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diff --git a/old/50807-8.txt b/old/50807-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9309731..0000000 --- a/old/50807-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11964 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, True Stories of the Great War, Volume V (of -6), by Various, Edited by Francis Trevelyan Miller - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: True Stories of the Great War, Volume V (of 6) - Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses - - -Author: Various - -Editor: Francis Trevelyan Miller - -Release Date: December 31, 2015 [eBook #50807] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRUE STORIES OF THE GREAT WAR, -VOLUME V (OF 6)*** - - -E-text prepared by Brian Coe, Moti Ben-Ari, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(https://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 50807-h.htm or 50807-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50807/50807-h/50807-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/50807/50807-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - https://archive.org/details/truestoriesofgre05mill - - - - - -TRUE STORIES OF THE GREAT WAR - -Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits -Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, -Diplomats, Eye Witnesses - -Collected in Six Volumes -From Official and Authoritative Sources -(See Introductory to Volume I) - -VOLUME V - -Editor-in-Chief -FRANCIS TREVELYAN MILLER (Litt. D., LL.D.) -Editor of The Search-Light Library - - - - - - - -1917 -Review of Reviews Company -New York - -Copyright, 1917, by -Review of Reviews Company - - - - -CONTENTS - - This group of stories for VOLUME V has been selected by the Board - of Editors according to the plan outlined in "Introductory" to - Volume I. It includes episodes from thirty-one story-tellers--tales - of Dragoons, Marines, Bishops, Foreign Legion, Fleet Surgeon, - Scouts, Exiles, Soldiers, Spies and Eye-Witnesses. The selections - have been made from the most authoritative sources in Europe and - America. Full credit is given in every instance to the original - source. - - -VOLUME V--THIRTY-ONE STORY-TELLERS--142 EPISODES - - TALES OF THE DARING RIDES OF A FRENCH TROOPER 1 - WITH THE TWENTY-SECOND REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS - Told by Lieut. Christian Mallet of the Dragoons - (Permission of E. P. Dutton and Company) - - "TO RUHLEBEN--AND BACK" LIFE IN A GERMAN PRISON 18 - WHERE THE BRITISH CIVILIAN PRISONERS ARE HELD IN - DETENTION CAMP - Told by Geoffrey Pyke, an English Prisoner - (Permission of Houghton, Mifflin and Company) - - AN AMERICAN AT BATTLE OF THE SOMME WITH FRENCH ARMY 36 - ARMY LIFE WITH THE SOLDIERS ALONG THE SOMME - Told by Frederick Palmer - (Permission of Dodd, Mead and Company) - - AN AMERICAN'S EXPERIENCES "INSIDE THE GERMAN EMPIRE" 53 - Told by Herbert Bayard Swope - (Permission of The Century Company) - - "DIXMUDE"--AN EPIC OF THE FRENCH MARINES 64 - STORY OF THE MURDER OF COMMANDER JEANNIOT - Told by Charles Le Goffic of the Fusiliers Marins - (Permission of J. B. Lippincott Company) - - A BISHOP AT THE FRONT WITH THE BRITISH ARMY 75 - Told by Right Reverend H. Russell Wakefield, - Bishop of Birmingham - (Permission of Longmans, Green and Company) - - SHORT RATIONS--THE TRUTH ABOUT LIFE IN GERMANY 83 - AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN GERMANY - Told by Madeline Zabriskie Doty - (Permission of The Century Company) - - FIGHTING "WITH THE RUSSIAN ARMY"--ON THE AUSTRIAN FRONT 92 - THE COLOSSAL STRUGGLE OF THE SLAVS - Told by Barnard Pares - (Permission of Houghton, Mifflin and Company) - - THE ROMANCE OF THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION 107 - THE "GLORIOUS RASCALS" - Told by E. S. and G. F. Lees - (Permission of Wide World) - - ADVENTURES OF WOMEN WHO FACE DEATH ON BATTLEGROUNDS 121 - LITTLE STORIES OF WOMAN'S INDOMITABLE COURAGE - Told by Hilda Wynne and Others - (Permission of New York American and New York World) - - AN AMERICAN WOMAN'S STORY OF THE "ANCONA" TRAGEDY 142 - Told by Dr. Cecile Greil - (Permission New York Times) - - THE STRATEGY OF SISTER MADELEINE 151 - THE STORY OF A FRENCH CAPTAIN'S ESCAPE FROM THE GERMANS - Told by Himself and Translated by G. Frederic Lees - (Permission of Wide World) - - TALES OF THE SPIES AND THEIR DANGEROUS MISSIONS 169 - REVELATIONS OF METHODS AND DARING ADVENTURES - Told by Secret Service Men of Several Countries - (Permission of New York American; New York World; New - York Herald and New York Tribune) - - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "GLENHOLME" 192 - ADVENTURES WITH SUBMARINES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA - Told by Captain Groome to a Friend - (Permission Wide World) - - WHAT THE KAISER'S SON SAW ON THE BATTLEFIELD 203 - PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF A GERMAN PRINCE - Told by Prince Oscar of Prussia, - Fifth Son of Emperor Wilhelm - (Permission of New York American) - - A DAY'S WORK WITH A FRENCH SUBMARINE 222 - AN AMERICAN'S EXPERIENCE UNDER THE SEA - Told by Fred B. Pitney - (Permission of New York Tribune) - - TALE OF THE CHILD OF TERBEEKE 233 - HOW IT SAVED A BRITISH BATTALION - Told by Oliver Madox Hueffer - (Permission of Wide World) - - A HERO TALE OF THE RED CROSS 242 - Told by G. S. Petroff - (Permission of Current History) - - LIFE STORY OF "GRANDMOTHER OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION" 246 - TRIUMPHANT RETURN FROM FORTY-FOUR YEARS IN - SIBERIAN EXILE - Told by Catherine Breshkovskaya, - the Russian Revolutionist - (Permission of New York Tribune) - - TALE OF AN AMAZING VOYAGE 262 - GERMAN OFFICERS ESCAPE FROM SPAIN IN A SAILING VESSEL - Told by Frederic Lees - (Permission of Wide World) - - THE POET'S DEATH IN BATTLE--HOW ALLEN SEEGER DIED 278 - A YOUNG AMERICAN IN THE FOREIGN LEGION - Told by Bif Bear, a Young Egyptian in the Foreign Legion - - THE GUARDIAN OF THE LINE--HERO TALE OF LITHUANIA 286 - Told by G. Frederic Lees - (Permission of Wide World) - - WITH A FLEET SURGEON ON A BRITISH WARSHIP DURING - A BATTLE 295 - UNDER FIRE ON HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP, "THE FEARLESS" - Told by Fleet Surgeon Walter K. Hopkins - (Permission New York American) - - AIRMEN IN THE DESERTS OF EGYPT 304 - ADVENTURES OF THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS IN SINAI - Told by F. W. Martindale - (Permission of Wide World) - - HOW SWEENY, OF THE FOREIGN LEGION, GOT HIS "HOT DOGS" 312 - Told by Private John Joseph Casey - (Permission of New York World) - - THE DOGS OF WAR ON THE BATTLEGROUNDS 316 - THE "FOUR-FOOTED SOLDIERS" OF FRANCE - Told by the Soldiers - (Permission of Wide World) - - TRUE STORY ABOUT KILLING THE WOUNDED 328 - Told by A. Pankratoff - (Permission of Current History) - - HOW WE FOILED "U 39"--IN THE SUBMARINE ZONE 333 - ADVENTURES ABOARD A HORSE TRANSPORT - Told by H. O. Read - (Permission of Wide World) - - MY WORST EXPERIENCE IN MESOPOTAMIA 344 - Told by a Man Who Stopped a Bullet - (Permission of Current History) - - SPIRIT OF YOUNG AMERICA--HOW WE WENT "OVER THE TOP" 349 - EXPERIENCES OF A NEW YORK BOY WITH THE CANADIANS - Told by (name withheld), wounded in France - - THE SINKING OF "THE PROVENCE II" 358 - Told by N. Bokanowski, - Deputy of the Department of the Seine - - - - -[Illustration: © International Film Service. -THE BALLOON CORPS EXPERIENCE THE SENSATIONS OF THE POLAR EXPLORER] - - - - -[Illustration: DROPPING A BOMB FROM A DIRIGIBLE -_It is Pleasanter to See This in a Volume Than Overhead!_] - - - - -[Illustration: A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THIS WAS A GERMAN BATTLE PLANE -_But the Aircraft Guns Got His Range. The Insert Shows a Naval Plane_] - - - - -[Illustration: © International Film Service. -SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING IN THE FIRST LINE TRENCH -_A British Trench at Orvillieres_] - - - - -TALES OF THE DARING RIDES OF A FRENCH TROOPER - -_With the Twenty-second Regiment of Dragoons_ - -_Told by Lieut. Christian Mallet, of the Dragoons_ - - This famous 22nd regiment of Dragoons was raised in 1635 and - took part in all the great wars in which the French were engaged - before the Revolution. It fought under the Republic and then - with Napoleon's armies--at Austerlitz (1805); Jena (1806); Eylau - (1807); Oporto (1809). It saw service with the Army of the Sambre - and Meuse, the Army of the Rhine, the Grande-Armee, in the War in - Spain, the Campaign in Saxony, the Campaign in France (1814). The - regiment was disbanded in 1815 at the close of the Napoleonic Wars - and was not raised again until 1873. The first great charge of the - 22nd Dragoons in the Great War occurred on the night of September - 10-11, 1914. It has since been fighting heroically "For France and - Civilization." Lieut. Mallet has fought his way up in the ranks - with the Dragoons. He presents the unconquerable spirit of France - in his book: "Impressions and Experiences of a French Trooper." - It is dedicated: "To my Captain, Count J. de Tarragon, and to my - two comrades, 2nd Lieut. Magrin and 2nd Lieut. Clère--who fell all - three on the field of honour in defense of their country." One of - his stories is recorded herewith by permission of his publishers, - _E. P. Dutton and Company_: Copyright 1916. - -[1] I--STORY OF PEASANT GIRL ON THE YSER - -The battle finished (September 10, 1914) the pursuit of the conquered -army commenced and kept the whole world in suspense, with eyes fixed on -this headlong flight towards the north, which lasted till the end of -the month, and which was to be the prelude of the great battles of the -Yser. - -The region round Verberie was definitely cleared of Germans and was -become once more French. The little town for some days presented an -extraordinary spectacle. - -We entered the town after having received the formal assurance of the -5th Chasseurs, who went farther on, that all the country was in our -hands. Some divisional cyclists were seated at the roadside. We asked -them for news of the 22nd, and their reply wrung our hearts. They knew -nothing definite, but they had met a country cart full of our wounded -comrades, who had told them that the regiment had been cut up. - -No one could tell us where the divisional area was to be found. The -division itself appeared to have been dismembered, lost and in part -destroyed. We thought that we were the only survivors of a disaster, -and, once the horses were in shelter in an empty abandoned farm -stuffing themselves with hay, we wandered sadly through the streets -destroyed by bombardment and by fire in search of such civilians as -might have remained behind during the invasion. - -A little outside the town we at last found a farm where two of the -inhabitants had stayed on. The contrast between them was touching. -One was a paralysed old man unable to leave his fields, the other was -a young girl of fifteen, a frail little peasant, and rather ugly. -Her strange green eyes contrasted with an admirable head of auburn -hair, and she had heroically insisted on looking after her infirm -grandfather, though all the rest of the family had emigrated towards -the west. She had remained faithful to her duty in spite of the -bombardment, the battle at their very door and the ill-treatment of -the Bavarian soldiers who were billeted in the farm. Distressed, yet -joyous, she prepared a hasty meal and busied herself in quest of food, -for it was anything but easy to satiate eleven men dying of hunger when -the Germans, who lay hands on everything, had only just left. - -She wrung the neck of an emaciated fowl which had escaped massacre, -and, by adding thereto some potatoes from the garden, she served us -a breakfast, washed down with white wine, which made us stammer with -joy, like children. One needs to have fasted for five days to have -felt the cutting pains of hunger and of thirst in all their horror, to -appreciate the happiness that one can experience in eating the wing -of a scraggy fowl and in drinking a glass of execrable wine tasting -like vinegar. She bustled about, and her pitying and motherly gestures -touched our hearts. While we ate she told us the most astonishing story -that ever was, a story acted, illustrated by gestures, which made the -scenes live with remarkable vividness. - -She told us how, faithful to her oath, she was alone when the Bavarians -came knocking at her door, how she lived three days with them, a butt -for their innumerable coarsenesses, sometimes brutally treated when the -soldiers were sober, sometimes pursued by their gross assiduities when -they were drunk; how one night she had to fly half naked through the -rain, slipping out through the venthole of the cellar, to escape being -violated by a group of madmen, not daring to go to bed again, sleeping -fully dressed behind a small copse; how at last French chasseurs had -put the Bavarians to flight and had in their turn installed themselves -in the farm, and how among them she felt herself protected and -respected. - -She attached herself to her new companions, whom she looked after like -a mother for three days. Then they went away, promising to return, and -she was left alone. - -But the next day at dawn, uneasy at the row that came from the town, -she decided to go in search of news. She put on a shawl and slipped -through the brushwood and thickets as far as the first houses. She was -afraid of being seen, and made herself as small as possible, keeping -close to the walls, crossing gardens and ruined houses. The terrible -noise increased, and she went towards it. She wanted to see what was -going on, and a fine virile courage sustained her. The shells fell near -her; no matter, she had only a few more steps to go to turn the corner -of a street. She arrived on the _place_ as the battle was finishing. - -Her fifteen chasseurs were there, fifteen corpses at the foot of the -barricade. One of them, who still lived, raised himself on seeing her, -and held out his arms towards her. Then, forgetting all danger, in a -magnificent outburst of feminine pity, she braved the rain of fire and -dashed to the centre of the _place_. She knelt by the young fellow, -enveloped him in her shawl to warm him and rocked him in her arms till -he closed his young eyes for ever, thankful for this feminine presence -which had made his last sufferings less bitter. - -While she remained kneeling on the pavement wet with blood, a last big -calibre shell knocked over, almost at her feet, a big corner house, -which in its fall buried the German and French corpses in one horrible -heap. She fell in a faint on the stones, knocked over by the windage of -the shell, which had so nearly done for her. - -During the latter part of her discourse she straightened her thin -figure to the full, her strange eyes sparkled, and she appeared to be -possessed by some strong and mysterious spirit which made us tremble. -She became big in her rustic simplicity--big, as the incarnation of -grief and of pity, and of the peasant in her gave place to a living -image of the war--an image singularly moving and singularly beautiful. - - -II--WITH THE WARRIORS FROM THE MARNE - -From the next day Verberie became in some degree the rallying point -for all soldiers who had lost touch with their units. Elements of all -sorts of regiments, of all arms, of all races even, arrived on foot, -on horseback, on bicycles, in country carts. There were dragoons, -cuirassiers, chasseurs, artillerymen, Algerian Light Infantry and -English. Bernous, khaki uniform, blue capes, rubbed shoulders with -dolmans, black tunics and red trousers. - -In this extraordinary crowd there were men from Morocco mounted on -Arab horses and wearing turbans; there were "Joyeux" who wore the -tarboosh, and ruddy English faces surmounted by flat caps. All the -uniforms were covered with dirt and slashed and torn. Many of the men -had bare feet, and some carried arms and some were without. It was the -hazard of the colossal battle of the Marne, where several millions of -men had been at grips, which had thrown them on this point. All were -animated by the same desire for information, and particularly of the -whereabouts of their respective regiments. From every direction flowed -in convoys, waggons, artillery ammunition waggons, stragglers from -every division and from every army corps. The mix-up and the confusion -were indescribable. One heard shouting, swearing, neighing of horses, -the horns of motor-cars, and the rumble of heavy waggons, which shook -the houses. - -Faces drawn with fatigue were black with dust and mud and framed in -stubbly beards. Everyone was gesticulating, everyone was shouting and -a bright autumn sun, following upon the storm, threw into prominence -amongst the medley of clothing the luminous splashes of gaudy colours -and imparted an Oriental effect to the crowd. - - -III--STORY OF THE PRIEST--AND TWO CHASSEURS - -Having eaten, washed and rested, I walked the streets, drinking the -morning air and taking deep breaths of the _joie de vivre_, of the -strength and vitality mingled with the air. I looked on every side to -see whether I could not find some acquaintance in the crowd, some stray -trooper from my regiment. - -So it was that the hazard of my walk brought me to a scene which moved -me to tears and which rests graven so deeply on my memory that I can -see its smallest detail with my eyes shut. The Gothic porch of the -church, with its fine sculptures of the best period, was open, making -in the brightness of the morning a pit of shade, at the foot of which -some candles shone like stars. On the threshold of the porch, gaily -lighted by the morning sun, a priest, whose fine virile face I can -still recall, held in his hand the enamel pyx, and his surplice of lace -of a dazzling whiteness contrasted with the muddy boots and spurs. One -could guess that after having traversed some field of battle, consoling -the wounded and the dying, he had dismounted to officiate in the open -air under the morning sun. - -Before him, on a humble country cart and lying on a bed of straw, were -stretched the rigid bodies, fixed in death, of two chasseurs who had -fallen nobly while defending the bridge over the river. All around, -kneeling in the mud of the porch, a semicircle of bare-headed soldiers, -overcome by gratitude and humility, were assembled to accomplish a -last duty and pay their last respects to the two comrades who were -lying before them and who were sleeping their last sleep in their -bloodstained uniforms, and assisted at the supreme office. The priest -finished the _De profundis_, and in a clear voice pronounced the sacred -words "_Revertitur in terram suam unde erat et spiritus redit ad Deum -qui dedit illum_." The officiant gave the holy-water sprinkler to the -priest, who sprinkled the bodies and murmured "_Requiescat in pace_." -"Amen," responded the kneeling crowd, and a great wave of religious -feeling passed over the kneeling men, the greater part of whom gave way -to overmastering emotion. - -I can still see a big devil of an artilleryman, with his head between -his hands, shaken by convulsive sobs. Having given the absolution, the -priest raised the host sparkling in the sunlight for the last time and -pronounced the sacramental words. I moved off, deeply affected by the -grandeur of the scene. - - -IV--DEPRAVED SOLDIERS IN A DRAWING ROOM - -By the 12th a good number of 22nd Dragoons and some officers of the -regiment had rejoined at Verberie. We formed from this débris an almost -complete squadron under the command of Captain de Salverte, who had -succeeded in getting through the lines by skirting the forest. - -I again found my officer, M. Chatelin, whom I had last seen in the -little clearing near Gilocourt, surrounded by lurking enemies, and -whom I had hardly dared hope to see again alive; also M. de Thézy, my -comrade Clère and others. - -We were all sorry to hear that Lieutenant Roy had fallen on the field -of battle with several others, and that Major Jouillié had been taken -prisoner. As for Captain de Tarragon, it was stated that he might -have escaped on foot with his orderly and that he might be somewhere -in the neighbourhood with a contingent of escaped men, but any precise -information was wanting. - -The night before I had slept in the drawing-room of the château -belonging to M. de Maindreville, the mayor. Its appearance merits some -brief description, so that those who are still in doubt as to the -savagery of the Germans may learn to what degree of bestiality and -ignominy they are capable of attaining. - -This fine drawing-room was a veritable dung heap. The curtains were -torn, the small billiard-table lay upside down in the middle of the -room, a litter of rotting food covered the floor, the furniture -was in matchwood, the chairs were broken, the easy-chairs had had -their stuffing torn out of them and the glass of the cabinets was -smashed. One could see that all small objects had been carried off -and all others methodically broken. On the first floor the sight -was heart-breaking. Fine linen, trimmed with lace, was soiled with -excrement; excrement was everywhere, in the bath, on the sheets, on -the floor. They had vomited on the beds and urinated against the -walls; broken bottles had shed seas of red wine on the costly carpets. -An unnamable liquid was running down the staircase, obscene designs -were traced in charcoal on the wall-papers and filthy inscriptions -ornamented the walls. - -I have told enough to give an idea of the degrading traces left by a -contemptible enemy. I have exaggerated nothing; if anything, I have -understated the truth. - -And this is the people that wants to be the arbiter of culture and of -civilisation! May it stand for ever shamed and reduced to its true -level, which is below that of the brute beast. - - -V--THE SEARCH FOR CAPTAIN DE TARRAGON - -On the morning of the 12th, under the command of Captain de Salverte -we crossed the Oise by a bridge of boats, the stone bridge having -been destroyed by dynamite some days before. We went north to billet -at Estrée-Saint Denis, which was to be the definite rallying point of -the 22nd Dragoons. We were followed by several country carts, full -of dismounted troopers, saddles, lances, cloaks and odds and ends of -equipment. - -Acting on very vague information, I set out on the 13th to look for -Captain de Tarragon. I was mounted on a prehistoric motor bicycle, -requisitioned from the village barber. I scoured the country seeking -information from everyone I met. I received the most contradictory -reports, made a thousand useless detours and was exasperated when -overtaken by night without having found any trace of him. - -I followed the road leading to Baron and to Nanteuil-le-Haudoin, along -which but a few days before the corps of Landwehr, asked for by von -Kluck, had marched with the object of enveloping our army, and along -which it had just been precipitately hustled back. The sky was overcast -and the day was threatening. At each step dead horses with swelled -bellies threatened heaven with their stiff legs. A score of soldiers -were lying in convulsed attitudes, their eyes wide open, with grimacing -mouths twisted into a terrifying smile, and with hands clasping their -rifles. Involuntarily I trembled at finding myself alone at nightfall -in this deserted country, where no living being was to be seen, where -not a sound was to be heard except the cawing of thousands of crows and -the purr of my motor, which panted on the hills like an asthmatic old -man, causing me the liveliest anxiety. - -Fifteen hundred mètres from Baron, after a last gasp, my machine -stopped for ever, and, as I was ignorant of its mechanics, I was -compelled to leave it where it was and continue my journey on foot -through the darkness. - -The proprietor of the château of Baron put me up for the night. As at -Verberie, everything had been burnt, soiled and destroyed. Nothing -remained of the elegant furniture beyond a heap of shapeless objects. -Next morning with the aid of a captain on the staff who requisitioned -a trap for me, I got back to Verberie and found Captain de Tarragon -there. He had slept at the farm of La Bonne Aventure, quite near to -where I lay. - -When he saw me, after the mortal anxieties through which he had lived, -believing his squadron lost and cut up, he was overcome by such a -feeling of gratitude and joy that I saw tears rise to his eyes while -he shook me vigourously by the hand. He had already sent forward my -name for mention in the order for the day with reference to the affair -at Gilocourt and the death of poor Dangel. I was recommended for the -military medal, and my heart swelled with pride and joy, while I was -carried back to Estrée-Saint-Denis, stretched out in a country cart -with a score of dismounted comrades. - -A few days afterwards I was promoted corporal and proudly sported the -red flannel chevrons bought at a country grocer's shop. - - -VI--TALES OF THE DRAGOONS - -Once the half-regiment was reconstituted after a fashion, though many -were missing (a detachment of fifty men without horses having returned -to the depot), we were attached to the 3rd Cavalry Division, which -happened to be in our neighbourhood, ours having left the area for some -unknown destination. Until the 1st of October our lot was bound up -with that of the 4th Cuirassiers, who marched with us. - -On the 23rd of September, as supports for the artillery, we were -present at violent infantry actions between Nesle and Billancourt. The -4th Corps attacked, and the furious struggle extended over the whole -country. My troop was detached as flank guard and, in the thick morning -fog, we knocked up against a handful of German cavalry, whom, in the -distance, we had taken for our own men. - -We charged them at a gallop, and we noticed that they were tiring and -that we were gaining on them. One of them drew his sabre and cut his -horse's flanks with it, whilst a non-commissioned officer turned and -fired his revolver without hitting us; but, thanks to the fog, they got -away. We did not tempt providence by following them too far for fear of -bringing up in their lines. - -At night we were sent to reconnoitre some fires which were reddening -the horizon and which, from a distance, seemed vast conflagrations. We -came upon a bivouac of Algerian troops, who were squatting on their -heels, warming themselves, singing strange African melodies and giving -to this corner of French soil an appearance of Algeria. - -On hearing the sound of our horses they sprang to arms with guttural -cries, but when they had recognised that we were French they insisted -on embracing our officer and danced round us like children. - -We billeted at Parvillers in a half-destroyed farm, and there at -daybreak a sight that suggested an hallucination met our eyes. Some ten -German soldiers were there in the courtyard dead, mowed down by the -"75," but in such natural attitudes that but for their waxen colour -one could have believed them alive. One was standing holding on to a -bush, his hand grasping the branches. His face bespoke his terror, his -mute mouth seemed as if in the act of yelling and his eyes were dilated -with fear. A fragment of shell had pierced his chest. Another was on -his knees, propped against a wall, under cover of which he had sought -shelter from the murderous fire. I approached to see where his wound -was and it took me a moment to discover it, so intact was the corpse. -I saw at last that he had had the whole of the inside of his cranium -carried away and hollowed out, as if by some surgical instrument. His -tongue and his eyes were kept in place by a filament of flesh, and his -spiked helmet had rolled off by his side. An officer was seated on some -hay, with his legs apart and his head thrown back, looking at the farm. - -All these eyes fixed us with a terrifying immobility, with a look of -such acute terror that our men turned away, as if afraid of sharing it; -and not one of them dared to touch the magnificent new equipment of -the Germans, which would have tempted them in any other circumstances. -There were aluminum water-bottles and mess tins, helmet plates of -shining copper and sculptured regimental badges dear to the hearts of -soldiers, and which they have the habit of collecting as trophies. - - -VII--LAST CHARGE OF THE HORSEMEN - -The dawn of the 25th broke without a cloud over the village of Folies. -A heat haze hid the early morning sun. The enemy were quite near, and -the sentries on the barricades gave the alarm. The cuirassiers and -dragoons, leaving their horses under cover, had been on watch in the -surrounding country since the morning to protect the village and the -batteries of "75's," which were firing from a little way back. - -A non-commissioned officer and I had remained mounted. M. de Thézy -sent us to investigate some horsemen whose shadows had loomed through -the mist and whom we had seen dismount in an apple orchard near the -village of Chocques. We set off at a quiet trot, convinced that we had -to deal with some French hussars whom I had seen go that way an hour -before. We crossed a field of beetroot and made straight towards them. -They seemed anchored to the spot, and when we were within one hundred -mètres, and they showed no signs of moving, our confidence increased. -The fog seemed to grow thicker and our horses, now at the walk, scented -no danger. We were within fifty mètres of them when a voice spoke -out and the word "carbine" reached us distinctly, carried by a light -breeze. The non-commissioned officer turned to me, his suspicions -completely stilled, and said, "We can go on, they are French, I heard -the word carbine." At the same instant I saw the group come to the -shoulder and a dozen jets of fire tore the mist with short red flashes. -A hail of bullets fell all around us, and we had only just time enough -to put between them and ourselves as much fog as would conceal us, for -before turning tail we had seen the confused grey mass of a column -coming out of the village. We had only to warn the artillery and then -there would be some fun. - -The lieutenant of artillery was two kilomètres back perched on a -ladder. Having listened to what we had to say, he turned towards his -gun and cried through a megaphone, "2600, corrector 18." We were -already far off, returning at the gallop to try to see the effect, and -it was a fine sight. - -Leaving the horses in a farm, we slipped from tree to tree. There was -the column, still advancing. A first shell, ten mètres in front of it, -stopped it short; immediately a second fell on the left, wounding some -men, and a horse reared and upset its rider. A third shell struck -mercilessly into the centre of the column and caused an explosion -which sent flying, right and left, dark shapes which we guessed to -be fragments of bodies. It rained shell, which struck the road with -mathematical precision, sowing death and panic. In the twinkling of an -eye the road was swept clean. The survivors bolted in every direction -like madmen, and the agonising groans of a dying horse echoed through -the whole countryside. - - * * * * * - -On the 1st of October we rejoined our division and the first -half-regiment at Tilloy-les-Mofflaines. Up to the 20th we passed -through a period of great privation and fatigue owing to the early -frosts. We were unable to sleep for as many as five days on end, and -when at night we had a few hours in which to rest, we passed them lying -on the pavement of the street, propped up against some heap of coal -or of stones, holding our horses' reins, each huddled up against his -neighbour to try and keep warm. - - -VIII--DIARY OF A FRENCH TROOPER - -Here are extracts from my diary, starting from 8th of October: - -_8th October._--All night we guarded the bridge at Estaires, after -having constructed a formidable barricade. Damp and chilly night, -which I got through lying on the pavement before the bridge; drank a -half-litre of spirits in little sips to sustain me. This is the most -trying night we have passed, but the spirits of all are wonderful. - -_9th October_: _Twenty minutes to four, two kilomètres from Estaires, -scouting amongst beetroot fields._--Has the supreme moment come? -A little while ago I firmly believed it had; now I am out of my -reckoning, so incomprehensible and widespread is the struggle which -surrounds us. - -We have evacuated Estaires and the bridge over the Lys, which we were -guarding, to rejoin our horses on foot. After some minutes on the road -the first shells burst. My troop received orders to fight dismounted, -and here we are, lying down as skirmishers amongst the beetroot, in -the midst of a heavy artillery and musketry fire. I am on the extreme -right, and a moment ago two shrapnel shells came over and burst six or -eight mètres above my head, peppering the ground with bullets. Never, -I imagine, have I come so near to being hit. - -For the moment it is impossible to understand what is going on; the -whole of the cavalry which was on in front of us--chasseurs, dragoons -and all the cyclists--have fallen back, passing along the road on our -flank. We, however, have had no order to retire. The peasants with -their wives and children are running about the country like mad people. -It is a sorry sight. A moment ago I saw an old man and a little girl -fall in their hurry to escape from their farm, which a shell had just -knocked to pieces. They are like herds of animals maddened by a storm. - -At dusk the Germans are 500 mètres off. We have orders to take up our -post in the cemetery of Estaires. I have hurt my foot and each step in -the ploughed land is a torture. I have noted a way which will lead me -to the bridge on the other side of the town. - -I brought up my patrol at the double. When I got back I saw the troop -retiring. - -We passed through the town, which had a sinister look by night, -reddened by the flames from many fires. The whole population is in -flight, leaving houses open to the streets, and crowding up the roads. -All the windowpanes are broken by the bombardment; somewhere, in the -middle of the town, a building is burning and the flames mount to the -sky. There are barricades in every street. We have reached the horses, -which are two kilomètres from the town, and we grope for them in the -dark. Mine is slightly wounded in the foreleg. Long retreat during the -night (the second during which we have not slept--a storm wets us to -the skin). - -Arrived at Chosques at five in the morning. We get to bed at 6.30 and -we are off again at 8 o'clock. I ask myself for how many days men and -horses can hold out. - -_10th October._--In the afternoon we again covered the twenty -kilomètres which separated us from Estaires. Hardly had we settled down -to guard the same bridge as yesterday when we were sent to La Gorgue. -On the way stopped in the village, as shells commenced to fall. The 1st -troop took refuge in a grocer's, where we were parked like sheep. A -large calibre shell burst just opposite with a terrible row. I thought -that the house was going to fall in. Lieutenant Niel, who had stayed -outside, was knocked over into the ditch and wounded. We are falling -back with the horses to La Gorgue, and we are passing a third night, -without sleep, on the road, Magrin and I on a heap of coal. Horses and -men have had nothing to eat, the latter are benumbed, exhausted, but -gay as ever. - -_11th October._--We get to a neighbouring farm at Estrem to feed the -horses. They have scarcely touched their hay and oats before an order -comes telling us to rejoin at the very place from which we have come. -The Germans are trying to take the village from the east, thanks to -the bridge which they captured the day before yesterday, but we have -been reinforced by cyclists, and the 4th Division is coming up. We are -holding on; the position is good. The belfry of the town hall has just -fallen. We are going back to Estrem. - -Three hours passed in a trench without greatcoats. Magrin and I are -so cold that we huddle up one against the other and share a woollen -handkerchief to cover our faces. We put up at Calonne-sur-la-Lys. And -so it goes on up to the 17th, the date on which we re-enter Belgium, -passing by Bailleul, Outersteene and Locre. It is not again a triumphal -entry on a fine August morning, it is a march past ruins and over -rubbish heaps. - -At Outersteene, however, we were received with touching manifestations -of confidence and enthusiasm; an old tottering and broken-down teacher -had drawn up before the school a score of young lads of seven to ten -years old, who watched us passing and sang the _Marseillaise_ with all -their lungs, while the old man beat the time. - -The village had been evacuated only three days ago, and it was from the -thresholds of its houses, partly fallen in and still smoking, that this -song rose, a sincere and spontaneous outburst. - -(Lieut. Mallet tells "How We Crossed the German Lines"; "The Charge of -Gilocourt"; "The Escape in the Forest of Compiegne"; "The Two Glorious -Days at Staden"; "The Funeral of Lord Roberts"; "The Attack at Loos.") - -FOOTNOTE: - -[1] All numerals throughout this volume relate to the stories herein -told--not to chapters in the original sources. - - - - -"TO RUHLEBEN--AND BACK"--LIFE IN A GERMAN PRISON - -_Where the British Civilian Prisoners Are Held in Detention Camp_ - -_Told by Geoffrey Pyke, an English Prisoner_ - - This is a picturesque and thrilling story of a real adventure. - The author, a young Englishman, entered Germany at the outbreak - of the War, was discovered, imprisoned, and transferred to the - great detention camp at Ruhleben. Here he made one of the most - marvelous escapes on record, and after undreamed-of dangers and - hardships arrived in safety at the Dutch front. Mr. Pyke in - relating his experience says: "I was caught up in a vast mechanism - ... that bounds the German Empire and tossed from one part to - another, was beaten, crushed, and hammered ... the machine took - me and threw me in jail, and then in another jail, and then in - another, and then back into the first. Finally vomiting me, in a - fit of either weariness, mercy or disgust, into a concentration - camp for untrained civilians." Finally escaping from Ruhleben on - July 9th, 1915. "Had only the 4,500 other inhabitants of Ruhleben - escaped at the same time, in a species of general stampede, and - one or two other people in Berlin or elsewhere died or been called - off, matters might have arranged themselves very satisfactorily." - The escaped prisoner has collected his experiences into a volume - entitled: "To Ruhleben--And Back," from which we present a single - chapter by permission of his publishers, _Houghton, Mifflin and - Company_. - -[2] I--HERR DIREKTOR OF THE PRISON - -I forget now how many times I saw the Direktor of the prison, though -at the time, the days on which I did were as distinct to me as wounds, -which a man cannot see, but which he knows individually and intimately. -In order to obtain audience of this gentleman, it was necessary, when -the warder unlocked the door at 6.30 and the pitchers were put out, -to ask to see the Herr Direktor. At half-past nine you were taken -out of the cell, let through the door at the end down one flight and -through to the floor which you could see over the railings of the -balcony. Here again you were put into a cell, and the door was locked, -and time passed by. Nothing else happened. In half an hour, or an -hour, you were lined up in the passage with any others who also had -requests. One by one you would go into that little office. You would -bow at the entrance. "Ja?" would remark the bald-headed old gray-beard, -with an Iron Cross of '70 hanging from his coat. "Ja?" And you would -state your request. A vast ledger opposite him, the old bird, for he -looked exactly like the Jackdaw of Rheims, would enter and sign and -countersign in it. His decision was given in a curt "_Ja_" or "_Nein_," -or "_Das geht nicht_,"[3] and you would be standing in the line -outside, among those whose chance had not yet come. You had succeeded; -you had failed--who knows what luck would attend you on these -expeditions. Every request to write a letter had to be made in this -manner. The shiny-headed old bird, with the head jailer in attendance -his hand stiffly at his sword, would enter your name, the name of the -addressee, and the reason for writing it, in his vast ledger. "_Ja? -Nein. Das geht nicht_," and it is all over. Time after time I craved -permission to write to His Excellency the American Ambassador, to -request him to tell my people at home that I was alive. It was granted -at the third request. What agony were those mornings, pacing up and -down in the cell downstairs, waiting to be put into line. What could I -say to the old boy to persuade him? Hundreds of passionate words rose -in my mind, as I paced up and down that cell, waiting for the moment. -"_Bitte, Herr Direktor, kann ich ein brief schreiben?_"[4] was all that -I could stammer out, almost before I had reached the threshold of his -office. "_Ja? Nein. Das geht nicht_," and I, after staring at him with -eyes like a rabbit's fastened on a snake, unable to find words to say -more, aching with the dull misery of refusal, have passed away, giving -place to someone else who, in his turn, also succeeds or fails. - -I used to try once a fortnight, and though I have since discovered that -even the letters I wrote were never sent, yet nevertheless I always had -a hope of their getting through. Regularly as clockwork every other -Monday, after the Hell of Sunday, I would request to see the Direktor. -For the first ten weeks, I persevered in this. Then suddenly I began to -go to pieces. I missed one Monday, and put off asking the old bald-pate -until Tuesday. When the moment came round on the Tuesday morning, -I funked again. Wednesday came, and again I funked. On Thursday, I -managed to push the words asking to see the Direktor from between my -lips. Then with a rush, realising there was no going back, I felt all -courage return to me. My head became as clear as a bell, and arguments -to meet every objection of the Direktor's came to my mind. He had -let me write several times previously, and I had not troubled him -now for seventeen days. I was confident. Again I repeated my request -gently to myself.... Suddenly I realised I was standing before him, -and that I must speak. I must say something. I had come there to say -something. Unless I asked him something, he would say I was not to be -brought before him again. My eyes fixed on the large pimple on the -top of his head. I could not take them away. The pimple was not quite -in the centre of the cranium, but occupied, so to speak, the position -halfway betwixt centre-forward and right outside. He wore it where a -comedian wears a top hat the size of a five-shilling bit in attempts -to be funny. My thoughts followed it. It was unique, and magnificent. -"Have YOU any superfluous hair?" I thought. I should love to breathe -very gently on the shiny surface, just to see if it becomes misty, or -whether it still shines through everything. I wondered if it was very -sensitive, so sensitive that he could feel what was reflected in it, -or whether it was pachydermatous, and safe to dig pins into. He was -going to move. He was just finishing off the entry he was making in the -ledger. He was going to look up at me and say, "Ja wohl?"--Speak, say -something--speak--speak.... - -It was evening. I was in my cell. The light was fading fast. I was -thinking how on the morrow I would try again, how it only needed -careful preparation, and I should be as able as anybody to say what I -wanted to,--to speak. - - -II--SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AT THE POLIZEIGEFANGNIS - -After you have been in solitary for some time, it becomes increasing -difficult to retain your judgment. I know that first I would make up my -mind that I was going to be in prison for two years, and then a great -and irresistible hope would arise within me, that I should be sent to -a concentration camp called Ruhleben, that I had had a whisper of from -my friends. I had hoped for some sort of a trial to know how long I was -going to remain where I was. Every day that passed at ten o'clock, -when I imagined that anyone, before whom I might be brought, had come -down to his office, I would put on the one collar I had. Every day at -six I would take it off again, preserving it for the next day. At times -I became convinced that, because I was not yet of age, I was to be kept -for a few months more, and that the day after my twenty-first birthday, -I was to be sentenced to some ghastly sort of punishment, like solitary -for two years, or for life. (There seemed absolutely no difference -between these two, and I dreaded the one as much as the other. Both -appeared interminable, and I had no hopes of coming out sane, even -after the shorter period. I pictured myself moaning about the London -Law Courts in a celluloid collar, picking up a little copying work -here, and a little there, until I finally sank into a mumbling old age -at twenty-five, and died in delirium tremens at thirty.) - -Another fact made me terribly despondent, and, fight how I would, was -gradually making me utterly hopeless. About fourteen days after my -companions of the British Relief Committee had gone, a new-comer had -arrived. He spoke German absolutely perfectly, but with an Austrian -accent. I had heard him say something to the warder. I will not tell -his story, for he is at the present moment in another prison in Berlin, -though not in solitary, and is, I know, writing his reminiscences -in readiness for when the war shall come to an end. Let it suffice, -however, to say that he had been discovered, soon after war broke out, -writing articles for a London paper. He was arrested at the flat he -happened to be living in, and, after a large amount of palaver, was -given twenty-four hours to leave the country in. He was accompanied -to the frontier. Within a fortnight he was back again. He had gone -to London, had seen his paper, had come back to Holland, and at the -frontier had pretended to be an Austrian waiter who had been expelled -from England. He so exasperated his interrogators at the frontier -by his eternal repetition of his ill treatment at the hands of his -dastardly English employers, that they finally let him pass. However, -in the end he was caught--as we all are--and recognised. He had been -told that he was to be sent to this place Ruhleben, and, when one day -he disappeared, I naturally surmised that he had been taken there. -He was very good to me, for he had managed to get permission to buy -fruit; I had been refused it. So he used to buy double the quantity, -and daily, on going down the stairs, smuggle me an apple. "If he," I -argued, "who has done this thing _twice_, and who is hoary with old -age (he was about thirty-five), gets sent to this camp Ruhleben, after -being here for three weeks, and I, who have only done it once, and am -not yet of age, and have been here nine weeks, and have not been sent -there, then there is no hope of my ever getting there. They would have -sent me there by now, were they going to do so at all." Afterwards, I -found, of course, that he had never been sent anywhere near Ruhleben, -but simply to another prison. I heard the most wonderful stories about -his doings there, from a friend who was sent to prison for a time. He -would appear for exercise dressed in flamboyant pink running shorts, a -vest and socks to match--and a top hat. What on earth for? Well, if the -walls of prison don't supply you with humour or whimsicality, you must -undertake the task yourself. - -The best of luck to him. He probably thinks I am still in that -Polizeigefängnis. - -For some time I had been the oldest inhabitant of the prison. The usual -denizen of the place came for a day or two, and then went on his way -through that process called Law and Justice. My position gradually -came to give me tiny privileges. For instance, they became quite -convinced that I was going mad, for, apart from my habit of walking -round and round the exercise yard at nearly five miles per hour, every -night I would repeat the Jabberwocky. It had taken me a whole week -with my broken-down memory to piece together the odd bits of lines and -verses that I still carried in my head; and another week to evolve Mr. -Kipling's "If." I would suddenly shout loudly into the solid blackness -that "All mimsey were the borrow-groves and the moamwraths outgrabe," -I knew quite well that borrogoves was the correct litany, but I -preferred borrow-groves; so borrow-groves it was. "One two, one two -and through and through the vorpel blade went snicker snack. He left -it dead and with its head he went galumphing back," and I would make -that "snicker snack" all slow and creepy, like Captain Hook; and would -rise to a triumphant roar as I announced the fact that he "galumphed" -back, in preference to any other form of locomotion that might have -been available, glorying at his ability to resist temptations such -as taxi-cabbing, taking the tube, or walking, and, above all, the -insidious run. - - "_If_ you can make one heap of all your winnings, - And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss, - And lose; and start again at your beginnings, - And never breathe a word about your loss." - -_If_ (and I shouted as if I was praying for life itself) - - "_If_ you can force your heart, and nerve, and sinew - To serve their turn, long after they are gone, - And so hold on, when there is nothing in you, - Except the will, which says to them, 'hold on.'" - -And I would repeat it softly to myself, until loudly again, pacing -madly up and down the cell, I would argue, "Yes, that's all very well, -you know, but your will is the very thing that suffers before your -heart and nerve and sinew are anywhere near gone. Why, it's the very -base, the very foundation of all things, that it attacked, and then -what are you going to do, Mr. Rudyard?" Nevertheless, I found an odd -sort of comfort, and they were nearly always my prayer to the setting -sun as the darkness stole in. - -I also used to hum, whistle, and sing. This was strictly forbidden by -one of the thirty-three regulations pasted on the back of the door. One -night in December, when the darkness had been extra oppressive,--I was -in darkness for eighteen out of the twenty-four hours--and I had been -singing loud enough for the warders to hear, one came up and, rapping -on the door, said that such behaviour was forbidden, nevertheless, -he would ask the Herr Direktor as an especial favour, if I might be -permitted to whistle occasionally. This is what comes of being the -oldest inhabitant of a jail. The next day there was solemnly filled -into the ledger by the chief warder, and countersigned by the Direktor, -"Erlaubnis zu nummer acht und fünfzig zu singen und zu pfeifen."[5] - - -III--IN A CELL AT THE STADT VOGTEI - -I shall never forget the day on which, after thirteen weeks, in -January, 1915, I left prison--to go to another. Nothing, I was -convinced, could be more of a living Hell than those thirteen weeks at -the Polizeigefängnis. I was escorted out into the street. There was -snow upon the pavements: it had been summer when I saw them last. Our -route lay round the corner. Here, after passing through a low door in -an immensely thick wall, once again I found myself in an atmosphere, -not merely of red tape, but of the very essence from which tape, -and redness, are made. Those innumerable bureaux: those ticketings, -docketings, searching of clothes, etc., occupied a couple of hours, -until I found myself in a bright and beautiful cell thirteen feet by -six. This was the famous Stadt Vogtei prison. "Vogtei," literally -translated, means a bailiff's office, but why a prison should be called -"The City Bailiff's Office," or why the city bailiff's office should be -a prison, I am at a loss to say. - -Notwithstanding the bailiff, it was quite a good prison. Large numbers -of English people--five to six hundred in all--had been here before -they were sent to Ruhleben "for purposes of quarantine" as the official -report says. It was a gentleman's prison; it was intended for those who -had sentences for minor offences to serve, e.g. two to three months. -But this did not frighten me, as I knew of its character as a depot -for Ruhleben. I was full of hope. We had two meals of skilly a day -instead of one. I was allowed to talk to the others during the two -hours' exercise they were good enough to allow, and I could buy almost -anything I wanted--bar newspapers. - -I had another experience here that nearly killed me. There was the -usual shelf for bowl, spoon, etc., and from the side hung a fat little -book with one hundred and thirty-three rules. It contained all the -punishments for all the various main crimes, worked out in permutations -and combinations. Things such as "for not cleaning out of the cell -for the first time the prisoner is to be punished by the three days' -withdrawal of the midday hot meal, or instead one day withdrawal of the -hot meal, and a second day withdrawal of the cold meal (breakfast), or, -in lieu thereof.... In addition to which ... or as an alternative ... -in substitute thereof.... But for the second offence, or dirtiness of -a second degree, or unpunctuality of the third degree, or noise of the -twentieth degree, the prisoner shall be punished by withdrawal of ... -whereof ... in lieu of this can be subtituted ..." etc. etc. - -On the outside of this little fat book with its one hundred and -thirty-three rules was a diagram of the shelf from which it hung, -showing exactly in what order the washing bowl, the eating bowl, the -spoon, the fork, the soap were to be placed. And not merely was there a -front view, but also two side views were given: one showing the side of -the shelf with one towel hanging somnolently from a nail, and the other -side view showing the other end of the shelf with the booklet itself -hanging even more somnolently from another nail. But yes, there was -something more: for not merely was there a picture of the booklet, but -the picture of the booklet had the picture of the booklet pasted on the -booklet's cover, and, what is more, the side which bore this diagram -faced outwards, and the right-hand top corner was against the wall. -Thus was it according to the picture. But it so happened that this was -impossible, for the two were incompatible. Either the picture had to -face inwards, or the left-hand top corner must touch the wall. But both -together was contrary to the nature of the book. Feeling rather jolly -at my new environment, I pointed this out to the jailer, who wasn't a -bad sort of fellow, when he came in. At first he didn't grasp it, but -when he did, he took serious note of it with pen and ink. Next day, -in came the prison governor, a military-looking fellow, and he went -straight to the booklet at the side of the cupboard, and examining the -diagram on the cover, studied the incompatibility carefully for a long -time. He turned round, and after looking whimsically at me, and then at -the warder for some time, as if trying to make up his mind as to who -was the biggest fool, said, "H'm," very definitely, and went away. - -Alas, I only remained here five days. I had hardly finished breakfast -when the warder came round with a list and said I was to "pack -up," though, since I had nothing to pack, his orders were rather -superfluous. Again weary hours of waiting in the bureau, and then, for -the first time in my life, I saw the inside of Black Maria. - -I had imagined it to have cells all the way down the side, but -there were only two. There were seven of us, including a woman and -a policeman. Heaven knows what the woman was "in" for, and though I -several times formulated the question mentally, I could never manage -to get it out. The policeman was quite a nice fellow, and let us talk, -and joined in himself with an air of a busy man sparing a moment to -play with some children. It soon became plain that one of the men was -the woman's husband, or ought to have been if he wasn't. The others -were gentlemen, sentenced for petty offences, who were being taken to -the town hall to be enlisted in the army. They did not seem to relish -the prospect, but "at any rate," they said, "it would be a change." I -looked through the grille to see what I could of Berlin streets. There -were not many people on them, and the greater number were women and -in black, but the quietness of the place was nothing to what I was -to see later. There were a few luxury-selling shops, such as flower -sellers, that were closed, but the majority seemed able to get along. -That Teutonic spectacle, extraordinary but obviously sensible, of -women going about without hats could be seen everywhere. And then we -suddenly drove into the inevitable yard. Two gates unbarred and locked -themselves automatically as one passed. - - -IV--"MY THIRD PRISON--MOABIT: CELL 1603" - -It was the great prison--Moabit. A huge central hall surmounted by a -dome, with wings going in all directions and the end of each wing -connected by another great building, each with six storeys of cells, -and each of these with its iron balcony with glass flooring. There -was noise, and clanging of doors everywhere. I was told to stand at -the commencement of one of the wings, just off the dome. There was a -huge clock, and I noticed it had a bell attached to it. At any rate, -I thought, I shall hear the hour strike. The number of my cell, I -can remember it now, was 1603, "the year Queen Elizabeth died," I -remarked to myself, as it was unlocked, and I went in. It was a larger -cell than I had hitherto had--about fourteen feet by six. There was -electric light and a table and seat that folded down from the wall. -The window was, as usual, above my head, but this time it was made of -frosted glass. There was a horrid suggestion of permanency about the -place that made me feel rather bad. I asked the warder who gave me -my prison underclothing--I was allowed to keep my own suit--whether -one was always in solitary here, and for how long one came. "Immer -im einzelhaft"--always in solitary,--and for three to four months -and upward, he said. "Never less?" I asked. "No, never," he replied. -"Come with me," he continued, and I was taken down into the very -bowels of this terrible edifice, till, finally, I joined a vast squad -of criminals. He left me. We then filed down devious passages once -more, and finally were led into a vast room with about two hundred -and seventy showers in it. When bathed, I was locked into a large, -bare cellar just opposite, and here I was soon joined by two others, -one an elderly middle-aged man of about fifty-six, and the other an -evil-looking devil of about thirty-four. They sat down on the bench. -I was walking up and down. They were an interesting couple. They -were about to be examined by an Untersuchungsrichter, or examining -magistrate, and the younger one was coaching the other in what to say. -The elder seemed too numbed to agree or disagree, though he seemed to -have a tendency towards the truth, which the other promptly suppressed, -but just sat there, his hands on his knees, seemingly deaf. Once the -younger strode up to him threateningly as if to hit him. He ground his -teeth and swore that by God, if the old man were to say that he'd ----. -Then he tried a different tack; he argued, he elucidated, he showed the -simplicity of his ideas, and how, above all, it would help themselves. - -When the young one became bellicose I had felt no inclination to help -the old man. Why, I knew not. I think I felt that nothing, least of all -truth, should stand in the way of man's salvation from that place, and -that if the old man hadn't got enough gumption to tell what seemed to -be a few well-concocted lies, well, he ought to be made to, since it -involved the fate of the younger man, who was not yet reduced to the -state of an incapacitated jelly. It was the same old story: Fate had -beaten the old man, but had not succeeded in persuading the young one -that he also was beaten; the young one refused to acknowledge it. It -was blind instinct that told him to lie, though he knew with clever -lawyers against him, and, worst of all opponents, the law, the chances -of his getting through to freedom were remote. I had noticed hitherto -that it was always the young men who felt the strain most, seemed most -conscious of the inhuman cruelty of prison, and I was to find out later -that it was generally the young ones who recovered easiest. Sometimes -the older ones don't recover. A man I was to meet later was afflicted -with sudden decay of the optic nerve, and is now gradually going blind, -purely as a result of solitary. - -The door opened suddenly, and they were taken out, and as they passed -me I saw the younger and villainous one look at the old man, in a -manner in which threats, prayers, and above all, the desire to instil -the wish to live were all inexpressibly mixed. They passed. I never saw -them again. I often wonder where they are. There are lots like them. - -I was taken back to my cell. I was now sinking fast. I saw little hopes -of recovery. I was quickly becoming a broken-down creature, and though -physically I should have lasted out for years, mentally I saw there was -a crash not far ahead. I had seen it happen with other men before. As -it was, mentally I was fast becoming a species of cow. I would stand -for hours at a time, leaning my head into the corner, my hands in my -pockets, staring at the floor. I would find that for hours I had been -saying to myself "My dear sir"--I always called myself "my dear sir" -when talking out loud,--"you really must make an effort to get out. I -mean it's simply too stupid to spend the best years of your life in a -box like this. Use your wits. Do something. Go on, you juggins, get -out somewhere. Think!" and so on, from twelve till three. I became -absolutely impersonal, and found it difficult to have likes and -dislikes about anything. I absolutely forgot what flowers smelt like. -Milk I could not imagine. Fruit, tobacco, fish, were mere names to me. -I had forgotten what they were. I could not understand the meaning of -the term "red." - -Though I longed to be free, I felt that human beings would be perfectly -unbearable. I no longer considered myself as one. I felt perfectly -decorporealised: I was merely a mind contemplative and a poor one at -that. And yet I longed for their company. I still kept up my nightly -habit of repeating a few verses from any poem I could remember, and -after the light had gone out--for here there was electric light--I -would rise solemnly in the dark, and make the most fiery speeches to -the Cambridge Union--poor Cambridge Union. I would then proceed to -oppose my own motion, pick holes in it, show up the proposer as an -impostor and a charlatan. A seconder would then arise, who with all -the sarcasm of a Voltaire would rend the immediate speaker adjective -from substantive, verb from adverb, until quivering with the laceration -received, the latter would be thrown, a bleeding proposition, into the -waste deserts of verbosity. - - -V--GHASTLY HOURS UNDER GERMAN BRUTALITY - -It was just about this time that I nearly got myself shot for attempted -murder. I was so used to the darkness that I found electric light -rather trying to the eyes, and therefore turned the racket upwards -toward the ceiling in order to have but reflected light. A little -later in came the warder. He saw the upturned bracket, and lifting -the hilt of his sword, hit me sharply over the head. In a flash I was -on him. I had raised my fists on each side for a smashing blow on his -temples. He was unable to get away, for he was so short that my arms -could have nailed him as he tried. He saw there was no escape, and the -sight of my face blazing with fury and wretchedness made him drop his -sword. I relished that moment, I gloated over it. I kept my fists going -backwards and forwards nearly touching his temples, but never quite. -I tried to imagine the agony in his rabbit-like mind, waiting for the -crushing blow to fall upon him, and wondering what it would feel like. -Suddenly he turned a sickly green. His hat was knocked all on one side. -I saw beneath his uniform a fat little vulgar bourgeois, incapable of a -thought outside the satisfying of his own senses. He turned from green -to a pasty yellow. He glanced piteously up into my distorted face. -I drove him back towards the door, growling and hissing at him, my -fists going like a steam hammer on each side of his head. His agony -became worse. His eyes flew from one side to the other, like a rabbit -looking for escape. His little pointed flaxen beard wobbled and, such -was his panic, so did his stomach. Suddenly my mind changed, and taking -him by the shoulders, and putting my knee, as far as it was possible, -into his belly, I pushed him backwards, and he sat down violently and -disconsolately in the passage outside, his sword underneath him, and -his hat rolling away into the darkness. I slammed the door, and after -a time he got up and locked it. I knew nothing would happen to me, for -he was not permitted to hit me, but had I hit him back, I gasp to think -of the number of years I should now be doing. - -This, the third prison I had been in, was the worst. Physically it was -slightly better: there was more space, light, two good meals a day, but -the very last drop of individuality was taken away from you. It was not -permitted even to arrange the bowls on the shelf as you liked. I never -saw daylight, for our exercise took place at half-past six in the dark. -It was now the 20th of January. I had been arrested in the early days -of October. Since then I had been residing in a lavatory. I found it -dull. - -Despite the warder's announcement that nobody ever came there for less -than three or four months, I was suddenly taken away again after five -days, and Black Maria drove me back once more to the Polizeigefängnis -of the Alexanderplatz. I was too miserable by now to care where I was -sent or what they did to me. I was beginning to lose the power of -appreciating anything--whatever its nature. I found some new arrivals -at Alexanderplatz. The place was full as usual with neutrals who were -under suspicion: Dutch, Swedes and Danes. One Dutchman had been there -for seven weeks in solitary. I was just reaching the final depths of -despair when, one night, just as I had got my first foot into bed, the -door was flung open, and into the gloom a voice shouted "'raus."