendid condition of the roads and the absence
+of all confusion in the handling of this immense volume of traffic is a
+great tribute to the organising genius of the chiefs of the French Army.
+
+We left General Nivelle, as General Pétain predicted we should find
+him--smiling.
+
+We slept that night at Epernay, in the heart of the Champagne district.
+The soil of France is doing its best to keep the vines in perfect
+condition and to provide a good vintage to be drunk later to celebrate
+the victory of France and her Allies.
+
+The keeping of the roads in good condition is necessary for the rapid
+carrying out of operations on the front, and a "marmite" hole is
+promptly filled if by a lucky shot the German batteries happen to tear
+up the roadway. We were proceeding casually along one road when a young
+officer rode up to us and told us to put on speed because we were under
+fire from a German battery which daily landed one or two shells in that
+particular portion of the roadway. It is wonderful how obedient one
+becomes at times! We promptly proceeded to hasten!
+
+After visiting General Debeney and obtaining from him the necessary
+authorisation and an officer-escort, we entered Rheims.
+
+The cathedral is now the home of pigeons, and as they fly in and out of
+the blackened window-frames, small pieces of the stained glass tinkle
+down on to the floor. The custodian of the cathedral told us that during
+the night of terror the German wounded, lying in the cathedral, not
+realising the strength and beauty of the French character under
+adversity, feared, seeing the cathedral in flames, that the populace
+might wreak vengeance on them, and it was exceedingly difficult to get
+them to leave the cathedral. Many of the prisoners fled into corners and
+hid, and some of them even penetrated into the palace of the Archbishop,
+which was in flames. All the world knows and admires the bravery of the
+curé of the cathedral, M. Landrieux, who took upon himself the defence
+of the prisoners, for fear insults might be hurled at them. He knowingly
+risked his life; but when, next day, some of his confrères endeavoured
+to praise him, he replied: "My friends, I never before realised how easy
+it is to die."
+
+One of the churches in the city was heavily draped in black, and I asked
+the sacristan if they had prepared for the funeral of a prominent
+citizen. He told me that they were that day bringing home the body of a
+young man of high birth of the neighbourhood, but that it was not for
+him that the church was decked in mourning. The draperies had hung there
+since August 1914--"Since every son of Rheims who is brought home is as
+noble as the one who comes to-day, and alas! nearly every day brings us
+one of our children."
+
+We lunched in the hotel before the cathedral, where each shell-hole has
+an ordinary white label stuck beside it with the date. The landlord
+remarked: "If you sit here long enough, and have the good luck to be in
+some safe part of the building, you may be able to go and stick a label
+by a hole yourself."
+
+After lunch we went out to the Château Polignac. To a stranger it would
+appear to be almost entirely destroyed, but when M. de Polignac visited
+it recently he simply remarked that it was "less spoilt than he had
+imagined." This was just one other example of the thousands one meets
+daily of the spirit of noble and peasant _de ne pas s'en faire_, but to
+keep only before them the one idea, Victory for France, no matter what
+may be the cost.
+
+We went later to call on the "'75," _chez elle_. Madame was in a
+particularly comfortable home which had been prepared for her and where
+she was safe from the inquisitive eyes of the Taubes. The men of the
+battery were sitting round their guns, singing a somewhat lengthy ditty,
+each verse ending with a declamation and a description of the beauty of
+"la belle Suzanne." I asked them to whom Suzanne belonged and where the
+fair damsel resided. "Oh," they replied, "we have no time to think of
+damsels called 'Suzanne' now. This is our Suzanne," and the speaker
+affectionately gave an extra rub with his coat-sleeve to the barrel of
+the "'75."
+
+By a wonderful system of trench work it is possible for the gunners, in
+case of necessity, to take refuge in the champagne-vaults in the
+surrounding district, and it is in the champagne-vaults that the
+children go daily to school, with their little gas-masks hanging in bags
+on their arms. It appears that at first the tiny ones were frightened of
+the masks, but they soon asked to be also given a sack, like their
+elders, and now one and all have learnt at the least alarm to put on
+their masks. There is no need to tell the children to hurry home. They
+realise that it is not wise to loiter in the streets for fear of the
+whistling shells. They are remarkably plucky, these small men and women
+of France.
+
+During one furious bombardment the children were safe in the vaults, but
+one small citizen began to cry bitterly. He was reproached by his
+comrades for cowardice, but he replied indignantly: "I fear nothing for
+myself--I am safe here; but there is no cellar to our house, and oh!
+what will happen to the little mother?" The teacher reassured him by
+telling him that his mother would certainly take refuge in somebody
+else's cellar.
+
+On leaving Rheims we passed through various small hamlets where the
+houses had been entirely destroyed, and which now had the appearance of
+native villages, as the soldiers had managed to place thatched roofs on
+any building which had a semblance of walls standing.
+
+At Villars Côterets the Garde Champêtre sounded the "Gare à Vous!" Four
+Taubes were passing overhead, so we took refuge in the hotel for tea.
+The enemy did no damage in that particular village, but in the next
+village of Crêpy-en-Valois a bomb killed one child and injured five
+women.
+
+At his headquarters next morning I had the honour of being received by
+the Generalissimo Joffre, and telling him of the admiration and respect
+which we felt for him and for the magnificent fighting spirit of the
+troops under his able command. He replied modestly by speaking of the
+British Army. He referred to the offensive on the Somme, and said, "You
+may well be proud of your young soldiers--they are excellent soldiers,
+much superior to the Germans in every way, a most admirable infantry;
+they attack the Germans hand to hand with grenades or with the bayonet,
+and push them back everywhere; the Germans have been absolutely
+_stupefied_ to find such troops before them." The General then paid a
+tribute to the Canadian and Australian troops, and told me that that day
+the Australians had taken new territory, adding, "And not only have they
+taken it, but like their British and Canadian brothers, what they take
+they will hold."
+
+I explained to General Joffre that, whilst I was not collecting
+autographs, I had with me the menu of the dinner in the citadel at
+Verdun, and that it would give me great pleasure to have his name added
+to the signatures already on that menu. All the signatures were on one
+side, so I turned the menu over in order to offer him a clear space, but
+he turned it back again, saying: "Please let me sign on this side; I
+find myself in good company with the defenders of Verdun."
+
+At departing he said to me: "We may all be happy now, since certainly we
+are on the right side of the hill" ("Nous sommes sur la bonne pente").
+
+In case this little story should fall into the hands of any woman who
+has spent her time working for the men at the front, I would like to
+tell her the great pleasure it is to them to receive parcels, no matter
+what they contain. Fraternity and Equality reign supreme in the
+trenches, and the man counts himself happy who receives a little more
+than the others, since he has the joy and the pleasure of sharing his
+store of good things with his comrades. There is seldom a request made
+to the French behind the lines that they do not attempt to fulfil. I
+remember last winter, passing through a town in the provinces, I
+noticed that the elderly men appeared to be scantily clad in spite of
+the bitterness of the weather. It appeared that the call had gone forth
+for fur coats for the troops, and all the worthy citizens of the town
+forwarded to the trenches their caracul coats. Only those who are well
+acquainted with French provincial life can know what it means to them to
+part with these signs of opulence and commercial success.
+
+It is perhaps in the post-offices that you find yourself nearest to the
+heart of "France behind the lines."
+
+One morning I endeavoured to send a parcel to a French soldier; I took
+my place in a long line of waiting women bound on the same errand. A
+white-haired woman before me gave the post-office clerk infinite
+trouble. They are not renowned for their patience, and I marvelled at
+his gentleness, until he explained: "Her son died five weeks ago, but
+she still continues to send him parcels."
+
+To another old lady he pointed out that she had written two numbers on
+the parcel. "You don't want two numbers, mother. Which is your boy's
+number?--tell me, and I will strike out the other."
+
+"Leave them both," she answered. "Who knows whether my dear lad will be
+there to receive the parcel? If he is not, I want it to go to some other
+mother's son."
+
+Affection means much to these men who are suffering, and they respond at
+once to any sympathy shown to them. One man informed us with pride that
+when he left his native village he was "decked like an altar of the
+Blessed Virgin on the first of May." In other words, covered with
+flowers.
+
+There are but few lonely soldiers now, since those who have no families
+to write to them receive letters and parcels from the godmothers who
+have adopted them. The men anxiously await the news of their adopted
+relatives, and spend hours writing replies. They love to receive
+letters, but needless to say a parcel is even more welcome.
+
+I remember seeing one man writing page after page. I suggested to him
+that he must have a particularly charming godmother. "Mademoiselle," he
+replied, "I have no time for a godmother since I myself am a godfather."
+He then explained that far away in his village there was a young
+assistant in his shop, "And God knows the boy loves France, but both his
+lungs are touched, so they won't take him, but I write and tell him that
+the good God has given me strength for two, that I fight for him and
+for myself, and that we are both doing well for France." I went back in
+imagination to the village, I could see the glint in the boy's eyes,
+realised how the blood pulsed quicker through his veins at the sight of,
+not the personal pronoun "I" in the singular, but the plural "We are
+doing well for France": for one glorious moment he was part of the hosts
+of France and in spirit serving his Motherland. It is that spirit of the
+French nation that their enemies will never understand.
+
+On one occasion a young German officer, covered with mud from head to
+foot, was brought before one of the French Generals. He had been taken
+fighting cleanly, and the General was anxious to show him kindness. He
+asked him if he would not prefer to cleanse himself before examination.
+The young German drew himself up and replied: "Look at me, General; I am
+covered from head to foot with mud, and that mud is the soil of France.
+You will never possess as much soil in Germany." The General turned to
+him with that gentle courtesy which marks the higher commands in France,
+and answered: "Monsieur, we may never possess as much soil in Germany;
+but there is something that you will never possess, and, until you
+conquer it, you cannot vanquish France, and that is the spirit of the
+French people."
+
+The French find it difficult to understand the arrogance which appears
+ingrained in the German character, and which existed before the war.
+
+I read once that in the Guest-book of a French hotel a Teutonic visitor
+wrote:
+
+"L'Allemagne est la première nation du monde."
+
+The next French visitor merely added:
+
+"Yes, 'Allemagne' is the first country of the world--if we take them in
+alphabetical order."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I left the war-zone with an increased respect, if this were possible,
+for the men of France. They have altered their uniforms, but the spirit
+is unchanged. They are no longer in the red and blue of the old days,
+but in shades of green, grey, and blue, colours blending to form one
+mighty ocean--wave on wave of patriotism--beating against and wearing
+down the rocks of military preparedness of forty years, and as no man
+has yet been able to say to the ocean "Stop," so no man shall cry "Halt"
+to the armies of France.
+
+I have spoken much of the men of France, but the women have also earned
+our respect--those splendid peasant-women who even in times of peace
+worked and now carry a double burden on their shoulders; the
+middle-class women, endeavouring to keep together the little business
+built up by the man with years of toil, stinting themselves to save five
+francs to send a parcel to the man at the front that he may not suspect
+that there is not still every comfort in the little homestead; the noble
+women of France, who in past years could not be seen before noon, since
+my lady was at her toilette, but who can be seen now, their hands
+scratched and bleeding, kneeling on the floors of the hospitals
+scrubbing, proud and happy to take their part in national service. The
+men owe much of their courage to the attitude of the women who stand
+behind them, turning their tears to smiles to urge their men to even
+greater deeds of heroism.
+
+In one of our hospitals was a young lad of seventeen, who had managed to
+enlist as an "engagé volontaire" by lying as to his age. His old mother
+came to visit him, and she told me he was the last of her three
+sons--the two elder ones had died the first week of the war at
+Pont-Mousson, and her little home had been burned to the ground. The boy
+had spent his time inventing new and terrible methods of dealing with
+the enemy, but with his mother he became a child again, and tenderly
+patted the old face. Seeing the lad in his mother's arms, and forgetting
+for one moment the spirit of the French nation, I asked her if she would
+not be glad if her boy was so wounded that she might take him home. She
+was only an old peasant-woman, but her eyes flashed, her cheeks flushed
+with anger, and turning to me she said: "Mademoiselle, how dare you say
+such a thing to me? If all the mothers, wives, and sweethearts thought
+as you, what would happen to the country? Gustave has only one thing to
+do, get well quickly and fight for Mother France."
+
+Because these women of France have sent their men forth to die, eyes
+dry, with stiff lips and head erect, do not think that they do not mourn
+for them. When night casts her kindly mantle of darkness over all, when
+they are hidden from the eyes of the world, it is then that the proud
+heads droop and are bent upon their arms, as the women cry out in the
+bitterness of their souls for the men who have gone from them. Yet they
+realise that behind them stands the greatest mother of all, Mother
+France, who sees coming towards her, from all frontiers, line on line of
+ambulances with their burden of suffering humanity, yet watches along
+other routes her sons going forth in thousands, laughter in their eyes,
+songs on their lips, ready and willing to die for her. France draws
+around her her tattered and blood-stained robe, yet what matters the
+outer raiment? Behind it shines forth her glorious, exultant soul, and
+she lifts up her head rejoicing and proclaims to the world that when she
+appealed, man, woman, and child--the whole of the French
+nation--answered to her Call.
+
+
+
+     *     *     *     *     *     *
+
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+   ' was used for raised dots on all "'75's"
+
+   Page 70: Closing quote added to poem. "...qui les occupe."
+
+   Page 92: Period added to Mme.
+
+   Page 98: "Triaucourt" changed to "Triancourt."
+
+   Page 110: Changed Debency to Debeney.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE ROAD TO VERDUN***
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, The White Road to Verdun, by Kathleen Burke</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: The White Road to Verdun</p>
+<p>Author: Kathleen Burke</p>
+<p>Release Date: October 25, 2005  [eBook #16945]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE ROAD TO VERDUN***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h4>E-text prepared by Irma Spehar, Emmy,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (<a href="https://www.pgdp.net/">https://www.pgdp.net/</a>)<br />
+    from images generously made available by<br />
+    The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries<br />
+    (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/toronto">http://www.archive.org/details/toronto</a>)</h4>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;" cellpadding="10">
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Note:
+    </td>
+    <td>
+      Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive:
+      Canadian Libraries. See
+	  <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/whiteroadverdun00burkuoft">
+	  http://www.archive.org/details/whiteroadverdun00burkuoft</a>
+	</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+
+<p><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 1]</span></p>
+
+<h1>THE WHITE ROAD</h1>
+<h1>TO VERDUN</h1>
+
+<p><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 2]</span><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 3]</span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="./images/frontis.jpg"><img src="./images/frontis-tb.jpg" alt="Kathleen Burke" title="Kathleen Burke" /></a></div>
+
+
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>KATHLEEN BURKE</h2>
+
+
+<h3><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />HODDER AND STOUGHTON</h3>
+
+<h4>LONDON &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  NEW YORK &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; TORONTO</h4>
+
+<h4>MCMXVI</h4>
+
+<div class='center'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 4]</span><i>Printed in Great Britain by Hazell, Watson &amp; Viney, Ld.,<br />London and
+Aylesbury</i><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 5]</span></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class='center'><small>TO</small><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap"><big>Dr. C.O. MAILLOUX</big></span><br />
+<br />
+<small>(NEW YORK)</small><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap"><big>Mr. and Mrs. L.B. FRANKLIN</big></span><br />
+<br />
+<small>AND</small><br />
+<br />
+<big>JEANNETTE FRANKLIN</big><br />
+<br />
+<small>AND TO MY</small><br />
+<br />
+<big>MOTHER</big><br />
+<br />
+WHO BY THEIR AFFECTION AND PRACTICAL<br />
+<br />
+SYMPATHY HELPED ME IN ALL THE<br />
+<br />
+WORK I HAVE UNDERTAKEN.</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 6]</span><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 7]</span></p>
+
+
+
+<div class='right'>
+<i>10th August, 1916.</i><br />
+</div>
+
+<p>We left Paris determined to undertake the journey to the front in the
+true spirit of the French <i>poilu</i>, and, no matter what happened, "<i>de ne
+pas s'en faire</i>."</p>
+
+<p>This famous "motto" of the French Army is probably derived from one of
+two slang sentences: "De ne pas se faire des cheveux" ("To keep one's
+hair on"), or "De ne pas se faire de la bile" (or, in other words, not
+to upset one's digestion by unnecessary worrying). The phrase is typical
+of the mentality of the <i>poilu</i>, who accepts anything and everything
+that may happen, whether it be merely slight physical discomfort or
+intense suffering, as part of the willing sacrifice which he made on the
+day that, leaving his homestead and his daily <a name="Page_8" id="Page_8"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 8]</span>occupation, he took up
+arms "offering his body as a shield to defend the Heart of France."</p>
+
+<p>Everything might be worse than it is, says the <i>poilu</i>, and so he has
+composed a litany. Every regiment has a different version, but always
+with the same fundamental basis:</p>
+
+<p>"Of two things one is certain: either you're mobilised or you're not
+mobilised. If you're not mobilised, there is no need to worry; if you
+are mobilised, of two things one is certain: either you're behind the
+lines or you're on the front. If you're behind the lines, there is no
+need to worry; if you're on the front, of two things one is certain:
+either you're resting in a safe place or you're exposed to danger. If
+you're resting in a safe place, there is no need to worry; if you're
+exposed to danger, <a name="Page_9" id="Page_9"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 9]</span>of two things one is certain: either you're wounded
+or you're not wounded. If you're not wounded, there is no need to worry;
+if you are wounded, of two things one is certain: either you're wounded
+seriously or you're wounded slightly. If you're wounded slightly, there
+is no need to worry; if you're wounded seriously, of two things one is
+certain: either you recover or you die. If you recover, there is no need
+to worry; if you die, you can't worry."</p>
+
+<p>When once past the "Wall of China," as the French authorities call the
+difficult approaches of the war zone, Meaux was the first town of
+importance at which we stopped.</p>
+
+<p>We had an opportunity to sample the army bread, as the driver of a
+passing bread-wagon flung a large round loaf into our motor.</p>
+
+<p>According to all accounts received from <a name="Page_10" id="Page_10"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 10]</span>the French soldiers who are in
+the prison-camps of Germany, one of the greatest hardships is the lack
+of white bread, and they have employed various subterfuges in the
+endeavour to let their relatives know that they wish to have bread sent
+to them. Some of the Bretons writing home nicknamed bread "Monsieur
+Barras," and when there was a very great shortage they would write to
+their families: "Ce pauvre Monsieur Barras ne se porte pas tr&egrave;s bien &agrave;
+pr&eacute;sent." Finally, the Germans discovered the real significance of M.
+Barras, and they added to one of the letters: "Si M. Barras ne se porte
+pas tr&egrave;s bien &agrave; pr&eacute;sent, c'est bien la faute de vos amis les Anglais"
+("If M. Barras is not very fit, it is the fault of your friends the
+English"), and from then all the letters referring to M. Barras were
+strictly suppressed.<a name="Page_11" id="Page_11"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 11]</span></p>
+
+<p>While the German Press may not be above admitting a shortage of food in
+Germany, it seriously annoys the Army that the French prisoners or the
+French in the invaded regions should hear of it. I heard one story of
+the wife of a French officer in Lille who was obliged to offer unwilling
+hospitality to a German captain, who, in a somewhat clumsy endeavour to
+be amiable, offered to try to get news of her husband and to convey it
+to her. Appreciating the seeming friendliness of the captain, she
+confided to him that she had means of communicating with her husband who
+was on the French front. The captain informed against her, and the next
+day she was sent for by the Kommandantur, who imposed a fine of 50 frs.
+upon her for having received a letter from the enemy lines. Taking a
+100-fr. note from her bag, she placed it <a name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 12]</span>on the desk, saying, "M. le
+Kommandantur, here is the 50 frs. fine, and also another 50 frs. which I
+am glad to subscribe for the starving women and children in Berlin."</p>
+
+<p>"No one starves in Berlin," replied the Kommandantur.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, they do," replied Madame X. "I know, because the captain who
+so kindly informed you that I had received a letter from my husband
+showed me a letter the other day from his wife, in which she spoke of
+the sad condition of the women and children of Germany, who, whilst not
+starving, were far from happy." Thus she not only had the pleasure of
+seriously annoying the Kommandantur, but also a chance to get even with
+the captain who had informed against her, and who is no longer in soft
+quarters in Lille, but paying the penalty of his indiscretion by a
+sojourn on the Yser.<a name="Page_13" id="Page_13"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 13]</span></p>
+
+<p>The bridge at Meaux, destroyed in the course of the German retreat, has
+not yet been entirely repaired. Beneath it rushes the Marne, and the
+river sings in triumph, as it passes, that it is carrying away the soil
+that has been desecrated by the steps of the invader and that day by day
+it is washing clean the land of France.</p>
+
+<p>In the fields where the corn is standing, the tiny crosses marking the
+last resting-places of the men are entirely hidden; but where the grain
+has been gathered, the graves stand out distinctly, marked not only by a
+cross, but also by the tall bunches of corn which have been left growing
+on these small patches of holy ground. It has always been said that
+France has two harvests each year. Certainly in the fields of the Marne
+there is not only the harvest <a name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 14]</span>of bread&mdash;there is also springing up the
+harvest of security and peace.</p>
+
+<p>The peasants as they point out the graves always add: "We of the people
+know that those men sacrificed their lives that our children might live.
+Those who have died in vain for an unjust cause may well envy the men of
+France who have poured out their blood for the benefit of humanity."</p>
+
+<p>Looking on the crosses on the battlefield of the Marne, I realised to
+the fullest extent the sacrifices, borne with such bravery, of the women
+of France. I thought of the picture I had seen in Paris of a group of
+mothers standing at the foot of Calvary, looking out over the fields of
+small black crosses, lifting their hands to Heaven, with the words&mdash;"We
+also, God, have given our sons for the peace of the world."<a name="Page_15" id="Page_15"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 15]</span></p>
+
+<p>At Montmirail the real activity of the war zone first became apparent.
