"Hear what the Russians said to the President:
"'You have seen me in the little bar around the corner.'"
AS THEY GO, A LITTLE VILLAGE IN THE ARGONNE. _August_, 1916.
The priest of R---- has invited me to have coffee with him. The kindly old man saw the German invasion in 1914. He had been rudely treated in his native hamlet, and he appeared--when one saw the ruins--to have had many days of grief. Two days of battle and this was all he knew of war!
The boches, on retiring, had set fire to four corners of the village and everything had been burned, save his church where he permitted some German wounded to seek shelter.
Our troops triumphantly entered the smoking ruins of the village at night----
"My brave boys," the priest said to them, "I embrace you and thank God----"
The _poilus_, stirred with the feverish lust of pursuit, demanded:
One of the men, gone completely mad, shouted:
"Where are they? I'll stick this bayonet through 'em----"
"I pleaded with them," the old priest said.
"My children, they are our enemies, but respect the wounded!"
"The wounded!" roared the other, "the wounded! I'll cut 'em to pieces!"
"They all followed me like a pack of hounds," the priest went on, "and I prayed to God for aid.
"The first one we saw, on entering the church, was a Bavarian stretched out in a pool of blood. Rolling his eyes up at me, he muttered:
"'_Nom de Dieu_, father, so you let your wounded die of thirst--that's a rotten trick! Here! drink this--you!' the _poilu_ said, handing his canteen to the boche----"
"Since you are fighting near him--what is _he_?"
"PERSEVERING; "ENERGETIC; "TRIUMPHANT; "ARDENT; "INTREPID; "_Nil-melior!_"[27]
THE OLD TERRITORIAL ON SENTRY DUTY AT THE MONTMIRAL RAILROAD CROSSING. _September_, 1916.
I left Paris during the night in an automobile and am returning to General Quarters. I have fallen asleep on the way----
An old territorial flashes a lantern in my face--a railroad track crossed the road----
"What is the name of this place, _mon petit_?"
"This place, captain, is--the railroad crossing!"
THE EVE OF THE RECAPTURE OF FORT DOUAUMONT. _October_ 23, 1916.
Major Armengaud and I left Nettancourt this morning by airplane to assist in the operations about to be unloosed before Verdun.