[6] I -"raused" timidly and in my nightshirt, and was told to dress quickly. I -did so, surmising I was to go to another prison. I began to feel quite -numb, and I no longer hoped for anything. Downstairs in the bureau a -very pleasant policeman took charge of me, and after having signed the -receipts for the acceptance of my carcase, he made the usual remark, -"Kommen Sie mit," and off we went. I thought it odd that we should go -alone: they usually fetch the criminals in batches. "Where are we going -to?" I asked. "Ruhleben," he said. - - -VI--ON THE ROAD TO RUHLEBEN PRISON - -For a moment I could hardly feel. I hardly dared feel. I just breathed -quietly to myself, and thought how nice the air tasted. I was going to -see human beings again. For a time the words were rather meaningless, -and then I gradually began to revive under their warmth. We went out -into the street to the Alexanderplatz station. I had a fine opportunity -to run away here, though I should have been a fool to have done so, -and to have invited prison again. In any case, I had no glasses with -me, and I was very short-sighted. We had gone up on to the platform, -and I was chuckling and giggling like a schoolgirl at seeing life once -again, when the policeman discovered it was the wrong one. "Run," he -said, "there's our train over there." I ran like a leopard. In ten -bounds I had slipped through the crowd and had lost him. I ran on -down the stairs, and into the street. How glorious it all seemed, and -I roared aloud with laughter, at which a sallow-faced woman in black -seemed offended and turned round to stare. I rushed on, up the other -set of stairs and in time my captor appeared. The idea of bolting had -just entered my head and flown, but "no," I said, "wait till we get to -Ruhleben, and have got tired of that, then we'll see what can be done." - -Meanwhile, I stared out into the darkness from the brightly-lit -carriage as we steamed through the suburbs of Berlin. I got a glimpse -of a tiny room, in which numbers of steaming dishevelled women were -crowded together bending over machines and needlework. They were being -sweated. That was their daily life. They too, lived in what was really -a prison, though no law stopped them roaming whence they would. I was -in the world once more.... - -(The prisoner relates numerous stories of his experiences, of which -the above is but a single instance. He describes the prison; how it -feels waiting to be shot; the impressions of a lunatic on release -from solitary confinement and his daring escape with Mr. Edward Falk, -District Commissioner in the Political Service of Nigeria.) - -FOOTNOTES: - -[2] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters from -original sources. - -[3] "That is impossible." - -[4] "Please, Herr Direktor, may I write a letter?" - -[5] "Permit to Number 58 to sing and to whistle." - -[6] "Out!" - - - - -AN AMERICAN AT BATTLE OF THE SOMME WITH FRENCH ARMY - -_Army Life With the Soldiers Along the Somme_ - -_Told by Frederick Palmer, American War Correspondent_ - - Mr. Palmer was the only accredited correspondent who had freedom - of the field in the Battles of the Somme. At the time of this - writing he has been officially appointed as a member of the staff - of General Pershing, with the American Armies in France. This - American has become a world figure. His life has been spent on the - battlefields of the modern wars: The Greek War, the Philippine - War, the Macedonian Insurrection, the Central American Wars, the - Russian-Japanese War, the Turkish Revolution, the Balkan Wars. At - the beginning of the Great War, he was with the British army and - fleet. His descriptions of the fighting are unsurpassed in the - war's literature--it is "the epic touch of great events." He has - made a notable historical record in his book entitled "My Second - Year of the War," in which he presents graphic pictures of the - grim fighting along the Somme, with admirable descriptions of the - heroism of the Canadians, the Australians and the fighters from all - parts of the Earth, who are giving their lives "to make the world - safe for Democracy." A single chapter from Mr. Palmer's book is - here reproduced by permission of his publishers, _Dodd, Mead and - Company_: Copyright 1917. - -[7] I--STORY OF THE BATTLE RIDGE ON THE SOMME - -Sometimes it occurred to one to consider what history might say about -the Ridge and also to wonder how much history, which pretends to know -all, would really know. Thus, one sought perspective of the colossal -significance of the uninterrupted battle whose processes numbed -the mind and to distinguish the meaning of different stages of the -struggle. Nothing had so well reflected the character of the war or -of its protagonists, French, British and German, as this grinding of -resources, of courage, and of will of three powerful races. - -... It is historically accepted, I think, that the first decisive -phase was the battle of the Marne when Paris was saved. The second was -Verdun, when the Germans again sought a decision on the Western front -by an offensive of sledge-hammer blows against frontal positions; and, -perhaps, the third came when on the Ridge the British and the French -kept up their grim, insistent, piece-meal attacks, holding the enemy -week in and week out on the defensive, aiming at mastery as the scales -trembled in the new turn of the balance and initiative passed from one -side to the other in the beginning of that new era. - -This scarred slope with its gentle ascent, this section of farming land -with its woods growing more ragged every day from shell fire, with its -daily and nightly thunders, its trickling procession of wounded and -prisoners down the communication trenches speaking the last word in -human bravery, industry, determination and endurance--this might one -day be not only the monument to the positions of all the battalions -that had fought, its copses, its villages, its knolls famous to future -generations as in Little Round Top with us, but in its monstrous -realism be an immortal expression, unrealized by those who fought, of a -commander's iron will and foresight in gaining that supremacy in arms, -men and material which was the genesis of the great decision. - -The German began drawing away divisions from the Verdun sector, -bringing guns to answer the British and French fire and men whose -prodigal use alone could enforce his determination to maintain _morale_ -and prevent any further bold strokes such as that of July (1916). - -His sausage balloons began to reappear in the sky as the summer -wore on; he increased the number of his aeroplanes; more of his -five-point-nine howitzers were sending their compliments; he stretched -out his shell fire over communication trenches and strong points; -mustered great quantities of lachrymatory shells and for the first -time used gas shells with a generosity which spoke his faith in their -efficacy. The lachrymatory shell makes your eyes smart, and the Germans -apparently considered this a great auxiliary to high explosives and -shrapnel. Was it because of the success of the first gas attack at -Ypres that they now placed such reliance in gas shells? The shell when -it lands seems a "dud," which is a shell that has failed to explode; -then it blows out a volume of gas. - -"If one hit right under your nose," said a soldier, "and you hadn't -your gas mask on, it might kill you. But when you see one fall -you don't run to get a sniff in order to accommodate the Boche by -asphyxiating yourself." - -Another soldier suggested that the Germans had a big supply on hand and -were working off the stock for want of other kinds. The British who by -this time were settled in the offensive joked about the deluge of gas -shells with a gallant, amazing humor. Going up to the Ridge was going -to their regular duty. They did not shirk it or hail it with delight. -They simply went, that was all, when it was a battalion's turn to go. - - -II--GUNNERS IN THE FURNACE OF WAR - -July heat became August heat as the grinding proceeded. The gunners -worked in their shirts or stripped to the waist. Sweat streaks mapped -the faces of the men who came out of the trenches. Stifling clouds of -dust hung over the roads, with the trucks phantom-like as they emerged -from the gritty mist and their drivers' eyes peered out of masks of -gray which clung to their faces. A fall of rain comes as a blessing -to Briton and German alike. German prisoners worn with exhaustion had -complexions the tint of their uniforms. If the British seemed weary -sometimes, one had only to see the prisoners to realize that the -defensive was suffering more than the offensive. The fatigue of some of -the men was of the kind that one week's sleep or a month's rest will -not cure; something fixed in their beings. - -It was a new kind of fighting for the Germans. They smarted under it, -they who had been used to the upper hand. In the early stages of the -war their artillery had covered their well-ordered charges; they had -been killing the enemy with gunfire. Now the Allies were returning the -compliment; the shoe was on the other foot. A striking change, indeed, -from "On to Paris!" the old battle-cry of leaders who had now come to -urge these men to the utmost of endurance and sacrifice by telling them -that if they did not hold against the relentless hammering of British -and French guns what had been done to French villages would be done to -their own. - -Prisoners spoke of peace as having been promised as close at hand by -their officers. In July the date had been set as Sept. 1st. Later, it -was set as Nov. 1st. The German was as a swimmer trying to reach shore, -in this case peace, with the assurance of those who urged him on that a -few more strokes would bring him there. Thus have armies been urged on -for years. - -Those fighting did not have, as had the prisoners, their eyes opened -to the vast preparations behind the British lines to carry on the -offensive. Mostly the prisoners were amiable, peculiarly unlike the -proud men taken in the early days of the war when confidence in their -"system" as infallible was at its height. Yet there were exceptions. I -saw an officer marching at the head of the survivors of his battalion -along the road from Montauban one day with his head up, a cigar stuck -in the corner of his mouth at an aggressive angle, his unshaven chin -and dusty clothes heightening his attitude of "You go to ----, you -English!" - -The hatred of the British was a strengthening factor in the defense. -Should they, the Prussians, be beaten by New Army men? No! Die first! -said Prussian officers. The German staff might be as good as ever, but -among the mixed troops--the old and the young, the hollow-chested and -the square-shouldered, mouth-breathers with spectacles and bent fathers -of families, vigorous boys in their late 'teens with the down still -on their cheeks and hardened veterans survivors of many battles east -and west--they were reverting appreciably to natural human tendencies -despite the iron discipline. - -It was Skobeloff, if I recollect rightly, who said that out of every -hundred men twenty were natural fighters, sixty were average men who -would fight under impulse or when well led, and twenty were timid; -and armies were organized on the basis of the sixty average to make -them into a whole of even efficiency in action. The German staff had -supplied supreme finesse to this end. They had an army that was a -machine; yet its units were flesh and blood and the pounding of shell -fire and the dogged fighting on the Ridge must have an effect. - -It became apparent through those two months of piece-meal advance that -the sixty average men were not as good as they had been. The twenty -"funk-sticks," in army phrase, were given to yielding themselves if -they were without an officer, but the twenty natural fighters--well, -human psychology does not change. They were the type that made the -professional armies of other days, the brigands, too, and also those of -every class of society to whom patriotic duty had become an exaltation -approaching fanaticism. More fighting made them fight harder. - - -III--DEAD BODIES STRAPPED TO GUNS - -Such became members of the machine-gun corps, which took an oath -never to surrender, and led bombing parties and posted themselves in -shell-craters to face the charges while shells fell thick around them, -or remained up in the trench taking their chances against curtains -of fire that covered an infantry charge, in the hope of being able -to turn on their own bullet spray for a moment before being killed. -Sometimes their dead bodies were found strapped to their guns, more -often probably by their own request, as an insurance against deserting -their posts, than by command. - -Shell fire was the theatricalism of the struggle, the roar of guns its -thunder; but night or day the sound of the staccato of that little arch -devil of killing, the machine gun, coming from the Ridge seemed as true -an expression of what was always going on there as a rattlesnake's -rattle is of its character. Delville and High Woods and Guillemont -and Longueval and the Switch Trench--these are symbolic names of that -attrition, of the heroism of British persistence which would not take -No for answer. - -You might think that you had seen ruins until you saw those of -Guillemont after it was taken. They were the granulation of bricks and -mortar and earth mixed by the blasts of shell fire which crushed solids -into dust and splintered splinters. Guillemont lay beyond Trônes Wood -across an open space where the German guns had full play. There was a -stone quarry on the outskirts, and a quarry no less than a farm like -Waterlot, which was to the northward, and Falfemont, to the southward -and flanking the village, formed shelter. It was not much of a quarry, -but it was a hole which would be refuge for reserves and machine guns. -The two farms, clear targets for British guns, had their deep dugouts -whose roofs were reinforced by the ruins that fell upon them against -penetration even by shells of large caliber. How the Germans fought to -keep Falfemont! Once they sent out a charge with the bayonet to meet a -British charge between walls of shell fire and there through the mist -the steel was seen flashing and vague figures wrestling. - -Guillemont and the farms won and Ginchy which lay beyond won and the -British had their flank of high ground. Twice they were in Guillemont -but could not remain, though as usual they kept some of their gains. It -was a battle from dugout to dugout, from shelter to shelter of any kind -burrowed in the débris or in fields, with the British never ceasing -here or elsewhere to continue their pressure. And the débris of a -village had particular appeal; it yielded to the spade; its piles gave -natural cover. - - -IV--THE ARTILLERYMEN IN THE WOODS - -A British soldier returning from one of the attacks as he hobbled -through Trônes Wood expressed to me the essential generalship of the -battle. He was outwardly as unemotional as if he were coming home from -his day's work, respectful and good-humored, though he had a hole in -both arms from machine-gun fire, a shrapnel wound in the heel, and -seemed a trifle resentful of the added tribute of another shrapnel -wound in his shoulder after he had left the firing-line and was on his -way to the casualty clearing station. Insisting that he could lift the -cigarette I offered him to his lips and light it, too, he said: - -"We've only to keep at them, sir. They'll go." - -So the British kept at them and so did the French at every point. Was -Delville Wood worse than High Wood? This is too nice a distinction in -torments to be drawn. Possess either of them completely and command -of the Ridge in that section was won. The edge of a wood on the side -away from your enemy was the easiest part to hold. It is difficult to -range artillery on it because of restricted vision, and the enemy's -shells aimed at it strike the trees and burst prematurely among his own -men. Other easy, relatively easy, places to hold are the dead spaces -of gullies and ravines. There you were out of fire and there you were -not; there you could hold and there you could not. Machine-gun fire and -shell fire were the arbiters of topography more dependable than maps. - -Why all the trees were not cut down by the continual bombardments of -both sides was past understanding. There was one lone tree on the -skyline near Longueval which I had watched for weeks. It still had a -limb, yes, the luxury of a limb, the last time I saw it, pointing with -a kind of defiance in its immunity. Of course it had been struck many -times. Bits of steel were imbedded in its trunk; but only a direct hit -on the trunk will bring down a tree. Trees may be slashed and whittled -and nicked and gashed and still stand; and when villages have been -pulverized except for the timbering of the houses, a scarred shade tree -will remain. - -Thus, trees in Delville Wood survived, naked sticks among fallen -and splintered trunks and upturned roots. How any man could have -survived was the puzzling thing. None could if he had remained there -continuously and exposed himself; but man is the most cunning of -animals. With gas mask and eye-protectors ready, steel helmet on his -head and his faithful spade to make himself a new hole whenever he -moved, he managed the incredible in self-protection. Earth piled back -of a tree-trunk would stop bullets and protect his body from shrapnel. -There he lay and there a German lay opposite him, except when attacks -were being made. - -Not getting the northern edge of the woods the British began sapping -out in trenches to the east toward Ginchy, where the many contours -showed the highest ground in that neighborhood. New lines of trenches -kept appearing on the map, often with group names such as Coffee Alley, -Tea Lane and Beer Street, perhaps. Out in the open along the irregular -plateau the shells were no more kindly, the bombing and the sapping -no less diligent all the way to the windmill, where the Australians -were playing the same kind of a game. With the actual summit gained at -certain points, these had to be held pending the taking of the whole, -or of enough to permit a wave of men to move forward in a general -attack without its line being broken by the resistance of strong -points, which meant confusion. - - -V--STALKING A MACHINE GUN IN ITS LAIR - -Before any charge the machine guns must be "killed." No initiative -of pioneer or Indian scout surpassed that exhibited in conquering -machine-gun positions. When a big game hunter tells you about having -stalked tigers, ask him if he has ever stalked a machine gun to its -lair. - -As for the nature of the lair, here is one where a Briton "dug himself -in" to be ready to repulse any counter-attack to recover ground that -the British had just won. Some layers of sandbags are sunk level -with the earth with an excavation back of them large enough for a -machine-gun standard and to give the barrel swing and for the gunner, -who back of this had dug himself a well four or five feet deep of -sufficient diameter to enable him to huddle at the bottom in "stormy -weather." He was general and army, too, of this little establishment. -In the midst of shells and trench mortars, with bullets whizzing around -his head, he had to keep a cool aim and make every pellet which he -poured out of his muzzle count against the wave of men coming toward -him who were at his mercy if he could remain alive for a few minutes -and keep his head. - -He must not reveal his position before his opportunity came. All around -where this Briton had held the fort there were shell-craters like the -dots of close shooting around a bull's-eye; no tell-tale blood spots -this time, but a pile of two or three hundred cartridge cases lying -where they had fallen as they were emptied of their cones of lead. Luck -was with the occupant, but not with another man playing the same game -not far away. Broken bits of gun and fragments of cloth mixed with -earth explained the fate of a German machine gunner who had emplaced -his piece in the same manner. - -Before a charge, crawl up at night from shell-crater to shell-crater -and locate the enemy's machine guns. Then, if your own guns and the -trench mortars do not get them, go stalking with supplies of bombs and -remember to throw yours before the machine gunner, who also has a stock -for such emergencies, throws his. When a machine gun begins rattling -into a company front in a charge the men drop for cover, while officers -consider how to draw the devil's tusks. Arnold von Winkelried, who -gathered the spears to his breast to make a path for his comrades, won -his glory because the fighting forces were small in his day. But with -such enormous forces as are now engaged and with heroism so common, we -make only an incident of the officer who went out to silence a machine -gun and was found lying dead across the gun with the gunner dead beside -him. - - -VI--TALKS WITH THE MEN IN THE REAR - -The advance on the map at our quarters extended as the brief army -reports were read into the squares every morning by the key of figures -and numerals with a detail that included every little trench, every -copse, every landmark, and then we chose where we would go that day. -At corps headquarters there were maps with still more details and -officers would explain the previous day's work to us. Every wood and -village, every viewpoint, we knew, and every casualty clearing station -and prisoners' inclosure. At battalion camps within sight of the Ridge -and within range of the guns, where their blankets helped to make -shelter from the sun, you might talk with the men out of the fight and -lunch and chat with the officers who awaited the word to go in again or -perhaps to hear that their tour was over and they could go to rest in -Ypres sector, which had become relatively quiet. - -They had their letters and packages from home before they slept and -had written letters in return after waking; and there was nothing to -do now except to relax and breathe, to renew the vitality that had -been expended in the fierce work where shells were still threshing the -earth, which rose in clouds of dust to settle back again in enduring -passive resistance. - -There was much talk early in the war about British cheerfulness; so -much that officers and men began to resent it as expressing the idea -that they took such a war as this as a kind of holiday, when it was -the last thing outside of Hades that any sane man would choose. It -was a question in my own mind at times if Hades would not have been a -pleasant change. Yet the characterization is true, peculiarly true, -even in the midst of the fighting on the Ridge. Cheerfulness takes -the place of emotionalism as the armor against hardship and death; -a good-humored balance between exhilaration and depression which -meets smile with smile and creates an atmosphere superior to all -vicissitudes. Why should we be downhearted? Why, indeed, when it does -no good. Not "Merrie England!" War is not a merry business; but an -Englishman may be cheerful for the sake of self and comrades. - -Of course, these battalions, officers and men, would talk about when -the war would be over. Even the Esquimaux must have an opinion on the -subject by this time. That of the men who make the war, whose lives are -the lives risked, was worth more, perhaps, than that of people living -thousands of miles away; for it is they who are doing the fighting, -who will stop fighting. To them it would be over when it was won. -The time this would require varied with different men--one year, two -years; and again they would turn satirical and argue whether the sixth -or the seventh year would be the worst. And they talked shop about -the latest wrinkles in fighting; how best to avoid having men buried -by shell-bursts; the value of gas and lachrymatory shells; the ratio -of high explosives to shrapnel; methods of "cleaning out" dugouts or -"doing in" machine guns, all in a routine that had become an accepted -part of life like the details of the stock carried and methods of -selling in a department store. - -Indelible the memories of these talks, which often brought out -illustrations of racial temperament. One company was more horrified -over having found a German tied to a trench _parados_ to be killed by -British shell fire as a field punishment than by the horrors of other -men equally mashed and torn, or at having crawled over the moist bodies -of the dead, or slept among them, or been covered with spatters of -blood and flesh--for that incident struck home with a sense of brutal -militarism which was the thing in their minds against which they were -fighting. - - -VII--WITH STEEL HELMETS AND GAS MASKS - -With steel helmets on and gas masks over our shoulders, we would leave -our car at the dead line and set off to "see something," when now the -fighting was all hidden in the folds of the ground, or in the woods, or -lost on the horizon where the front line of either of these two great -armies, with their immense concentration of men and material and roads -gorged with transport and thousands of belching guns, was held by a -few men with machine guns in shell-craters, their positions sometimes -interwoven. Old hands in the Somme battle become shell-wise. They are -the ones whom the French call "varnished," which is a way of saying -that projectiles glance off their anatomy. They keep away from points -where the enemy will direct his fire as a matter of habit or scientific -gunnery, and always recollect that the German has not enough shells to -sow them broadcast over the whole battle area. - -It is not an uncommon thing for one to feel quite safe within a couple -of hundred yards of an artillery concentration. That corner of a -village, that edge of a shattered grove, that turn in the highway, that -sunken road--keep away from them! Any kind of trench for shrapnel; lie -down flat unless a satisfactory dugout is near for protection from -high explosives which burst in the earth. If you are at the front and a -curtain of fire is put behind you, wait until it is over or go around -it. If there is one ahead, wait until another day--provided that you -are a spectator. Always bear in mind how unimportant you are, how small -a figure on the great field, and that if every shell fired had killed -one soldier there would not be an able-bodied man in uniform left alive -on the continent of Europe. By observing these simple rules you may see -a surprising amount with a chance of surviving. - -One day I wanted to go into the old German dugouts under a formless -pile of ruins which a British colonel had made his battalion -headquarters; but I did not want to go enough to persist when I -understood the situation. Formerly, my idea of a good dugout--and I -always like to be within striking distance of one--was a cave twenty -feet deep with a roof of four or five layers of granite, rubble and -timber; but now I feel more safe if the fragments of a town hall are -piled on top of this. - -The Germans were putting a shell every minute with clockwork regularity -into the colonel's "happy home" and at intervals four shells in a -salvo. You had to make a run for it between the shells, and if you did -not know the exact location of the dugout you might have been hunting -for it some time. Runners bearing messages took their chances both -going and coming and two men were hit. The colonel was quite safe -twenty feet underground with the matting of débris including that of -a fallen chimney overhead, but he was a most unpopular host. The next -day he moved his headquarters and not having been considerate enough to -inform the Germans of the fact they kept on methodically pounding the -roof of the untenanted premises. - -After every battle "promenade" I was glad to step into the car waiting -at the "dead line," where the chauffeurs frequently had had harder luck -in being shelled than we had farther forward. Yet I know of no worse -place to be in than a car when you hear the first growing scream which -indicates that yours is the neighborhood selected by a German battery -or two for expending some of its ammunition. When you are in danger you -like to be on your feet and to possess every one of your faculties. I -used to put cotton in my ears when I walked through the area of the -gun positions as some protection to the eardrums from the blasts, but -always took it out once I was beyond the big calibers, as an acute -hearing after some experience gave you instant warning of any "krump" -or five-point-nine coming in your direction, advising you which way to -dodge and also saving you from unnecessarily running for a dugout if -the shell were passing well overhead or short. - -I was glad, too, when the car left the field quite behind and was -over the hills in peaceful country. But one never knew. Fifteen miles -from the front line was not always safe. Once when a sudden outburst -of fifteen-inch naval shells sent the people of a town to cover and -scattered fragments over the square, one cut open the back of the -chauffeur's head just as we were getting into our car. - -"Are you going out to be strafed at?" became an inquiry in the mess on -the order of "Are you going to take an afternoon off for golf to-day?" -The only time I felt that I could claim any advantage in phlegm over -my comrades was when I slept through two hours of aerial bombing with -anti-aircraft guns busy in the neighborhood, which, as I explained, was -no more remarkable than sleeping in a hotel at home with flat-wheeled -surface cars and motor horns screeching under your window. A subway -employee or a traffic policeman in New York ought never to suffer from -shell-shock if he goes to war. - -The account of personal risk which in other wars might make a magazine -article or a book chapter, once you sat down to write it, melted away -as your ego was reduced to its proper place in the cosmos. Individuals -had never been so obscurely atomic. With hundreds of thousands -fighting, personal experience was valuable only as it expressed that of -the whole. Each story brought back to the mess was much like others, -thrilling for the narrator and repetition for the polite listener, -except it was some officer fresh from the communication trench who -brought news of what was going on in that day's work. - -Thus, the battle had become static; its incidents of a kind like the -product of some mighty mill. The public, falsely expecting that the -line would be broken, wanted symbols of victory in fronts changing on -the map and began to weary of the accounts. It was the late Charles A. -Dana who is credited with saying: "If a dog bites a man it is not news, -but if a man bites a dog it is." - -Let the men attack with hatchets and in evening dress and this would -win all the headlines in the land because people at their breakfast -tables would say: "Here is something new in the war!" Men killing men -was not news, but a battalion of trained bloodhounds sent out to bite -the Germans would have been. I used to try to hunt down some of the -"novelties" which received the favor of publication, but though they -were well known abroad the man in the trenches had heard nothing about -them. - -Bullets, shells, bayonets and bombs remained the tried and practical -methods there on the Ridge with its overpowering drama, any act of -which almost any day was greater than Spionkop or Magersfontein which -thrilled a world that was not then war-stale; and ever its supreme -feature was that determination which was like a kind fate in its -progress of chipping, chipping at a stone foundation that must yield. - - -VIII--VICTORY!--"THE RIDGE IS TAKEN" - -The Ridge seeped in one's very existence. You could see it as clearly -in imagination as in reality, with its horizon under shell-bursts and -the slope with its maze of burrows and its battered trenches. Into -those calm army reports association could read many indications: the -telling fact that the German losses in being pressed off the Ridge were -as great if not greater than the British, their sufferings worse under -a heavier deluge of shell fire, the increased skill of the offensive -and the failure of German counter-attacks after each advance. - -No one doubted that the Ridge would be taken and taken it was, or -all of it that was needed for the drive that was to clean up any -outstanding points, with its sweep down into the valley. A victory -this, not to be measured by territory; for in one day's rush more -ground was gained than in two months of siege. A victory of position, -of will, of _morale_! Sharpening its steel and wits on enemy steel and -wits in every kind of fighting, the New Army had proved itself in the -supreme test of all qualities. - -(This American correspondent relates thirty-one remarkable narratives -of adventure, all of which equal in human interest and historical -importance, the single narrative given above. He tells about his -experiences "Forward with the Guns;" "The Brigade that Went Through;" -"The Storming of Contalmaison;" "The Mastery of the Air;" "The Tanks in -Action;" "The Harvest of Villages;" "Five Generals and Verdun"--all of -which are notable historical records.) - -FOOTNOTE: - -[7] All numerals throughout this volume relate to the stories herein -told--not to chapters in the original sources. - - - - -AN AMERICAN'S EXPERIENCES "INSIDE THE GERMAN EMPIRE" - -_Told by Herbert Bayard Swope, an American in Berlin_ - - - These experiences and observations inside the German Empire in the - third year of the War form an invaluable narrative. They have been - recognized by one of the leading American universities as the most - important contribution of a journalist to the literature of the - Great War. Hon. James W. Gerard, American Ambassador to the German - Empire, says: "The facts and experiences ... (of Herbert Bayard - Swope), gathered first-hand by the author, whose friendship I - value and whose professional equipment I admire, form an important - contribution to contemporaneous history." Mr. Swope says: "My - volume is based upon a series of articles I wrote for the _New York - World_, and I am grateful to Mr. Ralph Pulitzer of that paper, for - permission to use the material in this form." This inspiring book - is published by _The Century Company_: Copyright, 1917, with whose - authority this chapter is given. - -[8] I--JOURNEYS IN THE SPY-BESIEGED LAND - -Germany to-day is a giant fortress completely ringed by besiegers. -Every man, woman, and child, all the beasts of burden and food, are -checked and located. The doors have been locked against travelers -seeking to enter and those seeking to depart. Only in exceptional cases -are visitors received, and in rarer instances are natives permitted to -leave. - -The police are able at all times to account for every one of the -population, passport issuance has been made extremely difficult, the -ordeal of search and inquest at the frontier is severe and thorough, -interior travel has been sharply restricted, every foot of the border -is guarded against illegal entry, obstacles have been put in the way -of mail and telegraph communications, the espionage system has been -multiplied in efficiency and extent--all for the safety of the empire. -And because this is the underlying reason for them, the Germans have -submitted to the restrictions willingly, and, instead of rebelling, aid -them. - -The spy mania that swept over war-ridden Europe two years ago has -lessened in its visible intensity in Germany, but the precaution -against spies has been increased. The people have confidence in the -safeguards against espionage, and so suspicion has been quieted. How -well this confidence is justified can be attested by any one who has -been inside the empire in the second year of the war. - -A stranger is under observation from the time he enters until he has -left. The watchfulness is not obtrusive, it is rarely evident; but it -is always thorough. Within twelve hours of a visitor's arrival he must -report in person at the nearest police station, and every time he makes -a railroad journey this operation must be repeated. - -When an American undertakes a voyage to Germany, the wheels of the -imperial Government begin to revolve immediately upon the first -application for a visé to his passport being made in this country. -The first question to be answered concerns the applicant's character, -so that Germany may feel sure he does not purpose to aid or abet her -enemies; and the second, the actual need of the business that causes -him to make the trip. Obtaining a passport from the American Government -is attended by many formalities, and these are renewed when the German -consul-generals are asked to approve. - -Germany insists that a fortnight intervene between the application for -a visé and the beginning of the trip. This is to enable her officials -to make the necessary investigations, and then to communicate the facts -to Berlin and to the traveler's port of arrival. - -All travel between America and Germany is through Copenhagen, -Stockholm, or Rotterdam. From Copenhagen the traveler enters Germany -through Warnemunde; from Stockholm he enters through Sassnitz; and -from Rotterdam through Bentheim. Upon his arrival at one of the three -neutral cities he must begin the proceedings afresh.... - -Upon arrival at Warnemunde (the methods throughout the empire are -standardized, and are the same at every other entrance point) the -travelers are shunted into a long low wooden shed, carrying their hand -baggage, having previously surrendered the checks for their heavier -luggage. Upon entering the place they are given numbers, and in return -surrender their passports to brisk, keen-eyed, non-commissioned -officers, whose efficiency has been increased by long practice. - - -II--"SEARCHED" BY THE SECRET POLICE - -Once in the room, the travelers are not permitted to leave except -through one door, and that they pass only when their numbers are -called. Barred windows and armed sentries prevent any trifling with -this system. The numbers are called one by one except in the case of -husbands and wives, who are permitted to go through together--and when -this is reached, the traveler passes through into a second office, -where he is questioned as to his identity and the photographs on the -passports are verified. - -While he is undergoing this questioning he is being overheard and -carefully watched by numbers of the _geheim-Polizei_ (secret police), -some of whom are in uniform and others of whom masquerade in civilian -attire as new arrivals. If there is any error in his papers it is -developed at this point, and he is at once turned about and sent back -to Copenhagen. But if it is a case of _alles in Ordnung_ (everything in -order), it is so reported, and he is ushered into another room, where, -having passed the first two inquisitorial chambers, he is submitted to -the grand ordeal, that of search. - -And what a search it is! Unless one's credentials are exceptionally -strong, one is stripped and one's mouth, ears, nose, and other parts -of the body examined. One's fountain pen is emptied, every piece of -paper taken away, including visiting cards, and even match-boxes are -confiscated. Finger rings, umbrellas and canes are inspected. If -bandages are worn, these must be stripped off, too. No distinction is -drawn between men and women beyond the fact that women are of course -examined before female inspectors. - -The bodily search having been completed, that of the clothing is begun. -Every article of apparel is felt over carefully and exposed to a -strong light for fear there may be writing on the lining. If there is -the slightest reason for suspicion, the travelers are given a sponge -bath of water with a large admixture of citric acid, which has the -effect of making apparent any writing on the body that may have been -done with invisible ink. The Germans say that these precautions have -been necessitated by the ingenious ruses employed by spies, whose -entrance into the country is considered a greater menace than is their -departure, since in entering they bring with them instructions to their -confederates already within the empire awaiting orders. - -The next step is the examination of the baggage, and this is done in -a manner to make the American customs inspection seem childish. The -interior and exterior measurements of the trunks are taken to guard -against false sides, tops, and bottoms, and then one by one every -article the trunks contain is put through a separate inspection.... - -Every sort of liquid is confiscated. The perfumes of the women are -poured into a big tub, and such liquors as the men may be carrying are -treated in a similar manner. The contents of travelers' alcohol or -spirit lamps are carefully emptied into air-tight containers for later -use. The reason for the drastic regulation against taking any liquid, -however small the quantity, into Germany was the danger of the fact -that high explosives such as nitroglycerine can be carried in small -vessels. On several occasions, the Germans say, railroads and bridges -have been blown up by the enemy travelers who carried the means of -destruction in this way. In this connection the additional precaution -is taken by the authorities of prohibiting all travelers from putting -their heads out the windows of the coupés while crossing bridges. - -All written or printed matter, such as books, newspapers, pamphlets, -magazines, is taken away. Upon request the traveler may have these -forwarded to his point of destination after they have been censored -and deleted. As every point on the German border is carefully guarded, -it is virtually impossible for any one to enter the country except at -stated points. All the roads are closed, and the border fields are -carefully patrolled. - -Upon his arrival in Berlin, or wherever he may be bound, the traveler -must present himself in person at the nearest police station. There his -passport is again viséd, and he is given official permission to remain -for a given period. But every time he makes a trip he must report -himself going and coming.... - - -III--THE COUNTRY THAT WENT "SPY MAD" - -In every hotel are to be met spies in the form of guests, waiters, -chambermaids, telephone operators, and bartenders. In the early part of -the war these last proved their worth often, for men otherwise cautious -and reticent became outspoken under the influence of a few Scotches or -cocktails, which are still in vogue in Germany despite their American -origin. - -At one of the biggest of the Berlin hotels it is a noticeable fact that -all the floor waiters are young, active, highly intelligent men. When -they are asked why they are not serving at the front all have excuses -on the score of health. The truth is that they are all governmental -agents whose duty it is to familiarize themselves with the details of -every visitor's business. That they do well. Every stranger's papers -are thoroughly investigated, no matter how securely they may be locked -up, before he has been in the city two days, assuming he leaves them in -his room. Two members of the American diplomatic corps who made short -stays in Berlin can tell singular stories on this point. - -The chief of the floor waiters at this hotel--and it is illustrative of -all the others--is a polished-mannered young fellow of about thirty-two -who speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Danish with the same -facility that he reads them, and he reads them as well as he does his -native German. I noticed the chief of the telephone operators, who -while discharging the duties of his lowly job wore livery, attending -the races in an English sport-coat, with glasses strung over his -shoulders, and he went to and from the course in a taxicab, the height -of luxury in wartime Berlin. One would hardly credit his income solely -to the measly wages he received from his work at the switch-board. He, -too, as well as his assistants, was an accomplished linguist. - -It must not be thought that espionage is confined to the Americans. -On the contrary, even the subjects of Germany's allies receive this -attention. Austrian, Bulgarian, or Turkish, it makes no difference; all -are put under the scrutiny of the secret eyes and ears of the Kaiser. -Almost it is more difficult to obtain a passport permitting one to -travel to Austria than it is to obtain one for a journey to America, -and the examination at the Austrian border is just as severe as at the -frontier between Germany and Denmark. - -German spies travel on all the transatlantic liners running from -Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Holland to America, and back again. They -find out as much as they can about their fellow-travelers, so that -the secret police may be forewarned as to whom and what they are to -receive. These agents are rarely employed by the German Government for -the secret transmission of mail; that is usually done by men of solid -reputation, American or other neutrals who are persuaded to accept the -task on the ground of a service to the empire. Obviously, they must be -violently pro-German before they are asked to assume the undertaking. - -The difficulty of communication is one of the severe hardships that -the German Government and people suffer. Mails to and from the empire -are seized by the Allies, and if delivered at all, are so belated as -to make them valueless. Only such cables as the Allies choose to pass -are permitted transmission. Male Germans are not permitted to travel -on the seas. So German communication is restricted to the wireless, to -supposedly neutral couriers, and to submarines, both of the commercial -type as the _Deutschland_, and of the war type, which have been -secretly conveying important German mail to Spanish waters, where it -is loaded upon friendly neutral vessels, which carry it into Spanish -ports and thence forward it to America and other points. This last -method has been a carefully guarded secret of the German Government. -Mail sent out by Spain is not seized and censored by the Allies.... - - -IV--A VISIT TO GENERAL LORINGHOVEN - -To get the official view of the situation held by the officers of -the general staff, I called on General von Freytag-Loringhoven at -the general staff building in Berlin, where the great Moltke long -presided. He received me in a room the distinguishing features of which -were maps, not only showing the disposition of the German forces, but -immense wall-sized ones on which were diagrammed the present locations -of the Allies, showing their number, their commanders (designated -by name and locations of headquarters), with their relative ranks -indicated by little parti-coloured flags. I had just returned from -the Somme, and as I saw how each of the French and British lines was -clearly marked, I expressed my surprise. - -The general smiled. - -"Yes, our intelligence department is pretty thorough," he said, "but it -is no better on the Somme than our enemy's is, for in France, where we -stand on occupied soil, almost every civilian is an aid to the Allies. - -"But despite that, despite all the French and English can do at the -Somme," he went on, "they will never break through."... - -I asked the general for his impressions of the French and British -soldiers. He answered: - -"The French are better soldiers. They are better schooled and drilled. -They have been at it longer and they are enormously brave and -sacrificing. But the British are proving their worth, too. They are -all of them warlike and like to fight, but they don't know how as yet. -You can't make a soldier in a few weeks or months; it takes time and -patience. - -"The French artillery is exceptional. The French artillery officers -have always been of high repute. They are teaching much to the English -and Russians, and these forces are showing a corresponding betterment. - -"Because of their greater experience, I should say the French are -better officered than the English. The Russian officers are a poor lot. -There is no sympathy between them and their men. The men are brave -enough, but are sheep-like in their lack of intelligence...." - -In September, I stood in the general's field headquarters and watched -the big guns drop shells all around the famous "windmill of Pozières" -on the high ridge which had been taken by the British and was being -used by their artillery observers, who gamely held on, although the -position was anything but comfortable. - -While we watched the bombardment a squadron of English fliers passed -overhead. I ducked and made for the bomb-proof. - -"Don't worry," said the general, "the fliers rarely bomb us. Our -aviators generally leave their generals' headquarters alone, and they -usually do the same by us. It is a sort of understood courtesy."... - -While I stood in his observation-point with Wenninger an iron-gray -quartermaster sergeant passed. He had been in the east against the -Russians as well as in the west. In reply to my question as to his -opinion of the schools of fighting, he answered: - -"I'd rather face twenty infantry attacks from the Russians than bring -up food to the first lines here (British). Their damned artillery makes -it hell." - - -V--"AT THE SOMME, I MET VON PAPEN" - -At the Somme I met Captain von Papen, the former German military -attaché, who was sent home by America. After six weeks on the firing -line he was made chief of staff to General Count Schweinitz, commanding -the Fourth Guard Division and holding the Grevillers-Warlencourt-Ligny -line. He has proved himself an efficient officer. - -Captain Boy-Ed, the naval attaché, who was sent back to Germany at -the same time, is now chief intelligence officer at the admiralty -in Berlin. He is very bitter toward America, while von Papen is -friendly. Dr. Dernburg, the other propagandist who was returned to the -fatherland, is philosophical as regards his work in America, and is -without rancour over his treatment. He is living in Berlin, working -on housing plans for the poor, but he has lost the confidence of his -Government.... - -All the world knows Hindenburg. Germany's Iron Man, the hero of the -Masurian Swamps, a colossal wooden statue of whom stands opposite the -Reichstag in the Sieges-allee, the Avenue of Victory, in Berlin's -Tiergarten. But who is Ludendorff? - -Ludendorff is Germany's man of mystery, the grim, inscrutable, -silent man whose picture is on sale in every shop, whose name is in -every mouth, but whose real personality is hidden even from his own -countrymen. - -Ludendorff is Hindenburg's indispensable right-hand man.... - -There are those who say that Ludendorff is Hindenburg's brain, -and that Hindenburg's greatest successes have been planned by his -silent, retiring assistant. Hindenburg, when in the mood, becomes -very talkative and chatty, and at such times he often attributes his -success to his assistant. There is a perfect harmony between the two; -Ludendorff plans and Hindenburg decides.... - -On August 28 (1914) it was announced that the Russians were fleeing -across the border. The news grew. Five army corps and three cavalry -divisions had been annihilated. More than ninety thousand prisoners -were taken. Tannenberg, one of the greatest victories of the war, had -changed the whole face of affairs in the east. - -There have been bigger battles and longer battles, and there have been -battles of more significance in the history of the war, but there has -been no other battle in which the result has been so overwhelming and -complete a victory for either side. - -Just what happened at Tannenberg and in the Masurian Swamps is still -a secret. There have been stories that a hundred thousand men were -drowned in the swamps. There have been tales of dikes released and men -swept away in a swirl of rushing waters. All that is known certainly is -that a Russian army disappeared. - -(This American war correspondent then gives his impressions of men -and events within the German Armies, telling many interesting tales -of Boelcke, the German "knight of the air" who shot down thirty-eight -enemy aeroplanes before he was killed in collision with one of his own -German machines.) - -FOOTNOTE: - -[8] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters in the -original sources. - - - - -"DIXMUDE"-AN EPIC OF THE FRENCH MARINES - -_Story of the Murder of Commander Jeanniot_ - -_Told by Charles Le Goffic of the Fusiliers Marins--Translated by -Florence Simmonds_ - - The story of the French Marines is one of the epics of the World's - Wars. Such is the story of the Bretons. At Dixmude, under command - of their own officers, retaining not only the costume, but the soul - and language of their profession they were still sailors. Grouped - with them were seamen from all the naval stations. The heroism of - these sailors is told in the volume entitled "Dixmude," published - by _J. B. Lippincott Company_. From these interesting stories, we - here relate "The Murder of Captain Jeanniot." - -[9] I-GREAT HEARTS OF THE FRENCH MARINES - -I had opportunities of talking to several of these "Parigots," and I -should not advise anyone to speak slightingly of their officers before -them, though, indeed, so few of these have survived that nine times -out of ten the quip could be aimed only at a ghost. The deepest and -tenderest words I heard uttered concerning Naval Lieutenant Martin -des Pallières were spoken by a Marine of the Rue des Martyrs, George -Delaballe, who was one of his gunners in front of the cemetery the -night when his machine-guns were jammed, and five hundred Germans, led -by a major wearing the Red Cross armlet, threw themselves suddenly into -our trenches. - -"But why did you love him so?" I asked. - -"I don't know.... We loved him because he was brave, and was always -saying things that made us laugh, ... but above all because he loved -us." - -Here we have the secret of this extraordinary empire of the officers -over their men, the explanation of that miracle of a four weeks' -resistance, one against six, under the most formidable tempest of -shells of every caliber that ever fell upon a position, in a shattered -town where all the buildings were ablaze, and where, to quote the words -of a _Daily Telegraph_ correspondent, it was no longer light or dark, -"but only red." When the Boches murdered Commander Jeanniot, his men -were half crazy. They would not have felt the death of a father more -deeply. I have recently had a letter sent me written by a Breton lad, -Jules Cavan, who was wounded at Dixmude. While he was in hospital at -Bordeaux he was visited by relatives of Second-Lieutenant Gautier, who -was killed on October 27 in the cemetery trenches. - -"Dear Sir," he wrote to M. Dalché de Desplanels the following day, -"you cannot imagine how your visit went to my heart.... On October 19, -when my battalion took the offensive at Lannes, three kilometers from -Dixmude, I was wounded by a bullet in the thigh. I dragged myself along -as best I could on the battlefield, bullets falling thickly all around -me. I got over about five hundred meters on the battlefield and reached -the road. Just at that moment Lieutenant Gautier, who was coming -towards me with a section, seeing me in the ditch, asked: 'Well, my -lad, what is the matter with you?' 'Oh, Lieutenant, I am wounded in the -leg, and I cannot drag myself further.' 'Here then, get on my back.' -And he carried me to a house at Lannes, and said these words, which I -shall never forget: 'Stay there, my lad, till they come and fetch you. -I will let the motor ambulance men know.' Then he went off under the -fire. Oh, the splendid fellow!" - - -II--TALES OF THE BRAVE "PARIGOTS" - -"The splendid fellow!" Jules Cavan echoes Georges Delaballe, the -Breton, the "Parigot." There is the same heartfelt ring in the words of -each. And sometimes, as I muse over these heroic shades, I ask myself -which were the more admirable, officers or men. When Second-Lieutenant -Gautier received orders to take the place of Lieutenant de Pallières, -buried by a shell in the trench of the cemetery where Lieutenant Eno -had already fallen, he read his fate plainly; he said: "It's my turn." -And he smiled at Death, who beckoned him. But I know of one case when, -as Death seemed about to pass them by, the Marines provoked it; when, -after they had used up all their cartridges and were surrounded in a -barn, twelve survivors only remaining with their captain, the latter, -filled with pity for them, and recognizing the futility of further -resistance, said to his men: "My poor fellows, you have done your duty. -There is nothing for it but to surrender." Then, disobedient to their -captain for the first time, they answered: "No!" To my mind nothing -could show more clearly the degree of sublime exaltation and complete -self-forgetfulness to which our officers had raised the _moral_ of -their men. Such were the pupils these masters in heroism had formed, -that often their own pupils surpassed them. There was at the Trouville -Hospital a young Breton sailor called Michel Folgoas. His wound was -one of the most frightful imaginable: the whole of his side was shaved -off by a shell which killed one of his comrades in the trenches, who -was standing next to him, on November 2. "I," he remarks in a letter, -"was completely stunned at first. When I came to myself I walked three -hundred meters before I noticed that I was wounded, and this was -only when my comrades called out: '_Mon Dieu_, they have carried away -half your side.'" It was true. But does he groan and lament over it? -He makes a joke of it: "The Boches were so hungry that they took a -beef-steak out of my side, but this won't matter, as they have left me -a little." - -Multiply this Michel Folgoas by 6,000, and you will have the brigade. -This inferno of Dixmude was an inferno where everyone made the best -of things. And the _battues_ of rabbits, the coursing of the red -German hares which were running in front of the army of invasion, -the bull-fights in which our Mokos impaled some pacific Flemish bull -abandoned by its owners; more dubious escapades, sternly repressed, in -the underground premises of the Dixmude drink-shops; a story of two -Bretons who went off on a foraging expedition and were seen coming back -along the canal in broad daylight towing a great cask of strong beer -which they had unearthed Heaven knows where at a time when the whole -brigade, officers as well as men, had nothing to drink but the brackish -water of the Yser--these, and a hundred other tales of the same kind, -which will some day delight village audiences gathered round festal -evening fires, bear witness that Jean Gouin (or Le Gwenn, John the -White, as the sailors call themselves familiarly[10]), did not lose his -bearings even in his worst vicissitudes. - -Dixmude was an epic then, or, as M. Victor Giraud proposes, a French -_geste_, but a _geste_ in which the heroism is entirely without -solemnity or deliberation, where the nature of the seaman asserts -itself at every turn, where there are thunder, lightning, rain, mud, -cold, bullets, shrapnel, high explosive shells, and all the youthful -gaiety of the French race. - -And this epic did not come to an end at Dixmude. The brigade did not -ground arms after November 10. The gaps in its ranks being filled from -the dépôts, it was kept up to the strength of two regiments, and reaped -fresh laurels. At Ypres and Saint Georges it charged the troops of -Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria and the Duke of Würtemberg in succession. -Dixmude was but one panel of the triptych: on the broken apex of the -black capital of the Communiers, on the livid backgrounds of the flat -country about Nieuport, twice again did the brigade inscribe its stormy -silhouette. - -But at Ypres and Saint Georges the sailors had the bulk of the -Anglo-French forces behind them; at Dixmude up to November 4 they -knew that their enterprise was a forlorn hope. And in their hands -they held the fate of the two Flanders. One of the heroes of Dixmude, -Naval Lieutenant Georges Hébert, said that the Fusiliers had gained -more than a naval battle there. My only objection to this statement -is its modesty. Dixmude was our Thermopylæ in the north, as the -Grand-Couronné, near Nancy, was our Thermopylæ in the east; the -Fusiliers were the first and the most solid element of the long -triumphant defensive which will one day be known as the victory of the -Yser, a victory less decisive and perhaps less brilliant than that of -the Marne, but not less momentous in its consequences. - -The Generalissimo is credited with a dictum which he may himself have -uttered with a certain astonishment: - -"You are my best infantrymen," said he to the Fusiliers. - -We will close with these simply, soldierly words, more eloquent than -the most brilliant harangues. The brigade will reckon them among their -proudest trophies to all time. - - -III--STORY OF MURDER OF DR. DUGUET - -On October 25 (1914), we had not yet received any help from the -inundation. Our troops were in dire need of rest, and the enemy was -tightening his grip along the entire front. New reinforcements were -coming up to fill the gaps in his ranks; our scouts warned us that -fresh troops were marching upon Dixmude by the three roads of Essen, -Beerst, and Woumen.[11] We had to expect a big affair the next day, if -not that very night. It came off that night. - -About 7 o'clock the Gamas company went to relieve the men in the -southern trenches. On their way, immediately outside the town, they -fell in with a German force of about the same strength as themselves, -which had crept up no one knew how. There was a fusillade and a general -_mêlée_, in which our sailors opened a passage through the troop with -bayonets and butt-ends, disposing of some forty Germans and putting the -rest to flight.[12] Then there was a lull. The splash of rain was the -only sound heard till 2 A.M., when suddenly a fresh outbreak -of rifle-fire was heard near the Caeskerke station, right inside the -defences. It was suggested that our men or our allies, exasperated by -their life of continual alarms, had been carried away by some reckless -impulse. The bravest soldiers admit that hallucinations are not -uncommon at night in the trenches. All the pitfalls of darkness rise -before the mind; the circulation of the blood makes a noise like the -tramp of marching troops; if by chance a nervous sentry should fire his -rifle, the whole section will follow suit. - -Convinced that some misunderstanding of this kind had taken place, -the Staff, still quartered at the Caeskerke railway station, shouted -to the sections to cease firing. As, however, the fusillade continued -in the direction of the town, the Admiral sent one of his officers, -Lieutenant Durand-Gasselin, to reconnoiter. He got as far as the Yser -without finding the enemy; the fusillade had ceased; the roads were -clear. He set out on his way back to Caeskerke. On the road he passed -an ambulance belonging to the brigade going up towards Dixmude, which, -on being challenged, replied: "Rouge Croix." Rather surprised at this -inversion, he stopped the ambulance; it was full of Germans, who, -however, surrendered without offering any resistance. But this capture -suggested a new train of thought to the Staff: they were now certain -that there had been an infantry raid upon the town; the Germans in -the ambulance probably belonged to a troop of mysterious assailants -who had made their way into Dixmude in the night and had vanished no -less mysteriously after this extraordinary deed of daring. One of our -covering trenches must have given way, but which? Our allies held the -railway line by which the enemy had penetrated into the defences, -sounding the charge.... The riddle was very disturbing, but under the -veil of a thick, damp night, which favored the enemy, it was useless -to seek a solution. It was found next morning at dawn, when one of -our detachments on guard by the Yser suddenly noticed in a meadow a -curious medley of Belgians, French Marines, and Germans. Had our men -been made prisoners? This uncertainty was of brief duration. There was -a sharp volley; the sailors fell; the Germans made off. This was what -had happened! - -Various versions have been given of this incident, one of the most -dramatic of the defence, in the course of which the heroic Commander -Jeanniot and Dr. Duguet, chief officer of the medical staff, fell -mortally wounded, with several others. The general opinion, however, -seems to be that the German attack, which was delivered at 2:30 P.M., -was closely connected with the surprise movement attempted at 7 o'clock -in the evening on the Essen road and so happily frustrated by the -intervention of the Gamas company. It is not impossible that it was -carried out by the fragments of the force we had scattered, reinforced -by new elements and charging to the sound of the bugle. This would -explain the interval of several hours between the two attacks, which -were no doubt the outcome of a single inspiration. - -"The night," says an eye-witness, "was pursuing its normal course, -and as there were no indications of disturbance, Dr. Duguet took the -opportunity to go and get a little rest in the house where he was -living, which was just across the street opposite his ambulance. The -Abbé Le Helloco, chaplain of the 2nd Regiment, had joined him at about -1:30 A.M. The latter admits that he was rather uneasy because -of the earlier skirmish, in which, as was his habit, he had been -unremitting in his ministrations to the wounded. After a few minutes' -talk the two men separated to seek their straw pallets. The Abbé had -been asleep for an hour or two, when he was awakened by shots close at -hand. He roused himself and went to Dr. Duguet, who was already up. -The two did not exchange a word. Simultaneously, without taking the -precaution of extinguishing the lights behind them, they hurried to the -street. Enframed by the lighted doorway, they at once became a target; -a volley brought them down in a moment. Dr. Duguet had been struck by a -bullet in the abdomen; the Abbé was hit in the head, the arm, and the -right thigh. The two bodies were touching each other. 'Abbé,' said Dr. -Duguet, 'we are done for. Give me absolution. I regret....' The Abbé -found strength to lift his heavy arm and to make the sign of the cross -upon his dying comrade. Then he fainted, and this saved him. Neither -he nor Dr. Duguet had understood for the moment what was happening. -Whence had the band of marauders who had struck them down come, and how -had they managed to steal into our lines without being seen? It was a -mystery. This fusillade breaking out behind them had caused a certain -disorder in the sections nearest to it, who thought they were being -taken in the rear, and who would have been, indeed, had the attack -been maintained. The band arrived in front of the ambulance station at -the moment when the staff (three Belgian doctors, a few naval hospital -orderlies, and Quartermaster Bonnet) were attending to Dr. Duguet, who -was still breathing. They made the whole lot prisoners and carried them -along in their idiotic rush through the streets. Both officers and -soldiers must have been drunk. This is the only reasonable explanation -of their mad venture. We held all the approaches to Dixmude; the brief -panic that took place in certain sections had been at once controlled." - - -IV--STORY OF MURDER OF COMMANDER JEANNIOT - -"Commander Jeanniot, who had been in reserve that night, and who, -roused by the firing like Dr. Duguet and Abbé Le Helloco, had gone -into the street to call his sector to arms, had not even taken his -revolver in his hand. Mistaking the identity and the intentions of -the groups he saw advancing, he ran towards them to reassure them and -bring them back to the trenches. This little stout, grizzled officer, -rough and simple in manner, was adored by the sailors. He was known -to be the bravest of the brave, and he himself was conscious of his -power over his men. When he recognized his mistake it was too late. -The Germans seized him, disarmed him, and carried him off with loud -'_Hochs!_' of satisfaction. The band continued to push on towards the -Yser, driving a few fugitives before them, and a part of them succeeded -in crossing the river under cover of the general confusion. Happily -this did not last long. Captain Marcotte de Sainte-Marie, who was in -command of the guard on the bridge, identified the assailants with the -help of a searchlight, and at once opened fire upon them. The majority -of the Germans within range of our machine-guns were mown down; the -rest scattered along the streets and ran to cellars and ruins to -hide themselves. But the head of the column had got across with its -prisoners, whom they drove before them with the butt-ends of their -rifles.[13] For four hours they wandered about, seeking an issue which -would enable them to rejoin their lines. It was raining the whole time. -Weary of wading through the mud, the officers stopped behind a hedge to -hold a council. A pale light began to pierce the mist; day was dawning, -and they could no longer hope to regain the German lines in a body. -Prudence dictated that they should disperse until nightfall. But what -was to be done with the prisoners? The majority voted that they should -be put to death. The Belgian doctors protested. Commander Jeanniot, -who took no part in the debate, was talking calmly to Quartermaster -Bonnet. At a sign from their leader the Boches knelt and opened fire -upon the prisoners. The Commander fell, and as he was still breathing, -they finished him off with their bayonets. The only survivors were the -Belgian doctors, who had been spared, and Quartermaster Bonnet, who had -only been hit in the shoulder. It was at this moment that the marauders -were discovered. One section charged them forthwith; another fell back -to cut off their retreat. What happened afterwards? Some accounts -declare that the German officers learned what it costs to murder -prisoners, and that our men despatched the dogs there and then; but -the truth is, that, in spite of the general desire to avenge Commander -Jeannoit, the whole band was taken prisoners and brought before the -Admiral, who had only the three most prominent rascals of the gang -executed." - -FOOTNOTE: - -[9] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters in the -original sources. - -[10] "When we passed through the streets of Ghent they were full of -people shouting, 'Long live the French!' I heard one person in the -crowd call out, 'Long live Jean Gouin!' He must have known them well." -(Letter of Fusilier F., of the island of Sein.) Le Gwenn, which has -been corrupted into Gouin, is a very common name in Brittany. [Compare -the current English nickname "Jack Tar."--TR.] - -[11] "Germans of the regular army coming from the direction of Rheims. -The Boches we had had to deal with so far had been volunteers or -reservists." (Second-Lieutenant X.'s note-book.) - -[12] Not without losses on our side. "Saw Gamas, who has had -fourteen of his men killed to-night, among them his boatswain Dodu." -(Second-Lieutenant Gautier's note-book.) - -[13] Here there seems to have been some confusion in the eye-witness's -account. He leads us to suppose that Dr. Duguet's ambulance was in -the town, and that the Germans who killed him and wounded the Abbé -Le Helloco went on afterwards to the bridge with their prisoners. -"As a fact," we are now told, "the affair took place between -the bridge--which the head of a column had crossed by surprise, -driving before them a number of Belgians, sailors, and perhaps some -marauders--and the level crossing near the station of Caeskerke where -the column was finally stopped. It was in this part of the street -that Dr. Duguet had his dressing-station; and it was there, too, that -Commander Jeanniot, whose reserve post was at Caeskerke, came out to -meet the assailants. And it was the fields near the south bank of the -Yser to which the column betook itself, dragging its prisoners with it, -when it found the road barred." - - - - -A BISHOP AT THE FRONT WITH THE BRITISH ARMY - -_Told by the Right Reverend H. Russell Wakefield, Bishop of Birmingham_ - - This is an account of how the Bishop, accompanied by the Lord - Mayor of Birmingham, went to the fighting lines to visit the staff - at headquarters. They were at times within thirty-five yards of - the German trenches. His impressions have been recorded in a - volume published by _Longmans, Green and Company_, from which the - following incidents are taken. - -[14] I--THE HUMOUR OF BRITISH "TOMMIES" - -Whenever, in future, I am inclined towards a fit of pessimism, I -shall shut my eyes in order to see once again, with the vision of the -spirit, a stalwart Britisher of the Worcester Regiment, not very far -from the German lines, on a certain afternoon, when a most appalling -thunderstorm was raging and some German shells were falling. He was -munching the thickest slice of bread and jam that I have ever seen, -and looking with a mild contempt at the intruding figure of an unknown -padre whom a considerable number of his comrades were greeting because -they recognised in him their Bishop. He put down now and again his -refreshment in order to do some bit of work, but he was just as calm -and collected as if he had been in his Worcestershire village and not -in the trenches. - -That which carries our men through so many difficulties is another -thing which impressed me--namely, their unfailing sense of humour; a -humour which is never really hurtful even when exercised upon some one -deserving of satire. When he christens a road along which there are -a couple of miles of Army Service carts "Lorry Park," when he finds -every kind of strange anglicising for Flemish or French words, we know -that he is not only having some fun for himself, but also providing -amusement for those who come after him. The same humour shines out when -he is in hard case. A chaplain told me that he had been addressing -informally some wounded men who had just arrived from the trenches. -He was expatiating upon the glories of the Victoria Cross because he -noticed some of the men came from a regiment one of whose number had -recently received that coveted distinction. Suddenly his eloquence was -disturbed by a voice proceeding from a man, both of whose feet were -swathed in bandages, who remarked, "Never mind the Victoria Cross, give -me the Victoria 'Bus!" Obviously the soldier's sense of humour was -conquering his pain, and his remark made the rest of the party forget -their sufferings for a short time.... - - -II--FRANCE BLEEDS FOR CIVILIZATION - -As one who saw the French during the war of 1870, when--being a -boy--I was very susceptible to impressions, I can hardly express the -difference I notice between the nation then and now. In the former -war there was excitement, impulsiveness, overconfidence, want of -ballast; to-day there is quietude, earnestness, and withal, assurance -of eventual victory. More than once I journeyed through a considerable -part of the French lines, and I assert with confidence that the Army -of France at the present time is incomparably superior to that which -she placed in the field in 1870. As to her civilians, I only saw women, -children, and old men; I did not, in all my thousand miles of travel, -discover a single able-bodied person of military age out of uniform. - -The harvest, a very good one, was in full swing. Every family was out -in the fields, all doing something towards the in-gathering. I have -a picture now before my eyes of seven people, all undoubtedly coming -from the same house, working away hard, whilst at the tail end of the -procession appeared what might have been the great-grandpapa, no longer -capable of bending down for harvesting, but who, nevertheless, had his -piece of work in carrying about the baby, who, of course, could not be -left behind alone in the house. The whole nation is doing its utmost. - - -III--"HOW I WENT TO THE TRENCHES" - -On one occasion after motoring through towns that are a household word, -both at home and with our Allies, towns which have seen the Germans -in them and then driven out of them, places where the buildings are -practically level with the ground, the limit for vehicular traffic is -reached and one goes forward on foot. Soon you reach a cutting in the -ground and you begin to walk along a trench. You turn now and again -either to right or left, seeing sign-posts telling sometimes in comic -language and sometimes only by number the name, as it were, of the -underground street; you then rise a little and find yourself walking -in the inside of houses so shattered that you cannot tell much about -what they originally were until you are told that they formed a street -in a little overgrown village of which nothing is left, and the last -inhabitant of which was the station-master, who refused to leave though -there was neither train, station nor house for himself left, because -so long as he remained on the spot he could claim his pay. Forcible -measures had at last to be used to secure his departure. Where you are -walking you are yourself hidden from the enemy, but are within the -range of their fire. You are taken up to an observation post, where one -of your companions incautiously takes out a white pocket-handkerchief -and is hurriedly told to put it back in his pocket. - -You come down again and proceed cautiously along trenches. Now and -again shells pass over, and your careful guide looks to see in what -direction they are falling, as, though he is quite unconcerned for -himself, he knows that he is responsible for the safety of the -troublesome visitor. You are told to keep your head down and not to -show, for the moment at any rate, any desire to view the landscape. -Soldiers are dotted about here and there, all of them ready to give a -kindly greeting, and then at last you reach a point where you are told -not to speak loudly because practically only a few yards away is the -enemy, who, were he to hear conversation, might think it worth while -to throw over a hand grenade. What looks like a tiny bit of glass at -the end of a short stick is there before you, and you are asked to look -into it; when you do the enemies' trenches are visible to you. Beyond -an occasional ping against a sandbag, you have heard nothing to note -the existence of rifle fire, except that the men you have passed have -got these weapons to hand. You tell the men at the advanced posts how -proud their country is of them, how thankful you are to have seen them, -how you pray that God may bring them back safe to their homes; you get -rid of all cigars or cigarettes you may have upon you, wishing that you -had thousands more, and then you return home, varying perhaps the route -through the communication trenches. - -On another occasion our way took us through a town which is absolutely -razed to the ground and is still under shell fire. There I saw two -soldiers busy with spades, and I asked what kind of fortification they -were putting up, to which, with a broad grin, one replied that they -were looking for souvenirs. He was kind enough to give me a complete -German cartridge case, for which he refused to take any remuneration. -Going on a little farther in this town, we went down some steps and -found ourselves in an underground club full of soldiers, who were -having a hot meal, were reading papers and playing games, everything -being presided over by perhaps the most magnetic person I met on my -travels, a young Chaplain to the Forces, who would not wish his name -to be mentioned, though there is probably no one out at the Front who -will not know to whom I refer. When we went from this place towards the -more advanced trenches, I was taken along a road which looked perfectly -harmless, when suddenly a stalwart Scotchman told my companion and -myself that we must get off it at once as it was a favourite target -for German Maxims. Never was a General more obediently submitted to than -was this, I believe, private soldier. It was on this occasion that we -had tea in the dugout of the Colonel, who bears a name distinguished -in English naval, military and sporting life. A characteristic of the -German trenches which I noticed on this and other occasions, was that -their sandbags seemed to be generally white in colour, at any rate in -those of the first line. Leaving the trench on this particular day, we -had to go through an almost alarming thunderstorm, which in the course -of half an hour made a sea of mud of the place which had been quite -dry before. It was curious to notice how petty the sound of the guns -appeared as compared with the artillery of heaven. - -Pathetic incidents occur and touching scenes are visible on these -journeys to the Front. One looked in the trenches upon little mounds -and crosses, marking the resting-places of men who had been hurriedly, -but reverently, buried. There they are side by side with their living -comrades, who are doing their work whilst their brothers sleep. Dotted -all about the country are little cemeteries, which tell of devotion -unto death, and which remind one of all the sorrow this war has -caused. It is strange to see how religious emblems appear to have been -strong against shell. Constantly you would see a church almost totally -destroyed and yet the crucifix untouched, and who will ever forget that -sight which can be seen for miles around, of the tower which has been -almost shattered to pieces and yet the statue of the Virgin and Child, -which was near the top of it, though bent over completely at right -angles, still remains, as it were blessing and protecting the whole -neighbourhood. - - -IV--"SEE GOD THRO' CLOUD OF SMOKE" - -This leads to the consideration of the religious condition of our -troops as affected, first, by the churches and worshippers of France, -and, secondly, by their own experience in this war. More than one -mentioned the pleasure felt at the sight of the little wayside shrines -which they passed on their march. Others commented upon the large -numbers of people they saw flocking to their early communion.... - -What his experience of war is doing for the soldier in regard to -religion is remarkable. It would have been possible that the sight of -humanity striving to the death and inflicting horrible suffering might -have made our young fellows despair of Christianity. They might have -argued that it was of no avail to teach the religion of Jesus when no -effect was produced upon international conduct; but they have been -able to look more deeply into matters and to realise that not Divine -intention was at fault, but human refusal to follow true teaching. They -have been able to see God through the cloud of smoke raised by shot -and shell, and the Presence of the Divine has not been obscured by -the horrors of war. Conscious of the seriousness of the work in which -they are engaged, feeling every moment the nearness of eternity, our -soldiers have in no craven spirit, but with a due remembrance of their -relationship to God and to eternity, turned to religion as a stay in -the hour of conflict.... - -Although I must refrain most reluctantly from saying anything about -the great military personages whom I met in France, and with whom I -was so greatly impressed, I may perhaps refer to two French persons of -distinction, in no way connected with the war, whom I was privileged -to meet. First there is that outstanding personality the Mayor of -Hazebrouck, Abbé Lemire. He and I were brought together because he is a -clerical municipal dignitary and I was the first clergyman who was ever -a mayor in this country. He, however, does more than I have ever been -able to do, because he is a member of the Chamber of Deputies, and here -in England the doors of the House of Commons are still shut against the -clergy.... - -He is an extraordinarily winning personality, and as we walked through -the streets of his city every woman and child and old man had something -to say to him. With one he would discuss the imprisonment of a soldier -son in Germany; with another the fact that a married daughter had had a -bouncing boy who would be, so prophesied the Abbé, a soldier of France -in years to come. To another in deep mourning he had a word of comfort -to give; until at last I said to him that he appeared to be not only -_le maire_ but also _le père_ of Hazebrouck.... - -Another beautiful character is the present Archbishop of Rouen. -Carrying well his seventy-six years, thanks in no small measure to the -loving care of his secretary, the great dignitary has passed through -the recent critical time for his Church, retaining throughout his -breadth of view and his sweetness of nature. Turned out of his official -residence, he has built himself another, beautifully situated, in the -grounds of which may to-day be seen English doctors and nurses, and -even wounded, resting and gaining health. The morning upon which I saw -him I had been celebrating the Holy Communion in the chapel of what -once was his palace. When I asked him whether he felt any objection to -this being done by our English clergy, he answered, "Certainly not." -And then, after a moment's thought, he went on: "After all, what does -it matter whether one celebrates in one vestment and another in a -different one, if at the root of things we are the same?" - -(The Bishop now relates his impressions of the various countries -engaged in the War, all of which, with the exception of Japan, he has -visited. He believes that the War is to result in a great spiritual -awakening throughout the world.) - -FOOTNOTE: - -[14] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters in the -original sources. - - - - -SHORT RATIONS--THE TRUTH ABOUT LIFE IN GERMANY - -_An American Woman in Germany_ - -_Told by Madeline Zabriskie Doty_ - - Miss Doty made two trips of exploration to Europe during the War. - She is one of the few "foreigners" who were permitted to visit - prison camps and industrial factories in Germany. It has remained - for this American woman to bring out of Germany some of the most - interesting sidelights. It is a graphic account of the tragedy - which reveals the conditions within the German Empire. Miss Doty - talked with the German women in the factories, the mothers with - their babies, finding everywhere the tragedy of suffering almost - beyond human endurance. The following reminiscences are from - her book: "Short Rations," published by the _Century Company_: - Copyright 1917. - -[15] I--STORY OF WOMAN WHO WANTED TO SELL HER CHILD - -I awoke to find myself in Germany.... Hamburg is a city of sleepers. -Its big hotels, its many stores, its impressive buildings stretch -out endlessly, but within all is still. All that modern industry -and the ingenuity of man can achieve has here been flung upon the -land, and then the force that created it has vanished, leaving these -great monuments to rot, to rust, and to crumble. The tragedy of -unused treasures is as horrible as rows of dead. A city seems visibly -dying.... - -A crowd of children is gathering just below. School is out, and they -are surrounding an object of interest. One or two women join them. -There is no passing populace to swell the throng. We approach and see -in the centre of the crowd of children a woman crouched upon a bench. -She is dirty, ragged, and dark in colouring.... On the ground at her -feet is a baby just big enough to walk. It also is dirty, and possesses -only one ragged garment. The mother sits listless, gazing at her -child. It is evident she is soon to be a mother again. There is great -chattering among the children. I turn to my companion for explanation. - -"The woman wants to sell her child. She says she hasn't anything to -eat. She isn't a German mother. Of course, no German mother would do -such a thing. You can see she isn't good. She is going to have another -baby." - -A school-child gives the toddling baby some cherries. She eats them -greedily. My hand goes to my pocketbook, but my companion pulls me -away. If I bought the baby, what could I do with her on a trip through -Germany?... - - -II--THE SECRET GRIEF OF GERMANY - -But before I leave Germany the spies get on my nerves. What was at -first amusing becomes a nuisance. I feel exactly as though I am in -prison. I acquire the habit of looking out of the corner of my eye -and over my shoulder. These spies are as annoying to their countrymen -as to me. The people detest them. They grow restless under such -suppression. Free conversation is impossible, except behind closed -doors. Between German spies and the spies of other countries supposed -to be at large, public conversation is at a standstill. Everywhere are -signs--"_Soldaten_"--"_Vorsicht bei gespröchen Spionengefahr_."