+We drew the car to the side of the road and waited whilst a long
+procession of empty munition-wagons passed on the way back from the
+munition-parks near the fighting-line. There was a smile on the face of
+every one of the drivers. Each of them had the satisfaction of knowing
+that there was no chance of his returning with an empty wagon, as there
+is no lack of provisions to feed the hungriest of the "75's" or any of
+her larger sisters.</p>
+
+<p>The fact that it is known that there is an ample supply of munitions
+plays an important part in the "moral" of the troops. The average
+<i>poilu</i> has no sympathy with the man who grumbles at the number of hours
+he may have to work. We heard the tale of a munition-worker <a name="Page_16" id="Page_16"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 16]</span>who was
+complaining in a caf&eacute; at having to work so hard. A <i>poilu</i> who was <i>en
+permission</i> and who was sitting at the next table, turned to him,
+saying, "You have no right to grumble: you receive 10 to 12 francs a day
+for making shells, and we poor devils get 5 sous a day for stopping
+them!"</p>
+
+<p>We lunched in the small but hospitable village of S&eacute;zanne, in company
+with a most charming invalided officer who informed us that he was the
+principal in that district of the S.D.R.D.R. (Service de Recherche des
+Rattiers) (the Principal Recruiting Officer for Rat-catchers). In other
+words, he is spending his time endeavouring to persuade suitable
+"bow-wows" to enlist in the service of their country. Likely dogs are
+trained until they do not bark, and become entirely <a name="Page_17" id="Page_17"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 17]</span>accustomed to the
+sound of firing; they are then pronounced "Aptes &agrave; faire campagne," or
+"Fit for service," receive their <i>livret militaire</i>, or
+certificates&mdash;for not every chance dog is allowed in the trenches&mdash;and
+are dispatched to the trenches on a rat-hunting campaign.</p>
+
+<p>From S&eacute;zanne we proceeded direct to the new camp for German prisoners at
+Cannantre. The prisoners were mostly men who had been taken in the
+recent fighting on the Somme or round Verdun. The camp was already
+excellently installed, and the prisoners were busy in groups gardening,
+making bread, or sitting before great heaps of potatoes, preparing them
+for the evening meal. The German sense of order was everywhere in
+evidence. In the long barracks where the men slept the beds were tidy,
+and above each bed was a small shelf, <a name="Page_18" id="Page_18"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 18]</span>each shelf arranged in exactly
+the same order, the principal ornaments being a mug, fork, and spoon;
+and just as each bed resembled each other bed, so the fork and spoon
+were placed in their respective mugs at exactly the same angle. There
+were small partitioned apartments for the noncommissioned officers. The
+French Commander of the camp told us that the German love of holding
+some form of office was everywhere apparent. The French made no attempt
+to command the prisoners themselves, but always chose men from amongst
+the prisoners who were placed in authority over their comrades. The
+prisoners rejoiced exceedingly and promptly increased in self-importance
+and, alas! decreased in manners, if they were given the smallest
+position which raised them above the level of the rest of the men.<a name="Page_19" id="Page_19"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 19]</span></p>
+
+<p>In the barrack where they were cutting up bread for the prisoners, we
+asked the men if they deeply regretted their captivity. They replied
+unanimously that they were "rather glad to be well fed," which seemed an
+answer in itself. They did not, however, appreciate the white bread and
+stated that they preferred their own black bread. The French officers
+commanding the camp treat the prisoners as naughty children who must be
+"kept in the corner" and punished for their own good. In all my travels
+through France I have never seen any bitterness shown towards the
+prisoners. I remember once at Nevers we passed a group of German
+prisoners, and amongst them was a wounded man who was lying in a small
+cart. A handbag had fallen across his leg, and none of his comrades
+attempted to remove it.<a name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 20]</span> A French woman, pushing her way between the
+guards, lifted it off and gave it to one of the Germans to carry. When
+the guards tried to remonstrate, she replied simply, "J'ai un fils
+prisonnier l&agrave;-bas, faut esp&eacute;rer qu'une allemande ferait autant pour lui"
+("I have a son who is a prisoner in their land, let us hope that some
+German woman will do as much for him").</p>
+
+<p>On the battlefields the kindness of the French medical men to the German
+wounded has always been conspicuous. One of my neutral friends passing
+through Germany heard from one of the prominent German surgeons that
+they were well aware of this fact, and knew that their wounded received
+every attention. There is a story known throughout France of a French
+doctor who was attending a wounded German on the battlefield. The man,
+who <a name="Page_21" id="Page_21"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 21]</span>was probably half delirious, snatched at a revolver which was lying
+near by and attempted to shoot the doctor. The doctor took the revolver
+from him, patted him on the head, and said, "Voyons, voyons, ne faites
+pas l'enfant" ("Now then, now then, don't be childish"), and went on
+dressing his wounds.</p>
+
+<p>Everywhere you hear accounts of brotherly love and religious tolerance.
+I remember kneeling once by the side of a dying French soldier who was
+tenderly supported in the arms of a famous young Mohammedan surgeon, an
+Egyptian who had taken his degree in Edinburgh and was now attached to
+the French Red Cross. The man's mind was wandering, and seeing a woman
+beside him he commenced to talk to me as to his betrothed. "This war
+cannot last always, little one, and when it is <a name="Page_22" id="Page_22"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 22]</span>over we will buy a pig
+and a cow and we will go to the cur&eacute;, won't we, beloved?" Then in a
+lucid moment he realised that he was dying, and he commenced to pray,
+"Ave Maria, Ave Maria," but the poor tired brain could remember nothing
+more. He turned to me to continue, but I could no longer trust myself to
+speak, and it was the Mohammedan who took up the prayer and continued it
+whilst the soldier followed with his lips until his soul passed away
+into the valley of shadows. I think this story is only equalled in its
+broad tolerance by that of the Rabbi Bloch of Lyons, who was shot at the
+battle of the Aisne whilst holding a crucifix to the lips of a dying
+Christian soldier. The soldier-priests of France have earned the love
+and respect of even the most irreligious of the <i>poilus</i>. They never
+hesitate to risk their lives, and have dis<a name="Page_23" id="Page_23"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 23]</span>played sublime courage and
+devotion to their duty as priests and as soldiers. Behind the first line
+of trenches a soldier-priest called suddenly to attend a dying comrade
+took a small dog he was nursing, and handing it to one of the men,
+simply remarked, "Take care of the little beast for me; I am going to a
+dangerous corner and I do not want it killed."</p>
+
+<p>I have seen the Mass celebrated on a gun-carriage. Vases made of
+shell-cases were filled with flowers that the men had risked their lives
+to gather, in order to deck the improvised altar. A Red Cross ambulance
+drove up and stopped near by. The wounded begged to be taken out on
+their stretchers and laid at the foot of the altar in order that "they
+might receive the blessing of the good God" before starting <a name="Page_24" id="Page_24"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 24]</span>on the long
+journey to the hospital behind the lines.</p>
+
+<p>Outside the prison-camp of Cannantre stood a circle of French soldiers
+learning the bugle calls for the French Army. I wondered how the Germans
+cared to listen to the martial music of the men of France, one and all
+so sure of the ultimate victory of their country. Half a kilometre
+farther on, a series of mock trenches had been made where the men were
+practising the throwing of hand grenades. Every available inch of space
+behind the French lines is made to serve some useful purpose.</p>
+
+<p>I never see a hand grenade without thinking how difficult it is just now
+to be a hero in France. Every man is really a hero, and the men who have
+medals are almost ashamed, since they know that nearly all their
+comrades merit them. It is <a name="Page_25" id="Page_25"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 25]</span>especially difficult to be a hero in one's
+own family. One of the men in our hospital at Royaumont had been in the
+trenches during an attack. A grenade thrown by one of the French
+soldiers struck the parapet and rebounded amongst the men. With that
+rapidity of thought which is part of the French character, Jules sat on
+the grenade and extinguished it. For this act of bravery he was
+decorated by the French Government and wrote home to tell his wife. I
+found him sitting up in bed, gloomily reading her reply, and I inquired
+why he looked so glum. "Well, mademoiselle," he replied, "I wrote to my
+wife to tell her of my new honour; and see what she says: 'My dear
+Jules, we are not surprised you got a medal for sitting on a hand
+grenade; we have never known you to do anything else but sit down at
+home!'"<a name="Page_26" id="Page_26"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 26]</span></p>
+
+<p>It was at F&egrave;re Champinoise that we passed through the first village
+which had been entirely destroyed by the retreating Germans. Only half
+the church was standing, but services are still held there every Sunday.
+Very little attempt has been made to rebuild the ruined houses. Were I
+one of the villagers, I would prefer to raze to the ground all that
+remained of the desecrated homesteads and build afresh new dwellings;
+happy in the knowledge that with the victory of the Allies would start a
+period of absolute security, prosperity, and peace.</p>
+
+<p>It was on the same day that we had the privilege of beholding some of
+the 400-cm. guns of France, all prepared and ready to travel at a
+minute's notice along the railway lines to the section where they might
+be needed. Some idea of their size may be obtained from the fact that
+there were ten <a name="Page_27" id="Page_27"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 27]</span>axles to the base on which they travel. They were all
+disguised by the system of <i>camouflage</i> employed by the French Army, and
+at a very short distance they blend with the landscape and become almost
+invisible. Each gun bears a different name, "Alsace," "Lorraine," etc.,
+and with that strange irony and cynical wit of the French trooper, at
+the request of the men of one battery, one huge gun has been christened
+"Mosquito," "because it stings."</p>
+
+<p>The French often use a bitter and biting humour in speaking of the
+enemy. For instance, amongst the many pets of the men, the strangest I
+saw was a small hawk sitting on the wrist of a soldier who had trained
+him. The bird was the personification of evil. If anyone approached, he
+snapped at them and endeavoured to bite them. I asked the man why he
+kept him, <a name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 28]</span>and he replied that they had quite good sport in the trenches
+when they allowed the hawk to hunt small birds and field-mice. Then, his
+expression changing from jovial good-humour to grimness, he added: "You
+know, I call him 'Zepp,' because he kills the little ones" ("parcequ'il
+tue les tous petits").</p>
+
+<p>In one small cantonment where 200 <i>poilus</i> sang, shouted, ate, drank,
+and danced together to the strain of a wheezy gramophone, or in one word
+were "resting," I started to investigate the various kinds of pets owned
+by the troopers. Cats, dogs, and monkeys were common, whilst one <i>poilu</i>
+was the proud possessor of a parrot which he had purchased from a
+refugee obliged to fly from his home. He hastened to assure us that the
+bird had learned his "vocabulary" from his former proprietor. A study
+<a name="Page_29" id="Page_29"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 29]</span>in black and white was a group of three or four white mice, nestling
+against the neck of a Senegalais.</p>
+
+<p>The English Tommy is quite as devoted to animals as is his French
+brother. I remember crossing one bitter February day from Boulogne to
+Folkestone. Alongside the boat, on the quay at Boulogne, were lined up
+the men who had been granted leave. Arrayed in their shaggy fur coats,
+they resembled little the smart British Tommy of peace times. It was
+really wonderful how much the men managed to conceal under those fur
+coats, or else the eye of the officer inspecting them was intentionally
+not too keen.</p>
+
+<p>Up the gangway trooped the men, and I noticed that two of them walked
+slowly and cautiously. The boat safely out of harbour, one of them
+produced from his <a name="Page_30" id="Page_30"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 30]</span>chest a large tabby cat, whilst the other placed a
+fine cock on the deck. It was a cock with the true Gaelic spirit: before
+the cat had time to consider the situation it had sprung on its back.
+The cat beat a hasty retreat into the arms of its protector, who
+replaced it under his coat. Once in safety, it stuck out its head and
+swore at the cock, which, perched on a coil of rope, crowed
+victoriously.</p>
+
+<p>Both animals had been the companions of the men whilst in the trenches,
+and they were bringing them home.</p>
+
+<p>A soldier standing near me commenced to grumble because he had not been
+able to bring his pet with him. I inquired why he had left it behind,
+since the others had brought theirs away with them, and elicited the
+information that "his pet was a cow, and therefore somewhat difficult to
+<a name="Page_31" id="Page_31"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 31]</span>transport." He seemed rather hurt that I should laugh, and assured me
+it was "a noble animal, brown with white spots, and had given himself
+and his comrades two quarts of milk a day." He looked disdainfully at
+the cock and cat. "They could have left them behind and no one would
+have pinched them, whereas I know I'll never see 'Sarah' again&mdash;she was
+far too useful."</p>
+
+<p>Entering Vitry-le-Fran&ccedil;ois we had a splendid example of the typical
+"motto" of the French trooper, "Il ne faut pas s'en faire." One of the
+motor-cars had broken down, and the officer-occupants, who were
+evidently not on an urgent mission, had gone to sleep on the banks by
+the side of the road whilst the chauffeur was making the necessary
+repairs. We offered him assistance, but he was progressing quite <a name="Page_32" id="Page_32"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 32]</span>well
+alone. Later on another officer related to me his experience when his
+car broke down at midnight some 20 km. from a village. The chauffeur was
+making slow headway with the repairs. The officer inquired whether he
+really understood the job, and received the reply, "Yes, mon lieutenant,
+I think I do; but I am rather a novice, as before the war I was a
+lion-tamer!" Apparently the gallant son of Gaul found it easier to tame
+lions than to repair motors.</p>
+
+<p>We left Vitry-le-Fran&ccedil;ois at 6 o'clock next morning, and started "the
+hunt for generals." It is by no means easy to discover where the actual
+Q.G. (Headquarters) of the General of any particular secteur is
+situated.</p>
+
+<p>We were not yet really on the "White Road" to Verdun, and there was
+still much <a name="Page_33" id="Page_33"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 33]</span>to be seen that delighted the eyes. In one yellow cornfield
+there appeared to be enormous poppies. On approaching we discovered a
+detachment of Tirailleurs from Algiers, sitting in groups, and the
+"poppies" were the red fezes of the men&mdash;a gorgeous blending of crimson
+and gold. We threw a large box of cigarettes to them, and were greeted
+with shouts of joy and thanks. The Tirailleurs are the "enfants
+terribles" of the French Army. One noble son of Africa who was being
+treated in one of the hospitals once presented me with an aluminium ring
+made from a piece of German shell. I asked him to make one for one of my
+comrades who was working at home, and he informed me that nothing would
+have given him greater pleasure, but unfortunately he had no more
+aluminium. Later in the day, passing through the ward,<a name="Page_34" id="Page_34"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 34]</span> I saw him
+surrounded by five or six Parisian ladies who were showering sweets,
+cigarettes, and flowers on him, whilst he was responding by presenting
+each of them with an aluminium ring. When they had left I went to him
+and told him, "Mahmud, that was not kind. I asked you for a ring and you
+said you had not got any more aluminium." He smiled, and his nurse, who
+was passing, added, "No, he had not <i>got</i> any more aluminium, but when
+he is better he will <i>get</i> forty-eight hours' punishment; he had been
+into the kitchen, stolen one of our best aluminium saucepans, and has
+been making souvenirs for the ladies." He made no attempt to justify his
+action beyond stating: "Moi, pas si mauvais; toi, pas faux souvenir" ("I
+am not so bad; I did not attempt to give you a fake souvenir").<a name="Page_35" id="Page_35"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 35]</span></p>
+
+<p>Another of our chocolate-coloured patients found in the grounds of the
+hospital an old umbrella. Its ribs stuck out and it was full of holes,
+but it gave him the idea of royalty, and daily he sat up in bed in the
+ward with the umbrella unfurled whilst he laid down the law to his
+comrades. The nurses endeavoured to persuade him to hand it over at
+night. He obstinately refused, insisting that "he knew his comrades,"
+and he feared that one of them would certainly steal the treasure, so he
+preferred to keep it in the bed with him.</p>
+
+<p>At Villers-le-Sec we came upon the headquarters of the cooks for that
+section of the front. The cook is one of the most important men in a
+French regiment; he serves many ends. When carrying the food through the
+communicating trenches to the front-line trenches, he is always supposed
+<a name="Page_36" id="Page_36"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 36]</span>to bring to the men the latest news, the latest tale which is going the
+round of the camp, and anything that may happen to interest them. If he
+has not got any news he must manufacture and produce some kind of story.
+It is really necessary for him to be not only a cook but also an author.</p>
+
+<p>There is a tale going the round of the French Army how one section of
+the cooks, although unarmed, managed to take some twenty German
+prisoners. As they went on their way, they saw the Germans in the
+distance approaching them; the head cook quietly drew the field-kitchens
+behind a clump of trees and bushes, placed his men in a row, each with a
+cooking utensil in his hand, and as the Germans passed shouted to them
+to surrender. The sun fell on the handles of the saucepans, causing them
+to shine like bayonets, and the Germans, taken <a name="Page_37" id="Page_37"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 37]</span>unawares, laid down
+their arms. The head cook then stepped out and one by one took the
+rifles from the enemy and handed them to his men. It was only when he
+had disarmed the Germans and armed his comrades that he gave the signal
+for them to step out, and the Germans saw that they had been taken by a
+ruse. One can imagine the joy of the French troops in the next village,
+when, with a soup-ladle in his hand, his assistants armed with German
+rifles, followed by the soup-kitchen and twenty prisoners, he marched in
+to report.</p>
+
+<p>It is curious to note how near humour is to tragedy in war, and how
+quick-wittedness may serve a useful purpose and even save life. A young
+French medical student told me that he owed his life to the quick wit of
+the women of a village and the sense of humour of a Saxon officer.
+Whilst passing <a name="Page_38" id="Page_38"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 38]</span>from one hospital to another, he was captured by a small
+German patrol, and in spite of his papers, proving that he was attached
+to the Red Cross Service, he was tried as a spy and condemned to be
+shot. At the opening of his trial the women had been interested
+spectators; towards the end all of them had vanished. He was placed
+against a barn door, the firing squad lined up, when from behind the
+hedge bordering a wood the women began to bombard the soldiers with
+eggs. The aim was excellent&mdash;not one man escaped; the German officer
+laughed at the plight of his men and, in the brief respite accorded, the
+young man dashed towards the hedge and vanished in the undergrowth. The
+Germans fired a few shots, but there was no organised attempt to follow
+him, probably because their own position was not too secure. He <a name="Page_39" id="Page_39"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 39]</span>was
+loath to leave the women to face the music, but they insisted that it
+was "Pour la Patrie," and that they were quite capable of taking care of
+themselves. Later he again visited the village, and the women told him
+that beyond obliging them to clean the soldiers' clothes thoroughly, the
+German officer had inflicted no other punishment upon them.</p>
+
+<p>A certain number of inhabitants are still living in the village of
+Revigny. You see everywhere placards announcing "Caves pour 25," "Caves
+pour 100," and each person knows to which cellar he is to go if a Taube
+should start bombing the village. I saw one cellar marked "120 persons,
+specially safe, reserved for the children." Children are one of the most
+valuable assets of France, and a good old Territorial <i>P&egrave;-p&egrave;re</i> (Daddy),
+as they are nicknamed, <a name="Page_40" id="Page_40"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 40]</span>told me that it was his special but difficult
+duty to muster the children directly a Taube was signalled, and chase
+them down into the cellar. Mopping his brow, he assured me that it was
+not easy to catch the little beggars, who hid in the ruins, behind the
+army wagons, anywhere to escape the "parental" eye. It is needless to
+add they consider it a grave infringement of their personal liberty and
+think that they should be allowed to remain in the open and see all that
+goes on, just as the little Londoners beg and coax to be allowed to stay
+up "to see the Zepps."</p>
+
+<p>Passing the railway-station, we stopped to make some inquiries, and
+promptly ascertained all we wished to know from the chef de gare.</p>
+
+<p>In the days of peace there is in France no one more officious than the
+station-master <a name="Page_41" id="Page_41"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 41]</span>of a small but prosperous village. Now he is the meekest
+of men. Braided cap in hand, he goes along the train from carriage door
+to carriage door, humbly requesting newspapers for the wounded in the
+local hospitals. "Nous avons 125 bless&eacute;s ici, cela les fait tant de
+plaisir d'avoir des nouvelles" ("We have 125 wounded here, and oh! how
+they love to have the latest news").</p>
+
+<p>In addition to levying a toll on printed matter, he casts a covetous and
+meaning glance on any fruit or chocolate that may be visible. Before the
+train is out of the station, you can see the once-busy and in his own
+opinion all-important railway official vanishing down the road to carry
+his spoils to his suffering comrades. Railway travelling is indeed
+expensive in France. No matter what time of day or <a name="Page_42" id="Page_42"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 42]</span>night, wet or fine,
+the trains are met at each station by devoted women who extract
+contributions for the Red Cross funds from the pockets of willing
+givers. It is only fair to state, however, that in most instances the
+station-master gets there first.</p>
+
+<p>From the time we left Revigny until we had passed into the Champagne
+country, upon the return journey from Verdun, we no longer saw a green
+tree or a blade of green grass; we were now indeed upon the "White Road
+which leads into Verdun." Owing to an exceptionally trying and dry
+summer the roads are thick with white dust. The continual passing of the
+<i>camions</i>, the splendid transport-wagons of the French Army, carrying
+either food, munitions, or troops, has stirred up the dust and coated
+the fields, trees, and hedges with a thick layer of white. It is almost
+as <a name="Page_43" id="Page_43"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 43]</span>painful to the eyes as the snow-fields of the Alps.</p>
+
+<p>I saw one horse that looked exactly like a plaster statuette. His master
+had scrubbed him down, but before he dried the white dust had settled on
+him everywhere. Naturally "humans" do not escape. By the time our party
+reached the headquarters of General P&eacute;tain, we had joined the White
+Brigade. I excused myself to the General, who smilingly replied, "Why
+complain, mademoiselle? You are charming; your hair is powdered like a
+marquise." The contrast with what had been a black fur cap on what was
+now perfectly white hair justified his compliment.</p>
+
+<p>I have never been renowned in my life for fear of any individual, but I
+must admit that I passed into the presence of General P&eacute;tain with a
+great deal of respect <a name="Page_44" id="Page_44"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 44]</span>amounting almost to awe. The defence of Verdun
+through the bitter months of February and March by General P&eacute;tain, a
+defence which is now under the immediate control of his able
+lieutenants, General Nivelle and General Dubois, has earned the respect
+and admiration of the whole world. It is impossible not to feel the
+deepest admiration for these men who have earned such undying glory, not
+only for themselves, but for their Motherland.</p>
+
+<p>No one could have been more gracious and kind than General P&eacute;tain, and
+in his presence one realised the strength and power of France.</p>
+
+<p>Throughout all the French Headquarters one is impressed by the perfect
+calm that reigns; no excitement&mdash;not even a paper on the Generals'
+desks&mdash;everything perfectly organised.<a name="Page_45" id="Page_45"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 45]</span></p>
+
+<p>General P&eacute;tain asked me at once to tell him what I desired. I asked his
+permission to go to Rheims. He at once took up a paper which permitted
+me to enter the war zone, and endorsed it with the request to General
+Debeney in Rheims to allow me to penetrate with my companions into the
+city. He then turned to me again and asked me with a knowing smile if
+that was all I required&mdash;for his headquarters were hardly on the direct
+road to Rheims! I hesitated to express my real wish, when my good
+counsellor and friend, with whom I was making the journey, the
+Commandant Jean de Pulligny, answered for me&mdash;"I feel sure it would be a
+great happiness and honour if you would allow us, General, to go to
+Verdun." General P&eacute;tain appeared slightly surprised, and turning to me,
+asked, "Do you thoroughly realise the <a name="Page_46" id="Page_46"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 46]</span>danger? You have crossed the
+Atlantic and faced submarines, but you will risk more in five minutes in
+Verdun than in crossing the Atlantic a thousand times." However, seeing
+that I was really anxious to go, and that it might be of great service
+to me in my future work to have seen personally the defence of Verdun,
+he added smilingly: "Well, then, you can go if you wish, at your own
+risk and peril." He then telephoned to General Nivelle the necessary
+permission for us to enter Verdun.</p>
+
+<p>I doubt whether General P&eacute;tain realises the respect in which he is held
+in all the civilised countries of the world. Probably he does not yet
+understand that people would come thousands of miles to have five
+minutes' audience with him, for he inquired if we were in any hurry to
+continue our journey, and added with charm<a name="Page_47" id="Page_47"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 47]</span>ing simplicity&mdash;"Because if
+not, and you do not mind waiting an hour, I shall be glad if you will
+lunch with me."</p>
+
+<p>We lunched with General P&eacute;tain and his &eacute;tat-major. A charming and most
+interesting addition to the party was M. Forain, the famous French
+caricaturist, and now one of the chief instructors of the French Army in
+the art of <i>camouflage</i>&mdash;the art of making a thing look like anything in
+the world except what it is! He has established a series of schools all
+along the French front where the <i>poilus</i> learn to bedeck their guns and
+thoroughly disguise them under delicate shades of green and yellow, with
+odd pink spots in order to relieve the monotony. Certainly the
+appearance of the guns of the present time would rejoice the heart and
+soul of the "Futurists." It was most interesting to hear him describe
+<a name="Page_48" id="Page_48"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 48]</span>the work in detail and the rapidity with which his pupils learned the
+new art. For one real battery there are probably three or four false
+ones, beautiful wooden guns, etc., etc., and he told us of the <i>poilus'</i>
+new version of the song "Rien n'est plus beau que notre Patrie"
+("Nothing is more beautiful than our country "). They now sing "Rien
+n'est plus faux que notre batterie" ("Nothing is more false than our
+battery").</p>
+
+<p>It was M. Forain who coined the famous phrase "that there was no fear
+for the ultimate success of the Allies, if only the civilians held out!"</p>
+
+<p>I was much amused at M. Forain's statement that he had already heard
+that a company had been formed for erecting, after the war, wooden
+hotels on the battlefields of France for the accommodation of
+<a name="Page_49" id="Page_49"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 49]</span>sightseers. Not only was it certain that these hotels were to be built,
+but the rooms were already booked in advance.</p>
+
+<p>It was strange to find there, within the sound of the guns&mdash;sometimes
+the glasses on the table danced to the music, although no one took any
+notice of that&mdash;surrounded by men directing the operations of the war
+and of one of the greatest battles in history, how little war was
+mentioned. Science, philosophy, and the work of women were discussed.</p>
+
+<p>The men of France are taking deep interest in the splendid manner in
+which the women of all the different nations are responding to the call
+to service. I described to General P&eacute;tain the work of the Scottish
+Women's Hospitals. These magnificent hospitals are organised and staffed
+entirely by women, and started, in the first instance, <a name="Page_50" id="Page_50"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 50]</span>by the National
+Union of Women's Suffrage (Scottish Branch). He was deeply interested to
+learn that what had been before the war a political society, had, with
+that splendid spirit of patriotism which had from the first day of the
+war animated every man, woman, and child of Great Britain, drawn upon
+its funds and founded the hospital units. I explained to him that it was
+no longer a question of politics, but simply a case of serving humanity
+and serving it to the best possible advantage. The National Union had
+realised that this was a time for organised effort on the part of all
+women for the benefit of the human race and the alleviation of
+suffering.</p>
+
+<p>I spoke of the bravery of our girls in Siberia; how many of them had
+laid down their lives during the typhus epidemic; how cheerfully they
+had borne hardships, our <a name="Page_51" id="Page_51"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 51]</span>doctors writing home that their tent hospitals
+were like "great white birds spreading their wings under the trees,"
+whereas really they had often been up all night hanging on to the
+tent-poles to prevent the tents collapsing over their patients.</p>
+
+<p>A member of the &Eacute;tat-Major asked how we overcame the language
+difficulty. I pointed out that to diagnose typhus and watch the progress
+of the patient it was not necessary to speak to him, and that by the
+magic language of sympathy we managed to establish some form of
+"understanding" between the patients, the doctors, and the nurses.</p>
+
+<p>The members of our staff were chosen as far as possible with a knowledge
+of French or German, and it was possible to find many Serbians speaking
+either one of these languages. We also found interpreters <a name="Page_52" id="Page_52"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 52]</span>amongst the
+Austrian prisoner orderlies. These prisoner orderlies had really proved
+useful and had done their best to help us. Naturally they had their
+faults. One of our lady doctors had as orderly a Viennese professor,
+willing, but somewhat absent-minded. One morning she sent for him and
+asked him, "Herr Karl, can you tell me what was wrong with my bath water
+this morning?" "I really don't know, Fr&auml;ulein, but I will endeavour to
+find out."</p>
+
+<p>Ten minutes later he returned, looking decidedly guilty, and stammered
+out: "I do not know how to tell you what happened to that bath water."