... - -In spite of the concealment of the wounded, the population begins to -understand its loss. One night I went to the station (at Berlin) to -see a big detachment leave for Wilmâ. They had all been in war before. -Their uniforms were dirty and patched. They sat on benches clinging -to a loved one's hand, or stood in listless groups. No one talked. -They were like tired children. They needed food and bed. The scenes of -farewell were harrowing. - -Here was a young boy saying good-by to a mother and three aunts. He -was all they had--their whole life. Here a father saying farewell to a -wife and three sons, all under seventeen. Or a mother in deep mourning -taking leave of her last son, or a young wife with a baby in her arms -giving a last embrace. - -As the train moved out of the station there were no shouts, no cheers, -no words of encouragement. Instead there was a deadly silence. The men -leaned out of windows, stretched despairing hands towards loved ones. -As the train pulled away the little groups broke into strangling sobs. -They were shaken as by a mighty tempest. Paroxysms of grief rent and -tore them. They knew the end had come. A man may go once into battle -and return, but not twice and thrice. Life held no hope. As I came away -I stopped before the big building which conducts military affairs. It -is known as the "House of Sorrow." On its rear wall is posted the list -of dead and wounded.... - -One evening at midnight as I cross the Thiergarten I pass a small -procession of new recruits. Midnight, my friend tells me, is the -favourite hour for seizing fresh food for cannon. There is something -sinister in choosing dark hours, when the city sleeps, for this -deed.... - - -III--A BEAUTIFUL STORY TOLD IN GENEVA - -While in Geneva I visited the Red Cross authorities. This is the -Central Bureau for relief work. It gives aid to the wounded and -prisoners of all the belligerent countries. Many horrible, tragic and -beautiful stories pass through the committee's hands. - -After the war these stories will come to light. At present the rigid -censorship prevents publication, for it is impossible to carry printed -or written material across frontiers. - -But one story told me needed no notes. It became engraven in my memory. -It is the story of an English boy and a German mother. - -I could not secure the letters that passed between these two but their -contents, and the other facts given are here set forth accurately. This -is a true story. - - * * * * * - -The sky was a soft, shining blue. The air was still. The warmth of -summer brooded over the land. But no bird's song broke the stillness. -No bees fluttered over flowers. The earth lay torn and bare. In deep -brown furrows of the earth, hundreds of restless men lay or knelt or -stood. - -The land was vibrant with living silence. But now and again a gigantic -smashing roar broke the tense stillness. Then in some spots, the ground -spit forth masses of dirt, a soldier's helmet, a tattered rag of -uniform, and bits of a human body. - -It was after such a mighty blast that a great winged object came -speeding from the north. It skimmed low over the trenches and dipped, -and circled and paused above the English line. Like a great eagle it -seemed about to rush to earth, snatch its prey, and then be off. But -as it hung suspended, another whirring monster flew swiftly from -the south. It winged its way above its rival, then turning, plunged -downward. The great cannons grew silent. The eyes of the pigmies in -the trenches gazed skyward. A breathless tenseness gripped the earth. -Only sun and sky shone on with no whisper of the mad fight of these two -winged things. - -For a few wild moments they rushed at one another. Then the whirring -bird with wings of white rose high, turned back, and plunged again upon -that other whose wings had huge, black crosses. - -It missed its prey, but there came a cracking sound. A puff of smoke, -like a hot breath, burst from the creature of the iron crosses. It -shuddered, dropped, turned, and fell head down. With sweeping curves -the pursuer also came to earth. A lean, young Englishman sprang from -the whirring engine. His body quivered with excitement. He sped with -running feet to the broken object lying on the ground. He knelt by the -twisted mass. Beneath the splintered wood and iron he saw a boyish -figure. It was still and motionless. He gently pulled the body out. A -fair young German lay before him. A deep gash in the head showed where -a blow had brought instant death. The body was straight and supple, -the features clear cut and clean. A boy's face with frank and fearless -brow looked up at the young Englishman. The eyes held no malice. They -were full of shocked surprise. The brown haired lad felt the lifeless -heart. A piece of cardboard met his fingers. He pulled it from the coat -pocket. It was a picture--a picture of a woman--a woman with gray hair -and kindly eyes,--a mother whose face bore lines of patient suffering. -Scrawled beneath the portrait in boyish hand were the words, "Meine -Mutter." - -A sob choked the young Englishman. Tenderly he gathered the lifeless -form in his strong arms. Then he rose and walked unheeding across the -open field of battle. But no angry bullet pelted after those young -figures. The men in the trenches saw and understood. Behind the lines -the boy lay his burden down. Taking paper and pencil from his pocket -and placing the little picture before him, he began to write. - -When he had finished he placed the letter and portrait in a carefully -directed envelope. Then walking hurriedly to his machine he prepared -for flight. Soon he was whirring low over the enemy trenches. Leaning -out, he dropped his missile. The cannons roared, but no rifle was -turned on that bright figure. Instinctively, men knew his deed was -one of mercy. As the little paper fluttered downward it was picked up -by eager soldier hands. A little cheer broke from a hundred throats. -Willing messengers passed it to the rear. Speedily it went on its way. - -Twenty-four hours later a mother with pale face and trembling hands -fingered the white scrap of paper. Her unseeing eyes gazed out on a -smiling landscape. Between green meadows in the warm summer sunshine -lay the glittering Rhine. But she saw nothing. Her baby boy was dead. -Memories of him flooded her. She felt again the warmth of the baby body -as it clung to hers and the pull of the tiny hands at her breast. She -saw him as a boy, his eager restlessness. She heard his running steps -at the door and his cry of "mother." It was over. That bright spirit -was still. The third and last son had been exacted. Her fingers touched -the letter in her lap. Her eyes fell on the penciled words. Slowly they -took meaning. This boy who wrote: He'd seen the beauty of her son. He'd -lifted the dear body in his arms. His heart was torn by anguish. What -was it he said? - - -IV--WHAT THE GERMAN MOTHER READ ON THE SCRAP OF PAPER - - "'It's your son. I know you can't forgive me for I killed him. But - I want you to know he didn't suffer. The end came quickly. He was - very brave. He must also have been very good. He had your picture - in his pocket. I am sending it back, though I should like to keep - it. I suppose I am his enemy, yet I don't feel so at all. I'd give - my life to have him back. I didn't think of him or you when I shot - at his machine. He was an enemy spying out our men. I couldn't let - him get back to tell his news. It meant death to our men. It was a - plucky deed. We were covered up with brush. He had to come quite - low to see us and he came bravely. He nearly escaped me. He handled - his machine magnificently. I thought how I should like to fly with - him. But he was the enemy and had to be destroyed. I fired. It was - over in a second. Just a blow on the head as the machine crashed to - earth. His face shows no suffering, only excitement. His eyes are - bright and fearless. I know you must have loved him. My mother died - when I was quite a little boy. But I know what she would have felt - if I had been killed. War isn't fair to women. God! how I wish it - were over. It is a nightmare. I feel if I just touched your boy, - he'd wake and we'd be friends. I know his body must be dear to you. - I will take care of it and mark his grave with a little cross. - After the war you may want to take him home. - - "'For the first time, I'm almost glad my mother isn't living. She - could not have borne what I have done. My own heart is heavy. I - felt it was my duty. Yet now when I see your son lifeless before me - and hold your picture in my hand, it all seems wrong. The world is - dark. O Mother, be my mother just a little too, and tell me what to - do.--HUGH.'" - -Slowly great tears rolled down the woman's cheeks. What was this -monster that was smashing men? Her boy and this other, they were the -same. No hate was in their hearts. They suffered--the whole world -suffered. Her country went in hunger. The babies in the nearby cottages -grew weak for want of milk. She mustn't tell that to the English lad. -His heart would break. Why must such suffering be? Was she to blame? -There was the English lad without a mother. She had not thought of him -and others like him. Her home, her sons, her Fatherland, these had been -sufficient. But each life hangs on every other. Motherhood is universal. - - -V--A GERMAN MOTHER TO THE ENGLISH BOY WHO KILLED HER SON - -Suddenly she knew what to write. What she must say to that -grief-stricken English boy. Quickly her hand penned the words: - - "DEAR LAD: There is nothing to forgive. I see you as you - are--your troubled goodness. I feel you coming to me like a little - boy astounded at having done ill when you meant well. You seem my - son. I am glad your hands cared for my other boy. I had rather - you than any other touched his earthly body. He was my youngest. - I think you saw his fineness. I know the torture of your heart - since you have slain him. To women brotherhood is a reality. For - all men are our sons. That makes war a monster that brother must - slay brother. Yet perhaps women more than men have been to blame - for this world war. We did not think of the world's children, our - children. The baby hands that clutched our breast were so sweet, we - forgot the hundred other baby hands stretched out to us. But the - Earth does not forget, she mothers all. And now my heart aches with - repentance. I long to take you in my arms and lay your head upon my - breast to make you feel through me your kinship with all the earth. - Help me, my son, I need you. Be your vision, my vision. Spread the - dream of oneness and love throughout the land. When the war is over - come to me. I am waiting for you.--DEINE MUTTER." - -FOOTNOTE: - -[15] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters in the -original sources. - - - - -FIGHTING "WITH THE RUSSIAN ARMY"--ON AUSTRIAN FRONT - -_The Colossal Struggle of the Slavs_ - -_Told by Bernard Pares, Official Observer with the Russian Army_ - - This is one of the most important narratives in the records of - the War; it is an invaluable witness of the colossal struggle - waged on the Eastern battle front. The author was granted official - privileges awarded to no other non-combatant. He passed through - the first Warsaw Campaign, the crucial battle of Dunajec, and - the Russian retreat. When Germany declared war on Russia, he - volunteered for service and went to Petrograd and Moscow, where - he was appointed official correspondent with the Russian Army, - traveling with the general staff. He later joined the third army - as an attaché. Here he was given written permit by General Radko - Dmitriev to visit any part of the firing line. "We were the advance - guard," he says, "of the liberation of the Slavs ... the retreat of - the army to the San and to the Province of Lublin. We were driven - out by sheer weight of metal ... it was a delight to be with such - splendid men as the Staff of the Russian Army. I never saw anything - base all the while I was with the Army. There was no drunkenness, - everyone was at his best, and it was the simplest and noblest - atmosphere in which I have ever lived." His experiences have been - gathered into a volume entitled, "Day by Day With the Russian - Army," from which the following incidents are retold by permission - of his American publishers, Houghton, Mifflin and Company. - -[16] I--WAR STORIES FROM THE RUSSIANS - -It is wonderful how little effect the war seems to have made on the -body of Russia. On the other hand, the atmosphere of nervous tension -begins to disappear the moment one begins to get really near to the -front. In the Red Cross offices at Kiev I found the same straining -toward the front as elsewhere, only much calmer because these were -people who had a big war work to do. Hospitals meet the eye in the -streets at every turn. - -Once in the train for Galicia it was again the war atmosphere and -simplicity itself. The talk was all of people engaged directly or -indirectly in it. A graceful old lady with a very attentive son was on -her way to get a sight of her husband, one of the generals. A young -officer, whose wound has kept him out of it for three weeks, is on his -way to the front before Cracow. A fresh-looking young man, at first -unrecognisable to his friends with his close-cropped bullet head, -tells how he went on a reconnaissance, how he came on the Austrians, -how their first line held up their muskets and when the Russians had -passed on fired on their rear, how nevertheless practically all came -back safe and sound. It was told with a kind of schoolboy ingenuousness -and without suggestion or comment of any kind on the conduct of those -concerned. Then followed an account of a war marriage, at first put off -and then carried out as quietly as possible. All the friends of every -one seemed to be at the war. - -At the old frontier some of the buildings near the station were wrecked -by artillery fire, and the railway was lined with a succession of solid -hospital barracks, with the local commandant's flag flying over one of -them. There was plenty to eat at the station; and though we moved on -very quickly, every one from our crowded train managed to find a place -in the Austrian carriages, chiefly because every one was ready to help -his neighbour. The corridors jammed with passengers and kits, we moved -on through the typical "strips" of Russian peasant culture, a pleasant -wooded country, passing a draft detachment on the halt which waved -greetings to us. My companion, Mr. Stakhovich, a phenomenally strong -man and imbued by a fine spirit, was talking of the indifference of the -Russian peasant to danger; he regarded it as an indifference to all -sensations; anyhow they go forward, whatever the conditions, as a sheer -matter of course. With the ordinary educated man the mind must be kept -occupied with work if unpleasant possibilities of all kinds are to be -kept out of it; but General Radko Dmitriev, to whom we are going, will -jump up from a meal, however hungry, when there is a chance of getting -under fire. - - -II--IN THE CONQUERED CITY OF LVOV - -We draw up in the great station at Lvov. To the right of us stretch -endless lines crowded with wagons, especially with sanitary trains. In -the lofty passages and waiting-rooms are sleeping troops with piled -muskets, some wounded on stretchers tended by the sisters of mercy who -are constantly on duty here, and a crowd of men, all soldiers, coming -and going. One passed many Austrian prisoners, of whom another enormous -batch was just announced to arrive; and elsewhere a Russian private -explained to me the excellent quality of the Hungarian knapsack, which -he and his comrades had turned into busbies. One man was asleep inside -the rail opposite the ticket office. He did not seem to mind how often -he was awakened. - -In the town everything is quiet, and life goes so naturally that no -one could take it for a conquered city. In the country this might have -been expected because far the greater part of the population is Little -Russian; but in Lvov the Russians are only about 17 per cent. and the -predominant element is the Polish (60 per cent.), the rest being Jews -(20 per cent.) or Germans (3 per cent.). - -Lvov is taking on more of the character of a Russian town. Many of the -Jews have left. The Russian signs over new restaurants, stores, etc., -meet the eye everywhere. Of the Little Russian party which supported -the Austrians, many have now returned and are making their peace with -the new authorities. The Russian soldier is quite at home in Lvov, as -one sees when the singing "drafts" swing past the Governor-General's -palace; the Austrian prisoners in uniform, who are allowed liberty on -parole, seem equally at their ease. Numbers of Russian priests are -pouring into Galicia, but not fast enough for the Uniat villages which -have embraced Orthodoxy; as soon as they arrive, peasants come with -their carts and take them off to their parishes, without waiting for -any formal distribution. The Uniat creed and ritual are practically -identical with the Orthodox, so that the difference between the two -was purely political. At the new People's Palace of Nicholas II, I -saw a number of children, principally from families that had suffered -severely at the hands of Austrian troops, receive Christmas presents -on the day of St. Nicholas, who is the Russian Santa Claus. Archbishop -Eulogius, in a very effective little address, told them that the -biggest Christmas present which they were receiving was the liberty to -speak their own language and worship in their own way in union with -their Russian brothers. - -Starting for the army, I spent a night of strange happening in the -great railway station, as our train was delayed till the morning. At -one time I went, in the frosty night, to look for it at the goods -station, where there were endless rails and wagons, and found it -after a long search. In the big restaurant four little boys made -great friends with me, one of fourteen in uniform and spurs who had -been serving as mounted scout with a regiment at the front, and -one of thirteen who had attached himself in the same capacity to a -battery. Both were small creatures, and the first was a remarkable -little person, with all the smartness and determination of a soldier, -relieved by an amusing childlike grace and courtesy. He said to me in a -confidential voice, "I see you are very fond of little children," and -he ordered with pride lemonade and chocolates for us both. He said the -men at the front could last a week to ten days, if necessary, without -any food but _sukhari_ (army biscuit), so long as they had cigarettes. -His imagination had been caught by the aeroplanes over Peremyshl, -and also by the Carpathians, which he described with an up and down -movement of the hand. He had a great disgust for anything mean and a -warlike pride in the exploits of the soldiers of his regiment. His -model was a boy, now a young man, who had been through the Japanese -War. "If a general comes past," and he made a salute to show the -extreme respect felt for his hero. Many a time in that long night, -while the weary heads of doctors and sisters of mercy were bent in -sheer tiredness against the tables, he would come and sit by me and -ask me to read the war news to him, or to tell him about the English -submarines. He left me with the smartest of salutes in the early hours -of the morning. - - -III--TALES TOLD ON AN ARMY TRAIN - -Our train is an enormous one with endless warm carriages (_teplushki_) -for the wounded. The staff of sanitars and sisters, working for the -Zemstvo Red Cross, live in a spotlessly clean carriage, and there are -special carriages for drugs, stores, kitchen, etc. They are simple and -interesting people, and, as I am now in the Red Cross and have many -interests in common with them, they kindly made me up a bed in their -carriage, where we discussed Russia in all its bearings. - -We carry a group of passengers who have all made friends after the -Russian way. A colonel and his wife are going to fetch the body of -a fallen comrade. Another colonel, a delightfully simple man with -close-cropped hair, thin brown face and bright, clever eyes seems to -know all the Slavonic languages and has much to say of the Austrians. -He has seen twenty of them surrender to a priest and his clerk who -came on them in a wood, made the sign of the cross and told them to -come with them. In another place twenty-two Austrians were captured by -two Russians. The Austrian officers put quick-firing guns behind their -own rifle pits for the "encouragement" of their men, on whom he has -seen them fire. They make their gunners fire every two hours in the -night as a kind of exercise. He has seen them form their men in close -column under fire and march them about up and down along the line of -the Russian trenches. The Austrian artillery seldom takes cover; the -Russian directs its fire on the enemy rather than on his batteries. In -one place, heavy Russian artillery at a range of seven miles demolished -an Austrian field train and two battalions who were lunching in the -square of a small town. He is full of life and confidence, and all that -he says breathes of fresh air and of work. - -Our train made its way through to the furthest point up. We had to stop -several times to let through the ambulance trains already charged with -wounded, which take precedence. We had to go very slowly over several -repaired bridges; and this was no simple matter, as we had twenty-seven -long and heavy coaches. Some of these repairs were complicated pieces -of work, as the bridges were high above the level of the rivers. At -point after point, and especially on the Austrian sides of the rivers, -we passed lines of carefully prepared trenches, and in one place there -was a masterpiece of artillery cover, with every arrangement for a long -stay. - -The damage done by the artillery fire was sporadic--here a smashed -station building, there a town where several houses had suffered. But -there was nothing indiscriminate; and the Polish population, which -showed no sign of any hostility to the Russians, seemed to find the war -conditions livable. - -As in other parts, I was specially struck by the easy relations -existing between the inhabitants, the Austrian soldiers and their -Russian captors. There were exceptions. I had some talk with a few -Austrian Germans from Vienna. They were simple folk and seemed to -have no grudge against the Russians; and the circumstance in their -position which they felt most--they were only taken the day before -yesterday--was that this was Christmas Eve, the "_stille Nacht, heilige -Nacht_" of the beautiful German hymn, and that they were far from home -among strange people. They kept apart as far as possible not only from -their captors but from their fellow prisoners from Bohemia and Moravia. -These last seemed at least quite comfortable, smoking their long pipes -and leisurely sweeping the platforms. They were quite a large company. -They understood my Russian better than my German. When I asked them -how they stood with the German troops, instead of the sturdy "Gut" of -their Viennese fellows, they answered with a slang word and a gesture. -When asked about the Russians, they replied in a quite matter-of-course -way: "We are brothers and speak the same tongue; we are one people." -For any difficulties, the Poles often prove good interpreters. It is -very different for the Austrian captive officers, who often cannot -understand their own men. - -These Czechs confidently assured me that any Russian troops that -entered Bohemia would be welcomed as friends; and they claimed that -not only the neighboring Moravians and Slovaks but also the Croats -further south were to be taken as feeling as they did. The Bohemians -and Moravians seem to be surrendering in the largest numbers of all; -and though the Viennese claimed that large numbers of Russians had also -been taken, I cannot regard as anything but exceptional the enormous -batches of blue uniforms that I passed on the road here. I asked these -men about their greatcoats and was not at all surprised when they said -they felt cold in them. It is nothing like such a practical winter -outfit, whether for head, body or legs, as that of the Russian soldier. - -We came very well over the last part of our journey. I was sorry to -part with the friendly sanitars, who all seemed old acquaintances -by the end of the journey and invited me to take up my quarters -permanently with them. Theirs was more than ordinary kindness, as they -had shared everything they had with me, including their little sleeping -apartment. The bearer company under their orders is all composed of -Mennonites, a German religious sect from South Russia which objects -to war on principle and, being excused military service even in this -tremendous struggle, seems to be serving wholesale as ambulance -volunteers. - -As there were none but soldiers about, these men helped me out with -my luggage; and through the window of the First Aid point in Tarnow -station, I saw another acquaintance waving me a welcome. This is the -last point that the railway can serve; and my friends will go back with -a full burden, which will keep the medical staff busy day and night all -the way. One of my new companions, who has been out to a village to -get milk for the wounded, has seen the shrapnel bursting; and the guns -are sounding loud and clear near the town as I write this. It is here -that the most seriously wounded must be treated at once, as a railway -journey would simply mean death for them. This is brought home to one, -if one only looks at the faces of the workers. Yet with this huge line -of operations, and the assaults which may be made at any point of it, -at any moment the nearest field hospitals may need to send off any -wounded who can be moved without delay. Though the work is being done -with danger all round, less thought is being given to it than anywhere -that I have been yet. - - -IV--CHRISTMAS IN AN AUSTRIAN HOSPITAL - -Christmas Eve: peace on earth and good will toward men. And all through -"the still night, the holy night," the sound that means killing goes -on almost continuously. How can any one say prayers for a world which -is at war, or for himself that is a part of it? May God, who knows -everything, help each of us to bear our part and not disgrace Him, and -make us instruments to the end that He wishes. - -Christmas day I spent in the hospitals. In one ward, at a local -Austrian hospital, and full of wounded, I found that almost every one -of the line of patients was of a different nationality. Going round -the room, one found first a Pole of western Galicia, then a Russian -from the Urals, next a Ruthenian (Little Russian) from eastern Galicia, -next a Magyar from Hungary, and against the wall a young German from -Westphalia. After him came an Austrian-German from Salzburg, a Serbian -from southern Hungary, another Ruthenian, an Austrian-German from -Moravia, an Austrian-German from Bohemia, and a Moravian from Moravia. - -I spent a couple of hours here, talking sometimes with each of the -patients, sometimes with all. The Pole knew only Polish and the -bearded Russian, who had a bad body wound, was too tired to talk much. -Of the Ruthenians one was a frail, white-faced boy from close to the -Russian frontier who seemed, like most of his people, subdued, and -confused with the strangeness of his position in fighting against his -own people; the other was a lumpish boy without much intelligence. The -thin, bearded Hungarian, who knew no German but a little Russian, was -mostly groaning or dozing. The Salzburg Austrian was dazed and drowsy, -but at intervals talked quietly of his pleasant homeland. - -The German stood out from the rest. He was a bright, vigorous boy of -twenty, had gone as a volunteer and was tremendously proud of the -spirit of the German army. He had fought against the French during -four days of pouring rain, mostly in standing water. The Bavarians, -who seemed to have quarrelled with the other troops in that part, were -making war atrociously, he said, knifing the inhabitants, insulting the -women and destroying all that came in their way. He was later moved to -the Carpathians, where one German division fought between two Austrian -ones. They advanced in snow without field kitchens, and were not -allowed to touch the pigs and poultry that they passed. However, they -had enough to eat; and they were hoping to surprise their enemy, when -the Russians fell upon them and left only the remnants of a regiment, -many of the officers also falling. He himself was wounded in both legs, -and was brought here in a cart. - -Every German soldier has a prayer-book and a song-book. They constantly -sing on the march, and find it a great remedy against fatigue. Songs of -Arndt and Körner are very popular, and there is a new version of an old -song, which is perhaps the greatest favorite; it begins-- - - "Oh Deutschland hoch an Ehren, - Du heil'ges Land der Treu." - -and it goes on to speak of the new exploits in east and west. There are -any number of volunteers in Germany; the women are all joining the Red -Cross; and the population is busy with every kind of work for the army; -but when I asked whether the people were keen for the war, he answered -with astonishment, "The people? The people thought that the war was -not to be avoided; but that was at the start; now it is different." -He asked if there were many other Englishmen in Russia, and when I -answered that there were some, he said, to my surprise, "The English -are everywhere, they are a fine people--_nobel_." He also asked me on -the quiet whether, when he was well, he would be sent to Siberia. He -had been told that the Russians were terrible, but had written home to -say that he had found them nothing of the sort. - -Much of our talk turned on the Austrian army. The German said that it -didn't stand firm "unless it was properly led, by Germans." In Bohemia -and Moravia the regiments were mixed, Slavs and Austrian-Germans, and -according to the Moravian soldiers, were constantly quarrelling; all -the officers were Austrian-Germans, and even some of the Hungarian -regiments seemed to be commanded by Germans. The young Serbian spoke -of frequent quarrels and even brawls between Serbian and Hungarian -fellow-soldiers. The great wish of all was that the war should end. -When I said that the end was not in sight, the German exclaimed, -"More misery, more misery;" a second said, "Oh, Jammer, Jammer" -(lamentation), and a third had tears in his eyes. - -In another ward I heard more of the Bohemians. There Prussia is the -antipathy. There appear to be Czech officers only in the reserve. -After the outbreak of war, the Austrians made wholesale arrests -among the educated Czechs, quite apart from party politics, and -were particularly severe on the gymnastic volunteer organizations -(_sokols_), which are popular among all the Slav nationalities of -Austria. The Bohemians had not had time to find their legs under the -new possibilities created by the Russian successes, but the Russian -troops would be sure of a cordial welcome there. The whole of my -informant's regiment had surrendered _en masse_; and even in the -mobilization of 1914, a Prague regiment had refused to march against -Russia and several of the men had been shot. I was told that the -Austrian army was much weaker in reserves than the Russian. - - -V--HOW THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS DIE - -I ended the day at the railway station, where the Russian wounded just -brought in were being attended to while the cannon sounded from time -to time not far off. Several lay on stretchers in the corridors and -others on pallets in the ambulance room, all still in their greatcoats -and with their kits lying beneath them. I had no conversations here; -there was too much pain, one could only sit by the sufferers or perhaps -help them to change their position. First aid had been given elsewhere, -but this was the stage when the wounds seem to be felt most. There was -wonderfully little complaining. Most were silent, except when a helping -hand was needed. One man shot through the chest told me that "By the -grace of God, it was nothing to matter." It was always a satisfaction -to the men that they had been wounded while attacking. A general walked -quickly round, distributing cigarettes, which he put in the men's -mouths and himself lighted. - -In the night the cannonade sounded close to the town, but seemed -farther off again next morning. - -To-day I also went round a hospital with the dressers. The work was -quickly executed, but much of it was very complicated. One does not -describe such scenes, not so much because of the ugly character of -many of the wounds, nor because of the end impending over many of the -patients. To this last the Russian soldier's attitude is simple--_gilt -es dir, oder gilt es mir_. He will speak of it as "going to America," -the undiscovered country. But all these things come to be forgotten -in the atmosphere of work. Here all the resources of life are -going forward in their own slow way, for they can have no quicker, -handicapped and outpaced in their struggle to keep up with the work of -death. - -General Radko Dmitriev is a short and sturdily built man with quick -brown eyes and a profile reminiscent of Napoleon. He talks quickly -and shortly, sometimes drums on the table with his fingers, and now -and then makes a rapid dash for the matches. The daily visit of the -Chief of the Staff is short, because, as the General says on his -return, simple business is done quickly. Every piece of his incisive -conversation holds together as part of a single and clear view of the -whole military position, of which the watchword is "Forward." - -It is only the heavy rains that have saved the retreating Austrians -from further losses. The roads are so broken up and so deep with mud -that any quick movement is impossible. This gives the occasion for a -useful rest. The cold weather--and it is freezing now--will be welcomed -on this side; and the Russian winter kits, which have already been -served out, are immeasurably better than the thin blue greatcoats of -the draggled and demoralized Austrians. - -Numbers of Austrian units are so reduced that they are only shadows -of what they were, and some seem to have disappeared altogether. The -ordinary drafts came in some time ago and are now exhausted--such is -the testimony of Austrian officers. The new Russian recruits, on the -contrary, will join the colors shortly. - - * * * * * - -From the beginning of the war, Bosnians, who are really Serbians, -surrendered in large numbers. Then the Poles began to come in, and now -the Bohemians. The Hungarians are sure to go on to the end; but the -Roumanian and Italian soldiers of Austria have also come over very -easily. In front of Cracow a Russian officer under fire came on a whole -number of Bohemians who were singing the "Sokol" songs and shouted a -greeting as they came into the Russian lines. - - * * * * * - -These wholesale surrenders have, I think, an extremely interesting -political significance. When governments turned the whole people into -an army, it was clear that the army was also being turned into the -people; but it was not clear how the people could express itself when -under army discipline. These surrenders, in their general character -and in their differences of detail, are a picture of the feelings and -aspirations of the various nationalities which are bundled together -under the name of Austria. - - * * * * * - -At this Staff, as at the General Staff, life was very simple. We all -met twice a day for a plain meal without any alcohol; there was plenty -of conversation, but it was that of men engaged in responsible work; -any news from outside was welcome, especially from the western allies, -and there was full appreciation and sympathy for their hard task. - -There was plenty of news from other quarters of the Russian front, -and one could have a much juster and fuller perspective of how things -were going than anywhere behind the army; the two things which stood -out even more here than elsewhere were, on the one hand, the immensity -of the sacrifices which have been asked and are being cheerfully made -by Russia, and, on the other, the sense of quiet confidence as to the -ultimate result. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[16] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters from -original sources. - - - - -THE ROMANCE OF THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION - -_The "Glorious Rascals"_ - -_Told by E. S. and G. F. Lees_ - - The reinstatement by the King of Lieutenant-Colonel John Ford - Elkington in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, after he had served - for twenty-two months with conspicuous bravery in the French - Foreign Legion, has once more drawn attention to this unique - military organization. As the writers of this story show, "La - Légion Etrangère" of our Allies the French is literally steeped - in romance, and it is therefore the romantic side of the heroic - yet often maligned legionaries which they have set forth most - prominently. Practically every man in the corps has a history, if - he could only be induced to tell it, and in the present war the - Legion has covered itself with glory, as shown in this story in the - _Wide World Magazine_. - - -I--STORY OF "THE GLORIOUS BLACKGUARDS" - -Budding novelists in search of ideas for tales of adventure, short -story writers who have come to the end of their stock of episodes, -and all who wield the pen either for amusement or instruction, may be -recommended to turn over the pages that tell the story of the Foreign -Legion. There is a whole literature at their disposal, covering -a period of more than eighty years and written in almost as many -languages as there are nationalities in this remarkable military body, -and it teems from beginning to end with incidents which respond to the -entire gamut of human emotions. - -The Foreign Legion, which in time of peace is composed of between eight -and ten thousand men, but which now probably exceeds the strength of -an army corps, since no fewer than thirty-two thousand odd foreigners -enrolled themselves from August 21st, 1914, to April 1st, 1915, is, -as it were, a microcosm of the world. According to official French -returns, there were in its ranks at the beginning of the war nine -thousand five hundred Alsatians and Lorrainers, fourteen hundred and -sixty-two Belgians, three hundred and seventy-nine English, three -thousand three hundred and ninety-three Russians, four thousand nine -hundred and thirteen Italians, thirteen hundred and eighty Greeks, -five hundred and ninety-one Luxembourgers, nine hundred and sixty-nine -Spaniards, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven Swiss, thirteen -hundred and sixty-nine Austro-Hungarians, one thousand and twenty-seven -Germans, five hundred and ninety-two Turks, six hundred Americans, and -four thousand two hundred and fifty-four of various other nationalties, -including, in all probability, as at the time of the Empire, Poles, -Albanians, Croatians, Illyrians, and negroes. - -In this world-in-little all classes of society are represented--the -prince and the pauper, the scholar and the illiterate, the one-time -brilliant officer, prominent financier, and ecclesiastic. All of them -are brought to a common level with the lowest of the low through -inherent human weakness, some foolish act committed in haste and -repented of at leisure, or else through some misfortune or other over -which the man who is "down on his luck" has no control whatever. - -The social outcast, the deserter, the gambler, the fugitive from -justice, the man who has been crossed in love, the desperate man -who, on second thoughts, prefers the ranks of the Legion to suicide, -the man who has a pure love of soldiering or an inordinate taste for -adventure, the out-and-out failure who has been told by his family to -"make good" and clean off his debt to society--all of them are found -here, living under the shadow of mystery, undergoing the most arduous -life imaginable, and, for the most part, suffering in silence. So -heterogenous are they that the legionaries, quite unjustly, have been -called many ill names. Through the faults of a few, who necessarily -find their way into such an organization, they have all been -indiscriminately labelled with such epithets as "band of criminals," -"degenerates," "troop of dishonoured foreigners," "heartless -mercenaries," and so on. But many sins can be forgiven the soldiers of -the Legion when we read their history aright, and come to understand -their Spartan characters in the hour of trial and danger. And it is for -that reason that, despite their antecedents and shortcomings, they are -now generally known in French military circles as "The Heroic Rascals," -or as "The Glorious Blackguards." - -The Foreign Legion can trace its origin to the days of the Scottish -archers, employed by Charles VII. of France, and to those of the Swiss, -Albanian, Flemish, Walloon, German, Italian, and other mercenaries in -the service of his successors. At the time of the Convention, in 1793, -an appeal was made to the nations of Europe for soldiers, with the -result that several foreign regiments fought with the revolutionary -armies. All these, however, were disbanded at the fall of Napoleon. -When Louis XVIII. came to the throne he created the Royal Foreign -Legion in their place, but they gradually merged into the regular army. -However, after the 1830 Revolution the Foreign Legion was revived, -and ever since they have taken part in nearly every foreign campaign -in which France has been engaged--in the conquest of Algeria, in the -Crimean War, in Mexico, Tongking, Formosa, Madagascar, and Morocco. - - -II--ASYLUM OF BRAVE UNFORTUNATES - -Admission to the Legion is not the result of the efforts of the -recruiting sergeant. All the men are volunteers, and although all -classes and all nationalties are welcome to join they are not unduly -encouraged to do so. There have been cases in which men who have come -to enlist at the military headquarters in Paris have been told of the -disadvantages they would have to encounter, and advised "to think the -matter over seriously" before signing away their liberty for a period -of five years. Yet, almost to a man, they have come back to undergo the -extremely rigorous medical examination--the only examination, by the -way, with which they are troubled. For, as regards their real name and -nationality, no proofs are required. The authorities show no curiosity -whatsoever about a man's past. They take it for granted that he has a -very good reason for wishing to disappear for a while from the society -of his relatives and friends and become merged with others of like mind -in a semi-anonymous body, training, marching, and fighting without -respite. - -The military authorities formerly used to pay the legionaries -the princely salary of a half-penny a day (recently raised to -twopence-halfpenny), and their kit does not even include socks, yet -they are expected to possess sufficient physical vigour to march a -distance of twenty to thirty-two miles, over rocky, slippery ground and -through jungles, in less than eight hours, halting only ten minutes -each hour, and with a load of seventy to eighty pounds. This is a -terrible test of speed and endurance, yet one out of which these men -come, through systematic training, with flying colours, and of which -they are all of them justly proud. "No questions asked, but strict -obedience and iron discipline"--this might be the motto of the corps, -in which such famous soldiers as MacMahon, Canrobert, Chanzy, De -Négrier, Servière, and Villebois-Mareuil have been officers. In spite -of this display of delicacy, however, many a man's story leaks out. He -may be as silent as the Sphinx for years, yet the time comes when his -taciturnity is overcome through some little incident, and his secret, -or part of it, as in a case related by Mr. Frederic Martyn, in his -"Life in the Legion," is out. - -It was during the French campaign in Mexico, says Mr. Martyn, who -himself served for five years in the Legion. A large city having been -captured, the general in command wished to propitiate the inhabitants -by celebrating a spectacular military High Mass in the cathedral. When -all the troops had been assembled, it was found that the clergy had -gone on strike. In the face of this dilemma, the general was just about -to abandon the ceremony when a corporal of the Legion stepped forward -and, saluting, said, "_Mon général_, I was a bishop before I became a -corporal, and I will celebrate the Mass." Another eye-witness of this -incident states that the ex-bishop also offered to preach a sermon, but -the general considered that the Mass alone was sufficient. - -M. Maurer, a former officer in the Legion and now President of the -Mutual Aid Society for former officers, N. C. O.'s, and soldiers of the -foreign regiments in Paris, informed us that he remembered this bishop, -whose fall was due to drink. - -This recalls another ecclesiastical anecdote. At the time of the -Fashoda incident a legionary was drowned at Zarzis whilst attempting -to save a fisherman. His comrades made a coffin out of the only wood -available, some pieces of old packing-cases, on one of which--the -portion, as it happened, which we used for the top--were the words, -"Keep the contents dry." Again no priest was thought to be there to -perform the last rites over the dead, until an Italian private stepped -forward, revealed his priestly identity, and recited the Burial Service -by heart. - - -III--FROM PRINCE TO LEGIONAIRE--THE KAISER'S COUSIN - -The fall from bishopric to the rank and file of the Foreign Legion is -not the biggest social drop on record in the Legion. In 1897 a young -man of twenty-six, who gave his name as Albrecht Friedrich Nornemann, -was accepted for service. After ten months in barracks at Géryville -he broke down under the severe training, was sent into hospital, and -in a few weeks died of phthisis. A day or two later the regiment was -astonished to learn that a German war-vessel had entered the harbour, -entrusted with the astounding mission of fetching the body of Albrecht -Friedrich, cousin-german of Prince Henry of Prussia, and consequently -cousin of the Kaiser, who, having ordered the remains to be brought -back to Hamburg, probably alone knew the prince's secret. - -Six years before this remarkable incident, which is vouched for by -more than one authority, another man of mysterious origin--who, if -he was not actually a prince of the realm, was in all probability of -royal blood on one side--was discovered in a Tongking battalion. A -sergeant and the owner of an illustrious name, since his father was -a general and Minister to a European monarch, it was noticed that he -never received any letters from his father, but that every month the -paymaster handed him a thousand francs which he never failed to share -with his less well-to-do comrades. Why was he there, and what was the -mystery surrounding his birth? was often the mental reflection of -those who enjoyed his friendship and generosity. Only after his death -did they get an inkling of the truth. His military book stated that -his name was V. de S----, son of V. de S----, General of Division and -Minister of War. "There was no mention of his mother's name," said -a superior officer to M. de Pouvourville, who tells the story, "and -there can be little doubt that she was of too illustrious a rank to -acknowledge a son the circumstances of whose birth had placed him -beyond the pale." - -Some excellent stories of life in the Legion were told to the authors -of this article by the above named M. Maurer. - -One of his orderlies was Graf X----, the son of the then Governor of -Brandenburg, but he could never learn in what circumstances this man -had fallen from his high estate. It was different in the case of his -particular chum, a young Englishman of distinguished manners, who spoke -several languages and was an accomplished musician, though the secret -of his life did not come out until several years after M. Maurer had -retired and returned to Paris. One day, when passing the Madeleine, -he saw a splendid equipage, drawn by a pair of magnificent greys, -with silver harness, standing outside the church, and, lo and behold! -sitting in the carriage was his old chum. Hailing him by the name by -which he had always known him, M. Maurer was astonished to see his -friend put his finger to his lips. The next moment he was invited to -enter the carriage, and, with an invitation to dinner, off they drove -to a fashionable restaurant in the Champs Elysees. Over dinner M. -Maurer's former comrade told him his real name and story. A young man -of good family, he had started his career with an excellent position in -the Bank of England. One day, when ten thousand pounds had been slid -into his hands, a sudden temptation came over him, a foolish desire -to have a flutter at "Monte." So he took the earliest opportunity of -leaving London. As was only to be expected, the inevitable happened; -he lost at the tables every penny of the sum he had embezzled. Aware -of the disgrace that awaited him when the theft was discovered, he -enlisted in the Foreign Legion. - -"Now, it is a well-known fact," concluded M. Maurer, "that the sins -of a man who has served his full time in the Legion are wiped off the -slate, and I suppose that something like this must have happened in -the case of my young friend. I have no doubt that his family restored -the money. Anyway, he attained his rehabilitation. He is the bearer -of a very well-known name, and to-day occupies an important--a _very_ -important--post in public affairs in England." - - -IV--THE ROMANCE OF THE EURASIAN - -Another little romance revolving round the life of a legionary, whose -birth was enveloped in mystery, was told some years ago by a British -soldier who served in the Legion. After an engagement at Cao-Thuong, -there was found on one of the dead, sewn in a belt, six British war -medals and a letter addressed to the narrator. Judge of his surprise -when he found that it was in perfect English, of which he had never -for a moment suspected his comrade-in-arms had a knowledge, and -that it contained the statement that the medals had been won by the -writer's father and grandfather in India. His mother, the writer -explained, was a native, and therefore he, as a Eurasian, although born -in wedlock, was ineligible for the British Army. As his tastes were -wholly military, and the greatest desire of his life was to add to his -forebears' collection of medals, he had enlisted in the Legion. - -The mental attitude of the man who regards the Foreign Legion as a _pis -aller_ is a common trait among its members; it is often, indeed, the -last resource of those who have met with life's disappointments. - -There was once an officer of the German army who had invented a new -type of cannon, and could not get its merits recognised, either by his -own country or by France, as rapidly as he would have liked, or receive -prompt remuneration for his work. Straightway, therefore, he went and -joined the Légion Etrangère. Some little time later, in 1895, the -French authorities, waking up to the possibility of the value of the -work of so eminent an engineer, approached him on the subject, but by -then he had become thoroughly soured. He declined to have anything to -do with them, and with the air of one whose genius has been recognised -too late hastily returned to his kitchen, where he had long carried out -the duties of regimental cook. - -In the barracks at Sidi-bel-Abbes, where the most cordial and -frequently rowdy _bonne camaraderie_ reigns, failures in art, science, -literature, and every other walk in life may be found by hundreds. -Special cases like that of the gallant Lieutenant-Colonel Elkington, -who, after being cashiered by general court-martial, joined the Legion -as a simple private at the beginning of the present war and won his -way to distinction, are rare. He was in the thick of the fighting in -the Champagne country, lay for ten months in hospital badly wounded, -and before regaining the confidence of his King and country was -personally decorated with the Médaille Militaire and the Croix de -Guerre by an officer attached to General Joffre's staff. To find an -exact parallel to this instance of reinstatement in the British Army -would be difficult. Among the legionaires, however, there have been -quite a number of men of the type of the American Daly, an artist and -pupil of Gérôme, who lost at Monte Carlo everything his father had -given him to pay for his art training in Europe; scores, too, of such -enigmas as that fine young fellow who joined the Legion in 1893, served -in Tongking, and left in 1898, at the end of his time, when by chance -his superiors discovered that he had been first tenor at the Theâtre de -la Monnaie at Brussels. Not a note had he sung, not a single reference -to music had he made whilst in the regiment! Ah, what stories some of -these ne'er-do-wells, drunkards, comedians, and gentlemen with fine -manners could tell if only they would consent to open their lips! - - -V--WHY GERMANS HATE THE FOREIGN LEGION - -Many of them, of course, have no tale worth telling, and among these -are the deserters from other armies. If we include the Alsatians and -Lorrainers who join to avoid service under the hated German flag, they -form a very big class indeed. Nearly every year more than a thousand -men of the annexed provinces and more than a thousand Germans flocked -to the French standard, with the result that the Legion has always -been disliked and slandered by Germans. We have before us seven -closely-printed pages forming a list of books and pamphlets written -by German writers, who, filled with Pan-Germanist hatred and inspired -by the virulent libels of anonymous scribes, have endeavoured for the -past twenty years to throw mud at a military organization into which so -many of their countrymen escaped. This prompts new thought. If German -soldiers are so glad to join a body in which life is "a veritable hell -upon earth," where men "never taste meat, but only bread and rice," -where they "sleep on the bare ground," where "noses, ears, and fingers -are cut off for the slightest fault," where they are "buried in the -sand to the waist with an iron cage over them filled with hungry -rats"--the last idea was stolen by the German slanderers from Octave -Mirbeau's "Jardin des Supplices"--what must their life in their own -army be like? - -As a matter of fact, many Germans who have served in the Legion have -had, on their return home, nothing but good to say about it, and have -become voluntary recruiting agents for France, hence an increased -bitterness on the part of the Huns. A few years ago deserters from the -German army became so numerous that a society was formed at Munich, -bearing the name "The German Protection Society Against the Foreign -Legion." Several times men were arrested for trying to persuade their -comrades to join the Legion, but they had to be released, as it was -found that they were pure-born Teutons. - -And now let us apply the supreme test and look into the fighting -record of the legionaries. As military experts are agreed that they -are among the finest fighters in the world. Innumerable instances of -their stubbornness can be given, and it is the quality which has made -them, time after time, invaluable as a "stiffening" whenever it has -been considered necessary to draft a number of soldiers of the Legion -into a regiment of less experienced troops. "The most pusillanimous of -them," said an old French officer, who had seen much service in Africa, -to us, "will hold out to the death when side by side with a legionary -and inspired by his superb courage." - -One of the feats of the Foreign Legion was the taking of Son-Tay on -December 16th, 1883, a square brick _citadelle_ protected by a hundred -cannon, a moat five yards wide, and hedges of bamboo, and defended -by twenty-five thousand men--ten thousand Chinese regulars, ten -thousand Black Flags, and five thousand Annamites. As an example of -pure bravery, look at the thirty-six days' siege of Tuyen-Quan, which -in 1885 was held by six hundred legionaries against twenty thousand -Chinese. Few celebrated sieges have attained and none surpassed in -horror what took place there. On the occasion of the Camerone affair, -in Mexico, sixty-five legionaries, without food or shelter, in an open -court and under a tropical sun, held in check for more than ten hours -two thousand enemies, three hundred of whom they killed. The word -"Camerone" is embroidered on the flag of the Foreign Legion, and if -you go to the Invalides you will see on one of the walls, in letters -of gold, the names of the three officers who directed that handful of -heroes, with the date of the fight: "Lieutenant Vilain, Sub-Lieutenant -Mandet, and Captain Danjou; April 30th, 1863." - - -VI--FRANCE'S TRIBUTE TO THE LEGION - -The bravery of the Foreign Legion has been so conspicuous that on -February 16th, 1906, M. Eugène Etienne, then Minister of War, proposed -that the flag of the 1st Foreign Regiment be decorated with the Legion -of Honour, "in recognition of the acts of devotion, courage, and -abnegation which a troop, ever on a war footing, renders to the country -in the defence of its Colonial possessions." This was done, and at the -Invalides, in a special case, can be seen an old flag of the regiment -bearing the date September 24th, 1862, a flag which had been retaken -from the enemy, and on the staff of which hangs the Cross of the Legion -of Honour, the finest tribute which France can pay to the glorious -deeds of the Foreign Legion. - -During the present war a further distinction has been granted the -marching regiment of the Legion. Authority has just been given the men -to wear the _fourragère_, or braid, over the left shoulder. The flag of -this regiment had already been decorated with the Croix de Guerre. - -The latest recorded exploit of this gallant corps was the capture, -at the point of the bayonet, of a fortified village strongly held by -the enemy. The men of the Legion held out so vigorously that all the -enemy's counter-attacks were beaten off, and seven hundred and fifty -German prisoners were sent to the rear. - -The British residents in Paris and other parts of France who -volunteered for service in the French army and trained at the Magic -City in 1914 were drafted into the Foreign Legion, and the survivors -have reason to be proud of their old corps. - -But the complete history of the doings of the Legion during this war -can only be written some time hence. Suffice it to say, in addition -to the above facts, that they have been mentioned in army orders no -fewer than three times--a distinction not won by any other French -regiment. At one time, during the Champagne campaign, they advanced -eighteen kilomètres into the enemy's front, and if only there had been -reinforcements to back them up there is no doubt a great victory would -have been won. The many personal heroic deeds, too, necessitate names -and details which will not yet pass the Censor's scrutiny. But one -incident, in conclusion, perhaps we may mention, as recorded to us by -M. Maurer. - -"One of my former men, an Alsatian peasant of the lowest type, speaking -only of his own _patois_ and unable to read or write, came to Paris -after serving fifteen years in the Foreign Legion. I was instrumental -in getting him a place in a public wash-house, where he drew a handcart -for the sum of four francs a day, which, by the by, he promptly spent -in drink as soon as it was handed to him. As soon as war was declared -he was off again to his _métier_. He returned on leave after ten months -in the trenches, and came to see me. Judge of my surprise when I found -he had become a sub-lieutenant, wearing the Croix de Guerre and Croix -Militaire with the three palms! Still unable to speak more than a dozen -words in French he explained in his dialect, when I inquired what he -had done to acquire such distinctions, that he had killed fifty-two -Boches in the most dramatic circumstances. Night after night he had -slipped out of his trench, and like a snake in the grass crawled across -'No Man's Land' to the enemy's listening-posts, which are invariably -under the charge of experienced officers and picked men. He did his -work silently and expeditiously--with a knife. A terrible but true -anecdote of this relentless war!" - - - - -ADVENTURES OF WOMEN WHO FACE DEATH ON BATTLEGROUNDS - -_Little Stories of Woman's Indomitable Courage_ - - This is a group of little tales of brave women--direct from the - battlefields. They are but typical of the noble deeds of the - mothers and daughters of all nations throughout the war. It has - been estimated that forty thousand women have fought in the - armies--thousands of them in soldiers' uniforms. The first three - stories told here are from the _New York American_, and the fourth - is from the _New York World_. - - -I--STORY OF ENGLISHWOMAN WHO RISKED LIFE ON RUSSIAN BATTLEFRONT - -Mrs. Hilda Wynne has youth, beauty, wealth and fascination--she cast -them all into the great pool of the war in Europe, and added bravery to -them--a limitless bravery. She wears the Croix de Guerre, the gift of -France. King Albert of Belgium decorated her with the Order of Leopold, -and Russia honored her with the Order of St. George. These rare -distinctions she won by unique service. She drove her ambulance between -the first trenches. Back and forth she went, driving her automobile -at furious pace with the fire pouring upon her from the allies on one -side and the Germans on the other, but a mile separating them. Her -unit worked between the first trenches, the only workers permitted -to operate on this danger line. Mrs. Wynne and her organization, the -Bevan-Wynne Unit, have saved more than 25,000 lives of wounded that but -for her speedy aid would have been lost. She then came to America for -the specific purpose of interesting Americans in the needs of Russian -soldiers. - -_Told by Hilda Wynne, herself_ - -I have looked into the eyes of death and seen there many things. - -Looking upon the human carnage I have witnessed, from this distance and -in the little breathing space I have taken from service to make you -Americans know the Russians and their needs better, I testify that I -have seen thousands of heroic acts, but the bravest act happened on the -Russian front. - -I saw two aviators go up to certain death. They were a Russian and a -Frenchman. Both were little men. They went up to meet twenty German -aeroplanes. It was suicidal. But they had been ordered to go--and -theirs was the spirit of the gallant six hundred. I stood near them as -they made ready to go. They said nothing. That is one of the lessons -you learn in war--not to waste time nor words. - -They got their machines ready as a rider tests his saddle straps and -stirrups before starting for his morning gallop through the park. -A little pothering and fixing of the machinery and they had gone. -They went straight up and began blazing away at the German planes. I -watched and the cords of my heart tightened, for the German planes, -looking like great gray birds with wings wide spread, came closer -and closer. They surrounded them. They formed a solid double circle -about them. Then they began to fire. And I turned and covered my eyes -with my hands, for out of that solid, ominous group two dots detached -themselves and fell. A few seconds later what had been aeroplanes were -splintered wood and what had been men a broken mass covered by smoking -rags. - -While this was the bravest act I saw in two and a half years on the -firing line, I readily recall the most pathetic. It was the second -line of men in the Russian trenches. They were unarmed soldiers. There -were no guns for them. They took their places there expecting that the -man in front might drop, and the second line man could pick up his gun -and take his place. The reports that some of the Russian soldiers have -desperately fought with switches I have no doubt is true. - -I have seen many of the allies die. They all die bravely. At Dixmude -when the fusiliers arrived 8,000 and went out 4,000 there was -magnificent courage in death. The Frenchman dies calling upon his God. -The Englishman says nothing or feebly jests; just turns his face to the -wall and is still. The Russian is mystic and secretive. The Russian -lives behind a veil of reserve. You never fully know him. In the last -moments you know by his rapt look that his soul is in communion with -his God. - -One of the deepest, unalterable truths of the war is the German power -of hatred. It is past measuring. An example occurred at Dixmude. When -we had been there three days we were driven out. I took my car filled -with the wounded across a bridge just in time. A second after we had -crossed there was a roar, then a crash. A shot had torn the bridge to -pieces. Three weeks later to our hospital was brought a wounded German. - -"I know you," he said. "We nearly got you at the bridge at Dixmude." - -"I remember," I said. - -That man's eyes used to follow me in a strange way. Build no beautiful -theories of his national animosity disappearing, or being swallowed -up in his gratitude. There was no such thought in his mind. The eyes -said: "I wish I had killed you. But since I didn't I wish I might have -another chance." - -This after I had driven away a group of zouaves who had taken -everything from him, including his iron cross, and who were debating -whether to toss him into the canal then or that night. - -It is quite true that the Germans fire upon hospitals. Don't believe -any disclaimers of such acts. There have been many of them. The -aeroplanes were circling about and above a rough hospital we had -constructed and we had to leave it in a hurry. We told the patients of -their danger and hurried them into ambulances to take them to a safer -spot. One of the patients was a German. Both his arms had been shot -away. He was in great pain. I went to his cot and offered to help him. - -"Lean on me," I said. But he turned upon me a baleful look. - -"No," he said, staggering to his feet. His tormented body reeled as he -made his way to the door. "No," he repeated. "I will take no help from -the enemy." - -It is true that a shell has burst at my feet. It has happened dozens -of times. That isn't alarming. If it burst a few feet away I should be -killed. Shells glance down and under the ground. That saves one if he -is near it. A shell bursting near one is a commonplace in war. - -The shells have a disturbing way about them, more disturbing to -your plans than your equanimity. Shells prevented my having a nice -comfortable illness. In southern Russia one can get little to eat. -Coarse black bread is the chief food. It causes unpleasant disorders. -I, afflicted with one of them, arranged a table in the corner of -my tent. I placed remedies on the table, undressed and turned in, -intending to have a cozy illness of a few days. But as I lay there came -an angry buzzing. A shell hissed through, carrying away a corner of my -tent. That ended my illness. I had no more time to think of it. - -The greatest peril I encountered was not from shells. I have said that -one becomes used to them. One of the greatest dangers I faced was on -a dark night drive along a precipice in the Caucasus. It was while -the plan to bring troops through Persia to Russia was expected to be -successful. I went ahead with some ambulances. It was necessary to -take two Russian officers across the mountain. I offered my services. -The road was an oddly twisting one. On one side was a high wall, on -the other a precipice whose depth no one calculated. But as I allowed -myself to look into it at twilight I could see no bottom to it. We -started on the all night drive at dusk. The precipice remained with us, -a foot away, most of the distance. Had my car skidded twelve inches the -story would have been different. - -Then, too, I wandered once within the Turkish lines, mistaking them for -our own. But amidst a courteous silence I was allowed to discover my -mistake and escape without harm. - -I think I owe my opportunity to do my bit, in the way I have, to the -fact that I arrived in Flanders a few hours before the fight and the -officers were too busy to send me back. I had seven automobiles, -and knew how to use them. I took them to Dixmude and offered the -automobiles and my services to the cause. I established headquarters -at Furnes, which is seven miles from Nieuport, eight from Dixmude and -twenty from Ypres. I drove along the Yser Canal to the parts of the -field that were under the heaviest fire, for there, I knew, my cars -and I would be most needed. For a year I worked for the relief of the -wounded of the French armies. Then I went to Russia, where I found the -need of help and the sacrifice of life because of lack of that help, -almost inconceivable. The French armies have 6,600 ambulances. The -Germans have 6,200. Russia, with a firing line of 6,000 miles has but -600 motor ambulances. - -I established dressing stations in the mountains. Some of these were -10,000 feet above the sea level. There, on the canvas stretched between -two horses, the wounded were brought, or so they started. For many of -them died in the long journey, every step of which was torture to a -wounded man. - -The most exciting experience I ever had was on the Galician border. -We could approach the battle line only along the Tranapol road, which -ran for fifteen miles directly under German guns. I was speeding along -it with an ambulance full of wounded soldiers when a shell struck the -roadside and exploded, tearing a great hole in the earth fifty feet -away. The concussion stopped us. Then we went on. I travel on my luck. -Some time, I suppose, I shall travel too far. - -I have given all my fortune to the work. That is what we should -do--give not what we can afford, but all we have. - - -II--STORY OF THE "SPY-TRAPPERS" OF ENGLAND WHO CAUGHT CARL LODY - -Everybody has heard of the tremendous ramifications of the German -military spy system, which had every move of England's army and navy -under observation, every gun emplacement mapped out and knew every -order given to the army before it reached the subordinate officers. - -Englishmen were powerless to shake off this spy danger, which -penetrated into every branch of national life, but English women took -up the matter, brought the most dangerous spies to trial, put the -others under armed guard and in various other ways made the lives of -spies and suspected spies a burden to them. - -They have proved that women are the only efficient "spy trappers." The -leaders of the undertaking are women of title, for they alone would -have the authority, means and prestige to carry out such a difficult -and far-reaching work. - -The organizer and "chairman" of the committee that has been rounding up -the spies is Lady Glanusk, wife of a peer and officer, a woman of keen -mind and very determined, yet tactful personality. Other members are -the Duchess of Wellington, who is president; the Duchess of Beaufort, -the Duchess of Sutherland, the Marchioness of Sligo, Countess Bathurst, -the Countess of Lanesborough, Viscountess Massereene and Ferrard, -Viscountess Combermere, Viscountess Cobham, Lady Vincent, Lady Leith of -Fyvie, Mrs. Harold Baring and others. - -Among them are some of the most notably beautiful women in English -society and others who are distinguished by their winning personality. -Perhaps the most striking beauty is the Viscountess Massereene and -Ferrard, whose husband is the chief of a celebrated Irish family. -Equally attractive in her way is the young Duchess of Sutherland, whose -husband is the largest landowner in Scotland and the United Kingdom. - -Another member of the committee noted for her beauty is Mrs. Harold -Baring, who was formerly Miss Marie Churchill, of New York. Her husband -belongs to the famous English banking family that possesses four -peerages. Lady Leith of Fyvie, is another American born member. She was -Miss Marie January, of St. Louis. Womanly intuition and womanly guile -exercised by these attractive "spy trappers," on many social occasions, -have led many Germans to make admissions they would never have made to -a man. - -Before the war thousands of Germans were in positions of trust in -England, ranging from heads of banks down to such positions as butlers -in prominent English families and headwaiters in leading hotels. Many -people believe that German butlers in the employ of British Cabinet -ministers and British generals have been the most important agents -for conveying military information to the enemy. Standing silent and -discreet behind their employers and their guests at the table, they -listened to many military secrets and they also had other opportunities -for gathering information. - -One of the fair members of the committee dined one evening at the house -of an English general with a small party of persons highly placed in -military and official life. When the general joined the ladies in the -drawing room after dinner the fascinating "spy trapper" drew him aside -and said: - -"General, before I go, I want you to arrest your butler and search his -belongings. He is a German spy," she said. - -"But Lady ----," said the general in amazement, "he has been with me -for ten years. The man is an excellent butler." - -"No doubt," said the lady, "but he is also an excellent spy. Never -speak to me again if I am wrong." - -The butler's room was searched and many notes of an incriminating -character were found. The lack of positive evidence that he had sent -information to the German Government saved his life, but he was sent to -prison with a host of other German spies. - -It is generally understood that Carl Hans Lody, the German spy executed -in the Tower of London, was brought to trial through the efforts of the -women's committee, although the members disclaim the achievement. - -Lody was an officer of the German naval reserve who had resided some -years in the United States, married and deserted his wife there. He -was engaged for a time as an agent of an English tourist agency in -America, work which gave him an excellent opportunity for watching -military preparations. - -Last August he obtained an American passport from the American Embassy -in Berlin, under the name of Charles A. Inglis, of New York, American -citizen. He went to England with instructions to obtain information -concerning the movements of the English fleet for the German Government. - -In the disguise of an American tourist, he visited the principal -seaports of the United Kingdom. While he was viewing the romantic -scenery in the vicinity of Edinburgh, an attractive member of the -ladies' committee made his acquaintance. Under the influence of -sympathetic society Lody became more communicative than discretion -warranted. - -Behind the superficial American accent the natural German accent -revealed itself in the warmth of confidence. A few days later, Lody -was arrested and letters, which he had written to Germany, giving -information concerning English naval movements and which had been -seized in the mails, were produced. - -Lody admitted that he was acting as a spy. After a short trial he was -condemned to be shot in the old Tower of London. He met his fate very -bravely. - -The "ladies' committee" has hunted down all German headwaiters and -waiters employed in the principal English hotels and restaurants and -caused them to be removed to detention camps. These men, owing to the -peculiar character of their work, enjoyed an excellent opportunity for -meeting persons of all the important classes of society, and in the -free expansion that ordinarily takes place at the table all kinds of -confidences were exchanged within their hearing. - -Many Germans of high social position and great wealth, some of them -naturalized British subjects, have been pursued by the relentless -"ladies' committee." Professor Arthur Schuster, a born German, but a -naturalized Englishman, was surprised at his luxurious country seat, -when a band of detectives descended on him and seized his private -wireless apparatus. - -Lady Glanusk explained to the correspondent of this newspaper some of -the aims and labors of the committee. - -She has turned the drawing and reception rooms of her fine house, at -No. 30 Bruton street, Mayfair, into offices for the committee. - -"Owing to the fact," said Lady Glanusk, "that no serious effort has -been made by our menkind to round up the 73,000 alien enemies in our -midst, I felt the call to start a protest by women, as it is women who -are the greatest sufferers by war. My husband and two sons are fighting -at the front and thousands of women can say very much the same. - -"Ten days after I issued my appeal to the women of England I had formed -my committee with the definite object that all alien-born enemies, -whether German, Austrian or Turk, of military age, be forthwith -interned, whether naturalized or not. Other alien enemies above -military age or under should be removed at least twenty miles from the -coasts and kept under surveillance. - -"I consider that women as spies and decoy ducks are more dangerous than -men. - -"To such an extent have the women of England been roused that in the -first couple of weeks more than 200,000 signatures to the petition to -be presented to Parliament were obtained. - -"Alien enemies, Germans and Austrians particularly, were spread all -along the coast towns and it was impossible to know whether or not -they were in constant communication with the enemy. For my part, I -would like to see as many as possible of these 'useless non-combatants' -dumped right onto German soil. It would be amusing to think of the -embarrassment of the German authorities having to find food and shelter -for something like 70,000 fresh mouths. Another trouble is the shameful -favoritism shown to wealthy and highly placed Anglo-Germans while their -humbler compatriots are interned without ado. - -"Out of the petition of protest has grown what we have named 'the -anti-German League,' by which it is resolved that no member will employ -or sanction the employment of any German or alien enemy. Members will -further refuse to deal with any shops or establishments selling any -German or alien enemy goods. As the members of our committee are highly -influential people the movement should be effective and will continue -for several years. Further, no pains will be spared to improve the -usefulness of British hotel waiters and other hotel and restaurant -employees. - -"If every British woman will realize that it is shameful and -treacherous to give financial help to the Germans there will be no -future need to protect the public from this alien peril, for the German -Empire will never be in a position to menace us again, for war cannot -be waged except by a commercially flourishing nation." - -Lady Glanusk is a typical Englishwoman, full of energy, go and spirit. -She is tall and stately, with a beautiful complexion. She received the -American correspondent cordially and with a friendly grasp of the hand. - -During the interview Mr. Joynson-Hicks, Member of Parliament, and just -recently appointed Chairman of the Unionist Parliamentary Committee -lately formed to inquire into this alien enemy question, was present, -as was also Lord Euston, heir to the Dukedom of Grafton. - - -III--STORY OF DAUGHTERS OF ENGLISH NOBILITY WHO WORK IN TRENCHES - -Many beautiful girls of the most delicate breeding have gone to the -front to nurse the wounded--to see the worst horrors of this most -horrible of wars. - -It must not be assumed that they have merely gone to the base hospitals -to attend to the wounded soldiers brought to them from the front and -carried to them through the dangerous area. Some at least have gone -right to the trenches into the midst of the inferno of bullets and -shells and poisonous gases, where the air is filled with the groans of -the dying and the stench of the unburied dead and where the very soil -trembles from the force of the new and devilish explosives that reduce -humanity to a pulp. - -The sights that these delicately reared girls must witness can only be -hinted at. Many strong men have turned sick at the same experience, -and even veteran soldiers are only able to endure their surroundings -by smoking the strongest kind of tobacco. How the spoiled darlings of -society will come through their terrible experience must be one of the -most interesting problems of the war. - -One of the most strikingly beautiful girls at the front is Miss Gladys -Nelson, daughter of Sir William and Lady Nelson, who have a house noted -for its art treasures in Hill Street, Mayfair, the most aristocratic -quarter of London. - -Sir William Nelson is a great railroad magnate, having large -enterprises of this character in the colonies and other parts of the -world. He is probably one of the wealthiest men in the United Kingdom. -He has two sons in the army, and four daughters married to army -officers. His only unmarried daughter, Miss Gladys, determined that she -would not do less for her country than any of her family. - -Miss Nelson is the purest and most refined type of English beauty. -She is tall, lithe and athletic, with beautiful golden hair and a -very delicate, fair complexion. This exquisite daughter of millions -is actually running a motor ambulance from the trenches in the North -of France to the base hospital. She helps to carry the poor wounded -soldiers in her car back of the firing line and then drives them to -the base hospital. She has been repeatedly under fire and runs the -risk of being killed almost daily. She was within the firing zone when -the Germans first began their use of poisonous gases, and it was only -because she had a full load of wounded in her car that she moved to the -rear before the deadly fumes reached her. - -All the risks of death and injury, however, would seem to be less of -an ordeal to a woman of sensitive nerves than the sights she must -constantly witness. The bodies of dead and wounded have been turned -black, green and yellow, so that they become in many instances a -caricature of humanity. - -Then so furious is the fighting and so difficult the work of attending -to the wounded that the dead have often been left unburied for days. -The wounded are often terribly mangled and sometimes left to lie in the -dirt for hours or even days before the ambulances can find them. Before -they can be relieved at all their clothes and boots may have to be cut -from them, and in this process very often large masses of flesh come -away with the garments. These and other services are rendered by the -women ambulance workers. - -The exquisite Miss Gladys Nelson has been doing her share in this -terrible work, and, according to last accounts, doing it very -creditably. Will she come through the ordeal a stronger and nobler -character or will she break down under it? - -One of the bravest English nurses is Miss Muriel Thompson, of the First -Aid Yeomanry Corps. She belongs to a well-known English family. She is -a pretty girl of robust physique. She has been right up to the trenches -in one of the worst centres of carnage in the whole field of war. Many -badly wounded Belgians, who had no hope of medical attention from -their own forces, were carried by Miss Thompson from the firing line. -King Albert of Belgium presented to her on the battlefield a medal for -bravery. - -The beautiful Marchioness of Drogheda, a young matron of the highest -aristocracy, is nursing the wounded in a houseboat on the Yser River, -in Belgium, where some of the most terrible fighting of the whole -war has occurred. This is the spot where the Germans put forth their -greatest force in the West last October to break down the allied lines -and reach the English Channel. - -The Germans in their advance either killed the Belgian inhabitants or -at least drove them out and destroyed their homes. The allies in their -anxiety to stop the Germans flooded the country and destroyed hundreds -more Belgian homes. The world has never seen a more pitiful and -death-strewn waste than this once very populous and prosperous region. - -The Marchioness of Drogheda and some other English women are laboring -among the wounded and starving on the Yser, within sound of the guns to -relieve some little part of the unspeakable misery. - -Two of the most noted beauties of the British aristocracy are in -training to act as war nurses. One of them is Lady Diana Manners, -daughter of the Duke of Rutland and sister of the former Lady Marjorie -Manners, whose heart affairs have been of so much interest to the world. - -Lady Diana is one of the most charming, dainty and sprightly girls in -the liveliest set of fashionable society. To think of such a girl amid -the blood, dirt and horrors of trench warfare gives one the greatest -shock of all. It has not yet been decided where Lady Diana will take up -her duties in the war area, but her friends say that her spirit is so -great that she will go to the most dangerous places that any woman has -yet ventured to. - -Another beautiful girl of equal social prominence who has been training -as a war nurse is Miss Monica Grenfell, daughter of Lord Desborough, -one of the most noted sportsmen in England. - -In the earlier stages of the war considerable adverse comment was -excited by the numbers of society women who forced themselves through -their influence with high officials into the fighting area, where they -were not fitted to be of help and were often a serious hindrance. - -This evil has now been nearly eliminated. With a growing sense of the -awful seriousness of the war the most frivolous of society women have -become subdued. Under the direction of such masterful men as General -Kitchener and General Joffre the army officers and other officials have -refused to allow any women, however highly connected, who were actuated -merely by curiosity, to proceed to the front. - -Only women qualified to nurse and belonging to a recognized war nursing -organization are now allowed to go near the fighting area. - -At one time criticism was excited by the sight of Lady Dorothy -Fielding, the twenty-year-old daughter of the Earl of Denbigh, standing -among a group of admiring French and Belgian officers at the front. It -was assumed that a girl of such an age and such training could only be -a hindrance among the fighting men, and it was even hinted that she was -addicted to flirting. - -Whatever she may have been at first, the young Lady Dorothy has now -changed all opinions of her and become a real heroine. With training -and experience now lasting for months she has become a most valuable -as well as courageous nurse in rescuing and caring for the wounded. -Naturally a strong girl and accustomed to athletic sports, she has -shown herself peculiarly fitted for this kind of work. - -Many ladies of rank interested in the wounded have lately shown their -good sense by not trying to go to the fighting area. The handsome and -skittish Duchess of Westminster, who excited some attention at first by -bustling around among the soldiers in France has now gone to Serbia, -where there is the greatest need of Good Samaritans. The hospital -founded by her at Le Touquet, near Paris, has done good work. - -The condition of Serbia is such that any women who ventures there must -see the extremes of human misery. The whole country has been turned -into a charnel house by the invading Austrians, followed by the still -more terrible typhus fever. Men, women and children are dying of -disease without being able to find a bed to lie on or a roof to cover -them. - -One report stated that young Lady Paget had died while nursing typhus -patients in Serbia. Her mother is the well-known American Lady Paget, -wife of General Sir Arthur Paget, and the daughter is married to a -distant cousin, named Sir Richard Paget, British Minister to Serbia. -Later news came that young Lady Paget had not died of the fever, but -she is passing through scenes of horror that have not been known in -Europe for three centuries. - - -IV--STORY OF A NEW YORK MOTHER WHO SOUGHT HER SON IN THE TRENCHES - -Paul Planet was sailing away from New York and from the mother he -adored to fight under the colors of France. - -Other women--mothers, wives, sisters, sweethearts--pressed forward. -They also gazed tearfully after the slowly receding steamer. - -The girlish figure with the great brown eyes and firm, resolute mouth, -stood motionless. - -"Paul," she murmured. "He is my only child--my boy!" - -Weeks passed--months. - -Paul Planet's regiment was at the front. He had learned what it -means to look death in the face, to live in the trenches, to see the -horrors and devastation of war. He had fought and fought bravely, and -experienced no regrets save one--that he must be separated from his -mother. - -"We have always been more like chums than mother and son," he confided -to his comrades. "Since my earliest recollection until now we have -never been separated." - -But when he drew forth a small picture from over his heart and said -it was a likeness of the mother for whose loneliness he sighed, his -friends ridiculed his statement. - -"Your sweetheart," they said, "or perhaps your sister. But never, never -ask us to believe that the likeness is of your mother." - -"She is always young--always beautiful--to me she will never grow old," -declared the young soldier. But after that he did not show the picture -again. - -In far away New York the fair young mother of so stalwart a son -learned, as months rolled by, what it means to watch and wait, to -tremble at the sound of the postman's ring lest it be the harbinger -of ill news; to live, day by day, in a state of suspense and agony -bordering upon despair, and to envy every mother she saw whose son -walked by her side. - -Then she, too, sailed for France. - -"I must find my boy," she told those who sought to dissuade her from -undertaking the trip. - -For nearly a year had passed and no word had been received from Paul -Planet. His name had not appeared in the lists of dead and missing, yet -of his whereabouts his mother could learn nothing. - -She applied to the officials at the Army Headquarters in Paris for -information or assistance in locating her son. Her efforts were -fruitless. Passports she received to certain sections of the country -where the family name was known and where she had relatives or friends -to visit or business to transact, but no permission was accorded her to -leave the train at any intermediate point nor to visit a military camp. - -Day after day Mme. Planet planned and schemed how she might find her -boy. She made journey after journey in the vain hope that chance might -bring her near him. Her aged mother now accompanied her. - -"It will be a miracle if you ever find him," declared the elder woman -as they looked forth upon miles of devastated country through which -long lines of trenches intersected. Everywhere madame's inquiry met -with the same discouraging reply. Paul Planet, the young soldier in the -automobile service, might be in one of any number of places. Even if -located it would be impossible for madame to visit him. - -The train in which madame was travelling drew up at a siding near the -ruins of what had once been a small village. Several troop trains sped -by. Slowly the sidetracked train pulled forward toward the main tracks -again. Madame, restless and anxious, crossed the compartment and peered -from the window. The next instant a startled exclamation escaped her -lips. - -"What is it?" asked her mother. - -With frantic haste the younger woman turned and commenced to collect -their travelling bags. - -"I have found Paul," she whispered. "We must leave the train at the -next station." - -Now, all that day Paul Planet, for some strange psychological reason -which he could not have explained, had felt conscious of his mother's -nearness. Yet she was in New York, he reasoned and fear smote his heart -lest sickness or accident had befallen her. - -"Rest--for two hours." - -Down along the marching line of soldiers the order was repeated. Planet -heard it and fell out with alacrity. He heard himself detailed for -temporary duty with a corporal's guard to unload automobile trucks. A -troop train rushed by and a waiting passenger train pulled slowly out -from a siding. - -Planet glanced up. From the window of the latter train a face looked -forth--a hand waved. Was he dreaming? Surely that was his mother's -face he had seen! He dashed forward. The face was very distinct now. -Impulsively he laid his finger across his lips as his mother had been -wont to do when, as a child, she had desired him to remain silent. If -the face at the window was that of his mother they must be discreet or -she would never be permitted to join him. - -"My mother was on that train," he confided to the soldier beside him. -The man laughed. - -"Impossible," he exclaimed. "You have seen a vision." - -But Paul Planet had not seen a vision. Two miles further on, when the -train had come to a halt at the little village station, Mme. Planet -almost pulled her protesting mother of seventy down the steps. The -guards also protested. - -"Your passports, madame? Where are your passports?" they asked. - -"My passports?" she repeated. "Oh, monsieur, I am so excited I do not -know. There are passports there--papers--anything you want--in that -bag." - -Madame was so charming--the name of Planet was so well known--that the -bag remained at the station, unopened, and the clever French-American -mother hurried off in search of her supposed friends. - -She found them down along the railroad. A little squad of uniformed men -unloading automobile trucks. - -"Vive la France!" she cried. "Vive la France!" and all the while her -brown eyes were gazing hungrily, eagerly into the equally brown orbs of -her son. It would not do to single him out from the others. To do so -might result in difficulties for him and for her. - -The two hours' rest was lengthened to six. Still the detachment waited -by the roadside. Still madame and her mother waited. - -Again the former's ready wit came to their aid. Madame was so -distressed! The friends she had expected to find in the village had -gone away. There was no place for herself and her mother to dine. Would -the soldiers be so kind--so generous---- - -The soldiers would. They hospitably provided a tent for madame and her -mother. It might be two days, the officers told them, before another -passenger train stopped at that station. Madame, overjoyed, resigned -herself to Providence and basked in the sunshine of her son's presence. -The ban of secrecy had been lifted now. Their relationship was made -known and pocket kodaks drafted into service as the troops were -breaking camp. - -"I will have the pictures developed when I reach Paris," said madame -as she once more clasped her boy in her arms. "I have seen you again -and I am content. That two hours' respite by the roadside that resolved -itself into a two days' encampment was a special dispensation of -Providence." - -"It was a miracle, mother," declared the son. "There have been miracles -all through this war. That you found me was one of them." Then he -kissed her and marched away. - - - - -AN AMERICAN WOMAN'S STORY OF THE "ANCONA" TRAGEDY - -_Told by Dr. Cecile Greil, an American Physician_ - - Dr. Cecile Greil was the only native-born American on the liner - _Ancona_, which was shelled and sunk by an Austrian submarine. She - tells this intensely graphic account of the terrible event in the - _New York Times_. She precedes it with a description of the crowd - of passengers, mostly poor Italian women and children, that had - passage on the ship--the most pathetic gathering, it seemed to her - as they came aboard the ship, that she had ever seen. - - -I--"WHEN THE TORPEDO STRUCK US" - -The bell for luncheon rang at 11:30. As we sat at the table, still -without the Captain, we joked and laughed together, to hide our lack -of ease. We spoke of trivial things. We were through with lunch now; -the others were going out; I was rising from my seat, at the same time -drinking the remainder of my coffee. Then the thing came upon us that -we had all, strangely enough, felt coming, in our hearts. - -A terrific vibration shook the ship. I was thrown back into my seat. I -knew that the ship must be stopping. I heard a running and scurrying -about the deck outside. Looking out, I saw, through the dining saloon -window, six or ten stewards in white whirling out of sight around an -angle. - -"What could be wrong, Doctor?" I asked one of the ship's doctors in -French. - -"Heaven only knows!" he answered, as he carefully adjusted his military -cape, and hurried out. The dining saloon was emptied in an instant; -everybody had bolted as if they were running to a fire. - -It was evident that something had gone wrong with the ship, though, -by some queer process of mind, at that moment nobody thought of a -submarine. But hearing the next moment a sharp, quick crash, as of -lightning that had struck home close by, at the same instant I both -thought of the possibility of a submarine--and saw one! - -The fog had lifted slightly. There, in full view framed in the window -with a curious, picture-like effect, lay a submarine with its deck out -of the water. It was long and flat, horribly longer and bigger than -the mental conception I had formed of what such a thing would be like. -There was a gun mounted in front, and another at back, and both had -their muzzles leveled directly at the _Ancona_. - -The submarine stood out in clear, black outline against the white -background of mist. The fog seemed only to make it more distinct, as it -always does with objects near by. From a staff in the back broke a red -and white drapeau. Afterward I learned that this was the combination of -colors that made the Austrian flag. I was ignorant of it, then, though -I remembered the exact colors. - -So far, I could find nothing tragic or terrible in the situation. -Possibly we would be in danger of considerable exposure in open boats, -before other ships, summoned by wireless, would pick us up. I did not -rush out as the others had done. I stood quite still, in order to calm -myself, to give myself time to think what would better be done. The -_Ancona_ had come to a stop. Of that I was certain. I also knew that -the ship was doomed. - -But now there came another terrible crash, and another, and another, -in different parts of the ship, followed by explosions and the sound -of débris falling into the water and on deck. Well, they were merely -destroying the wireless. Still there was no fear of death. - -But now I was aware of a terrible shrieking. Everybody was in a -frightened panic. - - -II--"THE HORROR OF WHAT I SAW" - -Well, as for myself--to get excited wouldn't help. I went to my cabin -as calmly as I could, determined to save what I could of my valuables. -I put them in my lifebelt. I took a receipt for 20,000 lire, which -I had left with the purser. I went toward the bow of the ship. I -descended the staircase to the second cabin, on the way to the purser's -office. A large part of the staircase had been shot away--and the -horror of what I saw at the bottom of it made me instantly forget what -I was going for. There lay three or four women, four or five children, -and several men. Some of them were already dead, all, at least, badly -wounded. I made sure two of the children were dead. The purser sprawled -limply across his desk, inert, like a sack of meal that has been flung -down and stays where it lies. He had been shot in the head. The blood -was running bright like red paint, freshly spilt, down his back, and -his hair was matted with it. - -The first series of shots had wrecked this part of the ship, breaking -through and carrying away whole sections of the framework. I tried -to get back up the stairs. But in the slight interval of time I had -consumed, enough additional shells had been discharged to finish the -wreck of the staircase. - -I saw that this was not what the nations call, ironically enough, -"legitimate warfare," but wholesale and indiscriminate massacre. -Seeing my exit that way cut off, I started through the second cabin -to go up the central stairway. The sight that I ran into there was -indescribable. All the passengers from the third cabin had rushed up -into the second. They had altogether lost their wits. The only thing -that was left them was the animal instinct for self-preservation in its -most disastrous and most idiotic form. Men, women, and children were -burrowing headforemost under chairs and benches and tables. I saw one -man, his face pressed close against the floor sidewise, heaving a chair -up in the air with his back, in an effort to efface himself. - -All the while the detonations, like continuous thunder and lightning, -increased the panic. Women were on their knees in mental agony, each -supplicating the particular saint of the part of the country from -which she came to save her from death. I pushed and shoved them by the -shoulders. I took them by the legs and arms and clothes, and urged -them, in Italian, to get up, to put on lifebelts, to get off the ship. -I told them that, at least, they would find no security from shells -under chairs and tables. - -I found a poor old woman at the foot of the stairs, huddled in prayer. -Her thin, gray hair straggled loose over her shoulder. I recognized her -as a woman I had got acquainted with in my search for a fellow-citizen -to join me in the first cabin. She was 65 years old, she had told me. -She had seen two sons off to the war, and was now going to a third who -had emigrated to America and lived in Pennsylvania. It was the first -time she had ever crossed the ocean. She was sick of the thought of -war. In the New World she would find peace and comfort for her old age, -with her "Bambino," as she still called the grown-up man who was her -son. So when I saw her lying there I was possessed of but one idea--to -get her off alive. I told her to come with me, that I would protect -her. She acquiesced, but her fright was so great that she hung limp as -if she had no spine while I half dragged her to the first cabin deck. - -A boat was being lowered. It had been swung out on the davits. It -already seethed full of people. And more men and women and children -were fighting, in a promiscuous, shrieking mass, to get into it as it -swung out and down. The men, with their superior strength, were, of -course, getting the best of the struggle. Age or sex had no weight. It -was brute strength that prevailed. - -At the sight before her the old woman grew frantic with unexpected -strength. She suddenly jerked loose from me, and before I could prevent -her, ran with all the agility of fear and jumped overboard. Others -flung their bodies pell-mell on the heads of those already in it. Some, -in their frenzy, missed the mark at which they aimed themselves and -fell into the sea. To make the horror complete, the boat now stuck at -one end, tilted downward, and spilled all its occupants into the sea, -ninety or a hundred at once. They seized each other. Some swam. Others -floundered and sank almost immediately, dragging each other down. Some -drowned themselves even with lifebelts on, not knowing how to hold -their heads out of the water. - -I tried to speak with the passengers still on deck. It was useless. -Everybody was talking in his own particular dialect. Then I realized -the predicament I myself was in--an utter foreigner, whom they would -sacrifice in an instant for one of their own nationality. Perhaps if -only I had some of my jewelry I might be able to bribe my way to safety -in some such crisis. - - -III--"THE DEAD WERE LYING ON DECK" - -I made my way back to my cabin again. There were people dead and dying -on the deck. I saw one man who had started to run up the gangway to -the officer's deck come plunging down again. He had been struck in the -back of the head. Somehow or other, I just felt that my time had not -yet come. This conviction enabled me to keep my wits about me. - -In my cabin I flung up the top of my steamer trunk. As I was searching -for my valuables my chambermaid appeared in the doorway; half a dozen -times I had met her rushing frantically and aimlessly up and down. - -"Oh, madame, madame--we shall all be killed, we're all going to get -killed!" - -"Maria," I advised as quietly and soothingly as I could, still stooping -over my trunk; "don't be so mad, get a lifebelt on, and get up out of -here." - -Before she could speak again she was a dead woman. A shot carried away -the port-hole and sheared off the top of her head. It finished its -course by exploding at the other side of the ship. If I had not been -stooping over at the time I would not have lived to write this story. - -I snatched up my little jewel-basket with a few favorite trinkets -in it. I put on my cap and sweater. When I got up on deck I saw the -submarine carefully circumnavigating its victims and deliberately -shooting toward us at all angles. I ran along the deck. The sea was -full of deck rails, parts of doors, and other wreckage, and dotted with -human beings, some dead, others alive, and screaming for help. There -was another boat in front that tilted and dumped out its frantic load -into the sea. Peering over the side of the ship, I saw a boat that had -already been lowered to the water's edge. In it I recognized the two -ship's doctors, and two of the seamen. There was also an officer in the -boat, Carlo Lamberti, the chief engineer. He sat at the helm. I called -out to them to take me in. - -"Jump!" they shouted back. - -I threw my basket down. I had a good twenty-foot drop. I have always -been a good swimmer. Furthermore, I saw that if I jumped into the boat, -crowded with people, sails, water-barrels, and pails for bailing, I -might cause it to capsize. So I told them to push the boat away and -then they could pick me up out of the water. - -I escaped with a ducking. - -An immigrant girl who followed me flung herself down wildly and broke -both her legs on the side of the ship. - -We were powerless to save any more. The ship might at any moment -receive the final torpedo from the submarine. The sailors rowed madly -to get out of danger. - -Then the torpedo was discharged. It whizzed across the ship, drawing -a tail behind it like a comet. It plunged beneath the _Ancona_ as -if guided by a diabolical intelligence of its own. There followed -a terrific explosion. Huge jets of thick black smoke shot up, with -showers of débris. Our boat rocked and swayed in the roughened -water. The _Ancona_ lurched to the left, righted herself, shivered -a moment--then her bow shot high in the air like a struggling, -death-stricken animal. She went under, drawing a huge, funnel-like -vortex after her. - -The Captain and some officers were the last to drop astern, in a small -boat. Passengers were still to be seen, clinging forward, like ants on -driftwood, as the ship was drawn down. There were many people wounded, -so that they could not get off unaided. They were left to die. - -The sea now looked absolutely empty, swept smooth. The ship had drawn -everything down with it. The fog undulating upward, the submarine was -seen lying in full view, as if in quiet Teutonic contemplation of what -it had done. Then it moved off, and was soon merged into the waste of -sea and fog. We felt a great relief when it had departed. - - -IV--SURVIVORS DRIFTING ON THE OCEAN - -All that afternoon our six surviving boats drifted within sight of each -other. When darkness fell large yellow lanterns were lit, and from time -to time Bengal lights flared and fell. It looked like a regatta held on -the River Styx, in Hell. The sailors had exhausted themselves rowing, -so the improvised sails were set. The boat-loads of survivors had run -the gamut of every emotion. They were now mere stocks of insensibility, -numb, dumb, and inert. - -At six in the afternoon a boat just behind us began sending us signals -of distress. The men had taken off their shirts and were waving them -to us on oars. Our sailors objected to turning back, saying that both -boats would be sunk if we tried to relieve them. But Carlo Lamberti, -the chief engineer, with a quiet look in his blue eyes, with a rather -careless, engaging smile, which was habitual to him all the time, -presented his revolver--and we went back to see what was wrong. - -We found that the boat had been struck by a shell and was leaking -badly. True enough, most of the people in it tried to make an immediate -stampede into our boat. But again Lamberti presented his eloquent -pistol and his quiet smile, and with order and precision we took aboard -the wounded, the women, and children. Then the leaky craft was tied -to our stern and the men left were easily able to keep it afloat by -bailing. - -"We'll save you, or go down with you!" Lamberti reassured them. This -chief engineer was the only man who showed signal bravery. - -One of the first of the wounded rescued from the leaky boat was my -former companion, the Marquis Serra Cassano. He did not wish to join -in the incipient stampede. With four toes of his foot shot away, he -rose limpingly to assist the other wounded into our boat first, before -he himself came in. Then with an air of pathetic aristocracy he seated -himself by me, and wanted to know if any one had a cigaret to spare. We -had four cigarets on the boat. The men took turns puffing them. - -A frantic mother had dropped her baby in the water. I jumped out and -rescued it. Later on, she got separated from it, and I had it in my -charge for several days--but that is not in the present story. - -We kept close watch on each other's boats till nightfall. As the other -five would appear and disappear, we would be alternately cheered and -frightened. - -It must have been nearly midnight when one of our sailors cried out -that he saw a ship's light. But for a long while nothing appeared -but thin threads of light that filtered through the fog. After some -discussion as to whether it might not be an enemy craft, we approached -the direction of the light, till it burst on us in a powerful, -searching blaze. And we discerned the other boats converging toward it, -mere moving yellow splurges in the gloom. - -The ship that was rescuing us was a French mine layer, the _Pluton_. It -was hellish-looking, as it beetled over us, but none the less it looked -like heaven, too! - -And now our boat-loads of survivors were close together, and suddenly -everybody grew voluble and chatty. We shouted across the water to each -other. I even heard a voice singing. We were saved! We were saved! - - - - -THE STRATEGY OF SISTER MADELEINE - -_The Story of a French Captain's Escape from the Germans_ - -_Told by himself, and translated by G. Frederic Lees_ - - Few men who have succeeded in slipping through the clutching - fingers of the Mailed Fist have such a moving record of adventure - to their credit as Captain X----, who here relates his remarkable - experiences. There is the true Stevensonian flavor in some of - the episodes narrated; and at the same time the story has real - historical value, since it opens with a graphic account of the - Battle of Charleroi, which has not yet been described by the French - Staff, or by any of the unofficial historians of the war. The - officer's name is suppressed in deference to his own request when - he related his experiences in the _Wide World Magazine_. - - -I--MY EXPERIENCES AT THE BATTLE OF CHARLEROI - -In relating my adventures, extending over more than fifteen months, -I cannot do better than begin with the starting-point of the whole -affair--the Battle of Charleroi. To describe the events which grouped -themselves around August 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 1914, seems like -telling old news, but, as a matter of fact, the gigantic struggle named -after the Belgian town of ironworks and mines has yet to be recorded. -The French Staff has published nothing, unofficial historians--eager -to be the first to place their researches before the public--have only -given general and often erroneous descriptions of the advance of Von -Kluck, Von Buelow, and Von Hausen against Sir John French's forces on -the Condé-Mons-Binche line and the Fifth French Army holding the line -of the Sambre, and the newspaper accounts are sometimes contradictory. - -I am not going to weary you with military technicalities; we will leave -questions of strategy and tactics alone and direct our attention to the -battlefield as seen from two points of view: that of myself, an officer -in the French Army, and that of an inhabitant of Charleroi, with whom -I was later thrown into contact, and by whose observations, made from -the roof of his house, I was fortunate in benefiting. - -Picture to yourself the sinuous Sambre, flowing in its deep bed -through the densely-populated suburbs of Charleroi and the southern -end of this formerly fortified town. The town itself, imprisoned by -its walls, is but a small place of some thirty thousand inhabitants, -but the population is swelled to five hundred thousand by the -contiguous suburbs of Montigny, Couillet, Marcinelle, Gilly, Châtelet, -Marchiennes, Roux, Jumet, Gosselies, and others which cluster around -the ancient nucleus and stretch principally northwards. To fight -a battle on such a ground as this was impossible, so the German -forces, descending from the north and the east in unknown hundreds of -thousands, determined to make for the open-wooded country which lies -beyond the southern suburbs of the town. Two tremendous obstacles -stood in their way--the closely-packed houses of the suburbs and the -strongly-held river. The inhabitants soon learnt to their cost how -the first of these was to be overcome. Suddenly, shortly after the -appearance of the advance-guard of the German army, violent explosions -were heard, accompanied by the pop! pop! pop! of machine-guns and the -discharge of musketry. The Huns were blasting a broad way through the -suburbs, setting fire to the houses, and--under pretense that they -were being fired upon by civilians--shooting the people down in their -houses and in the streets. Right through the quarters of Gosselies and -Jumet they penetrated; then branched off to the right and left, one -band of incendiaries reaching the river through Marchiennes, the other -cutting its way through the town and reaching the bridge which connects -Montigny and Couillet. These two points were where the enemy first -succeeded in crossing the Sambre. Later, when we had begun our retreat -southwards, owing to pressure from Von Hausen's army massed in the -Northern Ardennes, they crossed at two other places, east of Charleroi. -Thus, on Sunday, August 23rd, the preliminaries of the great battle -were carried out. - -South of the river the ground rises gently until it reaches the wooded -heights in the neighbourhood of Beaumont, Thuillies, Nalinnes, and -Somzée. I was stationed at the first of these places--a little village -on high ground, with a commanding view of the green countryside. Who -would have thought, but for the deafening roar of cannon, the incessant -rattle of the machine-guns, the occasional whir of an aeroplane -overhead, and the puffs and rings of white smoke high in air, that we -were looking on a battlefield? How empty it was! We could see from the -flashes of the carefully-hidden guns whence death was springing; but in -the early stages of the struggle only small bodies of the enemy, whose -greenish-grey uniforms mingled well with the verdure, were from time -to time visible. At night, however, it was different. The red glare of -burning villages and farms, set on fire by shells, lit up the sky and -provided a terrifying spectacle, night after night, for the anxious -watchers of Charleroi. - - -II--"WE MOWED THEM DOWN WITH MACHINE GUNS" - -As the Germans advanced and the battle raged from morning to night, -it became more and more evident that we were hopelessly outnumbered. -Possessing an advantage, however, in being on high ground, it was clear -that we could hold out for a considerable length of time and make the -enemy pay dearly for every yard of ground we had to give away. When -once the greenish-grey uniforms began to appear in any considerable -number, they came on in solid masses, which we mowed down, time after -time, by rifle and machine-gun fire and by showers of shrapnel from our -"75's." But others quickly filled their places, and thus the human tide -advanced, until at last the order had to be given for the retreat. This -was on August 25th, by which date, after the enemy had been obliged to -suspend operations for twenty-four hours to collect the wounded, they -had lost over forty thousand men. - -_Ah! les gredins!_ how well they deserved their fate for the shooting -down of peaceful citizens in Charleroi and the unspeakable crimes -committed in the communes on the wooded heights of Loverval, Acoz, -Montigny-le-Tilleul, and Somzée! With what satisfaction our small -detachments, hidden in the woods, let the German scouts pass on in -order to open fire at close quarters on the masses of troops which -followed! They paid, then, for the outrages perpetrated by the Uhlans. -You ask for an instance. Here is one which was related to me by my -friend of Charleroi--he who viewed the battle from his house-top, and -afterwards explored the battlefield to come face to face with this -grim picture. A typical instance of Teutonic cruelty, I give it in his -own words: "A little way out of the village of Somzée was a small farm -inhabited by a young household, including three small children. Honest, -courageous, and economical folk, they had toiled season after season -to pay by annual instalments for their property, which they had agreed -to purchase some eight years ago. The last payment had just been made; -the children were growing up; the little family was happy. But the -German monsters came. In a few minutes this hardly-earned happiness was -shattered. The Boches seized everything--the few cows, the dearly-loved -horse. They set fire to the farm, shot the farmer, and drove before -them, into the distance, the poor widow with her four weeping and -terrified children. What a sinister picture it makes! It was at the -close of a splendid August day. The little isolated farm is burning. -A few yards from the door the dead man is lying on his back. On the -side of the hill which descends to the main road are the silhouettes of -the Uhlans disappearing in the gathering darkness of night. Tongues of -flame on the horizon mark places where similar dramas had been enacted." - -"Now, then, boys, let them have it hot. Pick off the gunners one by -one. Marcel, Gustave, François, do you keep an eye on the officers. -_Ah, les gredins!_ we'll teach them!" - -It was the day after the battle of Charleroi, and whilst our troops -were retiring in good order, my men and I, after the fashion of many -other small detachments, were holding a German battery in check. So -near were we to the enemy that we could hear the harsh, guttural -commands of the artillery officers--so different from the tone of -_camaraderie_ we adopt towards our men in the truly democratic army of -France--and could see them, though indistinctly, urging on their men -to the attack. From our trenches on a wooded knoll on the outskirts -of Beaumont, we kept up a steady fire on those who were serving the -guns, around which the Boches, falling like flies, quickly began to -accumulate in heaps. Fresh men incessantly replaced those who had -fallen, who at last lay in such numbers that the officers, in order -to make room for the gunners, had the dead dragged away to the rear -by the feet. Company after company of men fell in this way until the -German officers, who had either been shot or had decided to withdraw, -could be heard no more. A lull occurred. Bringing my glasses to bear on -the battery, I could see no sign of life save the convulsive movements -of a few of the prostrate men around the guns. - -"It looks as though they had had enough," said I, to my friend Marcel, -a private who comes from the same place as myself--Loctudy, in -Brittany. "I wonder if we could capture those guns?" - -Before he had time to answer a hurricane of bullets came from a hidden -machine-gun, and one of them found its billet. My poor friend, shot -through the head, fell into my arms. We laid him gently down, thinking -of the sad news that would have to be broken to a sorrowing mother at -home, and then, anger mingling with regret in our hearts, once more -directed our attention to the invisible enemy, in whose direction we -hastened to send our compliments in the form of a stream of _prunes_. -Overhead we could hear the humming of one of our aeroplanes, and -through an opening in the tree-tops momentarily caught sight of it as -it moved over the German lines, reconnoitering. Rings of smoke from -bursting shrapnel broke far beneath it. Its mission over, it moved -swiftly back to our lines, and within ten minutes Marcel and many -other brave fellows were avenged. Our "75's" got the range of the -battery in front of us with marvellous exactitude, and for five minutes -poured upon it such a rain of shells as to make it seem impossible -that anything could live within a distance of a hundred yards. The -dead around the guns were scattered like chaff in a high wind. A great -silence followed that series of violent explosions. For five minutes, -in accordance with orders, the men were busy cutting steps with their -entrenching tools in our trench, so as to spring out of it quickly and -proceed to capture the guns. Caution prompted another five minutes' -wait, during which there was not a sign of life before us. - -"Now, then, _mes gars!_ time's up," I cried, as loud as prudence would -allow. "Fix bayonets! Out of the trench as nimbly as you can. Take -cover, when in the open, as much as possible. Are you ready? Forward, -for the sake of France!" - - -III--"DEAD ON THE FIELD OF HONOUR" - -We advanced towards the guns at the _pas de gymnastique_ and reached -them without mishap. Some were too shattered by the recent bombardment -to be of any further use, but others were still intact, and these, as -it was difficult if not impossible for us to get them away in a retreat -over a hilly wooded country, we determined to destroy. Ordering some -of my men to do what was necessary, and as rapidly as possible, the -others and I kept a sharp look-out. The enemy gave not a sign of life. -The fuses having been attached to the breeches of the guns and lit, -we began to retire whither we had come, but had hardly gone more than -fifty yards, and heard the successive explosions of the guns blowing -up, when, on looking over my shoulder, I saw a body of Germans emerge -at a run from a coppice about two hundred yards to our right, and heard -them open fire upon us. At the same time I felt a sharp, burning pain -in my side; a curious sensation of intense weakness filled my being; -and, with a vision of men falling to the ground with extended arms, I, -too, bowed down, unconscious, to Mother Earth. - -That night, as I afterwards learnt, I was posted as "dead on the field -of honour." After eleven hours of oblivion, I came to myself in a -German ambulance. My first impression on recovering consciousness was -that of hearing the gruff, peremptory voice of a German Herr Doktor at -my bedside; my second, when he had passed on to another sufferer, that -of seeing a sweet French face bending over me. - -"Where am I?" I asked. - -"Hush! the doctor says you must speak as little as possible," replied -the nurse, in a French which I at once detected to be that of an -educated person. "I will tell you all that you need know for the -present. You are in our little ambulance at Erquelinnes, on the -frontier between Belgium and France--a German ambulance. But fear -not"--this in a lower voice--"my country is France, and I am not -without influence, or I should not be here. Your wound, though serious, -will get well in time. Only you must be _sage_, and obey me. There, -now! _Cela suffit!_ Try to get a little more sleep; the more rest you -have the better." - -It needed but the invitation, the sound of her soothing voice, like -that of a tender mother speaking to her child, and especially those -singularly calming words: "Fear not--my country is France," which -seemed to wrap me within the protective folds of the tricolour, to -send me back once more into that state of semi-unconsciousness which -appears to transport one to the borderline between life and death. Loss -of blood during those many hours while I had lain forgotten on the -battlefield had, indeed, brought me to so weak a condition that, as -my benefactress told me later, the doctor had hardly expected to pull -me through. My wound was one of those which have been encountered so -often in this war; it exhibited the curious vagaries of which bullets -are capable. The projectile entered my right side, travelled along a -downward, curved path, and, avoiding any of the vital organs, came out -at the other side. A millimetre to right or left, and it might have -either killed or paralyzed me. As it was, the injury and loss of blood -were serious, and could only be repaired by many weeks of immobility, -coupled with skilled medical aid (and I must do the Herr Doktor the -justice of recognizing that he was highly capable) and the devoted -attention of my nurse. Ah! kindly benefactress of the ambulance of -Erquelinnes, know, should you ever read my words, that I can never -thank you enough for all you did for me. To have shown my gratitude -too openly amidst the surroundings where your lot was cast--under what -circumstances I have often tried to imagine--would have betrayed you. -But, knowing how one French heart can understand another without the -passing of words, I doubt not that you have long since comprehended the -gratitude of the soldier of the Republic whom you befriended and saved. - - -IV--ON THE ARM OF SISTER MADELEINE - -A month in bed brought me the period when I was declared out of danger, -and was allowed to sit up in a chair near a window overlooking a -little garden bright with hollyhocks and sunflowers. Then came the day -when, leaning on the arm of Sister Madeleine--the name under which, -she said, I was to know her--I took my first walk and descended into -that garden, to lie there for the best hours of the day on a _chaise -longue_, conversing with her, or, when she was occupied with other -wounded, reading and reflecting. It was Sister Madeleine who told -me of passing events. But, oh! how discreetly she broke the news of -the triumphant march of the German armies southward to Dinant and -westward to Maubeuge! It required no great psychological insight on -my part to detect where her sympathies lay. Her looks when, the wind -being favourable, the faint sound of cannon reached us, the tone of -her voice when France was named, her significant reticence on certain -occasions, told me much more than actual words. One of these occasions -stands out in my mind with particular prominence, owing to my having -read in her words a warning, and conceived for the first time the idea -of escape. - -"The Herr Doktor is immensely pleased with the progress you are making, -Captain X----," said Sister Madeleine, rising from my side to pluck -some Michaelmas daisies from an adjoining border. "He says you may be -allowed soon to take a little gentle exercise in the garden, and do a -little gardening, too, if you are a flower-lover, as I doubt not. Are -you inclined that way?" - -"I shall be delighted to turn my hand to weeding and planting," I -replied. "The garden indeed needs attention!" - -"_N'est ce pas?_ Poor Jean, our gardener, now with the French colours, -would be heartbroken if only he could see the wilderness his little -earthly paradise has become. How grateful he will be to you when he -returns--if he ever should return after this dreadful war--and finds -that someone has been tending his beloved chrysanthemums and dahlias. -When the mobilization order reached him he was in the midst of potting -slips of geranium in the tool and potting shed yonder"--motioning to a -little wooden construction at the end of the garden--"and everything -there is just as he left it. A heap of withered slips lies side by -side with rows of empty flower-pots, whilst in a corner I saw his -working-clothes, which he hastily changed before he came to the house -to wish us good-bye and passed into the unknown." - -"I must try to prove myself to be a worthy successor to the brave -fellow," I said. "Don't you think, Sister Madeleine, that in one -respect--my unkempt appearance--I shall not make a bad substitute?" - -Walking back to me with her bouquet, she gave me a critical look and -laughed. Certainly, no one at home would have recognized me as I now -was, with my long beard and moustache and uncut hair. All at once her -face became serious, and, without replying to my question, she said:-- - -"There is no reason why you should not start to-morrow. But don't do -too much to begin with. Though I should like to have you here much -longer, it would grieve me if that were the result of a relapse. -You must get back your strength by degrees. And I fear you will -need every ounce of it in the future. No; do rather too little than -too much. I have no wish to hear that the Kommandatur at Charleroi, -who, I understand, is showing great severity just now towards French -prisoners, should decide that you have recovered sufficiently to be -included in the next batch to be sent into Germany." - -And with these significant words Sister Madeleine left me, to carry her -flowers to the bedsides of her other patients, and, possibly, to allow -me to reflect. - -Was it not clear that, indirectly, she had indicated a means of escape? -A feeling of quasi-loyalty towards those who had enabled her to nurse -one of her countrymen back to health and strength prevented her from -bluntly saying: "There is a tool-shed, in which you will find a suit of -old clothes; disguise yourself in them and flee." But her meaning was -plain. The key to freedom had been placed in my hands, and it was for -me to use it. - - -V--"I PLAN TO ESCAPE DISGUISED AS THE GARDENER" - -I began pottering about the hollyhocks and sunflowers and dahlias the -very next morning, taking care to alternate my spells of gardening with -fairly lengthy rests, on the principle laid down by Sister Madeleine. -Not that they were altogether unnecessary in my still weak state. -However, my strength returned with remarkable rapidity, after the first -week of this light work, and every additional day found me more fit -to carry out my plan, the details of which I had ample opportunity of -working out. The garden was surrounded by a high wall of irregular -construction, thus affording a foothold to a skilful climber, whose -task could be made still easier if he chose--as I had determined to -do--that portion of the enclosure which was masked by the tool-shed, -between the back of which and the wall was a space of about a foot and -a half, providing an additional support for one's body. My resemblance -to Jean, the gardener, had, by the by, become more and more perfect, -thanks to work with spade and hoe, and perhaps, at times, owing to -rather too close contact with the soil. That it would be perfection -itself when I had donned his garb, at the close of an afternoon's work -just before turning-in time, I felt convinced. - -There was another thing of which I was certain: that Sister Madeleine -instinctively knew the day and hour I had fixed for my flight. For she -was so unusually silent on that day in the last week of October, when, -according to my calculations, there would be no moon until late in -the night, she was so serious in her mien, and she left me with such -suddenness after advising me to come in, "now that the sun had set and -the evenings were getting chilly," that I felt sure she comprehended. - -"Thank you, Sister Madeleine," I replied; and I could not refrain from -adding, in the hope that she would grasp my double meaning: "You have -_always_ given me such good advice. I shall never forget your kindness. -But before coming in I must put away my tools." - -Without daring to look her in the face, I turned down the path in the -direction of the tool-shed. Five minutes later I left it, dressed in -the gardener's earth-stained clothes, passed like a shadow to the rear -of the building, and was over the wall in a trice. - -I found myself in a field, and having not the slightest idea regarding -the geography of Erquelinnes, went straight ahead at full speed. A -quarter of an hour's steeplechasing across ditches and other natural -obstacles brought me to a high road, and confronted me with the dilemma -as to which way to turn. Without losing a moment's time, for I pictured -the hue and cry my disappearance would soon be causing, I made off to -the left. _Fausse route!_ In five minutes I came within sight of the -lights of the first house of a village, undoubtedly Erquelinnes itself. -With a vague idea at the back of my head of gaining the Franco-Belgian -frontier, and--avoiding all small places, where curiosity is most -rife--reaching Maubeuge, where I might find an asylum among my own -people until an opportunity presented itself of getting back to the -French lines, I struck off to the right, once more across open country. -The dark cloak of night had now fallen, making my progress necessarily -slow. On and on I crept in the darkness. How long I continued I -cannot say, but it must have been for several hours, for a great -weariness suddenly came over me and impelled me to seek sleep. What was -apparently a small wood lay in my path at that moment. Groping my way -from bole to bole, I divined, rather than saw, a dry and sheltered spot -under the trees, and, throwing myself down, quickly fell asleep, amidst -the calling of the night-jars. - - -VII--"HANDS UP--OR I SHOOT" - -I cannot tell you how long I slumbered--probably until two or three -o'clock in the morning. But I was awakened by the sound of the snapping -of dry twigs and muffled voices. I sprang to my feet and listened. -Nearer and nearer came the stealthy footsteps. I retired as cautiously -as I could; but though I trod ever so lightly, it was impossible to -avoid the crackling of dead wood, which seemed to my hypersensitive -ears like so many pistol-shots. Even the thumping of my heart appeared -audible. One curious thing, however, I noticed: whenever, after a noisy -retreat, I stopped to listen, there was a corresponding stoppage and a -long silence on the part of my pursuers. But, thought I, was it at all -certain they _were_ in pursuit? Would they not, in that case, have come -on with a rush? "Suppose I crouch down and run the risk of them passing -without seeing me?" I thought. Whilst I was reflecting; with my back -to what was apparently a fairly large tree, those who were advancing, -emboldened by the silence which had intervened, came on with hastened -steps, and got so near that I could hear their heavy breathing. I -stepped quickly behind my tree, but too late to serve my purpose, for -the next moment a stern voice rapped out an oath almost in my ear and -a flash of light from an electric torch struck me full in the face. - -"Hands up, or I shoot!" said the voice. "Who are you?" - -"A Frenchman," I replied, obeying the command and deciding, on the -spur of the moment, that one who spoke to me in my native tongue could -hardly be an enemy. "And in need of help." - -"Good thing you're not a _Pruscot_, mate, or you'd have been a goner. -In need of help, are you? So are we. Aren't we, _mes vieuz_?" - -This last remark was addressed to the speaker's two companions, whose -indistinct forms I could now make out. - -"Very well," continued the speaker, slipping the revolver with which -he had covered me into his pocket, "I take it to be a bargain. One good -service deserves another. You help us with some of these parcels, and -we'll help _you_. I'm not going to ask you too many questions, and we -don't expect you to be over inquisitive about _our_ business. _C'est -compris?_ But if we're to get there and back before light we must be -off. Come on!" - -Taking two of the heavy packages which they were transporting, I -followed them. In a flash, I saw that I had fallen in with a party -of smugglers, who still continued to ply their calling in the -neighbourhood of Erquelinnes and other villages on the frontier between -Belgium and France. Men of nondescript nationality, though hating the -Teuton with all the ardour of a Frenchman or a Belgian, and ready, if -a favourable opportunity offered, to rid the world of every Boche who -fell into their power, they made it their business to be on friendly -terms with the Prussian officers who were in authority on the frontier. -Many favours, in the early months of the war, could they obtain from -them, in return for a discreetly-offered gift, such as a box of cigars, -or a pound or two of tobacco. When taking any important consignment -of goods to and fro between their dépôts on the road from Maubeuge to -Charleroi, they had, of course, to resort to the traditional methods of -their calling; and it was whilst on one of these nocturnal expeditions -that I had encountered them. - - -VIII--THE FORGED PAPERS--TO SAFETY - -They were rough individuals, but loyal to their word. Feeling that -I could not be in safer company, I threw in my lot with theirs for -nearly a fortnight, hiding by day in the cottage of their leader, on -the outskirts of a village "somewhere in France," but not far from -Erquelinnes, and assisting them at night in carrying their goods along -the little-known paths which intersect the Franco-Belgian frontier. -Bit by bit I told mine host my tale. He was touched as much as you -could expect a hardened smuggler to be, swore eternal friendship over -an excellent bottle of wine, and promised that on the very next day he -would bring me a surprise. - -He was as good as his word. Out of his pocket he drew a paper--a -duly-signed and stamped pass, obtained from the Prussian officer at the -frontier village of ----, authorizing the bearer to cross into Belgium -without let or hindrance. He did more than this: he gave me the name -and address of a confederate at Charleroi, who would furnish me with -the means of effecting my escape _viâ_ Holland. - -I crossed the frontier, wheeling a barrow belonging to a friendly -peasant, who went daily to a bit of land he possessed on Belgian -territory. - -My twenty-mile walk to Charleroi, and a stay of a week in that city, -were uneventful. On leaving, my smuggler's friend gave me a useful -introduction to a person in Brussels, whence, with a little borrowed -money in my pocket, I set off, towards the end of November. The train -was still running the four miles between Charleroi and Gosselies. -The thirteen miles to Nivelles I covered on foot; the eighteen miles -past Waterloo and over ground every yard of which recalled memories -of Napoleon and the closing scenes of the Hundred Days I traversed by -train again. - -The long sojourn which I was destined to make in Brussels was -uneventful compared to my late experiences. There I obtained papers -certifying that I was a Belgian commercial traveller, but discretion, -you will readily understand, forbids me going into details. Oh, no; I -did not put those forged papers to too severe a test by use. As much -as possible, I sought to remain hidden in the terrorized city, and to -slip out of it for Malines and the villages near the Dutch frontier, -without showing my _papiers_ any more than was absolutely necessary. - -The frontier between Belgium and Holland is of so serrated a nature -that at the time of which I am speaking it was comparatively easy for -a hunted man like myself to cross into neutral territory. To do so now -would be almost impossible, so well do the Germans guard the irregular -line, the configuration of which is such that it is difficult, in -places, to tell whether you are in Holland or in Belgium. Fortunately, -I had come into contact with a person who was expert in getting young -Belgians across the frontier into Holland, and he agreed to help me. - -Here, again, I cannot--on account of those who risked their lives in -befriending me--go into too many details. Suffice it to say, that on -the evening of my escape from the frontier village of A---- I was -instructed to walk to a certain milestone, where I should find a man -with a red muffler, sitting on a heap of stones. - -There, sure enough, I found him--an elderly man with his hands folded -over the top of his stick, his chin resting on his hands, and his eyes -gazing innocently into the gathering dusk. - -As I passed him I uttered the word "Belgica," which I had been told to -pronounce, and keep on, without once turning my head. - -Very soon I heard his footsteps and the tap, tap of his stick. He -overtook me with alert step, and on reaching me, said: "Follow me." - -We shot off from the main road into a small winding pathway, which we -followed for some fifty yards. Then, suddenly stopping, the man in the -red muffler exclaimed: "Holland!" - -No word ever before sounded to me so sweet as that. Overcome by the -thought that once more I was standing on free ground--that I had but to -follow the pathway on which I stood to reach a Dutch village--and that -the journey thence to a port and my beloved France _viâ_ England, was -but a question of time, I remained for a few seconds lost in reverie. -At last, mastering my emotion, I prepared to set off before darkness -completely enveloped the wild landscape which surrounded me. Before -putting my best foot foremost, however, I was seized with a desire to -thank the man who had guided me there, so I turned half-round to press -his hand. To my surprise, however, I found that he had disappeared, and -that only the gleam of his red muffler marked his progress down the -path. - - - - -TALES OF THE SPIES AND THEIR DANGEROUS MISSIONS - -_Revelations of Methods and Daring Adventures_ - -_Told by Secret Service Men of Several Countries_ - - It is estimated that more than a hundred thousand spies and agents - have been in the service of the various countries during the War. - Several thousand have been captured and several hundred have been - executed. The German spy system in the United States alone was a - powerful organization at the beginning of the war. But the American - Secret Service, one of the greatest organizations of its kind in - existence, thwarted their plots, interned them in large numbers, - and drove such men as Boy-Ed and von Papen from our shores. The - interception of the Zimmerman note to Mexico, the revelations of - the Swedish duplicity in Argentine, the discovery of Bolo, the - French financier, the plots in India--and hundreds of others have - been exposed by the genius of the United Secret Service. Most of - these stories cannot be told until long after the War, but a few of - them, gathered from American and European sources, are told here. - - -I--HOW THE SPIES WORK IN EUROPE - -The extraordinary ingenuity shown by spies in securing the plans of -other countries' fortifications has been amply illustrated in the war, -although, of course, we know but a little part of what the spies have -accomplished. - -A woman was caught at the French frontier seeking to enter Switzerland -and presumably intending to return to Germany or Austria. She was -thoroughly searched by a matron, as is customary in such cases, but -nothing was found. - -Certain actions of hers, however, had given rise to serious suspicions, -and one of the cleverest officers of the French Secret Service was -detailed to examine her. He applied several tests to her. He finally -obtained what he wanted by seating her, in an undraped condition, tied -to a chair, before a warm fire. - -"Brutes, you are going to burn me alive!" she shrieked as she was -forced into a chair. - -"Be calm, madame," said the officer. "We only want to admire your -beautiful back." - -There appeared on the ample back of this fair-haired lady an elaborate -design. To the experienced eye of the officer it represented a plan of -one of the most important French fortresses. The number of guns, their -sizes and positions were shown. The angles, sallies and extent of the -fortifications were clearly indicated. The weak spots in the defense -were made clear. This fortress had been entirely made over since the -outbreak of the war, and it was of vital importance to the Germans to -know its present arrangements. - -A German spy in France, evidently a man with military knowledge, had -obtained access to the fortress, but there was but slight chance of -his getting home with his knowledge. He had, therefore, used the young -woman as an innocent looking agent. - -The master spy had traced the plans on her back with sulphate of -copper. This liquid leaves no mark on the skin under normal conditions, -but when exposed to considerable heat it shows up dark blue. For -further secrecy, it is stated, the plan of the fortress was concealed -within another design in the manner described by General Sir Robert -Baden-Powell. He carried with him an illustrated book on butterflies -and from this he made what would appear to be specimens of butterflies -seen in the surrounding country. Then when he had obtained the details -of a fortress he drew them in among the complicated markings on the -wings of the butterfly. There they would escape notice by any but the -most expert "spy trappers." - -Miss Sari Petrass, the beautiful Hungarian dancer, who was for some -time a great favorite in London, is reported to have been shot in -Budapest as a spy. She is supposed to have been engaged in gathering -military information in her native country for the benefit of England, -where she made her greatest artistic success. - -When war began, the actress was starring in "The Marriage Market," -a Hungarian operetta, at Daly's Theatre in London. She immediately -returned to Budapest, but instead of continuing on the stage began a -round of social activities. - -She wrote letters to the British army authorities, it is charged, which -were sent by way of Switzerland in the in the care of young Austrian -officers, who had been beguiled by her charms. It is said she was -betrayed by one of her dupes in a fit of jealousy. Although an actress, -she had a high social position and was a niece of the Countess Ilka -Kinsky, one of the most prominent members of the Austro-Hungarian -nobility. - -Miss Petrass, according to the report which reached her friends in -Cleveland, Ohio, was put to death immediately her acts were discovered. -When taken to the place of execution she fainted and was unconscious -when shot. The announcement of her execution was the first news her -family had of the charges against her. - -The method of concealing plans of fortifications on the skin of a spy, -already referred to, has been employed with many variations. In time -of war or when suspicion of spies is very keen, it is likely to be -very useful. Then, again, women are usually called upon to carry this -kind of information, because they are less subject to suspicion and -watchfulness. - -Tattooing plans on a woman's skin has often been resorted to in past -wars, but the anti-spy officers are now so keen that this way is no -longer reliable. Various forms of writing on the skin, which only -become visible under certain conditions, have, therefore, been tried. -One form of this has already been mentioned. Plans and messages are -also written in nitrate of silver, which becomes visible and black on -exposure to sunlight. The writing is also done with phosphorus, so that -it is only visible in the dark, but that lasts a few hours only. - -Women have shown extraordinary ingenuity in carrying information during -the present war. One wore a large pair of pearl earrings, which, when -examined, proved to be stuffed with long messages. Another had a little -woolly pet dog, whose tail was found to be artificial and filled with -military plans. Another carried a message scratched on the plate of her -false teeth. - -When it has been found impossible for a human spy to reach a fortress, -birds have been employed. Carrier pigeons are fitted with miniature -cameras fastened across their breasts by exceedingly fine wires. These -are fitted with a time lock which ensures their exposure at a certain -time. - -The pigeons are released by spies at a place from which they will be -sure to fly over the fortress on their way home. A pigeon flies in -circles on its journey, and it is certain that during part of its -flight over the fortress the camera shutter will be released. A series -of pictures taken in this way will give a very complete plan of the -defenses to the enemy. - -Although immediate execution follows the discovery of a spy or perhaps -even the suspicion of espionage, thousands of persons are found -willing to undertake the work during this war. It has been truly said -that the highest form of heroism is to undertake spy duty for one's -country. Nothing can be more awful than the fate of the spy caught and -executed amid the hate and fear of the thousands who surround him. Many -photographs sent from the seat of war show how the European armies make -the death of the spy terrible. - -The Germans are universally admitted to be more skilful spies than -the British, and yet Gen. Baden-Powell performed some remarkable -spying tricks. He tells how he got into a new German dockyard and made -observations under the nose of several policemen: - -"Inside a great, high wall lay a dockyard, in which, it was rumored, -a new power house was being erected, and possibly a dry dock was in -course of preparation. - -"The scaffolding of the new house towered above me, and a ladder led -upward on to it. Up this I went like a lamplighter, keeping one eye on -the corner of the building lest I should be followed. - -"Presently I found a short ladder leading from my platform to the -stage below, but it did not go to the ground. Peering quietly over the -scaffolding, I saw my friend the policeman below, still at fault. I -blessed my stars that he was no tracker, and therefore had not seen my -footmarks leading to the foot of the ladder. - -"Then I proceeded to take note of my surroundings and to gather -information. Judging from the design of the building, its great -chimneys, etc., I was actually on the new power-house. From my post I -had an excellent view over the dockyard, and within one hundred feet of -me were the excavation works of the new dock, whose dimensions I could -easily estimate. - -"All these duties (of espionage) are subdivided among agents of -every grade, from Ambassadors and their attachés downward. Naval and -military officers are sent to carry out special investigations by -all countries, and paid detectives are stationed in likely centres to -gather information." - -The General further says that the military information that a country -voluntarily gives to a foreign attaché is usually of little value, and -therefore he must take secret means to inform himself.