+"Nonsense!&mdash;it can't be very terrible," replied Doctor X; "what was
+wrong?" "Well, Fr&auml;ulein, when I went into the camp kitchen this morning
+there were two cauldrons there&mdash;one was your bath water, and the other
+was the <a name="Page_53" id="Page_53"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 53]</span>camp soup; to you, Fr&auml;ulein, I brought the camp soup."</p>
+
+<p>We who had worked with the Serbians had learned to respect and admire
+them for their patriotism, courage, and patient endurance. We felt that
+their outstanding characteristic was their imagination, which, turned
+into the proper channels and given a chance to develop, should produce
+for the world not only famous painters and poets, but also great
+inventors. This vivid imagination is found in the highest and lowest of
+the land. To illustrate it, I told my neighbour at table a tale related
+to me by my good friend Dr. Popovic. "Two weary, ragged Serbian soldiers
+were sitting huddled together waiting to be ordered forward to fight.
+One asked the other, 'Do you know how this war started, Milan? You
+don't?&mdash;well then, I'll tell you. The<a name="Page_54" id="Page_54"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 54]</span> Sultan of Turkey sent our King
+Peter a sack of rice. King Peter looked at the sack, smiled, then took a
+very small bag and went into his garden and filled it with red pepper.
+He sent the bag of red pepper to the Sultan of Turkey. Now, Milan, you
+can see what that meant. The Sultan of Turkey said to our Peter, 'My
+army is as numerous as the grains of rice in this sack,' and by sending
+a small bag of red pepper to the Sultan our Peter replied, 'My army is
+not very numerous, but it is mighty hot stuff.'"</p>
+
+<p>Many members of the units of the Scottish Women's Hospitals who had been
+driven out of Serbia at the time of the great invasion had asked to be
+allowed to return to work for the Serbians, and we were now equipping
+fresh units entirely staffed by women to serve with the Serbian Army,
+besides having at the present time the <a name="Page_55" id="Page_55"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 55]</span>medical care of 6,000 Serbian
+refugees on the island of Corsica.</p>
+
+<p>General P&eacute;tain said, smiling, that before the war he had sometimes
+thought of women "as those who inspired the most beautiful ideas in men
+and prevented them from carrying them out," but the war, he added, had
+certainly proved conclusively the value of women's work.</p>
+
+<p>M. Forain expressed the desire to visit the chief French hospital of the
+Scottish women at the Abbaye de Royaumont. The General laughingly told
+him, "You do not realise how stern and devoted to duty these ladies are.
+I wonder if you would be permitted to visit them?"</p>
+
+<p>I consoled M. Forain by pointing out that surely as Chief Camoufler
+(Disguiser) of the French Army he could disguise himself as a model of
+virtue (<i>de se camoufler en<a name="Page_56" id="Page_56"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 56]</span> bon gar&ccedil;on</i>). Certainly this son of France,
+who has turned his brilliant intellect and his art to the saving of
+men's lives, would be welcome anywhere and everywhere. I hastened to
+assure him that I was only teasing him, and added that I only teased the
+people I admired and liked. General P&eacute;tain immediately turned to the
+Commandant de Pulligny&mdash;"Please remark that she has not yet teased me."</p>
+
+<p>"Probably because she fears to do it, and has too much respect for you,"
+replied the Commandant.</p>
+
+<p>"Fears! I do not think we need talk of that just now, when she dares to
+go to Verdun."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="./images/mem1.jpg"><img src="./images/mem1-tb.jpg" alt="Menu, Merteler, Cantinier" title="Menu, Merteler, Cantinier" /></a></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="./images/signatures.png"><img src="./images/signatures-tb.jpg" alt="Signed Note" title="Signed Note" /></a></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="./images/menu.png"><img src="./images/menu-tb.jpg" alt="Menu" title="Menu" /></a></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="./images/note.png"><img src="./images/note-tb.jpg" alt="Handwritten Note" title="Handwritten Note" /></a></div>
+
+
+<p>Whilst at coffee after lunch the news came of the continued advance of
+the British troops. General P&eacute;tain turned to me and said: "You must
+indeed be proud in<a name="Page_57" id="Page_57"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 57]</span><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 58]</span><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 59]</span><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 60]</span><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 61]</span><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 62]</span> England of your new army. Please tell your
+English people of our admiration of the magnificent effort of England.
+The raising and equipping of your giant army in such a short time was
+indeed a colossal task. How well it was carried out all the world now
+knows, and we are reaping the harvest."</p>
+
+<p>The General's Chief of Staff added: "Lord Kitchener was right when he
+said the war would last three years&mdash;the first year preparation, the
+second year defence, and the third year ... <i>cela sera rigolo</i>&mdash;it will
+be huge sport." He quoted the phrase as Lord Kitchener's own.</p>
+
+<p>Before we left the General signed for me the menu of the lunch, pointing
+out to me, however, that if I were at any time to show the menu to the
+village policeman, I must assure him that the hare which figured thereon
+had been run over at night by a <a name="Page_63" id="Page_63"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 63]</span>motor-car and lost its life owing to an
+accident, otherwise he might, he feared, be fined for killing game out
+of season!</p>
+
+<p>I shall always remember the picture of General P&eacute;tain seeing us into our
+car with his parting words, "You are about to do the most dangerous
+thing you have ever done or will ever do in your life. As for Verdun,
+tell them in England that I am smiling, and I am sure that when you see
+General Nivelle you will find him smiling too. That is the best answer I
+can give you as to how things are going with us at Verdun." Then with a
+friendly wave of his hand we passed on our way.</p>
+
+<p>After leaving the headquarters of General P&eacute;tain we were held up for
+some time at a level crossing and watched the busy little train puffing
+along, carrying towards Verdun stores, munitions, and men. This <a name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 64]</span>level
+crossing had been the scene of active fighting; on each side were
+numerous graves, and the sentinels off duty were passing from one to the
+other picking a dead leaf or drawing a branch of trailing vine over the
+resting-places of their comrades.</p>
+
+<p>Above our heads circle <i>les gu&ecirc;pes</i>, the wasps of the French Army. They
+had been aroused by the appearance of a Taube and were preparing to
+sting, had the Taube waited or made any further attempt to proceed over
+the French lines. However, deciding that discretion was the better part
+of valour, it turned and fled. It is unwise, however, to stir up the
+"wasps of France"; they followed it, and later in the day we heard that
+it had been brought down near Verdun.</p>
+
+<p>We were now in the centre of activity of the army defending Verdun. On
+every <a name="Page_65" id="Page_65"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 65]</span>hand we saw artillery-parks, ammunition-parks, and regiments
+resting, whilst along the road a long line of <i>camions</i> passed
+unceasingly. During the whole length of my stay on the French front I
+only saw one regiment marching. Everywhere the men are conveyed in the
+<i>camions</i>, and are thus spared the fatigue which would otherwise be
+caused by the intense heat and the white dust. There are perhaps only
+two things that can in any way upset the perfect indifference to
+difficulties of the French trooper: he hates to walk, and he refuses to
+be deprived of his <i>pinard</i>. The men of the French army have named their
+red wine <i>pinard</i>, just as they call water <i>la flotte</i>, always, however,
+being careful to add that <i>la flotte</i> is excellent "for washing one's
+feet."</p>
+
+<p>As we passed through the headquarters of General Nivelle, he sent down
+word to us <a name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 66]</span>not to wait to call on him then, but to proceed at once to
+Verdun, as later the passage would become more difficult. He kindly sent
+down to us one of the officers of his staff to act as escort. The
+officer sat by our chauffeur, warning him of the dangerous spots in the
+road which the Germans had the habit of "watering" from time to time
+with <i>marmites</i>, and ordering him to put on extra speed. Our speed along
+the road into Verdun averaged well over a mile a minute.</p>
+
+<p>Within range of the German guns, probably not more than four or five
+kilometres from Verdun, we came on a line of men waiting their turn to
+go into the cinema. After all, there was no reason <i>de s'en faire</i>, and
+if they were alive they decided they might as well be happy and amused.
+Just before entering the gate of Verdun we <a name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 67]</span>passed a number of
+ambulances, some of them driven by the American volunteers. These young
+Americans have displayed splendid heroism in bringing in the wounded
+under difficult conditions. Many of them have been mentioned in
+dispatches, and have received from France the Croix de Guerre. I also
+saw an ambulance marked "Lloyd's."</p>
+
+<p>It would be useless to pretend that one entered Verdun without emotion.
+Verdun, sorely stricken, yet living, kept alive by the indomitable soul
+of the soldiers of France, whilst her wounds are daily treated and
+healed by the skill of her Generals. A white city of desolation,
+scorched and battered, yet the brightest jewel in the crown of France's
+glory; a shining example to the world of the triumph of human resistance
+and the courage of men. A city of strange <a name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 68]</span>and cruel sounds&mdash;the short,
+sharp bark of the '75's, the boom of the death-dealing enemy guns, the
+shrieks of the shells and the fall of masonry parting from houses to
+which it had been attached for centuries, whilst from the shattered
+window-frames the familiar sprite of the household looked ever for the
+children who came no longer across the thresholds of the homes. Verdun
+is no longer a refuge for all that is good and beautiful and tender, and
+so the sounds of the voices of children and of birds are heard no more.
+Both have flown; the children were evacuated with the civilians in the
+bitter months of February and March, and the birds, realising that there
+is no secure place in which to nest, have deserted not only Verdun but
+the whole of the surrounding district.</p>
+
+<p>We proceeded to a terrace overlooking <a name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 69]</span>the lower part of the town and
+witnessed a duel between the French and German artillery. The Germans
+were bombarding the barracks of Chevert, and from all around the French
+guns were replying. It was certainly a joy to note that for one boom of
+a German cannon there were certainly ten answers from the French guns.
+The French soldiers off duty should have been resting in the caves and
+dug-outs which have been prepared for them, but most of them were out on
+the terraces in different parts of the city, smoking and casually
+watching the effect of the German or of their own fire. I inquired of
+one <i>poilu</i> whether he would be glad to leave Verdun, and he laughingly
+replied: "One might be worse off than here. This is the time of year
+that in peace times I should have been staying in the country with my
+mother-in-law."<a name="Page_70" id="Page_70"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 70]</span></p>
+
+<p>There is no talk of peace in Verdun. I asked one of the men when he
+thought the war would end. "Perfectly simple to reply to that,
+mademoiselle: the war will end the day that hostilities cease."</p>
+
+<p>I believe that the Germans would not be sorry to abandon the siege of
+Verdun. In one of the trench newspapers I saw the following verse:</p>
+
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Verdun holds you">
+<tr><td align='left'>Boches, &agrave; l'univers votre z&egrave;le importun<br />
+Fait des 'communiqu&eacute;s' dont personne n'est dupe.<br />
+Vous dites: "Nos soldats occuperont Verdun.<br />
+Jusqu'ici c'est plut&ocirc;t Verdun qui les <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original text missing ending quotation mark">occupe."</ins><br /><br />
+(You say that you soon will hold Verdun,<br />
+Whilst really Verdun holds you.)</td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<p>We left the car and climbed through the ruined streets to the top of the
+citadel. No attempt has been made to remove any of the furniture or
+effects from the demolished houses. In those houses from which only <a name="Page_71" id="Page_71"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 71]</span>the
+front had been blown away the spoons and forks were in some instances
+still on the table, set ready for the meal that had been interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>From windows lace curtains and draperies hung out over the fronts of the
+houses. Everywhere shattered doors, broken cupboards, drawers thrown
+open where the inhabitants had thought to try to save some of their
+cherished belongings but had finally fled, leaving all to the care of
+the soldiers, who protect the property of the inhabitants as carefully
+as if it were their own.</p>
+
+<p>It would be difficult to find finer custodians. I was told that at
+Bobigny-pr&egrave;s-Bourget there is on one of the houses the following
+inscription worthy of classical times:</p>
+
+<p>"The proprietor of this house has gone to the war. He leaves this
+dwelling to the <a name="Page_72" id="Page_72"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 72]</span>care of the French. Long live France." And he left the
+key in the lock.</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers billeted in the house read the inscription, which met with
+their approval, and so far each regiment in passing had cleaned out the
+little dwelling and left it in perfect order.</p>
+
+<p>From the citadel we went down into the trenches which led to the lines
+at Thiaumont. The heat in the city was excessive, but in the trenches it
+was delightfully cool, perhaps a little too cool. We heard the men make
+no complaints except that at times the life was a little "monotonous"!
+One man told me that he was once in a trench that was occupied at the
+same time by the French and the Germans. There was nothing between them
+but sandbags and a thick wall of clay, and day and night the French
+watched that wall. One day a <a name="Page_73" id="Page_73"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 73]</span>slight scratching was heard. The men
+prepared to face the crumbling of the barrier when through a small hole
+popped out the head of a brown rabbit. Down into the trench hopped Mrs.
+Bunny, followed by two small bunnies, and although rabbit for lunch
+would have improved the menu, the men had not the heart to kill her. On
+the contrary, they fed her on their rations, and at night-fall she
+departed, followed by her progeny.</p>
+
+<p>From all the dug-outs heads popped out, and the first movement of
+surprise at seeing a woman in the trenches turned to a smile of delight,
+since the <i>poilu</i> is at all times a chivalrous gentleman. One man was
+telling me of the magnificent work that had been accomplished by his
+"compagnie." I congratulated him and told him he must be happy to be in
+such a company. He <a name="Page_74" id="Page_74"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 74]</span>swept off his iron casque, bowed almost to the
+ground, and answered: "Certainly I am happy in my company, mademoiselle,
+but I am far happier in yours."</p>
+
+<p>The principal grief of the <i>poilus</i> appeared to be that a shell two or
+three days before had destroyed the store of the great <i>drag&eacute;e</i> (sugared
+almond) manufactory of Verdun. Before leaving, the manufacturer had
+bequeathed his stock to the army, and they were all regretting that they
+had not been greedier and eaten up the <i>drag&eacute;es</i> quicker.</p>
+
+<p>In the trenches near Verdun, as in the trenches in Flanders, you find
+the men talking little of war, but much of their homes and their
+families. I came once upon a group of Bretons. They had opened some tins
+of sardines and, sitting around a bucket of blazing coals, they were
+toasting the fish on the ends of small twigs. I asked <a name="Page_75" id="Page_75"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 75]</span>them why they
+were wasting their energies, since the fish were ready to be eaten
+straight from the tins. "We know," they replied; "but it smells like
+home." I suppose with the odour of the cooking fish, in the blue haze of
+the smoke, they saw visions of their cottages and the white-coiffed
+Bretonnes frying the fresh sardines that they had caught.</p>
+
+<p>The dusk was now falling, and, entering the car, we proceeded towards
+the lower part of the town at a snail's pace in order not to draw the
+German fire. We were told that at the present time approximately one
+hundred shells a day still fall on Verdun, but at the time of the great
+attack the number was as high as eight hundred, whilst as many as two
+hundred thousand shells fell daily in and around Verdun.</p>
+
+<p>Just before we reached the entrance to the citadel, the enemy began to
+shell the city, and one of the shells exploded within two hundred feet
+of the car. We knew that we were near the entrance to the vaults of the
+citadel and could take refuge, so we left the car and proceeded on foot.
+Without thinking, we walked in the centre of the road, and the sentinel
+at the door of the citadel began in somewhat emphatic French to
+recommend us to "longer les murs" (to hug the walls tightly). The
+Germans are well aware of the entrance to the citadel and daily shell
+the spot. If one meets a shell in the centre of the road it is obviously
+no use to argue, whilst in hugging the side of the wall there is a
+possibility of only receiving the fragments of the bursting shell.</p>
+
+<p>The subterranean galleries of the citadel <a name="Page_76" id="Page_76"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 76]</span>of Verdun were constructed by
+Vauban, and are now a hive of activity&mdash;barbers' shops, sweet shops,
+boot shops, hospitals, anything and everything which goes to make up a
+small city.</p>
+
+<p>One of the young officers placed his "cell" at our disposal. The long
+galleries are all equipped with central heating and electric light, and
+some of them have been divided off by wooden partitions or curtains like
+the dormitories in a large school. In the "cell" allocated to us we
+could see the loving touch of a woman's hand. Around the pillow on the
+small camp-bed was a beautiful edging of Irish lace, and on the
+dressing-table a large bottle of eau-de-Cologne. There is no reason to
+be too uncomfortable in Verdun when one has a good little wife to think
+of one and to send presents from time to time.<a name="Page_77" id="Page_77"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 77]</span></p>
+
+<p>Emerging from the galleries we met General Dubois, a great soldier and a
+kindly man, one who shares the daily perils of his men. The General
+invited us to remain and dine with him. He had that day received from
+General Nivelle his <i>cravate</i> as Commander of the Legion of Honour, and
+his officers were giving him a dinner-party to celebrate the event. "See
+how kind fate is to me," he added. "Only one thing was missing from the
+feast&mdash;the presence of the ladies&mdash;and here you are."</p>
+
+<p>It would need the brush of Rembrandt to paint the dining-hall in the
+citadel of Verdun. At one long table in the dimly lighted vault sat
+between eighty and ninety officers, who all rose, saluted, and cheered
+as we entered. The General sat at the head of the table surrounded by
+his staff, and behind him the faces of the cooks were lit <a name="Page_78" id="Page_78"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 78]</span>up by the
+fires of the stoves. Some short distance behind us was an air-shaft. It
+appears that about a week or a fortnight before our arrival a German
+shell, striking the top part of the citadel, dislodged some dust and
+gravel which fell down the air-shaft on to the General's head. He simply
+called the attendants to him and asked for his table to be moved forward
+a yard, as he did not feel inclined to sit at table with his helmet on.</p>
+
+<p>An excellent dinner&mdash;soup, roast mutton, fresh beans, salade Russe,
+frangipane, dessert&mdash;and even champagne to celebrate the General's
+<i>cravate</i>&mdash;quite reassured us that people may die in Verdun of shells
+but not of hunger. We drank toasts to France, the Allies, and, silently,
+to the men of France who had died that we might live. I was asked to
+propose the health of the<a name="Page_79" id="Page_79"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 79]</span> General, and did it in English, knowing that
+he spoke English well. I told him that the defenders of Verdun would
+live in our hearts and memories, that on behalf of the whole British
+race I felt I might convey to him congratulations on the honour paid to
+him by France. I assured him that we had but one idea and one hope, the
+speedy victory of the Allied arms, and that personally my present desire
+was that every one of those present at table might live to see the flag
+of France waving over the whole of Alsace-Lorraine. They asked me to
+repeat a description of the flag of France which I gave first in Ottawa;
+so there, in the citadel of Verdun with a small French flag before me, I
+went back in spirit to Ottawa and remembered how I had spoken of the
+triumph of the flag of France: "The red, white, and blue&mdash;the <a name="Page_80" id="Page_80"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 80]</span>red of
+the flag of France a little deeper hue than in time of peace, since it
+was dyed with the blood of her sons, the blood in which a new history of
+France is being written, volume on volume, page on page, of deeds of
+heroism, some pages completed and signed, others where the pen has
+dropped from the faltering hands and which posterity must needs finish.
+The white of the flag of France, not quite so white as in time of peace,
+since thousands of her sons had taken it in their hands and pressed it
+to their lips before they went forward to die for it, yet without stain,
+since in all the record of the war there is no blot on the escutcheon of
+France. And the blue of the flag of France, true blue, torn and tattered
+with the marks of the bullets and the shrapnel, yet unfurling proudly in
+the breeze whilst the very holes were patched <a name="Page_81" id="Page_81"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 81]</span>by the blue of the sky,
+since surely Heaven stands behind the flag of France."</p>
+
+<p>The men of Verdun were full of admiration for the glorious Commander of
+the Fort de Vaux. They told me that the fort was held, or rather the
+ruins of the fort, until the Germans were actually on the top and firing
+on the French beneath.</p>
+
+<p>I discussed with my neighbour the fact that the Germans had more hatred
+for us than for the French. He said the whole world would ridicule the
+Germans for the manner in which they had exploited the phrase "Gott
+strafe England," writing it even on the walls anywhere and everywhere.
+He added laughingly that it should not worry the English comrades. "When
+they read 'Gott strafe England,' all they needed to reply was 'Ypres,
+Ypres&mdash;Hurrah!'"</p>
+
+<p>He told me that he had been stationed <a name="Page_82" id="Page_82"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 82]</span>for some time with his regiment
+near the English troops, and there had been loud lamentations among the
+<i>poilus</i> because they had been obliged to say good-bye to their English
+comrades. He added that the affection was not entirely disinterested.
+The English comrades had excellent marmalade and jam and other good
+things which they shared with their French brothers, who, whilst
+excellently fed, do not indulge in these luxuries. He told me a
+delightful tale of a French cook who, seeing an English soldier standing
+by, began to question him as to his particular branch of the service,
+informing him that he himself had had an exceedingly busy morning
+peeling potatoes and cleaning up the pots and pans. After considerable
+conversation he inquired of the English comrade what he did for his
+living. "Oh," replied <a name="Page_83" id="Page_83"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 83]</span>the Englishman, "I get my living fairly
+easily&mdash;nothing half so strenuous as peeling potatoes. I am just a
+colonel."</p>
+
+<p>The clean-shaven Tommy is the beloved of all France. I remember seeing
+one gallant khaki knight carrying the market-basket of a French maiden
+and repaying himself out of her store of apples. I regret to say his
+pockets bulged suspiciously. Whilst at a level crossing near by, the old
+lady in charge of the gate had an escort of "Tommies" who urged her to
+let the train "rip." This was somewhat ironical in view of the fact that
+the top speed in that part of the war zone was probably never more than
+ten miles an hour.</p>
+
+<p>Tommy is never alone. The children have learned that he loves their
+company, and he is always surrounded by an escort of youthful admirers.
+The children like to <a name="Page_84" id="Page_84"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 84]</span>rummage in his pockets for souvenirs. He must
+spend quite a good deal of his pay purchasing sweets, so that they may
+not be disappointed and that there may be something for his little
+friends to find. I remember seeing one Tommy, sitting in the dusty road
+with a large pot of marmalade between his legs, dealing out spoonfuls
+with perfect justice and impartiality to a circle of youngsters. He
+speaks to them of his own little "nippers" at home, and they in turn
+tell him of their father who is fighting, of their mother who now works
+in the fields, and of baby who is fearfully ignorant, does not know the
+difference between the French and the "Engleesch," and who insisted on
+calling the great English General who had stayed at their farm "papa."
+It matters little that they cannot understand each other, and it does
+not in the least <a name="Page_85" id="Page_85"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 85]</span>prevent them from holding lengthy conversations.</p>
+
+<p>I told my companion at table that whilst visiting one of the hospitals
+in France I had heard how one Englishman had been sent into a far
+hospital in Provence by mistake. He was not seriously injured, and
+promptly constituted himself king of the ward. On arrival, he insisted
+on being shaved. As no shaving-brush was available, the <i>piou-piou</i> in
+the next bed lathered him with his tooth-brush. The French cooking did
+not appeal to him, and he grumbled continuously. The directress of the
+hospital sent her own cook from her ch&acirc;teau to cater for Mr. Atkins. An
+elaborate menu was prepared. Tommy glanced through it, ordered
+everything to be removed, and commanded tea and toast. Toast-making is
+not a French art, and the ch&acirc;teau chef <a name="Page_86" id="Page_86"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 86]</span>was obliged to remain at the
+hospital and spend his time carefully preparing the toast and seeing
+that it was served in good condition. When Mr. Atkins felt so disposed,
+he would summon a <i>piou-piou</i> to give him a French lesson, or else
+request the various inmates of the ward to sing to him. He would in turn
+render that plaintive ditty "Down by the Old Bull and Bush." A nurse who
+spoke a little English translated his song to the French soldiers.
+Whilst not desiring to criticise the <i>rendez-vous</i> selected by their
+<i>camarade anglais</i>, they did not consider that "pr&egrave;s d'un vieux taureau"
+(near an old bull) was a safe or desirable meeting-place. When I
+explained to the nurse that "The Bull and Bush" was a kind of <i>cabaret</i>,
+she hastened from ward to ward to tell the men that after all the
+Englishman might have selected a <a name="Page_87" id="Page_87"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 87]</span>worse spot to entertain his girl. He
+was at once the joy and the despair of the whole hospital, and the nurse
+had much trouble in consoling the patients when "our English" was
+removed.</p>
+
+<p>When Tommy indulges in the use of the French language, he abbreviates it
+as much as possible.</p>
+
+<p>One hot summer's day, driving from Boulogne to Fort Mahon, halfway down
+a steep hill we came upon two Tommies endeavouring to extract a
+motor-cycle and a side-car from a somewhat difficult position. They had
+side-slipped and run into a small tree. The cycle was on one side and
+the side-car on the other, and a steel rod between had been rammed right
+into the wood through the force of the collision.</p>
+
+<p>My three companions and myself endeavoured to help the men to pull out
+the <a name="Page_88" id="Page_88"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 88]</span>rod, but the united efforts of the six of us proved unavailing. We
+hailed a passing cart and tied the reins around the motor-cycle, but
+immediately the horse commenced to pull the leather of the reins
+snapped. Behind the cart walked a peasant. Only one adjective can
+possibly describe him&mdash;he was decidedly "beery." He made no attempt to
+help, but passed from one Tommy to the other, patting them on their
+backs, assuring them "that with a little goodwill all would be well."
+There was a dangerous glint in the younger Tommy's eye, but in the
+presence of ladies he refrained from putting his thoughts into words.
+Finally, his patience evaporating, he suddenly turned on the peasant and
+shouted at him, "Ong, ong." It took me some time to grasp that this was
+Tommy's abbreviated version of "Allez-vous en"<a name="Page_89" id="Page_89"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 89]</span> ("Clear out"). In any
+event it proved quite useless, as he continued to pat the Tommies
+affectionately and to bombard them with impracticable suggestions.</p>
+
+<p>We were joined later by three villagers, two gendarmes and a postman,
+and all pulling together we managed to extract the rod from the tree. A
+large lorry was passing, and on to it we heaved the wreckage. Up
+clambered the Tommies followed by their unwelcome friend, who managed to
+sit on the only unbroken portion of the side-car. This was too much for
+Messrs. Atkins' equanimity. Limp with laughter, we watched them pass
+from sight amidst a chorus of "Ong, ong," followed by flights of oratory
+in the English tongue which do not bear repeating, but which were
+received by the peasant as expressions of deep esteem and to which he
+replied by endeavouring <a name="Page_90" id="Page_90"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 90]</span>to kiss the Tommies and shouting, "Vive
+l'Angleterre! Allright! Hoorah!"</p>
+
+<p>Our guiding officer began to show some signs of anxiety to have us leave
+before ten o'clock, but the good-byes took some time. Presents were
+showered upon us&mdash;German <i>drag&eacute;es</i> (shell heads and pieces of shrapnel)
+and the real French <i>drag&eacute;es</i>, the famous sweet of Verdun.</p>
+
+<p>We crept out of the city, but unfortunately at one of the dangerous
+cross-roads our chauffeur mistook the route. A heavy bombardment was
+taking place, and the French were replying. We were lucky enough to get
+on to the route and into safety before any shell fell near us. It
+appears that the Germans systematically bombard the roads at night,
+hoping to destroy the <i>camions</i> bringing up the food for the city, fresh
+munitions, and men.<a name="Page_91" id="Page_91"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 91]</span></p>
+
+<p>We slept that night at Bar-le-Duc and next morning saw the various
+ambulances and hospitals which the Service de Sant&eacute; had particularly
+requested me to visit. I was impressed by the splendid organisation of
+the Red Cross even quite close to the firing-line.</p>
+
+<p>Passing through one tent hospital, an Algerian called out to me:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh&eacute;, la blonde, viens ici! J'ai quelque chose de beau &agrave; te montrer"
+("Come here, fair girl, I have something pretty to show you").</p>
+
+<p>He was sitting up in bed, and, as I approached, unbuttoned his
+bed-jacket and insisted on my examining the tag of his vest, on which
+was written, "Leader, London." The vest had come in a parcel of goods
+from the London Committee of the French Red Cross, and I only wished
+that the angel of goodness and tenderness <a name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 92]</span>who is the Presidente of the
+Croix Rouge, <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original text missing fullstop/period">Mme.</ins> de la Panouse, and that Mr. D.H. Illingworth, Mr.
+Philip Wilkins, and all her able lieutenants, could have seen the
+pleasure on the face of this swarthy defender of France. In the next bed
+was a Senegalais who endeavoured to attract my attention by keeping up a
+running compliment to my compatriots, my King, and myself. He must have
+chanted fifty times: "Vive les English, Georges, et toi!" He continued
+even after I had rewarded him with some cigarettes. The Senegalais and
+the Algerians are really great children, especially when they are
+wounded. I have seen convalescent Senegalais and Algerians in Paris
+spend hours in the Champs Elys&eacute;es watching the entertainment at the
+open-air marionette theatre. The antics of the dolls kept them amused.
+They are admitted to <a name="Page_93" id="Page_93"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 93]</span>the enclosure free, and there is no longer any
+room for the children who frequented the show in happier days. These
+latter form a disconsolate circle on the outside, whilst the younger
+ones, who do not suffer from colour prejudice, scramble on to the knees
+of the black soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>The sister in charge was a true daughter of the "Lady of the Lamp."
+Provided they are really ill, she sympathises with all the grumblers,
+but scolds them if they have reached the convalescent stage. She carries
+a small book in which she enters imaginary good points to those who have
+the tables by their beds tidy, and she pinned an invisible medal on the
+chest of a convalescent who was helping to carry trays of food to his
+comrades. She is indeed a General, saving men for France.</p>
+
+<p>Not a man escaped her attention, and as <a name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 94]</span>we passed through the tents she
+gave to each of her "chers enfants"&mdash;black or white&mdash;a cheering smile or
+a kindly word. She did, however, whilst talking to us omit to salute a
+Senegalais. Before she passed out of the tent he commenced to call after
+her, "Toi pas gentille aujourd'hui&mdash;moi battre toi" ("You are not good
+to me to-day&mdash;me beat you"). This, it appears, is his little joke&mdash;he
+will never beat anyone again, since he lost both his arms when his
+trench was blown up by a land mine.</p>
+
+<p>It was at Triancourt that I first saw in operation the motor-cars that
+had been sent out fitted with bath tubs for the troops, and also a very
+fine car fitted up by the London Committee of the French Red Cross as a
+moving dental hospital.</p>
+
+<p>I regret to add that a <i>poilu</i> near by disrespectfully referred to it as
+"another of the <a name="Page_95" id="Page_95"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 95]</span>horrors of war," adding that in times of peace there
+was some kind of personal liberty, where as now "a man could not have
+toothache without being forced to have it ended, and that there was no
+possibility of escaping a dentist who hunted you down by motor."</p>
+
+<p>It was suggested that, as I had had a touch of toothache the night
+before, I might take my place in the chair and give an example of
+British pluck to the assembled <i>poilus</i>. I hastened to impress on the
+surgeon that I hated notoriety and would prefer to remain modestly in
+the background. I even pushed aside with scorn the proffered bribe of
+six "boche" buttons, assuring the man that "I would keep my toothache as
+a souvenir."</p>
+
+<p>At one of the hospitals, beside the bed of a dying man, sat a little old
+man writing <a name="Page_96" id="Page_96"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 96]</span>letters. They told me that before the war he had owned the
+most flourishing wine-shop in the village. He had fled before the
+approach of the German troops, but later returned to his village and
+installed himself in the hospital as scribe. He wrote from morning until
+night, and watching him stretching his lean old hands, I asked him if he
+suffered much pain from writer's cramp. He looked at me almost
+reproachfully before answering, "Mademoiselle, it is the least I can do
+for my country; besides my pain is so slight and that of the comrades is
+so great. I am proud, indeed proud, that at sixty-seven years of age I
+am not useless."</p>
+
+<p>At one hospital I was shown a copy of the last letter dictated by a
+young French officer, and I asked to be allowed to copy it&mdash;it was
+indeed a letter of a "chic" type.<a name="Page_97" id="Page_97"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 97]</span></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">"<span class="smcap">Chers Parrain et Marraine</span>,
+
+<p>"Je vous &eacute;cris &agrave; vous pour ne pas tuer Maman qu'un pareil coup
+surprendrait trop.</p>
+
+<p>"J'ai &eacute;t&eacute; bless&eacute; le ... devant.... J'ai deux blessures hideuses et je
+n'en aurai pas pour bien longtemps. Les majors ne me le cachent m&ecirc;me
+pas.</p>
+
+<p>"Je pars sans regret avec la conscience d'avoir fait mon devoir.</p>
+
+<p>"Pr&eacute;venez donc mes parents le mieux que vous pourrez; qu'ils ne
+cherchent pas &agrave; venir, ils n'en auraient pas le temps.</p>
+
+<p>"Adieu vous tous que j'aimais.</p>
+
+<div class='center'>
+"<span class="smcap">Vive la France</span>!"<br /><br />
+</div></div>
+
+
+<div class="blockquot">"<span class="smcap">Dear Godfather and Godmother</span>,
+
+<p>"I am writing to you, so as not to kill mother, whom such a shock would
+surprise too much. I was wounded on the ... at.... I have two terrible
+wounds and I <a name="Page_98" id="Page_98"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 98]</span>cannot last long. The surgeons do not even attempt to
+conceal this from me. I go without regret, with the consciousness of
+having done my duty. Kindly break the news to my parents the best way
+you can; they should not attempt to come because they would not have
+time to reach me before the end.</p>
+
+<p>"Farewell to all you whom I have loved.</p>
+
+<div class='center'>
+"<span class="smcap">Long live France</span>!"<br /><br />
+</div></div>
+
+
+<p>Whilst loving his relatives tenderly, the last thought of the dying
+Frenchman is for his country. Each one dies as a hero, yet not one
+realises it. It would be impossible to show greater simplicity; they
+salute the flag for the last time, and that is all.</p>
+
+<p>From <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'Triaucourt'">Triancourt</ins> we went straight to the headquarters of General Nivelle.
+They had just brought him the maps rectified to <a name="Page_99" id="Page_99"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 99]</span>mark the French
+advance. The advance had been made whilst we were standing on the
+terrace at Verdun the night before. We had seen the rockets sent up,
+requesting a <i>tir de barrage</i> (curtain of fire). The '75's had replied
+at once and the French had been able to carry out the operation.</p>
+
+<p>Good news had also come in from the Somme, and General Nivelle did not
+hesitate to express his admiration for the British soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>He said that there was no need to praise the first troops sent by
+Britain to France&mdash;everyone knew their value; but it should be a great
+satisfaction to Britain to find that the new Army was living up to the
+traditions of the old Army.</p>
+
+<p>He added: "We can describe the new army of Britain in two words: '<i>&Ccedil;a
+mord</i>'&mdash;it bites."<a name="Page_100" id="Page_100"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 100]</span></p>
+
+<p>The Father of his own men, it is not surprising that General Nivelle
+finds a warm corner in his heart for the British Tommy, since his mother
+was an Englishwoman.</p>
+
+<p>At lunch General Nivelle and the members of his staff asked many
+questions as to the work of the Scottish Women's Hospitals. I told them
+that what appealed to us most in our French patients was the perfect
+discipline and the gratitude of the men. We are all women in the
+hospitals, and the men might take advantage of this fact to show want of
+discipline, but we never had to complain of lack of obedience. These
+soldiers of France may some of them before the war have been just rough
+peasants, eating, drinking, and sleeping, even having thoughts not akin
+to knighthood; but now, through the ordeal of blood and fire, each one
+of them has won his spurs and come <a name="Page_101" id="Page_101"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 101]</span><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 102]</span><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 103]</span><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 104]</span><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 105]</span>out a chivalrous knight, and
+they bring their chivalry right into the hospitals with them. We had
+also learned to love them for their kindness to one another. When new
+wounded are brought in and the lights are low in the hospital wards,
+cautiously watching if the nurse is looking (luckily nurses have a way
+of not seeing everything), one of the convalescents will creep from his
+bed to the side of the new arrival and ask the inevitable question:
+"D'o&ugrave; viens-tu?" ("Where do you come from?"). "I come from Toulouse,"
+replies the man. "Ah!" says the inquirer, "my wife's grandmother had a
+cousin who lived near Toulouse." That is quite a sufficient basis for a
+friendship; the convalescent sits by the bedside of his new comrade,
+holding the man's hand whilst his wounds are being dressed, telling him
+he knows of the pain&mdash;that he, too, <a name="Page_106" id="Page_106"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 106]</span>has suffered, and that soon all
+will be well.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="./images/menu2.png"><img src="./images/menu2-tb.jpg" alt="Menu, 27 Juillet" title="Menu, 27 Juillet" /></a></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><a href="./images/note2.png"><img src="./images/note2-tb.jpg" alt="Note by General Nivelle" title="Note by General Nivelle" /></a></div>
+
+<p>Lions to fight, ever ready to answer to the call of the defence of their
+country, yet these men of France are tender and gentle. In one hospital
+through which I passed there was a baby. It was a military hospital, and
+no civilian had any right there, but the medical officers who inspected
+the hospital were remarkably blind&mdash;none of them could ever see the
+baby. One of the soldiers passing through a bombarded village saw a
+little body lying in the mud, and although he believed the child to be
+dead, he stooped down and picked it up. At the evacuating station the
+baby and the soldier were sent to the hospital together; the doctors
+operated upon the baby and took a piece of shrapnel from its back, and
+once well and strong it constituted itself <a name="Page_107" id="Page_107"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 107]</span>lord and master and king of
+all it surveyed. When it woke in the morning it would call "Papa," and
+twenty fathers answered to its call. All the pent-up love of the men for
+their own little ones from whom they had been parted for so long they
+lavished on the tiny stranger, but all his affection and his whole heart
+belonged to the rough miner-soldier who had brought him in. As the
+shadows fell one saw the man walking up and down the ward with the child
+in his arms, crooning the Marseillaise until the tired little eyes
+closed. He had obtained permission from the authorities to adopt the
+child, as the parents could not be found, and remarked humorously:
+"Mademoiselle, it is so convenient to have a family without the trouble
+of being married!"</p>
+
+<p>What we must remember is that the <a name="Page_108" id="Page_108"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 108]</span>rough soldier, himself blinded with
+blood and mud, uncertain whether he could ever reach a point of safety,
+yet had time to stoop and pick that little flower of France and save it
+from being crushed beneath the <i>camion</i> wheels. I told General Nivelle
+that the hospital staff intended to keep the child for the soldier until
+the end of the war, and we all hoped that he might grow up to the glory
+of France and to the eternal honour of the tender-hearted fighter who
+had rescued him.</p>
+
+<p>After lunch we stood for some time watching the unending stream of
+<i>camions</i> proceeding into Verdun. I believe it has been stated that on
+the average one passed through the village every fifteen seconds, and
+that there are something like twelve thousand motor vehicles used in the
+defence of Verdun. The splendid condition <a name="Page_109" id="Page_109"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 109]</span>of the roads and the absence
+of all confusion in the handling of this immense volume of traffic is a
+great tribute to the organising genius of the chiefs of the French Army.</p>
+
+<p>We left General Nivelle, as General P&eacute;tain predicted we should find
+him&mdash;smiling.</p>
+
+<p>We slept that night at Epernay, in the heart of the Champagne district.