--(Told in _New -York American_.) - - -II--STORY OF MLLE. MATA HARI, DUTCH-JAVANESE DANCER - -The story of Mata Hari, the beautiful dancing girl, who as a German -spy discovered the information about the British "tanks" before they -arrived at the Battle of the Somme, is one of the most romantic of the -War. She was found guilty of espionage and condemned to death by a -military court martial presided over by Col. Sempron. - -"Accused did wilfully and maliciously, and against the interest of -la Patrie, communicate information of military value to the enemy -concerning our offensive of the summer of 1916," read the verdict that -sent her to a cell in Saint Lazare Prison awaiting the dawn which means -her death. - -"Eye-of-the-Morning" is English for the Javanese pet name -"Mata-Hari"--the stage name of Mme. Marguerite Gertrude Zelle Macleod, -first known in Paris, and latterly all over Europe, as a dancer whose -specialty was the representing of Far-Eastern legends and fables -according to the terpsichorean art.... - -One of the most important and spectacular events of the only Allied -offensive of 1916 was the appearance in action of the newest engine -of war--the so-called tank. As with any innovation, the success of -the tank depended largely on the element of surprise attaching to -its debut. Therefore, the strictest secrecy marked the planning, the -construction, and the shipment of tanks to the Somme, where they first -went into action. But of course a certain number of people in England -and in France knew about the tanks--or "creme-de-menthes" as they were -first called in Paris because each one is named like a ship and one -called after the famous green liqueur. It took a good many months to -construct the first fleet, and a good many weeks to train the first -crews to stand the jerky, rolling, pitching, lumbering gait of the -mobile forts. During that period the circle of people "in the know" -increased, and Mata-Hari was one of those who heard about the curious -landships. - -Where Mata-Hari obtained her first tip on the tanks has not yet been -disclosed. And that is one reason why the "memoirs" which she is -writing in her cell at Saint Lazare prison are being awaited with fear -and anxiety by at least one person, and with the liveliest interest by -the world at large. - -It is rumored that a Deputy inadvertently gave her the first -information about tanks. And the rumor is strengthened by the fact that -Mata-Hari had plenty of coal for her apartment during the fuel famine -in winter. That in itself is proof enough to everybody of her intimacy -with some high official, as few people short of Deputies had influence -enough to obtain a hundredweight of coal during the bitter months of -January, February and March. - -In any event, Mara-Hari learned vaguely of tanks early in 1916, when -the Krupp guns of the Crown Prince were daily booming nearer and nearer -to Verdun in that terrific struggle which was to mark the turning -point of the war. Mata-Hari also learned that the tanks were being -constructed in England and would be shipped to France _viâ_ certain -ports--and she got the names of the ports. - -Then Mata-Hari decided she must return to her native country, Holland. -For, with all her Javanese appellation, she was born near Rotterdam, -although it is true she went to the Dutch East Indies when a tiny -child. She gave as reason for going to Holland the fact that she had -married a Dutch army officer with a Scotch name--Capt. Macleod, that -they had divorced, and she wished to arrange a settlement of their -common property. - -Her passports were made out, and safe conducts granted for a trip to -Holland, _viâ_ England, of course, as that is the only way to get into -the Low Countries from the Allied side. - -Mata-Hari went to England. But before she proceeded to Holland, -as Secret Service agents of the British and French Governments -ascertained, she visited a certain English manufacturing city, where, -it so happened, the tanks were being constructed. - -Evidently Mata-Hari did not find out much about the tanks there, as -not a man connected with their construction ever passed through the -gates of the high brick wall which surrounded the factory during the -six months that the first "fleet" was building. The men were boarded, -entertained and employed here continually. Every letter they sent out -or received was subjected to the most rigorous censorship. - -The dancer proceeded to Rotterdam. Investigation there has since proved -that she had no "communal rights property" to settle with any one, and -further that Capt. Macleod of the Dutch Army was known among his fellow -officers as pronouncedly pro-German. - -Soon Mata-Hari returned to Paris. She was seen at the Café de Paris and -at Maxim's, and at Armenonville in the Bois with an English officer -who wore on the lapel of his collar, an insignia denoting his branch -of service, a little twisted brass dragon. Months later, when more of -these badges were seen on British officers passing through Paris, it -became known that the dragon was of the official insignia denoting -service with the tanks. - -Mata-Hari sported a new bauble soon after taking up with the -Englishman--a jewelled replica of his gold insignia--her dragon had -real emeralds for eyes, and a carrot-shaped ruby for a tongue darting -from its opened fangs. - -In May, 1916, a little more than a month before the Somme offensive -opened and tanks were first used, Mata-Hari appeared before the police -magistrate of her district and requested a safe conduct to visit a -certain port in France. The reason she gave was that her fiance, an -English officer, was seriously wounded and in hospital there. He had -sent for her to come to see him. Perhaps they would be married at his -deathbed if he could not recover, she volunteered, dabbing at her eyes -with a lace handkerchief. - -The safe conduct was made out, and Mata-Hari arrived at a certain -French port almost simultaneously with the first consignment of tanks -shipped over from England. - -Now a tank of the early type was 35 feet long, 12 feet wide and 9 feet -high, and the caterpillar tractors rumbling under it and over it and -around it made a terrible din, attracting the attention of people for -great distances around. And because of the weight of the tanks they -could not be moved by rail, but had to travel under their own power. It -was impossible, therefore, to wholly hide the monsters from inhabitants -of that particular French port, and from the townspeople in the French -villages through which they passed on the way to the Somme front. Of -course most of the travelling was done by night, and tarpaulins were -always draped over the armed and armored behemoths. - -But there did not seem to be much necessity for precautions, as nearly -all of the inhabitants of the districts through which the tanks passed -remained stolidly right there where they were. Few indeed were as lucky -as Mata-Hari and able to get safe conducts to travel about. But then -few were as beautiful and alluring as the dancer. - -Mata-Hari remained in the French port for a week. She strolled about -the town at night and explained to the hotel clerks that she could not -sleep without taking a certain amount of exercise before retiring, and -that after being accustomed to gay life in Paris, she was not tired -until after midnight. - -It was on June 1, exactly a month before Gens. Haig and Foch began -their drive astride the Somme, that Mata-Hari returned to Paris. -And the first thing she did was to apply for a visé on her passport -permitting her to go to Spain. San Sebastian was the place she -mentioned, as she explained she wished to attend the horse races there. -Her papers were stamped and sealed and she left almost immediately for -the fashionable winter resort in the south. - -Madrid, Spain, and Nauen, Germany, are in constant wireless -communication. There are other radio stations, privately owned in -Spain, which can flash messages to Germany, according to Allied -intelligence officers who have investigated. And of course there are -innumerable German agents, spies and propaganda disseminators infesting -the land of the Dons. - -Secret Service reports disclose the fact that Mata-Hari was seen much -in company at San Sebastian race track with a man long looked upon with -suspicion by the French Government. He was a frequent caller upon her -at the hotel where she stopped, and it was reported that he made good -many of the big bets she placed on horses that did not materialize as -winners. - -Soon Mata-Hari came back to Paris and the apartment near the Bois de -Bologne. And once more the limousine owned by the individual whom rumor -has branded a Deputy, began rolling up to her door twice a week and -sometimes oftener. - -Then came the simultaneous Franco-British offensive at the Somme. Tanks -went into action for the first time, and according to Gen. Haig's -official communique his "land ships achieved satisfactory results." - -The tanks did achieve satisfactory results. More than that, they -revolutionized offensive tactics on favorable terrain by advancing -immune against rifle and machine gun bullets, or even against light -trench mortars whose shells exploded at a touch. They smashed by sheer -weight strong points and machine gun emplacements. They straddled -trenches, enfilading the occupants and crushed in entrances to dugouts. - -But several of the tanks were put out of action--and not by stray -shells hurtling forward from far behind the German lines. They were -knocked out by small calibre _PENETRATION_ shells, fired from 37 -millimetre trench cannons--the largest guns that can be handled from -advanced positions. Guns specially built and rifled, and fired at high -velocity and flat trajectory, so that, unlike any shell ever coughed -up by a mortar, they penetrated the object struck--even though it were -steel--before exploding. - -Instantly it became evident that the enemy had become aware of what -was in store for him and had constructed an "anti-tank" gun. And when -the booty in the captured German positions was examined, the British -found they had several good specimens of Krupp's newest weapon. Several -German officers of higher rank taken prisoners confirmed suspicions, -by explaining they had received description of the tanks several weeks -before, and had been instructed how to combat them. - -Now Mata-Hari is awaiting death and writing as she waits. She is -penning her memoirs rapidly, filling scores of pages a day in a -polyglot of French, German, Dutch, Javanese, Japanese and even English, -according to the mood she is in, says the prison warder. - -And because she fears her history will not be finished before that -unannounced daybreak when she will be placed blindfolded before the -high stone wall facing a firing squad of French soldiers, she has -ordered her lawyer, M. Edouard Clunet, to plead for a stay of execution. - -So Mata-Hari writes feverishly, and all Paris waits eagerly--except the -one who waits apprehensively--to see if she will name the "ami" who -gave her the first inkling of the tanks. - -Pinned to the corsage of the Empire-cut black silk dress which -Mata-Hari wears in her narrow cell in Saint Lazare Prison is a curious -gold brooch. It is shaped like a twisted dragon, and its eyes are -emeralds and its darting tongue a carrot-shaped ruby. - -"It will be there--right over my heart--when I go away--when I stand -before those men with guns aimed to kill me," says Mata-Hari. (Told in -the _New York World_.) - -(Since these stories were written Mata-Hari has gone to her death -blindfolded before the firing squad. She met her execution stoically.) - - -III--ADVENTUROUS LIFE OF MATA-HARI - -This is told by a man who for obvious reasons will not allow his name -to be used: - -"I knew Mata-Hari in Paris. I called on her at her home at -Nieully-sur-Seine. The sinister character in Dumas' great romance was -not more cunning or adventurous nor played for higher stakes than did -Mlle. Mata-Hari. In many respects their histories should be printed in -parallel columns. But I believe that for adventure, for cunning, for -her great influence over the destiny of those with whom she came in -contact, Mlle. Mata-Hari was more dreadful than 'Miladi.' - -"Her father was a subject of the Netherlands and her mother was a -Javanese. He died when she was an infant, and in order to protect -her from the dangers which beset a young girl of mixed blood in the -East her mother fled from Java with her when she was three years old -and entered Burma. There, to further protect her, she pledged her to -celibacy and placed her in a Buddhist temple to learn dancing. Then -it appeared that her destiny would be not unlike that of thousands of -other young girls in that country and similar in many respects to that -of the old vestals of ancient Greece. In Burma these dancers are called -bayadère. - -"She told me that when she was twelve years old she was disgusted with -life and was determined to change it or end it. After a dance at a -great Buddhist festival in Burma, when she was about fourteen years -old, she saw a British officer and fell in love with him. It was her -first love affair. She managed to escape from the temple and joined -him. This man was a baronet and loved her. Finally they married. Two -children, a boy and a girl, were born of their union. - -"I do not believe that she ever loved any man. It is certain that -she did not love her husband. At any event, the monotonous life of -a British official's wife was more than she could stand. The climax -came when a maid whom she had beaten and discharged caused one of her -gardeners to poison her infant son. - -"The tragic sequence and scandal which followed the death of her -son still is remembered by old timers in India. She started an -investigation of the killing independent of the British authorities, -and finally, in her own mind, fixed the guilt on one of her gardeners. -She took a revolver, and, walking into the garden where the man was -working, shot him dead. - -"She was arrested, but owing to the high position occupied by her -husband everything possible was done to suppress the scandal. Finally -she was told that she would have to leave British India. It was just -what she wanted to do. She left her home in the night, stealing her -daughter from her husband. She made her way to Marseilles and thence -to Holland, where she placed her daughter in a convent. Then she went -straight to Paris, where she learned that she was penniless, the -small fortune which her father had left her having, under the Dutch -law, passed to her child. Then she set about to captivate Paris. Not -satisfied with her conquest, she went to Berlin, to Petrograd, to -Vienna--she travelled over all Europe--and became one of the most -talked of women on the Continent. - -"She met many men. One of them was a wealthy German, who was a high -official of the Berlin government. He bought a home for her at -Nieully-sur-Seine and furnished it in a style that was representative -of what was most truly Oriental splendor. There the two of them lived. -It was there that I first saw her. - -"Soon she tired of this German. He was extremely jealous of her. Always -her art--her dancing--called to her. He would not let her dance. There -were many 'scenes' at home. Her life was not happy, despite the wealth -at her disposal. - -"Then she met a one-time Minister of Finance, of France, and, through -him, his brother-in-law. He fell in love with her and she with him. - -"This man was at that time the managing director of a great Paris bank. -He deserted his wife and bought a magnificent château in Touraine. For -two years they lived there. Then, one day, the police entered the bank -and arrested the managing director. He was charged with embezzling the -funds of the institution. He was tried and convicted and sentenced -to two years at hard labor. The woman then went back to the German -official at Neuilly-sur-Seine. They were living there when I left -France four years ago." (Told in the _New York Herald_.) - - -IV--STORY OF EXECUTION OF SUSANNA RAYNAL - -This is the story of a French young woman who was executed by the -French military authorities in Bellegarde, the little Franco-Swiss -frontier village.... Women have figured prominently as spies in every -war. In this war their rôle has also been conspicuous. Some have -betrayed their country for money, others have betrayed it for the -love of adventure, and still others have betrayed it for the sake -of love--following blindly the men who lead them astray along the -fascinating and dangerous path of crime. This young woman was a victim -of love. - -Not a word has been written about her death. Not a sigh, not a tear, -not a prayer from her friends and relatives. For they did not know what -had become of her. The French newspapers did not record the end of this -woman, who paid with her life for her daring, mad desire to help her -Austrian lover, who sought to secure French military secrets. - -Her name was Susanna Raynal. She was the wife of Louis Raynal, a -lieutenant in the artillery of the French army. She was twenty-eight -years old when she was put to death. The husband, twelve years her -senior, was at the front when she was shot. Her lover was shot with -her. He broke down, quivering and crying hysterically while she kept -bracing him up, repeating: "Have no fear! Have no fear!" - -She begged the officers to have them shot together, not separately. -She declined to be blindfolded, held her lover by the hand and kept -murmuring "Have no fear! Have no fear!"... - -Several weeks ago I met in Paris a distinguished French diplomatist -with whom I discussed many incidents of the war. Our conversation -turned to the many varieties of spies and provocateurs and to the -motives that prompted them to betray their country. - -Then he told me the story of this young woman who met her end so -bravely at the French-Swiss frontier. There were tears in his voice as -he related the details. For he knew the woman and he knew her husband. - -"I was returning from London to Paris a few weeks ago," he said. "Just -as we were reaching Boulogne, on the boat crossing the Channel, while -I was in line in the dining room of the boat where the passports were -being examined by the military officers, I heard behind me a familiar -voice, whispering in German, 'Furchte doch nicht!' (Don't be afraid!) - -"I turned and saw the wife of my friend, a French lieutenant who was -at the front. She felt somewhat embarrassed when she noticed me, but -immediately advanced toward me and introduced to me a tall young man of -rather anti-pathetic appearance. - -"'This is my husband's friend,' she said to me. 'He was kind enough -to help me arrange my business affairs in London. Louis is at the -front....' - -"Upon our arrival in Paris she asked me to visit her soon. She said -she wanted me to advise her in a certain important matter, that she -was alone now, that I could help her with letters of introduction, -for which she would be most grateful. She urged me to visit her the -following evening. I promised to call on her and bade her farewell. - -"On the following evening, when I came to her house, her maid met me -at the door and said that madam was expecting me for dinner an hour -later. I asked her to tell Mme. Raynal that I had another engagement -for dinner. - -"A few minutes later Mme. Raynal came out. As I mentioned before, -she was a beautiful young woman of about twenty-eight. She was most -charmingly dressed. She greeted me warmly and begged me to stay for -dinner. I told her I had another important engagement. She implored me -to stay. She said she was alone, and that she wished to talk with me -about a matter of great importance, in which she desired to enlist my -aid. I said that I would call on her some other evening. - -"Then she told me that she wished to visit friends in Switzerland, that -she had some manuscripts of a literary character she wanted to take to -them, and that she wished me to give her letters of introduction to -several people, among them the Minister of War. I promised to call on -her the following evening. - -"As I bade her good night, she kissed me and begged me to break my -other engagement and take dinner with her. I repeated that it was -impossible. Then I left her. As I walked down the stairs, I noticed the -tall young man I had met with her at Boulogne, going up in the elevator -to her apartment. That seemed more than strange to me. - -"The next morning I chanced to be lunching in a café where I -occasionally met my friend, the head of the secret police department. -In the course of my conversation I told the peculiar story of the -woman and the young man, without mentioning her name. The police chief -listened intently and then said: - -"'I think I know the woman. We are watching her. We are also watching -the man closely. He is an Austrian. They seem to be engaged in a -serious political conspiracy.' - -"About two weeks later I met the head of the secret police department -in the same café. He said to me: - -"'Do you know what has happened to that woman--Susanna Raynal?' - -"'I haven't seen her since then,' I replied. - -"'You will never see her again,' he said. 'She has been shot.' - -"And then he told me how the police had shadowed her and her lover, how -some one who had made her acquaintance recently gave her a letter of -introduction to the Ministry of War. She wanted to help the Austrian -carry certain documents out of France and wished to get a special -letter from the Minister of War permitting her to take what she called -'manuscripts' to her friends in Switzerland. - -"She came to the Ministry of War with her lover. They were taken to a -room, where they met an officer who told her that he would be glad to -arrange the matter for her. Then the police did what is usually done -in such cases. The officer walked out of the room for a short time, -leaving on the table near them a number of important-looking documents. -The man took some of these documents, and after the officer had -returned and had given them the letter they asked for they went away. - -"On the following day they reached Bellegarde, the Franco-Swiss -frontier. They were searched, and the papers taken from the War -Department were found on the woman. Within one hour both were shot. -She met her death bravely. She held the man by the hand and tried to -brace him up. He was crying helplessly and hysterically.... - -"A few days ago I received information that Lieutenant Louis Raynal, -the husband of the woman who was executed in Bellegarde, fell on the -battlefield recently. He passed away without learning of the tragedy -that had befallen his home. - -"He died in defense of his fatherland, which his wife, through her -blind love for a spy, had endeavored to betray. Perhaps as he was dying -of his wounds, his last thoughts and prayers were for his home and for -his wife." (Told by Herman Bernstein in the _New York American_.) - - -V--STORIES OF THE MILITARY SECRETS - -The Paris papers contained a brief paragraph telling of a young girl, a -milliner, in the neighborhood of Grenoble, who had been caught playing -the spy for the Germans and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment. - -"We don't shoot women spies any more," said a soldier from the Somme -front to whom I spoke of the story. "There have been no women shot for -a long time. They generally get about twelve years at hard labor." - -"Are you as much troubled as ever by spies?" I asked. - -He laughed. "As long as there is war there will be spies," he replied. -"You can't stamp them out. The only thing you can do is to try to catch -them. It was only a few weeks ago that we caught a woman spy on the -Somme. - -"You remember when we took Bouchavesnes? Well, there was not much left -of the village when we got it. Our artillery had knocked it pretty -well to pieces, but we found an old woman there. She had remained all -through the German occupation, and had even managed to hide and stay -behind when all the rest of the civil population had evacuated. She was -in a cellar during our bombardment, and when we went into the town she -came out to welcome us, the only one of the original French inhabitants -of the village remaining. As it was French again, she insisted on -remaining. It was her home and she had succeeded in clinging on all the -time the Germans were there. She saw no reason why she should go when -the French came back into occupation. - -"She stayed and did our washing for us. She was busy all the time, and -every morning she would take the wet clothes out and spread them on the -ground to dry. You could see soldiers' shirts and underwear all around -the cellar where she lived, and hanging on all the posts and pieces of -wall. - -"The old woman pottered around and worked most industriously at her -tubs. She always came out when there were troops going through the -village and she would talk to the men, find out where they were going, -where they came from and how long they expected to be there. And -whenever she came out from her tubs she would go to her wash, lying out -to dry, examine it, turn it over, rearrange it. She was a wonderful -washwoman. It was a mania with her, having everything just right for -the French soldiers, who had won back her home for her in France. - -"But the Germans seemed to know every concentration of troops we made -in that region. Their shells received us every time. We could not -make a move that they did not know all about. We set three men to the -special duty of finding out how the Germans got their information. The -first thing they found out was that there were more air fights over -Bouchavesnes than at any other part of the line. There seemed to be -always a Boche aeroplane hovering over the ruins. They decided that -there must be something about Bouchavesnes which made it a particularly -good observation point. As the old woman was the only thing that -distinguished the place from any other ruined village, they arrested -her. - -"At first she denied everything, but the German accuracy in bombarding -our concentrations ceased with her arrest. It does not take a long -argument to convince a drumhead court-martial, and the old woman saw -that the game was up. She then claimed to be French, and said that -she had consented to spy for the Germans partly under threats, partly -because her life had been spared by them, and partly because they had -paid her well, and she had no other way of getting any money to live. -Finally, she acknowledged that she was German and had been purposely -left behind to spy when the Germans got out. She got twelve years at -hard labor." - - * * * * * - -"Spies work all kinds of tricks. There was the old fellow who came back -to his farm just behind the lines and started to do his fall ploughing -with three horses, a red, a white and a black. He did his signalling by -changing the position of the white horse in the team. He was easy to -catch, as a team, especially a plough team, always works in the same -order. Some of our men who were farmers noticed how he was constantly -changing his horses about. They talked about it among themselves a bit -and at last one of them spoke of it to an officer. The alleged farmer -was investigated and shot. - -"Spies are almost sure to get a certain length of time to do their work -before they are caught. We ran across a blacksmith who was one of the -most congenial fellows you ever met. He had his shop right beside one -of the main roads used by the troops in going back and forth to the -trenches and he always had a stock of wine and something to eat. His -shop did not keep him very busy and he was nearly always at his door. -He would talk to the soldiers, give them a drink, ask where they were -going and want to know how long they would be gone, so that he would -be waiting to give them another glass of wine when they came back. He -was very popular with the soldiers, because he was such a good fellow, -always ready with a joke and a glass of wine. - -"But our concentrations were known to the Boches. Our men were being -shot down. We never could prepare anything in advance and bring it off -successfully, because the Boches knew just where we were getting ready -to do something. Some of our spy catchers got to work to find the leak. -They hunted through the sector for the best place to pick up news about -troop movements and they found, of course, that all the soldiers were -friendly with the blacksmith. His shop was raided one day. He had been -left behind by the Germans. He had a three months' store of wine and -food in his cellar. Of course, he could give our men wine. But he had, -also, direct telephonic communication from his cellar with the German -lines. He was shot. - -"The worst case that I ever knew of--but it was not the only one of the -kind--was an officer in the French army who was a German spy. You can -see from that how thorough the Boches are. That man had been sent from -Germany to France when he was a boy. He had been educated in France and -had gone to the French military schools. He was an artillery officer -and one of the best. He was a lieutenant at the beginning of the war, -but when the Somme offensive began he was a captain in command of a -battery. For all that time he had done his work without being suspected. - -"On the Somme he was in charge of his battery, which was firing ahead -of our men during an advance. The battery got a signal that their range -was too short and they were firing into our own men. The sergeant told -the captain, but he said they were firing according to orders and not -to change the range. The battery fired another round and got another -signal from the infantry that they were firing short. The sergeant -spoke to the captain again and the captain lost his temper and swore -at the sergeant. He ordered another round at the same range and the -sergeant refused. The captain tried to fire one of the guns himself. - -"It was very important for the Germans to stop our advance at that -point. It might have saved Combles. But the sergeant knew as much -about the situation as the captain. He knew what it meant to have our -troops stopped there. We might have lost a brigade. We might have -lost a division. He threatened the captain with a rifle and arrested -him. It is something to arrest your own captain, but the sergeant did -it, and there was a drumhead court-martial and the captain was shot. -He confessed, when he saw it was all up with him, and bragged of the -two years he had escaped being caught and of what he had done. He was -brave enough, but--Well, think of it! Educated in France, an officer -in the French Army, living at the expense of France, living a lie for -ten years, waiting for 'the day' to betray those who trusted him. It -takes a German to do that." (Told by Fred B. Pitney in the _New York -Tribune_.) - - - - -WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "GLENHOLME" - -_Adventures with Submarines in the Mediterranean Sea_ - - The merchant seamen whose voyages take him through the war-zone - lives a hazardous life nowadays, but he treats it as "all in the - day's work." The 'Glenholme' was sunk by a German submarine in the - Mediterranean, and her crew underwent quite a lot of adventures - before they were finally rescued. This tale was first told in the - _Wide World Magazine_. - - -I--SUBMARINED OFF COAST OF MALTA - -These are chancy times for sailormen, both those who man our fighting -ships and the crews of merchant vessels, but they must all take the sea -as they find it and do their best while their country is at war. Many -of them have faced death cheerfully in the execution of their duty. -Some have gone under, while others have endured wounds and privation, -as did the men of the British steamer _Glenholme_. - -This staunch ship, steering wide of the land, cleared the southern -shores of Malta and stuck her blunt nose into the long smooth swell -that rolled up from the eastward. A ten-knot cargo-boat, deep-laden -with steel rails for Alexandria, she forged steadily onward through -the murky night. From stem to stern her hull lay shrouded in darkness; -not a single light gleamed from any of her portholes, and even the -lamp in her steering compass was veiled, for those on board knew right -well that hostile submarines were operating in various parts of the -Mediterranean. - -Captain John Groome leaned his elbows on the bridge-rail and gazed into -the gloom ahead. - -"We're all right so far," he said; "and from what I can hear of things -it seems that these beastly submarines are operating quite a bit to the -northward of our track. All the same, a sharp look-out must be kept or -we may fall foul of some other craft running, like ourselves, without -lights. I don't want to bump any of them." - -"The ocean is a wide place, sir," cheerfully remarked the chief -officer. "We'll keep clear of collision easy enough." - -"I hope so," replied the skipper. "And now, Mr. Bolt, I'm going to lie -down in the chart-room for a couple of hours, and I want you to call me -at daybreak. That's the time when submarines poke up their periscopes -for a morning look around." - -The mists of dawn hung like grey curtains over the northern horizon -when Captain Groome, in answer to a call from the chief officer, again -ascended the bridge ladder. - -"Anything in sight?" he queried. - -"Nothing at all," replied Mr. Bolt. "It's a bit hazy to the northward," -he added, "but the skyline is quite clear ahead." - -Hardly had the chief officer finished speaking when a shot--apparently -coming from nowhere--shrieked overhead between the _Glenholme's_ masts. -A moment later the report of a gun came rolling down the wind. Groome -hurriedly snatched up his binocular glasses and peered into the haze -out abeam. - -"Great Scot!" he exclaimed. "A submarine! Hard-a-port, my son. Let her -go off to south." - -The helmsman ground his wheel over, and not a moment too soon, for -a white line, like the trail of a shooting star, streaked athwart -the surface of the waters. A torpedo had been discharged at the -_Glenholme_, but as she swerved and swung from her course the deadly -missile passed harmlessly ahead. - -"Murderous devils!" ejaculated Mr. Bolt. "Attacking an unarmed ship -with both gunfire and torpedoes." - -"Pass the word to the engineer to give her every pound of steam," -shouted Groome. - -As the morning haze lifted the submarine came into clear view--a dark, -sinister shape. She gave chase while the _Glenholme_ made off at her -topmost speed. Engineers and stokers did their best, and steam hissed -from her safety-valve as, on a zigzag course, she fled. Meanwhile the -pursuing craft hung doggedly in her track. The submarine, however, -discharged no more torpedoes; probably the German commander did not -wish to deplete his stock of these expensive weapons. - -Gradually the pursuer closed with her quarry, until she was not more -than a mile distant, and then her twelve-pounder gun began to bark -viciously. Having found the range, the Germans fairly pounded the -_Glenholme_ with bursting shell, battering her deck-houses and funnel -into masses of twisted steel. - -Groome and his crew did their duty well. They were game, quite game, to -the finish. The captain, alert and watchful, stood beside the helmsman -and directed the steering in such a manner as to keep the hostile craft -dead astern. Presently a flying splinter of shell gashed his leg below -the knee, and blood trickled into his boot as he bound up the wound. -Nevertheless, he kept his vessel going at top speed, for he knew that -British warships were patrolling the Mediterranean, and while the chase -lasted there still remained the chance that a swift destroyer might -suddenly loom up on the skyline and rush to the assistance of his -stricken and harrassed vessel. - -No help came, however, and it was not long ere a shell struck the -rudder-head. With steering gear completely wrecked, the steamer became -unmanageable, and swung round at right angles to her course. Then, -seeing escape was impossible, Captain Groome reluctantly rang his -engines astern and signalled to the enemy that he was bringing his -vessel to a standstill. - - -II--"THE PIRATES LOOTED OUR SHIP" - -It must not be supposed that the Germans thereupon ceased fire. By -no means. An unarmed and unmanageable British steamer wallowing -helplessly in the swell presented a fine opportunity for a display of -"frightfulness"; therefore, on general principles, they let drive a -couple of shots at close range. These shells hulled the _Glenholme_ -forward on the waterline, and she commenced to sink slowly by the head. - -Having accomplished her work, the submarine came close alongside and -stopped, with her gun trained point-blank on the stricken vessel. The -German commander, a stout-built man with bristly hair, emerged from his -conning-tower. He was evidently very angry. - -"Vy didn't you stop before?" he yelled. "I haf used plenty of petrol to -catch you." - -"I'm sorry about your petrol," suavely replied Groome. - -"Vell now, hurry up and get your boats lowered!" shouted the Teuton. "I -gif you ten minutes to leave--no more." - -The crew of the submarine, armed with rifles, stood on their foredeck -and watched the _Glenholme's_ men abandon ship. Some ten minutes later -three boats containing all hands--thirty-four all told--had shoved -clear of the sinking craft. - -"Now," said the submarine commander to Mr. Bolt, who was in charge of -Number Three lifeboat, "I vant to make use of your boat for a little -time. So crowd your men into the other two boats, and shove Number -Three alongside my craft. Hurry up, now, or I gif the order to fire." - -There being no help for it, Mr. Bolt and his men had perforce to do as -they were told. When the empty boat was pushed alongside the submarine -half-a-dozen Germans sprang into her and boarded the _Glenholme_, which -vessel was now deep down by the head, but still sinking slowly. - -The Germans looted from their prize whatever took their fancy, while -that vessel's crew sat in the other two lifeboats and watched the -piratical proceedings with considerable displeasure. One man in -particular, a stoker who hailed from Limehouse, became extremely -indignant. Like the rest of the _Glenholme's_ men, he had hurried -to the boats with little beside the clothes he stood in. His other -belongings had been left in the forecastle, and he had to some extent -resigned himself to their loss; but when he saw some of his property in -the hands of the Huns he could not restrain his anger. - -"The dirty thieves!" he yelled. "They've got me brand-new bowler 'at -and me gramophone." Then, outspoken and fluent, the Londoner stood -upright in the boat and gave the enemy his kind wishes. - -"I don't wish yer no harm, blow yer!" said he. "I don't want yer to -get sunk, nor even captured by a British cruiser. Oh, no. I only wants -yer blighted ole submarine to fall foul of a steamer's bow some dark -night and get capsized. Then I hopes she'll float around for a month -bottom up, with the whole crowd of yer standin' on yer bloomin' heads -and yellin' 'Gott strafe England' until you choke." - -Undoubtedly there were several Germans on board the submarine who -understood English well enough to gather the gist of the irate -stoker's remarks. They looked very ugly as they fingered their rifles -and glanced towards their officer for instructions; most probably the -Londoner ran a grave risk of paying for his temerity with his life. -It happened, however, that at this moment smoke was descried in the -distance. The German commander levelled his binocular glasses and took -a long look at it. Apparently this column of grey smoke caused him -some uneasiness. Full well he knew the rapidity with which, during the -hazy weather, a destroyer could appear on the scene and open fire. He -was evidently a cautious Teuton, for he gave a short, guttural order, -he and his men descended into the submarine, and she dived below the -surface, and so out of this story. How and when the piratical career of -this particular U-boat came to a sudden end cannot now be chronicled. - - -III--THEY WATCHED THE VESSEL SINK - -Meanwhile the _Glenholme's_ crew sat in their boats and watched -their vessel sink. Her bows were by this time below the surface; she -was going fast. Her stern rose high in air, and for about a minute -the stricken and abandoned craft hung poised in this position--her -fore part submerged, her rudder and propeller a hundred feet in air. -Then, with a slow, slanting dive, she vanished from sight. Down -she sank, like many a good ship before her, to rust and rot on the -sandy-tide-swept floor of the Mediterranean. - -The smoke which had been sighted previously was no longer visible. -Captain Groome and his crew in their three open boats had now to face -the chances of a wide and lonely sea. Each boat was well equipped, -and stocked with ten days' provisions; nevertheless, the weather -indications were not encouraging. Wind and sea were gradually -increasing, while a heavy bank of clouds in the north-west foretold a -coming storm. The captain shouted a few words of advice and instruction -to the officers in charge of the two other boats. - -"It's no use trying for Malta against this northerly gale that's -coming. We'll just have to 'up stick' and run for Tripoli. You're quite -right, Mr. Bolt; the boats may get separated. If the sea becomes very -heavy we must lie to our sea-anchors until it moderates, or until we -get picked up." - -The storm came. Black, rain-laden squalls drove across the restless -waters, which a strong and rising wind soon lashed into white-crested -ridges and dark green hollows. It was not safe to carry sail and run -before the gale; so, tethered by their painters to the canvas drags, or -sea-anchors, the boats rode head-on, lifting bravely to the charging -seas. Before nightfall they had drifted far apart and were lost to one -another's sight in the shrouding rain-squalls. - -It must be mentioned that next day two of the boats were picked up by a -French steamer and their crews safely landed. This narrative will now -deal, therefore, with what befell Captain Groome and the twelve men who -were with him. - -For the next three days these poor castaways suffered considerably from -cold and exposure; moreover, the captain had to endure great pain, his -wounded leg being stiff and swollen. However, on the third morning -after they had abandoned the sinking _Glenholme_ the wind and sea -abated, and the sun rose in a cloudless sky that gave promise of a long -spell of fine weather. Captain Groome gave orders to hoist the sail; -and, impelled by a westerly breeze, they steered for the northern coast -of Africa. - -Soon after sunrise land was sighted right ahead--a sandy beach with low -and slightly undulating country in the background. Groome ran the boat -close inshore and then consulted a torn and sea-stained chart. - -"Now, men," said he; "what with the gale and strong currents I figure -out that we've been driven a long way east of Tripoli. The breeze is -dying away, so we'll just have to get out the oars and pull to the -westward." - -"How far is it to the nearest port, captain?" inquired one of the -sailors. - -"Oh, about seventy to eighty miles." - -"That's a long pull on short allowance of water," remarked the sailor, -with a rueful glance at their water-keg, which by this time was -three-parts empty. "Is there any fresh water around these parts, sir?" - -The skipper gazed attentively along the shore before making answer. -"Well," said he at length, "it's a barren-looking coast, and no -mistake, but I see a clump of trees just beyond that point. Perhaps we -can find water there, and refill our keg. Anyhow, we'll go and see." - - -IV--THE CASTAWAYS AND THE ARAB HORSEMEN - -They beached their boat in a little curving bay that lay between two -rocky points. Here, not more than a couple of hundred yards inland, -stood the clump of trees that Groome had noted. They found, to their -great satisfaction, that these trees grew around the brink of a -cup-shaped hollow, at the bottom of which bubbled a spring of clear -fresh water. - -The overjoyed castaways drank their fill; then, with tin cups, they -baled up the water and refilled their ten-gallon keg. While this job -was in progress Captain Groome, accompanied by the bo'sun, clambered -up the sides of the waterhole to take a look around before returning -to the boat. On reaching level ground, to their astonishing and -dismay, they found themselves confronted by a band of about fifty -Arab horsemen. These men were Bedouins of the Senussi tribe--swarthy -ruffians of the desert, fierce and ruthless, who lived chiefly by -murder and pillage. - -They were all armed, some with old-fashioned long-barrelled guns, and a -few with modern rifles, while each man had long knives stuck around his -girdle. These fierce nomads saw plainly that the white men were unarmed -and helpless. Nevertheless, their chief--a tall Arab who was mounted -on a white horse--pointed at the two castaways and shouted aloud to -his followers. Evidently he gave the order to kill, for several of -the swarthy miscreants levelled their rifles and fired point-blank. -The bo'sun dropped, stone dead, with a bullet in his brain, while -Captain Groome, shot through the shoulder, fell to earth and lay -there unconscious and apparently lifeless. For more than an hour the -unfortunate ship-captain remained senseless and inert. The wonder is -that he did not bleed to death; however, he lay so still that, luckily -for him, the blood congealed and caked over his wounds. When at length -his consciousness returned he found that in the meantime events had -been happening with startling rapidity. - -It might be supposed that, after shooting Groome and the bo'sun, the -Arabs would have murdered the remainder of the castaways out of hand, -yet it transpired that they did not do so. Most probably it occurred -to these desert nomads that it would be more profitable to carry the -white men inland and hold them for ransom, therefore they took them as -prisoners. Next, the Bedouins looted the boat that lay drawn up on the -beach, taking all her portable equipment, such as provisions, rope, and -canvas. Then, apparently quite satisfied with their day's work, they -watered their horses and camped, to rest awhile beside the spring. - -Half-a-dozen armed Bedouins kept guard on the prisoners, who sat in a -dejected group. Things were looking very black indeed for these poor -seamen when suddenly--almost by magic it seemed--deliverance came in -the form of a patrol steamer flying the British flag. - -Steaming quite close inshore, she glided into view from behind an -adjacent point. So close was the vessel when she rounded the headland -that those on board could hear the shout of delight raised by the -surviving castaways. - -The lieutenant in charge of the patrol boat--a keen and alert young -officer--was not long in grasping the situation. He saw the boat drawn -up on the beach, and heard the prisoners shouting for aid. Therefore, -when the startled Bedouins hastily mounted and made off, this capable -young naval officer knew just what to do--and he did it. - -A band of badly-scared Arab horsemen started off inland, using whip -and spur in desperate efforts to escape, but at that moment the patrol -steamer's machine-gun took a glad hand in the game. The gun rattled -briskly, streams of lead whistled shoreward, and the tall Arab chief -who rode the white horse pitched headlong from his mount to the earth; -then he lay quite still. He was as dead as salted herring; to use -colloquial English, he had got "all that was coming to him." - -The remaining miscreants rode hard for safety, but the machine-gun did -good work, and during the following few minutes at least a dozen desert -marauders finished altogether with the joys and sorrows of this world. -Those who managed to escape disappeared, together with a number of -riderless horses, behind a distant sand-hill. - -Captain Groome and his men were promptly taken on board the patrol -vessel. The bo'sun, poor fellow, was buried where he lay. The skipper's -wounds were dressed by the ship's surgeon, and under kind and skillful -treatment he soon began to mend. - -The writer saw Groome about six weeks later. He moved stiffly, like -a man whose wounds have but recently healed; nevertheless, he looked -well, and was certainly very cheerful. - -"How do I feel?" said he, in answer to my query. "Oh, my shoulder is -still a bit sore, but otherwise I'm feeling first class. Another week -or so, and I'll be fit and ready to join another ship." - - - - -WHAT THE KAISER'S SON SAW ON THE BATTLEFIELD - -_Personal Experiences of a German Prince_ - -_Told by Prince Oscar of Prussia, Fifth Son of Emperor William_ - - His Royal Highness Prince Oscar of Prussia, fifth of Kaiser - Wilhelm's six sons, has written a little book called "The Winter - Battle," a translation of which is printed herewith. In this he - describes the terrific fighting of the Third German Army, which - formed an important part of the battle front in Champagne and - had to meet a particularly desperate attack by the French. The - Prince was an officer on the staff of the commanding General. As a - result of his experiences he was laid up with an attack of heart - failure. It is interesting to note that "Hill 196," which is one - of the places particularly mentioned in the Prince's narrative as - being defended by the Germans last Winter, was captured by the - French on October 25, 1915, and became once more the centre of - prolonged fighting. The Prince is twenty-seven years old, and was - married morganatically on the day war was declared to Countess Ina - von Bassewitz Levetzow, a young noblewoman not of royal birth. - The proceeds of the sale of his book are given to the widows and - orphans of German soldiers who fell in the Champagne. Translation - for the _New York American_. - - -I--PRINCE OSCAR TELLS ABOUT BATTLE OF CHAMPAGNE - -The great Winter battle in the Champagne in 1915 resulted in a -brilliant victory, which I witnessed with my own eyes. - -The past has already begun busily to weave her heavy veil, and side -by side with the past walks her sister--oblivion! But we--we must -not, we dare not forget. Not only because the war in the Champagne -was the greatest and longest defensive battle in the history of the -world and resulted in a magnificent victory for ourselves; not only -out of gratitude for our heroic leaders and soldiers who accomplished -the superhuman, endured the unspeakable, and yet, undaunted, fought -on to victory; there is another deeper, more salient reason why we -must not forget. I refer to our hero dead, who, with incomparable -self-abnegation, gave their lives for king and country, for Emperor and -empire, for home and nation. - -As a child which one of us has not stood at the grave of some unknown -hero of forgotten days, thrilling with rapturous, fearsome awe? On the -heights north of le Mesnil in the Champagne there is now a grave of -this sort which should be dear to every German heart, but it is not -the grave of an unknown hero of bygone days. Many brave men of our -own glorious army, much noble blood of our beloved German nation have -found their last resting place there on French soil. Our own brothers, -sons and husbands are interred there. Many thousands of heroes, who -have entered the last long silence, slumbering there under the very -sod which they themselves, dauntless, fearless, reckless of danger, -defended to the last breath, cry to us from beyond the grave, "Do not -forget the cause for which we died, for which we gladly and willingly -gave our lives." - -We, the living, who know what these dead heroes accomplished and how -they furthered our cause, lower the sword in memory of them, and, in -spirit, lay a laurel wreath upon that hill, vowing that we will go and -do likewise. - -In order to comprehend thoroughly the significance of the war in the -Champagne and to appreciate the magnitude of the achievements of our -troops we must briefly summarize the circumstances which made the -campaign imperative, the end which it was intended the titanic struggle -should compass, and the conditions which made this victory such an -important one to us. A few sentences will suffice to make all this -clear. It was necessary to crush the first large aggressive movement on -the part of the French, who, by hurling their finest army corps and an -enormous artillery force against us in the Champagne, tried for weeks -and months, at whatever cost, to force a wedge into our lines in order -to break one link in the steel chain with which the German army had -encircled their land. - -If, as intended, they had succeeded in breaking through our lines with -a strong contingent, it can readily be seen how disastrous this would -have been for us. As regards consequences, our success in the Champagne -was at least of as great importance as the victories of Tannenberg, the -Masurian Lakes, near Augustow and on the San; but when we take into -consideration the demands which were made upon individual endurance and -courage in the face of the most harrowing conditions imaginable, it is -doubtful whether the work done in the Champagne by our troops has ever -been equalled. - - -II--THE PRINCE PRAISES HIS TROOPS - -In order thoroughly to appreciate the heroic steadfastness and the -patient endurance shown by our troops, which transcended all praise, -and to appraise properly the difficulties which beset leaders and men -alike during the long, bitter weeks of the battle, we must remember -certain facts. - -When the French offensive was begun on a large scale on February 16, -our troops had already seen months of the hardest sort of service in -repulsing the French First and Seventeenth Army Corps, with only a few -very short intervals of rest--our Eighth Army Corps having been engaged -in this region since December 8, and the Eighth Reserve Corps since -December 19, 1914. - -Our regiments, therefore, were far from unfatigued at a moment when -they were called upon to enter the severest phase of a struggle into -which our foes hurled the flower of their troops. Moreover, the French -had at their command an almost inexhaustible supply of ammunition, and -were able, therefore, in a steadily ascending scale, gradually to reach -the full amplitude of their fighting capacity in their efforts to break -through our lines. If we fully visualize this fact then we must realize -that an almost incredible glory accrues to the work done by our troops. -Only an iron will, a discipline which had become second nature and -utter forgetfulness of self could lead to victory in the face of such -odds. That these qualities did ultimately assure us the victory will -redound to the undying glory of all the troops which did active service -in this great engagement. - -The prodigious masses of iron and humanity which our foes hurled -against us day and night, their marvellous ingenuity in making attacks, -their doggedness in defense, all this was admirably calculated to crush -larger numbers than those of our Third Army. It was a struggle between -iron and steel. It is true that a heavy mass of iron can through sheer -weight bend and indent a narrow band of steel, but it cannot break -the steel. Thus, through continually renewing their attacks and by -training upon us an artillery fire the violence of which beggars all -description, the French succeeded in bending back our lines here and -there. Sometimes at one part, sometimes at another they took several -hundred mètres of intrenchments; but they paid a horrible, a ghastly -price in blood for these minor and valueless successes, which profited -them nothing save that they taught them the bitter lesson that German -will power and German discipline can be broken by nothing. The French -had scornfully proclaimed that they had broken the backbone of our -resistance, but we broke their attack and imposed upon them our own. -In the end the French attempt to break through our lines was utterly -foiled, and the Third Army was victorious. - -During this time the French attacks were directed principally against -the left, i. e., the eastern half of the Third Army, so that the Eighth -Army Corps and the Eighth Reserve Corps bore the brunt of the attacks, -most of which took place along the line between the position of Perthes -and Beausejour. - -This is a rolling, open country, in which narrow fields alternate with -small patches of woodland, covered with pine trees. The country is not -dissimilar in character to the country near Jueterberg and Doeberitz, -in Germany, and instead of soil or sand the surface of the earth is -covered with white chalk. It is a desolate, barren country. The French -themselves call it the "louse Champagne" country, and never was a name -more aptly given. It boasted of only a few settlements, and these have -now been destroyed by the artillery fire. - -During the entire time that the battle lasted the weather was vile. -For weeks it rained day and night, so that the chalky soil was -transformed into a grayish, soapy, slimy mire. In consequence the -by-roads became almost impassable for vehicles and the main roads, -connecting our trenches and camps, owing to the continuous use to which -they were put by marching troops and rolling provision wagons, were -soon in a condition which was almost as bad. The work of our munition -and commissary columns, upon which this battle, which lasted for -months, entailed particularly difficult service, was thereby rendered -exasperatingly hard. The horses also suffered severely through the -long enforced marches, the dreadful roads, the general wetness and the -insufficient food. - - -III--"HOW WE FOUGHT THE BATTLE--A LIVING HELL" - -It is, however, the duty of the good soldier to derive some advantage -from even the most unpromising conditions, and we were able to turn -the frightful condition of the roads to good account in the following -way. The roads which the French commanded were less numerous and in -even worse condition than our own. As they expended a tremendous amount -of ammunition every day in "drum-fire," as continuous systematic -artillery fire is called in the army, they were forced to bring up -large supplies every night, which was not the case with us. As has been -said before, only the main roads could be traversed by the ammunition -wagons, because the other roads had turned into a sort of morass, and -we therefore trained our long-range guns upon their main roads at -night, knowing that we must be doing damage to them. This circumstance -probably accounted for the unusually long pauses which they allowed to -occur in their "drum-fire" on the ensuing days. - -In this way we gained brief periods of respite for our infantry, which -was thus enabled to patch up the badly damaged intrenchments, so that -the French, when they had been supplied with new ammunition, had to -begin all over again. - -The continuous rainfall created cruel conditions for the housing of our -troops. As has been said, the few sparse settlements had been literally -shot to pieces, and our troops were therefore forced to construct -their own huts and cave shelters. That such poor quarters, during an -incessant downpour of rain, were bound to have an injurious effect upon -the strength of the troops, is abundantly plain. Nevertheless, our -men never complained. With admirable patience, even good humour, they -endured the greatest privations and hardships which were the result -of the inclement weather and the inadequate quarters, and how great -these privations and hardships were can only be understood by some one -who himself has lived through a rainy Winter in the "louse Champagne" -country. Nevertheless, miraculously, the health of the troops remained -remarkably good. - -Originally only the First and the Seventeenth French Army Corps had -been intrenched opposite to our Eighth Army Corps and our Eighth -Reserve Corps. Both of the French army corps had suffered severely -during their continuous attacks around Christmas, in January and the -beginning of February. But they had been reinforced continually. -Before beginning their great drive against our lines the French had -gathered together materially larger forces. To cope with our two army -corps gradually, in addition to the First and the Seventeenth Corps, -two colonial divisions and half a territorial division--all in all -almost seven and a half army corps were massed in a comparatively small -territory. - -Furthermore, they had greatly strengthened their artillery. On the -other hand, our two army corps had been strengthened solely by the -addition of individual battalions of the Fifth and Seventh Armies, as -well as by the Sixth Army Corps and the Twelfth Reserve Corps (which at -this time belonged to the Third Army). The Eighth Army Corps comprised -the Bavarian "Landwehr" Brigade and the Hessian "Landwehr" as well. -Then, finally, there was the First Guard Infantry Division, destined to -play a prominent part in this battle. - -In this terrific battle sons from every principality and kingdom of the -Fatherland fought shoulder to shoulder, and vied with each other in the -display of courage and endurance. Prussians and Bavarians, Saxons and -Hessians, men from the North and the South, from East and West, stood -side by side, cheek by jowl, forming an impregnable wall against which -the furious, despairing, fanatic attacks of the French were doomed to -futilely spend themselves. - -The French fought with marvellous valour, with reckless courage and -nerve, climbing up and on over the bodies of their fallen comrades. -They were excellent fighters, were these Frenchmen. But our men were -better fighters, as the outcome of the battle taught us. - -It was, however, not the attacks of their infantry which made this -battle so hideous for us, nor was it the hand-to-hand struggle in -the trenches, man against man, where the German, possessing greater -physical strength, was easily the match of the individual Frenchman. -What made the battle a living hell was the work of the French -artillery, enormous in strength, with huge supplies of ammunition which -was spent lavishly. Life in the trenches became a perpetual nightmare -and stamped as unforgettable heroes the men who went through with it -without flinching. - - -IV--"IT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE ANY LIVING CREATURE COULD SURVIVE" - -Onto a comparatively small area the French on one day threw a hundred -thousand shells! We found a French document in which the commanding -officer calculated that eighteen bombs must be the allowance per -metre of German trench, these eighteen bombs to be used not in a day, -but within one or two hours! The rapidity of the artillery fire was -therefore as great as that of an ordinary machine gun, but the shells -hurled against us were not infantry shells, but grenades of every -calibre. "Drum-fire" is the name for this sort of artillery fire, and -its effects were simply dreadful--unspeakable. The barbed wire was -completely annihilated, was clean wiped out of existence; the trenches -were flattened into mounds, their foundations crumbled away. No known -sort of earthworks were able to withstand such fire for even a short -time. But German discipline, loyalty and heroism held out. - -When such "drum-fire" began, a huge wall of smoke and chalk particles -rose over our trenches, cutting off the men from the rest of the world. -The horror of the scene was augmented by the ceaseless rumbling, -thundering and crashing which filled the air, and which, even miles -away, sounded like a heavy thunderstorm. It seemed impossible that -any living creature should survive such a hellish turmoil. When the -firing ceased abruptly, or when its direction was changed to give -the French infantry a chance to attack us, then our brave fusiliers, -musketeers, grenadiers crawled out of the funnels and pockets into -which the enemy's grenades had ploughed the earth, made their way from -among broken foundations, crumbling cement, trickling sand bags, and, -grabbing their guns and wiping the dirt from their eyes, they repulsed -the French attack. - -And this was done not once, but dozens of times. - -Occasionally our men were ordered to abandon a trench which was -suffering particularly from "drum-fire" in order to avoid unnecessary -loss of life, and the crew from such an abandoned trench was then -placed in our second line of intrenchments. It sometimes happened that -French infantrymen, under protection of their artillery fire, reached -and took such an empty trench, succeeding the more readily because -they encountered no obstacles. Our soldiers then sprang forth from -their cover and attacked the French with hand grenades and bayonets. -Invariably we were successful in repulsing the enemy, causing them -heavy loss of life. - -If for some reason or other this counter-attack was not made at once, -but was postponed for an hour or two, we were not so sure of success, -and it was then never secured by us without heavy casualties, for -the few hours that had elapsed had amply sufficed the French, who -are exceedingly clever at every sort of intrenchment work, to change -and remodel the trench for their purposes, to install machine guns, -to place sandbag barriers along both sides and to make sundry other -changes. This done, the "Frenchmen's nest" was complete. - -The difficult task of ousting the French from their "nest" then -devolved upon our regiments, and in some instances many weeks of hard, -cruel fighting were required to accomplish this end. For this work we -employed underground mines, artillery, bombs and hand grenades. When -the time was ripe for attack, columns of volunteers were formed, which -were led by officers, who, in turn, were preceded by groups of pioneers -with hand grenades and intrenchment tools, to be used in demolishing -the sandbag barriers. The assault was begun simultaneously from both -sides. These attacks were usually conducted at night, and it will -readily be seen what cool, unshakable courage was required for work of -this kind. Immediately after the hand grenades were exploded our men -advanced and a furious hand-to-hand fight ensued, in which not only -bayonet and pick-axe, but shovel and booted foot were used to expel the -enemy, to kill him or force him to surrender. - - -V--BRAVERY OF THE GRENADIERS - -As an example of the tremendous fury with which such a hand-to-hand -fight raged I will cite one instance. A grenadier of one of our Rhenish -regiments, who carried a pick-axe, had the thumb of his right hand, -which carried the weapon, bitten right off by a Frenchman. The German -soldier, writhing with pain, contrived to change the pick-axe to his -left hand, killed both the Frenchman who had maimed him and his comrade. - -In another regiment three men had discovered that in making these -nocturnal attacks they could work together to splendid advantage. The -strongest man of the three took the centre. In his left hand he carried -two steel shields from machine guns lashed together. In his right hand -he held his weapon, bayonet or pick-axe. His two companions kept to -either side of him, as closely as possible. One carried as many hand -grenades as he could manage, the other was equipped with a bayonet. -Thus accoutred, this strange trio proceeded, striking, thrusting and -throwing grenades, and literally hacking its way through the ranks of -the enemy and striking terror to the hearts of the foe. - -Excellent service these three men rendered. Evening after evening the -man who carried the steel shields volunteered for the difficult and -hazardous task. He was asked if he did not feel the necessity for -resting up, or if he did not prefer to serve the hand grenades or to -wield the bayonet for a change. He replied that less powerful men than -he could not as easily carry the steel shields and the pick-axe as -well, while the bayonet work and the throwing of hand grenades could be -done readily by the others. - -The sharpshooters of the Imperial Guard had formed an entire company -of volunteers, who, led by officers, were always sent to perform -particularly dangerous and difficult tasks. They performed deeds of -incredible valour, and the "Tschakos," as Germans call this picked -corps, will not soon be forgotten by the French. - -The men of the Saxon Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 107 were adepts in -taking French prisoners. They had a system of their own and found it -infallible. - -Thus, at night, our brave fellows had to engage in hand-to-hand -encounters, at day had to endure the frightful fire of the French -artillery, and when the firing ceased there was still not a moment's -rest for them, for they then had to repulse the onslaughts of the -French infantrymen. - -Nor was that all. The positions which had been shot to pieces by the -enemy by day in the field, had to be rebuilt, as far as was possible, -at night. The reserves were requisitioned to assist in this work, -although they had really been sent back of the firing line to rest up. -The Reserves were also frequently called upon at night to help defend -with the bayonet any menaced point. Thus their supposed "resting-up" -in the protected zone was somewhat problematical in nature, not alone -because they were frequently called upon to help out, but because the -French had a pretty trick of training their heavy artillery fire, night -and day, upon these outlying points, positions and roads. Unbelievable -as it seems, the men in the trenches actually suffered less from the -artillery fire at night than did the men in the rear. - -Alternately fighting and working by day and by night, our brave men -performed the work of supermen. Each man was actuated by one thought -only--to defend his position to the last, to overcome the enemy, to -endure through it all, no matter what happened. Each leader, each -division, conceived it to be a task of honour to hold the position, or, -if it had been lost, to regain it. - - -VI--THE PRINCE GIVES HIS OPINION OF HIS ADVERSARY - -Let us now consider the method which our foe employed in preparing the -attacks. - -The French attacks must be classified as partial attacks and as attacks -en masse. The former invariably preceded the latter. The numerical -strength of the troops thus employed varied from a company to a -division. They were never an end in themselves, but a mere link in the -chain of a general, comprehensive plan. A destructive "drum-fire" was -followed up by an attack upon a particular trench. Having secured the -trench, they did one of two things. Either they used every effort to -secure a second trench, several hundred meters further along the line, -so that, working and fighting toward each other, they might reasonably -expect to unite the two trenches; or, using the captured trench as a -base for an attack en masse, they sought to indent our line and to -break it, a thing which was never attempted when a partial attack was -made. - -In conducting these attacks en masse, the French always adhered to -their well-known scheme. A compact line of sharpshooters at the front -was followed at a distance of one hundred meters by densely packed -masses of company and battalion columns. - -This method, of attack, from which they never swerved, occasioned them -a shocking loss of life. The losses sustained by a French regiment in -storming a position may be estimated conservatively at forty to fifty -per cent. French prisoners confirmed this estimate. To this wholesale -slaughter to which they condemn their men the fact is probably due that -the French rarely use the same regiment twice for purposes of attack. -Surely they must reckon with the demoralizing effect sustained by men -who have been forced to climb over hillocks of their own dead in order -to reach the enemy! - -A French officer, whom we took prisoner, told us that the havoc wrought -by the German artillery fire upon the closed columns of the French had -been frightful. He added: - -"These attacks constitute an insane slaughter; strictly speaking, -they are not attacks, but a mad dancing in shambles, through a -charnel-house, upon a cemetery. And yet we will be forced to continue -this way until the French Government sees fit to recognize the futility -of our method, or until we contrive to break through." - -Not enough can be said in praise of our artillery. Heavy and light -artillery as well performed wonders. Their co-operation with our -infantry was wonderful--could not have been improved upon. Often, -our well-directed artillery fire nipped in the bud French efforts at -attack. Truly, the artillery which took part in the battle of the -Champagne has every reason to be proud of its record. - -At the beginning of the period of which I am writing, the French -attacks were directed principally against our positions near Perthes -(the centre and left wing of the Eighth Army Corps). Then the French -concentrated their attacks upon the outer left wing of the Eighth -Army Corps and the right wing of the Eighth Reserve Corps (16th -Reserve-Division). Finally the French offensive degenerated into -a desperate, mad, wild struggle for the now famous Hill 196 (two -kilometers north of le Mesnil-les-Hurlus). At first they were probably -obsessed by the idea that the hill was valuable because of the outlook -which it afforded. Later, the government, or the War Ministry, seems to -have issued an order that the hill must be taken at whatever cost. They -paid the cost--paid horribly, suffered overwhelming losses, offered -hecatombs of victims, and still did not gain the Hill--thanks to the -heroism of the defending regiments. - -This--Hill 196--was the most seriously menaced point, and accordingly -the Guard was installed there, which, together with the Rhenish, -Silesian and Saxon regiments, performed deeds of great valour. True to -the traditions of their race, they withstood the terrific onslaughts -made by the French hordes, onslaughts for the making of which the -French continually sent out fresh regiments. Attack after attack -failed. Those who escaped the fire of the artillery and the machine -guns fell under the butts and blades of the German bayonets. - -Just as the interest and action of a drama continues to ascend until -the end of the last act, so the Battle of Champagne reached its -culmination and conclusion in the mad struggle that raged around Hill -196. - - -VII--"MAD STRUGGLE AT HILL 196" - -In the last days of the frantic struggle, we had perceived that the -French were gathering in largely increased numbers in their trenches. -Then to our surprise the attack which we expected to follow did not -occur. We therefore deemed it reasonable to conclude from this that -the enemy no longer considered it expedient to push on, and that the -fire of our artillery was holding them to their trenches. Therefore, -on March 18, we were not expecting that any serious attack would be -attempted. But the French apparently were not willing to admit defeat -without one final, desperate effort. - -Suddenly, on the afternoon of March 18, the attack was begun by densely -massed troops, their objective being Hill 196 and the position directly -east of the hill. The position of the Guards Reserve Infantry Regiment -No. 133 and other troops, who received the main shock of the impact, -was not to be shaken, however. The Fourth Turcos Regiment and others of -the French army attacked in five lines, advancing one by one, with some -of their officers on horseback. We received them with a shower of hand -grenades, which tore hundreds of them limb from limb and blew to atoms -the first two lines. - -Succeeding lines fared no better. Those who miraculously escaped the -hand grenades were felled by our furious men with blows of pick-axe and -bayonet. In spite of their dauntless courage, their reckless contempt -of death, their marvellous persistence, the French were forced back. -Front and flank of this writhing maelstrom of densely packed humanity -rolling along in a disorderly retreat was swept by our heavy artillery -fire from 21-centimetre mortars, heavy field howitzers, 10-centimetre -cannon. The losses which the French sustained were inhuman and -sickening. - -With this last valiant attempt to take the Hill 196 ended the Winter -battle of the Champagne. After months of frantic fighting, after paying -a frightful toll in blood, the French were forced to abandon their -effort to break through our lines. Their finest troops, the very flower -of their army, who had fought persistently with all the dare-devil -gallantry for which the French are famous, had, in the end, not only -failed to win a victory, but had sustained a crushing defeat. For the -fact must not be overlooked that their failure to force their way -through our lines was tantamount to a very serious defeat. - - -VIII--WHAT THE GERMAN PRINCE CLAIMS FOR HIS ARMY - -The battle of the Champagne is over. The unexampled heroism, the -superhuman endurance of our troops have already become things of the -past. But we, the great German nation, will do well to heed the warning -that was sounded in the bitter days when the frenzied battle raged in -the Champagne. - -What lesson shall we extract from this titanic struggle? What moral is -pointed by Hill 196, whose every inch of ground was ploughed by bullets -and soaked with our dearest blood? What were the underlying causes that -contributed to our victory? What was it that made every beardless boy -a hero, made the oldest man in the "Landwehr" forget his age and the -privations he was enduring? - -Let us briefly review the principal factors that made for success. - -The value of iron discipline was overwhelmingly demonstrated. It is -safe to assert that the most highly disciplined regiment will be the -most successful in action. Youthful enthusiasm may be undermined, -patriotism may be forced into temporary abeyance by hours of continual, -cruel shelling; worse than that, the very power to think becomes -inhibited in the witches' cauldron of "drum-fire." It is then that -discipline asserts itself. Nothing else gives the same moral stamina, -and in difficult positions discipline is bound to be the determining -factor. - -Before the war began the voices of many people were raised who, from -false sentimentality, from undue softness, from ill-will or from -sheer stupidity, were eager to have an end put for all time to the -unconditional obedience and rigid drill of our army; in brief, to our -entire military training, the value of which has been tested and proven -throughout centuries. Many of our so-called comic papers made it their -chief business to ridicule military training and discipline, to spatter -with mud the very foundation and bulwark of our military efficiency. I -think the battle of the Champagne must have taught them to amend their -way of thinking. - -"The iron rock upon which Germany rests more securely than the earth -upon the shoulders of Atlas is our glorious army." That this army -has reached this glorious summit is due primarily to its splendid -training, and the fundamentals of this training are to be found in the -latterly much-laughed-at and sneered-at detail work done in years of -peace. The standing-at-attention, the the clock-like precision, the -manual of arms, the goose-step--to all