+The soil of France is doing its best to keep the vines in perfect
+condition and to provide a good vintage to be drunk later to celebrate
+the victory of France and her Allies.</p>
+
+<p>The keeping of the roads in good condition is necessary for the rapid
+carrying out of operations on the front, and a "marmite" hole is
+promptly filled if by a lucky shot the German batteries happen to tear
+up the roadway. We were proceeding casually along one road when a young
+<a name="Page_110" id="Page_110"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 110]</span>officer rode up to us and told us to put on speed because we were under
+fire from a German battery which daily landed one or two shells in that
+particular portion of the roadway. It is wonderful how obedient one
+becomes at times! We promptly proceeded to hasten!</p>
+
+<p>After visiting General <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'Debency'">Debeney</ins> and obtaining from him the necessary
+authorisation and an officer-escort, we entered Rheims.</p>
+
+<p>The cathedral is now the home of pigeons, and as they fly in and out of
+the blackened window-frames, small pieces of the stained glass tinkle
+down on to the floor. The custodian of the cathedral told us that during
+the night of terror the German wounded, lying in the cathedral, not
+realising the strength and beauty of the French character under
+adversity, feared, seeing the <a name="Page_111" id="Page_111"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 111]</span>cathedral in flames, that the populace
+might wreak vengeance on them, and it was exceedingly difficult to get
+them to leave the cathedral. Many of the prisoners fled into corners and
+hid, and some of them even penetrated into the palace of the Archbishop,
+which was in flames. All the world knows and admires the bravery of the
+cur&eacute; of the cathedral, M. Landrieux, who took upon himself the defence
+of the prisoners, for fear insults might be hurled at them. He knowingly
+risked his life; but when, next day, some of his confr&egrave;res endeavoured
+to praise him, he replied: "My friends, I never before realised how easy
+it is to die."</p>
+
+<p>One of the churches in the city was heavily draped in black, and I asked
+the sacristan if they had prepared for the funeral of a prominent
+citizen. He told <a name="Page_112" id="Page_112"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 112]</span>me that they were that day bringing home the body of a
+young man of high birth of the neighbourhood, but that it was not for
+him that the church was decked in mourning. The draperies had hung there
+since August 1914&mdash;"Since every son of Rheims who is brought home is as
+noble as the one who comes to-day, and alas! nearly every day brings us
+one of our children."</p>
+
+<p>We lunched in the hotel before the cathedral, where each shell-hole has
+an ordinary white label stuck beside it with the date. The landlord
+remarked: "If you sit here long enough, and have the good luck to be in
+some safe part of the building, you may be able to go and stick a label
+by a hole yourself."</p>
+
+<p>After lunch we went out to the Ch&acirc;teau Polignac. To a stranger it would
+appear to be almost entirely destroyed, but when<a name="Page_113" id="Page_113"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 113]</span> M. de Polignac visited
+it recently he simply remarked that it was "less spoilt than he had
+imagined." This was just one other example of the thousands one meets
+daily of the spirit of noble and peasant <i>de ne pas s'en faire</i>, but to
+keep only before them the one idea, Victory for France, no matter what
+may be the cost.</p>
+
+<p>We went later to call on the "'75," <i>chez elle</i>. Madame was in a
+particularly comfortable home which had been prepared for her and where
+she was safe from the inquisitive eyes of the Taubes. The men of the
+battery were sitting round their guns, singing a somewhat lengthy ditty,
+each verse ending with a declamation and a description of the beauty of
+"la belle Suzanne." I asked them to whom Suzanne belonged and where the
+fair damsel resided. "Oh," they replied, "we <a name="Page_114" id="Page_114"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 114]</span>have no time to think of
+damsels called 'Suzanne' now. This is our Suzanne," and the speaker
+affectionately gave an extra rub with his coat-sleeve to the barrel of
+the "'75."</p>
+
+<p>By a wonderful system of trench work it is possible for the gunners, in
+case of necessity, to take refuge in the champagne-vaults in the
+surrounding district, and it is in the champagne-vaults that the
+children go daily to school, with their little gas-masks hanging in bags
+on their arms. It appears that at first the tiny ones were frightened of
+the masks, but they soon asked to be also given a sack, like their
+elders, and now one and all have learnt at the least alarm to put on
+their masks. There is no need to tell the children to hurry home. They
+realise that it is not wise to loiter in the streets for fear of the
+whistling shells. They are <a name="Page_115" id="Page_115"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 115]</span>remarkably plucky, these small men and women
+of France.</p>
+
+<p>During one furious bombardment the children were safe in the vaults, but
+one small citizen began to cry bitterly. He was reproached by his
+comrades for cowardice, but he replied indignantly: "I fear nothing for
+myself&mdash;I am safe here; but there is no cellar to our house, and oh!
+what will happen to the little mother?" The teacher reassured him by
+telling him that his mother would certainly take refuge in somebody
+else's cellar.</p>
+
+<p>On leaving Rheims we passed through various small hamlets where the
+houses had been entirely destroyed, and which now had the appearance of
+native villages, as the soldiers had managed to place thatched roofs on
+any building which had a semblance of walls standing.<a name="Page_116" id="Page_116"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 116]</span></p>
+
+<p>At Villars C&ocirc;terets the Garde Champ&ecirc;tre sounded the "Gare &agrave; Vous!" Four
+Taubes were passing overhead, so we took refuge in the hotel for tea.
+The enemy did no damage in that particular village, but in the next
+village of Cr&ecirc;py-en-Valois a bomb killed one child and injured five
+women.</p>
+
+<p>At his headquarters next morning I had the honour of being received by
+the Generalissimo Joffre, and telling him of the admiration and respect
+which we felt for him and for the magnificent fighting spirit of the
+troops under his able command. He replied modestly by speaking of the
+British Army. He referred to the offensive on the Somme, and said, "You
+may well be proud of your young soldiers&mdash;they are excellent soldiers,
+much superior to the Germans in every way, a most admirable infantry;
+they attack the Germans hand to hand <a name="Page_117" id="Page_117"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 117]</span>with grenades or with the bayonet,
+and push them back everywhere; the Germans have been absolutely
+<i>stupefied</i> to find such troops before them." The General then paid a
+tribute to the Canadian and Australian troops, and told me that that day
+the Australians had taken new territory, adding, "And not only have they
+taken it, but like their British and Canadian brothers, what they take
+they will hold."</p>
+
+<p>I explained to General Joffre that, whilst I was not collecting
+autographs, I had with me the menu of the dinner in the citadel at
+Verdun, and that it would give me great pleasure to have his name added
+to the signatures already on that menu. All the signatures were on one
+side, so I turned the menu over in order to offer him a clear space, but
+he turned it back again, saying: "Please let me sign on this side; I
+find <a name="Page_118" id="Page_118"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 118]</span>myself in good company with the defenders of Verdun."</p>
+
+<p>At departing he said to me: "We may all be happy now, since certainly we
+are on the right side of the hill" ("Nous sommes sur la bonne pente").</p>
+
+<p>In case this little story should fall into the hands of any woman who
+has spent her time working for the men at the front, I would like to
+tell her the great pleasure it is to them to receive parcels, no matter
+what they contain. Fraternity and Equality reign supreme in the
+trenches, and the man counts himself happy who receives a little more
+than the others, since he has the joy and the pleasure of sharing his
+store of good things with his comrades. There is seldom a request made
+to the French behind the lines that they do not attempt to fulfil. I
+remember last winter, <a name="Page_119" id="Page_119"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 119]</span>passing through a town in the provinces, I
+noticed that the elderly men appeared to be scantily clad in spite of
+the bitterness of the weather. It appeared that the call had gone forth
+for fur coats for the troops, and all the worthy citizens of the town
+forwarded to the trenches their caracul coats. Only those who are well
+acquainted with French provincial life can know what it means to them to
+part with these signs of opulence and commercial success.</p>
+
+<p>It is perhaps in the post-offices that you find yourself nearest to the
+heart of "France behind the lines."</p>
+
+<p>One morning I endeavoured to send a parcel to a French soldier; I took
+my place in a long line of waiting women bound on the same errand. A
+white-haired woman before me gave the post-office clerk infinite
+trouble. They are not renowned for their <a name="Page_120" id="Page_120"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 120]</span>patience, and I marvelled at
+his gentleness, until he explained: "Her son died five weeks ago, but
+she still continues to send him parcels."</p>
+
+<p>To another old lady he pointed out that she had written two numbers on
+the parcel. "You don't want two numbers, mother. Which is your boy's
+number?&mdash;tell me, and I will strike out the other."</p>
+
+<p>"Leave them both," she answered. "Who knows whether my dear lad will be
+there to receive the parcel? If he is not, I want it to go to some other
+mother's son."</p>
+
+<p>Affection means much to these men who are suffering, and they respond at
+once to any sympathy shown to them. One man informed us with pride that
+when he left his native village he was "decked like an altar of the
+Blessed Virgin on the first of May." In other words, covered with
+flowers.<a name="Page_121" id="Page_121"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 121]</span></p>
+
+<p>There are but few lonely soldiers now, since those who have no families
+to write to them receive letters and parcels from the godmothers who
+have adopted them. The men anxiously await the news of their adopted
+relatives, and spend hours writing replies. They love to receive
+letters, but needless to say a parcel is even more welcome.</p>
+
+<p>I remember seeing one man writing page after page. I suggested to him
+that he must have a particularly charming godmother. "Mademoiselle," he
+replied, "I have no time for a godmother since I myself am a godfather."
+He then explained that far away in his village there was a young
+assistant in his shop, "And God knows the boy loves France, but both his
+lungs are touched, so they won't take him, but I write and tell him that
+the good God has <a name="Page_122" id="Page_122"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 122]</span>given me strength for two, that I fight for him and
+for myself, and that we are both doing well for France." I went back in
+imagination to the village, I could see the glint in the boy's eyes,
+realised how the blood pulsed quicker through his veins at the sight of,
+not the personal pronoun "I" in the singular, but the plural "We are
+doing well for France": for one glorious moment he was part of the hosts
+of France and in spirit serving his Motherland. It is that spirit of the
+French nation that their enemies will never understand.</p>
+
+<p>On one occasion a young German officer, covered with mud from head to
+foot, was brought before one of the French Generals. He had been taken
+fighting cleanly, and the General was anxious to show him kindness. He
+asked him if he would not prefer to cleanse himself before examina<a name="Page_123" id="Page_123"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 123]</span>tion.
+The young German drew himself up and replied: "Look at me, General; I am
+covered from head to foot with mud, and that mud is the soil of France.
+You will never possess as much soil in Germany." The General turned to
+him with that gentle courtesy which marks the higher commands in France,
+and answered: "Monsieur, we may never possess as much soil in Germany;
+but there is something that you will never possess, and, until you
+conquer it, you cannot vanquish France, and that is the spirit of the
+French people."</p>
+
+<p>The French find it difficult to understand the arrogance which appears
+ingrained in the German character, and which existed before the war.</p>
+
+<p>I read once that in the Guest-book of a French hotel a Teutonic visitor
+wrote:<a name="Page_124" id="Page_124"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 124]</span></p>
+
+<p>"L'Allemagne est la premi&egrave;re nation du monde."</p>
+
+<p>The next French visitor merely added:</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, 'Allemagne' is the first country of the world&mdash;if we take them in
+alphabetical order."</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>I left the war-zone with an increased respect, if this were possible,
+for the men of France. They have altered their uniforms, but the spirit
+is unchanged. They are no longer in the red and blue of the old days,
+but in shades of green, grey, and blue, colours blending to form one
+mighty ocean&mdash;wave on wave of patriotism&mdash;beating against and wearing
+down the rocks of military preparedness of forty years, and as no man
+has yet been able to say to the ocean "Stop," so no man shall cry "Halt"
+to the armies of France.<a name="Page_125" id="Page_125"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 125]</span></p>
+
+<p>I have spoken much of the men of France, but the women have also earned
+our respect&mdash;those splendid peasant-women who even in times of peace
+worked and now carry a double burden on their shoulders; the
+middle-class women, endeavouring to keep together the little business
+built up by the man with years of toil, stinting themselves to save five
+francs to send a parcel to the man at the front that he may not suspect
+that there is not still every comfort in the little homestead; the noble
+women of France, who in past years could not be seen before noon, since
+my lady was at her toilette, but who can be seen now, their hands
+scratched and bleeding, kneeling on the floors of the hospitals
+scrubbing, proud and happy to take their part in national service. The
+men owe much of their courage to the attitude of the women <a name="Page_126" id="Page_126"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 126]</span>who stand
+behind them, turning their tears to smiles to urge their men to even
+greater deeds of heroism.</p>
+
+<p>In one of our hospitals was a young lad of seventeen, who had managed to
+enlist as an "engag&eacute; volontaire" by lying as to his age. His old mother
+came to visit him, and she told me he was the last of her three
+sons&mdash;the two elder ones had died the first week of the war at
+Pont-Mousson, and her little home had been burned to the ground. The boy
+had spent his time inventing new and terrible methods of dealing with
+the enemy, but with his mother he became a child again, and tenderly
+patted the old face. Seeing the lad in his mother's arms, and forgetting
+for one moment the spirit of the French nation, I asked her if she would
+not be glad if her boy was so wounded that she might take him home. She
+was <a name="Page_127" id="Page_127"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 127]</span>only an old peasant-woman, but her eyes flashed, her cheeks flushed
+with anger, and turning to me she said: "Mademoiselle, how dare you say
+such a thing to me? If all the mothers, wives, and sweethearts thought
+as you, what would happen to the country? Gustave has only one thing to
+do, get well quickly and fight for Mother France."</p>
+
+<p>Because these women of France have sent their men forth to die, eyes
+dry, with stiff lips and head erect, do not think that they do not mourn
+for them. When night casts her kindly mantle of darkness over all, when
+they are hidden from the eyes of the world, it is then that the proud
+heads droop and are bent upon their arms, as the women cry out in the
+bitterness of their souls for the men who have gone from them. Yet they
+realise that behind them stands the greatest <a name="Page_128" id="Page_128"></a><span class='pagenum'>[Pg 128]</span>mother of all, Mother
+France, who sees coming towards her, from all frontiers, line on line of
+ambulances with their burden of suffering humanity, yet watches along
+other routes her sons going forth in thousands, laughter in their eyes,
+songs on their lips, ready and willing to die for her. France draws
+around her her tattered and blood-stained robe, yet what matters the
+outer raiment? Behind it shines forth her glorious, exultant soul, and
+she lifts up her head rejoicing and proclaims to the world that when she
+appealed, man, woman, and child&mdash;the whole of the French
+nation&mdash;answered to her Call.</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'><i>Printed in Great Britain by Hazell, Watson &amp; Viney, Ld., <br />London and
+Aylesbury.</i></div>
+
+
+<div class='tnote'><h3><span class="smcap">Transcriber's Notes:</span></h3>
+
+<p>' was used for raised dots on all "'75's"</p>
+
+<p>The remaining corrections made are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections.
+Scroll your mouse over the word and the original text will <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'apprear'">appear</ins>.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The White Road to Verdun, by Kathleen Burke
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The White Road to Verdun
+
+
+Author: Kathleen Burke
+
+
+
+Release Date: October 25, 2005  [eBook #16945]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHITE ROAD TO VERDUN***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Irma Spehar, Emmy, and the Project Gutenberg Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) from images
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+(http://www.archive.org/details/toronto)
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+
+
+
+THE WHITE ROAD TO VERDUN
+
+by
+
+KATHLEEN BURKE
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Frontispiece.]
+
+
+
+
+Hodder and Stoughton
+London New York Toronto
+Printed in Great Britain by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and
+Aylesbury
+
+MCMXVI
+
+
+
+
+TO
+
+DR. C.O. MAILLOUX
+
+(NEW YORK)
+
+MR. AND MRS. L.B. FRANKLIN
+
+AND
+
+JEANNETTE FRANKLIN
+
+AND TO MY
+
+MOTHER
+
+WHO BY THEIR AFFECTION AND PRACTICAL
+
+SYMPATHY HELPED ME IN ALL THE
+
+WORK I HAVE UNDERTAKEN.
+
+
+
+                                                     10th August, 1916.
+
+We left Paris determined to undertake the journey to the front in the
+true spirit of the French _poilu_, and, no matter what happened, "_de ne
+pas s'en faire_."
+
+This famous "motto" of the French Army is probably derived from one of
+two slang sentences: "De ne pas se faire des cheveux" ("To keep one's
+hair on"), or "De ne pas se faire de la bile" (or, in other words, not
+to upset one's digestion by unnecessary worrying). The phrase is typical
+of the mentality of the _poilu_, who accepts anything and everything
+that may happen, whether it be merely slight physical discomfort or
+intense suffering, as part of the willing sacrifice which he made on the
+day that, leaving his homestead and his daily occupation, he took up
+arms "offering his body as a shield to defend the Heart of France."
+
+Everything might be worse than it is, says the _poilu_, and so he has
+composed a litany. Every regiment has a different version, but always
+with the same fundamental basis:
+
+"Of two things one is certain: either you're mobilised or you're not
+mobilised. If you're not mobilised, there is no need to worry; if you
+are mobilised, of two things one is certain: either you're behind the
+lines or you're on the front. If you're behind the lines, there is no
+need to worry; if you're on the front, of two things one is certain:
+either you're resting in a safe place or you're exposed to danger. If
+you're resting in a safe place, there is no need to worry; if you're
+exposed to danger, of two things one is certain: either you're wounded
+or you're not wounded. If you're not wounded, there is no need to worry;
+if you are wounded, of two things one is certain: either you're wounded
+seriously or you're wounded slightly. If you're wounded slightly, there
+is no need to worry; if you're wounded seriously, of two things one is
+certain: either you recover or you die. If you recover, there is no need
+to worry; if you die, you can't worry."
+
+When once past the "Wall of China," as the French authorities call the
+difficult approaches of the war zone, Meaux was the first town of
+importance at which we stopped.
+
+We had an opportunity to sample the army bread, as the driver of a
+passing bread-wagon flung a large round loaf into our motor.
+
+According to all accounts received from the French soldiers who are in
+the prison-camps of Germany, one of the greatest hardships is the lack
+of white bread, and they have employed various subterfuges in the
+endeavour to let their relatives know that they wish to have bread sent
+to them. Some of the Bretons writing home nicknamed bread "Monsieur
+Barras," and when there was a very great shortage they would write to
+their families: "Ce pauvre Monsieur Barras ne se porte pas tres bien a
+present." Finally, the Germans discovered the real significance of M.
+Barras, and they added to one of the letters: "Si M. Barras ne se porte
+pas tres bien a present, c'est bien la faute de vos amis les Anglais"
+("If M. Barras is not very fit, it is the fault of your friends the
+English"), and from then all the letters referring to M. Barras were
+strictly suppressed.
+
+While the German Press may not be above admitting a shortage of food in
+Germany, it seriously annoys the Army that the French prisoners or the
+French in the invaded regions should hear of it. I heard one story of
+the wife of a French officer in Lille who was obliged to offer unwilling
+hospitality to a German captain, who, in a somewhat clumsy endeavour to
+be amiable, offered to try to get news of her husband and to convey it
+to her. Appreciating the seeming friendliness of the captain, she
+confided to him that she had means of communicating with her husband who
+was on the French front. The captain informed against her, and the next
+day she was sent for by the Kommandantur, who imposed a fine of 50 frs.
+upon her for having received a letter from the enemy lines. Taking a
+100-fr. note from her bag, she placed it on the desk, saying, "M. le
+Kommandantur, here is the 50 frs. fine, and also another 50 frs. which I
+am glad to subscribe for the starving women and children in Berlin."
+
+"No one starves in Berlin," replied the Kommandantur.
+
+"Oh, yes, they do," replied Madame X. "I know, because the captain who
+so kindly informed you that I had received a letter from my husband
+showed me a letter the other day from his wife, in which she spoke of
+the sad condition of the women and children of Germany, who, whilst not
+starving, were far from happy." Thus she not only had the pleasure of
+seriously annoying the Kommandantur, but also a chance to get even with
+the captain who had informed against her, and who is no longer in soft
+quarters in Lille, but paying the penalty of his indiscretion by a
+sojourn on the Yser.
+
+The bridge at Meaux, destroyed in the course of the German retreat, has
+not yet been entirely repaired. Beneath it rushes the Marne, and the
+river sings in triumph, as it passes, that it is carrying away the soil
+that has been desecrated by the steps of the invader and that day by day
+it is washing clean the land of France.
+
+In the fields where the corn is standing, the tiny crosses marking the
+last resting-places of the men are entirely hidden; but where the grain
+has been gathered, the graves stand out distinctly, marked not only by a
+cross, but also by the tall bunches of corn which have been left growing
+on these small patches of holy ground. It has always been said that
+France has two harvests each year. Certainly in the fields of the Marne
+there is not only the harvest of bread--there is also springing up the
+harvest of security and peace.
+
+The peasants as they point out the graves always add: "We of the people
+know that those men sacrificed their lives that our children might live.
+Those who have died in vain for an unjust cause may well envy the men of
+France who have poured out their blood for the benefit of humanity."
+
+Looking on the crosses on the battlefield of the Marne, I realised to
+the fullest extent the sacrifices, borne with such bravery, of the women
+of France. I thought of the picture I had seen in Paris of a group of
+mothers standing at the foot of Calvary, looking out over the fields of
+small black crosses, lifting their hands to Heaven, with the words--"We
+also, God, have given our sons for the peace of the world."
+
+At Montmirail the real activity of the war zone first became apparent.
+We drew the car to the side of the road and waited whilst a long
+procession of empty munition-wagons passed on the way back from the
+munition-parks near the fighting-line. There was a smile on the face of
+every one of the drivers. Each of them had the satisfaction of knowing
+that there was no chance of his returning with an empty wagon, as there
+is no lack of provisions to feed the hungriest of the "75's" or any of
+her larger sisters.
+
+The fact that it is known that there is an ample supply of munitions
+plays an important part in the "moral" of the troops. The average
+_poilu_ has no sympathy with the man who grumbles at the number of hours
+he may have to work. We heard the tale of a munition-worker who was
+complaining in a cafe at having to work so hard. A _poilu_ who was _en
+permission_ and who was sitting at the next table, turned to him,
+saying, "You have no right to grumble: you receive 10 to 12 francs a day
+for making shells, and we poor devils get 5 sous a day for stopping
+them!"
+
+We lunched in the small but hospitable village of Sezanne, in company
+with a most charming invalided officer who informed us that he was the
+principal in that district of the S.D.R.D.R. (Service de Recherche des
+Rattiers) (the Principal Recruiting Officer for Rat-catchers). In other
+words, he is spending his time endeavouring to persuade suitable
+"bow-wows" to enlist in the service of their country. Likely dogs are
+trained until they do not bark, and become entirely accustomed to the
+sound of firing; they are then pronounced "Aptes a faire campagne," or
+"Fit for service," receive their _livret militaire_, or
+certificates--for not every chance dog is allowed in the trenches--and
+are dispatched to the trenches on a rat-hunting campaign.
+
+From Sezanne we proceeded direct to the new camp for German prisoners at
+Cannantre. The prisoners were mostly men who had been taken in the
+recent fighting on the Somme or round Verdun. The camp was already
+excellently installed, and the prisoners were busy in groups gardening,
+making bread, or sitting before great heaps of potatoes, preparing them
+for the evening meal. The German sense of order was everywhere in
+evidence. In the long barracks where the men slept the beds were tidy,
+and above each bed was a small shelf, each shelf arranged in exactly
+the same order, the principal ornaments being a mug, fork, and spoon;
+and just as each bed resembled each other bed, so the fork and spoon
+were placed in their respective mugs at exactly the same angle. There
+were small partitioned apartments for the noncommissioned officers. The
+French Commander of the camp told us that the German love of holding
+some form of office was everywhere apparent. The French made no attempt
+to command the prisoners themselves, but always chose men from amongst
+the prisoners who were placed in authority over their comrades. The
+prisoners rejoiced exceedingly and promptly increased in self-importance
+and, alas! decreased in manners, if they were given the smallest
+position which raised them above the level of the rest of the men.
+
+In the barrack where they were cutting up bread for the prisoners, we
+asked the men if they deeply regretted their captivity. They replied
+unanimously that they were "rather glad to be well fed," which seemed an
+answer in itself. They did not, however, appreciate the white bread and
+stated that they preferred their own black bread. The French officers
+commanding the camp treat the prisoners as naughty children who must be
+"kept in the corner" and punished for their own good. In all my travels
+through France I have never seen any bitterness shown towards the
+prisoners. I remember once at Nevers we passed a group of German
+prisoners, and amongst them was a wounded man who was lying in a small
+cart. A handbag had fallen across his leg, and none of his comrades
+attempted to remove it. A French woman, pushing her way between the
+guards, lifted it off and gave it to one of the Germans to carry. When
+the guards tried to remonstrate, she replied simply, "J'ai un fils
+prisonnier la-bas, faut esperer qu'une allemande ferait autant pour lui"
+("I have a son who is a prisoner in their land, let us hope that some
+German woman will do as much for him").
+
+On the battlefields the kindness of the French medical men to the German
+wounded has always been conspicuous. One of my neutral friends passing
+through Germany heard from one of the prominent German surgeons that
+they were well aware of this fact, and knew that their wounded received
+every attention. There is a story known throughout France of a French
+doctor who was attending a wounded German on the battlefield. The man,
+who was probably half delirious, snatched at a revolver which was lying
+near by and attempted to shoot the doctor. The doctor took the revolver
+from him, patted him on the head, and said, "Voyons, voyons, ne faites
+pas l'enfant" ("Now then, now then, don't be childish"), and went on
+dressing his wounds.
+
+Everywhere you hear accounts of brotherly love and religious tolerance.
+I remember kneeling once by the side of a dying French soldier who was
+tenderly supported in the arms of a famous young Mohammedan surgeon, an
+Egyptian who had taken his degree in Edinburgh and was now attached to
+the French Red Cross. The man's mind was wandering, and seeing a woman
+beside him he commenced to talk to me as to his betrothed. "This war
+cannot last always, little one, and when it is over we will buy a pig
+and a cow and we will go to the cure, won't we, beloved?" Then in a
+lucid moment he realised that he was dying, and he commenced to pray,
+"Ave Maria, Ave Maria," but the poor tired brain could remember nothing
+more. He turned to me to continue, but I could no longer trust myself to
+speak, and it was the Mohammedan who took up the prayer and continued it
+whilst the soldier followed with his lips until his soul passed away
+into the valley of shadows. I think this story is only equalled in its
+broad tolerance by that of the Rabbi Bloch of Lyons, who was shot at the
+battle of the Aisne whilst holding a crucifix to the lips of a dying
+Christian soldier. The soldier-priests of France have earned the love
+and respect of even the most irreligious of the _poilus_. They never
+hesitate to risk their lives, and have displayed sublime courage and
+devotion to their duty as priests and as soldiers. Behind the first line
+of trenches a soldier-priest called suddenly to attend a dying comrade
+took a small dog he was nursing, and handing it to one of the men,
+simply remarked, "Take care of the little beast for me; I am going to a
+dangerous corner and I do not want it killed."
+
+I have seen the Mass celebrated on a gun-carriage. Vases made of
+shell-cases were filled with flowers that the men had risked their lives
+to gather, in order to deck the improvised altar. A Red Cross ambulance
+drove up and stopped near by. The wounded begged to be taken out on
+their stretchers and laid at the foot of the altar in order that "they
+might receive the blessing of the good God" before starting on the long
+journey to the hospital behind the lines.
+
+Outside the prison-camp of Cannantre stood a circle of French soldiers
+learning the bugle calls for the French Army. I wondered how the Germans
+cared to listen to the martial music of the men of France, one and all
+so sure of the ultimate victory of their country. Half a kilometre
+farther on, a series of mock trenches had been made where the men were
+practising the throwing of hand grenades. Every available inch of space
+behind the French lines is made to serve some useful purpose.
+
+I never see a hand grenade without thinking how difficult it is just now
+to be a hero in France. Every man is really a hero, and the men who have
+medals are almost ashamed, since they know that nearly all their
+comrades merit them. It is especially difficult to be a hero in one's
+own family. One of the men in our hospital at Royaumont had been in the
+trenches during an attack. A grenade thrown by one of the French
+soldiers struck the parapet and rebounded amongst the men. With that
+rapidity of thought which is part of the French character, Jules sat on
+the grenade and extinguished it. For this act of bravery he was
+decorated by the French Government and wrote home to tell his wife. I
+found him sitting up in bed, gloomily reading her reply, and I inquired
+why he looked so glum. "Well, mademoiselle," he replied, "I wrote to my
+wife to tell her of my new honour; and see what she says: 'My dear
+Jules, we are not surprised you got a medal for sitting on a hand
+grenade; we have never known you to do anything else but sit down at
+home!'"
+
+It was at Fere Champinoise that we passed through the first village
+which had been entirely destroyed by the retreating Germans. Only half
+the church was standing, but services are still held there every Sunday.
+Very little attempt has been made to rebuild the ruined houses. Were I
+one of the villagers, I would prefer to raze to the ground all that
+remained of the desecrated homesteads and build afresh new dwellings;
+happy in the knowledge that with the victory of the Allies would start a
+period of absolute security, prosperity, and peace.
+
+It was on the same day that we had the privilege of beholding some of
+the 400-cm. guns of France, all prepared and ready to travel at a
+minute's notice along the railway lines to the section where they might
+be needed. Some idea of their size may be obtained from the fact that
+there were ten axles to the base on which they travel. They were all
+disguised by the system of _camouflage_ employed by the French Army, and
+at a very short distance they blend with the landscape and become almost
+invisible. Each gun bears a different name, "Alsace," "Lorraine," etc.,
+and with that strange irony and cynical wit of the French trooper, at
+the request of the men of one battery, one huge gun has been christened
+"Mosquito," "because it stings."
+
+The French often use a bitter and biting humour in speaking of the
+enemy. For instance, amongst the many pets of the men, the strangest I
+saw was a small hawk sitting on the wrist of a soldier who had trained
+him. The bird was the personification of evil. If anyone approached, he
+snapped at them and endeavoured to bite them. I asked the man why he
+kept him, and he replied that they had quite good sport in the trenches
+when they allowed the hawk to hunt small birds and field-mice. Then, his
+expression changing from jovial good-humour to grimness, he added: "You
+know, I call him 'Zepp,' because he kills the little ones" ("parcequ'il
+tue les tous petits").
+
+In one small cantonment where 200 _poilus_ sang, shouted, ate, drank,
+and danced together to the strain of a wheezy gramophone, or in one word
+were "resting," I started to investigate the various kinds of pets owned
+by the troopers. Cats, dogs, and monkeys were common, whilst one _poilu_
+was the proud possessor of a parrot which he had purchased from a
+refugee obliged to fly from his home. He hastened to assure us that the
+bird had learned his "vocabulary" from his former proprietor. A study
+in black and white was a group of three or four white mice, nestling
+against the neck of a Senegalais.
+
+The English Tommy is quite as devoted to animals as is his French
+brother. I remember crossing one bitter February day from Boulogne to
+Folkestone. Alongside the boat, on the quay at Boulogne, were lined up
+the men who had been granted leave. Arrayed in their shaggy fur coats,
+they resembled little the smart British Tommy of peace times. It was
+really wonderful how much the men managed to conceal under those fur
+coats, or else the eye of the officer inspecting them was intentionally
+not too keen.
+
+Up the gangway trooped the men, and I noticed that two of them walked
+slowly and cautiously. The boat safely out of harbour, one of them
+produced from his chest a large tabby cat, whilst the other placed a
+fine cock on the deck. It was a cock with the true Gaelic spirit: before
+the cat had time to consider the situation it had sprung on its back.
+The cat beat a hasty retreat into the arms of its protector, who
+replaced it under his coat. Once in safety, it stuck out its head and
+swore at the cock, which, perched on a coil of rope, crowed
+victoriously.
+
+Both animals had been the companions of the men whilst in the trenches,
+and they were bringing them home.
+
+A soldier standing near me commenced to grumble because he had not been
+able to bring his pet with him. I inquired why he had left it behind,
+since the others had brought theirs away with them, and elicited the
+information that "his pet was a cow, and therefore somewhat difficult to
+transport." He seemed rather hurt that I should laugh, and assured me
+it was "a noble animal, brown with white spots, and had given himself
+and his comrades two quarts of milk a day." He looked disdainfully at
+the cock and cat. "They could have left them behind and no one would
+have pinched them, whereas I know I'll never see 'Sarah' again--she was
+far too useful."
+
+Entering Vitry-le-Francois we had a splendid example of the typical
+"motto" of the French trooper, "Il ne faut pas s'en faire." One of the
+motor-cars had broken down, and the officer-occupants, who were
+evidently not on an urgent mission, had gone to sleep on the banks by
+the side of the road whilst the chauffeur was making the necessary
+repairs. We offered him assistance, but he was progressing quite well
+alone. Later on another officer related to me his experience when his
+car broke down at midnight some 20 km. from a village. The chauffeur was
+making slow headway with the repairs. The officer inquired whether he
+really understood the job, and received the reply, "Yes, mon lieutenant,
+I think I do; but I am rather a novice, as before the war I was a
+lion-tamer!" Apparently the gallant son of Gaul found it easier to tame
+lions than to repair motors.
+
+We left Vitry-le-Francois at 6 o'clock next morning, and started "the
+hunt for generals." It is by no means easy to discover where the actual
+Q.G. (Headquarters) of the General of any particular secteur is
+situated.
+
+We were not yet really on the "White Road" to Verdun, and there was
+still much to be seen that delighted the eyes. In one yellow cornfield
+there appeared to be enormous poppies. On approaching we discovered a
+detachment of Tirailleurs from Algiers, sitting in groups, and the
+"poppies" were the red fezes of the men--a gorgeous blending of crimson
+and gold. We threw a large box of cigarettes to them, and were greeted
+with shouts of joy and thanks. The Tirailleurs are the "enfants
+terribles" of the French Army. One noble son of Africa who was being
+treated in one of the hospitals once presented me with an aluminium ring
+made from a piece of German shell. I asked him to make one for one of my
+comrades who was working at home, and he informed me that nothing would
+have given him greater pleasure, but unfortunately he had no more
+aluminium. Later in the day, passing through the ward, I saw him
+surrounded by five or six Parisian ladies who were showering sweets,
+cigarettes, and flowers on him, whilst he was responding by presenting
+each of them with an aluminium ring. When they had left I went to him
+and told him, "Mahmud, that was not kind. I asked you for a ring and you
+said you had not got any more aluminium." He smiled, and his nurse, who
+was passing, added, "No, he had not _got_ any more aluminium, but when
+he is better he will _get_ forty-eight hours' punishment; he had been
+into the kitchen, stolen one of our best aluminium saucepans, and has
+been making souvenirs for the ladies." He made no attempt to justify his
+action beyond stating: "Moi, pas si mauvais; toi, pas faux souvenir" ("I
+am not so bad; I did not attempt to give you a fake souvenir").
+
+Another of our chocolate-coloured patients found in the grounds of the
+hospital an old umbrella. Its ribs stuck out and it was full of holes,
+but it gave him the idea of royalty, and daily he sat up in bed in the
+ward with the umbrella unfurled whilst he laid down the law to his
+comrades. The nurses endeavoured to persuade him to hand it over at
+night. He obstinately refused, insisting that "he knew his comrades,"
+and he feared that one of them would certainly steal the treasure, so he
+preferred to keep it in the bed with him.
+
+At Villers-le-Sec we came upon the headquarters of the cooks for that
+section of the front. The cook is one of the most important men in a
+French regiment; he serves many ends. When carrying the food through the
+communicating trenches to the front-line trenches, he is always supposed
+to bring to the men the latest news, the latest tale which is going the
+round of the camp, and anything that may happen to interest them. If he
+has not got any news he must manufacture and produce some kind of story.
+It is really necessary for him to be not only a cook but also an author.
+
+There is a tale going the round of the French Army how one section of
+the cooks, although unarmed, managed to take some twenty German
+prisoners. As they went on their way, they saw the Germans in the
+distance approaching them; the head cook quietly drew the field-kitchens
+behind a clump of trees and bushes, placed his men in a row, each with a
+cooking utensil in his hand, and as the Germans passed shouted to them
+to surrender. The sun fell on the handles of the saucepans, causing them
+to shine like bayonets, and the Germans, taken unawares, laid down
+their arms. The head cook then stepped out and one by one took the
+rifles from the enemy and handed them to his men. It was only when he
+had disarmed the Germans and armed his comrades that he gave the signal
+for them to step out, and the Germans saw that they had been taken by a
+ruse. One can imagine the joy of the French troops in the next village,
+when, with a soup-ladle in his hand, his assistants armed with German
+rifles, followed by the soup-kitchen and twenty prisoners, he marched in
+to report.
+
+It is curious to note how near humour is to tragedy in war, and how
+quick-wittedness may serve a useful purpose and even save life. A young
+French medical student told me that he owed his life to the quick wit of
+the women of a village and the sense of humour of a Saxon officer.
+Whilst passing from one hospital to another, he was captured by a small
+German patrol, and in spite of his papers, proving that he was attached
+to the Red Cross Service, he was tried as a spy and condemned to be
+shot. At the opening of his trial the women had been interested
+spectators; towards the end all of them had vanished. He was placed
+against a barn door, the firing squad lined up, when from behind the
+hedge bordering a wood the women began to bombard the soldiers with
+eggs. The aim was excellent--not one man escaped; the German officer
+laughed at the plight of his men and, in the brief respite accorded, the
+young man dashed towards the hedge and vanished in the undergrowth. The
+Germans fired a few shots, but there was no organised attempt to follow
+him, probably because their own position was not too secure. He was
+loath to leave the women to face the music, but they insisted that it
+was "Pour la Patrie," and that they were quite capable of taking care of
+themselves. Later he again visited the village, and the women told him
+that beyond obliging them to clean the soldiers' clothes thoroughly, the
+German officer had inflicted no other punishment upon them.
+
+A certain number of inhabitants are still living in the village of
+Revigny. You see everywhere placards announcing "Caves pour 25," "Caves
+pour 100," and each person knows to which cellar he is to go if a Taube
+should start bombing the village. I saw one cellar marked "120 persons,
+specially safe, reserved for the children." Children are one of the most
+valuable assets of France, and a good old Territorial _Pe-pere_ (Daddy),
+as they are nicknamed, told me that it was his special but difficult
+duty to muster the children directly a Taube was signalled, and chase
+them down into the cellar. Mopping his brow, he assured me that it was
+not easy to catch the little beggars, who hid in the ruins, behind the
+army wagons, anywhere to escape the "parental" eye. It is needless to
+add they consider it a grave infringement of their personal liberty and
+think that they should be allowed to remain in the open and see all that
+goes on, just as the little Londoners beg and coax to be allowed to stay
+up "to see the Zepps."
+
+Passing the railway-station, we stopped to make some inquiries, and
+promptly ascertained all we wished to know from the chef de gare.
+
+In the days of peace there is in France no one more officious than the
+station-master of a small but prosperous village. Now he is the meekest
+of men. Braided cap in hand, he goes along the train from carriage door
+to carriage door, humbly requesting newspapers for the wounded in the
+local hospitals. "Nous avons 125 blesses ici, cela les fait tant de
+plaisir d'avoir des nouvelles" ("We have 125 wounded here, and oh! how
+they love to have the latest news").
+
+In addition to levying a toll on printed matter, he casts a covetous and
+meaning glance on any fruit or chocolate that may be visible. Before the
+train is out of the station, you can see the once-busy and in his own
+opinion all-important railway official vanishing down the road to carry
+his spoils to his suffering comrades. Railway travelling is indeed
+expensive in France. No matter what time of day or night, wet or fine,
+the trains are met at each station by devoted women who extract
+contributions for the Red Cross funds from the pockets of willing
+givers. It is only fair to state, however, that in most instances the
+station-master gets there first.
+
+From the time we left Revigny until we had passed into the Champagne
+country, upon the return journey from Verdun, we no longer saw a green
+tree or a blade of green grass; we were now indeed upon the "White Road
+which leads into Verdun." Owing to an exceptionally trying and dry
+summer the roads are thick with white dust. The continual passing of the
+_camions_, the splendid transport-wagons of the French Army, carrying
+either food, munitions, or troops, has stirred up the dust and coated
+the fields, trees, and hedges with a thick layer of white. It is almost
+as painful to the eyes as the snow-fields of the Alps.
+
+I saw one horse that looked exactly like a plaster statuette. His master
+had scrubbed him down, but before he dried the white dust had settled on
+him everywhere. Naturally "humans" do not escape. By the time our party
+reached the headquarters of General Petain, we had joined the White
+Brigade. I excused myself to the General, who smilingly replied, "Why
+complain, mademoiselle? You are charming; your hair is powdered like a
+marquise." The contrast with what had been a black fur cap on what was
+now perfectly white hair justified his compliment.
+
+I have never been renowned in my life for fear of any individual, but I
+must admit that I passed into the presence of General Petain with a
+great deal of respect amounting almost to awe. The defence of Verdun
+through the bitter months of February and March by General Petain, a
+defence which is now under the immediate control of his able
+lieutenants, General Nivelle and General Dubois, has earned the respect
+and admiration of the whole world. It is impossible not to feel the
+deepest admiration for these men who have earned such undying glory, not
+only for themselves, but for their Motherland.
+
+No one could have been more gracious and kind than General Petain, and
+in his presence one realised the strength and power of France.
+
+Throughout all the French Headquarters one is impressed by the perfect
+calm that reigns; no excitement--not even a paper on the Generals'
+desks--everything perfectly organised.
+
+General Petain asked me at once to tell him what I desired. I asked his
+permission to go to Rheims. He at once took up a paper which permitted
+me to enter the war zone, and endorsed it with the request to General
+Debeney in Rheims to allow me to penetrate with my companions into the
+city. He then turned to me again and asked me with a knowing smile if
+that was all I required--for his headquarters were hardly on the direct
+road to Rheims! I hesitated to express my real wish, when my good
+counsellor and friend, with whom I was making the journey, the
+Commandant Jean de Pulligny, answered for me--"I feel sure it would be a
+great happiness and honour if you would allow us, General, to go to
+Verdun." General Petain appeared slightly surprised, and turning to me,
+asked, "Do you thoroughly realise the danger? You have crossed the
+Atlantic and faced submarines, but you will risk more in five minutes in
+Verdun than in crossing the Atlantic a thousand times." However, seeing
+that I was really anxious to go, and that it might be of great service
+to me in my future work to have seen personally the defence of Verdun,
+he added smilingly: "Well, then, you can go if you wish, at your own
+risk and peril." He then telephoned to General Nivelle the necessary
+permission for us to enter Verdun.
+
+I doubt whether General Petain realises the respect in which he is held
+in all the civilised countries of the world. Probably he does not yet
+understand that people would come thousands of miles to have five
+minutes' audience with him, for he inquired if we were in any hurry to
+continue our journey, and added with charming simplicity--"Because if
+not, and you do not mind waiting an hour, I shall be glad if you will
+lunch with me."
+
+We lunched with General Petain and his etat-major. A charming and most
+interesting addition to the party was M. Forain, the famous French
+caricaturist, and now one of the chief instructors of the French Army in
+the art of _camouflage_--the art of making a thing look like anything in
+the world except what it is! He has established a series of schools all
+along the French front where the _poilus_ learn to bedeck their guns and
+thoroughly disguise them under delicate shades of green and yellow, with
+odd pink spots in order to relieve the monotony. Certainly the
+appearance of the guns of the present time would rejoice the heart and
+soul of the "Futurists." It was most interesting to hear him describe
+the work in detail and the rapidity with which his pupils learned the
+new art. For one real battery there are probably three or four false
+ones, beautiful wooden guns, etc., etc., and he told us of the _poilus'_
+new version of the song "Rien n'est plus beau que notre Patrie"
+("Nothing is more beautiful than our country "). They now sing "Rien
+n'est plus faux que notre batterie" ("Nothing is more false than our
+battery").
+
+It was M. Forain who coined the famous phrase "that there was no fear
+for the ultimate success of the Allies, if only the civilians held out!"
+
+I was much amused at M. Forain's statement that he had already heard
+that a company had been formed for erecting, after the war, wooden
+hotels on the battlefields of France for the accommodation of
+sightseers. Not only was it certain that these hotels were to be built,
+but the rooms were already booked in advance.
+
+It was strange to find there, within the sound of the guns--sometimes
+the glasses on the table danced to the music, although no one took any
+notice of that--surrounded by men directing the operations of the war
+and of one of the greatest battles in history, how little war was
+mentioned. Science, philosophy, and the work of women were discussed.
+
+The men of France are taking deep interest in the splendid manner in
+which the women of all the different nations are responding to the call
+to service. I described to General Petain the work of the Scottish
+Women's Hospitals. These magnificent hospitals are organised and staffed
+entirely by women, and started, in the first instance, by the National
+Union of Women's Suffrage (Scottish Branch). He was deeply interested to
+learn that what had been before the war a political society, had, with
+that splendid spirit of patriotism which had from the first day of the
+war animated every man, woman, and child of Great Britain, drawn upon
+its funds and founded the hospital units. I explained to him that it was
+no longer a question of politics, but simply a case of serving humanity
+and serving it to the best possible advantage. The National Union had
+realised that this was a time for organised effort on the part of all
+women for the benefit of the human race and the alleviation of
+suffering.
+
+I spoke of the bravery of our girls in Siberia; how many of them had
+laid down their lives during the typhus epidemic; how cheerfully they
+had borne hardships, our doctors writing home that their tent hospitals
+were like "great white birds spreading their wings under the trees,"
+whereas really they had often been up all night hanging on to the
+tent-poles to prevent the tents collapsing over their patients.
+
+A member of the Etat-Major asked how we overcame the language
+difficulty. I pointed out that to diagnose typhus and watch the progress
+of the patient it was not necessary to speak to him, and that by the
+magic language of sympathy we managed to establish some form of
+"understanding" between the patients, the doctors, and the nurses.
+
+The members of our staff were chosen as far as possible with a knowledge
+of French or German, and it was possible to find many Serbians speaking
+either one of these languages. We also found interpreters amongst the
+Austrian prisoner orderlies. These prisoner orderlies had really proved
+useful and had done their best to help us. Naturally they had their
+faults. One of our lady doctors had as orderly a Viennese professor,
+willing, but somewhat absent-minded. One morning she sent for him and
+asked him, "Herr Karl, can you tell me what was wrong with my bath water
+this morning?" "I really don't know, Fraeulein, but I will endeavour to
+find out."
+
+Ten minutes later he returned, looking decidedly guilty, and stammered
+out: "I do not know how to tell you what happened to that bath water."
+"Nonsense!--it can't be very terrible," replied Doctor X; "what was
+wrong?" "Well, Fraeulein, when I went into the camp kitchen this morning
+there were two cauldrons there--one was your bath water, and the other
+was the camp soup; to you, Fraeulein, I brought the camp soup."
+
+We who had worked with the Serbians had learned to respect and admire
+them for their patriotism, courage, and patient endurance. We felt that
+their outstanding characteristic was their imagination, which, turned
+into the proper channels and given a chance to develop, should produce
+for the world not only famous painters and poets, but also great
+inventors. This vivid imagination is found in the highest and lowest of
+the land. To illustrate it, I told my neighbour at table a tale related
+to me by my good friend Dr. Popovic. "Two weary, ragged Serbian soldiers
+were sitting huddled together waiting to be ordered forward to fight.
+One asked the other, 'Do you know how this war started, Milan? You
+don't?--well then, I'll tell you. The Sultan of Turkey sent our King
+Peter a sack of rice. King Peter looked at the sack, smiled, then took a
+very small bag and went into his garden and filled it with red pepper.
+He sent the bag of red pepper to the Sultan of Turkey. Now, Milan, you
+can see what that meant. The Sultan of Turkey said to our Peter, 'My
+army is as numerous as the grains of rice in this sack,' and by sending
+a small bag of red pepper to the Sultan our Peter replied, 'My army is
+not very numerous, but it is mighty hot stuff.'"