of these we owe the efficiency -displayed by our troops in resisting French "drum-fire," in repulsing -French drives, in withstanding with iron might French alertness, in -circumventing French enthusiasm and gallantry. - -For instance, our Guard went through the attacks at Ypres. During -the bitter month of February this same First Guard Infantry Brigade -rendered futile and vain all the science and gallantry manifested -by the French troops at Perthes, and won new laurels in the frantic -struggle for Hill 196. Yet this crack regiment did not disdain, when -ordered to the rear for a brief, much-needed rest, to continue its -exercises and drills from the very first day of its holiday. In battle, -even, when under cover, this regiment went through the manual of arms, -practised positions and stood at attention. - -One thing more. Let us educate our young men to be strong and hard. Let -us guard against influences that tend to soften or make for effeminacy, -so that, when future need arises, the coming generation may be able -successfully to cope with conditions similar to those which confronted -our troops in the Champagne. Let us weed out the poison which is eating -into the marrow of our national life--the cry for pleasure or youthful -liberties. - -Then, too, let us instil in the youth of our nation simple faith, -a firm belief in the Lord God, whose will directs the destinies of -mankind. Those who went through the battle of the Champagne agree in -saying that without a firm belief in God they never would have been -able to live through those harrowing days, and to the handful, who -lacked faith, faith came amid shower of shells, during attacks of -bayonets. - - - - -A DAY'S WORK WITH A FRENCH SUBMARINE - -_An American s Experience under the Sea_ - -_Told by Fred B. Pitney, by Authority of the French Minister of Marine_ - - This story is told from "a certain formidable naval base on the - coast of France." The American who relates it went out on scout - duty on a submarine--for a single day. He tells how it feels to - dive, the sensation of being shot at--not "unpleasant or trying on - the nerves." Mr. Pitney is one of the war correspondents for the - _New York Tribune_. - - -I--"WE FIRED NINE SHOTS AND SUNK BENEATH THE SEA" - -To appear on the surface, fire nine shots at an enemy vessel and -disappear in safety, untouched, below the surface, all in the space of -forty-five seconds--this, I believe, constitutes a submarine record. -Yet, this feat I witnessed as an observer on board a French submarine -in active service. - -Before this I was a passenger on a vessel that was attacked by a -submarine. A torpedo was launched at us from below the surface, while -we were anxiously trying to pick up the periscope of the submerged -vessel, for we were in dangerous waters. We had just discovered the -periscope when the torpedo was sent at us. Five minutes later the -submarine came to the surface and fired a round at us from the gun -abaft the turret we lay to and the passengers were transferred in a -small boat from the passenger vessel to the submarine. It was then -that I was on board the submarine while it attacked another vessel. - -Thus, on the afternoon in question I participated in all the phases -of submarine warfare, including entering a harbor protected with net -and floating mines, filled with warships and surrounded with land -batteries. Possibly the most exciting moment of all in an afternoon -filled with thrills was when one land battery, uncertain of our -identity, fired three shots across our bows and we had to lie to and -prove who we were with a string of signal flags before we could proceed -on our tortuous path among the mines. - -Our little vessel, put at our disposal by the French Ministry of Marine -to view the defences of a certain formidable naval base on the coast of -France, was calmly traversing the waters near the mouth of the harbor, -when a young officer, standing beside me on the bridge said: "We must -look out for submarines near here." - -"Germans?" I asked. - -"Oh, yes," he replied, "Germans, of course." - -We had already passed through the net that protects the mouth of the -harbor and had been warned that we were going through a mine field, -and that sometimes, especially in bad weather, the mines got loose and -drifted about casually, getting in most anybody's way. Now we had the -added pleasure of a possible encounter with a German submarine. - -"How many German submarines are there in the Mediterranean?" I asked. - -"About thirty-five," he said. - -Recalling my geography, it seemed we had a pretty good chance of being -seen. - -"Are you a submarine officer?" I asked. - -He told me that he was, and added that he would not change his work -for any other branch of the service. I told him that I had always -understood submarine service was particularly unpleasant and trying on -the nerves. - -"Oh, no. On the contrary, it is very restful," he said, "and extremely -interesting and great sport." - -"How old are you?" I asked. - -He was thirty-two and unmarried. - -"Perhaps that accounts for it," I said. - -"Perhaps," he agreed. "I don't know. But it is the sporting interest -that makes the submarine service so fine." - -He told of cruising in the North Sea, watching for German torpedo -boats, of weeks on guard duty in the Channel, assuring the service -between France and England, and of other weeks submerged in the -Adriatic, blockading the Austrian ports. - -"We had to pick our way through the mine fields submerged," he said, -"and then lie forty hours submerged on blockade duty. When our turn -ended, we would pick our way back through the mines for a rest." - -"But surely that was trying on the nerves," I said. - -"Oh, no," he declared. "Not at all. We had a good rest there. There was -nothing to do but sleep and watch." - -"What was the worst part of that service?" I asked. - -"The hydroplanes," he answered readily. "They were always flying over -the harbor looking for us, and there was always the possibility that -one of them would discover us and drop a bomb." - -"In that event what would happen to you?" I asked. - -"No one would ever know," he replied, "unless we sank in shallow enough -water to be raised." - -He said it in the most casual manner. - -"Has there ever been a fight between two submarines?" was my next -question. - -He had been in two in the North Sea, he told me. "If you are on the -surface, you fight with your guns," he said, "but, if you are under the -surface, you go at it with torpedoes; there is not much chance with -torpedoes, because you can only see the periscope and you have no idea -which way the other fellow is going. Nothing happened in either fight -I had. We both got off safely." - -During this conversation both of us and four of the ship's officers -had our glasses on the sea, watching for submarines. One of the ship's -officers now announced a suspicious looking white wave on the port bow. -It was suspicious because it moved, but it was a very tiny little wave, -only about three feet long and the breadth of a carpenter's hand. No -one would ever have suspected it without expert advice. - - -II--ON A SUBMARINE IN A ROUGH SEA - -That, as I learned, is one of the greatest dangers of the submarine. Of -course, we have all been told it many times, but when the thing is once -experienced it is truly appreciated, and not until then. The approach -of the submarine is more insidious than the taste for absinthe. - -There is merely that little white wave only occasionally to be -seen--the white water curling around the periscope--and with the -sea running at all high there would be no white wave that could be -distinguished from the white tops of the other waves. Then, if the -submarine chooses to remain near the surface one can after a long time -of very close study make out the periscope as a very small stick, like -a piece of lath, poking up out of the water. But it only sticks up a -little more than a foot when it is the most willing to be seen, while -if, as in our case, it is not willing to be seen, the submarine, having -located its prey, dives deeper and all trace of it is lost, the next -thing being a torpedo coming from an entirely different point on the -horizon. - -Our officers were experts at watching for submarines, and though the -little white wave made by the periscope disappeared, they caught the -white wake of the torpedo coming toward the port quarter and sheered -off to escape it. The torpedo passed harmlessly by our stern, but the -adventure was not ended, for hardly a minute later we heard a shot from -off the starboard quarter and, turning in that direction, saw that the -submarine had come to the surface and was busily firing at us to bring -us to. - -We stopped without any foolish waste of time in argument. I asked if a -boat would be sent to us, or if we would have to get our boat. - -"They carry a small folding boat," said the officer to whom I had been -talking, "but we will have to send our boat." - -While we were getting our boat over the side, the submarine moved -closer in, keeping her gun bearing on us all the time, most -uncomfortably. The gun stood uncovered on the deck, just abaft the -turret. It was thickly coated with grease to protect it when the vessel -submerged. It is only the very latest type of submarines that have -disappearing guns which go under cover when the vessel submerges and -are fired from within the ship, which makes all the more surprising the -speed with which a submarine can come to the surface, the men get out -on deck, fire the gun, get in again and the vessel once more submerge. - - -III--IN THE SECRET CHAMBERS OF A SUBMARINE - -I was in the first boatload that went over to the submarine. From -a distance it looked like nothing so much as a rather long piece -of 4 x 8 floating on the water, with another block set on top of -it and a length of lath nailed on the block. It lost none of these -characteristics as we neared it. It only gained a couple of ropes along -the sides of the 4 x 8, while men kept coming mysteriously out of -the block until a round dozen were waiting to receive us. The really -surprising thing was that the men turned out to be perfectly good -French sailors, with a most exceedingly polite French lieutenant to -help us aboard the little craft. - -It was a little surprise the admiral of the port had prepared for us, -and nothing could have been better prepared to give us the true flavor -of submarine warfare. We had had all the sensation of being chased, -fired on and captured--everything except being sunk in mid-ocean. Now -we were to have the other experience of chasing and capturing the enemy. - -The vessel we were in was a 500-ton cruising submarine. It had just -come from eight months' guarding the Channel, and showed all the -battering of eight months of a very rough and stormy career with no -time for a lie-up for repairs. It was interesting to see the commander -hand the depth gauge a wallop to start it working and find out if the -centre of the boat was really nine feet higher than either end. We were -fifty-four feet under water and diving when the commander performed -that little experiment and we continued to dive while the gauge spun -around and finally stopped at a place which indicated approximately -that our back was not broken. I suppose that was one of the things my -friend the lieutenant referred to when he said life on a submarine was -such a sporting proposition. - -We boarded the submarine over the tail end and balanced our way up the -long narrow block, like walking a tight rope, to the turret, where we -descended through a hole like the opening into a gas main into a small -round compartment about six feet in diameter exactly in the midship -section, which was the largest compartment in the ship. Running each -way from it the length of the vessel were long corridors, some two feet -wide. On each side of the corridors were rows of tiny compartments, -which were the living and working rooms of the ship. Naturally, most of -the space was given up to the working rooms. - -The officers' quarters consisted of four tiny compartments, two on -each side of the after corridor. The first two were the mess room and -chart room, and the second pair were the cabins of the commander--a -lieutenant--and his second in command, an ensign. Behind them was an -electric kitchen, and next came the engines, first two sets of Diesel -engines, one on each side of the corridor, each of 400 horsepower. -These were for running on the surface. Then came four bunks for the -quartermasters and last the electric motors for running under the -surface. The motors were run from storage batteries and were half the -power of the Diesel engines. The quarters of the crew were along the -sides of the forward corridor. The floors of the corridor were an -unbroken series of trap doors, covering the storage tanks for drinking -water, food and the ship's supplies. The torpedo tubes were forward -of the men's quarters. Ten torpedoes were carried. The ammunition for -the deck gun was stored immediately beneath the gun, which was mounted -between the turret and the first batch, abaft the turret. Besides the -turret there were three hatches in the deck, one forward and two aft. - -There were thirty-four men in the crew. Each quartermaster was directly -responsible for six men, while the commander and his second were -responsible for five each. The men are counted every two hours, as -there is great danger of men being lost overboard when running on the -surface, and in bad weather they are sometimes counted as often as -every half hour. - -The turret was divided in two sections. In the after part was the main -hatch and behind it a stationary periscope, standing about thirty -inches above the surface of the water when the deck was submerged and -only the periscope showing. There was no opening in the forward section -of the turret, but the fighting periscope, which could be drawn down -into the interior or pushed up to ten feet above the surface when the -vessel was completely submerged, extended through the top. - -It is with this periscope that the vessel is navigated. The submarine -sails at a depth at which the fighting periscope shows about eighteen -inches above the surface, while the commander, standing on two iron -grips, with his head, shoulders and body in the turret and his legs -sticking down into the cabin, keeps his eyes glued to the sights of the -periscope, which he constantly turns from side to side to take in all -points of the limited horizon. The part of the fighting periscope that -extends above the water is a brass rod about two and one-half inches in -diameter, while its eye is only three-quarters of an inch in diameter. -It is on this tiny opening that both the safety and fighting ability of -the vessel depend. - -For two hours, turn and turn about, the commander and his second stand -watch on the iron grips in the turret, one eye on the periscope, the -other on the compass. And this goes on for weeks on end. It is only -when they lie for a few hours fifty to seventy-five feet below the -surface that they can get some rest. And even then there is no real -rest, for one or the other of them must be constantly on duty, testing -pipes and gauges, air pressure, water pressure and a thousand other -things. - -I met the next day another officer whose mustache and eyebrows were -black as jet, but whose hair was silver white. He was thirty-eight -years old. For six years and a half he had been a submarine officer, he -told me. - -"Why did you quit it?" I asked him. - -"Too old," he said. - -"Is there an age limit?" I asked. - -"No," he replied, "but a man knows when he is too old for the work." - -Yet nothing would induce those who have not yet found themselves too -old to leave it. One would think the sailors, at any rate, would find -the life tiresome or too dangerous. I talked to several of them about -it, but they all agreed that they would not change. - -"Is this life better than on a battleship?" I asked one sailor. - -"Oh, yes," he replied. "I would not go back to a battleship." - -"What makes it better?" I asked. - -"It is more tranquil," he answered. - -Tranquil, sixty feet under water and your life hanging on a gauge that -needs a good heavy wallop to make it work. - -When we dropped through the hatch into the interior of the submarine -and the cover was clamped down over our heads the commander at once -ordered me back into the turret. - - -IV--"WE RAN SUBMERGED THROUGH A MINE FIELD" - -"Hurry, if you want to see her dive," he said. - -I climbed into the after section of the turret and fastened my eye to -the periscope. Around the top of the turret was a circle of bulls' -eyes and I was conscious of the water dashing against them while -the spray washed over the glass of the periscope. The little vessel -rolled very slightly on the surface, though there was quite a bit of -sea running. I watched the horizon through the periscope and watched -for the dive, expecting a distinct sensation, but the first thing I -noticed was that even the slight roll had ceased and I was surprised to -see that the bulls' eyes were completely under water. The next thing -there was no more horizon. The periscope also was covered and we were -completely beneath the surface. - -"Did it make you sick?" the commander asked, when I climbed down from -the turret, and when I told him no he was surprised, for he said most -men were made sick by their first dive. - -The thing most astonishing to me about that experience was how a -submerged submarine can thread its way through a mine field. For though -the water is luminous and translucent one can hardly make out the black -hull of the boat under the turret and a mine would have to be on top -of you before you could see it. The men who watch for mines must have -a sense for them as well as particularly powerful sight. - -We continued to dive until we were sixty-eight feet below the surface, -too deep to strike any mine, and there we ran tranquilly on our -electric engines, while the commander navigated the vessel and the -second in command opened champagne in the two by four mess room. After -half an hour of under-water work we came near enough the surface for -our fighting periscope to stick twenty inches out of the water and -searched the lonely horizon for a ship to attack. - -It was not long before we sighted a mine trawler, steaming for the -harbor, and speeded up to overtake her. - -"Pikers!" said our commander, as we circled twice around the mine -trawler; "they can't find us." - -Five men on the trawler were scanning the sea with glasses, looking -for submarines. We could follow all their motions, could tell when -they thought they had found us and see their disappointment at their -mistakes, but though we were never more than five hundred yards from -them I did not think they were pikers because they did not find us. I -had tried that hunt for the tiny wave of a periscope. - -"No use wasting a torpedo on those fellows," said our commander. "We -will use the gun on them." - -"How far away can you use a torpedo?" I asked. - -"Two hundred yards is the best distance," he said. "Never more than -five hundred. A torpedo is pure guesswork at more than five hundred -yards." - -We crossed the bow of the trawler, circled around to her starboard -quarter and came to the surface, fired nine shots and submerged again -in forty-five seconds. - -The prey secured, we ran submerged through the mine field and past the -net barrier to come to the surface well within the harbor and proceed -peacefully to our mooring under the shelter of the guns of the land -forts. - - - - -TALE OF THE CHILD OF TERBEEKE - -_How It Saved a British Battalion_ - -_By Oliver Madox Hueffer_ - - In this little story the author sets down the facts of a very - remarkable affair--how a child saved a British battalion from - annihilation, thereby giving rise to yet more legends of the - "Angels of Mons" description. A true story from the _Wide World - Magazine_. - - -I--THE STORY OF HIPPOLYTE - -In the days to come the historian will find fruitful scope for a work -on faith, as shown in the Great War. And among the "Angels of Mons" and -other celestial visitants I hope he will find a niche for the "Child of -Terbeeke." - -I came across the story--and the child himself, for that matter--when -I was billeted with my battalion at Durdegem. Durdegem is as ugly a -little Walloon village as you need look for, but, internationally -speaking, it is as interesting as ugly. It stands on French soil; you -could almost throw a tin of bully-beef, if you were so unpatriotically -wasteful, into Belgium; what is, for all practical purposes, -temporarily Germany is not more than three miles away; yet English -is almost the only language you will hear in the streets. Even the -children, those who are left of them, speak English; they say "Na -poo" or "No bon," and sometimes, it is to be feared, a swearword, as -patly as a bombardier. This is really less surprising than that there -should be any children at all, with the German lines so close; but -things have been comparatively quiet thereabouts for months past, -and though some of the houses are still ruinous and others have had -their windows blocked with sandbags so long that already the grass is -beginning to grow upon them, the inhabitants have settled down to the -not unprofitable task of selling comforts to the British soldiers who -are always passing and repassing. - -I was billeted upon Madame Tavernier, who owned the Blanchisserie du -Cygne and was rapidly making her fortune out of the laundry bills she -rendered to British officers, who are notoriously millionaires and well -able to pay for the privilege of defending Northern France. With Madame -Tavernier there was also staying--while other arrangements were being -made for him--Hippolyte, otherwise famous as the Child of Terbeeke. - -Hippolyte was not yet six, but already he could say "Slee-o-pums" and -"Stunt-ease" and "Fum-fers" so plainly that any drill-sergeant would -have wept with pride to hear him. Also he wore the full uniform of a -British sergeant-major, with puttees and a walking-stick and the badge -of a famous Line regiment, all specially made and presented to him -for his very own. Also, although he was temporarily the paying-guest -of Madame Tavernier and allowed himself to be petted by a whole -serial-story of British officers, he had a service-battalion to act -as his father and to fight for him any battles he might wish fought. -It is to be feared that a precocious understanding of these facts had -made him rather conceited, and I do not think I should have liked him -very much had I remained with Madame Tavernier longer than three days. -Anyhow, this was his story, as related to me by that excellent lady and -vouched for by a cloud of witnesses. - -Hippolyte came from Terbeeke, which is in the south of flat Flanders. -Madame declared that he was the son of a professor at Louvain -University, and added that the professor quarrelled with his wife soon -after the birth of Hippolyte, and that the wife thereupon returned to -her native village. - -Hippolyte, therefore, at a very early age indeed, went to live at -Terbeeke. Terbeeke, I understand--for I was never there--lies just at -the southward edge of the Flemish flats. Northwards the country is as -flat as a drawing-board, criss-crossed with dykes and little canals; -to the east is a wide State forest, and to the south a range of low -hills. Between the little town and the hills lies what in pre-war days -was Terbeeke's one claim to fame--the Terbeeke mere or marsh, forming -a crescent to the south and west. I do not know how broad or wide it -is, but it has been famous for centuries as bottomless, and a whole -cycle of legend has grown up round it, dealing with the notabilities of -one kind or another who have been drowned in its brown, oozy depths. -Perhaps because of this evil fame it has never been drained, and is -to-day as darkly ominous as in the times of fairies and lubber-fiends. - -The mother of Hippolyte lived in a small and lonely house at the other -side of the marsh from the town of Terbeeke. She must have possessed -some private means, for she seems to have carried on no business of any -kind, but to have devoted most of her time to religion, crossing the -marsh-arm several times daily to the parish church, which stood in the -centre of the town. Otherwise her days were passed in solitude, for she -lived quite alone with the child, their only companion being a large -dog. She passed the time not taken up by religion in wandering about -the marsh, for she had few friends, and the people of Terbeeke often -saw the three moving about the surface of the quagmire in places where -there was no known track. - - -II--IN PATH OF PRUSSIAN INVADERS - -Time passed, and the war broke out. Terbeeke was not in the direct path -of the invaders, and, sheltered behind the forest, it almost seemed -to the townspeople as though they might escape the fate of the rest -of Belgium. But the respite was not for long. The low muttering of -distant guns grew every day louder; the stream of fugitives hurrying -through the forest and past the town towards the French frontier grew -always denser; at last the climax came. A British officer dashed into -the town at three o'clock in the morning and hurried into the Mairie. -The civilian population, it was announced, must evacuate their houses -instantly. - -There followed the usual scenes of frantic terror and chaotic haste -that happened so often during the opening chapters of the Great War. -The one road out of the town was blocked with every kind of conveyance, -from bicycle to dog-carts; there were blocks at every corner; precious -minutes were wasted in useless recriminations; and long before the last -civilian had left, the turmoil of desperate fighting was heard coming -always nearer through the dim mystery of the forest. - -It was one of the incidents of the Great Retreat. A flank battalion of -British infantry, by some mishap, lost direction. Cut off from the main -body, and fighting desperately, it was driven always further from the -path along which safety lay, until at last, flinging itself into the -forest of Terbeeke, for a whole day and night it held off the furious -attacks of a brigade of Prussians. - -But the odds were too great. Slowly but surely the battalion was -forced back through the forest to the very outskirts. Back from there, -after another frantic assault, it reeled, reduced now to two sparse -companies--some three hundred men in all---across the little edging of -cornfields into the stricken streets of Terbeeke. - -There, at last, it found some respite. The Prussians, having learnt -by bitter experience the fighting value of the "contemptible" little -force arrayed against them, jibbed at the open frontal attack across -bare plough-land, and remained hidden within the forest, awaiting -reinforcements. - -Meanwhile the British remnant fought desperately to establish -themselves within the village and turn every house into a citadel; -while their commander, a lieutenant of something under twenty-one, -racked his brain for some way of escape. At one time it might have -been possible to skirt the northern edge of the marsh, but already -the attacking Prussians had pushed forward, and the British were now -enclosed within a triangle, formed as to its sides by the overwhelming -Prussian force, and as to its base by the impassable fastnesses of the -mere. - -"Unless something happens pretty quick," said the C.O. to his -second-in-command, a boy of nineteen, "things are pretty considerably -all U-P." (He said something to that effect, I mean. Madame Tavernier's -narrative did not, of course, fill in such details.) - -They were standing in the porch of the old church, gazing -disconsolately over the flat stretches of marshland. The Boche fire had -temporarily ceased, and they devoted the respite to seeking some way by -which the marsh might be crossed even at the eleventh hour. But there -was none, or none which they could discern. - -"Wonder what they are waiting for?" said the boy, lighting a cigarette. - -"Bringing up the guns, of course. It will be dark in an hour." The -young C.O. gazed hopelessly to where the sun was already dropping to -the cloud-capped western horizon, straining with ominous red the reedy -pools before them. - -"Moon will be up, though." - -"All the better for them. I should give the village another two hours. -And then----" - -"You aren't going to surrender, surely?" There was the quiver of horror -in the young voice. - -They were interrupted by the C.S.M. of B Company. - -"Not more than ten rounds a man, sir," he reported. "Machine-gun out of -order." He made his report with the tranquil woodenness of his kind, -without a quiver of voice or muscle. (If you say that it is impossible -for me to know what these men said, or how they behaved, I can only -reply that I have been through the same sort of thing myself.) - -"Thanks, major. Men come in that were sounding the marsh?" - -"Report there is no way across, sir." - -"They certainly won't find one now it's getting dark. Better get back -to your posts. They will begin again soon." - -Even as he spoke there came the complaining whine of a four-inch shell -high overhead. - - -III--THE BABE ON THE BATTLEFIELD WITH HIS DOG - -Possibly it was the new sound that woke Hippolyte, or perhaps Casper, -the mongrel wolf-hound, took it for the challenge of some ancestral -enemy. At least, some half-hour later No. 21687 Private John Smith, of -C Company, had a vision. He was not naturally an imaginative man, but -he hastened to report it to the C.S.M. - -"Lummy, sir," he said, "if there ain't a bloomin' angel comin' across -the bloomin' marsh!" - -And, sure enough, across the very centre of the shivering quag came a -small figure, clothed in a long white robe very like those attributed -to mediæval angels, and with a golden aureole about its head, cast by -the last rays of the dying sun. Actually it was no angel, but little -Hippolyte, looking for his mother. She had left him, very early in the -morning, to go to Mass, trusting him, as often before, to the care of -Casper. Usually she was not gone for more than half an hour or so. On -that day, however, she had not returned in one hour or in three. She -never _would_ return, for before the third hour she was lying dead in -the little square before the church-door--one of a group of six, men -and women, who had been caught leaving the building when the Germans, -in their first assault, enfiladed the main street with machine-gun -fire. They lay side by side, very peacefully, just as they fell, for -the hard-pressed defenders of the village had found no leisure to -remove them. - -Hippolyte waited very patiently--as was his wont. He cried a little -from loneliness at first, but his mother, before she left him, had set -out the little portion of milk and bread that was to be his breakfast. -Growing hungry, he sought for it in its accustomed place, ate it, and -fell asleep again. It was the dog at last that disturbed him, later in -the afternoon, by whimpering and scratching at the door, and gave him -the great idea of starting out to find the mother who was so long in -returning. - -Child and dog set out together along the imperceptible track of safety -that crept and twisted across the marsh. Alone Hippolyte would almost -certainly have strayed from it, but the dog's surer instinct guarded -him until, just at the moment when hope was at an end, he came as a -vision of hope to the spent company of Englishmen. - -That is practically the end of the story, for you can imagine the rest, -except, perhaps, that the child, when he had almost reached the hard -ground, grew afraid of the sound of firing, the noise overhead, and -the gaunt, stark men staring at him in wondering silence. So he turned -homeward again, Casper stalking beside him, sacrificing his lust for -battle to his duty as foster-father. But they went slowly, the child -often turning back to stare with wondering eyes at the increasing chaos -behind him and, as the more impressionable among the soldiers would -have it, beckoning them to follow him towards safety. - -Follow they did, but as unbeaten soldiers should, in good order and -with due precautions--and so escaped. The Germans lost time before -they entered the deserted village, for they feared an ambush. When -they _did_ enter, it was long past sunset and the night was too dark -to do anything before dawn. Even then they had no guide to show them -the track across the marsh, and they were forced to skirt it, losing so -much time that the British battalion--if you can call less than three -hundred men a battalion--got clear away, and in due course picked up -the main body, taking with them Hippolyte and Casper. - -You would say, if you did not know human nature, that there was no room -for a legend of celestial intervention. But you would be wrong. Even in -the rescued battalion--long since brought up to strength and upholding -its laurels elsewhere in the line--the story holds good that somewhere -unspecified on the Belgian frontier an angel, mediæval in every detail -down to aureole, wings, and celestial robes, did actually intervene -and rescue it from under the very noses of the baffled Boches. And -this although Hippolyte, adopted child of the regiment, sports his -sergeant-major's uniform for everyone to see, and Casper, brilliantly -caparisoned, stalks as a mascot should behind the drums. Elsewhere the -legend has assumed new details, as I realized when a very excellent -clergyman assured me that it was ... George himself, mounted upon a -white horse (so transmogrified, I take it, was black Casper), who rode -up and down the line before the 2nd Battalion of the West Loamshires, -shaking his sword at the advancing Prussian Guard, who not unnaturally -fled in disorder. Perhaps, in Terbeeke, he has by this time become -Ste. Gudule, or some other patron saint of the Belgians, with a fiery -dragon or whatever be her saintly attributes. I don't know, because, as -I say, I was never in Terbeeke, but here at least you have what really -happened, as Madame Tavernier told it to me in the front room of her -Blanchisserie du Cygne, in the village of Durdegem, and in the presence -of Hippolyte himself, who afterwards begged shamelessly for _sous_. - - - - -A HERO TALE OF THE RED CROSS - -_Told by G. S. Petroff, War Correspondent of the "Russkoye Slovo," -Moscow_ - - The following incident is narrated in M. Petroff's account of a - battle on the eastern front. Translated for _Current History_. - - -I--STORY OF THE WOUNDED GERMAN - -One of our soldiers brought with him a German officer, who could hardly -stand on his feet. His leg had been pierced by a bayonet, his shoulder -was bleeding from a bullet, and his arm had been bruised by the butt -end of a rifle. He was losing consciousness from pain and loss of -blood. As soon as the soldier led him to our place he dropped with his -whole weight to the ground. The doctor bandaged him, exclaiming: "What -luck! Three wounds, and in spite of all of them he will be well soon. -The wound in the leg is only a flesh wound, his arm is badly bruised -but not broken, and only his collarbone at his shoulder is broken. In -a month he will be all right again. Just look! what a handsome fellow, -and what expensive underwear!" - -The bandaged officer came to himself, looked around the yard, and, -seeing the farmhouse in the background on fire, he sharply seated -himself. - -"Now be quiet, calm yourself," said the doctor, speaking in German and -taking the man gently by the shoulders. - -"My wife, my wife!" cried the German, tearing himself forward. - -"Where is the wife?" - -"There, in the house, in the fire!" He made an effort to get off the -stretcher from under the doctor's hands. - -"Is he delirious or what?" muttered the doctor in Russian. "There is no -one in the house," he added soothingly in German. "Your German wounded -were there, but they were saved in time." - -"But my wife? My wife!" cried the captive in terror. - -"What wife? How did she come here?" - -"She is a nurse. She was here with the wounded. We loved each other, -we married only a year ago. She became a nurse. Our regiment happened -to be near their hospital. Your offensive was unexpected. There was no -time to remove the hospital. The other nurses left, but she would not -leave when I was so near. Where is she? My wife!" - -"Did any one see a German nurse in the house or yard?" asked the -doctor, turning to the Russian soldiers and telling them briefly what -the prisoner had said: - -"There was no woman," came the response. "The house was empty. Look at -the fire within. Even mice would have run out by now." - -At this moment something metallic shrilled through the air. A heavy -German shell flew over us. - -"Scoundrels!" cursed the doctor. "They are firing on us--and their own -wounded! We must get out of this. Two or three more shells and they -will begin dropping in the yard. Carry our wounded first, then theirs. -Hurry, or we shall remain here for eternity!" - - -II--A WOMAN'S FIGURE AT WINDOW OF BURNING HOUSE - -The captive officer, apparently powerless, could not rise from the -stretcher, where he was lying with one of his soldiers who had been -wounded before him. He gazed devouringly at the blazing house. Suddenly -he shouted savagely: "There, at the window, under the roof! Look, she -is breaking the window--where the smoke is pouring out!" - -We looked at the roof of the blazing house, and, in truth, there was -a woman's figure in white, with a red cross on her breast. The doctor -shouted: "Eh, fellows, it is true! A woman was left in the house--a -nurse--his wife!" - -"What can be done?" asked the stunned soldiers. "The whole house is on -fire, and she is not strong enough to break through the window frame. -She must be weak from fright. But why did she go up? Why not down?" - -"There's no use guessing!" shouted a bearded fellow, evidently from the -reserves, throwing off his overcoat. - -"Where are you going?" cried the soldiers. - -But he was already out of reach of their voices. He rushed into the -house. All were stupefied, fearing to breathe. A minute passed, -another, a third. Then at the window appeared the bearded face of the -Russian soldier. There came the sound of broken glass and wood. Above -our heads something was shrilling, but no one paid attention to the -German shells. The soldier broke the window, dragged the woman into the -open air. She was unconscious. - -"Catch!" rang from above, and a big white parcel came down. The -soldiers caught it successfully on the hero's outspread overcoat. Only -one of them was hurt in the eye by the heel of her shoe. - -"How will our chap get back to us now?" asked the soldiers of one -another. "It is hell inside." - -"Oh, he will get out, all right," said some one. "It is easier to get -out than to get in. He knows the way. And if he burns some of his -beard, no harm; he has a large one." - -"Carry her to her husband!" ordered the doctor, "and get out from -here immediately. The Germans are shelling us. Take away the rest, and -don't forget the couple," remarked jokingly the doctor, happy over the -incident. "I will wait for our hero. He may be burned." - -The soldiers caught the remaining stretchers, and nearly ran out of the -yard. At that moment a big German shell struck the burning house. A -deafening explosion shook the air. The walls trembled, shook, and fell. -The heroic soldier had not had time to get out. He remained buried -under the ruins. - -When the woman recovered consciousness near her wounded husband she -did not understand where she was. She murmured in perplexity: "Dream, -death? Otto, is that you? Are we together in heaven?" - -"On earth and both alive," calmed the doctor. - -"How did you get to the upper story?" asked the husband. - -"I saw Russian soldiers run into the house. I feared violence, so I ran -upstairs. I thought I would run down later, but then came the fire.... -A soldier appeared behind me and I was terrified to death." - -"But that soldier saved you!" sighed the doctor. - -"How? Where is he?" - -"In heaven, if there is such a place for heroes." The doctor then told -them all. The German officer and his wife both cried. - -"But how was it that your guns were firing at a farm which you were -occupying?" asked the prisoner. - -"Our guns?" exclaimed the doctor, who was already bandaging a new -victim. "It was your guns that were shelling a house over which flew -a German Red Cross flag. Our soldiers were saving the lives of your -wounded, and your guns were firing at both ours and yours. They killed -the man who saved you. That's the way the Kaiser makes war." - - - - -LIFE STORY OF "GRANDMOTHER OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION" - -_Triumphant Return from Forty-four Years in Siberian Exile_ - -_Told by Catherine Breshkovskaya, the Russian Revolutionist_ - - This life story of the "Grandmother of the Revolution," Catherine - Breshkovskaya, is the living symbol of the Russian people's - long and hard struggle for freedom. Of her seventy-three years - forty-four have been spent in prison and Siberian exile. But - neither the wilderness of Siberia nor the severity of convict labor - has broken the spirit of this little woman. Entering the struggle - against Czarism while still in its infancy, she lived to see its - complete overthrow, and the Russian people remembered their loving - "Babushka." They made her journey from Siberia to Petrograd after - the revolution a continuous triumphal procession, such as no Czar - or King has ever been accorded. Mme. Breshkovskaya, upon her - arrival home, began touring Russia in the interests of Kerensky's - policies. Her love for the common people, her influence on the - peasantry, her faith in the stability of the New Russia, made her - a great power. She has told the story of her life in the Petrograd - weekly, "_Niva_," which has been translated by Isaac Don Levine - for the _New York Tribune_. Here she tells for the first time how - she journeyed afoot over Russia to preach "freedom from ignorance - and political tyranny" to the peasants; how she was sentenced to - Siberia; how she escaped, was captured, reimprisoned and flogged; - and how on the news of the Czar's downfall she began her journey - home on a sledge over the snow and ice to join her people in the - establishment of the republic. - - -I--"I ALWAYS PITIED THE SERFS" - -I was born in 1844. I passed my childhood and youth in the province of -Tchernigoff, and all my life I remained grateful to my parents for the -good and wise training and schooling which they gave me. They pitied -the serfs and never oppressed them. Nevertheless there was a sharp -difference between our life, the life of landlords, and that of the -peasants in their cabins, such a shocking difference that my childish -soul suffered greatly from the contradiction between the reality and -the teaching of Christ. My mother would often read to us the New -Testament and biographies of the great apostles of truth and love for -humanity. - -All my life I thought so much and ceaselessly about the needs of the -people, the suffering of the people, that all my sorrows and joys are -bound up with the people. And I always made it my duty to serve the -people and do all that is necessary to open the people's eyes to its -own life and wants. - -My own life was entirely composed of love and devotion to my country -and people and of a passionate desire to serve them with all the powers -in my possession up to the very hour of my death. - -I am asked: "How did I arrive at the firm resolution to live only for -the people?" I think that this resolution was always present in me, -from my youngest years, from the very beginning of my conscious life. - -When I turn back in my mind to review my past life, I see myself, -first of all, a little five-year-old lassie, who suffered at heart for -somebody: for the coachman, or the chambermaid, or the day laborer, or -the oppressed peasants (at that time serfdom still existed in Russia). - -The impressions of the people's suffering sank so deeply into my -childish soul that they never deserted me afterward in all my life. - -I was seventeen when, in 1861, the peasants were freed of the violence -of the landlords, but were so badly supplied with land that the -laboring masses were again forced to go into slavery to the wealthy. -The agitations among the peasants provoked terrible executions. -Their torture was taking place before my very eyes, strengthening my -aspiration to serve the people with all my might, so as to lighten -their bitter lot. - -No revolutionary circles and organizations were known to exist at -that time in the provinces, but there soon came the activity of the -Zemstvos, and I applied to it all my efforts. Ten years I labored -in the peasant school and the village, organizing credit-savings -banks, mutual aid, co-operative shops and campaigns on the eve of the -elections of judges and rural boards. My work was progressing, the -confidence of the peasants in me was helping it along, but against me -and my assistants the nobility arose, reporting us to the ministers, -and the labor of many years was swept away as if with a broom. - -The schools and banks were closed, all the honest people of our -county and the whole province of Tchernigoff were placed under police -surveillance, many were exiled to the northern provinces and me they -began to persecute. - - -II--"I DECIDED TO START A REVOLUTION" - -I clearly perceived then that the government of Alexander II introduced -reforms only on paper, only seeking to create the impression that it -desired to better the life of the population. Actually, however, the -government wickedly persecuted every attempt to help the laboring -people to emerge from the darkness into light, to approach knowledge, -to proclaim its own rights. - -It was clearly evident, not only in our locality but throughout the -whole of Russia, that the government feared knowledge in the people and -endeavored to keep it in a state of rightless slavery. This compelled -me to seek another path, another way of working in the interest of -my beloved people, and toward the end of the '60s I decided to go to -Russia in search of men with whom to start an illegal struggle, i.e., -a movement forbidden under the Czar's laws. - -For more than two years I wandered about Russia, ever looking for -some revolutionary centre, which could exist only as an underground -organization. Gradually, by changing one kind of work for another, -I penetrated into a rather large organization, which had decided to -get personally in contact with the people, not through books and -proclamations. - -At that time the difference between the sea of peasants and the little -lake of intellectuals was so great that they were, entirely ignorant of -one another. Besides, the moujik's suspicion of any person bearing the -appearance of a "gentleman" was so deeply rooted that it was impossible -to carry to the peasant and labor midst any message and retain the -dress of the gentry. It was necessary to change the appearance from -foot to head, to look a perfect plebeian. - -I put on a peasant dress, threw a bag across my shoulder, obtained a -stick and set out to tramp. Although I did not tramp the country long, -only one summer, yet I succeeded in visiting many villages, and nowhere -did I meet with distrust. The peasants eagerly listened to my talks and -those of my comrades. We told them that the land ought not belong to -the few; that it should be placed in possession of all the people, of -all those who wish to toil on it; that there ought not be such a system -which permits the selling, mortgaging, buying and renting of thousands -of acres by a few hands, while people were starving nearby because they -lacked the land from which to obtain bread. The peasants would agree -with us and also say that the land ought to belong to those who labor -on it, who till it. - -We would also tell them that the landlords were oppressing the people; -that they had seized all the government in their hands; that the -bureaucracy was fraternizing with the landlords, hindering the people -from living a free life. In this the peasants would also agree with us. - -We had difficulty only talking about one subject, the Czar. We tried to -explain to the peasants that the Czar was acting concertedly with the -nobility and bureaucracy, that he it was who was the chief oppressor of -the people. But the peasants would not want to believe it. They were so -distant in those days from understanding state affairs, being unable to -read, because of general illiteracy, and lacking fundamental knowledge, -that they had no idea how much evil the Czarist form of government had -done to the nation. - -The peasants trusted the Czar; they were convinced that the Czar was -a kind master of Russia who had to maintain an army to defend her -from enemies, and that the peasants had to till the land, pay taxes, -for the maintenance of the army. They thought that the Czar loved his -people and took care of them, and, if officials did oppress the people -sometimes, it was due to the fact that they deceived the Czar. And if -the Czar were only to learn the whole truth he would drive out the -officials and again become a loving father to his people. - - -III--"I TOLD THE PEASANTS THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CZAR" - -Such were the beliefs of the peasants about the Czar. In spite of it -all, I continued to tell them the real truth about the Czar, explaining -to them that the Czar knows of all the oppressions and is in charge -of every one of the oppressors. The peasants would say that I was -mistaken, but, nevertheless, listened to my arguments, and not one of -them insulted me with vulgar language. - -I was not alone in the tramp from village to village. Three thousand -youths went to the people at that time, spreading all over the -thirty-six provinces of Russia, and we all talked to the people on the -same subject; we all endeavored to arouse the people to a good, free -life. However, the government soon discovered our activities and began -to arrest many, imprisoning, exiling to hard-labor settlements and to -Siberia. - -I was arrested entirely by accident in 1874. I was "covering" the -provinces of Kieff, Podolia, Tchernigoff and Kherson, and had in my bag -detailed maps of these localities, in order to know my way and avoid -arousing suspicion by questions. Whenever I stopped in the village -cabins no peasant would ever look into my bag, and thus no one could -ever find out who I was. - -But once, while stopping in Tulchin, the Province of Podolia, the -woman-laborer of the peasant who gave shelter to me looked into my bag -and discovered the maps there. To an illiterate person every printed -word was a rarity, especially in those days. It will be understood, of -course, that the laborer was shocked by her discovery. The same day she -went to do some gardening for the sheriff and told him everything. The -sheriff became alarmed and hurried off to look for me. - -And I, without suspecting anything, was at the time returning from the -market, where I purchased a couple of apples, some pork and bread. - -Suddenly I saw the sheriff racing toward me in a carriage, shouting: -"Get into the carriage!" - -Well, I understood immediately what the trouble was. I got into the -carriage and kept still. - -We arrived at the cabin. "Where is the luggage of this woman?" The -peasant replied: "She has no luggage, but she has a bag." - -The bag was examined and what could they find in it but maps and -proclamations? Clearly, my case was closed. - -The sheriff was rather inexperienced, simple-minded, so he unfolded the -proclamations and started to read them aloud, before the whole crowd. -The peasants, after listening to them, said: - -"These are the real words. The whole truth is written there. This is -the very truth which the nobles have hidden from us." - -In the meantime the examining officer arrived, and there both of -them began to read the proclamation aloud. Meanwhile a multitude of -peasants gathered, listening even under the windows. They learned -my proclamation by heart. The county police chief was notified. He -arrived, immediately perceived the meaning of it all, and ordered me to -prison. - - -IV--"I WAS HANDCUFFED AND LOCKED IN A DARK CELL" - -In those days a woman propagandist was something unheard of and unseen. -In fear of this new phenomenon the warden of the Bratzlau jail thought -it necessary to incarcerate me immediately in a dark cell and handcuff -me. A month passed in wandering about country prisons, till gendarmes -came, took me away from the police and dragged me first to a Kieff -jail, then to Moscow, and finally to Petrograd, where I was tried with -other offenders after being kept in prison for four years in solitary -confinement. The condition of the imprisonment was serious. Of the -300 prisoners held for total only 193 survived, among whom there were -37 women. During all of my imprisonment I made no explanation to the -judicial authorities, and I was condemned to five years of convict -labor. But it was not dreadful. Nothing was dreadful when one had faith -in one's righteousness. - -My healthy organism and ripe age helped me endure the many years' -torments at a time when the young, tender lives fell sick quickly and -were carried off one after another by death, leaving a feeling of -atrocious pain and indelible bitterness. - -But we all retained our eagerness for activity, so early interrupted by -an evil hand. The thought of returning to the party, to revolutionary -work, lived in our minds in the form of a red-hot nail, and aroused all -our abilities, all our power to seek a means to escape. There, to the -fighters, to the bright populists, our spiritual vision was directed. - -I was already in on the rights of a settler, beyond the Baikal, in -Barguzin, when, together with three men comrades, I moved into the -hilly taiga, with its thousands of impediments and dangers. Our daring -escape, which ended in our capture while wandering about unfathomed -abysses and rocks, has been described by Tiutchev. I, as a former -hard-labor criminal, was condemned to four years more of penal -servitude and forty whips, which, however, the authorities did not dare -to apply, "in order to arouse against the administration the political -exiles," as the Military Governor of the Outer Baikal said in his -report. - -I was thus forced to go, in 1882, after another year of imprisonment, -to the same old Kara mines, at that time full of prisons for convicts -and politicals. Both the first and the second perished there of -scurvy, typhus, endless tuberculosis, but mostly the convicts, as the -officials disregarded them entirely and kept them in the most shameful -conditions. - -My second arrival at Kara was for me rather a joyous occasion. When -I first came there I was the only woman doing hard labor; it was not -fashionable yet to send women to mines. But now I found already sixteen -or eighteen feminine comrades, and all of my second term I passed -in the best society in the world. The annual term of convict labor -consisted of eight months and my term flew past me unnoticed. Only one -thing was aggravating, and that was to see how the frailer among us in -health gradually sank and surely neared their graves, in the blossom of -their lives. - - -V--"I LANGUISHED FOR EIGHT YEARS IN A DEAD CITY" - -In 1885 I was again sent on the rights of a settler beyond the Baikal, -in the dead city of Selenginsk, where I spent eight of the most sad -years of my life. The naked steppe, the nailed-up cabins and the -tireless trailing of the police became my lot. I was given neither -the rights of a peasant nor a passport for travel in Siberia. And the -heart burned with a passionate desire to escape, to renew the struggle -with the enraged foe and take revenge for the innocently destroyed -powers for good--the daughters and sons of our motherland. I sought, -attempted, fought against obstacles, but all in vain. The steppe beyond -the Baikal, the moundless Mongolian steppe, and, on the north, the -inaccessible Baikal were the severe allies of the guard with which the -authorities had surrounded me. There was no railroad nor steamship -connection with the outside world. Right there then, in lifeless -Selenginsk, I languished for eight whole years, languished like a hawk -in a cage. All alone, ever yearning, I would go out into the steppe and -in a loud voice pour my tempestuous heart, longing for freedom, into -space. - -There was not a day on which I did not think of escaping, and I -was always ready for any risk and peril, clinging to the littlest -possibility to get away, but all in vain. No one, absolutely no one, -promised any help. All those in whom it was possible to confide -considered any attempt to escape foredoomed. My soul ached. And only -the thought of my comrades--convicts who were sent to the Yakutsk huts, -only the thought of their suffering made me forget my own. The eight -empty years of my life in Selenginsk have remained all through my life -a gray void, eating up the warm feelings of a warm heart. I filled -my time with work, so as to be able to send my earnings to the dark -prisons, snowbound wastes, to the hungry, forgotten comrades. I read, -studied, in order to know how mankind lived, and how far or near was -the possibility of transforming it into that "intelligent being" with -whom it would be joyful to live. "Have patience," I would tell myself -in the moments of keen grief; "be patient, endure to the end; you will -get what you are waiting for." - -In 1890, after living for four years on the rights of a peasant, I -finally received a passport to travel all over Siberia, and on the -same day I departed from the suffocating place so as to gradually -approach the boundary of European Russia as my term was nearing its -end. My health was much undermined by the severe trials I had undergone -in solitariness. Anæmia and strong neuralgia had tormented me in -Selenginsk. But the inherited vigor of the organism soon returned to -me, and the last four years of my life in Siberia, spent in journeying -from town to town, I succeeded in having many conversations with young -and mature people--succeeded in making allies of some of the leading -citizens of Siberia. And when in September, 1896, I returned to Russia -I found there many students of both sexes whom I taught in Siberia the -theories and the urgency of regenerating the old watchwords. They soon -tackled the work of liberation, and many of them remain loyal to this -date to our principles. - - -VI--"WHEN I CAME BACK FROM SIBERIA" - -Again I arrived in Russia in September. But upon my arrival I -encountered a new movement, which was rapidly conquering a place for -itself. Marxism was taking hold of, capturing, the minds of the youth, -and the old fighters were regarded as dead forces. But faith in the -force of personality, faith in the healthy strength of the people, a -knowledge of their aims and needs lent so much firm confidence to my -energy that, without hesitating a moment, I began to do some practical -work, which had ripened in my mind as long before as the celebrated -trial, in 1878, when I declared to my judges that "I have the honor -of belonging to the Russian socialistic and revolutionary party, and -consequently do not recognize the authority of the Czar's courts over -me." - -Eighteen years passed after that, and my adherence to the party of -socialism and revolutionism lived in me as freshly and ardently as in -the days of my arrest and trial. Confidence that the peasant masses, -these pillars of the state government, will obey the voice of their -friends and will not be slow to follow their leaders--this confidence -urged me to hasten the consolidation of the various forces likely to -join the Social Revolutionary party, as it has been christened from its -very beginning. - -It is necessary to bear in mind that from Siberia I came back to -Russia all alone. I did not even have the addresses of the old comrades -who remained in safety in the gloomy folds of Alexander III's reign. -And it took considerable time, care and patience before my tireless -but modest little journeys about Russia netted definite results as -to acquaintance with people and opportunities. The readiness of the -peasants to join the party became ever clearer, and on the fourth year -of endeavor the party loudly proclaimed its existence, and in the -fifth year all the separate committees recognized one centre. Both the -increase in membership and growth in activity attracted the savage -attention of the Czar's government. - -In 1903 the party suffered an enormous wreck. Wholesale arrests and -searches robbed it of many of its leading workers, of its best printing -shops and stores of literature. It was necessary to replace all that. -By this time the work of the party had developed and grown strong -abroad, thanks to our talented and zealous emigrants, who bent all -their energies for the publication of party organs and popular books -and pamphlets. - -In order to recall this youth to immediate activities at home, -in Russia, I went abroad for the first time. In May, 1903, I -boarded a steamer in Odessa and accompanied by an experienced -contrabandist-intellectual, went, by way of Rumania, Hungary and Vienna -to Geneva, Switzerland, where there centred the group of the party -workers who were scattered in Paris, London and Switzerland. At this -conference we were fully joined by the old fighters of the past '70s, -Shishko, Volkhovskoy, Lazaroff, Tchaikovsky. - -The youth, which frequented all our lectures and debates, listened -attentively to the voices of our speakers. Victor Tchernoff, the -editor-in-chief of our central organs (and Minister of Agriculture -in Kerensky's first Cabinet), victoriously defended the position of -the party against the attacks of our opponents. At the same time -I persistently spoke of the necessity to tackle the real task, to -propagate our ideas among the peasants and workmen, to organize all the -forces capable of and ready to enter into a battle with the old régime, -ready to sacrifice their lives for a free Russia. And thus it was that -a stream of young people of both sexes began to flow back to Russia, -carrying with them Social Revolutionary literature, and the booklets -"In Battle Shalt Thou Obtain Thy Rights" were lavishly spread on all -the roads of the Fatherland. - - -VII--"I VISITED AMERICA--MY FRIENDS OF FREEDOM" - -This task, the labor, of directing the forces of young Russia occupied -two whole years of my life. It is true I succeeded in the meantime -in visiting America, where I was urgently called by the friends of -freedom. I sent out from there considerable sums of money to cover the -expenses of the organization, mainly for literature, the import of -which into Russia was very expensive. In the United States I acquired -many genuine friends, who have remained faithful to me ever since. They -proved it by profuse attention to all my needs during the last years of -my exile and imprisonment, and from 1907 to 1917 they never ceased even -for a week to take care of me. - -When the blows of the open struggle of 1905 had reached me I again -crossed the boundary into my country, but this time I passed it on -foot, running across in the company of two "contrabandists" and a -comrade who carried with him a supply of dynamite. - -That was the Russian revolution marching, challenging all Russia to an -unequal combat. - -Everybody knows the events of 1905, 1906 and 1907. The efforts of the -revolutionists of all parties were unable to withstand the physical -force of the evil government, but they have not only shaken up the -paralyzed mind of the great people, but enticed them into demonstrating -their power and seeing themselves as a victor, though temporarily. The -combat was already nearing its end; the banners were already lowered -and hidden for the next spiritual and physical upheaval; already the -executioners were hanging and slaughtering, shooting and torturing the -best champions of freedom; but my spirit was yet far from submission, -my heart was still heaving with hope, and with head forward I threw -myself into the thick of events. After the wreck of the second Duma I -anticipated a new outburst of indignation on the part of the people. -But apparently the cup of doubts had not yet been exhausted, and the -people ponderingly looked into the future, not risking to sacrifice -their remaining feeble forces. - - -VIII--"THE HANGMAN'S ROPE WAS AT MY THROAT" - -It was in the days of such oppression on one side and vain strainings -of all energies, on the other that I was arrested in Samara in 1907, -again in the month of September. - -It seemed to me that this time I would be unable to escape alive -from the hands of the hangmen. This was what I thought. But I felt -otherwise. Two years and nine months I was kept in the fortress of -Peter and Paul, thinking not of that, but of the time when Russia, -after the inevitable victorious and triumphant second revolution, would -take up the work of construction and transform our powerless country, -our almost illiterate people, into an exemplary state, which could -serve as a model to other peoples in culture as well as in social -reform. - -Faith in the possibility of seeing my country free, my people -developing in material and spiritual plenty, gave me strength, exalted -my powers. I found myself still able to work with the people and for -the people and was grieved to waste time in exile, in the listlessness -of the Siberian taiga. I again made preparations for an escape, aiming -to join my party comrades, who called me, in revolutionary activity. -And again my escape failed. Only two or three hours separated me from -my goal from a sure shelter and it was painful to fall again into the -hands of the enemy after a thousand miles' journey in the winter. - -The thought occurred to me again that they would not pardon me my -attempts to escape, my efforts to identify myself again with the -revolutionary movement. At the same time there pulsed so much life in -my heart that I could not imagine the end of my activities. Neither the -long terms passed in jail nor my exile in Yakutsk had dimmed my spirit. -"I will live through all this," said an inner voice to me; "I will live -through everything and live to see the bright days of freedom." From -Yakutsk I was brought to Irkutsk, and my life here was filled with the -same persecutions as my exile in Kirensk. I fell very ill and observed -how the physicians carefully concealed from me the danger of my malady. -It seemed so strange to me that people could think of my fatal end when -my soul was full of complete faith that time was bringing me nearer -daily to a different kind of end, the triumph of the revolution. - -The longer the war continued the more horrible its consequences grew, -the clearer the rascality of the government manifested itself, the more -patent appeared the inevitableness of the rise of democracy all over -the world, the nearer advanced also our revolution. - -I waited for the sound of the bell announcing freedom, and wondered -why this sound was tardy in making itself heard. When in November of -last year explosions of indignation followed one another, when irate -calls were exchanged among the several groups of the population, I was -already planted with one foot in the Siberian sleigh, feeling sorry -only that the snow road was beginning to melt. - -The 17th of March a telegram reached me in Minusinsk announcing -freedom. The same day I was on my way to Atchinsk, the nearest -railroad station. From Atchinsk on began my uninterrupted communion -with soldiers, peasants, workmen, railroad employees, students and -multitudes of beloved women, who to-day all bear the burdens of the -normal and now also abnormal life of a great state. - - - - -TALE OF AN AMAZING VOYAGE - -_German Officers Escape from Spain in a Sailing Vessel_ - -_Told by Frederic Lees_ - - The Spanish Premier, Count Romanones, recently stated that the - sensational story of the escape from Spain in a sailing vessel of - a number of interned German officers, as briefly reported in _El - Liberal_, of Madrid, is officially confirmed. With extraordinary - assurance, the fugitives set out to sail right round the coast of - Great Britain and reach a Belgian port, but the elements and the - British Navy intervened, and the audacious scheme miscarried. The - author's private sources of information have enabled him to throw - light on a number of episodes which, in the Spanish and German - newspapers, were intentionally left obscure. Related in the _Wide - World Magazine_. - - -I--AT OFFICE OF GERMAN VICE-CONSUL IN SPANISH PORT - -One sunny morning in July, 1916, the German Vice-consul of Vigo was -sitting in his office opposite the wharves of the little Spanish -port. The voluminous contents of his mail-bag lay before him, and -at the moment in question his eyes were intently fixed on a long, -official-looking document--a type-written folio sheet bearing a list of -names, preceded by a memorandum. As he read on, his expression became -more and more serious. Twice he read the document through, pondering -awhile over one of the names. Then he hastily pressed the electric-bell -button on his desk. - -The Vice-Consul's clerk, Hermann Fischer, appeared instantly, note-book -and pencil in hand. - -"It's too soon yet for the correspondence, Fischer," said the -Vice-Consul, "but I've got here a list of those eleven officers who -were arrested the other day, and who are interned at Pampeluna. I want -you to fetch the Navy List and look up one of the names--Lieutenant -Karl Koch. It looks familiar to me." - -Fischer was back in a trice with the desired volume, and, having hunted -out the right man from a multitude of Kochs, proceeded to read forth -the biographical information to the attentive Vice-Consul: "Karl Koch, -born 1873, at Düsseldorf; educated Frankfort and Heidelberg; joined the -Imperial Navy 1890; U-boat lieutenant 1914." - -"That'll do!" interjected the official. "I thought it must be the same -man. He and I were at Heidelberg together. Dear old Karl! To think -it has fallen to my lot to do him a good turn! As a matter of fact, -Fischer, we've got to see that Koch and certain others are made as -comfortable as possible during their captivity amongst these blessed -Spaniards. And if there's a chance of doing something more than -that--well, all the better. On that point I've got an answer to this -official communication to dictate to you. Perhaps, as you're here, -you'd better take it down at once; then you can code it and get it on -the wires for the Embassy at Madrid without delay." - -Whereupon the Vice-Consul of Vigo proceeded to dictate his secret -message, which showed how very wide his consular duties had become in -wartime--duties such as only Teutonic diplomatic agents are expected to -carry out. - -Some people, in relating the part the Vice-Consul played in the -adventure in which Lieutenant Karl Koch and his companions became -involved, contend that it was this officer who was the prime mover; -that it was he who got into touch with the Vice-Consul, who promised -all possible support. But I have reason to believe it was the other -way about, and that the _deus ex machina_ of the whole affair--from -the very moment that the German Vice-Consulate received official -information anent Koch's arrest and internment to the purchase of the -_Virgen del Socorro_ and her departure on her perilous Odyssey--was the -Vice-Consul, whose fortuitous acquaintanceship with the lieutenant of -the submarine (captured and interned in circumstances which need not -here be dwelt upon) redoubled his official zeal. If that is not so, -what of the indiscretions of his clerk Hermann Fischer? What of those -of the intermediaries through whom the Vice-Consul got possession of -the _Virgen del Socorro_? What of the convincing evidence of the hotel -and lodging-house keepers of Vigo who, all unknowingly, harbored the -fugitives? What of the incriminating documents in the Vice-Consul's own -handwriting, or that of his clerk, which I am assured came into the -possession of the Spanish authorities? - - -II--SECRET MESSAGE TO GERMAN EMBASSY IN MADRID - -But I will not anticipate events any further. Enough has been said -to enable me to take up the thread of my narrative from the time the -Vice-Consul dispatched his coded message regarding Lieutenant Karl Koch -to the German Embassy in Madrid. - -Having signed his despatch and given Fischer sufficient work to keep -him busy until noon, the Vice-Consul sallied forth with a satisfied -mien and walked leisurely, almost aimlessly, towards the quays, gazing -out occasionally over the bay. In the distance could be seen two -German vessels, interned since the beginning of the war, one of which -was the steamship _Wehrt_. At last, on reaching the deserted end of -one of the quays, the Vice-Consul, glancing quickly over his shoulder, -stopped and gave a low whistle, which was answered almost immediately -by a similar signal and the sound of a boat grating against the side of -the quay. - -"_Ach so!_ There you are, José," said the official, as the boatman -became visible. "I was afraid you would be late. You can row me this -morning to the _Wehrt_." - -And with a final precautionary look to right and left, the German -Vice-Consul disappeared over the side and clambered down the iron rungs -of a ladder into the boat. - -The captain of the steamship _Wehrt_, condemned to a captivity which -eternally rankled in his breast, was always ready to extend a hearty -welcome to the Vice-Consul of Vigo. Their periodic meetings, arranged -as far as possible in secret, constituted a safety valve. The captain -could fulminate to his heart's content against the tyrant of the -seas--Great Britain; the Vice-Consul could give full rein to his taste -for intrigue. - -Behold these two, then, _tête-à-tête_ in the captain's private room, -and exchanging confidences over the luncheon table. The captain, -deprived of official information for the past three or four days, -was thirsting for news regarding fresh developments in the war, and -his lean, bronzed face lit up with eagerness when he inquired if the -Vice-Consul had anything new and special to report. - -"_Ya wohl!