+
+Many members of the units of the Scottish Women's Hospitals who had been
+driven out of Serbia at the time of the great invasion had asked to be
+allowed to return to work for the Serbians, and we were now equipping
+fresh units entirely staffed by women to serve with the Serbian Army,
+besides having at the present time the medical care of 6,000 Serbian
+refugees on the island of Corsica.
+
+General Petain said, smiling, that before the war he had sometimes
+thought of women "as those who inspired the most beautiful ideas in men
+and prevented them from carrying them out," but the war, he added, had
+certainly proved conclusively the value of women's work.
+
+M. Forain expressed the desire to visit the chief French hospital of the
+Scottish women at the Abbaye de Royaumont. The General laughingly told
+him, "You do not realise how stern and devoted to duty these ladies are.
+I wonder if you would be permitted to visit them?"
+
+I consoled M. Forain by pointing out that surely as Chief Camoufler
+(Disguiser) of the French Army he could disguise himself as a model of
+virtue (_de se camoufler en bon garcon_). Certainly this son of France,
+who has turned his brilliant intellect and his art to the saving of
+men's lives, would be welcome anywhere and everywhere. I hastened to
+assure him that I was only teasing him, and added that I only teased the
+people I admired and liked. General Petain immediately turned to the
+Commandant de Pulligny--"Please remark that she has not yet teased me."
+
+"Probably because she fears to do it, and has too much respect for you,"
+replied the Commandant.
+
+"Fears! I do not think we need talk of that just now, when she dares to
+go to Verdun."
+
+[Illustration: Memoribilia]
+
+[Illustration: Handwritten note:
+To Miss Burke
+
+In remembrance of your very
+kind visit in Verdun and of
+the noble aim you pursue in
+favour of our wounded and sick
+soldiers. We have been extrememly
+honoured that you were so kind
+to dine with us to-day 26th Juli
+1916
+
+-Signatures-]
+
+[Illustration: Menu]
+
+[Illustration: A Handwritten Note]
+
+Whilst at coffee after lunch the news came of the continued advance of
+the British troops. General Petain turned to me and said: "You must
+indeed be proud in England of your new army. Please tell your
+English people of our admiration of the magnificent effort of England.
+The raising and equipping of your giant army in such a short time was
+indeed a colossal task. How well it was carried out all the world now
+knows, and we are reaping the harvest."
+
+The General's Chief of Staff added: "Lord Kitchener was right when he
+said the war would last three years--the first year preparation, the
+second year defence, and the third year ... _cela sera rigolo_--it will
+be huge sport." He quoted the phrase as Lord Kitchener's own.
+
+Before we left the General signed for me the menu of the lunch, pointing
+out to me, however, that if I were at any time to show the menu to the
+village policeman, I must assure him that the hare which figured thereon
+had been run over at night by a motor-car and lost its life owing to an
+accident, otherwise he might, he feared, be fined for killing game out
+of season!
+
+I shall always remember the picture of General Petain seeing us into our
+car with his parting words, "You are about to do the most dangerous
+thing you have ever done or will ever do in your life. As for Verdun,
+tell them in England that I am smiling, and I am sure that when you see
+General Nivelle you will find him smiling too. That is the best answer I
+can give you as to how things are going with us at Verdun." Then with a
+friendly wave of his hand we passed on our way.
+
+After leaving the headquarters of General Petain we were held up for
+some time at a level crossing and watched the busy little train puffing
+along, carrying towards Verdun stores, munitions, and men. This level
+crossing had been the scene of active fighting; on each side were
+numerous graves, and the sentinels off duty were passing from one to the
+other picking a dead leaf or drawing a branch of trailing vine over the
+resting-places of their comrades.
+
+Above our heads circle _les guepes_, the wasps of the French Army. They
+had been aroused by the appearance of a Taube and were preparing to
+sting, had the Taube waited or made any further attempt to proceed over
+the French lines. However, deciding that discretion was the better part
+of valour, it turned and fled. It is unwise, however, to stir up the
+"wasps of France"; they followed it, and later in the day we heard that
+it had been brought down near Verdun.
+
+We were now in the centre of activity of the army defending Verdun. On
+every hand we saw artillery-parks, ammunition-parks, and regiments
+resting, whilst along the road a long line of _camions_ passed
+unceasingly. During the whole length of my stay on the French front I
+only saw one regiment marching. Everywhere the men are conveyed in the
+_camions_, and are thus spared the fatigue which would otherwise be
+caused by the intense heat and the white dust. There are perhaps only
+two things that can in any way upset the perfect indifference to
+difficulties of the French trooper: he hates to walk, and he refuses to
+be deprived of his _pinard_. The men of the French army have named their
+red wine _pinard_, just as they call water _la flotte_, always, however,
+being careful to add that _la flotte_ is excellent "for washing one's
+feet."
+
+As we passed through the headquarters of General Nivelle, he sent down
+word to us not to wait to call on him then, but to proceed at once to
+Verdun, as later the passage would become more difficult. He kindly sent
+down to us one of the officers of his staff to act as escort. The
+officer sat by our chauffeur, warning him of the dangerous spots in the
+road which the Germans had the habit of "watering" from time to time
+with _marmites_, and ordering him to put on extra speed. Our speed along
+the road into Verdun averaged well over a mile a minute.
+
+Within range of the German guns, probably not more than four or five
+kilometres from Verdun, we came on a line of men waiting their turn to
+go into the cinema. After all, there was no reason _de s'en faire_, and
+if they were alive they decided they might as well be happy and amused.
+Just before entering the gate of Verdun we passed a number of
+ambulances, some of them driven by the American volunteers. These young
+Americans have displayed splendid heroism in bringing in the wounded
+under difficult conditions. Many of them have been mentioned in
+dispatches, and have received from France the Croix de Guerre. I also
+saw an ambulance marked "Lloyd's."
+
+It would be useless to pretend that one entered Verdun without emotion.
+Verdun, sorely stricken, yet living, kept alive by the indomitable soul
+of the soldiers of France, whilst her wounds are daily treated and
+healed by the skill of her Generals. A white city of desolation,
+scorched and battered, yet the brightest jewel in the crown of France's
+glory; a shining example to the world of the triumph of human resistance
+and the courage of men. A city of strange and cruel sounds--the short,
+sharp bark of the '75's, the boom of the death-dealing enemy guns, the
+shrieks of the shells and the fall of masonry parting from houses to
+which it had been attached for centuries, whilst from the shattered
+window-frames the familiar sprite of the household looked ever for the
+children who came no longer across the thresholds of the homes. Verdun
+is no longer a refuge for all that is good and beautiful and tender, and
+so the sounds of the voices of children and of birds are heard no more.
+Both have flown; the children were evacuated with the civilians in the
+bitter months of February and March, and the birds, realising that there
+is no secure place in which to nest, have deserted not only Verdun but
+the whole of the surrounding district.
+
+We proceeded to a terrace overlooking the lower part of the town and
+witnessed a duel between the French and German artillery. The Germans
+were bombarding the barracks of Chevert, and from all around the French
+guns were replying. It was certainly a joy to note that for one boom of
+a German cannon there were certainly ten answers from the French guns.
+The French soldiers off duty should have been resting in the caves and
+dug-outs which have been prepared for them, but most of them were out on
+the terraces in different parts of the city, smoking and casually
+watching the effect of the German or of their own fire. I inquired of
+one _poilu_ whether he would be glad to leave Verdun, and he laughingly
+replied: "One might be worse off than here. This is the time of year
+that in peace times I should have been staying in the country with my
+mother-in-law."
+
+There is no talk of peace in Verdun. I asked one of the men when he
+thought the war would end. "Perfectly simple to reply to that,
+mademoiselle: the war will end the day that hostilities cease."
+
+I believe that the Germans would not be sorry to abandon the siege of
+Verdun. In one of the trench newspapers I saw the following verse:
+
+    Boches, a l'univers votre zele importun
+    Fait des 'communiques' dont personne n'est dupe.
+    Vous dites: "Nos soldats occuperont Verdun.
+    Jusqu'ici c'est plutot Verdun qui les occupe."
+
+    (You say that you soon will hold Verdun,
+    Whilst really Verdun holds you.)
+
+We left the car and climbed through the ruined streets to the top of the
+citadel. No attempt has been made to remove any of the furniture or
+effects from the demolished houses. In those houses from which only the
+front had been blown away the spoons and forks were in some instances
+still on the table, set ready for the meal that had been interrupted.
+
+From windows lace curtains and draperies hung out over the fronts of the
+houses. Everywhere shattered doors, broken cupboards, drawers thrown
+open where the inhabitants had thought to try to save some of their
+cherished belongings but had finally fled, leaving all to the care of
+the soldiers, who protect the property of the inhabitants as carefully
+as if it were their own.
+
+It would be difficult to find finer custodians. I was told that at
+Bobigny-pres-Bourget there is on one of the houses the following
+inscription worthy of classical times:
+
+"The proprietor of this house has gone to the war. He leaves this
+dwelling to the care of the French. Long live France." And he left the
+key in the lock.
+
+The soldiers billeted in the house read the inscription, which met with
+their approval, and so far each regiment in passing had cleaned out the
+little dwelling and left it in perfect order.
+
+From the citadel we went down into the trenches which led to the lines
+at Thiaumont. The heat in the city was excessive, but in the trenches it
+was delightfully cool, perhaps a little too cool. We heard the men make
+no complaints except that at times the life was a little "monotonous"!
+One man told me that he was once in a trench that was occupied at the
+same time by the French and the Germans. There was nothing between them
+but sandbags and a thick wall of clay, and day and night the French
+watched that wall. One day a slight scratching was heard. The men
+prepared to face the crumbling of the barrier when through a small hole
+popped out the head of a brown rabbit. Down into the trench hopped Mrs.
+Bunny, followed by two small bunnies, and although rabbit for lunch
+would have improved the menu, the men had not the heart to kill her. On
+the contrary, they fed her on their rations, and at night-fall she
+departed, followed by her progeny.
+
+From all the dug-outs heads popped out, and the first movement of
+surprise at seeing a woman in the trenches turned to a smile of delight,
+since the _poilu_ is at all times a chivalrous gentleman. One man was
+telling me of the magnificent work that had been accomplished by his
+"compagnie." I congratulated him and told him he must be happy to be in
+such a company. He swept off his iron casque, bowed almost to the
+ground, and answered: "Certainly I am happy in my company, mademoiselle,
+but I am far happier in yours."
+
+The principal grief of the _poilus_ appeared to be that a shell two or
+three days before had destroyed the store of the great _dragee_ (sugared
+almond) manufactory of Verdun. Before leaving, the manufacturer had
+bequeathed his stock to the army, and they were all regretting that they
+had not been greedier and eaten up the _dragees_ quicker.
+
+In the trenches near Verdun, as in the trenches in Flanders, you find
+the men talking little of war, but much of their homes and their
+families. I came once upon a group of Bretons. They had opened some tins
+of sardines and, sitting around a bucket of blazing coals, they were
+toasting the fish on the ends of small twigs. I asked them why they
+were wasting their energies, since the fish were ready to be eaten
+straight from the tins. "We know," they replied; "but it smells like
+home." I suppose with the odour of the cooking fish, in the blue haze of
+the smoke, they saw visions of their cottages and the white-coiffed
+Bretonnes frying the fresh sardines that they had caught.
+
+The dusk was now falling, and, entering the car, we proceeded towards
+the lower part of the town at a snail's pace in order not to draw the
+German fire. We were told that at the present time approximately one
+hundred shells a day still fall on Verdun, but at the time of the great
+attack the number was as high as eight hundred, whilst as many as two
+hundred thousand shells fell daily in and around Verdun.
+
+Just before we reached the entrance to the citadel, the enemy began to
+shell the city, and one of the shells exploded within two hundred feet
+of the car. We knew that we were near the entrance to the vaults of the
+citadel and could take refuge, so we left the car and proceeded on foot.
+Without thinking, we walked in the centre of the road, and the sentinel
+at the door of the citadel began in somewhat emphatic French to
+recommend us to "longer les murs" (to hug the walls tightly). The
+Germans are well aware of the entrance to the citadel and daily shell
+the spot. If one meets a shell in the centre of the road it is obviously
+no use to argue, whilst in hugging the side of the wall there is a
+possibility of only receiving the fragments of the bursting shell.
+
+The subterranean galleries of the citadel of Verdun were constructed by
+Vauban, and are now a hive of activity--barbers' shops, sweet shops,
+boot shops, hospitals, anything and everything which goes to make up a
+small city.
+
+One of the young officers placed his "cell" at our disposal. The long
+galleries are all equipped with central heating and electric light, and
+some of them have been divided off by wooden partitions or curtains like
+the dormitories in a large school. In the "cell" allocated to us we
+could see the loving touch of a woman's hand. Around the pillow on the
+small camp-bed was a beautiful edging of Irish lace, and on the
+dressing-table a large bottle of eau-de-Cologne. There is no reason to
+be too uncomfortable in Verdun when one has a good little wife to think
+of one and to send presents from time to time.
+
+Emerging from the galleries we met General Dubois, a great soldier and a
+kindly man, one who shares the daily perils of his men. The General
+invited us to remain and dine with him. He had that day received from
+General Nivelle his _cravate_ as Commander of the Legion of Honour, and
+his officers were giving him a dinner-party to celebrate the event. "See
+how kind fate is to me," he added. "Only one thing was missing from the
+feast--the presence of the ladies--and here you are."
+
+It would need the brush of Rembrandt to paint the dining-hall in the
+citadel of Verdun. At one long table in the dimly lighted vault sat
+between eighty and ninety officers, who all rose, saluted, and cheered
+as we entered. The General sat at the head of the table surrounded by
+his staff, and behind him the faces of the cooks were lit up by the
+fires of the stoves. Some short distance behind us was an air-shaft. It
+appears that about a week or a fortnight before our arrival a German
+shell, striking the top part of the citadel, dislodged some dust and
+gravel which fell down the air-shaft on to the General's head. He simply
+called the attendants to him and asked for his table to be moved forward
+a yard, as he did not feel inclined to sit at table with his helmet on.
+
+An excellent dinner--soup, roast mutton, fresh beans, salade Russe,
+frangipane, dessert--and even champagne to celebrate the General's
+_cravate_--quite reassured us that people may die in Verdun of shells
+but not of hunger. We drank toasts to France, the Allies, and, silently,
+to the men of France who had died that we might live. I was asked to
+propose the health of the General, and did it in English, knowing that
+he spoke English well. I told him that the defenders of Verdun would
+live in our hearts and memories, that on behalf of the whole British
+race I felt I might convey to him congratulations on the honour paid to
+him by France. I assured him that we had but one idea and one hope, the
+speedy victory of the Allied arms, and that personally my present desire
+was that every one of those present at table might live to see the flag
+of France waving over the whole of Alsace-Lorraine. They asked me to
+repeat a description of the flag of France which I gave first in Ottawa;
+so there, in the citadel of Verdun with a small French flag before me, I
+went back in spirit to Ottawa and remembered how I had spoken of the
+triumph of the flag of France: "The red, white, and blue--the red of
+the flag of France a little deeper hue than in time of peace, since it
+was dyed with the blood of her sons, the blood in which a new history of
+France is being written, volume on volume, page on page, of deeds of
+heroism, some pages completed and signed, others where the pen has
+dropped from the faltering hands and which posterity must needs finish.
+The white of the flag of France, not quite so white as in time of peace,
+since thousands of her sons had taken it in their hands and pressed it
+to their lips before they went forward to die for it, yet without stain,
+since in all the record of the war there is no blot on the escutcheon of
+France. And the blue of the flag of France, true blue, torn and tattered
+with the marks of the bullets and the shrapnel, yet unfurling proudly in
+the breeze whilst the very holes were patched by the blue of the sky,
+since surely Heaven stands behind the flag of France."
+
+The men of Verdun were full of admiration for the glorious Commander of
+the Fort de Vaux. They told me that the fort was held, or rather the
+ruins of the fort, until the Germans were actually on the top and firing
+on the French beneath.
+
+I discussed with my neighbour the fact that the Germans had more hatred
+for us than for the French. He said the whole world would ridicule the
+Germans for the manner in which they had exploited the phrase "Gott
+strafe England," writing it even on the walls anywhere and everywhere.
+He added laughingly that it should not worry the English comrades. "When
+they read 'Gott strafe England,' all they needed to reply was 'Ypres,
+Ypres--Hurrah!'"
+
+He told me that he had been stationed for some time with his regiment
+near the English troops, and there had been loud lamentations among the
+_poilus_ because they had been obliged to say good-bye to their English
+comrades. He added that the affection was not entirely disinterested.
+The English comrades had excellent marmalade and jam and other good
+things which they shared with their French brothers, who, whilst
+excellently fed, do not indulge in these luxuries. He told me a
+delightful tale of a French cook who, seeing an English soldier standing
+by, began to question him as to his particular branch of the service,
+informing him that he himself had had an exceedingly busy morning
+peeling potatoes and cleaning up the pots and pans. After considerable
+conversation he inquired of the English comrade what he did for his
+living. "Oh," replied the Englishman, "I get my living fairly
+easily--nothing half so strenuous as peeling potatoes. I am just a
+colonel."
+
+The clean-shaven Tommy is the beloved of all France. I remember seeing
+one gallant khaki knight carrying the market-basket of a French maiden
+and repaying himself out of her store of apples. I regret to say his
+pockets bulged suspiciously. Whilst at a level crossing near by, the old
+lady in charge of the gate had an escort of "Tommies" who urged her to
+let the train "rip." This was somewhat ironical in view of the fact that
+the top speed in that part of the war zone was probably never more than
+ten miles an hour.
+
+Tommy is never alone. The children have learned that he loves their
+company, and he is always surrounded by an escort of youthful admirers.
+The children like to rummage in his pockets for souvenirs. He must
+spend quite a good deal of his pay purchasing sweets, so that they may
+not be disappointed and that there may be something for his little
+friends to find. I remember seeing one Tommy, sitting in the dusty road
+with a large pot of marmalade between his legs, dealing out spoonfuls
+with perfect justice and impartiality to a circle of youngsters. He
+speaks to them of his own little "nippers" at home, and they in turn
+tell him of their father who is fighting, of their mother who now works
+in the fields, and of baby who is fearfully ignorant, does not know the
+difference between the French and the "Engleesch," and who insisted on
+calling the great English General who had stayed at their farm "papa."
+It matters little that they cannot understand each other, and it does
+not in the least prevent them from holding lengthy conversations.
+
+I told my companion at table that whilst visiting one of the hospitals
+in France I had heard how one Englishman had been sent into a far
+hospital in Provence by mistake. He was not seriously injured, and
+promptly constituted himself king of the ward. On arrival, he insisted
+on being shaved. As no shaving-brush was available, the _piou-piou_ in
+the next bed lathered him with his tooth-brush. The French cooking did
+not appeal to him, and he grumbled continuously. The directress of the
+hospital sent her own cook from her chateau to cater for Mr. Atkins. An
+elaborate menu was prepared. Tommy glanced through it, ordered
+everything to be removed, and commanded tea and toast. Toast-making is
+not a French art, and the chateau chef was obliged to remain at the
+hospital and spend his time carefully preparing the toast and seeing
+that it was served in good condition. When Mr. Atkins felt so disposed,
+he would summon a _piou-piou_ to give him a French lesson, or else
+request the various inmates of the ward to sing to him. He would in turn
+render that plaintive ditty "Down by the Old Bull and Bush." A nurse who
+spoke a little English translated his song to the French soldiers.
+Whilst not desiring to criticise the _rendez-vous_ selected by their
+_camarade anglais_, they did not consider that "pres d'un vieux taureau"
+(near an old bull) was a safe or desirable meeting-place. When I
+explained to the nurse that "The Bull and Bush" was a kind of _cabaret_,
+she hastened from ward to ward to tell the men that after all the
+Englishman might have selected a worse spot to entertain his girl. He
+was at once the joy and the despair of the whole hospital, and the nurse
+had much trouble in consoling the patients when "our English" was
+removed.
+
+When Tommy indulges in the use of the French language, he abbreviates it
+as much as possible.
+
+One hot summer's day, driving from Boulogne to Fort Mahon, halfway down
+a steep hill we came upon two Tommies endeavouring to extract a
+motor-cycle and a side-car from a somewhat difficult position. They had
+side-slipped and run into a small tree. The cycle was on one side and
+the side-car on the other, and a steel rod between had been rammed right
+into the wood through the force of the collision.
+
+My three companions and myself endeavoured to help the men to pull out
+the rod, but the united efforts of the six of us proved unavailing. We
+hailed a passing cart and tied the reins around the motor-cycle, but
+immediately the horse commenced to pull the leather of the reins
+snapped. Behind the cart walked a peasant. Only one adjective can
+possibly describe him--he was decidedly "beery." He made no attempt to
+help, but passed from one Tommy to the other, patting them on their
+backs, assuring them "that with a little goodwill all would be well."
+There was a dangerous glint in the younger Tommy's eye, but in the
+presence of ladies he refrained from putting his thoughts into words.
+Finally, his patience evaporating, he suddenly turned on the peasant and
+shouted at him, "Ong, ong." It took me some time to grasp that this was
+Tommy's abbreviated version of "Allez-vous en" ("Clear out"). In any
+event it proved quite useless, as he continued to pat the Tommies
+affectionately and to bombard them with impracticable suggestions.
+
+We were joined later by three villagers, two gendarmes and a postman,
+and all pulling together we managed to extract the rod from the tree. A
+large lorry was passing, and on to it we heaved the wreckage. Up
+clambered the Tommies followed by their unwelcome friend, who managed to
+sit on the only unbroken portion of the side-car. This was too much for
+Messrs. Atkins' equanimity. Limp with laughter, we watched them pass
+from sight amidst a chorus of "Ong, ong," followed by flights of oratory
+in the English tongue which do not bear repeating, but which were
+received by the peasant as expressions of deep esteem and to which he
+replied by endeavouring to kiss the Tommies and shouting, "Vive
+l'Angleterre! Allright! Hoorah!"
+
+Our guiding officer began to show some signs of anxiety to have us leave
+before ten o'clock, but the good-byes took some time. Presents were
+showered upon us--German _dragees_ (shell heads and pieces of shrapnel)
+and the real French _dragees_, the famous sweet of Verdun.
+
+We crept out of the city, but unfortunately at one of the dangerous
+cross-roads our chauffeur mistook the route. A heavy bombardment was
+taking place, and the French were replying. We were lucky enough to get
+on to the route and into safety before any shell fell near us. It
+appears that the Germans systematically bombard the roads at night,
+hoping to destroy the _camions_ bringing up the food for the city, fresh
+munitions, and men.
+
+We slept that night at Bar-le-Duc and next morning saw the various
+ambulances and hospitals which the Service de Sante had particularly
+requested me to visit. I was impressed by the splendid organisation of
+the Red Cross even quite close to the firing-line.