_ Something of the greatest importance," replied the -official. "A matter for consultation, and in which your advice will be -valuable." - -And the Vice-Consul proceeded to put the skipper _au courant_ with the -bare facts concerning the predicament in which Lieutenant Koch and his -companions found themselves at Pampeluna, the official request for -whatever assistance he could render them, the strange coincidence of -Koch and himself being old college chums, and so on. - - -III--THE CONSPIRACY IN THE CAPTAIN'S CABIN - -"It's very evident, captain, that we must do something for them," -continued the Vice-Consul. "Pampeluna is a long way from Vigo, but I -think something can be done if we put our heads together. I can't read -all that's in the official mind which inspired that memorandum, but -it's quite clear the authorities regard Vigo as the most convenient -open door for Koch and his ten brother-officers. An open door, provided -it is _held_ open for them. The question is, how are we going to do -that? I can see a way of solving part of the difficulty. You can leave -the Pampeluna portion to me. There are plenty of ways of opening prison -doors in a country like this. As a landsman, I am convinced I can open -the land door without much trouble, but it requires a sailor like you -to attend to the sea door. That's way I've come to you." - -"And you couldn't have come to a more willing man," replied the -captain, emphatically. "Try and realize what I've had to suffer on -this infernal ship during the last twenty-three months, with the eyes -of the authorities continually on me and the _Wehrt_, and every little -jack-in-office sniffing around at unexpected moments, and you'll -understand how I feel for your friend and his companions. Yes, we've -got to do what we can for them. The submarine is the only effectual -weapon left to Germany, so if we succeed in returning to her eleven -of her brave U-boat men we shall truly have done good patriotic work. -Now, at the back of my brain I've got a plan. You're welcome to it. -You know, I suppose, that the _Virgen del Socorro_ is for sale? She's -as tight a little schooner as ever left the port of Vigo. I've often -admired her lines and speed as she sailed past the _Wehrt_. Now, when -this war is over and we've reduced everybody's tonnage, save our -own, to a minimum, the _Virgen del Socorro_ will be worth her weight -in gold. At the price she is going at to-day the boat is a splendid -speculation. Why don't you buy her? You'd find it worth your while, I -think, to be the sleeping partner." - -"Not at all a bad idea, captain. But are you certain the _Virgen del -Socorro_ is in the market? I thought it was owned by the brothers -Z----, who have always looked upon the schooner as a sort of child of -theirs." - -"That is so. But ties of the closest affection have to be broken in -these troubled times, and the brothers Z---- have decided to dissolve -partnership. I dare say your boatman José, who ought to be well up in -harbor gossip, will be able to tell you all about that. There's no -doubt my information is correct. I can even tell you the exact figure -at which the owners are willing to sell--eleven thousand five hundred -pesetas." - -"Dirt cheap, considering the times," said the Vice-Consul, -thoughtfully. He took an extra long pull at his beer tankard, and then, -bringing the blue earthenware vessel down on the table with a bang, -exclaimed, "By Jove, captain, you've put me on the right track! I'm -beginning to see the way to do it. Listen!" - -The plan unfolded was as follows. Using his boatman as an -intermediary--José was generally believed to be fairly well-to-do--he -would enter into negotiations with the brothers Z---- for the purchase -of the _Virgen del Socorro_. One of the conditions of the agreement -would be particularly tempting to the owners. On the understanding that -the purchase was kept secret--the rumor might indeed be set afloat -that the brothers had decided not to part with their dearly-beloved -boat--they should be allowed to retain possession until the very last -moment before the schooner was required by the new proprietors. There -was evidently a double advantage in this: it would allay any suspicions -which inquisitive harbor authorities or other officials might have -whilst preparations were being made on board the _Virgen del Socorro_ -for the reception of the fugitives from Pampeluna, and it would enable -the Vice-Consul, the captain, and other helpers to carry out those -preparations at their leisure. No one could say how long it would -take them to prepare the road to the "open door" of Vigo. Though the -Vice-Consul's secret service fund was still well supplied, it was no -good to minimize the difficulties, which were greater than the captain -of the _Wehrt_ could possibly comprehend until he had explained the -full extent of his plan. - -The _Virgen del Socorro_ was to be sent right round the British Isles, -in order to descend the North Sea unobserved, and, flying the Dutch -flag, reach a Belgian port. It was a risky plan, but, the British Navy -notwithstanding, the conspirators thought it had possibilities of -success. The Vice-Consul, in assisting the scheme, proposed to make the -Fatherland a present of more than the eleven officers at Pampeluna. - -It was advisable to get as many able-bodied German subjects on board as -possible, and so he planned to include in the party of fugitives nine -others, including four officers from the _Goeben_, a naval doctor, a -law student, and two sailors, none of whom was interned, in addition to -a sergeant interned at Alcala de Henares, seventeen miles north-east of -Madrid. Twenty was certainly a large crew for a schooner of the _Virgen -del Socorro's_ size, but the voyage was to be undertaken during the -summer--and an exceptionally fine summer, too--so the risk of a mishap, -provided there was good seamanship, was slight. As this question of -weather was important, the Vice-Consul proposed to see to the purchase -of the vessel without delay, and to communicate at once with Lieutenant -Koch. - - -IV--SECRET PURCHASE OF SHIP--TO ESCAPE - -Within the next few days the secret purchase by the Vice-Consul of -Vigo of the _Virgen del Socorro_ was an accomplished fact, and he had -had his first interview at Pampeluna with his old friend, Lieutenant -Koch. Other meetings followed, at intervals of a week or so, and -before the end of the month, thanks to a lavish "greasing" of palms, -the arrangements for the escape of the eleven officers and their -concentration with other fugitives at Vigo were all made. The captain -of the _Wehrt_, as surreptitiously as possible, bought inordinate -quantities of provisions and stores during July, in order that José and -the others might, at the opportune moment, tranship a part of them to -the _Virgen del Socorro_. - -At last everything was ready. Nothing remained to be done but for -someone to send a signal from Pampeluna to the Vice-Consul at Vigo, who -was to pass it on to other quarters. But the signal, so eagerly awaited -on the appointed day, August 4th, never came! - -Instead, two days later came a letter of explanation, stating that -Lieutenant Karl Koch had fallen ill at the critical moment. The plan -of escape, therefore, had to be indefinitely postponed. It was a -bitter disappointment to the Vice-Consul, who pictured himself being -reproached by his superiors for building castles in the air, if not -being saddled with the whole of the expenses. But he consoled himself, -in the presence of the captain of the _Wehrt_, with the argument that -it was "just as well, since it would allow the authorities time to go -to sleep." The astute seaman could not, however, quite agree with this. -He knew the advantage of fine weather for such a perilous voyage as the -one projected, and feared that if the escape were not effected soon it -might be too late or too full of risk to be worth undertaking. - -Lieutenant Koch's illness dragged on for week after week. August went -by, September came, and the hopes of the Vice-Consul of Vigo fell lower -and lower. In the first three weeks in September the officer entered -the convalescent stage. One result of his breakdown was, indeed, in -his favor; he was allowed greater and greater liberty, and, on the -plea of taking the air, got out several times in a motor-car, with the -authorization of the governor and doctor of the prison and under the -discreet eye of an official. Soon even this supervision was relaxed, -and then, when October came in, the U-boat lieutenant saw the chance -for which he and his companions had been waiting. It was about this -time that the Vice-Consul of Vigo (now almost on the verge of despair) -unexpectedly received the long-awaited warning. - - -V--PLOT LAID FOR THE FLIGHT - -On the morning of October 5th, Lieutenant Koch and his companions, -having obtained a pass for an unofficial "joy ride" in two motor-cars, -set out for a little country village some twenty miles from Pampeluna. -As they were all on parole and the chauffeurs of the hired cars were -connected with the police, permission was given to the party to remain -at their destination for luncheon. It was understood, however, that -as soon as the meal was over the return journey should be made, so as -to be back well before the day was declining. Koch and his friends, -through intermediaries introduced to him by the Vice-Consul of Vigo, -laid their plans very cleverly. Just outside the village is a rustic -inn where excellent luncheons are served. The dining-room looks out, at -the back of the house, on to a garden with a bowling-alley and arbor, -and this garden adjoins meadows, bordered by the railway line. Not far -away is the little country railway station. What happened can easily be -imagined. - -The eleven officers had their luncheon served in the restaurant proper; -the chauffeurs were served in a smaller room adjoining, looking out on -to the front and the road. The landlord had been instructed (and had -been well paid in advance for this and other little services) to ply -these two worthy fellows with as much liquor as they could hold, with -the result that they were deep in their cups long before the boisterous -officers had got through their coffee and liqueurs. They were in such -an advanced state of intoxication, indeed, that they took no heed when -a singular silence followed the noise of voices and laughter in the -adjoining room; and it was not until the appointed hour for departure -had long since passed that they recovered their senses sufficiently to -learn the truth. Their erstwhile "joy riders" had flown! They might -have been seen, fully three-quarters of an hour before, strolling -down the garden and making their way, as unobstrusively as possible, -across the fields to the countryside railway station, where, provided -beforehand with tickets for different stations on the line to Vigo, -they boarded the train, once more in as nonchalant a manner as possible -in groups of twos and threes, in different carriages. By the time the -chauffeurs came to their senses and realized they had been fooled, the -fugitives were well out of danger and, having got together again at -the first big stopping-place, had put themselves _en règle_ as regards -through tickets for their common destination, to which they continued -to travel, however, separately, in order to minimize the risks of -capture. The outwitted chauffeurs had another unpleasant surprise on -rushing to their cars, with the object of dashing back to Pampeluna and -recounting to the authorities their sorry tale of misadventure. Though -they cranked their machines like madmen, the motors stubbornly refused -to work. The reason soon became evident: the sparking-plugs had been -removed by the far-seeing Koch. - -Meanwhile, on October 2nd, the interned Sergeant Dietrich Gratschuss -had slipped away from Alcala. His escape, facilitated by the four -uninterned officers from the _Goeben_, who provided him with a suit -of civilian clothes, thrown over a wall into the prison-garden where -he worked daily, was made doubly sure by certain judicious bribes to -a sentry, who kept his back turned and eyes averted at the critical -moment. Gratschuss slipped into his disguise in a tool-shed, and calmly -walked out of the prison-yard--saluted by the unsuspecting man on -guard--as though he had been a visitor. His friends were waiting round -the corner for him with a hundred horsepower motor-car, in which, with -the other uninterned Germans (the naval doctor, the law student, and -the two sailors), he was whirled away at sixty miles an hour. The whole -of the journey to Vigo was made in this powerful car, which the owners -had been able to provide with an amply supply of petrol and food for a -long and rapid flight, lasting well into the night. - -The whole of the machinery of the Vice-Consul of Vigo was now in -motion. All the fugitives reached that port in safety and scattered -themselves over hotels and lodging-houses. - -A hue and cry was, of course, set up from Pampeluna and Alcala de -Henares; but the Spanish police went off on various wrong tracks before -they thought of ordering a watch to be set at all the ports. Even -when this tardy step was taken, no one ever suspected--so well had the -Vice-Consul and his accomplices laid their plans--that Vigo was the -port from which the escape was to be effected. - - -VI--MIDNIGHT--THE FUGITIVES BOARD THE SHIP - -On October 6th the _Virgen del Socorro_, to allay any suspicion, made a -voyage to sea, and, on returning, moored alongside the _Wehrt_. Then, -one pitch-black night, the fugitives left their hiding-places. One by -one they slipped out into the darkness and, following the narrowest -and most deserted streets leading to the harbor, reached the quays -unobserved. At such an hour of the night--it was getting on for eleven -o'clock--they could be fairly certain of meeting no one, save, perhaps, -a drunken sailor or two. These revellers took no more notice of Koch -and his companions than they did of their own dim shadows. One by one, -under cover of the darkness, the fugitives disappeared down the same -iron ladder the Vice-Consul had used so often, into José's boat. - -By midnight all the fugitives were on board the _Wehrt_, from whose -well-replenished store-rooms they immediately began transhipping the -provisions to the _Virgen del Socorro_. All through the night and until -2 A.M. this work continued. The _Virgen del Socorro_ was then -towed out a little farther into the bay, and on the first signs of -daylight appearing her bow was turned north-east. Soon afterwards a -fresh early morning wind sprang up from the land, her sails filled, and -she set off on her long voyage. - -What happened to the _Virgen del Socorro_ I will now relate, in -accordance with details furnished by various members of her crew. - -The little vessel had no sooner left Vigo and got out into the open -than the land wind suddenly increased in strength and drove her into -exceedingly rough and treacherous water. Some of the crew were for -turning back, despite the risks that step would have entailed, and the -matter was discussed at some length by Lieutenant Koch and the other -leaders. They came to the conclusion, however, that they were "between -the devil and the deep sea," and must keep on. It seems doubtful, -indeed, whether, had they decided to make an attempt to get back to -Vigo, they could have accomplished it. - -That first day, and for many days afterwards, the _Virgen del Socorro_ -became a veritable plaything of the waves, which soon began to rise -mountain-high. The sufferings of the crowded fugitives in this terrible -weather were intense. All were drenched to the skin, and for more than -three days and nights they had to remain in this miserable condition. -To these tortures were added the craving for sleep and adequate -nourishment, for, amidst the continual buffeting of the waves and -wind, they could neither sleep nor get anything cooked. Under these -conditions, it was not surprising that the twenty occupants of the -_Virgen del Socorro_ were finally reduced to the state of not caring -what happened. One of the two sailors on board, on whose shoulders -devolved much of the work of navigation, said that, "old seaman though -he was, he had never before experienced such weather." He felt at times -that "all his strength and hope were sapped," and hourly, during those -terrible first six days, when the little schooner was tossed about like -a cork, "expected death would relieve him of his tortures." - -The storm then calmed down a little and gave the fugitives a respite. -They were able to dry their drenched clothes and attend to the needs of -the inner man. At the same time they could pay more attention to the -question of their course. On this score they were soon to receive a -shock, for there hove in sight a vessel that was undoubtedly a British -patrol. For a couple of hours there were many anxious searchings of -heart on board the _Virgen del Socorro_. Would she, thanks to her -insignificance and the Dutch flag flying from her mast, be taken for an -inoffensive fishing smack, and be allowed to go unchallenged? That had -been part of their plan all through. - -At one moment it looked as though the patrol was bearing down upon -them at full speed; but when the dreaded vessel got no bigger, but -instead gradually receded into the distance, the crew of the _Virgen -del Socorro_ realized that for the time being they were safe. - - -VII--FOILED BY A STORM--THE CAPTURE - -Safe from the clutches of their human enemies, perhaps, but by no means -safe from the angry sea. Had some of the crew been able to foresee what -was in store for them, they would perhaps have welcomed the arrival of -that British patrol with outspread arms and expressions of joy. Once -more they were caught up in the embrace of a furious storm, and driven -helplessly westward, expecting every moment to be their last. - -On October 24th another brief calm set in, enabling the navigator to -ascertain his position. The little vessel was found to be some distance -west of Bantry, on the south coast of Ireland. Here the storm again -increased in violence, and once more the ill-fated _Virgen del Socorro_ -seemed likely to founder. A consultation was held by Koch and the -other leaders. They came to the conclusion that it would be madness -to attempt to continue with the original plan. In such seas as were -running, they would run the risk of being shipwrecked a hundred times -before they got halfway round the British Isles. The only thing to -be done, if they were to prevent the _Virgen del Socorro_ from being -smashed to matchwood on the British coast, was to keep as much as -possible in the open sea and steer for the English channel, in hope of -making the Belgian or Dutch coast unobserved. - -Six more terrible days followed. By this time more than half the crew -of the _Virgen del Socorro_ were in a parlous condition. Their store of -provisions had shrunk to such an extent that everybody had to be placed -on rations, and the fresh water had dwindled so alarmingly that it was -reserved for those who were actually on the point of collapse. Several -of the crew, through the cold and constant seasickness, were utterly -helpless. - -It was about this time that the coast of Cornwall came into view, and -on November 4th the crew found themselves in sight of Lundy Island, -at the entrance of the Bristol Channel. From there, proceeding with a -slowness which must often have driven them to the verge of despair, -they circled the Scilly Islands, and it took them two more dreadful -days before they had rounded the Lizard. - -The Odyssey of the _Virgen del Socorro_ had now stretched over no less -a period than a month. Three of the crew had by now become delirious; -all were reduced to half their ordinary weight, and with the exception -of the hardened seamen were on the point of collapse. Although they had -experienced several alarms, they had so far succeeded--no doubt owing -to the awful weather--in avoiding the vigilant eyes of the British -patrols. But now they no longer cared one way or the other; all the -fight had been knocked out of them by their sufferings. - -On November 8th the little vessel approached the Goodwins. Shortly -after dawn a British destroyer was sighted and reported by the man -at the helm. Hardly a man on board, unless it was Lieutenant Koch, -took the trouble to raise his glassy eyes when he heard the danger -announced. Nor did they manifest any concern when it further became -evident that there was no avoiding the vigilant war vessel. Nothing -expressed so eloquently the fact that they regarded themselves -as beaten as their attitude of utter indifference when they were -challenged by the British destroyer. One and all were evidently -heartily glad to confess their nationality, the circumstances in which -they came to be there, and the extraordinary dangers through which they -had passed. - -The _Virgen del Socorro_ was taken into Ramsgate, says _El Liberal_, -the Madrid newspaper which published the first brief account of the -adventures related above, and there we may well leave Lieutenant Koch -and his companions. They are henceforth in safe keeping, for, with all -their ingenuity and daring, the only thing they succeeded in doing was -to exchange one prison for another, and at the same time drag eight -free German citizens with them into durance vile. - - - - -THE POET'S DEATH IN BATTLE--HOW ALLEN SEEGER DIED - -_A Young American in the Foreign Legion_ - -_Told by Bif Bear, a Young Egyptian in the Foreign Legion_ - - The artists of Europe--the painters, poets, singers--the æsthetes - of France and Italy, of Britain and Russian, and of Germany, the - Hungarian musicians--all answered the "call of war" and threw - their souls into the "rendezvous with death." Thousands of them - died on the battlefields. Among them is the young English poet, - Rupert Brooke, and the American poet, Allan Seeger, who "loved - France and gave his life to her." This young American enlisted - early in the war in the Foreign Legion. He was fighting in the - battles in Champagne in July, 1916, when he fell. A young Egyptian, - who was with the poet in the trenches, tells of his end. After - the battle, he wrote this letter to Mrs. Caroline L. Weeks, of - Boston, who has acted in the rôle of "marraine" (godmother) to many - American volunteers. The following is a translation from the French - forwarded from Paris. - - -I--STORY OF THE AMERICAN POET - -It was in the Thiescourt Woods, I remember, that I saw Alan on his -return from convalescent leave. My section was in first line trenches -and his, in reserve, in the second line. I was on soup fatigue and was -going to the Chauffour Quarry when I saw him in front of me, walking -along alone. Throwing down the marmites (tin receptacles) with which -I was loaded, I rushed to shake him by the hand. He had, it seemed to -me, grown slightly thinner, his pale face seemed slightly paler, and -his eyes, his fine eyes with their far-away look, ever lost in distant -contemplation, were still as dreamy as ever. - -He told me how sorry he was not to be still with me as he had been -transferred to the first section and I belonged to the third. But we -saw each other every day. He would recount the joys of his two months' -convalescent leave, and I shall never forget how one phrase was often -on his lips, "Life is only beautiful if divided between war and love. -They are the only two things truly great, fine and perfect, everything -else is but petty and mean. I have known love for the last few weeks -in all its beauty and now I want to make war, ... but fine war, a war -of bayonet charges, the desperate pursuit of an enemy in flight, the -entry as conqueror, with trumpets sounding, into a town that we have -delivered! Those are the delights of war! Where in civil life can be -found any emotion so fine and strong as those?" - -And we would exalt our spirits with hopes of making an assault with the -bayonet, hopes that were not doomed to disappointment, for a few weeks -later we were to attack. - - -II--AN ODE TO AMERICAN PATRIOTISM - -One day while we were in reserve at the Martin Quarries Alan came to -look for me. He was full of joy and showed me a telegram that he had -received from Paris, asking him to compose a poem which he himself -was to read in public at a Franco-American manifestation, for which -he was to receive forty-eight hours' leave. Alan was overjoyed at -the opportunity of obtaining leave, but was too retiring to think of -reading his poem himself; he would try, he told me, to have it read by -some one else. - -The eve of the ceremony arrived--I cannot recall the date--but no -leave came. We were in the trenches and chance had placed me near -Seeger in "petit poste" (the small outlook post, some yards in advance -of the first line trench). He confessed that he had lost all hope of -going, and I tried to find all sorts of arguments to encourage him, -that his leave might come at dawn, and that by taking the train at -Ressons at 7 A.M. he could still reach Paris by noon and would -have plenty of time, as the ceremony was at 2. - -The morning came, and instead of bringing the much desired permission -to leave it brought a terrible downpour of rain, and the day passed -sadly. He found consolation in the thought that July 4 would soon -arrive, when the Americans with the Foreign Legion might hope for -forty-eight hours' leave, as last year. Alas! He little thought that on -that date.... - -[The ceremony referred to was held on May 30, in connection with -Decoration Day celebrations. Wreaths to the Americans killed for France -were placed around the statue of Washington and Lafayette, in the Place -des Etats-Unis, Paris. By an unfortunate mistake the forty-eight hours' -leave granted for the event was made for June 30 instead of May 30. The -ode which Alan Seeger composed for the occasion was printed in _The -Sun_ a few days after the author had fallen in battle.] - -On June 21 we left the sector of the Thiescourt Woods for an unknown -destination, which proved to be the Somme. We took the train at Estrees -St. Denis and on June 22 about 10 A.M. reached Boves. Under a -blazing sun, in heat that seemed to have escaped from the furnace of -hell, we started for Bayonviller. We had undergone no such march since -the war began. - -Weighed down by their sacks, prostrated by the heat, men fell by -hundreds along the road. Hardly twenty of the 200 forming the company -arrived without having left the column. Seeger was one of these few. -He told me afterward of the terrible effort he had had to make not to -give up. At every halt he drank a drop of "tafia" (rum and coffee) to -"give himself heart," and when he reached the end of the march he was -worn out, but proud--he had not left the ranks. - -We passed the eight days of repose at Bayonviller, almost always -together, seeking the greatest possible enjoyment in our life at -the moment and making dreams for the future after the war. Alan -confided to me that "after the war" caused him fear--that he could -not tell what destiny reserved for him, but that if the fates smiled -on him it was toward the Orient that he would make. He loved the -Orient--Constantinople, Cairo, Damascus, Beirut had a powerful -fascination for him; their names would plunge him into profound reverie. - -"It is in the mysterious frame of the Orient," he used to say, "in its -dazzling light, in its blue, blue nights, among the perfumes of incense -and hashish, that I would live, love and die." - -And then the talk would turn again on the war and he would say: "My -only wish now is to make a bayonet charge. After that I shall see. -Death may surprise me, but it shall not frighten me. It is my destiny. -'Mektoub' (it is written)." He was a real fatalist and drew courage and -resignation from his fatalism. - -During the night of June 30-July 1 (1916) we left Bayonviller to move -nearer the firing line. We went to Proyart as reserves. - -At 8 o'clock on the morning of July 1 there was roll call for the day's -orders and we were told that the general offensive would begin at 9 -without us, as we were in reserve, and that we would be notified of the -day and hour that we were to go into action. - -When this report was finished we were ordered to shell fatigue, -unloading 8 inch shells from automobile trucks which brought them up to -our position. - -All was hustle and bustle. The Colonial regiments had carried the first -German lines and thousands and thousands of prisoners kept arriving and -leaving. Ambulances filed along the roads continuously. As news began -to arrive we left our work to seek more details, everything we could -learn seemed to augur well. - -About 4 P.M. we left Proyart for Fontaine-les-Capy and in the -first line. Alan was beaming with joy and full of impatience for the -order to join in the action. Everywhere delirious joy reigned at having -driven the enemy back without loss for us. We believed that no further -resistance would be met and that our shock attack would finish the -Germans. After passing the night at Fontaine-les-Capy we moved in the -morning toward what had been the German first lines. I passed almost -all the day with Alan. He was perfectly happy. - -"My dream is coming true," he said to me, "and perhaps this evening or -to-morrow we shall attack. I am more than satisfied, but it's too bad -about our July 4 leave. I cannot hope to see Paris again now before the -6th or 7th, but if this leave is not granted me 'Mektoub! Mektoub'!" he -finished with a smile. - -The field of battle was relatively calm, a few shells fell, fired by -the enemy in retreat, and our troops were advancing on all sides. The -Colonials had taken Assevillers and the next day we were to take their -place in first line. - -On July 3 (1916) about noon we moved toward Assevillers to relieve the -Colonials at nightfall. Alan and I visited Assevillers, picking up -souvenirs, postcards, letters, soldiers' notebooks and chattering all -the time, when suddenly a voice called out, "The company will fall in -to go to the first line." - - -III--LAST PARTINGS OF COMRADES - -Before leaving one another we made each other the same promise as we -had made before the Champagne battle (September 25, 1915), that if -one of us fell so severely wounded that there was no hope of escape -the other would finish him off with a bullet in the heart rather than -let him await death in lingering torture. He showed me his revolver, -saying, "I have more luck than you. If I can still use one arm I shall -have no need of any one," and then we rejoined our different sections. - -About 4 o'clock the order came to get ready for the attack. None could -help thinking of what the next few hours would bring. One minute's -anguish and then, once in the ranks, faces become calm and serene, a -kind of gravity falling upon them, while on each could be read the -determination and expectation of victory. - -Two battalions were to attack Belloy-en-Santerre, our company being -the reserve of battalion. The companies forming the first wave were -deployed on the plain. Bayonets glittered in the air above the corn, -already quite tall. Scarcely had the movement begun when the enemy -perceived them and started a barrier fire (artillery fire to bar any -advance), the quick firers started their rapid, regular crackerlike -rat-tat. Bullets whizzed and shells exploded almost as they left the -gun, making a din infernal. And the wave went forward, always forward, -leaving behind the wounded and the dead. - -The losses were heavy and the enemy made a desperate resistance. The -company of reserve was ordered to advance with the second wave of -assault. "Forward!" cried the Captain, and the company deployed "in -files of squadron," advancing slowly but surely under the enemy's -intense and murderous fire. - -The first section (Alan's section) formed the right and vanguard of -the company, and mine formed the left wing. After the first bound -forward, we lay flat on the ground, and I saw the first section -advancing beyond us and making toward the extreme right of the village -of Belloy-en-Santerre. I caught sight of Seeger and called to him, -making a sign with my hand. - -He answered with a smile. How pale he was! His tall silhouette stood -out on the green of the cornfield. He was the tallest man in his -section. His head erect and pride in his eyes, I saw him running -forward, with bayonet fixed. Soon he disappeared and that was the last -time I saw my friend. - -"Forward!" And we made a second bound, right to the wave of assault, -which we left behind a little, and down we threw ourselves again. -The fusillade became more and more intense, reaching a paroxysm. The -mitrailleuses mow men down and the cannons thunder in desperation. -Bodies are crushed and torn to fragments by the shells, and the wounded -groan as they await death, for all hope of escaping alive from such a -hell has fled. - -The air is saturated with the smell of powder and blood, everywhere -the din is deafening; men are torn with impatience at having to remain -without moving under such a fire. We struggle even for breath and -cries resound from every side. Suddenly a word of command, an order of -deliverance, passes from mouth to mouth. "Forward! With bayonets!"--the -command that Seeger had awaited so long. - - -IV--THE POET'S DEATH ON THE BATTLEFIELD - -In an irresistible, sublime dash we hurl ourselves to the assault, -offering our bodies as a target. It was at this moment that Alan Seeger -fell heavily wounded in the stomach. His comrades saw him fall and -crawl into the shelter of a shell hole. Since that minute nobody saw -him alive. - -I will spare you an account of the rest of the battle. As soon as the -enemy was driven back and Belloy-en-Santerre won I searched for news of -Seeger. I was told of his wound and was glad of it, for I thought he -had been carried away and henceforth would be far from the dangers of -bullets and shells. - -Thus ended this Fourth of July that Seeger had hoped to celebrate in -Paris. On the next day we were relieved from the first lines and went -into reserve lines. A fatigue party was left to identify the dead. - -Seeger was found dead. His body was naked, his shirt and tunic being -beside him and his rifle planted in the ground with the butt in the -air. He had tied a handkerchief to the butt to attract the attention of -the stretcher bearers. He was lying on his side with his legs bent. - -It was at night by the light of a pocket electric lamp that he was -hastily recognized. Stretcher bearers took the body and buried it -next day in the one big grave made for the regiment, where lie a -hundred bodies. This tomb is situated at the hill 76 to the south of -Belloy-en-Santerre. - -As I think of the circumstances of his death I am convinced that after -undressing to bandage himself he must have risen and been struck by a -second bullet. I asked permission on the night of July 6 (1916) when I -heard of his being wounded, to go and see him, but I was refused. - - - - -THE GUARDIAN OF THE LINE--HERO TALE OF LITHUANIA - -_Told by Frederic Lees_ - - One of the most remarkable facts connected with the war on the - Russian front is the large number of women who have distinguished - themselves by conspicuous bravery, sometimes in the actual - fighting-line, but more often in a civilian capacity. This story - deals with the ordeal undergone by a humble railway-crossing - keeper's wife in Lithuania, as told in the _Wide World Magazine_. - - -I--"THE LONELIEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD" - -One morning in April, 1915, Stephania Ychas, the wife of the keeper of -a railway-crossing to the north of the Lithuanian town of Shavli, felt -the saddest and loneliest woman in the world. Do what she could, she -found it impossible to rid herself of the feeling that a catastrophe -was imminent--that the terrible war into which her country had been -plunged meant the end of all things. Poor Lithuania! Once so fair a -place, now so desolate a wilderness! - -Stephania's duties, in these troubled times, kept her continually on -the _qui vive_. At all hours of the day--and latterly during many of -the night--she had to be in and out of her little house, in order to -see that the rails were clear, or to note the numbers of the troop -trains as they swept past towards the north. Backwards and forwards, -from her door to the telephone, fixed against the wall on the -right-hand side of a little window through which she could overlook a -big sweep of the line in the direction of Shavli, she went, welcoming -the never-ending succession of trainloads of soldiers, wounded, or mere -war material passing on to the new line of defence, and reporting their -progress to the railway and military authorities. - -Day after day, night after night, the great retreat of the Russian -forces continued, until, single-handed as she was, Stephania Ychas was -almost dropping with fatigue. A hundred times she told herself that -human flesh and blood could never stand such a strain. It was not the -fatigue alone which was crushing her. Added to her physical tortures -were mental ones, the feeling of being alone, so horribly alone, and -the knowledge that the enemy, as announced by the retreat and the -nerve-racking booming of the guns, was rapidly advancing on Shavli, -and that until Russia had had time to recover, the hated Teutons would -inevitably overrun Lithuania as far as Vilna. At night her brain -was filled with pictures of burning farms, ravaged orchards, and -indescribable scenes of brutality such as she knew the German soldiers -had been guilty of in Belgium and Poland. - -A dozen times a day, dizzy and sick at heart, she had been on the -point of staggering to the telephone to inform the commander of a -neighbouring station that she could continue no longer. But a sense of -duty had held her back. When it came to a point of renunciation, her -stout Lithuanian heart said "Nay," and she recalled the parting from -her husband and his final adjurations. - -Buried in thought, while waiting for a train which has just been -signalled from Shavli, she recalled the morning when Michael Ychas, -suddenly called to the Colours, had left her. It seemed like an -eternity since those days of the mobilization. - - -II--"GOOD-BYE, STEPHANIA--GUARD THE LINE WELL!" - -"Good-bye, Stephania," he had said. "Be of good cheer whilst I am -away, and guard the line well. It is sad to leave you here all alone. -Sad to be obliged to leave one's native country and abandon it to -unknown dangers. How much better I should have liked to have defended -Lithuania, I, a Lithuanian bred and born, than to have been drafted -into a regiment bound for the Caucasus. As if the Government could not -trust us in our own country! However, Stephania, you are left, and you -are doing a man's duty. It makes me happy, in the midst of my misery, -to think that you are there to look after the home and the crossing and -the rails. Guard them well, Stephania, and rest assured that, in my -absence, I shall constantly pray to the Virgin to watch over you." - -Her reflections were interrupted by a shriek from the locomotive of -the expected train, which was made up partly of compartments packed -with soldiers, partly of wagons filled with the most heterogeneous -collection of things she had ever seen in her life--pieces of machinery -piled one on the top of the other, heaps of metal articles of every -imaginable description, and every scrap of copper or lead, apparently, -which Shavli contained. A waving of hands from the soldiers, a friendly -yell from a hundred throats, and the train had sped on its way. - -Stephania Ychas had no time now to waste over daydreaming. Hurrying -into her cottage, she went straight to the telephone and rang up the -commander of the station farther up the line. After ringing in vain for -fully a minute, she got the connection and made her report. - -"Train number three hundred and forty-six passed North Shavli crossing -a minute ago," she said. "A mixed train, men and materials. Any news?" - -"Shavli reports that things are getting warm," replied a voice. "I -should not be surprised to hear that we have to leave before the day's -out. You'd better 'phone to headquarters." - -She lost not a moment in carrying out the suggestion. - -"Halloa, halloa! Is that Shavli?" - -"Yes," came a quick answer. "You're the North Shavli crossing-keeper, -aren't you? Good! Well, we were just about to call you up. Matters are -coming to a climax here. There are only two more trains to go through -now. One with men will be with you in a couple of minutes at the -latest; the other, with goods, should follow ten minutes afterwards. We -are telling the driver to pick you up." - -At this point the speaker was called away from the telephone, and an -indistinct buzz as of a whole office in conversation, mingled with the -trampling of feet and the slamming of doors followed. But finally the -speaker returned. - -"Halloa, halloa! Are you still there, North Shavli? Telephone forward -all I have said, and prepare them for the worst." - -Stephania Ychas, now tingling with excitement, did as she was bid. Once -more she stood on duty to see the reported train pass, and again she -went to the telephone to send her report forward. Having finished, she -was about to hang up the receiver when, on looking through the window -on her left, her eyes caught sight of something unusual far down the -line, almost at the point where the metals curved out of view. To run -and fetch a pair of glasses which, ever since the beginning of the -war, she had kept hanging in their leather case by the side of the -fireplace, to bring them to bear on the point in question, and at the -same time to ring up Shavli, was the work of a minute. What she saw, -though her calm voice in no way revealed her inner emotion, made the -blood run cold through her veins. - -"Halloa, halloa! Are you there, Shavli?" - -A reply came in the affirmative. - -"For Heaven's sake remain at the 'phone. There's foul work going on -near the great curve. You must give orders at once to keep back the -train." - -"One moment, and I will return," replied the railway official. - - -III--A WOMAN'S MESSAGE: "THEY ARE DYNAMITING THE RAILROAD!" - -A pause, which seemed to the woman with the glasses fixed to her eyes -an eternity, followed. - -"You were just in time," continued the voice to her infinite relief. -"Courage! Fear not. Orders have been given to pick you up, with the -others along the line, when we evacuate the town by car. But tell us -what is happening." - -"I can see a number of men tampering with the metals," telephoned -Stephania Ychas. "They have dismounted from their horses. One of them, -an officer, is giving orders. Yes, I can see now. They are Uhlans, -and are going to dynamite the line. There are at least twenty of -them, evidently a portion of an advance guard that has made a turning -movement round Shavli by way of the woods. Halloa, halloa! In the name -of Our Lady of Vilna, do not leave the instrument. It is a blessing -they did not begin by cutting the wire. Now they are scattering to -await the explosion. There!"--as the speaker beheld the explosion, -followed by a cloud of smoke and dust, which rose high in the air--"it -is done. Holy Virgin! They are making off now. No, the officer is -pointing here. They are coming towards me. Telephone to the nearest -military station to send me help immediately. And for the love of the -saints, come back to the instrument!" - -Stephania Ychas left the receiver dangling by its cords, and made her -little home ready to withstand a siege. She locked and doubly bolted -the door, and with the object of giving the Uhlans the idea that the -place was uninhabited prepared to block up the windows with the boards -which, as in most Lithuanian country cottages, served as shutters, -fastened from the inside. - -"Perhaps," she thought, "if they see the house shuttered, they will -conclude it is uninhabited and will ride away." - -Unfortunately, the Uhlans rode quickly, and Stephania had more than -she could do with just one shutter, that which protected the little -window on the left of the telephone, and which, when up, plunged the -room into semi-darkness. Whilst she was fixing this barrier, the -Uhlans surrounded the house and the officer momentarily caught sight -of her. Simultaneously there came a violent knocking at the door with -the butt-end of a rifle, a command to open, and the sharp crack of a -revolver. A bullet crashed through one of the panes, traversed the -centre of the shutter-board, and buried itself in the opposite wall. - -The brave woman was now back at the telephone, but not before she had -managed to make the entrance to her home doubly sure by dragging a -heavy dresser against it. - -"Halloa, Shavli! You have sent for help? Thank you. They have -surrounded the house, and are trying to force an entrance. They have -discovered that I am here. But they will have a difficulty in forcing -open the door, unless----" - -She paused and listened. There was a long and ominous silence, which -made her think at first that the enemy must have decided it was not -worth while to waste further time over a woman. But the hope was -short-lived. She heard a sharp command in German, the sound of muffled -voices, a burst of laughter, and the clatter of horses' hoofs around -the house. What was happening? Were they really riding off? - -Again her hopes were shattered. The scampering backwards and forwards -continued, one of the horses neighed, and she imagined she could almost -hear the Uhlans' heavy breathing, sounds which brought back to her the -danger which she had hesitated to frame in words. Very soon her fears -were confirmed. A vision flashed to her brain and made her sick with -fear. A faint cracking sound broke upon her ears from several points -simultaneously, spreading until it seemed to envelope her on all sides, -and especially over her head. By slow degrees the crackling grew to a -roar, and then she fully realized what the barbarians had done. - - -IV--"HELP! HELP!"--A VOICE FROM THE BURNING THATCH - -"Help, help!" called Stephania into the telephone. "They have fired -the thatch. For Heaven's sake, send me help. But a few minutes and the -rafters, I fear, will catch fire. Are you still there, Shavli? Oh, -speak--speak!" - -An exclamation, mingled sorrow and anger, came from the telephonist at -Shavli. - -"Oh, the ruffians, the abominable assassins!" he cried. "I beseech you -to have courage. Help is surely on the way." - -"I will try to be brave and do my duty to the end, as Michael told me," -replied Stephania, as though to herself. "But unless they come soon, -it will be too late. The thatch has burnt like tinder. I can hear the -flames roaring like a furnace underneath the rafters. There! One of -them has given way and fallen on to the joists of my room. Already the -heat is suffocating, the smoke almost unbearable. Holy Virgin! What a -death." - -"Alas, what more can we do than beg you to bear up?" returned the voice -at Shavli, in an agonized tone. "We have just been informed that a -party of Cossacks left twenty minutes ago to rescue you. Once more, -courage! And may Our Lady of Vilna indeed protect you." - -When Stephania Ychas next spoke through the telephone the roof fell in -with a crash and pierced a hole, through which the burning embers fell, -in the ceiling of her room. At the same time communication with Shavli -was suddenly interrupted, either through the Uhlans having discovered -and cut the wire, or, as is more probable, owing to the fire having -fused the terminals. She could not, however, have sustained her appeals -for help much longer. Indeed, it was not many minutes afterwards that, -stupefied and blinded by the smoke, as she groped her way to the door -in an instinctive movement towards the open air, she sank to the floor -unconscious. - -It is a characteristic of the Cossacks, many times admitted even -by German military critics, and those who have been describing the -operations in Lithuania for the enemy Press, that they rarely if ever -waste a shot. Unlike the French cavalry, they do not fire from a -distance, but fearlessly swoop down upon their adversaries and seek to -bring them down, one by one, at a range of but a few yards. And that -was the fate of the Uhlans, who, hungering to feast their eyes and ears -on the suffering of a defenceless woman, lingered a little too long -around the burning cottage of Stephania Ychas. Not one escaped. - -Stephania Ychas did not lose her life after all. The brave Cossacks -broke in the already half-consumed window and dragged her forth. She -was badly burnt, but lived to tell this tale to a nurse in a Russian -hospital, whither the railway officials of Shavli transported her, -almost immediately after her rescue, in one of their motor-cars. - - - - -WITH A FLEET SURGEON ON A BRITISH WARSHIP DURING A BATTLE - -_Under Fire on His Majesty's Ship, the "Fearless"_ - -_Told by Fleet Surgeon Walter K. Hopkins, of the Royal Navy_ - - -I--ON A HOSPITAL SHIP IN BATTLE - -On August 27 (1914) we were hoping to meet the enemy early on the -following morning. - -On August 28, at 3:45 A.M., "Action" was sounded off. Two -cruisers (supposed enemy's ships) having been suddenly observed, -had caused us to take up "stations" somewhat earlier than had been -anticipated. It was quickly discovered, however, that the cruisers were -our own. Shortly after, therefore, breakfast was piped to each watch -in turn, and at about 7 A.M. the enemy's ships were actually -sighted. From this time on to close upon 2 P.M., successive -actions were fought between various opposing forces of the two fleets. - -The day was fine and calm, while the sun gleamed through a very hazy -atmosphere, in which patches of fog shortened up the visual distance -from time to time. - -I remained on the upper deck during the earlier part of the affair, and -found it a most interesting and inspiring sight to watch our destroyers -and the _Arethusa_ and her divisions dashing at full speed after the -enemy, while soon the frequent spurts of flame from their sides, the -following reports, and the columns of water and spray thrown up by the -enemy's shells pitching short or over, began to create in most of us -a suppressed excitement which we had not hitherto experienced, telling -us that the "real thing" had begun, that an action was actually in -progress. - -Shortly our interest was to multiply fourfold, when the order to fire -our own guns was given. After a time shells began to drop ominously -near. I retired to my station, a selected spot just below waterline in -the after bread room, one of the few available places in a ship of this -class where some of my party of first-aid men could be accommodated; -the other half of the party in charge of the sick-berth steward being -situated at a similar station forward. This period one found trying. -For knowledge as to how matters were progressing we had to rely upon -fragments of information shouted down the nearest hatchway from someone -in communication with those on the upper deck. - -The rat-tat-tat! rat, tat, tat, tat! on our side from time to time, -as we got into the thick of it, told us plainly of shells pitching -short and bursting, whose fragments struck but did not penetrate the -ship's skin; it was a weird sound, occasionally varied by a tremendous -"woomp," which once at least made the paymaster, who was reclining -near me on a flour sack, and myself, look hard at the side close by -us, where we fully expected, for the moment, to see water coming in. -As a matter of fact, this shell entered some forty feet away, bursting -on entry into the Lieutenant Commander's cabin, while its solid nose -finally fetched up in the wardroom, where later on it was christened -"our honorary member." For this trophy I believe we have the _Mainz_ or -_Koeln_ to thank. The wardroom steward found a similar piece of shell -in his hammock that night. It had penetrated the ship's side and a -bulkhead before finally choosing its highly suitable place of rest. - -The shells that missed us burst upon the surface of the ocean near by -and, strange as it may seem to those not familiar with such things, the -fragments flew from the water with sufficient force to dent the sides -of the ship and to kill men when they dropped on the deck. - -When a shell actually struck our ship and penetrated the structure -there was a reverberating crash that roared from end to end and nearly -drove our eardrums in and made work of any delicacy impossible. It was -bad enough with us, but what must have been happening on some of the -German ships that were now sinking and were being pierced by great -shells from three sides at once I leave to some one with imagination. - - -II--"I WATCHED THE BURNING CRUISER SINK" - -It would surely require the pen of a Dante to depict all the horrors -that were happening on the German cruiser _Mainz_, as she went down. -We knew that she was burning. The men stayed at their guns until the -flames actually began to burn up their legs. The wounded lay in heaps -on the deck and the flames destroyed them without help. The blood ran -on the decks so that the men who were still trying to work the light -deck guns slipped in it and fell. - -Our shells passed through their hospital ward and killed the wounded -and the surgeons as they were working over them. That any men could -have passed through such an ordeal and retained their senses is a -tribute to the wonderful effect of naval training and discipline. - -The _Fearless_ appears to have borne a somewhat charmed life--a large -number of shells pitched just short and just over her--she was hit -fair and square by seven, one of which played a lot of havoc with the -middle deck forward and the mess gear there. Her sides showed some -twenty-three holes of varying size, and yet her list of casualties was -only eight wounded, none dangerously. She also had two narrow escapes -from being torpedoed, one torpedo passing just forward from an unknown -source, and another aft from a submarine. - -During comparative lulls I went onto the upper deck once or twice, -to visit the forward station and to see that all was correct. For -suppressed excitement and vivid interest I should say the seeker after -sensation could scarcely ask for more than a modern naval action. - -The shells were falling all about us, and why we were not sunk I can -never understand. The captain kept the ship zigzagging on her course -to upset the enemy's aim. At one time we came within 2,000 yards of -the Mainz, which had already been partly wrecked by the long-distance -fire from our big battle cruisers, the _Lion_, _Invincible_, and _Queen -Mary_. It was our duty to help finish her without sinking our big ships. - -She made two attempts to torpedo us. I watched one torpedo skimming -through the water like a shark about ten yards from the bow, as it -seemed to me. We just escaped it by a turn of the wheel in the nick of -time. Then another skimmed by our stern, running over the spot we had -left only a minute before. - -"She's a goner," I heard one of our men say. The German cruiser was -a burning wreck, but she kept the two small guns, one at each end, -firing away to the last. Then one of our destroyers rushed in to close -quarters and gave her the finishing blow with a torpedo. - - -III--THE WOUNDED ON THE BLOODY DECK - -It was not until the latter part of the affair that I was called upon -to deal with any wounded, and then a rapid succession of cases were -either carried or managed to walk to the main deck after, where, -assisted by the first-aid party, I cleansed and dressed their wounds. -Two or three returned to duty the same afternoon, the others being -placed in the wardroom temporarily after dressings had been applied, a -reliable first-aid man being placed in charge. In addition, one case -was treated at the forward station, and later on in the day a man who -had received a somewhat severe contusion and abrasion of the thigh from -a spent fragment of shell reported himself. Seven of the eight cases -were wounds due to fragments of shell and splinters of steel or wood -from the ship. The exception was a scald of the forearm, sustained by -a stoker while investigating a steam pipe burst by an exploding shell. - -While I was occupied with the cases mentioned above, we had taken -the destroyer _Laertes_ in tow, she being temporarily disabled by -gunfire; and the order coming to retire, we proceeded from the scene -of action for some considerable distance, when I was ordered to go to -the _Laertes_ to attend to some seriously wounded, and tranship them. -The _Laertes_ was cast off, and lay some two cables away. Arriving on -board I found the worst case was that of a young stoker in a serious -condition from shock and loss of blood. He had sustained several shell -wounds, one of which involved the left tibia and fibula, some two -inches of the tibia being torn away from its middle third. - -Around this patient the deck was covered with blood, and so slippery -that I had to send for cloths to be put down to enable me to keep a -footing. The condition of the deck enabled one to form an idea of how -decks were on the _Mainz_, where 200 men were killed. Near by were two -others, somewhat less severely wounded, lying on the deck, while just -behind me lay two figures covered with the Union Jack. The wounded -had all received first aid, the wounds being neatly dressed, but -considerable hemorrhage was going on. Returning with these cases to -the _Fearless_ I found several other wounded had already been brought -on board from other destroyers. The sick bay, which had been prepared -to receive the most serious cases, was soon filled, and others were -sitting or lying on the mess deck near by. - -Owing to the probable proximity of the enemy I had to bear in mind the -necessity for all possible speed, which was awkward, as they required -very careful handling. However, I hurried up as much as I was able. -Sudden manoeuvring or the shock of shells hitting us might make our -work impossible. Firstly, iodine was applied to the majority of wounds -and their immediate area, and a fresh temporary dressing applied. Then -ably assisted by the sick-berth steward and two first-aid men, I spent -the next few hours in endeavoring to get these, for the most part, very -dirty patients, as clean as possible. It should be added that, at this -stage, morphia was administered by hypodermic injection to three or -four cases, and again once or twice during the night. It was found to -be very beneficial. - -Many of the men had lost an arm and a leg, and in some cases both arms -and legs. Several poor fellows had their faces almost entirely blown -away. - -I had prepared masks of lint for the faces, specially medicated, to -relieve the terrible burns caused by the picric acid used in shells. - -A German seaman, a brawny young fellow, suffered much pain and -considerable loss of blood from a wound in his left foot. Examination -showed the presence of a piece of metal, embedded in the lower part of -the instep, from underneath which steady oozing of blood was occurring. -I put the patient under chloroform, and he was kept lightly under, -most excellently, by the Paymaster, while I removed the fragment of -shell and many pieces of loose bone. The removal proved more difficult -than I had anticipated, owing to the numerous "talons" the piece of -shell possessed. These pointed in all directions, and were embedded in -the bones of the foot so firmly that it was rather like the extraction -of a huge molar with a dozen or more distorted fangs. The fragment -weighed some six ounces, and its removal gave the patient great relief. - -A German seaman had compound comminuated fracture of right radius, -ulna, and humerus, due to a huge wound in the neighborhood of the -elbow. Multiple wounds of face and body and a scalp wound. This man -appeared to be suffering from severe shock, was at times wandering in -his mind, but at others quite clear. The wound in the scalp was found -later to penetrate the skull in the left frontal region. He died after -several days in hospital. - - -IV--"IT WAS VERY FINE SPORT" - -A sub-lieutenant I discovered sitting in the wardroom with his legs -upon a chair. He had sustained a "lozenge-shaped" clean cut shell wound -in the middle of right thigh, about 5 inches by 2 inches, and passing -deeply through the anterior muscles. He was very cheery and was only -anxious to get back to his work, which he did after two or three weeks. - -A captain-lieutenant of the sunken German destroyer V187 had been -struck in the right side by a piece of shell, the force of the blow -throwing him overboard just before his ship sank. He was taken out of -the water about half an hour later. The wound was situated over the -lower right rib, was oval in shape and about one and a half inches -in diameter. He was passing blood and had a good deal of pain in the -abdomen. It was suspected that a piece of shell had penetrated the -abdomen, but X-rays showed nothing. - -He was a good type of officer. On asking him what he thought of the -affair, he replied, "Ah, it was very fine sport." - -The courage and endurance of the patients were admirable. In only -one case did I hear any "grousing," as our sailors call any kind of -complaining, and this was in one of the less severely injured. A -suggestion that many around him were in an infinitely worse plight than -he, and were enduring their troubles cheerfully, made a difference, and -after a little refreshment he was as good as the rest of them. Some -of the Germans were at first rather sullen, but their confidence was -soon gained when they found that I could speak to them in their own -language, and that we were intent upon doing our best for them. - -I found beef tea, brandy, ship's cocoa made with milk, most useful and -acceptable for those who could not take solid food. At first one or -two of the Germans hesitated about drinking what was offered them, but -they soon thawed and took their portion gratefully, and, in fact, their -gratitude a little later for what had been done for them was remarkable. - -I was able to report to the captain on the bridge, at about 4 -A.M., that all cases had been dealt with, had been washed, -dressed, fed and made as comfortable as circumstances would allow. - -On arrival in harbor about midday on August 29, the more serious cases -were transferred to Shotley Sick Quarters, the others to the hospital -ship _Liberty_. I accompanied the former cases, and soon after seeing -them safely disposed of returned to the ship, had some food and turned -in about 5:30 P.M., having been up some thirty-seven hours. -Curiously enough, though tired, I could not sleep well owing to a bad -cramp in both my calves, but I had passed a very interesting day and a -half. (Told in the _New York American_.) - - - - -AIRMEN IN THE DESERTS OF EGYPT - -_Adventures of the Royal Flying Corps in Sinai_ - -_Told by F. W. Martindale_ - - The land has its perils for the aviator, and so has the sea; but - our "fliers" in Egypt have learnt to dread the treacherous desert - more than anything else. Here are two little stories from the - annals of the R. F. C.--one near tragedy, the other real tragedy, - lightened only by the amazing self-sacrifice of a young officer and - the dogged pluck of his mechanic, who posted up his diary while - awaiting death. Recorded in the _Wide World Magazine_. - - -I--FLYING OVER THE ANCIENT HOLY LANDS - -Whatever the professional distinction may be between the two branches -of the aviation service, the broad difference in the public mind -between the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service is that -the former fly over land and the latter over sea. And whatever the -relative advantages, and the reverse, of these opposite conditions -may be, a certain amount of sympathy inevitably goes out to the naval -airman in the supposedly more difficult element from which he starts -and on which he has to make his "landing" on return. The mystery and -the menace of the sea, which has always made sailors a race apart, -is so real and apprehensible a thing, even to the landsman, that -instinctively the sea is felt to be a source of greater peril to the -airman than the land. - -Be this as it may, it has fallen to the lot of the Royal Flying -Corps in this war to face an "element"--if one may call it such--as -mysterious as the ocean, and not a whit less menacing. This is the -desert--a thing which casts a spell upon those who have to dare it as -potent and as fearful as any with which the sea holds the mariner in -thrall. - -Mutable to the eye as the face of the waters, sudden and fickle in mood -as the sea itself, there lurks in the desert an even grimmer menace -than that which gives the sailor his wary, vigilant eye. The cruelty of -the sea is nothing to the cruelty of the desert. Ask the airman who has -made trial of both, and he will tell you that better a hundred times -the risk of falling into the clutches of the uncertain sea than the -chance of finding himself at the mercy of the pitiless desert. - -Here is a case in point--a little excerpt from the doings of the Royal -Flying Corps, which it would be hard to match even in the records of -that adventurous service. Pilot and observer set off in an aeroplane -upon a single-handed reconnaissance towards the enemy's lines in Sinai. -A long flight was made over the desert, and the machine was a long way -from its base when that terrible bugbear known as "engine-trouble" -developed. All attempts to right it in the air proved abortive, and a -forced descent was made. The aeroplane alighted on the desert waste, -and the two occupants worked feverishly to adjust the faulty mechanism. -Their dismay can be imagined when they found repair impossible, and -realized that between themselves and the Canal lay a stretch of some -twenty miles of desert, over which no means of progress was possible to -them save their own legs. - -It says much for the loyalty to the duty of these two airmen that they -carefully dismantled the gun which was mounted on the machine before -setting fire to the latter, and that they actually set off on their -long tramp across the burning desert carrying the gun between them. - -It soon became evident that any idea of saving the gun by taking it all -the way with them was hopeless. The weight, not inconsiderable under -any condition, was insupportable, and before long there was no course -possible but to bury the weapon in the sand, obliterating as best they -could all tell-tale traces which might reveal its hidden presence to a -chance enemy patrol. - - -II--OVER THE BURNING DESERT WITH A GUN - -Progress was easier when the cumbersome weapon had been disposed of. -But it was not long before clothing had to be jettisoned also. The -relatively thick and heavy garments of an aviator were intolerable -under the savage rays of the sun, and one by one they had to be -discarded. Even so, the going was terribly difficult and the journey -most exacting. By means of a compass a direction due west was -maintained, the one hope of the castaways being to keep on until some -point on the Canal should be reached. - -The hours went slowly by as mile after mile was laboriously covered. -The strength of both men was steadily declining, but it was not until -something more than half the estimated distance from their goal had -been accomplished that either gave way. Then one collapsed; he could -go no farther, he declared. His companion, well aware how fatally -seductive a "rest" would inevitably be, bade him keep going, but -without effect. The weary man's legs gave way beneath him; he sank down -on the sand, and declared that he _preferred_ to stay there rather -than attempt to struggle on any longer. Advice, persuasion, cajolery, -threats, and even force were of no avail, and nothing remained but for -the second man to continue the journey, with waning hope, alone. To -stay with his comrade meant that both must inevitably perish miserably; -by pressing on there was, at all events, a faint chance, not only of -reaching the Canal himself, but of summoning aid to return in time to -rescue the other. - -For some miles the wretched survivor, now tortured by an awful thirst -and so weakened that he seemed scarcely able to move his legs, -staggered blindly on across the desert. He had consciousness enough -to maintain his westerly direction, but as to how long he continued -stumbling forward in this almost aimless fashion, or what distance he -covered, he can hazard only the wildest guess. His progress became -largely automatic. Force of will kept him moving, his reluctant limbs -relapsing into semi-mechanical action. - -At the moment of his direst extremity, as it seemed, when from sheer -lack of power his body threatened to collapse altogether, the hapless -wanderer espied a horse before him in the desert! - -Now, if this were fiction, no writer, however cynical, would ever dare -to introduce a horse at such a point of the narrative. The thing would -be too absurd; the long arm of coincidence never reached so far as -that! Nobody could be expected to believe it. - -Yet the fact is as stated. At the psychological moment, when -every new step taken might have proved his last, the wanderer saw -before him in the desert the miraculous apparition of a horse. -It can be easily supposed that at first he did not believe his -eyes. In his half-demented state he feared the creature must be an -hallucination--some trick of mirage, or the mere figment of his -disordered brain. Only when he came nearer, and could hear as well as -see the animal move, did a full realization of his good fortune begin -to dawn upon him. - - -III--TALE OF MODERN ARABIAN NIGHTS - -A sail in unfrequented latitudes never seemed more truly a godsend to -castaways at sea than this marvellous horse to the exhausted airman. It -was but a stray animal belonging to some mounted unit which had drawn -the peg of its head-rope and escaped from the horse-lines into the -open desert, but to the incredulous eyes which suddenly perceived its -presence it might well have been the famous magic steed of the Arabian -Nights. - -To catch the animal was the immediate thing to be done, and anyone who -has tried to catch a shy horse in a paddock can imagine the hideous -anxiety on the part of an exhausted man in approaching an animal which -has the illimitable desert to manoeuvre in, and has but to kick up its -heels to vanish in a trice over the horizon. Fortunately, the creature -evinced but little shyness, and suffered itself to be taken without -difficulty. It is probable, indeed, that this desert encounter was not -less welcome on the one side than on the other. - -One wonders how the would-be rider ever managed to get astride his -lucky steed. His legs had little enough capacity for a spring left -in them. But necessity and hope in combination provide a wonderful -incentive and spur, and somehow or other he scrambled up. He himself -has hazy recollections only of this stage of his adventures, and beyond -the fact that he _did_ mount that horse, and manage to set it going in -a westerly direction, his recollections are vague. - -The next phase of the story is contained in the narrative of the -officer commanding a patrol vessel on the Suez Canal, who relates -that while on duty his attention was directed to a strange figure -riding on horseback along the eastern bank of the Canal. At first -sight he supposed it to be some mounted Arab or other nomad of the -desert, but on closer inspection the horse did not seem to be of -native type, and the rider's garb appeared unusual. On nearer approach -the strange apparition resolved itself into a white man, of wild and -haggard demeanor, dressed in a torn shirt and very little else, who -bestrode barebacked a troop-horse in distressed condition. Hailed by -the patrol boat, the white horseman replied in English, and explained -intelligibly, if a trifle incoherently, that he had come out of the -desert, that his chum was lying some miles back in dire distress, if -not already dead, and would somebody please hurry up and do something. - -The conclusion of the story can be told in a sentence. A relief party -was sent at once into the desert, the second airman was picked up -exhausted but still alive, and at the date when the present writer last -heard of them both parties of this strange adventure of the desert were -little, if any, the worse for their experiences. As to the gallant -troop-horse which played the part of a kind of _equus ex machina_, no -peg in all the lines is now more firmly and securely driven in than his! - -The story just related ends happily for all concerned; let me deal now -with the reverse side of the shield! - - -IV--SHOT HIMSELF IN SELF-SACRIFICE - -About the middle of June last year Second-Lieutenant Stewart Gordon -Ridley, of the R.F.C., went out alone in his machine as escort to -another pilot, who had with him a pilot named J. A. Garside. "Engine -trouble" developed when Lieutenant Ridley had been flying for an hour -and a half, and, as they could not put the matter right immediately on -alighting, they decided to camp where they were for the night. Next -morning, as Ridley's engine still proved obdurate, the second pilot -decided to fly back alone to the base, and return on the following day -to the assistance of the two men. This programme was duly carried out, -but when he got back the pilot found that Ridley and Garside, with the -machine, had disappeared. - -A search party was immediately organized to scour the desert, and -on the Sunday tracks were discovered. It was not until the Tuesday, -however, that the missing 'plane was discovered. Beside it lay the -dead bodies of Lieutenant Ridley and Garside. A diary was found on -the mechanic, and the brief entries therein tell the tragic story of -those last hours better than pages of description. The diary reads as -follows:-- - - Friday.--Mr. Gardiner left for Meheriq, and said he would come and - pick one of us up. After he went we tried to get the machine going, - and succeeded in flying for about twenty-five minutes. Engine then - gave out. We tinkered engine up again, succeeded in flying about - five miles next day (Saturday), but engine ran short of petrol. - - Sunday.--After trying to get engine started, but could not - manage it owing to weakness--water running short, only half - a bottle--Mr. Ridley suggested walking up to the hills. Six - P.M. (Sunday): Found it was farther than we thought; got - there eventually; very done up. No luck. Walked back; hardly any - water--about a spoonful. Mr. Ridley shot himself at ten-thirty on - Sunday whilst my back was turned. No water all day; don't know how - to go on; got one Verey light; dozed all day, feeling very weak; - wish someone would come; cannot last much longer. - - Monday.--Thought of water in compass, got half bottle; seems to be - some kind of spirit. Can last another day. Fired Lewis gun, about - four rounds; shall fire my Verey light to-night; last hope without - machine comes. Could last days if I had water. - -The captain of the Imperial Camel Corps, with which the aviators were -co-operating, formed the opinion that Lieutenant Ridley shot himself in -the hope of saving the mechanic, the water they had being insufficient -to last the two of them till help arrived. The Commanding Officer of -the R. F. C. states: "There is no doubt in my mind that he performed -this act of self-sacrifice in the hope of saving the other man." - -The history of the R. F. C. is a short one, but it is already full of -glorious deeds. - - - - -HOW SWEENY, OF THE FOREIGN LEGION, GOT HIS "HOT DOGS" - -_Told by Private John Joseph Casey of the Foreign Legion_ - - -I--STORY OF AN AMERICAN "WEST-POINTER" - - Lieut. Charles Sweeny, of the French Foreign Legion, returned - to New York to recover from a wound received during the French - offensive in Champagne. Sweeny is an American, a graduate of West - Point, and the son of a former president of the Federal Smelting - and Refining Co., of Spokane, Wash. The following story, of a most - unusual "Dutch treat," was told by Lieut. Sweeny to Private Casey, - a New York artist, also fighting in the Foreign Legion, to the _New - York World_. - -You have read of the cordial exchanges of tobacco and tidbits between -the men of the North and the South, who were facing each other as -deadly foes in the rifle pits during the Civil War. These exchanges -(the amicable ones, of course) were quaint and peculiar enough between -those avowed enemies, even though both were of the same blood and spoke -the same tongue. But the one which now interests us took place during -the present war, between Lieut. Charlie Sweeny of the French Foreign -Legion, and the Germans in the adjacent trenches; by which exchange the -Germans got nothing, and Sweeny got a feast of "hot dogs!" - -Sweeny, as you may infer from his name, is not a Frenchmen, even though -he happens to be in the army service of France. I am also in the same -service and my name is Casey. We are both Americans. Sweeny is a West -Point graduate, and a native of Spokane, Wash. After his graduation -from West Point he married a Belgian girl and settled down in Paris. -His wife and two small children are living in that vicinity at the -present time. - -When the war broke out Sweeny enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. -He was promoted for gallantry in action; and last September, after -leading us into the Boche lines during the Champagne offensive, he was -decorated with the Legion of Honor. Lieut. Sweeny is the first American -in fifty years who has held a commission in the French army. - -But how Sweeny won his "hot dogs" is a different story. - -One day when we were in the front trenches Sweeny handed me a -cigarette. It looked like a Turkish cigarette and I duly remarked it. - -"No," said he, and he indicated a large tin box filled with the same -sort, which he had with him, "these are a present from our friends, the -enemy. They were given to me by the Germans." - -"Must have been sent over to you inside a 'Jack Johnson' shell," said -I. - -"I can see you don't believe me," Sweeny replied, "but it's a fact. -They came in a hamper, together with two bottles of real Munich beer, -an assortment of Westphalian ham, cheese, honey, sandwiches of roast -veal and white bread, a few slabs of K bread, some pipe tobacco, and -some--what do you think?