+
+Passing through one tent hospital, an Algerian called out to me:
+
+"Ohe, la blonde, viens ici! J'ai quelque chose de beau a te montrer"
+("Come here, fair girl, I have something pretty to show you").
+
+He was sitting up in bed, and, as I approached, unbuttoned his
+bed-jacket and insisted on my examining the tag of his vest, on which
+was written, "Leader, London." The vest had come in a parcel of goods
+from the London Committee of the French Red Cross, and I only wished
+that the angel of goodness and tenderness who is the Presidente of the
+Croix Rouge, Mme. de la Panouse, and that Mr. D.H. Illingworth, Mr.
+Philip Wilkins, and all her able lieutenants, could have seen the
+pleasure on the face of this swarthy defender of France. In the next bed
+was a Senegalais who endeavoured to attract my attention by keeping up a
+running compliment to my compatriots, my King, and myself. He must have
+chanted fifty times: "Vive les English, Georges, et toi!" He continued
+even after I had rewarded him with some cigarettes. The Senegalais and
+the Algerians are really great children, especially when they are
+wounded. I have seen convalescent Senegalais and Algerians in Paris
+spend hours in the Champs Elysees watching the entertainment at the
+open-air marionette theatre. The antics of the dolls kept them amused.
+They are admitted to the enclosure free, and there is no longer any
+room for the children who frequented the show in happier days. These
+latter form a disconsolate circle on the outside, whilst the younger
+ones, who do not suffer from colour prejudice, scramble on to the knees
+of the black soldiers.
+
+The sister in charge was a true daughter of the "Lady of the Lamp."
+Provided they are really ill, she sympathises with all the grumblers,
+but scolds them if they have reached the convalescent stage. She carries
+a small book in which she enters imaginary good points to those who have
+the tables by their beds tidy, and she pinned an invisible medal on the
+chest of a convalescent who was helping to carry trays of food to his
+comrades. She is indeed a General, saving men for France.
+
+Not a man escaped her attention, and as we passed through the tents she
+gave to each of her "chers enfants"--black or white--a cheering smile or
+a kindly word. She did, however, whilst talking to us omit to salute a
+Senegalais. Before she passed out of the tent he commenced to call after
+her, "Toi pas gentille aujourd'hui--moi battre toi" ("You are not good
+to me to-day--me beat you"). This, it appears, is his little joke--he
+will never beat anyone again, since he lost both his arms when his
+trench was blown up by a land mine.
+
+It was at Triancourt that I first saw in operation the motor-cars that
+had been sent out fitted with bath tubs for the troops, and also a very
+fine car fitted up by the London Committee of the French Red Cross as a
+moving dental hospital.
+
+I regret to add that a _poilu_ near by disrespectfully referred to it as
+"another of the horrors of war," adding that in times of peace there
+was some kind of personal liberty, where as now "a man could not have
+toothache without being forced to have it ended, and that there was no
+possibility of escaping a dentist who hunted you down by motor."
+
+It was suggested that, as I had had a touch of toothache the night
+before, I might take my place in the chair and give an example of
+British pluck to the assembled _poilus_. I hastened to impress on the
+surgeon that I hated notoriety and would prefer to remain modestly in
+the background. I even pushed aside with scorn the proffered bribe of
+six "boche" buttons, assuring the man that "I would keep my toothache as
+a souvenir."
+
+At one of the hospitals, beside the bed of a dying man, sat a little old
+man writing letters. They told me that before the war he had owned the
+most flourishing wine-shop in the village. He had fled before the
+approach of the German troops, but later returned to his village and
+installed himself in the hospital as scribe. He wrote from morning until
+night, and watching him stretching his lean old hands, I asked him if he
+suffered much pain from writer's cramp. He looked at me almost
+reproachfully before answering, "Mademoiselle, it is the least I can do
+for my country; besides my pain is so slight and that of the comrades is
+so great. I am proud, indeed proud, that at sixty-seven years of age I
+am not useless."
+
+At one hospital I was shown a copy of the last letter dictated by a
+young French officer, and I asked to be allowed to copy it--it was
+indeed a letter of a "chic" type.
+
+"CHERS PARRAIN ET MARRAINE,
+
+"Je vous ecris a vous pour ne pas tuer Maman qu'un pareil coup
+surprendrait trop.
+
+"J'ai ete blesse le ... devant.... J'ai deux blessures hideuses et je
+n'en aurai pas pour bien longtemps. Les majors ne me le cachent meme
+pas.
+
+"Je pars sans regret avec la conscience d'avoir fait mon devoir.
+
+"Prevenez donc mes parents le mieux que vous pourrez; qu'ils ne
+cherchent pas a venir, ils n'en auraient pas le temps.
+
+"Adieu vous tous que j'aimais.
+
+    "VIVE LA FRANCE!"
+
+
+"DEAR GODFATHER AND GODMOTHER.
+
+"I am writing to you, so as not to kill mother, whom such a shock would
+surprise too much. I was wounded on the ... at.... I have two terrible
+wounds and I cannot last long. The surgeons do not even attempt to
+conceal this from me. I go without regret, with the consciousness of
+having done my duty. Kindly break the news to my parents the best way
+you can; they should not attempt to come because they would not have
+time to reach me before the end.
+
+"Farewell to all you whom I have loved.
+
+    "LONG LIVE FRANCE!"
+
+
+Whilst loving his relatives tenderly, the last thought of the dying
+Frenchman is for his country. Each one dies as a hero, yet not one
+realises it. It would be impossible to show greater simplicity; they
+salute the flag for the last time, and that is all.
+
+From Triancourt we went straight to the headquarters of General Nivelle.
+They had just brought him the maps rectified to mark the French
+advance. The advance had been made whilst we were standing on the
+terrace at Verdun the night before. We had seen the rockets sent up,
+requesting a _tir de barrage_ (curtain of fire). The '75's had replied
+at once and the French had been able to carry out the operation.
+
+Good news had also come in from the Somme, and General Nivelle did not
+hesitate to express his admiration for the British soldiers.
+
+He said that there was no need to praise the first troops sent by
+Britain to France--everyone knew their value; but it should be a great
+satisfaction to Britain to find that the new Army was living up to the
+traditions of the old Army.
+
+He added: "We can describe the new army of Britain in two words: '_Ca
+mord_'--it bites."
+
+The Father of his own men, it is not surprising that General Nivelle
+finds a warm corner in his heart for the British Tommy, since his mother
+was an Englishwoman.
+
+At lunch General Nivelle and the members of his staff asked many
+questions as to the work of the Scottish Women's Hospitals. I told them
+that what appealed to us most in our French patients was the perfect
+discipline and the gratitude of the men. We are all women in the
+hospitals, and the men might take advantage of this fact to show want of
+discipline, but we never had to complain of lack of obedience. These
+soldiers of France may some of them before the war have been just rough
+peasants, eating, drinking, and sleeping, even having thoughts not akin
+to knighthood; but now, through the ordeal of blood and fire, each one
+of them has won his spurs and come out a chivalrous knight, and
+they bring their chivalry right into the hospitals with them. We had
+also learned to love them for their kindness to one another. When new
+wounded are brought in and the lights are low in the hospital wards,
+cautiously watching if the nurse is looking (luckily nurses have a way
+of not seeing everything), one of the convalescents will creep from his
+bed to the side of the new arrival and ask the inevitable question:
+"D'ou viens-tu?" ("Where do you come from?"). "I come from Toulouse,"
+replies the man. "Ah!" says the inquirer, "my wife's grandmother had a
+cousin who lived near Toulouse." That is quite a sufficient basis for a
+friendship; the convalescent sits by the bedside of his new comrade,
+holding the man's hand whilst his wounds are being dressed, telling him
+he knows of the pain--that he, too, has suffered, and that soon all
+will be well.
+
+[Illustration: Menu, 27 Juillet]
+
+[Illustration: Note by General Nivelle]
+
+Lions to fight, ever ready to answer to the call of the defence of their
+country, yet these men of France are tender and gentle. In one hospital
+through which I passed there was a baby. It was a military hospital, and
+no civilian had any right there, but the medical officers who inspected
+the hospital were remarkably blind--none of them could ever see the
+baby. One of the soldiers passing through a bombarded village saw a
+little body lying in the mud, and although he believed the child to be
+dead, he stooped down and picked it up. At the evacuating station the
+baby and the soldier were sent to the hospital together; the doctors
+operated upon the baby and took a piece of shrapnel from its back, and
+once well and strong it constituted itself lord and master and king of
+all it surveyed. When it woke in the morning it would call "Papa," and
+twenty fathers answered to its call. All the pent-up love of the men for
+their own little ones from whom they had been parted for so long they
+lavished on the tiny stranger, but all his affection and his whole heart
+belonged to the rough miner-soldier who had brought him in. As the
+shadows fell one saw the man walking up and down the ward with the child
+in his arms, crooning the Marseillaise until the tired little eyes
+closed. He had obtained permission from the authorities to adopt the
+child, as the parents could not be found, and remarked humorously:
+"Mademoiselle, it is so convenient to have a family without the trouble
+of being married!"
+
+What we must remember is that the rough soldier, himself blinded with
+blood and mud, uncertain whether he could ever reach a point of safety,
+yet had time to stoop and pick that little flower of France and save it
+from being crushed beneath the _camion_ wheels. I told General Nivelle
+that the hospital staff intended to keep the child for the soldier until
+the end of the war, and we all hoped that he might grow up to the glory
+of France and to the eternal honour of the tender-hearted fighter who
+had rescued him.
+
+After lunch we stood for some time watching the unending stream of
+_camions_ proceeding into Verdun. I believe it has been stated that on
+the average one passed through the village every fifteen seconds, and
+that there are something like twelve thousand motor vehicles used in the
+defence of Verdun. The splendid condition of the roads and the absence
+of all confusion in the handling of this immense volume of traffic is a
+great tribute to the organising genius of the chiefs of the French Army.
+
+We left General Nivelle, as General Petain predicted we should find
+him--smiling.
+
+We slept that night at Epernay, in the heart of the Champagne district.
+The soil of France is doing its best to keep the vines in perfect
+condition and to provide a good vintage to be drunk later to celebrate
+the victory of France and her Allies.
+
+The keeping of the roads in good condition is necessary for the rapid
+carrying out of operations on the front, and a "marmite" hole is
+promptly filled if by a lucky shot the German batteries happen to tear
+up the roadway. We were proceeding casually along one road when a young
+officer rode up to us and told us to put on speed because we were under
+fire from a German battery which daily landed one or two shells in that
+particular portion of the roadway. It is wonderful how obedient one
+becomes at times! We promptly proceeded to hasten!
+
+After visiting General Debeney and obtaining from him the necessary
+authorisation and an officer-escort, we entered Rheims.
+
+The cathedral is now the home of pigeons, and as they fly in and out of
+the blackened window-frames, small pieces of the stained glass tinkle
+down on to the floor. The custodian of the cathedral told us that during
+the night of terror the German wounded, lying in the cathedral, not
+realising the strength and beauty of the French character under
+adversity, feared, seeing the cathedral in flames, that the populace
+might wreak vengeance on them, and it was exceedingly difficult to get
+them to leave the cathedral. Many of the prisoners fled into corners and
+hid, and some of them even penetrated into the palace of the Archbishop,
+which was in flames. All the world knows and admires the bravery of the
+cure of the cathedral, M. Landrieux, who took upon himself the defence
+of the prisoners, for fear insults might be hurled at them. He knowingly
+risked his life; but when, next day, some of his confreres endeavoured
+to praise him, he replied: "My friends, I never before realised how easy
+it is to die."
+
+One of the churches in the city was heavily draped in black, and I asked
+the sacristan if they had prepared for the funeral of a prominent
+citizen. He told me that they were that day bringing home the body of a
+young man of high birth of the neighbourhood, but that it was not for
+him that the church was decked in mourning. The draperies had hung there
+since August 1914--"Since every son of Rheims who is brought home is as
+noble as the one who comes to-day, and alas! nearly every day brings us
+one of our children."
+
+We lunched in the hotel before the cathedral, where each shell-hole has
+an ordinary white label stuck beside it with the date. The landlord
+remarked: "If you sit here long enough, and have the good luck to be in
+some safe part of the building, you may be able to go and stick a label
+by a hole yourself."
+
+After lunch we went out to the Chateau Polignac. To a stranger it would
+appear to be almost entirely destroyed, but when M. de Polignac visited
+it recently he simply remarked that it was "less spoilt than he had
+imagined." This was just one other example of the thousands one meets
+daily of the spirit of noble and peasant _de ne pas s'en faire_, but to
+keep only before them the one idea, Victory for France, no matter what
+may be the cost.
+
+We went later to call on the "'75," _chez elle_. Madame was in a
+particularly comfortable home which had been prepared for her and where
+she was safe from the inquisitive eyes of the Taubes. The men of the
+battery were sitting round their guns, singing a somewhat lengthy ditty,
+each verse ending with a declamation and a description of the beauty of
+"la belle Suzanne." I asked them to whom Suzanne belonged and where the
+fair damsel resided. "Oh," they replied, "we have no time to think of
+damsels called 'Suzanne' now. This is our Suzanne," and the speaker
+affectionately gave an extra rub with his coat-sleeve to the barrel of
+the "'75."
+
+By a wonderful system of trench work it is possible for the gunners, in
+case of necessity, to take refuge in the champagne-vaults in the
+surrounding district, and it is in the champagne-vaults that the
+children go daily to school, with their little gas-masks hanging in bags
+on their arms. It appears that at first the tiny ones were frightened of
+the masks, but they soon asked to be also given a sack, like their
+elders, and now one and all have learnt at the least alarm to put on
+their masks. There is no need to tell the children to hurry home. They
+realise that it is not wise to loiter in the streets for fear of the
+whistling shells. They are remarkably plucky, these small men and women
+of France.
+
+During one furious bombardment the children were safe in the vaults, but
+one small citizen began to cry bitterly. He was reproached by his
+comrades for cowardice, but he replied indignantly: "I fear nothing for
+myself--I am safe here; but there is no cellar to our house, and oh!
+what will happen to the little mother?" The teacher reassured him by
+telling him that his mother would certainly take refuge in somebody
+else's cellar.
+
+On leaving Rheims we passed through various small hamlets where the
+houses had been entirely destroyed, and which now had the appearance of
+native villages, as the soldiers had managed to place thatched roofs on
+any building which had a semblance of walls standing.
+
+At Villars Coterets the Garde Champetre sounded the "Gare a Vous!" Four
+Taubes were passing overhead, so we took refuge in the hotel for tea.
+The enemy did no damage in that particular village, but in the next
+village of Crepy-en-Valois a bomb killed one child and injured five
+women.
+
+At his headquarters next morning I had the honour of being received by
+the Generalissimo Joffre, and telling him of the admiration and respect
+which we felt for him and for the magnificent fighting spirit of the
+troops under his able command. He replied modestly by speaking of the
+British Army. He referred to the offensive on the Somme, and said, "You
+may well be proud of your young soldiers--they are excellent soldiers,
+much superior to the Germans in every way, a most admirable infantry;
+they attack the Germans hand to hand with grenades or with the bayonet,
+and push them back everywhere; the Germans have been absolutely
+_stupefied_ to find such troops before them." The General then paid a
+tribute to the Canadian and Australian troops, and told me that that day
+the Australians had taken new territory, adding, "And not only have they
+taken it, but like their British and Canadian brothers, what they take
+they will hold."
+
+I explained to General Joffre that, whilst I was not collecting
+autographs, I had with me the menu of the dinner in the citadel at
+Verdun, and that it would give me great pleasure to have his name added
+to the signatures already on that menu. All the signatures were on one
+side, so I turned the menu over in order to offer him a clear space, but
+he turned it back again, saying: "Please let me sign on this side; I
+find myself in good company with the defenders of Verdun."
+
+At departing he said to me: "We may all be happy now, since certainly we
+are on the right side of the hill" ("Nous sommes sur la bonne pente").
+
+In case this little story should fall into the hands of any woman who
+has spent her time working for the men at the front, I would like to
+tell her the great pleasure it is to them to receive parcels, no matter
+what they contain. Fraternity and Equality reign supreme in the
+trenches, and the man counts himself happy who receives a little more
+than the others, since he has the joy and the pleasure of sharing his
+store of good things with his comrades. There is seldom a request made
+to the French behind the lines that they do not attempt to fulfil. I
+remember last winter, passing through a town in the provinces, I
+noticed that the elderly men appeared to be scantily clad in spite of
+the bitterness of the weather. It appeared that the call had gone forth
+for fur coats for the troops, and all the worthy citizens of the town
+forwarded to the trenches their caracul coats. Only those who are well
+acquainted with French provincial life can know what it means to them to
+part with these signs of opulence and commercial success.
+
+It is perhaps in the post-offices that you find yourself nearest to the
+heart of "France behind the lines."
+
+One morning I endeavoured to send a parcel to a French soldier; I took
+my place in a long line of waiting women bound on the same errand. A
+white-haired woman before me gave the post-office clerk infinite
+trouble. They are not renowned for their patience, and I marvelled at
+his gentleness, until he explained: "Her son died five weeks ago, but
+she still continues to send him parcels."
+
+To another old lady he pointed out that she had written two numbers on
+the parcel. "You don't want two numbers, mother. Which is your boy's
+number?--tell me, and I will strike out the other."
+
+"Leave them both," she answered. "Who knows whether my dear lad will be
+there to receive the parcel? If he is not, I want it to go to some other
+mother's son."
+
+Affection means much to these men who are suffering, and they respond at
+once to any sympathy shown to them. One man informed us with pride that
+when he left his native village he was "decked like an altar of the
+Blessed Virgin on the first of May." In other words, covered with
+flowers.
+
+There are but few lonely soldiers now, since those who have no families
+to write to them receive letters and parcels from the godmothers who
+have adopted them. The men anxiously await the news of their adopted
+relatives, and spend hours writing replies. They love to receive
+letters, but needless to say a parcel is even more welcome.
+
+I remember seeing one man writing page after page. I suggested to him
+that he must have a particularly charming godmother. "Mademoiselle," he
+replied, "I have no time for a godmother since I myself am a godfather."
+He then explained that far away in his village there was a young
+assistant in his shop, "And God knows the boy loves France, but both his
+lungs are touched, so they won't take him, but I write and tell him that
+the good God has given me strength for two, that I fight for him and
+for myself, and that we are both doing well for France." I went back in
+imagination to the village, I could see the glint in the boy's eyes,
+realised how the blood pulsed quicker through his veins at the sight of,
+not the personal pronoun "I" in the singular, but the plural "We are
+doing well for France": for one glorious moment he was part of the hosts
+of France and in spirit serving his Motherland. It is that spirit of the
+French nation that their enemies will never understand.
+
+On one occasion a young German officer, covered with mud from head to
+foot, was brought before one of the French Generals. He had been taken
+fighting cleanly, and the General was anxious to show him kindness. He
+asked him if he would not prefer to cleanse himself before examination.
+The young German drew himself up and replied: "Look at me, General; I am
+covered from head to foot with mud, and that mud is the soil of France.
+You will never possess as much soil in Germany." The General turned to
+him with that gentle courtesy which marks the higher commands in France,
+and answered: "Monsieur, we may never possess as much soil in Germany;
+but there is something that you will never possess, and, until you
+conquer it, you cannot vanquish France, and that is the spirit of the
+French people."
+
+The French find it difficult to understand the arrogance which appears
+ingrained in the German character, and which existed before the war.
+
+I read once that in the Guest-book of a French hotel a Teutonic visitor
+wrote:
+
+"L'Allemagne est la premiere nation du monde."
+
+The next French visitor merely added:
+
+"Yes, 'Allemagne' is the first country of the world--if we take them in
+alphabetical order."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+I left the war-zone with an increased respect, if this were possible,
+for the men of France. They have altered their uniforms, but the spirit
+is unchanged. They are no longer in the red and blue of the old days,
+but in shades of green, grey, and blue, colours blending to form one
+mighty ocean--wave on wave of patriotism--beating against and wearing
+down the rocks of military preparedness of forty years, and as no man
+has yet been able to say to the ocean "Stop," so no man shall cry "Halt"
+to the armies of France.
+
+I have spoken much of the men of France, but the women have also earned
+our respect--those splendid peasant-women who even in times of peace
+worked and now carry a double burden on their shoulders; the
+middle-class women, endeavouring to keep together the little business
+built up by the man with years of toil, stinting themselves to save five
+francs to send a parcel to the man at the front that he may not suspect
+that there is not still every comfort in the little homestead; the noble
+women of France, who in past years could not be seen before noon, since
+my lady was at her toilette, but who can be seen now, their hands
+scratched and bleeding, kneeling on the floors of the hospitals
+scrubbing, proud and happy to take their part in national service. The
+men owe much of their courage to the attitude of the women who stand
+behind them, turning their tears to smiles to urge their men to even
+greater deeds of heroism.
+
+In one of our hospitals was a young lad of seventeen, who had managed to
+enlist as an "engage volontaire" by lying as to his age. His old mother
+came to visit him, and she told me he was the last of her three
+sons--the two elder ones had died the first week of the war at
+Pont-Mousson, and her little home had been burned to the ground. The boy
+had spent his time inventing new and terrible methods of dealing with
+the enemy, but with his mother he became a child again, and tenderly
+patted the old face. Seeing the lad in his mother's arms, and forgetting
+for one moment the spirit of the French nation, I asked her if she would
+not be glad if her boy was so wounded that she might take him home. She
+was only an old peasant-woman, but her eyes flashed, her cheeks flushed
+with anger, and turning to me she said: "Mademoiselle, how dare you say
+such a thing to me? If all the mothers, wives, and sweethearts thought
+as you, what would happen to the country? Gustave has only one thing to
+do, get well quickly and fight for Mother France."
+
+Because these women of France have sent their men forth to die, eyes
+dry, with stiff lips and head erect, do not think that they do not mourn
+for them. When night casts her kindly mantle of darkness over all, when
+they are hidden from the eyes of the world, it is then that the proud
+heads droop and are bent upon their arms, as the women cry out in the
+bitterness of their souls for the men who have gone from them. Yet they
+realise that behind them stands the greatest mother of all, Mother
+France, who sees coming towards her, from all frontiers, line on line of
+ambulances with their burden of suffering humanity, yet watches along
+other routes her sons going forth in thousands, laughter in their eyes,
+songs on their lips, ready and willing to die for her. France draws
+around her her tattered and blood-stained robe, yet what matters the
+outer raiment? Behind it shines forth her glorious, exultant soul, and
+she lifts up her head rejoicing and proclaims to the world that when she
+appealed, man, woman, and child--the whole of the French
+nation--answered to her Call.
+
+
+
+     *     *     *     *     *     *
+
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+   ' was used for raised dots on all "'75's"
+
+   Page 70: Closing quote added to poem. "...qui les occupe."
+
+   Page 92: Period added to Mme.
+
+   Page 98: "Triaucourt" changed to "Triancourt."
+
+   Page 110: Changed Debency to Debeney.
+
+
+
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