--hot dogs! As sure as you're born, Casey, and -if you'll believe me, I went for those frankfurters first! Oh, how many -nights I have sat out here and thought how good one of those hot dogs, -with a big gob of mustard on it, would be! But I never thought I'd ever -taste any in the trenches. Yet only just now I have demolished four of -them." - - -II--"LET SWEENY TELL IT" - -Here was the way of it, as Sweeny told it to me: - -"I started out about midnight with a patrol to have a look at a new -German bayou between two fortlets beyond our lines. I strung my men out -so as to give warning of any German patrol, and then led them past our -sentries and the barbed wire. I was some distance ahead of my men, and -had got well within the German lines without seeing or hearing anything -of the Germans. - -"Now this was not the first time that I had ever penetrated that far -into the German lines, but it was the first time on such a mission -that I had not had to dodge a German patrol; and very often their -bullets. These things ran in my head continually and made me think -that I had fallen into a very neat trap which the Germans had laid for -me. I expected to see them rise from anywhere any minute, and hear the -banging of their guns and the whistling of their bullets (if I was -lucky enough to hear them, that is), and I began to wish myself well -out of my predicament and back again in the comparative safety of our -trench. - -"This made me more cautious than ever, and presently I began to -retreat. As I did so a round German helmet bobbed up out of a ravine -not a dozen yards away. An instant later, at the other end of the -ravine, another appeared. I squirmed away like a snake and got behind -the only shelter in sight, a little scrubby tree, about three yards -away. - -"As I lay there quaking, wondering why the Germans did not shoot--for -they must have seen me--I happened to look up, and there, hanging to a -branch of the tree, was a fat, clean-looking basket. I reached up, the -limb on which it hung being only a few feet from the ground, and lifted -the basket down. - -"Then in a flash the explanation of the puzzle was clear to me. The -Germans had left that basket there and meant me to have it. - -"With the basket on my arm I got up, bowed low to the round hats, and -walked back to our trench without ever being fired on. - -"Inside the basket was the assortment I have described to you. There -was also a note something after this wise: - -"'We have been in front of you for over a year, and it is not against -our comrades, the French, that we are fighting, but against our enemy, -the English. Let us join forces against our common enemy. We are not -starving, as you may well see from the little present we send you -herewith.' - -"Here was something that set me thinking pretty hard. I had escaped -death or capture by a miracle so far as I could see, and all in order -that I might enjoy a hearty meal at the expense of the Germans. - -"I set the basket down in the trench, and fell to with a will; and I -give you my word, Casey, of all the good things I have eaten, I never -enjoyed anything more than I did that Dutch treat--especially the -frankfurters. - -"They took me back to the States immediately--hot dogs, the brightness -of the sea, the yawping of barkers, crowds passing, the noise of -thousands of shuffling feet--not the sort of shuffling we hear now, -Casey, when a bugle call or the heavy sound of guns seems the chief -attraction. It was a great shame I couldn't save you one. - -"The meaning of all this was a puzzle to me until I found out that our -boys had left a bundle of American and English newspapers in the spot -where I had found the basket, with the paragraphs plainly marked in -which it was said the Germans were starving. And the basket was the -Germans' reply. - -"Now you know how I came to get my hot dogs." - - - - -THE DOGS OF WAR ON THE BATTLEGROUNDS - -_The "Four-Footed Soldiers" of France_ - - The "friend of man" has always served his master faithfully and - well in various humble capacities, but the Great War has seen his - sphere of usefulness enlarged to an almost incredible extent. Our - Gallant French allies have mobilized thousands of dogs for war - service, and as scouts, sentries, messengers, ambulance workers, - and beasts of burden these wonderfully-trained animals have - rendered most valuable assistance to the armies in the field. Here - is a soldier's story in the _Wide World Magazine_. - - -I--TALES OF THE DOGS - -My friend, who had just come home on leave from the trenches, placed -on the table in front of me a suspicious-looking parcel which left no -manner of doubt that, for its size, it was extremely heavy. - -"I'm going to leave this with you for a day or two, if you don't mind," -he said. "I can't carry it about with me." - -"What is it--bombs?" I asked, laughing, and my friend, without a smile, -answered:-- - -"Yes, two bombs--for my dog." - -Wondering what murderous intention had suddenly taken possession of -the man, I looked my surprise, and then he explained. He was about to -buy a dog to take back with him to the trenches, he told me, and to -make sure that the animal was absolutely and thoroughly trained he had -brought the bombs in order to test him. If, when the bombs exploded in -the dog's presence, the latter stood the shock without fear or panic, -he would know the animal was trained and would be useful to him. If, -on the other hand, he manifested the symptoms of unrest which I, for -instance, would show if a bomb exploded just behind my coat-tails, then -the animal was not properly trained and would be of no use to a soldier -in the trenches. - -The use of dogs in warfare is to-day a common matter. The number of -dogs with the French army alone can be guessed when it is stated that -one society, the Société Nationale du Chien Sanitaire, of 21, Rue de -Choiseul, Paris, has trained over fifteen hundred war-dogs. - -The training of dogs for warfare showed from the first of the most -satisfactory results, and numbers of regiments would now find their -operations very difficult indeed if they were suddenly deprived of -their sagacious four-footed companions. - -The Société du Chien Sanitaire, like most new movements, did not -receive much official encouragement at the beginning of the campaign, -but nevertheless, thanks to its efforts, under its energetic president, -M. A. Lepel-Cointet, aided by private enterprise, suitable animals were -soon forthcoming, at any rate for ambulance purposes, and many officers -took "mobilized" dogs with them to act as scouts and watchers at night. - -Dogs particularly suitable to warlike purposes are to be found in great -numbers in the Lower Pyrenees and other mountainous regions of France, -and to-day there are societies in different parts of the country--not -enough, it is true, but still they have made a good beginning--who are -collecting and training the animals and sending them to the Front. -Recently a contingent of one hundred dogs was sent to the army by the -Department of the Indre, which is a hunting country where dogs are -particularly well trained to explore and to act as guardians. People -who have given or lent dogs to the army can, by keeping the number -given to them on receipt of the animal, have news of their pets and -their exploits, and some continue to keep in touch with their humble -friends by sending them dainties from time to time. - - -II--DOGS AS SENTINELS AT THE FRONT - -M. Mégnin, an authority on the use of dogs in warfare, says that German -attacks by night on small outposts have almost completely failed since -dogs have been employed to watch. The animals have a remarkably acute -sense of hearing, and are able to detect the enemy at a great distance -and prepare the men to receive him. Thousands of sentinels, especially -in the Argonne and the Vosges, where it is difficult to see far ahead -owing to the nature of the ground, have owed it to their dogs that they -have not been surprised and killed or taken prisoners. In many cases -they have even turned the tables on the enemy. - -Captain Tolet, who is in command of the kennels of the Tenth French -Army, has narrated some of the brave deeds--the word is not too -strong--of dogs under his care, especially during the fighting on -the Somme. On August 28th a dog called Médor, although wounded by a -shrapnel shell, ran a mile and a half to carry a message from a brigade -to a colonel, was again wounded in the last two hundred yards, but -dragged himself to the commander's post, where he died a quarter of an -hour later. Another dog, Follette, in the same month, ran nearly two -miles and was wounded, but nevertheless persisted in his mission, dying -five days later. In a part of the Vosges a battalion of Chasseurs which -utilized a particularly intelligent animal as a sentinel did not lose a -single man, while a battalion which had preceded it, and which had no -dog, lost seven sentries in three days. - -Another case of a dog's usefulness is recorded in the taking of a farm -in the Bois Brûlé (Burnt Wood). Everyone thought Germans were hiding -in the farm, and no patrol had ventured to approach it. At last a man -went towards it at night with a dog on a leash twenty yards ahead of -him. The animal showed no signs of uneasiness, and the farm was found -to be empty. Telegraphists and others were thereupon able to instal -themselves, and before morning the Germans' position was satisfactorily -examined and an enemy redoubt smashed up. - -Some of these gallant four-footed soldiers have received decorations -just like men--and an extra bone or two as well, one hopes. Why not? -The intelligence shown by these animals sometimes approaches very near -to that of human beings, and one feels sure they are gratified at the -attention drawn to their doings. Recently there was a special public -parade at the Trocadéro in Paris, when the Société Protectrice des -Animaux presented prizes to soldiers who had distinguished themselves -in the training of animals. Collars of honour were also awarded to a -large number of dogs exhibited by the soldiers who had trained them. -Three of these animals were specially fêted on account of what they had -done--Fend l'Air, belonging to Sergeant Jacqemin, whose life he had -saved at Roclincourt; Loustic, specially noticed for his intelligence -at the Front; and Pyrame, who saved an entire French battalion by -detecting the presence of an enemy column. In other cases the War -Cross has been awarded to dogs that have performed conspicuous deeds, -especially in the saving of life. - -It was mainly owing to a number of British dogs that the French army -was able to drive the Germans out of Boesinghe Woods in one of the -engagements round Ypres. Prusco, a bull-terrier, serving with French -motor scouts, who carried him in a side-car, was of great value in -carrying messages back to headquarters; while Lutz, a dog that -distinguished himself in one of the Verdun engagements, was employed -as an advance sentinel last February, and first gave warning of a -German attack by repeated growls. The Red Cross Dog League, which began -activities early in the war with eight dogs, now has two thousand five -hundred animals in the field, and it claims that the lives of at least -eight thousand wounded men have been saved by them. - - -III--HOW DOGS BECOME GOOD SOLDIERS - -The training of intelligent animals like these is carried on in five -different ways, for various uses. - -1.--_As Ambulance Dogs._ The animal seeks for wounded men lost on -the battlefield; he searches in holes, ruins, and excavations, and -hunts over wooded places or coverts, where the wounded man might -lie unnoticed by his comrades or the stretcher-bearer. The dog is -especially useful at this work in the night-time, when he can often by -his scent discover fallen men who would otherwise be passed over, for -at night-time ambulance-men often have to work in the dark, as lights -would attract the enemy's fire. Having found a wounded man still alive, -the dog brings his master (or the ambulance-man to whom he is attached) -some article belonging to the sufferer. This object tells the master, -"I have found someone--search!" Usually the object brought is the -fallen man's _képi_ (or nowadays his helmet), and the trainers teach -the dog to find the man's headgear, but if this is missing some other -object must be brought. It is a fatiguing operation for the animal, as -he has to return with closed mouth. The ambulance-man who receives the -article at once puts the animal on a leash, and is immediately led to -his wounded comrade. The leash is about two yards long, so that the -movements of the animal shall be hindered as little as possible. - -If dogs were utilized in this service long during wartime, their value -would be incalculable; and their use is all the greater when fighting -takes place over an extended area. The situation of the wounded man -overlooked or abandoned on the battlefield is a truly horrible one; he -has to wait in the forlorn hope that he will be found, for the army -has gone on, and the more victorious it is the farther it will push -ahead. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1 more than twelve thousand -men were thus lost to the French alone, while in the Russo-Japanese -War the Japanese lost over five thousand in this manner, showing that -the methods then used for the exploration of the battlefields were -inadequate. In that war three dogs sent by a military dog society found -twenty-three wounded men who had been abandoned after the battle of -Cha-ho. In the Boer War the collie dogs taken out by the men, it is -said, saved hundreds of wounded men who would never have been found by -the ambulance-workers in the difficult country where fighting mostly -took place. - -2.--_As Trench Dogs or Sentinels._ The sentry or trench dog is trained -to stay in the trench itself or in a small "listening-post" made for -him, either on the edge of the trench, outside it, or at a little -distance away. There he remains on the _qui vive_, ready to signal the -least suspicion of a noise or the presence of the enemy. In this work -both his eyes and his scent help him. He is kept on the leash, and he -gives the signal of danger by a slight growl, without barking, which -would give the alarm. The greatest difficulty in the training of dogs -for this work has been to rid them of the habit of barking, but this -has been overcome with care and patience. The training of dogs for this -class of work can be--and has been--carried to great lengths. A man -crawling on patrol work can take a dog with him, also in a crouching -position, on a leash. A little tug at the leash causes the dog to rise, -to retire, or to change its direction, and a properly-trained animal -will answer to the leash as satisfactorily as a horse does to the -reins. Such a dog is of immense help at night, when he can be taken -quite close to the enemy. - -3.--_As Patrols or Scouts._ The dog accompanies the human scout in his -reconnaissance, and helps in finding advance posts or sentinels, and -locating small groups of the enemy. - -4.--_As Couriers or Messengers._ The animal acts as a messenger, -carrying written orders or information, and is used according to -circumstances. He can carry messages between groups in the rear and -fighting formations in the front--for example, between the artillery -and the infantry, and _vice versa_; between two fighting forces, -such as battalions, companies, or sections; between the headquarters -and the various positions of the army; or between the main body and -detached posts, such as patrols, scouts, etc. Taken along by a patrol -or scouting party, he can be sent back to the main body with a message -fixed to his collar. The note having been removed and read, a reply can -be attached to his collar, and the dog sent back to the original body -of men, even if they have changed their position, since he finds them -again by his scent. A dog is not only much quicker in carrying these -messages than a man, and can cover ground where no cycle could go, but -he also has an advantage in being almost invisible to the enemy. If on -a leash, he can conduct a man in charge of reinforcements or ammunition -to the new position of the patrolling party--sometimes over a distance -of several miles. - -5.--_As Dogs of Communication._ This is the most difficult task to -which military dogs are put, and requires very special qualities, so -that only a very few animals have been found capable of the work. It -consists in sending him after a patrol _en route_ with a message, or -even in finding a lost patrol or scouting party and bringing it back to -its base. It will readily be understood that an exceptional scent is -required in a dog to do work of this sort. - -In the two last-named classes of work dogs can pass swiftly backwards -and forwards through brisk firing and run much less risk than a man. - - -IV--DOGS ARE HEROES UNDER FIRE - -There are several societies in Paris which choose suitable dogs -in order to make soldiers of them. The "Central Society for the -Development of the Breeds of Dogs" gave three thousand dogs to the -French army last August. After they have been tested, an operation -which takes about three weeks, they are sent to special stations in -the rear of the armies to be trained, and five or six days are all -that are necessary for the training of animals for the simpler kinds -of work. For more difficult tasks the training is naturally a longer -business. When dogs are to be trained as communication agents the -instruction may take several weeks. They are taught to go from one -master to another, first by a call, then by a whistle, then simply -at a mere gesture. Distances are gradually increased, obstacles are -placed in the way, the animal's goal becomes invisible, and so on. Much -patience is required in this kind of work; and it is found that the -best results are obtained by kindness and giving rewards for good work -accomplished. The animals are taught to recognize only two masters, and -to obey them alone. Outsiders are not allowed to pet or feed them. When -they understand that they have to obey only one or two men, they have -to learn to follow one or both of them when marching in a column of -infantry, to recognize them when in a group, and so on. They are taught -to endure the sound of gun-firing or explosions quite close to them. -Above all, they are strictly trained never to pick up articles on their -journey and to refuse delicacies offered them by strangers. - -Specially-trained dogs only are chosen for this work, and they are -mostly sheep-dogs or collies or animals whose business it was in civil -life to be guardians or watchers, and always on the alert. These are -all the easier to train for the special work--somewhat of the same -order--which they are set to do in war. - -... When the question of transport through the mountain snow had -become a matter of urgent importance, the French authorities conceived -the idea of using dog-drawn sleighs for carrying supplies. Some -hundred "huskies"--a cross between the Eskimo dog and the wolf--and -other trained dogs from Alaska, North-Western Canada, and Labrador -were brought over by Lieutenant René Haas, a Frenchman who had spent -fourteen years in Alaska. Mr. Warner Allen, the representative of -the British Press with the French armies, describing the work of -these dogs, says the snow in the neighbourhood of the Schlucht Pass -was deep enough until almost the end of April for the dogs to render -yeoman service. "They were able," he says, "to draw heavy loads over -almost inaccessible country, and to supplement to a valuable extent -the wheeled transport. But their utility has not ceased with the -disappearance of the snow. They are now being harnessed to trucks -on small two-foot-gauge light railways, which run everywhere behind -the Front, and they are capable of drawing the heaviest load up the -steepest gradient. Eleven dogs, with a couple of men, can haul a ton -up some of the most precipitous slopes in the mountains, and I was -assured that two teams of seven dogs each could do the work of five -horses in this difficult country, with a very great economy of men." - -This correspondent adds that the best of these imported breeds of dogs -is the Alaskan, as "his courage never fails, and he will work until he -drops, though he is perhaps the weakest of them. They are all shaggy -dogs, with prick ears and bushy tails, their colour ranging from -black to white, between greys and browns. Their chest development, so -necessary for hauling, is remarkable. They are mainly fed on rice, -horse-flesh, and waste military biscuits, and this fare appears to suit -them admirably, as they are always in splendid condition, and disease -is practically unknown. The experiment of transporting these dogs -to France has shown that they can be of real service in mountainous -country, and represent a real economy." - -Dogs that are specially adapted or have been trained for hunting or -sporting purposes are of little use in war, as they have acquired -habits incompatible with the work now demanded of them. Certain breeds, -such as the Great Dane, and others of limited intelligence, are of no -value at all. Some of these have the habit of rushing forward at the -slightest alarm, which is of more danger than advantage to the soldiers -to whom they might belong. - - -V--DOGS AS LOYAL COMRADES--FELLOW-WORKERS - -The "dog soldier," like his master on special missions, has to see -and hear without being seen or heard. It is amusing, but nevertheless -true, that the dogs of smugglers and poachers, as well as those of -coastguardsmen, have been found to be most useful animals in the army. -A well-trained dog, acting with a sentinel or scouting party may be the -means of preserving numbers of lives by saving them from unpleasant -surprises. - -The use of dogs in warfare was, of course, not invented in the -present war, though their utility had been systematized and given -more scientific scope than was ever the case before. In no previous -campaign have men understood the full use that could be made of these -highly-intelligent creatures. - -It was the Belgians who first turned their attention to the subject -of employing dogs more extensively. Everybody who has visited Belgium -knows the use that is made of dogs for traction purposes all over -the country. Nearly all the peasants who bring agricultural or dairy -produce to market employ dogs to draw their small carts, sometimes -harnessing whole teams to heavy loads. The dog is also greatly used -in Belgium for sport, and from the sporting dog to the police dog is -but a step. The dog in war--as sentinel, courier, scout, or ambulance -worker--followed, and was the idea of Professor Reul, of the Veterinary -School of Cureghem, and two journalists named Van der Snick and -Sodenkampf. In 1885-6 the first dogs trained to some of these purposes -were shown at a dog show at Ostend, and shortly afterwards societies -were started at Brussels, Liège, Lierre, Ghent and other places, not -merely for the training of dogs, but to improve the breeds. Lieutenant -van der Putte, of the Belgian army, started the Société du Chien -Sanitaire for the express purpose of training dogs for ambulance work -and soon afterwards similar societies were organized in Paris and -Berlin. - -It was quite natural that the Belgians should also think of using these -draught-dogs for small machine-guns, thus providing an inexpensive but -efficient light artillery. The Germans wished to imitate them, but it -is related that when they tried to buy dogs from the Belgians, as they -had no indigenous animals suited to the purpose, the Belgians refused -to sell. In other ways, however, the Germans were at the beginning of -the war well provided with dogs for various purposes, including the -ambulance service. - -Since then the use of dogs in the German army has assumed considerable -proportions. The animals used are mostly of the German sheep-dog -variety, and a register of these, numbering several thousands, is -kept for mobilization purposes by the German Sheep-Dog Club. Other -breeds used by the enemy are terriers, red-haired griffons, Doberman -_pinchers_, Airedale terries, and a sort of bull-terrier known as a -"Boxer." Dogs, it appears, have been used by the German army chiefly on -the Eastern Front, where the fighting was of a more open description -than on the Western Front.... The German papers published appeals from -the authorities asking dog owners to offer their pets for war purposes, -and many thousands were obtained as a result. - - - - -TRUE STORY ABOUT KILLING THE WOUNDED - -_Told by A. Pankratoff_ - - Translated from the Russian for _Current History_ - - -I--GERMANS HANGED COSSACKS ON TREES - -The other day, quite unexpectedly, I ran into Lieutenant X., better -known as the Junior Subaltern. - -This was the fourth time I had run across him since the beginning of -the war--at Insterburg, where the Junior Subaltern was leading his -company toward Königsberg; then in the trenches beyond Tarnovo; then in -the vicinity of Lublin, during the great retreat; and now, the fourth -time. - -"I am stationed twelve versts from Czernowitz," he went on to explain. -The Junior Subaltern is really so young that you can't help envying -him. His face shines with health. His eyes are always laughing. His -speech is very simple, but impressive; but he does not like to talk; he -would rather listen, and laugh responsively with his eyes. - -Fortune had brought us together; several men sitting down to a common -meal. We talked freely about everything. The conversation turned to the -German habit of finishing all the wounded enemies they find after a -successful battle. During the forest fighting last August one of us had -come across sixty Cossacks who had been but slightly wounded, and whom -the Germans had hanged on the trees. - -"We avenged them, however; the Germans got something to remember!" said -the narrator. - -Lieutenant X.'s eyes sparkled with animation. - -"Well," he said, "of course they deserved it! Of course it is a crime -to kill the wounded. But, gentlemen, there are cases when it is -impossible not to kill the wounded!" - -"What on earth do you mean?" - -"Just what I said! There is such a thing as rightful killing of the -wounded!" - -We insisted, and the Junior Subaltern narrated a recent experience of -his, "somewhere in Bukowina." He had been in command of a party of -scouts. His regiment had just arrived to take the place of another -infantry regiment. And the first thing to do was to become acquainted -with the locality and to learn the dispositions and intentions of the -enemy. The Junior Subaltern was sent out with his company. At one -place the opposing armies were separated by a ravine, which forked out -toward our trenches. Lieutenant X. knew that the men of the regiment -his was replacing had become acquainted with the Austrians, and that -the enemies by day came together at the bottom of the ravine by night, -entertained one another, and gossiped. - -"War is burdensome, gentlemen!" explained the Junior Subaltern, "and we -all longed for even the semblance of human intercourse with the other -chaps. * * * And there happened to be a prolonged and tiresome spell of -calm between battles, and so the men of the regiment we were replacing -and the Austrians had long smokes together, exchanging pipes. But every -one remembered--and nobody held it against any one--that the course of -cigarettes must be closely interwoven with the course of bullets on -the morrow. * * * Yet, yet--oh, if we were only chivalrous knights, -conducting a picturesque tournament, instead of common Russian cannon -fodder fighting common Austrian cannon fodder. * * *" - -Of course our young friend wanted to do the magnanimous thing by the -enemy, sending round word to them, "Here we come! Get ready!" But -what he did do was to take advantage of the quiet exchange of the two -Russian regiments and the total ignorance in which the Austrian members -of the nightly smoking club in the ravine still remained, and to creep -noiselessly forward to the spot where the friends of the night before -were on guard. The Austrian sentinels--three of them--dozed, wrapped in -their blankets. The Russians crept stealthily forward. * * * - -"What else could we do?" asked the Junior Subaltern. "Humanitarian -ideas are in blank contradiction to the present war. Civilians at home -may try to judge everything in accordance with these ideas. Well, we -know they are mistaken. Oh, they are simply ridiculous!" ended the -Junior Subaltern, his good-natured, broad face blushing at making such -a bold statement in company. - - -II--"WHEN WE LEAVE NO WOUNDED ALIVE" - -"Such nonsense!" he went on. "Of course, at the back of our minds the -horror of it is always present. But what else can you do? Standing in -blood up to your throat, and knowing that you have to protect your men, -to protect yourself. * * * And what difference does it make to them -whether you shoot them or throttle them? * * * About a hundred paces -from those three sentinels there were at least a hundred others, and -two hundred yards off were the Austrian trenches. The least noise, -a groan, the stifled cry of a wounded Austrian would be the end of -everything for my scouts; and there were only thirty of us. That was -when I gave the order not to leave any wounded alive. * * *" - -It was an evident relief to him to be interrupted. - -"Oh, yes, I remember!" said one of us. "I was in camp when the -Austrian officer, routed out in his sleep, was brought in on the run in -his nightshirt. The whole thing went rapidly and well, and you took a -machine gun from the Austrians!" - -Another of us said: - -"I don't see what you are driving at! There's no analogy at all! What -you did was no hitting of those who were down already. All sorts of -conventions and international law would justify you!" - -"Well," answered the Junior Subaltern, "did I not say that there was -such a thing as justifiable killing of the wounded, for us as for the -Germans? Besides, I got decorated for the job! Ouch! It is going to -thaw! I know, because my wounded leg aches!" - -His smile was so frank and his face so full of the bloom of youth -as he thus changed the subject that it was quite evident that he -did not change it from any false modesty, but simply because the -subject--including his own distinguished part in it--had no further -interest for him. - -"You have been wounded?" - -"Yes. Two bullets in my leg, one in my arm, one in the abdomen." - -"And you are still alive?" - -"As you see! It was that devilish machine gun! The bullet that entered -my abdomen cut through the intestines, touched my stomach, and came out -by my back. When I regained consciousness I heard the doctor saying: -'Put this one aside; he will die in a minute or two!' And some of my -men dug a nice grave for me and wrote my name and the date on a board, -and sat down patiently to wait for my funeral. But I didn't die. So the -surgeon had to send me to hospital. But when the ambulance was starting -I heard him say: 'It's not a bit of use! He'll die on the way there!' -But I cheated the doctors. I'm quite a rare specimen!" - -"You are indeed!" And we all laughed, so contagious was Lieutenant X.'s -laughter. - -"The Medical Council," he went on, "explained it by the fact that, for -two whole days previously, I had had nothing to eat. * * * hadn't had -time! It was on the Stripa. The moment our regiment arrived at ---- we -had to fight." - - - - -HOW WE FOILED "U 39" IN THE SUBMARINE ZONE - -_Adventures Aboard a Horse Transport_ - -_Told by H. O. Read, Late First Officer S.S. "Anglo-Californian"_ - - This story relates what happened when the horse transport - "Anglo-Californian" met the "U 39." The captain and twenty men lost - their lives, and eight more were wounded; but the heroism of the - commander and his officers saved the ship and her valuable cargo. - Personal experiences recorded in the _Wide World Magazine_. - - -I--"WE CROSS THE ATLANTIC ON THE _ANGLO-CALIFORNIAN_" - -Ever since the 18th of February, 1915, when a blockade of the seas -round the British Isles was declared by Germany, seamen navigating in -the waters of the war-zone have had a most anxious time in consequence -of the activity of the German submarine and their callous methods in -dealing with defenceless merchant vessels. - -Our ship, the _Anglo-Californian_, had made a number of voyages across -the Atlantic, and had so far been fortunate enough to get through the -war-zone each time without encountering any of the enemy's submarines. -We had always congratulated ourselves on our good fortune, but on the -voyage I am about to describe our luck seemed to have deserted us. - -It was the morning of the 4th of July, about eight o'clock. I had -almost completed my watch and was on the point of being relieved by -the third officer when, taking a final look round the horizon before -leaving the bridge, I noticed the small cloud of blue smoke on the -surface of the water about a mile away on our port beam. - -For the moment I was rather puzzled as to what it could be, there being -no craft of any description in sight from which it could come. I was -not long kept in doubt, however, for as the cloud of smoke gradually -lifted I caught sight of the conning-tower and long, low hull of a -submarine, which I knew at once must be a German, as our under-sea -craft were not operating in this vicinity. - -She had apparently just come to the surface after locating us with her -periscope, and, seeing everything clear, immediately gave chase. - -Ordering the man at the wheel to put the helm over, thus bringing the -submarine directly astern of us, I informed the captain of the presence -of the enemy. He immediately came on the bridge and proceeded to take -all necessary steps to try and outrace the submarine. We were quite -unarmed, so flight was our only chance. - -The chief engineer was summoned and told to raise all the steam he -possibly could and drive the ship for all she was worth, and the extra -speed that was very quickly attained was convincing proof of the way in -which he and his staff carried out these orders. - -Almost immediately after sighting the submarine the captain ordered -the wireless operator to send out the "S.O.S." call for help. This was -promptly answered, and we were informed that assistance was being sent -us with all possible speed. - -The captain, myself, the second officer (who was the captain's son), -and the third officer were now on the upper bridge, anxiously watching -our pursuer through the glasses. To our dismay we noticed that she was -slowly but surely gaining on us. - -It was not until a quarter of nine that she first opened fire, this -presumably being a warning shot, as it fell wide on our port side. The -captain took heed of the summons, however; he merely smiled and gave -orders to telephone down to the engineers to "keep her going" as hard -as they could. - -A second warning shot was fired, falling clear of the ship on the -starboard bow, but this also was unheeded. - -Those on the submarine, observing that our speed was increasing -and that no notice was taken of their shots, evidently came to the -conclusion that we were going to make a run for it, and forthwith they -commenced to fire shell after shell at us. At first they tried to bring -down the wireless apparatus, so as to prevent us from getting into -communication with the patrol vessels, but this, as I have previously -stated, we had already done, and were now in continuous communication -with them, giving them our now rapidly-changing positions. -Unfortunately for us, however, the patrols were some distance away, and -there was not much chance of their being able to reach us for two to -three hours. What would happen meanwhile was hard to say; certainly our -chances of getting away from our pursuer looked very small indeed. - - -II--"SHELLS WERE BURSTING AROUND OUR VESSEL" - -The fire from the submarine now became more rapid, but was not always -effective, as Captain Parslow, heedless of the shells which were -dropping and bursting all round the vessel, kept the quartermaster -at the wheel constantly working his helm so as to keep the submarine -almost directly astern of us, thereby making the ship as small a target -as possible. Momentarily, however, the submarine drew nearer and the -shell-fire more and more deadly. Almost every shot now found its mark, -striking the vessel at various points on the quarters and round the -stern. Forsaking the wireless, their aim was now evidently the rudder -or propeller, so as to totally disable us and thus have the vessel at -their mercy. - -When the firing first commenced our crew, including the horse -attendants, and numbering about a hundred and fifty all told, had been -warned to be ready to go to their boat-stations at a moment's notice in -case of emergency, and consequently everybody, with the exception of -the engineers and firemen working below, was now on deck. - -No signs of panic were shown until a shell, bursting amidships, killed -three of the horsemen. Then a rush was made for the starboard after -lifeboats, and men began scrambling into and overloading them. The -result would have been disastrous if the captain, drawing my attention -to it, had not ordered me to go and threaten to shoot anyone who did -not immediately come out and wait until orders were given for the boats -to be lowered. - -This had the desired effect, quelling the panic for the time being. - -The submarine--she was the "U 39," we noticed--was now only about five -or six hundred yards astern, and our case began to look hopeless. -Not once, however, did the captain waver from his intention never to -surrender. His coolness and courage were remarkable, and went a long -way to inspire confidence in those under him. - -The shells were now bursting all over the vessel and playing havoc with -the deck structures. They tore through the horse-fittings, killing -numbers of the unfortunate horses, and also wounded several of the men, -who were now clustered in groups near the boats. - -Just at this moment a signal to us to "abandon ship" was observed -flying from the submarine, and the firing suddenly ceased, the -intention apparently being to give us time to get into the boats and -leave the vessel. This, however, our captain had no intention of -doing, and after hastily consulting the chief engineer and myself he -decided to get as many of the crew away from the ship as possible, as -they were in imminent danger of being killed by the bursting shells. -The remainder of us were to stand by him and keep the ship going until -the very last. - -The man at the wheel was sent to take his place in the boats, and the -majority of the crew were ordered to do the same. - -The firemen--who had up to this moment been working below--now came on -deck, and made a rush for the boats before the order was given. Driving -them out at the muzzles of our revolvers, we persuaded them to keep -cool and wait until they were told to take their places. - -These firemen, who were Arabs, were now thoroughly frightened, and -would on no account return to the stokehold, though the captain offered -£20 to any man who would do so. - -During the time the firing ceased--which was not more than five -minutes--we got the port after lifeboat away, full of men, and were -preparing to lower the others when we received a wireless message from -the patrol steamer, saying that they could see the smoke from our -funnel. They told us to keep going, and to hold the submarine at bay -as long as possible, as they were coming towards us with all possible -speed. - -It was at this moment that the captain shouted to the firemen to return -to the stokehold, offering, as already stated, £20 to any man who would -do so, but this they refused to do. - -The chief and second engineers, with the donkeyman, nobly responded to -the captain's request, and immediately rushed down to the stokehold and -engine-room, where they worked like Trojans to get as much steam as -possible to keep the vessel going. - -As soon as it became apparent to those on the submarine that we were -not going to give in they commenced firing again, and with deadly -effect, for the boat was now only about a hundred yards behind us. - -One of the shells, bursting directly behind the funnel, struck the -davit of the after lifeboat, which was now full of men and in the very -act of being lowered. It severed the tackle, causing the boat to drop -into the water, where it capsized, throwing all its occupants into the -sea. - -Another shell, fired almost directly afterwards, struck the davit of -the port forward boat, cutting it completely in half. The boat, which -was hanging in the tackle with seven men in it, was blown almost to -fragments and nearly all its occupants killed. - -There now only remained one boat fit for use, the other two remaining -ones being too badly damaged to put into the water. This boat was now -manned and rapidly lowered over the side, with the chief steward in -charge; and it was chiefly due to his skilful handling that she finally -got away clear of the ship, as she was in danger of being smashed to -pieces by the now rapidly-revolving propeller as she floated astern. - - -III--STOOD AT THEIR POSTS LIKE HEROES - -There were now only thirty-two of the one hundred and fifty members of -the ship's company left on board, including the captain, officers, and -engineers, and our chances of getting out of our present predicament -certainly looked small. - -The second, who had now taken the wheel, was skilfully steering the -ship under the captain's orders. He kept the submarine--which was now -close upon us--almost directly astern, and the position of both father -and son was one of extreme danger, for fragments of the bursting -shells were constantly striking the navigating bridge, and the couple -had frequently to lie prone on the deck to avoid being struck. Their -coolness and courage, however, never forsook them, and they remained at -their posts like heroes, without the slightest sign of fear. - -We now noticed--greatly to our relief--the smoke of a steamer on our -starboard side, and this we rightly judged to be the patrol ship -hurrying to our help. - -As she gradually came into sight, in response to a request by our -captain over the wireless, she fired at the submarine, but the distance -was too great, and the shot fell short. - -We made sure that our pursuer would now give up the chase and submerge -to get out of danger, but instead she crowded on extra speed and drew -up alongside our steamer. She kept carefully under our lee, thus -sheltering herself for the time being from any further shots from the -patrol steamer. From this position she fired shell after shell into us. - -It was now an impossibility to keep the submarine any longer astern, as -her superior speed enabled her to keep abreast of us. - -We counted thirteen men on her deck, some of them manipulating the gun, -and others armed with rifles, with which they kept up a constant fire, -endeavouring to pick off anyone they could see on our decks. - -Those on the approaching patrol steamer, comprehending our position and -expecting every moment to see the ship torpedoed, sent us a wireless -message to throw lines and ropes over the side and try to foul the -submarine's propeller, and thus stop her. If possible we might also -try and ram her. Ramming was out of the question, on account of the -German's superior speed, but, acting on the first suggestion, under -the captain's orders I went along and threw some of our mooring-ropes -overboard, but the scheme was apparently ineffective, as the submarine -still kept her place on our port side. - -It was just at this moment, as I was returning from carrying out these -orders, that a shell fired from the submarine, and aimed directly at -the bridge, struck our gallant captain and literally blew him to pieces. - -The second officer at the wheel was stunned and almost blinded by the -report, and his escape from death was a miracle, as the captain was -only a few feet away when killed. Fragments of the shell actually tore -away some of the spokes of the wheel which he held at the time. - -As I gained the lower bridge he came down smothered in blood, dazed and -stunned by the shock of the explosion, and horrified at witnessing the -death of his brave father. - -To remain on either of the bridges now was out of the question, as the -submarine was only fifty yards from us, running abreast. The Hun crew -had clamped a Maxim on the top of their quick-firing gun and, using -this, together with their rifles, they kept up a constant fire fore and -aft. - -The patrol steamer was still about two miles away, but coming towards -us at top speed, with smoke pouring from her funnel. But would she -reach us in time before the pirates sent us to the bottom? We were -now in imminent danger of being torpedoed, the submarine being in a -splendid position to launch her deadly missile. - -Seeing this, I called the wireless operators away from their posts, -to which they had gamely stuck through the whole of the firing, and -shouted down to the two engineers to come on deck. Gathering together -the remainder of my men, we made our way along the bullet-swept decks, -taking shelter where and when we could. We cut everything floatable -adrift in case the ship went under so as to give us a better chance of -being picked up by our rescuers. - - -IV--"WE SAW THE SUBMARINE SUBMERGE" - -The deck of our vessel was a sickening sight. Dead, dying, and wounded -men lay in all directions, and blood seemed to be everywhere. - -We gathered the wounded together and got them under cover, and with the -able help of our veterinary surgeon attended to them as best we could. - -Nothing more could now be done. We were momentarily expecting the -torpedo to strike the vessel and finish her, and stood ready to jump -clear of the ship when she went under. - -But the torpedo did not arrive. Instead, we saw the crew of the -submarine hurrying to get their gun below and preparing to submerge. -The cause of this manoeuvre was the sudden appearance of two -destroyers, racing towards us at full speed. - -The submarine rapidly disappeared under the water, and in a few moments -more the two destroyers and the patrol steamer were alongside and -darting all round us in hopes of getting a shot at her. - -We sent up a rousing cheer when we saw our rescuers approach; we could -scarcely realize that we were saved. - -I at once got in communication with the commander of one of the -destroyers and asked him to search for our boats and any of our crew -who happened to be in the water and pick them up. - -This they at once started to do, and in a very short time informed -me that they had rescued ninety-seven of them and would proceed to -Queenstown and land them. - -On making an examination of our steamer, we found, in addition to -considerable damage round the decks, that she had been badly holed -below the waterline, and was taking water rapidly. - -We at once set to work and plugged the holes up with bales of hay and -bags of fodder, at the same time giving the vessel a list so as to -bring the damaged plates out of the water as much as possible. - -When this had been done I informed the commander of the remaining -destroyer, and told him that we were ready to proceed, but that it -would be necessary to go into Queenstown, the nearest port, to land our -dead and wounded. - -He replied that this would be the best course to adopt, and that he -would convoy us into port. - -We accordingly headed for Queenstown, and duly arrived there late that -night, where we were treated with the greatest courtesy and kindness by -the Admiralty officials. - -The dead were removed and the wounded taken to the naval hospital, -where their injuries were attended to. - -Meanwhile the Admiralty took the vessel in hand, and immediately -commenced temporary repairs on her, and in less than twenty-four hours -I was able to leave the port and proceed with her to Avonmouth, our -destination, under the escort of two destroyers. - -The remains of our brave captain and of those who fell with him were -buried in Queenstown the following day, being accorded full naval -honours. The Admiral of the port himself attended, and the respect and -regard shown by the townspeople, as the remains of these heroes were -laid to rest, was very marked. - -No tribute is too great to pay to the memory of the late Captain -Parslow, who died like the gallant seaman he was, giving his life in an -endeavour to save his ship and the lives of those under his command. - -His son, the second officer, for the pluck and courage he displayed -in remaining at the wheel during the firing, has been awarded the -Distinguished Service Cross. The chief engineer received the same -decoration, and I myself was the recipient of a handsome gold watch, -suitably inscribed, "From the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty," as -was likewise the second engineer and the senior Marconi operator. - -The conduct of both the third officer and the junior Marconi operator -deserves great praise, for they displayed splendid courage and coolness -in carrying out their duties during the attack. - -Lloyd's showed their appreciation of our efforts by presenting a -substantial cheque, expressing at the same time their sincere regret -for the loss of the heroic Captain Parslow. - -The crew of the submarine, presumably, duly received Iron Crosses for -their glorious day's work. - - - - -MY WORST EXPERIENCE IN MESOPOTAMIA - -_Told by a Man Who Stopped a Bullet_ - - The writer of this vivid narrative, a British soldier, was - wounded in Mesopotamia during an unsuccessful attempt to relieve - Kut-el-Amara, shortly before its fall. Recorded in _Current - History_. - - -I slipped my left hand into my tunic and was surprised to feel the hot -blood pouring out. Then it dawned on me that I had been hit, and pretty -badly, too. My equipment was hurting me, so I took it off. - -I felt very dizzy, and decided to try and get back as far as I could. I -stood up, a very unwise thing to do, considering that I was about 150 -yards from the Turkish trench and must have made an easy mark, but I -was not hit again immediately. My legs gave way and I collapsed and lay -flat for a time. I thought if I was not to bleed to death I must make -an effort to put my field bandage in place. So with difficulty I pulled -it from my tunic pocket. The outer covering came off easily, and I took -out one of the packets, but could see no way to slit it open. Finally -I gripped the edge of the packet in my teeth and tore at it with both -hands till it opened. I put the pad on the wound, as near as I could, -but had no means of keeping it there, so I staggered to my feet and ran -on, keeping the pad in place with my left hand. I believe I covered -another fifty yards when I dropped again and lay in a kind of stupor. - -I was aroused by the almost continuous "krock" of bursting shrapnel. -Shells were dropping right and left, and the air was full of moaning -and screaming as the bullets flew by. I managed to get on my feet -again, although the effort made the blood spurt out anew. The sodden -pad had slipped down and a burning pain in the pit of my stomach caused -me to double up in agony and slide onto my knees. I started crawling -painfully along until I came to a small mound which would at least -afford "head over." I crept behind it and lay in the only position I -could, on my left side. - -I passed my hand over myself to feel for a wound, but could not find -one. The bullet had entered the small of my back and lodged under my -breast bone. Gradually the more intense pain passed away, leaving a not -unpleasant sense of numbness over all my body. - -The persistent calling of a man in pain brought me back to -consciousness. The pitiless sun was blazing high in the heavens, and I -felt hot and dry. Somebody was shouting "Fetch the stretcher-bearers, -you fools: are you going to leave me here?" At first I felt very sorry -for him, but soon wished he would stop, for I had a shocking headache. -I judged it to be about midday, and thought that in another six hours -I had a good chance of being brought in. - -I was horrified to see that the water of the Suwaicha Marsh, which -was on our right flank, had risen considerably, and I feared for any -of our wounded who were further out on the right and unable to crawl -away from the menace. The man who was shouting stopped, and everything -was strangely calm and peaceful. I felt very happy and contented then, -for as long as I kept quite still the pain was very dull, so I began -singing and mumbling away in a quiet voice: - - "Where my caravan has rested - Flowers I'll strew there on the grass." - -I sang again and again, accompanied by a strange roaring in my chest. -My caravan, I thought, had rested in some very unusual places, but none -so unusual as this. And what was the use of talking about the grass in -the desert of Mesopotamia, where there is nothing but the yellow earth, -the blue sky, the hot sun, and dirty water? - -There was a water bottle, equipment, and rifle lying close to my head, -and I have a vague remembrance of a Sikh lying beside me for a time -and then jumping up and running back. I slowly put my right arm up, -caught the sling, and dragged the bottle nearer. I pulled the cork out -somehow, and propped the bottle against my face, with the neck to my -lips, but was much upset to find I had not the strength to lift it up. -Tears rolled down my cheeks after I had made two or three attempts, for -I was very thirsty. I sang no more, as my throat was harsh and lumpy. -So I lay staring at the yellow and blue till I lost consciousness once -more. - -This time I was roused by our own guns, and the sound was most -comforting. "Giving 'em hell," I thought gleefully. They bombarded for -about an hour, and then I slipped back into unconsciousness. It was -getting dark when I came to again. A man was standing close to me, -staring round the field. Somebody had put my sun helmet on my head. He -came over to me. "Are the stretcher-bearers coming?" I asked, and he -told me I was the next to be moved. It was not long before the bearers -came, and they put the stretcher behind me. It was painful work getting -on the stretcher, as I could not bear to have my body touched anywhere. -However, it was managed at last, and I lay on my left side. - -I suppose they went as gently as they could, but every step racked my -body so much that I was nearly mad with pain. I cannot remember how -far it was to the dressing station, but I remember passing through -the artillery lines, where the guns had started again. I was put on a -table, still on the stretcher, and was pleased to see our battalion -doctor. "Well, laddie," he said, "how are you?" I replied that I was -all right, but thought it "a bit thick" having to lie out there all -day. Then he started cutting my clothes up, jersey and shirt as well. -The dressing was by no means painful, but they left my hand untouched. -I asked for something to drink, but the doctor said they would give me -all I wanted at the field hospital. - -Then began the worst experience I have ever been through. I was taken -to a native springless mule cart, with a few sacks and blankets thrown -in the bottom, and helped off the stretcher. The slightest movement -caused great pain, but when the cart started bumping off I was in a -positive inferno. I will not dwell on that four-mile journey from the -marsh to the riverside; suffice it to say that what little breath I -could summon was used in praying the driver to stop and leave me on the -ground. - -We came to the field hospital at last. The natives pushed a stretcher -into the cart beside me, and one intelligent fellow nimbly jumped up -and stood on my smashed hand. That was the last straw. I cursed him. -When I stopped for want of breath they attempted to lift me on to the -stretcher, but I begged them to stop. I tried to get on by myself, but -could only manage to get my knees on and could not lift my body. The -natives were chattering round the cart, so I started shouting "English, -English. Fetch English," and at last a "Jock" came up to see what was -wrong. I begged him to put his hand under my shoulder and help me on -the stretcher, and in a moment I was lying on my stomach--not very -comfortable on account of my laboured breathing, but it was a rest for -my left side. When my hand had been cleaned and dressed I was put on -a mattress in a bell tent, where I tossed about in a high fever. - -In the morning I was put in a paddle-boat, and I slept till it started -in the afternoon. We were taken ashore at Orah that night, and there -received better attention. I was placed on the operating table and the -bullet located and removed. - -I will not describe my stay at Orah or the trip down the Tigris in the -paddle-boat to Bussorah. My hand was a fearful size and very painful. -When the ship was moored in front of Bussorah Hospital I was very weak. -Two orderlies helped me on to the stretcher, and I was carried down -the gangway to the entrance of the hospital. A Major took particulars -and consigned me to a veranda ward on the second floor. And so I was -placed in one of the whitest, cleanest, and most comfortable beds in -the world. - - - - -SPIRIT OF YOUNG AMERICA--HOW WE WENT "OVER THE TOP" - -_Experiences of a New York Boy with the Canadians_ - -_Told by (name withheld), Wounded in France_ - - This is a letter from an American boy at the front. It symbolizes - the spirit of young America. In his frank, simple, human way, he - tells with outbursts of quaint humor how he went "over the top," - faced death, was wounded, and longs to get back into the fight. It - is but one of the tens of thousands of private letters that are - reaching friends in America every time a ship comes in from Europe. - - -I--"IN WAY OF FRITZ'S SHELLS" - - 1st Canadian Hospital, France, - August 27, 1917. - -Well, at last old man, I am writing to you. I am sorry I have not -answered your last letter sooner. I have no good excuse to offer, so -I guess I'll still cling to the old thread-bare one of "too busy." I -guess my dear Mary will have told you that I am in hospital recovering -from a little wound, the penalty of getting in the way of one of -Fritz's shells. I am glad to say that I am going along nicely and hope -to be about again very soon. I got hit just back of the knee, over the -hamstring tendon, "whatever that is." I guess I ought to be thankful -it was no worse. In a week or so I shall be none the worse for the -experience. Believe me, it was some experience. You know--one of those -times when you hear invisible bands playing "Home Sweet Home" and -"He's Gone Where They Don't Play Billiards." - -I guess, dear George, you would like a little of the news of how I am -passing the weary months away. Well, at times it's not so bad. We have -our little bit of fun, for you know I'm one of those guys that makes -the best of it. We get many a laugh. We have got the knack of being -easily amused. We often get a smile out of things at which if it wasn't -for the surroundings we should feel like shuddering. - -I cannot tell you much on account of the censor. But I can tell you -a little of the experience I had last Wednesday week, the 15th, the -time we had the pleasure (?) of going "over the top" and getting in -close touch with Fritz. We had been expecting it to come off for a -long time and I think the period of waiting was the worst part of the -whole affair. We had only been out of the line a couple of days and -such awful days they were; the time we had been in, it was up to our -knees in mud. Well, anyway, the order came along for us to go back and -make an attempt to pull the job off. The day before they tried to make -things as pleasant as possible. We had a band concert almost all day -long, and then as soon as it got dark we started forward to take up our -position to wait for the big show at daybreak. - -Our first trouble was gas. We had our masks on in about two seconds. I -guess you have seen pictures of these masks. But believe me, when you -get a bunch of men moving cautiously across country they're enough to -scare a fellow out of a month's growth. Eventually we got there. But -the position we were to take up was being peppered with Fritz's iron -rations. So we were told to move to another place and dig ourselves in. -Again he located us and made it unhealthy, so we had to move again. We -were in a great mood then, for we had worked like niggers and had just -got comfortable when the order came to move. We contented ourselves -that we would square matters in the morning. - -At a quarter of four (daybreak) we settled down to wait for the signal -for the big show to start. There certainly was some excitement in the -air. Almost as much as when in a game of pool the fifteen ball's over -the hole and it's your shot next. Through some cause or other matters -we were delayed twenty-five minutes--the longest minutes I have ever -lived. Each minute seemed like an hour. Long after the war is all over -and forgotten, I think I shall remember that long, weary wait. - - -II--"WHAT I SAW WHEN I WENT 'OVER'" - -At last, we got the signal and the barrage and bombardment started. -I have read of bombardments and I have seen them described pretty -vividly, but no description or imagination could make anyone realize -what they are really like. Every thing we had, opened up at the same -second--silent batteries that had been there for weeks without firing -a shot, just waiting for this event to be pulled off. It seemed as if -the very earth was swaying. But don't think we had it all our own way. -For Fritz had quite a number of iron foundries he wanted to get rid of, -and he started up almost as soon as we did. - -We found out afterwards, that they knew we were "going over." In -fact, their officers had been officially warned to be prepared for an -attack at 4 A.M. So I guess they had their anxious wait as -well as we. Fritz's fireworks' display was simply wonderful. Rockets -and flare-lights of every color and description went up, but I didn't -stop to admire it. I was too busy and scarcely in the mood to admire -anything. Everything had to be done by signals. The noise was so -deafening that even if you shouted at the top of your voice you -couldn't be heard. - -The first wave went over at 4:25 A.M. Everything possible in -what they call modern warfare was used--liquid fire, oil, tanks and a -dozen different things to get Fritz's wind up. And believe me, we did -get it up! For thirty minutes after we went "over" we had them on the -run. All I am sorry about is that we could not keep them going _until -they reached Berlin_. - -Believe me, old man, it was some fight! Some of the things I saw -myself, I would not have believed if I hadn't seen them with my own -eyes. Some of the fellows just went crazy. One fellow was fighting -away with only half a rifle in his hand, and yet there was dozens of -good ones lying around if he had only taken a moment to pick one up. -Others were throwing bombs just like bricks. You know the bombs we -use out here mostly are the kind we saw at that New York Red Cross -bazaar--perhaps you remember them. Before they explode you have to pull -the safety pin out, and then they burst four seconds later. Well, some -of the guys didn't pull the pins out; they just used them like bricks. -Gee, it put me in mind of a good old Summer Lane scrap, but anyhow it -was enough to get them on the hustle. - -There were many other little incidents, some that I saw myself, and -others that I heard coming down on the hospital train. One of our -fellows took two prisoners only armed with a lighted candle. This -happened after we had been occupying Fritz's front line several hours. -Leaving his rifle at the top, he went down into one of Fritz's saps -"looking for souvenirs, I guess." Well, he lit his candle and there -in the corner were two great hulking fellows. I guess they were more -scared than he was. Up went their hands with the same old cry: "Not -me, Mister, Mercy, Kamerad." We had a laugh afterwards for the guy -who brought them up, looked as if he had been scared stiff. I'll bet -he never goes down a strange sap again unarmed. Later on they caught -another five in one of the other saps. - -There were dozens of little incidents like this. So far so good--but -the worst had yet to come. We had captured three villages and the -famous hill. When I say there had been five previous attempts to get -the hill alone, for he had occupied it for two and a half years, -you will see that it was some accomplishment. They put over ten -counter-attacks. I didn't count them. I was too interested and busy -with other things to bother about counting anything. They came over in -the old massed formation style. It seems a crazy style to me, for their -losses must have been enormous. Every time they came over they got -smashed, and were glad to beat it back, or at least as many of them as -were able to. That continued practically all day. - - -III--ON AN ADVANCE POST - -As soon as it was dark, I was detailed along with a bunch of other -fellows to go out as reinforcements to our left flank. My friend Jones, -another fellow and I, were put on an advanced bombing post. Every once -in a while they would attempt to come over on us. It kept us pretty -busy, and also kept us from getting sleepy. - -In the early morning one of Fritz's planes came flying over us. One -of our fellows couldn't resist the temptation of drawing a bead on -him, although it's against all orders for us to fire on aircraft. The -chances of hitting him are about a thousand to one. Well, the "son of -a gun" made a dive and swooped over us with his machine gun. I don't -think he got anybody, but he came so low that some of our guns got him. -He dropped like a stone. I was almost sorry to see it, for I am still -a sport and that guy certainly had got grit. - -Well, these little events kept happening all day long. Then at four -o'clock in the afternoon my friend Jones got hit. It was during one of -his attacks--he got inquisitive, took a peek over the parapet, and got -it in the cheek. Two hours later I got hit--this was the second time I -had been hit. The first was so slight I didn't leave the line, but this -time I had just had about as much as I cared for. So I got first aid -and waited until things had quieted down a little, and then made my way -to a dugout to wait until it got dark. - -About nine o'clock, I started to beat it for the dressing station. But -believe me, old man, it was easier said than done, for we had advanced -over a mile over No Man's Land and I had to go all over that way again. -There were three of us that started. The other two were just slightly -wounded--one in the shoulder and the other in the wrist. But poor me, -having it in the knee, was worst of the bunch. I couldn't move fast, it -had stiffened me so. - -Well, we had our little adventures going across. Once I got entangled -in the barbed wire. And then when we saw several fellows ahead of -us--we just dropped in a shell hole, and waited for them to move off. -After a wait of about fifteen minutes, they didn't move. The fellow -with the hit in the shoulder crawled forward to find out who they were. -He was gone so long we were just making up our minds to make a wide -circuit of them, "for none of us were armed"--we had thrown everything -away so we could move quicker. Just as we had given him up he came back -with the news it was one of our own working parties fixing wires. The -reason he had been so long was because he had been waiting to catch -some of the conversation to see whether it was English or not. - -Away we started again. We were nearing our old front line when Fritz -caught us with one of his flare-lights. Of course the next minute it -was Whiss-siss-siss-pop-pop-pop! They had turned a machine gun on -us. Then came another wait in a shell hole. Eventually I reached the -dressing station. I had my leg dressed and a few bits of sticking -plaster put on various parts of my body. I was put on a motor ambulance -and the next morning woke up in a hospital clearing station to find my -old friend Jones sitting up in a bed opposite me. - -Well, we had a good laugh for we are like the Siamese twins. Wherever -one is the other is not far off--at least it has been that way since -coming to France. And the objects we looked, he with a face as big -as two, and me with my clothing all muddy and torn and various other -changes. We'd have made a good picture entitled, "After the Fight." -Later on we were taken on a hospital train to this place, but I shall -be glad when I can get about again. I feel more lonesome here than I -ever have in all my life. It's the weariness of lying here with nothing -to do that gets my "goat." Nevertheless it's great to be human again -and among civilization again. The first few days I appreciated it all -right, for I did not have a wink of sleep from the Monday night and -scarcely anything to eat or drink. - -Now don't forget, old man, to drop me a line and let me know how -everything is in dear old New York. So now good-bye for the present, -hoping you WILL remember me to all old friends. - - Your old friend, - - LABAN. - -P. S. I am enclosing a little souvenir, one of Fritz's field cards. I -was amusing myself on the back of it with a few verses. - - -[Illustration: THIS IS THE SIDE OF THE POSTCARD TAKEN BY MR. HILL THAT -WAS INTENDED FOR THE ADDRESS] - - -[Illustration: THE IMPRESSIONS OF AN AMERICAN BOY WHO DID NOT WAIT -Laban Hill, No. 1,054,147, Fourteenth Canadian Battery, on "Going Over -the Top" in August, 1917. Written to a Friend on a Postcard Taken From -a Dead German Soldier] - -[Transcribed text from the postcard:] - -Over The Top - -1 -"Did you ever go over the top?" he said, -"Did you ever go over the top? -Did you sweep along an unbroken line, -With bayonets gleaming, and eyes ashine -And a feeling that went to your head like wine, -The time you went over the top?" - -2 -"Did you ever go over the top?" he said, -"Did you ever go over the top? -Did the flarelights shine on a glorious sight -As they pierced the dawn in the changing light; -Did you thrill with a feeling of savage delight, -The time you went over the top?" - -3 -"Did you ever go over the top?" he said, -"Did you ever go over the top? -Oh, tell me" he said "how you held up your head -Of the things that you thought and the things that you said, -Of your glorious pride as with the men you sped -Far away over the top." - -4 -"Oh yes, I've been over the top," I said, -"You bet I've been over the top. -But I felt alone in the flare-lights glare. -And Mauser bullets were singeing my hair, -And my knees were knocking together for fair, -The night I went over the top." - -5 -"Oh yes, I've been over the top," I said, -"You bet I've been over the top. -But it's lonesome out there in no man's land -And you miss the crowd and you miss the band -And your feet take root in the place you stand, -The night you go over the top." - -6 -"Oh yes, I've been over the top -There was yards of wire got attached to my clothes -And how I got out of it God only knows -A secret I fear he will never disclose -Till I'm finally "over the top." - -7 -"Oh yes, I've been over the top," I said, -"You bet I've been over the top. -The artillery raised a continuous roar-- -They'd been at it, it seemed for a week or more-- -And old man I was sweating at every pore -The night I went over the top." - -8 -"Oh yes, I've been over the top," I said, -"You bet I've been over the top. -The noise and confusion, the shouts and the groans -Had paralysed action and frozen my bones -When a fellow went past me,--I think it was Jones, -He was headed back over the top." - -9 -"Oh yes, I've been over the top," I said, -You bet I've been over the top -And since Jones has a blighty and wasn't napoo, -If they're handing them out -"I thought" me for one too. -And blest if I didn't--in fact I got two, -The night I went over the top. - -New York isn't the only place people hustle - - - - -THE SINKING OF THE "PROVENCE II" - -_Told by M. Bokanowski, Deputy of the Department of the Seine_ - - The French auxiliary cruiser _La Provence II_, formerly a - passenger liner, was sunk by a submarine in the eastern end of the - Mediterranean while serving as a troop transport. Nearly 4,000 men - are said to have been on board, of whom only 870 were saved. One of - the survivors, M. Bokanowski, wrote this thrilling description to - President Poincaré of France: - - -MONSIEUR LE PRESIDENT: You are doubtless familiar, in all -its details, with the fate of the _Provence II_. I should like to -describe to you--to assuage in a measure the grief of France--the noble -behaviour of those who made ready at that moment, between sea and sky, -to die for their country. - -We had on board a battalion and some detachments of the Third Colonial -Regiment of Infantry. At the moment of the explosion I was on the -bridge, with the commander of the ship, his second in command, and -several of the higher officers. We directed the steps to be taken, -distributing lifebelts, superintending the launching of boats and -liferafts. Not an outcry, not a complaint, not the slightest sign -of panic--only the dignified tranquillity of men who long ago had -consecrated their lives to the sublime cause that had put arms in their -hands. - -Everybody would have been saved had it depended only on officers and -crew. Unfortunately the ship sank rapidly. The water soon found its way -into the boilers. When they began to explode, about ten minutes past -5, I jumped into the sea and swam as fast as I could in order to get -beyond the radius of suction. A few moments later there were several -deafening explosions. I turned and saw the end. The ship was going down -stern foremost. Captain Vesco, still standing on the bridge, cried in a -voice above the uproar: "Vive la France!" The survivors, swimming about -the ship, or safe on boats and rafts, saw the _Provence_ make a sudden -plunge, her forward deck standing perpendicular in the air. They, in -their turn, saluted with a cry of "Vive la France!" It was a quarter -past 5. - -After swimming for half an hour I succeeded in reaching an overloaded -raft, the occupants of which pulled me aboard. Night was falling, -the wind was chill and nipped the flesh of the men, who were almost -entirely naked. Throughout the endless night, not a whimper! My -companions in misfortune had no words except to lament the fate of -those who were drowned and to curse the Boche, who, neither before nor -after his treacherous shot, had dared to appear and show his flag. In -water up to the waist, with teeth chattering from the cold, but upheld -by the desire to survive and be able to punish the villains, we were -picked up eighteen hours later by a trawler. Several men had died from -the cold on the rafts, and several others had lost their reason. - -An English patrol and a French torpedo boat divided the survivors -between them, some heading for Milo, others for Malta. I was among the -latter, and we arrived here about 1 o'clock yesterday. Captain Vesco, -who was in command of the _Provence II._; Lieutenant Besson, second -in command; Colonel Duhalde, commanding the Third Colonial Regiment -of Infantry, remained on the bridge until the very last second of -the ship's life in the most noble spirit of self-sacrifice, giving -with perfect calmness precise and effective orders for saving the -passengers. - -The gunners of the _Provence's_ stern gun, having loaded it when the -torpedo struck, remained at their posts, trying to discover the hidden -foe in order to repay him in his own coin. - -Surgeon Navarre of the Third Colonial Regiment, being taken aboard a -trawler nearly exhausted by his eighteen hours on a raft, refused to -change his drenched clothing or to take any food until he had dressed -the hurts of the wounded and looked after the sick. He was prostrated -a long while after such superhuman labours. - -And I must mention this other incident, which brings tears to my eyes: - -Gauthier, Assistant Quartermaster of the _Provence_, having been taken -on board a greatly overloaded raft, was hailed by a soldier asking -for help; he jumped into the water to give him his place, saying: "A -sailor's duty is to save the soldiers first of all." - -He was picked up, twenty-one hours after the wreck, clinging to a plank. - -I call attention also to the devotion and zeal--meriting our profound -gratitude--of Lieutenant Sinclair Thompson, commanding the English -patrol _Marguerite_, and of his officers and crew, by whose labours -about 300 survivors were taken from the place of the wreck to Malta. - -Pray pardon the form of this story, Monsieur le Président. I have -written it hurriedly, with a bruised hand, and with a head still in a -sad muddle. I wished, before my impending departure for Saloniki, to -say to you with all my heart: "That is what these noble fellows did!" - - BOKANOWSKI. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious errors of punctuation and diacritics were corrected. - -Inconsistent hyphenation was made consisent. - -Times normalized to A.M. and P.M. - -P. 27: in lieu of this can be subtituted -> in lieu of this can be -substituted. - -P. 28: woman's hubsand -> woman's husband. - -P. 51: in cosmos -> in the cosmos. - -P. 79: Never was General -> Never was a General. - -P. 81: municipal dgnitary -> municipal dignitary. - -P. 103: mobilization of 1909 -> mobilization of 1914. - -P. 114: THE ROMANCE OF THE EURASION -> THE ROMANCE OF THE EURASIAN. - -P. 119: held out so vigourously -> held out so vigorously. - -P. 120: klled fifty-two Boches -> killed fifty-two Boches. - -P. 129: German Embassy in Berlin -> American Embassy in Berlin. - -P. 151: BATTLE OF CHARLEROI -> THE BATTLE OF CHARLEROI. - -P. 153: Sonzèe -> Somzée. - -P. 196: left in the forcastle -> left in the forecastle. - -P. 198: steered for the nothern coast -> steered for the northern coast. - -P. 215: followed at a disstance -> followed at a distance. - -P. 226: made by the priscope -> made by the periscope. - -P. 255: pour my temptuous heart -> pour my tempestuous heart. - -P. 263: U-boat lieutenand -> U-boat lieutenant. - -P. 265: Jusé -> José. - -P. 277: regarded themslves as beaten -> regarded themselves as beaten. - -P. 278: Chalffour Quarry -> Chauffour Quarry. - -P. 307: distince he covered -> distance he covered. - -P. 314: ran in my head continualy -> ran in my head continually. - -P. 319: animals were specialy fêted -> animals were specially fêted. - -P. 338: any longed astern -> any longer astern. - -P. 349: hamstring tendron -> hamstring tendon. - -P. 358: N. 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